Private I Missed You...... Old Friend

[Jax Thio]

Location: Monastery
Equipment: Faded Casual Clothing, DC-15s Side Arm, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Aveline Cuiléin

The planet Monastery, a planet filled with danger and light. Thanks to a flurry of connections, he formed during his journey, Jax managed to get into contact the The Order of the Sacred Circle. An Order was comprised of Force sensitives who worshipped the rings around Monastery. The High Priest said that he could help if Jax can perform some tasks for him. The Jedi accepted it knowing the fact that nothing in this Galaxy comes free, Jax spent years gaming the system doing favors in order to complete missions. He was in a desperate situation trying to regain his Force abilities after all.

He was in an old transport surrounded by passengers young and old along with a chatty malfunctioning protocol droid ranting about wanting to play in the cheese. Jax saw that they were making the final approach to the planet seeing it entering Monastery's atmosphere. As the ship began to rumble, Jax's thoughts began to shift towards the friends and family he left behind. Jax missed Valery Noble , he missed Caltin Vanagor , he missed everyone at the Jedi Temple. They probably thought he was dead; they probably sensed his fall to the Dark Side. Either way, Jax felt nothing but guilt for his failure to resist his father and he had no one to blame but himself.

The ship landed and Jax stepped out looking around the planet. It was dusk and Jax had to hurry and meet the High Priest, he told Jax to meet him in an few hours and Jax this time wanted to be punctual.

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

​

It had been the end of another successful mission. A man of some political standing, and of course a member of the Order of the Sacred Circle like everyone else on the planet, had been safely returned to his family after having been kidnapped by pirates. A job well done. The Jedi duo, Padawan Aveline Cuiéin and her Master Ammon Rane was heading back to their ship by the hangar.

"What is it?" The large Kel Dor looked back at Aveline. She had stopped. She felt something... Someone. A presence she had not sensed in a long time. "You go on ahead. There is something I must do" Her eyes lifted up towards the skyline, looking as if her gaze could pierce the very atmosphere. In a few minutes a ship would appear on that horizon, and on that ship her former master, the once dead Jax Thio. Impossible yet true all the same.

She saw the look of concern on Rane, even with his mask on. She knew him well enough at this point. "No, it's okay." she assured him before he could put voice to his thoughts. "I'll be fine, really. See you back on Coruscant. I'll find some other way off the planet." He looked upon her another moment, then nodded with understanding. He may not know everything, but he knew it was something she had to do. He didn't sense any danger. "May the Force be with you, Padawan" he said, in a way that also somehow communicated 'you know how to reach me if you need me'.

The Kel Dor left, and Aveline remained. Eventually, when Jax made his way down planetside, she would be waiting. Would he even recognise her? Would she him? Instead of the very traditional Jedi robes she had always worn in the past, instead now she stood wearing a pair of simple, slender, grey pants with a cream shirt on her torso underneath a vest that had the same colour as her pants. The shirt was very reminiscent of the typical Jedi tunics. Another new touch was that which hung by her hip, her very own lightsaber.

Jax Thio​

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Monastery
Equipment: Faded Casual Clothing, DC-15s Side Arm, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Aveline Cuiléin

Jax shuffled down the ramp making a beeline towards Order's building. All he knew was that he needed to get there as soon as possible, Jax wanted to return home, he wanted to become a Jedi again. "What did that mean though?" Jax mumbled to himself. "It lost all meaning the moment I've given in to anger and hate."

But just because a Jedi gave in to the dark, didn't mean he couldn't make amends. He knew that the rift between he and his stepdaughter: Dreidi Xeraic grew larger due to Jax succumbing to his dark impulses. In fact, Jax wondered if he would ever overcome his inner darkness especially since he was linked to his father: Carnifex. Fear washed over Jax as he remembered the man who kept invading his mind, who eventually broke Jax. "Father....." Jax whispered. "Who am I?"

He looked up but didn't see the people walking around but a city wrapped in flames. Burned corpses surrounding Jax as his heart started to beat louder. "No....." Jax said. "I don't have the Force! I-"

Jax saw him. His father a towering dark figure his blood red eyes staring at him. "No!" Jax said tripping as he tried to step away from his father. "Get out of my head! I'm not like you!"

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

Aveline waited at the spaceport. The man she waited for didn't travel in his own ship, rather a transport along with many other passengers. They went out in large groups, wandering towards various exits. Somehow she missed him, but she did sense him.

Curious now, as an eerie feeling was slowly creeping up on her, she walked out into the streets. Before long she managed to find him.

