An Ordinary Day

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

She shrugged.

”Compared to most of my family I'm still a kid.”

One quarter of her family anyway, on her father's side. Mom's side was a bit of a mystery when it came to that. They knew Lorrd, and that was about it. Her father's family was far more interesting, far more expansive, and without a doubt far more dangerous than anyone had a right to even talk about. Still, she considered herself luckier than most, certainly more so than some of the children in this shuttle.

She glanced back at them for a moment.

”Come on.” Aela said stepping closer. ”Let's Get you off the floor.”

She motioned for Seela to help her. ”There's An acceleration couch back there.”

This ship was by no means in the lap of luxury, but it had a few amenities.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

The comment seemed to be taken with no humour at all. Jacen took that to mean it was time to be quiet and do as he was told.

"It's alright, a hand will..." but before he could protest further they'd taken an arm each to help him up. Jacen kept his weight off the wounded leg. He stopped them long enough to rid himself of the top half of the bulky suit. The tunic beneath was clammy. It was nice to be out of the cumbersome thing, but he still had the heavy boots on for now.

"That's distinctly more comfortable than the floor," he declared in the coich. "Could I trouble someone for a water?"

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

The good thing about having more than a dozen Jedi Younglings around was that most of them were eager to help when it came to something like this. For the last few months they had all endured training to eventually become Jedi, and part of that was the teaching of compassion and how to recognize when someone needed help. Right now it was easy enough to see Jacen needed help.

So when he asked for whatever, the sound of scurrying feet filled the air of the transport as half a dozen different younglings when searching through the crates of supplies that had been brought aboard. About a minute later two of these students returned. One carried a bottle of water, and the other some kind of fruit.

Aela smiled, though she didn't say anything as Jacen was offered both items.

Instead she focused herself on the cockpit. Both of the pilots were quietly chattering along now, either content that they had made it off the station or concerned that something else might still come after them. She smiled, parting Jacen on the head as she wandered through the crowd of children and poked her head into the cockpit. ”How long until we get to Borleias?”

The pilots quickly answered her. Informing the Jedi master that it would be at least a day.

Normally it would only have been a few hours, but there was the concern that ordinary hyperspace routes would be dotted with grav traps.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

Jacen had slept in some awful conditions in his time. Damp trenches in boots that hadn't been waterproof for weeks, in a nook of a shattered building of a city being shelled by Sith forces. But even he had trouble finding sleep in a ship full of anxious children.

They didn't sleep much. The older ones and younger ones might have managed to nap a few times. Through the Force he could feel some of that nervous energy turn to excitement about visiting a new world. Those from Wroostri hadn't seen the Sith vessels in the sky, but all but the youngest could truly appreciate how grave the situation was.

Feeling stubborn he got back to his feet and moved towards the cockpit. The voice of the pilot drifted back to him.

"We're coming up on the world. Where do we need to..."

"Aela said I need to make you sit down. By force if necessary. Those were her words," came a female voice from behind him.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Finding the way down to her family's home was not an easy task, particularly due to its cloaking device. Most of the time her father kept it disabled, but with the current troubles surrounding Alliance space she wasn't so sure it would be. So she nudged her way into the small cockpit and grabbed the communications console.

”I'll need to reach my father, the auto-navigator will take us in.” This was a system that her father had worked out some time ago.

Just off the island was a satellite dish, one that could connect and act as a guide for incoming vessels. There was a code one would need to Input, but of course Aela had memorized that long before shed ever even been aboard a starship. After a few moment Aela managed to find the correct communications channel and punched in the code.

”That should get us there.” Aela told the pilots. ”Just let the auto pilot do the work.”

She smiled and then wandered back into back of the ship.

For a moment Aela surveyed the children, looking back at them for a few seconds. It was obvious that most were tired, some were even still scared. She frowned slightly, but she knew it would be over soon. After a few seconds she nudged her way through the crowd to find her way to Jacen.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

As she marched back through the ship Jacen jabbed his thumb towards Allara.

"Did you tell her she could use force to keep me sat down or is she just being creative with the truth?" he asked incredulously.

A couple of the children smiled at his tone. Some were beyond paying attention. There were at least five seperate conversations going on with each group seemingly vying to be the loudest.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

”I believe I said whatever measure necessary.” Aela said as she came up to them, smiling at Allara before glancing at Jacen.

”We should be landing in a few minutes.” If nothing else went wrong. ”It will be a surprise, but my mother wont mind.”

Her father would, but that wouldn't really matter. Kira would overrule on this particular subject. ”We'll have to find a place for all of them eventually.”

Bodleian was only a temporary solution.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

Jacen noticed that she said mother and not parents. That was for Aela to work out. Two whole groups of younglings was rather a larger responsibility to adopt than a lone orphan defel.

"I'll try and contact anyone I can once we're down," Jacen said. "I don't want to give away where we are to anyone who is listening though. Got to assume the Alliance channels may have been compromised by now."

