A Somber Homecoming (Silver Jedi Order)

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic waited with a short fuse as Valae talked to others before addressing him. However, when she finally did talk to him, he wished she hadn't. Arisa, his Master, former Grand Master, gone. It just didn't seem possible. He thought she was too strong, too stubborn to die. How was he going to cope now? He looked in the distance and noticed from the corner of his eye that Valae moved to comfort him.

He recoiled slightly. Too in shock to be touched. Yuroic blinked several times, what was he going to do? Who could he turn to for more training? More knowledge? He didn't realise how much he depended on Arisa but she was the one that brought him into the Jedi Order. Why he blamed her at first, he couldn't bare to do it anymore. He glanced over to Valkren, a soldier, knowing she was close to him Yuroic could see that the soldier was hiding his pain. Yuroic could feel it through the Force. But he wished he couldn't, he wished that he never joined the Jedi. He was in too much pain now. What was the point of it all? They had lost and now he had lost his mentor and his arm.

"I... I need to be alone..." Yuroic stammered out. Still unable to walk, Yuroic crawled away. Tears in his eyes, he refused to let anyone see him cry. He need to be alone. He couldn't face the truth but then again, there was no reason for anyone to lie about it. Once he found himself alone in a corner of the room, he allowed his emotions to overcome him, tears streamed down his face. He howled in emotional pain as punched the wall with all his might.

Today was a horrendous day.

[member="Jairdain"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"] | [member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

The colonel nodded, looking away from the padawan as she moved off to console others. In his gazing away, he'd stop after making eye contact with Sergeant Osmari. It took some of the burden from his shoulders, seeing another member of his unit alive and well, or at least as 'well' as one could be in their scenario. He made his way to her, wishing he could crack a smile at least to signal to the NCO that he was alright.

He just couldn't force himself to do it.

"Echo, glad to see you made it.." He nodded again, rolling his shoulders to shift his broken and battered plating along his shoulders, attempting to separate the busted plating from some of his wounds.

"Have you seen any other Raiders that got separated from us during the retreat?" Calderon knew his question was probably in vain, but it always felt as if the tiniest spark of hope flickered within him when he asked it. Almost as if he was expecting someone to give him good news.

Out of the corner of his vision, he'd spot what seemed to be like a ghost from the past. Valkren shook his head momentarily, assuming he was delirious from the exhaustion of combat.

Was that really Gir?

[member="Roona Osmari"] | [member="Gir Quee"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

The young woman addressed him, and Cassius gave a curt nod when she asked about his position. His gaze turned downwards when she said that he ‘saved lives’. A lot of people tend to view pilots in a romanticized way - the heroes of the fight, the flyboys with the eye in the sky. Cassius wouldn’t deny that what he did was important, but at times, he couldn’t help but feel like his job was easy.

Being on the ground, in the trenches… that seemed so terrifying to the pilot. In the air, he was safe in his cockpit. Granted, there were a lot of things that could go wrong, and a lot of things that could kill him at a moment’s notice, but the thought of those below always stuck with him.

“Just doing my job, ma’am,” he said, taking her hand in greeting. He shook it firmly, as if she were a fellow comrade. “I just wish everyone else came back with the rest of us.”

“Cassius - Cassius Droma,” he introduced himself. “Your master helped me heal after a particularly nasty crash I had - I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

[member="Stephanie Swail"]

 

[Stephanie Swail]

The handshake was firm; that of a man who served. She returned it with an equally firm shake. She knew how much an important handshake between comrades could mean.

"Glad to see you're in one piece, Cassius. Welcome home."

Stephanie wanted to say something, but then changed her mind. Then, she glanced back past his arm to see the A-Wings on the far side of the landing pad. Stephanie looked back at him and went for it.

"This is the wrong time I know, but please, when you have the time and recuperated, may we talk a little about....flying?" She sucked in her bottom lip and tipped her chin to the ships. "As in, flying them. As in, can you teach me to fly and fight in one of those?"

The battle against the Dark Side was not going to always be faught on land. To master the art of flying in both combat and also to be used in escorts and aid runs was invaluable, and the sight of ships flying over Voss had captivated her many a time.

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Roona Osmari]

Roona stood tall as the Colonel made his way over, his expression set and grim. She didn’t need her connection to the force to tell that something bad had happened. Her normally hard gaze softened just so. Stepping up to meet Colonel Calderon, she offered the man a polite nod.

“Glad to see you made it out too, sir.” She said, the corner of her mouth pulling up briefly.

Her eyes shifted to the battered plating still worn on his shoulders. It seemed that none of them had escaped Mirial unscathed. At least in Roona’s case, damage had been minimal. Her own armor quite scuffed and dirty, but otherwise in fair condition.

