Private A Vanguard's Dawn

[Lorn Reingard]

Tags: Aiden Porte

​

The rising sun cast long shadows across the training yard of Shiraya's Rest, painting the Gallo Mountains in hues of gold and crimson. Lorn, a figure of quiet strength, sat at a long, worn wooden table, devouring a hearty breakfast of bantha steak and Naboo root vegetables. His keen eyes, however, were not focused on his food. They scanned the slowly awakening barracks, assessing the movements of his fellow Vanguard members as they emerged from their slumber, the quiet rustle of their boots on the stone floors a subtle counterpoint to the chirping of unseen birds.

It had been little over a week since Lorn, a wanderer seeking purpose, had stumbled upon the Naboo Military Academy in Theed. His past, a tapestry woven with threads of hardship and experience, had unexpectedly found its perfect fit within the Order of Shiraya's Vanguard – an elite group of knights and masters dedicated to the defense of Naboo. After rigorous physical, mental, and emotional evaluations, he had been accepted, a privilege that still felt surreal.

Life at Shiraya's Rest, a secluded villa perched high in the Gallo Mountains, was far from restful. The breathtaking scenery provided a stark contrast to the grueling training regime. The Vanguard, a brotherhood (and sisterhood) of arms, pushed themselves to their limits, day in and day out. Every other day, the Elite Royal Crusaders, Naboo's heavy infantry elite, made the arduous climb up the mountain to train alongside them. These were warriors of exceptional skill, often collaborating with the Vanguard on high-stakes missions, and their presence always injected a vibrant energy into the usually secluded atmosphere.

Lorn finished his meal, efficiently scraping the last morsels into the trash before handing his plate to one of the junior members with a brief nod of thanks. He'd escaped the dishwashing duty this morning, a small victory in the day's already demanding schedule. Stepping out into the crisp morning air, he stretched his limbs, preparing for the day ahead. Already, the Crusaders were filing through the gate, their massive packs evidence of the strenuous climb. Lorn recognized several faces, exchanging quick greetings with familiar comrades. However, his attention remained focused on one specific arrival.

Master Kahne Porte , a Jedi he respected, had sent a message a day or so prior. His son, a Padawan on the path to Knighthood, needed guidance and Lorn, having a soft spot for those seeking their place, had invited him to train alongside the Vanguard. He waited patiently, extending friendly greetings to those around him, a quiet anticipation etched on his face. The Padawan's arrival would be more than just another day of training; it was a chance to share wisdom, forge a connection, and perhaps witness the spark of a similar purpose ignite in another young warrior.

 

[Aiden Porte]

Aiden was up several hours before dawn, perhaps it was nerves that nipped at him. Truth was he was quite excited to get training in, things had been so chaotic with everything, that he hadn't had any time to train. Every since he left Coruscant and returned to Naboo, marking it as his permanent residence. This is where he stayed and he knew that he couldn't ask Solenne to come with him. How could a Padawan make that request.

The Jedi Padawan had receive instruction from his father that he was to meet Master Lorn Reingard in the morning. He knew Kahne had his own reservations on why he wouldn't train him beyond a certain age that he had reached. With the ongoing threat with the netherworld and the constant thread that faced them with Sion and the Dark Exchange. He really couldn't put this off anymore, it was said time and again that he had to get better. Aiden felt he had to become more than what he was, become a better, stronger person.

Not for selfish reasons, but to do what he kept promising his friends. To continue to look after them and be that positivity in their lives. And to do that he had to take his own advice, he would have to talk to someone about what happened, get the weight off of his chest finally. He was sure at some point he would be able to do such a thing.

It seemed silly, but it was a heavy weight the Padawan carried. He played it off well enough that he would smile through it and keep moving. Yet sooner or later it would break him down, and he made the judgment call to not let it take him down a path leading to despair any longer.

The Jedi entered the training grounds and could see Lorn there already.

He showed him a smile and bowed respectfully. "Good Morning Master Reinhart, I hope I'm not too behind."

