To Gaze Upon A Shortened Life

[Mauda]

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Darkness. Terrible Pain. And Death. A spreading Death. All attributes of a Sith, yet not like a Sith as a Man is like a Rock.​

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The stars of the perfect black night offered the only light for miles. Only in the distance did the environment offer relief from the abyssal darkness, and yet even these were a strain upon the Horizon. The Forests of Kashyyyk sat spread for miles on end, trees stretching miles toward the sky, falling only short of escape from the green beauty that is the Wookie homeworld. Miles downward, upon the very surface often forgotten by visitors, stood a Man. The Grass under his boot was green and fresh, flickering only slightly against the gentle night time breeze. A green that in all its tranquil beauty, lasted no longer than a breath. A green that under the pressing weight of the figure's night time shadow, faded. A green, now an orange, now a Black. Only moments ago the green stood tall against the weak breeze, now it crumbled against the breath of an ant. Green, now coal.

At the very heart of all that is wrong with the Galaxy, a figure stood. Surrounded by beauty rapidly decaying. He stood under the most peaceful trees. Trees that now felt the weight of a Drain long forgotten, confined to the millennia gone. His cloak betrayed no movement, his hands clasped behind his back. Motionless upon the forest floor the figure remained, consumed in a meditation that gripped the world by the throat, and held on, wrenching its life from its lungs.

A long, drawn out inhale passed through a songsteel Mask, vocoded to a deep, baritone noise.

Exhale

Here Orex stood, consumed in himself. Lost in the core so ruined. So powerful. He had come here to reflect. To understand and feel precisely what it was that held this Galaxy in its deceitful iron grip. He brought himself and the spirit he carried to the very heart of his hatred, and simply.

Stood.

In thought.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

The blind Force Master was very in touch with nature and when its flow was disrupted in the depths of Kashyyyk, she knew it. Nature cried out to her and she answered its call. Travelling to the forest floor below the Rest, she felt out and followed to where the source of pain came from.

This was not in the Nightmare Lands here. Those were a blight to the world and something known to her. A question floated in her mind that needed answering. What was causing this?

She did not attempt to hide her presence or approach and did so openly. Though she was trained as an assassin, it was rare these days she needed to use those skills. Whatever was causing this corruption did not make an effort to hide. As she got closer, nature spoke to her.

It gave her impressions and feelings and it was scared. Whatever this was, it was unnatural and nature wanted it removed. Pain screamed at Jairdain, but she sensed no real intention from what was causing this pain.

At the edge of the destruction, she looked at the core in front of her and saw a man through the Force. Somebody dark and broken. He paid no attention to what was happening around him and Jairdain was able to make her assesment of him. Since she had come openly, there was a great chance he could feel her now. If he didn't, she would not interrupt his meditation.

Mediation was important to her and that might be the case with him. Standing with him, though she was outside the circle of destruction he brought, her eyes closed and she joined him in meditating.

What brings you here, dark stranger?

[member="Orex Mauda"]

 

[Mauda]

Lost in himself, Orex explored his core. That chaotic noise that accompanied his senses as he meditated was here and stronger than ever. Orex peered into the oscillating orb that was what he could have considered his soul. A raw, unflitered image of his Force-signature, a mass of black and red that appeared to tear away from itself every second.

And yet through all the noise, a voice. A calm voice, educated and well-experienced pierced the angry veil and infected his ears. There was a being. And it was there with him, not in the physical sense. It was beside his mind and in sync. Orex didn't open his eyes. He simply inhaled.

"What brings you here?"

Orex spoke, but could not hear himself. Peering into the soul beside him, it was harmonious and light, but plagued by a lingering darkness. Tainted by.. something. She was no native Jedi. There was more, and although a complete stranger, it was a curiosity that gripped Orex.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

There was a subconscious noise that came from Orex. The blind woman peered at him through the Force and did a mental nod that he might be able to sense. He was baring himself and he might not even be aware he was doing it. Not making any attempt to attack him, he had not yet moved in any hostile way to her.

