Another Side, Another Story (Callista Gseran)

[Talon Sky]

[member="Callista Gseran"]

The room that he entered was vast and white, yet strangely devoid of things despite the large space. In fact, the only thing Talon Sky's azure blue eyes laid upon was a large egg-shaped machine, maybe twice as tall as a man, and a table with two chairs at its base. And....her.

The blond woman at the table was just as beautiful as Talon remembered from his youth; he knew that she chose this form to please him, but the sight of his wife certainly gave the old man pause. "You came," she breathed with a grace that was certainly not Kelsey's voice, at least. That made it easier for Talon, tired and weary, to approach the table and seat himself.

"So this is it, then?" he asked stiffly, looking this way and that. The old man had long blond hair down past his shoulders and a full beard, both streaked with silver strands from his advanced age. He worn an ancient set of Jedi armor, gleaming black and gold and red; gifted to him from the Republic for his valiant efforts against the Sith and Empire. It was scarred and beaten up, but still strong, much like the man who wore it. "This is a bit....bleak. For the end of all things, I mean."

The woman frowned, but she didn't get upset at his jest. "You are a particularly sarcastic incarnation. But yes, here we are....at the end of all things."

The pair remained quiet for a long time before Talon finally spoke again. "So....I climb in there," he gestured towards the egg-shaped chamber, "and then what? Poof? I don't remember a thing, and....he....just wakes up? Wouldn't it be better to have the kid know what he's getting into? Better for the 'plan'? I know if I had...."

"If you had, would events have played out differently? Would you have abused that knowledge?"

Talon looked the woman straight in the eyes, and slowly acknowledged her accusation. "....yes. I would have."

"You are very honest, for a Jedi Master."

"It's a character flaw I never grew out of," Talon chuckled, before falling silent again. "I'm so tired. I only want to be with my wife. With my....children," the warrior choked, but fought back the tears. They had all lived their lives, as had he. He'd given everything for them, Jedi Code be damned.

"I know."

"But the galaxy needs me, doesn't it?"

"Not the galaxy you knew, but yes."

Talon sat silently with his eyes closed, breathing and attempting to meditate. He'd always had a hard time meditating. "Let's get on with it, then. I'm not getting any younger!" Talon declared loudly as he stood, and made his way towards the chamber. The woman actually smiled at that quip, shaking her beautiful head in disbelief as Talon climbed into the egg.

"You are a piece of work, talking to me like that," she mused. Talon was already sitting in the chamber. Their eyes met once more, and then Talon Sky....Jedi Master, Sword of the Jedi, husband to Kelsey Sky, and father to Alastor, Braiden, and Ashlee Sky....

Fell asleep.

-----

Talon opened his eyes and yawned. At first, he expected to see that white room....but he saw only his bedroom. His bedroom for the past ten years, in his loving home with the rich Sky family on the world of Corellia. It was near dawn.

"Another dream about him," the young boy, only fifteen, whispered to himself and the dark. He ran a hand through his head of silver-white hair, a clear indication of his Half-Echani heritage. But his bright, azure blue eyes....those were his human mother's. Some days, they were all he remembered of her.

After several minutes of unsuccessfully trying to fall back asleep, Talon stood and walked over to his personal workbench. Laying atop it was his most prized possession: a lightsaber. His lightsaber. Just a week prior, with parts and instructions bought by his wealthy adopted father, Talon had managed to complete the weapon. It should have been impossible for someone without proper Jedi training....

Talon groaned and thunked his head down onto the table. No wonder he was having odd dreams, today was the day. After constructing the lightsaber, his family had been overjoyed and alerted the Jedi of Talon's apparently savant-level talent. Indeed, Talon shown like a supernova in the Force, though his very mundane family could never have known that. But the Jedi representative scheduled to arrive today would be a different story.

Talon groaned again and flopped back into bed. It wasn't that he was unhappy about the prospect of joining the Jedi, just....no one seemed to be asking him if he WANTED to. And honestly....he didn't really know.

-----

Hours later, Vito Sky waited patiently in his office for the Jedi representative to arrive. The Sky compound, outside the skirts of Corellia's capital city, was truly a force unto itself. Huge and well guarded, it was a testament to Vito Sky's success....both as a legal business owner, and as a black market savant. Not that anyone could prove it.

Smiling, the chubby and kind looking man locked away his datapad, the contents on the screen reading Project Darkwraith for a split second before the datapad automatically purged the file. Then, his comm beeped.

"Sir. The Jedi's ship has entered the atmosphere. They will be here within moments."

Excellent. Vito Sky could only smile in anticipation; his own adopted son, soon to be a Jedi. His judgement had proved amazing once again.

 

[Callista Gseran]

[member="Talon Sky"]

It felt like eons had passed since Callista had even considered taking a Padawan - let alone training one through to Knighthood. Her last Padawan was light years and years in the past. She didn't even want to think about that. it gave her a migraine. And she was still trying to make sense of it even after having been in this universe for over a year. it still left her feeling bewildered. But, prepared or not, she had answered the Silver Sanctum's call.

And now here she was at the helm of a ship that was definitely older than she was. It had been a gift from Steffan when she'd announced she was setting out on her journey across the galaxy. As old as the ship was, she'd been lovingly restored, down to the last detail. And the ship's systems had been upgraded to current standards. And it was a good thing they had been. She was STILL trying to figure out how her ship had crossed into this galaxy.. and been thrown forward several hundred years.

But, those thoughts were of little consequence at the moment. With a soft sigh, Callista tried to focus on the task at hand. Namely, landing this ancient Defender-class corvette safely. Sure she'd flown lots of ships in her lifetime, but this one was still a bit of an enigma to her. Shaking her head slightly, Callista took a deep breath. "Coronet Control, this is Master Gseran aboard the Defender-class corvette Aay'han. Requesting landing clearance and instructions for the Sky estate. I'm expected."