After having made him she followed him a few blocks. He appeared to be talking to himself, mumbling something inaudible. Something wasn't quite right. Aveline looked again, this time with the Force. She got a troubling reading of a man in turmoil with himself. There was a darkness in him, a pit that hadn't existed before. For all his shortcomings, that had never been one of them.

«Jax?» she called out to him after he had stopped. He appeared to be taken by some kind of vision, talking out loud about voices in his head or some sort. «Jax! Hey, Jax! It's me. Snap out of it» she stood in front of him now, trying to grab his attention, trying to anchor him back in reality.

Reaching out once more, she opened herself to the Force, allowing it to flow through her, before she let it wash over Jax in the shape of a wave of calmness and serenity. «Peace Jax. There's no one else here. You are safe.» She didn't sense any intruder, anyone trying to invade his thoughts, though that didn't mean it wasn't a possibility.

«Remember me? It's been a long time» Wasn't that the truth

Jax Thio

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Monastery
Equipment: Faded Casual Clothing, DC-15s Side Arm, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Aveline Cuiléin


The next thing Jax knew he was on the ground the flames surrounding him. The familiar voice of his father talking to Jax in the Sithari language, the dark guttural growl with each word piercing Jax's ears as if they were miniature daggers. As much Jax wanted to shut the words out of his mind, he knew exactly what Carnifex was talking about. Awakening his third eye, embracing his destiny. "Destiny...." Jax said mumbled his eyes gazing upon a flaming building.

He could hear faint crying as well as a chant that grew louder with each word. Jax's heart fluttered a bit, his stomach started to churn he knew this place. The destroyed buildings, the charred corpses he had seen this in his dreams before. Jax saw the red door before him, Carnifex continued to speak to Jax to reach out to the door and uncover the truth. Jax wanted to resist him, but he could not. Jax was tired, beaten, and lost. He lost everything, his integrity, his connection to the Force, his one chance to connect with his stepdaughter: Dreidi Xeraic . He was reduced to a shell of a man.

But there was still one part of him that needed to press on, to not give up. Screaming, Jax forced himself up his body covered in blood, his muscles sore. He limped towards the door hearing screams of a baby and a woman's voice trying to calm them down. "Mom....." Jax whispered before he was blinded by a bright light.

Peace Jax. There's no one else here. You are safe

The Jedi opened his eyes the shimmering shapes formed into a familiar face. Could it be? No.... It couldn't..... "Aveline....." Jax whispered his face covered in sweat as he sprang up to meet his former apprentice.

"Is that you?" Jax eyes filled with tears seeing his own Padawan. The woman whom he failed to train, the woman who seemed to become more mature the last time they've met.

The Jedi didn't say anything but hugged Aveline tight. "I never thought I'd see you again...." He muttered noticing he made Aveline's shoulder wet.

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

“Yes Jax, it’s me” she said, trying to put on a warm smile although she found it hard to brush aside her feelings of fear and concern. He seemed nearly mad, haunted by specters of what she did not know. Whatever it was it had him covered in sweat as well. Should she send him to the healers?

As Jax embraced her, she hugged him back. It was a strange experience seeing him like this, or really, seeing him at all. But at the very least… “It’s good to see you’re not dead” she said with a smile, brushing her shirt after they stepped back.

So many questions, so little time. “How… How are you doing?” It seemed almost silly to ask, but it was a place to start if nothing else. “And what are you doing here?”

Jax Thio

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Monastery
Equipment: Faded Casual Clothing, DC-15s Side Arm, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Aveline Cuiléin

Jax felt his organic hand shaking, the words of his father starting to fade from his mind. Right now all he was focused on was Aveline his old Padawan. "I'm pretty sure the NJO will be glad to know that I'm half dead," he chuckled wiping away his tears and attempting to get up. "Look at you Aveline you're one step closer to becoming a Jedi Knight."

The Jedi took a deep breath trying to regain his addled thoughts. Even Aveline flashed a smile at him, he knew that it was forced. He knew his old Padawan for years now and can tell whether or not she's lying. "It's been horrific," Jax said. "I nearly died at Empress Teta when Carnifex incinerated me and teleported me in the fringes of the Outer Rim. I've lost my connection to the Force and I've been trying to find a way.

He looked at the tower ahead. "I've contacted the Order of the Sacred Circle," Jax said. "They said that they would help If assist in a mission of sorts."

