Private The Promise

[Kyra Perl]

The lush forest of Silver Rest suffused Kyra. It almost too green-- too fresh. The open space and lack of echos unsettled her. Once upon a time, living on a ship had made her feel claustrophobic. Now she realized it made her feel safe.

In control.

She yearned for those familiar durasteel walls as she walked the path to the meditation chambers. Despite nothing looking different, everything felt wrong. When she had left this place she had done so without warning and only the blessing of her Master. Her support system had left, died, or fallen. Her family had been left shattered by Nida's betrayal.

She tried to piece together what her life looked now, but vital details refused to fall in place.

Would Nida recover?

Where was Amani?

Had Romi awoken?

Pulling her sister from the hands of the sith had been the largest task she had ever undertaken, and still... the demands on her felt endless. For every issue she tried to solve, five more sprung forward. The galaxy felt as if it was on fire and there wasn't enough of her to spare. All of this ran circles through her as she closed the space between her and Caedyn, his presence drawing her forward like a moth to a flame. She'd know him anywhere.

Master.

She had made him a promise, she was here to fulfill it. She pushed open the door to his meditation room, the serene energy washing over her like a familiar hug. Her tear ducts grew tight, pinching back emotion as she silently lowered herself crosslegged before him. She rested her hands, open palmed, on the the tops of her knees. Deep breath in, then out.

She had come back to him.

Caedyn Arenais

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Master.

It was as if Kyra Perl had called out to him, yet without words or intent but rather the Force drawing attention to their shared presence once more after what had felt like such a long time spent living without his Padawan by his side. At first, Kyra's apprenticeship had been a difficult road for them both to grow accustomed to, and yet by the time she had left in search for her Sister, Caedyn had come to rely on it, and then missed it when it was not there.

"Welcome home, Kyra" Caedyn spoke, his eyes opening to look upon his Padawan who had seated herself before him. She needn't say anything for Caedyn to notice a change about her, a sense of growth within herself that she had acquired over her time away within Sith Space. "I can only imagine the experiences you might have witnessed, but I'm relieved to see you return" he expressed with a gentle tone and a fond smile.

"I must say, things haven't been the same since you left" Caedyn admitted, a slight grin taking to the corner of his mouth. He'd spent the time teaching classes and paying more attention to Galactic Politics than what was considered to be healthy. Beyond Silver Space the Galaxy was a mess, yet at least there within the Silver Rest things might actually seem to go back to normal now that his Padawan had returned to him.

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra couldn't help but to mirror the subtle grin. "Boring. You mean it got boring."

And probably a lot less noisy and crazy and dramatic.

Her grin faltered as she thought about the events she left behind. The people, the classes, him. It had been the right thing to do-- more than the right thing for her-- but it had not come without its regrets.

The smile slowly faded off, her hands retreating into her lap. She picked at a small scab with her metal hand, its presence barely noticed by her anymore. A bandage peeked out of the top of her shirt, but otherwise she looked unharmed. Quieter, but here.

A lot of things left unsaid floated through the space between them, stories hidden in the lines of his eyes and her building silence. She started with the simplest one-- the reason why this all started.

"I got Nida back. She's at Commenor. Temple's cells."

Caedyn Arenais

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Boring. You mean it's got boring."

Caedyn grinned somewhat warily, "Like you wouldn't believe" he replied and chuckled a little afterwards. He was glad to have his Padawan back, Kyra Perl had a way of bringing brightness to his day where otherwise his time was spent focusing solely upon his duty to the Order and to the people of the Galaxy.

"I got Nida back. She's at Commenor. Temple's cells."

Confirmation of his Padawan's mission was relayed as simply as any odd chat they might have shared, although the weight of the fact was far greater in scale than what those whom might pass them by would have expected were they to eavesdrop. Kyra and Thirdas Heavenshield had traversed into Sith Space, gone behind enemy lines and presumably kept a low profile much of the time to first track Nida down and then find some way to bring her back into the Silver Sphere.

It was a feat that most students would not be expected to pull off, let alone allowed to leave the way Caedyn was forced to do so. Frankly, he had had little choice at the time; It was a matter of learning to let her go or lose her, at the time.

Caedyn nodded slowly, a couple of times while remaining quiet in consideration. Between the two of them, this was effectively Kyra's moment to debrief with him as he had taught her the protocol of reporting in before and after every mission. Caedyn himself did so to the Silver Assembly, and she to him.

