Public The Path Forward

[Cedric Grayson]

The Graywall, Ruusan

The hollow echo of his footfalls was near deafening in the silence of the abandoned castle. He made a point to move in cadence with his own pulse; it helped him to keep his mind quiet as he wandered the empty halls. A handful of droid attendants had remained within the Graywall to maintain what they could, but the vast majority of the organic inhabitants had long since taken their leave. There were greater matters to attend to than the maintenance of a defunct fortress that was nowhere near at risk of an attack anytime soon. A handful of groundskeepers had remained, and he greeted them as warmly as he could manage when they came across his path.

Yet for the majority of his exploration of the ancestral home, the exile was greeted by little other than silence.

There were two that were to meet him here, and a third that had brought him. He paid the latter her fare the moment he stepped off the ship - if she chose to remain that was her prerogative. His nephew was likely already here, or at the very least en route. Mikhail Grayson had never been one for punctuality. The third, reason for his presence was...well, Cedric had no idea. He was certain Ryv would have taken the time to make his way to the Graywall if time permitted, but there was a war going on, and his former apprentice was at the head of it. Cedric should have been right there with him: politics had deigned that he remain behind.

With the Barash Vow concluded and his connection to the empyrean somewhat restored, he realistically should have taken to the front immediately. His talents were most needed there, but the problem was his actual presence in the first place. If he returned, if he served, he would cause division. Ryv's forces needed to remain wholly united to weather the coming end of the Sith-Imperial civil war, and that meant they would have to function without the Essonian lest the monarchists start stirring up trouble again.

His aimless wandering found him standing atop one of the battlements that overlooked the valley below. The cold wind bit at him as he gazed at the frost covered trees that dotted the center of the valley. This was all that remained of his domain, but it was far more than what others had been afforded. Better to be thankful for the blessings he still had than the despair for those he had lost.

He bit down on the thumb of his glove to yank it free, then placed his pale hand to the stone of the battlement. The Graywall would never survive a conventional war, yet in the past it had stood against the might of armies. Its glory days were well and truly behind it, but how mesmerizing they had been. Whether he was akin to the castle or not remained to be seen, but Cedric privately hoped that it wasn't the case. Despite everything that had happened thus far, he still drew breath, and there was still much to be done. Facing Ryv would be the first step on that path, or at the very least he hoped it would be.

 

[Juniper Jett]

A castle. An actual castle. I am standing in a castle.

When she'd shoved a bandage onto some drunkard's arm, hundreds of light years away, she never expected that she'd end up in his castle. If there really was a Force guiding everything mysteriously, it must be heavily into irony. She followed her passenger wordlessly into the castle, feeling a little dwarfed by everything. For the first time in her life, she'd found somewhere more ostentatious than her home.

If she saw this, my grandmother would be licking her lips and...

Juniper threw that thought from her mind before it could finish, just for her own health. Compared to her family's home, in all it's gaudy presumption, there was something bleak and beautiful about the empty castle. The quaint, gorgeous forests that surrounded the place. The ancient walls that just oozed with history. The muffled sounds of echoing breezes and their feet echoing softly on the stone.

Following Cedric around in her stained flight suit, with her hair all askew... well, she felt more than a little out of place. At the top of the battlement, she stepped towards the stone herself. Peering out at the valley, breathing in the fresh air... it was a magical moment. The type of thing that made the uncertainties and hardships of the last months melt away. She felt drawn in by the distant flocks of flying creatures. Enraptured by the sway of the trees. Embraced by the refreshing, clean air.

So much nicer than the recycled oxygen.

Her bag still jangled with the payment she'd been given. Plenty enough to cover the costs of taking him here and then some. It woulda been easy to just head off then, back into the void with her cash and no strings at all. Whatever weird stuff Cedric wanted to do, he could do it himself. By the time he got his friends together, she could be halfway to Terminus or Port Mynock or...

"So... you think they'll show?" she asked him, staring at the distant coil of a river. "Your nephew was it? And your student? Or old student, I mean."

Curiosity got the better of her in the end. Besides, when you're offered a trip into a castle, you don't just say no.

Cedric Grayson

 

[Cedric Grayson]

He'd not expected her to follow, though the girl's presence was not unwelcome. He was so focused on his own thoughts that he'd not sensed her presence, or perhaps the strings were masking her of their own accord. They hadn't been moving in his favor for quite some time now.

His lips pressed into a thin line as she asked her question. "My nephew will certainly be here. He's just a bit...slow," Cedric shook his head, "As for my apprentice, I don't know. He's a busy man. One of the busiest in the galaxy, honestly. I'm not sure if he'll be able to find the time for a social call." His arms folded about his chest as he gazed down at the curvature of the river below. The Graywall had not been touched for over a thousand years: it bore no scars, and was home to no ghosts save for those that had died peacefully within its walls. To have such a refuge was a rare privilege, and he made the private decision to visit more often. He would have to if he was going to walk the path once again.

