Enter the Crucible

[Jairdain]

Not long ago, Brad had approached her on something. It was unexpected, but in a way not as surprising as it could have been. They both knew he could the use Force and from time to time, she had interjected a lesson or two. Nothing very formal or profound as getting him to focus on a task he wasn't interested in was like trying get a Hutt to cooperate when it came to exercise. It just didn't happen.

However, the day he came to her, there was something different. It was soon made clear why though. He was being plagued by dreams and visions of a man from his past. The man he took his name from and likely admired greatly. Whatever he had seen in these indicated he felt like he was a failure. He was failing Shaw, his family and people. The people being the last of his personal concern, but still present. As Crown Prince, he would eventually rule over them. In his current state he just was NOT ready or even close to doing that.

As his advisor, Jairdain had attempted to guide him. Most of the time it worked since she had stood up to him, not bent or wavered in her duty. As they spent more time together, they had learned to work together on a professional level and he respected her as well as trusted. What had started out as a position he resented her being in, they had ended up with a relationship with an extremely solid foundation. Even if there were times he resisted her guidance, he did listen. Their exchanges had evolved over time until a time came where there was almost no longer a need to resist or fight. An equal partnership in most things.

She listened to what he had to say and came up with a plan to help him. However, her plan needed permission or at least the knowledge of it happening. So Jairdain spoke to both Brad and Kay about it. What her plan was and if they both agreed to it. Permission was given and she had to prepare a little for this. Both of them needed to wrap up a few things. The day came for them to leave and from what she could tell, everything was in order.

They left Commenor and made the trek to Iridonia and to her home there. The planet was a mix of desert and savannah, harsh living conditions and hopefully an ideal location to accomplish what she wanted to do with Brad.

[member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Bradshaw Ku]

As I walk in the shadow of life​

I fear no man or beast​

Bare-breasted - I call forth my last yawp -​

My last breath -​

Shuttering - cold - blind;​

A veil is placed over me​

I feel it - but cannot touch​

Into the earth's Bosom I am lowered​

Warmth - calm - a babe in his mother's arms -​

Though I am still in my cradle​

My body moves from within -​

I look down - and see not but dust -​

Dust is all that is left;​

No longer am I earthly bound​

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=​

Bradshaw woke, not with a start, as he had every morning for some time now. No, it was a calmer awakening, but still, the dreams — or were they nightmares? — which plagued his sleep for so many nights, were still there lingering in the back of his mind. The memories of which sometimes faded, the sharper edges of dark visions eroded to duller corners; but still there. An echo of the past reverberating into his present and casting into doubt his future.

Sometimes his late adopted father, Shaw Ku, the man who had sacrificed his life to save his mother, sister, and himself, nearly two decades ago, watched over him. Sometimes speaking, but usually silent. For, words were not needed when emotions, so much stronger than any word, could be felt as he made his way through tangled visions, broken and scattered, cast into the night like grains of sand with no causal connection between the shards other than those emotions. And something deeper. A growing sense of urgency; time was running out.

Shaw Ku, from beyond the grave, was urging him to action. But, a very different action than what he’d grown used to for most of his life after the fateful day when he lost his adopted father, and was taken from his adopted mother.

To become the man, the Prince, he was meant to be. The one Shaw Ku and [member="Lady Kay"] saw in him so long ago but who had become lost over the years — confused, chaotic, lazy.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=​

He emerged from his room aboard the small freighter he’d purchased for this trip. It was becoming a habit — buying beat up and rundown ships for different adventures. This was no stately outing. In fact, the less others knew, the better. Not because, like many of his other misadventures, what they were about to undertake was illegal. Instead, it was the opposite. It was intense and difficult training he was after, and the fewer distractions, the better.

As he walked toward the cockpit, the rustle of his plain grey robes might barely be heard disturbing the quiet. There was almost no doubt the woman he chose to train him — his advisor — would hear him coming, even if she didn’t feel his presence through the force first. Her blindness meant that she was that much more in tune with the force and her other senses. So much so that Bradshaw rarely thought about the disability, for, she compensated for it so well.

Only a few people knew first-hand about his going away to train for what would likely be months. His mother, and his stepfather [member="Veiere Arenais"] of course, maybe a few security personnel, but also, the woman he’d been casually going on dates with, [member="Silfe Sosuri"]. Other than them, his absence would likely be rarely noticed or remarked upon as he was frequently found elsewhere from Commenori space pretending to be someone he used to be — a ruffian, smuggler, and playboy pilot.

