Public Relic of the Past — Tython Aftermath

[Thurion Heavenshield]

T Y T H O N

The battle for Tython — ancient birthplace of the Jedi Order — was over.

As the last remnants of the Dark Empire was either put to the sword or brought to heel, the great commitment to ridding the world of taint and corruption was begun by a veritable host of Alliance and New Jedi Order personnel. The Drengir still posed a threat, though they were being actively hunted down and destroyed at their source by a strike team led by the Grandmaster herself. Vast swathes of land were inhabitable, forcing those frail of constitution to wear rebreathers else risk succumbing to the oppressive air so thick it threatened to suffocate the average person. Worse yet, its lingering influence may well creep its way into the weak of mind.​

Thurion Heavenshield had been summoned to participate in Tython's liberation, acting on behalf of the Wellspring of Life as Its instrument of justice for the unjustly fallen. He'd been called before; to assist, shepherd, or merely observe. Today had been in the spirit of annihilation — to eradicate the unnatural creatures allowed to devour the very soul of the planet for too long. The Lion had stacked a mountain's worth of such fell corpses this day, unleashing a searing rage withheld for too long. Frustration on behalf of a galaxy forever at war; retribution for the countless Jedi ancestor spirits slain; anger at the loss of his wife — a wound that would never heal. Never in his long life had he vanquished so many foes in a single day, and his sword arm ached as a result.

Only as the very last Drengir lay dead at his feet did the High King of Midvinter quiet his mind and temper his martial spirit, so covered from head to toe in the black lifeblood of his foes that he was nigh unrecognisable were it not for his large size and stature. He'd been stabbed, cut, bludgeoned and slashed, yet sustained no crippling or indeed mortal wound. More than being in pain, there was an overwhelming aura of weariness about the man. Finally allowed to take more than a moment's breath, his limbs recalled each and every labour of the last handful of hours.

Plates creaked and chainmail rustled as Thurion knelt to recover his helmet from the battlefield, its feathery wings tarnished or missing entirely. Standing back up proved more difficult than he'd care to admit, and he looked about the field of hewn corpses. "And so the peace of the Jedi is won by the blade yet again," he remarked, a lament for the state of galactic affairs while recognising his own part in perpetuating the cycle of violence. No everlasting peace was ever won at the tip of a sword; new dark empires would rise on the bones of this one, as sure as the sun will set.

Finding the time to clean the Sunlight Blade and wash his face, the old and tired knight traversed the blackened soil of Tython in solemn pilgrimage, the final destination in mind being the site of his watery grave the last time he'd fought in defense of this world.

"Is this truly all there is to our existence, Asha? Was there ever more than this?"

Open to Anyone!​

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

Right back what is wrong…
Tython
What was once “The Gnarls”

Walking amongst the fallen, and the refuse, Caltin was a little more, well he would call it “thorough” but in reality it was “paranoid” as he looked for any surviving Drengir.He carefully scanned the area, his hand never straying far from his weapon. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and every shadow seemed to whisper of hidden dangers. Caltin knew that even the smallest oversight could prove fatal in this unforgiving terrain. He had heard stories of the Drengir's ability to blend into their surroundings, waiting silently for their prey. Caltin's senses were on high alert, his every step deliberate. The faint rustling of leaves sent a jolt of adrenaline through him, but he pressed on, determined to ensure the area was clear.

I am not Asha, nor do I speak for her, Brother but I know one thing. We stand and fight so that others do not have to. Sometimes, even the righteous need warrior born. I, like you, look forward to the day when we can lay our weapons down once and for all. That being said, until peace can truly be achieved, those of us who stand, we must remain vigilant and steadfast in our purpose. The fight is not just for ourselves, but for those who cannot defend themselves.

He continued to walk around, checking the fallen for signs of life. We do what we must, and find our place in it. It’s a thankless existence, but I’ve learned to embrace it. I learned a long time ago that if Jedi like you and I do not stand, who will? He stopped and looked his oathbrother over.

