Divine Providence

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The Imperium was coming together nicely. Much of the bloodshed that had rendered Coruscant a place of chaos was over now. The handful of remaining malcontents simply did not possess the drive or resources to continue the fight, and mass surrenders had begun to ensure throughout the underworld. For his part, Cedric was glad of it. Now was the time for building.

Night had fallen over the imperial palace. Still unaccustomed to the massive structure, Cedric wandered its halls aimlessly. The guards parted as he passed, his boots plodding against the tiled floors as he delved into the depths of his mind.

There was something nagging at him, though as to what it was he had no idea. He felt it in the back of his mind - like leaving for work without one's documents and not realizing it until it was far too late.

Uncertain, Cedric continued to wander, his thoughts aimless and messy.

[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

Groan ..

Rushing through the corridors of a secluded building was Talaya. With the assistance of her brethren among the Order of the Nighthawk, she'd managed to liberate a large group of captives and slaves. Those very slaves tagging behind herself and her comrade. The escape back to the order's ship was hard-fought, Talaya's sprint towards the ship being intercepted by relentless fire from ships flying above and later past the scene. The scene ended in her taking a leap of faith towards the ramp of an airborne ship, moments from slipping and falling to her doom. It was then a familiar face surfaced, a silhouette she'd seen time and time again in her dreams. The silhouette slowly, and dramatically extended its arm in her aid and a moment before their hands met? She'd wake up. Panting frantically, and hunched over in her bed. A look to her surroundings reminded her she was in her ship. A rustbucket named "Junebug" she'd procured off a bet after splitting with the Order of the Nighthawks. A hand running through her messy locks, Talaya sighed and slid off her bed. After showering, and the usual, she'd take a seat and pull up an entry on her datapad that'd been disturbing her as of late.

"Coruscant Liberated. A new emporer on the horizon. Cedric ....Grayson."

What was initially dismissed as coincidence progressed into an unhealthy curiosity. The question of "who" running through her thoughts each day. By the end of the week, it was this curiosity that led her to a landing pad on Corsucant. A stroke of luck, as Jungebug began to break down moments before her rocky landing. Talaya gave a sympathetic sigh, patting the hull of the ship before walking off. "You made it, girl. Now uh ..take a rest..heh." Against her better judgement, it was hardly long before she found herself standing outside the imperial palace. At night. Hands within her hoodie and a eye looking the place top to bottom. To say she felt out of place was an understatement. Her awkward smile even surfaced.

"I'm here to uh ..Hmm ..how do I put this. I'm here to see Cedric Grayson. Yeah."

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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Endless leagues and years had separated Cedric from the only other living member of his family. The Graysons had been wiped out throughout their service to the Essonian people. So far as he knew, only he remained, though some thread of a lost connection remained. He did not know to whom it belonged to, only that it was there: a peculiarity that he had sought to understand countless times, only to find his efforts spent in vain.

Many attempts had been made, and none had borne fruit. Eventually, Cedric had chosen to disregard the matter all together.

Until now.

Ethereal strands tugged at his consciousness. He felt that lost connection burning in the back of his mind, like a missing limb one still felt in the dead of night. When one of the guards spoke of a visitor, he rushed to meet her.

The Sons of Ession parted on either side of the stair case that led up to the imperial palace. Cedric, clad simply in the dark robes of his homeworld, stepped through the doors. His brow furrowed immediately when he set eyes on the girl.

"You wished to see me?" He asked, the guards looking to him with some curiosity. No one could simply walk up to the palace and be admitted an audience, yet this girl had done just that. With a wave of Cedric's hand, the guards withdrew into the palace. Their curiosity would serve no one here.


[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

Talaya's palms began to lightly sweat after requesting an audience with a supposed emperor. There was a silence as she waited, and soon enough a figure emerged through the palace's entrance. He held the power to dismiss an entire armed force with a simple wave of the hand. Like something out of a film, but too late to be mistaken as another dream.

