A chance meeting

[Gorteko Graye]

Throughout his time with the Sith, and their different empires, the man had learned many things. He completed many different types of training, more than was required of anyone before being allowed to go on their own. The man never had a desire to get ahead in any of the empires he affiliated himself with, only the desire to be more powerful. Due to this he was more powerful than many of those who would be considered his superior. And because of this training he spent much time learning of the force, and the difference between the light and the dark sides of it.

When the healing began, it was strange, not like anything he'd ever experienced before; but he understood it. As his pain eased, even as slightly as it did, he felt good. It seemed like as he focused on the pain that was leaving, the rest of him hurt less. Once he was offered food, the man seemed to recall that he had some in his bag, but he couldn't reach that at the moment, and it wasn't being offered to him like the ration bar was. Taking the bar with his free hand they would begin their journey. "Thank you." He would say as they walked before he started to eat the ration.

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla knew that many dark-siders sought redemption. For some, it was a game – often a ruse to allow them to avoid a severe punishment. For others, they wanted to turn back to the light, but the challenge they faced was too difficult. For others, it was a success.

From what she’d observed, Lilla would not place her companion into the first category. From what she sensed, there was a strong determination to move away from the Sith and their teachings. Would he succeed? The only way of telling was to wait. Time was the only reliable indicator.

Lilla continued to allow the Force to flow through her and into the former Sith. It would take time for him to learn how to connect with it without using his former ways – there were fundamental differences. So, for now, she would allow her abilities to help heal him in part – and some healthy food, sleep and exercise would do the rest.

“I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself. I am Lilla, Lilla Syrin. Pleased to meet you.”

[member="Gorteko Graye"]

 

[Gorteko Graye]

The ration bar wasn't anything special, but he did enjoy it; over the past few days he hadn't had much and this would do wonders for him. The food in his pack that would normally last him three to four weeks, with his newfound desire to exist and need to recover, would most likely only last a week at most. It occurred to him that he was going to need to rely heavily on the kindness this stranger who had offered her support. Relying on other is not something he'd ever been comfortable, but for some reason, he trusted her, something told him that this wouldn't have a terrible ending he would normally expect.

Introductions. How long had it been since he'd even said his own name? The man pondered as Lilla introduced herself, and as he swallowed another bit of the ration bar. "Graye, Gorteko. The pleasure is mine, assuredly." The man would say, motioning to the state of the two of them with his eyes and the slight movement of his head. After all, with his current state he'd be dying without her help, surely there was no greater reason of appreciation between them. But perhaps he was just overthinking her courtesy.

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla smiled. “I’m not convinced the current situation equates to pleasure.” The tone of her voice and the softness of her features suggested she was not mocking him, merely stating the situation fairly as she saw it.

“But I appreciate your sentiment. I’m not sure what you’ve heard about Jedi – and if I’m honest, we represent quite a wide church – but I was not about to let you perish back there. If I had been able to, I would have stopped all the bloodshed, but I apportion no blame to you. And even if I had, I would not have allowed you to simply die. It’s not the Jedi way – at least not according to my understanding of the Code. And I have studied it rather extensively.”

“So how did you end up on Tatooine?”

[member="Gorteko Graye"]

 

[Gorteko Graye]

Lilla seemed so different than everyone he'd ever had dealings with, even the other Jedi. Though it had been a long time since he'd had these dealings so it was possible his memory was shrouded. As she talked about her beliefs Gorteko would think about if he were to start following the light, and if that'd even be possible. For so long he'd only know the dark, and for some time it's all he's had with him. What kind of changes would occur if he were to leave the dark? These things would require some deeper thought.

How did he end up here? The man thought for a moment before he spoke, as he didn't quite remember at first. "This planet, was my home once. I lived with my family, just a normal child on a farm; relatively normal I suppose I should say. After they died I sought out the Sith to become stronger. I suppose after I left them I felt this was the only place I could return to." He felt that answer should be sufficient, after all he wasn't entirely sure what brought him back either.

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

“It’s funny to reflect on why we’re here. And I don’t mean humorous, I really mean strange. You see, you returned – I suspect – because this felt more like home than anywhere else. I have no home, and never have done. I’ve lived in places – and this planet longer than anywhere else – but not in anywhere I’d call home. I was a slave for most of my youth, apart from the time I was a street urchin. Even now, with the Jedi – I have no permanent home. Not that I mind, of course – the nature of the work I do is transient. It does not allow me to put down roots – or at very least I don’t want to put down roots. But regardless, this place in an anchor for me. I keep coming back.”

