Sullust Makes A Sunset Dull

[Cedric Grayson]

Dathomir had not been kind to young Darius. A pack of Vornskr had torn him apart, and one of the Nightsisters was forced to cauterize do the wounds with his own lightsaber. Doing so has staunched the bleeding, but irreparable damage had been done to the teenager's body. The doctors on Sullust did their best. He was still healing, but he was due to make a full recovery soon enough. The scar tissue would always be there unless he went through extensive surgery - something you couldn't afford on a Jedi Padawan's salary.

Were they even paid? Maybe?

He could not return to the front anytime soon. His teachers had been informed of what happened, so his absence would not need to be fussed over. The only problem was that Darius was stuck here on Sullust with nothing but his own mind for company. Given all the recent happenings in the young man's life, that was not a good thing.

He wandered the military facility that overlooked Sullust's fiery exterior. It was one of many that had been built by the alliance recently, each drawing inspiration from the works [member="Judah Dashiell"] created as the alliance's first strongholds. There wasn't much to do here but watch the world go by.

That was exactly what Darius did. He sat down near one of the glass pane's and watched starships fly to and fro across Sullust's ashy skies. He'd craved peace throughout his trials - now he had too much of it.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Unfortunately for [member="Darius"] , most of the Sullust base was actually underground. Should he wander through the hangar and upper mountain areas there would be views of the chaotic landscape playing out below. It was beautiful in a way, Sullust. It wasn't his regular cup of tea but it indeed did have qualities that could define it was beautiful.


Judah normally didn't find himself on the Sullust base often. What he did for the Galactic Alliance really didn't require his presence in person, it could all be done via the HoloNet or various other bits of long-distance communication. However, Salacia Consolidated did like to check up on their little projects. The mag-lev system that rocketed starfighters into the sky had always been a great concern of his. It was highly experimental and servicing it was a regular duty. Everything seemed to be working thus far, beyond tweaks here and there. There were some potential plans to expand the mag-lev system, it was just wise to make sure it worked and worked well first.


Technicians were working on the system so he did a little wandering. Checking up on various things. Members of the Galactic Alliance moved about but it was something different that caught his eye. Rarely did he see someone sitting and staring out the scant windows that offered the view.


"Pilot? How are you feeling about that mag-lev system?"

 

[Cedric Grayson]

There was a certain beauty to Sullust's constant destruction. It was so unlike Dathomir; devoid of the many things that had made the witch world so off-putting. There were no trees to whisper to you here. There were no wandering packs of Vornskr looking to hunt down anything with even a hint of sensitivity to the living force. There were no crazed witches trying to enslave people for the sheer enjoyment of the act.

Sullust' chaos brought order. Darius could appreciate that.

What?

The padawan turned about as he heard an unfamiliar voice. Unfortunately, he was not well connected, and spent very little time on the holonet. [member="Judah Dashiell"] was a total stranger to him. The man had assumed he was a pilot - something he would allow mister Dashiell to think for the moment.

"It's impressive," he mused, "I can't tell you how nice it is to see any kind of technology again." He offered the older man a smile. It had been some time since he'd had a real conversation with someone; perhaps he'd needed it. "Just returned from Dathomir. Won't be going back if I can help it."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Darius"]


"Back world kid, are you?" Judah couldn't help but chuckle. "Been there. I hate to admit it but all these years later a few things still amaze me. Not as often anymore."


Never having set foot on Dathomir, he couldn't compare the lack of technology from his own upbringing. Still he could sympathize with seeing or experiencing such things for the first time. Heck, the first time being dropped off on Coruscant had been quite the wild experience. It still wasn't a favorite planet of his, not that he was itching to visit with the Sith running the show.


"Best advice I can give is to get your feet wet in the Alliance here. Shakes some off the farm kid off you enough to survive out in the 'verse."

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Darius allowed the silence to play out for a moment. His mind was lingering on important issues; issues that he alone would have to make a decision on. The fate of the Nightsister was in his hands. He had reached out to help her, and in return, she became his responsibility. The galaxy just seemed to work that way - didn't mean it was fair. Darius didn't know the first thing about women, let alone the witches of Dathomir, and now he was responsible for one. That, coupled with the grievous wounds he'd received protecting her made things difficult.

