Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Unknown Progeny

Rai Seren

Guest
R
Aurum had been her home for so long that she knew the ins and outs of the world like the back of her hand. Even with having been gone for a while, everything was familiar to her. That all came crashing down when Master Xevras had told her that she'd had a sister very close to her. It was made worse when she was told that her father wasn't far either. He wasn't actually a member of the Order as far as Rai knew, but he came around from time to time. Maybe he had somehow known that, despite the death of her mother, there was something about this place that was important to him?

She would like to think that was the case. It would mean that they did have the connection she wanted to have with him. Still, she doubted it. Probably he just came around because the people reminded him of her mother.

But she had to find him at some point. As strange as it sounded she somehow knew that he would be around. She didn't know where, but she did know people that could help her find him wherever it was that he'd gotten off to. So she went into the city to the part where she wasn't really supposed to go according to Master Xevras. Being eighteen meant that he couldn't really tell her not to unless it was a temple Order that she not do it in order to keep her safe. Since he'd only actually done it because she was his ward, that was now out the window as far as she was concerned.

"Telen," she said, approaching the Cathar woman. "I need your help."

"Mistress Seren you aren't supposed to be here!" Telen said, looking around to see if they were being watched.

"Telen I'm eighteen years old. I can make my own decisions. You needn't worry. I need you to help me find the man known as Tracyn Ordo."

"Your father?"

Rai blinked. "You knew?"

"I... am the one who told your Master."

A sigh escaped the youngest Seren child. She hadn't expected all this time to be so close to the information she needed about her family without even knowing it. It was like a kick in the stomach.

"Can you find him for me?"

"Yes. I'll find you when I know. Where will you be?"

"My shop. Come to the back entrance and knock three times."

"So you say, little Seren."

She hated being called that, which was precisely why Telen called her that. Instead of rebuking her, she sighed and went off to her little shop in her corner of the city. She had some orders that needed to be worked on anyway. Sitting around and waiting wasn't going to be the end of the world. After all, she'd waited eighteen years already, so what was a little bit longer if it meant finding her father?

[member="Tracyn"] / [member="Tracyn Ordo"]
 
The market.

A younger version of himself would have scoffed, perhaps laughed at the old man shopping for fruits and vegetables in the market. But now, Tracyn took pleasure in the simple things. He had accepted the fates of many of those who had fallen in his life- most notably the loss of his dearly beloved, Asha. Each day without her love was like a rainy day. He had not seen the sun since her light left his life. She was the piece that made him whole, and without her, he felt lost, empty- and perhaps without purpose, even. Tracyn ran his thumb over a small sash that once hung off of her cloak- eyeing it for a moment, before sighing.

"That'll be forty credits!"

He paid the stall keeper and took his bag, electing to take a sweeter-tasting fruit for his first treat. He glanced across the market, and caught a reflection of himself in a standing mirror. He looked old. Graying hair, coupled with it being cut short- made him not only look, but feel older. But he was getting old now. Nothing could stop time. He still remarked, however, that he retained a certain level of handsomeness. Asha would've liked it, he supposed. The more rugged, older look.

His head snapped around when he heard the footsteps. A Cathar woman. It was a trick to sneak up on people. She had gotten close. But she might've not been intending to sneak up on him.

"Mr. Ordo?"

Tracyn stared and nodded, taking a bite out of his piece of fruit. He didn't make a move for his lightsaber, he sensed it wouldn't be necessary.

"I need you to come with me. There is someone you need to meet."

"I paid my debts to the Jedi, to everyone. Nobody left to meet."

"Not even your daughter?"

The words made him freeze. He took another bite of his fruit.

"Are you lying to me?"

The Cathar looked genuinely shocked as if it was the first time someone had ever accused her in her entire life of lying. He nodded his head, and motioned for her to lead on. The Cathar took him, and they took a silent speeder trip. He was cautious, this could easily have been a trap. The shop. It was almost three hours away when they arrived. Tracyn had fallen asleep, so the journey seemed quite short. The Force had not awakened him, so he did not feel to be in any danger. The Cathar opened the door for him. The light from the setting sun hit his face.

"She's inside, Mr. Ordo. Knock three times."

"Thanks."

The Cathar remained by the speeder while he approached, bag of fruit in hand. He took slow, steady steps as he walked up to the shop- or what appeared to be the back entrance of it. This didn't make him any less nervous or wary of a trap, but- nothing seemed to be off. None of the usual signs of danger presented themselves. So he raised his hand, and- knocked three times.