A whistle and boop greeted him when he stepped through the doorway into the cockpit, Shorty, his borrowed astromech/slicer droid was saying hello.

“Hello to you too, Shorty, I hope you’ve managed to keep us on course this time? We don’t need a repeat of Naalol.”

The droid blew him a few defensive whistles.

“Yeah, yeah, you keep saying that but, I know you really just fell asleep at the wheel.”

Walking up behind [member="Jairdain"], he placed his left hand on her shoulder and stared out at the poetic swirling vortex of lights and blackness that characterised hyperspace travel and never ceased to amaze. For a moment, he hoped Jair could at least experience the sight in her own way. It was too mesmerising a sight to never see.

He nearly hated Jair when he first found out about his mother having hired her to be his advisor. It was an attempt by her to get him to learn. To take hold of the responsibility of being the Crown Prince of the CSA. It hadn’t worked, or rather, it had, but maybe not the way she imagined. Bradshaw slowly learned to tolerate Jair’s presence and then, to even like having her around. She was a patient woman, one that could be instructive, while also having a sense of humor. The future training, however, might require of her an even more stern hand than the one she’d been using. Change is hard and the kind of change he needed, would be very hard and painful without a doubt. Whether he knew it now or not.

“So, Master, did I sleep long enough? Are we there yet? Please say yes.” He asked, whining a bit like a kid getting restless in the backseat.

 

[Jairdain]

On a certain level, Jairdain was a natural empathic. She felt and viewed the world through emotions so when Brad woke up from his disturbing dream, she knew it. As he expected, she heard his approach. Giving him time to reach the cockpit, she had been giving thought to what was before them and the work needing to be done. A different side and aspect of her was going to be needed, one she didn't use very often. When she did though, the results were normally very productive.

He walked through the door and she turned in his direction for a moment as he spoke to his droid. Not being able to see the navigation star map, the little droid was in control. As long as he knew where to go, everything would be fine.

She chuckled a little at his playfulness in asking if they were there yet and she pointed at the droid.

"You need to take that up with Shorty there. I'm along for the ride."

Tilting her head slightly to consider answering his first question, Jairdain ended up with a nod.

"I think so yes. You appear to be well rested. Question is, how was your sleep? It's been difficult for you recently or we wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation."

Her tone was genuine when she spoke her own question. Friendly, familiar and serious, but not mean. It would be clear from the time they had spent with each other over time how well they ended up meshing together.

[member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Bradshaw Ku]

Slipping into the pilot’s chair next to [member="Jairdain"], the former pilot for higher let the contour of his muscles and bones sink into the familiar and comforting embrace which every pilot’s seat seamed to offer. He spent his life in cockpits, at least, that was until he returned to Commenor and to his mother who was Queen. Even now, he never felt at home quite like sitting behind controls and looking out through transparisteel at a galaxy so enormous and yet, all at his fingertips.

He needed that embrace now as much as ever.

With a quietness rendering it only perceptible to someone like Jair, he breathed in deeply and slowly let out air through nearly clenched teeth like a leaky tire.

“Yeah, I guess I slept alright.” He answered her last question first.

“I really only tried to sleep because someone..--" he stared over his shoulder at Shorty who was sitting — or was he standing? — connected to the freighter, nestled within the small communication’s suite. “—just happened to forget to bring the Dejarik board so there’s nothing else to do...”

Shorty booped and beeped from behind, “Yeah, like the fact that I beat you last time didn’t have anything to do with your memory glitch, you bucket of rusty bolts. I’m on to you.”

A few more whistles.

Brad turned to Jair for a moment, “Don’t listen to him, I wasn’t cheating. An honorable Prince such as myself would never do something like that.”

Of course, he’d answered her question only in the shallowest of ways. If her question were an ocean, his answer was the static, rolling waves of a dessert’s sand dunes.

Despite having previously told her about his weird dream-like-nightmares, so unused to talking about how he really felt about anything was he that he was still even now using humor and banter to deflect from evaluating his inner-life.

A glance down at the controls informed him they would be arriving at Iridonia within a few minutes. Which begged the question, “Looks like we're almost there. So why are we going to Iridonia, anyway? I know you have a house there but, not exactly a prime destination for a vacation, is it?”

