Below the Wroshyr Trees [DragonsFlame]

[Tallia Farn]

Tallia smiled and blushed a bit. All she could think to say was "Thanks for coming back for me."

She realized now that it was her own fault that she had received the blaster wound. She had let her pride get to her and she'd bit off more than she could chew. This was her greatest fear. Tallia knew that if she couldn't hold her emotions in check, they would get herself or others killed one day. Though this mission had been a success, it almost felt like a failure for her. Despite how old and grown up she tried to act, the duties of being a Jedi Knight always seemed like such a burden. She was just a sixteen year old girl, and she often wondered why she had even received the honor of being a Knight. It didn't feel like she was ready for such a responsibility. She had felt this way for months, but she'd never voiced her opinions to anyone else.

"D-do you think I'm too young to be going on these sort of missions?" She questioned with a bit of a quiver in her voice. Tallia had put up the confident front for almost all her life. She tried to be the firm anchor that everyone could rely on, it was rare that she showed how much fear and doubt she had inside her.

@[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

A smile crossed his face as she voiced her concerns. He brushed a hand across her cheek.

"Tallia...." he began. "Yknow, I used to know a Jedi your age. Her name was Aleidis Ijet. She was an amazing user of the White Current, maybe only second to Je'gan himself. And she was one of the greatest Jedi I had ever met" he said.

"But the thing is... She was 17, when she disappeared. She was one of my best friends. She was given the rank of Jedi Master at age 16. At that age, she outskilled me, at that age she not only was one of the best Jedi that we had, but had the maturity to put the Republic over her own wishes, and took Ben's wishes to run for Supreme Chancellor, which she won by the way, and attempted to bring peace to our faction as a whole. She then helped defeat and seal away Velok, and got us back the darkstaff. With one hand. And she did all this at the age of 16"

He took a breath as he gave her a heartwarming smile, trying to ease her fears. "Don't ever let age decide what you can and cannot do, Tallia. I've been a Jedi since I was 5 years of age. I'd have been a Knight by 14 if I hadn't been locked up. Never measure age as your ceiling. Work hard, THAT is your one ceiling... How hard you work, and how much you put into this. That is what makes great Jedi"


@[member="Tallia Farn"]

 

[Tallia Farn]

Tallia smiled. "You know, your pretty smart." She said nudging him gently with her elbow. "Thank you.. for everything." He was a unique Jedi, someone that she could really get along with. Now she was glad she had come on this mission. As simple as it had been, it had allowed her to make a new friend.

Of course, her anxiety did not go completely away. Her fear was rooted much too deeply to go away that quickly, but what Josh had said calmed her mind for the time being.

"Just.. being a Jedi can be pretty stressful." Tallia said running a hand absentmindedly through her hair. Then she thought about what she had said. "Ok, that was a huge understatement." She said laughing a bit at herself. "But this is what I've been trained for sense I was a youngling, and it's the only path I've ever known. I just hope it's the right one."

@[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He chuckled a bit and nudged her right back. "You're not half bad yourself" he joked with a big grin. At her thanks, he simply smiled. She was a unique one, interesting, fun... Someone that he just hit it off with naturally. It was nice, really. He felt comfortable around her, and looked forward to perhaps seeing her in the future....

It certainly made him happy he'd come onto this mission, despite the pain. He could sense her fear and anxiety though, and he felt sorry for her. He wished there was something he could do, moreso then he had already done.

"Just.. being a Jedi can be pretty stressful." she said. He nodded in agreement, it could be indeed. He removed his hand from her cheek gently. Would a hug comfort her? He didn't know. He didn't know if he had the right to hug the woman, despite what they'd just been through. Risking his life alongside her had placed a trust and comfort in him around her, he realized. But he didn't know if that was mutual.