"Me ..? P-..Pfft~ Naah ..uh ..I think there was another lady who .." Her nerves had gotten the best of her. "I should just ..y'know ..go." Talaya turned half-way to take a step away. Met with an almost surreal feeling that she was walking away from something destined to happen. Walking further from a connection that'd escaped her for almost two decades now. Giving a soft sigh, Talaya slowly turned back. Eyes mostly to the ground.

"You ever ..huff ..You ever get that feeling that so important is out there? Just ..waiting for you to find it? It's ..weird. I ..I get these dreams. I see a guy, from time to time. I always had this feeling that I was connected to someone I'd never met. That ..they were so far away. Until .." Her eyes lifted to Cedric. "Well until now." Her brows tightened some.

"My name's Talaya. Talaya ...Grayson."

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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Cedric did not process her words immediately. Indeed, he didn't seem to process them much at all.

He understood the threads of the empyrean. He knew the winds of the veil were whirling about this girl, drawing them both together across the very stars. He was keenly aware of the Force's divine providence and how it had affected his life several times already, and yet he found himself at a loss to explain this.

Another Grayson? Here? Now?

The Jedi blinked.

"Grayson?" He asked with disbelief, "That's...but father..." his brow furrowed further. So far as Cedric knew, his only other sibling was Caida, and she had died over a decade ago. There was no way Cyril Grayson had sired another child.

Or, perhaps he had. Perhaps he had hidden the third child away so that she might not suffer the burden of leadership that Cedric did. Perhaps that was why his parents had spent so much time on Naboo in his early youth, leaving the boy to live with tutors and Jedi mentors for months on end.

A third child.

"It's..." he fought for the words, "It's good to meet you, Talaya. I am Cedric. I think I've felt you in the empyrean too - flashing images, whisking silhouettes, nothing more." A pause. He had to confirm. "Are you Cyril Grayson's child?"

[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

The mention of Cyril nearly took her breath away, the woman still finding herself grieving from the loss of her father. Her eyes trailed away for a time, then she looked back to Cedric. Offering a nod with a face that portrayed a fraction of the pain and sorrow the topic gave her. "Yea- ..Yeah. That's ..pops alright." Talaya found difficulty taking her eyes off Cedric, finally able to pin an image to the silhouettes. The question of her dreams now standing a small ways from her. "It's uh ..yeah. It's cool to meet you too, Cedric. Sorry it's just- ..this is all a little surreal. Just yesterday I thought I was the last of his name. Today ..I find out I've had a brother all along. It's just like ..Aaaaahh~" She'd playfully scream in a lowered voice.

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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Talaya looked like his mother.

The similarity was almost ghostly in quality. His twin, Caida had born the visage of his grandmother, but Talaya was the spitting image of the Grayson matriarch. It made his stomach twist in ways it hadn't in quite some time. He was unsure how he felt.

Surprised? Yes.

Overhwhelmed? Yes.

Happy?

He paused for a moment, his ears ringing as he decided that the realization did indeed make him quite happy.

Cedric smiled warmly. "It's alright," the was a pleasure to his voice that would have seemed uncharacteristic to any of his companions, were they near enough to hear. "It's nice to meet you too, Talaya," he paused, gesturing toward the palace. "This is...well, my home for now. If you'd like to come inside and speak, I can get us some food."

[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

Talaya pondered the idea for a moment, then gave a smile-toting nod. She'd go up the steps leading to Cedric and his palace. "Yeah that'd uh ..that'd be cool, actually. Got somethin' sweet? Like ..oo~ Vanilla pudding. Maybe somethin' with strawberries in 'em?" Talaya allowed Cedric to take lead inside, ready to see just what the inside of the place looked like.

"Pheeww~" She whistled. "How'd you score a place like this?"

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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This one did not have the Grayson attitude.

Or perhaps she did, and Cedric's uptight nature was simply what he assumed most of the family to be like. In truth, he'd only interacted with a handful of them. Most had perished in the myriad wars that had raged across the galaxy before his birth. Nonetheless, he found Talaya's seemingly less serious nature refreshing.

"We can get just about anything you want," he replied, a hint of amusement lacing his words as they stepped into the palace. The opening hall was large and relatively spartan in appearance. Most of the works of art had been sold to help fund housing for the displaced of Coruscant. The walls were bronze, the floor similar in color. A long red carpet stretched from the door of the hall into chambers that broke off from the hallway on either side.

