Salt Water: Sweat, Tears and the Sea

[Freyja Storm]

It was the following day, Freyja had shown Scarlett her home after their encounter in the market and subsequent bar scene which followed. They had arrived shortly before the sunset, the droid was there waiting with the supplies she had brought the other day. She had left Scarlett to do as she wished as she packed everything away. The small house was built mainly of natural wood, protected against the sea spray with a thick coat of lacquer. Freyja had helped apply the new coat herself after she purchased the building. It had a large open plan living room, with the kitchen off to one side, the wall facing the sea was floor to ceiling windows allowing an unhindered view of the crashing waves of the sea planet. The single-story building had high ceilings allowing light to reflect inside making it feel larger than its true size.

The single bedroom and bathroom were set off to the right of the main room. Freyja had offered the rooms to well travelled Jedi, taking the large sofa for her own. She had prepared a meal the evening before and it was eaten mostly in silence. Freyja was embarrassed over what had happened earlier, she did not want to bring up her tears, or the way she had acted. Her barriers had been re-built on the walk to her house, she was willing to listen to the woman, to allow her to show Freyja her true self. But she refused to fall into the pit of emotions that had swallowed her the day before.

It was early morning, the sun was just breaking the horizon, the house pointed south so she was able to gaze out across the horizon without the blinding light of the sun. She held a cup of coffee in her hand, an expensive import but something she enjoyed in the cool breeze of the early morning. She was wearing a light set of clothes, more for lounging than any active work with a thick wrap around her shoulders. As she stared out into the endless waves her mind drifted to times with her parents, long ago, in the core, on a similar looking shore.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora had allowed Freyja space after their emotional confrontation in the bar. The young woman was kind enough to offer her a place to sleep in her home, and few peaceful moments to rest. She had taken full advantage of that small gift. Aurora needed time to consider how best to approach this situation. Freyja was different then many of the other young Force sensitives she had encountered. This would be no easy feat. She needed to reach the girl without alienating her. Such tightly controlled anger was dangerous if not confronted. Aurora was fairly certain she knew what she had to do.

The Morellian Jedi readied herself for the day and moved quietly into the main living area. Freyja was already awake looking out over the ocean. Peace. A deep contrast to the torrent of thoughts she could sense rotating through Freyja’s mind. Outward calm did not mean inner peace. Aurora came to look out at the water beside her host. For a moment, she admired what was a beautiful view for such a humble home. It reminded her that there were places in the galaxy beauty could be found anywhere. Her voice was soft when she spoke.

“Freyja, we cannot ignore what happened yesterday.” She kept her eyes facing forward. “I can feel that pain still simmering below the surface, waiting for any moment to burst free.” Aurora shook her head slowly. “I cannot help you if you won’t face that anger, that sadness. It will eat away at you until there is nothing left but a husk.” There was a dangerous path before Freyja, the path of the Darkside was easily there for her. Aurora could only hope the young woman wanted more from life, a life different than her sister. She could only help if they avoided that path.

@Braden Drake

 

[Freyja Storm]

Freyja took another sip of her coffee, her eyes locked on the horizon as the sky overhead slowly lightened, a clear blue, not a cloud in the sky. It was going to be a beautiful day, but a cold one. It was the cooler season for this part of Ando, the warm currents kept it from ever being too bitter though. "Tell me, how do I face my parent's murder? Face the fact I am being hunted by my own sister?" She paused to let it sink into Scarlett. She guessed the Jedi knew part of her story through reading her emotions, but the depth of what was truly affecting her grew much deeper than the emotions bubbling around inside her.

"When your whole life has been a lie, conducted by a person who hates you for nothing but being born?" She continued in a monotone voice. The vast range of emotions that swelled inside her seemed to be in balance for a moment, the anger, hate, sadness, disgust, shame, pain and lust and desire for revenge, all equally balanced like a hundred spinning plates. She knew that if one went too far, the whole thing would come crashing down inside her. Part of her felt at ease with internal turmoil, feeding off these raw emotions to allow her to move forward. Freyja took another sip from her cup and waited for the Jedi to reply.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

This was not going to be easy. Aurora should have known better. She was seventy-five years old, and a Master of the Force. Yet, there were times she felt like little more than a novice. It was foolish to think Freyja would just spill her life story and be fine with one question. She could hear Master Orady’s voice in the back of her head. Be better Aurora, feel the will of the Force. The emotional sea continued to bubble beneath Freyja’s words. The monotone voice did not hide the truth. Aurora could feel every emotion seeking to break free. “I don’t know…and I will never know.” Her life had been vastly different than young Freyja’s. “I cannot know the pain of your betrayal or the anger at your parent’s death.”

