Skeleton of Stone

[Alkesh Vizsla]

[SIZE=20pt]Voss[/SIZE]


So much of the galaxy’s history had been lost to the Gulag Plague. There were questions that would never be answered, and sometimes Olivia wondered if the things they assumed to be true about the names that survived - Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano - was just fiction. It was easy to fabricate something bigger than the truth with just stories handed down over generations, thousands of pieces of proof scattered to the ravages of panic and destruction.

But Voss...it was home a new breed of Jedi, the sort that sounded different than the archaic rubric of the Republic she’d left behind. She still didn’t know where her new path was headed - simply that she wanted, needed to help others. Her disillusionment with the Republic couldn’t stop her from that.

She’d already been intercepted as she entered Voss’ space, identifying herself and her purpose, and seemingly checked out by the powers patrolling the planet as a small, official-looking ship pulled up alongside her small transport to escort her down to the planet below. From on high, green seemed to cover the terrain in equal measure to blue stretches of water, but as she descended she realized most of the planet was the most distinct sort of red-brown she’d ever seen, a thousand different shades flecked with greens and blues. Though it wasn’t a color uncommon in nature, it struck her as overwhelming...unique. She was prone to poeticism and prophecy.

An etiquette droid, prim and proper, greeted her once she’d landed and proceeded off her ship in the refinished remains of old Voss ruins.

“Welcome to Voss, miss. A representative will be along to greet you shortly, though in the meantime I can attend to whatever you may require.”

The security struck her as only fitting considering the state of the Galaxy, though relaxed enough that she wasn’t suspicious.

[member="Connor Harrison"]​

 

[Connor Harrison]

The icy outpost on Toola had alerted the Sanctum far earlier than the Rangers of the new ship incoming to Voss. Not that the Rangers couldn’t handle visitors, but sometimes you needed just a little extra warning if said visitors were out for blood. Setzi Lunelle and her crew had proven that no chances could be taken, regardless how safe you felt in your own territory.

Directing the Rangers to bring the ship down on the outskirts of the Temple grounds and a few klicks from Voss-ka, effectively between the two, Connor Harrison had been the one to pick up the signal first and so carried the responsibility. Again.

Sitting on the bonnet of the small speeder, he leant forward on his arms overlooking the make shift landing pad that blended in with the ancient ruins and palette of the beautiful planet he called home. He looked at the ground before him and he lazily toyed his thumbs over each other, fingers laced, and let his mind wander.

Maybe he was just having an off day, but he was here again being the one to receive new guests to the planet, specifically ones aiming for the Temple. He had only just returned from Korriban which still burnt in his head and hardly built any bridges with anyone – and now he was here again one caretaker duty. What was the point? Why wasn’t anyone else taking these visitors? Of course – because they were doing everything else Connor wasn’t and probably expected him to be the loner to be contacted by the Rangers.

Dependable, fragile yet noble Master Harrison will sort it out.

His eyes moved up as the ship came down, the escort departing. One figure emerged and was greeted by the protocol droid Connor had brought along. All seemed normal.

He climbed over the windscreen of the speeder, started the rumbling engine and slowly moved it over and down the incline to come to a stop behind the ship. Over the edge and onto the soft grass he went, inhaling and putting on that placid Connor Harrison face. Blue and crimson tunic sleeves rolled up, he’d be mistaken for some alchemist rather than Jedi if it wasn’t for the lightsaber at his side, a few dinks and scratches marking the hilt, as he emerged from behind the ships wing.

”Welcome to Voss, miss.” Such a boring, standard welcome at that. ”Connor Harrison, at your service. Here for business or pleasure?”

With a firm reach, he held his hand out to shake the girl’s.

[member="Olivia Durant"]

 

[Alkesh Vizsla]

He wasn’t exactly what she was expecting. She’d heard the Silvers were a bit removed from the Republic and that seemed to be at least one rumor that held truth. He struck her as dignified, the pops of color in his clothes a welcome reprieve from the one-toned canvas of the planet, from the beige and tan and brown everyone around her had worn for the last few months. She might have mistaken him for a dignitary were it not for the way he carried himself and the confirmation of the lightsaber at his side.

Extending her hand, she returned his handshake with the practiced ease of someone trained in class after class about decorum.

“Thank you, Master Jedi,” she returned, offering a gentle smile. “I’d say a little bit of both, though the business is simply my own. I’m Olivia Durant.”

She’d thought a few times about how she might explain what she was looking for. Though she’d been traveling the Galaxy for a few weeks now to visit places where Jedi used to train and learn - even the ancient places - this was her first venture in to the modern Jedi outside the Republic. She stuck by the idea that honesty was the best policy, but it felt hard to admit she’d left the Order behind.

