Private The Ties that Bind

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

This again...

​

The remaining two combatants carefully studied each other's stances, both with their blue lightsabers ready to continue this dance of death. It was a memory of the distant past, but one that she would never forget. Every flurry and strike ingrained in her memory, every bit of her own hatred, pain and frustration materialized in her aggressive lightsaber sequences. But nothing managed to get past the stalwart defense of the last Jedi standing. The strike-team had come for her, to put an end to the great cause of destruction; her.

It seemed as if their duel lasted for ages, both women moving and unnatural speed, reacting to each other's cuts, hews, kicks and punches. The victor, however, had been decided long ago already. Her duels against the other two Jedi had been taxing, and all of her allies were incapacitated already. Even with the seemingly limitless power of the Dark side, she could not bring up the strength nor focus to launch another telepathic assault.

In a single strike, the Falleen ended their duel. Having severely misjudged the woman's swing, the Jedi gone rogue could do nothing but watch as her lightsaber was cut in half. The image of the Knight faded to black, leaving her alone in this endless abyss. It almost felt as if her conscious was freely floating through the cosmos, disconnected from her body or any anchor point she could possibly think of. Nothing could reach her, accept her own fragmented memories, this being a rather unpleasant one.

While she knew what had happened, the Sephi had no idea how she got here. Or where 'here' was. She had lost her grasp on time as well, not knowing if she had been in this state for hours, or for days. But on the bright side, she had never felt this connected to the Living Force before.

"Vital signs are stable, but the heart rate is still very low." the medical droid stated, studying the data displayed on the small screen positioned next to the bactatank. "Estimated time until full recovery: unknown." the droid continued, turning to the two cloaked visitors. "I see... that's.. unfortunate." the cloaked figure on the left commented. The Temple's medical bay had the facilities and space necessary to house the submerged Sephi, but it had been two weeks already. The question had shifted from "when she wakes up" to "if she wakes up".

The Jedi on the right nodded in agreement. "Anyhow, we'll be back tomorrow to check on her. Can we schedule an appointment?" she asked, following the droid back to its tiny office.
​

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Another day, another session of training passed. It had been a few months since joining the Jedi and it was nothing but non-stop training, the issue was Cas had trouble connecting to the Force further and without the proper guidance from an experienced Jedi... and his difficult relationship with authority, it seemed impossible for him to branch out. So, the young Kiffar was instead forced to focus on the physical aspect of being a Jedi - lightsaber combat, despite not having built his own blade yet he was growing more proficient each day, ready for when he did.

It was starting to get late and Cas was getting hungry, he'd need to get to the dining hall before all the food was gone. The young Padawan began his trek from the temple grounds and into the temple, however, instead of taking his usual route to the dining hall - Cas felt the need to take an alternate, longer route that involved passing the Temple's med-bay. Strolling through the corridor, Cas was ready to pass the med-bay like normal until he came to jarring halt a few feet away from the med-bay's door, he sensed... or felt something, like he was being drawn inside.

The Padawan rotated and his entire body was now fully facing the door, as if in a trance like state, he slowly approached the med-bay's door and opened it with a panel on the wall next to it. As the door's slid open, Cas' eyes widened at the sight of a Sephi woman unconscious in a bactatank - who was she and what had happened to her he wondered to himself, however this did not stop him from pressing forward. Approaching the bactatank, he noticed through small window that two Jedi were conversing with a medical droid in its small office but ignored their presence.

Now just inches from the bactatank, the young Kiffar took a moment to observe the Sephi through the tank's blue hue - she was quite beautiful but also had a fierce and intense look about her, even though unconscious, he was slightly intimidated. "Who are you...?" Cas muttered as he placed his palm on the tank's glass - "Did you... call me here?" he asked through closed eyes.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Her current state of... nothingness often made the Jedi Master wonder if she was even still alive. Except for her wandering consciousness, she had thus far not felt or seen a single sign of life. But that question was easily dismissed. She could still think, reflect and reason. Therefore, she had to be alive.

The everlasting question made her mind drift off to the cause of her current state. Her own recklessness, as usual. She was to blame for her own actions, but there hadn't been an alternative. In an attempt to safeguard the local village on a backwater planet, she had tried to fend off an entire nest of an arthropod-like warrior species. They were the best example of "strength in numbers" she could think of. Their venom-coated spears had lethally wounded her, and the Sephi had no recollection of what happened after she collapsed. She just hoped that her allies had arrived in time to save the remaining villagers.

