Private Down to Dagobah (Mishel)

[Caedyn Arenais]

CAEDYN ARENAIS​

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Location: Dagobah.
Tagging: Mishel .

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It'd been some time since Caedyn Arenais had visited the Outer Rim Territories, and even longer since he had been to Dagobah. Once upon a time, it had been a battle zone between the Galactic Alliance and the First Order. It had been an iconic world in the history of Jedi, despite its location being in the middle of nowhere with little to offer general society. At least, that's what Caedyn had believed.

Today the Jedi Knight had been invited to meet with one Mishel of the Rimward Trade League, or rather the Force Sect attached to it. Back when Caedyn had served with the RTL, there were numerous Force Groups within the Trade League, and before that the Outer Planets Alliance. Caedyn had headed up the Jedi Enclave of Svivren at the time, and years had passed since those days. Naturally, things had changed and he was glad to be getting reacquainted with the wild expanse that was the Outer Rim.

The Repertoire descended upon the exterior grounds of the Temple, the coordinates forwarded to him by Mishel herself. She was a Jedi Master, and from their brief correspondence via the holonet, she had welcomed the opportunity to meet with him and discuss their views of the Force, what they had learned and what opportunities there might be for further growth and understanding. Though Caedyn had not been a student for many years, he still considered himself a disciple of the Force, and the journey of learning did not simply stop at the onset of Knighthood.

 

[Mishel]

ARTIFICER + JEDI
DAGOBAH

Caedyn Arenais

​

Mishel had indeed extended an invite to Knight Arenais. It was more or less part of her own efforts to expand the Rimward Jedi Coalition's reach and perhaps influence. Although she never quite considered herself a student of philosophy in any regard. She thought that perhaps she could assist Knight Arenais with his own philosophical quest. The Tygaran felt that she offered a rather unique perspective on the Force having once been a Knight of Ren, now Jedi Master. The Dagobah Jedi Temple was an interesting one but the more she stayed, the more she became accustomed to life there.

The Jedi Master went out to the landing pads to meet with the Knight. "Knight Arenais, a pleasure to meet with you, come. I hope your travels were smooth," greeted Mishel and once in step with the Knight, offered, "we have plenty of refreshments should you require them, we can certainly start our conversations there." Dressed in her go-to yellow jacket, an item she seemed to have an endless supply of. Mishel had never really ascribed to the typical burlap brigade dress code. Likely a byproduct of having been trained through various conflicts and wars. Neither Romi Jade nor Coren Starchaser, nor Marakai Al'Orren ever put a fine point on it.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"It's a pleasure to be here, and to meet with you in person" Caedyn Arenais replied to Mishel with a fond smile before bowing in a respectful and formal greeting, bending at the waist yet maintaining eye contact and soon moving to fall in pace alongside the Jedi Master; "I must admit that the last time I visited Dagobah, I don't believe there was a Temple present here". Naturally, he might have been mistaken but this being his first visit to such a place was truly a privileged opportunity.

"Refreshments sound wonderful, thank you" he agreed. He seemed to be travelling more frequently of late than he had in the previous month, and given the amount of time spent cooped up inside the Heavy Corvette, it would have been silly not to take the opportunity for a fresh meal and a hot beverage. Not to mention rude to decline the Jedi Master's gracious offer.

"From what little I've managed to catch up on, the Rimward Trade League appears to be fairing rather well," he said, words that were spoken with pride for the former organization that he had once been part of. "I was once based out of Svivren, myself. Present in the very early days. I'm glad to know the Rim is still benefitting from its presence out here".

 

[Mishel]

ARTIFICER + JEDI
DAGOBAH

Caedyn Arenais

Mishel chuckled lightly in return, "do not fret your reaction was the same as mine when I arrived here." Dagobah, a Jedi Temple? The thought seemed to be one that should have perished, and yet here they were. "There might even be a few villages around here now, folks seeking refuge, a life away from the chaos of the core." The two lingered on, heading toward the Temple's mess hall. "Then off to the Mess Hall, we shall go, the cooks here are truly wonderful."

