Ask [Mon Calamari] Physical Therapy

The Storyteller

Dungeon Master
Rank
Member DM

Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Messages
3,794
Reaction score
2,533
WBmfyNv.gif
In between his first speech and the present, King Rikkles Le'Fam, the first Quarren King of Mon Calamari, had been resting in his bacta tank to recover. The stress of the whole affair had weathered his body, and truthfully, he preferred the feeling of being submerged within the bacta to walking the polluted shores of Dac anyways. The world, his world, was a mere shadow of what it had been under his rule. To rebuild his world would take considerable effort, effort he could not expend while his body was still so weak.

That brought him to the present - the meeting with the Jedi delegation. While never quite a fan of the antics of lightsaber-holders, King Le'Fam respected truth and wisdom in whatever form it came. He had also, conveniently, been in a coma while much of the galaxy began to turn on the ancient Order of the Jedi. Of course, his advisors had briefed him on the most important moments - the great battles between Jedi and Sith, Commander Widase's agreement with Grandmaster Voran, and the Jedi's unfortunate expulsion from Senate.

His mind was his only fortress for 15 years. King Le'Fam trusted that he could withstand any attempts at mental manipulation the Jedi may try. Further, he needed their aid; even with the experimental surgeries and bacta provided generously by the ISC, he was still an old man with a weak body. The Jedi were storied healers, their Grandmaster the greatest among them. Surely they could, if nothing else, help provide him a direction forward.

An attendant entered into the King's chambers, alerting him that the Jedi delegation would soon arrive. Good. He exited his tank, covered in the translucent slime of the chamber.

He was dressed in red and black robes when the Jedi arrived to his makeshift council room, still housed within the spaceport of Dac City. If nothing else, it would be easily accessible to the off world visitors. King Le'Fam suppressed his excitement and anxiety by focusing on the present - his breathing, the tactile feelings of the robes on him and chair beneath him, the scent of the sea that wafted in through the windows. He would try to make his mind inscrutable to his Jedi counterparts.

But still, a good deal of hope leaked out of him.


@Valen Pelora @LilyNion @Nefieslab
 

Alexandria Voran

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Former Grandmaster

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Valen Pelora
Joined
Nov 30, 2020
Messages
792
Reaction score
641


Alex walked through the spaceport. Her boots thudded on the durasteel as walked towards the King Rikkles Le’Fam. Today, she was very much Grandmaster Alexandria Voran. She wore no armor, but her robes were perfectly pressed. Her black synthweave tunic and pants whisking softly. Her hair was perfectly in place and her face an impenetrable mask. She radiated power and confidence in the Force. Clove and Crix flanked the Morellian Jedi. They all had a part to play.

Mon Cala was in turmoil. The terrorist attack had thrown galactic and planetary politics into chaos. Alex had eschewed a public statement for a more practical approach. The moment word of the attack reached her ears, healers were sent to Mon Cala. Privately, she had communicated the Order would honor whatever wishes the people of Mon Cala held. The Jedi would not push an unwelcome war on their shores. Not after the devastation wrecked by the Syndicate. There would be Justice if King Le’Fam sought it. The Order had more than just healers.

The entire situation was thermal detonator waiting to rupture but she owed Jal a great deal. She had a soft spot for the Commander so when the rightful ruler of Mon Cala requested an audience, she complied. She was uncertain what she would find. The man had been silent for nearly two decades and then was suddenly projecting galactic addresses. King Le’Fam had asked for healers and Alex was truly the best among them. She would see what could be done…but even her power was not limitless. The doors to the council chamber swung open and the Jedi entered the room.

King Rikkles Le’Fam was dressed regally and very much not in a coma. Alex bowed respectfully. “Your majesty.” She gestured towards Crix and Clove. “Jedi Aran and his student Padawan Vanhoop.” Alex lifted her head with a soft smile. “I hope you know who I am…how can we be of service?” Her eyes swept to the man. Oh…there was nothing weak about Rikkles. His eyes showed sharp intelligence and his mind locked tight. Fascinating.