The passing of Master Orady had been difficult for her, but he had died in peace at a very old age. She missed him dearly. He was always with her. “Here is what I do know. I can feel all of those emotions boiling inside of you, emotions you wish to pretend are not there. Emotions you have never wished to feel.” She stepped closer for a moment, letting the Force guide her words.

“You cannot pretend they don’t exist Freyja. I know you are afraid of what you might become if you feel, but you can never move forward if your mind is trapped in the past.” Aurora nodded slowly. She had stolen that line from Orady. “You have to finally feel all that pain, sadness, anger, and shame.” The Force would forever elude the young girl unless she came to terms with everything she held inside. It was the only way. @Braden Drake

 

[Freyja Storm]

Freyja turned her head and looked at the Jedi. She definitely didn't sound like what her parents explained to her a Jedi would be like. She had been taught that the Jedi were weak, afraid of emotions like, pain, anger and hate the emotions which gave the Sith their power. Had they been wrong, did the Jedi accept these feelings as well. Freyja scrunched her eyes at the women, still not sure if she could truly trust her. She had given in to her emotions on a number of occasions over the past three years and it never ended well. usually at the bottom of the bottle, blood on her hands, sick down her shirt.

"I do not pretend they don't exist. That pain and anger have kept me alive, allowed me to live on the scraps of existence here in the outer rim." She ignored the points about the sadness and shame, those she wouldn't admit to, but she did hide from them. Burying them under the other emotions that flowed through her. "I can accept them and I will." She said her hand tightening around the mug of coffee, a crack appearing in the porcelain. "I thought Jedi, did like emotions." She said turning back to the sea.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora fought to keep the frown from her face. She was not making the progress she might have hoped. “Words mean nothing without action.” The pain of those emotions was still there. The fact that Freyja pushed through life because of her anger, her hate, was truly troubling. The Darkside preyed on unfettered emotion. To let that pain fuel a life was a path to Darkness. “It is hard for anyone to understand.” Aurora easily reached for the Force and let the Light pour through her body. She pushed peace and tranquility into the room. “I cannot teach you the Force, if you never reach for it. Those emotions you claim as fuel, are roadblocks. A life lived only for the spite or anger of others is no life. You must find a way past it Freyja, or the Force will continue to elude you.”

Truly working the Force required a clear mind and soul. Turmoil made it difficult to perform what was needed. Serenity was the key to unlocking the true strength of the Force. Serenity could not be obtained with such powerful emotions. “Much of what the Sith have told the galaxy of us is false. The Jedi are not, and never were, emotionless robots who feared happiness, love, sadness or anger.”

Maybe this would help to make Freyja understand. “No. Instead, we seek to understand what we feel so that we may attain balance and inner peace. A Jedi may feel angry, but to kill in anger is an act of the Darkside. A Jedi may feel sad, but to allow that sadness to rule your life is not the Light. A Jedi may love, but that love should not turn to jealously and hatred.” So much had been twisted by the Empire. So much knowledge so by the galaxy. “Our emotions do not rule us or decide our actions. By understanding how we feel and why we feel the way we do, we find peace. That is the way of the Jedi.” Some never truly mastered that art, and had brought the Order down because of it. @Braden Drake

 

[Freyja Storm]

Freyja caught herself before she turned back to look at the Jedi, she didn't want to show surprise. Though why she was surprised she wasn't sure. If she had been lied to her entire life about a dozen other things, why would how the Jedi used emotions differ from the norm of her life. She was glad Aurora hadn't asked her to let go, that would have been the straw that broke the Bantha's back. She would have turned back to the house and left the Jedi to it. How she understood Aurora's words was that the Jedi used their emotions, but accept them. That was easier said than done, but easier than just forgetting about them.

