[FONT=Palatino Linotype]The gentle hum of the hyperdrive engines were interrupted by a loud thump which immediately made one of the cockpit alarms sound. The annoying beeping made Kyra awake from her meditation.

Kyra looked over the consule. “Damned electrical systems!” Kyra said under her breath as she started to perform a systems check. The older Eta-2 Interceptors that the Nightsisters acquired early on were outdated and in need of replacement. The one Kyra was flying was on one of them and one of the oldest.

“What is the closest planet we could safely reach for repairs?” Kyra asked the black R5-A1 unit. As it beeped and whistled, the planet Tholatin appeared on one of the panel screens. “Tholatin it is. We’ll need to get the proper Commonwealth authorization to land there for repairs. R5, make what in flight system fixes you can to get us to there in one piece. We’ll do the rest of the repairs once we arrive on Tholatin. I'll signal for authorization to land.”

Fortunately for Kyra, the repairs she needed could be done away from any populated areas. This eased some of Kyra’s concerns since she hoped her presence on Tholatin would go mostly unnoticed.



Kyra released the clamps from the hyperdrive ring and began to guide her ship into the atmosphere of Tholatin. A steady black stream could be seen emanating from the back of her ship as she passed over a mountain range and glided closer to the surface. She hovered over a clearing in a nearby forest and softly rested her ship on the ground below.

After Kyra shut down the ship’s systems, she opened the cockpit canopy. It was early evening and the only sounds that could be heard were the rustling of leaves, the calls of the local creatures, and the water which flowed along a nearby stream. It was a perfect setting which reminded Kyra of Lexia and the forest was one place a Nightsister found solitude and comfort in.



Darkness had just overtaken the sky above and the air slightly cooled when Kyra had finished setting up camp. She had constructed a comfortable shelter and started a fire where Kyra sat down and finished eating a fish she managed to pluck out of the nearby stream.

Kyra glanced over her shoulder at the R5 unit as it performed repairs to her ship. She then closed her eyes and began to meditate beside the fire. She reached out with her senses to check if there was anyone in the area near her.


So far, she was alone…[/FONT]

It was night and it was the safest time for someone like him to be outside of the temple within the mountain pass. During the day there was the constant nagging possibility of there being a BDE spy running about. Or else someone could be about that would alert the Dragon's to his presence on the planet. Either option was a bad one.

While he'd been watching out one of the windows he'd seen a damaged vessel fly overhead and he felt a presence within it. The presence was a mysterious one, something not far distant from his own. It was something that confused him. As such, he wanted to know what the cause of this anomoly was and he intended to find out. So, when darkness came, he left Amarie in the temple and moved out.

Black cloak hid from sight within the cloud covered sky, his body sliding amongst the rocks as if he'd been doing it for years and he very nearly had been now. The mountains were quickly crossed, there was hardly any between the temple and the forest beyond. His black cloak kept him hidden within the darkness as he moved along.

The smell of smoke lingered on the air and he kept his presence hidden, the person from the ship would surely not be able to feel him coming. Slow steps carried him within the forest, careful to not even break a twig nor ruffle a leaf. The hood of his cloak hid his white skin from sight, so no light could reflect off of it.

When he neared the clearing, the first thing his eyes fell upon was the ship that sat within it. It confirmed that this was indeed the ship that he was looking for. Slowly, he circled around the clearing, eyes watching and ears listening to the sounds from around them. It took him a few moments to find the camp that the occupant had made.

Much to his surprise it was a woman that had been flying the ship and it was her that had the strong Force presence. The thing that was really starting to bother him was that he couldn't tell what she was. She wasn't Sith, not a strong enough dark presence. She wasn't Jedi, not a strong enough light presence. She could be Rogue, or she could be something else.

There was a droid working on the ship, but it wasn't even paying attention to the rest of the surroundings. Crouching down, he lifted a handful of dirt and rubbed it over his hands for a moment in attempt to cover up his skin. After that he watched, waiting to see if he would be noticed or not. Waiting to see if the woman would do anything.