Just because Jairdain did not attack, that did not mean she wasn't prepared to do that. She was not a physical fighter and most of her skills rested in the mental realm.

Smiling a little, there was humor in her mental tone to him.

You ask a question instead of answering the one posed. To answer yours though, you brought me here. What are you doing here? I am Jairdain Ismet.

She picked up on his curiosity and it was answered with some of her own. Not yet crossing over into his circle of destruction, she remained outside. Until she knew it would be safe for her to breach that, she would stay where she was.

[member="Orex Mauda"]

 

[Mauda]

It came as no surprise that her answer was.. Simple. A nod echoed through the Force and Orex inhaled again. He turned around and faced Jardain, opening his eyes finally to gaze upon a woman. Cloaked in dark and occupied with her shared meditation. Orex brought his hands behind his back and clasped them. Gripped them.

"You've come upon a stranger. One who betrays an aura less than friendly. And yet you give up your name within minutes. Do the Jedi really still persist in teaching such Naiivety? Evidently. I'm here to observe. Simply to .. assess. This beautiful planet is home to your religion. Bathed in light and harmony..."

He took a step forward

"Darkness also. You've seen more than the Jedi. What compels you to stay with them?"

Just to stand and look at the trees was not his intent. He felt fortunate to have been discovered by such an interesting individual. One he was not yearning to explore for the sake of analysis.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

She sensed when he ended his meditation and opened her eyes. The woman might be blind, but some things from those with sight passed down to her. Many felt the need to close their eyes and so Jairdain did as well. Pale, glowing eyes that were unfocused appeared to look through Orex as he turned and spoke to her.

"What makes you think I am a Jedi? Is it the mere reason that I am present that gives you this idea?"

Not moving from her spot when he took his step closer, it might indicate to him she was stupid or it could show she wasn't scared. However he would see it didn't matter to her.

Jairdain had been exposed to the darkness of the Sith and galaxy. In her opinion she had been tainted and would never be able to call herself Jedi again. This stranger did not need to know that and she kept her thoughts to herself.

"I have seen more than some of them. There are others that have been exposed to as much as me. You wish to observe and assess. What information has that brought you?"

The question he posed was interesting and she had to give it a bit of thought. What did compel her to stay? Safety was a consideration, her friends were here as well. However, she didn't feel either of those answers would impress this stranger. To provide him with the other answers would reveal too much about herself and she wasn't going to put her son in any further danger. As he had pointed out, his aura was less than friendly. An aura alone did not mean he was going to do her any harm.

"You call the Jedi naive. Maybe I am that, but I am no Jedi. I do not follow their code or worship the Force. That has been taken from me before and I am still standing here to speak with you. What knowledge have your observations brought you?"

As he listened to her voice, he might pick up on her accent. She was originally from beyond the outer rim and from a world that had been destroyed. She had yet to meet anybody from her home and her accent was unique. Deciding not to give him any answer to his question, she had asked him a few and now waited on him.

[member="Orex Mauda"]

 

[Mauda]

Orex peered into the woman before him. But his gaze was not reciprocated. Her eyes were glassed and oblivious. Blind, He thought. And yet the Force was such that even the visually impaired could prove to be the greatest warriors. He listened to her speak, finding her accent unfamiliar, almost alien. Her response intrigued him, more so as she described her stance among the Jedi, and towards the Force. It was surprising and refreshing to have met an individual who did not deify the Force. Especially surprising to have found them on Kashyyyk of all places.

Orex breathed. On the homeworld of the Jedi and yet there were still individuals who he couldn't bring himself to disagree with. Unfortunate. Unfortunate that these people would likely still suffer the execution of what he had in mind all these years.

"I admire your particular ideology. It's unfortunate that it isn't shared by very many like yourself. Very Unfortunate". Orex began to trail off with his thoughts. "This planet is teeming with life. It's a natural beauty and has remained so for thousands of years."

