The Sea of the Night

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The witching hour, the deep of the night. It was a strange almost supernatural time, and that was saying something in an academy designed around teaching people to control that ephemeral power of the force. With the starlight twinkling in through the windows, bathing the corridor in a dim almost mysterious light Asaraa could almost believe that there was something else here in the temple, could almost see the force manifesting around her.

The young woman rested her hand on the wall, her bare feet resting on the cool stone beneath her feet as her blue eyes stared out of the window. She’d never been to Voss, she heard about it but she couldn’t imagine that it had a view that could match Silver Rest. The wind whistled through the treetops, rattling against the window as she saw the leaves waving from side to side like a wave travelling through the ocean. There was a peace to it, a calm that seemed to reach out to her, settle the roiling tempest of emotions that threatened to spill out of her.

The Togruta let her hand fall away from the wall, her feet padding silently down the corridor as she sucked in a deep breath. She’d…been having trouble sleeping recently. Every time she laid down, closed her eyes she could see the light or red lightsabers. Of the pain and shock on her master’s face as he was cut down, the almost hypnotic quality of Connor’s lightsaber as they’d spoken. She’d thought that the heat of her anger could burn away any doubt and leave her as a streamlined and sharp blade. Instead, she felt like she had, even more, questions now than she did before. It all felt like it was too much, that it would burst out of her skin, spilling over and swamping her. Instead, she was left roaming the halls of the temple at night, basking in the starlight and drawing some peace from the quiet and tranquillity that surrounded her.

[member="Kei Raxis"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kashyyyk​

852 ABY​

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]​

​

​

Sleeplessness was the new normal. Pondering, lost in thought was the new normal. Standing in the Silver Rest, eyes closed and hands clapsed behind back, lost in both thought and meditaiton, that was the normal. Kei pondered, that was something he did a-lot after the battle of Korriban. He pondered on if he had made the right choice, agreeing to go with [member="Arekk"] and [member="Jerit Kolomor"] into battle. He had dedicated an entire year to studying the Jedi of past, peaceful protectors and it almost felt a waste to be throwing that away. At the same time, if the Jedi didn't make a stand then the galaxy would continue destroying itself until it was gone.

It was a situation with no viable answer.

The force had never come easily to the human Jedi. He had always struggled with it, he wasn't all that attuned in the force but he made up for it other ways. Kei, for what it was worth, was a competent pilot and a better admiral. It had been a while since he had commanded anything, but he always used to be somewhat decent at it. He made up for his lack of force ability in knowledge, his year with The Jedi Order had paid off. Kei had studied many surviving texts of old. It was true and it was a shame that many of the texts had been lost when the Jedi Temple on Courscant traded hands but the texts they did have were special, they were useful. The texts they did have gave the Jedi some sort of view on the old order.

The old orders had never been truly peaceful. The Clone Wars had been a battle that had taken so many lives and that had ended with one of many Jedi purges. It wasn't the first purge and it very much wasn't the last purge but it was the purge that probably stuck with most Jedi who knew of it's existance. Betrayed by one of their own, shot by the men they commanded into battle all as a Sith sat behind a desk and acted like an innocent man while in reality he was a Sith Lord who playing a very big game using the galaxy as his table. It was almost a shame that the game he was playing happened to involve millions of deaths.

Kei felt another presence in the force. It was a presence he had never felt before, a presence that radiated the light from every available pore. Kei didn't doubt that whoever this person was, he would be the victim in a game of hide and seek. It was how the galaxy worked, Kei had a feeling that the presence would get interested and then explore the presence that it could feel. Kei was pretty sure that would work anyway.

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The silver starlight dappled Asaraa’s skin as she padded silently through the empty halls of Silver Rest, bare feet gliding along the floor as she slipped her hands into her pockets. For a moment the Togrutan Padawan didn’t have to think, didn’t have to worry about the universe or what she’d find out there. For a brief moment the world seemed to stop, to hang in the air As much as she hated the sleeplessness brought on by nightmares this was her favourite time of the day, a time that belonged just to her and the rest of the world could just wait for her, wait for it all to come.

But that wasn’t entirely true, she could feel it in the back of her mind another victim of the witching hour. It wasn’t unusual for people to be awake at this time, but mostly when they were they stuck to their rooms, trying to fall back to sleep but this felt different a surer, stronger presence. It was almost as if someone else was awake, was focused on some deeper thoughts. She’d noticed the difference between the sense of people when they were asleep and actually focused on something, it wasn’t something she could lay her finger on but the pulse and solidarity of them seemed to change.

