What About Dragons???

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Naboo was home. Graxin had grown to accept that as the years began to drag on. His entire family save for Felicity lived on the green world, and she lived with him on Ession. His mother, Feena Mason, was the Queen of the Protectorate world. While the fact that she had a son was obscure, it was not hidden. Graxin had full access to the planet.

He had come for one reason this time, and for once it was not a visit to the family.

He'd heard of Dragonsflame in the past. Krag had often lamented about the Jedi, and those within the Order had spoken with varying opinions about the man. Graxin did not know him, and he wasn't one to let the opinions of other shape his own.

Ession needed Masters. Dragonsflame was not one of the blind loyalists in the Republic. It only made sense to visit.

The Archlord's speeder came to a stop just outside what was supposedly his residence. Graxin adjusted his mask--it was an Ession custom for its ruler to keep his or her face hidden in public--and breathed a quiet sigh.

"I hope this goes well."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Graxin had come to a residence far in the wilderness of Naboo, away from usual civilization, away from distractions, away from the corruption that had befallen the galaxy. The area was fenced off, but the property was large, and obviously the owner of it had spent quite some time saving money to afford the place. The house itself was large, a luxurious home, one that you could raise a family in. How fitting, considering the dreams that it's supposed occupant had so eagerly spoke of during his time as a naive Jedi Master, in an order doomed to fall, ruled by puppets, puppeteered by anarchic powers that be. But those naive dreams, that frail innocence, had disappeared upon his leaving of the Jedi Order. They had destroyed that blind loyalty, that dedication and commitment that this Jedi Master had held for so many years... His innocence had been smashed, and with it, those dreams.

None of this mattered now. If the man he was seeking was indeed here, he would find out in time. But instead of a powerful Jedi Master, Graxin would instead find himself face to face with an HK unit. But it seemed... Different, from any sort of HK units he may have encountered in the past. It was colored blue, with little red points here and there in strategic places to give it a sleek duel-colored look, but some of it's wires were sticking out.. The droid was unfinished. As if the constructor had done it themselves, and was learning on the fly. It was obviously a work in progress droid. But it still had a blaster pointed at his or her head.

"Greetings, sir. My Master-zzzttttt-of booty-zzzttttt-Is currently busy at the moment. Is there something I can do for you?" It would suddenly ring out. The droid's speech was a little... Zany. While the constructor had gotten the voice down, it was obviously unfinished and static and breaks accompanied every word or so. Not just that, but obviously there was a little prankster in the house that had rigged the droid's speech drives to add "Of Booty" everytime it was supposed to simply speak of it's Master.

 

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"Master of what?" Graxin blinked in confusion, not that the droid could see his face.

He exhaled slowly as he tried to discern who this "Master of booty" was. There was, of course, only one person that the residence was listed under. This was going to be a very interesting little venture. Graxin ran a hand over the edge of his ebony mask; gloved fingers tracing over the little bumps and eddies that scarred the old metal. It was a nervous habit that looked more like he was contemplating killing something, rather than having a bout of anxiety.

"Dragonsflame. I need to see him. It's important." He grunted, and folded over his Phrik chestplate.

He looked quite out of place in the lush landscape. His robes were a muted mix of black and gray shades, and the rest was all Phrik armor tied together by loose fixtures of cloth and durasteel. The twin lightsabers hanging from his hips--one his own, one that of Darth Vulcanus-- did not help to sell the image of a Jedi Master.

"Ession needs to have counsel with him."

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The droid would crackle a bit as it would listen to the... Commands, of this stranger. Finally, it would nod. "I will see if my Master-Kzzzt-Of Booty-KZZRRST-Is home, sir" It would finally get out, as staticy as ever. The droid would turn and walk into the house without another word.

A few minutes would pass, before the droid would return, this time accompanied by a figure, clad in unique looking robes, but there was no doubt that they belonged to a Force User. The man was about 6'2, hooded, his head and face obscured from view. When they finally stood in front of Graxin, he might catch sight of a pair of brown eyes staring at him, seeming to give him the elevator look as his eyes scanned this figure, everything from the helmet to the lightsabers. His gaze would stop on Krag's lightsaber, before moving to meet what would qualify as the eyes of Graxin.

