Upon the Bedrock [The Jedi Praxeum]

[Mariel Dawnrider]

Horizon Foundation Workshop-to-be​

It was really just a glorified shed for the moment. But it was, they hoped, the start of a project that would eventually feed the works of the Praxeum. Right now, they relied heavily on donations, but there was only so far that went. The first surge of them had come in the wake of Nibelungen, but they all knew they couldn't count on that. Harper had suggested the idea of a Non-Profit, something that could not only build the things they so desperately needed to offer aid and support, but also sell those things to others to support their own efforts. She, Alden, Anais, and Ember had hashed out the details, the Horizon Foundation taking shape.

On paper at least.

In reality?

That was harder.

Harper wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, leaving a trail of sweat and sawdust. She was building work benches along the walls of the Workshop.

She had completely forgotten about the meeting she and [member="Alden Belmont"] had arranged for that afternoon.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Harper Kade"]

Alden hadn't forgotten.

But he wasn't annoyed either honestly- not when after a few queries they had pointed him towards the 'workshop' Al had been planning on the outskirts. It took a short track, but eventually Alden managed to get there. The door open a bit and through it the noises sounded of work. He poked his head through first and once the confirmation came that it was indeed Harper doing her best, he stepped on through.

"Hey Harp, busy, I see?" Leaning against the doorpost for only a moment, before chuckling and joining in with her. "Guess we can move our ten o'clock to a different time, if you'd rather be doing this, eh?"

A practiced eye told Al where he would be only annoying her progress and where he could be useful.

No point in trying to help and only end up pissing off the person you were trying to help.

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Turning his head to Alm to watch her lips move and nodded. The implication was he introduce himself similar to how she had in regards to where his family was from. So he spoke, the voice quiet, a faint echo in their minds carrying notes of hesitation and almost shame or regret. There was a downside to how he communicated, and that was that it was hard to hide emotions when you used empathically empowered telepathy to 'speak' with.

"Never been to Nasvalo, except when young. My family came from desert, left with group of off-worlders promising fortune. Sold to hutts in scam, and sold to toydarian for circus. Parents work with animals as tamers. I work as magician. Very good with sleight of hand. Can't remember homeworld, only know what parents teach."

[member="Alm"] | [member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Mariel Dawnrider]

Harper looked up at him, confused.

Realization dawned slow but when it hit, it hit like a charging bantha.

"CHIT!"

Harper stood up from where she'd been screwing supports into a stud, putting away tools in a hurry.

"Ugh Al, I'm sorry I completely forgot." She could have easily covered herself with an easier excuse, I lost track of time, or something like that. But Harper wasn't one to make excuses.

"How late is it? How late are we? Ugh when we're done I'll get the chrono installed in here."

She reached up to scratch her head, ending up mostly dislodging sawdust. She frowned, stepped back so it wouldn't end up in his face. Leaning over, she shook her head out like some sort of four legged creature with water in its ears, making a cloud. She breathed in, coughed, sneezed once, then did it again. There was no way she was getting it off all of she skin and clothes in the time they had, but well, their contact would just have to deal.

"Okay, ready as I get," she said, closing the tool box. "Let's go."

[member="Alden Belmont"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Harper Kade"]

Alden leaned against the table he had just resettled, smile mischievous and easy, watching her shake her hair out and get... ready.

"Oh, we are very late, Harp." A shrug followed. "But luckily I rescheduled the appointment, when I realized that you hadn't forgotten we had one." He tapped his wrist commlink and squinted at the time, while the dust flew around her. "Got about five minutes and then we are up, so..." A wink and then he pushed himself off, standing up and going through the door.

Stretching there outside.

It felt good this place.

Fresh, wild and entirely unkept. There was a certain energy to it that calmed Alden just a bit here and there. "So, we are talking with a delegation of a nearby settlement to see if we can get extra help with what we are planning."

More for his benefit than hers, bringing it up again let Alden sort his mind just a bit.

 

[Mariel Dawnrider]

"You're a saint Al," Harper said as she closed up the workshop behind them.

