The Calm After....

[Emerald Iris]

They all made it, they all made it alive. The great emptiness of space had never felt so comforting, even if it was just a mild comfort. There were seven of them, five younglings, a fresh padawan, and an experienced padawan all fleeing from the place most of them called home. It was also that grim possibility that this was all that remained of the Jedi Order, though thankfully Sionann was not exactly the pessimistic type. Her former master would come back from the dead and slap her silly if she ever did.

"Despair is not the Jedi way," She cautioned some of the worried faces around her as they all sat in the living quarters while 'Gunny' piloted their course away from any potential hostile grounds. "There is no despair, only hope. It is not an official part of the Code, but I think it is a perfect addition."

They all smiled at her, it was a tired smile, but a smile none the less. She wasn't the one for being social, but all the young ones here needed encouragement, and as the only one with any real experience, Sionann had to make it at least seem like she was confident in what she was doing. Truth be told she had not a single idea where to go from here, except away from Courscant and towards the location of the Light of the Force.

The padawan rose and stretched, relishing in the freedom her acrobat attire gave her. Sure the dark gray leotard did not seem to be all that modest compared to most Jedi fashion styles, but to Sionann freedom of movement mattered a lot more, and it still covered her entire torso. That and her padawan robes, save for her cloak, were so riddled with burn marks it might as well been a jawa that got too close to an angry wookiee. She had gone through about a quarter her stores of medical supplies to patch up wounds, place ointment on burns, and stabilize Rornir. The young miralukan had taken a serious wound that could have been rather fatal, but thanks to some quick thinking, training, and a few winks at Lady Luck, he was going to pull through with a not so nice scar along his neck. Better than being dead, Sionann would always think, looking at her handy work on the boy's wound.

"Gunny, how long till the next jump?" Sionann looked up, pressing the com button to speak with her co-pilot.

"'bout seven minutes," Came the gruff reply. "this bucket of bolts took a hit or two on the way out, ol' Gin states it's a quick fix, I say he's drunk, but he did have good news."

"And that is?"

"Ion Cannon is workin," Gunny's voice was filled with glee at that one. "Probably could blast a Star Destroyer outta the sky if we hit it just right."

"I highly doubt it," Sionann laughed at the over-exaggeration of the exploration droid. "Just let me know when we are ready again, I will be back up there."

"Roger, boss."

She sat back down in the chair next to the currently unconscious miralukan boy, once again feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing down on her. The padawan had completely forgotten all about her own wounded state, and while the bandages and ointments helped, she was still tired, very tired. However, like any stubborn fool, Sionann would be determined to keep herself going until they found a safe haven to set down in. If stubbornness and sheer will would not keep her awake, then the healthy amount of fear that the entire Sith fleet could be following their every move would.

For now, she just sat there by Rornir, making sure the boy did not take a turn for the worse or awakened. She just hope he did not come awake pumping with violent adrenaline like she had seen in some training holocrons.

Seven minutes, seven minutes till we move on again.

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

The miralukan woke with a slight start. The last thing he remembered was getting the younger padawans on board while Sionann fought off many attackers. He was half afraid to open his mind to the force allowing him to see. He could be on a sith ship, surrounded by dark auras, and even darker intentions. Or maybe this was what death fealt like...he sat quietly contemplating this, listening. He could hear someone breathing, the hum of a ship...and then pain set in. No, he was definitely alive. He could feel a burn along his neck and gently rose his hand to touch it, allowing his force sight to come to him. He felt he was patched up, and not to shabbily at that either. The thirteen year old looked over and saw a bright aura next to him, it didn't shine very much, a sign of extreme weariness, but it wasn't the darkness he saw in the Sith in the hangar either. It perfectly fell around and shaped every curve and angle of her body, showing him what she looked like, though perhaps not in the proper color tones one would expect, unless he focused very hard on what kind of pigments the force produced. That however, wasn't really something his species thought to do very often, and was totally unnecessary for him to think aloud the following;

"Stars and stones..." he said quietly. "You're the most beautifully luminescent thing I could hope to see after all that darkness." He said. Often he was told by his teachers he acted older for his age, but it came with having a natural affinity to the force, all the Miralukans were taught from a young age that cultivating right action and right thoughts were noble persuits. It's why so few of his species fell to the darkside and why more often than not the younger members always seemed older than they were, constantly meditating on such serious matters. "Are the others okay? Did we all make it?"