As the two walked and conversed, Knight Arenais spoke about the League in brief and Mishel responded accordingly. "Yes, the league has done well for itself, and yes, certainly does benefit from those who had once worked together. Oh, the many groups that have been through here, let's see, the Kathol Outback, the Outer Rim Coalition, the Outer Planets Alliance, just to name a few." A bit of laughter escaped Mishel, "quite the resume these worlds, Svivren included, have." She said with a positive tone.

Before they knew it, the pair had arrived at the Mess Hall. "Here we are," stated Mishel then gestured for the Knight to walk ahead. "You mentioned you wanted to talk about different aspects of the Force, or perhaps the interpretation of it? The Will of the Force, wasn't it?" Inquired Mishel for clarification as she moved into the line behind the Knight.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Do not fret your reaction was the same as mine when I arrived here. There might even be a few villages around here now, folks seeking refuge, a life away from the chaos of the core. Then off to the Mess Hall, we shall go, the cooks here are truly wonderful."

So Dagobah was more than just some backwater swamp-laden world in the Outer Rim these days. It was pleasant to hear. The Scar World's had been ravaged by the Bryn'adul Legions, and the conflict between the Galactic Alliance and the Empire, then the Brotherhood of the Maw, many regions of the Galaxy had been threatened, especially when the Confederacy of Independent Systems had collapsed under the invasion of an ancient enemy of their own.

Despite the differences that once separated the Alliance from the Confederacy, or the Order of the Silver Jedi from other Jedi, they had all stood as Wardens of the Galaxy. Protectors and stewards of civil society. At least now there seemed to be a greater promise of stability within the Outer Rim Territories.

"Yes, the league has done well for itself, and yes, certainly does benefit from those who had once worked together. Oh, the many groups that have been through here, let's see, the Kathol Outback, the Outer Rim Coalition, the Outer Planets Alliance, just to name a few. quite the resume these worlds, Svivren included, have."

"I served within the O-R-C and the O-P-A before the Rimward Trade League came to be. The Kathol Outback was before my time, but it's great to see that so much progress has been made towards stability in the Outer Rim. The progress that many fought so hard for" Caedyn smiled as he turned to look around the Temple. It was exquisite in its decor. All Temples held differences from one another, this one was smaller and more peaceful than that on Coruscant but this wasn't a bad thing at all. Coruscant was full of people, endless amounts of them. No sign of an end to the traffic or the coming and going of distant chatter.

"Here we are, you mentioned you wanted to talk about different aspects of the Force, or perhaps the interpretation of it? The Will of the Force, wasn't it?"

The mess hall gave insight as to the type of Force Users present on Dagobah, and once again it was unlike Coruscant. They weren't all just Jedi, they followed individual paths and their influence and practice all varied from what Caedyn could see. The Outer Rim was expansive and yet they all had a haven to come to in a time of need or respite. "The Will of the Force" Caedyn Arenais echoed, offering a firm nod in confirmation; "I wish to expand on what I know. To widen my understanding and make sense of what the Force requires of me" he elaborated some.

"Lately I've been feeling a certain pull, a lure away from the path that I've been walking..." Caedyn voiced aloud for the first time to anyone. It wasn't about leaving the Jedi, but rather something more specific. Less focused on fighting and more emphasis on the scholarship of the Force; "I've been fighting for a long time, for so many different reasons and in so many different wars. There have been many victories and losses but at the end of the day, nothing has changed..." Caedyn's voice trailed for a moment, seeking to better explain himself somehow; "Aside from the blood on my hands" he admitted quietly, more to himself than anything.

Caedyn frowned to himself, seeming to have lost his train of thought for a moment and instead glanced back to Mishel ; "I'm undecided if this change in my direction of service is driven by a desire to understand myself, or shape the future for others. Either way, I feel I am being called to further my study in the Force. Not just the Jedi perspective, but as many different views and ideologies that I can gather".