You asked if we are meant for more when you’ve already answered it. Do you have any idea how many lives you have touched? You are the High King of Midvinter, a beautiful world. You are a proud husband, yes husband, father, a proud grandfather… and that is just to your blood family. The Nobles, how they look to you… my son, your “nephew” will not stop until he finds his “auntie Coci”... you know why? He shrugged. Well, it’s because she spoiled and fed him a lot as a kid, but because of his admiration of you. How you are as a person. Why do you think he came to you before he did to me about that whole “split personality” issue he had? Don’t even get me started on our bond…

Walking up and putting a hand on Thurion’s shoulder, Caltin said nothing else. Did he really have to at this point?

Thurion Heavenshield * TAGS
[Text in Brackets is spoken on Comm-link] ~Like this is through the Force~​

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

A century into this gig, and a hundred Drengir fights too, Ashin had rarely felt so old. Charred Drengir pulp slimed the grip of her cane and stung through rents in her armour's underlayment. The old phrik plate, of a Je'daii style, carried new scars and no small amount of her own blood.

Her duelling mace, Khovesk, hung at her belt unused: she'd spent this battle and this strange adventure using the heavier Kotsirluuk. Drengir tissue choked the spikes and Naddist designs of its cylindrical head.

The Jedi had been fighting Drengir too for their own reasons, and she spied a pair of them now, two big men with half-familiar faces. Not from when she'd been a Jedi, though; these weren't old friends she'd betrayed. All to the good. She was too tired for that kind of diplomacy. The hate that she and the Drengir felt for each other was special, transcendent, and exhausting.

Uncaring whether her mask or weapon or cold old Dark Side presence meant anything to them, she approached her fellow survivors, leaning on her black cane. She did hang the befouled mace at her belt like its mate.

"Do you have drinking water?" she said.
Thurion Heavenshield Caltin Vanagor

 

[Matsu Ike]

Ashin Cardé Varanin Caltin Vanagor Thurion Heavenshield

The drengir were something special... she had to admit that even after study they continued to bring some surprises to her at least... when they had a chance to really surprise. With enough prep there were means for anti-drengir tactics and the jedi master moved. Her smaller form moving between the arms of one when she felt others were around but she allowed the force to guide her movement... unconsciously she barely thought of it but her body could react when she dodged a strike that came for her with a twist but popped off the ground into a corkscrew of the arm. Her body barely missing it by design as she listened to it and allowed the force to whisper outwards... she allowed her hand to come out and tapped it for the barest of a moment.

Then she was back on the ground and moving as her feet didn't make a sound.. the thrashing of the beast the only sound that was coming from the area. She dropped to the ground for a moment as it barreled over her missing by an inch but she could smell the rot of vegetation and meaty chunks... there was the sense of the darkside and the weight of it as the thing passed over her and the jedi master kipped up with her legs pushing forward to pull her body upwards and she twisted behind it as she reached out. The force pulling at the tendril she had touched and marked for a moment with the force. The trace of it there and the thing turned in its speed end over end with loud screeches and crashed into a tree.

Then there was a familiar presence but fleeting... Caltin was here.. the man radiated his energy like a mantle of power before she stayed there for a moment and looked at the beast when it rolled over and corrected itself. Mouth snapping... tendrils flailing but the jedi master remained impassive for the moment and held her hand up. The briefest moment the thing seemed to brace itself, ready for her to try and push or something that would send sticks and stones towards it.... something that could happen but her fingers came out. The palm for a moment and then the fingers went back and forth... back and forth. The movement recognized by the beast in that moment and it was coming at her faster with pure hatred.

The jedi master waited for it and then her other hand pointed backwards as she touched the force and it shimmered from her hands. The shimmer became a curtain of solidified energy that rippled and its shimmer was behind her as the beast charged... then She moved. Ducking under at first and jumping to dodge as she rolled over its bulk and built momentum in the force. Her hand remaining where it was and straight but she focused the power of a ta-ree spell into it as the riftstones within her robes glimmered. She strengthened her hand with energy and encased it as she cleared the bulk and it seemed to realize what it was running at before she gave a look.... and the back of her hand struck it with a thunderclap.