 

[Emerald Iris]

For the first time in a while the best happened. Rornir came through with his hand touching his wound, letting his mind take hold of the surroundings around him. It was clear that he was soon focused on her.

"Stars and stones..You're the most beautifully luminescent thing I could hope to see after all that darkness." He spoke in a voice towards her that sounded much more mature than expected. It was enough to make the padawan blush just like any other sixteen year old teenager would when someone complimented them.

"Tha...thank you," She felt the rose color fill her checks, but she shook it away when he asked the serious question.

"Are the others okay? Did we all make it?"

"Yes, we all made it," Sionann smiled towards him, biting back the pain of her wounds once again. "We were worried that y...you would be the one wouldn't for a se..se..second there." Her stutter was coming back for an odd reason, but she didn't question why at the moment. "We are on..our way towards the location of the Ligh...Light of the Force, and hopefully somewhere more capable for us, if n..not I will figure out som..something."

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

He saw her aura turn red around her cheeks, but made no mention of it, though he did tuck it away for later. He wondered why she was stuttering, he assumed it was because of the events of the day, coupled with his possible death. The wound must have been bad, though whatever medicine she had given him seemed to be doing the trick, mostly. It certainly hurt but was manageable. He let out a sigh of relief when she said the others were alright. "Thank Ashla for that, and you...you were quite amazing defending us all like that. I couldn't have done it, that's for sure..." he listened to her go on about the light of the force. "I..." he paused, his mind not wanting to voice what he had wondered. "Have we heard from The Light of the Force? If it's been taken out of commission or rerouted..." he left the thought quickly. "You don't have to figure out anything." he said firmly, faith, if he had faith in anything it was the force. "The Force will see us through this. Ashla is with us, that's what my people always believe in the worst of times."

The Force was an intrinsic part of his society, he had only came to the order a few years back and he kept in touch regularly with his family. His faith was what was keeping him from other thoughts. If the Sith were attempting to purge the Jedi as some of them had claimed in the temple...he worried what the younglings would think if they saw the flagship in ruins.

Finally, he leaned up, slowly and looked at her in the eyes, though of course all she would be looking at was the black silk cloth around where ones eyes should be. "Thank you. I'd be dead...we would all be dead if it weren't for you."

 

[Emerald Iris]

His words were kind to her, praising her valor in protecting them. Sionann could just remember her luck, luck that being blasted against her own landing ramp did not fracture her spine, though that wound hurt, even with pain killers it hurt a lot. Normally, she was a lot calmer and more ethereal with her voice, but right now she could not find much in the world of philosophy, not with the adrenaline to survive still going through her veins. If she had time to medititate, she was certain she would bring things back into balance.


"The Force will see us through this. Ashla is with us, that's what my people always believe in the worst of times." He then added to her encouragement. "Thank you. I'd be dead...we would all be dead if it weren't for you."

"I made up my mind during the Final gathering," Sionann felt the confidence returning to her voice. "I would be among the last out, and the twelve, well six of you as we were separated, apparently were the reasons for this." Though she did have a grim response. "I..I do not know if the Light of the Force is still there, but we are bound for Triton anyway. Gunny advised not to attempt to contact her just in case we are being followed. If things are worse, I know to seek out a Sluissi, his name is Loogo Vsil, he is a Jedi Knight." She was beginning to get chatty now, another one of her quirks when speaking to someone one on one. "If that does not work, we will stay at the outer rim, I have enough supplies for us to be comfortable till we can set down on a planet where we can hide and survive."

She caught herself speaking too much feeling a flush of embarrassment surge up into her face. "I...I'm sorry, you just woke up, you're ri..right I just need to let the Force guide me and rest," the padawan had another embarrassing realization that she had forgotten to mention her name to him, as well as the others. "I am Sionann, Sionann Ione."

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

"Wonderful to meet you. I'm Rornir, Rornir Marr, it's good to know the name of the person who saved your life. Might have to repay that someday, though I hope I never have to." He gave her a smile as he extended his hand, slowly due to his medical state, to shake hers when he noticed she was blushing again. "I did plenty of sleeping, fell asleep right at the end of the fight even! I'd much rather sit here and talk with you than sit alone. Laying here comfortably talking to you isn't much different than laying here by myself after all." his tone was trying to be light-hearted. It was grim, and he knew that. But Rornir felt that adding fuel to a fire never helped so he thought maybe cooling things off a little might. "It's good that you have a plan though. I don't even know where to start with the situation we're in." There at the end his age showed a little, no matter how much you read in a book about philosophy, and serious things it can never make up for inexperience.

