((Review Replies:
Sarah Taylor- Thanks and I wish they would let us do that with lightsabers in The Old Republic too. After all, Asajj Ventress can; why not? I think it would be interesting to see in the game.))
A beam of light hits my face, warming my cheeks and arousing me from pleasant slumber. Slowly, I open my eyes and allow them to adjust to the rays that shine through the glass door with twin windows on either side that lead to the balcony. Rolling on my other side, my hair tousled and tangled, I gaze out to the snow-capped mountains. I hear the chirping of birds beginning their morning songs. It seems to be a sunny, cloudless day. Yet under that clear endless sky, past these protective walls, I know war and death rage on.
Despite unsettled thoughts, I admit to having a restful night's sleep. The bed was soft, with smooth sheets and warm, comfy bedding that insulated heat. I stand up and pull my arms behind my back in a slow, relaxed stretch. It is still early. I sense very little activity as the rest of Organa Castle still sleeps.
I decide to begin the day anyway. There is no sense in wasting precious time. Within half an hour, cleansed, my hair brushed, and dressed in my robes once more, I step into the parlor to find a small pile of data files on the cocktail table, awaiting my examination. The others aren't wake yet. I slip out of the room with the files in hand, through the elegant halls, and out into the open air. I sigh, feeling my body relax and my muscles loosen. The nearby woods beckon to me like a siren's song, sweet and alluring, but I keep my word to stay within the walls and go over to one of the nearby fountains to, sitting cross-legged next to the water.
One by one, I look other the data files, scanning through the information I find is of most importance and glancing through the rest. I can easily look back on them as we go, so my main concern of know is to find anything of use in regards to the Organa and Teral Houses as well as the land in between them. When in my reading I reach a chapter about the Killiks, I scan through it with interest; if Lew had thought to warn me about them, then it was best that I understand them; to know what to avoid and what their behavioral patterns were.
A rustling sound off to my left makes me pause, but what I sense makes me smile fondly. Turning around, I see two pairs of eyes watching me through the bushes, that widen with recognition that they've been caught peeking. A giggle, which I hardly ever make, escapes me as I say, "I can still sense that you are there you know," and gesture to my side, "Please come out, little ones; I don't bite." Then I remember that I'm still in Earth form, with actual fangs lining my mouth. Great choice of words, Silya, I say to myself sarcastically, Why don't you just start foaming at the mouth as well?
Nevertheless, two heads poke out from the bushes and a pair of young children around the age of seven approach; a little boy and girl. I can tell by their appearances that they are members of House Organa. They look me up and down, curiosity written plainly all over their faces, and spot the lightsabers. The girl takes a sharp intake of breath in awe.
"You're a Jedi?" the boy questions, stepping past her, "A real Jedi?"
I nod, setting them both off with excitement, like fireworks. It takes all my self-control to hide back a laugh.
"See? See?" the girl bounces up and down on the balls of her feet, "I told you I heard Uncle Lew say that the Jedi was still here!"
At the mention of Lew Organa, they both turn to me. Their once happy faces turn serious. "You're not gonna tell Uncle Lew or Dad or Grandpa that we spied on you, are you?" the boy suddenly asks, "Daddy says we need to leave guests alone."
I look at them both, grinning kindly. I know these types of younglings; mischievous, curious, always looking for new and exciting things, for great adventures. Really, they're just like-
I stop the thought right there, a pang of remorse striking a hard blow. No, I order, pushing those feelings back into the usually locked tight recesses of my heart, you cannot, you will not, dwell on such things when there's so much at stake. The Jedi Code goes through my head like a mantra, helping me gain control over my already shaky emotions.
To entertain the younglings, I look around, turning my head from side to side as if believing an enemy will soon appear out of thin air. The children do so as well, before looking back to me. I lean my head closer and put a finger to my lips as I whisper, "Ssshh. Someone might hear you. You're secret's safe with me." The practically beam at me. "Wanna see a trick?" I ask. They nod, sitting on either side of me by the water.
