These Shattered Stars -- Logs

The rest of the betrothal dinner passes in a bit of a blur for Freyja, except for when she pauses at the head of the table, just before the two betrothed seat themselves. Carefully and in plain view of everyone she ceremoniously puts one of her beautiful scarlet and gold wreaths of blossoms around Lord Fafnir's neck.

There is some murmured commentary -- this was certainly not anything expected, not from the Jedi daughter of Baron Rigg to the relatively mousy and scholarly Jotunsen arving. From somewhere, there is a smattering of polite applause, though the murmuring continues. Erde's expression is smiling and rather proud, and even her husband maintains his facade of cool neutrality... with a ghost of a smile.

Fafnir himself is a bit surprised, but bows his head to Freyja, smiling quietly. "Thank you, milady Freyja," he murmurs.

Freyja smiles quietly, and murmurs softly, "I keep my promises, my lord." Then she hands him courteously to his seat, seating herself once he's settled.

Later, people are moving around more, generally relaxing in the afterglow of a delicious dinner, much celebratory festivities, and a great deal of excellent alcoholic beverages. Freyja's mother Erde seats herself for a moment on the cushion next to Freyja, to chat with her daughter while the Baron is elsewhere being congratulated. Freyja leans over and murmurs quietly, "Mother... I'd like to apologize for snapping at you the other night, about Vakkan."

Erde blinks a little to Freyja, then smiles quietly. "That's all right, dear," she says quietly. "You show strong loyalty to him, and it's very admirable. I'm sorry as well. I could have expressed myself somewhat better."

Freyja smiles ruefully, "Um... well, it was still rude of me. You certainly don't deserve that sort of sheis- er, garbage from anyone." She adds more thoughtfully and quietly, "And... how could I not, considering what he's given me? Trust given should always be returned... you taught me that, Mother."

If Erde picks up on the profanity, she doesn't show it, instead smiling. "I know. It was... just a little hard to believe that the Sith would also be capable of such exchanges of trust. But you have known him longer than we, and if we cannot trust your judgement then your father and I deserve no trust from anyone in return."

Freyja nods slowly, her voice still very low, "Hai... I understand your concern, I think. I... well, I also was initially quite disbelieving when confronted with the possibility that there were actually honorable Sith. But... it turned out to be so, at least among the ones I met." She smiles ruefully, adding, "I'd still be excruciatingly careful how I worded exchanges of promises with a lord of War, and I'd do no more than back away warily from a lord of State... but they do have honor, from what I've seen." She glances over her shoulder at Vakkan and smiles with a hint of pride, then adds to her mother, "And some of them are just people... just like citizens in the Republic are just people. It's... very strange."

Erde nods a little. "Well... some citizen of the Republic aren't just 'people,' it seems. She glances around and murmurs casually, "When your father and I learned just what had happened on Coruscant with that 'incident,' I had to almost physically restrain him from taking the huskarls and other house troops and going to retrieve Kalatis's head forthwith.

Freyja's eyes widen -- then she has to disguise a small laugh as a cough! A moment later she murmurs ruefully, "Oh, dear... thank you for doing so, Mother. From what I've been able to discover, the Senator's just one of many..." she rolls her eyes resignedly, adding dryly, "-and as they say, geri-cats can't change their stripes... so better the one you know than the one you don't."

Erde smiles quietly. "This is true. However, sometimes I wonder if some such geri-cats aren't better off far and away. We are glad that your friend Zero managed to get out from Kalatis's service. Aaron Deno is the bastard scion of House Draego of Alderaan, and he was heard to brag about his new 'contract' -- he did not refer to is as 'employment' -- with the Senator. He also has some few contacts in Hutt Space, and from his HoloNet records he may have been behind the death of Argent on Kessel. Argent thought himself safe from retribution and threatened to reveal the Senator's surprising involvement in the illicit spice trade. He also spoke of scaring someone away from Coruscant for the Senator; Kuras Kell believes that means Zero. As glad I am that you and the others survived the attack on Coruscant, I dislike what discovering this might reveal."

Freyja blinks. Erde has a somewhat sober look, but it carries a hint of pride and amusement. "Dear, you said Kalatis tried to kill you. Did you think that I would have taken that as mere bluster?"

Freyja considers for a moment... then says slowly, "I... see. So the incompetent help really was Aaron Deno..." She falls silent again, thinking furiously, then adds just as slowly, "And... what is the Senator's current position, Mother... do you know?" She pauses, then smiles quietly, "Neh, of course not. I don't bluff, and you know that." Her tone is quietly affectionate... she misses being able to talk quietly, freely, and alone with her mother.

The Baroness laughs quietly. "No, you don't. That I know well, especially about that." Erde's smile fades only a little. "The assassination was meant to be incompetent. It was a message that Zero should leave Coruscant immediately, that Kalatis can attack him at any time and any where." She shakes her head. "You were being herded off of Coruscant like autumlas. As for the senator's position... how do you mean?"

Freyja says, "Ahaa..." She smiles ruefully, "Well, the message certainly hasn't 'taken,' since we didn't leave for two weeks following that. Considering Aaron Deno seems an arrogant and insecure little man, and the supposed hit was so incompetent as to border on laughable, it will reflect poorly on both Deno and the Senator, especially on the street. Therefore if Deno is bragging about a contract instead of employment, and despite this ludicrous and farcical attempt to 'warn' us is still in the Senator's employ, it would be my guess he has something on the Senator. As long as he does... the Senator is a loose cannon subject to Deno's foolish whims."

Freyja adds with thoughtful curiosity, "Interesting... business appears to be business, even on the street. While I admittedly did not enjoy them at the time, the teachings on business etiquette you had hammered into me are standing me in excellent stead." She grins a little shyly, adding, "I didn't say it then... so I'll say it now. Thank you, Mother." Freyja pauses suddenly, still thinking furiously, then adds slowly, "Did... did the name Balin Khoud, or the planet Marnaas come up at all in the research you did, Mother, regarding the Senator's spice trade?"

Erde shakes her head. "I think it more was a matter of convincing you to not stay on Coruscant once the inquiry was over... and you did not. I would not underestimate Aaron Deno, dear. Even if he is a bitter, hateful little man with a penchant for illegalities, he is Kalatis's new unofficial catspaw, and he has many, many resources available to him. He is not the sort of man who would stage an incompetent assassination lightly. And if anything Kuras Kell believes that it's more to the point that the Senator has something on Deno, to force that one to stage a reputation-wrecking assassination."

She smiles quietly. "You're welcome, dear. I'm glad it helped you, even in the underworld." She carefully does not ask why it had come in useful in such a way. Freyja's next question makes her blink. "Balin Khoud? The new Jedi prior for Balmorra Sector? No.. his name didn't come up at all, except that it is known that he is a friend of the Senator from quite a long time ago. And Marnaas wasn't mentioned, either." She shakes her head. "That the Senator is involved in it at all was disgusting enough. Haus Rigg will very quietly be withholding support from the Senator from now on."

Freyja nods, looking quietly relieved, "All right. Thank you, Mother." She pauses, then adds, "Mother... I'd like to ask a favor of you, please. May I recommend you to Lord Fafnir, should he have any business questions?" She politely does not ask her mother to help protect him if necessary... not only would it put her mother in the position of having to gracefully decline, but it would be rude to put her deliberately into such an awkward position.

"Of course, dear. Your father is already arranging a rather extensive curriculum, but we both know how... intense your father can be at times, and any help I can give to the boy, I would be glad to. He'll be running both the Jotunsen and the Rigg holdings in your absence, after all." She smiles. "Besides, we both are rather fond of him. He's been very polite and courteous... and when he has the knowledge to support them, quite steadfast in his beliefs, actually. Earlier, he and your father got into a quite a lively discussion regarding some event in Balmorran history."

