Private Legend Has It

[Aeris Lashiec]

Aeris scrolled over the report but didn’t really know what to make of it. Four thousand years was a very long time to break silence, but news on the down-low had managed to reach the archives that a lone master had managed to resurface from an enclave that had been marked as destroyed for at least two millennia before Aeris was born. With the librarian’s secondary duty being to act as a historian there simply was no way under the binary suns of Tatooine that she would not investigate this.

Feelers had been sent out, messenger upon messenger to known enclaves of varying sizes until eventually the one that was the closest in size responded with a thumbs up. Part of Aeris had to admit she wondered why she hadn’t simply gone to the Silver Rest herself to ask given the state of the temple, but there she was — response in hand asking her to come to Kashyyyk for a proper introduction, signed Valery Noble.

This was it then. She had a name and a date. Aeris prepared her things, set Saan’an up with a routine to practice in her absence, and set off into the voids of space for the first time in what felt like years.

The ship touched down and she emerged from within. The greeters approached her and began to lead her to one of the more secluded areas of the temple. The refreshing sea breeze hit Aeris’ lung with a strange sensation of home for a moment before she exhaled.

Into the room stepped the one that she had corresponded with. A bit shorter than she had expected, perhaps, but then Aeris really had no idea what she really expected to see.

“Oh!” She exclaimed happily. “You must be Valery Noble.” Aeris said and bowed. “I was very glad to see that you had received my message.”

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Legend has it​

---

Location: Silver Rest
Valery: Appearance
Tag: Aeris Lashiec

Valery was certainly surprised when a messenger had arrived about a Jedi librarian wanting to meet her. There was a brief time in her own past where she had given up the battlefields in favor of helping the Lorekeepers in the library of her old Temple - she had gotten badly injured and needed to recover before going out in the field again. Through her experience there, she had developed an even greater respect for librarians and the work they do.

She just didn't feel like she was particularly interesting but understood why the history of a long-lost Enclave could make for a fascinating entry into Jedi records. It was also an opportunity to meet more Jedi, so the brunette looked forward to it.

While she waited for the woman to arrive, Valery decided to prepare some tea. She was humming a soft tune and was just pouring herself a cup when the door behind her opened.

Valery turned around and greeted the woman with a respectful bow, as well as a kind smile. "That's right, and you must be Aeris Lashiec. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The brunette then gestured for a seat and held up the teapot, "Please, make yourself comfortable. I also prepared some tea, if you'd like a cup." the woman began. She wasn't exactly sure where to start the conversation, but introductions and tea always made for a good start.

"I must say, I was a little surprised that someone was so interested in learning about such a distant bit of history. But I would be happy to answer any questions you may have, and perhaps I can learn a few new things myself too."

 

[Aeris Lashiec]

Valery Noble

“That would be lovely.” Aeris beamed as she took a seat with a grunt. The damages she had suffered in the attack on her home still lingered. The bruises on her arms were no longer hidden under a thick batch of bacta patches, but they certainly still ached the same. It was her genes. Poor healing made for a sort of acceptance of pain — and doubly so when the force just wasn’t able to help her heal.

“Well, as a librarian — the closer to a ‘distant bit of history’ that something is, the more interesting it gets.” Aeris nodded and grabbed her cup to take a sip. “I am afraid I know precious little about the enclave. Records that we have had at hand only listed it in obscure texts dated well before I was even born. Hell, even before the Gulag Plague or the Skywalker era.”

“Just sort of makes me wonder what it was like back then.” The librarian glanced at Valery with glee. “I mean, politics and Jedi, and Jedi poltics… Surely the stories must have been different from what they are now.”

She withdrew her datapad and crossed her legs to provide it with support as she withdrew its stylus.

“If you don’t mind, I would love to record this for others to be able to read and learn from as well. Even if it is, admittedly, a retelling from memory by a single source that we would struggle to really… Fact check.”