"It's uh," he scratched at his chin. "It's been a long journey, honestly. I'm not sure if you know what's gone on with our family's homeworld," his brow furrowed, "To put it very simply, I've restored our house to its proper place in the galaxy. I worked with several warlords and politicians to bring that about. Now, I am Imperator of Coruscant," he paused as he turned to lead her to the kitchens.

"It's just a fancy title though. I'm here to help people, not to rule."

The kitchen was like any other. There were no organics within, Cedric did not trust them, only droids.

"What'd you want? Strawberries?"

[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

Her darkened blue eyes curiously went around the palace's interior as they walked. "Wooah .." She'd say, mostly beneath her breath. Moments before the curious woman went to touch something, her attention was reclaimed after the mention of the Grayson's homeworld. "Our family's ..homeworld, huh? Hmm ..nah I'm pretty clueless about all that, honestly." Talaya returned to following Cedric's lead. "Somethin' tells me theres uh ..well there's alot I don't know about the Grayson name. Something maybe you can catch me up on after I get those-----..Huh? Oh. Yeah. Strawberries. Somethin' light until I shake off the fatigue from the bumpy ride getting here."

It wasn't long until Talaya found herself with a bowl of diced strawberries in her hand, tossing one up and down the hatch with a "Mmm~" following. The showcase of delight was halted when her momentary daze broke, lightly clearing her throat and looking over to Cedric. "You were uh .. You were saying?"

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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Talaya certainly lacked the regal bearing the Graysons generally portrayed. Cedric almost found that refreshing.

"Well," he'd say as he settled into a chair opposite hers. "I can try to give you a brief history. There's a lot to it," his brow furrowed as he fought for the right words. "Right, so the Graysons...well, our family can be traced back to the Great Hyperspace war. We've served the Old Republic as Jedi Knights for centuries. We were never the most famous, nor the most powerful, but we survived, and that is what has defined us."

He paused to take a swig of the Balmoraan Bluesky he'd ordered. A hint of liquor always made the conversation fly by quicker.

"We were mostly wiped out during the Jedi Purge a few hundred years ago. After that, we settled on a planet called Ession. It's out in Sith space. We trained our own order of Jedi, Essonian Knights, and served as the planet's protectors." His brow furrowed. "Our father led the Essonian Dominion, a small interstellar empire. When the Sith rose to power, we were their first targets. Father was killed on a planet called Atrisia fighting the Galactic Alliance - another nation that no longer exists - and I was crowned king at the age of seven. Needless to say, things did not go well."

Cedric had a grim smile as he set his drink down. "I did the best I could. The dominion survived until I turned nineteen. Eventually, the Sith made it to our homeworld, glassed it into nothingness, and committed genocide upon our people. Some of us survived. We spent the better part of a decade recovering, and we've just recently taken Coruscant as our new home."

He drew in a deep breath, evidently somewhat winded from the explanation. "There is a lot more, but that's the gist of things. Up until now I thought I was the last Grayson left. Happy to know that isn't the case."

[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

Talaya crossed one leg over the other, occasionally picking from her fruit bowl while she listened. What started as light-hearted intrigue gradually shifted into genuine curiosity and a frown that only intensified as the story went on. She'd give herself a moment to digest what Cedric spoke of, even questioning how and why so much had been kept from her.

<<"Dad wouldn't of ..kept all this from me. Not ..without a good reason, right? Hmm. That look in his eye. He's tellin' the truth, alright.">>

Cedric was now the second to mention the Sith to her, of their ill deeds and danger. It was a stroke of luck she hadn't encountered such a being yet. She'd run a hand through her hair, a hand gently on her neck as she gave a disheartened look. "Shit. I ..never knew. These ..sith guys. They're responsible for these ..Essonian guys? D-..Dad?" Talaya looked off-wards, looking at the sky with a sudden glisten to her eyes before she gave a sigh then looked back to Cedric. She was visibly becoming upset, atleast until Cedric's last words. A short-lived smirk surfaced. "Don't get me wrong. I'm .....I'm pissed. Just ..I'm glad to know I'm not the only one left, too. And ..that my long-lost brother is just as much'a badass as Dad was."

