Tanagis V – Durza home
They had made it back several days later. Callista had learned well and with some more practice, would get better at evasion and how to track others that were trying to evade her. When they returned, there were signs that Marin and Jarod had returned and were elsewhere in the home. It was her home and she had grown and proven herself, but it still got to him in a...well, for lack of a better word...fatherly sort of way. The night had done well and he woke before the sun had a chance to make itself known and so he sat at his usual place. Ethan chose to go with a pair of utility pants and a loose buttoned shirt with his mocs and sat in his old folded chair with a mug of caf in his hand as he watch the first traces of daylight coming through.
"Don't you know by now," he started to ask as he took a sip, "that you can't sneak up on me, little girl?"
He turned his head just enough to catch Marin coming up out of the corner of his eye and smiled.
She flushed slightly, and paused to lean on the wall near the hangar entrance. "Sorry..." she said, scuffing her toe a bit. She walked carefully, favoring her right side. "Knew I'd find you out here."
"It's quiet," he said softly as he looked on. "It's relaxing..." He sighed softly and adjusted the buttoned tunic. "Its a home I haven't had." He looked over at her and noticed that she was still limping somewhat. "You're still feeling the wounds from Beviin?"
"A bit... yeah..." she said softly as she slid down the support until she was sitting on the permacrete. "He worked me over pretty good... thought he had me for sure a couple times..." She shuddered slightly as she remembered. "He...called me something that.. brought back memories.."
Ethan sipped his caf and nodded softly. "What was that?"
Marin swallowed, her fingers tightening around her behot mug. "Little one..." She shuddered slightly. "It's the same thing J'oran called me..." She shrugged a bit and then winced. "I'm... not entirely sure how... she sighed. "There were at least three or four times he could have killed me..."
Ethan sighed as he sat there, watching the sunrise. "I can't say what stayed his hand, Marin. I can only assume that its just one of two things...either he held back for reasons I don't know, or your edge of having the Force helped you more than you realize."
She nodded thoughtfully and absently rubbed her right shoulder. "You're right on that, I think. Something happened while we were fighting, that I've never done before. He... had shot at me with his ripper. Three shots I think, aimed at the side of my head. They never hit. Somehow, I projected some sort of shield... not sure how... Something to ask Master Karrde or Andrea about, I suppose."
He nodded and took another sip, thinking some. "Do you think its time to visit Mt. Adan?"
There were a few moments of silence as she considered that. "Aye, we should. It's been a while since I've been to the praxeum."
"If we do, we better be sure to let them know," Ethan told her. "I understand there's still cleanup going on in the home system right now and the rest of the navy hasn't finished calming down yet. And, to be honest," he took another sip, "I can't say that I blame them."
She nodded. "I feel the same way, somewhat. Honestly... I kind of wanted to be here helping.." She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, thinking back to the events on Coruscant.
"We each had our role to play," Jarod said as he walked up on the two and stood there watching the sunrise with them. "And one extra ship wouldn't have made that great a difference."
"Easy for you to say," Ethan grumbled a tad as he looked over, getting a glance from Marin when he said it.
Marin couldn't keep the scowl from her face at that. "Two ships might have..." she muttered before looking away and slipping her fingers into Jarod's. She knew better than to start that conversation. There were times though... that she felt Ethan was being too protective. And then Coruscant and Beviin.. She sighed. Not a conversation she really wanted to have.
Jarod saw the look between them and gestured towards Ethan's mug. "Did you leave any?"
"Percolator on the counter," Ethan answered, motioning back inside the house. He watched Jarod head back in before he looked over at Marin. "I don't want or need to know about you two, but shassa, Marin..." he started.
She gave him a look. "Me'ven? I don't know what you're talking about...?"
He arched an eyebrow at her that screamed what he was thinking and just sipped his coffee. "Uh huh," he muttered.
She glared slightly. "You think we're too young... is that it? Or is it because you're worried it will interfere with my studies...?" Her question was quiet. "It's not uncommon for Mando'ade to marry young.."
"Shassa!" he yelled, cutting off that particular comment. "Hell, its been how long between you two?"
