451. Manipulation of Emotion - Trychon

Raezyr spent most of his time the next two days resting on his bed next to Trychon. Father Monahan, in the company of one or two of the other elders, came in from time to time to check on he and his brother, and ensure they were comfortable. Beyond that Raezyr saw no other visitors other than Brother Odilo and Saffron, although Mannix could regularly be seen walking by the entrance and trying not to be caught glancing through the doorway. Raezyr would have found this odd, but Saffron had told him that there were strict instructions to leave the two 'guests' to themselves while they heal. He was grateful for the gesture.

He had gone out to the garden with Saffron once again two days prior, but today he ventured out for the second time for a walk with the young healer, as he was regaining his strength and was becoming more restless. Saffron continued to ask about his past, despite his best attempts at diverting her with his own questions. He did his best to give her stories that were bland and uninspiring regarding the teachings of the Jedi and their ambiguous duality, hoping to bore her. The stories seemed to have the opposite effect however and Saffron continued to ask for more, growing ever more curious about his time with Trychon. Raezyr fought the temptation to tell her one or two stories that would horrify her instead, which he was sure would convince her to drop the line of questions.

Realizing the likely poor outcome if he let his poor patience get the best of him, he insisted that he was becoming tired again, and the odd pair headed back to the hut a bit sooner than Saffron had hoped. As they walked, Raezyr drew long a modified story about his Master's own frustrations from her time in the order. He allowed his voice to fall off a bit as he spoke, hoping to assure her that he couldn't go on much longer discussing it. As they drew nearer to Raezyr's temporary home, the noise of something rustling came through the open entry.

Raezyr dropped the wooden staff Saffron had given him to support his weight and pulled upon the Force more than he had since he'd woken from the crash, allowing him to nearly run to investigate the noise. He regretted the move as he stopped at the doorway, using the side of the wall to support his weight as he looked upon Trychon, sitting up on his bed and looking down at whatever object he knocked over in his attempts to right himself. The older Sith was laying his head down into his hand, clearly feeling the damage from the crash in the same way Raezyr had when he'd first awoken.

Saffron pushed past Raezyr carefully and grabbed the amulet on her way to Trychon's side. She gently helped him to lay back down as she spoke to herself. "Hello... nice to meet you... you must be 'Stubborn'. Is that a family name?'

Trychon chuckled silently and then groaned loudly after the effort. Saffron leaned down over him and touched the gem on the amulet to his forehead. Trychon sighed with his eyes shut and responded to her. "Ah... Nice to meet you, Heaven."

Saffron turned from him as she smiled a bit and returned the amulet to it's normal resting spot. She walked over to Raezyr to help him to his bed while addressing Trychon again. "I'm Saffron, actually. Do you recall the events that brought you here?"

"Sort of. Judging from the way I felt a moment ago, and the form of your question... I'd say it was likely even worse piloting than I thought at the time." Trychon quipped as he tested his half grin for a half second before deciding that was still a bit uncomfortable.

Raezyr saw the surprised look on Saffron's face in response to the remark. "It's ok, Saffron, he's joking mostly. Or mostly all of the time, depending. He knows we'd be dead along with a large portion of your forest if I'd let him 'Move the thingies around this time' as he always asks. Lucky to have such a good pilot for a brother... We're both lucky he has such a good pilot for a brother."

Saffron did her best to compose herself, clearly not sure how to take the two Brothers' interaction yet. "It's Ok, Mister Trychon... your brother has told me a lot about your life, and I'm sure you'll be comfortable here... you won't have to worry anymore about trying to come to terms with your confusing ways of the Jedi."

Trychon sat halfway up and rested with his elbows cocked behind him for support. He glared straight at Raezyr, both confused about Saffron's statement about his past and clearly upset a bit about the fabrication it must have entailed. He softened the look immediately, but noticed that Saffron once again seemed taken aback and even had mouthed 'Oh, my'. Then he noticed that Raezyr was also looking at him rather intently and was about to guess as to why when he saw a young man standing at the doorway with his mouth wide open in shock.

The young man turned and ran as fast as he could. Saffron muttered what sounded to Trychon like a curse before she took after the boy, though it didn't seem she had the speed to catch him.

While Trychon watched them leave with a lost look on his face, Raezyr gestured to his own eyes, and indicated he meant Trychon's with a nod. "Your eyes. The yellow flecks have... grown." In truth, his brother's eyes nearly had the look of a small Sun radiating heat outward.

