Private Conversations in the Light

[Nitya Xeraic]

The kettle's whistle was soft against the quiet of the outpost. Steam curled through shafts of morning light that spilled across the stone table, mingling with the faint scent of wild herbs and the forest beyond the open doorway.

Oralis Prime was gentle today—no wind, only the occasional call of some distant creature echoing through the trees. For Nitya, it was a rare sort of morning: one unburdened by reports, meditations, or training schedules. A morning for stillness.

She set two cups upon the table, carefully carved from pale stone native to the valley. The tea was a mix she'd learned from a Zorren healer long ago—sharp at first, then warm, grounding. Perfect for a conversation that asked for honesty.

She felt Jonyna's presence before the woman arrived—distinct and steady, a calm thread through the flow of the Force. When the knock came, Nitya didn't rise immediately. She turned, both yellow eyes catching the light.

"Come in," she said quietly, her voice carrying that measured calm she was known for. "I thought the forest might lend its peace to our conversation today. The tea is fresh, and the morning hasn't quite decided what it wants to be yet."

She gestured to the empty chair opposite her, steam still curling gently between them.

"Sit. We have time enough to let the day wait."

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Nitya Xeraic ​

Jonyna wasn't usually one to do house calls. But then again, she was never usually one to keep herself predictable. Right now, she needed new friends more than ever, after all.

"Thank you." She bowed her head as she was invited in, smiling as she walked over and took her seat. "I'm not usually one for tea, that was always more my old boyfriend's thing. But, ya know, I'm always one to try new things. What's the flavor of the day?"

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya smiled faintly as she poured, the movement unhurried and precise. The steam drifted between them, catching light as it rose, carrying the crisp scent of evergreen and warmth.

"Commenorian Juniper," she said softly, setting one of the pale cups within easy reach of her guest. "From the province my mother once governed. It's a simple blend—sharp at first, then patient. Like most things worth knowing."

She folded her hands lightly around her own cup, letting the warmth settle into her fingers. "I don't think it asks much of anyone," she added after a moment, her tone measured but kind. "Only that you sit still long enough to taste it."

Her glowing eyes met Jonyna's. "And that seems like a fair trade for the company."

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Nitya Xeraic ​

"I think that's a fair trade." Jonyna agreed. "So tell me, Oralis Prime. Never been here, what's the tourist spots? The hidden gems? I can't imagine you haven't seen it all."

Jonyna had a unique fascination with new planets, her memory filled with sights from across the galaxy. She loved seeing new places, and loved finding new spots to hide away.

Partly because she knew the value of a planetary base, but also because she knew the power of the people. Learn as much as you can, and you an convince the people who live there you're on their side.

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya's eyes glowed faintly brighter, the hue catching the soft light that filtered through the canopy above. "Oralis Prime is not the sort of world that lends itself to tourism," she said, voice even and deliberate. "Most of those who come here are seeking quiet, or something they've lost."

She gestured toward the treeline, where a mist curled through the branches. "Still… there are places worth seeing, if one has patience. The crystalline rivers of the south hum when the sun strikes them at the right angle — a resonance only sensitives can truly hear. The Windveil Monastery rests higher in the northern ranges; its monks claim the forests breathe with the Force itself."

Her gaze softened slightly, thoughtful. "Aven Reach is the closest thing we have to civilization. Traders, artisans, researchers… friendly enough, if you're polite. But the real treasures here aren't built by anyone. The forests remember everything. If you listen long enough, you can almost hear the past moving through the roots."

She paused, the faintest trace of a smile touching her lips. "Hidden gems? The quiet. The solitude. The fact that no one here is in a hurry to be found."

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Nitya Xeraic​

"You should see Cathar." Jonyna chuckled, taking a sip of her tea. "Not bad." she muses, before continuing her thought. "My home is one of many wonders, jungles hide most of them. A place like this though, it could be used to hide what some might not want to be found. There are plenty of people out there who see the hot spots of the galaxy flaring up. I take it you've heard of the old Rebel Alliance? I'm sure you've read a history book or two."

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya's gaze lingered a moment longer, the faint glow in her eyes steadying as she studied Jonyna. "The Alliance," she repeated quietly, as if weighing the word. "My mother served with them once — Jairdain Ismet-Thio. My father, too, for a time before he took to more… personal battles. And Jax Thio—he was family to her. They believed in the idea that freedom was worth the chaos it brought."

She leaned back slightly, tone still measured but with an undercurrent of intent. "History has a way of repeating itself. The same flames, different banners. You speak like someone who's seen those sparks gathering again."

Her expression softened only enough to temper the scrutiny in her words. "So tell me, Jonyna. Are you the kind of person who chases the next rebellion—or the kind who builds something from its ashes?"

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Nitya Xeraic​

"I used to be." Jonyna mused, taking another sip. "Used to be the kind of girl who would live battle to battle. Had you asked me 2 years ago, my answer would've been clear. Now? I don't chase anymore. I'm the one lighting the first flames. I got sick of it, ya know? Watching evil rise. Watching people slowly lose hope over and over. You're right. History repeats itself. I remember when the first Empire rose, and the old Republic fell. I was 3, running for my life from clones. Took a 900 year ice nap, came out during the height of the GA. Now that's falling too. Back then, I was just a passenger. Now, I'm a leader."