Marin held up a hand. "Dar'yaim... I didn't mean it like that. We've not even discussed it. And won't for a while..." she said softly. "Udesii..."
Just then, Callista came out of the house, her own mug in hand. Her left hand came to rest on Ethan's shoulder, and she sent him a wave of calm. "Hope I'm not interrupting..."
"Just in time," Ethan told her as he took another sip and looked at Marin. "Probably saved me from a conversation I'll wish I never started."
Scowling, Marin pushed to her feet. "Maybe it's better if we didn't then." Her tone was slightly defensive, and she clutched her mug tight enough it made her right shoulder ache.
"Look, I'll change the subject," he said, trying his best to backpedal now verbally..especially since he'd seen her wince again. "What set off this whole thing between you and Beviin anyway? I didn't just hear rippers in that warehouse, I was hearing grenades too."
Marin flinched once more. That really wasn't a conversation she wanted to have either. "I... am not really sure. Remember that flashbang that went off? One of his goons got in behind me after that, and got the drop on me when I was disoriented. As to Beviin... I'd never seen him before until I spotted him on the scout you sent me on. I saw the Beviin sigil on his armor." She flinched again, feeling a bit of shame at the fact she'd not been as aware.
Callista sighed, letting her eyes fall closed as she tried to help both of them calm down. She could tell Marin was getting a bit defensive,
Ethan sighed and stood up from his old chair, walking out into the grass with his mug and stayed out there a few moments. Jarod had come back and he didn't even need to Force to tell him that something was wrong here. The oldest of the bunch stayed out there and let it hang for a few minutes while he sipped his caf and tried to salvage the rest of the early morning. And it wasn't easy for him to do it...or, at least, admit that he was wrong for starting it. "I'm sorry, girl," he finally said in that quiet voice of his. "I guess I took up the idea of having to fill in Jarius' role so much that I forgot you're older now."
That got her attention, and she just stared at him open-mouthed for several seconds before she stared down into her mug. Her stomach twisted slightly, and she fought to keep her voice level as she could feel tears threaten. "I don't fault you for that..." she whispered, staring down into her mug. "I just... Ethan, he was shooting to kill. Those grenades.. if they had been any closer..." she swallowed, and clutched her mug so hard that it shattered, lukewarm liquid dribbling down onto the permacrete as the pieces fell.
Ethan turned around and looked at what had just happened. "Callista, Jarod...get the Werda prepped. I think its time we paid the monastery a visit."
Without a word, Callista nodded and turned back towards the ship that rested in the hangar, Jarod not far behind.
Cataan – The Praxeum
The grounds of Steffan's school were alive with activity. Students were going through katas on the central grounds around the master's wheel. Elsewhere, others were in the opened auditorium listening to a master that Steffan had invited to teach there at the monastery. Steffan himself was watching Dilan work beginning students through basic exercises when he heard the sound of the engines approaching the landing area that he ended up having carved into the mountain closer to the grounds than the landing pad at the house. He had a thought on who it was, but he'd wait on asking what the issue was until they came to him.
Ethan was the first off the ship as they looked towards the collection of old stone buildings that made up the academy. Things hadn't changed much over the time that he'd last been here. "Alright," he said as he looked to Marin and the rest. "Lets see him."
It had been close to a week now since they'd returned from Coruscant..but Marin still limped a bit - and she would for a while. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been to the praxeum; it honestly felt like months. She almost felt like a stranger. As she walked carefully down Werda's boarding ramp to the landing pad, she wore not the tunics of a student, but the loose and flowing skirts she'd taken to wearing more lately.
Her face was slightly drawn with pain, and she hung back a bit as Ethan headed off to look for Steffan. Jarod had come with them, as had Callista. For now, Callista hung back, trying to give Marin a bit of space. And it was a good thing too. Marin had closed down pretty tightly after Coruscant, and except for the exchange at the house, hadn't spoken to anyone else the whole trip, except Jarod.
Steffan could feel them now and reached out to let them know he knew they were there. He waited a few moments before he started moving from the spot where he was watching Dilan's lessons and started to head towards the assembly hall that was at the front doors of the praxeum.