I focus of the water itself, particularly a stream of it that's gushing out of the fountain like a geyser and at about half a meter into the air. A second later, it stops in place, the droplets that were once falling frozen in the air as well. I lift one hand, moving it fluently in front of me, using the Force to collect the droplets and stream to form a medium size floating globe. This has been one of my favorite Force moves since I was a youngling; Alter Environment. It's a family of abilities where a Force-wielder can control the natural world. Consitor Sato, or Plant Surge, is a similar ability. One must work deep with the Living Force to use either.
The children stare at the orb, amazed. Soon, I begin to move it, to make it spin and flex around. And then the fun begins. I start to shape the water.
First it's a dog, wagging its tail and racing around us in circles, leaving a trail of water around us as I make it run. They laugh at the site. Then the water dog shakes, spraying water on all three of us as a real one might after having a bath. Save for swishing, wave-like noises, it makes no sound of its own. The dog licks both the children's cheeks before I let the water fall into a puddle, only to collect it a second later to have it form another figure.
This time, the water becomes a flower, budding out of the ground and slowly growing and blooming into maturity. One by one, the water changes into many things; a swarm of butterflies, a grazing nerf, a flock of birds, a small group of tiny dancers.
I'm so content that I barely register another presence until someone taps me on the shoulder from behind. I look up and there's Tharan, smirking at me. "I never thought I'd live to see the day that you'd relax and enjoy yourself," he says, bemused, "I saw you from our room. Anyway, I came to tell you that breakfast is ready. Are you coming?"
"Yes," I say, tossing the water back into the fountain. The children stand as I do, and they begin to ask him a million questions, which he is more that pleased to answer. While we're walking, he bows before the girl and holds out his elbow.
"May I escort you to our meal, Milady?" he asks, causing the girl to laugh as she accepts his offer, needing to reach up to grasp his arm.
I then spot the boy offering me his hand, the height difference stopping him from copying Tharan. I smile, "Why aren't you the little gentleman?" He grins broadly, showing his teeth, and takes my hand as he leads us back into the castle, his head high in pride.
Qyzen is waiting for us right inside. I see the children seem to shrink back a bit, and hear Qyzen quietly scoff in turn. We head through the intertwining halls and soon find ourselves in a dining hall, the silverware and dishes already placed on the table.
Lew is there to greet us at the door, "Silya, friends, I trust you slept well," he glances down at the children and chuckles, "I hope these two didn't bother you. I swear, their worse than I was at that age, getting into everything."
The younglings look at me, no doubt still wondering what I'll say, "These two?" I run a hand over the boy's head, "I would never have thought of that. They were such excellent company after all, helping us find our way here."
The pair rushes off to their seats before more can be said. As we take our own, Lew catches up with me and steps over close enough to whisper in my ear, "I don't know what you did to get them to behave, but you've got a gift." I laugh as he continues, "I'm serious; if being a Jedi doesn't work out for you, know that you'll have a job available here as a babysitter."
"I'll keep that in mind," I chortle.
As soon as everyone whose coming is present, we begin to fill our plates. I skip past the greasy strips of fried nerf meat and Saratoga potatoes, and start off with a couple of muffins with berries and nuts. It's the energy from carbohydrates I want to help me keep going.
Qyzen is surprised with a dish from Trandosha, Trandoshani Flatcakes, and has me sample a piece. He tells me that although the dish had been around for quite some time, it was only few years ago when a Trandoshan came up with the idea to cover them in fruit sauce to improve the taste. It's not long after this that I have my own plate of the same dish.
Discussions gradually change from friendly small talk to battle strategies and techniques. I am asked for my input on matters regarding politics and alliances. And during it all, I learn a piece of information that could help in the long run; the Panteers are still alive.
