Homecoming

Homecoming
Date of Scene:	08 February 2024
Location:	Archives - Jedi Temple - Coruscant
Synopsis:	Caius returns to the Temple and has a conversation with Ann.
Cast of Characters:	334, Annelia Belask

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Caius Astras (334) has posed:
It had been quite some time since Jedi Kngiht Caius Astras had walked the lofty cooridors and hallways of the Jedi Temple. This is, perhaps, not unusual where Jedi Knights are concerned. As keepers of the peace, guardians of the Republic and students of The Force, time away from 'home' for many of them is simply part and parcel of what it means to be a Knight of the Order but for Caius, finally returning 'home' has an unusual feeling of comfort to it.

So when he enters The Archives, he takes a moment to pause and look the room over, mind drifting back years towards hours of study and research being foisted upon him and his peers by the masters and how quickly he sought to escape such turmoil's for the excitement of more physical trainings or journeys to the city beyond. By contrast...now he takes his time, looking the room over carefully and rifling through those memories before stepping forward to slowly make his way towards one of the terminals. His figure is tall and the dark leathers of his robes pop him out a touch from most of the more traditionally colored garbed Jedi present and so some eyes are drawn his way as he passes by a conversing group here or a youngling or padawan there...but for the most part he simply nods in return and continues approaching an open terminal with a steady pace.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Well, what serendipity a visit back to the Temple might bring. An old acquaintance and sometimes sparring partner- Annelia Belask, to be specific- stands at the adjacent terminal, quietly studying a paper written on the construction and maintenance of a lightsaber.

    She's surprisingly intent on it- she, too, was more inclined to physical pursuits back in the day. Almost obsessively so- and her build shows it. Her own saber is turned over periodically in her hand as she reads, thoughtfully.

    "Well. Look at this, then. How long has it been?" she asks when she catches an earful of Caius' approach and flicks her eyes over to look. Finally breaking her concentration on the terminal she reads from, she stows the saber and shifts to a casual stance as she turns to face him.

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"Anne?"

The familiar use of the shorthand of her name comes easily to the dark haired man as he looks on her with surprise and then slowly smiles. His eyes study her intently, noting the distinct lack of that very unmistakable Padawan braid coupled with the very visible confidence she exudes.

"Well I guess I have been gone for abit. Being stuck out at the edge of the Mid Rim certainly means that you miss a number of important moments. Congratulations on your knighthood. I take it you've taken little time in getting into all sorts of trouble?"

Caius' smile is slight, if not a little lopsided at that last remark, as he no doubt is well aware of her overall taciturn demeanor.

"I see your pursuits are as focused as ever though." This last bit directed towards the screen of her terminal. "Looking to make some improvements?"

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "In the flesh, Ann Belask," she says, chuckling softly. She smiles faintly- indeed, fully robed and devoid of braid. She takes this moment to stretch her arm across her chest absently- ever prone to the slight stretching amid conversation.

    "I... hm. How do I explain. I want to make sure I can keep one working and maintain it regardless of situation. Partially for my own preparation, partially..." she trails off, frowning slightly.

    "This may seem presumptive- certainly the thought is not comfortable for me, so new to Knighthood as I am... But there's a padawan who lost their master I am... perhaps... considering petitioning the Council about. About as much focus on the pragmatic as a wealthy layabout, so if I -do- go through with this... need to be able to handle certain things in the field, rather than worrying about it when back at the Temple."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
The dark robed knight grimaces as a flash of memory occurs at her words. He looks mildly embaressed while saying, "Making sure that it stays working regardless of the situation one finds oneself in is....a recent lesson I've had to endure yes. Even with our time with our masters you're still never quite prepared for teh nuances and chaos of being out in the field."

That does seem to cause him to hone in on her words though and Caius looks to her thoughtfully before taking a seat and activating a terminal of his own.

"A padawan that's lost his master...? Hmm... That's unfortunante. I'm sorry to hear abou that.." his voice trails abit and he seems momentarily distant before snapping back to the present, "..and you're considering taking him as your padawan? That's very altruistic of you Ann..but..I have to admit I'd have expected you to..." he searches for the word and then settles on, "..Be more invested in seeking an assingment without having to also train someone while stretching your own legs. What do you think is leading you this way?."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "I'll be the first to admit I would not be the most experienced of mentors for a Padawan," says Ann with a light chuckle. She shrugs a little, glancing off to the side for a moment.

    "I suppose I just think the boy is talented but needs minding, because those talents get away from him more often than not. I don't know if you remember Master Gaiss, but he once told me why he chose me despite my martial inclination when he was a diplomat and investigator. Sometimes the best thing to help someone ground themselves is to keep them exposed to alternate approaches and perspectives. Maybe that's correct here? And nobody seems lined up for him."

    She exhales slowly, looking at her terminal a moment before refocusing. "But well, don't feel the need to make this conversation all about me. Guessing you've just returned? Should tell me a little about this excursion of yours and the associated lightsaber woes."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"If you feel pull of The Force in this direction then who am I to protest? I think you know best here though I confess I'm curious as to what talents you're concerned about..but yes. My lightsaber woes aren't nearly as interesting as I made it sound..."