Dressed in overalls and liberally sprinkled with sawdust, she fell into step behind him. Absently, she reached up, pulling her hair back into a quick braid. Tugging at the band on her wrist with her teeth the hooking it with her pinky, she pulled it over and secured the bottom of the braid. At least that looked a little neater.

It was not a large improvement.

"Right," she confirmed absently as they threaded their way through the slowly growing settlement. "I'm glad they agreed to come here to talk to us."

They had said they understood just how much work it was to set up new places in the Spring Canyons. They were treating the Praxeum much like they would treat one of their own new colonies, a detail not lost on any of them. It set up a dynamic of equality, rather than of something less comfortable on either side. They did not patronize the Praxeum for being new to Eira Pechal, and the Praxeum did not seek to enlighten or otherwise patronize them in return. It was a slowly evolving relationship, small levels of give and take that Harper hoped eventually would grow into something far more than anyone could currently imagine.

The trio of folks they were meeting were waiting for them under one of the temporary pavilions. Harper raised her hand in greeting (dirty, she realized with a touch of chagrin, she should have taken a minute to wash up properly) as they approached.

"I'm sorry for the wait," she apologized, "And thank you for coming. My name is Harper Kade, and this is Alden Belmont."

"Well met, and we understand. The work you are undertaking is challenging." The oldest of the group, a white haired woman with more laugh lines than frown, offered an understanding smile.

"I am Sancha, and this is Pelu and Jak. Perhaps we can all sit while we talk?"

[member="Alden Belmont"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Harper Kade"]

"Saint Al... I like it, let's revisit it after this conversation." Another wink and then it was time to be serious.

They exchanged greetings, respectful nods. "But necessary and we are seeing true progress." Alden added with a smile, while glancing over towards Harper. She had really pulled up her sleeves for this 'project' of theirs. Doing the work of three people at once and then some. So it hadn't surprised him when she had forgotten about the appointment here.

"Let's sit, yeah."

They situated themselves as comfortably as possible and then the talks began. There weren't any empty platitudes, instead they immediately began the negotiations and didn't put the brakes on it.

It was... exhausting, but also... interesting?

Harper had a better handle on what they were feeling and that was interesting to see. "I think that would be fine," Alden pitched in. "As long as it is understood that Horizon does not focus on profit. We pay fair wages, but they won't ever be as high as a for-profit could be. So there are obvious limits to what we can offer." A questioning glance towards Harp if she had anything to add to that.

 

[Felicity Skye]

Footsteps sounded throughout the length of Stinger-Baby as Felicity walked down it’s one corridor. End to end the shuttle was a compact series of amenities. Back to front there were bunks, baths, a kitchenette with every necessary and needless appliance, and then the cockpit where Felicity was. She sat in the cockpit of her shuttle, eating her breakfast just beyond the tree line. She could see the Praxeum from where she landed and watched as the others had started to settle for lunch. She was certainly the type to sleep in but this time she had an excuse as she had arrived at the Praxeum late in the night.

To her surprise, touching down on Eira Pechal was a slightly different experience than she had expected. Felicity thought she’d see a fully formed temple when in reality the Praxeum at that point was just a series of makeshift tents and a motley crew trying to realize the former. Regardless of the situation Felicity had come to help and help she would. Starting with some tea to warm everyones cold bones. Within minutes the shuttle’s state of the art kitchenette had turned out a couple of thermajugs full of the stuff. So she made her way out and distributed them among the clusters of jedi, refugee, and Eira Pechal natives. She made sure to smile warmly to offset her somewhat roguish appearance.

Felicity made her way through the crowd, with just one thermajug of tea left. She managed to narrowly avoid a plateful of gravy in her hair via a children's food fight but she didn’t manage to stop from bumping into a gentlemen who seemed to be about her age. Flustered by the incident she couldn’t quite meet his eyes before apologizing. “I’m sorry.” She said trying to get around him as quickly as possible, before realizing there was no reason to be flustered this wasn’t some back alley on Coruscant. Everyone at the Praxeum was likely to be a bit more than hospitable, even if weary. So she turned right around, poured some tea for herself, and offered the thermajug and an empty mug to the man. “Would you like some tea?”