House Panteer was once the ruling family on Alderaan. However, after Senator Gaul Panteer, the crown prince and heir to the throne, voted for Alderaan's secession from the Republic, he was assassinated. Days later, Queen Silara died of a shuttle crash. With no heir, the Houses were dragged into civil war. For a while, it had been believed that the Panteers were murdered and wiped out by House Ulgo and its allies. This was not so, as the surviving members had gone into hiding in the caves in Glarus Valley. Very few others outside of House Organa knew of this.
Soon, we were gathering our belongings and on our way. Besides my tools on my belt-a grappling hook, holocom, beacon transceiver, medpac, and small bag of seeds- I also have a small pack to carry other belongings I might need; the data files, a kit to give stitches, binoculars, ration bars, whatever I might find along the trip, such as herbs with medical properties that could be of use. Each member of our team also has a wrist comlink for in the event that we get separated.
Lew leads us to the shuttle, already prepped and waiting. With a nod of respect, I thank him for his help and hospitality. We bid each other farewell and soon we're speeding across the rolling hills of Alderaan. The Thul forces below seem to take little to no interest in us as they make their attempts to storm House Organa. Maybe they just are too deep in their own battle to notice a single passing terminal overhead. Maybe they do see us and merely believe that we are no one of importance. Either way, we pass by without so much as a single bolt shot our way.
Castle Organa and the Thul army quickly dwindle away to tiny specs on the horizon as we go. We longer see them as the scenery gives way to pastures of nerfs and the occasional prowling Manka Cat. We have just passed House Organa's territory when we smell it; the faintest hint of smoke.
Quickly, we find ourselves examining every particle of the shuttle, unbuckling in the event that we need to jump. We look for any sign of a malfunction or of sabotage. Did the engines fry? Did someone, a sniper maybe, somehow fire at the shuttle without our knowledge and hit something vital?
And now we do see smoke. But it's not coming from our shuttle. It's coming from a small village just north-east of us. We see the already blooming fires that consume the place. The frenzy of people running, trying to escape, as Ulgo forces destroy every inch of the village, rounding up the civilians as if they were cattle.
This village is outside of House Organa's land. The Republic is only to help House Organa and its allies. And I, a Jedi, am not to intervene unless the Senate gave permission to do so. By law, we cannot help those under neutral or Imperial rein, even if they are not our enemies, but are the innocent. As we begin to pass the village, someone- Tharan, I believe- gently holds my arm.
I watch a screaming, crying woman- being held back by two of Ulgo's men- thrash around in their hold on her as she tries to make a break for one of the burning homes. And I know why, even an idiot could understand why. This pushes me over the edge; cursing law, tossing my cloak in the seat, and jumping from the shuttle to land bent-legged on the singer grass below.
"Silya!" I hear Tharan cry out as he tries to gain control of the shuttle's steering. I hear a thudding sound behind me as Qyzen jumps out as well, tucking and rolling once he reaches the ground. In milliseconds, we're running straight for the village. Qyzen attacks the nearest Ulgo soldier as I bound for the building, going at full speed. I send myself flying feet first at the door, kicking it and shattering the charred wood.
I'm surrounded by flames and smoke. Pieces of ceiling come down in tiny pieces like the very beginning of a rainy day, just before the downpour. I waste no time racing through the house, covering my mouth and nose with the front of my tunic. I find no one on the first floor, and a sickened feeling rises in my gut, but I sense life nearby, just a glimmer, and it gives me hope. As soon as I see the stairs leading to the second level, I launch myself in the air, Force jumping up to the last step.
"Hey!" I yell, "Come out now! Quickly! There's no time!" There, crying and coughing; I see them before I sense them. Three children of varying ages; a Human, a Twi'lek, and a Rodian. The youngest, a little girl that looks to be maybe four years old, carries a covered in soot tooka doll in her arms, squeezing it tightly. Fear is evident I their faces, but they bound for me upon seeing that I'm not of House Ulgo.