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Tags: Aiden Porte

​

Lorn's eyes finally settled on Aiden, picking him out from the throng of Crusaders. Something about the Padawan's posture, a slight slump to his shoulders, hinted at weariness beyond the usual pre-dawn fatigue. Perhaps it was the way the sunlight caught his face, highlighting the shadows beneath his eyes. Whatever the reason, a quiet empathy stirred within Lorn. Nothing a good bit of strenuous training couldn't fix.

He returned the pleasant bow, the slight mispronunciation of his surname a minor detail. He hadn't known the boy well enough to correct him. "Just Lorn will do, Aiden," he said with a smile, the lines around his eyes crinkling. "We are all more or less equals around here, friends." he added, gesturing towards Master Tato leading the Vanguard members already in their morning conditioning drills.

Lorn shed his shirt, the crisp mountain air doing little to chill his already warmed skin. If there was one good thing about training up here, it was the vibrant tan he would get. "Did you have breakfast?" he asked Aiden, before moving to retrieve a heavy training log. It didn't matter if he had; they were getting started.

He hefted the log and placed it squarely on Aiden's back, the weight settling with a solid thud. He motioned towards the others performing lunges with similar logs, a silent invitation to join the exercise. Lorn grabbed his own log and fell into step beside the Padawan.

Lorn was happy to have a young and eager student, it felt right to share the wisdom of his own Master. He didn't know it yet, but Aiden's presence, his eagerness to learn, was a balm to Lorn's own private grief and heartache.

"Your father said you could use some help, some mentorship?" Lorn said, his voice gruff but kind, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps under the relentless sun. He adjusted his grip on the log, muscles straining. "What do you think? Do you need guidance, Aiden?"

 

[Aiden Porte]

"We are all more or less equals around here, friends."

"Agreed, Lorn." Aiden nodded his head. The Padawan did not have breakfast, but he was too amped up to eat. He was ready to go, he was going to start putting his head down and taking care of business.

The Padawan just slightly at the weight of the log, getting settled in as he regained his footing. This wouldn't be easy, he knew that. But he wasn't going to stop. He would fight through the pain of the days continuous exercises. Aiden caught on quickly with the rest of the group, it was a good thing he was ready to go, someone being thrown into this sort of thing unexpectedly would probably collapse on the spot, Aiden mused.

"Your father said you could use some help, some mentorship?"

"Very much so, Lorn. My father gives what guidance he can. He feels as a father he wouldn't be the best mentor, for obvious reasons. He is my father, and while he trained me and my sister since we were children. He would want others to finish my training, those that he trust."

Aiden took a deep breath as he moved back in forth, in good solid succession. Surprising to say, he was enjoying this maybe it was the brotherhood bond, or maybe it was the actually physical work that he was putting in.

"And he does trust you, Lorn."

"What do you think? Do you need guidance, Aiden?"

"Absolutely...." Aiden said, while those words were said easier than ever before. More so a beacon of aid being requested from the Padawan. "It seems foolish to think about this, but there's a lot to discuss. It's silly, but its the truth. I'm carry weight from several things that have happened to me over the past years. I lost the love of my life, she died in my arms. I was nearly killed, twice. Tatooine and Tython...."

Aiden glanced over to Lorn.

"I do my best to put on a good face, but I feel broken. I'm tired of feeling like that. I've tried to let it go, but I don't know how."

Aiden knew took a deep breath as he faced forward again.

Could one build themselves back up again, after being unmade?

Lorn Reingard

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Tags: Aiden Porte

​

Lorn listened intently, he fell into step with the Padawan, their lunges mirroring each other, a silent understanding passing between them. Aiden's words, raw and honest, painted a picture of a young man battered by loss and trauma. The weight of the log on his back seemed insignificant compared to the burdens Aiden carried within. "Broken?" Lorn repeated softly, the word hanging in the air between them. A few more lunges were completed in the oppressive heat, the effort a physical manifestation of the emotional weight they both shared. "I can relate..." he finally said, his voice rough but filled with empathy.