Without thinking about it, without a conscious reaction she swivelled on one foot as she came about to face the sense that seemed to draw her in. It wasn’t that she wanted to be alone, just that she wanted the peace but…well, now she had to admit she was curious now, curious about who else might be up and enjoying the solitude of the night. Like the predator she was the young woman closed in on her prey, on the target who she could sense, could see through the force. Asaraa possessed all the natural speed and power of her race honed by years of training with the Jedi, her small form eating up the distance in a smooth gait as she cast her senses out, the tendrils of the force snaking out around her as she inched closer and closer to Kei’s position.

[member="Kei Raxis"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kashyyyk​

852 ABY​

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]​

​

​

​

Kei almost enjoyed the solitude of night. He enjoyed the darkness that cast the shadows, the stars that shined up above. He enjoyed that no-one was around to judge him for being weak, it was nice that he could study upon the force without people judging him. He knew he didn't have the same force aptitude as most others and sometimes it annoyed him, sometimes he wanted to be more powerful. Othertimes, it didn't concern him that he was probably the weakest Jedi in the galaxy. He just accepted it and kept servivng the galaxy because that was just what he did, he tried to right the wrongs of the galaxy and stop the war.

His robes fluttered slowly as he breathed in and out deep. He was lost in the force, he enjoyed it. Farsight was annoying, waking in the night after viewing a friend. Farsight was useful however, farsight meant that Kei could see the galaxy when the battles had finally subdued for the time being. The war would never end but the fighting would stop every so often. The fighting would stop and both sides would count their losses, rebuild their numbers and then continue the fighting with new soliders. It was stupid, the galaxy continued to tear itself apart and it was weird, it wasn't great for anyone.

He felt the presence closing on him. She was female, from the feel of her it was likely she was a padawan. A padawan or a Knight, a very new Knight in The Silver Jedi Order. Kei let her get close without moving. He didn't flinch, he hardly even showed any acknowledgement that she was there.

"There's a distrubance in the force. Can you feel it?"

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

Ominous and mysterious statements weren’t exactly what Asaraa had been expecting when she’d approached the man. This particular conversational track left her a little stunned to say the least as she paused mid-step for a moment before crossing the rest of the distance to peer out of the window next to him. For a moment silence was her answer, the arched curve of an eyebrow, the twinkle of amusement in a pair of blue eyes.

“I honestly can’t say I sense much in the force right now,” she allowed reaching out with her mind to that comforting energy that swirled all around them. The young woman let her mind dip into the sea of energy, like a spider testing their web she felt the force filling the plent around her before she shook her head. “Nope, not a thing out of the ordinary, you know apart from a strange man who likes to introduce himself with mysterious greetings,” the young woman offered Kei a playful grin as she rested one palm against the cool window. “Well you and the birds, but they seem to get everywhere on this planet."

The Togruta leaned her forhead against the window, peering outside for a moment, watching the trees swaying in the starlight, it was a quiet, reflective moment, the silence hanging comfortably in the air between them before she spoke again. “I don’t think I’ve actually found someone else who’s actually awake at this time of night…” she let her voice trail off, trying to draw some kind of reaction out of the taciturn man.

[member="Kei Raxis"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kashyyyk​

852 ABY​

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]​

​

​

“I don’t think I’ve actually found someone else who’s actually awake at this time of night…”

Very few people were actually awake at the silly hour. Those who were awake tended to keep to their own rooms, quiet and trying to force themselves back to sleep. Not Kei though, he enjoyed nature. He felt at peace outside more than inside. Kei felt more at ease looking over the birds and the trees. Kei felt more at ease with nature than in a room, an uncomfortable matress and airconditioning. He assumed most people felt that way, most people enjoyed nature better than anywhere else. He assumed that most people preferred animals to humans, although that may of just been a Kei thing. He wasn't sure.

"It's quiet. You can, ponder on the force. You can focus on the noises and the nature"

He didn't look at the person that had joined him. He hadn't opened his eyes, hadn't unclasped his hands from behind his back. The force was a tool that the Jedi used to their advantage to help them battle against the dark. The Jedi studied the force to learn more about it, they wanted to learn and understand more about the force. Kei wanted to learn more about the force, he wanted to understand more about the force. He was interested in studying, he wanted to know about the force. It was weird, the force controlled the life of Jedi and they devoted their lives to it. They may as well learn more about it.