The sound resonating for a moment as it made a shockwave with the force to propel and add power to move the massive bulk and mass of the beast.. it resisted and was flung into the blue shimmering force energy as the Netherworld of Unbeing took it and where she was sending it... well it could find peace or accept it was in the middle of a sun as licks of golden yellow tendrils came out. The shimmered ending and Matsu stood there for a moment.. allowing her robes to settle down while straightening the mass of her black hair. The small stature of the jedi master not missed as she walked in the silvery white robes... sleeveless and gleaming with her twin blades on her hips but she didn't take them out.

She finished composing herself for the moment and walked while listened and taking in the sight of Thurion, Caltin and another asking for water. The mask and presence were something but the drengir were a threat to all.. you didn't entirely question the fellows a fight against them bring together. Her hand came out and she focused. The art of the small and her mental processes with the force accelerating as she stacked molecules together slowly forming first the water as it was suspended there in the air and then the structure formed around it... filling in with plastoid as areas of the water were solidified in ice to chill it. She offered it as it was suspended in the air and had listened to Caltin within the force and enhanced senses.

"You make it sound so grand master Vanagor." She said it and offered neither complaint or compliment of his view for it. Just allowing the force to settle around herself.

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

T Y T H O N​

As ever, his brother-by-blood spoke from the heart, lavishing praise upon the dejected Lion and reminding him why they fight the good fight. Though it fell on somewhat deaf ears this time, Thurion appreciated the effort and his brother's steadfast support. "Caltin..." He turned to him with a tired smile, returning the gesture of clutching his pauldron. "I'm glad you're with me." Though his expression was subdued, the earnestness with which he spoke remained intact.

"I would instruct you to call off Connel's hunt, were I not so certain he would refuse. Young men ought to be given free reins to chart their own course, and not spend their best years on a fruitless chase," he said next. "Four years, Cal. If his quarry wished to be found, or indeed could be found, your boy would have caught the scent long ago. I have... resigned myself to my loneliness."

There was finality to his words, though perhaps the doom and gloom of their present whereabouts was getting to him. Nevertheless, it was the truth, and he was too old and too tired to argue.

Two other figures emerged among the sea of dead Drengir, one of whom he recognised. "At ease, Master Ike," he greeted her with a faint nod. "You're facing mere stragglers whilst their brethren litter the land. Their demise has been seen to," he reported, taking no credit for his part in laying waste to their number. "Though it is good to see you again, Matsu. You bear the silver well to this day."

Focus was placed now on the second arrival, the armoured knight making no assumptions as to loyalties of the masked presence. Matsu cleverly saw to their needs by producing water through the binding of molecules. "You are not of the Alliance, friend. Am I right to assume you fought for the other side?"

He made no effort to reach for his weapon, or even react to the dark aura about the masked being. He sensed in her the same weariness which resided in himself. Just a fellow soldier, fighting the same war of attrition.

"Might I ask your name, Daughter of Bogan?"

Caltin Vanagor Matsu Ike Ashin Cardé Varanin ​

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

So Matsu Ike , and Vanagor would be Jedi Master Caltin Vanagor , and their seven-foot-six anachronistic-dialect blond had to be Thurion Heavenshield or one of his clan. Any one of them would be a challenge if it came to that. Three would be downright memorable.

She took off her mask and let them see her original face, the one she'd worn the first time she betrayed the Jedi, the one she'd said goodbye to almost seventy years back — not long after duelling Grandmaster Darron Wraith to a draw at the Battle of Roche. She took the conjured cup of ice water from the air, weighed the immediate future for safety, nodded her thanks, and drank without compunction.

"Ashin Varanin," she said, and gestured at the Drengir-slimed Naddist mace on her belt. "I fought against Drengir. Whatever broader war you were fighting here was none of my concern."

A slow look around at the carnage.

"Congratulations on liberating Tython again, presumably. Short of Coruscant there's no less fortunate world."

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

Right back what is wrong…
Tython
What was once “The Gnarls”

The poor man. Having lost the love of his life and burying himself into whatever he can to take his mind off of it. It was understandable, Caltin himself had done this before. However, he himself wanted “family” all of his life, and he has it. No way he was going to give up on it now. The mention of calling his son off made him chuckle.

