Private Returning Home (Corellia Part 1/3)

[Caden Evesa]

Corellia was below them.

Caden looked through the viewing window to the planet below, shaking his head. He had never intended to return to the planet after everything that he had been through on the surface. He had intended to forget everything about the planet, about his family and become his own person, a new person that wasn't attached to the misdeeds of his family.

He let out a sigh.

Ever since Mygeeto, his dreams had been plaguing him. Every night it was the same dream, the same vision granted by the force. Every single night he heard the voice of his mother telling him to return home, that it was time. At first, he had ignored it and written it off as stress but as it continued he finally had to open up to Okkeus Dainlei .

His Master had them aboard the ship within hours.

The force was a gift, and obviously it was using the voice of his mother to guide him somewhere. That somewhere was his family home, the home he had grown up in as a child. Caden and Okkeus both wanted to know why the force was guiding Caden to a place he wanted to forget, and so they had got a weekend away and flown out to Corellia.

Caden guided the ship down. He had asked permission to fly for this one, he knew the location of the family house and the family hanger he could land the ship in. He watched as the clouds vanished as the ship darted through them and broke them apart. Corellia was a place that it's species called home, and Caden felt an odd sense of relief.

He brought the ship down in the family hanger, the first time he had been in there since he was about six. The doors slammed shut behind them as the ship's engines powered down. It felt wrong to be back in the hanger connecting to the house that he had grown up in. The entire thing felt wrong, and not okay.

"I guess I should say welcome to my humble abode but honestly I don't like this."

Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

Dreams are not something you mess around with. He had been plagued with the, at a young age, ever since he was possessed. When Caden told him about his dreams he had, Okkeus knew they needed to be helped with right away.

Although he was almost never comfortable with anyone else flying, even his own Padawan, he decided to let him pilot this time. He knew the location better, plus it was his family property. That would be a fun on to explain if he was piloting.

After they touched down in the hangar Caden began to converse with him.

"I guess I should say welcome to my humble abode but honestly I don't like this."

He could sense the discomfort in the boy's voice. Whatever happened here obviously left a mark on Caden.

"Cmon, it can't be that bad. Whatever it is I'll help you through it."

The both walked down the cargo ramp and into the hangar.

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

"It can't be that bad"

The memories from the house had haunted him. Not so much his childhood, it was everything that happened after the mining incident that killed his father. The memories of neglect as his mother had locked herself in the bedroom, doing whatever "studying" she claimed to be doing.

He signaled for his mentor to wait.

He reached into the pocket located upon the utility belt he wore. He pulled out a small remote and looked at it for a few moments, trying to decide if this was the right time to reveal his work. He knew the crafts would be useful however, they would be able to get them into the house.

He pressed a button.

Almost instantly a cloth covering in the back of the hanger flew away as two small astromech droids charged towards the dynamic master and apprentice duo. They circled around the two, before the black and silver droid settled in besides Caden, the black droid opposite.

"Meet Mouse and Chirp"

He patted Chirp on the dome when he mentioned the name of the droid. He went on to explain to his master that he had been crafting the droids in secret, how they had developed personalities and how Chirp and bonded with Caden, whereas Mouse had yet to bond.

Caden explained how the droids would be useful at accessing the house, as the door that lead from the house to the hanger had a security lock on it that Caden didn't know the codes for. He had never been allowed access to the room unless with his parents.

As he was explaining this, he was already walking. By the time he had finished, they had reached the door in question. Caden looked at it for a few moments, before nodding at Chirp, who instantly plugged in with a happy little chirp.

"Trust the loud one to choose me"

The droid had the door open in seconds, and Caden lead his master (and their new small companions) into the tunnel that lead up to the house. Caden was thankful that the lights were still working, although he supposed the trust fund was keeping the power going.

"I never thought I'd be back here. After everything that happened, knowing how far my mother fell from who she once was. I never wanted to be back here, I wanted to forget everything about my past and just be my own person, a new person. Now the force is having me return here, and I don't know why, and everyone keeps telling me to just trust my feelings and trust in the force but all I want to do is tear this place down brick by brick and burn all the memories it brings back"

Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

Okkeus was suprised to say the least. His Padawan just revealed the two droids as they came zooming over. The silver and black one, Chrip, instantly went over to Caden. The other one, Mouse, rolled over to him. Kneeling down he looked the astromech in it's eyes. Though droids weren't technically "alive", he always felt a special connection to them. Placing his robotic hand on top of the droid's head it let out an excited beep. These two would get along well.

He and Mouse followed Caden and Chirp through the tunnel. All the lights were still on, and all working. If his Padawan hasn't been here in years, how are the lights still on? Making a mental note he would ask later. Listening to Caden talk about this place he could sense almost...anger coming from him. Many bad memories came from this place, and his Padawan wanted to forget them all. Hopefully he could talk with him and help him through his frustration and anger. He decided to give some Master words-of-advice.

"We must all believe in the Force, even if we don't agree with the path it is taking us on. When I fell to the Dark Side I lost my way in the Force. But when those Jedi came and healed me the helped me regain my path. The path I was meant for all along."