 

[Talon Sky]

[member="Callista Gseran"]

"Clearance granted, Master Gseran. We're uploading coordinates to your computer....but you can't miss the place. Big estate, lots of land, thick walls," the respondent joked, and indeed the proper landing orders chimed on the ship's display screen.

On the ground, the armed and armored guards of the Sky compound were already scanning the oncoming ship, and workers were lowering the shields and clearing a landing zone. It was a bed of busy movement, but said movement was coordinated and efficient....almost to a military degree.

Inside the wall of the compound, Talon sighed and leaned his head against the window. His comm had alerted him to be dressed and ready to descend at his adopted father's signal. But even without the digital alert, all the activity outside would have tipped him off.

And there was something else, too. Talon couldn't exactly explain it, but he felt the Jedi coming. He had since she'd entered the system.

"You could look a little more excited, you know," a cheerful voice said behind Talon, belonging to his best friend and adopted brother, Santino. The boy was Talon's age almost to the month, and the two had been tight friends for a decade now. It had been Santino who found Talon on the street, Santino who had convinced his father to take Talon in.

The young Half-Echani owed a lot to his brother.

"I should be," Talon agreed, standing up from where he'd been leaning. The young man was dressed in his best 'business casual', a simple white outfit with black and yellow trim. Talon hated dressing up, but this was a special occasion. This could be the defining interview of Talon's life.

He groaned again.

"Don't you ever feel we're like....I dunno...." the young man searched himself for the right words. "Like Rodese rats, man? Just running around the wheel for the sake of running?"

Talon saw the understanding in Santino's eyes, but his proper upbringing won out. "No idea what you mean, brother. But....we have to do what we have to do. You know? Destiny, and all that."

"Destiny," Talon rolled the word around his mouth like it was something sour. What if he didn't want to lay down like an obedient Kath Hound for destiny? What if-

"Talon, the Jedi is landed. Come down to the main lobby with Santino, m'boy." The order was from Talon's father, over the speakers that littered the entire compound.

"You ready then, brother?"

"Yeah. Woof woof."

"....what?"

"Nothing," Talon chuckled and put his arm around Santino's shoulder. Physical contact always made the other boy uncomfortable."C'mon. May as well go meet this fancy Jedi bloke."

 

[Callista Gseran]

[member="Talon Sky"]

True to the words of the air traffic controller, one couldn't miss the large Sky estate. It was... massive. And very well fortified. In some ways, it reminded her of the Karrde estate back on Cataan. But this was far more militarized than his ever seemed to be. She frowned ever so slightly as she watched the bustle of activity on the designated landing platform below. It seemed like a lot of hassle for one person.

And if Callista was being honest with herself, she felt such was rather unwarranted. Though she knew many throughout the galaxy held the Jedi in very high regard. That at least hadn't changed between where she'd come from, and here. She still hadn't fully come to understand how exactly she'd come to be present in this galaxy. And perhaps she never would. But it didn't stop her from trying. Sighing softly, she turned her attention towards slowly guiding the ancient Defender-class corvette to a soft landing. If someone was watching who knew their ships, they might recognize the vessel.

It had been a gift from Steffan just before she'd embarked on her galaxy-spanning journey. It had been carefully built using original schematics and restored to as close the original detail as was possible. The electronics hidden within the various consoles were state of the art, however. At least they were considered such in the galaxy she'd come from. Here, they were probably antiques. Shaking her head slightly at that train of thought, Callista tried to focus on her reason for being here.

It wasn't often that people outside the Senate requested the aid or presence of a member of the Silver Sanctum, but it did happen. And it had happened in the past as well. From her experience, it was normally a member of the Jedi Council who was sent to investigate potential Jedi. But, times had changed. And she had been the closest member of the Silver Sanctum. And so, here she was. Taking a deep breath, she put the ship's systems into standby and carefully made her way towards the boarding ramp.

As she set foot onto the tarmac below, she could feel him. As much as he'd sensed her when she entered the system, his presence burned like a hot ember in the corner of her mind as soon as she focused on it. Could he be who she had been sent to find? Only time would tell.

 

[Talon Sky]

[member="Callista Gseran"]

Awaiting Callista on the landing pad was a silver Droid, bipedal and clearly modeled after a feminine cast. The Droid gave a slight bow as the Jedi woman descended, it's 'eyes' glowing the softest hue of pink whenever it spoke. "Greetings, Master Jedi. I am CNT3A, or Cynthia, as the little ones call me. I am a personal assistance and caretaker Droid, and it will be my greatest pleasure in helping you in any way that I might."

The Droid stepped off to the side, to allow Callista past and to walk alongside her. She also gestured towards the big, obvious freaking mansion before them. "If you please, Master Sky is waiting for us in the great hall. May I transmit a request for a drink for you? Perhaps something to eat? The kitchens are kept prepared at all times."

Inside the grand, double oak doors....which secretly housed a thick, durasteel inner frame....was a vast and elaborately decorated entrance hall. Standing there in a fine, Coruscant suit was Vito Sky. The aging human male was short and pleasantly pudgy, with a wide smile and a noticeable and receding hairline. Still, the man did not look threatening....at least, not as threatening as someone with his 'unsubstantiated' reputation ought to look. He waited patiently, leaning on his black cane, for the Jedi to enter so that he might shake her hand and call Talon in from the next room personally.

First impressions were an art form that he'd long since mastered.

"Right this way, Master Jedi. Ah, there we go! Might I present to you my master, Vito Sky."

The aging man did his best to give Callista a proper bow. "An honor, an honor madame. Welcome to my home, and thank you for coming on such short notice."