Private Approaching the Crossroad

[Katherine Holt]

The past several months had been a whirlwind for Katherine. She had been saved from the clutches of the Dark Empire, and brought back into the safety of the New Jedi Order. Only to finally awaken and be told her legs were severely damaged. Sure, the broken bones had been mended, but the nerve damage had meant re-learning how to walk in general. And Katherine wouldn’t learn just how severe that would be until later.

She hated being sidelined, unable to be out there to help others. But as stubborn as she could be, Katherine knew she’d be next to useless if she could barely take five steps without collapsing.

Her time on the Prosperity was spent on physical therapy, overseen by the Healers stationed there. She had regularly scheduled checkups to make sure she was progressing at the correct rate. Overall, it drew the Padawan to utter boredom, but at least being stuck there led to her finally speaking to some familiar faces, like Aiden Porte and Zaiya Ceti .

And then the bombshell dropped, and the Healers revealed just how deeply rooted the damage was. The combination of the physical damage, trauma from the Force Lightning she had endured, and the genetic mess that was the Sithspawn experiments, Katherine’s nervous system was irreparably damaged.

Suffice to say, that news didn’t go over well…

But it ultimately lit a fire under the Padawan, and she intensified her research into different cultures around the galaxy. Namely those that had rituals that focused anywhere from healing, right up to outright rebirth. It was not surprising to see Katherine with her head buried in a bunch of books and datapads.

Only this time, she opted to spend her time elsewhere. Not in the confined space of the Prosperity, or the Jedi Temple which was surrounded by nothing but metal and concrete. Instead, Katherine had gone to the one place she truly felt at home; the Noble’s abode on Niv Hani.

So there she sat in the living room, engrossed in a datapad she was holding while a small stack of them resided on the nearby table.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

The news had been sombering.

After everything Katherine had gone through, after everything she'd done to not just survive but rise above the darkness that was trying to be forced upon her, the fact that she'd never fully regain her ability to walk, to recover as she had been once, was.. Unfair. His own body had been damaged irreversibly by the Dark from his youth. The runes along his skin, inert and invisible for the moment, were what allowed him the full range of movement he used.

He sat at the table with Katherine, setting down a cinnamon roll for her. It was one he'd made fresh, and hoped it might make her feel somewhat better. Sweets helped, he'd learned, when nothing else seemed to.

"How'r you holding up?"

Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

Before she even laid eyes on it, Katherine could smell the fresh baked cinnamon roll. One of the very few things that could successfully divert the Padawan’s attention from being fixated on whatever she was reading.

She flashed a grateful smile, placing the datapad to her side before reaching over and grabbing the sweet pastry. Katherine let out a content munch as she took a bite, sinking deep into her chair.

“I’m…managing.” She replied, letting out a small sigh. “Much better than I did when I first learned the news.” The Padawan still felt sheepish and guilty over her outburst.

“On one hand I’m just tired and exhausted of things going wrong for me. On the other; and in hindsight, I’m oddly relieved? At least now I know, there’s no uncertainty whether I will ever be able to recover or not.”

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"It doesn't make it easier. When I first fled from the Sith I stopped using the Force entirely, and because of it I was sick and weak for a while. I had to work twice as hard as everyone just to be normal." And for her, that wasn't even possible now. His expression softened as he took a seat across from her, lifted one of his sleeves. Runes glowed now, across his skin in sequences usually invisible to the eye.

"Now I need these. So, what are you reading into to try and figure out a way around it?"

She was, after all, his Padawan.

Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

Katherine admittedly leaned a bit more forwards when Kahlil rolled up his sleeve. From the day he first introduced runes to her, Katherine had been fascinated by them. More so with the ones that lined her Master’s body. He had never shown them then, only emphasised their importance.

It was an idea she had entertained for a time, but ultimately decided to not pursue it further. She had no clue what that kind of toll would take on her already damaged body. And if Katherine was going to be honest, she didn’t feel ‘comfortable’ in it anymore.

Hadn’t been since she learned that technically she wasn’t the original occupant.

But that was a whole other can of worms to unpack.

Katherine leaned back into her chair, taking another bite of her cinnamon roll. Right at the same time as Kahlil made a comment towards what she was working on. The Padawan couldn’t help but chuckle.

Of course he knew.

“I’ve been researching different cultures in the galaxy, primarily one’s that currently exist. Looking for those that have certain healing rituals.” Katherine reached forwards with her free hand, rifling through the pile of datapads until she found the one she was looking for. “The Voss for instance, have some healing-based rituals, but they’re more focused on visions.”

She placed the datapad down and looked for another. “I even looked into the Nightsisters, which while they have a dark-aligned history, these days there are more ‘Light Witches’.” Her mind immediately went to individuals like Dreidi.

