Retrieval. (Jedi)

[Kira Vaal]

The drizzle was never ending in this place. It was a constant reminder of the mountainous surrounds that made up Kira’s retreat away from the galaxy. Hard rock formations mixed in with soft damp greens of natural foliage common amongst this type of landscape, it made for a bleak yet strikingly beautiful surround that had since the collapse of the Rebellion been home to Jedi Kira Vaal.

She had taken the time to remove herself from the galaxy, a place that had seen too many of those she called friends and allies killed in merciless removal of resistance against the tyranny that was fast spreading across the galaxy like a dark cloud. Where once there had been defiance and a will to fight there was now nothing but an empty pit of removed mourning.

At first the planet had given her nothing but a quiet place to sit and watch as memories clashed within her mind. Yet now it was her temple, her training ground in which to temper the abilities within the force that had till now been neglected and ignored. Meditation had gone from something to be laughed at to an actual necessity of the day, the lightsaber at her belt now a weapon trusted rather then a clumsy tool of another’s being.

Yet despite it all, becoming what she was meant to be the fact still remained that she kept herself hidden away, ignorant and un-wanting to know of the darkness in the galaxy. Yet her mind would slip away and bring back moments of truth and despair. Even now as Kira sat upon her favourite moss covered rock with her poncho protecting the majority of her form from the constant rain she was unaware that her entire galaxy was about to come flying back onto her like a spotlight.

 

[Jagen Wren]

Well, this was quite unexpected.

The flight back to the Deneba enclave had been rather uneventful, with the Jedi Knight resting peacefully and regaining his energy after a bout of mediating a formerly-violent dispute between the native species and human colonists on a relatively backwater system in the Unknown Regions.

That was until the hyperdrive burned a hole through the ship and into the azure tunnel, suddenly thrusting the ship back into realspace and waking the poor middle-aged man by slamming his head against the side of the cockpit. Now, that was fine; the Sigma-5 had a back-up hyperdrive. What wasn't fine was that it actually melted through the power plant as well.

The thing that kept the ship running.

The good news was that there was a planet nearby, a place to maybe set down and send out a distress signal. The bad news is that the engines stopped working and the ship was caught in its gravity.

Jagen couldn't do much when they finally entered the atmosphere, the hull of the ship beginning to turn red as it heated up. He firmly held the flight stick and attempted to bring them back up for a softer landing, to no avail.

The ground was rapidly approaching, only a few seconds left.

"Oh, flying is for droi-"

CRASH

[member="Kira Vaal"]

 

[Kira Vaal]

A sonic boom sounded far in the distance, Kira’s eyes coming out of her meditation and into sharp focus of the misty skyline of the mountains upon the horizon. A trail of smoke and flame cutting through the white like a symbol of fate.

“What in the—“ She watched as it continued to fall, bits of fire falling into seperate locations along the smoke trail as the atmosphere on the planet took its toll on whatever it was that was making its way towards the surface. She felt her entire body shake as it impacted on the other side of the rise, not due to the ground shaking but a more of an impulsive shudder at the thought of what had happened.

She rose on impulse yet again, hesitated and turned before moving to a nearby cave entrance.

——— ——— ———

The speeder trip had been quicker then expected, the scene of the crash not as far as way as originally thought. It was a small fighter by the looks of things as Kira dismounted her speeder and began to move through the wreckage. Something was there, someone was still alive.

[member="Jagen Wren"]

 

[Jagen Wren]

His eyes opened with a start, with his vision slowly coming back to reveal a disheveled cockpit; piles of earth spread over the transparisteel canopy. Attempting to sit forward, he was met with a blinding pain that made him gasp, realizing too late that part of a console was slicing into the side of his abdomen. He swiped his hand and used the Force to pull the ejector switch, throwing the cockpit's canopy out into the unknowns but for some reason, not the seat he was currently on.

