A whole lot of nothing

[Sargon Vynea]

Wandering vagabond, it was the only real word to describe the Zabrak anymore, and it was a description he'd settled into far too comfortably. He'd left the galaxy and it's problems behind as he floated among the stars. He stopped into port long enough to restock, and no longer then necessary. He didn't wait to hear word of what was going on in the galaxy, he could feel it's pain, but that was all part of the cycle. It would take an iron hand to bring about peace in the galaxy, for there was always another noble or selfish nation rising among the stars, sure it had the right way.

For Sargon it had all grown a bit much for him, and so he retreated to the stars, and to the peace of the Force. He'd grown to accept that the living Force would mold things as they should be, and so he'd accepted the birthing pains of the galaxy. At least that's what he convinced himself of. Still years of floating among the stars, in peaceful meditation had been good to him. The hours between he filled with his childhood joy of Iridonian martial arts, it was a good life. After all, he'd earned his early retirement no?

Still there were a few he was tied to, and one had reached out to him, called him through the Force, and it was for her he waited.

 

[Lief]

They had been lost for so long.

Their paths were so different, yet it seemed as though they ran parallel to one another. The two girls who had found peace within the mind of an old Zabrak. Who had wandered aimlessly through their despair and did their best to hide it from the world.

But there was only so much that they could do, in the end, until fate threaded them back together. The fiery woman and the hopeless wanderer.

Asha reached out first. After a year of silence directed toward Jyn and her friend Sargon, the young redhead had buckled. So much had happened to make her world spin out of control, things she had not revealed to them even when they had found her on Thule, and yet now... Now Asha realized that things would only continue to spiral lest she took control.

She did not know if she had the stomach to contact the old Master herself. What would she say to him? What could she? Each time he had opened himself up to teaching her, to assisting her, she had disappeared. Vanished without a trace. Would he hate her as her Papa did?

There was no way of knowing.

But Jyn... The girl on fire... Who she had helped to nurse back to health the day she had landed in their company. While the pair had never spent much conscious time alone, they were a kindred spirit. No time or distance could nullify that.

So the young girl sent a message through the stars, and was surprised at how swift a response she received. Just one word, Teth.

 

[Lief]

When a message came through to her, Jyn could only blink in surprise. A name she had not heard in so very long, but one which had stayed with her regardless. The young Hex girl seemed worse for wear last she had seen her, and yet there was some slim hope within the message that reminded her of the first time they had met. She had been carefree, bubbly, joyful. Not at all like Thule.

Jyn had been facing troubles of her own, and yet in her path to go backward and trace her heritage she - like Asha - had neglected the present. Taking a break from her pains, she had returned to the only sanctuary she had ever known, Teth, and while her first night had been spent within the old bunker of Kyros, her second had found her scaling a distant mountainside. The route was one she had come to know so clearly, though it was dangerous all the same.

With no ship to access the hangar, what could she do?

Two weeks had passed since the transmission came through, four since she returned to the Silent Temple to find it completely void of life, and Jyn had almost given up hope of seeing the young Lorrdian at all. Almost.

Such was her relief when another message came through, and another simple response was provided. Two strands of numbers: coordinates, and an access code. Not one to wait around unless necessary, Jyn had ventured down into the hidden hangar and awaited the arrival of her friend who seemed more than surprised and wide-eyed at how well the Temple blended into the landscape.

Together they spent two nights. Not necessarily talking, but not in uncomfortable silence either. Simply enjoying one another's company.

And then she had decided it was time. Then she set up the holocom in the meeting hall, and sent out a message through the stars. Then she called [member='Sargon Vynea'] toward them, begging for an audience with him... But would he relent? Would he wish to see the two girls he had tried to save?

 

[Sargon Vynea]

The journey didn't take long, since the far rim his chosen home was crawling with aspiring factions he found it a bit more comfortable to travel where he wouldn't be bothered by little things like military patrols. So for some time now he'd stayed in what was the old Hutt space, a literal jump away from Teth. He didn't even have to hop or skip, just a jump. He was tempted to reach out to her through the Force, but if she wanted a face to face he would honor that.

As dots of lights turned into lines he settled into the cockpit, and closed his eyes relaxing his mind. The computer would let him know when they neared, and do all the necessary work, sometimes he wondered why droids would even bother overtly revolting. They already controlled everything for the living. Still, he wasn't going to complain about not having to do some of the most complex math in the universe if the computer was going to handle it for him. Most especially not when he could take a nap instead.