Orex flexed his palm and drew a stick to his grip. "It wouldn't surprise me if this stick had been right where I drew it from, unmoved, for a similar time." The stick began to fade and crumble. Soon it drifted from his hand, reduced to nothing but black, lifeless material.

"What I've observed on this planet. Is exactly what I have observed in the rest of the Galaxy" Orex began to step towards Jairdain. As he passed her he leaned in to her ear, "Static". The word fell from his vocoded mouth, tainted by anger. He continued before stopping again at the foot of a tree.

"Your planet.." He turned back around to face Jairdain. "Not your planet. Regardless. This planet represents all that is wrong with this Galaxy. It hasn't changed. Birthed from the collisions of rocks billions of years ago, and the moment it birthed life, it fell into an unmoving rut. These Trees" Orex placed his gloved hand onto the trunk, to which a patch of growing Black responded, "Have remained just as they were. The planet is dominated by traditionalists who wish to preserve. Never change. Never improve. Look at the Galaxy. Dominated by a warring pair of monks who feel it is their birthright to grab this Galaxy, and hold it down where it is. Choke any natural change and replace it with what?" Orex's anger was growing quietly. "The Force?" He almost spat the phrase. His disgust bearing through his teeth.

He silenced himself and inhaled. He had caught himself lost in his thoughts yet again. "Change will come. In due time."

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Even if she was unable to gaze at him with her eyes, Jairdain was focusing on Orex through the Force. That he should be able to sense and feel. She took no pains to hide her observation of his through it. Tipping her head when he admitted he could admire her ideology, she listened until he finished speaking and moving.

"You are wrong though. What you see here has been altered and changed. Yes, the planet is quite beautiful and full of life. It is also full of death. Come and visit the Nightmare Lands here and you will find corruption. Here, the Jedi might control the planet and hold it as their capital, but they don't control nature.

"Light and Dark are here. Like in the Galaxy itself, there is Light and Dark."

As she spoke, one hand appeared to hold a ball of light and in the other there was darkness.

"The two monks. One represents light and the other dark. They each think and feel their way is the only correct way. I am sure you are aware of their codes and mantras they each follow. We don't need to go over those unless you want to.

"This science you speak of is something that is fact. However, natural forces also follow codes. The strong prey on the weak and the weak perish. Every part of nature has its place. The Jedi and Sith have theirs as well."

Closing her hands into fists, the orbs went away and that focus remained on Orex.

"I do not feel they want to replace natural change with the Force, as you put it. The Sith want to control and dominate. Yes, the Jedi want to preserve, but they allow people to have freedom and the Sith won't allow that."

Shaking her head, she easily picked up on his anger and with her empathy, she attempted to send him some sense of calm. That actually wasn't needed. He had calmed himself down and she sensed he could be a storm and lose what control he had. His last comment drew out some humor from her and she lifted a hand with a finger up just slightly. Wearing a small and cynical almost smirk, she nodded.

"Change is something that never changes. It always happens. Quite often in ways one does not expect. What may I call you?"

She still had not answered what held her to the Jedi and she didn't think she ever would come up with an answer that would make any sense to him.

[member="Orex Mauda"]

 

[Mauda]

Orex lay silent as Jairdain spoke. He looked past her with unfocused eyes, thinking as she spoke. He could only agree with what she was saying. She was intelligent, her thoughts did not lack depth.

"The Jedi and Sith have theirs as well".

Anger flared immediately. Orex's eyes focused and they snapped to Jairdain. He waited for her to finish, allowing her to present her point. It was a conversation after all.

"Neither have any place in this Universe!" Orex growled. His Mask vocoding his speech and distorting the anger behind it to something more twisted. He waved his hand, one that was tense and rapid.