But over-analyzing that memory would not grant her insight on the question at hand. Where was she right now? If this was how becoming one with the Living Force felt like, she was not impressed.

Just when her mind was about to drift off again, something remarkable happened. She heard a voice. Someone called out to her. But.. where from? Through the Force, Sakadi followed the voice of the young stranger. It was a strange experience, as if she traveled through dimensions to reach her goal.

Did you... call me here?​

The words echoed through her mind. No, not her mind.. her ears? The Sephi slowly felt sensation return to her numb limbs. It made no sense at first; she was definitely submerged in a strange fluid and some sort of mask was attached to her head. It took her a while to figure out what exactly was going on. Her now open eyes shifted through the room, finally settling on the teen in front of her. Was this the kid who awakened her?

Sakadi studied his palm for a bit, before placing her own hand against it. She was still groggy, but the Force wouldn't let her down. With moderate difficulty, Sakadi reached out to the teen's mind.

"Hey... could you open this pod for me?... And maybe hand me a towel?"
​

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas' palm remained press against the warm glass, with his eyes remaining closed he completely missed that the Sephi woman had regained consciousness. A voice then echoed through his head, one that wasn't his own internal voice, the shock of the foreign voice caused the Kiffar to jolt backward and release his palm from the glass. Was that... her? Was she speaking to him? "H-how'd you do that?" he asked aloud and still backing away from the bacta tank ever so slowly.

Shaking his head and blinking his purple eyes, Cas remembered that the Sephi had asked for a towel and a way out of the pod. The teen's head spun in several directions as he looked for something that would cover her up. Cas instead opted to unzip his black jacket, revealing a white t-shirt, and headed toward the control console located behind the bacta tank - after a few moments, the bacta was drained and the pod opened, now allowing the Sephi to step out of it. "Are you... alright?" Cas asked cautiously as he handed her his jacket in hopes of warming her up.

For the brief moment they had alone, Cas focused more on the Sephi's features and could almost recognise her face - he had seen her in a dream a few weeks prior, now he partially understood, the Force was bringing them together but for what? Cas' questions would have to wait for now as the two Jedi rushed out of the medical droid's office and to the Sephi's aid. "What are you--?!" a female voice called out from behind, Cas turned to look behind him and saw the looks on their faces - it was a look of complete concern but also disapproval at his actions.

Preparing himself for an annoying lecture, the two Jedi paused when they had spotted the woman was, in fact, conscious and on her feet. One of the Jedi folded their arms and hooked their fingers to their chin and let out a quiet "Hmm." as if in deep thought. The younger female Jedi, and apparently the least patient of the two, snapped her head to make eye contact with Cas "What were you thinking, Padawan?" she asked disapprovingly. Cas paused for a moment, eyes lingering on the Sephi, before his eyes met the female Jedi's and he simply shrugged "She asked me to." Cas responded nonchalantly.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Sakadi watched the teen back away from her tank, visibly shocked because of her sudden intrusion. A glimmer of amusement would be visible in her eyes, her smile hidden behind the mask. "How you ask? Through the Force, of course." Having reached out once already made it easier for her to convey her telepathic messages. The teen seemed to have no mental defenses in place, so she was certain that he would still be able to hear her voice.​

Once he recovered from her sudden intrusion, the young Jedi did as she asked and, to her delight, drained the pod. The Jedi Master would convey a short "thank you" once her bare feet touched the still pleasantly warm metal of the pod and the glass door slid open. When the teen handed her his jacket, the Sephi was made aware of just how little she was wearing, as was usual for bacta treatment. With a thankful nod, she accepted the jacket, swiftly draping it across her slender shoulders to retain some of her body heat.​

A quick glance through the med bay made her realize where she was. It seemed as if her fellow Jedi had managed to save her life after all, because she was certain that this was Silver Rest's medical bay. "Never been better." Her response was light and upbeat. "Although your stare is making me a bit uncomfortable" she joked, casting a sideways glance at him. His presence in the Force felt familiar, but she was certain that she had never seen him before. The Sephi wouldn't get the chance to ask him about this, however, for three new individuals stormed out of the office. The medical droid, and the two who had accompanied her on her last mission: Jedi Knights Ryna Sol and Sen Kasto. Ryna, the younger one of the two Knights, was quick to scold the teen. Sen, however, would turn to her after a short observation.