 

[Jairdain]

She didn't stop him from taking the pilot seat. He was the type of person that would take comfort with what he was familiar with. His past was just that, a pilot among other things. Allowing it to comfort him as he probably needed it, Jairdain did not pressure him to speak until he was ready. It was only a moment before he answered her. He said he had slept well, but had only gone to bed because his droid had forget to bring a game along.

"Nervous, my prince?"

It was a serious question, but her tone carried some humor. Shaking her head at what else he said, she would probably side with the droid.

"You're a scoundrel and probably attempted to cheat."

At least that was the mask he wore. It was a shield to keep what he really felt or thought to hide behind. Just a facet of Brad she had grown used to. In their time together though, she had learned a few tricks to get past that shield. People needed shields sometimes, others needed them all the time. Jairdain honestly didn't know if she had one and thought of herself as pretty much an open book.

He then asked why she had picked Iridonia to come to and for a moment she thought of how to answer. It took her back to days even before she had been captured by Krest. She had come here to find Lykos after their duel. Here she had learned of great importance. That was one reason, but not the answer she gave Brad. In time maybe she would, but he needed to learn a few things first before she felt he could comprehend what it meant.

"You are correct, it's not great for a vacation, but it is a home to me. I've had my home here for something like four years now if you can believe it. Not in a town, but close enough we can go there for any supplies needed. Built sort of at the cusp between desert and savannah. It's quite pretty and actually full of life. Most of the food, I grow myself and only go to town for meat."

Since Jairdain saw the world differently what she thought of as pretty might not be to him.

"As to why, well, here you need to learn how to live. Not a place where things are given, but earned. Work and you'll be rewarded."

Deciding not to go into further detail, she did know they were going to arrive soon. This was just the first step among many they would be taking together, she just hoped not to go wrong and mess up. He needed to change and it was going to be difficult if he wasn't ready or she pushed too hard.

[member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Bradshaw Ku]

“Scoundrel she says... SCOUNDREL! I hope you’re satisfied Shorty, you’ve turned my own advisor against me!” He yelled with mock pain, “A lying cheating scoundrel... from my own advisor, and here I thought we were friends. And then you go and accuse me, your Prince, of being a lying, cheating, scoundrel.”

He reached across the space separating his chair from hers with his left hand and gave her a playful shove on the shoulder, “Karking hell Jair, how’d you get to know me so well, so fast.” The most honourable Prince said with a laugh, “Alright, you caught me, I cheated.”

A whistle of pure mechanistic joy buzzed electric throughout the cabin as Shorty exclaimed with excitement, wheeling himself to and fro. Happy to be released from the depressing thought of having been beaten by Bradshaw of all people — losing to Ben he could stomach, if he had one — but not to the unfocused Prince.

“You shouldn’t make it so easy. First rule of any game, keep your eye on the ball... or the game board...”

Flipping a few switches with a click and pressing another couple buttons to accompany them, Bradshaw set the worn-down freighter for exiting hyperspace. On most vessels, the ship would automatically ease into sub-light travel, but not this one. He wasn’t sure if it was because the freighter was old, or because it had seen better days, or both. Either way it didn’t much matter, as long as he remembered to prep-the inertial dampeners and nav-system.

“Nervous, me? Nah,” he said as he worked the controls, finally answering her first question. But then, he thought about what she said and why she chose her place on Iridonia.

“Maybe I should be. I don’t know if like the sound of all that farm talk. More of a city guy myself. Maybe we should’ve pitched a tent on Coruscant?”

The truth was that he was nervous. And anxious. And afraid. But, he would never admit such things. Better to pretend everything was fine. At least until the time came and the training that he dreaded, but wanted, began. What happened after that, was impossible to say.

Just then, the freighter yanked itself clumsily from hyperspace. The blur of swirling stars and void gave way to a stolid ruby jewel. Not beautiful. Not refined. More like a mottled, roughly hewn gem sticking out from black wall.

“She doesn’t look like much, but it’ll be better than staying cooped up in here with nothing to do.” He said to himself and [member="Jairdain"]. He wasn’t sure which of the two he really meant to be talking with. “Shorty, give me nav directions to Lokar, in the Kadra region.”

“So, are you happy about going home? I can’t tell.”

 

[Jairdain]

The playing was nice, but she really did know him pretty well by now. Rolling with the shove, Jairdain overplayed the reaction and pretended to almost be tipped over. Her hair falling to the other side of her back before she sat up and ruffled it back into place. Laughing at the reaction of the droid and giving Brad a smile as she finished, she shook her head.

