First Reply Old Home Callings

[Kei Amadis]

Muse Music​

• Kashyyyk
• Remote Lake
• Morning

Hammering away at a simple log cabin would be where you'd find Kei most days—a few simple houses for close friends around a distant lake. Fixing a door, mending some steps, and helping keep the gardens and nearby temple clean, guarded, and staffed. Kashyyyk was quieter these days; his children were at a distant temple, his wife was working away, and most of the old Jedi he'd served with were far from here. A few kept the temple grounds clean or staffed, but only a few new people came by, the occasional wildcard giving him a report, someone seeking the silver Jedi or a courier.

Kei had made peace with his past a long time ago. There were regrets in his life that he'd come to terms with, but the aging Jedi Master was content with their slice of heaven. Considering how many risks he'd taken, his surviving this long was a minor miracle. All those others who hadn't made it would have missed this family, love, and companionship that had brought him endless joy. Heaving a heavy new beam into place, he shaped a large chunk of wood to size, and the work took it out of him. The Epicanthix stopped to rub the back of his neck, sweating lightly in the morning sun.

"You're getting old, young'un," Old Zacka teased, settling into his familiar wooden porch chair. His lifelong friend got a firm and familiar grin. Too old to be doing much manual labor, the old Cage still tried to fly when his eyesight wasn't failing him; other times, he did what he could to landscape around the former temple.

"We're just getting started," Amadis lumbered over, his leg playing him up, placing the axe by the door. He clipped off his toolbelt and sat in the comfortably grooved chair.

"Where's Patches?" Asked Kei, observing the much-needed tradition of a mid-morning break, one all three men would usually share.

"Humph, where else?" Zacka grumbled.

Smells of freshly baked delicacies puffed away out of the third log cabin, alongside the sounds of local Wookiees being entertained by stuffing their bellies full of baked goods. An often-used excuse for Patches wife to indulge in a cake or two while feeding the local tribe.

"Smells good," added Kei, leaning his head back and drinking cool spring water filtered from the lake. In a moment of sentiment, seeing the homes reflected in the lake, he scratched his grey stubble. How many years had it been here in their slice of paradise? How many friends had come and gone?

"Ever miss it?" Zacka asked, seeing how Kei was getting all misty-eyed, but before Kei could respond, Amadis sensed something.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen had been to Kashyyk quite often in his travels. Its massive forests and dangerous wild life reminded him of his own home on Veradune and the wookiees had become fast friends after a few adventures in their shadowlands. Thus, it was a bit of a surprise when the Valde earned from the local tribe that one of his old friends had been hanging around the woods in his own little cabin away from the rest of the galaxy. Always eager to meet such old acquaintances, Vulpesen set off immediately.

He made no attempt to hide his presence in the force as he approached the Amadis cabin, his tail flicking behind him as he gazed around the area. In truth, he wondered if Kei would even recognize the man who had once been a young jedi in the army of light. Now with golden eyes, and a black tail, Vulpesen was still a youthful figure due to his zorren heritage, but that had come at the price of more than a few changes to his physiology. "Last time I saw you, pretty sure you were hammering away at the sith," he said, patting the shoulder of a passing wookiee as he approached the silver jedi.


Kei Amadis

 

[Kei Amadis]

Vulpesen, though different on the outside, was unmistakable to Kei. Facing the man as he spoke, clarity washed over the Jedi, and all became clear in the force. Once both students had taken some of their first steps together, and now...

"I remember two Jedi questioning life, finding their feet. Then I stood beside one of the bravest men I have ever met, and afterward, I heard about the leader you became."

During the toughest times, it showed your character. Vulpesen stood up, becoming one of the few who did something about the darkness and the status quo that had allowed it; he sacrificed a lot to make that happen and forever changed what came next.

"Interesting times those days." Amadis grinned knowingly, approached him, and did what the Echani did: offered his hand out to link the wrist of the other if accepted. A gesture loaded with the significance of two old comrades in arms.

"Damn good to see you alive," the last word, a tip of the sentiment he'd been feeling. Introductions: "Zacka Lodia, a lifelong family friend. Zacka, meet Vulpesen, an old friend, and someone many people owe their lives and lifestyles to."

The wizened elderly Cage tipped his weathered hat, and Kei gestured to one of the two spare seats.

"What brings you out this way? Been a minute." Amadis was genuinely interested to hear about his friend's life and travels; they didn't get much news beyond stale reports of supplies or local problems.

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen happily accepted the arm that Kei offered, his grip firm though he tried with some limited success to keep his claws from digging into Kei's forearm. "Interesting back then, and every day since. Life's had a way of one upping itself." He offered Zacka a nod and walked over to settle himself down into a seat. "Just passin' through, visiting some friends. Heard you were alive and figured I had to see it for myself." His vulpine brush of a tail swept around into his lap where his hands settled on the jet black fur.

His eyes moved to peer at the surrounding forest, and his lips turned into a fanged smile before he faced his old friend once more. "You should come visit Veradune some time. Its actually not all that different from Kashyyyk, which is probably why I like visiting here so much. A nice little home away from home." Long ago, he and Kei had spoken of his first home world, Amar. Since then, fate had revealed to the ex-jedi another past, a history enriched by the people that he now led.


Kei Amadis (Sorry for the wait. Been moving and this is the first time ive touched my computer in days)

 

[Kei Amadis]

"Alive and kicking." Kei shifted his bad leg, less kicking these days. "Glad you came. Was thinking about old times, the people, and family." They'd both probably seen a lot, to put it mildly.

"He was getting sentimental," Zacka smiled.

Kei laughed and pointed to his friend, "Every Autumn on life day, he's always dressed up." The local Wookiee customs of family and harmony were strong here, and they all embraced them, Life Day being the biggest one of all.

Zacka perked up when Vulpesen suggested a trip. "What I've been telling him!" The old Cage grumbled. "To stretch his legs while the kids and wife are away." He never held his opinion back.

Used to the grumbling, Kei grinned. "Like this paradise? Then it can't be bad. My friend, I'd love to visit." Then he remembered himself; it wasn't often he got guests. "Can I get you a drink, food?" Kei could swing some of that fresh-baked goodness their way; it'd give him an unshakable excuse.

"Have to ask," probably not the first question Vulpesen was expecting. "Wife? Family waiting for you back home?" A strong sense of family was present in Amadis, much more than he had before when his mind was fixed on adventures or heroic gestures. With his own family away, Kei definitely felt the absence.

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen grinned at the banter between Kei and his friend, leaning back in his seat to enjoy the fair weather. “A drink would be nice actually, and judging by the smell of those pastries, I’d be a fool to turn it down.” While no longer a jedi, that didn’t mean that he was one to spurn their wisdom, and there was a rather famous saying among his old order. ‘Where there is food, eat.’

Kei’s question on the family brought a wistful smile to the Valde’s face and he reached into his cloak, producing a small holoprojector. A click of a button displayed the image of a small family, Vulpesen alongside his two kids and flanked by his parents. “Didn’t work out with their mother, but Vallen and Daella are back home right now, keeping the place from falling apart in my absence. I was blessed with twins, both of them as strong in the force as I was at their age and with a lot more understanding of who and what they are.” He switched off the projector and put it away. “What about you? Got a lass waiting for you up in the branches somewhere?”

Kei Amadis