Trychon shrugged it off. "Interesting." Then he lowered his voice to an aggressive whisper. "What did you tell them?"

Raezyr opened up their Force-bond and spoke to him through his thoughts. We'll need to talk about that...

Trychon got an uneasy feeling as his brother's comment came to him. He glanced around the room as though looking for an intruder, and then he shook his head in an obvious sign of the negative. He mouthed silently 'Not here.' and made a signal to his ears. He hoped that Raezyr would understand his intent... because although he couldn't figure out why, he was nearly certain that someone else almost heard what Raezyr had 'said' to him.

450. Flight of the Decoy - Raezyr

The two Sith made it out of the rear door, and Tyrrazapon reached inside his coat and tossed Anya's lightsaber to her before turning and running down the alley. A moment later, casino security poured out the door after them.

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"Control, Beta 5, they're heading for the street, send a squad to cut them off!" one of them yelled into his communicator. They tore down the alley in pursuit, as the man and woman ducked around the corner at the far end. Suddenly the woman stepped back into view and made a throwing motion and ducked back out of sight. The guards looked, but saw nothing, so continued running. They hadn't taken but a few steps when an explosion rocked the alley, leaving nothing but debris, and a jumbled mass of body parts.

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On the street, Tyrrazapon could hear the wailing of sirens in the distance approaching rapidly. The security guards which had come from the front of the building had cut off the route to the speeder, and he was desperately looking for some other mode of transportation.

"Over here!" Anya shouted from across the street. Tyrrazapon looked as she switched off her lightsaber, yanked the headless corpse from the driver's seat of a two person speeder and clambered in.

Tyrrazapon started running in her direction. Luckily, the guards had learned from their mistake inside the casino, and held their fire in fear of more casualties. Using the Force to propel himself, he leaped the five meters, landing in the cockpit beside Anya, who immediately punched the throttle.

They sped off just as two Security Police speeders pulled up, and the casino security guards pointed them in the right direction before they took after Anya and Tyrrazapon.

Anya gunned the speeder and swooped in and out of traffic as they sped toward the spaceport where they had parked their ship, the Police speeders closing in with their superior power and maneuverability.

Suddenly the traffic cleared and the police began to open fire. Tyrrazapon stood up and ignited his lightsaber, and began to return the blaster bolts. Green laser beams lanced the air all around him, and he deflected anything that came near. He wasn't as good as Raezyr at this, but just before they reached the spaceport, one of his deflections landed a successful hit on the starboard engine of the lead police speeder.

The engine erupted, sending the craft careening into the other patrol speeder and they both exploded into a massive fireball of burning fuel, twisted metal and burned bodies.

They swept past the gate guards at the entrance to the spaceport, and stopped just long enough to jump out of the speeder in the large open area where they had left their space craft. Tyrrazapon ran to the ship and keyed the security code into the pad next to the loading hatch on the Wasted Rancor as Anya rigged the throttle on the speeder, then sent it careening toward the passenger terminal.

Without looking to see what kind of damage the pilot-less speeder would do, both Sith ran up the ramp and Anya closed it behind them while Tyrrazapon ran toward the cockpit, his boots clanking on the durasteel deck.

Sliding into his seat, he hit the controls, bringing the ships engines out of standby. The ship responded immediately and leaped quickly into the air, the repulsor lifts whining as they began to take off.

Anya slid into the co-pilots chair and buckled in, just as the comm crackled to life and a strange voice emanated from the speakers. "Wasted Rancor, this is Spaceport Control. You are ordered to land and stand by for boarding, please acknowledge and comply."

Tyrrazapon keyed up the comm. "Acknowledged, Contol. Setting down now, just give us a moment."

Anya gave Tyrrazapon an incredulous look, then noticed the giant grin on her companion's face. "Just buying us an extra second," he laughed.

The ship shot upward, away from the planet's surface and with in moment had entered space. Tyrrazapon switched to the sub-light engines and they streaked away as three Security Police attack shuttles swung into pursuit.

Tyrrazapon toyed with them for several minutes, letting them catch up, but never gave them a clear shot, while Anya punched in the coordinates given by the navicomputer, and after a few more moments, they disappeared into hyperspace leaving Balmorra in their ion trail.

449. Manipulation of Emotion - Raezyr

Sensing Saffron's presence enter the hut, Raezyr opened his eyes and looked about. He could see the early morning light stream in through the windows and the unusual sound of the native birds penetrated the walls with their melodic songs.

