Chronicles of V.
Posts: 3599
  • Posted On: Jun 7 2010 5:31am
[font=Arial Black]Awakening[/font]
~*~




I


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Forty six standard years ago.





The flashes of faces and people unknown flew past his mind's eye, but so quick that whenever he tried to grasp or hang onto an image of whoever it was that seemed to be assailing him, it was gone before he could make sense of it, like clutching at smoke.


Phantoms.


Some were human, many were, and yet many more were not.


Shouting , screaming, angry, frightened, happy , calculating, and simply cold...lifeless...

These frenzied apparitions tore at him, as if in an attempt to either drag the boy to wherever it is they came from, or to simply use him to escape.

Some were dressed in uniforms, not too dissimilar from the police, or the naval-men his father would point out, time to time.

Others , had hideously deformed features, with what seemed like tattoos or war paint...

Within this seething maelstrom of visions, came an over-whelming feeling of detachment from himself, perhaps his physical self.

As if the boy was suddenly adrift along some kind of metaphysical plain that had up until now been shut off to him.

In its place, a feeling of being....

(...the boy struggled to find the words suitable...)


...connected.


To everyone and everything...

A wave swept over him, and a feeling he had never felt before seemed to wash over his entire being, like being engulfed in a tidal wave.


He was taken under , limbs flying out , lungs bursting for air, but he was drowning...

It was too much, the crashing , swirling water smothered him, and he was scared...


Blind Panic set in, fighting and flaying uselessly against the water that smothered him...


A voice, from deep inside himself, spoke to him, it was calming, reassuring, goading...


The realisation, was blunted both from inexperience and ignorance, but a basic part of him, an instinctive essence, spoke to him from somewhere, and in this crude fashion, although he did not understand it, he accepted it.


And gave himself to it.



All at once, the waters calmed, and the current warmed him, panic was replaced with serenity.


The boy did not know how long he spent there, floating, immersed, but before long another voice, muffled and distorted, carried through the ether...


He focused onto it, and found simply by doing so, it became clearer, he could hear words now, no longer indistinct..


His name, it was calling his name...






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Posts: 3599
  • Posted On: Jun 7 2010 5:35am
The boy awoke with a start, and found himself face to face with his father.

"DAD!" He blurted out loudly as he flung his arms around the man sitting over him, his arms not quite managing to reach all the way around.

His father laughed and hugged him back.


The simple joy of fatherhood, to see the excitement of one's child at your return was something Kail would never become weary of. He had finished his work, very late, and probably shouldn't have disturbed the boy, but he had wanted to see him.

But he sensed something different, a parents instinct perhaps, something in the way the child hugged him longer than normal, something in his voice...

"What is it?" He broke the embrace to look directly into his son's eyes... "what's wrong?"

The boy shifted uneasily under his father's firm but kind look, his father had a gaze that he felt could see straight through him.

Perhaps he could...


" I saw things" The boy replied.

His father frowned a little, and tilted his head to one side as if studying him closer...

"What kind of things?" He prompted further...

The boy shrugged...

"Bad dreams" He said eventually...

"Ah" his father nodded as he spoke "Well , there is no need to worry, dreams cannot hurt you" he smiled reassuringly, and all at once, the boy felt safe.

" And I am here now, and I won't let anything happen to you"

The boy beamed groggily back at him...

"How about I stay here, and keep guard"

The boy nodded and yawned, and as his father tucked him back into bed again, he watched as the boy settled back down to sleep, and slowly drift off.

Kail sat on the edge of his bed, watching his son, listening to his breathing growing more relaxed and steady, and kissed him gently on the forehead.

"Sweet dreams" He whispered softly, and looked down at his son...


He was worried.


Worried of the future, but not really for himself, but for his family, his wife and his son.


A parents burden.



He wondered if he could truly protect him, all of them.

Whatever happens, he wanted them to both be safe.


He was taking a gamble, but he had no choice, this time tomorrow, they would be safe or...

No!...

Kail killed that thought before it manifested itself, arose from the bed and took a last long look at his sleeping son, before switching the light out and leaving the room.

Leaving his final thought seemingly to hang inside the room, as if imprinted upon it and its surroundings...


The thought was so basic, so obvious, from a father to a son, that it did not need to be put into words.


The very same thought every good father thinks without prompt instinctively before saying goodnight to his child.



And the child slept soundly.


Surrounded by its warmth.
Posts: 218
  • Posted On: Jun 9 2010 9:02am



II




Etti IV



The present...




The Jedi apprentice sat in relative silence, within her own secluded garden, hearing nothing except the excited chattering of birdsong and the distant waves of the shore, contemplating, meditating, concentrating in an attempt to focus her mind as she had been shown to do by Leia.

Attuning her senses to all that surrounded her, and giving herself to the force, Natalya let it flow through her.

Connecting herself to everything around her, the birds, the sea, the wind that tugged playfully at her hair, even the rocks, one of which she sat upon, cross legged, becoming a channel. for the force.


Somewhere, something stirred deep beneath the surface...


A flicker of a frown creased her otherwise impassive expression.