[member="Rai Seren"]
 

Rai Seren

Guest
R
She had so many orders to complete. Ever since starting up her tailor shop she'd been swamped with work. In all honesty she didn't think she was that good. Maybe adventurous, but not good. And yet people kept coming to her. Sure, most of her business was still mending clothes that people had torn or done other things to,but she did get several orders for new clothes. She wasn't going to complain. She still had time for her journey.

Nerves we're getting the best of her, though. Looking for her father was a whole new adventure now. Knowing he existed, she wondered what he was like. Was he rough and vulgar? Or was he gentle and caring? She surmised he was somewhere in between that, but that didn't ease her nerves. She'd stabbed her fingers several times with her needles while she was waiting so she'd actually given up on doing any work.

At least with the shop closed she didn't have to explain her semi-swollen fingers to anyone. At least not until the knocks came on the door.

"Already? It's only been a few hours," she said before she pushed her work away and washed her hands in the sink real quick.

If Telen was back she must have found him already. That was impressive work. She was going to owe the Cathar big for this one. Bigger even than the time she got her to hide her from Master Xevras when she'd gone and gotten herself in trouble. She winced at the thought of that one. Sometimes she still got phantom pain in her backside from where he'd given her the sound whipping she'd deserved.

Finally she walked to the door and pressed the button to open.

"Telen, you've really outdone yourself this-"

She stopped. It wasn't Telen standing there. It was a man, older than her clearly. Gray hair adorned his head and he had striking features and a good musculature. Better than good. And he was carrying a bag of groceries. Fruit actually. She hadn't ordered fruit. She looked up and down the alley and that's when she spotted Telen. And then she really froze. If Telen was here and had sent this man to her door...

"Papa?"

She sounded like a child, and when she looked back at him there were tears in her eyes. Her father. This was him. She'd brought him to her. She could barely contain the son's, lifting a hand to cover her mouth while the other grabbed the frame of the door to keep her from falling. She was overwhelmed.

[member="Tracyn Ordo"]
 
Her eyes. She had her eyes. Her nose, her hair- she was the spitting image of her mother. His wife.

Of him.

He stood still for a moment, before the bag of fruit found itself neatly set on the ground. He embraced his daughter, not saying a word for a few moments. He didn't know where to begin, what to say first- after all, what would one say to a person after being absent their entire life? He held her tightly, something that he had never been able to do with his children.

"I'm here."

[member="Rai Seren"]
 

Rai Seren

Guest
R
She sobbed in his arms.

For years she'd hated them. Her whole family. She knew she wasn't the only one even though all she really knew about was her mother. She'd hated them all because they had abandoned her with an Echani on a world that was not her home. How could she not? When she hit that point in her life she'd run away,fleeing into the stars in search of herself and scaring Toru half to death in the process. Had he known what she was up to he would probably ly have had a heart attack.

But she'd realized over time that she'd been an infant when her mother gave her up. Her father, if he'd even known Asha was pregnant, had probably thought his child lost with her. He had no reason to search for her. Not when he had other children out there. Or thought he might. Or didn't know at all. It didn't matter. He'd had no reason to look for her and she couldn't hate him for it. She was just glad he was there.

"Please," she said through her tears. "Please don't leave me."

He was so warm and safe and real. She wished her mother was there too. Oh to be loved by her parents. It made the pain she still felt from the scar on her back go away completely. She just wanted him to hold her.

[member="Tracyn Ordo"]
 
She even sounded like her. It almost broke him to see his..daughter like this. His child. No parent should ever have to suffer like he did. To not be able to be there for his daughter. He felt like a failure, and yet had some semblance of hope for the future- for her future. Now, he had a chance to be a father, during the setting sun of his life. He had been an angry, vindictive, volatile young man, with plenty of mistakes and failures- here he was, getting to rectify one.

He held her tightly, unwavering in his composure while he held her tightly.

"I'm not going anywhere. I won't."

He looked off into the distance, and nodded at the Cathar woman behind him.

"Come on kid, let's get inside. We have a lot to catch up on."

[member="Rai Seren"]
 

Rai Seren

Guest
R
She didn't want to let go, though. Going inside meant letting go. She'd have to or they'd never make it in the door! But she eventually caved because he wasn't leaving her. He just wanted to get out of the street, which was probably a good idea. Not that they had anything to worry about. Emotional or not she could still kick butt if anyone tried anything. She'd fought the Emperor himself and lived. How many could say that?

