Private The Weight of Return

[Lorn Reingard]

​

The shuttle was old, discreet, and comfortably forgettable, the way Lorn liked all his rides now. No gleaming Naboo silver, no polished accents. Just durasteel and carbon scoring, weathered by time and mediocre maintenance. It didn't attract attention, and more importantly, it didn't reflect anything.

Lorn toggled through the startup diagnostics for the fourth time in as many minutes, fingers dancing across the controls with that quiet impatience particular to men who would rather be anywhere else. A few red indicators blinked at him, meaningless ones. He let them blink.

The robe he wore hung from his frame like the ghosts of too many uniforms. Brown, coarse, fraying at the cuffs. Symbolic, probably, in the way all these Jedi things were. But he didn't feel like a symbol, and hadn't for years. He was just a man in a robe, parked in the shadows at the edge of a hangar no one cared to patrol, waiting on a stranger he might be expected to raise into a better version of himself.

Again.

His breath fogged against the small viewport. He stared through it at nothing. Just a sliver of Naboo sky gone gray with dusk. No sign of the Padawan. Maybe they'd chickened out. Wouldn't be the first. One had bailed mid-lightsaber lesson after Lorn barked at them to stop apologizing. Another had cried after three hours in the jungle. The last had tried to psychoanalyze him.

He'd offered that one a ride back home.

This wasn't what he wanted. Lorn didn't want to shape anyone. He was half-shaped himself, cracked down the middle like a clay sculpture dropped and awkwardly glued together. Jedi were supposed to inspire. He inspired trauma responses.

The Council had been subtle. "You're a leader here," they'd said. "You lead the Vanguard." As if trauma leadership and spiritual mentorship were naturally overlapping skillsets.

"You should pass on what you've learned," they said.

"I mostly learned how not to die," he would reply.

And then someone suggested taking a Padawan somewhere meaningful to him. "Build a bond. Let them see who you are."

So he picked Mirater. Because nothing said "ideal bonding experience" like returning to the war-torn mudball where you accidentally buried your youth, mercy-killed your mentor, and watched your ex become the face of the enemy war machine.

Lorn leaned back in the pilot's chair and ran a hand through his hair. That was the perk of being the most functional wreck in a broken order.

This wasn't about legacy. Or duty. Or healing. This was about Isla.

She was out. Alive. Barely. He had rescued her just in time. And now he was trying to build something. A way out for others. A map for the lost ones who still walked in shadow.

He didn't need a Padawan for that. But maybe the Order did. And maybe, if he did this right… some part of his story might stop ending in fire.

The shuttle beeped once. A soft proximity alert. Someone was approaching.

Lorn sighed. He reached for the ramp controls, eyes narrowing.

"Let's see how long you last," he muttered.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, Practice Lightsaber
Tag: Lorn Reingard

His request for a Master had finally been responded to, he was meant to be meeting a Jedi by the name of Lorn Reingard. It was someone that was interesting since he was considered a higher ranking member of the Jedi Order so Aileni thought that there would be a lot of high expectations and demands for Aileni to achieve. It was going to be intense but something in Aileni thought the idea of a challenge could be fun, things had been pretty easy and casual at the moment. He was easily over achieving in his current lessons, with his knowledge in combat forms and the Force far exceeding his peers who joined the Order at a similar time frame to himself.

They were set to meet up at the hangar, Aileni was going to be travelling off somewhere, he hadn't remembered what the planet's name was since he had gotten a little too excited at the idea of finally having a Jedi Master. So, his attention was not fully on everything being said. It was fortunate that he remembered the location to meet and the time, that was something he had to double check and be told a couple times before he left the room with the instructor who informed him of the meeting.

Arriving at the hangar, Aileni had his Dathomiri traditional energy bow that he carried with him everywhere since he had constructed on Dathomir. He had been given a training saber to use until the construction of his own Lightsaber, giving him a chance to practice his skills and to use in case he came into any danger. His bright green eyes flickered up to the window where the cockpit was and spotted the mentor he was potentially studying under, there was a roughness to him from what Aileni could see. An unrefined edge that made Aileni smirk.

Could be interesting to see how he handled the Night Wolf.

Stepping onto the ship, Aileni made his way to the cockpit, "Aileni Xeraic. Guessing you must be Master Lorn?" He questioned as he shifted to the passenger seat.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Lorn didn't look up right away when the kid stepped in, Aileni, apparently. The name landed in his memory like a bookmark someone else placed. He flicked a glance in the viewport, confirming the boy's reflection: young, sharp-eyed, carrying himself with that dangerous mix of pride and promise. Great. One of those.

Instead of acknowledging him immediately, Lorn finished plotting the jump sequence. A few more quiet inputs, and the shuttle's aging frame groaned into action, lifting from the hangar floor with a judder and a rising hum that filled the silence. The controls blinked green. Autopilot engaged. He leaned back.

Then he finally turned.

"Just Lorn will do, Aileni."

His voice was calm, steady in that way soldiers sometimes are, like every word has to be earned before it's spoken. He studied the boy a beat longer, head tilted slightly, then added:

"Your mother is Dreidi, correct?"

It wasn't a question so much as a formality. The name was well known to him. He rubbed the corner of his eye, exhaling through his nose.

"You're probably wondering why we're headed for a planet that is rather unknown." he said. "The short version? It's called Mirater. Feudal. Divided. Hostile. Full of Force-sensitives, a good number of whom never get off-world because the local warlords treat them like property."