"I have a strange relationship with the both of them," he muttered, tearing his gaze from the river to stare down at Juniper. "I only recently reunited with my nephew. He's my sister's son, and I wanted him to remain on Coruscant to live a normal life. He insists on doing anything but that, unfortunately. He's probably around your age," another shake of the head, "My apprentice is...well, he's the greatest student I have ever trained. They call him the Sword of the Jedi, and as far as I know, he leads the New Jedi Order. He's far too young to be bearing all that on his shoulders."

His gaze returned to the mountains beyond. "It should've been my burden to bear, but things rarely work out the way we want them to."

Juniper Jett

 

[Darth Themis]

Wearing: Snakeskin

Armed with: Divining Rod

Objective: Reconnect with The Ashlan Crusade

007 hours earlier...


Darth Themis, Bright Lord of The Sith had been a busy, busy little bee since she had last run into Cedric Grayson .

Slowly but surely, the Serpents were rebuilding in Secret. No one beyond Laertia Io , Moya Virtu and her own apprentice, Alyosha Drutin , and of course, the Serpents themselves knew Moya De Lifte, lapsed member of the Ashlan Crusade, was really a dreaded Light Side Sith from the Reconstruction Era. Only Cedric himself had any clue she was different from other Light Adepts due to their first encounter. But he knew she could fight. She could fight like a Demon

Themis had chosen a non-combatant role in the Crusade originally, that of a Healer, so as to remove further suspicion. She could claim any number of reasons for this.

But away from prying eyes, Themis was training people at her Praxeum. Particularly Alyosha or Laertia, the very woman that had tried to kill Ryv at Dantooine.

She dueled Laertia using spear-sabers, The Black Knight of Nar Kreeta getting better with that weapon the more she used it.

And for all of this, Themis felt guilty, as she fended off the spear attacks.

She didn't know how to tell Laertia the truth about Syd Celsius without driving her completely insane. Every future she saw where Laertia didn't find out on her own DID drive her insane. Even the ones she didn't go insane were not much better.

But in every future she still became Darth Xiphos...but would it be a sane or insane Darth Xiphos that fought for the Light?

Themis didn't want to dwell at it, but staring into her Granddaughter's face, full of something approaching happiness, it was like a punch to the gut.

"Is something wrong, Grand Mother?" Laertia asked.

"Of course not, Julia..." Themis lied, feeling absolutely horrible as she did.

Themis dodged Laertia's fast, vicious stabs as she was driven backwards wearing the armor of her Jedi Identity Moya De Lifte. It was the source of some of her happiest memories when she had pretended to be a genuine Jedi Master during the Gulag Plague. She had fought some of her first battles against Darth Phyre wearing it.

Laertia nodded and resumed the fight, Themis seeing her moves twenty steps ahead, maddening futures from the tiniest changes in a desert's collection of sand grains. She wished she could shut it off sometimes, but she never fully could.

"I don't know much about this Cedric Grayson. Wasn't he an Imperator to some sort of Jedi Empire?" Laertia asked as they sparred.

"He was, but I was never more than a background sort. I did my dirt away from his purview." Themis answered.

"Why go here then?" Laertia inquired.

"Because the things Cedric was aiming for are steps I once aimed for in the Reconstruction Era. My hope is that over time, I might get him to start seeing things my way..."

"Helleva hope."

"I thought hope is what Lightsiders ran on..." Themis replied, chuckling, hiding her deep despair at Laertia's situation. She couldn't lay a hand on Syd until Laertia found out and snapped.

The horrible part was that this Not-Darth-Phyre genuinely made Laertia happy...and she knew Laertia's heart would shatter when the truth came out.

Present.

Themis strode the ancient castle after setting down in her Lambda shuttle. The advantage of being a genuine Light Side Sith was that no Force Adept would think she was anything but an ordinary Light Adept. Not unless fighting broke out.

She used to favor hideaways like this. Out of the way forts or ruins that could easily be converted to her ends. But this place felt like it had never known Bloodshed...

The Bright Lord of the Sith took her time through the Castle, until she finally found where she had sensed Cedric, clutching her black spear. She caught snippets of his words, about his apprentice, Ryv.

Wait...

Ryv was his apprentice.

This was a ball of awkward...she was training his rival.

Themis found herself wondering why she hadn't foreseen this, and just what the hell she had walked into. But she kept up the bit. Cedric Grayson didn't need to know she was training the Black Knight that had killed New Jedi since Dantooine, all in an attempt to keep their two front war from damaging the overall war against the Bryn'adul.

"Master Grayson..." Themis called out to him as he spoke to Juniper Jett

"I am surprised at your resurfacing. Moya De Lifte, in case you had forgotten..." Themis said, reintroducing herself.

"Tell me...why 'have' you resurfaced?"

 

[Mikhail Grayson]

The autonav chimed again. Mikhail glanced over at the readout, the ship would enter the atmosphere of Ruusan in ten minutes. He began to set landing coordinates provided by his uncle, the location of the Graywall, their ancestral home. Mikhail leapt into the back of his seat and sat up straight, rubbing his hands together for warmth in preparation of entry into the upper atmosphere he grabbed hold of the throttle and took the vessel in. He felt the familiar bump of turbulence as his ship came down toward the surface, Mikhail peered out into the expanse as the vessel pierced through the veil. The clouds parted, and there it was in all it's glory. The Graywall.