“Clark.” She gave the answer to his question. “We managed to catch a ride with the Galactic Alliance transports.” Roona nodded her head in the direction of the Vice Admiral. “I sent him to medical to get checked over – had a rather nasty cut on his forehead.”

Roona’s sea-green eyes danced away for a moment. Based on the Colonel’s phrasing, it would seem that some of their Raiders had not made it safely back to Voss. It was the sad reality of going off into battle, sometimes people just didn’t come back. However, the Ysannan woman did not know the true weight upon the Colonel’s shoulders this day. Offering the man a tiny smile, she clapped him on the shoulder – the one that was uninjured.

“You should get some rest, Colonel.” She said simply, her tone softer than usual.

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

With the grim task of informing Arisa’s closest, Valae would now have to deliver the news to the rest of the SJO and their allies. Taking her leave of the airfield, the Grandmaster started back for her office. Needless to say, there were likely numerous reports already waiting for her there.

Once inside, she closed the heavy door behind her and pushed out a sigh.

There were so many things she could say about [member="Arisa Yune"]. On a personal and professional level, the Jedi General had had a great impact. No doubt, her name was quite well-known throughout the galaxy now. Sitting down at her desk, she began to frantically type out a message on her datapad. The tears fell on the screen as she wrote, but she let the words flow. And when she was satisfied, she would record a HoloMessage to be transmitted through Silver space and beyond.

On the Silver Campus, her voice would be received immediately.

“This is Grandmaster Kitra,” She started, attempting to keep her voice from shaking too badly. “First, I would like to thank everyone for their service at Mirial – your efforts have not gone unnoticed. Second,” Valae paused to take a deep breath. “We mourn the men and women that did not return with us. It is my unfortunate task to inform everyone that Jedi Master Arisa Yune was among those that perished on Mirial. Today we have lost a former Grandmaster, a skilled General, and a true friend to the Silver Jedi. I can assure you that Arisa Yune’s contributions to the Order will never be forgotten, nor will her steadfast dedication to the light.” Closing her eyes for a moment, she bowed her head. “She will be missed.”

With that, her announcement concluded. Moments of silence would follow for those at the campus, and the Holorecording would go dark.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Piloting lessons… Cassius looked back to the A-wings. A pit in his stomach told him that he wouldn’t be very keen to get in the cockpit of one of those anytime soon – it was indeed a strange time to ask for such services. Then again, it wasn’t something the pilot was completely foreign to. It wouldn’t be the first time he did some instructing, and it wouldn’t even be the first time he instructed a Jedi.

“Uh, yeah, I can probably do that,” Cassius finally nodded. He shifted his helmet under his arm. “I’ll warn you, though – it’s not as easy as it looks. And it’ll probably take you awhile before I’d put you in the cockpit of an A-wing, especially the RZ-X… it’s a pretty advanced fighter. I’d start you in a Headhunter or X-wing, and those seem to be more popular anyways.”

Reaching into a pouch on his belt, he retrieved a tiny datachip. “Here – this has my comm frequency, for when you need to get in touch with me. I may not be around on Voss much longer, but I can come visit from Deneba if need be.”

Just then, Grandmaster Kitra’s voice came over the comms. Cassius’s face feel into a somber frown as he remembered all of the squad mates he lost today. The news of General Yune’s death was shocking, to say the least. In war, you always expected the grunts to die… not those who were supposed to be above ordinary men. In death, all things were equal, it seemed.

Looking back out across the airfield, he sighed. “I’ve got to get going. It was nice to meet you, Stephanie. And don’t hesitate to give me ring when everything settles down. I’ll be glad to teach you how to fly.” With that, he gave a little two-fingered salute and walked away, making a bee-line to the barracks. He’d have to pack up and start visiting families soon.

[member="Stephanie Swail"]

 

[Gir Quee]

Gir slipped past a pair of pilots who animatedly described a dog fight using hand gestures to a group of their ground techs. Gir winced as one of them began to go into the detail of the damage his craft took. I wonder how lucky he feels. He's at least walking and talking after that ordeal. He spied a few other groups before the uniform of what appeared to be a high-ranking Galactic Alliance had caught his attention. He had fought among many of them, including the invasion of Coruscant. And while he didn't recognize the officer as he stepped away from a congregating group of soldiers and Jedi, he caught the gaze of a familiar face. At first he wondered if he was experiencing a deja vu moment, yet it seemed to Gir that the other man was experiencing a similar feeling. It can't be pure coincidence, can it? Gir glanced downward for a brief second as he side-stepped a resting soldier laying on the ground before he neared [member="Valkren Calderon"] and a young woman he didn't recognize. Cautious curiosity turned rekindled warmth as he recognized the other man's face. He spared a quick glance at the other man's armor.

"You've moved up the ranks since I've last seen you," started Gir.