“Maybe that’s the common thread – this planet is like a magnet to us. Something draws us here – and like magnetism, it’s invisible and in many ways conceptual – and entirely difficult to explain. But it’s real none the less.”

She dug out a flask of water from a pocket and handed it to her travelling companion.

[member="Gorteko Graye"]

 

[Gorteko Graye]

Gorteko accepted the water and took a sip as he reflected on what the Jedi said. It seemed she wasn't a normal member of her order based on how she talked of her duties. But then, What was a normal Jedi? It seemed he had no idea at all. It did seem however, that some form of trust was coming about between the two of them; perhaps if he talked about what he did, she would be willing to tell him what it is she does.

"The life of a slave, at least from my experience in the way the Sith or the Empire would treat theirs, is not an easy one. It's impressive to survive such ordeals, more so still to find a way to have compassion for others after. When I first joined the Empire, I was little more than a slave, all of the would be acolytes were. I'd like to believe the torture and killing paid off, as I became strong enough to survive, even after the Empire fell and I had to find other means of existence. Though that life was a brief one before I returned to training under Sith Masters, I even offered a position in this new empires naval leadership." The man paused for a moment, he didn't want it to seem like he enjoyed what he was talking about, that life was harsh, and lonesome, and he never liked what he did; but he was a good student having trained under so many different masters. "Though I suppose those are stories for another time. If you don't mind my asking, what is it you do, for your order?"

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

"What doesn't kill us makes us stringer," Lilla mused. "There's some truth in that, but the Sith practice of using the concept to weed out weaker Acolytes is, quite frankly, barbaric. A Jedi learns in an entirely different way. If a youngling is not suitable for the life of a Jedi, we find them alternative options. No less important, just different."

She listened to his story - he certainly came across as diligent and resourceful. Two useful traits. "Me? I do what is required. We serve in whatever capacity is required. I teach Younglings and Padawans, I undertake missions - often to support Senators, or to help bring down a crime gang. And sometimes I act as a negotiator - and rarely I face Sith, or Dark Jedi. These encounters happen - but not as often as popular culture would have people believe. I'm more likely to be seeking out a pirate than going toe to toe with a Sith Lord."

"But, ultimately I do what is required. The life of a Jedi is a selfless one. We have no pride. No vanity. If I have to go and dispense soup in a refugee camp, then that is what I do."

"Does that surprise you?"

[member="Gorteko Graye"]

 

[Gorteko Graye]

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. He was familiar with the phrase, and he understood it's real meaning of learning from your mistakes, but it was funny to him to hear it spoken here, with his current state of health. As he listened to how she explained her work, he wasn't sure how he felt, he didn't know what he expected as an answer.

"I suppose so, I know little of what the Jedi actually do. Though it makes sense you don't have many encounters with the Sith; I've only encountered Jedi When I fought battles for the Sith which did not happen often." The man looked around as he spoke, just now realizing how little of this town he new. He'd only ever dealt with the shop owner and never looked around before. He wondered where her ship might be. Which lead him to think of what comes next, when they reach her order. He began to realize now that at one point he might encounter someone who was close to someone he'd killed before. The weight of his past actions and the uncertainty of his future ones seemed to start to reach him, things he'd never really thought of before. Turning back to Lilla he would ask, "What will become of me?"

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla led him to her Eopie. She preferred to travel this way whenever possible. She had nothing against speeders, but felt an affinity to living things.

The animal was big enough for both to comfortably ride - and soon they were heading out of town, at a steady pace. "My ship is near here - I typically park up and walk in. I buy an Eopie and once I'm done, I set it free. There's a small herd forming near here from ones I've released."

"And as to what becomes of you, it depends a lot as to what you want to happen to you. I can vouch for an opportunity to be a Jedi - to do good in the galaxy. As to past crimes - a lot will depend on what you've done and how sincere you are about redemption. But it's most likely you'll simply be kept under scrutiny for a while. Any transgressions, and it's likely your past will be brought into play."

[member="Gorteko Graye"]

 

[Gorteko Graye]

Gorteko looked at the creature in front of them; he'd seen their kind before, but never ridden one. "Do you not worry that they'll just get captured and brought back into the life you free them from?" He asked, as he wasn't sure what the point of it would be if trappers brought them back.

