Private Noble Bastion

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

Bastion. A planet Jairdain hadn't thought about in years was just the place she was going to be visiting. As she was taking a shuttle down to the surface, she wondered if anything would remain from her time here. It had been close to forty since then, and she hoped there wasn't going to be the underground or even where she had lived once Krest had corrupted her.

In the short conversation she'd had with Laphisto, she had only asked how much had changed. He was unable to answer her at that time. So she would have to learn on her own.

Arriving a few days before the Games were going to begin, she walked off the shuttle and stopped. Breathing in the warm air, it smelled the same. There was a difference, though; it wasn't as oppressive. She was sure there was more, but she had only arrived.

Moving out of the way of the other passengers, she stood still again and just listened. Hearing the wind in the trees and the birds brought her a smile. Another sound that hit her ears were footsteps. Feeling that she wasn't alone, her focus shifted to Laphisto, and she smiled a little.

"Thank you for coming."

Only when she finished speaking did she turn to face him.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto was already waiting at the landing pad when Jairdain Ismet-Thio stepped off the shuttle, flanked by five Lilaste Order soldiers who trailed behind him in perfect silence. Their footsteps echoed softly, but what stood out more was the absence of their presence in the Force like voids walking in formation, invisible to senses that should have felt them.

Laphisto offered a small, respectful bow and gave her a faint smile. "I'm glad to see you made it safely to Bastion. I wasn't sure you would, all things considered but I'm glad you chose to come take a look. Figuratively speaking, of course." laphisto held an arm close to himself letting his elbo stick out as if to help guide the woman. he did so out of curtious habit and didn't consider his height.

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

"I've always made it safely here. Once was when I was just ninteen and a captive of a Sith lord. That's why I asked how much has changed. My memories of Bastion are quite dark. In several different ways."

This was why she was here early. To finally wipe clean her slate of her past. Get rid of any cobwebs that might still be hanging around and clinging to her. A part of her life she didn't want to think about any longer: she accepted what had happened and what she had become. It didn't define her, though.

Giving Laphisto a wry smile when she sensed his intention to guide her with his arm.

"I don't think that will be comfortable for either of us, but I thank you for the offer."

A shiver went up and down her spine, for a brief moment, it felt like somebody walked over her grave. A slight trepidation filled her, and Jairdain wondered if she should have even returned. Drawing in a ragged breath as it finished, she stepped to stand next to Laphisto.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto gave a low chuckle, inclining his head with quiet understanding. He clasped his hands behind his back, his posture straightening as his gaze swept slowly across the landing pad and surrounding skyline. "But of course. I may be millennia old, but I still have manners" he said softly, his voice calm and measured.

There was a pause before he continued, the tone shifting ever so slightly toward the formal."I've been granted clearance to escort you through the city. Wherever you'd like to begin, I'll see you there safely. Just say the word." Though his words were neutral, there was a subtle note of attentiveness in the way he stood beside her present, but never imposing. He would not guide her unless she allowed it, but he would not leave her to walk Bastion alone. Not while ghosts still lingered in its shadows.

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

"Surely you're not that old yet. To a long life for both of us. Sometimes, manners are all that is left at the end of the day."

He cared, and that counted a great deal to her. So many people pretended, but she could tell he was real, and she appreciated that. Of course, she didn't say that, but if he was as good at picking up on things, then he might feel it from her. Jairdain was not one to keep her emotions hidden or secret. One thing about her, though, is that she rarely lets them control her.

"I'd like to retrace some of my old steps. I had a home here. Maybe it remains standing. If not, I do understand things change and houses are temporary anyway."

Focusing on where they were, she attempted to remember the feeling of the earth under her feet and follow the steps she had taken when she was a teenager. Being blind, she didn't need to close her eyes, but she found her lids lowering and her mind guiding her steps. She also sensed the solid support of Laphisto and held onto that feeling.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto gave a small nod, stepping in sync beside her as she began to move, not taking the lead but matching her pace easily. His posture stayed straight, hands behind his back in a loose rest position. He glanced once toward her, then forward again, watching the streets ahead with the quiet focus of someone used to escorting others through unfamiliar ground.

"That can be arranged, A few sectors were flattened and rebuilt after the last change in administration. Others were left mostly untouched. If you give me a general area, I can get us close." He didn't press her for details just offered what she needed to hear. His voice stayed even, practical. "If the building's gone, I'll have my men pull the old zoning records. At the very least, you'll know what happened to it."

He walked quietly after that, giving her the room she clearly needed, but staying close enough that she could feel his presence. Not as a shadow or a guide just someone there to make sure she wasn't walking into anything alone.

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

The weight of his presence was a comfort, and Jairdain leaned into it. Even with the physical distance between them, he was there. She was a calm sea of emotion. These grounds were familiar even if it had been almost forty years since she walked these streets.

"I seem to remember it being in the northwest of Ravelin. So if you can point me in that direction, it would be appreciated."

Shaking her head as he offered to have the records pulled, it wouldn't do her much good.

"That's okay. I'm here to find closure, and if these places have been destroyed or raised, then I'll have it. I don't need to know how or when. Thank you."