@Fine Dining Set @Nefieslab @LilyNion
 

Crix Aran

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
849
Reaction score
337

Healing was not something that he had ever had much of a talent for, despite his own Master being something of an accomplished mind healer and general healer beside. He had, once, thought that he would quite like to be a healer but his lack of natural talent for the skill had dampened his enthusiasm before his growing interests had, eventually, removed it from the visions he had of his own future. Thankfully he wasn't going to be the one leading his Padawan in this healing effort - he could safely leave that up to Alex.

He would have entrusted no one else with teaching his Padawan even temporarily. Was it an attachment to be so possessive and protective of Clove? Probably but Crix was loathe to care enough about the rules of the oldest parts of the Order to release her based on that attachment. He was of the opinion that being so attached to his Padawan was actually a very good thing and damn any who said otherwise.

Taking up the rear of the Jedi party, Crix was dressed in his tightened robes of green and brown. The cloth naturally working well to incorporate the armour elements of his clothing to make them look natural, as though they had always belonged there. Had he been born in a different age, there would have been no need for the armour but, alas, he had not.

Crix himself was more here as guard than participant so he bowed to the King of Dac without actually speaking. Alex had introduced him and he had nothing to add when it came to the actual healing.


@Fine Dining Set @Valen Pelora @LilyNion
 

Clove Vanhoop

Character
Independent
Rank
Veterinarian

Character Profile
Link
OOC
LilyNion
Joined
Sep 3, 2021
Messages
613
Reaction score
517


Mon Calamari's ruler. Clove had never met anyone of proper nobility or royalty before, with Alexandria Voran being the closest. And just meeting Alex was enough to make the girl squeal with delight and chew her nails nervously. So, when she was invited to accompany Alex to the King of Mon Calamari as part of a lesson, Clove had to take a morning off to focus solely on meditation. Because Force knew she was about to lose her marbles.

Thankfully, Crix had planned to join her, as he always did, which made the whole thing a little less terrifying. However, it also meant that Crix had to sit through the entire ride listening to the half-Sephi go on about how excited she was. "Crix, I can't believe it. Guidance from the Grandmaster with the King?!", "I sure hope my robes are appropriate enough.", "I'm glad you are here though, think I would've just... I don't know what I would've done without you!", and so forth. But, then again, none of that was exactly new. Crix had grown to be the person she trusted the most, more than Arctus and Ruz, and this meant she was no longer holding back on conversations, and thus the waves of rambles.

Clove's shyness visibly returned when they finally arrived and came face to face with Alexandria, but spending the morning meditating and the entire trip rambling about her excitement meant that most of her intense energy had subsided. So she was relatively in control, enough to feel like she was ready to face the King.

And the King did not disappoint.

Clove flanked the Grandmaster while being close to her Master, dressed in her most formal Jedi robes—which were a pair of normal light brown Padawans robes she'd embroidered with blue flowers a little more than usual—and lacking any type of armor. Her curly hair, tamed more than usual, bounced with every step she took. And when the doors opened, they were greeted by a man dressed regally with a proud posture. The half-Sephi had no idea what a king looked like, but he fit the bill; he was a King. There was no doubt about it.

The half-Sephi's darted her eyes nervously towards Crix before returning her gaze to the King. When it was time to bow, the girl gracefully lowered her upper body before straightening it. She wasn't sure when or if she was even allowed to speak, so she remained silent with a bright smile, listening to Alex and the King's conversation but ready to jump in whenever necessary.