Saffron held a tray in both her hands and brought it over, setting it down on Raezyr's lap as he shifted himself into a sitting position. The smell of the warm food drifted into his nostrils, making him awakening his hunger. Eagerly he spooned a bite of the stew-like substance out of the wooden bowl and into his mouth. It was good, hearty food, not overly spiced, but not bland, either.

Saffron smiled at him for a moment as he ate, then walked over to the amulet that hung from the ceiling and took it down, placing it around her neck. She walked over to Trychon and touched it to his forehead. Raezyr watched as the gem in the center of the medallion glowed briefly, then faded away again. She turned and walked over to Raezyr, repeating what she had done with Trychon. He could feel a sensation which could only be described as warm liquid flowing from the spot the amulet touched on his head and continued as it spread over his whole body. When it faded, he noticed that not only had the pain in his body subsided, but he felt refreshed and invigorating.

He could sense that the energies produced by the amulet were from the Force, but he asked about it anyway. "Do you mind if I ask what that necklace is?"

"This is one of the Amulets of Power. Our people have six of them. The most powerful is worn by our leader, Father Monahan. Four are worn by the the Elders, who make up our High Council, and this one belongs to the chief Healer, Brother Odilo. Someday, when I become the chief Healer, it will belong to me," she explained as she placed the amulet back where she had gotten it from.

"What do they do? Can anyone use them?" Raezyr asked as he finished the last of his breakfast. He was hoping he came across as only curious for curiosity sake.

"Well, this one is for healing. That's common knowledge. As for the others, only those who wear them, and those destined to wear them have full knowledge of their powers," she said, sitting down in the chair next to Raezyr's bed.

"Now let me ask you a question. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. Especially after you used that jewel thingy."

"Good. I was hoping you'd be up to going for small walk. I have this crutch for you here." She indicated the wooden staff with padded crook on the top leaning against the wall. "The Temple Garden is only a short distance from here, and I think the fresh air and sunshine might do you some good."

"I think I can manage," he said.

Saffron stood up and removed the tray with the empty bowl from his lap. "First, I'd like you to drink some of this tea. It's bitter, but it should help with the pain and it has natural healing properties."

She poured some of the hot purple liquid into a small wooden cup and handed it to him. He sniffed it, and the acrid steam stung his nose, then took a small sip. It was bitter and he made a face, at which Saffron giggled slightly. He chuckled quietly himself, then swallowed the rest in one gulp, the hot liquid uncomfortably warm as it went down. Immediately she handed him a cup of water to wash it down, and he swished a little to rinse before gulping that down as well.

He exchanged the cup for the crutch as he swung his legs out of bed. He stood, gingerly testing his weight for a moment, and decided he was thankful for the crutch, as his back and left leg spasmed a bit with the effort.

"Do you need some help?" she asked, genuine concern on her face.

"No, I'll manage." Despite the fact that some help would have been nice, his pride wouldn't let him accept any more than was absolutely necessary.

He felt the draft of the breeze as they stepped outside into the sunshine and he shielded his eyes for a moment, until they adjusted to the brightness. It suddently dawned on him that they had taken his armor off, and dressed him in loose robes. He had been too preoccupied the night before to really notice, but now he felt as ridiculous as the Jedi looked.

"Where's my armor? My things?" He asked as he followed her along the well worn dirt path.

"Armor? Oh, the blue plating you were wearing? It's safe. We cleaned it as best we could, and both Trychon's and your things were put away in a cabinet back in the Healer's Hut," she told him.

The gate to the gardens was only a short distance further and once inside she led him to small grassy clearing next to a small babbling brook which ran through. At first glance, it appeared the gardens just grew wild, but upon closer inspection, he realized that each plant was well taken care of. The trees were pruned neatly and no old leaves or twigs which fell were anywhere to be seen. Here and there, he could see small alcoves in the bushes which held benches, cleverly concealed so as to give the appearance that they were a part of nature. Looking up, he could see the outline of the blue gas giant, Bermatrix, hanging in the sky, along with the white disk of another of the giant planet's moons.

He lounged back on the grass, enjoying the feel the of the cool grass, and warm sun, and the soothing sound of the brook, mingling with the song of the birds for a while and Saffron seemed content to let him be, sitting quietly herself.

"This place is beautiful," Raezyr commented after a bit.

"Yes, it is one of my favorite places. It was built by our ancestors so we could meditate and worship in peacefulness, without the sounds of daily life to interrupt us," she informed him.

"Tell me about your religion. Whom do you worship?" Raezyr asked.

