Private Have you hugged a Hairless Wookiee today?

[Caltin Vanagor]

“Don’t try to change the world, just change yourself.” C. JoyBell C.​

Life Day was a holiday that he was not looking forward to when it sunk in that it was coming up. The big man did not regret separating himself from the Silver Jedi Concord, from the Galactic Alliance, the Jedi Praxeum, all of it. There was too much to deal with now that he was who… or in this case what he was that being around those who are so afraid of being afraid was not an option right now. The term “Jedi” does not have the same meaning that it once did. When there was “The Jedi Order” there were indeed Praxeums, and Enclaves, but it all fell under one Council and all held the same outlook at mindset. His definition of “Jedi” was on one level but that was then.

Now? Now there is a level for each mood, or so it would seem.

While he made friends among the Silvers, and colleagues elsewhere, the only real regret is that the Wookiee tribe that considers him one of their own will not see him on this Life Day. He was no doubt welcome to be there, but if he landed, he would have to see those he was leaving behind for the time being. So he sat there quietly in the common room of his ship as it sat floating in open space. Life would go on, things would change, but all parties had to accept what could be and not be afraid of what might be.

Desbre Gensan

 

[Desbre Gensan]

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Location: Interstellar space, between systems​

Equipment: Simple Jedi Robes, Silver Sigil, inherited lightsaber, light-filtering lenses, Hush-style comlink, aquata breather, liquid-cable launcher, stim pills, nutrient/food pack​

Tag: Caltin Vanagor​

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It was good to be back behind the controls of her little freighter. She still hadn't given it a proper name. Not in the seven-ish linear years she'd owned the thing. Newly refitted and repaired, the wookiees certainly knew how to make 'em. Travel through hyperspace was steady and smooth, no blips or blinks. She was operating above the curve in all areas. New power plant, new engines, new power systems, and more would do that for most any ship. And the vessel had more room, since systems had gotten smaller. And the faster hyperdrive was nice. coming in handy as she helped shuffle relief supplies to worlds scourged by the Bryn'adul.

Idly she sat in the pilot seat, feet up on the console, a large datapd in her lap which she idly sketched and drew on. it seemed litltle more than a plate of glass fromone direction but in front of her it was a solid looking canvas that responded to her touch and stylus rather nicely. Shifting her feet one booted foot slipped, only to bump the manual disengage for the hyperdrive. The blue-white mottled sky of hyperspace shatterd into a torrent of starlines that shrank into points, leaving the diamonds-on-black-velvet sky of realspace outside the viewport.

"Frack me," she muttered and sat up. Putting the datapad aside her fingers danced over touch displays, pulling up navigational data for the region. No planets, no star. Between systems. Well that was good. Could squirt back into hyperspace as soon as she, or the computer, got the new jump recalculated... whoever got their first.

The display pinged, showing a new sensor contact. Very far out. A planetary diameter at least. Damn close in terms of astronavigational distances. She'd done some work for the Catographer's Union and ExploraCorps and her little freighter still had it survey gear, including telescopes, LIDAR, and more. Orienting passive systems toward the object she brought it up on display. the silhouette was blurry, but famliar. She had a feeling she already knew what she was looking at. A moment later the computer enhanced and tightened the resolution. The outline resolved into the familiar shape of the Starlight Sentinel. A ship she knew well, or at least well enough.​

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Sublights on the little B-7 flared to life with blue-white light and began a steep intercept. The stars wheeled in front of her as she rolled the ship, re-orienting toward where the Sentinel was, though it was too far away to see with the naked eye.

A few minutes later she could see the warm dot of the ship against the dark stellar background. Reaching out with the Force she let hr senses, her ...influence in the force reach out, stretching toward the Sentinel, like feelers and a net it passed over the surface of the Sentenel and slithered inside. she doubted she'd actually find Master Vanagor,=with the alteration he'd undergone, but it didn't hurt to try. And it would give her an idea of the conditions inside.​

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[Caltin Vanagor]

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the galaxy walks out.” - Walter Winchell​

The Collision alarm claxoned as to incline an incoming ship. This got the big man out of his “trance” as he was reading a Starstrom, or Starstrong, or whatever her name was article. Getting up and walking into the cockpit, his pilot droid “MU-5ic” (Music) reported the incoming ship. It bore Jedi markings and was one that he did not recognize. It was when he could feel the presence of someone he knew, as well as “his” access codes being used to open up the airlock.

Truth be told he was not expecting her to come and really did not want to see anyone, but if Ala wasn’t here then it might as well be his last Padawan. Taking a few minutes to clean up as “R0113R” (Roller) made sure that the light settings were to her liking, the big man took the time and made everything at least look like someone who was not brooding. At least not right now anyway. It was just as well as she deserved a chance to hear from his side of what happened to him and not what others might say.

It had been a while since the two of them had stood face to face, but she was smart, not to mention she was considered "family" to that same Wookiee tribe so she would know him outside of that. It might be why she was here. Even if she was sent by one of the Councils (who knows, Sakadi Marathi Sinvala liked to pretend that they were friends) she would see to him and not look for him (yes, there is a difference).

Either way, she was coming in.

 

[Desbre Gensan]

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Equipment: Simple Jedi Robes, Silver Sigil, inherited lightsaber, light-filtering lenses, Hush-style comlink, aquata breather, liquid-cable launcher, stim pills, nutrient/food pack​

Tag: Caltin Vanagor​

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Coming in close to the Sentinel, se killed the sublight engines. Th einertial dampers took over and she slowed quite rapidly until she was little more than drifting. Reaction control thrusters spat and hissed, jetting steam into space, rotating and adjusting pitch angles. A moment later the dorsal airlocks were lined up, and a seal was made. Killing thrust, she let the ship drift with the Sentinel. And then the gravity plating shut off. She floated lightly out of her seat, and kicked off the main panel sending her backwards. Rotating over, light as a feather, she touched off the ceiling, mag boots clicking on. Walking along she made her way down the wall and onto the floor, back farther into the ship, and then tot he dorsal airlock hatch. Leaping to the ceiling in slow motion she gave a half flip, landing on her feet and pushed her self up/down the ladder, feeling Caltin's gravity take over and begin pulling her by her ankles first. Stopping at the hatch she cycled access codes and the portal irised open. Without much care she dropped straight through the hole and landed easily.

The interior was dimmer than she expected and red shifted down. For most it would have been lurid emergency lurid emergency lighting. her eyes adjusted almost instantly. Frowning she advanced to the hatch leading toward one of the common areas. Reaching to her belt she pulled out her comlink. "Roller. Music. Anybody home?" At the same time she reached out through the Force. ~Master?~ True, he wasn't teaching her anymore. But he was still her senior in so many ways, and she could still learn from him. Even though he felt more like family. Real family. Chosen family, not the kind that kicks you into the dirt. There was concern in her voice both mental and physical. Had something happened? This was all highly unusual.

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[Caltin Vanagor]

“We do not remember days; we remember moments.” - Cesare Pavese​

He was not hiding from her, if he was, the ships would never have been able to dock. No, Vanagor was in the cargo hold rearranging a few things and realizing that his initial thought about the subject was true. The big man could no longer be sensed through the Force. If it was pretty much anyone else they could come look for him. Des did not deserve that level of apathy. So as she came looking for him amid the droids, Vanagor came out of his “hiding place”. After all, he had no reason to keep away, at least not from his former Padawan.

She was still calling him “Master”. Yeah, the big man earned the title and he took to it. It took years of dedication to become a Jedi Master, so was he just throwing it away? After all, hearing it from her really seemed to sink in what he seemed to be giving up that quickly. Was he though? The big man still believed in doing the right thing and much of what the Jedi to their core stood for. The problem is though that the Jedi he believed in died out over eight hundred years ago. No, he was not giving anything up, he was holding onto a dream that died out long ago.

