Saving private Thanewulf

[Zonia Kalranoos]

Ascension, caves in inland Alba, Na'Va mountainrange​

Drip, drip, drip....

Water.
Even the hardest granite forged in vulcanic fires was to be weathered by the persistent trickling of water across its stony veins. Out of all the elements, water may be the most timid, but given enough time, it may carve abysmal crevaces into landscapes, morphing the face of the earth with a feather-like, albeit insistent chisel. That very perseverance of water was the force of nature that ever so softly carved a system of caves into the Na'Va mountainrange, sculpting magnificent stalagmite pillars out of limestone, molecule by molecule at a time. As in all matters of life, progress in nature is always slow; every inch of crystal growth spanned across two generations, a hundred revolutions around Primero, Ascension's bright star. Lords were vanquished, rebellions were drowned in blood, heirs have ascended, yet this was of no concern to the everfolding flowstone or stalactites.

Eight hundred years had passed from the last time humans set food into this very cavern. When they last did, it was not for speleology, but rather to hide something of great value, a trophy if you will. A slab of carbonite lay on top of a bedding plane made from eons of limestone deposits, covered by a thin layer of finest dust. Bioluminescence of algae living on soggy walls illuminated the interior with a faint, blueish light. The florescent shimmer revealed the graceful facial contours of a creature trapped in the alloy, her eyes closed and face serene. By the looks of it, a human female in her late twenties, with braided hair and plump lips. The attire she wore told volumes of the time she spent in this forsaken place; she would have an easier time fitting in a museum, then on the streets of some planet. So much time had passed, that all this woman ever knew had withered and all semblance of familiarity disappeared from the descendants of those she would've called her own kin.

Perhaps the worst part of such deep suspended animation was the dreamless coma one would fall into. It very much resembled an actual demise, but there was no peace through the Force. A contentless existence, with no consolation, no emotion, no transcendence. In a way, a fate worse than death.
Whoever was the architect of this form of captivity was of the cruelest kind; being slain in battle was mercy compared to this metallic coffin...

[member="Alen Na'Varro"] [member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Kana Truden"] [member="Haytham Kaze"] [member="Laura Na'Varro"]

 

[Aran Finn]

Home.

For two years, Alen had made it a "family tradition" to go for a holiday back on Ascension with his young daughter. Though she had not been born here, he hoped the culture of the planet would rub off on Laura a bit. The serene, chilly tundra and mountain regions were beautiful and had always calmed the bearded man; perhaps that would cure Laura's impatience, or at least mitigate it. He had been born in the bosom of this world, amongst the warmth of the lava that flowed beneath the planet's crust. She had not had that privilege, so it could only help her to take her here. Let her experience the power of this planet for herself. And in that way, she could grow as a person.

But this was a business trip.

Na'Varro stood at the cavern entrance, ice cold wind whipping his form, which was wrapped in a large Kyadu Bear fur cloak. Laura stood not far from him, staring into the gloom of the cave intently. With them was his current chaperone, [member="Ryan Korr"], the Order's foremost healer, [member="Kana Truden"], and [member="Haytham Kaze"], a promising young Padawan. Their business? To retrieve [member="Tionne Thanewulf"], a now ancient Jedi Watchman that Alen had imprisoned in carbonite while a Sith Lord. They were here to save a fellow Jedi, and Na'Varro was here to make amends. Before them, a cavern winded, full of twists and wrong turns. Na'Varro knew the way like the back of his hand, but while his little girl was here, this was an invaluable training opportunity.

"Hey kiddo, Thanewulf has a strong resting Force potential. Reckon you can track her down?" He grinned, before looking sideways at Kaze. "What about you, lad?"

 

[Kana Truden]

Had Kana been able to read the mind of Alen Na’Varro she would have blushed. She certainly wasn’t the foremost Healer of the Order. She may have been the most prominent one, but she was certainly not the greatest. That honor went to Avalore Eden, the only jedi master alive who had helped Kana with her duties.