When nothing came from the woman, he slowly crept out of hiding place and moved across the ground as silently as possible. His presence was still hidden within the Force, not allowing her to have the luxury of feeling him approach her. Not until he was nearly right on top of her, hands resting beneath his cloak and on top of his lightsabers.

"Who are you and what brings you to Tholatin?"

[FONT=Palatino Linotype]Kyra started to have the sensation she was not alone, but could not pinpoint if there was anyone nearby. Her suspicions became clear when she watched a shadowy figure approach her from behind in the reflection of the metal pan she cooked her fish in.

She kept her lightsaber at the ready, but did not feel this stranger had posed any immediate threat to her. In fact, Kyra began to think he was more intently curious as to the meaning of her presence which would explain why no hostility had been taken sooner.

"Who are you and what brings you to Tholatin?"

Kyra slowly rose to her feet and turned to look at the figure…

She then replied in a soft and soothing voice. “I did not know I needed your personal approval to be here.”

A smile crept across Kyra’s face. “Would you be the King of Tholatin then?”

The hooded figure remained silent…

“Well, Your Majesty, my name is Kyra.” Kyra bowed her head while still smiling. “Your humble servants granted me permission to land on your beautiful planet to repair my ship. I hope I have not intruded upon your palace grounds by mistake.”

Kyra then crossed her arms and continued to stare at the dark hooded figure with a small smirk on her face…

“Should you not be the King, might I ask your name and why you have approached my camp?”
[/FONT]

"I don't control this planet and therefore do not have an servants. And I'm not the King. The King died many years ago when he was murdered by his son."

He stands coolly a good few feet away from where Kyra stands, not moving even an inch. The hood of his cloak doesn't even move, signifying that his eyes are locked upon her face as he watches her. Slowly, he releases his hold of his presence within the Force, allowing it to wash over her in the process of doing so. No reason to hide it could be found within her aura as far as he was concerned.

She was alone as well. There wasn't anyone hiding nearby because he'd have felt them. Unless they were high level Force users. Master's could probably hide from him if they wanted to, otherwise there weren't any that could. Not that he knew of anyways. It had been... years since he'd seen another Force user outside of his daughter and Kenshin.

"I am, however, the Prince and you are within my wood."

A hand moves towards his hood, slowly lowering it down behind his head to reveal the man beneath. He was, indeed, looking quite a bit older than he did when he was captured by the Black Dragon Empire and New Order. Those pictures of him would most definately portray him as quite a bit younger than he really was.

"Your ship was damaged. I saw it and thought I would check it out, thus I found you. Found you and your strong presence in the Force. What are you? I can't discern it."

Despite him having lowered his hood so that she might see who he was, he was still obviously wary of the entire situation. He felt out with his mind to the area around them, waiting for someone to emerge from hiding and take advantage of him exposing himself. Someone who wanted him dead. A Black Dragon operative in hiding.

It wouldn't have surprised him that much...

[FONT=Palatino Linotype]Kyra watched as the man slowly lowered his hood and released his block upon the Force. The enormous void Kyra felt had now been filled by his presence which was pleasing to her as the feel of the forest returned. Plus she could feel there were no other beings in the area.

It was rather interesting to Kyra that she had somehow stumbled across a Prince who called these woods home. Why he was here was quite a mystery of itself.

"Your ship was damaged. I saw it and thought I would check it out, thus I found you. Found you and your strong presence in the Force. What are you? I can't discern it."

Kyra smiled, “As you already observed My Prince, I am simply a woman who can indeed sense the Force about her who has a broken ship. Nothing more.” Kyra’s eyebrows rose as she motioned over to her R5 unit. “The droid on the other hand…” Kyra grinned, “…he’s deadly.” Kyra laughed and had hoped her visitor would feel more at ease in her presence.

“Please, make yourself comfortable by the fire.” Kyra waived her hand to an empty space near the fire. “Forgive my untimely humor of referring to you as a king. The last thing I expected was to actually run into any royalty around these woods.”