There it was again.



Natalya concentrated harder, ignoring it, trying to keep her focus intact...



It began to rise to the surface...







* * *









"Daddy! Daddy!"


The young girl rushed into her Father's study, excited and bursting to show the picture she had drawn, just for him, and as she burst in, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Her Father looked up, his face frozen with anger.


He was in another one of his meetings.


The men gathered at his table all looked down at her with a mixture of annoyance, surprise and curiousity...


Her Father slammed his fist upon the table...

"CLOSE THE DAMNED DOOR! AND GET OUT!" He bellowed, with a force held within his voice, that would send men his own age cowering..

The effect upon the seven year old, was nothing short of devastating...

She blinked, and trembled at its ferocity, as in some form of delayed shock...


Her face seemed to crumple, and the tears came...


"Oh in the name of Vader!, ALISSA!" He roared for the girl's maid...


The woman appeared by the door, next to the girl, and instinctively picked her up, consoling her, she threw the Corporate man a reproachful glare...

"You didn't need to shout at her she was just..." but she was quickly interrupted... "I pay you to mind the girl, now do your damned job and close the door, or I shall find myself someone else who will!"

And with that, the woman, still cradling the girl in her arms, left the room and closed the door to the study, leaving the men inside to continue their meeting.


The girl still clutching the picture within her grasp, cried silently, as the nurse, gently tried to console her...


This was not the first time and it would not be the last.


In time the girl would learn, that her father, did not want to be near her.


That even the mere sight of her would make him feel physically sick.


And in the darker moments, when he had left her black and blue, when she was crying herself to sleep alone, she would shrug off the pain, and start each new day with a fresh hope, that tomorrow would be different.


For ironically, his rejection, only spurned her on, made her push herself harder, faster, made her more determined...


She would show him though, she would earn his pride , his acceptance, it was only because she was not good enough.


Yes, that was it! He was testing her, she was at fault, she deserved his contempt, but she would change, and she would earn her place beside him.


Until then, she just had to push herself further.







* * *









The seventeen year old girl, stood side by side on the stage with her fellow class-mates, the academy, where she had spent the last five years of her life , was honouring their achievements, their graduation.

She watched silently as one by one each child's parents arrived and stood with their son or daughter, their hearts filled with pride as their child was awarded the ceremonial diploma.

"I'm sure he will be here" Her friend, Kimiko had whispered as she stood beside her...

The girl's eyes had already hardened... "No" she stated flatly "He won't "

For the girl's eyes had already settled on the all too familiar figure of her maid, Alissa, who smiled back at her, in that way she always did.

A mixture of both pity and sympathy.


By the Force! how she had began to hate that look!


She had been the focus of it since she could remember!


And another little piece of her died inside, once again.


The girl glanced down at her knuckles where she had trained, without stop, making them bleed, by now she had become very familiar with pain.



At this moment in time, it seemed the only thing around that made her feel that she was alive.



And as her name was called out, for being the academies most gifted student, the girl had already left the stage, leaving only an empty chair, an empty space in the line-up, leaving her friend Kimi helplessly watching her slip out of the grand hall otherwise unnoticed...

The girl walked silently on her own, suddenly becoming aware she ought to be feeling something, anything...

There was just a numb feeling, like a hole gnawing at her stomach...


Even her tears had seemed to have run dry.






* * *







Natalya let out an angry roar of frustration at having her concentration ruined... and promptly stood and without thinking, kicked the rock suddenly beside her with her foot, instantly regretting it.


Shit!


She bent down and started to rub it better, cursing her outburst...



"That hurt" she muttered to herself...


Exasperated, she sat down limply upon the rock and stared into the water of the small pond beside her...


Her focus, had been lacking of late, and she was making little progress.


She closed her eyes and began to practice the breathing exercises Leia had taught her , trying again to clear her mind..



Breathing in deeply through her nose, and exhaling with her mouth, she reached out with the force... but it was still there waiting for her, lurking in the depths...



She opened her eyes again and sighed deeply, and peered into the pond beside her , catching a glimpse of herself in the water.

The reflection stared back at her, shimmering upon the surface...
Posts: 218
  • Posted On: Feb 5 2011 4:45pm
A voice from behind broke her reverie.


"Trouble concentrating?"


It was rare these days for Nat to be surprised, as being attuned to the Force she could usually sense whoever was coming before they realised themselves.

Every apprentice, or person, has their own strengths and weaknesses, and Natalya was no different, this along with her naturally strong empathic abilities meant it was very unusual for her to be caught off-guard in this way.

She glanced around instinctively , to see its source, but before she had even set eyes on her visitor, the voice itself registered, causing her to both smile and frown slightly.

As her eyes settled upon her Father, she took his appearance in.

Dressed smartly in a dark purple tunic, decorated only with a small emblazoned brooch of the Republic.

Black leather shoes , polished to a fine finish.

Nat's eyes slowly met his, and she smiled half-heartedly, and nodded... "Something like that" and returned her gaze to the water, and her reflection looking back at her.