Still, even the simplest conversation could serve as a diversion. He was thankful for that.

"Not so much a farm kid, really," he cast Judah a thin smile, "Endor. All we had were trees. Tress, Ewoks, and the occasional Gorax." He waved a hand about toward the hellish landscape. "None of...well, this."

The padawan shrugged. It was then that he realized he hadn't given the kind man his name. How rude!

"My name is Darius. I'm, uh...actually a Jedi Padawan. A few Vornskrs tore me up pretty good, and the wounds had to be cauterized in the field -" he reached down to pull up his sleeve. The skin on his inner forearm was blackened and warped; the results of extreme heat, " - it covers a lot of my body, but it had to be done. That's why I'm here - they're seeing if I have extensive nerve damage."

He frowned.

"It...the past few days haven't been fun."

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Ewoks eh? I'm sure that made for more than interesting times."


He had never seen the creatures himself. As a younger man he had been regaled with tales of the furry creatures. Most had said they were the overly curious type, quick to take to shiny objects. Smarter than they appeared apparently, not exactly dumb as ones average pet hamster sitting back in a little cage.


The young man introduced himself and Judah couldn't help but chuckle a little. He reached out and shook his hand, taking note of the scars that littered his arm. Judah didn't know much about the creatures that attacked the boy but if he remembered right they looked a bit like large,wild dogs. Certainly not the type of fun anyone wanted to get into, Jedi or not.


"Pleasure to meet you [member="Darius"] . Judah Dashiell. " Releasing the the grip on the others hand, Judah nodded to the landscape outside. "One could say hellish, your last couple of days?"


"I'm sure you'll be back on your feet soon. If not, I know a few with connections in the Silver Sanctum. I'm sure they could look at your wounds if the Alliance doesn't patch you up proper."

 

[Cedric Grayson]

That was one way of putting it. His thoughts went to a certain instance with a particular Ewok shortly before he left Endor. That Ewok had decided it was a good idea to try and trap a Gorax near Dariu's camp. Needless to say, things didn't go over too well.

"You too, sir," he grinned, "I...hellish would be accurate. It's a bit overwhelming honestly." The padawan fell silent for a moment as he shook Mister Dashiell's hand. There was still the matter of the Nightsister he was responsible for. Would Judah understand his predicament? Probably not, but Darius hadn't had the chance to have an actual conversation in days.

"Thanks for the offer, but I really can't travel anymore. Not right now anyway. I'm taking care of a woman," he made a face as he realized exactly how that sounded. "A Nightsister. Picked her up on Dathomir. Her whole clan was wiped out."

Another pause.

"Truth be told, I have no idea what to do with her."

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Darius"]


As bad as it sounded, Judah didn't think the Padawan was holding this woman hostage. Or worse, made her into some type of slave. It didn't seem like something the Jedi rested their tenants on. Questions rested on the tip of his tongue. There were many to ponder and he wasn't quite sure where to start.


After several long moments he realized silence had stretched on between them.


"How about asking her what she wants. Sounds like you're picking her destiny instead of involving her in it."


Something struck him. He went to sit on the bench across from the injured Padawan. Eyes studied him carefully. Free hand came to scratch his beard while thoughts ran through his head.


"This girl -- woman. You have feelings for her? Thats why you can't let her go on her own?"

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Darius followed Judah as he settled down on the bench. When the older man spoke, the padawan did not reply immediately. Partly because he did not agree with what Judah said, and partly because he found himself struggling to deal with Mediha's captivity on a moral level. She was a Nightsister, a woman who had brought about the destruction of an entire clan for her own power.

He really should have left her on Dathomir, and yet he hadn't. The boy had too much compassion in him.

"No, no, I really don't she's a friend, but she's a danger. Her actions got a lot of people killed," he answered quietly, not meeting Judah's gaze immediately. Breathing a heavy sigh, he turned to look at the older man, lips pressed into a thin line. "If I turn her loose, people will die. I've no doubt about it, but if I don't, then I'm a jailer." He frowned. "It's...a problem really."

He shook his head.

"I've no feelings for her though. I'm a Jedi. We don't...well, we shouldn't do that, Mister Dashiell."