Jax then smiled at Aveline just happy that she's back. "You wanna come with me?" Jax asked. "It'll be just like old times eh?"

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

"I'm pretty sure the NJO will be glad to know that I'm half dead,"

"So what you're saying is they will be happy to see you alive, and not entirely dead" She tried a joke to lighten the mood some. She didn't really know what the right thing to say in this case would be, and she had mission so much. NJO had always been Jax's order, she had never been that involved. Back in the day at least. She got the sense that it didn't really matter saying the right thing, but what Jax needed more than anything was just a friendly face to be there.

"Look at you Aveline you're one step closer to becoming a Jedi Knight."

This time she laughed, and gave him a light tap on the shoulder. "That is sounding dangerously close to a compliment"

When he asked if she wanted to come with him, she thought about it but not for long. "Sure Jax. Why not" she gave a smile, and started walking with him though letting him take the lead, seeing as she didn't know where the hell they were going.

His tale sounded horrific indeed though, Aveline struggled to comprehend all that he had been through. "That sounds rough. You've been through it... And you've lost the Force? How... How does that feel?" Immediately after asking it felt like a stupid question, but she just couldn't get it off her mind. She followed up with an entirely more appropriate question

"How you holding up?"

Jax Thio

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Monastery
Equipment: Faded Casual Clothing, DC-15s Side Arm, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Second Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Aveline Cuiléin

"Be thankful I've noticed," Jax chuckled at Aveline. In many ways, she did grow up while Jax was away he felt ashamed that he wasn't the one who guided Aveline throughout her Jedi Path. Guilt started to creep in, Jax treated Aveline like trash over the years trying to force his way of thinking onto her. All the mistakes he made, all of the arguing he did with Aveline, and it nearly got her killed against Pom Stych Tivé .

There wasn't a day that went by that Jax didn't think about his failure in training Aveline properly. He spent most of his time trying to defy the will of the NJO council but eventually he did want to see Aveline succeed and become the Jedi that she had the potential to be. It took many training sessions and many missions, but Jax grew attached to Aveline and now she matured without his guidance. Jax thought about Lossa Darcuhl and Myvette Faeli and how he learned from his failure with Aveline.

The two padawans didn't get the same treatment like Aveline did, Jax just wished that he changed his approached with Aveline sooner. "I feel like I'm painter gone blind," Jax responded. "I know that the Force is with me, but I cannot grasp it, feel it as a Jedi can. Now I'm like a baby learning to walk again."

Could Jax regain his connection to the Force again? He wasn't sure but surely Carnifex wouldn't want Jax to be without the Force long. He could hear him speaking again. "I don't know Aveline," Jax said approaching the entrance. "Right now, things happened so fast that I don't know who I am anymore."

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

Aveline nodded, in thought. She didn't have much to say back. Her words wouldn't take away how he felt, nor would she try to tell him to just forget about it and move on. His challenges were his own and she would not diminish them or pretend to understand. Still, it wasn't a fun prospect, and dwelling too long on it would lead to fear.

She tried to put on an understanding smile, and said "At least you still have the ability to walk. That's not nothing." Aveline had for the longest time thought him dead. Alive, even without the Force, was certainly an improvement on that.

"You're still you. Whatever you want that to mean." She looked over sideways to him. "With the Force, without it. Who you are is what you do, and who you were doesn't have to be who you become. If you don't like what you've done, identify why, and make your next steps with care." She thought she sensed conflict in him.

Her words could hit or miss, but if nothing else, she wanted him to know that there was always a path to the light for those willing to tread it.

"You don't need the Force to be a good person."

Jax Thio

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Monastery
Equipment: Faded Casual Clothing, DC-15s Side Arm, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Aveline Cuiléin

Jax listened to Aveline's advice smiling while she continued to talk. "At one time I didn't have the ability to live," Jax chuckled his thoughts going back to Ziost where Pom Stych Tivé left him for dead during the battle. Aveline was one of the last people he thought of before he faded out of consciousness. How he failed her, how she herself nearly died by Jax's hand. It should've been Jax who died at Korriban not Aveline and it looked like the Force was going to correct that at Ziost.

"You've grown wiser Aveline," Jax responded. "But right if there's anything I hate more than anything is my own past. I know what I need to do, I need to reconnect with the Force."

He sighed shaking his head. "But If I do, he'll peer into my mind and he'll try to use my loved ones to get to me." Jax said talking more about Aveline. "The Force is an energy field that creates life around us, our choices make us who we are and the Force will guide us accordingly. Yet if we do something that disrupts the Living Force, then the Force will intervene Aveline. Just like it did to me."