Freyja smiles in relief, "Thank you, Mother." She introduces them immediately, not knowing when she'll have another such opportunity, when her father's away and she can speak her mind, "Lord Fafnir, a moment, if you please? I'd like to recommend the Baroness to you as the person to talk to should you have any business questions, especially about Cyteller." There's a hint of pride in her voice as she adds, "My mother Erde is, I believe, the driving force behind the Rigg enterprises." She pauses, then grins a touch mischievously, "Oh, my... which event was it, dare I ask?" Her grin is mischievous... because she's quite aware her betrothed may just take off verbally on the subject!

Fafnir blinks in surprise, then smiles and bows his head to the Baroness. "I am grateful, milady Baroness. I will do so, and I look forward to any help you may give."

Erde smiles, while Fafnir looks mildly embarrassed. "The Baron asserted that at the time of the founding of the Republic, the Balmorran Humans, then under the interregnum MacKugan dynasty, were shouted down by the Balmorran Moot and forbidden a seat on the Moot and a say in the formation of the Republic. I had to take exception to that, since the MacKugans had, fifty years before the question came up in the Moot, already sworn their fealty to the Trandoshan noble clan of Essissae Than, and so couldn't legally take part in the discussions...." He breaks off, looking sheepish. "Sometimes, I'm afraid I know more history than is healthy." Erde laughs quietly. "It was an interesting... discussion to watch. It only ended because we needed to prepare for the ceremony."

Freyja giggles quietly, then says cheerfully, "Hey, if you have the data to back yourself up with, Lei- lord Fafnir, then stick to your charge!"

"I do. Er, did. Though most of it is in the Sector Library...."

The day after the formal announcement of the betrothal is dedicated to sharing the family's good fortune with their people. A global day off is declared in the Rigg factories, and the four nearest and largest are graced with visits from the betrothal party -- which consists of all of the associated young folks in gleeful celebration-mode. Fortunately for Freyja's lack of sleep the night before, she and Fafnir aren't required to do much. They smile and wave, and she has to stand and deliver a short speech at each stop... but the speech was considerately written ahead of time for her by Syf's publicist.

Watching Syf's happy dancing and singing for the entranced factory workers, Freyja realizes with quiet humor that there are times when it's really helpful to have an entertainer as a sister. She grins at Leif, murmuring, "Thank goodness for pretty distractions, eh?"

Leif nods wryly, "Mmmph... there is that, at least. As I said, I'm glad that she can direct her energy towards entertaining people."

Freyja nods amusedly... then adds a bit ruefully, "Just so you know, Mother has probably twigged to the fact we knew each other at least a little bit by the time of the betrothal feast... but I don't think she minded, all things considered." She pauses, then says gently, "How are you doing, Leif?"

He nods a little, "Your mother is extremely sharp, and we've been around her most of the day. I shouldn't be surprised she would catch that." He lets out a breath. "So far... fairly well. This is all a little overwhelming for me. I don't think there are as many people on the moon as I've seen all day...>"

Freyja grins and nods, murmuring quietly, "It's... easy to get swamped with people. Make sure you schedule in time for yourself, hai? If it's not firmly scheduled, people will assume it's available time for them to get to you." She gives him a faintly troubled look, then adds just as quietly, "I wish you fair winds and good people at your back, Leif. I'm setting a few things in place to try to make things easier for you... I will visit when I can, and if you think of something else I can do, please let me know. Also, Piper Ridomr is a good and discreet person if you ever need anything... she has my confidence, and in direst emergency she'll know how to find me -- although you should keep in mind it may take me a month or three to return if you need me." She smiles internally to herself... Leif could do worse than having Piper as a paramour, she thinks.

Leif smiles quietly. "I'll try to do that. Thank you for all you've done to make this easy for me, Freyja. I just wish... I wish there was something I could think of to make it easier for you. But I will do all I can so that you need not worry about here.

Freyja chuckles quietly, taking his hand gently in hers, "My lord, you are doing something incredibly helpful to me -- you're allowing me to pursue my studies with the Jedi... and indirectly, postpone the difficult decision I'm going to have to make someday, in regards to balancing duty... to Force and family both." Her tone is almost tired sounding at the end there.

He smiles and gently squeezes her hand back. "I am glad I can do that much, then, milady."

The next day Freyja's able to successfully re-install her daily martial practice. She'd missed it quite a bit, and now deeply appreciates the time to clear her head and simply concentrate on learning. After sparring she asks a little breathlessly, "Hey, Vakkan... what was that about the meat, a few nights ago? Was that a Sith dish or something?"

Vakkal blinks for a moment, then ohs! "Yes, it is. Shaakuli roast. It is well-known within the Empire, but shaakuli have not been successfully transplanted to any other planet. While common at home, aboard ship it is considered a celebratory meal."

Freyja says, "Huh." She thinks about that a bit, then grins, "Well. The Wyrd sisters must've been laughing at that. So... what's a shaakuli look like, and why doesn't it transplant? Must've been a smuggler to get the meat here."

He blinks a little. "The... Wyrd sisters? Who are they? And a shaakuli is... probably similar to the autumlas, but smaller. It is found only on Ziost. The meat is not only very good, but the fur is also very warm against the harsh eternal winter of Ziost. The creatures simply do not seem to be able to deal well with climates on other worlds, or with artificial ones. Yes, it must have been some smuggler who was able to cross the front."

Freyja nods thoughtfully, then grins, "The Three Wyrds... the sisters that spin the Fates." Her tone is dry as she adds, "They're, ah, known to have... odd senses of humor..." She adds with a grin, "We'll have to get you an autumlas steak, so you can tell us if they're as tasty, because they're pretty sturdy across terrains and climates, even if they're not the swiftest creatures in the universe." She pauses, then adds slowly, "Vakkan... may I show you something? I want to ask your opinion on the intel value of something...?"

"Ah, I see. 'Odd senses of humor....' They must love Fhazil. That's the only explanation for some of the stunts he's pulled off and survived.... As for the steak, I confess to curiosity." He blinks. "Intel was not my specialty in the military, Freyja, but I will do my best..."

Freyja giggles, "They do supposedly love those that most test their woven threads of Fate, hai!" She nods, still smiling, and paces off to the side of the dojo, where she wipes down with a towel, then gets her datapad out. She settles down cross-legged with her back to the wall and pats the ground next to her, explaining, "I don't want to play this loudly... and I want to kill it quickly if someone else comes in." The canid nods, and sits down beside Freyja.

Freyja adds in further explanation, "This holo recording was found after Verg blew himself up... along with a huge amount of physical currency of just about every world from Marnaas to Toparwa... and a map of the Balmorra sector marked out to indicate the Jedi presence. It's my guess they had grand schemes in mind." She pauses, clicking the datapad on so the Massassi-like being appears, although she freezes it at that first appearance. "So... is this a 'pure-blood'? And do you know this person?"

Vakkal frowns a little at the recording, and nods. "Yes. That was Verg's master in the Oath of Fire, and a pureblood. I do not know his name, but Verg seemed to. I am not surprised that Marnaas was to be the first stop on a chain of visits to worlds in the Balmorra Sector."

Freyja raises an eyebrow, fascinated that Verg trusted relatively new apprentices so thoroughly that he'd allow them to see his superior... the Sith must have tremendous faith in oaths, once given! She murmurs quietly, "All right. Listen, please, and tell me if this is something worth making the effort to get to one of the Sith lords... like, say, Ghang." She plays the holo for Vakkan, and watches with interest, noting what a so-called pure-blood moves and looks like... then gives Vakkan an inquiring look.