In reality her coming along was a sign of good faith. The man had been accepting of their judgement and she certainly wasn’t one to hold suspicion for too long, it simply wasn’t in her nature.

Deciding to hang back and let the others take the lead she took a moment to get a better picture of what their surroundings were like. Mostly as a way to not get lost. Wouldn’t want that to happen, would they?

[member="Alen Na'Varro"] [member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

 

[Laura Na'Varro]

"Yeah!" Around her old man, Laura felt safe and secure, even in social situations. As such, she seemed uncharacteristically friendly, bright and chirpy. Veritably possessed by energy, she was keen to track down this source of light energy and find out exactly what it was. And if it was the woman that her Dad assessed it was, ask a million questions. She was sure the woman would be interesting. She had been a Jedi eight hundred and thirty years ago ... Laura was curious as to whether those Jedi made the same mistakes as the current ones. Lightsabre hilt hung from her belt, newly forged out of wood, durasteel, Kaiburr crystal and various electronic parts. For a 12 year old, there was a high degree of craftsmanship in relation to the hilt. She had spent ages designing it, so much so that the time it took to actually forge the pieces and assemble them paled in comparison. With this blade in her hands, the crystal being the original one her father had used, she was a step closer to becoming a Jedi in her way.

"Come on!" Waving at Dad, Master Truden, Master Korr and the other Paddie, Laura plunged into the darkness of the cave. Strangely, it brightened as they descended further below the crust. She stretched out with the Force, trying to touch mentally in every which direction she could. Master Yuyo had taught her much about Force Sense, and so she used it like a radar, pushing outwards until she felt something else. At first it was fruitless, but then she found something. A blunt, dull but evident source of Light. She latched onto it and didn't let it go. Left. They came to another fork. Right. They moved on. Left. Left. Right. Left. Laura could feel her father's approval soaring as he followed behind. Another benefit of Force Sense. It was a power that simply increased how in tune you were with your surroundings, and its application could be shaped to match the situation. The young Na'Varro could sense that, even at her age. Right.

The next turn took them into a large opening with a high ceiling, stretching thirty metres above where they stood. Bridges of stone and earth criss-crossed above them, and the floor glowed from the magma that lay below its surface. A magical place. Laura gasped in wonder.

Beyond a subterranean pond of indeterminate depth, there lay a chest. Next to the chest stood something else ... on closer inspection, it was a person-sized slab of carbonite. Laura grinned, feeling the elation of victory.

"There!" she exclaimed, grinning with pride at her father, whose smile was ever wider.

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"] [member="Kana Truden"] [member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham stood with the rest of the party at the entrance to the cave. Garbed in a dark brown coloured suit, fir for these temperatures, it was styled as if it were Jedi robes, at least at the waist bottom with 'flaps' on the back. He kind of wondered why they just stood there for so long, but he made no mention of it. It was probably nostalgia striking [member="Alen Na'Varro"] or something along those lines he figured. But then, he had been addressed.

However, before he was even able to respond, the older Na'Varro's daughter was already leading the charge through the cavern. She escorted them into the depths of the cavern. Haytham himself felt the presence of [member="Tionne Thanewulf"], but clearly not so strongly as the younger Padawan. He was able to since where the hidden Jedi was in a general fashion... This one was able to track her down throughout the entire cavern as if she had a perfectly memorized map located within her mind.

It was definitely unexpected, and yet impressive.

When they had reached the end of their journey, Haytham nodded his head, obviously surprised. But, what was the praise of another Padawan compared to that of one's own father? In his mind's eye Haytham replayed the path they had taken to get there. A photographic memory was great and all, but until they had an actual use for a Padawan, which they probably wouldn't, Haytham was going to stay towards the back of the group. He was literally there only to learn, while [member="Ryan Korr"] was their chaperone, and [member="Kana Truden"] was the one that was going to be taking care of their centuries old compatriot. Then there was Father Na'Varro who had led them there. So, Haytham watched and learned.