Jax frowned clenching his fists. "I fell to the Dark Side Aveline," he said. "I've given into my rage and anger all because I couldn't handle the truth of myself. Of whom I really am, when I was kid, I thought knowing where I came from would give me clarity. But just when I began to accept where I am and the friends and family I've made. My past comes to haunt."

The Jedi chuckled at that irony, the moment he stopped digging about who his parents were, was the moment one of his parents revealed themselves to Jax. As much Jax wanted to forget, he knew that sooner or later he needed to reconnect. He needed to face his father again.

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

Aveline smiled, and gave a nod as she listened. «Who's he? Is that the… The voice in your head?» she asked a probing question, uncertain about how clear he was of mind. She had come across him as he'd been talking to himself and seeing imaginary demons, after all…

«Perhaps the Masters could help shield your mind. Or teach you to shield your own. It's just like another battlefield, another way to fight» she said. «Not that I think it's just that simple or even easy. But it's always better to have a specific goal in mind, right?» Instead of sailing lost at sea, at least have a destination and course in mind.

«The Dark Side?» she said, surprise clear in her expression. »Well, you're here now» she said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. «There's conflict in you to be sure, but there's plenty of space for light. Ultimately, I think it will be your choice.« Which choice would be easier she didn't know, but whichever destination he ended up at would come as a direct result of the path he chose.

Jax Thio

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Monastery
Equipment: Faded Casual Clothing, DC-15s Side Arm, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Aveline Cuiléin

Should Jax tell Aveline about Carnifex? Would she see him differently? It was funny years ago, Aveline was just someone trying to become a Jedi and constantly been frustrated by her constant setbacks while Jax was stern and even taunted her much to his shame. Now Aveline matured while Jax remained the same. His impulsiveness and his inability to resist the darkness in his mind had cost him his connection to the Force. What kind of Master was he?

"They did," Jax said. "But at the end of the day, I was too weak to resist, and I gave in to my heightened emotions."

He had to admit that the Dark Side was invigorating but ultimately it corrupted his soul and ate away at his mind. If Jax had to compare falling to the Dark Side, it would be like being addicted to Deathsticks. It felt good and addicting but it ultimately tore away at your body and mind. Jax should know, he did fell to a Deathstick addiction for a brief moment in his life. "Ah welcome!" A young Zeltron dressed in white robes approached the two. "The Hight Priestess is finishing her sermon, just wait near the door on your left she'll be right with you."

"Thanks," Jax said before staring at Aveline. "That's what I hope to do," Jax said. "Regain my footing again, I'm just glad that you're here for the ride Aveline."

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

Aveline folded her hands together and gave the woman welcoming them a respectful bow. Zeltron. nice.

Jax replied verbally, and so Aveline simply echoed his statement with a smile to communicate much the same.

She followed Jax to their designated waiting area.

"Glad you're not dead" she said with a laugh, making light of a dark situation. "I hope you find what you're looking for here. I really do"

"What is that exactly, by the way?" She lowered her voice slightly, not wanting to offend any who might be eavesdropping. "What do you expect from these people here that the Jedi Masters cannot?"

Jax Thio

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Monastery
Equipment: Faded Casual Clothing, DC-15s Side Arm, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Aveline Cuiléin

"Well rumors of my death are exaggerated to say the least," Jax chuckled. "I just hope I get pointed to the right direction that's all." He was tired of being lost, aside from some nuggets planted by the Force it was hard to make sense on where he needed to go. Sure, when Jax was connected to the Force it was hard to make sense of its without it was like trying to connect the pieces of a puzzle blindfolded.

"This isn't just any planet Aveline," Jax said sitting on the chair that leaned against the large wall. "Monastery is imbued by the Force, I trust that you can feel it. The Order of the Sacred Circle are people who have a unique view of the Force. They see the rings around Monastery as a binding force representing the eternal and always renewing life. A tenet of the Living Force that I've taught you years ago."

The Jedi sighed. "They're not Force sensitives," he said. "But they have great reverence for the Force, I've visited them in the past and they are good people."

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

"I feel it" Aveline said with a smile.

"I'm familiar. We just finished a mission helping someone in the Order of the Sacred Circle." she said with a smile.

"You think they can help you?" Jax had always been one for preaching about the Living Force.

She wasn't sure what Jax's plan here was exactly. Did he mean to move here for a time? Or was this just a visit? "How long do you think you'll stay on Monastery?"