The feeling of pure light coming from Aurora was comforting, she relished in that feeling. It was like a balm to any wound, something she craved for if Aurora could sit pulsating that power for the rest of the day she would go to sleep content. Perhaps if she understood what Aurora said, acted on it, perhaps she could create this light for herself. "So, I need to accept them?" She asked Freyja could do without this fear, pain and shame, constantly looking over her shoulder to see what was coming for her. The hole of her missing family. She looked at Aurora then, wondering if this Jedi could perhaps fill some of that hole. It was a crazy thought, one she wanted to believe but thought it childish, turning back to the sea.

Freyja closed her eyes, letting the sea breeze blow over her, the calming aura from Aurora soaking into her body. She concentrated on the fear, that ate the inside of her, that followed her like a black cloud for the last three years. For a moment she felt it pounce, almost consume her, her knee buckled under the strain of the emotion. Freyja fought to not turn around and check to see if someone was bashing down the front door. 'Did she hear fighters, transports?' Her heart fluttered and the thought that it was finally the end, the repeating nightmare of her capture and death, echoed around her. Then the light, Aurora appeared on the horizon, though she could sense she was still stood beside her, her lift felt like a hundred miles away. The dark cloud of fear a barrier between them.

She took a deep breath, in preparation of the acceptance of the fear or of what was next to come, she couldn't remember after. But then it clicked, 'A Jedi can feel angry, just to not give in, she could fear sadness, just not allow the melancholy to rule them, A Jedi may Love, but not let it turn to envy.' If this was true then a Jedi could feel fear, but they must accept it, move past it. A phrase flittered on the edge of her mind, something about not feeling afraid, but accepting that fear and conquering it. As her mind began to process that thought, her body followed suit. She felt her own light appear, nothing in comparison to the Jedi, more a spark to her blazing fire. But enough to push back the black cloud around her. The light of Aurora seemed closer now, only a short distance away, the darkness around her seemed to edge back away from her own light, two candles in the dark.

All of a sudden her body felt weary, her mind drained. The darkness vanished with the light as her eyes opened, the sea ahead of her but only for a moment as her legs gave way. The mug dropped off the pier smashing onto the rocks below as she collapsed out of exhaustion onto the floor.

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora’s eyes nearly widened in shock. She felt the Force moving powerfully between the two women. It was almost an indescribable feeling. Aurora fought to find a comparison. It was almost like when Val had awakened to the Force on Kashyyyk, but this was different. This was not an awakening. Freyja could feel the Force. This was something else, something Aurora did not completely understand. She plunged deeper into the Force. The connection between Aurora and Freyja grew stronger as the Force continued to swirl. A maelstrom of the Light settled over them. Aurora could see outlines of what flashed through Freyja’s mind. She could see the young girl finally begin to accept the guidance of the Light.

The Morellian Jedi saw a future for Freyja that was coming into focus. A future that involved leaving the pain of her past behind, and walking with the Light into the future. Aurora saw Freyja the Jedi. Suddenly a future that seemed truly possibly. The power of the Lightside of the Force was undeniable. She looked at Freyja, seeing her own soul mirrored. A small shimmering flame of the Light was growing within Freyja. A smile blossomed on Aurora face. A beaming brilliant smile. Of course, that was when the young woman dropped the mug and began to fall to the floor.

Aurora acted in an instant, catching Freyja in the Force and ensuring she didn’t hit the floor too hard. Had she pushed the girl too far? No. This was necessary. Freyja needed to take this step. She kneeled beside the rebellious woman, touching her mind in the Force to return her to consciousness. “Freyja? How do you feel?” Her words were carefully measured. “My true name is Jedi MasterAurora Blackwood. You have a gift and you need to learn how to use it. Let me show you the way, as your teacher.” Aurora was certain she could teach Freyja the way of the Jedi.

 

[Freyja Storm]

Freyja's mind was blurry, a fuzzy grey seemed to surround everything. Her mind was still adjusting to what it just saw, her soul to what it felt, all that fear and then that power. The Force, her parents had called it, she had felt it so long ago and it have been absent for so long it was almost heartbreaking as it re-entered her life. As her brain began to piece everything back together, she felt the nudge of this new power on her mind, pulling her away from the blurry, grey fuzz. As her mind cleared, the last thought it rested on was that fear, she jolted up and pushed away the blonde haired women hovering over her. Freyja's eyes were wide with fear for a moment, then it all came back to her.