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

Generally, Ryan Korr did not consider following one-time Sith Lords into mysterious subterranean cave systems a wonderful idea. This case proved no exception. Eyes the color of polished steel glinted in the dim light of the cavern. He glanced at [member="Kana Truden"], reassured by her presence, then stepped up to the slab of carbonite. A woman was frozen there, fingers pressing out as if to escape her tomb of icy-metal. They said the process was painful. Release from carbonite even more so.

He extended his senses and felt her life force glowing faintly. Still alive.

Korr reached out a hand and touched the tips of his fingers to the woman's hand. Cold.

"Eight hundred years in carbonite? I.... she'll be broken, Na'varro. In some way."

Ryan's questioning stare was met with adamantine determination.

"Very well."

His fingers quested beyond the carbonite hand to the series of control switches on the side of the slab. One by one, he turned the settings to thaw, then stepped back and waited.

[member="Alen Na'Varro"] | [member="Tionne Thanewulf"] | [member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

A loud hiss reverbated through the cavern, as tibanna gas was released through the side valves, fumes oozing down to settle as mist on the wet cavern floor. Solid surface slowly started to liquify into a viscous, silvery metallic fluid that now rose to cover what was the facial relief of a woman. Preserving a living organism in carbonite was not small feat, since blocks were not intended for such use. If one really wanted to encapsule anything more biologically complex than a mynock, hiring a professional was a must. And [member="Alen Na'Varro"] really wanted. He even brought a specialist from Nar Shaddaa, a notorious bounty hunter by vocation, to properly conserve this rare flower. Thanewulf always had Dark-siders on her tail, as they played cat and mouse across the galaxy, but never quite fell into their grip. Every attempt to capture her was futile; she always found a way out, a vent to crawl in, a stunt to pull off. Quite the trickster she was back in the day, but ultimately her luck run out.

The initial sensation of waking from an 800-year long dreamless slumber was something which would be closest to ressurection. At first, Tionne felt herself rising through water in a way that was an exact opposite from drowning, feeling life literally meander back into her being. She slipped back into conscioussness rather fast, regaining senses apart from vision almost instantly. As the Coruscanti Jedi reconnected with the Force, presence of many was instantly felt, all but one new. Without a doubt, the other were Jedi, but that other one was tinted, but very, very familiar. It was only then her mind commanded her body to actually move and rise from the carbonite tomb, only to endure colossal amounts of pain that paralyzed her completely. Nonwithstanding, Tionne pushed forward even if it meant she was to faint. Na'varro had captured other Watchmen, without a doubt. In the heat of the moment, she forgot that Watchmen were always but a few, and that she knew every one of them very well.

Finally mustering enough mental power to partially block pain through the Force, Thanewulf erected her upper body from the block. Liquid slid from her face to reveal her freckled complexion and temporarily blind eyes that instantly settled on Na'Varro. Her visage was an agonized grimmace, skewing her otherwise symmetric features into a convulsed scowl. By sheer reflex, her left hand flew to her utility belt and unclipped the hilt of her saber. In an instant, she flipped it around in the palm of her hand and a few short moments later, the cavern was illuminated by the yellow-orange glow of Tionne's lightsaber. Her arm stretched outwards, tip of blade pointed in Na'Varro's direction. She couldn't see him, but knew he was there. Tionne managed to blurt out a single word in an almost demonic voice -

"You."

[member="Alen Na'Varro"] [member="Kana Truden"] [member="Laura Na'Varro"] [member="Haytham Kaze"] [member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Aran Finn]

As Laura took off through the cavern, Alen's surprise at her adeptness with the Force power in question grew with each correct turn. This was not supposed to happen ... the Jedi Master could remember how he had struggled with his first attempts at mastering Force Sense, how Invictus had disciplined him for every failure. But for his daughter, it came easily. That could only mean ...

"You must have a knack for this, kiddo." A proud hand ruffled her hair. She hated that. "Or this Master Yuyo is some sort of miracle worker.."