"Stay together!" I order, offering one hand as I lift the other to use the Force, pushing away the smoke around us, placing us in an orb of clean air. Someone- I'm not sure which of the children- takes my other hand and grips it like a vice. This is how we move; as a linked line. We begin to make it down the steps. A horrid snapping sound and the wood gives way under the Rodian boy's feet.
There's a scream as he falls, but I unlatch my hand from the others and use the Force to stop his decent, placing he carefully down on the first floor. "Cover your nose!" I tell him and the others. They do and I make haste to cradle the youngest girl in my arms and I have the eldest one climb onto my back. For a few seconds, we're air born, then on our feet again on the bottom floor, dashing for the opening where the front door used to be, as I push away the smoke once more. In the kitchen, there's an explosion from a gas oven. The loud boom threatens to tear through our ears and the already unstable walls rattle.
And just as the walls and support beams fall apart, we're out of there. Once I know the younglings are alright, I take in the rest of the situation. Already a handful of the soldiers lay dead, cut apart by Qyzen's techblade. Laser bolts shoot down from above; Tharan has his blaster in hand and is firing from the parked in the air shuttle.
My lightsabers ignite in my hands, grabbing the attention of all nearby Ulgo soldiers, whose blaster's swerve around to aim at me. With the few free seconds I have before they can fire, I use Alter Environments to start a sudden rainfall, hoping it will help douse the fires. And then they fire. I leap in the air, flipping as I go, and land in the midst of them. Scorch marks on a dirt street are left in the place I had been standing.
Upon landing, I spin, arms outstretched, cutting the nearest soldiers to me in half. The scent of burnt flesh seems to reach a higher proximity, with my closeness to these bodies. In my Earth state, it is near maddening. I have not had the proper training many Naktarans are granted on our homeworld to master our abilities. It's the scent, the sounds, the beads of sweat on my forehead, the blood pumping from adrenaline, that urge a hidden lust to fight and defeat all that stand in my way, like an Alpha wolf determined to prove its dominance over its pack and the rest of the creatures of the forest. Typically, Naktaran teachings weed out the more primal impulses, granting us calm control of our nature. But I haven't been to my homeworld in many years. I have received Jedi training, not Naktaran teachings. And I also tend not to fight in Earth form unless it's necessary.
When one of Earth fights, they fight to win.
A low canine-like growl escapes me. Not of fury. Not of hate. Not of blood lust. I am controlled enough to deny those entrance into my heart- my Jedi training prepared me for that at least. Just an undeniable rush, a deep want to find victory in battle. To purge the ones who dare to harm the people of this village.
My pulse hammers, and like a blaster bolt, I'm off, slicing through the Ulgo forces. One runs straight at me, a cortosis-weaved vibroblade in his grasp. I quickly dodge the incoming strike before Force lifting him up in the air and sending him crashing into a fallen apart stand. I sense someone coming at me from behind. There's a loud cracking noise of bone being shattered as I swing back my right hand back, the butt of my lightsaber hilt making contact with a skull. The thump of a body falling to the ground and a moan.
The duelist gets back on his feet and rushes toward me. Sword against sword, I am not the best. Being a Consular, I have dedicated most study to Force techniques. However, I am not hindered in battle.
I use a move called Confusion and suddenly my opponent pauses in his stride. His focus is still on me, of that I am sure, but his thoughts should be muddled. I then make quick work to use Stealth, zipping past him as a vague blur. He doesn't catch the faint shimmer of my form, and by the time I'm close enough, by the time he knows I'm there, a lightsaber protrudes from his chest.
I join Qyzen at his side. With our combined strength it's over in at least fifteen, twenty minutes at most, what with Ulgo forces being spread around the village. The remains of their forces run off, retreating back to whatever rock they crawled from. I am tempted to going after them, as is Qyzen, but there are more important matters at hand.