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto dipped his head in a quiet nod, offering her a subtle bow before rising to his full height. His hands clasped behind his back as he fell into step beside her, the long, deliberate pace of his stride betraying both his age and his control. His eyes moved with quiet calculation, scanning the streets not out of fear, but memory. Familiarity layered in centuries, war, and ash.

Behind them, the five soldiers who had accompanied him drifted at a respectful distance, forming a silent perimeter more out of habit than threat. No orders were given; they knew better than to interrupt this kind of silence.

"Closure," he repeated under his breath, as though weighing the shape of the word on his tongue. "It's not something everyone is afforded. And even those who do find it… sometimes realize they were chasing something that doesn't exist." He let that hang for a moment before continuing, voice calm but firm like stone shaped by wind.

"I've found ruins where I once lived. Walked through halls where voices I loved once echoed, only to hear nothing but wind and rot. and still i feel the emptyness inside me. i only hope you find better closure than i ever will."


Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

"You're right. Many people are not afforded that chance. I have done my best, and this was the last place I ever thought I would need it. After leaving the Sith and returning to the Jedi...I had not thought I would ever return to Bastion. When the games came up and I learned of them, I knew I had to come. Even if I am chasing dreams and haunted memories."

Not quite stopping as he spoke, Jairdain considered her words carefully. Not because she feared she might offend Laphisto, but to make sure her message was clear. The questions she might ask held the weight she wanted and the respect she needed them to carry.

"Tell me, Master Gix. Were you truly searching for closure? You might have found it, but not the answer you were expecting. I am searching for closure, but not any specific answer. No matter what they are, I will accept what I learn. It would be a blessing if my home were now full of happiness, and where I was held captive, to be destroyed. Knowing my luck, that won't be the case.

What were you hoping for when you went to those halls?"

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto slowed his steps, just slightly, as her words settled between them like dust on stone. His brow furrowed not in frustration, but thought and his gaze drifted toward the distant skyline, where old memories seemed to shimmer just out of reach.

"I'm not sure," he admitted after a moment, voice quiet but steady. "Perhaps I was chasing remembrance. Or trying to see if the mark I left behind… was still visible."His jaw flexed subtly, the memory of distant lifetimes flickering behind his eyes.

"Closure is easy to name but hard to define. I thought maybe if I walked those halls again, stood where I once bled and taught and fought... that I might feel something settle in me. Like a wound closing." He gave a faint shake of his head. "But the truth is… I think I was afraid there'd be nothing left at all. No trace. No echo. That the galaxy had moved on, and I was the only one who remembered I'd ever been there."

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

As Jairdain listened to his answer, she smiled slightly. Sometimes, remembrance was all that was left. Sometimes not even that, and there was nothing. From his previous answers, he hadn't found anything. At least, nothing he had wanted.

"Was that mark still there? Where were you searching?"

As they slowly walked, she continued to sense the area around them. A touch of familiarity came to her, and she stopped outside of what looked like an empty building—a three-story building in need of some repairs.

With her hand that wasn't close to Laphisto, she pointed at it.

"That building is where I had my home. Is it still standing?"

The location was etched in her mind; her memories of her life here filled that. They weren't all bad, but there might be a heaviness around Jairdain that seeped out. Breathing in, she let it out as a sigh.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

"No. The galaxy moved on without me," he began, voice low and distant. "And the Jedi of my time… they made sure I'd be forgotten." He frowned, a subtle tension in his brow, as a low rumble echoed from his throat. He shook his head, sighing softly, the weight of years evident in that breath. "But I am free now no longer bound by my prison sentence."

They stood in silence for a moment, the building looming ahead its three stories weathered but proud. When she asked if it was still standing, his voice softened. A quiet chuckle rumbled from his chest, as if surprised by his own faint amusement. "Yes… it's still here," he said, gaze drifting toward the structure. "A little rough around the edges, but it's standing."

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

Reading his tone and emotion, Jairdain could tell he was thinking of a past so distant she couldn't even imagine it. They both carried a weight, and it felt like they were supporting one another in carrying it. Her focus shifted just momentarily from where they were going to Laphisto. The Force would brush against him, but she wasn't trying to press into him.

"What was your time, friend? You don't feel like a felon. What happened?"

There was no judgment in her tone, and it held genuine curiosity. Her emotions were calm, but she grew a bit excited at his answer.

"Rebuilding won't be a problem as long as the Diarchy will accept the money I've made over the years with the Jedi and my state on Commenor."

She would likely need to exchange the funds at a financial institution, but that wouldn't be too difficult.

"I just invited myself to move here...Is it lived in?"