Awestruck, the youth gazed out at the majesty of the glorious castle and began looking for a suitable place to land. He made it, he was here on Ruusan, the planet where he would begin his path to becoming a Jedi. He had forgot to mention to his uncle prior, when he was still ironing out details of his leave on Coruscant, that he had no vessel of his own. So he 'borrowed' one from his local swoop boss, he doubted his uncle would approve but his old boss was scum anyways and had a couple under his belt. What was one gone? Not like they'd be able to pin it on him anyway, let alone see him ever again.

The exit hatch popped open, Mikhail took a deep breath of fresh air as he crawled out of the vessel and took in the scenery for himself.


Cedric Grayson

 

[Juniper Jett]

Juniper listened to Cedric's thoughts, every word dropping something more and more interesting. She empathised with the idea of wanting someone to live a normal life... but then again, she obviously really sympathised with anyone fighting back against what their family wanted. The Galaxy was a big, exciting place after all. Too much potential out there to be stuck on just one world.

Her attitude changed, however, when he brought up his former apprentice. Juniper'd never been privy to much about the Jedi before, but even she had heard of the Sword of the Jedi. The leader of the New Jedi Order, the Galactic Alliance's best hope. Or that was what the HoloNet used to say, when she'd been scrolling through it as a younger teenager.

"You taught Ryv Karis?" she asked, sounding a little starstruck. "The Ryv!? Holy moly," she said, eyes widening. How the heck had that happened? And how the heck had he ended up drinking himself half to death on a backwater world on the other side of the Galaxy?

Further investigation would have to wait, however, as they were met with a new arrival. A woman that was just a teeny bit shorter than her... but had her beat everywhere else. Her eyes widened as she took her in. Something about her didn't feel right to Junie, but she kept that quiet. The newcomer just had an aura about her. Namely, that she'd kick her in the aura if she badmouthed her in anyway.

"Hi," Juniper said, waving at her as she leaned back against the crumbling wall. She was starting to feel just a little underdressed, compared to both of them. It sounded like Jedi-y business. Only they spoke in that weird, formal, stick-up-your-butt sorta way. "Who's your friend, Cedric? Didn't think she was your type," Juniper suggested, shrugging.

Cedric Grayson Darth Themis Mikhail Grayson

 

[Cedric Grayson]

The exile couldn't help but audibly snort at Jun. He'd not explained much to the girl thus far, and that was mostly because he really didn't need to. The more she knew, the more danger she might find herself in if the Sith ever caught up to them. Better to keep her in the dark, and let her learn as things progressed, assuming she stuck around that long. One way or the other, Cedric needed a pilot, and Juniper happened to be relatively cheap in that regard, and skilled enough for him not to look for anyone else.

That and her compassion. Despite how she might have chosen to represent herself, she'd taken the time to make sure he wouldn't drown in his own vomit back on that forgotten world. That was enough in his book. "The Ryv ?" Cedric audibly laughed now. The thought of his young apprentice being a galactic super star had never really occurred to him, but he supposed it made sense. in the eyes of the populace, the Jedi were supposed to be heroes, and Ryv had become their face for lack of a better term.

"I trained him, to a degree. A lot of what's he's learned he's done so on his own. I don't have room to take any credit," he welcomed the shift from his wistfulness to the here and now. Dwelling on the nostalgic always left him feeling somewhat melancholic. "At least you understand why he might be busy. I hardly see him anymore, though that's mostly been of my own volition."

He hardly anyone anymore, and up until relatively recently he'd assumed that was for the best. Not so much now.

A brow was lofted as Darth Themis meandered her way through the castle's corridors. The Graywall was mostly off limits to foreigners, though its defenses had grown terribly lax in his absence. Moya De Lifte was no foreigner, however. She, among a small handful of others, was one of the few that understood the galaxy for what it was, and had served alongside him in a sense to see that reality brought to fruition. The droids and their accompanying guardsmen would never pay her any harm.

"Moya," he allowed himself a small smile. "I didn't expect to see you here. Not really ever, truth be told." He paused, his jaw growing taut and his eyes narrowing as he visibly fought the urge to roll his eyes into the back of his very skull at Juniper Jett 's comment. "I don't particularly have a type, Juniper. This is Moya. An old friend." He gestured toward Juniper, "And this is Juniper, my pilot, and also the source of some particularly bad takes, but I keep her around. Some of those takes can be funny. Some."

He paused as Moya asked her question. It was a simple one, and rather prudent, but he was having trouble finding the right answer. Truth be told he was not entirely certain as to what his plans were, or why he'd chosen to return to the path, other than that it was all he knew, and it felt right. Was that enough? Did he need a greater justification?

"I...well, it's little secret that I took a Barash Vow after the Grayson Imperium became the Galactic Alliance. I needed time to center myself and reinterpret my path. I've found the former at least, I'm still working on the latter." A pause. "Truth be told there's still a war to be fought, and my place was never on the sidelines. Why have you come?"