He gestured loosely toward the stars now inching past the viewport.

"I've seen what happens to those kids when nobody comes for them. So we're building a way out, a path. Sanctuary on Naboo, training with Shirayan Jedi, access to a future that doesn't involve servitude or violence."

His gaze returned to Aileni, a flicker more focused.

"I rescued someone from there recently. My daughter. She was... lost. The kind of lost the dark side makes permanent. She's out now, but barely. I don't plan on waiting around while the next generation burns up the same way."

A moment passed. The hum of the ship filled the space between them like static on a broken comm.

"I'm not the kind of Jedi who teaches forms and quotes scripture," Lorn said plainly. "You'll get plenty of that from the rest of the Council. I take people where they're needed, and sometimes we bleed for it."

He gestured toward the passenger seat, finally giving something that almost resembled a smile, but it was thin and tired. The kind of smile a man uses when he remembers how to do it but doesn't feel like putting his back into it.

"So. Let's get it out of the way. What are you looking for in a teacher?"

He paused, eyes narrowing slightly in amusement. "And try not to say 'wisdom' or 'enlightenment.' I've got a lifetime supply of disillusionment, though, if you're interested."

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, Practice Lightsaber
Tag: Lorn Reingard

Aileni took in the sequences that Lorn did to get the navigation course set as well as bringing the ship to life, it seemed that this ship was old not just in appearances but in action as well. It was strange since Aileni figured a Jedi Master would want to ensure their ship was something much more reliable to prevent failures at critical moments. However, he did not voice his concerns over the health of the ship, Aileni knew that he was still pretty new to this life and he was striving to make at least some positive impression by the end of this meeting.

"Okay, Just Lorn." There was a dry sarcastic tone, attempting to get a smile or groan from Lorn, cracking the very serious and tense exterior that Lorn was currently demonstrating. This was meant to be a mentorship between the two so Aileni figured having a bit of fun would be something that could take place. When asked about his mother, he nodded his head, "yeah. Guessing you know her then." Aileni wasn't too sure how well known his mother was outside of those he had grown up around.

Tilting his head, he looked over to Lorn when informed about the world that they would be travelling to, "why don't you just kill the warlords there? Isn't it our job to stop oppression and prevent harm to innocent people? Why allow the bad guys live unpunished?" Aileni asked, puzzled on why something like this would be simply allowed to continue, surely it was their duty to end the evils in the galaxy. And killing them was a sure fire way to ensure it was not allowed to continue.

When asked about what he wanted from a Master, Aileni leaned back in the seat and paused, thinking deeply about what he wanted. "I don't think I need a mentor fixated on correcting my forms and techniques, apparently I am more advanced than some tutors assumed I would be." There was no bragging in his tone, simply stating his thoughts aloud. "I do want to know what it means to be a Jedi, not the words or the philosophies but seeing, doing, enacting those ideals in practice. I also want to figure out where I place in the galaxy as a Jedi." Aileni mentioned, not sure if that would be a good explanation.

"What are you expecting me to do as your student? I mean if you aren't training me in a tradition sense, what should I be expecting?" Aileni asked, figuring he needed to know what he was going to be getting into with this mentor.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Lorn didn't groan at the dry jab. But there was the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth, a muscle tugging like it remembered what smiling used to feel like before it got drafted into a war.

He let the kid talk. Better to let them fill the air with questions and bravado before the galaxy gave them answers they didn't like.

When Aileni asked about killing the warlords, Lorn's expression didn't change, but his posture did, just a slight lean forward, forearms resting on his knees, fingers laced. A position he'd sat in too many times at too many campfires, watching too many soldiers burn from the inside out.

"You kill a warlord," he said quietly, "and the people pay the price."

He looked out the viewport, but he wasn't seeing stars anymore. He was seeing scorched fields. Torn banners. A hundred villages where the smoke never stopped rising.

"They don't fall quietly. You hit one, they hit ten civilians for every inch they lose. Retaliation, terror, punishment. Doesn't matter what you meant to do, what matters is who bleeds after. And those people? They're not soldiers. They're farmers. Traders. Kids. People who get caught in someone else's vendetta."

He paused.

"I've lived long enough to know that justice isn't always swift. Sometimes, it's slow. Strategic. Boring. And yeah, sometimes it feels like cowardice when you've got the power to end it all with a saber swing."

Lorn didn't say the rest. That one of those warlords wore a face he once dreamed of often. That her voice still haunted the quiet hours. That he didn't know what would happen if she stood between him and peace.

He let the silence linger before addressing the rest.

"'More advanced than expected,' huh?" he said, a dry note in his tone. "Congratulations. You've joined the exclusive club of talented teenagers who don't yet understand how little that matters when the blasters start flying."

But there was no venom in it. Just truth.

"You want to see what it means to be a Jedi? Good. Because you will. We'll walk into situations where there's no clean answer, no elegant solution. And you'll learn, through failure, mostly, what it means to hold the line anyway. You'll see what happens when you do everything right, and people die anyway. You'll make peace with that, or you won't."

He glanced sideways at the boy, eyes sharp now, jutting, not unkind, just measuring.

"As my student? You listen. You learn. You carry the weight, and you don't flinch. I won't test your footwork in a training room, I'll test it on a battlefield. I'll expect you to keep civilians alive before you try to impress me with some saber spin. And if you disobey an order because you think you're smarter than the people who've survived longer than you've been alive... I'll send you back to the Temple and let them lecture you into submission."