Deactivating my lightsabers and clipping them back on my belt, I spend the next hour or so examining the civilians. Burns, cuts, and bruises appear all over their bodies, but thankfully there were no casualties. Apparently this had been a raid, a job to take prisoners to use against the other Houses; not a mission of destruction, but a sign of warning of what house Ulgo can and would do. I send Qyzen on watch to make certain the Ulgos don't come back and in greater numbers. Tharan already knows his task; going from person to person with scanners and the more advanced medical supplies, to see what he can do for the wounded.
It is not long when I find the little Twi'lek girl from before, still cradling her doll even as she sits on her knees, vomiting, tears pouring from her eyes. I walk over to her and rub her back comfortingly, "It's ok," I say softly, "It's ok, it's fine. Your tummy's just getting out all the bad stuff it took in from the smoke."
Once she's down getting everything out of her system, watery eyes look up at mine, her cries turning to sniffles and quiet whimpers. I look her over and see burn marks on her arms. Switching to Water form, I gently take one of her small limbs in my hand, careful not to touch the wounds, and pull the medpac from my belt as well as a flask of water from my pack. Softly at first, I begin to sing a lullaby my mother had once sung to me, allowing the girl to become lost in the music.
While the blood of a warrior runs through my veins, so does the blood of a healer. I admit I am not as skilled as the Sages, but what I don't know from them, I have learned from being born of Water. While Earth grants Naktara its best fighters, those of Water give the best healers and musicians. Each form grants some specialty we just naturally adapt to. Those from Fire have crafting skills; a taste for art, particularly pottery and blacksmithing. Those of Air have a gift as pilots, scouts, and rescue teams as well as an incredible speed.
A healer from the Water class knows much about healing with just, of course, water; healing cuts and scrapes with salt water from the oceans, creating therapeutic, cool mists to calm patients, applying snow and ice for fevers or deep wounds. As a Jedi, I've discovered that healing ability can greatly be enhanced.
Controlling the water from my flask as I did that morning, I curl it around the youngling's arm, dropping the temperature of the water so it is nice and cool against her skin. At first, as most medicine does, it only hurts her. I stroke the back of her head. "It's alright," I say in a sing-song voice before continuing the lullaby, "This will help and heal."
Eventually she relaxes as the healing does it's magic. I do the same treatment for her other arm, and when I feel the water has done all it can, I begin to apply bacta to the burns and wrap them up in sterilized bandages, giving them gentle kisses as a mother might.
Speaking of which, right at the moment I finish up, there is a shriek of relief from behind me. We turn to see the woman from earlier, her mother, run over at full speed that would rival a Force-user's. She skids to her own knees once she reaches us and cradles the child, bursting into tears as she holds her close, the girl returning the affections.
"Thank you," I hear her whisper through her sobbing, "thank you, thank you, thank you…" The next thing I know, I'm pulled into that embrace by the woman. I do not push away, even though I know there is more that I need to do, more people I need to check on; right now, this family needs me to help console them.
"Where we gonna go now, Momma?" the little girl asks, the first of the pair to snap back to this moment.
The mother rubs a hand over her daughter's head, considering her answer. I place a hand on her shoulder, grasping her attention. "Get what you can salvage from this village," I instruct calmly, "then go west of here, to House Organa. The Ulgo forces may return and if so then no one is safe here. Once you reach House Organa, tell them Jedi Knight Beeodess sent you. Tell them you seek refuge and that whatever cost it may be to them may be paid from the account of the Naktaran Royal Family." I dare not say by the Jedi Council in the event my actions here are not approved. "Tell them to make contact with King Sham Beeodess and to say this is by Silya Beeodess's will. All should be fine. Gather the others from here and tell them this, prepare them for the journey."
The mother nods, smiling, and taking her child by the hand begins to tell the rest of the villagers. The girl turns back for just a moment, waving to me. Returning her grin, I wave back. Then I join the rest of my team is seeing that everyone is well.
I'll need to make a call to my father before long.