Iris

[Lief]

Stewjon​

​

Somehow she had made it out with a ship.

Mysa's journey from Voss to Deneba had been completed through hitchhiking her way across the Galaxy. She could not recall the last time she had actually owned her own ship, had she ever? Had she always relied on other peoples vessels? That didn't matter.

Since the dissolving of the Jedi Order, the young Snowstrider had effectively been a vagabond, roaming through space in one of their small personal transporters in search of a sign.

Though she had already dealt with three of the cauldrons, she felt certain that more remained out there, simply waiting for her to stumble upon them, or others. She could not permit the latter, not now that she had a clear idea of how to stop their corrupting influence.

For days now she had been without any direction. A few words had come to mind, as they had with the last two incidents, but unlike previously they did not match up with a planet name, star, or system. She was at a loss, and she knew that sitting around waiting wasn't going to do any good.

Yet with no Master to learn from, no Order to assist, and no directives to follow, she was truthfully grasping at thin air.

Everyone else had gone back to the Silvers, but how could she? After all that had happened, headed right back there would solve nothing. She had come too far to return to her old life where personal gain meant more than the Jedi Way.

With a heavy sigh, Mysa set the ship into autopilot and made a course for the nearest breathable atmosphere. That happened to be a terrestrial world known as Stewjon, not a place she had heard of or visited before but there was a first time for everything.

She was unable to shake a sinking feeling from inside of her chest, a pain in her heart, an uncertainty she hadn't felt since first leaving the Silvers. Yet she knew that she had to trust in the Force, in the plans it had for her. You didn't get anywhere without effort, patience, and perseverance...

Who knew, perhaps someone on this planet was in need of assistance. That would be a step in the right direction.

 

[4ND-R0]

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]

Stewjon was not the brightest corner of the universe. Like many planets on the Outer Rim, it was but a rough piece of stone in comparison to diamonds like Coruscant or Nar Shadaa. Whereas Tatooine was a world covered in sand, Stewjon blanketed itself in fields of swaying amber. Farms spanned this sea of grain, seemingly almost isolated from one another.

It was here that Isaiah Thane made his home. It had almost been a decade since he last made his appearance to the greater Galaxy. For him, it was morning, as the stellar light of the system's star lit the sky. He was sitting the middle of the floor of the main homestead, cross-legged and meditative. In front of him floated a hydrospanner, carefully and rhythmically disassembling and reassembling. The Force spoke to the old Jedi, granting him visions of the present, past, and potential of the future. As of late, the Force seemed to bring visions of darkness, of old enemies reforged. He was brought from his thoughts by his protocol droid.

"Master Thane. Breakfast is ready." chimed in the vocabulator of Rose, a rose-gold 3PO with the personality of an old nanny, "Before it gets cold."

Standing from his spot, and grabbing the hydrospanner, he gave a nod. The main hut had a cacophany of smells for his breakfast. Scrambled Endorian chicken eggs. Nuna bacon. Polystarch bread. And to top it all off, the bitter smell of a hot cup of caf. The Jedi-turned-farmer took his plate of breakfast and cup and sat where he could look out to his property. His riding mare cantered in her pen. Numerous chickens clucked about near their henhouse. His BB-Unit, named Blue, was making rounds across the moisture vaporators that gathered his water.

While far from idyllic, this was a kind of haven for Thane. While he was not ignorant of what has occurred out in the galaxy at large, it was a place that was pensive to him. One where the calmness of it all allowed the Force speak without interruption. Yet, as the Force often does, new waves of change were often inevitable, even on isolated worlds...

 

[Lief]

She stepped out into the early morning sun.

Blinking off the dark void of space, Mysa stretched the aches from her body and allowed her feet to grace the textured ground beyond her ship. "S2" she began, hailing the R2-Astromech Unit which remained onboard the ship, an archaic model to be sure but it had come with the vessel and had proved itself useful throughout her ventures, "Continue your attempts to establish a connection with Master Raxis. I'll have the ship refueled before I return."

Though their Apprenticeship had come to a swift end, Mysa still felt as though she owed him some sort of discussion. She could not follow him on the path he had chosen, there was no resentment there, that was simply the will of the Force and Mysa would find out its purpose for her in time.

As she passed through the small open aired spaceport the young Umbaran made sure to hail down one of the attendants so that they could tend to her ship, refuel it, patch up any damages it might have sustained, she was a competent pilot but outside of that she did not know how to do most of the maintenance herself.

Fields greeted her vision every way she looked, a far cry from the snowy tundras of her home, or the desert of Deneba. Part of her wished to venture through them, to feel the purity of the Force flow through her as it did all forms of life, to soak it all in in the hopes that it might rejuvenate her soul.

Turning full circle, the young Snowstrider looked for any signs of habitable life, yet even close to the spaceport there simply wasn't anything to be seen. Rows and rows of fields, small paths no doubt made for speeders to race through, and tranquility.

