We Ain't Messing Around 'Ere

[Arage Bao]

The Republic​

Centrality​

Tund​

The Army of Light had been a learning experience to me, it had taught me that killing, fighting… the Battle wasn’t all there was in life. Basically it had matured me, made me care about people and the general sanctity of life. Didn’t come without its costs and sacrifices though, those were the best and the worst years of my life, filled with dreams, hopes, wonderful moments and despair, pain and sadness. I gained friends for life, and lost some of them in the fight.

Wouldn’t trade those experiences for the world though, they made me into what I am today, without them.. I would still be that angry, young kid whose only desire was to fight and prove my worth to the Galaxy. Such were my musing while [member="Kiskla Grayson"] and me were travelling to Tund in my Pathfinder, the frame of the ship shook and almost sighed under the duress of Hyperspace.

Why to Tund you might ask. The war effort against the Sith in the west were spreading us thin, which was a whole problem in itself. But recently we lost contact with an outpost established on Tund, during an expansion movement in years past. Holding all those planets, while fighting the Sith and keeping a watchful eye on the Mandalorians… difficult, difficult. We were managing though, at least for now.

Truth to be told, I was tired, Kiskla probably too. But we had a job, both of us, protect the Galaxy at all costs and so we did. Even though this was one of the few free days we had given ourselves, vacation ain’t there for us.

Almost arrived, maybe a hour or more and we would be there.

Dread was filling my senses, something was wrong, I could feel it in my gut.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

As Kiskla spent most of her time these days, she was doing her best to keep abreast of the Jedi’s predicament. I say predicament because situation could be positive.

With the historic evidence of Tython, their single defence of secrecy had been utterly demolished. And an impending thread that put the students in jeopardy was surely on the Horizon. Daella had made quite clear that The Jedi were The One Sith’s target during her intergalactic broadcast. And the only Jedi-focused planet was Tython. As a former councillor (oh, awkward) and Jedi Master, that was a location she knew. As such; it was compromised.

[member="Jorus Merrill"] was actively working to find a more permanent solution. In the meantime, Kiskla patched a message through to he who called himself the protector of Tython; a title he’d earned in the future and was still wearing. The last headmaster had been Darron Wraith, and had yet to be replaced. But [member="Zaren Bouqi"] did what he could to keep the planet…er…functional. Since a majority of the archives had already been taken care of, Kiskla wanted to ensure many of the students were also being offloaded and Tython turned more into a fortress planet. It was something that had been suggested during Halcyon’s reign, and now, in the midst of war, it was time to act. The message was sent to Bouqi.

Kiskla didn’t look up from her typing when she spoke. She had been working on her mental prowess more and more, and with that, empathy. She needed to understand her organization, and those that composed it to be an effective leader.

“Something’s troubling you.” Her observation sounded flat, but she pressed send to the correspondence and looked up, leaning back in her seat. It’s not that [member="Michael Sardun"] was a particularly chatty travel-mate, but there was something deeper to his silence that suggested more than the iceberg’s tip of pensive time-wasting.

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

It was the way of the Jedi to worry, to consider the options that were being thrown at us, to keep being concerned about what the Force was trying to push towards us this time. Peace and Serenity were words of wisdom, but sometimes they border nonchalance and apathy, which is never a good path to thread. Ask Daella, if you need anymore proof in that regard.

I kept my focus on the piloting for a while, hell I needed to, I wasn’t the best pilot in town and the last thing I wanted to do was crash all of us into some unknown planet in the middle of nowhere. Wouldn’t that be a joke, the Grandmaster and her Battlemaster trapped and forgotten, while the War against the Sith waged on.

That brought just a hint of a smile to my otherwise stern outlook and aura.

‘Ain’t an issue, I will keep a lid on it. How are you holding up?’

Didn’t want a psychology session right now, she had enough to worry about without her Battlemaster having a nervous breakdown.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Kiskla closed what she had been reading and set it down. There were only so many dismal reports she could stomach anyways.

"Let me know when that changes." It wasn't a matter of if, but of time. It didn't matter what the general masses thought about Jedi and their perceived inability to host emotion-- they were still human. And [member="Michael Sardun"] was no different.

An electronic voice broke the speakers, indicating they were breaking the atmosphere of their destination. Good. Kiskla was getting restless and vying to stretch her legs. This war had brought out her training more than ever before. Both Valentine and Marclonus had shaped her into a weapon, and as diplomatic as she was, that side of her still demanded exercise.

"You know how to land, yes? Don't drop the fear until about 7 meters up. Too much resistance could snap the legs. Then it'll be belly down and super uncomfortable."