Inside she wiped her eyes on her sleeve.not exactly pleasant since she wasn't wearing lounge clothes but instead her normal mission gear. Better than nothing though.

"Sorry about the mess," she said when she could control her breathing enough to talk. "I didn't think she was going to bring you here."

She hastily cleared a pile of fabric from off of one of the spare chairs in her workspace and brought it over to her desk. Once she'd done so, she ran back and locked the back door so nobody walked in on them,and then ran to the desk and sat down. Now that the sobbing was over, she felt a little better. Well,no, she felt a lot better. This was her father. This was the only parent she had left alive. Unless Kaine had lied and was holding her like he was Kobe.

"I- don't really know where to start. I've been looking for my family for so long. Even Master Xevras didn't know until recently who you were or that Jyn was my sister. I ran all across the Galaxy looking for you or any of the others only to find that you were all so close and that after I fought Kaine Zambrano on Alderaan and found out he's holding my brother in his forces. And he says he killed mother but I don't think he's strong enough for that. He wasn't that impressive really.

"But then I came back here and Toru told me that I had a sister in the Je'daii, in fact the one responsible for bringing the order back together,and that you were around too. I broke down then, too. I only recently told Jyn the truth and that was hard enough, but I wanted to find you so I asked Telen to help. I just didn't think k she'd bring you here and-"


She stopped and clamped her hands over her mouth and her face flushed pink along with a myriad of red lines like fire prickling their way across her skin like a moving tattoo.

"I'm sorry. I'm talking too much."

[member="Tracyn Ordo"]
 
Her voice, her tears- all seemed so real, all seemed so...passionate. She was like her mother, in a way. Asha was reserved in public, but she had her moments of intensity. All people did.

"I think she wanted to surprise you."

And she did. As evidenced by her near-rambling. She wanted to tell him so much, in so little time. After all, how to catch up on 18 years- in but a few moments? He listened to her intently, taking in every detail of what she said, and how she said it. The shape of her face when she spoke, the way her eyes moved- everything was the spitting image of her mother. And a painful reminder that she was gone- but not forgotten.

He watched the red lines dance across her face, and then blinked.

"It's fine. I don't have much to tell about what I've been up to since your mother passed- mostly just...hanging around. Waiting, I guess. The Je'daii are...an outlet, I suppose. Trying to reconnect with your mother in a way. Didn't think I would land here, though."

[member="Rai Seren"]
 

Rai Seren

Guest
R
"I kind of figured she didn't tell you about me," she said. "Toru said she just showed up, handed me to him, and left."

Now that she knew her mother had gone there for a reason and hadn't just abandoned her she felt a little better, though she was still mad at her for letting Kaine win. When Rai fought him she hadn't been overly impressed. He was more a reactionary than anything. His skills weren't limited, but his imagination was. If she'd been stronger she'd have beaten him. Next time would be different when it came. She'd be more ready.

"When I fought the so called Emperor, he said he had my brother. But I think I had two, and he said he'd thought he killed all of us so I know he killed one of my brothers, but the other he has."

Tracyn had to be stronger than her. He was older than she was and far more experienced in the Galaxy. If there was anything he could teach her it would be useful. But it would also mean spending more time with him, which she also wanted. While she did care for Toru, he wasn't her biological father. Now that she had him she wasn't going to let him go.

"Teach me what you know? I want to get him back."

[member="Tracyn Ordo"]
 
She fought him too. So they did have at least one thing in common so far. Better than nothing.

"Unfortunately, he is a known liar. I would not be surprised if he was still lying to you. I crushed half of his face the last time I fought him. I should finish the job this time."

He curled his fists and seated his anger, before turning to her, listening to her next question intently.

"What I know isn't exactly what your mother would want you to know- not that I don't want to spend as much time as humanly possible with you. We have a lot to catch up on."

[member="Rai Seren"]
 

Rai Seren

Guest
R
Rai shook her head.

"The surprise was real. I think he meant it."

She looked down at the table. True, she could see the potential for him to have been lying, but if he was lying then that meant he'd killed them too. That didn't assuage her from wanting to kill him. If anything it made her want to do it more. The man was a monster. He was a killer. He had to be stopped. So long as he existed there would never be balance, there would be an overabundance of hate and suffering and killing. She couldn't abide it.

Plus he threatened her family and the Order with his existence.