While listening to Lilla speak, the man thought of whether or not he even could become a Jedi. Is it possible for someone to change after a lifetime in the dark? What would he do should he fail their trials, with the Sith it was life or death, but from what she said of the Jedi, there were other options, maybe he could just live out his days helping individuals on a small scale, some kind of repentance for the wrongs he's done. But this was all still a ways off, for now he should just worry about making it off this planet. "I see, well I can't have expected a warm welcome from former enemies. As for becoming a Jedi, how might that work, would you teach me?"

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla nodded. “The thought crossed my mind. It’s not as if they are mistreated, so to be ridden again would not be the end of the world for them, or for me. Plus, I tend to leave them near a Tusken settlement – which typically discourages the average citizen from straying in that spot. It’s not a perfect plan, but it works so far.”

As they progressed, Lilla listened to her companion’s concerns. They were obvious ones – and she answered them honestly. “The Jedi are not judgemental. If you commit to follow the Code, you should be welcomed. Some will be wary – naturally. But that will not stop them accepting you for what you will become.”

“The wider Republic – should they learn of your past – are less likely to be trusting, so a series of positive actions early on will be a help in this matter.”

“As for your training, I would be honoured if you would choose me as your master. I focus much of my time teaching Younglings and Padawans, so I have the relevant experience and competence. And given our meeting, I suspect I am the logical choice to teach you. You will already know some things – and that will speed up your development. The key to success will be to unlearn how to access the Force and become a Jedi in this regard.”

“Dark-siders access – by definition – the dark-side of the Force. They command the Force and use negative emotions to fuel their access and control. A Jedi remains calm at all times when using the Force. Maximum control comes from emptying the mind of thoughts and emotions. And we ask the Force for help, not demand it. Ultimately, we trust in the Force. Explicitly and implicitly. Trust it with our life – and above all else.”

“Does this make sense?”

[member="Gorteko Graye"]

 

[Gorteko Graye]

It made sense to leave the animals near Tuskens, they wouldn't do much to them, and others wouldn't want to risk being near the Tuskens.

The rest of what Lilla said seemed fairly straightforward as well. It didn't matter what side you aligned yourself to, if a former enemy tried to join you, you'd be wary of them. "In the same way trust of me will be slim, I can't trust all those I meet either. I believe you're the only one at the moment who could teach me to be a Jedi. Though I fear this will be quite the task, unlearning is never easy. And surely relearning will be difficult as well." He only hoped he'd be able to complete these tasks, so that all of this was not for naught.

"Where is it we'll be heading once we leave here?"

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla listened — it was a trip she was blessed with naturally — and she paused before replying. It was easy to share a first thought, better to reflect and respond with a fully-formed answer.

“Trust in the Force. Regardless of where you came from, I’d have said the same thing. Be kind and accepting of other Jedi, but place your trust only in the Force. It will never betray you.”

Maybe that wasn’t what her companion was expecting to hear, but it was what Lilla believed. Not that she thought Jedi were untrustworthy, far from it — but people let you down. It was the way of the galaxy. But the Force was different.

“And typically I would have gone to a Temple to train you, but I think a different approach would work best. We should visit a remote place and begin training. Allow you to rest and recover and become familiar and comfortable with the light side before facing a whole host of Jedi — and the inevitable questions that would come with them.”

“What do you think?”

[member="Gorteko Graye"]

 

[Gorteko Graye]

"I suppose I can get behind that." The man would start to say, taking a short pause before he spoke his next thoughts, as if he was collecting them. "The Force is the only thing to never abandon me, and it's brought me this far, one might even say it's guided both of us to this meeting."

That idea was strange to him; he didn't like believing that his fate wasn't in his own hands. But maybe, just maybe, fate dictated some of his decisions which brought him to where he was, and through his experiences. Gorteko still didn't like the idea of it, but even he had to admit, looking forward to the light, was the best feeling he's had in a long time. So maybe even if he couldn't control his fate, he could enjoy his life, in the direction the Force takes him.

"I think, we should do as you see fit. I know not the ways of the Jedi, nor the culture in which they live, if you think it'd be best to train me in seclusion, we should do so."

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla smiled and nodded. Too often those not prepared to trust in the Force would lose their way. It was not a case of them not being connected, it was a case of them failing to put their trust into it 100 per cent. When their will overrode their faith, it resulted in a conflict and the Force never provided for their needs fully.

Lilla, on the other hand, trusted the Force implicitly, allowing it to guide her actions and rely on it to guide her defence when using Soresu.

“Many say the Force moves in mysterious ways. I am unsure of the whole concept of fate – for me that takes away the concept of free will and responsibility for one’s actions. But did it have a hand in bringing us together? Quite possibly. But what we do with the encounter – that is down to us I believe.”