Kyra gazed at the man before her who was actually rather handsome. There seemed to be something about him she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Why was he walking about the woods in a dark hood and being so cautious? Afterall, he did seem more concerned of her presence than she was of his.

“So might I have the honor of knowing the Prince’s name?” Kyra asked with a smile.[/FONT]

"I call these woods and other places home because my presence is not known here. As far as I'm concerned, I can only hope that it stays that way. Or else there'll be trouble."

The offer to allow him to take a seat at the fire drew a nod of his head and he moved off to the side from where she stood. Slowly, he lowered himself down into a cross-legged position, black cloak pooling around him in the process. The warmth of the fire washed over him and he closed his eyes for a moment, relishing in its warmth.

So she was going to ask the questions that he couldn't answer. If he told her his name, she would no doubt report him to the Dragon's for the sizeable bounty on his head. If he was her that's what he would do anyways. Perhaps that was a prospect of his heart slowly growing colder and colder as a result of past experiences.

"I don't yet know if I can trust you, so I can't yet tell you my name."

However, there was the problem of giving her something to call him. She couldn't just go walking around saying 'hey you' or something of that form. It wouldn't be proper. But what should he tell her for a name? It had to be something that couldn't even be remotely compared with his name. Something so obscure it would be doubtful anyone important would have such a name.

"You may, however, refer to me as Watcher. Being as that's what I really am it is a fitting term for you to call me. Until you should happen to earn my trust, which won't be easy."

Watcher was a good thing for her to call him because that was indeed who and what he was. For the past months he'd been hiding within the mountains, watching the hustle around nearby cities, watching for any sign of lingering Dragon patrolmen in the mountains or woods. Watching for any signs of spies holding a meeting.

So far there had been nothing for him to do but sit around and to be honest it was becoming rather boring, rather quickly. The Rogue Jedi Order had long since been disbanded, he and his daughter the only ones left to his knowledge. But hiding on Tholatin wouldn't keep them safe forever. One day soon his presence would be made known and then things would take a nasty turn.

One day soon someone would find out about him or his hand would be forced and the galaxy would realize that Kamon Vondiranach wasn't dead, and was hiding right beneath everyone's nose. And then the Commonwealth would likely be attacked by the Dragon's and accused of harboring a fugitive. The fact that they didn't know wouldn't matter. Just him being here was a danger.

[FONT=Palatino Linotype]Kyra understood the need for anonymity, but couldn’t help laugh out loud for a moment. “Very well, Watcher it is.”

Kyra threw another small log onto the fire then returned her gaze back to the man. “Your presence here will be kept a secret with me. I suppose it’s safe to say that the sisterhood which I am a part of respects such seclusion. This is why I chose such a remote place to land.” Kyra smiled, “So, should you not announce my presence in your woods to anyone else, I will do the same in return for you Mister Watcher.”

Indeed this Watcher had secrets of his own to hide, much like Kyra herself. Still, she was no bounty hunter and the Nightsisters had no interest in such matters either. Whatever his secrets are were of little concern to Kyra. At least at the current time they weren’t.

Kyra gazed up into the sky and at the tops of the trees. “Such a beautiful forest you have here Watcher. You have chosen a very nice place to live in my opinion.” Kyra’s eyes closed. “The sounds of the rustling leaves, the sound of the water flowing along the stream, the sounds of the creatures of the woods; all of them are quite intoxicating.”

Kyra’s eyes opened. “Have you been here long Watcher?”

Kyra smiled, “Of course you can remain silent should the mysterious woman be asking too many question of you again.” [/FONT]

A roll of his eyes was the only hint of his annoyance at the way she was using the name Watcher. He supposed, though, that he would have to get used to it because she didn't understand that he couldn't give her his real name. Not yet anyways. Her words could be a trick and though she seemed sincere, she could merely be trying to hide her real emotions behind her mask.