Then he heard the sounds, a speeder coming in his general direction. He did not know if they were friendly or another adversary, but he was not going to be jumped. His lightsaber flew into his hand from one of the cockpit's crevices and he sat still, listening intently until he sensed a Force presence. It was at this moment that the Mandalorian in him reared its ugly head when he pushed the console away from him with superhuman strength, amplified by the Force.

He acted pre-emptively and leaped out of the cockpit, igniting his lightsaber while he soared towards [member="Kira Vaal"].

 

[Kira Vaal]

Pain. Should could sense it everywhere around the crash site, it was enough to make her place her hand against her left arm, a phantom reminder of her own suffering in the years past. The surprising thing was the sound, it was not silent as you would expect. Crackling fire and pops made the area loud with a hum that flushed all other sounds out. Here and there a small pop would shoot sparks across the ground, but even that would not hide the sound of an igniting lightsaber.

The form of her attacker appeared through the smoke, blade held ready to slice her through, there would be no time for hesitation as Kira lowered her form. She rolled on to herself, throwing her form backwards in a low body flip until she had put enough distance between herself and the landing attack that any swing would not catch her.

“Hey!” Her own hand went for her belt, yet she found that her weapon was not there. “Ah, frakk.” The sigh was audible. The speeder. It was in her pack, forgotten in her haste for discovery of the crash site. She surely was a great Jedi Master alright.

“Just calm down!” She shouted at the attacker, feeling his pain. She had to buy time, had to get hold of her weapon to defend herself. She tried to reach out with the force, find the weapon amongst her things, grab hold of it and bring it to her. Yet she would need time to do so.

[member="Jagen Wren"]

 

[Jagen Wren]

The Jedi Knight swooped down and landed very roughly, enough so that he stumbled and growled in pain once more, where his adversary had been prior before she flipped back to escape his strike, which dug into the ground and scorched the grass. He staggered to stand up straight, flourishing his blade very weakly.

He stood there silently, rain hissing against his bright blue lightsaber and mottling with the alarming amount of blood staining his robes and trailing down the side of his head.

Jagen's vision was too blurred to distinguish anything anymore, but he saw the face of his thought-to-be attacker, which caused his own features to soften. Part of him could've sworn that he had seen her before, before his exile, but he wasn't certain and quite frankly was somewhat delusional at the moment. He only managed to get out a gargled call for help before the man fell to his knees, dropping his now-deactivated lightsaber, and collapsed into the mud.

[member="Kira Vaal"]

 

[Kira Vaal]

By the time her lightsaber, a streak of chrome, had made its way through the air to her hand the other had already collapsed into the ground. This had left Kira to attach the weapon to her belt and proceed with haste towards the fallen man. “Please don’t be dead.” The back of her hand was placed near his mouth, where it determined that there was still life in him yet.

Getting him off the ground and onto the speeder was an effort for the Jedi Master, her form light and small compared to the fully grown crash victim. Yet once on the speeder she was free to search through the crash site for a moment collecting items of use such as the battered remains of a survival kit and several electronic wires. It wasn’t for another couple of minutes until she would return to the speeder and depart back towards where she had come from with the unknowing Jedi.

If Jagen were to awaken he would find himself in a simple abode, made from a small cave opening it would be warm and quiet surrounds. He had been placed onto a simple bed made out of an old military bunk, yet the padding had been replaced enough times to allow a level of surprising softness. His upper torso would be exposed, bandages around his form and a thick herbal paste covered the right side of his face. His saber was placed on a small bench nearby within easy arms reach of the bed, as was a spare shirt and leather jacket, not his but close enough to his size.

Kira would be on the opposite side of the room, fiddling with some electrical components that sat near a screen currently displaying a harsh static.

It wasn’t much, but it was clearly home.

[member="Jagen Wren"]

 

[Jagen Wren]

He remembered.

He remembered what had happened on Jedha, what had thrown him out of his exile and back into the galaxy. Nobody else but him knew the real truth; the one he disguised by telling his colleagues that 'he had heard about the Omega War and decided to emerge to protect those that couldn't protect themselves.'