Marin knew immediately where he was headed, and she felt her stomach knot a bit in apprehension as she too headed that way. The last time she'd been there had been for the...lesson Xan had given her and several others years ago. She sighed slightly and continued heading in that direction.
The front doors opened to the group and Steffan was standing there, waiting for them in the center of the hall as they started to walk in.
"Busy time for a visit," he said as he greeted them. "I would have thought you would all be resting on Tanagis after everything that has happened."
"I'd put it like this," Ethan said as he looked back towards Marin. "I think there was something that needed to be talked about." Steffan raised an eyebrow and looked to each of them, wondering what Ethan had been referring to.
When she saw him, Marin paused, sucking a breath to try and calm herself. It only helped slightly. "Master Karrde," she said, evenly as she bowed slightly, remembering her manners.
"Marin," he nodded in acknowledgment. The tension in her...in all of them, actually...radiated through the room and he knew that something must have been wrong for the four of them to come here. "Is this a conversation we should have in a more private setting?" he asked quietly and politely to the group.
Marin glanced at Ethan, and after a moment's consideration, she nodded. "Elek..." she said softly. "It would probably be better, if it's not too much trouble..."
Steffan nodded in agreement and motioned outside towards the direction of the house then tapped his wristcomm. "Dilan," he said over the channel. "I need to handle a matter at the house. It may take some time, so please see to rest of the day's tasks."
"I'll take care of it," he heard his son tell him before he cut the channel and nodded to the rest. "We can carry this on in my study."
Ethan took the time to move the Werda from the praxeum's landing pad down into the valley where the Karrde house was and landed onto the pad that the family kept there nearby. A short time later, with refreshments offered from Jade, they were all seated in his study around the center table. "Marin," Steffan said a he set down his water. "I have the feeling that you're needing to start this talk?"
That too brought back memories, and it took every ouch of control that Marin had not to bolt. She couldn't fully explain what she was feeling, but she felt... trapped... guilty. Like Beviin getting away was her fault. It still rattled her how Beviin seemed to know things about her. At his question, she fidgeted. It was very uncharacteristic for her, because she was usually direct with how she was feeling. "Yes, Master..." she said softly, not quite looking at him. She slowly began to relate what had happened, as matter-of-factly as she could. To do it any other way, she felt she'd lose what little control she had right now.
"So," Steffan said as he thought over everything that she had told him about what happened in the warehouse. "You feel...what? Guilt...for him escaping?"
She winced slightly. "Some... yes..." she whispered. "I feel like I could have done more... and should have. And yet... I feel he might know more about me than we initially thought. He... he called me 'little one'..." She shuddered slightly. "Only one other person has ever called me that in a similar situation.."
Steffan raised his hand, knowing who she was going to say. He took a moment and then stood up, mulling over it as he walked around his desk and looked out the windows towards the autumn scene that was playing outside. "Marin," he started to tell her. "You faced an opponent that has not only a different, and probably more harsh, training than you did. Adding in to it that he's had more years of experience in combat."
He turned to finished his thoughts. "I'm sure Callista and Ethan would tell you that there is nothing to be ashamed of by him escaping. When you have done everything that you could think of, especially in a fast-paced action of defending yourself in a dire situation, there is no reason to start second guessing yourself afterward."
Silently, Marin nodded, catching Ethan's eye for a moment before she looked away. She knew that they wouldn't always see eye to eye, but Ethan was right. And so was Master Karrde. "You're right..." she said softly, chewing on her lower lip for a moment before she directed her next question to Ethan. "I know this probably isn't the time or place...but do you feel Coruscant completed my verd'goten...?"
"I do," he said quietly. "I've spoken of the circumstances when I had to report Beviin's actions to the Mando'ade and they agree."
She blinked in surprise. "They... oh..." She sat still for a few seconds as she let that news sink in. " In light of events on Coruscant... do you feel that I should continue my work to stop Kyr'tsad, or should I leave it to the Mando'ade and the Jetiise...?" This was directed to all of the adults.
Ethan traded looks with Callista and Steffan, not knowing the exact answer for her on this matter. Steffan thought long on the question too as he sat back down in his seat, his chin resting on his hand and he rubbed his beard while he thought, a long-time habit of his.
