Falon's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't felt this presence since- by all records his master was dead, so why-
He could hear distant blaster fire and the far off whine of TIE fighters in atmosphere. A battle? He'd heard whispers of a rebellion, rumors of other jedi too, but it had always felt too good to be true. Was he mistaken? Did Master Kota live?
Something else brushed up against his senses, and for a moment, Falon thought it was X2, but the darkness was more pronounced in this presence, making his son seem downright docile by comparison. It wasn't a sith though, it was too- passive, the presence lingered, dark and heavy and possessive (protective?), coiling around Falon in a sort of questioning familiarity. Do I know you, they asked, wordless. There was a sharp squeeze in the force that physically pained him, and the sounds of battle began to fade.
Falon knelt to meditate, to see if he could clear his mind and find his old master's presence hidden in the dark presence. A presence that was steadily lightening as it moved closer to him. Falon opened his eyes.
A teenager stared down at him from a few meters away. He was young, a few years younger than X2 maybe. He tilted his head to the side, regarding Falon without a care for proper social cues.
"Hello there," Falon said quietly, "Can I, uh, help you?"
Suddenly there was a lot of noise, someone else crashing through the underbrush.
"Boy!" And that voice was so damn familiar.
Master Kota stumbled over a root, and the stoic teen reached out to steady him.
"Master?" Falon said, his voice cracking. Master Kota turned to him.
"Hello, Falon." Kota said, ever so gentle. The was a burst of dark from the heavy presence. From the boy, Falon realized. Kota cuffed him lightly upside the head, and received an eye roll and a muddled projection of 'break all your toys' or perhaps a half-hearted 'kill you later'.
"Throttle down, boy." Kota drawled, "Go do something productive instead of standing over there being jealous." That earned a growl from the teen as he stalked off.
"M-master?" Falon stuttered, not quite sure of himself, feeling all of about sixteen again. Kota didn't hesitate. In a way that spoke distinctly of attachment, he hugged Falon, cradling him close.
"My little padawan, all grown up."
"They- you died- they said you died."
"Wounded, not killed." Kota corrected, "Empire couldn't say that some jedi got away, but there are more of us than you'd think."
"Including your new padawan?" Falon said, a tinge of bitterness seeping into his tone.
"Galen's a good kid. Slow to warm up, but I think you'll like him." Falon smiled hesitantly.
"I have someone I want you to meet as well..."