 

The Storyteller

Dungeon Master
Rank
Member DM

Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Messages
3,794
Reaction score
2,533
The King considered each of the three carefully as they entered. The Grandmaster, ever a shining beacon of light for her comrades. She had the face of a much younger woman, but Le'Fam knew that Morellians hide their age, and Jedi hide their scars. He was pushing 90, she, a century. And while the King's many physical scars were quite obvious, he was sure that the Grandmaster's projection of confidence was just that: projection. That she, like him, had created a powerful mask of authority and wisdom for the sake of her subjects. That she was just as confused and afraid of what the future held in the dark days as he was.

The Knight was steady. He had certainly met his share of dignitaries during his time in the Order. The Padawan, to her credit, remained calm in the face of the meeting. It wa

"Grandmaster Voran. Jedi Aran. Padawan Vanhoop." He raised his arms weakly, gesturing to the repurposed spaceport terminal that had become his hall for receiving guests. It was no matter, he figured; dignity followed wherever the King went. Palaces and crowns only helped to sell an illusion of authority. A good king could sit with equal grace around paupers. "Welcome to my new home."

Now in full view of the man, it was easy to see how brittle his body was. Where age hadn't had a toll, the scars of endless bloodshed on his world had. His skin was wrinkled and scarred, as though made of leather that had been dried, folded, pressed for years. His arms were slim tubes of soft bone, reinforced by cybernetic plates and constant trips to the bacta tanks. Though, as Clove noted, he carried himself with pride. His eyes glared, still clear as day. Where his other functions began to fail, his piercing gaze remained.

"I thank you all for joining me here. I have not seen a member of your order since you intervened in the Civil War, some years ago. If I recall, you were neutral diplomats and peacekeepers, attempting to reduce the bloodshed on our world." He thought often of The War these days. While medical technology had helped to patch the holes in his memory around the time when he entered into a coma, his clearest memories were still far before then. Before he was a King. When he was just a Quarren, fed up with the treatment of his people on their world.

"Our world has need of your skills once more. You see, I have a problem at hand that I fear I cannot solve alone." He waved a hand to the seats around himself, indicating that the Jedi should sit.


"I have no heir. I awaken, ninety years old, to have missed the last fifteen years of progress on my world. My people need me more now than they ever have." He lowered his voice to practically a hush. "Yet my body it...fails me. It does not respond to my call. Look upon me, and any can see: I am dying." The slow death of age and fatigue, but death nonetheless.

"I do not fear my own death, but I fear for my world's future if I am gone. Therefore, I have resolved to live." He nodded, as if that was an order he could give himself. "And for that, I need your aid. I must be...more than this feeble form. Legend tells of Jedi healers' prowess. Deeper legends tell of ancient artifacts that can restore a man's youth, bring him back to life. Perhaps you, Jedi, can help an old man distinguish miracles from reality." He raised a finger, shakily, to point it specifically at Clove. "Young one, you are still a student, and yet you have great responsibilities that fall upon your shoulders. What do you make of this?"

His withered grasp moved next to Crix. "Jedi Aran. You have the dutiful poise and silence of a warrior. I am sure your saber has seen many battles. And the battlefield is home to many, many myths. What have you seen? Have you seen people recover from such a feeble state, to become powerful yet again?"

His hand was too exhausted to continue to be raised. Instead, his head turned to Alex, last. "Grandmaster. You look quite healthy for one hundred. Perhaps in your many years, on your many travels, you have seen the most potent types of healing magics the galaxy has to offer?"


@LilyNion @Nefieslab @Valen Pelora
 

Alexandria Voran

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Former Grandmaster

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Valen Pelora
Joined
Nov 30, 2020
Messages
792
Reaction score
641


Ah…so it was a miracle that brought the Jedi to Mon Cala. The King’s words were earnest…true. He cared deeply for his people and sought the path he believed was right. Jal shared that devotion. The Commander was undeniably loyal to Le’Fam…and Alex trusted the old sailor…but desperation bred dangerous roads. She was uncertain where the King’s desire might lead. Still, the Order’s ties to Mon Cala ran back centuries and they had shown faith in the Jedi when few others would. The King was a good man. For now, that would need to be enough.

