Solace in Solitude

[Nylea Apollodor]

The desert world of Aargonar wasn't a particularly popular destination for the wandering soul. Perhaps that was the reason Nylea decided to go there anyway, her mind needed rest. Every once in a while the always busy world of Coruscant would become too much for her, which would bring her to planets that were more quiet. It allowed her to get her head back in order before going back to the order of the day, which was very much welcomed.

The space port the Echani wandered through after disembarking from her transport was mostly empty. Sometimes she would pass by a mechanic or pilot, but her interactions with them were nothing more than a polite nod and a smile. Her destination wasn't clear to her just yet, but she knew the space port or the city it was built in weren't it. She still had some preparations to make however, and so she started making her way towards a general goods store for supplies for a multi-day trip. Her lightsaber was hidden within her cloak, not wishing to draw anyone's attention to her person. her outfit itself was unassuming, the cloak accompanied a dark grey coat of the same color, black pants and long black boots finishing it off. Her cloak also featured a hood that was currently covering the top of her head.

She exited the space port and looked out towards the quiet city, if it could be called that, taking in the environment. She asked a local for directions towards the store she had set out to visit before who pointed her towards the east, and with a "Thank you." she continued her walk.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

Quite often the young Lord found himself sneaking from his growing responsibilities on his home world. Lieutenant Commander of The Dominion's 2nd Sector Army, the Lord of his House, and a delegate in The Dominion senate the young man seldom had time to devote to his Jedi training. However, time had to be made where it could not be found. His usual attire, which consisted of ebony robes that hugged his being, had been exchanged for dark brown robes which hung loosely from his body. Adron stood in the dessert, his eyes locked on the shuttle that had ferried him to the planet. A small security escort, not enough to draw attention, stood by the shuttle in waiting. If for any reason he would need them, they were only a comm call away.

Departing from the shuttle the boy glanced to his left to see a small city, one of the few the planet hosted that had a spaceport. He chose this location so that if anything were to happen he would be close enough to decent civilization. Clasped underneath his arms was a metallic strongbox, wrapped in a brown cloth.

Pressing his way away from the shuttle and running parallel to the city Adron searched for an area he knew well. In his childhood his father had often brought him and his younger brother to this planet for their lessons. A pang of sadness pierced through him as he thought of his father and the rest of his family.

Quickly setting the thoughts to the side Adron's mood lightened when he saw the mouth to a small fissure opening up before him. "The lost lands." He stated quietly, remembering the nickname the Malvern's had offered the rocky area they chose to train in.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Nylea walked out of the store with a backpack filled with the supplies needed to make the trip she planned and quickly made her way to the exit of the city. Fortunately the walk wasn't very far, allowing Nylea to be alone with her thoughts without much delay. Looking out across the desert she felt calm and at peace, feelings she never had under the forced tutelage of the Dark Jedi who was at the forefront of the dark chapter of her life. One would have thought the fact she was the one who killed him to be momentous and liberating, but that was far from the truth. Every life she had taken in the past had come back to haunt her, including the most foul of people. Not a single kill was worth it.

Regretting what she had done in the past was what drove her in the present day. The day the Echani took the life of her old master she vowed to never kill again, not under any circumstance. Her efforts on Coruscant had turned to helping out the people around her as much as she could and even when it felt like what she did was pointless she kept going. She would not stop until the feelings of guilt were gone, and deep down she knew that would never happen.

At this moment in time however, Nylea's mind was clear. She moved further away from the city when she encountered some kind of fissure. To her it was a perfect place for solitude and medition. It was like the Force itself pulled her towards it and she had no reason to argue. As she came closer she felt the presence of others however, one of them exceptionally powerful in the Force. The aura she read was one of grief and vengeance, but also kindness. "Perhaps we were fated to meet..." she calmly said to herself as she approached. There was only one way to find out if she was right.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

Finding himself level ground within the fissure was it's own challenge, but in time it too was one he defeated. A small portion of the fissure lowered into an even level plateau where he was able to position himself. Protected from the scorching sun Adron pulled off the heavy brown cloak that had covered his body until now, Giving it two tucks to put it into a small fold, he placed it beside his feet before falling to a knee.

The boy looked to the lockbox before him and exhaled peacefully, finding a great feeling of serenity in the task he would now undergo. Adron punched a simple code into the panel before the hatch gave off a quiet hiss and popped open. Peeking inside it would appear to house nothing more than spare parts and baubles to someone who did not know any better. He thought out loud as he pulled the items from the container and placed them on the surface before him. "The Activation stud, the pommel casing, the pommel cap, the blade emitter, the power cell, the emitter matrix, the pressure pads, and the Krayt Dragon pearl. It's all he- oh wait."