"It's not a 'who,' but a 'what,'" Saffron explained. "We worship the Force, in it's natural state, and all it encompasses. It's energies flow all around us and through us, through the trees, the grass, the birds, you, me, even the planet itself."

"I... I trained with the Jedi for a while, so I understand the Force somewhat, but are you like the Jedi? Can you all use the Force?"

"Oh, no. We aren't like the Jedi at all. We are truly peaceful. The Jedi proclaim peace and harmony, but then carry the instruments of violence. And they use the Force for their own purposes, while those few of us who can use the Force, only do so to restore the balance of nature," she said, pulling her knees to her chin and wrapping her arms around them.

"Take you for example. Your natural state is to be healthy and uninjured, so we call upon the Force to restore that natural state. Any other use is strictly forbidden, but only a few of us can touch the Force, and when the Council identifies one of use who can, their talents are studied and then it is decided where their place is: either to join the council or to be a healer, but for each place, there can be one person, and one journeyman. For example, Brother Odilo is the healer, and I am his journeyman. When Odilo's spirit becomes one with the Force, then I will be the Healer and a successor for me will be looked for.

"Each of us has their place, though. As we grow to adulthood, our talents and interests are closely examined, and our trades are determined, and we then apprentice to learn that trade, so just because your father was a farmer, or gardener, doesn't mean that your trade will be the same." When she finished, she smiled at him and rested her cheek on her knees.

"Now why don't you tell me about Raezyr and Trychon. How do you come to be here?" she asked.

Oh, boy. Here it is. I wish Trych were here, he'd know what to say, he thought to himself before speaking. "Not much to tell, really. I grew up, as an apprentice to a Jedi, but I never understood their duality. Just like you said, I wondered at how I was supposed to be at peace, and yet wield a weapon.

"When I was old enough, I left the order, and found my older brother. He had been alone and on his own most of his life, and I taught him what I knew of the Force. We used that knowledge to keep us alive, and have been striving to learn more about it. We have roamed about the galaxy for some time now, with only the Force as our guide and our hearts as our moral compass.

"We were traveling to a new place, for a job when our shuttle's hyperdrive went haywire, and we ended up in this system. Then we hit a small asteroid and had to make an emergency landing. I had wondered why our ship broke down out here in the middle of no where, but now I think it was the will of the Force." When Raezyr finished, he looked over and grinned sheepishly, hoping she would buy it.

Apparently she did. "I think I would have to agree," she said, smiling.

448. Manipulation of Emotion - Raezyr

Raezyr felt a bit silly, sitting in the portable wooden chair. It was supported by two long poles and carried by two monks, but he had no other choice, as he was still to weak to walk himself. Odilo and Saffron walked at either side, in case they were needed.

Evening assembly was held in the large stone temple in the center of the village, and it was lit with torches all around.

Apparently word had spread that he would be in attendance, and there were maybe twenty young people waiting in the large open area outside the temple where torches had been lit and flowers gathered in preparation for tonight's meeting. He could hear the excited whispers float through the small crowd. One of the younger ones stepped forward as Raezyr's small entourage approached.

"Sir. My name is Mannix, I saw your ship crash! I helped rescue you!" the young man exclaimed, bowing as he did.

Raezyr reached out his hand and touched the young man on the shoulder as he passed. "Thank you for that."

Mannix looked up and watched as they entered the temple. His face beamed as Raezyr disappeared through the large wooden temple doors. He stood up and turned to his brother, Baldemar, and Gall, his brother's friend. "I'm telling you, their arrival will mark a new beginning for our world."

Gall snorted his familiar laugh. "I didn't see anything special about him."

"Oh, but Mannix can sense things. He's a good senser. Just ask Varth," Baldemar mocked. The two laughed as they headed in to assembly, along with the other youths that had been waiting to get the first glimpse of their new visitor.

Mannix followed the others inside. "They'll see," he muttered to himself. "One of them is the chosen one, and he'll change everything."

Raezyr sat through the assembly, while Father Monahan conducted the meeting. The meeting hall was in the center of the temple, and was an auditorium-like room, with rows of stone benches rising up surrounding a raised circular platform where the head monk stood and addressed the community.

His chair had been placed on the floor, just off the raised circle, but in full view of everyone, and through their chants, and Monahan's teachings, he could feel everyone's eyes on him. It made him a bit uncomfortable, as he wasn't used to so many people paying attention to him at once.