"You seem to have a really good grasp on things though...are you hurt? You should be laying here instead of me, I've just got this scratch here..." He paused, his turn to blush now as he realized he was rambling. He felt comfortable speaking to her, which was a nice change of pace. "Sorry...it's just most the older padawans don't really engage me much in conversation. Didn't mean to ramble either." he said scratching absentmindedly at his bandage, it was starting to itch a fair bit, as all wounds do when they just begin to heal.

 

[Emerald Iris]

He introduced himself, and it made Sionann wonder. He had the same surname as her late master, and he was also a miraluken, but she decided not to pursue that question. Rather she took note of his inexperience, but judging by his appearance he had to be younger than her, at most thirteen. He may have already passed his initiate trials, which could pose to be a beneficial boon.

"You seem to have a really good grasp on things though...are you hurt? You should be laying here instead of me, I've just got this scratch here..." He downplayed his wound a bit, but then again so did Sionann. Her change of outfit was the only thing covering up the bandage where the vicious gash on her lower back was. She further hid it with a blatant lie about her condition. "I am fine, j..just a few scratches. Mandalorians aren't as good of a sh..shot as they think they are."

She did notice the boy blushing though. "Sorry...it's just most the older padawans don't really engage me much in conversation. Didn't mean to ramble either." And it let a light smile fill Sionann's lips, letting her know that she was not the only one who suffered that type of condition.

"No, that's alright," The padawan calmly replied to Rornir and let the subject flow on. "T...tell me, have you con..constructed a lightsaber yet? I know I ordered all of you not to use them, but I'm cu..cu.curious since you look old enough. I saw mostly tr..training s.s.sabers."

She grimaced wondering why her stutter was acting up so much, it was only one person she was speaking to. Sionann shook her head and looked over Rornir's wound to see if she missed anything around his neck, at least to keep her mind off her internal thoughts for now.

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

He could sense she was downplaying her wounds, just as he was his but he let it slide for the moment. With the kinds of wounds he imagine she sustained it'd be better to stay awake anyway. "No...no lightsaber yet. I have a training one that I was given, but it does little more than stun and cause numbness...though it deflects blasterbolts still so that's something." He gave a smile. "I'm not sure I'm skilled enough with a lightsaber to warrant constructing one, really...Thought maybe you could teach me a thing or two." He smiled, half serious. In the condition they were in neither was up for any kind of swordplay, but perhaps someday.

((Is your jedi master an NPC, or a player character? Also, if you want to time skip a couple of days into the journey at any point let me know :) ))

 

[Emerald Iris]

She listened to Rornir respond that he had not crafted a lightsaber just yet which confirmed he had probably just come into his own. She further nodded and listened to his own doubts. "I'm not sure I'm skilled enough with a lightsaber to warrant constructing one, really...Though maybe you could teach me a thing or two."

"Never doubt your skill," Sionann felt her philosophy come out a little bit. "With the Force you have no n...ne..need to doubt yourself." She then cracked another smile. "I can at least help you fin..fin.finish the Shii-Cho training though, and if need be I have my late master Lacan's lightsaber if I absolutely need a..a.another to help defend."

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

"Lacan?" He paused, looking quite serious for the first time since trying to get the others onboard the ship. "Lacan Marr?" His mind reeled at the possibility, had the force brought his late fathers son and his fathers padawan learner together? Through the Force Rornir felt a ping of recognition in his new friend and Rornir couldn't help but grin. The grin spread out into a mirthful laughter quite quickly and when it subsided he slwoly sat up, grasping his wounded neck as he did so, it hurt as he laughed but he didn't care. Rornir looked at her his eyes would meet hers if he had any, though she was just staring into the cloth wrapped around where his eyes would be instead.

"Truly, if you had any doubts my wonderfully luminous friend let me assure you the Force is guiding us." He reassured her, then spoke again. "Lacan Marr was my father."

 

[Emerald Iris]

"Y...your father," Sionann felt her entire body relax into very good spirits while he was laughing. "I know he mentioned he had a child, though in five years he..he never mentioned your name. I b..believe it was because he wanted to keep me from exacting revenge on you for his p..pranks. Master Lacan loved his humor." At this point the miraluken could see a brightening revitalization coming back to the near-human, as this brand new revelation connected them on a higher level of understanding.