Alen strongly suspected the former. He had just received his first inkling that his daughter might be a great Battle Precognition or Farseeing practitioner some day. That was at odds with his strong affinity for powers like Force Shield, Force Weapon and Tutaminis. But if our genetic code is exactly the same, then ... Truly, it was a mystery that would only develop with time. That was when Korr addressed him ... Alen replied with only a nod. He knew, but leaving her in carbonite any longer would be no kindness. He could only make amends as soon as possible. So he stood and watched as his minder set the tablet to thaw, his arms folded in front of him. Unarmed. For once.

There was no way to describe the flood of emotions he felt when the ancient Jedi Watchman awoke; watching her struggle, watching her blindly bring her lightsaber to life and point it directly at him. 'You,' she said with hatred. Hatred he possibly deserved. Possibly not. He had been a Sith Lord once. Not anymore. But still, he felt grief at the family and friends he had taken from her through temporal dislocation. He felt the grief because he knew it too ... felt determination to make her a new life here, to gain her acceptance and trust. That would be possible in time, but now? He had to avoid getting killed.

Laura had jumped in front of him, bringing her own golden lightsaber to life, but Alen placed a calm, cautioning hand on her shoulder.

"No," he said, stepping past her and closer to Thanewulf's blade.

"Yeah, it's me." An aura of Light radiated from his soul, one that grew stronger with each passing day. He was no saint, still a man who fethed up from time to time, but the Light Side was his ally now. He and the Dark had forsaken each other, never to be reunited. "A lot has changed in eight hundred years, Jedi Thanewulf. Now even gingers roam free."

Maybe now wasn't the best time for teasing, but Alen couldn't help himself.

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"] [member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Kana Truden"] [member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

Eight centuries.

Tionne was at loss of words; shaking her head in dismay she gasped for air in a state of ultimate shock. Everybody whom she ever knew was long gone; her fellow Watchmen and other Jedi, her contacts. The only familiar person stood before her, the man who condemned her to the truest kind of solitude. Yet she felt a surprising amount of anger for someone who always adamantly claimed to be free of any form of attachment. Weren't the Watchmen paragons of the Jedi way, a life with no bonds to the material and emotional? Why was then Tionne so struck by the realization of waking in a future she was never meant to witness? Perhaps it was so because Thanewulf never feared death, but life in a world where she could no nothing to help.

"I should've taken your life when I had the chance." the redhead hissed through her teeth, her entire body squirming out of pain. Still, the saber pointed in Na'Varro's direction, with no intention of being disignited. The Solari crystal inside glowed with an incadescent hue resembling a thousand suns from which essence it was made. The Light of the Core.

"But that is your way, not mine." she concluded, then shifted her still blurry gaze to the rest of the company that surrounded her. Two Force signatures were especially potent; naturally, Thanewulf's attention now shifted to them. Masters.

"This man must face trial." she said sternly, completely disregarding her current physical condition. After all, duty came first.
"He has killed, tortured and in otherwise harmed innocent civilians. In that regard...."
She again gasped for air, then started vigorously coughing and squirming from the immense pain that spread through her entire body. Thanewulf had to lean back for support, almost returning to horizontal position she previously lay in. The hand holding the electrum hilt started trembling.
"...the council of Watchmen brings forth Alen Na'Varro, Sith Lord." she barely uttered in a semiaudible whisper.

[member="Kana Truden"] [member="Laura Na'Varro"] [member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Alen Na'Varro"] [member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Kana Truden]

Thawing, growling, sabers and arrests. Kana stood back and witnessed as it all played out in front of her. Perhaps she should have intervened, perhaps she should have put Alen to trial for an act such as this, but he was seeking repentance and this was very much a part of that. Granted, they had sent another Sith Lord off to the senate but it would seem that one had burst into thin air before getting there.

Ah well, she would always have the memory of his interrogation cell.

“Please calm down.” She said calmly to [member="Tionne Thanewulf"]. “We are here on because of Na’varro with the purpose of bringing you back to the Order.”

Yeah, because that didn’t sound bad or wrong at all. “You are trembling.” Kana proceeded to state the obvious. “I am a healer. I can help you.”