That was only partially true.

The smoke that filled the area, the rare rainfall on the desert moon, the overwhelming silence that emanated from the once-filled village. The laughter of children, the sound of a bustling market, of life. They knew him as the Sand Hermit and they loved him, he enjoyed their company in exchange for protecting them from roving pirates, but he couldn't protect them from them.

Sleek black helmets, their anger, the duel.

He remembered.​

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He awakened to find himself staring up at the ceiling of what he thought to be a cave. The Jedi Knight looked to his side, spotting his worn lightsaber on a small bench next to the bed he realized he was on. The feeling was slowly returning to his body as he realized his chest was no longer covered by his tattered robes, being replaced with bandages.

The pain was still there, and it wasn't like he was going to immediately attempt to trek out into this strange new world. His hand felt its way to his side, and radiated with a bright blue light that produced a soothing sense and naturally stitched up the wound. Jagen ran out of energy halfway through but had managed to quell most of the pain.

His attention was turned to [member="Kira Vaal"], the woman messing around with electronic components. He stayed silent, waiting to see if she would notice him.

 

[Kira Vaal]

Notice him she did.

“I wouldn’t try to move too much.” She was wrist deep inside the computing unit that had been pulled from the injured man’s ship. Fingers clasping hold of several wires as the other moved for an iron to melt the join together with a battery she had pulled from one of the defective sensor-droids that surrounded the cliffs. “You’ll do more damage then you already managed too.”

A shot of smoke rose as the iron welded the metal together, Kira flicking her loose hair back from her forehead before sitting back and releasing a deep breath. “Your lucky to be alive to be honest, not many could fall that distance and survive. Or launch an attack after it.” She made her eyes linger on the lightsaber, sure to mask her own signature as a precaution against any would be detector, the man included. “So care to explain how? You one of those Sith things out of the core?”

[member="Jagen Wren"]

 

[Jagen Wren]

Jagen remained silent as the woman spoke, his eyes occasionally flickering around the room to observe his surroundings. When the question came up as to if he was a Sith, he gave a half-laugh, the corners of his mouth curling up into a slight smile. "No...no...definitely not..." He began, gazing into the eyes of the woman.

"I am...or...was a Jedi Knight of the Old Republic, and before that a rather prominent alor of the Clans. But I have never been a Sith Lord." The Jedi Knight assured.

His hand found its way to his face and he began to stroke his wizened beard "You seem to know your way around this place, I assume you've been here for quite a while?" He queried, a puzzled look coming over his features.

[member="Kira Vaal"]

 

[Kira Vaal]

She did a sigh of relief as he made mention of his allegiance. Fortune favoured her that this would be attacker was in fact nothing other then a lost wanderer, yet Kira had been devoid of all communication for months, unknowing of the galaxies plights and movements. She would have to play this safe, for the Jedi could still be here enemy.

“A Jedi Knight you say.” She gave him a quirked eyebrow, “Haven’t ever had the pleasure of sharing my abode with a Jedi before.” A small beep sounded from the unit she was working on alerting her to the activation. She paid it little attention for now.

“I’ve called this planet home for a long time now.” She stood and approached Jagen, bringing with her a tube of the paste that was upon his face. “Don’t get many visitors, those who do come usually stick to orbit, scan and leave. You however did not get that choice.” She lowered herself onto a seat near the bed and gave the Jedi a concerned look.

“You gonna tell me why you came crashing down or is it a need to know Jedi thing?”

[member="Jagen Wren"]

 

[Jagen Wren]

"Ah yes, the regaling tale of how I wrecked my ship here..." He sighed, looking away for a moment. "Truth be told, I actually do not remember what had happened. I believe I was thrown out of hyperspace, and it woke me by knocking my head against the cockpit side." Jagen answered honestly.