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

The door at the end of the tunnel was locked.

Caden had expected as much, and knew how to unlock the door. Much of the house had been locked up secure by the trust fund, but he still technically owned the property and it would open for him. The trust fund had no legal right to stop him being there.

The walk hadn't been long, it wasn't that far from the hanger to the main house. Caden had listened to his masters advice but hadn't responded. He didn't know how to respond, for he wanted to believe in the force but he hated it for bringing him to such a place.

Caden placed his hand on the door, and felt the hinges creak as he pushed against them with the force. This time there wasn't any fancy electronics that Chirp or Mouse could hack into, this time it was just brute force that would gain him entry.

The door popped open, and Caden lead the gang into the main foyer of the house.

"This place gives me the creeps"

He was honest about it, he didn't like being in the property. The darkness of the foyer felt oddly familiar to him, and even when he switched the lights on it still felt cold and dark to him. Every bad memory in his life had been caused by the house he was standing in.

"I have to wonder what the force wants me to find here"

He looked around the room, and started to walk the stairs up to the second floor. He presumed anything that the force was guiding him towards would be hidden in the room belonging to his parents, and that would be the first place he was going to look.

He hoped he could just find whatever it was the force wanted him to find and leave. He hoped that whatever it was, it would be something small enough to just carry to the ship and leave with. He hoped whatever it was, it was worth returning to his form of hell.

He reached the top of the stairs, and looked around.

He could have turned right and headed straight for his mothers room, yet instead he turned left. He turned left and walked down the hall to the room he had once called his own. He walked down the hall to the room he had spent his entire childhood growing.

The room hadn't changed, it was exactly the same as when Caden left it. The bed was still unmade, the toys still thrown around. He almost wanted to go around and clean, he wanted to go and make the room spotless so that mother wouldn't shout, but he didn't need to, for mother was dead.

He picked up an old toy, and looked at it sadly.

"I used to spend every night in here, playing with these little figures. I used to listen to the stories about the good guys fighting the bad guys and every night I used to wish I could fly among the stars and be one of the good guys, shooting down those bad guys. I used to believe that if I prayed hard enough to whatever god may exist, maybe my wishes and dreams would come true"

The sadness in his voice surprised even him, and he looked around again as he put the toy down back on the window ledge. The fantasies and stories he made up when playing with those toys were suddenly looking real to him, he was the good guy fighting the bad guy and this time the battle wouldn't end when father shouted that it was time for supper.

"When I was a kid, I always dreamed of being special. Now look at me, there's nothing more special than a Jedi. Yet, I don't feel special. Compared to the Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters, I'm nothing. Compared to them, I'm hardly special."

He looked up at his master and shook his head softly.

"When the Bryn come again, and they will. I want to fight alongside you, I want to take part in the battle and prove to everyone that I can hold my own. I need to conquer my fear of being in battle, and I want to do it alongside you, Master"

He looked at the man again, then looked at the door. Sooner or later, he would have to face whatever was in his mother's bedroom.

Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

Mouse let out a sad whistle. Patting the droid on the head Okkeus followed his Padawan up the stairs. He looked back down to see Mouse and Chrip beeping and whistling to each other. He smiled. So far this house looked normal. Living room, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, it all seemed normal. But he could still tell Caden was on edge. It was hard for him to help the boy through it, becuase he hasn't said much about what occurred here.

Walking into Caden's childhood room it looked like a glimpse into the boy's life. The bed sat with the covers wildly thrown across it. Toys were sprawled out on the floor. Clothes sat in a pile at the corner of the closet. It must had been nice growing up in an actual house, no a tiny starship. That barely had enough food. Or fuel. Or that gets taken over by pirates...

He shook out of his thought as Caden began to speak. His Padawan went on too talk about good vs. evil, and how he is living it now. How he wants to feel special in this vast galaxy. How the Bryn will inevitably return. A spark of joy lit up in his chest when Caden talked about fighting with him, side by side, against the Bryn. Fending for each other's lives, while beating up the murderous freaks.

"Trust me, my Padawan, when the time comes to kick the living crap out of the Bryn, we will be doing it together."

Giving a nod and a supportive smile he looked toward the door, where Caden was heading to the next room.

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

The door creaked open slowly.

The pressure of the force was bending the hinges holding the door closed. The metal could only bend so far before either the door came off of it's hinges or the locking mechanism snapped and the door popped open without the cost of having to replace the door.

Luckily it was the latter.

"My mother locked herself in this room. Hours and hours on end, sometimes days. Sometimes I'd go without food for days, without clean clothing, all because my mother was locked in here. Whatever the force summoned me here to find, it has to be behind this door"

Caden had never been allowed inside the room since father died, his mother had forbidden it. It felt wrong to be stepping into the darkness, to the inside of the room he had never been given access. It felt wrong to be inside the forbidden room.

Caden flicked the lights.

Almost instantly the room was bathed in cool white, revealing chaos. There were books thrown across the floor, weird markings carved into sheets of cloth and weapons thrown around. The room looked like a war zone, yet Caden didn't know why. His mother had never been interested in violence, had she?