She looked to Master Korr. He was better at being a ‘proper’ jedi, what would he do? Be objective and less trusting of their former Sith Lord? Look at him in horror as he realized what had happened to this woman? That wasn’t how Kana worked and they all probably knew that. Save for the new girl.

Kana turned to look at Tionne once more.

[member="Ryan Korr"] / [member="Alen Na'Varro"] / [member="Haytham Kaze"]​

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

Korr looked on in visage of stone-cold indifference. The mask was oft the only thing he could offer to guise the inner storms, which roiled about within his breast tumultuously. He'd grown skilled at hiding those emotions, keeping them clamped down and away from the sight or sense of others. What would they say if they knew of his utter hypocrisy?

Locks of russet flame hung limply in the dank air of the cavern, rustling only when he turned his head to glance at [member="Alen Na'Varro"].

"If ever there were, there is no longer a Council of Watchmen. We can speak of past crimes when this woman is in a more stable condition."

He would hardly eviscerate a man they'd already set on the road to redemption based upon the histrionics of a stranger. A gaze of solid granite now turned to the stranger in question.

"You're experiencing hibernation sickness. Please, let Master Truden help you."

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

[member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

With a soft click, the incadescent blade retrieved into the hilt which now fell to Tionne's side. The one who spoke to her, she didn't like his tone, nor how she couldn't quite sense him in the Force. He was barely palpable, as if he was lightyears away, not a few meters to her right.Temporary blindness must have boosted her Force Sense abilities; even centuries of hibernation haven't quite dulled her intricate senses. However, the sensation of him in the Force was somewhat eerie and Thanewulf decided it was time to shut out. As she closed her eyes, her own presence disappeared from the Force, leaving behind a bleak speck of existence that was a regular human being.

"I know what I am experiencing! Sickle cell degradation and a probable lung collapse." she proclaimed, then coughed again, even harder this time.
"And all of you are experiencing collective amnesia." Her eyes narrowed at nobody in particular, but she then instinctually turned to the woman who was the healer of this salvage team.
"When did we start having tea with the Sith?" Thanewulf inquired before gasping some more due to immense pain - "Do your best, Master healer. This Sith here has just broken the record of carbon freezing a live specimen for over 500 years. You might want to issue him some sort of diploma so he can hang it on a wall."

[member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham glanced around to all the Jedi Masters around him. They seemed to be having trouble to get this Jedi Watcher... Watchman? Watch-something to sit and calm down, but the Padawan urged himself to remain calm. There wasn't much he could do besides make comments, but they were most likely going to be regarded as negative ones in the eyes of his current company, or so he thought.

He got a thoughtful look in his face, and he looked around the cave while saying, "I'm sure the Jedi started to have tea with the Sith, when said Sith decided to change their ways and fix a mistake that they had made a long time ago." Haytham shrugged. "I mean, that's what I think anyway."

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"], [member="Alen Na'Varro"], [member="Kana Truden"], [member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Aran Finn]

"I'm going to have to stop you right there," the bearded man said, frown plastered across his face. "Torture was never my thing. I'll admit to the killing ... and have, as it turns out."

His gaze turned to meet Korr's, stony and unflinching.

"They know everything, Jedi Thanewulf. My past, my present, and my hopes for the future, and as a result they've allowed me the chance to redeem myself. Which I will do with every opportunity I get." As Korr looked back at the newly unfrozen Jedi Knight, and waited for Haytham Kaze to finish speaking. "Padawan Kaze is close to hitting the nail on the head. I would answer differently. Jedi start having tea with Sith when they cease being Sith. It happens that conversation flows even easier when it's two Jedi having tea. As I said, things have changed."

His eyes roamed to Truden, to his daughter, and back to Thanewulf.

"Though currently, getting rid of your anger towards me isn't really my concern. Ensuring your return to full health of body and mind is."

[member="Haytham Kaze"] [member="Tionne Thanewulf"] [member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Kana Truden]

Kana knelt down by [member="Tionne Thanewulf"]. Her confusion was understandable, Sith and Jedi getting along was an impossibility to some and a dream to others. It still wasn’t very much the case but for the young woman previously trapped in carbonite she had been exposed to one of the first to actively seek out the Order for repentance. To turn him away and risk letting him run loose in the streets would be dangerous, to lock him up right away a mistake.