“And I do not plan total seclusion, but we should remain at least until some of the building blocks are established. And I propose the Valley of the Jedi – on Ruusan. It is an old site with a place in history and is also a Force nexus. It should aid the pace of your development and we can visit an ancient location that I suspect neither of us has visited before.”

[member="Gorteko Graye"]

 

[Gorteko Graye]

Ruusan, he felt like he's heard of that place before, but he just couldn't place it. At the very least, she was right that he'd never been there before. He did know what a force nexus was though he'd never been to one of those either. It seemed he'd be encountering new experiences often while he stayed around this Jedi.

"I see, indeed, I've not been there before. Though you've not been there, do you know what it's like, from stories perhaps?"

He was really committing to this, each time the man thought about it it seemed surreal. He'd never known anyone who'd changed from light to dark or dark to light; he'd heard stories, as many have, of people changing sides and who they are, though normally that would be the fall of a Jedi. He wondered what it might be like, would it be called the rise of a Sith?

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

They were close to her ship now — she could see the rocks ahead, where she’d landed and hidden it from prying eyes. Yes, she could have parked at any one of the space-ports, but she preferred to travel this way. It drew less attention, and she did not want to become a familiar face, always landing on Tatooine.

“Ruusan is an historic place,” she began. She’d studied history at the Governess’ Academy on Tatooine, but her knowledge of the planet came from her time with the Jedi.

“It is most famous for being the place where a Sith Lord — Darth Bane — began the legendary Rule of Two, that endured for so long. Right up until the end of the Empire.”

“But our reason for going there is a site. The Valley of the Jedi — sometimes known as the Valley of the Souls. The place where a battle was fought, that led up to Bane’s rule — and the site were over one-hundred Jedi and Sith were affected by something called a thought bomb.”

“The Valley of the Jedi then became a concentrated area of Force energy — possibly the most powerful Force nexus in the entire galaxy. It therefore holds a place in Sith history, as well as the Jedi’s.”

[member="Gorteko Graye"]

 

[Gorteko Graye]

He knew he'd heard of Ruusan before, but to think he'd forget about a place of such historic value. "One of the Sith masters I trained under was a scholar. I never much took to it myself, but I feel he would've explained this in a similar manner to the way you just did. Though I think he'd be disappointed I didn't already know." Gorteko said with a slight chuckle; he wasn't sure what brought about his laugh, but the smile stay with him for a few more moments. It's been a long time since he smiled, it felt nice.

It's strange to think of all the different people he'd trained under, he began to wonder if his life as a Jedi would see many masters, or if Lilla would be the only one he'd train under. He began to glance around, they weren't heading towards the spaceport, he'd like to think it strange but everything about the situation was already strange, and his ship was in a cave, so he had no place thinking such things. Still, he hoped to be leaving this place soon.

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

“History can be a dry subject,” Lilla explained. “I am lucky enough to have an eidetic memory. I don’t have to study hard to remember such things, I just have to devote the time to reading. Which I enjoy, so it’s a win-win scenario for me.”

“And, it’s fair to say, history can be of limited benefit — unless it teaches us mistakes that can be avoided in the future. Ruusan taught us that we Jedi were naïve to believe the Sith could be simply wiped out. The Force calls for balance — light and dark. It is an eternal struggle and our role is to simply stop the scales falling to heavily in favour of the Sith.”

“But now I sound like a dusty old Master, teaching Jedi lore. It was not supposed to be a test.”

She smiled and jumped off their mount. She rounded a small mound of rocks and in the natural corridor of the low hills, there was her ship. Externally it looked like any old light freighter — with ‘old’ being the operative word. It was meant to look that way — unassuming. But under the hood it was state of the art.

“We can collect your ship later, right now, let’s get you fed, watered and I suspect you’d appreciate a chance to freshen up and sleep. Once you’re fully rested, you can join me in the cockpit.”

She walked onto the ship and showed him the layout — which was standard — and pointed him to the second cabin, which would be his for the duration of the journey.

The ship’s interior was different to the outside in as much as it was spotless. But there were no trappings of creature comforts, or any personalisation. The ship was fully stocked with spares, as well as food, water — and some essential supplies (plus a selection of items useful to trade with). But there were no soft furnishings, or pictures or even ornaments.

Lilla bowed once more and headed to the cockpit, ready to take off and plot their course to Ruusan.

[member="Gorteko Graye"]