Private Red Sun

[Iandre Athlea]

In the far reaches of the Galaxy, a planet called Iandre. A message from her long-dead master to visit a place called Kesh came to the former Jedi. Once again, she woke up crying out for Aisha, only to remember she was dead centuries ago and had died saving Iandre's life. One of the last times that happened, she had broken a leg later that day. Hoping that wasn't going to happen again, she let her current master know about her dream and that she had to follow this feeling. Normally, he didn't have any issues with her following them. Taking her leave, she didn't sense she would be in danger.

As she had spent over 900 years meditating, she remained awake while traveling. Meditation for her these days was difficult, but she wasn't missing it as much as she could have. When she arrived in their space, she noticed it was relatively clear of traffic. She could also tell there were rebuilding projects going on. The Force had guided her with the assistance of Aisha. She requested landing permission at the largest city. Once that was granted, she piloted her shuttle and landed.

Still clinging to some old habits, she wore something similar to her old Jedi robes. They were grey as that seemed to be the color best suited for her. At her hip, she wore her lightsaber and walked out of the spaceport. Her braided hair hung down her back. Breathing deeply, she smelled the fresh air and folded her hands in front of her as she walked.

Not knowing where she was going, she allowed her feet to guide her. Sometimes that worked out well, and other times it ended up with a broken leg. Without the danger sense firing off, she didn't expect to end up in the infirmary again. Doing her best to avoid the local hawkers, she kept her money close and under her robe.

Smelling food nearby, Iandre headed in that direction. If nothing else, she could start exploring after filling her belly.

Solan Charr

 

[Solan Charr]

Solan for his part had been out in the city. His people used to him wandering and searching through the stores that lined the streets. Even now he had recently purchased a book from one of the shops, walking with it under his arm. His home was this strange world of two extremes, a world where the Lost Tribe had built them up to a space faring force with the singular goal to conquer, while at the same time still traveled on the backs of winged beasts to move between continents.

It was somewhat absurd, but Solan enjoyed it and ensured that both sides remained. Even now his gaze going up to the glass sculpture that had been created in the wake of the Brynadul's removal from the planet fully.

It was a scene he knew well, the sight of enemies coming from the skies above to crush out those who waited below. He wished that the day immortalized in the glass sculpture had ended a different way but that thought would be left in the back of his mind. His focus moving towards a shop and cafe not far away, no real reason he could figure out why but he felt drawn to it for some reason.

"As usual, the Force is cryptic." He was not good with understanding the Will of the Force, it was something he left to others. After all he tended to defy that Will and the natural order anyways, creating a flower that did not need anything but the Force to live or draining the life from his enemies to extend his own. He was by no means the kind of person his old friends like Coci or Ran were, and he definitely wasn't like Vulpesen or Joshua, those two were always far more sanctimonious about things.

Either way, he would sigh and reach up, loosening his collar a bit before walking over to the shop. It did not take him long to find a seat, sitting with a soldier he knew that served in the Shadow Legion. This man was someone he had fought beside plenty of times in the past and could trust to give him good company as Solan immediately got in on a bet over some Uvak race that was being shown on the Holo-display.

It would be about five minutes later that he sensed the arrival of someone, his eyes turning over his shoulder and his orange-red eyes finding the face of Iandre Athlea approaching.

"Ah, so that is what is happening." He would smile, wondering if this was one of the ones that would start a fight considering Solan made no effort to hide his own nature.

 

[Iandre Athlea]

The force guided them together, and neither one of them knew why. She had been told to come to this planet, and he had been guided to the diner. Then her stomach brought her to walking in and catching his attention. All in all, it was somewhat confusing, and Iandre chose not to think about it too deeply.

Stopping as she walked through the door to allow her eyes to adjust to the darker interior, she turned to look in the direction of the voice. After a few moments, she was able to see clearly, and she tipped her head in his direction.

"It seems you were expecting me?"

Noticing the smile, his eyes didn't scare or cause the former Jedi any concern. She didn't sense any threat from him, and that was why she remained calm—that and her exposure to this side of things through Laphisto, her lover, and Reign.

Unless he stopped her, she would approach his table and sit across from him.

"I am Iandre Athlea. And my dreams led me here. Can you think of a reason why?"

Solan Charr

 

[Solan Charr]

Solan would continue to enjoy the food of his own, his eyes staring at the holodisplay before nodding towards those he had been sitting with. They would understand, get that he would want to speak with this new person on his own. It was a wordless request that was honored when Iandre made their way over. It was good to see them willing to give room for him to speak with someone who he could tell in an instant was an outsider.

Iandre with that in mind, would find that no one stopped her and instead she seemed to be welcomed as he thanked the person who had brought over some food for them. Breaded meat from an Orojo with their shell being used to hold a sauce, a method that the Keshiri had adapted so that the whole body was used.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Athlea, you can call me by Charr." He would give her a quick smile, drinking from glass to his right and then speaking again.