Jacen could feel the slightest change in gravity. The inertial dampeners and artificial gravity were slightly adjusting to new forces.

"Truth is, you're one of the few left in the Order I really trust," he said with a shrug.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

She frowned slightly, sitting herself down on the edge of the acceleration couch.

Allara, being intuitive as she was nodded her head slowly and moved away from the two of them. The young woman slipped away and joined the other children, leaning down to talk to one of younger ones who still seemed caught him in a small amount of fear. Aela allowed herself to feel a measure of pride for a moment, then half turned to Jacen so that she wouldn't have to speak loudly. ”Its troubling.”

She admitted.

”If the Sith infiltrated the New Jedi Order than where else are they?” The question was rhetorical. ”Who was it?”

Aela asked finally.

Jacen had managed to avoid the subject, but in truth the details of everything that had happened so far were completely unknown to her. All she knew was that Coruscant had fallen and one of their own had turned. Oddly enough, she didn't feel too guilty about not seeing it coming. Perhaps she would have once, but the last few months had seen her grow far beyond the rash girl who went charging in on the front lines.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

The injury bothered him far less than what had happened these past days. The mask slipped briefly before it was put back in place. Later, when the children were away. Then he might see if her family kept any beer around the house and let Aela see.

"After Omai died they brought in a new Grandmaster. By all accounts... It was her. Makes me think about the circumstances in which we lost him."

He was the one that had come to them all and united them behind a new purpose. The one who had given Jacen a new drive. Their crusade had led all the way back to the core. To Trextan.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Aela sat quietly for a moment.

She had distanced herself from the order over the last year, resigning her place as a Marshall and even renouncing any authority of the Order itself. For all intents and purposes she had been a sort of outside contractor at the Temple on Wroosti, no longer a Jedi but just a girl helping out. It wss no surprise she hadn't heard of these events, even though she had been at Master Rhen’s funeral. She frowned for a moment.

”I see.” Ironic then that the same person who brought them to ruin had rejected an entrance into the New Rebel Alliance.

For some reason that amused her. It was small proof that even Sith could make foolish mistakes.

A small sigh escaped her. ”Well.”

What was there to say about all of this really?

”I suppose we will have to deal with the fallout.” No matter where they went. ”But the children first.”

She glanced at him. ”Then Trextan.”

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

It was a slow nod that told of frustration at being here at all, but agreement with her plan. They could probably bounce a signal off a few relays to hide where they were communicating from. There were a few names he would start with in the GADF to try and get an understating of where the fleet had gone. And where they might have taken Trextan.

The ship shuddered as it evened out in the planet's atmosphere. A whine of dampeners and repulsors finding a balance and they were level and smooth again.

"He is safe right now," Jacen whispered. The Force told him that much at least. "We'll be landing soon. I'm going to hide back here on account of my grievous injuries and let you explain this to your parents." He stood up and limped towards the bay doors, suggesting he was thinking nothing of the sort.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

"They'll be fine." Aela assured Jacen as she stood from her place on the acceleration couch.

Though her father wouldn't exactly be pleased with the situation, she knew that he wouldn't be mad. Having a horde of children at your doorstep was never good for anyone, but for the Talith family it wasn't the worst thing that could happen. Their house was massive, they had the resources to feed five hundred, and the truth of the matter was that Aela's mother would be more than pleased to house all of these younglings. That was just a statement of fact.

"My mother will be delighted." She told him. "And my father will understand."

Or her mother would make him.

She smiled briefly. "Come on."

The bay doors opened and Aela stepped forward, motioning for everyone, including the children, to follow.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

The kids needed some space. It was obvious at a glance that the stress and confinement had worn some of them down. He guessed that some had gone thirty six hours with barely any sleep now.

Jacen left his own small bag on the ship for now. Walking through the group he exchanged a few words with some that needed encouragement and left others who seemed to have found an internal space to hole up in for now.

They had not been here for long last time. Aela had been restless. Of course, the intention had been to go walking through some wilderness not to foil a plot to start altering timelines.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Borleias was home.

More so than Wroosti, more so than any Jedi Temple. This was where she had grown up and where she had spent her childhood. Sure most of that time had been hidden away in her own bedroom reading one book or another, but that didnt make this any less special.

Without any hesitation she walked up to the front door of the house and pulled it open, sticking her head inside. ”Mom? Dad?”

She called out.

Aela knew that her brother had awoken recently, he had been back here to see him just days after he had. Coming out of the coma had been hard, and their parents had been working hard to make sure Micah was alright. That meant all sorts of things of course, and right now she was guessing the house was empty because they had all gone for a walk. Laying in a bed for months had the tendency to atrophy ones muscles, and Micah had to build up his strength.

”Come on everyone.” She told the kids. ”Let's head into the living room.”

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

Jacen had not stayed long the last time he had come here. He'd taken the walk to the house, investigated the library. Before they had set out he had taken a brief walk across the beach.

"How rich is Master Talith?"