"It is an honor, Pada...yes Padawan Marr," She bowed slightly from where she sat. "In that case I will be more than happy to show you what he has t.t..taught me, as well as what he left as part of his legacy. You need to recover first, however...."

"Boss, hate to break up the conversation," Gunny's voice came over the com in interruption. "Gin's got us ready, just need ya in the hot seat to pull the trigger"

Sionann shook her head with a smile, while she slowly stood up, of course that smile turned to a grimace when her body reminder her of the sensation she had forgotten for a moment, the sensation of pain, and quite a bit of it. It made her mutter something under he breath about the painkillers not being as effective as they could be, but she still stood up to her full height while using the wall as a support.

"That is my sig..signal to go," She said after a sharp intake of breath. "We will be making our way via hyperspace to Tr..triton, where the Light of the Force should be."

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

He nodded as she spoke. "I look forward to it, and Sionann, the honor is mine. I swear" He gave her a smile as she stood up, which turned into a look of concern as she winced and muttered. "I read a little about force healing at the temple. I don't know if I can help any but come back when you're done piloting, it's worth a shot...would've tried it sooner but since you weren't hurt." he teased playfully. As she was walking out the door her layed back down trying to get comfortable. "Think I'll just rest a bit while you get all that set up for the remainder of the trip."

 

[Emerald Iris]

I read a little about force healing at the temple. I don't know if I can help any but come back when you're done piloting, it's worth a shot...would've tried it sooner but since you weren't hurt." He teased her with a lighthearted tone that she actually needed to hear at the moment. It made the older padawan laugh a little bit at her own stubborn pride.

"I will be fine, we will all be fine," She smiled back towards him while exiting the doorway from the living quarters.

"Think I'll just rest a bit while you get all that set up for the remainder of the trip." And the door shut between them.

Stepping through the hallway, towards the cockpit, Sionann finally let the excessive amount of pain, and fatigue, that she was in finally show as her legs buckled and she had to brace herself against the wall. The strong face she had kept for the past twelve hours from the start of the battle to this point finally faded, replaced with glazed over eyes and clenched teeth. She fumbled into the cockpit where Gunny was there to meet her in his co-pilot seat.

"I've seen Hutts that look better than you do, boss," The gruff voice of the exploration droid commented on Sionann's state as she dropped into the pilot's seat.

"I've seen myself look better than this when I was covered in Sith blood," She replied with a joke while looking at what was already setup. "Do you have the coordinates locked in?"

"Yeah, we'll pop out just outside of Triton's gravity field, I ain't tried contactin the big tub yet, assuming we will wait till its safe"

"Good...enough," Sionann brought her hands up to the console and throttled down the regular thrust so the hyperdrive would have the core's full power, and she brought up the PA com to her lips.

"Everyone, brace for hyperspace in three....two...one," Her voice trailed off the PA becoming fainter by the syllable. A second later the hyperdrive kicked in with a forceful jolt backwards to everyone in the ship. The sound of a maintenance droid spilling on the floor was clearly heard followed by a string of swears that many children should have never heard at their age. Sionann slumped in her seat after initiating the jump, fatigue, pain, and exhaustion finally showing its toll as the padawan lost consciousness. The free metal arm of her co-pilot propped her back up in the chair before going back to its position.

"Easy, kid, it's over," Gunny spoke in a lower volume than usual. "Niamh woulda been proud of ya bein the hero, just take it easy for a bit."

The Ghost Avril once again was underway, making its way to the Outer Rim, towards the destination where it would hopefully rendezvous with the flagship of the Jedi Order, the Light of the Force.

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

After Sionann had left, Rornir fell into an uneasy sleep. He dreamed again, the same dream that had been coming to him for months. A woman, one of his own species spoke to him of finding...something. He wasn't sure what. He felt whatever she was telling him to find was related to him...or her. He wasn't sure. Trying to listen to her voice was like listening to a voice shouted across a great chasm. The dream quickly turned to the Fall of Coruscant and he could still hear her voice calling to him to returun to her to find her....legacy? Maybe...but first he had to get the kids onto the ship, it was of paramount importance. He could see The Lector coming to attack, then suddenly a blaster bolt hit him and he woke up with a jump. His heart was racing and he was out of breath.

He stood, and gave a cursory glance around the ship, he could feel the children were all sleeping safely. He stood, a bit groggily from the sedative effects of the medication, and scratched absently at the wound on his neck while venturing out of the room to find Sionnan and figure out how things were going. He must've been out for quite some time.