 

[Valery Noble]

Legend has it​

---

Location: Silver Rest
Valery: Appearance
Tag: Aeris Lashiec

Valery chuckled and walked around the table to sit down herself, a cup of tea held between her hands, "I don't mind you recording our conversation and while there is sadly nobody around to confirm what I tell you, the ruins of the Enclave still stand today." she said."I visited not long after my awakening to.. process what exactly happened."

Valery paused a moment, as all of it still felt strange to her. The Enclave and its Jedi were long gone, but it didn't feel that long ago to her.

"If at any point you wish to explore those ruins, and find the archives, I would be happy to be your guide." the woman said with warm smile before she paused in thought again.

"But to begin and answer your question a little, things were very different back then. The Enclave was formed after the Sacking of Coruscant, which lead to the Jedi abandoning the planet. Most returned to the ancient home of the Jedi - Tython. But some spread around the Galaxy, and the founders of thew New Cov Enclave were among those." she explained. The planet New Cov was a peculiar one to establish a Temple on, but it all had its reasons.

"Back in those days, the Jedi were a separate entity - we had similar values as the Republic and part of our oath was to defend it, and its people. We were protectors of the peace. But we made our own decisions, although often in cooperation with the Old republic. I've read that in more recent history, this separation wasn't always there. The stories of how things were in the Clone Wars, with Jedi holding military positions.. it's quite strange to me."

Valery then took a sip from her tea and tapped her chin in thought.

"The Galaxy was swallowed up in quite a war in my time too, and the Jedi and Republic worked together to fight against the return of the Sith Empire, and later the Zakuulan Eternal Empire. But we weren't Generals or politicians. The New Cov Enclave I grew up in specifically focused its efforts against the Sith Empire, who were responsible for sacking the Coruscant Temple. It wasn't a matter of revenge - it was about fighting against the Darkness that again broke a time of relative peace. The methods of the Enclave, considering what we know these days, were rather extreme. A lot of things were back then."

Valery decided to pause here - she had brought up quite a few topics she could elaborate on, and didn't want to overwhelm the listener with a bombardment of information. She wanted to give Aeris a moment to ask questions about what interested her, or converse about certain topics.

 

[Aeris Lashiec]

Valery Noble

Things were very different, the Jedi left Coruscant after its sacking. Aeris bit her tongue as to not let the quip part her lips as Valery went on to explain the state of the galaxy, which admittedly Aeris had been somewhat aware of given her fascination for the obscure and old. She did however make further note of the New Cov. Funny enough the enclave had only been known as ‘Cov’ in the files she had found, although many assumed it to be a corrupted bit of data that they had believed was short for ‘Coven’.

And at least they both agreed that it was weird that Jedi would hold military positions. Aeris wrote it all down on her pad, pen swiping at her pad without breaking focus on what the ancient Battlemaster was saying, her writing seemingly gibberish but being far from it. It was a personal cipher of sorts, glyphs and symbols that Aeris herself had created to make it easier for her to make exactly these kind of notes before she cleared them up later.

“Why is it that all we seem to be is at war?” Aeris sighed and spoke mainly to herself with a shake of her head. Her hand reached out for her teacup and she promptly took a sip before she put it back down again.

“So, that was quite a lot. I am somewhat aware of the situation with the Sith and the Eternal Empire. Tython would make for a good place for re-establishing a Jedi presence in Alliance Space, but in truth I am personally not sure that I want to repeat history, again.”

She had reverence, but that did not mean that she believed all parts of her faith still had merit. Tython had itself been the site of many atrocities in the last three decades alone. There was no reason to risk tempting fate further.

“So, tell me about New Cov. We have absolutely not a single record about this enclave and that is quite rare. Well, except a few—”

Awkward realization. Cov, New Cov. How had they been so blind? Words were about to be had when Aeris came back home again to her… Entirely… Evacuated library. Right.

“Sorry, I just realized that we never drew the connection.” Aeris cleared her throat. “But the enclave remains mostly a big unknown. Why would your people choose New Cov of all places?”