"Ok, that was a huge understatement." she said, and a smirk crossed his face. "But this is what I've been trained for sense I was a youngling, and it's the only path I've ever known. I just hope it's the right one." she added. He smiled. "This has been my life since as long as I can remember. It's what I've been trained for and it's what I've lived for. But you don't realize you've made the right choice until you look into the eyes of the people you've helped, the lives you've improved and saved. When you realize you've made a difference, Tallia, that.... Is the moment that you know that everything was worth it. Every inch of pain and suffering, every wound, every scar... It's all worth it when you see the results of your actions"


@[member="Tallia Farn"]

 

[Tallia Farn]

She thought back to the Wookies they had saved. Families they had kept from being split apart. That was what being a Jedi was about. Protecting the vulnerable and bringing justice to the unjust. That was their job. It made her understand just how selfish she was being. Tallia had let her ego get in the way.

"I understand now Master. I apologize for my foolishness." She blushed again. "You're right, every minute is worth it. I just don't always appreciate what a privilege it is to be a Jedi... If I hadn't been taken in, I don't know where I would have ended up." She shuddered at the thought of what it would be like to be Sith.

"You would never be able to trust anyone.. Talk about stress." She thought to herself.

@[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He smiled a bit, seeming happy with her answer. "And just like that, you have grown and developed as a Jedi, Knight Farn" he said, looking her over. He was proud of her for that. She was so unlike many of the Jedi that were spawning these days.... So arrogant, so eager for war... So different from the Jedi that he had known for so long.... Not appreciating the work they did and the cause it was for. It sickened him.

But... In front of him, was the living proof that the Jedi Way wasn't dead. That in this world of lies and arrogance, he wasn't alone. That kindred souls still existed in this galaxy that gave him more hope then anything ever had.

"Yeah... A Sith..." he said, biting his lip at her statement. His thoughts went back to Nick, his brother... Somewhere out in that galaxy, alone, and forced to serve something that he didn't understand, something that he only served because it was all he knew.. If only he could find him. Show him the way. Get him away from that hell.

Then his mind travelled to Tallia again as their eyes locked. He stared into them a moment, and he realized something... Her eyes seemed to almost sparkle in the sunlight that reflected from the window. He couldn't help but smile just a bit. It made him realize just how beautiful the woman standing before him was, that just hours before, he'd fought for his life alongside, for a cause they both believed in.

"..... You have beautiful eyes" he finally spoke, quietly. A blush crossed the face of the Jedi Master. He didn't know why that came out... But perhaps it was just him speaking his mind, as always. It just came out, uncontrollably. But he didn't regret it. He wasn't lying.

He averted his gaze a bit, his cheeks turning as crimson as the lip he bit, looking away a bit.

"I'm.... Going to get some air" the Jedi Master said quietly, a little fidgety as he turned to walk out, trying to hide the expression on his face.

@[member="Tallia Farn"]

 

[Tallia Farn]

"..... You have beautiful eyes" Tallia's face turned even redder at the remark, and she looked down at the ground to hide her flushed cheeks. "I'm.... Going to get some air" She brought her head up to watch Josh leave. Tallia wanted to say something like "thank you", but that sounded horridly wrong in her head. As he headed out the door she simply said, "I- I'm going to go prep my ship. It's a long way back to Coruscant."

She headed out the door behind him, but turned off towards the shuttle bay with her face still pink. She took a calm breath and focused on the things ahead. She needed to make sure she had enough fuel to make the trip back, do a check on all the sensor arrays and engine systems, and re-calibrate the control yoke to keep it as precise as possible. Tallia was really just trying to think about anything other than what had just happened. One of her teachers had told her once that spending too much time pondering the past or future was a hindrance on what needed to get done in the present. So she set herself to the task of getting ready for launch.

@[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh took a breath as he looked out at the villages below that were finally beginning to get out of panic after the slavers had been, at least for now, defeated. A smile crossed his face as he realized that they really had made a difference here.

He tried to get his mind off of what had happened. Why had he just burst out like that? He didn't understand it. Sure, he usually spoke his mind... But he could usually control it. It was almost like an impulse. But it wasn't a lie, he knew that...

The more he tried to get his mind off of it, the more he ended up thinking about it. Finally, he sighed and went to where Tallia's ship was docked. Going in, he looked around before finally finding her.

"Hey... Listen...." he began, taking a nervous breath. "I'm... I'm sorry about that, back there. I don't know why I just burst out like that. I mean, I wasn't lying about it, but...."