"The strange man who introduces himself with mysterious greetings is trying to teach you something. Care about the force, trust the force and you'll feel when something is wrong"

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The togruta leaned her shoulder against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest as she arched an eyebrow, staring back at the man as she inclined her head. “To be here, to be a Jedi here in the place is to trust the force. We’re all putting our lives on the line for what we believe in although…” a playful, almost mischievous smile tugged the corners of her lips up as she opened herself up to the force letting it encompass her, tugging on the force as if skipping a stone across the surface of the water. “I’m pretty sure that most people don’t introduce themselves by asking someone else to care for the force.”

Closing her eyes, the young woman let her mind clear, sinking into the force as she stretched her senses out into the forest. She could feel the life all around her, a net of life bubbling around her. “It’s right there, all around us, it’s life and joy all bundled up into one, and sadness and pain, it’s everything but,” without opening her eyes Asaraa reached out and tapped her finger on Kei’s forehead. “Everyone cares about the force, it’s life so how can you not…well everyone who tries to be a good person cares about the force. Sometimes people overthink it, they get so focused on trying to understand the force and what it means that they lose track of the world around them.” There was no rancour in the girl’s voice, just sadness, she’d seen people so worried about if they were doing the right thing that they failed to act at all, paralysed by the moment. She’d done it herself, frozen by doubt and uncertainty she hadn’t acted but…she wasn’t sure she should have. If she had acted it would have been out of fear which wasn’t something she didn’t want to do, no matter what her path, she wanted to walk out on it with certainty, sure of what she was doing. “So then Mr Strange Man, when not trying to teach valuable life lessons to strangers, what is it you do with yourself?”

[member="Kei Raxis"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kashyyyk​

852 ABY​

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]​

​

​

​

Mr Strange Man.

Why did that sum him up amazingly well? He was pretty strange to be fair, introducing himself in a very weird way. It was true though, there was a distrubance in the force and he couldn't place it. He couldn't decide if it was anything that he could fix or not, anything that he could stop. He felt suffering, the war gripping the galaxy was probably tha cause of that. Either that or an unknown force, an unknown weapon in the galaxy.

"What do I do with myself, huh? Would you believe me if I told you I was an ex-smuggler turned admiral?"

Not many people seemed to believe him. The ex-smuggler bit was true, as was the admiral bit. Not many people really believed that smugglers could turn their lives around like that, not many ex smugglers had the ability to make themselves actually presentable and lead soldiers, ships into battle. It was rare that someone managed to prove people wrong, Kei was dedidcated to being that ex smuggler who turned out to be a good admiral.

"My name is Raxis. Kei Raxis"

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

A smuggler huh? “Well, that backstory doesn’t seem all that outlandish,” the young woman allowed with a smile. “I mean, the Jedi are all about second chances and there is a certain…romanticism to the life of a smuggler. Were you any good at it? I’m pretty sure I’d be the worst smuggler ever, no poker face.” Asaraa grinned, swivelling on one foot as she span to face Kei, her blue eyes locking onto her, watching the way the starlight dappled his skin lending him an almost ethereal look as she held out a hand. “I’m Asaraa, Asaraa Vaashe.” A playful smile touched her lips as her blue eyes twinkled at him, “Nothing that cool or special about me, no smuggling or admiral history in my past. Just a Jedi Padawan and lieutenant in the Rangers.”

The togruta held out her hand to Kei, an easy smile playing over her lips as she observed him, it wasn’t often that she actually met a real life smuggler. Espcially one who turned into a Jedi, and such an introspective one at that. “So, which did you prefer, the life of a smuggler, the admiral or the jedi?”

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kashyyyk​

852 ABY​

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]​

​

He chose to let her believe that there was any hint of romanticism to smuggling.

It was gritty work, that was the truth of it. Long periods where you saw no-one and interacted with no-one. People thinking you were an outcast because of how you made a living. There was nothing good about it. It was horrible but it was work, it was how Kei had earned his living for years. At one point he believed that it was the one thing, the only thing that he truly knew, the only thing he could actually do well.

"Smuggling is something I've known all my life"

The life of a Jedi was different. He never felt like he had a family within the Jedi although he had to admit that was because of the fact they'd accidently bombed him. The role of a Jedi was difficult, the peace that they swore to protect was collapsing as the dark spread through the galaxy. Jedi were having to become more extreme to counter the extreme methods of The Sith Empire, the burning of Thyferra.