"Well done Kyra" Caedyn congratulated her, a confident nod in affirmation of her success; "What you've achieved is no small thing, but a feat that many Jedi have failed in the past. I hope you and Thirdas recognize the significance of your efforts and your return...". In the past Kyra had so often voiced her anxiety and perhaps even shame at feeling behind other students such as Acaadi , and yet here she was proving all of her past doubts so, so wrong.

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra grimaced, looking down to her hands.

If only he knew the things she had done. The sacrifices she made. The way Korraban still stuck to her mind, whispering to her in the quiet moments of the day. If only he knew how close she had come to falling, he wouldn't be so proud.

She kept this to herself, a touch of red flushing her cheeks.

"Here," was all she said, unclipping his saber and placing on the mat between them. "Thank you for it, it-" It served her well. She withdrew her hand, her fingers clutching each other inside her lap.

"I hope you've been okay." But she could feel it-- the pinch in his chest. The whole place felt off, like a layer of tension had tainted it. She didn't ask. Part of her didn't want to know. She wasn't sure she could take another reveal that something precious had fallen apart. For a moment, she just wanted the peace of his presence in this room.

It felt like old times, back when he was the only comfort in the wake of Yurb.

It felt so far away now. So small. She would do anything to be that girl again. To whine a little less and try a little harder. How could she have been so childish?

She had had so much, and now it was gone.

"I'm so sorry-- for all the times I-" was too much.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Stop," Caedyn said with a soft tone, his left hand raising from his lap to gesture for Kyra Perl to cease in her apology; "Our time together has been a blessing as far as I'm concerned, both the good and the bad. We've both come a long way since day one, and I have no regrets" he informed her.

Looking to his Lightsaber that Kyra had placed on the floor between them, Caedyn's gaze soon drifted back to his Padawan a little uncertainly. Why she had felt the need to return the weapon, he did not know, although he did suddenly wonder whether she had the impression that he had given her the Lightsaber solely for her time spent away.

"That Lightsaber is yours now" Caedyn added with a gentle smile, "I gave it to you because I felt you've earned it and I wished for you to have something that expressed personal sentiment...-An item of great worth from a Master to his Padawan" he elaborated, not entirely certain whether he was explaining the act for what it had meant to himself in being able to trust and offer such a personal possession to her.

"You've come so far, since I first took you on....-I'm proud to have you as my Padawan, Kyra. I know it hasn't been easy...-But you've truly come into yourself as a Jedi".

 

[Kyra Perl]

Had she?

She had done hard things --bad things-- to get Nida back. She had hurt people and then she had hurt Nida. Now the darkness lingered in her mind. Koribann had touched her. It scared her.

The things she could do scared her.

She stared at the saber, imbued with light, and felt nothing short of unworthy. "I'm trying my best," was all she could say, her voice raw with emotion. She picked at her hand inside her lap, slowly processing what it meant to be back.



"I missed you,"she added, after another beat. "Have you been okay?" She had never bothered to stop and ask him that before. She looked up, concern in her gaze as she asked him now.

Caedyn Arenais

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"What more can we give but our best, my Padawan" Caedyn replied with a smile, both out of fondness but also a slight sense of amusement behind the fact that Kyra Perl sounded as though she felt her best wasn't good enough. What more could be asked of her?

The Jedi Path was one of many hardships and not every situation often ended in a happy ending or a good outcome despite their best efforts, they could only do all that was in their reach to do for the betterment of the people, and despite having the power of the Force at their side, they did not in-fact work miracles. Sometimes there was no certain path to success at the end of the day and for some Jedi, getting results and achieving the greater good, meant compromising for the sake of the future, both their own and of others.

When Kyra turned the focus of the discussion back on Caedyn however, he didn't seek to bring it back to her like he might have when she was younger. She had come of age and a stage of progress in her path where they could look upon one another as equals nowadays. Part of letting her go out on her own was Caedyn's way of accepting this new stage in her Jedi life and trying to let go of the reigns, so to speak.