"I've been living around here for almost a year I think. Perhaps more. Before that I was confined.. somewhere else for two years. And before that I lived on this planet freely."

It was an answer to her question, yes, but it wasn't the full answer that he knew she was looking for. He had to be cautious though and he knew this. Blatantly giving himself away would spell his doom and problems for the planet. In so doing he could harm his daughter's life by making her a target of his thousands of enemies.

The fire was rather warm and it was a cool night, drawing him closer to the flames which licked up at the air. To accentuate his desire for warmth, he held his hands out towards the flames, allowing the somewhat scarred tissue of his upper hands to be exposed to Kyra if she were to look closely enough and see it.

"If I told you why I can't tell you my name I would just as well tell you my name. Thus it's a dilemma."

He nodded his head at this before turning his eyes to look over at her for a moment. After close, careful scrutiny of her, he turned his eyes to glance towards the ship for a moment, eyes roving over it. When he was satisfied, he turned his attention once again to Kyra.

"From where do you hail? What planet do you call home?"

[FONT=Palatino Linotype]As Kyra listened to Watcher, she noticed as he crept closer to the fire that his scarred hands became exposed. Perhaps it had to do with the confinement her mentioned. For now, the discomfort she was causing with her questions would make her not ask further questions regarding his scarred hands.

"If I told you why I can't tell you my name I would just as well tell you my name. Thus it's a dilemma."

Kyra nodded as she became more serious. “I understand Watcher. Going around and discussing one’s private life to an unknown woman sitting around a fire is not the wisest of decisions.”

Kyra then noticed as Watcher looked over her ship. “It’s an Eta-2 that has been showing its age to me through recent bouts of malfunctions. Still, it gets me to and fro.”

Watcher’s attention returned to Kyra. “"From where do you hail? What planet do you call home?"

Kyra smiled. “Well, I grew up on Naboo and lived there most of my life. My bloodline is Dathomiri. For the sake of my own protection, that should suffice for now.” Trust goes both ways she thought to herself and she knew Watcher would understand her secrecy as she did his.

Kyra threw more wood onto the fire since it was growing increasingly colder. “Rather cold this evening don’t you think?” she said as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms to keep warm.

Kyra then looked at her small shelter she had made earlier. “I would invite you in but you don’t strike me as the type who goes to bed with strange women. Do you wander about the forest all evening in your cloak or do you have someplace you call home?”
[/FONT]

"Dathomiri bloodline.. But yet you are most definately not a Witch. I would feel if you were, I think."

Eyes watched her attempt to warm herself for a moment and he shook his head in response to the bit about going to bed with strange women. No, he didn't go to bed with any women and he probably never would again. If he had his way he never would again. The pain of loss was too much for him to handle and he wouldn't go through such a thing again.

It was time for him to take a more focused approach to his life as a Jedi. A more Jedi-like lifestyle. The only person that would ever have his love anymore would be his daughter, Amarie. She was the new heir to Tholatin's thrown and he would make her his apprentice. She would be the next phase of the Rogue Jedi Order. The new beginning for the group that was brought down so easily.

"No, I don't wander around the woods very much at all. On a normal night I'd either be asleep or in a deep trance right now. Your ship and yourself are what bring me out."

A glance over to her allowed his eyes to rove over her for a moment, searching her with his eyes for any weapons that she might have evident. His own lightsabers were safely hidden beneath his cloak and he intended to keep it that way. She knew he was a reasonably formidable Force user, but his weapons would remain hideen.

"I reside within the old Rogue Jedi Order temple."

Slowly, slowly he was giving her clues as to who she was. The more he felt out to her aura the more he understood that she wasn't there to hunt him. She was merely just another person passing through that had stopped on Tholatin only momentarily. In this case it was because her ship was a piece of junk and had nearly fallen apart.

Still though, he wouldn't tell her his name yet. Not until she actually proved to him that he could fully trust her. At that point in time she would learn his name and in so doing learn why he was in hiding.