"Remember I need to know how to read people. Spending the time we have together now for close to aa year I think? I have a good idea of you."

She said this as Brad ​brought the ship out of hyperspace. Once that happened, Jairdain was actually able to see more. Sense the life of the planet below them. He admitted in a round about way he was a little nervous, but not for the right reasons. The lessons he learned on Iridonia were going to be harsh, she just hoped for two things. First, she hoped it would start the change within him and second that it wouldn't destroy the relationship they had. Having the feeling it could either way, Jairdain did not want to loose what they had.

When he asked if she was happy to be going home, Jairdain chewed a moment on her lower lip in thought. If he had the ability to pick up on emotions, then he would tell she was unsure if she was or not. There were memories here for her, some good and some bad.

"Yes."

It was a simple word spoken, not entirely true or false though.

The ship was brought into the town an landed at the small spaceport there. She let out a sigh when that happened, happy to be out of the sky. This was one aspect of her life Jairdain had little control over. Not being able to see and read, it was difficult for her to fly. It could be done, but she relied on others or droids to accomplish what some people considered a simple task.

"Are you ready? I packed only a few things and when we need to come back for supplies we can always return to the ship if needed."

Standing up, she turned ​to leave the cockpit and her gaze touched Brad lightly. Attempting to provide some form of comfort, she would send to him a sense of peace. A calming wave of emotion through the Force. Something akin to a hug, but nothing physical would be felt. Gathering up the packed bag when Brad was ready she would actually take the lead in making their way through town.

It had been a while since the last time Jairdain had been here, but the people still knew her. The town itself was similar to what she had grown up in and might be why she had picked to live close to it. Not very high tech, but well enough they had basic needs for people. The heat was arid and dry. An almost fine dust filled the air that came in off the desert, but it was a busy town. The people greeted her, some even wondered who Brad was since she had only ever been alone before.

There was one addition to her clothing and that was a scarf. Stitched into it was a fine embroidery of what looked like feathers. One merchant noticed Brad didn't have one and offered to sell it to him. She spoke in the Zabrak language that Jairdain had learned in her time living here and started to bargain with the merchant. After a few minutes a price was agreed on and she handed the scarf to Brad with a small smile.

"You should have a scarf to keep the dust out of your mouth in case a desert storm rolls in. Do you want to walk or rent a speeder? The walk is maybe half an hour."

Leaving the decision up to Brad, she waited patiently as the listened to the conversations going on around them. It really was a nice change from Commenor for her. Not that she disliked the palace or anything, but here one needed to learn how to live or fail.

[member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Bradshaw Ku]

He wasn’t sure how much he believed her answer. [member="Jairdain"] said ‘yes’, but it was slow coming and although he was not talented in feeling the emotions within others, once and awhile he could get hints of the inner-life behind the guarded outer facade erected by most. He found [member="Silfe Sosuri"] especially easy to read through the force, though why that was, he didn’t know. His familiarity with Jair and the time they’d spent in each other’s company assisted his probe into the meaning behind her answer. Even so, she was a master and he was but a novice, so all he could gather was a distinct feeling of murky depths, like the muddy waters on Dagobah, there was much, much more to her answer than she tried to let on. He made a note of it and set himself the task of finding out the real, full story later.

It was hard enough for him to keep track of his own feelings anyway. His mind was swimming with anxiety, questions, and even a little fear. Was this the right idea? What will it be like? Would he be able to complete the training? What if he couldn’t, what if he never amounted to anything? What if he failed Shaw Ku and the rest of his family?...

But as usual, he wasn’t going to outwardly voice his concerns, instead, opting for humor to pretend everything was fine.

“I was born ready,” he joked as he stood up from the pilot's seat and started to make his way toward the small lounge area where he grabbed a black backpack and slung it over his shoulder, “I made sure to pack a few necessities too. A few... umm... holomagz, a portable holonet receiver dish to make sure we have a crisp connection to HoloFlix for the all important HoloFlix and chill, oh yeah, and a four piece big screen to watch it on. And last but not least... a few litres of Commenor’s finest brandy.”

Walking over to Shorty, he patted the little droid on the dome, “You stay here and guard the ship. It’s sandy out there and remember when I brought you back from Tatooine? Ben was so mad, actually, it was pretty funny.”

The droid whistled an affirmative. He didn’t really want to go outside anyway. Sand and dirt had a nasty way of getting in all your cracks and crevices, even the ones you didn’t know you had.