Vakkal listens quietly to the recording, and is quiet for several long moments afterwards. "The seventeen gates...," he murmurs. Almost as an aside, he says, "The Oath has it's own hierarchy, of seventeen degrees. It is said that as one passes each gate, one learns more... things, about the history that the Oath holds, as it regards their revenge against the Jedi. Jiosch mentioned once that there was more to the Oath than just revenge. He had reached the Tenth Gate -- incredible in the amount of time that Qatto Verg had to work with him.

Freyja nods thoughtfully. "I figured that out about the gates... and I'm not surprised Jiosch had that much hate in him. He was really angry with the Jedi, although I don't know whose hypocrisy exactly it was that so incensed him." She sighs softly, adding quietly, "Poor Jiosch..."

Vakkal nods a little. "I never learned myself, either. It may be tied up with him being a knight errant, perhaps, but... I don't think we will ever know, now."

Freyja muses quietly, "I wish I'd had a chance to ask him." She pauses, then says carefully, "Er... would it be rudely curious of me to ask what gate you were at?"

Vakkal smiles quietly. "The Second. I knew that the Sith tradition was inherited from exiles of a lightsider tradition from elsewhere in the Galaxy, and that the tradition was the Jedi, and not much else."

Freyja nods thoughtfully... then smiles at the big Sith, resting one hand lightly on his leg, "Thank you for trusting me with that, Vakkan... and please, never feel you must tell me things if it makes you uncomfortable to do so, hai? Just let me know politely how you feel?" She adds quietly, "So... do you think that information is of intel value?"

Vakkal nods, "I will. And I don't think I know anything about the Oath that you do not yourself know." He thinks for a moment. "I'm not sure. Lord Ghang might be interested in hit, perhaps. That the Oath was planning on wiping out Jedi across Marnaas might be of some interest to the Dark Lord."

Freyja looks curious, "Would Methel-ssa know any of that, from the revenant possessing her?" She adds thoughtfully, "I take it the Oather master isn't a publicly known figure then? I suppose that's a relief... although I'd bet he'd really like his identity to remain hidden." She adds even more thoughtfully, "Not just Marnaas, if the map is to be believed..."

He considers for a moment. "Not likely, no. I am given to understand that there is little 'sharing' between the spirit and the one it rides. Methel-ssa will not know this. And the Oather master is not one I recognize, no. I noted no mention of Valsha, however. It is possible that any instructions regarding her were communicated directly and not by recordable message.

Freyja winces slightly -- she was frighteningly close to getting squished like a bug several times in that entire affair -- closer than she really liked. She sighs thoughtfully, then nods slowly, "All right. So... this would be useful to pass on, if we knew how and where. Thank you, Vakkan."

Later, during the regular practice Freyja has with Zero and Master Roakkana, Piper comes in to see Freyja. After they're done, Piper grins and hands Freyja a small, hinged, wooden box with the Rigg logo branded into it, and a larger box. Freyja brightens, "You got both of them? Excellent!" She wipes off with a towel, then beams at the other two present -- Master Roakkana and Zero. "Come look!" She opens the smaller box. Nestled inside in protective packing are four powerful energy sources. "How's this? Master Roakkana said to get four, although I don't know why... but will these work for lightsabers? Umm... and... can we get the plans from you on how to make them, please, Master Roakkana?"

Zero nods, "Yeah, these'll work just fine. High powered. The plans use a funny recursive flow setup, so saber cells only burn power when the blade bites. Cells like this are designed for high-capacity droid work though... it'll take a lot of tinkering to make them do what we want. On the other hand, I'm betting our sabers are going to burn pretty bright."

Freyja grins, "Finest kind Rigg make!"

Zero says, "'course... I have no business calling anyone's schematics 'funny', considering what I plan to do with mine..." Freyja grins at Zero, then picks up the big box and tucks it under an arm as she looks inquiringly at Master Roakkana.

Roakkana smiles quietly. "I'm glad to hear that, then. Making your own lightsabers is a very important step in your paths. Yes, I can get them for you, child." He grins. "Would you like the ones that are in plain Aurabesh, or the ones that are encoded by way of Jedi koans, mantras, and parables?"

Zero says, "Actually, we should talk about the real stumbling block."

Freyja brightens interestedly, "Ooh! Can I have both?" She pauses, then looks inquiringly at Zero.

Zero says, "Focusing crystals. There's no way we'll be able to just pick those off the ground... unless you plan on detouring to Ossus sometime soon; and that's not exactly a day trip. However, I have heard of at least one alternative."

Freyja says pragmatically, "Well, we might as well pick up as much as we can here, while we're here."

Zero says, "The Knight I spoke with at the Temple who gave me the idea for the hybrid weapon mentioned that in the designs his original specification is based on, the Sith utilize artificial crystals that they cook up in a furnace. The process supposedly infuses the crystal with Dark Side power. My tinker friend didn't put much stock in the theory, but if it's true it might be a good idea; particularly for myself, since if it is true, my crystal will have to be 'empty', as it were, and the natural ones are supposed to have some sort of 'resonance'. Again, my tinker friend laughed off that sort of geomantic superstition... but then again, we take geomancy fairly seriously on Sedrak. It may not be the placement of furniture we're dealing with, but... I hate to rule anything out." He grins lopsidedly, "Call me superstitious."

Freyja blinks at Zero... then just stares, "Pardon? You want to cook a crystal? And what do you mean about you needing an 'empty' crystal? Where'd that come from?"

Zero says, "Evidently it's some sort of high-temperature chemistry. I don't actually know how to do it... like I said, my source seemed to think it was a lot of empty propaganda."

Freyja says slowly, "I... don't understand, Zero, what exactly it is you want to do, please?"

Zero says, "Well, think of it like this, Freyja; supposing that these rocks do possess some sort of natural resonance for light or dark. Would it not stand to reason that would be a bad idea for me, given what I'm expected to be doing?"

Freyja says, "I'm not sure why it would, if one resonates crystals to oneself. None of the alternative paths I've researched mention it as a problem."

Zero grins ruefully. "There seem to be a lot of alternate paths, and no common thread. I think the Order likes it just that way, too."

Freyja adds thoughtfully, "Actually... I don't recall any of them using lightsabers. The Silver Path uses shard swords, though... do those use crystals?"

Roakkana makes a bit of a sound. "Well, not exactly 'cook up.' Crystals for lightsabers can be synthesized, which is what the Sith do, I believe. It may be related to their alchemy."

Vakkal nods. "That is true. My own lightsaber was created by the Smiths of Korriban. I was told that the Smiths used their peculiar mastery of the Force to create the crystals of the lightsaber."

Roakkana nods. "Synthetic crystals are considered to be of lower-quality than Adegan crystals, but I have never heard of anyone who got more than a mild rebuke from their peers for using synthetics."

Freyja shakes her head, "Neh, they don't want any of the alternate threads, from what I can tell." She frowns, "According to a comment from Lord Fafnir, I think the Jedi are responsible for some of the most egregious historical cover-ups ever."

Zero says, "Well, as for the shard weapon, I was only able to handle the one, for a rather short time."

Freyja sets down the big box and unclips her lightsaber handle, holding it loosely. To Vakkan she says curiously, "May I see your lightsaber, to compare it to mine, Vakkan?" He blinks and nods, producing it -- it's not exactly clear where he's been hiding it, but he carries it with him readily enough.

There's some significant stylistic differences. Freyja's lightsaber has a variety of Wookie runes etched into the casing, and a pale beige, vaguely crude-looking leather wrapping which has not budged a centimeter in the years Freyja has been carrying it. The casing is an ansiotropic silvery hue. In appearance it is not unlike the long-handled 'saber Zero now carries; obviously Master Roakkana maintained the stylistic similarities.

