So You Knew Her? [Aaralyn Gyndar]

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham's fingers clenched for a moment as he took out the comlink. There were certain things he was curious about. Like, who was the Sword of the Jedi really?

He knew Kiskla spoke of her sometimes, or had at least spoke of her with respect. However, what he didn't understand was why he had never seen them interact together.. Were they similar in personality? Or was it a sort of opposites attract friendship.

The Padawan had no idea, but he activated the comlink and carefully put in [member="Aaralyn Gyndar"]'s frequency. He wanted to talk to her, in person. If she had truly been close to Kiskla, she'd know what Kiskla would want for him, right?

Well, if that were true, he was going to find out soon enough he hoped.

::I'm Haytham Kaze, Kiskla Grayson's Padawan. I want to talk.::

Straight and to the point, something that he had learned from his Master on their missions.

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn was somewhere on Yavin IV - quite possibly on the peaks of the Massassi Temple - on some ledge she had created for herself to meditate and bask in the depths of the Force and soak in the knowledge she had gained over the years. You know, that typical Jedi Master stuff that she once neglected to run around and do the bidding of others type deal, something she still did but atleast for now - she had time to herself. She missed the old days with her friend [member="Kiskla Grayson"], the days on Coruscant when the One Sith weren't something of an issue, and then they invaded and she took on hordes of Yuuzhan Vong before they called the evacuation - before life became complicated on Empress Teta.

Yeah, complicated.

Her comlink would beep softly, causing her to stir as she looked down at the glowing red and green device. For a moment, she contemplated ignoring it - but that wouldn't be right now would it? She sighed heavily and pressed the button as the message came through from [member="Haytham Kaze"]. Ah, she remembered him - and remembered him well. She'd send back a simply reply - her coordinates and where to find her on Yavin IV.

The Jedi Praxeum training grounds, a few hundred meters behind the Massassi Temple.

 

[Haytham Kaze]

He didn't know much about the Jedi Master, but he knew that she wasn't a member of the Galactic Republic's Jedi Order, not how she had used to be with Kiskla Grayson. When he received a reply on his comlink, he checked the coordinates, and immediately changed directions.

That's pretty much why he was on Yavin IV already. It was well known that many of the Republic's Jedi Masters had come to Yavin to teach, thinking this network of Jedi Academy's was far superior than to isolated training. At least, that's how he viewed it, and although he didn't believe in it, he followed the rules anyway.

He wasn't much of an innovator, not when it came to big things like this, but he was great at following!

Once he exited the Praxeum, he looked out and saw the training grounds in the distance. It'd only take him a minute to get out there. Thinking back to the coordinates, he started to run off, Jedi training had made this sort of thing easy for him a long time ago. Now, as a grown up, it only made things a lot easier.

Once he got to the training grounds, he set his eyes upon [member="Aaralyn Gyndar"] and bowed to her. His breathing had faltered ever so slightly, but he thought none of it.

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn could feel the presence of [member="Haytham Kaze"] as he approached, she stood overlooking the training grounds for the Jedi students who passed through the Yavin Academy – empty at the time being. She said nothing at first, not really moving from her position on the dais overlooking the arena where her daughter once trained, her son would train and many more. A whisper bird sat quietly next to her as a soft breeze passed through the area – sending locks of chestnut hair whipping in its wake. She took a moment to close her eyes and inhale, breathing in the serenity the environment around her brought before she spoke to Haytham – exhaling slowly as she did.

“It’s been a while hasn’t it?” In the years passed, she had grown wiser and calmer in her approach to people in general. Perhaps it had been because of recent experiences, maybe it had to do with the ongoing investigation into Mira’s disappearing and the rumors swirling around that, for that – she didn’t know. What she did know, was her was a Padawan to a friend whom she had not seen in a long time…a very long time.

She’d turn and set her violet gaze upon him, hands remaining clasped behind her back as she offered him a gentle smile. “What is it I can do for you?”

 

[Haytham Kaze]

There were a few things that Haytham wanted in life. Peace in the Galaxy, he was a Jedi that was a given, he was also certain most people wanted that too, so that definitely didn't count. To be given allowance to search for his Master in One Sith Space was definitely up there, but now in this moment, for the purpose of his being there, the only thing he wanted were answers.

Whether they were the answers he was looking for or not, he was getting them, and he had already promised himself he wouldn't leave without any.

What is it she can do for me?

"What would my Master want for me?" It had been a while since he had seen either [member="Aaralyn Gyndar"] and Kiskla Grayson, he could hardly say as to what either would want from him, but he could only hope that they were similar in their teachings or guidance. In a lot of situations he had learned to speak frankly with people, something he had picked up from the missing Grandmaster, but he figured she wouldn't understand if he just asked that. "I've been a Padawan this entire time. My Master has been gone, the Grandmaster. I've trained as hard as everyone, I could've slain a Sith Knight on Telti." Ego boosts weren't really Jedi Way, right?

"I've been tempted by the Dark Side and stayed in the Light." The colour of his eyes flickered for a moment while he blinked. He was clearly getting emotional, but it could also be mistaken for the glint of the sun in his eyes. "Tell me, Master Gyndar. What would my Master have me do?"