"Sir, this is Master-Kzzzt-Of Booty- DragonsFlame" The droid would greet, and the man's eyes would move to the droid. "Who did this?" He would ask the HK unit. "What do you mean, Master-Kzzssrttt-Of Booty?" The droid would reply, seeming oblivious to any wrong doing. "Who tinkered with you last?" The hooded man would ask. "Why, the small one, of course. Was I not scheduled for maintenance from your R4 unit not too long ago?" The unfinished HK droid would ask it's Master "Of booty". The man would let out a sigh, not seeming amused at this development. "Go back in the house and tell R4 to please wait until I know how to fix what's broken before he plays pranks on me using other droids. And to fix your speech unit before I re-program him to play Ice Ice Baby inside of himself until he malfunctions" He would request. He was only partly joking, of course. But his R4 unit knew better then to think he wouldn't follow through with a threat. "Yes, Master-Kzzzt-Of Booty" HK would let out before marching back into the house.

A silence would follow as the man would remove his hood. Brilliant; yet experienced eyes stared at the stranger in front of him. He looked to be in his early 20s, quite young for a Master, and especially one who had served as the Grandmaster at one point. If he ever doubted the stories of DragonsFlame being a menace on the battlefield, a graceful demon of destruction upon every enemy in his path, but a virtuous beacon of hope to the Jedi around him, one look into his eyes would cast aside any doubts. But with accomplishment came stress. Depression. Sadness. And this sort had the weight of the world upon him at one point, and it showed. But he had remained defiant despite it...

The time away from the limelight had not willowed away the physique of the man, who's long blond hair glared back at the sun that shined upon it. Time had not been this man's enemy, instead, it had seemed to have been his salvation.

Finally, he would speak.

"I apologize for the behavior of my droid. Both my droids, actually" He would speak, a polite tone, but yet one that hid the commanding presence of a leader. A former leader, yes, but experience never dies....

"You can call me Josh, if you wish. I was told that you had business with me?" Josh would ask. This was indeed the man, Josh DragonsFlame... Speaking to someone outside of [member="Coryth Elaris"] for the first time in many months.

 

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"Greetings Master of Booty." Graxin snickered, bowing his head forward in a show of respect.

The Archlord had a love for humor. It brought people together when they were at their worse, and served as the knife to carve through a thick sheet of tension. Not that there was much of that here--Graxin recognized the look in those eyes. Not long ago was it that he had been in a similar state.

Against his traditions, the Master pulled back his hood. Leatherbound fingers pulled at pressure valves on the mask so that it spat forth air and atmosphere. The familiar wild smell of Naboo flooded his senses; as did the wall of humidity that crashed against him without warning.

The former Sith Lord had forgotten how wet Naboo was.

Despite his title, Graxin had no resemblance to the Graug. He looked to be in his early thirties with a short trimmed beard, and angular features that were uncannily reminiscent of Queen [member="Feena Mason"]. Bright amber eyes stared back at the former Grandmaster curiosity, and his lips were pressed into a thin, albeit warm smile.

"My name is Graxin Rade publicly. Cyril Mason if you live on Naboo." He cocked his head back in a gesture toward Josh's home. "I am the Archlord of the Ession Reformation...I'd heard of you. You fought Darth Vulcanus in the old wars, no?"


[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The former Grandmaster did something that perhaps was not expected. Laugh. Humor was something that Joshua was no longer used to, besides his two clown droids that brought humor in many different ways, usually unwanted. Human communication was not something the Jedi Master was used to anymore, nor was humor between two beings. But it felt fresh to him, and he enjoyed it. This sort, he supposed, he would likely get along with. He would bow his head in respect in return, though his eyes showed amusement, and a smirk crossed his lips. Obviously, the "Master Of Booty" still had his sense of humor.

"Greetings, Cyril Mason, Viewer Of Booty" The former Grandmaster would snark right back. Notably, he had used his Nabooian name, a sign that Josh was born on and was a citizen of Naboo. But to Josh's surprise, the masked figure would suddenly pull down his hood, and his mask would come off as well. While Josh had taken off his hood as a respectful gesture, something told him that this man didn't take his mask off very often. An honor it was.

"Yes, that's me" He would respond to his question, when asked of Vulcanus. The Ession Reformation? He hadn't heard of it... News around the galaxy only reached his ears once in awhile, due to his lack of human communication, so this was news to him, for sure. The perks of exile, right?