Vakkal's lightsaber, on the other hand, is of dull matte black, with some burnished silver fittings and emitter. It is clearly one-handed, and moderately utilitarian, but there are elements of good craftsmanship. The synthetic leather grip is somewhat worn, and in all it's shorter than a typical 'saber -- easily concealed and meant to be used only in one hand, apparently fitted for Vakkan's right hand. There is no particular 'feel' to either Freyja's or Vakkan's saber, except perhaps Freyja might be able to sense Roakkana's 'touch' upon the one she has; she senses no such 'touch' from Vakkan's. Freyja studies Vakkan's saber with immense curiosity... then says, "So you didn't make it? Can I touch it?"

Vakkal nods, "Certainly. No, I didn't make it myself. There are very few in the Empire who know how to make lightsabers as yet."

Freyja will, if Vakkan allows, hold one in each hand, balancing them and comparing their respective 'feels.' Curiously she asks, "So... does mine 'feel' at all odd to you?" and hands hers to Vakkan. "Hm... yours seems more designed for sneakiness too, I think...?"

Freyja's lightsaber feels a little heavier, though probably that is the way Roakkana preferred to balance his own weapon. Vakkan accepts Freyja's 'saber, and examines it himself. "It... hmm. Not particularly, no." He looks mildly embarrassed. "Partly, yes, for concealability. Also, it is meant to be wielded in the off-hand, opposite a lanvarok or blaster."

Freyja smiles, "That's fine; I was just curious, is all." She swaps lightsabers back, then sighs amusedly, "I don't know enough about how they're made to be able to tell if there are interesting technical differences, unfortunately."

Roakkana smiles a little. "I imagine that some in the Jedi Academy would be intrigued by the design, if for no other reason than to add to their catalog of lightsaber designs. I understand they have quite a collection of images and statistics. Some are truly works of art."

Zero says, "I know just enough to understand what needs to be connected to what and where to make one work... I think." He sighs, "The principles are all Gammorean to me."

Freyja looks up interestedly at Roakkana, "Really? Hm. Will they let us look at them?" She grins at Zero, "Well, you're one up on me then!"

Zero says, "Only just. I still think that the very idea which the blade runs upon defies physics in some way."

Roakkana grins, "Images, certainly, but not statistics. They feel that a padawan should not be designing their first lightsaber with a particular goal in mind."

Freyja nods, "Oh, the images were what I had in mind, actually. Inspiration can come from a wide variety of sources, after all." She picks up her large box again, adding, "So... now that I think about it, going to Ossus might be interesting." She grins mischievously, "After all, Valsha and Colburth were supposedly headed there, as were the Sith -- and there are a lot of fascinating Jedi Masters there too, hai?"

Zero hms. He muses to himself, "I wonder..." He glances back at the door.

Roakkana continues, "Which is not to say that they will outright deny you the information if requested, just that the librarian might include a rather irritable quasi-rebuke along with the information. But the images of the sabers on hand they'd be glad to share. Some are elegant in their simplicity; others are positively baroque. A few<, I think, were designed in such a way that they could probably never be seriously used."

Roakkana grins to Zero. "I don't think even the people who first designed them really knew what they had discovered, Zero, but that never stopped them." He nods to Freyja. "Many... very different Jedi Masters, child. Ossus, it is said, is where the Order proper first started, and the Masters there are introspective and philosophical in degrees that defy explanation. They are eminently capable, of course, but they are a different breed entirely from the masters you might find on Coruscant." The Wookie looks to Zero, arching his brow. "What do you wonder, Zero?" Freyja brightens in interest at the thought of introspective philosopher Jedi Masters.

Zero looks up, "Oh, just sort of musing to myself about Shang's old weapon. Curious, you know? I have to admit to a certain curiosity about a weapon whose actual dimensions change in the act of using it. All this talk of weapons." He grins sheepishly, and scratches the back of his head. "Rampant curiosity. It's from staying with Freyja so long."

Freyja blinks, looking faintly bemused, "Weapo- oh, the curiosity." She laughs, then grins, "Horrors, am I contagious?" She adds quietly, "Treat it with respect, please? Poor Inspector Shang died for this cause."

Roakkana nods. "Shard-blades saw some used, a long time ago. They are difficult to control, however, and if one is not a master with such a thing, or has very strong control over the Force, then self-maiming is almost a certainty. It is not just some sort of flail weapon or vibroblade."

Zero grins a little. "Self-maiming is just as likely with a lightsaber, hey? Ah well... maybe when things are quieter and I can concentrate on it more." He sits down off to the side, back to the wall. "So... what's in the box?"

Freyja blinks at Zero, then smiles, patting the big box under her arm, "This is an antique firearm for Staster, to say thank you to him for helping us, Zero. I've found it's both pleasant and smart to say thanks when folks help me or my friends out... and I'm going to be asking a favor of him anyway -- do you think he'd be interested in this? I was thinking of asking him to be my in-between man for sending packages here. I want to keep it clear to my father, and any other aggressive business folks sniffing around, that Fafnir has the faith and backing of me, and by extension my family... so I'm using the classic means in my culture to do so -- sending small gifts to him, care of my family (so Father knows it's me and he shouldn't hassle the poor guy too much), to show appreciation."

Freyja says, "However, I don't want to leave a trail of addresses that show where I've been, either... so if he's willing I'll leave the packages with him, with instructions and enough creds to cover sending them at specific times for the next five years... just in case. So this antique slug thrower is an older version of the ones he had in his shop. It, a credchip for the amount I just mentioned, and a hololetter are going to him. The hololetter will explain what I want, and ask him if he's willing to do so. If not, he can just keep the gift and the credchip. If hai, then I'll be sure he gets another credchip just to say thanks, when the job's all done. So... think Staster would be interested, Zero?" She adds as an aside to Piper and Roakkana, "If it's all right with you two, I'd like to let Staster and Lord Fafnir both know that Piper's who they can contact here for help or support... and Master Roakkana, it might be smart to have someone who knows how to find us?"

Zero smirks, "It'll be the most money Staster's seen in a few decades."

Freyja grins, "I'll take that as a hai, then. Good." She hands the box to Piper and nods, "Go ahead and send it, and thank you."

Roakkana considers, and nods quietly. "A good choice, child. And that is quite all right, if Kuras Ridomr doesn't mind."

Piper grins, "Nae a'tall, milady, an' 'twould be a pleasure, Mast'r Roakkana. Aye, I'll be takin' this tae th' parcel shipping office 'mediately!"

Freyja grins, "Thank you to all of you then. Excellent! In that case, hoping he'll say hai, I'll get right on the other packages too." She pauses, considering... then says cheerfully, "Hunting next, hai? That'll be nice... we can get out of the house."

Roakkana grins quietly. "My days of hunting have been long past, I'm afraid. If you do not mind, I will remain here."

Freyja gives the Wookie a thoughtful look, then counts on her fingers, murmuring quietly to herself, "Me, Zero, Vakkan... Piper, Maishen, Leif if he wants... hm. My parents shouldn't be too disturbed by that..." She looks up and nods, "That works."

During the betrothal dinner, during the time when people are mingling and talking, exchanging seats and merrily conversing, one of the Jedi from the Balmorran chapterhouse -- a Kel Dor -- approaches Zero, and bows. "The Force be with you, Padawan Satau. Jedi Torin Koon, of the Balmorra chapterhouse. A pleasure to meet you."

Zero bows politely, palms out in his peculiar little fashion. "And you, Jedi."

It is impossible to tell what the Kel Dor's expression is. "I understand you just recently arrived from Coruscant," she says, "and that, before that you were on Marnaas -- do not worry, I know you are under Seal from the Council against speaking of that place."

Zero grins a little. "There's not much to tell, really. It's... not someplace I'd want to go on holiday. That's really the gist of it."