He picked up a book and studied it silently for a few moments.

"These are Sith markings. I don't speak the language, I've never been able to speak it. I didn't know my mother could either"

He picked up another book, it was a notebook. Caden studied it silently, like he had studied the Sith book. Inside was translations, each book had been translated (or had started to be translated) from Sith to Galactic Basic. All of it was his mothers handwriting.

None of it made sense.

"By the look of it, she couldn't. It looks like she was translating these books, though for what purpose I don't know. I was never aware of my parents having access to the force, yet if what you said about it being genetic is true then it makes sense for at least one of them to have been attuned to the force"

He put the notepad down.

"Why did the force want me to find this?"

Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

When he stepped into the next room it looked like a tornado hit it. Papers were scattered everywhere. Book sat across the ground, markings throughout. He wondered how much sanity this women had, becuase right now, it looks like she lost all of it.

As his Padawan picked up a book he could see the shocked look on his face. There was Sith Markings in the books. He himself didn't know that language, as it was something that Darth Tesir was still supposed to teach him. They contiued to look at the books, trying to make some sense of all of it. That is when Caden spoke up.

"Why did the force want me to find this?"

Now how in the nerf is he supposed to explain that on everything? He had no idea why the force led his Padawan here, let alone a place filled with Sith Amrkings. Hopefully the answer he gave made sense.

"The Force can lead us down paths that, uh, are not clear at the time. But since we have faith in the Force we know it has chosen the best path for us to follow on and succeed. So that is why we are here: For you to follow the path."

He knew that his answer was almost straight-textbook, but he was trying his best.

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

He threw the Sith book at the wall.

He knew that Okkeus was trying his hardest, but it wasn't enough. It was too textbook, it didn't answer his question. Why did the force drag him to such a place, the place swamped in bad memories and sadness. Did it want him to find the Sith Markings?

He let out a breath he didn't know he held. Getting angry wasn't the answer, it wouldn't provide him any answers for any of his questions. If he wanted to do that, he needed to study the information and see if it was hiding something, or if something was missing.

"I'm sorry, I know anger isn't the answer. I just don't understand any of this. I don't get why all of this is here, why my mother was collecting Sith information and Sith data. I don't understand what she was doing or why she was doing it"

He looked at the notebook he still held.

It looked like his mother was translating the Sith books, he had already established that. He couldn't understand why, but he figured that reading was a good place to start. He figured that the force wanted him to find something from the information.

"If you'll forgive my outburst, I believe we have a lot of reading to do"

He offered a gentle smile, and began to flick through the translations. Most of it was just backstory, but one name kept coming up multiple times. It was a name he had never seen before and Caden assumed it was the name of a Sith Lord due to the use of the title Darth.

Darth Nihilus.

The Lord of Hunger.

Caden began to study through the textbooks once again. His mother seemed to be studying the man, The Lord of Hunger and Caden couldn't figure out why. The man was an extremely powerful Sith Lord, classed as a wound in the force apparently.

He was a scary Sith Lord. Caden was actually pretty glad he was dead. Nihilus would consume the Force Energy from entire planets and use it to fuel himself. He cared not for Jedi or Sith, but just for Force Energy. It appeared that the force eventually destroyed the physical body of The Lord of Hunger, and left him as just a mask and robes.

"I wish I knew why my mother was so obsessed with this man, with Nihilus"

Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

He offered a small smile back to his Padawan. He knew too well what is was like to have that much anger.

"You are fine, I have seen much worse outbursts. Trust me."

Grabbing an open book off of the floor he began to try and read it. Some of it was translated, which helped out. After reading through a few pages he saw a name appearing multiple times.

Nihilus

That name, he thought he had hear it before. Maybe during one of the lessons with Darth Tesir. He couldn't remember. Most of those memories he tried to forget. Shaking away the though he contiued on with the reading.

After some more reading he began to see that this dude was an absolute lunatic. Literally taking energy from planets. And he thought that Sith Alchemy was crazy enough. Apparently the man consumed too much energy. Haha, sucker.

When Caden spoke up he was mid sentence. Placing his robotic finger on his current word. Looking up he didn't have an answer to the young Jedi's statement. So yet again he tried his best.

"I don't know Caden. But from what I'm reading this man sounds insane. Did your mother ever practice any Sith powers and arts? That is the only thing I can think of."

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

He shook his head.

He actually didn't want to believe that his mother could have practiced Sith arts, yet it made sense. The constant vanishing into her room, the Sith books that they had found. He didn't want to admit that his mother may have been practicing Sith arts, yet it was the most likely option.

"I don't know"

He looked at the book again slowly. It was only one of many in the room, each one looked to be about different Sith Lords of old, different powers they had mastered. If Caden and Okkeus had been Sith, they would have absolutely adored their time in the room.

He put the book down in front of him and looked around. Alongside the name Nihilus, he had also seen another name. It didn't look like the name of a Sith Lord, instead it was a random name. Jackson. It was a name he had never seen before, but it looked like it was added after the fact.

"I believe it might be smart we remain here and study these. We can take up residence in the house, you can have my room"

Okkeus Dainlei