There are some pretty big tree frogs on Ossus…

[Corvus Raaf]

Even from an altitude of a thousand meters, the Jedi Academy on Ossus looked enormous. Spread across a verdant bench-land between a lush mountainside and a gloom-filled rift valley, its tidy sweeps of green turf were surrounded by burgeoning plots of foliage and connected by snaking ribbons of grey paving stone.

And there were tiny dots moving among the glistening spires and elegant halls; Padawans and Younglings mostly, going about their daily business.

Corvus loved the view as she made the final approach to the landing bay — that was carved into a cliff-face. So, given clearance, she manoeuvred the ship into the allocated space and disembarked.

She was dressed in her usual robes, a saber, shoto and katana attached to her belt and a smile on her face. Coming back to Ossus used to be a homecoming. And given Corellia’s demise, even more so. But now? It was the place she spent most time at and loved it dearly, but her heart was now with someone, not something.

As she stepped off the landing ramp, she glanced around. There was a Jedi close to her. Not one she recognised — even though his Force Aura suggested he was at very least a Knight. So she bowed and her smile widened.

“I’m Corvus,” she offered, her violet eyes sparkling. “Is someone looking after you?”


[member="Julius Sedaire"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

In his years since his time in the Republic's Order, he had changed he supposed. The scruff of a beard that seemed to constantly shadow his face. A few extra pounds filling out his frame. And he really doubted he had ever wore armor when serving their Order, but given he had been here and there on various missions for the New Jedi Order and the Alliance, he had opted to stay in the Vanguard armor, just in case. And since his route back to Alliance space had taken him past Ossus, so he had pulled his newly modified ship, the Turhaya into dock. Ostensibly for repair and refuel, which it technically needed but also could have gone without. But in reality, he had wandered for years, and Ossus was as close as he would get to home with Coreilia destroyed.

Stepping out into the light, someone called to him, and he turned, cloak swirling slightly and falling dead as he stopped to gaze into violet eyes smiling. Corvus wouldn't remember him, probably no one would. But he remembered her, and who wouldn't know the Grandmaster of the Republic Jedi Order? Shaking his head softly to indicate a negative response to her question, he pushed hair back from his face with a gauntlet covered hand, acutely aware that arriving here on a modified Alliance gunship in armor with a lightsaber and bolt pistol strapped to his hip could have been a better thought through decision. Still, he would return courtesy util given a reason not to, and dark colored eyes met the violet gaze as he inclined his head respectfully. She was not his grandmaster, but she deserved respect none the less.

"Ahhh.. Corvus... Grandmaster of the Order... It is a pleasure and surprise to meet you here, to be sure. I can't say as anyone is looking after me, no. But I didn't exactly call ahead either, I sort of just dropped in unexpectedly, if I am honest. It has been years since I was in Republic Space, and Ossus in particular holds fond memories, so I thought I would take a break from War to walk a piece and remember. It helps even a weary battlemaster type like me to return to ones' roots and relax from time to time, really."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled, although being recognised when you didn’t know the other person was always slightly uncomfortable — especially if the other person should be known to you. But she had a good memory and suspected he was someone that was not based on Ossus and so their paths hadn’t crossed.

His ship suggested he was not of the Republic - but her senses told her he was clearly a Jedi — and so their commonality was the most important thing.

His mention of Ossus was positive. It had effectively been her home for the past dozen years, so the fact he thought of it fondly was entirely positive.

“So..a Battle Master? Oddly there are too few these days. Many Jedi are pressed into combat that would ordinarily be in another role. Given different times, I might well have been Librarian. But we do what we must, eh?”

She smiled again. “So…fancy a stroll to remember old times?”

[member="Julius Sedaire"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Julius smiled brightly at the offer, and nodded, gesturing to the scenery around them and smiling. It would do him well to walk with this woman, he decided, do him well indeed. And not for the reason he usually walked with women, mind you. But here was someone who, if life had been different for him, he would likely be serving under, fighting on the orders of, and hopefully advising and training the younger Jedi of the Order for. Perhaps, from seeing how the galaxy had molded this woman he had heard so much about, he could, in turn, see some of the things that had helped mold him.