He'd been anxious, and rather excited when he had heard from her, which lead to a rather bad night of sleep. However there was nothing quite as wonderful as a nap after a night of poor sleep. The journey passed quietly aboard his ship, the quiet hum of electricity and the engines adding as rather steady white noise. The steady beeping signalling their break from hyperspeed, not so much on the peaceful side. With a rather deep yawn and a few blinks of the eyes to regain focus he finally reached out to shut the warning off, as he took the controls in hand.

She'd sent a location, and access codes to the hanger to met her at, and from the looks of it, it would seem she had found her way back home. The large temple structure wasn't clear until he broke atmosphere, he doubted she was in danger there, but the request had almost had an urgent feel to it. As the ship slowed he smiled softly as his mind drifted to Bakuran technology, he hadn't returned there in sometime, and that troubled him. More so as another of the new nations flew there flag there.

With a soft rumble he felt the ship set down and moved towards the exit ramp, his mind searching out for her now that he had arrived. ​The cat's pregnant again, and I don't know how. I stopped for one hour at the last port, yet somehow.

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Asha had settled in nicely. A few more days had passed since her arrival, and since Sargon had been sent the message, and though she was definitely a little worse for wear she was holding up better than she had been on Thule. Progress, no matter how small, was always a blessing.

The pair had opted to sit within the Crystal Gardens, with a small basket of food and exactly zero distractions. Jyn was lucky to see the carefree child she had initially met shine through in Asha once or twice, in the form of some quirky joke or silly face, and while it did not eclipse the damage that had no doubt been done it made Jyn's heart swell regardless.

Hope for the future. Hope for inner peace.

She handed the girl a sweet pastry, made with Mandalorian Oranges, and sat back in the recently trimmed grass to marvel at their view. Breathtaking, up atop a rocky incline, a plateau that nobody could get to them on. A dream come true.

"I remember it, you know... The time you spent caring for me in my torpor. I couldn't see you, couldn't even really hear you, but I felt you there all the same. If not you, then Sargon... But you were there more than you had cause to be. A little ray of sunshine come to frighten away the thunderstorm. I missed you when you stopped coming."

Jyn understood, of course. While nobody save Asha knew exactly what had happened, she realized that it was not through choice that Asha had ended up away from them. From her Father, from her Master, from her Friend.

She smiled a kindly smile, and reached out to touch the young girl's hand.

"But it's okay" she said, biting into her own pastry and savouring the flavour, waiting to swallow the bite before continuing her line of thought. "You're here now, and that's what matters."

It was then that a familiar presence spoke within her mind, and her smile turned into a cheeky grin. She had not told Asha who she had sent for, oh it would be a great surprise for all... She hoped.

"We have a visitor. Wait here while I fetch them."

Then, just like that, she was gone, venturing through the winding halls of the Temple in search of the hangar. Sargon mentioned a pregnant cat, which only meant more kitties. That was good, there could never be too many kittens, especially in a Temple as empty as this one.

[member="Sargon Vynea"]

 

[Sargon Vynea]

Muttering towards the cat as he exited the ship he was surprised to see just how empty the large temple was. He'd kept from reaching out and feeling the place with the Force out of respects for the temple itself, but the lack of people drew his curiosity a bit too much. Looking for the first time through the complex through the Force he did feel life a plenty, even Force sensitives, but nothing like he'd expected, or hoped for. He could instantly pick out the two signatures of Asha and Jyn near instantly among the masses. Jyn's drawing closer by the second, and much to his amusement she seemed, excited.

Surrounded by the Force his mind swept through corridors and over places the Force seemed to settle in memory of things long past. He knew of those who could see into them, but that wasn't one of his talents so their secrets remained their own. Still he could feel it, the Force almost seemed excited in locations like this, dark or light it didn't matter, both drew the attention of the living Force. He'd gone through many struggles understanding the dark side of the Force, the why, and how. As much as he'd come to believe he had answers the truth was he simply accepted it as the way it was, or at least the way it had to be until the cycle ended.

Even the earliest stories he'd ever heard played on the two different ends, the rise of the Rakata, and their hunting of the very ones who taught them. There were some who seemed to believe they understood what was going on, those who attempted to find the balance. Jyn was one of those, a semblance of the chaos of Tython itself in mortal form. He was quite proud of how she'd worked through it, and a smile came to his face as she walked into the hanger. "Well, it seems you found home after all?"

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

When she finally met Sargon, midway through one of the hallways, her skin began to prickle and lava flowed within her veins. Her eyes welled with tears, and she was overcome with a sense of relief, pure and intense relief.

No longer walking, she felt herself picking up the pace until she was infront of him and threw her arms around him. No doubt she would feel rather hot, not quite having erupted but well on her way. Even positive emotions took their toll on her if she didn't reign them in.