“I am our greatest healer.” It was not ego but fact. “I can mend the body in ways even the greatest in modern medicine cannot imagine. Old and new wounds alike, we can set right…but…” Her eyes met the sparkling gaze of the King. “and forgive me your majesty…your body does not have the strength.” Alex’s voice remained calm and measured. “The Force comes at a cost, and it is one you cannot pay.” The King had regained his mind, but the body still failed him. That much was obvious. “However, I can.” Her words rang with finality. “I will pay the price to fix what I can. That has always been my path.” Alex took a small step forward. Her voice remained respectful, but the undertone of caution was clear. “But I must warn you, we cannot cheat death.”

She shot a glance back at Crix and Clove. This message was not just for Le’Fam. “My people are long lived and the Force gifts us long life…but should I live long enough…age will claim me just as it claims all beings. I have no secret magic to stop the natural course of our lives. We aren’t meant to live forever.” The Light was balance. Birth, age, and death. That was the natural course of things. “I can’t turn back time. Even the darkest artifacts can’t resort your youth.” Her words slowly became tinged with sadness. “We can buy you time, perhaps as much as you need, but we cannot stop the inevitable.” That was the truth. She could resort some of the King’s strength. Even now, there were pieces of the puzzle Alex could fit together…but death would eventually still visit King Rikkles Le’Fam.

@Nefieslab @LilyNion @Fine Dining Set
 

Crix Aran

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
849
Reaction score
337

Clove’s enthusiasm was infectious enough that he might have a joke about having her self-isolate ready by the time they were ready to leave. He didn’t have one yet but when he did he was certain it would embarrass his Padawan and that was precisely what he was after – he was her Master, it was basically in the job description.

The king, on the other hand, suffered no such over-abundance of enthusiasm. There was some hope in the ruler that the Jedi would be able to aid him in a way that more traditional medicine had failed to do to his satisfaction. That the man was still alive was, as far as Crix was concerned, evidence of the effectiveness for traditional medicine.

He just needed something with a little more kick to get her feeling even better.

Had he ever seen what the King asked of him?

Yes.

“I have seen a facsimile of energy and life return to a man wounded in battle – a man who by rights probably should have had difficulty walking. A Sith Lord.”
He admitted, his tone more reserved now that they were in the meat of the discussion, “He drained the life, the untold countless possibilities, of several dozen people just to stand taller and unbowed for five minutes more.”

He gestured to Alex and Clove.

“Healing is about energy and time being given or taken – my colleagues will give you their own and encourage your body to co-operate with their efforts.”
He traced a surgical scar surrounded by burns upon the back of his own head, “It can, and will, heal you in a way your body can accept. Injuries and aches will be lessened but they will both return, in time. In time… it is natural for us to fall despite what we may still wish we could do.”


@LilyNion @Fine Dining Set @Valen Pelora
 

Clove Vanhoop

Character
Independent
Rank
Veterinarian

Character Profile
Link
OOC
LilyNion
Joined
Sep 3, 2021
Messages
613
Reaction score
517


Because neither of the Jedi chose to sit, Clove decided to follow their lead and remain standing. She didn't understand why, though. The chairs looked so comfy!

Oh well. Back to the subject ahead.

Both Jedi had already said everything she could have said. The Grandmaster's wise words about healing didn't surprise Clove at all, but Crix's pearls of wisdom did. He didn't strike her as the type to know much about healing or be interested in it. On the other hand, the man had a lot of surprises up his sleeve.

After that, it was her turn to speak. She cleared her throat tiny bit nervously before straightening her back a little. "I believe there is always room for improvement in medical rehabilitation. Regular meditation, gentle body stretches, regaining some muscle strength, and things like tea with natural herbs to aid detoxification are all viable ways to improve your life quality and, with it, extend it for a short while." Her fingers were about to fiddle with her sleeve cuffs when she caught herself and relaxed them. "In terms of the Force, we can assist in the healing of your body to the extent that the Force allows. However, as my colleagues have already mentioned, your body can only take so much before the candle burns out. We can slow down the clock, but if we push it too far, we risk breaking it."