"Aye... A walk here could do my weary bones some good... War is ever tiring to our kind, no matter our talents. As far as a Battlemaster.. I can not, in truth, lay claim to such a title... But it is what I have trained for, even when I walked the halls of the Jedi Temple as a learner. Never been one for changing peoples minds or other great tricks with the Force. To each in their own way and measure, a Talent is given, and it is the duty of each to utilize it in harmony with the Will of the Force, no?"

Here he gestured, and began to walk slowly as they would talk, making the first few steps, but walking next to her, or slightly behind, letting her lead, as was appropriate.

OOC Note: I am SO sorry.. I thought it was your reply, and had been waiting, and I check the thread and now I see it was mine!
[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

A walk in the gardens. On the face of it, a simple act — yet one she’d soon come to miss — given events that would son transpire.

But here and now, she was showing a guest around the Academy grounds. “They were designed to be tranquil, so if your body needs a rest, a walk here is as good as a tonic most of the time. I run through these gardens twice a day — albeit it’s invariably dark both times. You see, I operate on little sleep, so I run at midnight and again at 4am. In-between is enough rest for me. Perhaps Meditation is my secret?” She shrugged. “Or I may just be over-analysing it.”

And she listened to his words. He sounded weary but at the same time strong. Aware of his strengths and prepared to deliver on them. As he suggested, the will of the Force.

“I tell every Padawan, there are only so many hours in the day. If you focus on your primary goals, I suspect there won’t be enough minutes left spare for anything else. So, like you, I stick to what I believe I am good at and accept my limitations.”

They walked side-by-side through the lush foliage. “So tell me, you referred to me as Corvus of the Order. So, are you currently part of an Order? And which Academy did you train at?”

[member="Julius Sedaire"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Here the young Corellian would pause, just a skip in his step, a hesitancy in his aura, before shaking his head. It was surreal to him, to not be known when he had known of all here. But, he supposed, it was the way of things when you were younger, to know without being known, so to speak. Scratching at the scruff across his face, he nodded and stopped to face Corvus for a moment, halting his walking as he sighed, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before he answered.

"I trained here, on Ossus. For a while I also toured a few other Temples... I was a Knight, in the Republic Order, before I was sent on a mission to the Outer Rim.... I... Well.... Things changed for me out there, with what I saw, and what I encountered. And so, I did not return to the Republic... I wandered, for a long while, drifting and letting my connection to the Force wither.... My failures in my mission haunted me, and for a while I gave into despair and regret, and came dangerously close to being swallowed whole... But thanks to an chance encounter, oddly enough with someone from your Order again, I was pulled from my stupor. From there, I drifted from place to place, trying to find a cause. I've found such within the Galactic Alliance. Less bureaucracy and politics... More room for a hot-shot son of Corellia than here. Not that you and the Republic Order don't serve and do a valuable thing, but it is just not meant for my talents."

Here he paused a moment, fingers tracing the pommel of his saber, as he thought, smiling ever so faintly at the freedom with which he spoke. It was not, to be sure, a common thing. Corvus was a rank stranger to him, no matter how well he knew of her he did not know her personally. However, something told him that, perhaps this was a chance to reach out to a fraternity much like his own, and make an alliance, make a connection and forge bonds that might one day prove something vital to the safety of the people of the Galaxy. And, in the end, that was the import of his days now, and his mission, why he honed his skills so. Not for the Glory of the Alliance or to expand its power and influence and territory. To protect those who could not withstand the tides of darkness on their own. To prevent any others from suffering what his people had.

"Call me an idealist, but I think for my time in the Republic, there was too much an emphasis on the differences between various Orders, and how those differences brought danger and susceptibility to this or that flaw and an eventual fall to the Dark Side... These days, I worry more for the safety of the people of the Galaxy... For the well-being of those who would be swept away like twigs in a flood under the boot of any oppressor, Sith or otherwise. I don't care if the Jedi next to me sits on Council for the Galactic Republic, or is a lowly Padawan with the Silver Order.... So long as the Light of the Force is their ally, and the people are their concern, that is enough for me. And I hope others can see it thus someday... Perhaps if we had, all of us, been less concerned with our differences than our similarities, tragedies like Corellia and Coruscant falling could have been averted. Perhaps standing together can help stem the tides of grief and loss our fractured separate selves helped cause in the first place."