Ensuring that the canister on her waist was filled with water, and the pack on her shoulder had enough rations to last her, Mysa began to venture off on one of those trails, toward what seemed to be a blip in the distance. A farmhouse perhaps?

Mysa did not know.

[member="Isaiah Thane"]

 

[4ND-R0]

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]

So the morning continued as it usually did. Isaiah tended to the tasks around the homestead. He fed the chickens that were gathered around their coop. He gave nourishment to Sunrider, the Endorian mare. Yet the worst of it was went it came to the vaporators themselves. While such technology was useful in drawing clean water from the air, the moisture itself was a breeding ground for lichens, mushrooms, and other fungi. Yet nothing went to waste. The fungi would be gathered and set out to dry and to be used in food, such as soups and broth. All seemed quiet until Blue got Thane's attention. The old man gave a quizzical look to the spheroid astromech.

« Stranger = Approaching, 400 meters south. // Query = Friend or foe? » came the little droid's chittering Binary.

With this information, the Jedi exile ran back into the main building, grabbing a pair of macrobinoculars. He viewed out to where his astromech had stated. Indeed, a young woman approached his homestead. More curious than worried, he saddled up Sunrider and cantered down the path to meet the stranger. He stopped when he was about 30 meters away from the woman.

"Woah, girl." He pulled back the reigns on his horse, "That'll be far enough, outlander. At least until I know why you've ventured here."

He sat upon his mare, steely eyes gazing upon the young woman that had come this far. He seemed to be trying to get a sense of her. Her clothing definitely suggested someone just arriving from the spaceport. Far too outlandish for the farmers of Stewjon. He also seemed wary as well, seeming to know that trouble sometimes followed outlanders. He would let her explain herself first, however. Sometimes the lost were in need of getting back on the right path.

 

[Lief]

Though she had set off at the crack of dawn, when the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, its place in the sky had shifted considerably by the time that she was met with the sound of galloping hooves, when the homestead she had found herself wandering toward was more apparent.

Her gaze drifted over the mare as it approached, and in anticipation of interacting with another human being she slowed herself down to a halt even before the stranger spoke, hailing her as an outlander. That, she supposed, was the truth of it, and as such there was no offense to be taken from his choice in words.

Almost immediately she inclined her head into a gentle bow of respect and greeting, before any words left her mouth, and when she straightened back up her posture was nigh on perfect. She settled her gaze upon his own, and as she took him in, truly felt his presence, she noticed how the Force seemed comfortable around him, in tune with his surroundings.

Though her curiosity was spiked, Mysa did not speak on it. Not yet at least. Instead she offered the smallest of smiles.

"Greetings; I apologize if my feet have led me to trespass upon your land, that was hardly my intent at all."

Once more she felt drawn toward his mount, but her own practices bade her to keep her attention upon the man who had evidently rode out to meet her before she encroached upon his land.

"My name is Mysa Snowstrider," she said, having no cause to lie to him about who she was, "I hail from the distant land of Midvinter, though duties brought me further afield. I mean you no ill, Sir, in fact I had come here in hopes of finding someone to assist until my purpose becomes clear."

Obscure enough that her statement was, she did not know of a better way to explain it. Outright stating that she was a Jedi without an Order seemed... Somewhat perilous, given that she did not know who this man was.

[member="Isaiah Thane"]

 

[4ND-R0]

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]

The Morellian listened carefully as the young woman explained herself. Just as she could feel the Force from him, he could in turn feel it in this woman. Yet, he did not sense the Dark around her, so he nodded. He dismounted from his horse and gently guided the equine to this Mysa.

"I apologize for my outward hostility. The Outer Rim is filled with brigands and thugs. Can never be too careful." He softened only slightly, "I am Isaiah. Isaiah Thane. This is Sunrider."

He carefully routed the chestnut mare to come closer to the woman from Midvinter. While he knew that a horse was not Force-sensitive, he had come to take the reactions of his horses as judges of character. They seemed to have an almost preternatural sense about these things.

"Go ahead. She's quite gentle." He nodded to the young woman, "You seem to know her kind. Not many do."

He kept his eyes observational. The mare knickered at the Umbaran, flicking her blondish tail and giving a couple of snorts. The animal was a large one, apparently bred from a line like a workhorse. Powerful yet graceful looking.

"You're welcome to join us back at the homestead." He thumbed over to the complex behind him several meters away, "Hot food. Drink. Lodging if you need."

 

[Lief]

She may have had her moments, but Mysa had never once lost the Light within. Not at the hands of Joon, who had whisked her away from her home and held her captive in the hopes that she could be tempted, nor when battling the Alchemical Fiend and the pieces of himself he had left scattered across the Galaxy. Recovering on Voss had proved difficult, there had been some small stain left behind, but she had worked hard to remedy that, and she had come far.

Her trust in the Force had been rewarded.