Strawberry munch. "Y'know ever since I was a little girl. I wondered just what was so important for Pops to go on all those long trips. There were times where ..I didn't think he'd come back. That ..maybe he'd forgotten about me, y'know? Turns out that sheltered little girl was wrong. I've never really had a face or name to blame for Pop's passing." Her frown returned. "But since I do now ..well ..I want to do something about it. There's a hell of a lot I haven't gotten off my chest yet. I wanna channel that into avenging him. Into ..well ..helping you, Cedric. Any way I can."

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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It was in that moment that Cedric understood.

Cyril Grayson was many things, but to Cedric, he was a kind father. The man had barely been in his life, much the same as Talaya it seemed, but Cedric had understood from his earliest days as to why. The Graysons had sworn an oath of service that dated back eons, and Cyril had little desire to break it. In placing the boy-king on Ession's throne, Cyril had assured that such a legacy would live on. Cedric had been chosen as its vessel.

Part of him was glad of it, and part of him reeled against it. He'd been denied a childhood, and there was a bitterness to that which he kept in the darkest corners of his heart. It had been for a purpose that Cedric agreed with as an adult, and thus he understood.

Didn't make him feel any better about it, though.

"The Sith are the reason our father was never in our lives," Cedric stated plainly. When she added the portion about badassery, he couldn't help but crack a pleased grin. "Oh, I don't know about that." He snickered, curiosity clear in his features.

There was sympathy in his voice when he spoke next. "He never forgot us, I can promise you that. He was just...preoccupied," Cedric's brow furrowed. "The family always came second to duty. A Jedi's life is sacrifice, and father took that very literally. He wasn't around much during my youth. Mom was killed by a Sith Assassin on Naboo when I was young. After that, he threw himself into the war, and he was gone far longer than I could have expected."

Cedric scratched at his chin in thought. "I think I was about eleven when he died. After that I was named king and everything is a bit of a blur," he waved a hand about, "But that's history."

There was a pause. Talaya spoke of vengeance, and Cedric understood. "I understand that. For the longest time, revenge was all I ever wanted, but it isn't something worth living for. Don't do it for him, do it for yourself." His words were carefully chosen, and he spoke them slowly, "I...well, you're a Grayson Talaya. You might not have been raised as tradition dictated, but its still your blood, and you're my family. I would be more than happy to have you at my side."

Another pause.

"Have you felt the Force?"

[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

Talaya's eyes lowered while he spoke of regret, the woman trying to suppress her more emotional side to heed Cedric's wisdom. The much more experienced of the Grayson relayed to her that a life of revenge was not worth living. That if she rose a blade to the sith, it should be for herself. Not for Cyril. It was a thought that'd weigh on her mind for some time to come, but for now she simply nodded and gave a low: "Yeah..." In response.

Sooner or later she looked back up, a curious brow given at the mention of the force. "Y'know ..there was a really nice lady that talked me about that stuff awhile back. Ms.Ike, think it was. I'm pretty lost when it comes to this whole "force" thing, y'know? Just sounds like something out of a kid's tale to me. Why'd uh ....why'd you ask?"

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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Cedric's brow furrowed at the name. "Ike? I've heard of her." He kept his private thoughts to himself. He'd never made the acquaintance, but he'd heard more than enough through the grapevine. It was fortunate Talaya hadn't begun her training with that one.

That was assuming Talaya even wanted to be trained.

"The Force runs through our family's veins. We're all strong in it," he began to explain. "That is what makes us Jedi. As far as I know, you're one of the only Graysons not to be trained in the Jedi arts, but you have the potential for it."

His eyes drifted shut as he reached out into the empyrean. He envisioned himself as an island amidst a vast ocean, and Talaya appeared as one of a similar makeup nearby. Just as the tides of the Great Ocean whirled about Cedric, so too did they churn around the youngest of the Graysons.

"Yes, you definitely have it," Cedric mused, eyes opening. "It's...well, the Jedi lifestyle isn't for the faint of heart. It requires the greatest of disciplines, and a lifetime of commitment. I am one of the few masters the galaxy has left - I could try to teach you, if you want."