Koon nods. "Of course. That is not... entirely why I would like to speak with you, if I am permitted. May I sit with you? I shall not be long, and I shall not bother you if you do not wish to speak."

Zero shakes his head, "Sit down, please. I'm in no hurry... it's a party, right?" He grins a little.

The Kel Dor nods. "Indeed, yes, it is. All the more reason to not divest you of the merriment thereof, though I fear I would not have another chance to make an excuse to come here." She sits beside Zero, arranging her robes neatly and with distinctly unHuman precision. "I will be honest with you from the start, and that is not something that those whom I report to generally approve of, but they recognize that there is never any better way of gaining trust. I am with the Watchers."

Zero doesn't make much reaction, to all outward appearances scanning the faces of the milling partygoers, except to smile faintly, murmuring, "For a secret organization, I sure have been seeing a lot of you. Go on?"

The Kel Dor inclines her head. "I am sorry for that. We do not like troubling people within the Order. Normally we have no business with internal affairs. This, however, is a concern to the Jedi as a community, we feel, which is why we are involved. I shall not ask you to break the Seal of the Council regarding Marnaas. May I instead, however, ask you about the inquiry itself and Master Balin Khoud?"

Zero arches an eyebrow at that. "Master Khoud? What about him?"

The Kel Dor pauses. "We were told that his performance during the inquiry was... unusual. That he followed atypical procedure for the inquiry. And, I should note in all honesty, declined to invite the Master of the Watchers or any Jedi Watchers to the inquiry, who would have arguably had interest in the proceedings. Before you feel that this is a conflict of personality between Master Balin Khoud and the Watcher organization, all I can say is that it is not; the Watchers are disturbed by what we have heard of the inquiry and Master Balin Khoud's behavior in it, and we need to learn the truth behind it. If you are at all discomfited by this, I will understand, and leave you be. As I said, we are not normally involved in affairs such as this, except that this may have implications for the Order as a community. And if not we, then who?"

Zero says, "After the month I've had... I wouldn't worry about discomfiting me, were I you. What is it you're asking me to do?"

Koon nods quietly. "Thank you, Zero Satau. I am only asking you what your impressions of Balin Khoud during the inquiry was, and if there was something peculiar that stood out in your mind. I understand if you must take the Seal into consideration with your answers."

Zero says, "Mm. Well. Off the top of my head, it seemed a little... ostentatious, for a Jedi internal affair. Like he was trying to pull the focus off of something else."

"Off of something else that might be within the inquiry, or something outside the scope of it?

Zero says, "Maybe both. Like maybe he knew something about Marnaas he didn't want getting out... because it would lead to more and bigger things, in the right eyes. Didn't it seem to you that the entire affair seemed as if to say, 'it's all under control, nothing to see here, watch the valiant Jedi contain the situation', and so on and so on... ?"

She nods. "It did, yes, even from the outside. I dislike that attitude; if not for any other reason, if you act that way long enough, eventually you begin to believe yourself. This question... may also be a trespass into the Seal, and you do not need to answer it. Was any mention during the inquiry made regarding the Templars in any way?"

Zero says, "No... at least that I can recall. Should there have been?"

"I do not know. There may have been. We believe that one of the Jedi at the Marnaas monastery was in fact a Templar. Which would be irregular, unusual, and damaging, if true."

Zero says, "What would they have been doing up there? It's not exactly a hotbed of activity -- or, er... it wasn't, anyway..."

She shakes her head. "I don't know. None of us do, and one of the people we were going to ask is missing."

Zero says, "You're talking about Valsha."

"Valsha and Colburth both, actually."

Zero says, "'One of the people'? Have you found one?"

"Colburth was recovered by a company of Jedi. His Starbird was damaged and he is on his way back to Coruscant."

Zero says, "Recovered? What happened to him?"

Koon says, "All we know was that a gravwell ship pulled his vessel out of hyperspace. The Order had arranged a picket line along the front to ensure his ship would be unmolested, so we believe that the gravwell ship came from within the borders of the Republic, or on this side of the front. Jedi Colburth noted that he did not believe they were Sith, however; the boarders who took Valsha did not have Sithstain, and yet they gave a strong fight to him, both with lightsabers and the Force.

Zero says, "So they did take her after all... and from the inside. Bastards."

The Kel Dor tilts her head to the side. "'They?' Whom are you referring to, Padawan Satau?"

Zero says, "No one in particular... at least, no one that I know for sure. I thought someone would have to have taken her alive... she's no use to anyone dead. And I wonder if she even really understands."

The Kel Dor inclines her head. "How do you mean?" The breathing mask makes it nigh-impossible to read her features.

Zero says, "She's just a child, Jedi. I wonder if she even knows why all this fuss is being made over her."

The Kel Dor is silent again. "I... am having trouble understanding what you mean, Padawan Satau. You know why she was taken?"

Zero says, "I found out some things on Marnaas, Jedi. Which is why they laid a seal against us. But she's still just a child and it rips me up inside to think she might suffer because we did nothing. If I violate the Seal for this... what assurance have I that you'd act in her best interests?"

This time, somehow, the Kel Dor's expression seems almost visible through the breath mask. "Marnaas. Oh, dear. I appreciate your candor on the topic, Padawan Satau. I will not ask you to break the Seal -- and you speak true, you do not know, and your caution is understandable." The Kel Dor stands. "Thank you for your time, Padawan Satau. May I or another Watcher contact you again if we can make such assurances to your satisfaction?"

Zero stands and slips his hands into his pockets. "If you can prove to me that you won't try to exploit her as well, I'll tell you what I know, Jedi. Until then, yeah?"

The Kel Dor nods soberly. "That is a condition that we understand fully. If you desire, I can be reached through the Balmorran chapterhouse." She bows. "Thank you, Padawan Satau. May the Force be with you."

Zero bows again. "And you, Jedi. If something comes up... well. You'll know as soon as I do, huh? We'll be in touch then." Koon nods, and wanders off back into the milling crowd. Zero turns and fades into the party himself, mulling that exchange over in his head. If anyone has the resources to find her again, they do... and it won't be the first time I've put my neck out for a long shot. She deserves at least that much.

Roakkana eventually runs into Zero. "Well, enjoying the party, Zero? -- uh," he amends, frowning as he senses Zero's concern. "What is wrong?"

Zero says, "I think there's been a development with our missing Scion, Master."

Roakkana looks around, frowning. "Little Valsha?" he asks softly.

Zero hisses softly, "Wasn't the enemy, Master... it was inside the line. Colburth got trashed by his own, Master... one of us!"

Roakkana blinks. "One of our own? You mean... a Jedi?"

Zero says, "The Watchers are carting him back to Coruscant right now. They had lightsabers, he says. And they had the Force... and no stain."

Roakkana frowns. "This is a... disconcerting development."

Zero grins faintly, looking out across the crowd. "And you don't even know how I know this, yet." He adds, "There's a little good news, too."

Roakkana blinks, "And that is...?"

Zero says, "We aren't the only ones that suspect Balin Khoud. The Watchers are onto him. He broke the first rule of subterfuge with his little show; you always bring the most suspicious party to the table first. Keep your friends close, like the saying goes... he didn't invite a single Watcher."

Roakkana nods a little, "That is good news. At least for us. It seems that Balin Khoud has indeed made a few mistakes. Let us hope that he doesn't attempt to tie us up as 'loose ends.'

Zero says, "I'm certain Kalatis is involved in this. Before this is over, Master... I'm going to hang him out to dry. More importantly for now, though... Valsha is alive. Or was, before Colburth was taken down. Which only makes sense, but is still a relief to hear. She's no good to anyone dead. So they won't harm her now, if they've not already."

Roakkana nods quietly. "That is good, at least. If the Sith got hold of her, there was no telling what would happen to her."