He sighed and looked down a bit, palming his face.

@[member="Tallia Farn"]

 

[Tallia Farn]

Tallia shuffled with her tool box and grabbed a hydrospanner from the mix. She tightened the bolts on the bottom side of the engine exhaust port and wiped her hands clean with a rag. She sat up when she sensed Josh coming near.

"I'm... I'm sorry about that, back there. I don't know why I just burst out like that. I mean, I wasn't lying about it, but...."

"There's nothing wrong with what you said." Tallia interjected. "Maybe not the best timing, but.." She laughed softly. "Don't think I don't appreciate a compliment." She had lost her nervous demeanor while working on the ship. It had given her a chance to clear her mind of emotion, and she now bore a more good-natured and confident attitude when she spoke to Josh.

Tallia tossed her hydrospanner back into her tool box and stored it in her starfighter's storage compartment. "Now," She continued, letting her hair out of it's ponytail. . "I believe it's time we head home. What do you think?"

@[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He chuckled a bit, his confidence returning as relief came to his senses. He walked over to her and smiled faintly. "Impulse or not, at least it's known that you're good looking" he said with a small laugh. "I'll try to be more careful with what I say next time. True or not, it wasn't something a Jedi Master should be bursting out saying while on a mission" he said, but shrugged. "Of course, we did already finish the mission, so.... I think we can let that one slide" he said with a grin and a wink.

He felt much better now, calmer. He seemed to have that demeanor around her constantly, aside from that little stutter before. He watched her finish up her work. He admired her, for being so hands on with it. He took good care of his own ship, which he didn't bring here, but he usually had his astromech deal with quite a bit of the work. Yet with Tallia, she seemed to take care of the details herself. It was admirable.

"I think it's about time we did" he said with a slight smile. "Yknow.... You did pretty well here" he said, chuckling. "I think I owe you a little treat. How about once this little war ends (Since this thread takes place during the war) I take you out somewhere nice on Coruscant? I know this nice little diner we could go to, maybe talk a little more since the last time we met, we got cut short since I had to go so suddenly, and I wouldn't count this as a catch up since we had work to do. Once I got time, I'd be happy to show you there, maybe we could catch up then. My treat" he said, shooting a grin. "As well... If it's alright with you, mind if I take the trip with you back to Coruscant? My ships in the repair dock, and the pilot droid in the shuttle I took here keeps giving me the creepiest looks. I think someone reprogrammed it as a prank, and I'm afraid to even lay down on that shuttle with that thing around"

@[member="Tallia Farn"]

 

[Tallia Farn]

"That sounds like a great idea to me." Tallia said with a smirk. "I can't wait until this war is over. Last time we had peace I was fidgety and nervous for the war to start again, but I've seen the cost of our struggles, and I for one am looking forward to peace time. And maybe we can start acting like Jedi again."

"And I would love for you to join me on my way back. I could use some company."

@[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Agreed" he said with a smirk. "I've always dreaded war time. So much wasted life, so much wasted blood, sweat and tears over greed and ego. It's a shame, truly" he said, with a sigh. "But, at least when it's over, I have something to look forward to now" he said with a playful grin. "Even more motivation for me to get this war over and done with as soon as possible"

At her response to his request, he smiled. "Thank you" he said. "I'll be honest.... I've.... Kind of enjoyed your company during this mission. I'm not in any rush to part anytime soon" he said with a small laugh, before pressing a few buttons on his datapad and alerting the Republic about the change. Within a minute, he heard his shuttle fly off.

"Luckily I didn't bring any of my things and leave them in there" he remarked as he watched it leave from the window. "I guess now you're stuck with me" he joked, chucking a bit. "Once we get into space, perhaps we can share a couple of stories. We have time, after all. Hyperspace takes hours, I honestly dislike it. But at least it's better with company" he said, smiling. "Need a hand in getting this show on the road?"