"How are you feeling, Master Sinvala?" he began, watching how the medical droid approached her with a vast array of medical equipment, a towel and a bathrobe. "As I told the young.. Padawan? Over here, I've never felt better." Sakadi made sure that her telepathic voice could be heard by all the Jedi present in the room. Sadly, the droid would only understand sign language.

The medical droid would turn to the visitors. "Please leave the room. I need to conduct a series of tests to commence Master Sinvala's rehabilitation." the droid would state with its monotone, yet authoritative voice. Placing a hand on his fellow Jedi's shoulder, Sen would respond. "Understandable. Come Ryna, we'll return tomorrow. I suggest you go back to your tasks as well, young one. Let's grant her some rest." with that said, Sen and Ryna would leave the med bay.
​

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas' intense staring was cut off when the Sephi had caught on and lightheartedly commented on it. His eyes blinked rapidly and he let out an awkward laugh "Oh, that's my bad." he said apologetically while rubbing the back of his neck "Promise I'm not a creeper!" he blurted out loudly.

Master Sinvala? She was a Jedi Master? He had a feeling that she were a Jedi simply because she was being treated at the temple, but the thought of her being a Master had never crossed his mind. Cas simply watched and silently observed as the three Jedi and the medical droid would go on to discuss her condition, not long after he and the two other Jedi he wasn't familiar with were shooed out of the bay to give the injured Jedi time to be tested and recuperated. After retrieving his jacket, Cas followed behind the two whilst glancing back at the Sephi Master every once in a while, still curious by what had just transpired between the two.

With the med-bay's doors sliding closed behind them, Sen Kasto's attention focused on Cas with Sol's following closely behind. The Knight placed his hands in each of his robe's sleeves and stared at the Kiffar with an inquisitive look "What were you doing in there, young one?" he asked in a warm tone which made Cas feel slightly more comfortable with speaking to him. However, despite being fellow members of the Order - Cas didn't feel fully comfortable with the Jedi yet "I got curious." he said feigning ignorance, the Kiffar Padawan wasn't exactly confident enough in revealing all of the information yet. Kasto would linger on Cas for a few moments before letting out a satisfactory exhale through his nose, and then leaving the med-bay alongside Sol. Cas would linger in front of the med-bay door for a moment before beginning to make his way to the dining hall.

****
​

After a restless night with nothing but what had transpired in the med-bay plaguing his thoughts, the teen was eager to return there and see if he could garner any answers from the, apparently mute, Sephi. Following his usual morning routine, Cas made his way to the medical bay and after being hounded by the chief medical droid, the teen managed to talk his way into the the bay's bed chambers where he hoped he would find Master Sinvala and as luck would have it... there she was, awake and resting. Cas smiled and waved at her "Hey!" he called out, before being collectively shushed by other injured Jedi - strangely enough and despite his troubled relationship with authoritative figures, Cas felt comfortable with the Sephi as if he knew her forever.

Cas approached Master Sinvala's bed and pulled out a chair and sat behind the side of her bed. Cas grinned warmly "You could probably guess why I'm here right?" he asked confidently.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Sakadi sat upright in her bed, reading a recipe holobook titled "Life is better with Nerfs". And as expected, life could indeed be much better right now. The medical droid hadn't left her side for the remainder of the day, insisting on performing a full examination. Physically and mentally. The droid wanted to do a final series of tiresome tests today and if everything went well, she would finally be allowed to leave this wing of the med bay. ​

Time passed slowly and while she wasn't easily bored, she felt very restricted by having to stay in bed. Luckily, entertainment came in the form of a familiar voice. Well, familiar was perhaps not the best way to put it. She had only met the teen once before, after all. The reaction of her fellow Jedi concerning the youngling's excited greeting brought a smile to her face. With a small gesture, she beckoned him over. ​

Putting aside her holobook, the Jedi Master would wait with the small talk until the teen sat down. He began to talk with confidence, asking her if she knew why he was here. It was supposed to be a rhetorical question, but frankly Sakadi had been given little to no time at all to think about what had happened. Of course the answer to his question was still yes, but that was too easy, wasn't it? ​

Sakadi would tilt her head slightly ajar, staring at him with a questioning look. "No? Enlighten me please." she telepathically responded, hoping to get an interesting answer out of him.
​

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

This was really gong to have to take some getting used to, the whole communicating through the mind thing. Cas' brow raised and he scratched the side of his nose with a confused look at her question - was she for real? Or was she playing with him, wasn't obvious why he was there. The Kiffar waited for a moment and then leaned forward slightly, and simply stared at her with an analytical expression, attempting to read her body language to see what this Sephi was playing at.

