Private The Hope of Communion

[Ala Quin]

The coordinates had been good, but Ala made certain not to test exactly how good. Her ship touched down several kilometres from the suspected Vanguard position, on the far side of a broad stretch of D'Qar wilderness where rolling grasslands surrendered gradually to thick, towering forest. She chose the distance with deliberate care, ensuring that nobody could reasonably mistake her arrival for an assault. If the front door could not be knocked upon politely, she hoped the Force might accomplish what diplomacy could not.

She brought no escort with her, though she did bring a small cushion, reasoning that even monumental moments allowed for basic comfort. Climbing above the canopy, she found a weathered stone clearing. Ala placed her cushion upon a sun-warmed rock, adjusted it twice, and sat down.

Doubt lingered.

The tip could easily be a trap designed to draw the Grandmaster away from Naboo, or the Vanguard truly were here. The sheer weight of that second possibility, a potential reunification of the Jedi Order, rested heavily on her heart.

A tiny avian broke her concentration, settling on a nearby branch. Ala opened one eye, offering a soft "Hello." The creature chirped, hopping suspiciously closer before brave enough to inspect her fingers. For a fleeting minute, the crushing burdens of the Senate, Thyferra, and the Sith were displaced by a small bird deciding if she could be trusted.

When it finally flew away, Ala closed her eyes. She chose not to probe minds or hunt for familiar presences across D'Qar. She had come because a greater will had led her here. Folding her hands loosely into her lap, the Grandmaster surrendered to the Force and waited beneath the shadow of the immense forest. If they needed to find her, they would.

| Outfit: xxx | Tag: Acier Moonbound |​

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: D'Qar

Equipment:
Vanguard Robes | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm | Tic

This was getting ridiculous.

Ace stood near the edge of the Vanguard base, staring toward the distant shape descending through D'Qar's atmosphere. It disappeared behind the treeline a few moments later, far enough away that whoever was piloting apparently hadn't intended to land directly on top of them.

Still. First Veruna, then Colette, Sibylla, and now this. So much for a hidden base.

So stupid.

Ace continued watching the horizon. Whoever had found them this time had at least possessed enough sense not to come charging toward the base. The transport hadn't looked military, either. There were no accompanying fighters, or anything that immediately suggested an attack.

Ace glanced around. No Briana, Rik, or no Lorn. Of course. He exhaled through his nose and looked back toward where the ship had disappeared. Waiting around for somebody else to investigate didn't seem particularly useful. If whoever had landed meant trouble, better to find out several miles from the base than when they came knocking at the front door. Ace informed the others to remain behind before setting out and Tic followed.

The forest swallowed them quickly. Ace moved between D'Qar's at an easy pace while Tic picked his way alongside him, occasionally hopping over roots too large for his little legs.

Nothing about the surrounding wilderness suggested an ambush, but that didn't mean much. Ace kept his senses open as they walked, though he made no effort to reach particularly far. Whoever had landed wasn't moving toward them. If anything, judging by the direction he'd last seen the transport descending, they seemed content to remain exactly where they were.

Then something brushed against his awareness, causing Ace to slow. Tic made it several steps farther before noticing and turning back toward him.

The presence was familiar, but not enough that recognition came immediately. Ace stood quietly for a moment. He'd felt that presence before, somewhere beneath everything else surrounding him in the Force was the faint impression of someone he'd encountered. That narrowed things down considerably. Unfortunately, Ace had met a lot of people.

He continued forward, and recognition didn't come until the forest began to thin. Ace stepped through the last stretch of undergrowth and into the weathered stone clearing, his gaze settling upon the solitary figure seated atop one of the rocks.

Grand Master Ala Quin.

Ace stopped. For several seconds, he simply stared at her. There were probably several appropriate reactions to finding the Grand Master of the Jedi Order sitting alone in the wilderness a few miles from the secret base belonging to the people who had broken into her prison and freed one of her Sith captives, who left her injured in the process.

Reaching for his lightsaber wasn't one of them. His hands remained where they were. Beside him, Tic tilted his head toward Ala and emitted a low, curious warble.

Ace's expression barely changed.

"Well, this is awkward." Then after a moment, his expression softened. "How're you doing?"

Ala Quin​

 

[Ala Quin]

There was not even a flinch. No flutter of the eyes. No startling or annoyance. She just remained in her meditation pose, eyes closed and enjoying the warmth of the sun and the ties to life all about her.

Her mind reached out, not invasively, and tugged on Moonbound's awareness. A single concept resonating along the momentary connection. A single word. Friend.

A few moments passed. Almost like Ala was trying to live up the the moniker he had granted the moment. Awkward was an easy state for her to maintain. Before having to maintain the air of dignity and resolve that the title of 'Grandmaster' required, awkward was something she was quite fond of...at least tactically.