"The darkside is hardocded into my blood, my family. It's always fun to rebel against blood and stive for the light. The life a Jedi is me rebelling."

He had yet to truly experience the role of admiral. He'd commanded The Nightshadow but that was it. He was looking forward to joining the fight against The Sith Empire, someone needed to. They were spreading quickly, not even The Jedi could step back and let them continue. At some point they would need to step up and meet The Sith Empire in open combat to try and combat the dark, combat the Sith.

What if that wasn't the only option?

That was something Kei wondered everyday. What if there was another option to battling the dark? What if one could learn both sides of the force and learn to controi and master both sides of the force. Fear, anger and hatred were all emotions that everyone felt, what if instead of fearing those emotions because they led to the darkside of the force they could be harnessed and used as a tool to learn more about the force.

"The life of an admiral is just paperwork so far"

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

“So far I’ve discovered that the military life mostly tends to be a lot of hurry up and wait, and lots and lots of paperwork.” The Togruta rested her shoulder against the window, feeling the cool material against her skin as she transferred her gaze over to the man next to her. “I don’t know about Admirals, but I bet you’re gonna find it’s the same no matter where you are on the food chain. Moments of pressure followed by eons of calms,” the young woman winked at him, “or at least what feels like eons of calm.”

Spinning herself around Asaraa crossed her arms over her chest and transferred her full attention to Kei, “The Darkside is in your blood…like your family are fallen Jedi or something?” She let her voice trail off for a moment before arching an eyebrow at him, “I mean being a Jedi is more than just a way to rebel, but sounds like you’ve chosen the harder path fighting against the family. A good fight to have, a good path to choose.” She tilted her head to the side as she watched his face, “Is it difficult, turning against your family like that.” She offered him a small, almost sad, smile, “I’m sorry I know I’m asking all the questions it’s just that…well I can’t actually remember my family, any of them. My earliest memories are of the Jedi temple, of the masters there and the other Padawans. I cant remember, can’t even imagine what it would be like to have a family. Let alone what it would take to turn against them.”

[member="Kei Raxis"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kashyyyk​

852 ABY​

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]​

​

​

​

She was right.

His choice, his role as a Jedi was more than a way to rebel. He chose to against the genes, the blood and the path that was basically hardcoded into him. He knew that most of his family, most of his uncles and aunts had fallen to the dark, Stardust had taught him much about the Raxis line that he otherwise wouldn't of known. No-one knew his father though, no-one knew what had happened to his father.

He was the forgotten Raxis. He was one of the Raxis out in the galaxy who was never recorded, his father one of the kids who was given away and never recorded. His entire line, his entire side of the family was forgotten. He had only learned of his family accidently, otherwise he would of been wondering who his father was, who his family were for years. He would never know, his children would never know their grandfather.

"I come from a line of Force Users. Many of my aunts, uncles and cousins fell to the darkside. Many of them probably still are battling the internal conflict, it's why I believe it's nearly hardcoded into our genes. I never knew my family, not until a few years ago. I met my family and it felt like a weight had been lifted. The one person I've never known is my father. I treated my mother like she was nothing and it's because I never had a father figure. Once I found the rest of my family, the rest of the Raxis family tree I finally felt accepted"

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

Asaraa tilted her head to the side, a look somewhere between curiosity and sadness clouding her features as she stared at Kei. “I don’t think anything can be coded into your genes, no-one can tell you that you’re destined to fall just by running a test. If they did you can bet that the Jedi council would make it a mandatory part of becoming a Jedi.” She fell silent for a moment, glancing outside, letting her blue eyes drift out over the starlight landscape stretching out before them. “I think it’s all about how you were raised, where you were raised and what you end up wanting.”

The young woman turned her head to stare at Mr Strange, “You never knew your father, always dreamt what it’d be like while it sounds like you blamed your mother for it. So when you found out that your family was steeped in the darkside, of course you’re bound to feel like you were destined to fall. By falling you’d become one of them, you would fit in.” A soft sigh escaped her lips as she let a rueful smile tug her lips up, “That’s pretty normal, I think everyone wants to fit in, to belong, I know I do. But you’re you and they’re them. You weren’t brought up with their influences, and if you fall, that’s a choice you need to make for yourself.”