"Light and Dark. Both are integral to the function of our Galaxy.." Orex began to walk past Jairdain again, moving towards his original spot. "But for a group to take command of either and proclaim themselves the priest of their respective shade is wrong. Those squabbling children have given themselves nothing more than names. As powerful as they are, the benefit they bring to the people is zero. They destroy as much as they repair and hurt as much as they heal. All in the name of the Force. As if collectively, they are Gods."

Orex turned again to face Jairdain, his voice low.

"There Were Gods. No longer. Their time has passed, so has the time of these pathetic religions. Those men and women could move stars, consume planets and conquer Galaxies. Now they sit in politics, fighting eachother over meaningless goals at the expense of us all. You Jedi are clinging to a history of failure and shrouded deception yet making yourselves believe in a guise of Unity and Harmony. The Sith, much the same. Warriors and Rulers in their time. Now they wallow in the Dark Side driving a War Machine that only exists to bring some form of reassurance to their blind arrogance". Without shouting, Orex's anger was palpable. He turned away from Jairdain and gazed into the endless trunks of trees.

"My name is Orex Mauda"

He turned his head to his shoulder, placing Jairdain in his peripheral vision.

"And it is my promise to this Galaxy, that these useless children are silenced."

Many had tried, many had failed. Orex understood this. Yet his determination was unwavering.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

As he had done for her, Jairdain allowed him to finish speaking his mind before arguing the points he made. Argue was too strong of a word, but it would do right now. They were just two strangers having a solid conversation and debate in the middle of the night in the below of Kashyyyk.

"So you feel they no longer have a place in the galaxy? Even if what they preach might be wrong, that doesn't mean they don't have their place. I don't think do it in the name of the Force as you feel, but because of their ideals. Once upon a time, they were thought of as gods."

He had made several points and given voice to his thoughts and opinions.

"I have been on both sides of this path and can say from my experiences, the Sith are far more destructive. However, you made a point in saying the Jedi do the same. There are times when they can cause just as much harm, but they always claim it is for the better.

"It is probably a good thing, I never did get into the whole religious context of either group. Instead, I follow that of my people."

If he wanted, she would tell him of her beliefs, but kept silent on them until he asked. His anger was not at her personally and Jairdain displayed no fear of him.

"Your promise is much like another person I knew long ago. For all I know, he is still trying to accomplish his goal. How do you intend to accomplish your plan?"

As he moved around, she followed him through the Force. Her vision granted her the ability to sense and see all around herself. There was no real need for her to physically turn or move with him. When he gave his name, she noted it and nodded her head just slightly.

"I will remember your name as I hope you will remember mine. Your desire to destroy the Jedi and Sith, I feel is nothing more than a pipe dream. Until the time comes, I will not stand in your way, Orex Mauda. When that time comes though, I will not allow you to harm me or mine. Am I clear?"

There was not a hint of a threat in her tone, but one of a woman that knew they would someday meet as enemies. It was not that day today.

[member="Orex Mauda"]

 

[Mauda]

Jairdain spoke and Orex clenched his jaw. If this were any other individual, he would likely have cut them down by now. But he stayed in the grips of conversation simply because she interested him. And yet even that did not quell his anger.

"Once upon a time" Orex spoke with intensity, a middle ground between rage and exhaustion.

"Once upon a time they were Gods." Orex turned, his hand conveying his speech.

"Drop a spotless block from the sky, and the primitive inhabitants will worship it as a God. Pray and bestow gifts upon it. Do they get a return for their efforts? No. Do they notice this? Not at all. The Jedi had their time. They flourished when we were all primates kicking each other. A robed man with the power to bend his environment is naturally a God to a man with the power to throw a stone. But the people do not throw stones any longer. They traverse the Stars as often as they walk to the market. The Jedi are a bygone era. They exist now out of sentiment. A homage to a lost memory"

Orex frowned, exploring his own thoughts further.