I couldn’t call Connel off if I wanted to… he’s got too much of his stubborn annoying father in him. On top of that, he has his mother’s drive, and old contacts from her past he is using. He’s doing what he feels is right and I would be doing the same if I were in his position, in fact I was in his position once. He thought of the time that he refused to believe that Ala Quin was… well he brought Hydrocus Venetia to justice for that, it doesn’t matter now. If you are resigned to what might be, that is fine… everyone around you will keep to the belief that she is out there for you. He smiled at his oath brother genuinely. Thinking of what he once said to the man “We will get through this…” not “We will get you…” or “You will…” This was not a competition to him, just being there for “family”. He would want it for him.

This other sentient approached them, Ashin Cardé Varanin . She dripped of the Dark Side, but there was something else to her. She was reticent to approach them in battle, she was just… there... he was about to reach for the canteen hanging off of his belt when he sensed someone else. It was Master Matsu Ike .

She beat him to the water for the… okay her face was familiar… he would have to look that up another time though. Matsu offered an answer to his diatribe…

”Diatribe”?

A Diatribe is…

I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS!

Then why did you … oh you didn’t… okay how about “Monologue”?

In the grand scheme of things, isn’t it? I mean, I would rather believe that we are standing for those who can’t mean something. He did not mean anything by the retort either, nothing more than a playful jab. He had no intention of offending anyone, but his words carried a weight he hadn't anticipated. The silence that followed was heavy, and he felt a pang of regret, realizing the impact of his careless remark.

I mean yes, this can be a “tedious”, even “never ending” balancing act we place with the Bogan… no offense intended Ms. Varanin… He shrugged. ... but I learned a long time ago, that while for every one sentient who will appreciate us for who we are, there may be five who laugh at our dark days… like losing Tython… or Order 66 in my day… but those will always be there. Why this is important to me is because that one sentient can affect another, and that sentient another, and so on… He shrugged again. The right thing is often the hardest to do, but that is my motivation… I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror. It’s why I do what I do. It’s why I’ll never give up… and believe it or not… I learned that from the two of you. He pointed to both Thurion and Matsu. He may be older than they are, he may have been a Jedi longer, but he is humble enough to know he doesn’t know everything.

Thurion Heavenshield Matsu Ike Ashin Cardé Varanin

[Text in Brackets is spoken on Comm-link] ~Like this is through the Force~​

 

[Matsu Ike]

Thurion Heavenshield Ashin Cardé Varanin Caltin Vanagor

She listened and bowed her head to Thurion as Caltin also spoke. There was something to it and standing there for a moment she spoke. "Thank you." She said it and looked as Ashin revealed herself, not even making a motion for her sabers and keeping her expression of surprise neutral. She preferred giving the air she had known all along... jedi wisdom and such but Ashin being around as not terrible. She was certainly less short sighted destruction then some other sith and darksiders and didn't try and rule ashes. "A twist." She said it with a bow of her head for the other part... others might have thought her dead but if there was no body found it was harder to believe.

She gave a nod to Thurion as she spoke. "Thank you for your words, there might not be a lot left but they have shown themselves to be dedicated and we have done things even I never thought possible." They had found things, reclaimed and rebuilt... and then they had expanded."The sheer amount of knowledge we have learned about the force alone has allowed new discoveries. Iella and Coci may have been proud with it. That we have established transdimensional temples and are training jedi to be able to operate and protect in other galaxies untouched by the sith is something new." She said it but looked at them. The world was calming still even among the chaotic things that happened.

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

why I’ll never give up… and believe it or not… I learned that from the two of you.

"The sheer amount of knowledge we have learned about the force alone has allowed new discoveries. Iella and Coci may have been proud with it. That we have established transdimensional temples and are training jedi to be able to operate and protect in other galaxies untouched by the sith is something new."

On balance, Ashin decided not to reply to Vanagor. Not that there weren't lines of possible discussion, but what Ike had said caught her attention in ways that not much could after a long day of butchering Drengir.

"Untouched by the Sith yet," she said, unable to resist. "My thanks again for the water."

Leaning on her cane a touch more than she'd prefer, she turned her back carelessly on the three Jedi and headed off through the dead Drengir.

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

T Y T H O N​

"Iella and Coci may have been proud with it."