Old habits died hard.

"I am sorry for what happened," she finally said, not directly answering him, but she was getting there.

Her eyes finally opened, as a distinct melancholy fell over her.

"Were you aware that Lorn had fallen to the dark side?" There was a noticeable waver in voice, a sorrow that words could not describe. "I am saddened to report...that Lorn Reingard...is..." The word caught in her throat, not a mite of deception resonating through the Force. "...Lorn is dead."

| Outfit: xxx | Tag: Acier Moonbound |​

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: D'Qar

Equipment:
Vanguard Robes | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm | Tic

The word brushed gently against Ace's awareness. Friend. He'd felt it shortly before stepping fully into the clearing, a quiet impression carried through the Force rather than anything invasive. It had done little to explain why the Grand Master of the Jedi Order was sitting on a cushion in the middle of D'Qar's wilderness, but at least it answered one question.

Apparently, she hadn't come looking for a fight.

A few moments passed after Ace spoke. He waited patiently, making no attempt to fill the silence while Ala remained seated with her eyes closed.

Tic was considerably less patient. The little droid tilted his head one way, then the other, producing several increasingly confused chirps as he looked between Ace and the meditating Grand Master.

Then Ala finally spoke, and she... apologized. Ace's brow furrowed. For what? If anybody standing in this clearing had reason to apologize, it certainly wasn't her. He and Lorn had been the ones who broke into Shiraya's Sanctuary, freed Her, and Ala had been the one who'd gotten hurt for trying to stop them.

Before Ace could question her, Ala continued. His expression fell by a fraction. Lorn had fallen to the dark side? No. That wasn't true.

Ace knew what the dark side felt like. He'd spent several months immersed in it and surrounded by people who had surrendered themselves to it too. He knew what it could turn someone into. What it could make reasonable. How quietly the line between using it and belonging to it could disappear.

Lorn hadn't crossed that line, but that didn't mean Ace hadn't been worried about him. Lorn's behavior lately had given Ace more than enough reason for concern. There were things between them that still hadn't been said, and things Lorn had done that Ace wasn't willing to simply overlook because of everything they'd been through together.

They still needed to talk about it. When he woke up.

Then Ala said Lorn was dead, and Ace's brow rose. Oh, so that was what she'd been apologizing for. He studied her for a moment, searching for something that would make the statement make sense. Through the Force, he found no deception. No deliberate attempt to mislead him. The sorrow coming from her was real. She genuinely believed what she was saying.

A short breath escaped through Ace's nose, carrying more disbelief than amusement. "What're you talking about? Lorn's not dead. I dragged his ass off Thyferra myself." His gaze remained fixed on Ala. "He's still hurt pretty bad."

There wasn't any uncertainty behind the words. Ace had carried Lorn away from that battlefield with his own arms. He'd watched Kitt help take his weight when the evacuation ship arrived. Whoever told Ala that, clearly was misinformed. Or lying. Or stupid.

Things between Ace and Lorn weren't exactly good right now and hadn't been for a while. Shiraya's Sanctuary had driven a wedge between them, and what Lorn had pulled on Thyferra had only pushed it deeper. Ace was angry with him, and worried about him. There were moments lately when he barely understood what the old man was thinking anymore.

None of that meant Ace had stopped caring. Lorn hadn't abandoned him when he'd lost his way. He'd been given plenty of reasons to. Ace had given him more than enough opportunities to decide he wasn't worth the trouble, and Lorn had remained anyway.

Now Lorn seemed determined to return the favor by giving Ace every reason imaginable to cut him off. He wouldn't.

Ace owed the old man that much.

Ala Quin​

 

[Ala Quin]

Even before he spoke the words, Ala heard them through the ripples of confusion through the Force. Immediately, her heart fluttered, hands trembled and she began sputtering as she sought the words for the moment.

"No..."

She stalked away a few tiny, halting steps. And then cast an accusatory glare back at Acier. But no, he wasn't lying. She could feel the truth of it in his tone as much as in the Force. Her glare faded into confusion mixed with relief.

"But...I...I killed him myself." Her voice trembled, mind racing to put the disparate pieces together. "The ship would have exploded...you weren't there."

A few deep, ragged breaths followed, as Ala sought for some calm, but found only questions. Pieces. Fragments of thoughts. Memories returned of her initial inclination that something about Lorn was not right, that she had then dismissed as the corruption of the Dark Side. But it was all...so very much.

The mission to D'Qar had taken a sharp turn.

Ala stepped forward, pulling the distance between her and Moonbound to only a couple of metres.

"Take me to him," she said, in a less than commanding tone. "Acier. Take me to see Lorn."

| Outfit: xxx | Tag: Acier Moonbound |​