The Jedi Knight eyed the tube in her hand warily, wandering what she was going to do with it. "Though, I do see that my little crash gave you some new parts to tinker around with. A silver lining."

[member="Kira Vaal"]

 

[Kira Vaal]

"So no epic tale of space battles and heroic escapes then?” She feigned a disappointed smile across her face, showing for the first time a level of relaxation throughout her entire form. “How disappointing. Well probably a good thing anyway, if you do this much damage reverting from hyperspace imagine the mess you would have ended up in if it you were shot out of the air.”

He made mention of her tasks, a sudden rush of guilted panic that was unneeded crossed her. “Ah, yeah. Sorry about that but your ship was too beat up…as in…gone it was gone. Destroyed.” She stood and moved back to the table where the beeping had continued on the console, a series of lights now flickering across it. “Plus on a world like this I can’t just pop down to the corner scrap store to buy parts. However this should be your ticket off this rock eventually.” She clicked a switch and a shower of sparks sent her dodging back. “Eventually.” The console was now just emitting smoke, the power load clearly not capable of sustained operation.

“I assume your not going to want to stay on this rock forever, trying to get a signal out to wherever your ship came from for you.” She explained. “At this rate you may have longer then expected to get over your injuries.”

[member="Jagen Wren"]

 

[Jagen Wren]

He gave a small smirk when the sparks made her wretch back, following her with his eyes. When she told him he'd probably be there for a while, no visible shock appeared on his face, he just gave a smile. "Very well, then." He beamed "I spent five years living on a desert moon, I can spend a few more days or weeks here, especially with someone so lovely for a companion."

Jagen turned his head to simply stare at one of the abode's wall, considering his predicament for a moment. The Jedi Order had hundreds of knights like himself, they seemed to be doing well enough before he had returned from Jedha. Besides, perhaps it was for the best, the Mandalorian in him wouldn't be tempted to fight against the Sith or the Empire in the new war if he was marooned, now would he?

The Knight repressed a frown, admonishing himself for thinking so selfishly about avoiding war again, there were people who needed his help. He pushed his thoughts to the back of his head and affixed his gaze back on [member="Kira Vaal"].

 

[Kira Vaal]

The explorer in her jolted with questions as he spoke and before she knew it her mouth had run off.
“Which desert moon was that?” She caught herself from going any further, “I’ve heard there is a few of them scattered around, you know…just be nice to put a name to it.”

She smirked at his little charm, yet remained as silent as he did for the next few moments staring instead at the machine she had just blown up. She had to get it working somehow, although perhaps there was a more intwined fate for him arriving when he did, after all her meditations had been dark of late. Maybe the sudden arrival of a Jedi was the Force’s way of saying ‘get your act together.’

“My name is Briana.” She lied, in the hope of stringing out the conversation to include introductions. “A small girl living on a small planet in a large galaxy. Some company would be greatly appreciated I suppose.”

[member="Jagen Wren"]

 

[Jagen Wren]

"Jedha, I spent my exile on Jedha."

He answered her question without skipping a beat, accidentally revealing more than he wished he had. "A beautiful place, warm by day cool by night. Very immersed in the culture of the Jedi." He described "Though much of their artifacts were destroyed centuries ago by some mining accident, the locals told me as much."

Jagen frowned this time, the dream he had been experiencing mere moments ago bubbling up to the surface again, though he seemed to snap out of it when the woman introduced herself to him. His experience with the telepathic portions of the Force seemed to detect the minor ripples that he could only deduce as coming from her words, but he didn't know what they meant.

"I am Jagen, formerly of Clan Wren, Mandalorian-exile-turned-Jedi." He greeted, the truth of his statement evident in his grey-blue eyes as they met hers once more.