"The path of actually stopping the clock, as my Master explained, always comes at a price too high to pay, even for the most powerful Force users."
It wasn't a direct attack on the Grandmaster, but Clove was certain that even Alexandria would wither if she were to abuse the Force to that magnitude. "And, in every case, the clock is only stopped for a short time. Because if you use the Force to do something that isn't natural, it will take back." The half-Sephi looked as serious and grim as a small girl with a mane of hair could. If the King chose to dive into the Darkside, he would only quicken his demise. There was no escaping death. "So, to truthfully answer your majesty's question about what I think of it, I believe there's room for improvement, up until the clock runs out."

The half-Sephi felt a bit sheepish. The king summoned the Order's greatest healer, a young medical student, and a great warrior, all of whom told him the same thing: 'No, we can't keep you from dying.' She could only hope he wasn't offended.



 

The Storyteller

Dungeon Master
Rank
Member DM

Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Messages
3,794
Reaction score
2,533
The king paused. He pondered his current situation. Had he been revived, merely to die again? And what of his peoples' fate? Peoples: The Mon Calamari and the Quarren. Tensions were stoked between them in the aftermath of this disaster. His first obligation was to them, to heal them, to revive them. His arrogance had blinded him, perhaps. Though he loved his subjects dearly, it was he who was king. He was the law, justice, and most importantly, the buck stopped with him. The longer he lived without improving the lives of his subjects, the worse of a king he was.

Still, though, to die of old age and old wounds? After a life so well-lived, so well-fought? There were worse fates.

"If you cannot save me," he looked at the group contemplatively, "Then you must save my world." Already, its future looked tenuous. While he saw a glimmer of hope in the political future of the world through the Independent Systems Consortium, his people needed so much. They needed to become what they were, and more. "I have spent too long away from the throne to ever truly command this world again. It seems, in my absence, my world has crumbled." When he first took the throne, he thought he was saving the Quarren from a grisly fate, giving them complete self-determination within their watery world for the first time in history. Enemies of the people seized on the world, though, leaving it open to the vicious attack they had lived through.

"I ask much of you, Jedi, I realize. But I need far more than just your heroics and rescue missions. Bring my people the head of Gareth Gin, and they will again know peace, be able to trust each other. While he lurks and lingers through the shadows, no Mon Cala or Quarren can feel safe on this world." The world had too many issues for its meager security presence to ever capture the man. Meanwhile, the early eagerness of the Sector Rangers gave way to stagnation. With the Jedi on the hunt, perhaps there could be justice.

But the death of one man would do little to make up for millions of lost lives.
"The Syndicates continue to writhe and undulate beneath my feet. Drive out the Zaa Fenn, and the Hutt appears." Mordeth. She had set her ancient eyes upon Mon Cala, too. All the galaxy saw the world for what it was - a prize. "You cannot govern or lead my people, Jedi." They always avoided that responsibility.

"So, in my stead, I must ask you to become my angels. Shine the lights of justice upon those who have desecrated my world." He coughed then, for a long time. He had already spent too long outside the bacta, and he would have to return soon. "In a galaxy beset by enemies, Jedi, you do not lose your path. Your call has always remained the same." It was one of the reasons he asked them to come. The Jedi lineage was tightly knit together. While each Sith ruler claimed to be radically different than the genocidal monster that preceded them, the Jedi, even at their strongest disagreements, had a sort-of historical continuity that had been passed down for millennia. It called them to the blade, but also, to the pen. To be arbiters of peace, neutral enforcers of a kind of justice.

He did not have enough time left to envision another path. "A king does not beg. But Jedi, you are needed, now more than ever. No matter what happens, please, do not lose sight of my world."