Juniper Jett , Darth Themis , Mikhail Grayson

 

[Mikhail Grayson]

His hand felt along the stonework and battlements as he proceeded deeper within the Graywall, it's majesty laid out before him. He was surprised to see it was still stock with droid sentinels at the ready, even more so ones that had not fired on him upon entry. He was a stranger here, even if it was his heritage by blood. Perhaps his uncle had alerted them or placed his file in their databanks? In any case it was a relief to be sure, no Sith assassins here to pierce the defenses.

As he proceeded he followed what had sounded like voices, building in volume as he neared. The youth entered the very chamber where his uncle and two women he had never made the acquaintance of stood. "Am I interrupting anything?" He quipped sarcastically with a smile on his face. Mikhail came down to greet them all, happy to finally be here where it all started.

"Hello ladies. Mikhail Grayson, pleased to meet you."

 

[Darth Themis]

"Much the same. The war against chaos is never won. The hardest choices require the strongest wills." (Inevitable: 90 XP) Themis answered Cedric Grayson

"Plus, there needs to be factions fighting for true Order. Even if it doesn't necessarily ascribe to everything a society like The SJC maintains..."

Themis, if she truly still had been the Moya De Lifte that had died at the hands of Darth Phyre, would have still meant those words, but in a different context from that of Themis. Her Jedi LARP had really taken on a life of its own. It had taken a violent death and her love ones slaughtered for Themis to accept that the way of the Jedi would never truly cut it when it came to bringing order. Harder measures were needed.

She suppressed the guilt of failing to save the De Lifte Family Jedi Order. Just thinking about their end caused pain. Themis vowed to never allow herself to be that weak again.

She stared at Juniper Jett . Themis hid the Light Side Mutations to her eyes via her shapeshifting before landing on Ruusan, and had come to this place using Moya's warm brown eyes.

"I am healer and scholar of the Force..." Themis explained in a calm manner. "And Light Adepts will need plenty of those with as violent as I sense things getting in this Galaxy. People will need guides...protectors...and a willingness to scour the Dark Side...and keep it scoured..."

(Cutaway of Darth Themis brutally cutting down Sith with Electric Judgement during the Reconstruction Era)

Her train of thought was interrupted by Mikhail Grayson suddenly showing and introducing himself. Themis had expected this one to show due to her visions, but didn't have context until he introduced himself.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mikhail. My name is Moya De Lifte, and you aren't interrupting anything..."

Themis was still trying to figure out how to navigate the minefield that was 'his' apprentice being locked in mortal struggle with 'her' apprentice.

Laertia had done vicious damage to the NJO in every encounter. Themis had killed Jedi who had gotten in the way of her plans before, and just training Laertia was a reminder she might yet have to do it again despite not wanting to. But Neither the NJO, the GA, or the NIO were budging. The more they focused their resources on the Sith the less there was to fight a society that destroyed all others on contact. To Themis it was typical: Jedi always shot themselves in the foot over their ideals, and to Laertia it was a sociopathically selfish decision not to set aside differences to fight such a vicious and destructive foe. Laertia was as unbudging as the Sword of the Jedi. Themis was still proud that 'her' granddaughter had fought Ryv to a standstill.

It still disgusted her that Laertia had to even temporarily work with Sith. She was still trying to track down that disgusting monster The Amalgam.

"If you cannot be on the sidelines...does this mean you intend to restart your previous efforts?" Themis asked Cedric.

 

[Juniper Jett]

"You're not paying me enough creds to be your pilot, Ced," Juniper informed him, scrunching her face up with disapproval as he talked trash about her perfectly sensible, reasonable takes. It fell to her to properly introduce herself, as per usual. Why nobody ever seemed to take her seriously, she'd never be able tell.

"Juniper Jett, captain," she said to the newcomer, resisting the ground-in urge to curtsey. It would've been entirely out of place and quite impossible in a flight-suit. "And, I guess I take this ruin to his ruin," she said, pointing towards Cedric.

Then they started talking in serious tones about important things. They might as well have been talking in Hutteese for all Juniper could make out. She frowned as important, heavy-seeming words about the dark side and Barash vows were tossed casually around like glitter at a child's party. She was expecting the prayer mats to come out shortly, followed by a solemn invitation to meditate upon the nature of all things...

Fortunately, two things kept her from dozing off. One was the mention of the Grayson Imperium in relation to the Alliance. Old cogs started turning in her brain, digging up some distant memory.

A tutor. Juniper aged 15, doodling on her datapad as the older woman groaned. "This is important, Esmerelle!" she hissed, looking back at the notes she'd made on the board. "Which were the component nations and groups that formed the new Galactic Alliance?" Esme... no, she was Juniper now, forevermore, didn't have an answer. A shrug. A roll of her eyes. Nobody cared about that stuff, did they? "The High Republic, the Grayson Imperium, the..." The others faded away but she focused in on those words.

The second distraction? The arrival of a young guy who could actually speak like a normal person. And he called her a 'lady', which instantly endeared him to her. She grinned, finally appreciative that someone sane-seeming had arrived in the conversation. Too bad he was a Grayson. That name was turning up everywhere all of a sudden.