[member="Odin Stormbreaker"]

 

[Romi Jade]

Her lips parted in disbelief as she playfully glared at him from across the room, "Mood killer?"

She caught his small smile, knowing from the beginning he was joking around. "Right...I bet." she'd never known that side of him before. Interesting. A sip, followed by her untwisting her face and shaking it off. "Well..."

She sat her cup back down, "I first met you when Veiere asked me to sit on the council, which was absurd..." she never understood why her Master did what he did back then, then she had to catch the backend of it because there were many who'd twist their face up at the decisions involving her especially. Was it favoritism, or was he trying to get her to realize her own potential as Masters should?

"You never said a word to me...or saw me for that matter." She responded, "At least that's how it felt at the time..."

She giggled at his response, "Well it could've just been me overthinking." In one swift motion she grabbed her cup and cradled it in both hands. Gently she shook it to create those ripples from before.

"I suppose none of that really matters anymore, right?" she smiled at him.

[member="Kahne Porte"]

 

[Mariel Dawnrider]

"If you were focused on profit, we would never have been willing to agree to it," Sancha said with a smile, spreading her hands wide. "If you had come as profiteers, we would have turned you away. No, the work you are doing is good. Not selfish. And there are some in our numbers who are interested in not only seeing the galaxy at large, but in finding ways to give back. Our people don't have much, but what we have is ability and spirit."

They worked through some of the details from there. As it turned out, there were small ore deposits in the mountains near by that the locals had never been able to do anything with, not having the tools necessary. It was arrange a joint effort there, both sides benefiting. Sustainable harvesting of wood from the Spring Canyons with strict limits followed. Harper and Alden were happy as well to welcome a number of younger individuals to come and work for and with them, both on Eira Pechal as well as for missions off world. While they could not pay much at first, barely more than a stipend, they agreed to room, board and training not only in the business side of what they were doing, but in piloting, electronics and a number of other skills the Eirans would need to flourish off world.

Harper was focused during the talks, driven. But Alden already knew that side of her. Once she had chosen a course of action, she poured her entire heart and soul into it. The Praxeum and Horizon was no exception.

"That sounds like everything that can possibly be handled for now," Harper finally said, leaning back. "If anything changes, at any time, we can talk again? It's important to us that if there are any concerns you know that the door is open, not just for the Foundation, but the Praxeum as well."

[member="Alden Belmont"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Harper Kade"]

"Indeed, this seems plenty for one day and we will keep in touch."

They exchanged kind words and then both sides departed in different directions. The council back to their village, Alden and Harper aimlessly wandering, after a moment deciding to go and explore just a little bit.

There was a lot they hadn't seen yet. Lots of places, lots of nature and even though the climate and everything was different?

It kinda reminded Alden of Dellalt.

The wilderness, nature, even the people in their own little way. "How do you like it all?" Al asked as they walked, pulling the coat a bit tighter around his shoulders. It was colder than the Jedi was used to, but... that was a matter of adaption. They were already experimenting with better insulation for their clothes. So they didn't have to hide whenever it got too cold or start using the generators.

 

[Amz]

Chiara turned her violet gaze upon Merrick, his inquiry met with a gentle smile, but kept on with ambling along the path, dropping her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

It was cold here, but she had experienced climates far more inhospitable than the one here. She was by no means a fan of it, but that was why she’d requested Ilias teach her tapas so long ago, to dip into the pool of the Force and warm herself from the inside out.

“I’m guessing that means you haven’t learned how to use tapas to keep warm by using the Force, yet? I could teach you later if you wish, since I assume that we’ll be visiting here often enough. Knowing how to use it will come in handy to make the cold a little more tolerable. Especially if, Force forbid, you ever find yourself on Hoth or Ilum without a jacket.”

They continued on their trek until their path came to an end some few meters out from where the rest were gathered, coming to a stop.

Chiara knew coming here that they were only just getting everything set up, but looking everything over she murmured an observation to herself, “Maybe we should have brought some building materials, too.”