"It's been a strange time lately, I'll admit" Caedyn answered her, giving something of a half-shrug; "I attended a meeting with Thurion and your Father, alongside a Senator from the Concord who was to speak with representatives of the Confederacy and the Sith Empire. Darth Prazutis was among them, you know the history there..." Caedyn had indeed informed Kyra that it was Prazutis who had killed Veiere Arenais, his father; "Only reason I was there was as a means of protecting the Senator should things go downhill, but they didn't. There was a discussion held over the potential of a three-way alliance, a defensive pact".

Of course, the media had gotten wind of the political meeting somehow and the sheer prospect of a civil relationship between the Silvers and the Sith had sparked outrage among the civilian populace, from which rioting had occurred in some of the more iconic and well-known worlds across the silver sphere.

"Apparently the Silver Assembly and the Concord wound up concluding that it wasn't in the best interests of the people..." Caedyn added, giving a second shrug, this time with both shoulders as his gaze faltered and he glanced away for a moment in pensive thought. "Frankly, I can see both sides of the argument but we've also lost seven worlds recently to the Bryn'adul and they aren't slowing down at all....-So yeah there's been plenty going on, and I've had a few things on the mind as you can imagine" he chuckled dryly, glancing back to Kyra with a wary smile.

"Now that you're back though, maybe you'll give me enough to worry about so the rest of this crap won't matter".

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra grimaced, her gaze leaving him and going to the window.

So it was all true.

Well, of course it was. It's not like the holonet would lie. A part of her had just hoped it had all been a bit of sith propaganda, even if it was coming from Silver sources. Her father made to step down because the new government messed up? Protective anger flashed through her, felt for every one of her Silver brethren who were placed in this position by politics.

This wasn't what they were suppose to be wasting energy on. There were people out there needing help.


She wanted to pry for more. She wanted to understand if the order was still okay, the extent of damage done by the Bryn, and if her remaining friends had walked out alive.

She didn't ask any of these questions. After a point, it just hurt to know.

"I still have issues I need to handle-- things involving Nida that... that I don't understand," she warned, her voice tight. She looked back to him after a moment, her lips pressing into a tight smile. "But I'm back now."

"I'm ready to finish my training."

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Kyra Perl seemed determined, that much was clear and good to see; Although her feelings over the recent past events were plainly obvious. Caedyn, however, chose not to call attention to it. Politics wasn't Caedyn's game and thankfully he had no hand in those talks, however, he and likely many other Jedi would be thankful for the Assembly engaging the Concord in talks and bringing the whole situation to a close. It had caused nothing but headaches for those involved.

"Your training is nearing the end of its time under my tutelage, although as a Jedi Knight we never cease in our commitment to better ourselves for the sake of the Galaxy" Caedyn replied, wanting to relay to Kyra that she was indeed in the final stage of her time as a Jedi Padawan.

"As a Senior Student, you can delve into more advanced techniques under various available tutors, however, our focus will move towards your Trials and the construction of your own Lightsaber". To Caedyn's mind, Kyra had already passed two of the five required Jedi Trials, those being the Trial of the Flesh due to her efforts during the battle of Yurb, and the Trial of Courage in her recent feat retrieving her Sister from Sith Space. The remaining three would come in time, some with less of Caedyn's control, than others.

"Our sessions together will be more challenging, and there will be less assistance provided as I instead look to test and gauge your readiness as time moves on. If I am to endorse your Knighthood to the Assembly, I need to have gathered and witnessed the completion of your trials ahead. Skill, Spirit and Insight still remaining" he explained further. There would no longer be any hand-holding from thereon. Kyra was at a point in her life where she had become fully independent and it was now time that Caedyn met with her in training, as an equal, in order to push her further in her growth as a Jedi.

 

[Kyra Perl]

"Skill, Spirit and Insight," she echoed, her voice soft as she ran through the list in her mind. She blinked, putting together the meaning of his words before he could clarify.

"But that's only three." Her eyes widened, a spark of life entering her disheartened frame. "Are you telling me I've been been doing my trails all this time? And- And Flesh-- and courage?? Those are done?" She spoke rapidly, a bit of the girl he once knew returning like color to her cheeks.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"You and I have stepped into three different battlefields and managed to survive them, something that even for Jedi, is a feat worth acknowledging," Caedyn said with a curt nod in response to her question. Jedi weren't meant to be Soldiers, but their service to the general people of the Galaxy meant that there were times where they were forced to step into the theatre of war, many of whom would fall before each battle was over.