@[member="Tallia Farn"]

 

[Tallia Farn]

Tallia lowered the boarding ramp and motioned for Josh to follow her inside. "Need a hand in getting this show on the road?" She walked into the cockpit and took a seat in the pilots chair, allowing herself to get comfortable. "Would you mind punching in the hyperspace coordinates in the navicomputer." Tallia said flipping on power switches and bringing the engines online.

She settled back in her seat as she gently tugged on the throttle, raising the ship off the hanger floor and heading for the exit. Tallia looked out over the landscape as she took the ship higher up into the atmosphere. "This is a strange planet, but beautiful too. It's certainly different than what I'm used to."

@[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He nodded as he walked over to the navicomputer. While he wasn't much for piloting a ship, he knew how to set everything up. He yawned as he punched in the hyperspace coordinates and then double checked to ensure he didn't get them lost on some desolate planet.

He settled into the seat beside her as he finished, looking out the window as he watched everything that happened. He nodded as he watched the landscape slowly get farther and father away. "It is" he agreed. "I was born on Naboo, but raised on Coruscant. Planets like these I don't see too often. But I agree, it's beautiful" he said. He was tempted to use some kind of joking flirt based off that, but.. He figured he'd done too much already. He smiled a bit as he prepared for hyperspace.

@[member="Tallia Farn"]

 

[Tallia Farn]

"Naboo? I've never been there before. I was born on Hapes back then they were still the Consortium, but I moved in with my father on Coruscant back before I can almost remember." She lifted the ship out of the atmosphere and slowed to a stop as she waited for Josh to activate the hyperdrive.

"I don't really remember much about my homeworld at all actually. I haven't ever been back. Coruscant's always been home since." Tallia didn't talk about her life before joining the Order that often, and to be honest, there wasn't much she was willing to talk about. There were some things that just weren't worth mentioning, and other things that were best kept secret.

"So, If we're telling stories about our past, we might as well start from the beginning. How did you get involved with the Jedi?" She asked.

@[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh listened carefully at the first part of her response, before activating the hard drive. Josh's fingers gripped his seat as the ship went into hyperdrive. Balls, he hated this. Every time. Finally, it came to pass. The ship calmed down and Josh's eyes opened slowly. They were in hyperspace now. This was the long part, obviously.

Quickly, he went to answer her. "Hapes?" he asked curiously. "I knew a regent from there. Nice girl, a little loopy though. And maybe a bit tempermental" he admitted with a chuckle. "I've lived most of my life on Coruscant, so I guess I know how you feel there"

At her question, he scratched his beard. He didn't tend to talk about his life before the Order, but.... Well, he trusted her for some reason. And they had hours to kill anyway.

He yawned and got up, cracking his neck. Since they were in hyperspace, the ship was generally on autopilot anyway. He didn't really have to worry too much.

"There isn't much to tell" he said, chuckling as he leaned against the wall. "Both my parents were Jedi. They were unrightfully expelled after being framed by another Jedi Master, and had myself and my brother some years later. To support us, my dad took up gambling, and it worked well while we lived on Naboo. Then problems started, he lost his touch, and we had to deal with gambling debts, and the hunters that came with that. Then the Sith found us. Obviously, the Sith aren't going to let an ex Jedi live while they're still Pro-Republic, so.. We fled. We drifted from planet to planet. Naboo, to Tatooine, to Coruscant, back and fourth until finally, when we were flying over the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, we got shot down. Speeder exploded, killed my folks, and I was buried under the exploded speeder barely living. One of the Jedi found me, I was put into a bacta tank that saved my life, and I later became a Jedi. Haven't left the Order since. It's been a good 16 years now, and I'm still here" he said with a chuckle. "Do you have any good backstory stories?"

@[member="Tallia Farn"]

 

[Tallia Farn]

"That's awful." Tallia whispered at Josh's tale. "I'm so sorry.." Her general anger toward the Sith seemed rather obsolete compared to what he must have felt inside. She couldn't imagine how she would be able to control herself in his position. If her father was killed by Sith, she wouldn't hesitate to track the killer down to get justice. She couldn't deal with so much hatred welled up in her.