All of a sudden, Bradshaw didn’t feel quite so anxious. The questions swirling through his mind now seemed less daunting. There was hope. It was like being wrapped in a blanket on a cold night. For a few moments, he didn’t realise where it was coming from, but eventually, he knew it must be Jair’s handiwork. He wasn’t going to complain. It was even more warming to know that she was thinking of him.

As he followed behind her, exiting down the ramp, a blast of hot, arid wind kicking up fine sand hit him in the face, which made him exclaim, “Ugh! It’s hotter than Mustafar out here! And as dusty as Tatooine. We definitely should’ve gone with the pitching a tent on Coruscant idea.”

Although it hadn’t taken him but a minute to start off complaining, the rest of the journey through the town was quieter as he watched some of the locals recognise Jair and approach her. She haggled with one merchant in, what he could only assume was the Zabrak language, and when she was finished, handed him a scarf. He accepted it with a slightly puzzled expression. Until she explained that it was to keep the sand and dust out of his mouth in the event of a sand storm. The thought of which was rather alarming. Great! He thought to himself, now I have to worry about getting stuck in sand storms. This planet was already looking harsh, unforgiving, and unpleasant. He supposed that was also probably the point.

“Well, I can’t say your warning about sandstorms really makes me want to walk anywhere on this planet but,” he sighed and shrugged his shoulders, “I’m here for some serious training so... why start getting lazy now? Walk it is.”

After a few moments into their walk, as he felt the dirt and sand give way and slide out from underneath each of his steps, making the trek more difficult than it would’ve been on hard ground, his eyes and mind wandered to Jair’s scarf and the feather embroidery.

“What’s with the feathers on your scarf? 'Mean anything or... you just like feathers?” He asked inquisitively. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t feel like he really knew as much about her as he should. He got the impression that beneath that polite and pleasant exterior, there were stories and mysteries waiting to be told. He just had to dig for them.

 

[Jairdain]

His humor, while a mask was contagious and Jairdain couldn't help but smile and chuckle just a little at his quips on what exactly he had packed. It was good in its own way and she honestly hoped he wouldn't loose that humor. As she thought about it though, prior to being corrupted, she had very little humor. It's not that it wasn't there, but it wasn't expressed. Being among the sith for a time before the brainwashing Krest had done failed, it had brought to the surface an ability to show her humor.

"You know all those holo things aren't going to do anything for me right? That brandy might come in handy though. Good for cooking with at least."

Sure that was going to get some sort of offended reaction, they walked off the ship after he told Shorty to stay on board. Glad to have one less thing to worry about, she nodded.

"Coruscant even has it rough places. Here though it's real. Not something brought up by people. We also won't have to worry about said people trying to slit our throats."

Taking a moment before they started walking, she reached out with the Force to get a feel for the weather. Coming back to herself after a few moments, she nodded at Brad. She hoped he was ready for the walk. To her, it was nice to be away from almost everything. Only worry now was going to be keeping them both safe and him shaped up.

"We won't be bothered by a storm today. One skill I learned pretty quickly living here was how to read the weather. These storms can come up out of nowhere, but there are usually signs in the weather before they happen. I don't sense anything out of the ordinary right now."

Her boots were soft and worn, comfortable and fit her perfectly. Jairdain also knew the lay of the land so had very little issue taking in the change of it as they walked. Brad stumbled a bit in the sand. Not yet familiar with how to walk. Just something that would take time for him to learn. After a few moments of silence while they each got used to the feeling of change on the ground, she felt Brad focusing on her. He asked about the feather embroidery on her scarf.

Raising a hand up to it for a moment, she felt at the stitching. In a very similar manner to when he asked if she was happy to be returning to Iridonia, she paused in thought before answering. Her tone was almost the same as well, but she did answer.

"I was given the nickname of Zi'rial years ago. Zi'rial is high Zabrak, used more commonly by royalty than the commoners here, but it means sparrow."

This answer did not state who gave her nickname though. If Brad knew anything about the royalty here though, then he would know Krest was king here.

[member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Bradshaw Ku]

The Crown Prince rolled his eyes so hard at his advisor's suggestion that the Commenori brandy he’d packed would be good for cooking that although she couldn’t have seen it, she just might’ve felt his sass as a localized disturbance in the force, as if thousands of teenage girls with attitude cried out as one and were suddenly silenced with the deafening slam of a bedroom door.