He leaned back again, the ghost of that half-smile surfacing once more.

"You asked what I expect. I expect you to earn your place in the galaxy. And to understand that sometimes, being a Jedi means standing between monsters and innocents... even if the monster used to be someone you loved."

That last part came out quieter. Almost too quiet. Then Lorn stood and walked toward the back of the shuttle.

"Get some rest. We're landing in twelve hours. And Mirater doesn't care how advanced you are."

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, Practice Lightsaber
Tag: Lorn Reingard

Aileni's eyes caught the faint twitch, his joke had worked just enough so he was pleased with himself. There was a crack and Aileni knew he could break it further open, making sure that the seriousness of Lorn was not all there was to the man. It was important to have fun and be silly at times. That was something his mother instilled into Aileni and he was grateful for that. She always knew how to have fun and play games so Aileni was keen to keep that going, to keep having fun and encouraging others to be silly with him. Especially when they were holding such serious exteriors.

He shook his head, "you misunderstand me." Aileni stated coolly with no real concern about the topic, "killing one is not what I meant. Kill all the warlords on Mirater. Make them realise that those not on the world realise that they will never and cannot profit in a war against us. What is the point of a Jedi if we allow people to suffer? You take time, people die in that time, people suffer and those Force Sensitive fuel the Dark Side, influenced by the draw of quick power. You create more Sith, more enemies by taking a slower approach." Aileni stated, his plan was not perfect and would not save all the lives potentially but it offered hope, possibility of freedom in everyone's lifetime on that world.

"I was born on Dathomir, I lived my life dealing with danger, training to fight beasts you don't know about and seeing things in the Force you cannot envision." The witches held power that no Jedi could wield, not even the Sith matched a witch elder in Aileni's mind. "Just because I am young, because I have not fought in your battles, does not mean I have no experience or do not have a voice that should be heard." There was life long forgotten in Aileni's eyes, a wisdom that surpassed his few years and then it faded away as the teenager turned away from Lorn.

Aileni snorted at the comment of being sent back to the temple for disobeying orders, "blinding following orders without self thought or the ability to disobey is the programming of droids. Just because people have survived longer than I have been born does not mean they know more than me, does not mean by plans are any less valid than theirs. They could be blinded by being too invested, ignoring a wider picture of things that takes fresh eyes, a fresh perspective. I follow orders I agree with and that make sense, I disobey orders that will endanger lives when there is a better alternative to saving them." Aileni would never stop trying to save people, even if it went against orders and it did not matter who he was with.

The teenager was stubborn beyond belief but he was convicted and calm during this discussion. He was setting his boundaries and ensuring that Lorn understood his reasoning.

"Of course it doesn't. But you should, if you are willing to take an untrained, unskilled person into a warzone. Then you need to be taken off the battlefield." Aileni warned Lorn, his statements about his skills was to soothe any fears he could not handle himself in a fight but if this Jedi did not care about that. Then if someone less skilled than Aileni was joining him, Lorn could get them murdered and that was something Aileni would not excuse.

He moved out of the seat and walked away, it was a good time to meditate until they arrived. He was not going to hover around Lorn.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

​

Lorn didn't look at him as the boy spoke, talked, challenged, sermonized. He stood there, still and quiet, like a boulder being pelted with pebbles. And like a boulder, he didn't flinch. But something in his jaw tightened. His shoulders drew in, just slightly.

He let it happen.

There was a time, long ago, when he'd have cut someone off at the first sign of arrogance. Back when Soloman was alive and Lorn still had illusions about discipline meaning something. He would've barked, lectured, maybe even snapped.

Now?

Now he just watched the fire burn itself out.

When Aileni turned away and marched off to meditate, Lorn exhaled through his nose. Not a sigh. A release. He stayed still a moment longer, then turned to the opposite end of the shuttle and sat down, elbows on his knees, eyes on the deck plating.

Just a kid. Brave. Convicted. Smart. Too smart, maybe. But still a kid. And Lorn knew from brutal, personal experience that the galaxy would burn that fire down eventually. The question was whether he'd help him bank it into something useful, or just be another reason he burned.

Twelve Hours Later

The hum of the hyperdrive dropped into a whine as the shuttle jolted slightly, reverting to realspace. The air shimmered with atmospheric pressure. Outside the viewport: a world carved into jagged coastlines and broken mountain ranges, ringed in storm clouds that never quite cleared.

Mirater.

Lorn stood, stretched his neck until it cracked, then moved down the narrow aisle of the shuttle. He stopped beside the meditating figure and nudged him, not gently, with the toe of his boot.

"We're here," he muttered, voice dry. "Try not to spook the locals with too much prophecy and enlightenment. They're simple people."

He turned before Aileni could fire back and lowered the ramp with a flick of his wrist. The hiss of decompression was followed by the acrid scent of smoke and damp earth. The air was heavy with rain that hadn't fallen yet, and the ground outside was a patchwork of overgrown landing pads, moss-choked ruins, and thick jungle crawling in from the edges.

Lorn stepped out onto the stone, hand resting near his saber, not out of fear, just reflex. Habitual caution. His eyes scanned the horizon, landing briefly on the distant shape of a stone watchtower, long abandoned, now repurposed for their first meeting.

He turned slightly toward Aileni without fully facing him.

"Mission's simple. We're meeting with three representatives from neighboring clans, ones open to negotiation. They want safe passage for their Force-sensitive youth. We're giving it. They give us information in return. Routes, safe houses. Maybe more."