The final lunge finished, the logs discarded, Lorn watched as the group stretched, the rhythmic cracking of joints a welcome sound in the suffocating silence. He placed a hand on Aiden's shoulder, the gesture a quiet promise of support. "Let's discuss this at lunch," he said, a hint of a smile softening his usually austere features. "We need to clear our minds first." The excruciating conditioning continued, but a new rhythm had been established, a silent pact forged between teacher and student, a shared journey through the darkness.

The shade felt blessedly cool hours later as they replenished their strength. Lorn steered Aiden towards a table, securing them a place before fetching their meals. He took a moment to greet his companions, his smile warm and genuine, before returning to Aiden's side. He placed a plate of food before the young man. "Eat," he said, his voice firm but gentle. "This day is long from over."

He took a bite of his own food, savoring the taste, the act a small rebellion against the weight of the unspoken. He paused, weighing his words carefully, searching for the right approach. "You lost the love of your life? How?" He asked, the question blunt, yet laced with genuine concern. It felt like the right place to start, the deepest wound needing to be addressed first. He sensed Aiden's need to release the burden, to articulate the depths of his pain. Lorn would listen, understand, and offer what comfort and guidance he could. He would be there, in the same way his own Master had been there for him, through the darkness, towards the light.

 

[Aiden Porte]

Aiden hadn't taken part in training such as this before. But the more they continued, he knew it was something that he needed. And most importantly he was actually enjoying. It lessened his mind, freeing up things. He was breathing easier than he normally was when it came to talking about these events.

"We need to clear our minds first."

"Eat,"

"This day is long from over."

"Good." Aiden said to his last words about the day, this training was different. But it was incredibly good. "This is good..." Aiden said with a small smile as he took a few bites, perhaps too quickly. He knew he ought to enjoy the food first before he actually devoured it.

"You lost the love of your life? How?"

"The New Way, religious fanatics that hate and despise force worship. There was a terrorist attack here on Naboo, she was caught in the crossfire and died in my arms." Aiden cleared his throat as he took another bite from his food. "I guess....I know it hit me so hard because she was my first love. I was skeptical about that feeling and emotion. I have had talks about it with my Master, if that emotion was worth it. I was afraid of losing what I didn't even have at the time."

Aiden reached for his cup and took a small drink.

"It seemed silly at first to talk about it, but now...its a small relief off my chest." Aiden glanced up to Lorn. "You know what I mean?" He said with a small smile.

Lorn Reingard

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Tags: Aiden Porte

​

Lorn listened intently, his gaze fixed on Aiden as the young Padawan spoke. The mention of the New Way, a group he hadn't encountered, sent a cold shiver down his spine. Religious fanatics, fueled by hatred of the Force – a terrifying concept that resonated with the darkness he knew too well. He felt a pang of shared pain as Aiden described the attack, the image of the young woman dying in his arms vividly painting itself in Lorn's mind. He swallowed hard, shoving down the empathetic ache that threatened to surface.

He watched Aiden fight to maintain his composure. He could see the raw wound still bleeding, even if the young man tried to mask it. A small, almost imperceptible nod acknowledged the admission of first love, and subsequent fear of loss. Lorn understood that fear, a ghost that still haunted his own steps. The vulnerability Aiden showed, admitting his initial skepticism about the intensity of his emotions, also resonated deeply. Lorn had often questioned his own feelings in the past.

Lorn paused his eating, his fork hovering above the plate, as Aiden spoke of the relief he felt. "You have someone to talk about it with now," he affirmed, his voice low and steady. He wanted to foster a safe space for Aiden, a refuge where the young man could unload the heavy burdens of his heart without fear of judgment. The words were said for Aiden, but echoed in Lorn's own heart, a painful reminder of how alone he had been for so long. He needed to be there for Aiden in a way he had not been for himself.