Asaraa glanced around before gesturing, one of the birds that had been serenading the moon floating over to the window with an undignified squawk. “It’s like this bird,” the Togruta pulled the window open, giving the man a smile. “When I let it go it can choose to fly in and attack me, or it can fly away. Now if it had been brought up in a group that needed to fight for every scrap, where attack and backstabbing were a way of life then it will attack but, if it wasn’t then it’ll probably fly away.” A laugh slipped from Asaraa’s lips, “I’m really hoping it was brought up in a nice place.”

Holding her breath, she released the bird who gave her a baleful stare before spreading it’s wings and soaring away into the darkness. “So then, which are you, the bird who attacks, or the bird who flies? You’re the only one who can answer that question.”

[member="Kei Raxis"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kashyyyk​

852 ABY​

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]​

​

​

​

Was he the bird who attacked or the bird that flew?

He wasn't sure. He'd been brought up with everything he wanted byt he still felt that he needed to fight to be recognised by his mother, fight to learn more about the galaxy and fight to earn what he had. He was given so many things as a kid but he still wanted to fight to get more. He preferred to fight to get what he wanted, to earn everything he wanted and he needed instead of being given them on a silver plate.

He gently punched Asaraa on the shoulder, obviously a playful manor. He figured that it was a perfect setup to a joke. He may of been miater strange but he had a sense of humour, he'd always had it. He'd always had his sense of humour even if it had been buried and lost as he studied the force and became much wiser. He found his sense of humour shrinking as he grew older and he wondered why it was like that.

"The bird who attacks is more fun. Shame I'm not a bird though. Technically I'm a Kei who attacks"

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The young Togruta shook her head, reaching over to tap the man on the forehead lightly, “Nuhuh, you’re not a Kei who attacks, you might be a Mister Strange who attacks although…you don’t really strike me as that impulsive of a character, I don’t think you’re the type of person who just attacks without exhausting your other options. So, maybe the Mr Strange who attacks when necessary, that’s not really a choice I thought most Jedi would ever make. The bird who attacks can be more fun, but then…a predator is always more beautiful and graceful in flight. You know, I don’t even know if liking them is a good thing,” the young woman gave a rueful grin, “you know the who Jedi should be peaceful, but have you seen one of them on the hunt.”

Asaraa’s eyes had lit up now as she grinned at Kei, one eye closing in a quick wink. “Just promise you won’t tell my master or anything, I’d hate to get in trouble for watching the animals hunt but…well it’s one of my favourite things to just go out into the forest and sit there while they all go around us, living through their lives as if I wasn’t there. Helps me feel connected.”

[member="Kei Raxis"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kashyyyk​

852 ABY​

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]​

​

​

​

Kei shook his head.

He never attacked without thinking about his other options. He never really attacked anyway, he always found himself on the defensive. He was better on the defensive, he didn't light being on the attack. He hated attacking, he liked being on the defense and counter attacking when the opportunity presented itself. He was better at counter attacking, he could spot the weaknesses in an attack and use that to his advantage.

Then Asaraa spoke about how she enjoyed watching animals hunt. Kei wouldn't tell anyone, what she was doing was fair. She was watching animals in their natural habitats, it would of helped her connect as she was watching this happen. The force working in mysterious ways, the fact that she watched animals hunt made some very basic sense. The force made little sense, but sometimes it made basic sense.

"That's fair. Nature as a whole connects people, watching animals hunt in their natural habitat should do that as well"

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

“You say that, but most Jedi don’t always see things in the same way. To a lot of them any violence, any loss of life is to be shunned if at all possible.” Idly the Togruta’s fingers played with the hem of her shirt as she glanced back out of the window. “It’s just, sometimes you don’t feel like you have any choice like the entire world is pushing on you and the only way you can find a way to control it, to find any kind of relief is focusing on the person in front of you. If letting that violence find an outlet before it overwhelms you.” A wry smile tugged up her lips, “I said I’m not always a good Jedi, but I try at least.”

The Padawan turned back to face Kei, inclining her head at him, “So, you’re a fan of nature then?” A playful light rekindled in the young woman's eyes as the corner of her lips quirked up in amusement, "that's pretty unusual for a smuggler or admiral. Most...space men I've met seem to prefer more sterile environments, their ships and the cold emptiness of outer space. So," a smile flashed in his direction, "what's keeping you up here Mr Strange?"

[member="Kei Raxis"]