“But…” Katherine began, letting out a sigh as her eyes swept across her collection of datapads. “Given how this body; on a genetic level, is a Sithspawn mess. Coupled with adopting the Light as a Jedi. I feel like I need to find a group that is well…neutral I guess, if that makes sense?”

The Padawan turned her attention to Kahlil. “If I want to ‘cleanse’ my body, it needs to be by a group that can give me a full clean slate. Not solely influenced by Light or Dark, Ashla or Bogan.”

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Mm. It's a difficult choice to figure out that's true. Though, Light and Dark, there's not as much of a line as you think. The Dark rips the Force against it's natural flow, the Light goes along with it. A lot of Force Traditions will say they're light or dark, but that's the distinction that really matters." It was why Kahlil was always so vehemently against the Dark. It brought pain to the Force itself. He hummed in thought, leaning back in his seat.

"The Aing Ti, though, are here. After the Sith Order attacked them, we welcome them here for safety."

Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

“Oh I know, my experience with the Creeping Lignan made that all too clear. For me, the Dark is deeply rooted because of the experiments. The only reason I could connect with the Light is because they were never finalised.” It’s why Katherine wasn’t confident in a purely Light-based solution. Trying to cleanse something so deeply rooted could easily result in the complete destruction of one’s body.

Sithspawn didn’t exactly react well to being struck with the Lightside of the Force.

“There was one group I glanced at when gathering this small collection…What was their name?” She leaned forwards, shifting through the datapads again. Her attention split between her search, and listening to what Kahil had said next. Though not quite paying attention initially.

“Aing-Tii! That’s their name-”

Katherine blinked, lifting her head up to look over at Kahlil.

“Wait, did you just say they’re here? On Niv Hani?”

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Even if they did finish those experiments, I'd undo it for you."

It was a simple promise, and one he fully meant. With his laboratory on New Cov he'd done much on reversing Sithspawn creation. There were countless others that he was still working on fixing, on helping. On undoing what was done to them. There were limits though. The Dark's scars were irreversible, even if the Dark was removed. One couldn't scoop out the poison added to a well.

"Those that survived the purge, yeah. They linger in their own settlement, don't get out much. We leave it to themselves, for the most part. They deserve that much."

Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

Katherine’s eyes widened, leaning back into the chair. A multitude of thoughts and ideas spun around in her mind. She wasn’t one to believe in fate per se but…

This can’t just be a coincidence. It’s one thing for Master to know of them, but the fact they’re on the very same planet?

She continued to be lost in her thoughts for a while longer, before her eyes snapped back over to Kahlil.

“Can we go visit them?” She asked, her eyes full of hope and resolve. “I-I’d like to speak with them."

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Yeah. We can go now, if you want. I've been meaning to visit them more as it is." They settled well on the other side of Niv Hani, but he hadn't visited them much at all. What better time than to help his Padawan, then? He motioned to the cinnamon roll though, smiling after a moment. "Finish that first, yeah? Then we'll go. Sound like a deal?"

Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

“Yes please!” Was Katherine’s almost immediate response to Kahlil. She let out a sheepish chuckle, okay maybe she was overly excited to meet the Aing-Tii. There was just something not just in the back of her mind, but the core of her heart too. Both were telling her that she needed to speak with them, to see if they had the solution that could help her.

The Padawan followed Kahlil’s motion, realizing she had yet to finish her cinnamon roll. Katherine nodded, a certain glint in her eye. “Deal.” A second later she practically devoured what remained of the pastry. Sugar rush be damned, she wasn’t going to waste another moment.

Katherine grabbed her bag and quickly put her collection of datapads within. With a casual use of the Force, she summoned her hover chair closer. The Padawan stood up, taking a moment to physically grab the arms of the chair, before turning around and plopping down into the seat.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Well at least she was eating.

Kahlil chuckled before he got up from he table, letting the rolls be left on the counter for Valery Noble , Colette , and the other little Noble's to enjoy. Right now, he could see how excited Kat was to meet them. So, out to the family speeder they'd go. One he wasn't going to crash into an acid lake, since, there wasn't an acid lake on Niv Hani.

"They're quiet, by the way. They chat.. Mentally, mostly. So, be sure to let them in if you want a real conversation with them."

Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

Katherine was all smiles as she followed Kahlil through the house. But it quickly faltered when he mentioned how the Aing-Tii communicated. The Padawan felt a small chill run down her back.

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” The last time…no the last two times, someone had been in her head, neither had been a pleasant experience. “I wonder if it would be wise to preemptively warn them about my mess of a mind.” She joked, trying to push those negative thoughts aside.

Once they were outside, Katherine maneuvered her way out of her hoverchair and into the speeder. From there she used the Force to help Kahlil get the chair in too.

“So, given that we’re using this, I’m guessing they don’t exactly reside particularly close?”