Eventually, after their worship chants, teachings, and delegation of chores, Father Monahan turned his attention to Raezyr. "And last, but certainly not least, my Brothers and Sisters, I wanted to introduce one of our guests: Mister Raezyr," he said and gestured to the man sitting in the chair. Not knowing what else to do, Raezyr waved to the people.

"He and his brother, Mister Trychon, will be staying with us during their recovery. I would like everyone to treat them as honored guests.

"And like you all, I have heard the rumors that are going around, and I can assure you that at this time, there is no reason to suspect any of the rumors to be true. The High Council and I will monitor things, and will decide whether these rumors bear any truth.

"But now, I would like to bring up a more pressing subject: Upon their recovery, our guests will need a place to stay. I was wondering if there were any volunteers willing to take them in until we can find them a more permanent place to stay," he concluded. He looked around the room expectantly, and could and hear many of the 200 community members discussing this in hushed tones.

He didn't have to wait long, though. Within seconds, he spotted Mannix waving his hand excitedly.

447. Manipulation of Emotion - Trychon

Raezyr looked over at Trychon, hoping that at the last moment he'd awaken or at least stir, but to no avail. He reached over and shook his arm briefly, but Trychon's arm remained limp.

"He hasn't stirred since your arrival, I'm afraid." Brother Odilo explained as he walked over to examine Trychon. "While we can't seem to find any particular reason for his state, it appears he's a bit behind you in the recovery process. Give him time and trust in the force."

"Oh, he's in there." Raezyr smiled. "He's just being a bit lazy."

Brother Odilo turned to look at Raezyr, clearly unsure what to make of the comment at first, but his eyes shifted to the entrance almost immediately after they had fallen on Raezyr. "Mister Raezyr, I'd like to introduce you to our wisest leader, Father Monahan." He extended his open hand in a gesture towards the doorway.

Raezyr followed the gesture to the man who was standing at the edge of the room. Standing there was an older man whose general appearance seemed to match the others Raezyr had seen so far. Lean and short with pointed ears, he was distinguished not by his balding head, but by the white robe he wore and the amulet around his neck that was a twin to the one that Brother Odilo was now replacing on the hook in the ceiling.

Father Monahan stepped forward and extended his hand to Raezyr. When Raezyr lifted his hand to meet the monk's, the elder man grasped his hand with both of his own, and held them firmly but gently. "Welcome to our home, Mister Raezyr. We're all very glad that you seem to be doing better now."

Monahan released Raezyr's hand and sat down in the chair that was next to his bed. "We aren't used to visitors here, and we welcome and enjoy our privacy... but a rare occurrence as it is, we also tend to enjoy the unique stimulus to our collective community."

Raezyr nodded. "I'm sure if my brother Trychon were awake, he'd join me in thanking you for your hospitality."

Monahan smiled at him. "As I said, it is our rare pleasure. We couldn't possibly give you any less." Looking to Brother Odilo he continued. "Brother Odilo, how do you feel your patient is faring?"

"Remarkably well, actually. He feels as though he responds well to the touch of grace. I'm sure he'll be weak and a bit uncomfortable for a while, but all that's left for him now is a bit of time and perhaps a few more touches of grace."

Monahan turned and patted Raezyr on the shoulder. "I was hoping as much. I think the best thing for you would be to get out of this depressing hut and out into the energies of the Force a bit more. I'd like you to be my guest at our assembly this evening, but I do feel it's only fair to warn you that your unexpected arrival has caused... a bit of a stir. I don't want you to be alarmed if you get a large amount of attention especially at first." When Raezyr didn't respond, he went on. "Excellent. I look forward to having you join us. Probably nearly as much as some of our young." He paused briefly. "Alas, I've been a bad host already. Please tell me a bit about yourself."

Raezyr contemplated his answer. He knew this question was coming, and had decided the best route was to be honest. Mostly. "Well, we're probably not that different really. We're wanderers, really. We kind of go where the force leads us."

Father Monahan seemed a bit surprised. "Are you Jedi?"

Raezyr shook his head and saw Brother Odilo stifle a chuckle from the corner of the room. "No. I was raised and trained by Jedi, but I eventually left the order. I found my Brother and have taught him some of what I learned, though neither of us consider ourselves to be Jedi."

Father Monahan considered this for a moment before the smile returned to his features. "I had a feeling that you were special. This may make some of our brothers and sisters even more curious, but all will be well in the end. I'm sure you'll acclimate well." He stood up. "I apologize for the abruptness of my visit, however I am due to make a few final preparations for this evening. I look forward to you joining us."