After this, he fell silent, musing at an end, and seemed to realize he had delivered quite a lengthy empassioned speech, unprompted, in answer to a simple question, and had the grace to rub at the back of his head in nervousness, waiting for Corvus' reaction. Sometimes, he couldn't help but feel a passion well up inside him when thinking of what his people had suffered, how they wandered now lost and disconnected. A burning desire welled in him to never see another soul suffer as he and the other Corellians did. This was surpassed only by a calm, steely resolve to see his people held together and the remnant that remained yet in the galaxy someday maybe even yet prosper and flourish. There was no hint of anger, or fear, or such in him as he spoke. Merely an unbridled zeal for life and hope, so characteristic of the fiery heritage he mourned.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened to the story. It was likely they were Padawans here at the same time — but given the size of the Academy — and the variety of Masters and subjects, well, they never met.

She nodded as he recounted how he ended up at the Alliance. “We have a chequered history already. And we support their efforts, even if we approach things from a slightly different perspective at times. But given the Order currently is focused on matters closer to hand, I haven’t spent much time in any support of my own. But I’ve spoken to the New Jedi Order a couple of times and things can only get better as a result.”

And she nodded once more at his description of the various Orders. “When I joined, I was told not to speak to this one or that one. As soon as I became Grand Master, I reached out to the Silver Jedi. Rebuilt some important bridges there. And recently we’ve reviewed our stance on allying with those who are good, but not necessarily Light-sided.”

“Not to accept them into our ranks. We are Jedi after all. We must follow the Code and there are many places for rogues and the grey. And we do not judge them. That is their path and if they work for the greater good, we definitely aid and assist wherever we can. But membership of the Order is not open to interpretation. Be Light-sided and follow the Code to the letter. No more and no less. Train outside the Order if your Master is comfortable with who is teaching you. Many have left and come back. Many leave and don’t return. That is entirely acceptable. As long as they don’t fall to the Dark-side, I am at peace.”

“And the new Council shares your thoughts. We may not be maverick in our ways, but we do not judge those that are. We embrace our similarities and respect our differences.”

“And your desire to do good is apparent and a positive aspect of your make-up. It does you proud — and the Alliance is lucky to have you. So, have you any Padawans of your own?”

[member="Julius Sedaire"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

For a moment, his mind flashed to a different time and place as Corvus asked about him having a Padawan... A young boy with red hair, bright eyes, smiling as he walked at Julius' side into what should have been a simple meeting. It was after that disaster Julius had left the Republic, and ceased to use his abilities at all, drowning his grief at the loss of Darius in ever cheapening bottles of whiskey and ever more dubious company. Until the day he had ran into a twi'lek who still haunted his dreams on occasion... Something in the woman had sparked something in Julius, and to this day he wasn't sure what. But the pain from the memories was clear and evident as he walked, from the grimaced wince in his face to the hunching shrink of his shoulders and the tremor of regret in his aura. No, he had no padawan. Not anymore.

"I have no Padawan, no. I took one, once before.. But the situation ended poorly, and so I have not taken one since. My failure by the lad is something I still carry, and to be honest I am not so sure I am really suited to teaching, as it were. Too much of the fire of Corellia in my gut yet, too impulsive some days. Causes issues when the Alliance decides for some reason I'm the perfect choice for a Diplomatic Envoy, for instance. I do my best work with this"

Here he patted the lightsaber hilt, smiling almost sadly as if the truth caused a bit of regret for him.

"Besides, I am no great knowledgeable mystic able to guide them through their first steps... I barely understand myself some days... And I have little to teach besides how to fight, how to drink, and a few other miscellaneous skills I'm not so sure any Order would value in a recruit...Though, I guess there is something to say for being able to balance a lightsaber on your nose while balanced on your left pinky toe... Maybe some day, when I feel I know enough, and am strong enough. For now, it is best that I mostly keep my path solitary in that aspect...