The ship that had escorted her took off once it was clear that she served no immediate threat, ascending back up to its brothers in the sky and leaving her alone with the Jedi. The protocol droid bopped around slowly, trying to busy itself while no sentients called for its help.

“I guess I’d still call myself a Padawan, though...I recently left the Republic. I’ve been searching the galaxy, trying to learn more about the Jedi and what I thought they were...what I’d always imagined they were before I became one myself and saw a different side I didn’t like. I plan to visit as many Jedi as I can and learn about their views. Something of a personal journey, I guess. I was hoping someone from the Silver Sanctum would be willing to talk with me.”

(I’m not a deserter. I want to belong. I want to belong to something selfless and just.)

[member="Connor Harrison"]​

 

[Connor Harrison]

His body jerked a little, wincing. His hands still hadn't recovered from Korriban, and it seemed even a girl's grip was enough to hurt him. Plastering a smile on his face, he grunted slightly as they were acquainted. As the girl - Olivia - spoke, Connor glanced to her and nodded but cast and eye over her ship, walking over to it and running a hand across the hull. It was a decent craft, but small and lacking character.

”A Padawan? You join the ranks of the Jedi do you? I hope you know what you're getting into.”

Patting the warm hull, he turned to Olivia.

”Olivia. That's a nice name,” he smiled and turned his head to the droid. ”Keep an eye on things, Flip.” Then, he indicated with his head for the girl to follow. ”Let's take a walk.”

Leaving the make-shift pad and the protocol droid - Flip - Connor latched his arms behind his back, making sure the scarred arm was out of the sun as always to stop it flaring up. He looked out over the horizon, the ominous looking Temple could be seen; a place to make or break dreams and turn men into monsters, or monsters into men.

”You probably know the Jedi you'll find here, no? We go by the collective name Silver Sanctum Coalition. Before that, we were originally the Order of the Silver Jedi. We still are, to me anyway. A group of like minded individuals, the Levantine Sanctum, merged their forces with ours to create a stronger and more unified front to stand for the good of the galaxy. But to me, this will always be the Order of the Silver Jedi. That's it.”

He never voiced his distaste to the merger much, and it seemed this girl had just pricked his temper with it.

”Besides us, there are a few cells here and there, but take away the Republic and their Jedi Order, then you have the recently established Galactic Alliance - a strong mix of Jedi and non-Force users who aren't afraid to kick the hornet's nest that is the Sith. I've not had much to do with them however.”

Connor licked his bottom lip and turned to the girl following him across the plain.

”Forgive me, Olivia. You said you didn't like what the Republic were to you? May I ask what you saw?”

If it was anything like he had heard, he completely understood before she had to answer.

[member="Olivia Durant"]

 

[Alkesh Vizsla]

She watched him walk towards her small ship - a little thing, nothing special. Material objects weren’t important to her. As long as it got her where she was going, that was all that mattered to her. She had her vanities, as anyone. But she didn’t need anything special.

His words were truer than he might have known, even if he was speaking in jest. She’d always known the life of a Jedi was not an easy path. It had been drilled in to her a dozen times. But how could she stay away? It called to her, as the urge to complete this journey of discovery did. Smiling when it seemed he took up the mantle of talking with her, she fell in to step beside him. She was tall for a woman, but he still managed to edge her height, Master and Padawan out for something of a lesson.

She’d taken notice of the injuries on his arm, but had taken care not to stare. She was curious as anyone, but it wasn’t her place to ask. Making him uncomfortable was the last thing she wanted.

Nodding at his explanation of the various Jedi sects in the galaxy, she thought of how different he seemed already from the Republic Jedi she’d known. She imagined a merger with the Republic, the bickering that would break out - and perhaps worse, the ‘grin-and-bear-it’ smiles that would be worn by so many who would drop their pleasant masks behind closed doors to attack each other. Connor seemed like he was honest with his feelings instead of trying to pretend he didn’t have them, and it was something she could appreciate.

“I knew the basic history of your order before coming here, but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I have yet to visit the Alliance, but it certainly seems as if there’s room enough for you both in this Galaxy...especially with the threat of the Sith.”

She’d never faced one herself, at least not personally. She’d been on the ground in a small skirmish during her time in the Republic, watching her Master engage with a full-blown Sith Lord as she dispatched droids and soldiers aiming to kill her. It had been a terrifying sight - she could still see the red of the man’s lightsaber brilliant in her mind, the way he stalked towards her Master, eyes hungry.

She was inspired to her calling by the idea of protecting the Galaxy from creatures like that.