She knew that she was correct about the woman, that she was a Jedi, a Master, though she didn't know how much that meant in a galaxy that was almost void of Jedi. Freyja pushed herself up onto her knees, the crash of the waves behind her brought a fresh wave of cool wind onto her face. "It seems we were both lying about our names to begin with." She said to the woman with a smile. Standing up she looked into the woman's eyes, she couldn't tell what emotion was flowing through her to make her feel this way. She thought it could be relief, or maybe hope, or desire, all she really knew was the answer to Aurora's question. "Yes." She replied with a big smile on her face.

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

The knot in Aurora’s chest loosened when Freyja opened her eyes and spoke. Thank the Force, she hadn’t pushed the young girl too far. There was a fine line between what was necessary and what would only cause more pain. She did regret using the false name for so long, but she could not afford to be reckless. “You have to understand, we are supposed to be dead. Extinct. Hunted into oblivion by the Sith and their Mandalorian lap dogs.” In truth, there were but five of them left. Thier number having dwindled after Dantooine. When once there had been thousands upon thousands, so few remained.

“I have to be careful. If I trust the wrong person, that’s the end of it all.” Aurora was choosing to trust a great many people these days. What choice did she have? They were returning to the galaxy. The Rebellion could only succeed if the Jedi returned. They were the only ones who could defeat the Sith. Aurora trusted in the Force, trusted that it would not lead her astray. She prayed that was right. “Come on…you have a long journey ahead of you, but we can’t start here.”

She looked over the crashing waves. Her eyes going distant for a moment. “Ando may be a great place to hide. We are done hiding and I don’t want to fight anymore Aqualish.” A board smile burst on her features. She really didn’t want to have to deal with the aggressive humanoids any longer. They needed to go somewhere they could train safely, somewhere they would not be so easily discovered. Aurora had a few ideas in mind. @Braden Drake

 

[Freyja Storm]

Aurora was right, this place was a good world to hide on. Freyja would happily spend more time here, but after what the Jedi had showed her she wanted something more now, and she would leave this planet, this secluded comfort to find and gain that. She knew of only a few places secluded enough for training like this to take place, away from the prying eyes of the galaxy and more specificlly the Sith. "I have heard Savaerno, is a good place to to be this time of its cycle." She said looking at the Jedi Master and then out to the waves. Would she have to sell her home here, she couldn't afford to stay in one place, with not only the threat of her Sister but possibly the entire empire, because she chose to stand with Jedi.

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora nodded slowly as Freyja mentioned Savareno. That was actually the perfect place to continue their training. Safe from the Empire and protected by the Rebellion. They still needed to be careful, but not nearly as careful as here. Aurora smiled. “Wise.” She winked while laughing. “Meet me on Savareno in 3 days. I need some time to get things squared away, and you need time to clean your life up here.” Her voice became slightly more serious. “Freyja, I know you don’t need to hear this, but you need to ensure you can’t be followed.”

She tried to make her voice as compassionate as possible. “They can never find us, and your sister is a danger…I know you have done this before. Disappear. Vanish and meet in three days.” Aurora took one last look at the ocean. Kriff that was a beautiful view. Aurora regretted they couldn’t stay, but it was simply too dangerous. “You have a long journey ahead of you, we will both need all the strength we can muster.” The Morellian Jedi Master smiled once last time. “I am proud of you Freyja. Don’t forget that.” She turned and started to walk away, turning around just as she reached the street. Aurora shouted back. “Three days! Don’t be late, I’m horrible at waiting…my young Padawan.”

She quickly walked through the streets. It was time to get ready. The Force sung in her mind, she was walking the right path. Her mind flowed easily along the waves of the Light. Freyja had a difficult road ahead of her, but Aurora was confident Freyja could handle that road. She would be perhaps the Jedi’s most troubled student. That would not stop her from making every possible effort to ensure Freyja became the Jedi Aurora knew she could be. There was a true strength in the girl that would be reveled. In short order Aurora was on her ship and wizzing towards Savareno. Oh yes, much work to be done. @Braden Drake