 

[Valery Noble]

Legend has it​

---

Location: Silver Rest
Valery: Appearance
Tag: Aeris Lashiec

Valery smiled while she listened to Aeris. The whole interaction was quite interesting to the woman - the brunette wasn't one to talk this much usually, let alone about herself or her past. But Aeris seemed approachable and her interest in this history made it rather enjoyable for her to talk about it. There were of course darker topics regarding the past on New Cov as well, but one step at a time.

"I don't believe repeating History would be good either, but I will likely always believe the Jedi should not be so closely tied to any military or political body."

She then quietly listened and sipped from her tea as Aeris asked about the Enclave, and nodded. She set aside the cup and gave her answer some thought.

"After the Sacking of Coruscant, the founders of the Enclave wanted to be away from the busy core worlds; away from all the politics and those things that could cloud their judgment. New Cov is a jungle world, but a very dangerous one. At first glance, it's not ideal to live but they were able to create quite a safe haven within those dangerous jungles." she explained.

"It was unlikely that any threat would find them there. So they could still continue their service to the Force without unwanted surprises. But it required a large structure to be built, and dangerous plants had to be removed or relocated. The animals were handled by a group that we called the Jedi Beastmasters. Even the most dangerous predators were kept away, so there was no safety hazard for our younglings."

She then began to think back to the Temple, and how it was built into nature without disturbing it much at all. It was a beautiful place with grand waterfalls, large gardens, and a peaceful atmosphere at any time during the day.

 

[Aeris Lashiec]

Valery Noble

“Well, we are both in agreement on that one at the very least.” Aeris smiled and wrote it down just for the sake of it. She continued to listen as Valery spoke, pen swiping away and notes seemingly capturing every single detail that the Battlemaster provided.

“Working with nature to shape something as opposed to merely putting up an eye sore that could be spotted from miles away.” Aeris nodded approvingly. “Very clever, and no doubt a good exercise in patience.”

Which was a good trait for any proper Jedi.

“So was there any form of local population at all, or was it all just the enclave?”

“How did the Enclave operate?”

 

[Valery Noble]

Legend has it​

---

Location: Silver Rest
Valery: Appearance
Tag: Aeris Lashiec

Valery chuckled, "Oh I'm sure it required a great deal of patience. I personally was not involved in the construction of the Enclave, nor was I very skilled in taming the fauna and flora of the planet. But we had some amazing Jedi who were." the woman said with a warm smile.

"As for the population, there were people living on New Cov but we didn't interact much with them unless they needed our help. They weren't able to tame the jungle though, so they built massive domes around their cities - it was quite a sight if you came down towards the planet with a ship," she said, remembering the image fondly. Valery was very often away from the Temple, so going through the routine of flying into or past the domed cities was still etched into her mind.

"As for how the Enclave operated, it was quite similar to the Jedi Order as a whole. The Enclave had its own Council, which I later joined. The Council reported to and coordinated with the Jedi High Council on Tython, but also directed the Jedi within the Enclave. Much like what I've seen now, there were three main specializations: The Consulars, Guardians, and Sentinels, each with their own tasks." she explained.

"But there were other specialized paths as well, such as the Beatmasters, Artisans, our Jedi pilots, and our Jedi emissary program - they were Jedi sent to various planets as diplomatic representatives, meant to help us maintain a good relationship between the planet's authorities and the Jedi."

"Our Enclave may have had a strong focus on repelling the Sith invasion, but it was nice to see Jedi using their skills for other purposes. Such as a large focus on diplomacy and less common crafts."

 

[Aeris Lashiec]

Valery Noble

Living but not as capable of fending of the wildlife…

The notes continued as Aeris glanced at Valery. Occasionally the librarian broke her focus to make sure she was still writing in a straight line and if she was not, she corrected herself. The different branches seemed very familiar, although she was definitely curious as to what they all did in the grand scheme of things, and especially on a hostile planet such as New Cov.

“Still repelling the sith even four thousand years ago.” Aeris shook her head. It was worthwhile, just… Unending. “And you mentioned Jedi Artisans as well as other, less common crafts?”

“What did they do? Were you part of any such branch?”