After a few moments, a childlike grin formed on his face - "Did whatever put you in that bactank hit you in the head? Seems like you've got some memory issues." he teased while subtly leaning back in his chair slightly. Cas then realised that he hadn't even introduced himself yet, maybe this would be a lot smoother if they were at least on a first name basis. Grin forming into a genuine smile, he looked into the lavender skinned Jedi's sky blue eyes and outstretched his hand "Name's Cas. Cas Tynen. Maybe you've heard of my clan?" he jested, knowing full well that Clan Tynen was unknown outside of Kiffu.

With formal introductions now out of the way, his face turned slightly more serious - "But in all seriousness..." he paused, attempting to figure out how he would even word this "I wanted to talk to you about what happened in the med-bay... why I was drawn there..." Cas' eyes then shifted to the ground as he debated whether he should tell her about the dream he had a few weeks prior, if they were going to get to the bottom of this he would need to tell her everything. Cas' eyes met Sakadi's once more "Ever since I was a kid, I've had dreams... dreams that would actually, y'know, happen later on." the Padawan revealed, beating around the bush slightly, "What I'm trying to say is... a few weeks ago, I think I dreamt about you."

Cas hoped that with Sakadi being the much more experienced and higher ranked of the two, maybe she would have the answers... or at least an idea of what's going on between the two of them. The young Kiffar watched the Sephi's face pleadingly, praying for any answers, he searched her face to see if she was contemplating.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

The Sephi would rub her chin and look at the window. "Maybe. What was my name again?" she joked, before turning to face the teen again. His slight jest made a smile play about her lips. She chose not to respond, instead waiting for him to respond to her question.

She calmly listened to his explanation. She wasn't used to giving guidance, but she would try. After he finished talking, however, she couldn't help but make one last joke. "Surely it wasn't anything indecent?" after her remark, her smile faded as well, making place for a rather serious expression. "These glimpses of the future are part of a rare aspect of the Force, a gift given to only the few select individuals we call Force sensitives. Although you might know this already." she began, trying to form the best answer she could. "Be wary of these visions. They give you insight on the future, but might end up misleading you. Simply because the Force has shown you a possibility, does not mean it is set in stone." She knew of many instances where prophecies were either wrong, or misinterpreted entirely. That was why she felt the need to warn him.

"So, I appeared in your dream. What do you think this implies?" she asked, her head slightly tilted in a questioning manner.
​

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas smiled and chuckled at the Jedi Master's humorous response to his own joke. Her sense of humour really continued to surprise him, the teen actually felt a sort of kindred spirit within her through their shared sense of humour - probably the first Jedi at Silver Rest that he actually felt some sort of connection to.

The Kiffar's face turned bright red, even shining through his turquoise qukuuf, upon her teasing in regard to his dreams about her. Cas laughed nervously and shook his head violently, while throwing his hands in the air "No, no, no! Nothing like that, Master Jedi... Sir... Miss... Madame... Ma'am?" he coughed into his gloved hand, slightly regaining his composure - "Uhhh, nope. Fully clothed." he reassured. Once that awkwardness was out of the way, she became serious and explained to him the nature of his dreams... warning him to be vigilant with them. The teen leaned forward and listened intently with a focused expression as the explained.

Upon her next question, Cas' expression switched from focused to thoughtful as he leaned back in his chair and hooked his fingers onto his chin. "Well... to be honest, my best guess is that it showed me you would be a part of my future... well, present. I think the Force wanted me to meet you...?" he half stated and half asked, not entirely sure if what he was saying was correct... or crazy talk. The teen then chuckled to himself quietly, "It's kinda funny actually... I've been having problems with finding a Master to further teach me... when I was ready to give up, I'm drawn to you. Weird right?" he added, completely oblivious to what he accidentally had suggested.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala