I, Je'daii (Asha Hex & Caedyn Arenais)

[Caedyn Arenais]

​

​

The Prophet​

[member="Asha Hex"]​

​

​

​

Life alongside Caedyn's Master, Asha Hex offered no shortage of adventure and intrigue. The Je'daii Order had opened doors for the young man whom now seemed to be coming into himself with the confidence of his training under Stav Kesh, his Master's guidance and the added company of the young and cute little Ashla for whom he loved dearly. Time had passed by like a blur since the revelation of his Father's chosen path and treason against the Systems Alliance; it had been a shocking blow to House Arenais of which Caedyn had struggled to come to terms with. He had spoken to Asha Hex about the matter and though she had reassured and done her utmost to comfort him, as was to be expected the young man needed time to accept what was.

Today, he sat at the table within the Mess Hall of his Master's vessel, The Prophet, adorning the Attire of Qigong Kesh. Leaning back against the wall behind him, his Bo Staff rarely left his sight, even aboard their vessel due to his rather youthful passion for the arts of Bōjutsu and kobudō. His adherence to Stav Kesh had been a path for which he had taken to most enthusiastically and his skill in sparring and non-lethal combat was coming along superbly. Despite this however, he continued, more often than not to wear the Qigong Kesh colors out of respect and faith in his Master's abilities and teachings. Asha Hex having become possibly the most well trusted person in his life alongside his Mother and Sister today.

Cradling a cup of Stim-Caf within both hands, his elbows against the tables surface, his mind roamed to what might await them in their travels. He often avoided asking his Master where they were headed, the surprise and exploration in all things they shared together offered a fresh and exciting feel to every new day they awoke to and with the Force having become so much easier to sense and commune with, the share life upon planets they visited was awe-inspiring. His only fallback being that he lacked the experience in most abilities beyond the control and personal shaping of his reach within it's power; able to manipulate and shift the energies of life yet knowing very few abilities in practice or theory, he had decided to take on a more intensive approach, shifting his focus away from Stav Kesh and deciding that it was time to put Qigong Kesh ahead of himself as his primary direction under the tutelage of the Je'daii Order.

 

[Lief]

Slowly yet surely the Prophet had made her way up the Mara Corridor.

So many worlds lay along the route, though they would be lying to themselves if they tried to claim that they had visited each one. It had been just a week since they made it out of Galactic Empire space, where they had avoided major ports of call such as Kamino in favour of smaller shadowports and rest stops which would not bring with it questions and a need for official documentation. Weeks of being on edge, restlessness as she daren't sleep too heavily lest they be set upon by roaming Imperials. She had tried to make them pass through swiftly, without arousing too much suspicion, and now that the patch of space was behind them she could breathe again.

There were of course pirates which lingered along the Corridor, but truth be told they were more favorable to her than government officials. Especially when they belonged to tyrannical systems.

The route between Dressel and Lannik felt never ending. The odd rest stop had been set up, but aside from that it was just the empty vacuum of space which had greeted them since leaving the Noolian sector. For someone like Asha who had been raised in the void it was comforting, but she could not help but worry for Caedyn's mental state. Prolonged lengths of time without stepping foot on temperate worlds could mess with the mind, she had seen men and women descend into a state similar to cabin fever. Thankfully he seemed to be handling it well.

Stepping into the mess hall, which mostly just consisted of a round table with a semi-circle of booth and a couple of bolted down chairs, as well as a kitchenette, her gaze fell upon the boy.

"You don't have to wear such things here, Cae," she told him, for what must have been the fiftieth time since they first left Svivren, "This is our home, out here we are simply Asha and Caedyn. Whether or not we are Je'daii does not factor into it."

Asha would know, she had been raised as a Je'daii yet in order to keep up appearances on the off chance they had to make an unexpected pit stop, or were - Force forbid - grabbed by some tractor, she and [member="Jericho"] had always kept to more casual attire. As casual as her Father could muster, that was.

She was not surprised to find him with bo staff in hand, he had really taken to the weapon ever since [member="Ignis Imura"] helped him to fashion it, and she supposed it was no different to how she wore both her lightsabers on her belt despite the fact she never used them outside of training.

"I just want you to feel at home." She sighed, though it wasn't exactly aimed at him more that it was for his sake, "This ship is as much yours now as it is mine."

Taking a seat at the table, choosing to sit within the booth itself, she reached out for one of the loose snacks which lay within a bowl at the table's center and threw it into her mouth.