The blonde's eyes would move to what he assumed was the lightsaber of a Graug named Krag, Darth Vulcanus... Former Emperor of the Sith Empire. The real Sith, in his opinion... Not this group of wannabes that attacked a crippled Republic and Jedi only when they were at their weakest. His hand would reach forward and the lightsaber would start to shake gently. It was a gentle pull with the Force, a polite one, almost as if asking for permission before bringing the lightsaber toward him. He had done so slowly, respectfully giving opportunity to take the lightsaber back from the air if Graxin wished. But Josh's curiosity couldn't be sated until he knew...

Finally, the lightsaber would land in his hand, and the blonde haired man would look down at the lightsaber, examining it... Yes, this was the exact same one that Darth Vulcanus had dueled him with. The man would close his eyes, seeming to remember his days of battle... Before they opened again, and he would gently hand the lightsaber back to Graxin.

"That is Darth Vulcanus's lightsaber, is it not?" He would then ask, though he already knew the answer. "You killed him, then?"

 

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"I prefer hunter of booty, but that's just me." Graxin fired back instantly. His thin smile grew - until the lightsaber of Vulcanus flew from his belt.

The Master felt something stir nearby. The familiar specter of Krag himself appeared not two paces away, visible and audible only to Graxin himself. The Archlord had enslaved his spirit to keep Krag from transferring his spirit into another mortal vassal. The price being that the spirit of Vulcanus would follow him for eternity - Graxin was its jail or.

The apparition was clad in Vulcanus's stark black armor. It's eyes were shadowy and deep set, like that of a long rotted corpse. Bloodied teeth were visible from its gaping maw as it growled its protest. Krag remembered Josh, and though Vulcanus could only speak when Graxin allowed him to, the late Graug could still mutter animalistic sounds of displeasure.

The Master ignored him for now.

"I did on Utapau. I lead the Graug now...I was his son. We toppled his regime after you took to privacy." Graxin grumbled apologetically.

He took the sleek black hilt with one hand, and clicked the activation switch. The monstrous black blade sprang forth and rumbled its disapproval.

"He's gone forever. No need to worry about him." Graxin added quietly, and the apparition roared once more.

He silently thanked the force for the fact that Josh would not see or hear his old foe unless he allowed it. "I came to find you. The Order is falling to the One Sith, and the outer rim is in Chaos. I and several others have left Grayson's group to protect it."

He said nothing more. The reason why he had come was clear. The Booty Hunter wanted Josh to join them in the outer rim.


[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Hah!" The Jedi Master let out in response to his jab. "You're good, I think we'll get along just fine" He would add. It seemed the former Grandmaster was getting his sense of humor back, bit by bit... A fast learner, by any means. But perhaps that side of him just never left. He could... Almost sense something familiar nearby. It sent a shiver down his spine, though he couldn't see it. But then just like that, it was gone again.

"A Graug, you?" He would ask when the man would tell his story. He would cross his arms and watch the blade ignite, staring at it for a moment, likely for the last time. "Can't tell by the looks of you" He said, smirking faintly. "You look like a Booty Hunter to me, not a Graug" He snarked.

Finally, they would get to the business at hand. Josh would nod a bit, before looking around...

"This setting won't do. Come in" He would say, leading Graxin into the house. They would come to a clean hallway, and eventually they would come to a simple living room. Josh would offer Graxin a chair before taking his own seat.

"Now... Tell me everything about what's going on. About the Jedi, this Ession Reformation, the Sith... I've been away a very long time. The galactic events are new to me now" He requested.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"It's purely an honorific. Just human, I'm afraid." Graxin grunted. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and followed silently after the former Grandmaster. He had heard bits and pieces about Dragonsflame from friends and allies alike. Some spoke of him with a bit of scorn, others with nostalgic approval.

Either way, [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] had disappeared off the galactic plane for quite some time. Before Graxin had ever even attempted to join The Jedi Order. Josh was before his time, and yet an equal in some way. They both had similar reasons for leaving the formal Order; they only walked down different paths. There was no reason for Graxin not to try and speak with him.

"That's a long story. Try to see the bigger picture before I begin. Some people haven't been so accepting." He settled into the seat, and gave the former Grandmaster a curious look.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The blonde would give a casual shrug. "It's hard to see the bigger picture when I know naught, my friend" He would respond calmly. And like that, he was as calm as a Jedi should be. Years of training could be thanked for that. "I'd appreciate if you told me everything. Do not fear taking up time. A Jedi spends their lives learning to be patient. And that's something I've learned better then the disgrace of an Order that booted me from my position for being patient and compassionate" He would add with a small smirk, almost like he took his removal in humor. Of course, the topic bothered him, but there was no point in dwelling on the past... He'd been removed from power in a dying, corrupt Order. Looking back now... It didn't harm him one bit.