Marin sighed slightly, and leaned back in her chair, rubbing at the bridge of her nose as she tried to make sense of it all. She wondered if she should ask about her Jedi training... but that was perhaps a question better suited to Andrea.
"I don't know about that answer completely," Steffan finally said after some thought. "Your verd'goten may be completed, but there is still the issue of the training you've had as a Jedi. Andrea has taught you a lot, as I'm sure Callista might have shown you some other things as well. I know I told you that since you made the decision of walking both paths that you would not have to commit yourself to the Jedi Order, so I don't know what would be thought here. Normally at this point, it would be a time to consider putting you through the Trials."
"Callista?" he asked as he looked up to his other 'daughter', "I would like to hear your thought on it, since you also walk both paths."
Callista frowned ever so slightly, sipping at her customary mug of behot for a moment as she thought that over. "Well, as far as the verd'goten is concerned, I agree with the opinion of the Mandalorian Alore Council, and that of Ethan. I feel she's more than passed it. As far as Trials go... I'd say - at least in my opinion - that she's passed those as well. She showed determination and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds, and against an opponent with more skill and experience than herself. And, she remained focused."
Steffan nodded softly, taking this in. "I would come to the same conclusion, having heard what happened on Coruscant." He rubbed his forehead for a moment. "It would have to be something that the Council will have to meditate over and consider, though. Especially given the circumstances of her studies."
Callista nodded thoughtfully. "True. That was going to be my next question. I know some of the Council Masters are more... traditional in their thinking. Marin's training has been very unorthodox. But I feel it's served her very well."
"I too," he said as he thought on something, then started to smile. "At this point, I can only think that there is only one other task she has yet to accomplish."
Marin gasped,stifling a swear. In all honesty, she'd all but forgotten about it. Souvrin's saber had almost become part of her... that she'd forgotten she needed to make her own. Her gaze went to Jarod, and to his belt where his own saber rested. "You mean...?"
Steffan nodded. "A Jedi's lightsaber is built by the one who wields it, in doing so, they bond with it in a way you do not yet know. It becomes more than a weapon, it becomes a part of them. Souvrin's lightsaber was meant for him and him alone. Thought you have used it, I'm sure you have felt something distant between it and yourself."
"Aye.. that I have..." she said softly. "I noticed it even on the first day I used it. It's lessened over time and with use... but it's still there." She was silent for a few moments as she thought that over. "Would I need to wait for the Council to discuss the matter..?"
Steffan shook his head immediately. "No, not on this. Construction of your lightsaber is considered one of your final tests as a Padawan. In fact, it would be something you would have already done by now normally. With...recent events, there are some things we've not been attentive to. For one, one of the most important stages of the process wouldn't have been possible without difficulty recently."
She frowned. "What do you mean..?"
The Jedi Master looked to the others before he continued on. "The push of Imperial and Sith groups has come dangerously close to most of the few planets that the Jedi have known to have the crystals used in the lightsaber's blade. So close, in fact, that one or two of those worlds were practically in their new territory. It would have had the potential to turn into a dangerous situation if a trip was attempted."
Marin was silent for a moment as she considered that. "And now...? I know things are still tense after what happened here and at Coruscant..."
"Its unsure," he answered. "Both the New Republic and our own forces took serious losses. I know there must be plans to venture out and see what territory they still maintain, but I've not been privy to such plans."
She sighed softly and glanced at each of them in turn. "Are there any places where crystals can be found.. which are not close to Imperial and Sith Territory?"
"The closest traditional source would be Adega, near Endor," he told her as he thought on it. "But, honestly, when the New Order was forming, getting access to these older sources wasn't a possibility. So, as a result, the Jedi then used different kind of jewels and such to create their blades. My own uses a durindfire gem from Tatooine along with the traditional crystal I was led to on Ilum."
Sighing softly, she thought on that for a moment. "What about any of the colony worlds in the Cataan system... or Cataan herself?"
The Master shrugged on this question. "As I said, all kinds have been used. This is something you are going to have to put thought into yourself. There's material you can read on and such, but what is involved is entirely up to you."