"If you wish for anything to drink, its on me. I prefer for guests to our homeland to be welcomed." He would start, simply leaning back, leaving her to make her own assumptions as to what his place was in everything. In the meantime he would tap his foot for a few moments before speaking once more.

"I must admit, I did not expect for someone of your nature to arrive. Jedi, or atleast those more aligned to them, are not often seen here. There are a few who come to visit once in a while, but the vast majority who show up are those who find more solace in the Outer Rim. Pirates, Mercenaries, Criminals, and of course Sith and Dark Jedi. You can assume which I fall under of course." He would give her another smile, giving her a small bit of the puzzle but nothing substantial.

Iandre Athlea

 

[Iandre Athlea]

"Most people call me Iandre or Ian, Mr. Charr."

Lifting a finger for the attention of a server, she did place an order for a drink. As long as he was buying, she would try to stay on his good side.

"Thank you, sir."

Listening as he commented on her nature, she smiled but remained silent. He reminded him so much of the Diarchs. Probably more like Reign than Rellik, but she didn't think he needed to know that.

"I do wonder what called me here then? Could it be something as simple as meeting you?"

Giving him a slightly disbelieving look, she glanced at him from head to waist and back up. Shrugging, she took a drink when it arrived and set the glass down with the gentle thud on the table. Staring into the yellow hue of the brew, she raised her grey eyes to look at Solan.

"If you're expecting me to question your life choices, then you will be sadly disappointed. It's not my position to do something like that. What you have or haven't done rests on your shoulders. I don't feel you're Sith, so Dark Jedi? Maybe we're not so far off from each other. You never know."

It had been a few months since she had considered herself a Jedi—again, that wasn't something this stranger needed to know.

Solan Charr

 

[Solan Charr]

"Iandre it is then. I feel that it would be a bit too informal for me to shorten it in such a way." He offered in return, letting her order her drink while he thought on the woman so far.

She seemed to be more relaxed and at ease than some Jedi he had met in the past. Perhaps he had mistaken her for something she wasn't?

Or was she someone he had met in the past?

Her next set of words banished that thought from his mind though, solidifying that this was the first time he had met her. Such a fact would bring him back to his curiosity on what had brought her here then. Was she perhaps a spy for wherever she called home?

He would have to find out more before making that kind of decision.

"To be honest, I try not to think too much on the Will of the Force. I have defied and defiled it enough in my life time, that it likely would take offense to me understanding its intentions at this point." He would just give her a smile in response to his own words. His form leaning back in the chair a little bit and watching her take a quick look over. The orange-red eyes catching the glance but also seeming to not care as the only things she would see is a blaster, his saber, and the book from earlier.

"As for you questioning my life choices, I have friends for that, both of darker and lighter natures. As for me not being a Sith, you are correct on that fact. I personally find them to be mostly distasteful. Only a few of them are tolerable." He would state, blunt and honest before thinking it over.

"You are too comfortable to be a Jedi, atleast with how much you still have to grow in terms of your presence. I was unaware there are other groups out there who are still seeking a lighter path." He looked at her eyes for a moment before thinking it over.

"Not rough enough to be a Mandalorian. Leaving either the option of a former Jedi who serves as a Merc, or something different altogether."

Iandre Athlea

 

[Iandre Athlea]

"As you wish. That is my name. I'm good with it either way, Mr. Charr."

She would return his formality with her own. Not thinking of it as some form of payback, but it was just as much in her nature to be that way as it might be his. Saying this with a touch of a smile, she sipped at her drink as he spoke. He gave his thoughts on what she had said already.

"Ah. I don't try to understand it either. Like, why did it bring me from The Clone Wars to now? It remains a mystery. I don't think it would be offended, though.

"It's wonderful you have friends. I've had to learn how to be one and make them in my new life."

Thinking of Zara Saga , Zinayn , and her master brought another shadow of a smile to her face.

"In my days, the Sith were a myth and legend. A tool used to frighten children into behaving. Now to know they are real, it is rather disturbing. I met one and fought him. He marked me, and I'll never forget that. One day, I foresee us meeting and fighting again. Next time, I don't think he will allow me to escape. Then again, maybe I would win."

Holding onto the glass in front of her, she sighed and lifted it to take a sip before speaking again. This allowed him to express his opinion about her and what she might be. With the same gentle thud as before, she set the drink down. Leaning forward just slightly, she didn't look away and met his gaze with a steady courage.

"Maybe I have learned how to be comfortable around people similar to your calling, Mr. Charr. Oh, yes, I have a lot to learn and freely admit that."

When he made his final statement about being something else entirely, she pointed at him with the finger/gun motion.

"I have yet to figure out what that is."

Solan Charr

 

[Solan Charr]

He would continue listening to the words of this new individual, listen as she spoke about the clone wars. The words amused him to a point, leaving him to sit and listen. Thinking that this girl was in one manner far older than him, yet at the same time was so new to the Galaxy as it was? It was all too interesting, all too curious, something he wanted to know more about but restrained that side of him.