His tone flattened slightly.

"If they show."

Lorn's hand brushed the worn edge of his robe. He didn't look at Aileni when he added, "You can tell them about that whole... Kill all the warlords plan. I'm sure they hadn't thought of that one yet."

Then he started walking, cloak trailing behind, into the jungle path.

The monsters were already watching.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, Practice Lightsaber
Tag: Lorn Reingard

Aileni meditated, he cooled his emotions that he could feel simmer under the surface, it was tough since he hadn't been over emotional before but as of late things seem to be harder to control. There was a desire to lash out, to bite down harder at people who annoyed him but also confusion at how his mind is reacting to things as well as the speed he was growing. He was still adjusting to his height and inside he knew that he wasn't done growing. Not yet and it was going to be another adjustment to how far his reach was and trying to not be clumsy or tripping over himself. There also felt like something was growing inside him. A beast.

Something primal that roared to be free. That was something that concerned Aileni the most.

He needed to focus on settling those feelings, not wanting to confront the issue since Aileni figured if he suppressed it then eventually it would just fade away. That was how it worked with his emotions and thoughts. He buried them to appear calmer and then over time, he was calmer.

Feeling the nudge of the shoe against him, his piercing green eyes flickered upwards. "I am not an object you kick around." There was a cold anger to Aileni's tone, he was not going to be kicked like that by another being. No matter their rank. "Do it again, and I might accidentally break the foot." The words tumbled out of him before he realised how much of a threat it was going to come across. Part of Aileni wanted to double down and not apologise but he also knew that this was meant to be a mission to work as a Mentor/student so lashing out would not look good.

"Apologies for the threat, Master. I just... I believe there are better alternatives to getting someone's attention than kicking them." Aileni wouldn't even kick a non-sentient animal so it made him feel less than that to be kicked.

Stepping off the ship, Aileni rolled his eyes, people were never simple. It was demeaning and underestimating a person's ability that others would highlight ignorance. "As long as you don't spread doom and gloom to them, then I think we should be fine." Aileni countered, still standing on the ground of what he said being the morally correct thing. "Maybe if the RNR was more reactive the people could live their simple lives in peace."

Hearing the mission, Aileni instantly had questions and he was not going to hold back on learning more information. He could not be the most helpful if he did not know all the details. "Why do you think they won't show?" It was important to know Lorn's thinking, especially since he was determined to be pessimistic in this mission. It was a strange approach.

"Killing all the warlords isn't something that they haven't thought of. It is something that I believe the RNR needs to consider, they are the ones with the resources and people to be able to conduct an operation like that successfully." Aileni stated dryly, not finding it amusing that his idea was being shut down as a joke. If they were meant to be a large faction capable of helping people, then that is what they should be doing.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Lorn didn't respond right away to the threat. He just stopped, turned his head slightly, and looked at Aileni with that unreadable gaze. He didn't speak, didn't lash out, didn't even blink. Because he'd heard threats before. Louder ones. Real ones. This wasn't that. But he still filed it away. Not out of spite, just out of survival instinct.

When the apology came, Lorn nodded once, clipped and simple. The subject was closed. He wasn't interested in power plays or ego contests. He had enough ghosts for company. They walked.

The forest thickened quickly, Mirater's jungles didn't waste time. Roots tangled like sleeping serpents and the canopy above filtered the sunlight into patches of pale green. Everything was damp. Everything smelled like old blood and wet stone.

"These people," Lorn said finally, brushing aside a low-hanging branch, "don't trust outsiders. Not really."

He stepped carefully over a collapsed log, speaking as he moved, voice low and even.

"I was one of them. Born on Naboo, yes, but I lived here longer than most offworlders ever would. Before the Planeshift, this planet wasn't even properly mapped. No hyperspace routes in or out. Just... drifted out on the edge, surviving. Primitive tech. No droids. No comm relays. Just swords, blasters, and alliances written in blood."

He glanced sideways at Aileni, a sharp flick of the eye.

"Now imagine that. Imagine growing up in a place where the biggest threat is your neighbor's army, and then one day, ships descend from the sky with more firepower than your entire continent. The Republic says it wants to help, but all anyone hears is invasion. Conquest. Colonization. That's what the warlords tell them. That's how they control the people."

His boots made little sound on the mossy trail.

"If the RNR swoops in and starts 'liberating' villages, it's not justice, it's confirmation. That the warlords were right to fear the stars."

He ducked under a bent tree limb, pausing at the top of a small ridge. "I've been building this trust one handshake at a time. One life saved. One child smuggled out. We lose that? We lose everything."

And then the sound. Snap. Not subtle. Not wildlife.

Lorn's body shifted instantly. Quiet, fluid, muscle memory honed by two decades of ambushes. His hand dropped to the edge of his robe, near his saber, but he didn't draw it yet.

He didn't look at Aileni right away. Just tilted his head slightly and spoke low:

"What do you sense?"

There was no challenge in his voice, just purpose. A test, maybe, but not the kind meant to provoke. He genuinely wanted to know. Whether Aileni's instincts matched the tension Lorn felt settle into the bones of the forest.

Because something was out there....

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, Practice Lightsaber
Tag: Lorn Reingard

Aileni shook his head, "that is all some will see. No matter how advanced a world becomes. No matter how politically aware of the galaxy they are. No matter how well educated they are. Place a massive Star Destroyer over their heads and all you say is conquerors. Rulers with an iron fist." He was not here to be contrarian to Lorn, but he was thinking there had to be another way to do things around here. It felt too slow, too likely to cause destruction of the world because someone will talk at some point to someone and the paths to rescue people will be severed.