It is good to hear the Council is broadening their view, so to speak, of things... There is too much at stake to be divided internally, embroiled in petty arguments and divisions that are largely semantics and politics. While we serve the Force in different ways, we all serve it for the good of the people, the best that we can, no? I find that is more important than what the color of my robe or saber is now-a-days. Whether you'll be there when the dealer calls in the odds. And whether you'll lay the chips down even on the long bet."

Scratching at his chin a bit, he nodded, grunting almost...

"So, how is the fancy title treating you? Do you at the least get one of those amazingly comfortable looking Council chairs like they had back on Coruscant?"

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled ruefully. She’d clearly asked the wrong question. Or, oddly, perhaps it was the right one. For questions that make us feel uncomfortable are the very ones we should answer until we feel less awkward in the response. Jedi need to face the past in order to be sure they can face the future.

“There is much more to teaching than the Code. And we can all benefit from learning - even Knights and Masters. So do not judge yourself too harshly, or sell potential students short by not offering your services.”

And she chuckled at his final words. “It is a title. No more. And one rarely used. Everyone here knows me as Corvus. The only thing that separates me and the newest Youngling is time. I have already learned things they have yet to be taught. In a thousand years, or even a hundred, we shall be considered what we truly are. Equals.”

“And the chairs?” She gave a conspiratorial wink. “They’re not that comfy. I’d rather stand — but tradition says otherwise.”

“So, what occupies your time these days?” By now they were well into the grounds, one side of them a jungle — and on the other, clearings and all manner of apparatus to aid teaching.

[member="Julius Sedaire"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

What did occupy his time these days? The question was simplistic in truth, but it almost made him trip over his own two feet... As he thought of it, he realized something... There was nothing really... In the last few months he had traveled from battlefield to battlefield, War to war, saber blazing and heart thudding in his throat as he dared to take a stand after so long hiding... But really, had he done anything of worth, anything of consequence? Sadly, he had to admit, he had not. There had been plans, but there was always some battle or the other, some war to be won over this or that world. And so he had turned into a mindless soldier without even questioning it... What kind of Jedi did that make him, really?

"Honestly? War... It's been my life since I came back from the Rim... I can't recall a day in the past five months where I haven't either been killing, or trying to kill someone, or training for that situation... I'm genuinely surprised the past few days coming from Eriadu that I didn't get sidetracked... I set my mind on coming here, and I did. I've made plans a dozen times or more, to start here and then explore around a bit.... Seek out a Matukai to learn from them.... Look up my contacts in the Jensaari.... Maybe seek out the Ang Tii, try to learn their arts.... It seems imprudent for an aspirant Battlemaster to assume that only the Orders and their affiliates have mastered combat. And i suppose at some point, I should try and learn more of the lightsaber forms besides II and IV, even if their blend serves well enough."

Smiling, he winked and stretched, cracking his back with a contented sigh.

"Honestly? What occupies my time right now is a vacation from the front lines... I can't serve and be as I intend to if I keep running off chasing every conflict. That, and I may just gather some kinfolk.... I might know a person who can smuggle me into Corellia... Pilgrimage isn't the right word, but a home coming, to pay respects. As for you? Is there anything that occupies the high and loft Grandmaster besides paperwork and press conferences?"


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened and reflected how so many Jedi seemed to be in the same position. “As I said, I planed to be a Librarian. Although teaching was an honourable side-line that occupied much of my time, or late I feel as though I have been fighting. Fighting and filling in paper-work. The life of a Grand Master isn’t all glory you know.”

“There have been distractions. Building bridges with the Silver Jedi. Meeting those of the New Jedi Order.”

“And I returned to Corellia after the event. Briefly. It was only safe for a short while. It was…terrible.” There was genuine sadness in her face now. “Unrecognisable. More like Mustafa than Corellia. I was there when the One Sith invaded. Helping people escape. Then…well, you know what happened.”

“I was a Green Jedi in my day. From four to fourteen I was at the Academy in Coronet City. I am a relative of the Horns you know. Those days seem so far away now. Most of my family were buried there. Only my older and younger sister are alive.”

Aware she was sounding melancholy, she pushed her shoulders back. “Nowadays? I still teach as much as I can. And study. There are so many datacrons I haven’t read.”