 

[Valery Noble]

Legend has it​

---

Location: Silver Rest
Valery: Appearance
Tag: Aeris Lashiec

Valery smiled at the question and continued, "The Artisans were a group of Jedi Knights and Masters who dedicated their time primarily to the construction of lightsabers. While all Jedi were expected to assemble their first lightsaber, some desired more specific designs later but were unable to craft such things themselves. The artisans would help with this, but they also made sculptures for temples, clothing for fellow Jedi and civilians, and much more. I was an Artisan but my work was restricted to building lightsabers."

The brunette then shifted a little and removed her double-bladed lightsaber from her belt. She held it out with both hands to put it on display for Aeris to see.

(commission)
​

"I created this weapon myself a long time ago, including the mechanisms that allow it to separate into separate lightsabers. I might need to upgrade it sometime or develop a new weapon, but it has served me well."

She then thought about some of the other branches within the order for a moment. Outside of the three main umbrellas, there were the Artisans, pilots, and engineers mostly. But she herself was also part of a more secretive branch - the Jedi Shadows. For now, she decided to focus on the others.

"What the pilots did was quite straightforward - they fought alongside Republic pilots in the large space battles of that time. But we often sent them out for other types of missions as well. They were escorts for medical ships, protected supply lines and we've occasionally used them to locate and rescue victims of ships crashing or being shot down."

"Lastly, the engineers developed droids for our pilots and Jedi to use, including astromechs and training droids. But they also developed security systems and had some of the most skilled slicers among their ranks. It's not a branch I ever got involved with - I'm not the most tech-savvy person. Lightsabers and basic ship maintenance are where it stops for me."

She chuckled and took a sip from her tea after she finished explaining the various branches. Of course, the Guardians, Consulars, and Sentinels did what they traditionally did for the Jedi, but she'd be willing to elaborate on that as well if desired.

 

[Aeris Lashiec]

The pen was laid to rest for a moment as Aeris reached out to hold the very ornate hilt in her hands. Her fingers wrapped around the silver metallic ends as she spun it around to give it an inspection. One finger prodded at the jagged thorn that poked out towards where the blade would have been. It pricked against her skin and she quickly retracted it before she ran her hand over the darkened center to flip it over and then hand it back to Valery again.

“It is a beautiful hilt.” She said and picked her pen up again. “I take it you got quite acquainted with the process of dismantling, maintaining, and reassembling sabers then.”

She wrote down the details of the hilt for a moment before she made a quick sketch of it.

“Just, you know. Remember that it is not a weapon, but a tool.” Aeris nodded mainly for herself as she continued to sketch the last few pieces of the hilt. “A weapon is used to injure, defeat, or destroy. A lightsaber can do a lot more than that.”

“Anyway, you already know that.” She said and cleared her throat. “It would be terrific if there was a chance to see this enclave for myself someday. Although, I admit, I am not all that well-suited for some of the more dangerous aspects of the Jedi life.”

She raised her arm covered in bruises and bandages as if to prove a point.

“You get used to the pain and all, but… I would rather not endure it unless necessary.”

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Legend has it​

---

Location: Silver Rest
Valery: Appearance
Tag: Aeris Lashiec

A nod of agreement was given regarding the lightsaber and its meaning and functionality for Jedi. In her position, it was most often a tool for self-defense or the defense of others, but it was used for many other things as well, and it acted as a symbol for the Jedi. Valery then took back her hilt and clipped it safely to her belt.

"Well, the majority of New Cov's danger revolves around the fauna and flora. Of course, the climate isn't the most comfortable either, but it's not going to kill you.." she blinked at her own words, and looked at the bruised arm Aeris showed her. "If you'd really like to visit, I can be your guide or we can ask for additional protection to accompany us too," she said with a smile.

"But of course, there is no pressure. I may return there myself someday, and I can always take some pictures or return some old data for you to look over."

Valery then shifted in her seat a little and pursed her lips.

"I also occasionally travel to recover artifacts or get my hands on ancient knowledge that can be of use. If you're interested, I'd love to have some company for those trips. They're rarely dangerous, but I've learned fascinating things during these expeditions."