She paused, taking another sip. "To answer your question, I'm both. I light the fire, then stick around to see what it burns. Then we rebuild, from the ashes. Throw our everything into helping reconstruct what the darkness of the galaxy was so desperate to tear down, but build it better this time. Stronger, so that when the darkness comes back, we can be ready."

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

For a long moment, Nitya didn't speak. The faint sound of the forest filled the pause — wind stirring leaves, a soft rush of breath through the trees. She turned the cup lightly between her hands, watching how the steam rose and coiled before dissolving into the light.

"I think," she said at last, "that most fires start the same way. Someone decides they've had enough of the dark."

Her gaze lifted, the soft glow of her eyes steady. "You've seen the galaxy at its worst and still speak of rebuilding. That isn't something many can manage twice, much less over lifetimes."

She took another slow sip, the juniper's sharpness grounding her thoughts. "A passenger turned leader. That's a rare arc, Jonyna. And a heavy one."

There was a brief silence before her tone softened. "Cathar, yes? I've only met a few of your people in the Order. Always certain of who they are. Even in the quiet. Is that what kept you—through the wars, through the time between?"

She tilted her head slightly, genuine curiosity behind the calm. "Or was it something else entirely?"

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Nitya Xeraic​

"I don't know." Jonyna admitted. "Is it bad for me to say it just...obvious? Fighting the good fight, leading the charge, it was always so...simple for me. Like a reflex at times. I just see people being treated poorly, and it's just...it's obvious. You help them, you fight for them. Does it need to be more complicated than that?"

Jonyna never really saw the point in making it more complicated. To her, being a good person meant fighting for what was right.

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya let out a quiet breath that might have been a laugh, though softer—more like agreement than amusement. The steam from her cup drifted upward, catching the golden light between them.

"No," she said finally. "It doesn't need to be more complicated than that. Not for those who can still see things clearly."

She glanced out toward the trees, her expression distant for a heartbeat. "The galaxy has a way of convincing us that everything must be tangled—that duty and compassion can't share the same space. You haven't forgotten how to keep them together. That's rare."

When she looked back, the glow in her eyes had gentled, a hint of warmth behind the restraint. "Maybe simplicity is what the rest of us keep trying to find again. You've just managed to hold onto it."

She tilted her head slightly, a note of quiet curiosity edging her voice. "Does it ever tire you, though? Carrying that kind of certainty?"

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Nitya Xeraic​

"Would it surprise you if I told you no? I just see it like this: Your life is only worth how you're remembered. What makes you a good person, what makes life worth living, is what you do. Who you help. I dedicated myself to help those who can. In Cathar culture, to be remembered is the ultimate goal past life itself. I've already earned that honor, from my life before I went into the ice. Back then, I was just a punk rebel with a blaster and a lightsaber that wasn't mine. Now I wanna do something worth a damn."

Jonyna let out a sigh. "But I can't do that alone."

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya's expression softened at the admission, though a faint shadow passed through her calm. She looked down at her cup, watching the way the light caught the rising steam, then set it aside with deliberate care.

"Alone," she echoed quietly. "It's a word that used to sound heavier to me than it does now."

Her gaze drifted toward the open doorway, where the wind moved gently through the trees, stirring light and shadow across the floor. "Solitude teaches its own kind of strength. You start to see how much the galaxy moves without asking us to move with it."

She hesitated, the pause saying more than any word might. "I don't know if I'd fit easily beyond this place again. Out there, everything burns bright and fast. Here, I can hear the Force breathe."

Her eyes turned back to Jonyna, steady but not closed. "But… perhaps it isn't meant to be forever. The galaxy doesn't stop calling just because we grow quiet."

A small, thoughtful smile ghosted at the corner of her mouth. "Maybe I've just forgotten how to answer."

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Nitya Xeraic​

Another long sip, before Jonyna smiled. "Only one way to find out again, eh?"

Jonyna hoped that was hook line and sinker. She needed it to be. Too many people were off on their own paths now. The darkness needed a united front to fight against it.

It needed a rebellion.

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

For a heartbeat, Nitya didn't answer. The silence between them carried weight—gentle, but full. She raised her cup again, taking another slow sip. The juniper's sharpness had mellowed, leaving behind something softer, almost sweet.

Her eyes, still faintly glowing in the filtered light, lifted to Jonyna's. "Only one way," she echoed, though her tone carried a trace of reflection, not resistance. "It sounds so simple when you say it."

She set the cup down carefully, fingertips brushing its rim. "Once, I would have agreed without thinking. The call to act, to stand—those used to be the only answers I trusted." A quiet pause followed, touched by the sigh of wind through the trees. "Then the galaxy showed me that even light can burn if it's left untended."

Her gaze softened, almost apologetic. "But maybe it's time I remembered how to tend it again."

A faint smile crossed her face, small but genuine. "If a rebellion needs quiet hands as much as brave ones… perhaps there's room for both."

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Nitya Xeraic​

"We'd be happy to have you. I would be happy to have you." Jonyna nodded. "I can take you back to our base if you want. Show you what the operation looks like, figure out where you fit in."