“I don’t want to speak ill of the Order,” she started, picking her words carefully. “There are many there that I admire, and I hope I can be like. Not all of them are like the ideals of the whole. But it felt to me like...it wasn’t about protecting people. It wasn’t about using what we’ve been given for something greater than ourselves. There was so much in-fighting, and so much concern over planets in their control, and how to get the ones that weren’t.”

She paused, looking from the Temple they were slowly walking towards, glancing at his expression.

“I worry I won’t find a group of Jedi who really just want to protect those that can’t protect themselves.”

[member="Connor Harrison"]​

 

[Connor Harrison]

He nodded - a standard answer, but honest. That was to be expected but appreciated. So many people had walked the path Olivia had, he himself. It was all about nurturing her and gently flicking the jar to see how she reacted to it. It was the usual Connor Harrison approach - blunt.

”Nothing wrong with that Olivia, nothing at all. I believe there is room for us and more. The issue is what too many Jedi often do.” He turned. ”Give up.”

He pushed on, head high and let the thought fester to what he could mean - give up on what? The Force? The Light? Hope? All three and more? Licking his lips, slightly chewing on the bottom one, he continued.

”I have lost a great deal personally and as a Master over the years to see that many Jedi, like you say, soon start to fight among themselves. That is where the Sith come from. Our very own. Without one, the other can't exist. However, it is down to those who will never give up and never turn their head from danger - the ones who will look death in the eyes and never back down because they know in here,” he tapped his chest, ”that if you serve the Light, then you serve something far more precious than the Dark. You serve the galaxy, not yourself.”

Connor extended his hand to let Olivia take a short walk over a wooden bridge that crossed the lake that ran across the plains, and at the far end would turn into a raging waterfall at the Temple grounds. He followed.

”I won't take you to the Temple unless you want a look around of course, don't feel I'm pushing you. Your ship will be safe with Flick, don't worry.”

At the other side, he placed his hands on his hips for a second and looked at her out of the corner of his blue eyes.

”Don't just find Jedi who will protect those who can't protect themselves - find an entire people who will protect them. You will be part of something so much more when you do. You know when you will find them, because you won't ever want to stop doing what you were born to do when you're there.”

[member="Olivia Durant"]

 

[Alkesh Vizsla]

Her head was full of his words by the time she saw the waterfall, its roar just loud enough to reach her across the field the Temple stood within. Though she didn’t not place any value in material things, the garments and jewelry and ‘things’ people found beautiful, she was an absolute sucker for nature. Much of her homeworld of Hapes was land completely untouched by industrialization, a vast wilderness begging to be explored. It was the one thing she found hard leaving behind when she’d left the planet, and something she missed even more sorely now that the Sith held it within their clutches. She hated to think of what they would do to it.

If you serve the Light, you serve something far more precious than the Dark. You serve the Galaxy...not yourself.

The spray of the waterfall misting over the calmer waters at the bottom caught the light to make rainbows that danced before disappearing. Her parents had protected her from harm, and had let her live many years believing there was no evil in the Galaxy. They had not allowed her to be naive, but they had let her see the world as it might be, as it could be. Now that her eyes had been rudely opened by life’s cruel circumstance, she wanted nothing more than to make that dream a reality for all people. She still wasn’t naive. But she was hopeful.

Tearing her gaze from the beauty of the wilderness in front of her, she gave him a little smile.

“I’d like to see the Temple, if that’s alright. The Silver Jedi have certainly found a beautiful world to call their home.”

Pausing, she thought on his words.

“When I joined the Republic, I was told the life of a Jedi is hard, and long for the time you have before you fall. I willingly accept that. I was given something not everyone has, and I believe it wasn’t for free. With its power comes sacrifice if you choose not to hide from it...but even if I don’t live to see it, someone else can have a better life because I used my gift to fight for it.”

While she didn’t know his personal trials, worn on his skin and in his voice, she understood that the Force came with a price. She’d lost her parents in front of her very eyes, violent and sudden, on the journey towards the Jedi. She’d found her old Master in the wake of her grief. Purpose didn’t come without struggle. And he was right when he said it wasn’t just Jedi - it would take more than their meager numbers. It would take all kinds - fighters, smugglers, rogues, and pilots, ordinary citizens. She nodded at his wisdom as they turned to walk towards the Temple, the grass hushing softly against her boots.

“Please tell me if it’s something you’d rather not speak of, but where did you get those scars?” Her tone was gentle, not even prying beyond the obvious question. She would respect it if he declined.

[member="Connor Harrison"]​

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor heard her question, and didn’t mind at all. He’d also heard her desire to see the Temple. Why hide something he was rather proud of, on both fronts. Looking down into the depths of the grounds from above, where the waterfall cascaded down to and seemed to vanish through the rock into the planet, he turned after a moment.