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Darius"]


A small bit of confusion crossed his features. A friend but also a dangerous one. It seemed a bit odd to Judah but there were more odd things in the 'verse if one thought too hard. While the young man was going through a bit of a moral quandary on the situation, he was seeing things in a different light. There was a different lens he saw through, one that didn't involve the trappings of the ancient Jedi ways or their slightly complex moral code.


"Sounds like you've jailed yourself in this situation as well."


Judah decided to let his words sink in, give Darius something to ponder over.


"The way I see it...you're going to have to let her go sometime. Either you simply release her and potentially cause the deaths of others or you package her up and turn her over to higher authorities. Don't the Jedi have prisons of sorts? Any government would take her in with proof her crimes were committed in their sector."


Skepticism ran through him at the mention of the lack of sexual feelings towards the woman. Darius was a young man. Judah wasn't too old to be removed from teenage hormones. He remembered them quite well. Awkward distance could quickly turn into a hot and heavy fling. Not that it would be a bad thing. At least in his opinion...the Padawan needed to loosen up.


"The longer you keep her though the longer both of your lives are in limbo."

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Darius was a Jedi boy and Jedi boys didn't get into it with Nightsister girls. That, and Darius was all up in [member="Kinsey Starchaser"] these days. Mediha was a friend at best, a possible enemy at worst. He would have preferred the former, but the padawan was not naive enough to believe the latter was entirely impossible.

"I can't just give her up. She saved my life. I saved hers. It's just..." Darius frowned and shook his head. He felt like he owed a debt to the woman - a debt she was happy to deny whenever he mentioned it. Still, her refusals did not ease the weight he had set upon his own shoulders. It seemed Mister Dashiell understood this to a certain degree.

"Limbo..." The frown deepened, "What would you do then Mister Dashiell? If a woman saved your life, but then brought about the deaths of others, and then repented for those deaths, but at the same time seemed all-too-ready to kill again...what would you do?" Blue eyes shot to the older man. Darius was young, confused, and looking for answer.

Judah had a bit more life experience, and the padawan was hanging off whatever answer he might give.

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Alright, first off you can call me Judah.I'm not that old."


Trying to piece together the situation, brows knitted together. So they saved one another? Yet [member="Darius"] felt as if the woman was owed something, a life debt. Wouldn't saving one another nullify the debt on each? Make it even so to speak? Unless they were still dependent on one another for survival beyond the initial event. It was difficult to say as pieces of the information were trickling in the longer the conversation went on.


"I had a woman save my life once." A shake of a shaggy head and a small smile at the memory. "Been together ever since and I'm proud to call her my wife and best friend."


"Slightly different, although she does have her murderous qualities from time to time. It seems to me though you have your morality tied to her actions. The blood will be on her hands if she chooses to kill. You can do everything to your extent and power to prevent if of course. In the end...well...its her decision to act against a moral code. In time it may catch up with her."


"Without locking her up or somehow brain washing her, you can't ensure she won't kill again. Could handcuff yourself to her if you're inclined. I imagine you'd be her first in a set of new victims if that were the case. Sometimes...sometimes you're going to have to trust someone...its a two-way street."

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Judah was right, and that was why Dairus hated is answer so much. He really couldn't keep Mediha under lock and key. The crimes she had committed were agaisnt another clan on Dathomir, and it was quite likely she could be freed from such anyway. There was also the fact that the Padawan was fond of the Nightsister in the sort of way someone was fond of their pet snake.

"Sounds like you came out of it a whole lot luckier than I did," the boy chuckled, arms folding over his chest, "Okay, Judah. Got it." He paused for a moment, eyes shifting to watch the unending cycle of destruction outside. Maybe he could run away; hide off in one of Sullust's many underground cities and just disappear? It didn't seem like the worst idea he'd had in the past few days.

"I...s'pose I can just keep her by my side. Hope she relaxes a bit," he frowned, "Hopefully."

Not likely.

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Yeah,good luck with that."


Judah smiled a bit. Personally, he didn't see the plans of the young Padawan working out. He wasn't quite sure what Padawans did but it didn't seem they lived a normal life. No going to traditional class on a regular basis, odd styled personal days. Something a semi-murderous woman would be content with day in and day out. It would be interesting how [member="Darius"] was even going to handle the entire situation. Especially facing a recovery.


"So, what exactly do Padawans do?"