The courteous smile he'd maintained thus far faded from view, and his ears would not register the sentences to follow. His shoulders slumped as his gaze turned elsewhere, anywhere, for focus. His brother Caltin would not recognise the first name; Iella E'ron, founding member and first Grandmaster of the Silver Jedi. His predecessor, and a cherished sister and friend. Her loss still weighed heavily upon him, as did they all.

And Coci... Well.

"I'm sure," he mustered a scant reply, staring off into nothingness.

Ashin had the right idea. Though his limbs ached from the slaughter, to stand around served only to stiffen joints and invite idleness. With a squeeze of Caltin's shoulder, Thurion moved to follow the mysterious warrior, his armour creaking and clattering from the strain. Catching up to her proved easy enough, for his strides far outdid hers, and he appeared beside her, his helmet still tucked under his arm.

"I recall an Ashin Varanin," he spoke, intrigued by the cane-wielding elder. "From my youth. She was once a celebrated Jedi who fell to the dark side, betraying the Order and even serving as Sith Empress for a time. We may well have shared the same battlefield." It became harder to tell with age, for a thousand battles had a nasty habit of all blending together.

Seeing her lean so hard on her cane, the Lion extended a hand intended to ease her burden, should she allow it. Perhaps she couldn't stand the indignity of accepting the aid of an old enemy, or maybe it was her age. Nevertheless, it was offered. To him, she was an honoured elder and a fellow survivor of the fall of the Galactic Republic.

"You and I know better than most, nothing lasts forever," he added, referring to short-lived triumphs and, by the same token, empires risen and subsequently lost. A fitting metaphor for the likes of them — two relics of a bygone age.

Caltin Vanagor Ashin Cardé Varanin Matsu Ike ​

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

Right back what is wrong…
Coruscant
Jedi Temple

He wasn’t completely convinced, nor if truly speaking would he ever be, that Thurion was, or was going to be okay; at least not until there was some definitive speak of Coci’s situation. However for at least right now he seemed to be “good”, at least in the most general sense of the term. So when he grasped the big man’s shoulder and followed the dark sider, Caltin gave him the moments of clarity and privacy that was needed.

Then he glanced over to Matsu. When you have time, in the future, stop by Kesh. It’s not the Shadow Temple, but I’m working on my own little “network”. While he did not have any aggression, he did not want to bring it up around the Dark Sider.

Thurion Heavenshield Matsu Ike Ashin Cardé Varanin
[Text in Brackets is spoken on Comm-link] ~Like this is through the Force~​

 

[Matsu Ike]

Caltin Vanagor

She bowed as Thurion and Ashin departed remaining there for the time being. Caltin speaking about the temple and network was interested as her eyebrow rose. "Oh." She said it with a grin on her face of interest. "Well tell me more." She said it while walking with her hands clasped together in front of herself. Moving soundlessly on the ground as she went around. Tython was still beneficial and with some work that they might be able to do here. "Hopefully the rebuilding efforts here will be open, some of the temples could be beneficial to future efforts of the jedi." She had a few other ideas and the temple on Ahch-To did a lot but there was something to be said for Tython and Ossus.

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

"I recall an Ashin Varanin," he spoke, intrigued by the cane-wielding elder. "From my youth. She was once a celebrated Jedi who fell to the dark side, betraying the Order and even serving as Sith Empress for a time. We may well have shared the same battlefield." It became harder to tell with age, for a thousand battles had a nasty habit of all blending together.

Seeing her lean so hard on her cane, the Lion extended a hand intended to ease her burden, should she allow it. Perhaps she couldn't stand the indignity of accepting the aid of an old enemy, or maybe it was her age. Nevertheless, it was offered. To him, she was an honoured elder and a fellow survivor of the fall of the Galactic Republic.

"You and I know better than most, nothing lasts forever,"

She put one armored hand on his forearm and some of her weight with it as she stumped along. Nobody had ever accused her of humility, but pride had its appropriate place, pragmatically speaking. She did think about stabbing him as a matter of habit. She opted against it.

"A longer story," she said, "but telling it would risk self-pity or offloading of responsibility, and either is beneath me so the story goes untold. So let's call your memory correct."

She glanced back at Ike, now more or less out of earshot.

"Galaxies? How many worlds of faithful corporate serfs did she need to accomplish that? More and more I feel the scope and scale of this century are beyond me."