”Let’s have a look at it then," he said before turning and pointing towards the pathway.

The sandy gravel track would take them along the perimeter of the cliff that the Temple was built on, the lazy winding path on the other side would take people down to where the waterfall ran and let them explore the lower depths of the grounds. Above, where Connor took Olivia, they meandered along, passing more and more bodies as they went, not really paying much attention to two people in quiet discussion.

He informed her of the origins of the Order, from him being part of the team with former Grandmaster E’ron who landed on Voss and made it their home. From highs and lows, invasions and liberations, coalitions and lazy days where nothing happened, he offered just a slice of the history to the girl. The two reached the Temple which seemed to overlook the whole planet atop the cliff.

It wasn’t the tallest building the girl had probably seen, but a lot of the magic resided inside the deep building – the hangar peeked out from the far right which was larger once you got in, the landing pad visible for all to see with a few ships here and there. The gardens surrounded the Temple, in turn surrounded by nothing but a perimeter fence and a long drop to the depths below. Inside, however, the temple used the natural formation of the terrain to house their more “official” areas – medbays, holding cells, armouries and computer networks.

”Have a walk around the gardens with me, that’s always a nice place to see and then we can take a look inside if you want."

Like a big semi-circle, the Gardens were one of Connor’s favourite places. Follow the stone path around and you’d pass the orchard, the decorative fauna and the like, but stray across the wooden bridges over the small streams that fed to the waterfall, and you’d find the secluded Memorial Garden, and the pathway to the Isolated Garden – a place Connor had made a near second haven away from prying eyes and a place where the overgrown trees never let much natural light in. That was a place he liked the most.

”So, Olivia, take a look." He brought up his hands, running a finger over each set of knuckles. ”If you ever dabble in Force Lighting and you’re mind and body isn’t ready, then you get these nice blister scars that remind you not to assume you know everything just because you know the Force."

Then, passing a peach tree, he pulled one off and handed it to the girl before twisting his arm over, the finger running along the bumpy pink flesh.

”Double pain here – the first wound I had was before I joined the Silvers. If you climb the mountains of Rhen Var trying to show off to old Jedi Masters, be prepared to fall and pay the price. However on the healed wound, if you then battle a Sith Lord who implants Sith Magic in our brainstem and pretty much throws your body across the ground with the Force like a pummel stone, be prepared to bleed and question why you’re doing this job at all!"

He laughed to himself a little.

”It’s all part of my canvas that the Dark Side likes to dabble on now and then, leaving reminders of my mistakes and failure, but reminding me of the price I have paid to get where I am now. I’m still here, still alive and helping others go forward. Like you said, Olivia, someone can have a better life out there because we used our gift to fight for freedom, and wounds heal over time. It’s the memories that stay with you, so make them good memories."

A fighter took off from the hangar in the distance from their lazy walk.

”You want to see the wounds on my body. They are the ice-breakers. But I’ll save them for another time. Get your canvas ready to be worked on, because you’ll carry it with you forever, so make sure you like what you become."

[member="Olivia Durant"]

 

[Alkesh Vizsla]

His story matched much of what she’d read in various archives, the Silver Jedi’s origins already written in thousands. What had once been a splinter group looked down upon by the very Republic she’d left behind had grown and blossomed in to an Order that protected those it considered under their charge, and was unafraid to aid those that called for them. While she was glad to hear that her reading had been nothing but truth, bolstering her confidence in everything else she’d absorbed in her time researching, it was entirely different to hear such a personal tale from someone who’d been there from day one.

Along the way they stopped to talk to a few of the Order passing by, several Masters curious about a stranger, a pack of Padawans led by a Knight off for training. Though the place hummed with energy, it was pleasant and relaxing - hopeful. There was a purity in the pursuit that had been missing from the Republic.

Once in the Gardens, she felt wrapped up in their solitude.

Taking the peach from him gently, she bit down and let out a sound of appreciation for how fresh it was. Its fuzz against her fingers was in direct opposition to what looked like rough skin left behind on his arms. She couldn’t help but laugh a little at the good-natured way he spoke of the danger he faced, of the scars he’d been left with. On his flesh was the mark made real of all the hardship that Jedi warned of when someone first joined the Academy.

“Well you know what they say about mistakes, Master Harrison,” she said in response to his referencing his scars and reminders of such. “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”

She didn’t presume to give a Master wisdom, but he’d given her more than enough to think on. Though her journey was far from over, she knew that wherever she landed she would be a friend to this Sanctum.

[member="Connor Harrison"]​