 

[Emerald Iris]

There weren't any dreams, it all seemed to happen within the span of a second. Loss of consciousness immediately turned into the gradual restoration of it. That was how it felt to Sionann. Blackness, and then a sudden stirring back to reality.

"Good Morning, sunshine!" Gunny's bold voice was dripping with humor. "Catch anything while you were out fishin for dreams."

"Y...you could do better," The padawan mouthed out while her lips smacked. "H....how long was I..."

"Sixteen hours," Gunny interuppted. "Been in Triton's field for a while now, no sign of the Big Tub."

"Sixteen," She jolted upwards, but the pain of steadily healing wounds kept her seated. "..That's too long. No sign of the Light of the Force at all?"

"Get the wax outta your ears, boss," Gunny sharply responded to his groggy pilot. "We can't find her, I'm still searchin as best as I can, but take a look."

The droid gestured out the window from the cockpit and the padawan felt her heart sink. There were chunks of debris, scrap metal, bits of what appeared to be fighter craft of some sort. She was not all that well versed in the schematics of technology, but it was clear this was not random scarp. There had been a battle in this place, but there was nothing that suggested that what she was looking at was the wreckage of the Light of the Force.

"Not enough space chunks to be anything larger than a group of fighter craft, maybe a blockade runner, but that's about as big as you get,"

"I understand," Sionann felt her optimism return after that brief lapse, and she slowly rose to her feet. "Keep looking around, and tell Ginny to make sure we can jump again back into hyperspace just in case, I am going to go check on my guests."

Just a nod of understanding was all Gunny needed to give while Sionann left the cockpit. Her body was sore, achy, and itched just about everywhere. However, she at least had the energy to move around, and clearly see where she was going. Sionann actually had to remind herself that Courscant was overrun, having a moment of disbelief that she had fought against the Sith and Mandalorians, though that thought was crushed by the pain she was experiencing, and the fact that there was a young man venturing in the halls of her ship.

"Padawan Marr," Sionann smiled towards the miraluken, a pleasant tone in her voice. "I'm glad to see you're awake, are you feeling alright?"

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

He smiled when he heard her voice and turned her way. "Ah good to see you." He said with a smile. "Call me Rornir, anyone who saved my life can get a pass on the whole titles formality thing." He walked toward her and asked "What's the word of The Light of the Force?" (short post is short o.o;;)

 

[Emerald Iris]

It felt rather good to be able to know someone on a first name basis, especially when they credited you with saving their lives. Sionann smiled towards Rornir when he said those words, but then he brought any glossed over teenaged thoughts off to the side when he mentioned the Light of the Force.

"It was here, or at least I think it was," She explained to him her findings. "Out the window...there was definitely a battle here but Gunny says nothing big enough to be our flagship. We are looking around now."

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

"Hows your wounds?" He asked curiously. Of the two, he had trained on his force abilities more than his combat. He had basic understanding of how healing with the force worked, though he had no real hands on experience. "If infection sets in on those burns you'll be in trouble, can't let that happen." He said after examining her with his force sight for wounds. He saw several aggravated spots that might fester if the bandages weren't changed regularly, or someone else stepped in. "Come on, let me look over you while you tell me the next phase of the plan. We know the ships not here, and we know that the ship wasn't destroyed." He offered her his elbow, something he was told was polite in certain cultures. "So lets go from there." he said looking at her expectantly.

 

[Emerald Iris]

When he brought his concerns about her state of injury, Sionann couldn't help but blush, knowing that it would be rather difficult for him to assess her pains, especially the gash on her lower back. He offered his arm to her, and she politely refused it, taking it as a sign as using him as a crutch. She was too stubborn for that at the moment.

"I..I'm fine, I should be able to walk just fi..woah," karma bit her on the backside as she stumbled forward, falling slightly off to the side in a graceless fashion, well within reaching distance of the padawan who had just offered her help.

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

Rornir chuckled at her stubbornness till she fell. He quickly moved without thinking, stepping in front of her and twisting just slightly to the side to catch her comfortably, or at least as best he could. He tried not to make it awkward, but couldn't help but smile. "Clearly fine." the smile wasn't rude, or sarcastic but kind. He had an idea about how strong she must be to act so tough when the whole galaxys gone mad. He held on to her until she was stable again, then let go. "But it never hurts to be thorough." he said, offering his arm once more.