 

[Aeris Lashiec]

Valery Noble

You got used to the healing process eventually. The upswing of poor healing was that you learned to control the pain once the initial spike had come to pass. Aeris had been in a colossal amount of pain In the immediate aftermath of the attack, but as the worst of the wounds finally began to heal, and as the healers finally gave up on trying to heal her despite her objections, she found that as long as she channeled her focus on something there was nothing to worry about.

“That would be terrific.” She said and beamed a smile at Valery. “I mean, it would be hard to say or decide on anything right this moment, but that would be a very enlightening experience I think.”

“What have you learned or recovered in your travels?”

 

[Valery Noble]

Legend has it​

---

Location: Silver Rest
Valery: Appearance
Tag: Aeris Lashiec

Aeris' smile would be met with one from Valery, who seemed happy with the idea to have a traveling partner for these types of journeys. They often brought her deep into nature, or within the ruins of ancient civilizations - all rather quiet places. But she of course understood that the events of Coruscant were only just behind them, and thus some time was needed.

"I think you'll enjoy it, but there is no rush. Make sure you've fully recovered and feel ready."

Valery then thought about the question for a moment. It had of course been some time since she last traveled for this purpose, but a few things did come to mind.

"I was part of an expedition that discovered a crystal with healing properties once. Following its retrieval, we offered it to our Chief Healer, who made use of it in the Halls of Healing at the old Enclave. It was later passed down to other Chief Healers as well." she explained.

"Other times, we've found the remains of ancient and long-lost civilizations. Most of these had no large role on a galactic scale, but it's quite interesting to see how different cultures developed over time." she scratched her chin, "The most interesting one I remember was a civilization that built a culture around a strange artifact they called the Oasis. We were sadly never able to find this artifact, but we did locate the chambers where it was supposedly kept."

Valery was smiling as she thought back to these assignments, "The possibilities are endless, but part of what I'd like to do now is recovering certain artifacts that once belonged to my old Enclave. Some are on New Cov but we had off-world locations as well."

 

[Aeris Lashiec]

Valery Noble

Aeris exhaled with a small laughter. “Of course, sounds good.” She said and put her stylus back within her datapad. She was done making notes for now. With a gentle push and a grunt she got herself out of her seat as she continued to listen to Valery talk. She was familiar with the concept of healing crystals; they had a nice warmth to them when applied to Aeris’ skin.

Her shoulders rose as she let in a deep breath and looked out across the Kashyyyk treelines. She should have kept the conversation going, but something about this place just made her miss… Air. Just regular air, no fumes from passing speeders or pre-filtered air that had been recycled for millennia. Her forearms began to rest against a nearby railing before she peered over her shoulder.

“You know, I grew up in a jungle too. Sort of.” Aeris said and looked back at the scenery. “Back on Ossus, when I was still a little child we would climb the tallest trees we found and use it as an excuse to practice catching our falls with the force.”

“But, that is not really what is on my mind. If you excuse my bluntness,” She looked over at Valery. “How does it feel to know that even after four thousand years, you are still fighting the same battles that you fought before you entered deep meditation?”

 

[Valery Noble]

Legend has it​

---

Location: Silver Rest
Valery: Appearance
Tag: Aeris Lashiec

Valery looked up as Aeris stood up and walked over to the railing to enjoy the view. Kashyyk certainly had something special, even to someone who was used to jungles. The fresh air, the large trees, and the wildlife combined made for quite a beautiful planet. Hearing Aeris had grown up in a jungle as well caused Valery's head to tilt, but she also chuckled.

"I know that feeling all too well. Back on New Cov, we used to practice by jumping between trees - add some acrobatics in the mix and it often got interesting," she smirked but remained quiet when the topic shifted to the question that had been on Aeris' mind. Going from the more fun topic to something serious required a brief pause and mental switch.

"Well, this was originally part of why I struggled so much. Alongside just the loss of everybody I knew," she added as her eyes briefly shifted away from Aeris. "Knowing that after such a long time, a lot of the fighting hasn't changed is.. difficult. It almost made me feel like all that effort was for no reason at all. Or that this Galaxy is just doomed to be chaotic."