If anything, it set him free.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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There was so much to tell. Graxin bit down on his lower lip, and leveled his gaze on the other Master. He had no idea how long Joshua was out of contact with the galaxy at large, so it was better to start at the beginning.

"About a year ago, the One Sith emerged from within the Republic. Led by a former Jedi Master, they conquered Coruscant and established themselves as a major galactic power." He began.

"There were many battles fought, and the Sith gained more allies. The Jedi Order was shattered, and we began to lose. I fought the Sith on Ossus. I failed agains them on Ossus." The Archlord offered a moment's hesitation. "The Sith expanded. They took Alderaan, and other worlds. Many Jedi turned. The Council was disbanded."

Graxin settled both arms on the chair, and pressed his lips into a thin line. "I left to protect the besieged outer rim and gather an army....and to preserve our traditions."

It was part of the truth. Joshua did not need to hear what the council had done before their disbandment.

"We created the Ession Reformation, and secured the outer rim. Now we train new Jedi, and prepare for the coming storm. The One Sith are hunting us. It's another Jedi Purge, Joshua."

The Master brought a hand up to cup his chin, and frowned. "They will send agents for you eventually."

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The blonde would listen to his story, and nod. "I was there when the One Sith emerged and attacked Coruscant" He would interject. "I was on my way out the door, actually. I showed up for a moment after I'd tendered my resignation, taking down Sith on my way to the archives on orders of Grandmaster Carn Dista, taking the parts of the archives that were exclusive to the archives on the Coruscant Jedi Temple so I could transfer them to another temple in case the Coruscant Temple was destroyed. I left Coruscant after that, transferred the data to another Temple's archives while I still had my Council Members clearance, and disappeared from sight after that. I got word that Kiskla Grayson was trying to find me when I was taking solitude in the Conclave, with intent to kill me for taking the archives. I sent a reminder message to the temple in Ruusan to clear my name, before I made sure that nobody would find me ever again" He would explain.

"I left the sight of men after that. I operated my business in Tatooine in secret, taking a more active role and taking more of the profits then I did previously, which previously the profits I received were abysmally small. I used them to buy the compound you see here, for my companion, who's outside somewhere, and I, to live in peace. I would exile myself from the galaxy at large, spending the last.... Force knows how long just reading, training, learning. At times, I snuck off the planet, in disguise, finding planets with slave problems..."

He smirked faintly. "You heard the rumors, I take it? Of illegal slave rigs suddenly being shut down, their bosses wiped out without a trace and the slaves set free? That a strange marauder had been running around, freeing slaves and becoming the bane of the slave trade?" He would ask. "That was me" He said with a small smile crossing his lips. "While I exiled myself, the galaxy still needed me. And in secret, I have acted. Of course, since I can't be seen, I haven't been able to know much of the news, so what's going on in the galaxy right now is news to me ever since I left the Order"

He would listen, then to his offer... The blonde let out a sigh, and would nod. "There's no reason to stay in hiding anymore, is there?" He would ask. "The Sith have taken over, it seems. The Order and the Republic are useless, and we're in the middle of a Jedi Purge" He began, taking a breath... It seemed that the time for him being a peacemaker was over. It was time to fight.

He would nod then, and take a breath. ".... I'm in"

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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That was that. Another Master secured for the Reformation, another Jedi saved from the Sith purge. The latter was a victory all it's own, but Dragonsflame was useful as well in combat. It was a very good deal indeed.

Graxin offered his right hand, and cracked a wide smile. It would be good to have Joshua around for his counsel alone, let alone his skill with the blade.

"Then we'd best get going my friend. A storm is brewing, and we're in the eye of it. It's going to pass over us soon enough."




[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh knew that once he took Graxin's hand, there was no turning back. The galaxy was in danger, a storm was brewing... And he was about to dive headfirst right into it. But the galaxy needed him. The Jedi... The true Jedi... Needed him. The Force needed him.

That was all the motivation he needed.

Josh would take the offered hand and nod. "It's time the Sith was driven out of this galaxy" He would remark.

[member="Graxin Rade"]