"Are the Sith similar? Of course. Are they more destructive? Objectively. The Sith annihilate planets and slaughter crowds to satiate their hate. The Jedi are far from such actions. Yet they are equally as destructive. They slow the people down, they grip them in unmoving dogma. They seed propaganda, catalyse wars. To the naiive and unintelligent, the Sith are more destructive. Look closer and you will soon realise that the Jedi are no different, their destruction is simply more complex and drawn out. You choose to avoid their dogma, and I respect that. I hope you continue as such when this Pipe-dream becomes a reality. For your own, and your kin's sake"

Orex's eyes passed over Jairdain. The quiet winds blew over his Face, reminding him of where he was and why. She was a disturbance. Perhaps he had told her too much. But he didn't worry himself over slipped information. His name traced back to a broken slave child and, very vaguely, criminal enterprises on Coruscant. He was insignificant in legal terms, and unknown beyond this. So for now, he would indulge in a conversation with a figure he deemed inconsequential.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

It sounded like Orex had this conversation many times before. He was passionate about his opinion yet tired at the same time. Almost as if nightmare kept him from sleeping. As that observation came to her, she considered the time. It was the middle of the night, perhaps she was correct. Maybe she could help him.

"Some people still throw rocks..."

It was spoken more under her breath, but they were probably close enough her words carried over to him. The conversation revolved around Jedi and Sith, but there other paths out there. Ren and Dathomiri just to name two. There were many others, even Jairdain didn't know all of them.

"The Sith ideology grew out of that of the Jedi. How either code back about is beyond me. There are older ideals of even them though.

"As you pointed out, Jedi go the peaceful route and rarely force advancement. Sith are generally the opposite. Probably one reason why I never made a good Sith or Jedi. I'll never call myself either one of those again. My path is different and it is my own."

Maybe she had told him too much, but she stopped talking about herself. She didn't feel that divulging personal information about herself was very wise. So she turned the conversation back to its original topic.

"It was the way of nature to have the strong dominate the weak. And the Sith see themselves as the Alpha there. Yet quite often it is in times of peace the Jedi bring there is more advancement. Not of weapons, ships or armor, but of beauty and art. People are given the ability to research higher technology and grow from there."

Orex might not pick up on her gentle touch through the Force. Jairdain had been as a mentalist many years now. Her touch was feather light and would feel like a gentle breeze if he sensed it. It was not the kind of penetration or attack, but a simple reading of what was going on just below the surface of his mind.

What she picked up on was expected. He was tired and something kept him from sleeping well. That sense she picked up earlier was accurate. Being the kind of person she was, Jairdain did want to help him. If they continued meeting up after tonight, it was something she would attempt to do. Only if he wanted though. She wasn't going to force him to heal, but she very much wanted to do just that.

[member="Orex Mauda"]

 

[Mauda]

There were times, shut off and isolated, when Orex felt that fleeting stab at his core. The feeling that he's barely hanging on. He was exhausted. But it was more than an incessant insomnia. There were times when he was fatigued down to his roots. Alive only twenty-six years, and yet he felt aged beyond the grave. Pain ate away at him more than his own Mask, exhaustion threatened to force his legs into submission under him. But all of these things he kept buried, locked so as to avoid the detriment they brought. His surface was power and destruction. Logic and Scrutiny. But all things had a darkness.

"And there lies the cycle. The alpha male and the garden warrior. Their conflict spanning generations. The Sith constructing for the sake of their war-machine. The Jedi innovating to bring themselves closer to a peace they will never know."

Orex closed his eye. That pulsating pain washed over him in that moment, and he was reminded just how close he was. How close he always will be. The blood-shot grey revealed itself again as his eye opened.

"And it is not enough. It is not enough that we have to choose between war time technology bred to satisfy arrogance, or sit idly as monks twiddle their thumbs and bend to the greater governments. This Galaxy deserves what is available to it. We use the resources of our home planet to spread among the stars, and yet now that we drift between the dots, we refuse to use the Galaxy in the same way. We have lost our sense of expansion, buried beneath the blood of the needlessly dead."