Digging in his pocket he produced a small clear crystal. Adron set this down in the center of the collection of items he had amassed. Looking over the components he ran a final check to make sure he had everything he had needed. In actuality this was not Adron's first time constructing a lightsaber, his last one had been lost during the coup on his family.

Smiling to himself Adron took a seat, placing his hands on his thighs as he focused on The Force and how it flowed around him. As he closed his eyes he felt he could sense the crystal before him, how it almost seemed to call out to him. He dismissed the feeling, returning his focus on himself and The Force. However his senses became distracted by a new presence approaching him.

His eyes came open and he turned his head to see a woman looking down on him. Even with his lack of attunement to The Force he could sense she was not here to do him any harm, in fact he sensed quite the opposite. "I didn't expect to see anyone else out here.....I hope I didn't take your rock." He joked, offering a warm smile to the woman.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

A lighthearted chuckle came from the Echani, amused by the stranger's intonation. "Neither did I, but the galaxy can be a surprising place. And this rock most certainly is not mine. It's the first time I've seen this spot. Actually, it's the first time I have been on this planet." She noticed the components that laid before him, recognizing what they were. "Constructing a lightsaber, I see. Most interesting." She carefully started to make her descent down as she continued. "I hope you don't mind me coming down. Lightsabers have always interested me. I haven't seen any of them in a disassembled state since building my own, however."

When Nylea hit the floor with both feet she took a few steps away from the wall she climbed down from and sat down with her legs crossed.. "I should probably introduce myself. My name is Nylea Apollodor. It is a pleasure to meet you." She nodded gracefully as she watched him, hopefully not disturbing him further in constructing his saber. "Please don't let my presence disturb you too much. I can leave if you want but if you are okay with it I would enjoy watching the construction. I find it to be a soothing experience."

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

It soon became clear that the woman before Adron did not have any malicious intent. When she said she had never been on the planet before Adron offered a small smile. "My father loved this planet...Don't ask me why but he liked to bring my brother and I here for our training." As she spoke Adron took notice of the white hair that fell over her shoulders, as well as her silver eyes.

An Echani? He mused, curiosity beginning to rise while she introduced herself. "My name is Barren, it's good to meet you Nylea." The Count offered a phony moniker in place of his actual name, realizing the need for an alias this far from his home world.

Closing his eyes, Adron began to return his focus on the lightsaber pieces that laid in front of him. "You can stay, it doesn't bother me any."

Offering a brief exhale Adron placed his hands on his knees as he tapped into The Force once again. Three components of his lightsaber slowly began to shake before levitating a few inches from the ground. His focus did not waver as two more of the components offered a quick shake before joining the others in the air in front of Adron.

"Your lightsaber is a part of you..." He muttered softly to himself, continuing to reach out with the Force and forcing the base components of his lightsaber to slowly piece together two distinct pieces. The master component and the pommel floated side by side, with Adron's crystal slowly spinning in the center.

As the crystal's rotation came to a halt both ends of Adron's lightsaber came together with a silent click. "I miss my old lightsaber." His hand came up to grip the pommel of his new weapon, his eyes coming open with a rather satisfied smile. "But this one is just as good." His hand went over the activation stud and immediately a white blade sprang from the emitter.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Nylea nodded when the man who introduced himself as Barren told her how he knew of the place they were currently at. "I can see why he liked this place, personally. It's peaceful," she said as investigated the place. In her mind any environment would have been a better one than where she had learned about the machinations of the Force, but that was in the past.

The Echani sat in silence as the young man focussed on the creation of his lightsaber. It was a sight to behold, causing the faintest of smiles to form on her face. "And it is a reflection of who you are." For a moment she looked at the newly created hilt. "A new lightsaber often stands for the start of a new chapter." She took out her own and carefully laid it out in front of her. "This is not my first saber either. My life had changed drastically and it signified the change."

Curiosity came over the woman. It was likely he had lost his previous lightsaber and she decided to inquire about it. "May I ask what happened to your previous blade? I would be glad to listen to your story."

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

Adron deactivated the white blade, taking a moment to admire the weapon before setting it down in front of him, just as Nylea had. "I suppose this is the start of a new chapter...I didn't think of it like that." When she questioned what happened to Adron's lightsaber he took a moment to consider his words before exhaling.

"Destroyed....you seem like a nice person. I think I'll tell you the truth." He decided, placing his hands on his knees as he spoke. "My name isn't Barren, that's just an alias I like to employ. My name is Count Malvern, you can call me Adron. I'm sorry I lied but I had to know you weren't an assassin or a Sith."