He placed his fork down, turning his full attention to Aiden as he posed his next question. "So what conclusion did you come to with your Master?" he asked, the genuine curiosity clear in his voice. "Is it worth it? The emotion? The love? Knowing you could lose it all?" Lorn's own history was riddled with the painful consequences of love and loss, his voice carried a subtle undercurrent of his own tortured questions.

As Aiden continued to speak, Lorn finished his meal, his focus solely on the young man across the table. He slid the empty plate aside, clearing the space for this conversation. "What about you almost being killed twice?" he finally asked, his gaze piercing yet compassionate. "Did that make you feel helpless? Lost?" The question wasn't accusatory, but driven by a need to unravel the layers of trauma Aiden was carrying.

Lorn needed to understand, not to satisfy curiosity, but to be the anchor Aiden needed. To pull him out of the darkness, if in turn he could start to pull himself out too.

 

[Aiden Porte]

"You have someone to talk about it with now,"

That's good to know my friend. I feel perhaps I've always known that. It's not easy to admit you have a weakness especially when it comes to feelings of the heart I suppose."

"So what conclusion did you come to with your Master?"

"Is it worth it? The emotion? The love? Knowing you could lose it all?"

Aiden chuckled lightly as he ate some more of his food, admitting he was more hungry than he led on. He chewed on his food for a bit, savoring the good flavor. After a few seconds he spoke again. "At first, I thought no. Then immediately after I lost Esme, I really thought no. I wouldn't ever want to feel something like that again."

Aiden took a small drink before looked up to Lorn Reingard

"Now, as I think on it. I would do it....all over again. Just to have another moment like that." Knowing that he could lose it all again, seemed foolish to want to go through that again. But if it gave him one more chance, why not take the risk. He was tired of living in fear...

"What about you almost being killed twice?"

"Did that make you feel helpless? Lost?"

"It did make me feel helpless, like I should be more than I am. Stronger than I am perhaps, if I could have it my way. I wouldn't want anyone to worry about me, I should the be the last person on their minds."

Aiden tried to find his words again, but he kept fumbling with them before they even left his mouth until he finally grabbed hold of what he wanted to say. "I know I don't need to be all powerful, I just want everyone to know they can count on me when its needed. That's why I feel I have to be, well better than what I am."

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Tags: Aiden Porte

​

Lorn listened intently as Aiden spoke of Esme, his loss echoing in the younger man's words. A familiar ache resonated within Lorn, a ghost of his own past love. "I felt the same way too when I was your age," he thought, the memory of his childhood sweetheart surfacing like a forgotten wound. The pain of her absence, the abrupt severing of that connection, was an experience he knew intimately.

"I... lost someone close to me," he admitted, the admission a rare glimpse into his guarded heart. A brief silence hung between them. "I think I would do it again as well, it's been many years… To have a connection like that again…" His voice trailed off, the unspoken sentiment a heavy weight he decided not to burden Aiden with.

As Aiden continued, speaking of his near-death encounters and the feeling of helplessness they instilled, Lorn's brow furrowed. He saw a reflection of his own youthful drive in Aiden's desire to be strong, to be someone others could rely on. When Aiden declared he wanted to avoid being a source of worry, that he wished to be the least of anyone's concerns, Lorn's expression softened. "People care about you, Aiden," he said firmly, his voice carrying a weight of experience. "Like your father. You will never be the last person on anyone's mind." It was a simple truth, but one that Lorn felt Aiden needed to hear.

Lorn leaned forward slightly, his gaze steady. "You cannot save everyone. The Force moves in mysterious ways." He paused, letting the words settle. "But we can make you stronger, more capable. So if the situation arises again and you are facing a certain end, you will be prepared."

He gestured slightly to the other Vanguards around them, their presence a silent affirmation of the power they held. "If you choose to return here, if you want my help... our help," he continued, his voice now laced with purpose. "We will forge a man out of you, but the path will not be easy." The unspoken promise hung in the air, a challenge and an opportunity laid before the young Padawan.

 

[Aiden Porte]

Aiden knew he wasn't the only one, that he just needed to talk to someone about it. And sure enough that hypothesis was correct. He listened to Lorn as he spoke about what he felt. To know that at one point he felt the same way, Aiden didn't say it but there was another wave of relief that was lifted from his heart and his mind.