But this was Sargon, her saviour...

She pulled back before she actually burned him, and sniffled. Her skin began to cool as she regained control, and she lowered her head into a gentle bow of respect.

"Master Vynea, you came."

[member="Sargon Vynea"]

 

[Sargon Vynea]

On an instinctual level Sargon sent waves of calmness into her, a cooling breeze so to say. He returned the hug though with a smile, ignoring the heat as he smiled broadly. "Of course I came, was there ever a doubt? I'm all retired now, a bit young for it, but I suppose that isn't something to complain about. The galaxy seems to running quite well on its own, not really any different really from any other age. I also see you've got another guest here as well? Thought your paths might cross again, the Force has a reason for all things I suppose."

It was true he'd aged some, nearing his upper thirties, but for a Zabrak that wasn't even old in truth, and between physical training and meditation he was still in prime shape. Just a bit wiser for the wear. Far too early for retirement, but he'd saved enough in his duties to the Fringe, and governorship afterwards. So why not? There were plenty of reasons against it to, but for now he'd made his decision to wait for the Force to show him the path forwards.

"So you have plenty of rooms for kittens I see, more then enough members to adopt kittens as well. She's a rather unfaithful cat, you know? All the time and attention I give and still she wanders, whats a man to do?"

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

His care was more than appreciated, the calming waves washed over her and soothed the final remnants of her brief outburst.

"No doubt, not really, but I'm grateful all the same. It's been so long since I last saw you, Master, and so much has happened... Welcome to the Silent Temple." Turning from him with a very subtle gesture, she directed him through the sacred halls and listened as he spoke of retirement, of the sordid state of the Galaxy, and then of Asha.

"She reached out to me a couple of weeks ago, arrived a few days back. She doesn't seem to be in the best of states, though she's definitely improved since Thule. As though a weight has been lifted. She even laughed once or twice, would you believe?"

Looking to him for a moment as they walked, the sun hitting them once they reached the Sunken Courtyard, she smiled comfortably. "How are things with Bakura, Master? And yes, a lot of room for them to roam and grow. Several Je'daii stepped forth from around the Galaxy, approaching the Temple. Some others have yet to arrive, but they are on their way. It's still a very empty place to be, but no doubt it will pick up. In the meantime I'll continue to prepare the rooms... Force knows how long this place sat empty for before I returned."

Finally they came to the Crystal Gardens, within which a blanket had been lain and food set atop it. There, too, sat the young redheaded child of [member='Jericho'], who was busy admiring the view - her back to them.

"We have a visitor, Asha" she said once again, watching as the girl turned...

[member="Sargon Vynea"]

 

[Lief]

Asha had been left to ponder on the words of Jyn Sol, sat amidst the whispering crystals which glistened in the summer sun. Her eyes lifted, setting to the panoramic view she was presented with, from one edge of her peripheral to the other was just a wonder for the senses to behold. Mountainous reaches in the distance, tall jungle trees, waterfalls which jutted from the other side of the valley. Birds flocked here and there, and the chirp of crickets could be heard over the rush of water which was ever present in the Silent Temple.

Tranquility was paramount here. The Force flowed freely and without restraint, caressing everything it fell upon. As she sat there, Asha drew her knees to her chest and let out a small sigh. Tears fell, though she had no idea why. Relief mostly. It finally felt as though she had reached the peak of a treacherous mountain, and now she could pause. Breathe. Enjoy the view for what it was.

How long she sat alone she could not say. Soon two sets of footsteps sounded against the gravel, and when Jyn's voice resonated alongside crystalline murmurings which already rose into the air she turned her head and smiled. Azrael, who had been curled by her feet, seemed to sense the approach too because he lifted his head and blinked away the sleep which had set over him.

"S-Sargon?" she breathed, hastily rising from where she had been sat. "M-Master" she corrected, tripping over her words. She looked between the two of them, and truly her heart blossomed. The only thing which could've made this moment any greater would have been the presence of [member='Jericho']. Screw Aellin, if she wanted to see her Papa she would...

The collar around her neck seemed to burn at that notion, but she ignored it.

"I never... I never thought I'd see you again."

[member="Sargon Vynea"]

 

[Sargon Vynea]

Nodding softly as Jyn spoke he was impressed at the certainty in her, at the confidence. "Bakura fares well I'm told, I haven't been back in quite some time. A new Empire has risen it's flag there, and I don't think I'd be much good to the people as a reminder of a past now long forgotten by most. A period of peace after the Black Fleets will be good for them, the remnants I have left to control simply weren't enough to even matter compared to a real fleet. In honesty they barely kept the minor warlords from taking Bakura, but they did for long enough it seems."