 

[Mishel]

ARTIFICER + JEDI
DAGOBAH

Caedyn Arenais

"I was fairly young for Coalition, having just broken free from the Knights of Ren. Couldn't have been much more than sixteen, seventeen perhaps." Recalled Mishel as she spoke with Caedyn. Returned his smile with one of her own, and the Temple certainly was a testament to the work that all those people had put into the Outer Rim that it could support such an idea so far away from what many in the core would call civilization. "It truly is, so many wars, so many lives, and in all these years the Outer Rim, still stands, stronger perhaps some might say." Dagobah wasn't just far and out of the way, it was a planet that from legends alone most wanted to stay away from.

The Temple's Mess Hall was a fairly simple, straightforward process.

The two chattered while getting something to eat. Mishel had mostly for her own reasons stated why it was Caedyn had made his way toward Dagobah and so they continued their conversation. "Then it is a quest I see," acknowledged Mishel as she reached out toward the serving lines to pull a small plate toward her tray. "I see," commented Mishel mostly as a way of letting Caedyn know that she was listening. She grabbed a small cup of water, and a cup of juice before heading with her tray toward a table with a window beside it. "It is a good thing we have this opportunity to talk then."

Mishel knew all too well the feeling of blood on your hands, having physically seen it herself. "It is something I fear many of us are all too acquainted with." Fighting, and more fighting, with little time to focus on the philosophies of the Force. To study it in the way it should be studied, instead, they were all meat for the grinder. Their focus before such a time of peace was on fighting so they studied for war and little else. Caedyn continued as they slid into their seats. She looked at him as he spoke, and stated that he was undecided on if he should change his direction of service and that he felt he was being called to study the Force as a whole, from all ideologies. "I often hesitate to consider myself a Jedi Master, a Master surely, but not so much a Jedi."

"I mentioned earlier I had come from the Knights of Ren."

"I had been their science experiment, then I left. I was first attached to Ember Farseer, then Coren Starchaser, and even with Master Starchaser I felt conflicted. How could I call myself a Jedi, when in the years prior, my duties and oaths as a Ren were to slaughter Jedi? Ruin temples and destroy archives." Mishel looked down at her plate and picked up a small block of cheese. Attention focused once more on Caedyn she continued, "and then Master Starchaser sat me down, well, not so much as sat, we were on our way to another battle. He said that he too had come from dark origins. Although it took him years, and as I grew older I found it much the same - to reconcile that part of me. My past, with my present."

"I think this quest you are on, is a good one, perhaps you can record the stories of those like me, perhaps the reverse may be true for a Sith."

"Everything we say, everything we do, is felt by the Force. We're all connected, all of us, through the Force."

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

The mention of Coren Starchaser made Caedyn smile; "I know Coren reasonably well, although my father knew him best. It was Coren who assisted my father in returning to the Jedi after he had struggled with the Dark Side of the Force. I didn't realize Coren had his own past experience with it, but it does make sense. I've known him to be wise and well-experienced as a Jedi" Caedyn spoke with a fondness for his former colleague. It hadn't been since the Order of the Silver Jedi that Caedyn had last worked alongside Coren. He couldn't say what the Jedi Master was up to nowadays.

"The Knights of Ren was an interesting group, and not at all kind to those like yourself who they practised on, from what I've heard. As Force Users though, they were in a different league than the Sith. I've been told they were far more zealous in their following of Sieger Ren" Caedyn recalled upon the discussions and stories that he had researched. He hadn't been of the age to experience meeting the Knights of Ren in his years of service but they had been an organization worth researching given the recent history.

"That's a good idea" Caedyn smiled, voicing his agreement with the notion of speaking directly with those who had been redeemed, as some might call it; "The experience of Jedi and other Force Users who have returned to the Lightside of the Force. I'm sure they would have much to say, having experienced the depths of darkness. I know how to practise the Darkside, but I've always restrained myself from doing so" Caedyn added, referring to his training as a Je'daii. It was something that he often felt set him apart from other Jedi.