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn chuckled softly and turned away to stare out into the jungles as she whistled to the whisperbird beside her, it would claw it's way up her leg and perch upon her shoulder as she quietly moved away from her dais and closer to [member="Haytham Kaze"]. "Kiskla was a great woman, a good friend and an excellent teacher." She gestured before her and towards Haytham. "That much is apparent in your ability to stay away from the darkness and in the light." She'd chuckle again and motion to the grounds beside her. "I assume she'd wish for you to train harder if you've been tempted - I mean there will always be temptation but to master your emotions, will be the ultimate test before you can truly become a Knight."

She sighed softly. "The Republic was so quick to judge Jedi and turn them out for the war, we ended up sending off children who weren't mature enough to master their emotions or understand the Force and it's capabilities to sway us on either end of the spectrum." She brought both arms up to her chest, crossing them softly. Her violet gaze would look down at the bricks before her. "This was not the fault of Kiskla or myself, but the later years of the Republic when she was gone - during the height of the war." Aaralyn shrugged lightly. "I myself haven't been apart of the Republic, officially, for some time." She chuckled softly. "Politics have taken over the Jedi Council and I chose to take a vacation from such things."

She'd shrug again and turn away from Haytham and drop her arms to her side. "Complete your training, is the answer you're looking for."

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham's hands found themselves sinking into his pockets while she spoke. For the most part what she said were things that he already knew. The Jedi Order of the Republic was less of a Jedi Order and more of a government in truth these days.

"Yeah, it was in your time that there were a lot of defections." He said with a knowing glint in his eyes. Everyone knew of the Sword of the Jedi falling to the Dark Side and returning some time later, he couldn't be bothered to remember what had happened after, but, since she returned he supposed he could forgive her.

Complete my training...
My training...

He wasn't entirely certain what else he wanted to learn or needed to learn. Haytham had learned the basics and had the experience of three battles.

He shrugged, something that he had begun to do more and more.

"Why even leave the Republic, when you could change it?" He paused as he looked out over the grounds. "The Republic is the main target of the One Sith right now as I'm sure you know. But the amount of Jedi apart of the Republic decreases after every battle, not because of casualties but because they're faithless. If all the Jedi came together under one banner, the One Sith would be defeated once and for all." A single hand raised upwards to push hair off of his forehead.

"But all of you Masters are too prideful anyway."

He had deviated from his main purpose of coming here, he realized. Originally he had organized this meeting so that he'd be able to get the opinion of someone who had been close to his Master. How could I train, if there is no one to train me.

After his hand had returned to his pocket, they both tightened and clenched into fists. They were losing a war because Jedi just didn't want to be Jedi anymore.

[member="Aaralyn Gyndar"]

 

[The End Narrator]

She chuckled softly.

"My demise, was unfortunate and the records don't reflect the truth of what happened on Teta." She turned to look at [member="Haytham Kaze"]. "It was very painful and I lost apart of me that day..." She turned back to look at the training grounds before taking a seat on the edge of the dais. "Literally..." She groaned as she sat down, sometimes she felt like she needed to get back into the mix of things - maybe she should go back and hold the Republic banner once more, but why? The Council had become like a bunch of politicians and what would the Sword of the Jedi do to change that?

She turned and looked over her should at Haytham and gestured to the place beside her. "If I returned to the Republic, I am uncertain they would listen to my advice." She sighed softly and looked up to the sky. "What you speak of, we tried so many times - but there are so many people with different points of view, that it becomes a clouded mess." Her violet gaze fell upon the jungles as her left hand would fall behind her, her weight shifting to rest upon it as she gestured with her right out into the distance. "Much like the heavy mists of Yavin IV."

She inhaled deeply. "I will return to the Republic, to finish your training and do what I can." Her right hand fell to her lap as her sigh exhaled roughly. "I cannot say though, my words will fall upon welcoming ears, regardless of who it might be." Canceling a perfectly good vacation to return to a government which was encased in well, politics. This would be interesting.

 

[Haytham Kaze]

He shook his head. "I've read no records, only a variety of rumours. I think no less of the Sword of the Jedi." He didn't want her to take what he said in the wrong way. Of course there had been some obnoxious factor and maybe the child within him wanted to get an actual reaction from her, but he didn't want to make whatever relation they had a bad one.

Of course, he knew little to nothing of what had happened on Teta except that it had been another defeat. Defeats weren't much of an interest to him, but they helped to teach the losers on what they needed to change.

Deserting from the place they made an oath too wasn't an option. Not in Haytham's book.

He was tempted to move forwards to have a better view of what she was looking at, but he made no actual physical movement. So he let her contineu about how she was going to return to the Republic.

"If you're not against waiting, I'll ask that you allow me to be the voice that you speak through." He paused, he hadn't really given her a reason for waiting. "To wait until I become a Knight. Then they'll have to listen to me." To [member="Aaralyn Gyndar"] it may have seemed as if he were singularly talking about the Republic's Jedi, but in actual fact he was talking about every Jedi Organization.

He had decided his purpose was to make a change and to turn the tides of war. He could only imagine how many more Jedi would die after the next battle against the One Sith, and how many more would leave or fall to the Dark Side.