"We're two days from the Lannik system. What do you say, want to check it out?"

[member="Caedyn Arenais"]

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Sorry Master..." Caedyn replied a little sheepishly, though despite the privacy of their environment, the boy had made a habit of calling her by the title more often than not. Like the tunic that he wore, it was a form of respect that he wished to keep up; "I'll make sure to change before we hit orbit..." his words both acknowledging her advice and somehow too signaling his confirmation for a trip to the Lannik System.

It always felt a little odd being away from the Je'daii temples they so often visited, most of their time having been split between Aurum and Svivren where they more or less called home nowadays; being aboard the Prophet had it's share of advantages though too lacked the room for proper exercise that Caedyn had become accustomed to under the training in Stav Kesh. [member="Asha Hex"] had always been so welcoming, yet to call the Prophet a ship that belonged to him as much as it did her still didn't quite feel right to him. In his eyes, the vessel would always accompany memories of the day that he had left Commenor with her. They weren't necessarily bad memories, just a sign of great change in his life, one that he sometimes felt had been made by others more than himself.

"What do you think we'd find in the Lannik System, by the way?" Caedyn piped up once more between mouthfuls of his Stim-Caf, it being a much loved and preferred drink of the lad's even though he were so young. It struck him like a better choice compared to such things like Synthahol and other intoxicating substances...-Plus it kept him up till the late hours either playing with his Pup Ashla or doing press-ups and stuff.

 

[Lief]

She could sense his skepticism concerning the ship and could not help but frown to herself. Had she done so poor a job at making him feel welcome that he did not see it as his own by now? Drumming her fingertips on the tabletop before her she looked back across the room toward where the cockpit lay and began to devise a plan.

"When you are finished here, let me know. I have something in mind."

Her gaze drifted back toward the boy when he asked after their destination. She gave a very slight shrug of her shoulders in response.

"Truth be told, I have no idea. But it is the only planet for days along this route, so we'll make use of it. Who knows, maybe it will hold something interesting for us to explore."

Another small handful of the snacks were pulled from the bowl, though she ate them a little more slowly this time. One by one, still lost in thought. Perhaps he did not see the ship as his own yet, but he would soon enough if all went to plan.

[member="Caedyn Arenais"]

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Looking to his Master, he couldn't help but notice a shift in her demeanor, though it wasn't a physical change but rather the way the Force flowed around her with a little added weight that typically came what, as he had discovered so far, some sort of change in emotions. Of course, he would naturally be curious as to what she had planned for them; they'd not even reached this lonel...Or Lokan...-Lannik System, yet she already had some sort of plan in mind and motion. Smiling a little warily to himself about the adventurous and more often than not, intriguing behavior of his Master, he quickly finished the last of his cup of Caf before moving to stand and return it to the counter where he might wash it so not to leave any unnecessary clutter laying about.

"Do you think this Lannik place would be a good place to bring Ashla?" Caedyn asked curious, setting to drying the cup and then returning it to its rightful shelf alongside the others before turning around to look to her again this time with a little added hope in his eyes; he dearly loved his pupper but she so rarely got the excitement and open out-doors play that she was used to back home on Svivren, here when they traveled. He couldn't leave her behind of course, he'd tried that for a day and one of the students had frightened and lost her for a few hours after he'd returned...-Her name however was given to her for a reason and like the Force, Caedyn was rarely without her in heart and in sight.

"I guess I've not been to too many places outside of our worlds and Commenor...-Most of the Systems Alliance territories were taught to me in school but unlike Mom, I never really needed to go anywhere. It might be nice to do a little wandering and exploring of my own..." He grinned faintly before returning to her near-side and adding curiously, "What're we upto then?".

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Lief]

Caedyn was quick to finish off his drink after she mentioned having a plan in mind for them prior to reaching Lannik. Curiosity was a powerful motivator, it would seem.

Watching as he rinsed out his cup she pondered on his question for a moment. She didn't know much about the world in all honesty, usually she researched before she rocked up on a planet but this time she had been mostly riding the lane and going where it led. There weren't exactly other options for where to refuel and stock their pantry in the vicinity, so she hadn't even thought about it.

"We won't know until we get there, but if it is she can come too. I reckon everybody could do with stretching their legs." Except for Azrael, the ginger fluff ball was always happy to lazy around though he had followed her on several adventures at this point. "But if you want to go off on your own, you must promise to set your chrono and keep your comm frequency open. The last thing we need now is to be truly separated, especially so far from home. Deal?"