"As for what being a Jedi Master entails, I could not say. I have always been content with my role as a Jedi Knight. I often questioned whether I had the wisdom to reach the status of Masterhood, but after some time I stopped reaching for it. A title does not signify one's progress after all, it is a symbol of recognition from our peers to honour our deeds, yet recognition is not why I am in this field" Caedyn chuckled softly afterwards, waving a dismissive hand before adding "Not that it wouldn't be flattering and appreciated".

Mishel

 

[Mishel]

ARTIFICER + JEDI
DAGOBAH

Caedyn Arenais

Mishel smiled as she listened to Caedyn speak about Coren. It sounded an awful lot like him to help someone come back to the light, "sounds like'im." She commented casually, and then after a moment, she thought about saying something but didn't. Coren had been an anchor in the storm many times for Mishel. He was for all intents and purposes like a father to her. The conversation moved on and the brunette agreed, "no, not at all, but I had become more than a nuisance, I wasn't wanted - it was clear that I wasn't going to become what they wanted but they never bothered to pursue me."

For more reasons than she cared to admit.

"That they were, at least for a little while," admitted MIshel, "until they weren't, and now they're something else entirely." The woman across from Caedyn pondered on her friend, Kaalia. She had gone on to become a Sith Lord in her own right but even Kaalia knew when to walk away. "Seiger's abuses, rewinding a moment, came to a point where the Ren no longer cared to obey. Few stuck around and well, those who evolved..." Her hand motioned in an abstract direction, "became other things, you may have heard of Kyrel, and perhaps Darth Avacyn during the Sith Empire's height."

Once more the conversation moved, no longer lingering on the Ren but rather on the idea of those who had returned to the light. "Each person's journey as you no doubt know is different and the dark side can feel different for each one. For me, it was and is a rather taxing place to be. I no longer fight myself when it comes to restraining my dark side." She had reconciled such a fight long ago, "rather I've come to peace with the knowledge that I have gained."

"It is a hard path to come back from, and easy to stay within its grasp. I believe there are plenty of force users who do not ascribe to light or dark that might be able to help you with the Return to the Light." Mishel continued, as she answered Caedyn. "I couldn't agree more. Even when one ascends to the title of Master, one does not stop acquiring knowledge or wisdom. The force makes life-long learners of all who answer its call." The woman shared in the chuckle, "Ah it is quite flattering."

Mishel mostly started referring to herself as master, especially after returning from having been one with the Force. "My own philosophy with regard to the Force is that it leaves its mark everywhere. Memories and echos of the Force linger on, well after we've become one with it."

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Like you, I too have learned to retain a balance and preserve my strength of mind when practising abilities associated with the Dark Side of the Force" Caedyn divulged; "I was taught as a member of the Je'daii Order before my joining the Order of the Silver Jedi and I have kept up with the training and ideologies that were shared with me throughout my years, though often in the privacy of my own company as not everyone is so welcoming nor trusting with such things", and indeed it did take a great deal of strength of character, and will power to ensure that he did not give too much into the Darkside of the Force when leaning on its practices.

"For the majority of my time as a Jedi, I have focused on the Ashla, especially in the public spotlight. I doubt others would be very comfortable to know that there are Jedi among them who aren't only capable but regularly practice the way of Bogan. I however give much of myself to the Bendu, and maintain balance in all aspects of my life where possible, especially knowledge and application of the Force" he elaborated some further for the sake of Mishel 's reassurance. Caedyn's Father would have turned in his grave upon hearing such things, although now that he had become one with the Force, perhaps he would have become more accepting of his son's difference in ideologies.

"Having come from the Knights of Ren to now stand as a Jedi Master, might there be knowledge and experiences that you've gained that you feel have set you apart from other Jedi?" Caedyn enquired, given that he felt very much that way since his training under the Je'daii and often questioned whether or not it put him on the outside of the Order.