Instead he drank from the drink to his right, giving a smirk at the mention of the Sith.

"Ya, if only that was the case. You missed alot of Galactic history, especially depending on which stories you believe. The Republic falling, the Empire forming and creating an absurd number of world destroying machines. An alien force invading the Galaxy and flying around in living warships. The Devil apparently being a mother." He would whistle as he thought about the history of the Galaxy that she had missed.

It was quite an impressive nap.

"But, the Sith are back, and we simply need to cut out that infection again. Though, it would make me the target afterwards..." He would muse, laughing a bit at how he was only acceptable cause there were worse out there.

That all said, he did glance at her again, hearing her say she was more comfortable around people of his calling and a shift in his expression at that. It was almost as if his face had changed to disappointment, but why was not clear for the moment.

It did not last though, instead he would smile again and lean back, pushing his back against the chair and straightening the glasses on his face.

"Don't rush. Take it from someone who has already squandered one life time. Enjoy it, and treasure what things you can. Figure it out at your own speed and you will surely come out clean on the other side."

Iandre Athlea

 

[Iandre Athlea]

If one could agree with the shaking of a head, Iandre shook it before speaking again.

"Oh yes, my Republic certainly fell. I barely survived Order 66, Mr. Charr."

Her tone might have a bit of steel involved, but it wasn't anything angry. Just something set in stone. A color that matched Iandre to the core. The grey matched the clothes she wore and the color of her eyes.

Lifting a hand to rest her chin on it as he spoke, the former Jedi was quiet and allowed him to finish. Tipping her head just slightly, she raised her glass to take another drink and set it down. By now, about half of it was gone, and some food was set in front of her.

"Did they ever truly go away?"

Speaking this with a breath hardly above a whisper, she breathed in through her nose and let out with a touch of a quaver. Those grey eyes looked away from her food and across at the strange, dark man in front of her.

"I'm glad we agree with that. If you're worried that I am going dark, I'm not. I just no longer consider myself a Jedi. At least, not the kind I used to be. Couldn't you say, we both squandered a lifetime and were given second chances?"

Giving him a shadow of a smile, she nodded silently at his advice. Even if that silence lasted a few moments only. Not yet eating the food, she picked up a fork and jabbed at the air in front of her.

"That is exactly what I'm doing, trying to figure things out at my own pace. I want help from others. Maybe that is something you can do. Talk and help me figure out what I am."

Shrugging, she turned her fork down and stabbed at a lump of meat on her plate.

Solan Charr

 

[Solan Charr]

Solan seemed to study her as she spoke on the Republic that was gone and far into the dust. Things that had been long since ancient history in some ways. Over a thousand years ago nearly, common knowledge of such destructive practices and the fate of so many worlds long forgotten with only now those mistakes taking form again through worlds like Csilla. Even the world they stood on now was a result of the past, the Lost Tribe of the Sith's long history involving the reawakening of Dreypa, and the demonic force known as Abeloth. It was all things that Solan had witness as ancient history but in these days could see such repeating events.

Her explanation of their unique situations being similar, and her no longer being a Jedi did amuse him though. The reborn king thinking it over as he rested a hand on his chin and tapped at it. Thinking over his own fate going forward given the hunger that ate away at his inside. His death having been in part a result of the unchained use of life drain had in the end left its scar on his soul. A hunger he had to keep in check constantly.

"At this point, being a Jedi is nothing as specific and special as in your time in the first place. You will find there is a dozen different flavors of Jedi, some more accepting, some less. So really, you no longer being a Jedi does not really shock me." He would shrug a bit before leaning back and bringing the cup up to his lips again. His orange-red eyes from the corruption of the darkside staring down at the liquid for a bit longer before speaking again.

"But, considering ive already raised two children, I am quite used to giving advice. Please, go ahead and speak your mind." He would give her another smile, the glasses he wore being pushed up slightly so that he could look at her a bit more clearly.

Iandre Athlea

 

[Iandre Athlea]

"Yes, I've learned."

It was a reply to his comment about the Jedi not being as specific or even as special as they were in her time. Het tone was rather flat and not at all amused, but it wasn't angry. Something far more neutral and accepting. After giving his statement about speaking her mind some thought, she took a drink and started talking.

"It's also not as black and white as I was led to believe, Mister Charr. The dark isn't always evil, and the light isn't always good. I need to know where I fit on the line. You have raised children, so you must have loved and been loved. I am just learning about this, as attachments were forbidden.

"I already talked to my Master, and he explained a great deal. I'm not really looking for advice as much as...I don't even know. What am I? I'm no longer Jedi and I'm far from Sith. I'm not even dark and haven't touched my emotions while using the Force."

Shrugging her shoulders, Iandre just slumped forward a little and looked at her plate.

"I just need help figuring out what I am. I already know who I am."

Solan Charr