Gesturing to the elegant design of the lightsaber Adron continued his story. "My father helped me craft my first lightsaber almost three years ago. But almost half a year ago it was destroyed in an assassination attempt on my family." Emotions coursed through Adron as he kept his eyes locked on the weapon below him. "House Malvern is one of the leading houses on Serenno, though it's had many reformations over the past few decades. My Great Great Grandfather insisted those in the family who were strong with the Force be trained as Jedi. Ever since we've followed The Force instead of riches."

"Anyway. When Serenno joined The Dominion my father voted for a militarization act that would subtract wealth from The Counts and put it towards the defense of our planet. A long story short....A few of the Count's did not like the idea of their money being cut for a while, so they conspired to kill my family."

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Nylea flashed a smile of reassurance as he admitted to using an alias. "I can only assume that a count needs to be careful about letting people know about their background. There's no need to apologize, Adron." She did not hold it against him in the slightest.

The reason why exactly he was careful followed afterwards, to which the Echani listened carefully. She looked grave as he told his story. "I am sorry to hear that. May I... May I ask if anyone survived?" It gripped her. Adron's family sought to do good but the counts around them were too focussed on themselves. Although she knew how self-centered people thought, she was basically forced into that kind of thinking for a long time before breaking out of it, she still couldn't justify their actions. "Your ancestors seemed like very good people. People who meant to do the right thing instead of letting their greed get the better of them." With a fluid motion she picked her saber back up and put it back where it came from. "It's good to see you are looking to continue following the Force even after the tragedy that happened."

Nylea remained calm, hoping to be some kind of support. Losing people in such a way at such a young age nearly always left some kind of mark on people. She could only hope Adron would turn it into something good. "This may be a bit odd and out of place, but if you every need help with anything that I can do, I would be happy to help. It's the least I can do."

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

A warm smile came from Adron as he shook his head at the woman. "One of my sisters survived the assassination but died only hours later in the hospital. I'm the only one." Though the statement was a grim one Adron seemed undisturbed by it, however depending on Nylea's skill with the force she may have been able to sense the quiet rage built up inside the boy.

Her words were kind and were received well by Adron. "My father felt it was the responsibility of every Count to do what was best for Serenno. It's a notion that runs strong in my family, and runs strong in me."

Holding his hand out towards his lightsaber he tapped into The Force once again, willing the weapon to levitate off of the ground and float towards his palm. "The Force is all I have left, honestly." He stated with a look of simplicity on his face.

When Nylea expressed her willingness to help Adron if he needed it he could not help but muse at a thought. After a moment he decided it would not hurt to ask the woman herself. "I could use a training partner, actually. Jedi training is pretty difficult without a Master, but I do enjoy learning with others who walk the path."

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Nylea felt for Adron. He had gone through so much as such a young age, something that would likely have lasting effects. "But with the Force on your side you can rebuild. It is tough, but I can speak from experience that it is possible." She wasn't going to indulge further into her own past unless explicitly asked about, preferring to focus on the count's story. "I feel you have righteousness in your heart. Hold on to that. Don't let yourself fall into the Darkness of the Force like I have in the past." The Echani felt anger slowly building, which slightly concerned her. Fear had forced her down the path of the Dark Side, something that was incredibly hard to break away from, and anger had the potential to do the same. "It nearly destroyed me. I was fortunate a Jedi master made me see there was more than the Dark Side."

Adron's request was one she would gladly fulfil. Although she was no Jedi master her lightsaber prowess was what she considered to be her greatest skill and anyone could teach anyone at least the smallest bit about the Force. "I would be honored. I believe there is something to learn from everyone, so I would be glad to learn from you and hopefully impart something on you in the meantime." She smiled calmly, her Force Aura contrasting the count's building rage with peacefulness. "The Jedi Master who had taken me under her wing recently retreated from society and civilization, looking to unravel the secrets of the Force. I currently have nobody to train with."

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

Adron pushed himself to his full height with a smile on his face. "Blackgate Manor, Serenno. Come visit me anytime, we have plenty of room and good food too." He took his cloak into his hands, throwing it over him as he prepared to depart.

The young Count took a moment to exhale, clearing his mind of the negative thoughts that built up from telling the story of his family. After another moment he returned his gaze to Nylea, inclining his head towards her. "It's been a lot of fun, but now it's about time for me to go."

"Thank you for the company Nylea, I enjoyed it very much." Pulling his cowl over his head, Adron turned towards the exit, making his way out of the area and back towards his starship.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]