Letting her continue he smiled as she spoke of readying rooms, and starting anew. "Good, you've done well, Jyn, I'm proud of you. You're a great service to your Order, and the temple. I shall be... donating some kittens, and then stay for a bit before I'm off again. Please don't worry about a room for me though, you know how attached I am to that ship. I've called it home for years now, though I still miss my field in Bakura, its the closest I have to a home now."

He couldn't help but laugh as he saw her, the elation plain to see. "Why would you think that? I've fought down armies, and fought some of the best. Still I stand until the Force wills it, and Sargon is fine, Asha. Master is a silly title, we cloud our thoughts with. We hear it enough and one day we start to believe it, to believe we have mastered the Force, and are truly in charge. Then we do silly things like take control, and try to bend the galaxy to our will. No, no, no, we can't have that, Sargon is fine. The Force always has more to teach us if we're willing, but only if we remember we cannot master it even if we live a thousand upon a thousand. For even as we join it our adventure has only begun."

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

"I'm sorry to hear that, Bakura flourished under your care... But the Galaxy is constantly changing. I hope you can find somewhere to plant your roots once more, Master." She gave a light nod of her head when he explained his situation, though deep down a small pit of anxiety rose. Could she do this without him? He had always been an anchor, ever since the flames had consumed her, and though she had managed these past months she still felt a small sense of doubt in herself.

Instead of giving word to her thoughts, she merely smiled.

"There is already a room made up for you, Master, though you may use it as you please. You'll always be welcome within these halls, so please... Don't be a stranger. There is more to Teth than meets the eye, it remains untouched by the greater Galaxy. It would please me to know that you saw it as an escape of your own, Sargon... It's not quite Bakura, I admit."

Then they were with Asha, and the girl seemed unsure of what to do. Jyn could sense the apprehension, the longing to run over to him. It was the same as she had felt.

Allowing the two a moment, Jyn stepped away further into the Crystal Gardens and inhaled a small breath of fresh air. Her eyes lingered to the horizon, soaking in all that there was to see amidst this most sacred of worlds. Untouched, truly it was.

[member="Sargon Vynea"]

 

[Lief]

It was true. Asha wanted nothing more than to run toward Sargon and throw her arms around him. She refrained, of course, she would not lower herself to the state he had seen her in back on Thule. Instead she kept her head held high and smiled. The tears of serenity which had threatened to overwhelm her earlier were gone, and instead she felt solely calm.

The man who had shown her the Universe in one fell swoop... What had happened? Why had things changed so drastically since their first encounters? Since she left alongside him as a student? Baby Azrael lifted up and hurried over by her side, mewing up at Sargon. No fool, her babe, he recognized the man immediately.

"But you were my Master" she said, half wincing at the word. No, he was nothing like Aellin. She could not associate the two. "Or the closest I ever had to one. You are a wise man, far wiser than most in this Galaxy." In that moment Asha felt undeserving of his presence. The fact that he had come at all spoke volumes. And her gratitude knew no bounds. "I suppose... After all that's happened... I'm just glad to see you well. Both of you."

She hastily gestured to the refreshments which had been lain out, incase he was thirsty or hungry, or simply wanted to rest. "Will you be with us long?"

[member="Sargon Vynea"]

 

[Sargon Vynea]

He smiled broadly before finally stepping forward and sweeping her up in a big hug lifting her right off her feet. Laughing merrily he set her down after a moment, "Don't be silly, Asha, I was your teacher, but the Force is your master. It has guided you of its own teaching and wills, you've learned little from me in comparison to what the Force has shown you. I understand this, because I too am it's student. I've had one man who taught me some, but he was gone again as quickly as he came. It is this attachment to creating masters out of teachers that we fail to listen to what the living Force itself can and will teach us."

Moving over to the refreshments he sipped on a sweet wine, as he answered her last question. "In truth I don't know, Asha. I'm a man without a purpose lately, but I'm unsure if the Force is going to allow that to continue much longer. I am also no Je'daii, I thought I might have been once, but deep studies into your philosophy has brought me to the understanding that I am not, nor will I ever be. I enjoy the light of the living Force, and I have never really lived in true balance. While I think I've finally come to understand some of the balance it creates, I also understand my place in it. As it has brought you to your place in the Force. I will always be your teacher though, and friend. I may not live within these halls, but I will always be a friend to the Order. As well as you and Jyn. You will do great things within these halls, and those not yet born will reap of your wisdom. I am proud of you, Asha."

[member="Asha Hex"]