Time was an enemy of secrets not the friend. "Strike teams, not armies, not giant ships in the skies. Strike teams with training in stealth and assassination. That could remove threats without a massive presence here or risking the lives of civilians." Aileni stated, it was not always the noble way or the way that a Jedi should operate but sometimes, Aileni figured that the necessary evil was something that had to be done.

"And it will be the way that they will always rule here. Sending a few people to Naboo, away from here does not remove the threat of them. One of the clan members is going to get caught and they might leak the information of this pathway you have made to the warlords. Bringing the wrath and suffering that you think my plan risks." Ailnei was determined to point out that neither idea was going to guarantee no civilian risk. Others might consider him a radicalist but he was determined to dirty his hands to save others.

Sighing, "you fear something that is not even guaranteed." Thinking on the fact that a Jedi should not be someone who allows fear into the actions that they do. Since fear led to the Dark Side.

When there was a snap, Aileni had his energy bow out and drawn in the direction of the snap. He had learned years of survival while living on Dathomir. Every beast there seemed ready to kill him so living meant that he had to be on his toes for even the slight noise of danger. When asked about he sensed, he knew that Lorn wanted an answer through Aileni using the Force to assess things. However, Aileni sniffed in deeply several times, he couldn't get anything exact but Aileni mixed in his perception and finally figure out the trap.

"Surrounded by humanoids. Weapons trained on us. I don't expect they want to see us in these areas. Maybe something sacred is around or this is holy land that we are treading on." Aileni mentioned since he did not know what was important to the people of this world.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Lorn listened in that infuriatingly calm way of his, the one that didn't argue or agree, it just absorbed. Like rain hitting stone. The kid had ideas. Brutal ones, sure. But not stupid. Still… he was missing the weight of living here. Of being here. You didn't just gut a warlord and expect the world to thank you. You didn't leave invisible footprints when the soil remembered every step. And Mirater? Mirater never forgot.

He didn't turn as Aileni spoke, didn't interrupt, didn't flinch even when the words got close to what sounded like accusation. Fear. That was always the charge the young threw at the old. No. It wasn't fear. It was memory.

Then the tension in the air snapped taut. The arrow was already in Aileni's energy bow before Lorn even acknowledged the sound, which was good. The kid had instincts. Dathomiri-bred, fine-tuned. But instincts wouldn't be enough if things went sideways.

Lorn's eyes flicked to the treeline, then to the ground, watching shadows, looking for footprints where none should be. "Correct," he muttered. "You won the prize. They've been watching us since the ridge. Probably testing how we react. You raised your weapon a little fast for that, by the way."

Another snap. Closer. Then it came, brutal and sudden. From the tree line to the right, a blur of dark armor and green warpaint erupted, screaming a guttural cry. A dozen Krull warriors rushed the path, some with vibroblades, others with crude-looking rifles that Lorn knew were anything but.

The first bolt screamed through the air toward Aileni. Lorn moved before he thought. His saber wasn't drawn, not yet, he didn't need it. His hand shot out, catching the edge of a trunk with a twist of Force pull, snapping it clean off at the base. The falling tree slammed into the brush with a crash, splitting the charging line.

"Hold the left flank!" he barked, voice suddenly that of the commander, harsh and commanding. "They're trying to box us in!"

He pivoted low and fast, sweeping the leg of the first attacker who reached him. The warrior hit the dirt with a grunt and didn't get back up. Lorn's saber finally hissed to life. Two more charged from the left. He didn't look back at Aileni. He didn't need to. This was the test. And not for the Padawan. Not really. This was their test. The Krull's. They knew who he was. Knew what he'd done. This wasn't a true assault, it was a message wrapped in blades and fire.

Lorn parried one blade, then twisted his saber up and through a second attacker's guard. The man dropped. Another rushed in and caught the hilt of Lorn's boot to the chin for his trouble. No hesitation. No anger. Just rhythm.

"You wanted to know what it means to be a Jedi?" Lorn growled, eyes flashing. "This. Right here. Holding your ground, even when it all turns to fire."

He slashed through a rifle, then forced a sweep of Force energy to knock another cluster off their feet.

"Show me what you've got, Aileni." This time, he did look back. Just once.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, Practice Lightsaber
Tag: Lorn Reingard

"I raised my weapon to defend myself." Aileni stated in a cold tone, he was not someone who enjoyed being stalked or having others surround him. He was not prey, his blood boiled at the idea of being treated in that way. Something primal raged inside Aileni to strike back hard to demonstrate the error that had been made in hunting the warriors. "I did not fire instantly, something that they should be thankful for." His teeth gritted as he felt himself prepare for battle.

As the first bolt came his way, Aileni dropped to one knee, firing back. Drawing his bow in rapid succession as he fired a dozen arrows in short succession from the first one. A clear demonstration of the skill the archer had since he was move this fast without the aid of the Force to move his body faster than normal. When told to hold the left flank, that was exactly what Aileni did. Stomping the ground hard, he blasted the Force to send some of the soldiers stumbling backwards.