When she reached out with the Force, she didn't sense any life inside, but they could always be out of the house.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto gave a small chuckle shaking his head gently wih a small rumble pushing from his throat " my time is before the sith were even a thing. before the galaxy knew that name. they were simply dark jedi. i was there when ajunta pall went on his war. and i in a way helped him to some degree cause the great fracture known as the secong great schism."

he frowned lightly with a shake of his head and a soft huff before shaking away a distant memory that threatened to rise to the surface. listening to her speak he looked over at her with a asmall chuckle " its abandonded by the looks of things. and dont worry yourself about paying for its reconstruction. ill ensure my people fix this place up better than it was when you left it. "

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

"I grew up without any contact with the galaxy. It wasn't until I was with the Silver Jedi that I ever learned of the history surrounding the orders. Granted, that was nearly 40 years ago, so I learned about it quite a while ago. Not like you, though.

"What was your life like?"

Speaking more to herself than to him, she did give voice to the question. A second later, she sensed he didn't want to talk about it and almost felt a little guilt. Her hope was raised when he said the building looked abandoned. Then he said his people would fix it up at no charge to her.

A gift like this wasn't something she wanted or needed, but she would accept it. She would owe Laphisto something, though, and it would take her a bit of time to pay back this debt she owed him. Giving him a slight nod, she let out a huff of a similar nature to the one he had just done.

"Honestly, its former condition might have left something to be desired. I lived there when Bastion and the surrounding area were under Sith control."

Letting that hang in the air, she wasn't sure if he had pieced together any of her past or if he was even curious.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

laphisto raised a brow at her comment. eyes darting towards her briefly before then looking back to teh building before them " so you were sith at one point in your life?." he paused for a brief moment arms crossing over his chest as he grabbed his chin in thought before adding " i cant say i know what its like to walk that path. to fully walk that path that is. though you seem to walk a different path now. or your very good at hiding it"

he gave a small chuckle at his comment a soft rumble vibrating within his throat as he thought back to the day he was first stripped of his rank by the jedi order he so furiously served. and for a moment he let himself ponder. what would his life ahd been like had he not chosen the path he did" this galaxy is.. not much different than the one i have left and rejoined countless times before. my life before my exile was. as to be expected of a jedi watchman. guarding my sector settling disputes always on the road."

he chuckled softly a small huff rolling from his throat and he smiled at a fond memory of his wife though when he went to adress her by name he found his tongue stuck in his throat. and his smile turned to a frown. he could not remember her name.

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

When Laphisto stated and questioned if she had been Sith at one point in her life, she tilted her head just slightly. Her already unfocused eyes grew even more distant as she remembered what happened.

"I was, but it didn't last long. Their brainwashing failed, and the people responsible are dead."

Her tone might have become hard or even a little mean. Under it was a fragile hint, though, the shadow of the girl that was brought to this world as a captive, held without light or the Force for over a year. Kept in near solitude in an underground location that she needed to make sure was also gone. Everything from that time in her life. The final door she required closed.

Her new friend would be by her side, helping her. Just another debt she would have to repay. He might not know what she was thinking, and she kept her mind closed, but her emotions would be clear on her face. That she could not keep hidden from him.

"I no longer walk that path."

Listening to him as he eventually answered her softly spoken question.

"It's a life that wouldn't have made me happy. I'm glad you found some within yours. Even if it's gone now, can I help you remember?"

She sensed the hiccup in his memory, and it might help her start repaying the debt she owed him.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto furrowed his brow, ears dipping low as his hands folded neatly behind his back. He drew in a slow breath, the exhale heavy with thought, before giving a subtle shake of his head. "I do not know if that is possible, my friend," he admitted, voice low and measured. "My memories blur at the edges even on the best of days and that was before I carried the echoes of two ancient gods within my soul. What was once unclear has only grown more tangled."

His eyes slipped closed for a moment, his tone softening though the weight behind it lingered. "And perhaps some things are forgotten for a reason. Just as you no longer walk the path of the Sith, I no longer walk the path of the Jedi. Those fragments of who I once was… perhaps they are meant to remain buried, shielded by whatever walls my own mind has built."Opening his eyes again, he studied her, noting the hardness in her words that only barely veiled the fragile pain beneath. He understood it, even if their scars were different.

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

"Once it has made a mark on your mind, it can be remembered. I will respect your choice. However, if you change your decision, I can help."

At the admission, he carried gods within him, but Jairdain did not wholly react. She accepted this as a part of the man next to her. Like the different souls she carried herself. The ones whose voices she could hear, and at times, they wanted her to lose control so they could take over. Not any time soon, and she kept her hold on the darkest of them firmly.

"Do you fight for control with your gods?"

Her focus in the Force turned to him directly, and he had all of her attention. As he shared his thoughts on why forgetting might be a good thing, she smiled faintly.

"My first husband developed early-onset Alzheimer's disease. I watched him as he slowly faded away into a mere shadow of who he had been. There was nothing I could do for him. I hope I never put anybody through that."

When he mentioned he no longer followed the path of a Jedi, she nodded in understanding.

"I might call myself a Jedi Master, but I have never truly followed that path either. But I am more closely allied with them. Here, the Sith wanted to make me into a new Dread Master. In that they almost succeeded. I wear the scars of my past and haven't forgotten them. They have made me into what I am today, and I wouldn't change that, even if I could.

"Come, there's another area I need to visit. It's outside of town. So it might be easier to take a speeder."

Laphisto