Zero says, "I don't think they know, outside of the Oath... and if the mainstream knew what the Oath were doing... I'd bet my own sword they'd crush the Oath. The Sith are all about the co-opting of power. Blow the opportunity to control their very own Red General? They'd denounce the Oath as fools and madmen." He adds wryly, "A point on which I must admit I side with the Empire."

Roakkana nods, "Most likely not, no, they do not know. And if the Oath killed her, I can imagine how the Moot would react." He nods quietly, "I agree, actually. The Oath is most assuredly... madmen." He frowns slightly. "Why would they leave Colburth alive, though?"

Zero says, "I think they are Jedi... and I think they were Consulars."

"Consulars? Why do you say that?"

Zero says, "I think the General's guards have come to claim their own."

Roakkana blinks, and takes a very slow look around the room. When he speaks, it's very quiet. "You mean those who have claimed the title of 'paladin'? Including Eeth Dakkan."

Zero says, "Maybe not all of them. Maybe not Eeth Dakkan, even. But I think some of them have been keeping track of their ancestral patron... and they chose their moment to make a move while there was an interregnum on Marnaas, I conveniently damaged all the available Oathers irreparably, and there was just one Templar in the way. Excellent timing."

Roakkana considers quietly. "The title 'paladin' is just a holdover, though. It doesn't even directly mean someone who claims philosophical heritage with the Red General's guards, just a master errant, of sorts... but if it was paladins, why would they do that? Why would they take Valsha?" He frowns deeper. "Would they want to bring about the Army of Light?"

Zero says, "I think it was a few of the ones that identified with the original title. And as for why... what better time, Master? What better time?"

Roakkana considers. "The Army of Light is generally considered by most Jedi to be a road we do not want to go down, no matter how bad the war with the Sith gets. We have considered the idea that the Templars would want that, because that grants them more prestige and brings about a world where they may operate freely beyond the Temple. Why would the paladins wish the same thing, who have eschewed their earned degree within the Order?"

Zero says, "Think about it from the perspective of an aspiring guardian of the General, Master. The Red General has come back. A war is about to jump off in hyperspace. There's an entire empire of darkness waiting out there to swoop in on the Republic. It seems too perfect to be coincidence." Zero grins, "From that perspective, at least. Me, I don't know if I believe in reincarnation... but my philosophy isn't important right now."

Roakkana makes a quiet sound. "That certain affinities with the Force follows some bloodlines has sometimes been taken to provide some evidence of reincarnation through the Force, but in twenty thousand years it is still an unanswered question. Though there is little doubt that Valsha is very strong in the Force."

He thinks for a moment. "One of the stories of the Red General," the Wookie says quietly, "relates of how she and her guards were ambushed behind their lines by twenty warriors of the Khomm Triads. Her bodyguards were ready to lay down their lives for her. She stopped them, and talked with the warriors. Talked and showed them things through the Force. Neither history nor legend tells us what she showed them or said, but the darksiders laid down their weapons and traveled from there directly to Oghan, seeking admittance into the Bendu monastery." He shakes his head. "And there are just as many, if not more, stories of the Red General overcoming overwhelming odds through her combat prowess and strategies. If Valsha has inherited any of that affinity, either as a consular or a guardian... or, someday, a battlemaster...."

Zero says, "Then she could swing this war for her side."

"Whichever side that may be. If you're right, Zero, I do not believe that this war will remain solely between the Republic and the Sith."

Zero says, "I've had that feeling for some time, Master... I think it's only started to get complicated."

Roakkana grins wryly. "'Complicated.' First the Oath of Fire, now the Red General. And somewhere in between the two, the Templars, Balin Khoud, and Senator Kalatis. The Order's past is quickly catching up with us."

Zero says, "Let it come, Master. It's got to be set right sometime... now's as good a time as any."

Roakkana nods quietly, "Even so, I worry for those who will be caught in the crossfire. In situations such as this, those who call for moderate action are typically shouted down or ignored.

Zero says, "Just so you know, I made the Watcher I spoke to give me a little promise."

"What promise was that?"

Zero says, "Until they can prove to me that finding her is in Valsha's best interests... I'm under the Seal of the Jedi Council. For now... we came away knowing more about them than they know about our situation."

Roakkana arches an brow. "She did not know that Valsha is the Scion of the Red?"

Zero says, "I was able to get all that out of them, without giving away more than that I know something about Valsha. Which was bloody well obvious given that I was there just as you and the rest of us were."

Roakkana nods quietly. "A good point. This gets odder and odder, Zero. We shall have to inform Freyja soon, if for no other reason then she will be relieved to know that Valsha is, in all likelihood, well and unharmed."

Zero says, "Yeah. But... after tonight, maybe. In the morning. Right now... I think knowing there's a Watcher here would be a little too much fuel on the fire."

Roakkana grimaces. "That is true." He smiles wryly, "Well, if you can enjoy the rest of the evening, I highly recommend it. We shall worry more about this on the morrow when Freyja is not being harangued by every corporate noble on Balmorra."

Zero grins, "Hey, I'm alive after Marnaas... and I know my enemy now. Try and stop me from having a good time."

Freyja sits quietly in the gym her father built for his girls, meditating. It's a relief to be alone but for Vakkan, whose quiet pacing is beginning to be a constant, trusted, and calming part of her background perception. Part of her grieves quietly for poor Valsha, who she's deeply concerned for... and part of her wants both to see Fhazil Taas again, and to somehow deliver the Oather holovid to the Sith lord -- confusion to the Oathers is a good thing as far as Freyja's concerned. Freyja lets her mind wander through the Force, following her internal wish to see them both... taking her time to search. As her Master has taught her, there is no distance in the Force... it is all self-perceived. She needs to shed that illusion... to Farsee past it...

Freyja meditates. For quite some time she brings herself into a meditative trance, opening herself up to the Force within and without. Perhaps some others enter the gym while she's there; if they do, they do not disturb her, and leave her be. She's a Jedi after all, doing something ineffably Jedi.

Her mind leaps forth from Balmorra, riding the currents, the winds of that strange presence in all things, between all things. Noosphere, geisterwalt, vril-taun, astral plane: words for it in millions of languages, thousands if not tens of thousands of traditions which called upon it in the distant past and the present. Freyja knows it, simply, as the Force. But even that simple term for it, as she has found, has many permutations and varying, sometimes conflicting, theosophies.
She seeks the touch, the subtle signature, of two people she has known. She senses herself reaching, then flying, between distant stars, thousands of them, her silver cord arcing away through the spiral arms of the galaxy far into the distance behind her as she casts herself through the ex ovo of the winds of the peculiar "dreamworld" of the Force.
Somewhere -- she doesn't know where -- the cord sings, and seemingly by tone alone she swoops down through space. Down, down... and through! The stunning cacophony of hyperspace swirls around her, maddening it it's sheer alien-ness, it's undefinable hostility to life such as hers, as unnatural as anything could possible be and yet still be said to be 'natural.'
The mental transition of her perception from realspace to hyperspace is almost jarring, terrifying in its so completely alien nature, but from the depths of her mind she summons for quiet mantras against terror and fear, and follows the song of the cord to her destination.
A ship in hyperspace, seen through the dream-lens of the Force, is an oddly beautiful thing to Freyja. Silver light trails along behind the ship -- ships, she realizes, seeing many more in hyperspace, though none of them can see the others -- shimmering and arcing in glorious patterns of light, a spider's web of elegance. Yet everything has a faint, surreal quality, a rippling of light and energy and a rushing of sound like the whoosh of air as one falls, or the roar of a current pulled along by a waterfall. And one light is ahead of her, as if a beacon. Valsha....
Into the almost tragically thin bubble of realspace surrounding the ship, into more normal perceptions, through the hull.... and there....
Valsha sits upon a comfortable bunk in what looks like a small transport, not unlike the Scurrilous Invertebrate which brought the padawans and Sith to Coruscant. She is reading from a book, a real book, not a datapad, and it is large in her small hands. She appears healthy, reading quietly to herself, her brow furrowing now and then. As Freyja's presence approaches the Scion of the Red, she can see that the book is in no language the Balmorran noblelady has ever read before.
Valsha looks up, but not at Freyja, and her face breaks into a happy smile. She puts the book aside, raising up her arms, and in Freyja's perception there is the swirl of a red cloak, as someone approaches and takes up Valsha into an apparently warm hug. That is all Freyja can see for several moments... then suddenly a pair of silver-flecked brown eyes turn to look right at her. They widen a little, perhaps in surprise, then narrow-