When one of them closed the gap, Aileni used the bow as a staff, attacking his opponent quickly and with brutal ferocity. He did not hold back and made sure each opponent was either knocked out or dead. He used the Force to pull targets out of cover to then blast them with an arrow, or to force them to stumble when they got too close to him so he could launch a series of powerful strikes. There was definitely traits of Dathomiri warrior within Aileni and it was clear that he was honed to be ruthless and brutal when fighting.

That offering mercy was just signalling a chance for the enemy to attack you when your back is turned.

However, when looking at Aileni, one could see an animal in the eyes. A beast that was barely being held back in the moment. Something inside him that relished the fight, that craved the desire to let loose and unleash a primal roar to consume all around him.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Lorn fought with a grim efficiency, his body a well-oiled machine honed to disregard fear. One enemy fell, then another, his movements economical and precise, devoid of any wasted energy or showmanship. He fought like a man paying a debt, a debt the battle itself was owed.

But then, in the briefest lull, his gaze flickered to Aileni. And he froze. Not completely, not mortally, but enough for a chill deeper than mere battlefield worry to snake through him.

The boy was holding his own, a whirlwind of controlled fury on the flank. He was everything a Dathomiri warrior should be, ruthless, fast, deadly. He was winning. But that wasn't the problem.

It was in the eyes. Not focus. Not clarity. Hunger. A monster lurked there, coiled and patient, enjoying this far too much.

Lorn had seen that darkness before, watched it consume men from the inside out. He'd held them as it turned on them in their final moments. He'd even killed one, Soloman, who was too far gone, who wanted to be consumed.

Lorn parried a spear, his saber already arcing back to pierce the chest of the attacker behind him. He let the body fall and moved closer to Aileni, cutting down two more Krull warriors with brutal precision.

The Krull fighters began to falter, not quite routed, but withdrawing, like a predator finding the taste of its prey unsettling. They weren't here to conquer. They were here to observe. To watch Lorn. To measure Aileni. And now, they had.

Lorn stepped in front of the boy, his gaze fixed on the retreating enemy, saber still humming. But his voice, low and calm, cut through the air. "Stand down, Aileni," he said, the words carrying an edge sharper than any blade. "They're pulling back. We don't chase."

He finally turned to face the boy, his gaze devoid of its usual patience and battle-worn indifference. It was heavy, burdened with unwelcome knowledge. "I said show me what you've got. Not what you've been hiding." His saber deactivated with a hiss, the sudden silence amplifying the weight of the unspoken.

Lorn took a step closer, his voice softer now. "That thing inside you? It's not strength. Not yet. It's a fracture, one you're trying to forge into a weapon. But weapons don't choose their targets. They cut what's in front of them. And one day, it won't be a Krull soldier standing there. It'll be someone who mattered. Someone who trusted you."

He exhaled slowly. "You did well. You followed orders. You kept your ground. But if you want to survive this, Aileni you need to know when to stop swinging." He glanced back towards the tree line. The Krull were gone, for now. "We need to move. We were being watched before they attacked, and I doubt they came alone."

He turned and started walking, his voice drifting back. "Let's see if the real meeting still happens. Or if that was it."

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, Practice Lightsaber
Tag: Lorn Reingard

As the soldiers retreated, Aileni felt the primal beast roar inside him. Demanding more blood to sate the appetite that seemed deeper and deeper. However, Aileni heard the orders and listened, he was not going to let his desires pull him out of the moment. They succeeded in the fight and there were always going to be more fights to win and soak in the blood of his enemies. His green eyes flashed with the primal beast raging inside Aileni, something not normal, not human. It was only a moment before Aileni felt the control was back in his hands.

"I don't hide anything. I fight to survive." Aileni stated coldly, he was not a fan of being accused of hiding something, of going too far when pulling his punches could have meant the death of one of them.

Aileni stood taller, making measure steps towards Lorn, his eyes narrowed as he stared down the older man, "what inside me is me. There is nothing fractured or broken. I came to the Jedi to be taught how to use my skills to the best that I can. Not to be lectured that I go too far in keeping myself alive when surrounded by enemies." Defiance burned but he was also deeply unaware of the curse that was beginning to surface. The curse that his mother unintentionally placed upon him.

"I stop swinging when I feel safe. A dead enemy is far safer than one shown mercy." He growled, perhaps Dathomir had shown him too much at too young of an age but the boy refused to back down from the idea he did nothing wrong in this fight. He gave his all and now he was being told off for doing so. It seemed no matter what he did, no matter how well he followed orders, there was always going to be a criticism or lecture from Lorn. He strapped the energy bow to his back again.

Nodding his head, keeping on the move sounded like a good idea and it gave him time to settle the frustrations, the outrage that was causing his skin to itch. Made him feel like his body was going to burst open. It was a new sensation and Aileni was concerned that Lorn might be more correct than he realised, that there was something wrong with Aileni. Just not in the way that the old Jedi thought. Perhaps it was a sickness that he needed to seek his mother's aid in dealing with. For now, he just hoped the itching would fade away.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Lorn didn't stop. No dramatic turn, no fiery comeback, no flexing of authority. He just kept walking, his boots whispering against the soft earth, cloak brushing the ferns. If Aileni wanted to follow, he would. If not… Lorn knew this planet held enough graves already.

His voice, when it came, was even, quiet, but carried like it always did.

"You want to survive?" he said, never looking back. "Easy. Get good with a blade, train 'til your knuckles bleed, throw yourself into every fight like it's your last. You'll get tough. Maybe even scary. You'll survive."

He let the silence hang for a beat.

"But that's not what Jedi are for."