"Interrupt away on my behalf," she told him with a smirk, "I'm guessing this is your famous nephew, Ced? I'm Juniper," she said, almost repeating herself again. "I'm apparently your uncle's indentured pilot, somehow."

Cedric Grayson Darth Themis Mikhail Grayson

 

[Cedric Grayson]

If the laws of physics allowed it, Cedric's eyes would have rolled right out of his skull, and then continued rolling toward the stars beyond. Jun's quip about him being a ruin of some sort was clever, but it went against everything he valued in life to give her the affirmation that it was, indeed, a pretty good line. "I figured I paid you about what you were worth," he fired back, though he offered her a slight smile to assure there was no ill intent. The girl's presence had been good for him, despite the quips.

He quickly changed gears, a brow lofting as Moya spoke her piece. "It's seemingly endless, I'll agree with that, though I expect the opposite will reveal itself soon enough." Moya had been one of the few that understood the galaxy as he did, at least to a degree. Things had changed during his self-imposed exile, but he was sure they still stood on some common ground.

Her question was not unexpected, yet even knowing it was coming, Cedric lacked a proper answer. He cast his gaze out toward the mass of trees below, lips pressing into a thin line as he pondered. "I'm not sure," he breathed a quiet sigh, and opted for honesty. "Truth be told I've fallen by the wayside a bit. Despite Juniper's difficult nature, she picked me up from the gutter. Metaphorically and rather literally." It was a rare thing for the Essonian to experience embarrassment anymore. He'd grown past most personal anxieties, but admitting the sorry state he'd been in was a bit of an exception. To fall so low from the heights at which he had once stood was unpleasant to recount at the least, and nearly vomit inducing at its worst.

"Her and Mikhail. Speaking of which..." He gestured toward his nephew as the youth made his entrance. "I was beginning to worry you'd forgotten how to operate a starship neveu. Welcome home." He affixed his kin with a rare smile of genuine warmth, and quickly cast it aside as he returned his attentions to Moya.

"I'm not sure what I'm doing Moya. I suppose I'm here to figure that out."

Darth Themis , Mikhail Grayson , Juniper Jett

 

[Darth Themis]

"I've been in the gutter before, myself..." Themis spoke.

(Cutaway of Darth Themis being freed from her prison on Jedha)

"But the will to fight against obsolescence is the most important trait in rising from said gutter."

(Black and White Cutaway of Darth Themis violently smashing a Witch's face into cement and leaving her for dead.)

"And the resolve to fight the Darkness greater still..."

(Witch regain consciousness and attempts to use Lightning.)

(Darth Themis wheels around and throws her Saber Spear.)

(Cascade of blood on Barrel POV)

(Opening notes of "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell Plays)

Themis shook herself from old recollections. Cedric had potential...he saw the Galaxy more like a Light Side Sith than he saw it as a Jedi. No normal Jedi starts an Imperium. Not unless you are willing to make a break on some level with tradition. And starting an Imperium was the furthest you could get from traditional.

He would make for an excellent Light Side Sith...if he could be swayed properly. She knew his pain...building so much, achieving so much, only to have it all sabotaged and torn down by the visionless and the limited. In her case, not once, but twice.

She tried not to empathize too hard though. His Imperium had become the Modern GA, run by Politicians. Part of a major pain in her Granddaughter's metaphorical ass. The same GA allied with the NIO.

"I would like to be a part of whatever you are cooking up, for what its worth." Themis said. "I have a lot to contribute in the healing arts..."

(Cutaway of J. Jonah Jameson laughing uncontrollably)

Juniper Jett

Mikhail Grayson

Cedric Grayson

 

[Mikhail Grayson]

The youth smirked at the reception, he approached the gathered group and took a moment to briefly scan his surroundings. "Pleasure to meet you both, I'm glad someone is flying him around. He's a terrible pilot, hand eye coordination of a Gungan inside the cockpit," Mikhail teased.

"Thanks Unc. Glad to be here it's beautiful. You drag these ladies along for a tour or something big going down?" Keeping the humor lighthearted and flowing was something the Graysons were good at. He would be surprised if his uncle didn't put him in his place with a good retort, but all joking aside he was sure there was good reason for the gathering here.

He knew his uncle was to train him and reconnect with the Force himself, monumental actions after a lengthy leave under the Barash Vow. He'd come to begin understanding the sheer weight on his uncle's shoulders and the burden he took on, it was a relief to see him begin to return to his roots and take up up sword once more.

 

[Juniper Jett]

At least Cedric had the good grace to recognise her role in helping him out of the gutter. The whole 'first meeting' seemed strange, compared to the more determined, confident and, dare-she-say, lucid Cedric that stood before her then, complaining about her difficult nature. She bit back the insults and one-liners that were already on her tongue. Juniper's sense of justice decreed that in crawling away from his drunken self, he'd earned a slight reprieve.

Enjoy it while you can.

Still though, in her head she was still putting the pieces of the puzzle together. This whole meeting reeked of something, and it wasn't Cedric anymore. It all felt rather ominous, like Juniper was just on the sidelines of history being turned over, looked through, remade and rejudged. Connections firing of in her brain, linking what she'd learned about him with what she already knew...

