Reunion...Again

[FallenKeeper]

Naboos rolling hills were pleasant to admire in the moonlight, thought Quils as he sat by the crackling fire out side his tent. The Jedi Knight had spent the past ten years driftinf though the galaxy, evading the With and doing as much as he could for people as time would permit. No longer was he the same young flirt from his days at the temple. A streak of grey had found its way amidst his still vibrantly violet locks. But his caramel skin was slightly more gaunt and a wispy goatee grew from his chin. An empty sleeve hung on his left side, he had opted to avoid replacing his prosthetic for the time. He could not afford to.

Scannng the landscape he wondered what had become of the two padawans he had taken ten years prior. Were they still alive? He had no clue. News was not something he had much of. He was a shadow in the streets and a only a brief memory in the beds of numerous women across the galaxy. The knight had to stay on the move, though he could have found the Jedi order it seemed the Force called him to wander about in near solitude. Which was why he found himself on Naboo, alone in the hills. The Force called him to the spot. And now he waited.

 

[Padmé]

Taking time away from the Jedi orphanage on Zebitrope IV always proved to be a challenge, especially now. Due to the war, the orphanage experienced an usual influx of newly orphaned children. The high influx, coupled with lack of financial resources made management of the orphanage a daunting task....

Every credit available had not only been spent, but the Jedi Knight placed in charge of the orphanage, Haloburner Lamb, had to use her personal funds to keep the orphanage in operation. It was this reason that Lamb found herself back on her homeworld, Naboo. One of her financial investments, located on Naboo, refused to release funds to her unless she personally made the trip to collect her credits.

The trip was swift, and smooth. Unlike her worse fear, Lamb did not encounter any trouble with the company that held her credits. She even managed to securely deposit her credits into a new checking account where she knew none would come after, or swindle her clean....Upon completion of securing her financial bearings, the Jedi Knight made arrangements head back to Zebitrope IV. However, the Force led her elsewhere. On the day she was scheduled to leave Naboo, Lamb found herself walking the rolling hills of Naboo. Quietly Haloburner listened and beckoned to the prompting of the Force...

 

[FallenKeeper]

The Force pulled at Quils' senses gently. A sensation overcame him, one he had not felt in more than ten years. There was a familiarity to it and a strong one at that. One that echoed far into the past when he became a Padawan. Was it her? The Knight stood slowly, the grass crunching crisply beneath his weathered boots. With a swift elegance he turned to face the south and set his vibrant emerald eyes on the crest of the hill directly ahead of him. Unlike before when his gaze had the brilliance of youth they were now tempered with wisdom and an understanding of the Force garnered through years of solitude and quiet contemplation. Would he be recognized if it was who he thought it was? The last time he had seen her he was merely twenty with a prosthetic arm and a knack for wordplay.

There would be nothing gained if he made no attempt to be found. Against all of the precautions he had given himself to stay hdden Quils drew on the Force to reach out the way a Jedi naturally should. Like walking the runway. Some things never went away and his senses proved him right. Halo. The slender Hap an Jedi made his way to the hill, jogging quietly he hurried to see a face he had not seen in so long. Someone he trusted. Arriving at the top of the hill Quils stopped and stared patiently waiting for what would happen next.

 

[Padmé]

Her intuition was right, and for that she was relieved of the unknowns that gnawed at her. As the red haired Jedi made her way up the hill, she not not only sensed a familiar presence, but saw the person with her own eyes. Completely in shock, she paused, as her gaze fell on her former Padawan. The young man still held his runway like sway. A soft smile graced Lamb's face as her former Padawan approached her.

"Quils!"
The female Jedi exclaimed as though she'd met a long lost friend.

Many lives were lost due to the war. In fact, Lamb still doesn't know how well her acquaintances, friends, former apprentices and etc fared. Sheer joy overcame Lamb as she reached out to the man. Thus far, one out of the many apprentices she'd trained before the war has surfaced, for that she was thankful.

"Of all the places, I never dreamed we'll meet on Naboo...."
Pausing, Lamb embraced the young man. It was then that she noticed his missing prosthetic arm.

"...Nevertheless, I am pleased to know you are alive,"
She added while letting go of the man.

"...and well."
she concluded in her head.

Not wanting to delve into the unpleasant, but required questions, Lamb smiled and proceeded to update Quils on her latest assignment at the Jedi orphanage. She spoke of everything from the influx of orphans to the current state of the Jedi. At least the little that she knew. However, Lamb held back on airing the financial woes of the orphanage.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Quils threw his arm around Halo as she embraced him. For the first time in years he was able to smile and feel everything. His natural knack for Force Empathy flooded him with the joy that his master had felt as well as the relief. The Hapan was silent most of the time, unable to find any words. Things were worse than he thought for the order, for the galaxy, even he suffered a personal loss when the Imperium had overtaken the Hapes Consortium. His family's wealth had been taken and now he was uncertain how his parents were doing. If they were even alive.

Quils looked at Halo with a warm expression, "I will help however I can. The time has come for me to stop hiding." Truly he wanted to help his mentor but there was more.

 

[Padmé]

It wasn't until the man had fully embraced the red haired Jedi that she realized something was amiss. Physically, that is. Lamb had always known Quils to wear his a prosthetic arm. However, today that arm was missing. Something must but gravely amiss with Quils, Lamb thought silently to herself before concluding the non customary Jedi greeting.

The war had caused unsavory drifts, lives torn asunder, and a host of other problematic issues. Lamb herself wasn't quite certain who among the Jedi had survived the Jedi darkest hour. Seeing Quils, her former Padawan restored a sense of hope that she'd never felt before. Quils' expression and even verbal exchange gave the woman a new sense of zeal.
"Certainly!"

Lamb finally uttered in response to Quils' words.
"I won't turn down help at a time when nary all hope seemed to be a lost. Given the current state of the Order,the influx of orphans, and the lack of abundant resources, I'll be remiss to turn down yours or any one else's offer for help."

She didn't want to go into details concerning the orphanage needs. In fact, it was that same seemingly elusive idea that led her to Naboo t begin with. Had it not been so, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet Quils. Nevertheless, the man's conclusive words held something else. Halo sensed there was more to Quils' offer to help, and missing arm than he was letting on.

"Is there more to what I'm hearing, and seeing Quils?"
Came Lamb's poignant query.