[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

Talaya took a moment or two to think. Whatever the force might've been, Cedric seemed convinced it resided within her. It was a subject she hadn't gotten to fully discuss with Matsu Ike. She'd give a short-lived chuckle before speaking. "Y'know ..it's almost like we've had opposite lives. I just grew up like a normal girl. I had beads in my hair when I was little. Anything I wanted I had. I ..I can't really name anything I've accomplished on my own." She'd dwell on the thought before continuing. "Whatever this "force" is. This .."Jedi" stuff is. I want to give it everything I've got. These Sith, or whoever else. I ..I don't want to fear them. I wanna be able to defend myself and uh ..live freely. ..Yeah."

Talaya gave Cedric a nod. "I'd be honored if you would teach me. Besiidess~ Maybe if I get good at it, I'll be able to make RoOocks FloOat and become conNected with the unNniveRse~ Oooo~" She'd say, playfully gesturing like a ghost while making the sound-effects. "It uh ..It sounds kinda cool. Honestly."

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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"My early life was lot more training and politics. Really all of my life, now that I think about it," Cedric scrunched his face up as he made that comment, then shook his head. "Either way, I'm more than happy to try teach you our family's traditions, though to begin I suppose I need an understanding of what you already know."

He wasn't expecting much.

"So, what have you heard of the Force?" He asked, quite curious as to how she might answer. Talaya seemed about as normal as any young woman. The war had never touched her, and it seemed she'd been able to live entirely out of the Force's influence. Ashla knew what she might think of the empyrean.

[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

Her eyes drifted to the ceiling in thought. "Weeelll let's see. If I recall the bits Ms.Ike told me, the force is all around us. I know some people can use it to do the type'a stuff you'd only see in movies. Hmm..Oh! Something about light, and dark. I remember her telling me about how the dark something tempts you. Runs off selfish desires and hate, n' ..stuff. Something about how giving into it can mark you. Mess you up, basically." She'd look back to Cedric, an index finger lightly scratching at her cheek.

"Uhh ..yeah. That's about it."

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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Cedric snickered.

"Well, at least you have the most basic of a basis." He sounded quite amused.

He rose up, making his way over toward the tap within the cafeteria's bar. "The Force is a lot more than that." He began as he started pouring himself another glass of Bluesky. "It is...well, everything. It's an energy field that connects us with the afterlife. Before we are born, we are within the Force. After we die, we merge with it, though some of us can retain sentience through intense training." he explained as he came over to return to the table.

"Some people are force sensitive. They are connected to the empyrean - another word for the Force. We're extremely rare. The Force has two aspects as you said, Light and Dark, Ashla and Bogan, or so many Jedi would say. In truth, the Ashla, the Light, is the true nature of the force. It is life in balance. The Dark Side is an unnatural cancer cause by sentient force sensitive beings, like ourselves, that abuse the Force and treat it as a slave. As Jedi, the force is our constant companion, a partner if you will."

He paused, brow furrowing as he thought of examples. "In the Ashla a wolf hunts when it is hungry. It only kills when it needs to. When the Bogan is introduced, the wolf kills for the thrill of the hunt. It kills whenever it pleases because it enjoys the act of the kill. Too many prey are killed by the wolf's wanton slaughter, and the ecosystem collapses."

He paused, "Does that make sense?"

[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

Talaya tried to suppress her dumbfounded expression as Cedric spoke. The topic of living past death. Of energy fields and how they connected them with the afterlife. She'd returned to the occasional munching of her fruit, almost treating it like popcorn at this point. "Does it make sense? Heh ..heck no. Still. I ..think I get the idea. Let's see uh .."The Force" is some weird mystical thing. There are people more sensitive to it called ...what'd you say? Force Sensitives? Something about light and dark. Light is, I guess, existing alongside the force. Like a companion. Dark is enslaving "The Force". Abusing it. For, I guess, no other reason than selfish needs instead of ..defense?" Her awkward smile surfaced, curious brow lifted.

"Sound about right?"

[member="Cedric Grayson"]