Orex's vocoded speech drifted aimlessly into the dark tree trunks around the pair. His tone was solemn, bordering on calm exasperation.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

She couldn't help but smile just slightly when he called the Jedi garden warriors. Her own name meant garden, but she was very far being a warrior. At least in the physical sense. As a mentalist, she was a very strong opponent and a warrior there. She had grown up and once she learned she could use the Force, she had focused on learning all about the mental arts and skills. Almost to the point where she barely knew anything about how to use her lightsaber. Nothing more than the basics of anything. A few times she had tried to learn how to fight, but her teachers had never been very productive there.

"I come from beyond the Outer Rim and my world has been destroyed. The people there dead except a few that were banished. `We were happy there. No Jedi, Sith or much contact with outsiders."

This spoke of her childhood and finding out any information on her home would be impossible. Nobody had heard of it and nobody would ever go there now. She had lived a simple life until the age of fifteen and then everything went sour for her. Three years, she wandered and eventually found her way to the Jedi.

It was less than a year later that she was taken captive by a Sith, brainwashed, tortured mentally and turned. She was held by this one man for almost a year before she finally broke. Even then, she knew way deep down something was wrong. Eventually she had recovered and returned to the Jedi.

Time passed and she had taken up a position on Commenor and didn't call herself Jedi or Sith. She was just herself and followed her own path. To this day, she was still walking that and it was a fine line between light and dark.

"My home has been destroyed and its resources gone. I do what I do not because of code or ideals, but because I want to. For now, my place is here, but the time might come for me to part ways and go down another route. I don't feel that happening though.

"You might do well to search out a friend of mine. I think the two of you would get along quite well and you share at least one similar goal."

The problem was this person didn't have a home right now. She also stayed on Kashyyyk and they had crossed paths a few times over the years. She was also a former Sith and wanted nothing more than to see them destroyed. If Orex asked, a name would be provided. Finding her wouldn't pose much of an issue since she was a businesswoman. Her name was out there and they could arrange a meet up.

"I don't think your path any less blood filled than any of the others."

[member="Orex Mauda"]

 

[Mauda]

The grey eye of his fleshbound face continued to analyse Jairdain. She reminisced about her world. Her past. Any preconceptions Orex held had all but gone now. He had settled on an assessment. One he felt was accurate. But it was her final statement that stood out the most.

"Blood is a necessity. There is change in sacrifice, you are not lost to this."

Orex frowned.

"Nor are you a Jedi. You are not here for their ways or their wisdom. You are here for solace. A break."

The first thing Orex had noticed about the woman was the shadow she held buried. The history.

"You have seen beyond the zealots you have aligned with and now sit alone between worlds."

"Perhaps even purposeless" Orex spoke under his breath.

"Who is the friend?"

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

"Blood is a necessity. My people had a saying and this is just part of it. There is purpose in death. While it might be sad for the family for that to have happened, it was something accepted. What you suggest will be accepted by me as necessary."

The warning she had given him before about harming her kin still stood and hopefully it remained clear to him. Jairdain nodded just slightly at his observation of her. It was as accurate as any stranger had ever made of her. She wasn't on Kashyyyk for their ways or wisdom. Here she was offered solace as he put it, but she also offered it to others and held out a hand to them.

Just like she wanted to do with him. If the need arose, she would fight for the Silvers, but she never looked for it. She was a defender and provided support.

"At the moment, yes. For now, my purpose is here."

Pointing back in the direction she had come, she turned to look there for a moment but there was no focus. Her attention returned to Orex.

"Her name is Ra'a'mah Numare."

She and the people she had around her wanted nothing more than to see the destruction of the Sith Empire. They would attempt to do this by almost any means needed. This actually included Jairdain, but she wouldn't be one to admit that easily.

[member="Orex Mauda"]