He then asked her about her past. "There isn't much to tell." She said, leaning back in the pilot's chair and shrugging her shoulders. "I'm half Hapan. My father is Coruscanti, and was originally the ambassador to Hapes back before it was a part of the Republic. He and my mother were never officially together." She sighed, then laughed. "He actually didn't even know about me until I was born. At three years old, my mother sent me away to live with my father on Coruscant. I don't really remember much about my mom. I just wasn't old enough. My dad tried to take good care of me, but politics is a full time job, so I didn't get to see him very often. Then the Jedi found me, and to be honest I was excited to join. It gave me a purpose other than to sit around and be taken care of by a nanny droid, and made me much more independent. I'm the first one in my family to be force sensitive in a long time. So, here I am. I see my father from time to time but otherwise I don't really have a family. I guess you could say the Order is my family."

@[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He smiled a bit. "That's how I feel about the Order, basically" he said. "They're the only real family I knew" he admitted, giving a sigh. "Well... I guess that's not ENTIRELY true..." he said, taking a breath.

"Can you keep a secret?" he asked, curiously looking Tallia dead in the eyes. This was where he would see if he could trust Farn. She had proved capable on a mission, and he wanted to trust her, but this was a risky way to find out.... But he had a good feeling about her. Hopefully, this wasn't one he would regret.

He sighed. "Do you know who Philip J. Halen is?" he finally asked. "Former Vice and Supreme Chancellor of the Republic? Basically singlehandedly kept the Republic afloat after Contruum, despite the Senate being corrupt and constantly trying to sabotage and stab him in the back, and cause war with every faction on the map just to get him impeached so they could take power? Quit right after setting up the election, practically gave the entire Senate at the time the middle finger, and revealed they had a Sith in their Senate, walking out in a blaze of glory just days before two "Senators" destroyed the Senate building? Kind of a rough and crazy old man, but hilarious and polite?"

@[member="Tallia Farn"]

 

[Tallia Farn]

"Of course.." Tallia said confused, not entirely understanding what he was getting at. "Hardly anyone in the Republic can say that they haven't at least heard of him." She gave Josh a suspicious look while trying to piece together what he was saying. "Why? What does this have to do with you?" She still wasn't sure what this was about. Obviously he was about to tell her something big. That took a lot of trust to put in someone he had just met recently. She was a Jedi though, so she guessed it added to her credibility. Was it wrong that she didn't want to spill any of her secrets to him?

@[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He sighed, and breathed lightly. He didn't know why he trusted Tallia, but he did. Something about her put that trust in her. He just hoped his instincts were right.

He looked down, almost seeming to contemplate what he was about to tell her. He then seemed to make up his mind and tilted his head up to stare right into her eyes.

"He's my father" he finally said.

He let that sink in for a moment, before explaining.

"I didn't know. Through his entire run in the Senate. He'd been a Senator for so long, since a couple years after I joined the Jedi. But I never knew. Through his entire reign as Vice Chancellor, as Supreme Chancellor... I didn't know. We'd only met once. We exchanged two words, I was just there as an escort for the regent in Hapes I told you about earlier" he said, moving the hair from his face.

"It was just after the Senate got destroyed. Aleidis found him. She stayed with him for awhile, and during that time I guess he disclosed his real name to her, which was former Jedi Master Philip DragonsFlame. Aleidis made the connection and got in touch with me. Since I hadn't seen her in months, despite just getting out of the hospital since I kind of had a senate building fall on top of me, I went and met with her. But instead of Aleidis, I got my own father. And that's where I found out he had survived. He'd thought Nick and I were dead all these years, he'd cleaned up his act and he'd joined the Senate, and he never knew. And I never knew. And then just a week after finally reuniting with him again, he disappeared. I hear from him from time to time, but he wanders the galaxy now. Selena refuses to let him back into the Jedi, despite proving that the guy who framed him was a Sith all along... I kind of know, because that guy was my first Master, and the reason they discovered it was because he tried the first steps towards turning me when I was really young, and I... Kind of gave it away by accident" he said with a small laugh. "But because he was a Senator previously, Selena refused to let him back in. It depressed me, but he seems happy doing his own thing"

@[member="Tallia Farn"]