It hits Freyja like how she imagines a full-grown autumlas would... if the autumlas was riding an industrial-strength champion-class pod racer. The impact is so hard, so sudden, surely it must be some physical thing! Suddenly she's reeling, flailing through the aether, the silver cord whipping about her, taking hold of her, wrapping itself around her, around her neck, choking her-

And she is back in the gym, on her back and looking up at the ceiling, with Vakkan looking worriedly down into her eyes. Freyja whispers, "Ow... cranky..." She takes a careful breath, making sure she's not about to split her head with a migraine or something. She asks Vakkan, carefully forming the thought, then the words, "Gone... long...?"

Vakkal lets out the breath he'd been holding. "Only about an hour and a half. Are you all right, Freyja?"

Freyja sighs softly again, but cautiously doesn't try nodding, "Hai... whacked in Force... help me up, please?" She's very carefully trying moving herself, not sure if the attack was damaging or not. Vakkan nods quickly, and gently helps her up. Once she is seated upright, he retrieves a glass and pitcher of water for her. Freyja accepts the drink with relief, holding the glass with both hands as she thirstily drinks and swallows. She's pretty sure she wouldn't drop it... but would rather not find out the hard way she's shakier than she thinks. Once she's done she almost gasps for air, wearily leaning her head back against the wall, eyes closed, and murmurs, "Thanks, Vakkan, for not calling my parents' people... did you see anything?"

He shakes his head. "No. You began your meditations as you normally do, I watched... you meditated longer than usual, but I could see you still alive and breathing and did not want to interrupt." Freyja nods, opening her eyes as she listens with interest. "I guessed you were in some sort of trance, and since I do not know the effects of breaking someone out of such...." He frowns a little. "What happened? You aren't normally this... beat down after meditating. Normally you seem able to pull the ears off of a gundark, but this time it seems like the gundark returned the favor....

Freyja grins ruefully and explains, still enunciating carefully, "I was meditating, and wishing I could see Valsha and Fhazil Taas. But I realized that waving hello at Fhazil while he was chatting with, say, the Sith lord Ghang, ah... might not be the smartest thing I'd ever done..." she laughs softly, wincing slightly as she realizes what she ended up doing wasn't exactly the heights of brilliance either... "...ah... right. So I tried finding Valsha... and I did. She's in hyperspace right now, as is someone she really cares about who gives her hugs, wears a red cloak, has silver-flecked brown eyes..." Her smile gets rueful, "-and has a kick in the Force like a pissed-off autumlas!"

Vakkal blinks. "You... saw her? And she is well?" He frowns a little. "Uh... whomever that person is, didn't seem to want any visitors, so to speak."

Freyja nods in rueful amusement, gently rubbing her temples, "Would appear not... and hai, she did seem fine. Was reading a book -- a real one, not in any language I recognized. I'm guessing they're getting her boned up on tactics or something."

Vakkal nods quietly, frowning. "So... is she in good hands, or do we fear for her?"

Freyja looks up at Vakkan unsmilingly, "I can't tell you that, Vakkan. All I can say is whomever has her wants her happy and healthy right now, I think." She sighs, still rubbing her temples gently, and adds, "I should tell Master Roakkana too. If she's lucky, she lit up like she did at sight of the other person because it's a family member that's gone missing for a while and she now knows is fine... and not just someone with a breath-taking amount of Friendship."

Vakkal nods quietly, "At least the person is not playing upon her capacity to be easily frightened."

Freyja nods slowly, "Hai. That is a good thing." She looks up at Vakkan and sighs quietly again, "I have too many people I'm worried about, scattered across the universe..." Her smile becomes quietly self-deprecating, and she adds, "...and probably most of them don't even know. Ah, well. I guess I'm just nosy."

Vakkal smiles quietly. "Things like the HoloNet only exacerbate that, I think. Even a master or lord can only be in one place at a time." Freyja smiles and nods quietly, wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her chin on her arms. She's feeling rather battered currently... and a little wistful, wondering internally if she worries too much about people that don't really know or care.

Later, Freyja sleeps, exhausted and drained. The day was long enough as it was, without the wallop through the Force that the red-cloaked person gave her, pushing her away from Valsha. She falls asleep with worried thoughts about Valsha, concerns about worrying so much about the girl so far away, and of Fhazil who may as well be even farther; and of others, near and far and soon to be far.... Freyja's sleep is uneasy.

Freyja doesn't always remember her dreams, though she tries to; sometimes they're too ephemeral and evaporate as soon as she awakens. This happened much less often after she began her training as a Jedi. Once in a while, though, it happens, especially when she is exhausted. This would otherwise be one of those times -- a forgettable dream, an undulating, changing landscape, nothing to hold on to in the waking mind. But then through the mist she sees two eyes, eyes as large and saucer-shaped as a geri-cat's... but silver. The mists part, and in a moment Valsha is embracing Freyja. "Thank you," she says simply, smiling.
From far off, further than the furthest star, from the waking world, there is a voice: "Valsha? We've arrived -- oh, she's sleeping...!" That seems enough, though, to awaken the Bandomeeran, and in short order the girl starts to becomes more and more insubstantial in the dreamscape. She smiles quickly to Freyja, "Don't worry. It will work out. The Force is our ally... whether we know it or not...."

Freyja awakens, abruptly and fully. She sits up suddenly, with a startled gasp -- then catches her breath quickly, glancing a bit guiltily at the peacefully sleeping servant. Hastily she reviews the dream in her mind, so she won't forget it. Oddly, the dream -- if dream it at all was -- is not lost to the first startled, waking moments, but remains firmly rooted in her mind. Freyja thinks a moment... then decides she wants to talk to someone. This has been just... odd... she wants, she realizes, a real, physical hug too, and someone to help her see what's happening more clearly. She feels a little guilty about that also... but hopes either that Vakkan's awake and around, or Master Roakkana is awake... maybe? She tiptoes out, her desire for companionship strong enough that she doesn't even grab up a robe or disguise the fact that the bed is now empty, should the servant awaken.

Roakkana is at first asleep, but as Freyja peeks in the large Wookie murmurs, "Come in, child. I take it that this is not a concern about having nightmares?" He pulls himself up to a sitting position, looking a little tired but awake enough to be coherent.

Freyja looks a little guilty, whispering, "I hope I didn't wake you?" She slips quickly and quietly into the room, though, at the invitation... and if Roakkana doesn't seem to object, she curls up against him. She's feeling... all to bits, in a strange way. Holding her serenity together is hard enough when at home... worrying about other people, getting mentally whacked, and finding out there are folks that actually care about her feels both comforting and disorienting.

Roakkana seems surprised by Freyja's disorientation. "Whatever is troubling you, child?" he asks quietly, gently putting his arm across her shoulder. "You have not been this discomfited in a long time."

Freyja sighs, trying to mentally pull herself together... then tells her Master what happened both this evening... and her dream she'd just awakened from. "It... I, uh, don't know what to think, Master Roakkana. I'm pretty sure it was Valsha, and I think she was dreaming a thank you? -maybe?" She adds a bit wistfully, "I know it's probably stupid, but I worry about her... at least they're not trying to scare her, you know?"