He stepped over a gnarled root, ducked under a branch heavy with dew.

"If all you want is to get better at killing, stick to the simulations. Max out every combat module they offer. Spar 'til your bones crack. But if you came here to become something... to grow beyond just a weapon, into a person... then maybe try listening for once."

He finally glanced over his shoulder, just once. Not with anger, but with a quiet weariness.

"I'm not your warden, Aileni. You want to sit out the rest of the mission on the shuttle? Be my guest. I'm not dragging anyone through a war they don't want to understand."

He turned forward again, his voice turning colder.

"But if you do keep walking, you better start thinking about who you want to be when this war ends. Because if all you are is a weapon... peace will shatter you."

They moved on.

The jungle thinned as they crested a ridge. Ahead, half-swallowed by moss and ivy, stood an ancient stone circle, a shrine, maybe, or a meeting place lost to time. Three figures waited there, cloaked in weathered robes, their faces hidden by deep hoods. They were wary, but not openly hostile.

Lorn slowed, approaching with his arms down, lightsaber holstered.

"Representatives of the Mevaran, Erket, and Drev clans?" he asked, his voice steady.

A nod came from the central figure, an older woman with deep-set eyes and a scar bisecting her chin.

"We were told you'd bring one," she rasped, her voice roughened by more than just age. "Didn't know you'd bring a firestorm."

Lorn didn't look back. Not yet.

"He's learning," Lorn said simply. "We all are."

He stepped into the circle, gesturing for Aileni to join him.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, Practice Lightsaber
Tag: Lorn Reingard

Aileni stomped forward, "No, you just take me places where you expect me to bleed and fight... You brought me here to fight, so I fought. If you don't like how I do it, then don't bring me here." The wolf within Aileni was not letting the Padawan cool completely so his voice had more bite to it than he would normally but there was a building frustration that Lorn was disapproving of how he acted when there had been no guidance, no instruction and he was thrown into the deep end of a bloody mess and expected to float.

So he floated the best way he knew how and was now getting told off for doing so when no alternative was offered beforehand.

"You don't want to teach me, I get that but I was assigned to you and I am here doing the things you asked, listening to your commands. So, either you figure out how to teach me to be a Jedi or you accept the way I do things when I am given zero guidance." Aileni let out a frustrated growl, he refused to be told off for fighting for his life and living.

Gesturing around, "maybe if there were more people willing to become weapons, peace would be a possibility in my lifetime. But I don't see the Sith collapsing any time soon and I don't see you or the Jedi from the High Republic going after those Sith any time soon. Being peacekeepers only works when the rest of galaxy wants there to be peace." Aileni spoke in a plain, matter of fact manner, things were not set up in the galaxy for there to be a time of peace. Evil was only growing in power.

And the Jedi had let it.

"No, not my warden. But you are my teacher, my Jedi Master. Whether either of us like it or not." Aileni continued to walk, he was not turning his back, no matter how infuriating he found Lorn. This was a mission and Aileni was not going to let his first mission be a failure. "So, figure out how to be a teacher and I'll start figuring out how to be more of a Jedi in these missions."

Entering the meeting with Lorn, his eyes flickered over to the person commenting that Aileni was a firestorm. He chuckled, clearly these people were not used to warriors. He knew Dathomiri warriors would walk all over these people and they were known to be a super advanced technological group either. But he remained silent, letting Lorn take charge. This was his time to show how a Jedi should act in these meetings and how they should achieve peaceful resolutions in Aileni's opinion.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

​

Lorn stood firm at the edge of the stone circle, letting Aileni's raw frustration echo behind him. He didn't turn, didn't offer a word. His face was a mask of stone, mirroring the weathered statues that clawed their way out of the surrounding overgrowth. He gave the kid space to vent, the anger, the resentment that had hardened in him after fighting for too long, growing up too fast.

Lorn knew that voice. He'd used it himself, once upon a time. Against Soloman. Against everyone.

But when Aileni finally stepped into the circle, Lorn met his gaze, just for a fleeting second. In that brief connection, there was no judgment, no lecture. Just a silent acknowledgment. The old woman at the center of their small gathering studied them both, her eyes flicking between the barely-contained storm in Aileni and the stoic calm of the man beside him.

"So," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice, "this is the shape your peace takes now, Reingard? Rage and regret?"

Lorn didn't bite. "This is the shape peace needs to survive, Darila." His voice was soft, yet laced with iron. "You called this meeting. Not me. That means you have something to offer. So do we. Let's not waste it."

She held his gaze for a moment longer, then gestured to the stones. "Sit."

Lorn obeyed, settling into a cross-legged position on the mossy ground. His lightsaber remained at his hip, but his hands were open, visible.

"We've established the Naboo corridor," he said. "Three safe houses. Two dedicated shuttles. The Naboo council hasn't officially signed off on resettlement yet, but the Shirayan Order can protect any Force-sensitive you send our way."

Darila nodded slowly. "And the cost?"

"There is none," Lorn stated flatly. "Only that you keep it quiet. Any leaks, and the whole operation burns."

One of the other representatives, taller, more heavily armored, leaned forward. "And what if your firestorm decides quiet isn't in his nature?"

Lorn didn't look at Aileni. He didn't need to. He simply answered. "Then he's not coming back here with me again."

It wasn't said with malice, wasn't even a threat. It was a plain statement of fact. Quiet. Brutal. Honest.

But then, he glanced at Aileni.