“And even if we did drink tea with the sith it wouldn’t be under circumstances even nearly as amicable as it is with present company.” Kana looked to [member="Alen Na'Varro"] and then her patient. “I will need you to hold still.”

So, carbonite thawing and fixing the side effects of it. Kana had to admit it that to her it was a first which she also hoped served as a last. Nonetheless she did the same thing as always. Her mind focused on the very being of her patient and what it was that formed her, shaped her and made her run. To find the pain you had to see it, to see it you needed to visualize it and to visualize it you needed the force.

Really, it was the art of small but the healer remained blissfully unaware of that.

Eventually Kana let the force flow through her and into the Jedi Watchman in an effort to at the very least lessen the pain and let it subside enough for them to get out of the cave in which they were currently staying.

Still, the patient would have to tell her when to stop or if she desired, let the healer her run the treatment until her energy told her to stop.

[member="Haytham Kaze"] [member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

Thanewulf closed her eyes as she felt the tide of the Force permeate her body and trickle down right to her soul. The touch of the Jedi Healers was magical, full of life energy that almost had capacity to bring back from the dead. Their restorative touch was Tionne's salvation when her battered body was dragged back to the Order by the Jedi Guardians who's minds she protected from the Sith Illusionists they were so vulnerable to. Slowly, her breathing steadied and pain subsided, leaving a blunt, but bearable sensation in her torso. Her hand was placed on Kana's, ever so gently squeezing it to let her know the treatment was working.

"I do not harbor anger, Na'varro. You were forgiven long before you robbed me of my freedom." spoke the redhead softly, eyes still firmly shut as strength found its way back into her limbs - "Long before you were even born into this world. This forgiveness will both outlive you and your kin."
Grey eyes opened only to briefly gaze at his daughter.
"But if I must walk this universe, so be it." stated the Coruscanti and rose cordially from the carbonite casket to firmly stand in front of them. She stood proud and unyielding, feet apart, her stare fixed somewhere into the distance.
"Lead the way, Master." said the Jedi Watchman to the red-haired man she assumed to be the leader of this rescue mission.

[member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Alen Na'Varro"] [member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

Eyes the pallor of mountain stone narrowed at the note of dissidence. For the first time, the scar-kissed man took stock of the resemblance, a fact he'd missed in the dim lighting. Red hair and eyes of steel. Similarity in appearance. They might have been related, if she hadn't been hundreds of years old.

Korr paused, uncertain whether her change in temper toward Na'varro had been due to the healing of the hibernation sickness. Either way... he was not entirely unsympathetic to the former Sith. Better the devil you know.

"If that is forgiveness, you have an odd way of showing it," he said crisply, features impassive, then he turned and lead the way toward the cavern's exit.

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"] | [member="Alen Na'Varro"] | [member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

Resemblance was striking. Almost identical tone of hair, irises coloured in the same cloudy hues. To the unknowing eye, the two Jedi looked like siblings or cousins. Albeit, the man was more than a foot taller than Tionne.

Barely standing on her feet, Thanewulf dragged herself through the meandering halls that lead out of the cave. Her hand was placed on her stomach, pushing inward to compensate for throbbing feeling in her abdomen. She felt like vomiting, but there was nothing to excrete.
"To forgive is one thing, to forget entirely another." she replied after a few moments of silence as the party progressed towards the exit. Tionne's nostrils widened at scent of fresh air streaming through the hall. Smell of snow, smell of purity. She inhaled deeply before glancing over her shoulder at Na'Varro and his daughter.

"Why did you come for me, Na'Varro?" she asked, her voice reverbating against stone walls covered with bioluminescent moss - "I understand why you captured me. But why save me now? Do you think this is going to repent you in the eyes of these Jedi? Do you think this is some sort of trade - my return to the Order for an absolution of your former sins?"

[member="Alen Na'Varro"] [member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Kana Truden"]