"Fighting the Darkness..." Juniper muttered as Moya said it, frowning a little. This was all seeming a little bit out of her league, now. Were they all going to get out the laser swords and make a solemn pledge? It was such an enchanting ruin, it'd be a shame to ruin it with all their space monk stuff. Yet again, Juniper wondered whether getting involved with Cedric and his plans was worth it. On the one hand, he was involved with some serious stuff that might put her into harm's way, and the tone of the conversation was leaning decidedly like he was planning something big. And big is not good when you're trying to avoid attention.

On the other hand, he was paying her decent credits for flying him around and simple passenger work was hard enough. Lean pickings on legal work round Silver Space lately and Junie didn't like that.

"Don't mind me, I'm just the fly-girl. Make whatever mad, wizard plans you want, so long as I get paid," she said to them, raising her hands up. Sounding a good deal more mercenary than any 19 year old should but hey, girl's gotta eat.

Girl's gotta save up for an apartment too.

Cedric Grayson Darth Themis Mikhail Grayson

 

[Cedric Grayson]

The winds of Ruusan began to pick up as the conversation progressed. Cedric's cloak began to snap with the gusts, and his eyes began to water slightly as it whipped across his face. The mountains of the Graywall often facilitated such weather, but the suddenness of it struck Cedric as odd. Odd enough that, during a slight break in the conversation, he reached out into the depths of the empyrean.

His eyes inadvertently widened as his hunch proved to be correct. The heart of the wall had awoken once again, and it wished for an audience.

"I appreciate your offer Moya. Truth be told I've been debating returning to Ession now that the war seems to be drawing to a close. Granted I'm uncertain as to what I would do there..." his words trailed off as his gaze darted to his nephew. "I may not be able to fly, but I can throw your ship well enough across the canyons if I want to, engines or not." A hint of challenge laced the exile's words as he finally turned to Juniper Jett . "Oh, you'll be paid Juniper."

He turned bodily toward her now. "I know you may feel a bit out of your depth here. There are few things more impenetrable than a conversation between force sensitives, but I would like to keep you around. You're trustworthy, despite what appearances might suggest," he offered a thin smirk, "And more importantly, you've a compassionate heart, which can't be said about most these days. I will have need of that."

"But anyway," Cedric clapped his hands together. "The time for introductions has passed. The empyrean works in its own way, and the Graywall happens to be a tool with which it shares its will. It shares a strong tie with those of my blood," he nodded toward his nephew, "And a lesser one with those that carry the mark of the Force. There is a reason we chose to settle here, and that reason wants an audience."

Without awaiting a response, Cedric started walking purposefully toward the stairwell. He kept going, simply assuming they would follow after him, and rounded the stairs for several floors until the light of the afternoon sun was replaced by the eerie green shades of bioluminescent ferns that hung from the walls in little clay pots.

The exile would come to a halt at the very bottom of the stairwell. The air here was near electric, and had an earthy taste that one might associate with the deepest of forests. It brought him a nostalgic comfort, and he could help but smile softly as he stared at the chamber beyond.

"Several thousand years ago, my ancestors planted a tree that serves as a nexus of the Force. The tree has been used to commune with the empyrean since then, and I felt it calling out to me atop the ramparts." He gestured for the others to step into the chambers. "It wants to take your measure. All of you."

The chamber was quite massive for something so deep underground. The bioluminescence of the ferns was continued in the mass of flora that lined the floors. A small labyrinth lays between them and the rooms apex, either means of protection ,or perhaps the carrying out of some ritual. In the room's center, atop a circular stage that lorded over the rest of the chamber, stood a tree nearly as tall as the ceiling. It glowed a soft mix of blues and greens, and the moment any of them would lay eyes upon it, they would feel its presence, as if it were staring back at them like a sentient being.

"I would like you all to meet the old oak."

Darth Themis , Mikhail Grayson , Juniper Jett ​

 

[Mikhail Grayson]

"Fair enough," the Grayson admitted in defeat with a faint laugh. He listened as his uncle explained the real reason they had gathered here at the Graywall in further detail. Mikhail dropped the playful banter and listened intently, eager to learn more.

The youth prodded, "What kind of tree? Like the ones of Kashyyyk?" He was curious, he'd never knew too much about the Greywall, only the vague tales passed down. He eagerly followed in anticipation for what awaited them below.

"Take our measuureee.. woah."

Mikhail dropped his jaw in awe, amazed at rhe massive chamber beautifully lit by bio-luminouscent ferns and flora covering the vast expanse like a masterpiece crafted at the hands of an artist. A labyrinthine maze set before them leading to a massive tree at the center of this vergence, this nexus that welled within him even now. He could feel it's pull, it's energy.

"By the Ashla. What is all this?"


Darth Themis | Juniper Jett | Cedric Grayson

 

[Juniper Jett]

The mention of her supposed 'compassion' was briefly touching. She had stopped to help him get his butt out of the gutter and taken him where he wanted, she supposed. The fact that it'd worked into a tidy profit for her was just a happy coincidence, of course. Good deeds were their own reward! Mostly. Sometimes. Rarely. She'd take whatever Force-y talk if it meant getting more of a payday. They could talk her ear off about mysterious oceans and winds if it was followed up with credits.