The voice was a quiet hiss, but he was aware that it wasn't quiet enough for Aela to have missed. Supressing a childish smile he turned towards the group.

"Come on, get on inside," he said. He wasn't stern but there was a touch of command in his tone. Instead of obedience, there was a shriek.

He turned on the spot, following their gaze. Alenna had stepped in front of the younger ones. Jacen had already worked out what it was before he saw Vexen.

"Oh hello there Vexen," he said.

"There's a lot of you," the shadow observed back.

"These are academy students. This is Vexen."

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

”Master Talith is not rich, her parents are.” Aela commented dryly, speaking just loudly enough for all of the children to hear her.

The manor didn't have enough rooms to sleep all of them of course, not in individual beds, but for a few days they could camp inside the living room.and observatory. She was sure that her mother would find accommodation for all of the Children, even if it frazzled her at first. It wasn't like she intended for all of them to stay here permanently.

Just until they could find a safe place for them. She was confident that Kira and Soliael would know of one. Her parents were about ad connected as they could be.

”Hello Vexen.” She greeted the deffell with a smile. ”These students needed a safe place to stay.”

She explained. ”This is the first place I thought of. Where are my mother and father?”

No matter what her parents would be surprised, but she thought if she could reach them before they walked in on the horde of children it might go over better.

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Aela Talith"] // [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

A leg pushed against the ground at a slow but comfortable pace that sent her hammock swinging back and forth between the two poles she had put it up against. Amber eyes peered into blue skies through blonde locks of hair as Kaili seemed to drift in and out of sleep for every second that passed her by. There was still a bruise on her temple from the punch she had taken earlier, but once their mother had been allowed her moment of worry they had both agreed — or rather, Kaili had really pushed the point — that in order to keep her cover as intact as possible the bruise needed to heal by natural means.

Amea was… Not who Kaili was, yet she was exactly who she was at the same time. Besides that, all things considered, it was nice to return home for a life of luxury after a few weeks of living on ships and the most basic of provisions and jobs around. Life as a Warden suited her. She enjoyed her work well enough and in many ways she was grateful for what that meant in terms of being in the spotlight. Which was to say she wasn’t in it much at all. For the time being her disguise was intact and she needed it to remain that way for as long as she could.

Besides that there were other reasons to be at home and in a mood. Her break up for one, but that was not really troubling her. At least not at the moment. There were ups, there were downs, but Kaili managed to take those in strides to the best of her abilities.

So, imagine her surprise when a familiar ship seemed to touch down and rather than have just one familiar presence spread itself across the force it seemed to be more than a few. The young girl’s eyes slowly opened up and she perked a brow at the sight of someone approaching.

She followed the presence through the house until she met up with Aela and Jacen. A quite surprised expression spread across Kaili’s face and in a flash she recoiled and gave her sister an equally shocked and amused glance.

“This… Was not what I expected.” The girl grinned at her sister and then gave Jacen a quick nod of her head to greet him. “I mean, it’s good to see you both, but uh… What’s with the children?”

 

[Vexen]

Vexen didn't like strangers. There were now a lot of them crammed into this one room. They were making far more noise than had been in the house for a very long time. That many overtired children just carried an atmosphere of noise with them. They looked at things, touched things. Several of them still regarded her curiously.

It had been a difficult month and she wasn't feeling up to this. The defel took a deep breath and padded into the room. They smelled of ship and at least three other places. Her sensitive nose could pick up the foul traces of Sithspawn and she could actually recognise the Coruscant temple.

"What species is that?"

"where will we stay?"

"I'm hungry."

"But she must still be rich right..."

The noise was made up of so many different conversations. What was odd was that each pair of younger children seemed to be able to talk and listen at the same time. Didn't seem quite like a conversation to her.

"They were by the shore," Vexen said to Aela. At least none of the children were really young. Like the Edens that used to cling to her fur if she strayed too close.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Vexen"]

She hadn't expected her sister to be here, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing either. Kaili hadn't exactly joined the Jedi Order like Aela had way back, but she was no stranger to the system either. She knew how it worked. ”Kaili!”

Aela said as she pulled her little sister to the side slightly, lowering her voice so that the children wouldn't hear.

”The Sith attacked the Alliance, the New Jedi Order is a mess and we had to run.” It was a tale she'd told twice now. ”Home was the only safe place I could think of and I figured mom could use the academy network to find somewhere for these children to go.”

It was a quick summary, and left out any and all details, but right now that wasn't her focus. ”Why don't you show them to the living room, or the observatory, and I'll find mom and dad?”

The request was clearly not much of one. Though the Talith family was most of the time a democracy Aela was the eldest sibling, and that meant at times she had the privilege of pulling ‘rank' on her siblings. She wasn't ordering Kaili around so much as she was just leaving her absolutely no choice in her decision.

”Jacen go with her.” Aela said firmly. ”Vexen would you please show me where you saw them last”

The defel could probably track them down in a heartbeat.