[member="Kira Vaal"]

 

[Kira Vaal]

“Jedha?” She asked politely. “Never heard of it.” Of course she had heard of it, all the history behind the place even though tragically destroyed by a large mining disaster hundreds of years before. “Sounds fascinating though, locals to tell you things. A definite novelty, all we have here is these weird jumpy rats.” She made reference of the large mammal that lived on the lower mountain slopes, similar to a Tauntaun yet more evolved for the present climate.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Jagen, formerly of Clan Wren, Mandalorian-exile-turned-Jedi.” She smiled. “If you don’t mind I’ll stick to Jagen.” She had gone to lean against one of the nearby walls, built straight into the thick lower rock of the cave, it was cool against her, feeling the chill even through her clothes which reminded her the night was drawing in. “Look, you keep to the bed and get some rest. Night gets bloody cold here, but I’ll set the heaters. I’ll be fine with the hammock.” She pointed towards an area behind her where a hammock was risen between two large pieces of scrap metal. “I’ll redress the wound in the morning.”

She slung herself up into the material and allowed it to hug her form. A smile across her face disappearing as she almost went to wave the heating on with a flick of her hand, yet catching herself was enough to force getting back out and doing it physically. “For the record I know how many ration bars are in the kitchen.”

[member="Jagen Wren"]

 

[Jagen Wren]

The aged Jedi Knights lips curled up in a grin as she turned away from him and disappeared into the hammock, it was amazing how he had only known Briana for a good few minutes and was already starting to take a liking to her, her humor rivaling even the Master of Sass'. A fluttering feeling developed in his gut, he believed it was probably the relief of no longer experiencing blackout-inducing pain, though he knew better as something seemed to tell him otherwise.

The grin enhanced when she informed him that she knew what was in the kitchen, a warning for him not to sneak food he presumed. Jagen continued to stare at the ceiling above him, his thoughts interrupting his descent into sleep until it was inevitable, his eyes closing and pushing him into a peaceful trance.

[member="Kira Vaal"]

 

[Kira Vaal]

Seventeen days had past since the falling of Jagen into her world and had so far been a welcome rest for the wounds of her Jedi visitor. Contents treatment had been allowed to relax come day six or seven and come the tenth Jagen had been trusted enough to leave his bed and go about daily tasks to build up his strength.

Kira, or Briana as she continued to insist had continued her work on the ship parts to no avail. Instead changing her attention to perimeter markers and the occasional inner-training when she disappeared to ‘forage’ or scout. So far she was certain that no connection to the Force had been picked up by Jagen other then the usual ‘living creature’ detection.

Today was a strange day however, the ran had ceased for the first time since Kira had come to the planet and allowed a strong sun warmth to break through a usually grey sky. Both had taken the opportunity to move out of the cave complex for a while and pick through the weeded green grass that grew naturally to the rocks. While disgusting by itself Kira had found that when purified and melted down it created a strong protein based slush perfect for a missed meal.

“So tell me Jagen.” She called over as her hands busied with picking the herb. “Whats going on in that galaxy of ours at the moment, the alliance still rocking galactic peace?”

[member="Jagen Wren"]

 

[Jagen Wren]

As oblivious as the Jedi Knight had been, his suspicious had been mounting increasingly as the days went by, it was a feeling that the Force had been giving him but had no evidence to back-up. At present, he was on his knees shuffling through the vegetation to acquire something for a reason he had forgotten already, lost in the warmth of the sun on his skin accompanied by a gentle breeze every now and then.

Jagen had ditched his Jedi robes the morning after his crash, now wearing the casual clothes that Briana had supplied him earlier. He affixed his gaze on the woman when she called over to him, his hands full of plants, considering her question for a moment.

"Sort of. They're not the same after this 'First Order' won the war by pushing them into a truce. After that, something that was supposed to be the next coming of the Republic was dissolved after a brief but violent war with the Sith." He grunted, ripping a herb from the ground. "Now the Silver Sanctum, or Order or whatever, is stuck fighting the First Order, the Sith, and another power called the 'Empire'. The latter of which just bombed Charros IV and forced the Jedi to flee, I've heard,"

[member="Kira Vaal"]