"Your wariness is understandable, Sir," she assured him, taking one slight step closer to him and the mare. They reminded her of home, of Midvinter, a place she had not visited in quite some time, and missed dearly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, [member='Isaiah Thane'], and you too of course Sunrider. A beautiful name, for such a magnificent mare."

One hand reached out at his urging, and she allowed the creature to give it a good sniff. She longed to touch it, but she knew better than to spook a creature such as it... Especially when it held a rider.

"We have similar on Midvinter, my mother taught me to ride." She had not referred to [member='Coci Heavenshield'] as such in the longest time, and though she had been reunited with her birth family, though she was supposed to see the Heavenshields as her Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins, she could never quite shake the years of their unconditional love. Even now, even as she had walked away from her past and all it contained.

When Sunrider did not respond to her scent with gruff refusal, the Umbaran splayed her fingers and settled her hand atop her nose, gently petting in a light yet comforting fashion. Truly she was a wonder to look upon.

"I would appreciate that, Sir," she remarked to his offer, "If there is anything I might assist with in return, you need only say. I came here in hopes of making myself useful, after all."

 

[4ND-R0]

The Morellian took note of his horse's response to this [member="Mysa Snowstrider"]. That spoke volumes to him, but he lept himself reserved before nodding. He turned his mare around to the direction of his home.

"If you so insist, I am not as young as I used to be. I have some vaporators that need tending to." He spoke simply, "Come along, Miss Snowstrider. I'm sure Rose is going to be thrilled to have company other than me."

He cracked a small, self depreciating smile. He paced his horse at a walking gait as to not leave his guest in the dust. He had seldom heard of Midvinter, her homeworld. What little he did, it was of a noble but ruthless people. In a way similar to the Mandalorians of old. He was deliberately keeping his pace slow. He wished to know more about this stranger.

"Forgive an old man for prying, but what is it that you behold yourself to?" He questioned, "You do not dress like, nor carry yourself like a smuggler or a typical spacer. Nor do I know many with such great manners."

The question of the Force still alluded him. This woman seemed to have a presence within it. Was she even aware? A cautious path he rode upon. Her demeanor and friendliness were so far then only indication that she was not an Acolyte of the Dark Side. Yet, she seemed rather far from home if she was a student any other Order. Curious.

 

[Lief]

"I do not know much about Vaporators," she informed him with honesty, "But I shall help you with them regardless."

She was curious as to who this Rose was but figured it made more sense to wait and see than speculate or ask such a needless question. It would not be too long before they reached the homestead, after all, and then she would find out for herself.

Following after him, grateful that the horse was merely trotting, she listened to the questions he asked of her and pondered for a moment on the answer. What exactly was she, now? She was no Shieldmaiden, not since leaving her home, nor was she really a Jedi given that the Order she had pledged herself to no longer existed.

With a soft frown she came to the conclusion that it did not matter if there was an Order to house her or not. What she was could not simply be taken from her due to the actions of another, not so long as Mysa continued to walk that path herself.

"I answer to the Force," she said, after a few more moments, "Ashla is my guide, and I seek to follow the path of my Jedi forefathers - those who existed centuries ago, not the muddied version which exists today."

It could have been a mistake to tell him such, but Mysa was a decent enough sense of character and she sensed only the light within him. Given his age she did not doubt that he was aware of his own sensitivity, even if only in some small capacity.

[member="Isaiah Thane"]

 

[4ND-R0]

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]

Isaiah was silent for a moment before nodding to her. The response was indeed honest, and as expected. Steely blue eyes glanced to the side at her.

"As I said before. You carry yourself unlike other spacers." He cracked a smirk, "And far more honest than most of them as well."

They came to the edge of the property. The old man dismounted from his horse before leading the mare back ti her enclosed pasture. He then waved to the Umbaran, motioning to follow him inside.

"Rose! Blue!" He called out the droids' names, "We've got company. This is Miss Mysa Snowstrider. Miss Snowstrider, my compatriots."

The pinkish-gold 3PO unit shuffled in, followed by a spheroid astromech that looked uncannily lije the hybrid of famous droids R2D2 and BB-8. The protocol droid threw her angled arms in surprise.

"Oh my! A visitor!" She seemed happily surprised, "I am R-O53. Rose. And this is BB-7U, my counterpart."

The smaller droid beeped its greeting in Binary. Isaiah took a seat at what appeared to be the dining table before offering a seat to his guest.

"Rose, if you would be so kind. Start a spot of caf. Some sort of refreshment." He spoke rather kindly to the droid, "My guest and I have much to discuss."

Once Rose appeared to nod and waddle off to start on refreshment, Isaiah looked at the young woman.

"So you say you are a Jedi. Yet you refer yourself as akin to a student." He said plainly, "Not to assume, but that means that you are a Padawan. Should I expect your Master soon? Or do Jedi allow their students to travel so far alone these days?"