They’d come with enough medical supplies to get a small infirmary up and running. Not quite a half-transport full, but certainly enough to sustain this group until something more substantial was built. It’d taken the docking droids a while to load it all, and Chiara assumed there would be droids here to bring it up from Merricks ship. She didn’t immediately notice any, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have them available if needed.

“Well, let's find out who we need to talk to about getting the supplies up here.”

Maybe they should have parked closer.

[member="Merrick Sato"]

 

[Samara Raine]

[member="Zak Dymo"] & any other younglings
~Mealtime... or rather playtime as it seems.
___

O.M.G... Too funny! I mean seriously, really?! hehe They were going to be in so much trouble - Probably, well yeah, but they were just kids being kids, right? Wouldn't hurt for everyone to laugh and let off steam a bit, especially nowadays...

The Nautolan's flying rancor piss joke sent the younglings eating lunch together out on the grass into total hysterics... The result was an organically grown food fight... literally and figuratively. I mean fruits and veggies were both flying, and well hard rolls too.

Chiassa had heard that joke before back on Coruscant, but the way the boy Zak said it... He sure had some great comedic timing, and the response from Gordo was priceless! Of course then Zandy retaliated for the milk-snot barrage with a juice box attack of her own and well it all went downhill from there from a certain point of view.

The young Tholothian smirked at the others while deftly scooting back from the fray as she continued to eat her meal in somewhat peace, but that wasn't to last long. All too soon Chiassa's danger sense flared as the youngling's formed grain for the day came at her. Thinking quickly she rose to her booted feet and dumped the left overs on the meal tray off into the grass, then used it as a shield-weapon; defecting the inbound Mando biscuit right back at the small swimmer with an expression on her face of 'nice try, buddy'.

The preteen Initiate might have stuck her tongue out too.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The girl was stronk with this one.

The Tholothian was at the plate. From the pitcher's mound, the Nautolan star player of the Glee Anselm Stingrays had put a fast ball special down the lane. The Tholothian had the lunch tray, er... bat. She made the swing.

And it was good!

As the dense biscuit came sailing back Zak's way, the Nautolan smoothly transitioned from baseball metaphors to playing hackey-sack instead. Catching the hard biscuit with the side of his foot, the youngling knocked the flying bread back into the air. Dancing forward, back, and side-to-side, the Nautolan managed to volley the biscuit several times in succession.

Then he tapped it with the side of his foot again, sending it arcing high toward the Tholothian's head.

[member="Chiassa"]​

 

[Mariel Dawnrider]

"It's beautiful here," Harper admitted as they walked.

"It's got a good feel, ya know?"

She didn't mean just the place itself, but the people as well. The native Eirans, the people who were being brought together by the Praxeum. There was laughter and happiness. Hard work. That part of it felt like home. She took those moments where she could find them.

Harper had left the workshop without a jacket. At the time she'd been warm from working, and frankly a little sweaty and too saw dusty to be comfortable shrugging it on. She was having small regrets about that now. The chill combined with the humidity was strange, leaving the air thick and just too cool for comfort. It would get much colder later, she knew.

"Good place, good people."

Close. But it wasn't home.

Up until a few weeks ago, Harper had never been away from Dellalt. In truth she had expected to live out her life there. Start a family. Grow old. This... was not what she had been planning at all with her life.

She physically shrugged those thoughts off.

"How about you?"

[member="Alden Belmont"]

 

[Odin]

The sudden thud that moved Odin slightly off his position cause him to turn and look for the cause: a young woman bumping into him. Dark blue eyes looked down at her and a warm smile graced Odin's face. "No, no. I am the one who owes you an apology. I'm just standing here like a big old oak tree." He took a moment to inspect the woman.Compared to him, she was very short. He almost had to look straight down to get a good look of her. It was a brief moment. It was all he needed.

Hazel eyes were always his weakness.

"Yes, I would love some tea. Thank you." He gently took the mug from the young woman and held it out for her to grant him some of the aforementioned tea. "I am Odin, by the way. Odin Stormbreaker."

[member="Felicity Skye"]​

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Harper Kade"]

He noticed her shiver soon after and shook his head bemusedly.