No doubt, she knew exactly what he was doing and had expected a similar reaction. And of course he knew that all the visual media he packed wouldn’t be as useful for her, but then again, he’d also assumed she might be too busy meditating or doing whatever master force users did in their free time. He could only guess. Besides, she could always listen to HoloFlix with him. Even if the pretty moving pictures weren’t available.

The backpack, so full of heavy electronics and liquid, was already beginning to seem like a bad idea to the trainee as he waited for [member="Jairdain"]'s answer. Especially while walking on the unstable sand, which didn’t appear to bother her one bit. Every couple minutes he pulled at the straps this way, tugged at them that way but it was no use. Not only was it weighing him down, it also wasn’t helping his balance. He was much too proud to say so, however, and instead he would uncomfortably carry the load to the end, even if he died trying.

When she did finally answer, it was much the same as the answer he’d got after his first probing question. But this time, with slightly more thrown in. Still, it didn’t take the force for him to smell a lie, or at least, a lie of omission. The former smuggler and playboy was far to used to underhanded tactics of the verbal sort not to sniff out when such things were being used against him.

He adjusted his backpack again, to no avail.

“I don’t get how you can feel the future weather but, I’m just glad I won’t be needing this,” he held up the scarf that was now wrapped around his neck as if she could see what he was doing, once again forgetting that she couldn't, “anytime soon. You realize I spent far too long playing Sabacc in cantinas not to know when someone’s not giving me the whole story, right? So what’s the real deal? Why are you so... I don’t know... conflicted and secretive about this place and your scarf? Does it have anything to do with the person who nicknamed you sparrow, or whatever the word was? Yeah! Who did call you that anyway? C’mon, spill it.”

If he’d been a better Prince, he might have known who ruled this planet, but, he wasn’t. Which was partially why they were here in the first place.

 

[Jairdain]

His reaction to what Jairdain said about the use of the brandy was nothing less than she expected and she didn't bother hiding her smile. It was one of the good things about the way they worked together. They each knew when the other was joking around, but also when to be serious. They really meshed together well. Her providing a level head to his wild ways.

Perfectly aware of the issues Brad was having with his pack, she let him have them. All part of learning what was needed here or not as the case may be in this case. If they actually reached her home with everything in that pack, she would be greatly surprised. Here there was no real use for entertainment, not outside of the city where work was going to be needed doing.

Not quite sun up to sun down type work, but well beyond what Brad would be used to. Jairdain had lived here before they met, she knew the routine and he would learn it soon enough. With or without her being there, it was something he would need to do almost without help from her. Just something about Iridonia alone would do it.

Focusing on walking took a little attention for a few moments and he was able to at least try to get his bag readjusted. With a small knowing almost smirk, Jairdain tried to keep it hidden from him. The next he spoke though, it almost brought her to a halt. Her steps slowed and she assessed his words. What seemed like minutes passed as she thought about how to tell him. Jairdain was not a deceptive person for the most part, but had kept much of her past buried for a reason. However, that hidden past came up to haunt her, like now. It had helped mold and craft her into who she was today.

Maybe he did have a right to know. So far in the years that had passed since those days, he was the only one to really ask. Brad, the only person to want to know. Once he learned though, would he think of her differently? He asked why she was so secretive and torn about Iridonia, who gave her the nickname and his tone indicated he wasn't going to give up until she answered.

"The name Zi'rial was originally given to me by a sith lord named Lykos. We had a duel, which left us both scarred mentally and connected. Another sith lord learned of our duel and had felt me using a skill called Battle Meditation prior to the duel and set out to capture me. His name was Krest and he was king of Iridonia. He learned of the name given to me and also called me that. Gifted me a home here after he captured me."

Taking a moment to pull ​out a water she brought, Jairdain took a drink and offered it to Brad before she continued. The pace had slowed to give her time to answer before they arrived at her home.

"Krest held me captive, deprived me of the Force, broke my mind. In the end, I fell from the ideals I follow and went sith for a short period of time. However, that path wasn't the one I'm supposed to be on, Brad. It took time, but eventually the light in me won and my mind shattered again. I returned to the Silvers a broken sith, but time mended me and help."

Putting the water away, she picked up her pace again. Her home would almost be in sight for him, but he may not know it was hers.

Everything she said was true, but one thing Jairdain did not actually say was both of these sith were Iridonia born or that they were Zabrak. Brad might be able to figure that out on his own though.

[member="Bradshaw Ku"]