@LilyNion @Nefieslab @Valen Pelora
 

Alexandria Voran

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Former Grandmaster

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Valen Pelora
Joined
Nov 30, 2020
Messages
792
Reaction score
641


She felt the weight of the Force on her shoulders. The King did not know what he asked. How could he? Alex had never taken a life. She preached sanctity above all else. Not all in the Order agreed and her preference was not the law…but this was a line she never crossed. One of the last few boundaries she kept. Alex had sacrificed little pieces of herself to protect the Order. She could not give this last step. That piece still belonged to Max. Never take a life. The Morellian Jedi knew what she would do but she felt a coward for it. Would the great Grandmaster of the Jedi Order let another kill for her?

“We will find Gareth Gin and bring him to justice.” The resolve in her voice bounce in the chamber. “And we will drive the sickness from your world.” That was the steal in her spine. “Your people have shown a faith in us that few do, and Commander Widase treated us with great kindness.” She took a small step forward. “We will do all we can for your people. I promise.” Her eyes darted to Clove and Crix. “They worry about me.” Alex smiled softly. “How far I might push myself to help you…but our lives as Jedi do not belong to us. They belong to the people of this galaxy and if I can save one life…that is enough.” She took another small step forward. Alex let the Force flood her body. Her full strength rushing forth like a tidal wave. The King would feel nothing, but Crix and Clove would see the depth of the ocean that was Alex.

“Let me help. It will be temporary…but perhaps that is enough.” Another small step. She needed to touch Le’Fam to heal him. He needed to trust her.

@LilyNion @Nefieslab @Fine Dining Set
 

Crix Aran

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
849
Reaction score
337

Save the King or save the World.

Why was it that being a Jedi never came with people asking reasonable things of them? It was the kind of thing that people had been asking of Crix and his fellow Jedi since he was a Padawan and he felt a touch of bitterness at it reaching deep inside of him, something that the other Jedi would be able to sense; Clove because of their training bond and Alex because of her skill and power. He smiled a little bit sheepishly at the two of them as he did his best to push the thought away for now.

A much more reasonable request followed... and Crix hated it as well.

They had the choice between either healing the King from the natural flow of time and age or turning themselves into Bounty Hunters. Executioners and assassins - sent out into the Galaxy to kill an undoubtable evil man but to kill him on the orders of someone else regardless.

Crix said nothing.

He let Alex speak and make promises on behalf of the Order. It was times like this that Crix was glad that he had not been given that same kind of authority. Because as much as he wanted to help the people of Mon Cala, he couldn't help his reservations about just how the King was asking them to help.


@LilyNion @Valen Pelora @Fine Dining Set
 

Clove Vanhoop

Character
Independent
Rank
Veterinarian

Character Profile
Link
OOC
LilyNion
Joined
Sep 3, 2021
Messages
613
Reaction score
517


Bring the head of Gareth Gin?

The young Jedi felt her cheeks burn into a deeper pink, with a violet mixture beneath her cheekbones. It took all of her strength to keep her expression as natural as possible, to appear as professional in front of the King as possible. But the Jedi next to her? They could sense Clove's annoyance and bewilderment. Crix through their bond, and Alex through her neverending connection with the Force.

Yes, the man was most likely a horrible person. But they were Jedi, not assassins, executioners, or Sith who twisted the will of the Force to grant death immunity. The king put them in a terrible situation with no right answer. Kill a man mercilessly, or break the clock. All in the name of saving his planet from certain doom.

Was that what it meant to be King?

Clove, like her master, remained silent. Even if she wanted to, she was not in a position to speak. Alex was the one who took on an unbearable burden. It was Alex who opened her mouth to speak on behalf of the order, and she was the one who had to choose and pick the lesser of two evils, deciding who would carry out the job that would stain someone's hands with blood.

Was that what it meant to be Grandmaster?


 
Top