Jax Thio

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Monastery
Equipment: Faded Casual Clothing, DC-15s Side Arm,Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Second Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Aveline Cuiléin

"Aveline....." Jax stared out to the wall ahead. "I feel lost..... alone. I don't think anyone even knows or cares that I'm gone. Maybe its the Dark Side has sunk its claws into me but I'm not the person I used to be."

Everything went wrong for Jax ever since that revelation that Carnifex was his father. Now he fell into darkness and there wasn't a way out. Aveline was the first ray of hope in a long time of searching for answers. "I hope they can help me," Jax continued his gaze looking down on the ground. "But all I want are answers. Who am I? What can I do to get out of this nightmare. But my mind is always drawing blanks."

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

"Be the person you want to be. It's that easy, and that hard, all at the same time"

"You see an old lady fall down, you help her up. That's who you are. Cat stuck in a tree, and you choose to stop what you've got going on to rescue it? That's who you are. Remember the Jedi Code. Remember who you want to be. Strive to embody that."

Hearing herself, she almost laughed at how lecturing she sounded. That wasn't really who she was at all, and it was a weird reverse position to find herself in. "And you know, maybe drink less" she joked, trying to make light of the situation.

"Look Jax, I certainly don't have the answers. I don't know what you should do, only you can figure that out. But trust in yourself, and the Force. You're not a demon. And people will be glad to see you back." she said with a smile, putting what she hoped would be a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I hope they can help you out." she really did, though ultimately, it sounded like Jax needed to find a way to help himself.

Jax Thio

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Monastery
Equipment: Faded Casual Clothing, DC-15s Side Arm, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Aveline Cuiléin

Seeing Aveline again filled Jax with joy and relief, she had grown from that bratty and tenacious young girl to a woman on the verge of Knighthood. However, guilt started to manifest as memories from the battle of Korriban resurfaced. Jax fell into a sullen silence his eyes glossed over as the images that haunted Jax for years started to play once again. Pom Stych Tivé goading Jax to attack her, Jax giving in to his anger rushing recklessly at her with the intent to kill her. However, as Jax struck he realized that his blade did not connect to Pom's flesh but Aveline's. Pom teleported Aveline and used her as a shield so Jax could kill her so he can finally fall to the Dark Side. It nearly worked and Jax overwhelmed with grief reached out to embrace the Darkness but the Force intervened filling his body with the light side.

Still, the horror of nearly killing his own Padawan still stuck with Jax. There wasn't a day that went by that Jax didn't have nightmares of a nearly dead Aveline in his arms while Jax cried over her. He failed as a master, and it was a burden that he carried when training others such as Myvette Faeli . Jax made mistakes with Aveline and vowed not to do them again while training the next generation. Yet, he couldn't help but look back at his failure with Aveline and wondered if things were different and Jax was a better Master, could Aveline been better prepared for the battle? Could Jax control his anger and fear?

"I'm glad that you're with me Aveline," Jax said smiling. "I trust that Master Rane has been teaching you better than I ever could. I failed you Aveline, I didn't give you the proper training that you needed. I was reckless, drunk, and just wanted to be left alone. But it was through you, that I was able to help open up more and become the Jedi Knight that I should have been. But It was too late for that at Korriban when you......"

"Master Thio," a human priest with blond hair approached Jax and Aveline. "She will see you now."

"Let's not keep her waiting then," Jax wanted to apologize to Aveline for what happened but it was best to do that later. Besides, who knows if she even forgave him for nearly killing her all those years ago.

"Come on my old friend," Jax said. "Let's see what she got in store of us."

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

«Oh, he’s doing alright» she said, not wanting to elaborate too much on his methods. It might be a sore point for Jax.

«You didn’t» fail, she had meant to say, but they were interrupted by the priest.

Aveline didn’t hold a grudge over Korriban. It had been a long time ago, and she had learned something of forgiveness since then. She never thought Jax had struck her in malice, and was aware it was the ploy of Pom that had put her in harm’s way. She just wished he’d have deactivated his blade before impact… Her body would have one scar less.

Aveline nodded and with a smile followed Jax and the priest in. She wasn’t sure what was in store, and if she hadn’t been directly invited she probably would’ve left them to it. It seemed like a private gathering, but she got the sense Jax wanted her there.

«I’m still here. Takes more to kill me» she whispered as she came in beside him, making light of the Korriban situation. The fact that she could joke about it now meant she didn’t hold a grudge, or so she hoped she was able to convey.

Jax Thio