It did not hold the meaning that it once did. There was a time that even one Jedi Knight could turn the tide of the most substantial battle, war even. Today though it seemed as if there was a "Jedi", every ten feet. Maybe he could still bring back the old ways again and what it meant to really be a Jedi, but that was going to be another time. Not now.

Not going to lie, the level of respect you show is appreciated, though not entirely sure that it is all that necessary anymore.

 

[Desbre Gensan]

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Tag: Caltin Vanagor​

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When she finally found him a minute later, relief flooded through her. He was okay, physically anyway. And the ship seemed to be okay. No emergency. He was just out and adrift. Alone. Flashbacks came to mind of her own times alone in the vast gaps between stars. Alone with her own pains, worries, fears, dashed hopes. Alone in her own darkness and pain. Echoes of those pangs came back, and though she'd faced them down, he scars of those wounds were still there, like taut and puckered angry red scars on her soul. But it seemed the Force had different plans for her, even as she did her best to drink herself into oblivion.

Things had improved much since then. Many painful lessons learned. She found herself wondering what darkness he might have been struggling with.

He was alive and well, and it took everything not to rush forward and throw her arms around the big boulder of a man. But why hold back? He'd done so much for her. Mostly it was out of worry for offending him. Screw it. Her hesitation only lasted a second and then she was just t here, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. She was surprisingly strong for someone her size and stature. Arkanian engineering. But still no match for his raw physical power. If he wanted to remove her, he easily could. But she only held on for as long as she felt him willing to stay like that then stepped back.

"It's well-earned in my book," she said quietly, looking up at him as he towered over her. "In so many ways. Even if nobody else recognized it. You're the only one that hasn't abandoned me in all this. And that means the universe to me." Other teachers, other masters, had come and gone. But he'd stuck it out with her more than a few weeks. Sure, he'd polished things off, and helped her find her footing in some difficult situations, brought out things in he that had nothing to do with the Force, and everything to do with what it meant to be a Jedi, a real one. Even her own family had turned their back on her. But he'd given her a new one. There was no way she could repay any of it, so far as she knew.

"I... Uh. Well, crap. What's going on? Why are you out here," she asked. The question was laden with concern, rather than accusation or any harshness. She could respect seeking solitude and alone time to think and recharge. But that only worked if one knew, really knew, they weren't actually alone in spirit. And the last thing she wanted was for him to feel the way she'd felt, rejected and alone. It was doubtful that was the case, but it was on her mind. And anybody who was truly a friend would ask at least that much.

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[Caltin Vanagor]

“Loneliness adds beauty to life. It puts a special burn on sunsets and makes the night air smell better.” - Henry Rollins​

”Oh. Okay. Hugs. I’m still a hugger.” He could hug. It was unexpected but not unwelcome. There was a warmth to it and not just a “Hello” type of feeling. She was relieved to find him. Why? Was something going on that he was needed for? His solitude was not out of malice, but because he was just not feeling welcome anywhere. Des was the first person to actually seek him out without some other kind of ulterior motive. So the big man could appreciate her being here, no matter how long she stayed.

She didn’t have to call him “Master”, either. He meant that but if she wanted to, then who was he to say otherwise? There was a camaraderie between them in that he would not let her feel any more “abandoned” than she had been in the past. He went through that when he himself was a Padawan and made the self-determination that he would not allow anyone else to go through what he did. It was the right thing to do.

Too many Jedi seem to forget what that is.

Of course, the real question was true “Why was he out here?” Was it some stubborn pattern of his? Or was he really alone in the universe? He felt that way, but what was keeping him from being around others? Simple.

Fear.

He was afraid of how others would see him now that he was “Different”. Afraid that people would not look at him as one of their own, even if out of time, but as some kind of freak. Caltin was literally the only one in the galaxy who was connected to the Force(if that was it) in the way that he was. He was winging all of this, but he also knew that it took this long for someone to approach him without any possible threat image or assessment. So that was something.

Well, you have a right to know. Come sit down and let me tell you about “The Well Spring of Life”.


Desbre Gensan