Where Civilization Once Lay [Open]

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XYMNi7aj_w​

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Planet: Cambria
Location: City Center

Home...Or what once was. Prior to the events of the recent past, this was where she considered home. Ossus was...Well, the home of the Jedi. But her birthplace would always hold that special something that nowhere else could compare. That was before everyone disappeared. Before billions of people were cast into the darkness. A void. With that darkness came the unraveling of the galaxy at its' core. In a short few years the entire known universe shifted in the wake of this tragedy. Entire governments collapsed, many smaller civilizations disappearing entirely while others clung ever so tightly to reclaim that which was lost. It is a difficult prospect - rebuilding when untold numbers of the galactic population vanish in the blink of an eye.

Seraphina adjusted herself in her seat as the landing gear deployed underneath her starship. Landing just on the outskirts of the city by an open field, the ground, still moist from a recent storm sunk partially under the weight of the vessel during the landing. The ramp extended, and the Twi'lek took a breath, pausing a few moments to consider the possibilities of this journey. Why had she come? What was left here for her? Her family was missing...Gone for six long years. Her brother had been gone even longer, lost to wherever his travels had taken him so many years ago. She had not yet given up hope of finding him. This place, it still called to her.

A short walk would uncover the extend of loss to Cambria. Much of the city had become desolate, abandoned, slowly falling into disrepair. The further in she got towards the city center, the more people she discovered. It seemed that the majority of the remaining populace had converged towards the center of the city, leaving much of the outer perimeter abandoned. Aware that this world was now well within the iron fist of the Sith, Sera was cautious of her surroundings, and appearance. Her armor was well hidden beneath her clothing, and lightsabers secured and tucked away.

Stepping inside a cantina she took up a seat nearest the barkeep, ordering a house wine and bit of food. She spoke only her order to the human man, and only glanced with her eyes towards the other patrons. This was a dangerous place to be, out in the open, this far into now Sith controlled territory, but Cambria was a relatively low priority planet, having no Jedi temples, nor any key defenses to protect the core worlds with. What she was here for would perhaps be revealed in time. The Force drew her here. Something beckoned her.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_QavIjykf0​

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A man enters the cantina. Dressed in a long, dark trench-coat. Combat boots stained with the price of crimson victory. They squeak softly against the floor, the droplets of water caught underneath the muddy soles as he makes his way from the entrance to the bar. A dark, wide brimmed hat shades his facial features. One could tell he had facial hair, or once had, as stubble is all that remained. He is human, or something closely resembling one. His voice is baritone. Cold. He takes up a seat adjacent to the female Jedi, though seemingly pays her no mind, ordering an expensive whiskey. His blaster outlines the left side of his coat at the hip.

While the Twi'lek sat quietly, casting short glances over to the man, she raised her arm and rested the side of her temple against her right thumb and index finger, supported by her elbow against the top of the bar. She knew him. Or at least, she felt she did. But...From where? Her memory was impeccable. She'd never forgotten anyone in her life that she had met. Something was different, strangely out of place about him. She felt connected to him, like he had been a part of her life. She had no valid proof, it was just something one could feel. When your instinct and gut tell you it is so.

After several passing minutes, and countless glances towards the man she finally turned her head to face him. "Do I know you? Have we met be-" The man interjected without turning his head in a hushed whisper, directed toward the floor before she could finish her question. "Some things are best left in our past, Padawan Shel'tah." His neck craned ever so slightly so that one eye would make contact with hers. "You still wear it. Even after all this time." A wave of goosebumps washed over her entire body. A pit of emotion began to rise from her inner soul as her ears relayed the words to her brain. Her lips trembled as she struggled to push the name from her lips. "...Kythen?"

The man simply smiled, turning back to his drink and taking a long sip, clanking the glass back onto the bar as he wiped his lips. When next he spoke, he maintained his hushed tone. "No, not any more. And best you not address me as such, less you alert the rabble here that two prime targets sit just a few meters away. You've come to a dangerous place, my girl." Her stare was unwavering. She couldn't believe that her first master was alive after all this time. She had thought him dead for so long, so many years. Yet here he sat, cordially, as if nothing had ever come to pass. Her jaw hung open, with no words that could be processed. She just...Stared.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1O5ml1zirA​

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The sheer number of questions racing through her mind were astonishing. How did you survive that? Where did you go? Why didn't you return? Why didn't you contact me? Have you been hiding? What have you been doing? Why did you deceive me? Why did you abandon the Jedi and the Order? Why did you abandon me? Was everything a hoax? Did you set me up? Did you know I was here? Or was this sheer coincidence? Dozens of thoughts and varying answers poured into her mind as she thought about each one over and over again. Her earlier life erupted into the forefront of her mind, taking her back once more to that day on Nar Shaddaa, the day she lost the first person she ever cared for outside of her family. The emotional roller coaster she was forced into was nearly overwhelming. The pain she recalled for so long after his seeming death, to the other crippling losses she endured throughout the rest of her time as a Jedi, up to now, only to find out that a major event in her life had been little more than a parlor trick, an act to deceive her, or so she believed.

She remained silent at the Jedi Master's request. To her, he would always carry her respect and admiration, regardless of how karking furious she was with him at this particular moment. Sera understood that despite Cambria's lack of importance overall to the Sith and their regime, possibilities were still possibilities. And so she turned back to her food and drink, continuing to eat in silence as she contemplated how to address this once they were out of this place. What could his possible explanation be for such deceit? Was she so furious because he simply lied to her? Or because she had held feelings for him many years ago? She wasn't entirely sure. It was possible that it was a combination of the two, but now was not the time to address them. The first order of business would be to get clear of this establishment as quickly and subtly as possible, before she drilled him for answers.

The girl shot a few more glances at him as they sat next to one another in silence. Patrons came and went as they ordered their drinks, never idling for too long. What was he thinking right now? She wondered. As a bit more time passed, the cantina began to fill more rapidly with patrons. It wouldn't be long now before the dancers made their way to the stage and the music began. That would perhaps be a good time to exit, once everyone's attention was diverted elsewhere, and the crowd made keeping track of two Jedi Masters difficult, if any prying eyes happened to be present.