"She left me here and went off to die so I don't think what she wants matters much. What I want is to learn so that when I meet him next time, I'm ready to kill him."

[member="Tracyn Ordo"]
 
"I don't think she had any intention of dying."

Tracyn shifted in his seat, leaning forward to lock eyes with his daughter. She had to understand.

"I've spent most of my life wanting revenge. You should know it doesn't get you anywhere good. It only eats at you. Destroys you. It almost ruined me. It took a lot for me to even be able to do the things I used to do, used to enjoy. Kaine's time will come. But don't let hatred consume you. Like it consumed me."

He placed a mighty hand on her smaller shoulder.

"I'll teach you to better yourself, how about that? What I know just isn't for killing people."

[member="Rai Seren"]
 

Rai Seren

Guest
R
"She left me alone as an infant, so whether she intended to or not means little to me," Rai said in response to her father. "And I don't want revenge, I want my brother."

Mistly true. There was certainly a part of her that was wholly interested in killing the man that had killed her mother, but it was small now. Having fought him without being overly impressed, she was convinced her mother hadn't really fought him to her potential, unless her mother was just really weak. Maybe that was the case, she didn't know. Regardless, it wasn't her driving motivation, it was just a side piece. Mostly she wanted her brither back from his clutches.

When he put his hand on her shoulder she looked at it and then back at him.

"I'm not a killer, you know. Just because I believe the Zambrano's should be punished for all the evil they've done doesn't make me one. Im an adherrent of Stav Kesh. It's my duty to keep the rest of the Je'daii safe."

She didn't like being labeled.

"Where should we start?"

[member="Tracyn Ordo"]
 
He knew all about punishment. He knew what was waiting for the Zambranos when they went their way.

They would regret all that they did.

"You can't kill someone and come away clean. You can't take a life without it changing you. You can still be a good person- it just that you'll be different. Always different."

Blue eyes became somber.

"You can start with the most important weapon, most dangerous that you possess."

He gently tapped her heart, and her head.

"Put these two together, working towards a goal, nobody can stop you."

[member="Rai Seren"]
 

Rai Seren

Guest
R
She sighed. Yes, it was understood that she would be different as a result of killing. She had done it before and she knew the feeling that came after. Self-defense or not, it still brought with it a sense of mortality and a loss of a piece of ones soul. She'd hated the feeling, had to ven cried about it, but ultinately she had come to terms with what she'd done. She wasn't a killer. She didn't enjoy it. It was just a byproduct of what had to be.

"I know," she said, looking down at the table. "I rushed into battle with him the first time without thinking. I felt him and my heart said to do it and I ignored my brain saying to stop."

She traced a design on the table in front of her.

"Toru would have called me reckless had I told him that. He wouldn't have been wrong."

A shrug and she looked up at her father.

"How do you control your emotions enough not to be reckless?"

[member="Tracyn Ordo"]
 
"Recklessness comes with inexperience. You wanna hurt someone, you gotta be methodical. Sometimes being a hammer is warranted, but most of the time you need a scalpel to cut rather than a hammer to hit someone."

Tracyn folded his hands together.

"For me, I remember what I can lose if I don't control them. I've been to the dark places. I've been down that dark path before. It's consuming, so easy, so quick. But it takes a stronger person to say no than to say yes."

[member="Rai Seren"]
 

Rai Seren

Guest
R
She understokd that well enough. She hadn't been able to say no to fighting Kaine on Alderaan and she had a nasty scar to prove it. Sometimes you just couldn't resist emotion. Except that she knew she could, which meant that she hadn't wanted to. Ultinately that meant sh had been to weak to see reason, and too cowardly to admit when she was wrong. Neither were good traits.

"It's hard to resist the call of passion and anger when you see the source of it," she said, voice on the quiet side. "I was too weak to say no."

She could be better though.

"Kaine has a lot of weaker offspring. I figured if I wanted to truly get back at him, maybe I should start with people more at my level?"

[member="Tracyn Ordo"]
 
"It takes more strength to let it go than to fall for it."

He placed a hand on her back. A comforting, paternal gesture and touch for a girl who lacked such a thing in her life.

"You're thinking like an assassin. You should be thinking like a Jedi. A Jedi wouldn't attack his children for the sins of their father. There is only person that is responsible for a great amount of heartache and loss for our family and many more."

He rubbed his hands together, before looking out at the wall.

"If we go after him, we have to do it clear of mind and pure of heart. No other way."

[member="Rai Seren"]
 

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