Juniped followed the party down the stairwell, thinking of what'd be next for her. After this business here, she supposed Cedric may want a ride somewhere else with his ragtag bunch of misfits. After that, who knew? Silver Space wasn't exactly as enterprising as the Galactic South for a captain like herself, but there was always work for a canny person. Some refugees looking to escape to the Core, or maybe even First Order space? Some assets that needed taking away covertly? There was always work, even if she had to head closer to Denon to get it.

All the while, she tasted the tang of metal in the air, mixed with earth and life and everything else. It brought back memories, long buried, of parks and fields and forests, with lakes and sunshine and... bright sparks and moments of joy in her past. All too few. She shook her head without realising, refusing to dwell in nostalgic poison. Not when there was a better future ahead of her.

Even Juniper's most cynical, snide side couldn't help but be overawed by what they stepped into. The shimmering light fell on her, bathing everything in bright blues, glowing greens and a swirl of elegant turquoise. Her eyes were drawn irresistibly to the old oak, her gaze running over every line she could see. From the knots and swirls of the bark (or what she presumed was bark) to the mass of ferns, leaves and life on the branches.

It took her a moment to realise that she'd stopped breathing.

Her eyes widened as she felt something looking back. She took a sharp breath, feeling something tug deep inside her. Deep in the core of her being. A strange, eerie warmth that beckoned, inviting her closer. It was something that she didn't understand, didn't know, but she felt compelled to move closer.

"What in the heck is that?" she whispered, forgetting to mask her accent, dripping into the clipped tones of Core Worlds nobility. Her boots squeaked slightly on the stone as she took a couple of steps closer, open-mouthed, unable to tear her eyes away from the oak.

Cedric Grayson Mikhail Grayson Darth Themis

 

[Darth Themis]

Themis raised her eyebrows at the mention of a great Oak. She was silent as she followed everyone down the chamber feeling the presence of the Light increase. When she had still, truly been Moya De Lifte she would have welcomed it.

But still, Themis didn't like unknowns. She had seen fragments in her visions of Cedric Grayson taking her and the others down to meet the ancient tree, and she simply wasn't sure what it was capable of. She didn't like the idea of some plant looking into her soul, so she wrapped the Light around her spirit, which might provide a barrier to whatever attempt it was going to make.

It truly was magnifcent however, as she beheld it. It radiated the light. But still, she had problems with it assessing her. Her history was her own. She didn't want her privacy invaded...

"How old is it?" The Bright Lord of the Sith asked as she stepped forward. The intensity of the Light Side aura the tree generated disrupted her ability to see the future while she was this close to an anomaly like this.

Themis circled it before turning to the others.

"How does it work? Do you just step to it?"

Mikhail Grayson

Juniper Jett

 

[Cedric Grayson]

"I'm not sure as to its origin. The name of the species is lost to my records, but they have grown in Jedi Temples throughout the galaxy for centuries. There was one in the old temple on Coruscant, and several on Kashyyyk. That may be their homeworld," Cedric could only offer a shrug. "The tree has been here since the days of our earliest ancestors Mikhail. It is our most holy place."

A brow was lofted as Juniper Jett spoke in a voice that Cedric did not wholly recognize. He noted that for later, but opted to ignore it for the time being. The Oak would reveal all things in due time. He meandered near the tree as Darth Themis asked her questions, and answered the best he could. "The Oak is as sentient as we are. Perhaps even more so. You simply need to open yourself to it."

The exile ran a gloved hand over the tree's ancient bark, and the fluorescent plants pulsated a bright cyan with the touch. His eyes drifted shut as he communed with it, and so too did the oak commune with those he hard brought with him.

It settled upon Juniper Jett at first. Its unseen eyes appraised the girl for all she was worth, and then stretched beyond the physicality toward her presence within the empyrean. Cedric sensed intrigue in the Oak's thoughts.

"This one is heart and deception." The words were whispered in the minds of those present rather than spoken. "Many questions to be asked. Many lies told to itself and others. A righteousness corrupted with indecision. A soul with great purpose, yet one that is yet to be saved." The voice would speak solely to Juniper then. "Poor girl. Those you called kin may have betrayed your trust, but you do not walk alone. The Ashla watches over her children, and you are her progeny. I will not bring truth to your lies, but if you cling to them, then you will forever be a stranger to everyone you might call friend."

It turned its attention then to Darth Themis , and once again spoke to all. "You hide yourself from my gaze. There is no need for deception here. I have watched you and your line for eons. Your choices are your own, and I am no judge. Your presence here is divine providence, as your power will be sorely needed in the coming chaos." A pause, "Yet the shadow ever calls to you. You have a left a void within it, and it will reclaim you if you let it. Be careful in your crusade that you do not forsake yourself to bring about the change you wish to see in the world, lest you be left empty and alone."