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"They're.. Not quite like our minds. I don't think they'd care or understand your mind in the same way we do. Which, by the way, is another heads up. The Force doesn't have Dark or Light to them. Their minds, their beliefs, they can exist that way. Their teachings are good, and some that I do recommend. But those teachings have pulled many Jedi to the Dark Side. It's a concept that just.. Doesn't exist for them."

As ever, the Force reacted with intent. Their minds couldn't react the same way as Kahlil's or Katherine's own, and vis versa. He kicked on the speeder, already starting to bring them to their destination. It wasn't going to be a short trip, but that just meant they could talk some more.

"They like to keep to themselves. And their culture is vastly different. Like I said, different minds entirely. We can get along easy enough, but I don't think they can co-mingle as well as many others. Even if it doesn't make sense, be sure to respect their beliefs, okay?"

Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

“Huh, that’s interesting…so they’re like an open book in a way?” Sort of like how she had been when first starting to train as a Jedi. Open to learning anything and everything Kahlil was willing to teach her. Though that had been more to figure out what she could be capable of, what would stick, and what would work in tandem with her unique traits.

Former in some cases, but if Katherine had her way, she’d be soaring through the skies before long.

“They open themselves to every path, not restricting any particular one. But because of that, there’s no guidance to avoid slipping too deeply down the wrong one?” Although she imanaged for the Aing-tii there was no ‘wrong path’.

Katherine’s gaze lingered out to the terrain they were speeding past, lost in her thoughts for a couple minutes.

“But the Dark Side is corruptive, the fact it isn’t a concept to them is…weird. Then again, I guess it could possibly come down to whether they even have the concept of temptation.” It was the greatest danger when it came to the Dark. Giving someone a taste of that promised power, tempting them to take a deeper sip.

“Of course Master, I wouldn’t want to upset them in the slightest.” As much as Katherine had a bit of a fiery temperament with physical training. When it came to the academic side of things, the Padawan had a more level head. “Although, I imagine I should make sure to reign in my eagerness a tad.” Katherine added, chuckling sheepishly.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"That's the long and short of it, really. The 'dark' they use isn't taking advantage of the Force as say, the Sith do. It's unnatural, yes, but, they don't feel that temptation. They don't abuse the Force. In a way they exist alongside it in a way Jedi strive to, but never truly can." In a way he hoped to, honestly, but he had a feeling he never would. His understanding of the Force was just too different. Though, he reached out, ruffling Katherine's hair some.

"Eagerness isn't a bad thing. I don't think they'd have problems with it either. They don't mind outsiders. The issue is more on us to make sure we don't take their teachings and end up falling."

Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

“I suppose though, to them the ‘dark’ they utilize isn’t unnatural to them, not in how we view it at least. But then again, I wonder if they have a broader spectrum of emotions than us? Or a greater control over them?” Katherine let out a sigh, rubbing her forehead. “Not going to lie, it hurts my head to think about.”

Katherine smiled as Kahlil ruffled her hair a bit.

“That’s good to know, I’m just hoping they have something that can help me, and be able to convince them to help.”

At the very least she’d get to meet a people and culture wholly different to anything she had read about

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"It's not a broader range so much as just.. Different emotions entirely." At least as far as Kahlil could understand. In truth, he was still trying to figure it all out himself. But he knew the danger of the Dark, the danger of their beliefs and how it could warp his own. Would that make it easier for him, in truth, to understand? Maybe. His gaze settled on Katherine again though as he smiled softly.

"They might. They might not. Don't let yourself feel down if there isn't, okay? We'll speak with others, or perhaps even start using my runes. It'd take a lot of time, but they could help."

Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

Yeah, this is making my head feel like it's spinning in several directions at once.

Katherine let out a small sigh as she glanced out from the speeder. Her mind had already been racing trying to find a solution to her health. And she’d be lying if she weren’t hoping an easy answer would just fall into her lap. Just snap her fingers and everything would magically fix itself.

But that’s just not how things worked.

She had gotten lucky being able to escape the facility where she had been experimented upon. And just as lucky to have ended up not just under Kahlil’s tutelage, but the care of the Nobles as a whole.

That luck had to run out eventually, and Katherine couldn’t help but feel she was just scrambling to try and reclaim it.

“I know, I just…feel like I need to find a solution soon rather than later. That time isn’t going to be on my side for very long.”

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Time isn't something we fight against. It's not how much you have left, it's what you do with it."

Wise words, or at least Kahlil hoped they'd be. Something to help keep the stress off of Katherine's shoulders after everything that had happened, that was happening. He gave a brief smile before he focused back on the road, driving them through the woods. There weren't roads this far out, and certainly not to the Aing-Tii home. It wasn't too much longer that they were driving.

"We'll be there in a moment. You ready?"

Katherine Holt