The Wookie nods quietly; to his credit, he's apparently not yawning at all. "It's often been theorized that, when one dreams, one may reach further in the Force than when awake. But it is very hard to control that, in the dreamworld the id holds sway, and the id is rarely disciplined. Valsha, though, strong in the Force already as she is...." He nods quietly, letting out a breath. "It sounds, though, that someone," -- he doesn't quite say, "once again" -- "has done a number on you for farseeing them. Do not let that dissuade you, child, it is a gift and a talent that you have. I... am glad to hear that Valsha is apparently being treated well, and is with someone she knows or trusts." He adds wryly, "And is apparently very protective of her."

Freyja nods quietly, just relaxing against the big, warm, furry Wookie. Softly she murmurs, "That's... a good thing, right? That they're protective of her? I wonder if they're related... she has silver eyes, they had silver flecks in theirs... and she did light up when she saw them." She wonders a bit wistfully what it would be like to light up at seeing family... then ruthlessly squashes that thought. When she's this shaken up it'd be too easy to get all tear-y over thoughts like that... instead she says firmly, "Ah... farseeing, hai. Well..." Her smile gets rueful, "...I wish I were better at some of the other things I'm working on too, but..." she grins quietly, "-well, at least I'm getting lots of practice in really far seeing?"

Roakkana chuckles softly. "Until we know for certain, it is enough to know that Valsha is safe, and is being treated well, and is not being terrorized. She thanked you for looking for her, after all, and said... that interesting comment. 'The Force is our ally, wether we know it or not....'"

Freyja nods thoughtfully, "Hai, that... that confused me. I, ah..." she glances up and sideways at the Wookie, and says hopefully, "-was hoping you might be able to shed some light on that statement?"

"I cannot, child, I'm afraid. It sounds familiar... but nothing comes to my mind immediately. I will have to do some research."

Freyja says, "Oh." She considers for a moment, then speculates, "Well... the Force helped the original Red General to convince the um... Khannum, was it? -triads? -er, to convince them to give up attacking her, didn't it? So... maybe it's what unites us, more than divides us?"

Roakkana smiles. "The Khomm Triads. Khomm is a rather nice world, you should go there sometime. That... does sound like a valid interpretation of her statement.

Freyja looks curious, "Er... is it Republic now? Did the Khomm Triads make it leave the Sith or something?"

"Oh, yes, it's Republic now, and always has been. As much a part of the Republic as any of the Deep Core worlds are.

Freyja says, "Uh... then how did the Darksider Khomm Triads come from it, please?"

Roakkana chuckles softly. "Ever curious, child." Freyja grins unrepentantly at the amused comment about her curiosity, then listens with... curiosity as he continues, "The Khomm Triads were descended from a darksider tradition which had felt slighted by the Syncretic Assembly. They went to the Deep Core, but did not have any designs of a particular vengeful bent towards the Jedi; they merely wanted to be left alone. In time, the group known as the Khomm Triads split off from them, and began a rather surprisingly successful criminal empire. When the Dark Jedi were finally defeated, the Triads decided that then, with the Jedi Order weakened so much, would be a good chance to spread their influence. They underestimated the Jedi, however, but they also did not realize that their defeat would spark other actions by darksiders and greysiders and even a few rival lightsider traditions... and a few traditions which did not share the dualist Force the Jedi believed in. And thus were the Heresy Wars started.

Freyja huhs quietly... then nods, "So... it was sort of a um... ripple effect? Chase out this lot, then others decide to nose in too, and things just sort of snowballed?" She murmurs thoughtfully, "And thus... war, hai?"

Roakkana nods quietly. "Yes. Some sensed the Jedi were weak, others would not wish to stand by and see other traditions overrun by Jedi ideologies, and some... some saw it as their last chance to survive unfettered. And in the end, the Jedi Order was dominant over all other traditions... and while it was, towards the end, more of an ideological war fought with debate and sanction than wave-gun and sword, it was it was the Red General who had brought low the more militant of the Order's enemies, and paved the way for the Order's dominance."

Freyja says, "I wonder how she felt... if she knew she was going to obliterate everything else... and if she'd do it the same, given the chance to try again." She pauses, then says more softly, "I wonder if she is doing it again, in a way..."

"We don't know, child. We can't know. We are not omniscient. Farseeing only goes so far. We are left with a blurry, amateur-grade portrait of the Red General, a being of undefined race who is spoken of in terms more befitting legends than history. How can we separate the two?"

Freyja considers... then says puzzledly, "How can we? Um... to give Valsha a chance to be her own person?"

"I should have said, it is easier said than done. Divesting legends of their trappings to reveal the history beneath all but destroys both.

Freyja smiles quietly, "Really? Interesting. I think Leif thinks history should be facts, not stories, so we can learn from it. According to him, mythologizing history is hiding the truth... which is what the Jedi appear to have done with all the information on the divergent traditions."

"Nevertheless, mythologizing of history, as you put it, has taken place, wether the Jedi have done it or not. And it leaves us with puzzles that must be solved carefully and delicately, one of which is the Red General. We do not know much at all about her. We know what she did, her strategies and her actions, some of her deeds. But we do not know her. What was she thinking? What was she feeling? Did she know, as you asked, what was happening, what she was in essence permitting? She left no journal that we have been able to find, no memoirs, no record. Not even her signature, but one illegible, upon a single scroll in the archives of Ossus, upon the document which granted her the rank of Knight-Cardinal of the Army of Light."

The Wookie orates quietly, "'These duties I will carry out, to the fullest of my ability and power and knowledge. O luminous beings who came before us, guide my hand as it carries both sword and baton, that the art of war might find gentle expression upon the canvas of the galaxy in me-' ...and then her signature follows." He pauses a moment. "Pity such an historic figure had such atrocious handwriting, but then, at that point in time to write letters with pen and ink was becoming more art form than practice."

Freyja murmurs quietly, her expression slightly wary, as if in past memories, "Maybe she was afraid of losing her Self to all the people that wanted a piece of her... and, not being an entertainer, so refused to share it."

Roakkana studies Freyja for a long moment. "Freyja, child," he says softly, "you are doing the very best that anyone can do in this, and you are succeeding marvelously. There are many -- including many Jedi -- who could not even be half as capable of dealing with this as you have."

Freyja blinks, broken suddenly out of her meditation on the Red General and her worries about Valsha -- and to a lesser degree, Fhazil. "Er... thank you, Master Roakkana... but, uhm... dealing with what, please?"

The Wookie smiles quietly. "Everything. Marnaas, the inquiry, your own betrothal." He pauses. "You are worried, though, that you are having to divide yourself amongst people whom you trust and want to help, and your duties to both Haus and Order. You told me this, when you expressed concern that the people you care about are spread to all corners of the Galaxy. You may worry about loosing your Self in this mass of... of events, of loosing who you really are. But you are being strong, Freyja, in the face of all these events.

Freyja blinks as the Wookie clearly lays out all her incoherent worries in front of her... then just murmurs a slightly stunned, "Oh." She takes a breath, then whispers, "Trying to be..." She's silent a moment more, feeling somehow put together again a bit better, and a bit more serene -- how's he do that? -- then asks softly, "Master Roakkana... can I sleep here tonight?"

"Of course, child. You are welcome to." He makes room for her on the clearly Wookie sleeping-pad, retrieving several blankets for her from a small table beside the pad, gently tucking her in like those first few weeks when a much younger Freyja was far and away from Balmorra for the first time, in a cold and vast universe that had not yet opened up to her to show it was in fact filled with warmth and light and purpose.

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Last modified: 2002-Jul-16 16:14:54

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