Might have been a decade ago that he'd take his coat off for her, which would be followed by an hour long argument about it. These days... Alden knew better than that, had gotten to know the Harper of now and realized that while some things had changed? Others most definitely had not. That didn't mean he liked watching her slowly get colder and colder while they took a moment to walk and talk. So instead he carefully placed his arm on her shoulder, pulling her a bit against his coat and... him, he supposed.

Their eyes met where Alden sought if she was okay with this.

If not? He'd probably get a punch in the face and would let his arm drop. "Mhm, I like it. It is... slower and yet a lot is happening at the same time." That was the difference between Dellalt and this world. Dellalt had grown satisfied across the decades of serving as a farm world for the Tion Cluster.

People hadn't been struggling.

This was different- the people here still doing their best to make a better tomorrow for them and those that they loved.

"I have a lot of respect for how hard these people work. I think having some of them help here, off-world? That will be good and might help them find their place outside their world as well."

 

[Felicity Skye]

Steam traveled air as the tea fell from thermajug to Odin’s cup. “Odin?” She questioned. “Strong name. I like it.” She smiled. “I’m Felicity. Felicity Skye.” She held her hand out for the man to take, and as she did she looked him over. He was wily, the kind of man that was as clever as a fox and as dangerous as one, to boot. While that was the sense she got, she could’ve been wrong. It wasn’t the first time her instincts were a bit off, and it wouldn’t be the last. Handsome men had that affect on her.

“What brings you to the… Praxeum?” She asked debating whether or not to call the work in progress around her a praxeum. She took another sip of tea while she listened, not just to Odin, but to the others around her. While the tea may not have been able to lift anyone’s spirits it succeeded in warming bellies, which while a simple comfort it still had its part to play in regaining a bit of normalcy in a life vastly different.

While her work for the praxeum was nowhere near finished she wondered what Odin would contribute to the day, to the month, to the year; Given it lasted that long.

[member="Odin Stormbreaker"]

 

[Kahne Porte]

"No, I saw you, I promise you that." Kahne said with a small chuckle. "You are a smart,beautiful, and hardheaded girl Romi, I was just unsure because you were young and with not as much experience as me or Veiere. I was brought out of my hermit status to be led by Veiere, not by you. When you took over after he left so abruptly I was slightly put off. I'm not saying I wanted to be in charge, because that's not my cup of tea. But I didn't know a thing about you, and when I follow someone. I want their trust, and I didn't feel like I had that."

The Jedi Master cleared his throat as he chuckled against slightly as those times seemed like such a long time ago. He remembered when he was first introduced to Romi by Veiere and he wasn't sure what to think to be quite honest. However, since he was their he trusted his judgement and went a long with it. Kahne was happy in his hermit and no committed to any order status. And he was pulled back into this by V to be led by him and that took a lot of trust and commitment. And now that he was gone Kahne was in the same position as before and he wondered if it was worth it all anymore. The Jedi Master knew that he was now sucked back into the game, and drawn again into the wars of the Jedi and Sith.

"It still matters, I never hated you. I guess you could say I just never fully trusted you, therefore I didn't give you my everything." The Jedi Master said showing her a sincere smile, he didn't give her his all as aiding her in the council or as a Jedi companion.

"I want to make it up to you, if you will let me." Kahne inquired as he finished what was last left in his cup while awaiting an answer.

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Mariel Dawnrider]

She was and let him, leaning into him for a moment as they walked before easing back. Not out from under his arm but not snugged up against his side either.

"Yeah I get you," she said softly. Everything he'd said and more.

"It's a good place, I just hope...."

She fell silent there, working the words over.

"I just hope we don't bring things down on their heads. Just by being here."

Harper frowned slightly. She'd been going through some of the histories in the Kismet holocron. Trying to see just where so many orders in the past had gone wrong. And there was one thing that seemed to crop up, again and again. Where ever the Jedi went, where they settled....

Eventually it brought the attention of those who would see them dead. Even the most peaceful of orders attracted that sort of attention in the long run. And the people who lived in the places they chose to settle were always the ones that seemed to pay for it the dearest.

[member="Alden Belmont"]