And his expression softened, just a fraction. The set of his jaw relaxed, just a little. He gave a subtle, almost imperceptible nod toward the boy.

"But I don't think he came here just to burn."

Silence hung in the air after that. Finally, Darila sat back, considering. "We'll send one group. One. Children only. You prove this works... we will trust you with more."

Lorn nodded. "Done." Then, without turning his head, without raising his voice, he said: "Anything you'd like to add, Padawan?"

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, Practice Lightsaber
Tag: Lorn Reingard

Aileni remained silent as comments were made towards him. This was not the time or place to lash out at someone who knew nothing of what he had faced, of what he become out of necessity. Especially given how they themselves needed to fight and war for their own freedoms. Peace only came after the fury and fighting had succeeded in declaring a victor.

Sitting at a stone, the young boy listened, paying attention to the voices in discussion and hearing the plans being made. His eyes flickered to the person who questioned his ability to remain silent on this operation. It felt wild to accuse him when he came here, was attacked and defended himself. He hadn't said a word to these people, he hadn't shared anything of who he was besides someone far more capable in killing than they were. However, he remained silent, his gaze catching Lorn's.

Lorn's answer on what happened to Aileni made sense, if he could not remain silent then he proved he was not worthy to take part in this mission. It was valid and Aileni held no issues with it, it was the idea that these strangers assume he would blurt it out just because he was brutally efficient in combat. But still Aileni remained quiet, he would not shout or ruin these talks for Lorn, they clearly meant too much for the older Jedi. Instead, he clenched his fist and his feet, trying not to rage at the notion that he was the weak link. Especially with a trio he deemed far more likely to break under torture than he was.

When asked if he had anything to say, he shook his head. "Nothing, Master." Aileni stated in a deathly cold tone, these people were not ones ready to take down warlords. Not yet and not with the attitudes they held. He also made no snide comments back to them, it was clear that would only make the situation worse. Aileni just hoped the first group got out successfully.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

​

Lorn let Aileni's sharp reply and the iciness in his tone slide. He didn't need to call him out. The kid had done the bare minimum, kept his mouth shut, held himself together, and hadn't turned the meeting into a shouting match. That was progress enough. Some lessons weren't taught with words; they were just lived and survived.

Darila gave them both a long, searching look, as if trying to decide whether she saw potential or a disaster waiting to happen. She didn't give her verdict. Just nodded once to her companions and stood.

"One week," she stated. "The children arrive at the drop point near the Broken Hills. If the Krull intercept them, you're on your own."

"We won't need help," Lorn replied, already rising and brushing moss and leaves from his robes.

A curt nod was her only response. No handshake, no formalities. Then the trio melted back into the jungle, moving with a quiet grace only those born to it possessed.

Lorn lingered for a moment, then glanced at Aileni. Still tense, still coiled like a spring, but holding it together.

"Come on," Lorn said, nodding toward the path. "Let's get back before nightfall. The vines here get hungry after dark."

They walked in silence for a long while. Birds called from above. The jungle hummed and breathed, whispering secrets to itself. Lorn didn't break the quiet, not at first. He just walked beside the kid, listening to the cadence of his steps. Watching the way he kept clenching and unclenching his fists, like he was bracing for another fight.

Then, carefully, almost gently, Lorn asked:

"So... what made you this way?"

He didn't look at Aileni as he spoke, just kept walking, his voice low and even, as casual as commenting on the weather.

"I'm not talking about the fighting. I mean the way you wear your anger like armor. The way you assume everyone's an enemy. Was it Dathomir? The Order? Something else?" His tone was light, but not mocking. Inquisitive, not cruel. "You don't have to answer. Not now. But if I'm going to train you... I need to know what kind of storm I'm walking into."

He glanced at him then, just a quick, assessing look. Then he looked away again, letting the silence hang between them. Not pressuring. Just offering an opening. For once, Lorn wasn't trying to teach the kid something. He wanted to listen.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, Practice Lightsaber
Tag: Lorn Reingard

Aileni followed Lorn's lead, dusting himself off from the dirt and moss. His eyes studying the Master and then the woman leading the meeting from the opposite side. They were not making any risks to ensure the children were safe. It was something Aileni knew was practical, never trust others with your own lives, but there was a callousness to it that felt unjust and unfair to the children. That what dangers they may face did not matter as long as the tribes here were not linked to it.

"Not too different to the vines back home then." Aileni stated, everything was out to kill you on Dathomir if you were not prepared for it.

Aileni's eyes flashed surprised over to Lorn when asked about what his problem was. The chip on his shoulder. "Could ask you the same thing. I mean, you came in hard with the grumpy attitude, refusing to teach and warning me I have to sink or swim." Aileni pointed out, then sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

If he truly thought about what was the matter, what had changed over the last couple of years. But it wasn't so much that things had changed, things were heightened and he was barely able to contain it all. Especially when it came to the anger, the sadness or the fears. They always felt the strongest and the ones that made his skin itch. "Puberty?" Aileni questioned, not even sure of himself that was the real reason but it was something that he could think of as an explanation.

"I mean, aren't all teenagers angry, moody and annoying?" Aileni questioned, he hadn't really been around many that were his own age.

"Dathomir is my home. It is what made me the warrior I am as well as helped shape my opinions on how things should be done. It is brutal there, nothing is handed to you but community is crucial. Working together, being a family." There was a lot that people saw in Dathomir that was negative or dangerous, but there was beauty and connections there that they missed. Dathomir connected everyone there as family.