"People care about you, Aiden,"

"Like your father. You will never be the last person on anyone's mind."

"I know that now." Aiden said with a small smile as he looked towards Lorn. "It's foolish of me to kno-" Aiden cleared his throat then showing an apologetic look to Lorn. "It's foolish of me to believe that people don't care. That I'm alone, that isn't true." Aiden took a deep breath as he rubbed his chin lightly before speaking.

"You cannot save everyone. The Force moves in mysterious ways."

"My father tells me this all the time." Aiden chuckled lightly, then taking a small drink. "Sometimes I wish I could, that would make things so much more easier I suppose." What a state the galaxy would be in if that were true. There wouldn't be any wars, chaos.....evil. That wasn't the way the galaxy was made though. He had heard it so many times before, but never fully let the words in until the past day or so.

"But we can make you stronger, more capable. So if the situation arises again and you are facing a certain end, you will be prepared."

"If you choose to return here, if you want my help... our help,"

"We will forge a man out of you, but the path will not be easy."

Aiden glanced around him as the gesture and those were in the vanguard were indeed a testament to the words Lorn spoke. Aide knew this is what he needed, a bond forged in brotherhood. He couldn't save everyone, this was true. But he knew he would save as many lives as he could, and with the help of Lorn Reingard and his brotherhood.

Life overall, would be greater than he ever hoped.

"You have my word, Lorn. I graciously accept your help. My word is my bond, I swear it."

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Tags: Aiden Porte

​

Lorn watched Aiden, a small smile playing on his lips as the young Padawan spoke, his voice now carrying a newfound conviction. "Good." he said, the word a solid anchor in the shared space. He stood, the movement fluid and practiced, and reached for Aiden's empty plate. It was a subtle gesture, a sign of shared responsibility, and he handed it off to another Initiate with a brief nod, his eyes never leaving Aiden's.

"It's going to be hard," Lorn said, his voice now laced with the steel of experience, "but in the end, I promise you it will be worth it." He gestured towards the training pit, a silent invitation, a return to the forge where they were all shaping themselves. The sun, now at its peak, beat down upon the sand, baking it to a fierce heat. The conditioning drills of the morning were done, sweat had been spilled, and now they'd move on to the more intricate art of blade work. He tossed Aiden a training saber, the hilt cool to the touch. Lorn's own training saber hummed to life.

The day dissolved into a rhythm of clashing blades, of grunts of effort. Lorn pushed Aiden hard, but never with cruelty, always with the purpose of growth at the forefront. Each parry, each feint, each movement was a lesson etched into muscle memory. He observed not just the Padawan's skill with the blade but also his attitude, his willingness to learn, the resilience that flickered in his eyes. The rest of the Vanguard joined in, each pairing off, the training ground echoing with the sounds of focused training.

As the sun began its slow descent, casting long shadows across the sand, exhaustion started to settle in. Each member of the Vanguard moved with a weary gait. They grabbed a quick evening meal, sustenance before the day's final sleep. There was a quiet camaraderie as they ate, a shared understanding of the sacrifices they made for the greater good. Lorn finally turned his attention back to Aiden, a gentle warmth softening the hard lines of his face.

"Go home, Rest." he commanded, and he knew Aiden would obey. He knew Aiden would spend the night at home, that he would be back. "You have a home here if you wish it, but rest where you are comfortable tonight." He had seen the spark of belonging ignite in Aiden. He had felt the boy's relief at being understood, at not being alone. Lorn knew that the Padawan would return, fully committing himself to the life of an Initiate. They would welcome him with open arms, a brother in arms who understood the gravity of their purpose.

Lorn watched Aiden depart, his silhouette gradually fading into the twilight. This was only the beginning. The real work, the true forging of Aiden into a warrior, was yet to come. But Lorn had faith, faith in the Padawan, faith in the Vanguard, and faith in the force that guided them all.