Leading him through the ship once he was done, she ventured toward the cockpit before gesturing toward the various consoles and controls.

"Sit yourself down there," she said, pointing to the pilots seat which was always her own. He'd only ever really sat in the copilots seat, if he ever came into the cockpit at all. "It's time you learned how to fly this thing."

[member="Caedyn Arenais"]

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Following [member="Asha Hex"] on into the Cockpit of The Prophet, Caedyn suddenly came to an abrupt halt as his eyes followed her hand gesturing to the pilots seat. Indeed it was a moment of great surprise and significance to him as it had forever been his Master to sit in the primary seat maintaining all control over the vessel. From the Pilots chair, Caedyn could offer support to the secondary systems and the vessels defensive counter-measures yet he couldn't actively direct the vessel in it's path unlike the station she were now suggesting that he take up. "Seriously?..." Caedyn asked, doing a bit of a double-take as he glanced back to his Master with a perculiar smile, uncertain whether to be pleased, confident or feel daunted by the sudden challenge; "I'll try not to get us both killed" he soon chuckled, a trait of his father to mask his anxiety and lack of confidence with dry humor and sarcasm.

Moving to seat himself, Caedyn glanced over the controls for the freighter; all of which he had seen before, of course. Given that they were already within Hyperspace Flight, the vessel had been set to pilot itself for the duration of their trip cruising the sub-light route and bypassing what would otherwise be an endless journey through deep space. Caedyn smiled to himself at the thought, an adventure off into some place uncharted, known not by the millions of worlds within the known-Galaxy but able to be the first to go somewhere, to find new things and new people. It was a typical boys idea of fun, when realistically it would likely turn perilous without the proper precautions. Here alongside his Master however, Caedyn had no such disillusion to fear, for they were on-route and maintaining optimal speed to meet their intended target on time.

"You sure you don't want to drop us out of FTL first, Master?" he asked a little warily, glancing to the main terminal and noting their proximity to the Lannik System; "We're gonna be in range of Lannik soon...".

 

[Lief]

"You're going to be fine," she informed him, with a soft smile, "The systems will override if we end up in danger." This statement was said with a nod in the direction of the droid which was always present within the cockpit. Asha could not always be present to keep them on route, she had to sleep at times and eat and tend to other matters, and that was where it came into play. "But I have complete faith all the same."

Smiling when he actually took to the seat, she settled in to the copilot chair at his side and allowed him to look over the various controls.

"And you're correct, we will be reaching the system shortly which means you'll have to pull us out of hyperspace. You have seen this done countless times, Caedyn, I've seen you studying the consoles and the various controls, I know how much you've been wanting to give this a try for yourself."

She let in a slow breath, making sure it was audible so that he knew to follow suit. It helped to keep a calm mind during moments such as this, to remain focused on the task at hand and not spin out of control with anxiety and worry at the very thought of doing something new and potentially dangerous.

"Remember to breathe, focus my Padawan. Allow the Force to wash over you and guide you. You've got this."

[member="Caedyn Arenais"]

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Caedyn had always loved hearing [member="Asha Hex"] call him that, Padawan, the title that symbolized their relationship and bond together within the Force and all other walks of life that they might choose to take. He was her Apprentice and she his Master, a great honor in his eyes that she had accepted Veiere's wish to take him on as her student, for there must have been doubts. To Cae's knowledge, she had been willing to do so before she had even met the lad and that was like accepting to buy a house without first having seen it and the condition that it was in. He had always done his utmost to encourage her to approve of him, to like him as a friend worthy of her tutelage, though he never went the distance to explain this to her of course, that'd just be embarrassing after all!

"Alright then...Prepare to exit Hyperspace in three....Two...One..." He spoke up while his hands worked the controls, his left reaching to the center terminal stationed between them and easing back on the hyperdrive's throttle to slowly bring them out of warp while his gaze scanned the console in front of him watching the numerous energy readouts all displaying in the green with the rest of the vessel doing as it was supposed to. The Hyperdrive was set to gradually cease power, Caedyn's right hand ensuring priority to the sub-light thrusters and initiating a quarter impulse that they might make an easy venture forward without giving too much stress to the 'Prophet' for his first time flying. It wasn't in any means a heart pounding pace that they moved, though he thought it a responsible one given the situation...