"At the expense of an arm, you risked everything in protecting the Lervon during the battle of Yurb...-Worthy of the Trial of Flesh", with the Force at their side, the Jedi stood a greater chance of overcoming the odds, yet they were as vulnerable as any other man or woman and could be felled with a blaster shot in the right place.

"Furthermore, You voluntarily journeyed into Sith Space for a prolonged period of time without your Master, a Jedi Padawan acting of your own accord alongside a friend in order to return a fallen member of the Order back to us. There was no certainty that you would succeed, let alone survive and yet you persevered and did just so" Caedyn explained further, "Fulfilling the pre-requisite for the Trial of Courage".

Caedyn had not asked for details surrounding Kyra Perl 's experience, nor did he seek to know. The things that she had witnessed, the actions she had taken to see Nida returned to the Silver Sphere, these were all things that were solely meant for her learning and personal growth. Whether that meant there were further demons to overcome, that was something only she could know and surpass.

"But don't get too excited" Caedyn added with a smirk, "You're not free of my company yet".

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra gave a tight smile, a small seed of warmth growing in her chest. Was it excitement? Or perhaps just hope. For the first time in a while, she felt like she had something positive to work towards.

She had not expected to hear that she was anywhere near her trials. Never mind 2/5ths complete them. "Thank you," was all she said, her voice tight with restrained emotions. She sniffled, shifting awkwardly. Gone was easy chatter that had once flowed from her lips. Maybe it would return as time settled and she learned how to move on from what she had endured. For now, she just picked at her scab, staring blankly at the saber he had confirmed was hers.

"When do we start?" She finally murmured, no longer eager to skim for breaks between their words.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"This week, you will focus on returning to the routines and lifestyle that is Temple Life..." Caedyn told his Padawan, wanting to ensure that she would be ready for when he would begin to truly test and push her limits within the coming intensive training programme; "You've been away for some time, and you've not had it easy. First and foremost, you get yourself situated and then we'll go from there" he smiled to Kyra Perl , the suggestion being for her benefit and perhaps a well-earned rest at that.

"Following the week's end, you and I will be engaging one another in intense sparring matches. I will set up a course for which will require you to use all of your skill. I too will not be holding back, so you had best ready yourself and come prepared for a true battle. It's what we call running the Gauntlet" Caedyn explained the first of tests for which she would take part in following her time to recuperate. During this time, they would face each other not as Master and Padawan, but as Jedi and as equals. Caedyn would not offer her the same pleasantries that he had afforded her in the past as his student but expected that she had what it took to meet him and challenge him in a one on one duel without boundaries.

"I would also like you to start to consider a series of subjects of which I will have you lead other junior students within the classroom. You will demonstrate to me your ability to teach and guide others as I have done with you over the years. These classes will of course be much shorter. The duration of an hour each should suffice".

 

[Kyra Perl]

"Ok," Kyra said simply, taking his direction in stride. After months of living day by day, unsure if she would even survive, she leaned into the normalcy of his orders.

Being your own caretaker was horrendously difficult. In this moment, she was relieved to take a step back and surrender herself into the life of a pupil and child.

She welcomed it, in fact, the weight leaving her shoulders. The adults would now take care of everything. They always did. Right?

She sat for a moment, breathing in this room... his energy... the strange sense of completion... and hooked his saber into her belt. "Master," she concluded, dipping into a bow. With no further words, she stood up, taller now-- more grown into her figure.

She paused as she looked down upon him, basked in the soft light of Kashyyyk's sun. Her throat tightening. She brushed the image of him away and nodded, turning to leave.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

The way that his Padawan looked at him, Caedyn couldn't help but wonder if he had missed something in those moments. Was that a look of disappointment that she bid him before taking her leave, or were she reflecting on their past in some form?

Oftentimes she could be difficult to read, however, he was confident that were there something his Padawan felt she needed to talk about, that Kyra Perl would approach him openly and honestly as he had always expressed she could do.

Between the two of them, the day was done and he would give Kyra the time to situate herself once again. It would be good to have her back around and interacting together on a more regular basis. It went without saying that Caedyn had missed his apprentice, she more than just his student but a trusted and valuable friend, someone that he had come to think upon as family.

Watching her depart, the Jedi Knight took but a momentary pause before turning away and heading for the Archives where he had originally planned on finishing up some of his research for a coming lesson he had planned for the younger students of the Order.

~ End ~​