The ex-corporate figurehead tilted his head and murmured slightly, as if confirming something with himself.

It was at this moment Nat realised he had somehow masked his approach using the Force, she looked back up towards him sharply as she put words to her thoughts.

"I didn't know you knew how to do that" She said with a half-smile as she looked back up at him. Vinda had not moved but instead, remained a small distance away.

It was his turn to smile, it had an almost sly, playful-like quality to it...

"Evidently, there's still a lot we have to learn about each other, Natalya" He returned...

Natalya nodded, the two fell silent for a while, and as her eyes fell back to the water once more, a rueful smile played upon her lips.

"There's a lot you don't know" She said eventually, and looked up at him pointedly.

Vinda walked around the pond and to stand beside her, and placed a hand upon her shoulder.

For a moment, Natalya felt unsure about the relatively minor display of affection, but without thinking she reached up and rested her hand on his, appreciating the contact.

Vinda spoke again, but softer this time...

"Try again" he said simply.

He moved behind her, and moved his other hand in much the same position, so that now he rested both hands upon her shoulders, and as she nodded and closed her eyes to concentrate, he did the same.

She felt herself relax, and the Force begin to channel through her...


Concentrate on my voice...



Nat did as she was told...


To harness the power of the Force you have to clear your mind of distractions...



She listened to his words, and found herself tuning into nothing but his voice...


Feel the Force surround you, in every rock, every blade of grass, in every ray of sunshine, every living thing...


Reach out to it....


Let it flow through you, like the water that runs past you now....




Nat gradually began to feel herself centered and at peace, for the first time in a long while...


Good. Very good.


A wave seemed to wash over her, and her father's voice seemed to fade off into the distance ...


A vision.


Two creatures , faced each other...


She frowned as she focused herself upon it.


Two Wolves.


One white , one black.


One calm, the other snarling, circling the other as if to attack...


The white seemed to look directly back at her, while the black seemed to focus only on the white wolf.


Despite the savage looking beast snapping at it, the White wolf did not react, but remained quietly impassive.


Without warning the black wolf attacked. The ferocity of which, shocked Natalya.


Unable to look away, Nat watched in horror as the black wolf tore its counter-part to shreds, leaving only a red bloody mess, where white fur had once been.


The black wolf turned to face Natalya directly, almost as if it was standing in front of her, and its eyes looked deep inside the young Jedi, as if looking into her very soul.


Natalya could not shift herself from the focus of its accusing gaze, its eyes burning with a deep intensity..


They were glowing the colour of brilliant blue.



And as quickly as it had come, the apparition disappeared, and Nat found herself once more beside the pond with her Father.


"Natalya?"

His voice was reassuring to hear, after what she had just saw, and she opened her eyes to look up at him and began to speak.

"I saw it too" He interjected before she could say anything...

She stared up at him, searching his eyes for an explanation...

"What does it mean?" She asked, her voice heavy laden with worry...


Vinda seemed to consider this for a moment before leveling his gaze upon hers...


"I think, deep down, you already know" He answered simply.
Posts: 69
  • Posted On: Jan 8 2012 2:43pm
III



The Past...


Undisclosed location...





The Father watched his son quietly , barely unable to contain the swell of pride that grew within him.


The ten year old boy, oblivious to being watched, practiced precisely and dutifully, and despite his young age, had already mastered the basics.

His strokes calm and controlled, showed great aptitude.

The boy's stance was centered and well balanced, and as he went through the movements, he barely showed any hints of weakness.

The Katana cut through the air cleanly, barely making a sound, as he slashed and parried his way through his practice regime, moving seamlessly from defensive to attack postures, his concentration focused.

His Father could not help but wonder what lay ahead for his progeny, if this promising start was to be of anything to go by, surely he would be destined to become a great warrior.

Maybe even clan leader, one day...

He shrugged the thought off quickly , mentally chiding himself for his indulgence.

But while there was still much he had to learn, he knew the boy was ready to begin the trials.

As the boy spun around he caught sight of his Father and he froze, then stopped, sheaving his sword into its scabbard quickly in one smooth and fluid motion as he had been taught.

"Father"

He said as he bowed , slowly, respectful.

Nada, stepped forward and motioned for his son to come nearer.

The boy did as he was told, and Nada squatted down on his legs, so he was face to face with his son, and placed a hand upon his shoulder.

"You have done well, my son, you honour the family and yourself with your progress"

The boy smiled at this, clearly pleased at his Father's words, and bowed quickly, excited.

"Tomorrow you shall begin the trials, I feel you are ready, and I believe you will pass"

The boy's face grew serious, as the impact of this statement hit home...

"I will not fail you Father" the boy said, his small brow furrowed with a frown of deep sincerity.

Nada, smiled broadly at this and laughed, ruffling his son's hair affectionately...

It was a deep , hearty laugh which seemed to resonate within the boy's entire being, a source of warmth and pride, which made him feel secure.

"I know you won't, son, I know" he said still smiling, and with that he rose , gesturing for the boy to follow him "But for now, its time to eat" And with that, the boy followed behind eagerly.