She paused again and took a deep breath, her gaze settling back on Aeris.

"But between the time I was first active and now, there have been times where large Galactic conflicts had resolved into a time of relative peace. I believe those times are worth fighting for, even if they historically have shown not to last forever. A life of peace and safety needs constant protection. When it's fully lost, and no hope for a better future remains, that's when I believe the Galaxy will be condemned to just darkness. It will spread like a virus that has no opposition. But as long as people, Jedi included, are willing and able to stand against it spreading, it will not consume everything. It may cause damage and setbacks, but we can rise above those together."

She thought back to Coruscant for a moment before she decided to add one last thing.

"It's just important that in all this fighting, in these wars and the aftermath of them; that we don't lose ourselves and our values along the way."

 

[Aeris Lashiec]

Valery Noble

“Right.” Aeris nodded and looked back out across the forests of Kashyyyk again. “I am sorry if I brought down the mood. It is just something I think about a lot.”

“I definitely agree, but I also fear when my friends start spouting about the dark side as if it is something so easily destroyed. It is perhaps a bit of a simple way of seeing it on my own behalf, but I cannot help but compare it to a candle, right?”

“A brighter light does not take the darkness out of a room, it merely pushes it deeper within itself. A light always has a shadow, this is not something you can escape.”

“I just worry that my friends are trying to be an unreasonably bright candle, and will be too blind to see what it will do to them.”

 

[Valery Noble]

Legend has it​

---

Location: Silver Rest
Valery: Appearance
Tag: Aeris Lashiec

The Analogy with the candle wasn't one Valery had heard before, but clearly, one she agreed with, as shown through her smile. "You didn't bring the mood down, I've been thinking about this same thing quite often as well lately."

"I would also agree with your comparison, and it's where the true danger of it all lies. It's why the Galaxy seems to be periodically shifting between times of peace and war. It's important that the candle remains lit, and is bright enough to keep the darkness at bay. If it's too weak, the darkness will consume the room. But if it's too bright.. we blind ourselves from reality as well."

she then let out a soft sigh and looked up at Aeris, who mentioned her worry for her friends.

"While I haven't talked to many Jedi one-on-one since my return, I've felt similarly as well. Everything that has happened recently created deep wounds in many, who lost friends or allies, and I always fear the natural response to it can be disastrous. Some have lost hope and others want to respond too aggressively, or even seek revenge."

"Both must be avoided."

 

[Aeris Lashiec]

Valery Noble

"It makes it all seem so forlorn in a sense, yet oddly inspiring." Aeris agreed and followed in Valery's mindset. "That maybe, our role is not one of eradicators but sentinels. A force to stand against the dark, same as the dark stands against us. One cannot really exist without the other. The force always seems to find a way to brighten and then dim."

"We exist with purpose, yet no purpose at all beyond what we make of it, and that is… Oddly comforting." Aeris caught herself. "I mean, of course, that is just my view on it. The force is too vast to truly decipher while we still cling to these crude vessels of flesh and bone."

"Not saying we should all shed this mortal coil or anything. That would be just as equally irresponsible as not doing anything at all." She laughed. "I suppose what I meant to say is that it is all about finding the things that makes the days all the more worth it, right?"

 

[Valery Noble]

Legend has it​

---

Location: Silver Rest
Valery: Appearance
Tag: Aeris Lashiec

Valery chuckled along with Aeris as the topic shifted to a more positive note. She agreed with the line of thinking and nodded, "We seek to serve the will of the Force as Jedi, but it's not an easy and one-dimensional thing to understand and follow. Finding the things that give us a purpose and desire to protect this existence, as well as the existence of others... that's what it's all about to me."

The woman smiled a little and much of that was a beautiful thing. But it came with many hardships as well, and difficult decisions that had to be made. A responsibility a Jedi carried wasn't something to underestimate.

Valery then stood up to stretch her legs a little, "I will say though, it's not always simple to find those things. I've been reminded by many friends that I'm the 'all work' type." she chuckled. "There is always so much to do, but I suppose it's important to not get overly consumed in duties and business."