“If I can help in any way, please ask. Teräs Käsi for example. Or the third and fourth Forms? Force Valor? As I say, teaching seems to come naturally to me, and the Order on Sullust has asked me to help out where I can.”

“And press conferences? Thank goodness I haven’t had to deal with them. Please don’t tell the Senate, I can see their faces now.”

[member="Julius Sedaire"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Here the armored man laughed a little, shaking his head, pure mirth shining in his eyes as he simply replied to the Grandmaster. Whether the mirth was genuine, or a strike and shield against the pain and loss he felt, it was unlikely Corvus knew her fellow Corellian well enough.

"Press Conferences? You should just hire a stunningly handsome man who really likes to talk... I might just know a guy, if it would pay well"

Then his face hardened as the joke fled and he could not readily think of another, and the memories of Corellia flooded back. Or at least what he had seen.

"I never went back... after.... I just couldn't bear to see it really. The vids on the holonet were bad enough. I suppose someday I should, just as a sort of... Pilgrimage, of sorts. There are enough of us from the home I can't imagine we couldn't undertake a journey, perhaps leave a small memorial to the poor souls lost there. A way of showing the Sith we will not be cowed, and they will not win... And even thought the Academy in Coronet City is gone by all likelyhood... Maybe the Green Jedi could return.... Maybe they need to, in a world like today... So that the memory of our home doesn't fade and vanish in time, and our children and their children can still know of who we are..."

The tone was sad, the pauses where he seemed to have trouble overcoming emotion, and indeed, his aura and posture had changed, and he radiated pain, a bone-deep sadness and layered beneath it, almost buried, a boiling anger. Very un-jedi like, to be sure, but he was never the perfect Jedi. Determination bloomed as his words went on, as if the anger had been forged into something new.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

It was Corvus’ turn to chuckle. “Pay? What’s that? I get room and board like every other Jedi. And expenses if on a mission. Enough credits for my next meal.”

“I had an inheritance. I gave it to charity. Well actually, I set up my own. But that’s another story. My sister, my older sister, she’s good with money. Has her own business. But me? I have simple tastes.”

And the mood turned sombre once more. “Yes, yes, it’s gone. Few buildings are recognisable. I often wonder if it’s better that the Sith couldn’t desecrate it before the planet was destroyed. I mean, I know the answer. The loss of life outweighs any nostalgia — but it will remain as I remember it, not as it is now. And yes, as someone who wore the green robes once, the idea of remembering the past. Of leaving more than memories…some sort of legacy? A good idea. A noble idea in fact.”

“If I can help in any way, please let me know. I travelled to Corellia with my sister and Coci too. I’m sure they would help out for sure. Or be part of something. It means so much to us all.”

[member="Julius Sedaire"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Julius nodded, smiling faintly as he looked about, seeming at ease suddenly, though he couldn't really remember being under strain really. Odd, how such little burdens could go unnoticed.

Turning, he paced backwards to gaze at Corvus better, a weak grin on his clean features.

"Might spin around the Rim a bit... I know some folks who might be interested as well.. Turhaya isn't the most flashy craft... But one can do quite a bit with an old YT-2400... And I might just see if you have time for a bit of a trip into the sparring or teaching arenas... I wouldn't mind learning some of Form III, or even really something of Force Valor... My old master used it to quite surprising effect really, especially for his age."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. She knew when a conversation was winding down. She'd learned that much, even without emotions to work with. And she sensed the conversation had been beneficial for both of them. Clearly their combined fondness for their home planet was a positive and Julius seemed more at ease than when he first arrived.

And furthermore, she was building more bridges with the New Jedi Order. Still, even in these dark times, too many people looked for differences. For reasons to put up barriers and mark boundaries. Corvus, for her part, was about embracing their similarities. Retaining identity, yes, but ensuring they remembered who the bad guys were.

It was like this chat. They were both Corellian. And that counted for something in a galaxy this big. Being Corellian and Jedi? How could it not be a reason to work closer together.

"Feel free to call on me, wherever I am. Or if you see me on Sullust. I keep promising I'll visit. It's overdue."

[member="Julius Sedaire"]