Then, finally, it settled upon Mikhail Grayson . "Progeny." Its voiceless words seemed to echo throughout the chamber. "Your forefathers have ever been my caretakers. Our pact is one of blood child. We are one," another pause, "Your grandfather sought to break this pact. In doing so, his actions led to the great chaos of the galaxy. His fall is your greatest lesson child: the road to hell is paved with good intentions. You can do no good for the galaxy if you act out of selfishness, no matter the justification you might create for yourself. Walk the Ashlan path, and assume your mantle as my future lord. Walk another, and just as your progenitor did, so too shall you damn us to the chaos."

Rather than await a response, the old Oak allowed those present to see into the depths of its ancient mind. Knowledge lost for a millennium would pass through their thoughts like a raging river: there for an incomprehensible moment, then replaced by another grain of forgotten wisdom and so on. That stream of knowledge settled upon a singular memory, a vision of sorts.

They stood upon the top of the senate building of Coruscant. The city burned all around them, massive skyscrapers sloughing over as their foundations melted in the hellfire. Untold billions screamed amidst the chaos as countless devilish creatures marched through the streets murdering any living thing they came across. The skies opened up to the void, the very atmosphere of the planet melting away in favor of a portal that led to a sea of crimson. Great vessels of arcane design flowed through the portal, and littered the world with blasts of energy that saw entire city blocks evaporating in an instant.

The smell of burning sulfur would fill their nostrils as the vision reached its conclusion, and they found themselves once again standing in the Oak's chamber. "This is the fate of all worlds if things continue as they are. The forces of the Bogan seek to make the planes of the immaterial and the material one. In doing so, they will damn the galaxy, and in turn give themselves eternal life, the greatest ambition of all those that walk the path of damnation. The Ashla willed you come here, so that you might be charged with an understanding of what is to come."

The voice quieted for a moment, then spoke one final time. "What you do with that knowledge is your choice alone."

 

[Mikhail Grayson]

The massive oak struck awe in the Grayson youth, it's beauty was captivating and serene. He could see why this place would be so revered among his family, so holy to them. Force-sensitive and sentient? By the Ashla, he had seen nothing quite like this in his lifetime among the Core Worlds. Mikhail's eyes followed closely as his uncle's gloved hand ran across the ancient bark of the sacred tree. The luminescent plant life pulsated with bright cyan light upon Cedric's soft touch, he could feel the Force flow deeply through this place even as untrained as he was. A feeling so vast and deep within, a connection he'd never felt that could only be what his uncle had long described..

A Living Force..

By the Ashla..

It spoke! The Grayson nearly leaped back in surprise despite no audible words resounding throughout the surrounding area. A voice whispered into the minds of those present before the mighty oak.

"This one is heart and deception." The words were whispered in the minds of those present rather than spoken. "Many questions to be asked. Many lies told to itself and others. A righteousness corrupted with indecision. A soul with great purpose, yet one that is yet to be saved."

It spoke of Juniper Jett and went silent, at least to the Grayson.

It turned its attention then to Darth Themis Darth Themis , and once again spoke to all. "You hide yourself from my gaze. There is no need for deception here. I have watched you and your line for eons. Your choices are your own, and I am no judge. Your presence here is divine providence, as your power will be sorely needed in the coming chaos." A pause, "Yet the shadow ever calls to you. You have a left a void within it, and it will reclaim you if you let it. Be careful in your crusade that you do not forsake yourself to bring about the change you wish to see in the world, lest you be left empty and alone."

Whaa.. so sick as his swoop buddies would say. Nothing could prepare Mikhail for what awaited next though, he was caught unawares as the voice echoed into his mind now, or was it the chamber?

Then, finally, it settled upon Mikhail Grayson Mikhail Grayson . "Progeny." Its voiceless words seemed to echo throughout the chamber. "Your forefathers have ever been my caretakers. Our pact is one of blood child. We are one," another pause, "Your grandfather sought to break this pact. In doing so, his actions led to the great chaos of the galaxy. His fall is your greatest lesson child: the road to hell is paved with good intentions. You can do no good for the galaxy if you act out of selfishness, no matter the justification you might create for yourself. Walk the Ashlan path, and assume your mantle as my future lord. Walk another, and just as your progenitor did, so too shall you damn us to the chaos."

Rather than await a response, the old Oak allowed those present to see into the depths of its ancient mind. Knowledge lost for a millennium would pass through their thoughts like a raging river: there for an incomprehensible moment, then replaced by another grain of forgotten wisdom and so on. That stream of knowledge settled upon a singular memory, a vision of sorts. One of pain that seared through his mind as he struggled to make sense of what he was seeing. So much darkness. So much death.

"This is the fate of all worlds if things continue as they are. The forces of the Bogan seek to make the planes of the immaterial and the material one. In doing so, they will damn the galaxy, and in turn give themselves eternal life, the greatest ambition of all those that walk the path of damnation. The Ashla willed you come here, so that you might be charged with an understanding of what is to come."

Mikhail shook off the sensation, the smell of sulfur filling his nostrils as he came to.

The voice quieted for a moment, then spoke one final time. "What you do with that knowledge is your choice alone."

"I would die before I ever allow such a thing to befall on the galaxy!"

Darth Themis | Juniper Jett | Cedric Grayson​