Caius chuckles abit, seemingly attempting to dodge recounting whatever story prompted his earlier reaction... but he does grow more serious as he looks at the terminal for a moment. He begins absently rifling through the file directories as he speaks.. Searching and searching but ultimately ending up on Jedha...

"It's funny you mention why your master choose you. I found myself in a similar situation aiding a group of Republic researchers in their study of an ancient group known as the Path of the Open Hand while also working to try and stymie piracy, slavery and marauder efforts out in a number of Outer Rim systems. Needless to say I was being kept very very busy. You may recall Master Hycian Ren? He recommended me to return to those worlds to....clear my head.."

He clearly seems to be dancing around some things, leaving gaps in the story though the loss of his younger brother, a padwan himself, and his brother's master, is hardly an unknown thing. One would expect to need ones head cleared after that.

There seems to be more not being said though as he looks at the screen and he finally refocuses again and says, "Not long ago I got a lead on some attention being focused on the artifacts and secrets kept in Jedha. I thought it best to return and report to the Masters in hopes of getting permission to investigate further. So..." Caius' smile becomes lopsided once again, "So...yeah very very busy. Returning to Coruscant is something of a physical and mental vacation of sorts."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Well, I can at least confirm that there were people after the relics on Jedha. I fought off at least one of them while there at a ceremonial gathering," Ann notes, chuckling softly. "Funny you should be after the same concern."

    She crosses her arms ponderously, looking over Caius for a moment. "It's... he connects to minds and spirits of others. But does so unbidden, at times, and gets swept up in it. I mean, you know better than most that my connection to the Force is tenuous for a Jedi. Maybe one of the meditation masters would be better? But I do know a thing or two about focus and discipline when struggling, and that might potentially be a fair approach too."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"Well that certainly is an odd coincidence.." Caius pauses in his studying of the files and lifts his hand from the tournament, "Maybe the two of us speaking is more then simply random chance and a friendly face. Can you elaborate any? Do you know what they were after and was anything taken?"

He lifts a hand to his chin and frowns, looking thoughtful once again, "I wonder if this was around the same time as--" he pauses in mid sentence there, his streams of thought running several different directions at once.

"Nevermind tha tlast part.. but I am curious as to what they were after. It's entirely possible there are competing elements involved but if they were related that would speak to a larger problem. Still, best to not jump to conclusions..."

He glances to the screen once again but then turns back towards Ann, "As to the padawan that sounds rather serious and dangerous for others and himself yes. Medition, focus and physical discipline will certainly help though but perhaps this paring would be good for you both? Certainly you might be have cause to what to continue to work to strengthen your connection to The Force given the charge you'd have taken on."

Caius grins again as he adds, "Perhaps...a break from the lightsaber training finally to focus on that instead?"

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Why would I take a break from training when there's a more generally gifted knight I haven't surpassed yet?" Ann shoots back, smirking sidelong with the comment- and a chuckle.

    "But... well. It seemed there were a number of people with hearts set on the vault. The one I recall fighting off most, a colicoid, was simply filling a pack with whatever he could get his hands on. Forced him to drop the things, damaged his stinger in my own defense, and sent him running off. Supposedly some Sorcerer of another faith was set on some act and was put into a coma inadvertently. One of the padawans fought off more opportunists still. Hard to parse all of it individually."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
Caius gives her a slight smirk at her comment on the training but his good humor is stymied by her description of the chaos on Jedha. He frowns, growing more pensive looking and introspective as he weighs her words and then finally shakes his head.

"I have....reason to believe that they or, at least someone similar, may try again. Hearing you say this, I've some motivation now to want to look into things myself. Perhaps speak with the padawans you've mentioned. Strange though that these padawans are so in the thick of things without a mentor or master to guide them. Are we so strained and scattered across the galaxy that this is the case? That's....concerning. Still all of that sounds like what I'd define as organized chaos, especially this mention of a sorcerer. I highly doubt this will be the last of this."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann nods slightly, looking back at her terminal just a moment. "Cayde Alexis, Imoen, and I believe his name was Zeraph. Those were the three padawans I was aware of being there. Them and Master Trassa. Anyone beyond that you may need to find the guest list or Trassa herself. And, well... if you're worried about the lack of masters for these teens, I suppose you could always find one to take on yourself," she suggests, smirking a little.

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"Oh wow..." Caius lets out a laugh at that and shakes is head while leaning back against the terminal slightly, "I'd like to consider that my master taught me fairly well in terms of being willing to listen to the move of the Living Force and let me tell you...it's not moving me in that direction..."

The word 'yet' lingers in the air, despite his humored response. He then laughs again and shrugs, "...But I guess one point is that there's not much good talking about an issue you see if you're not going to do anything about it so...we'll see. I certainly don't mind lending a hand and offering insight, what little I may have, on various things. Should the Padawan that is so fortunate to have your eye need any additional assistance you think I can offer certainly don't hesitate to ask."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    That last comment seems to strike Ann a moment, and she frowns a little. "You're still talented in mind tricks and the like, I assume? That seems to be his problem area. Wonder if you could give some advice for someone a little older and more practiced sometime. It was that Cayde boy I just mentioned, if you run across him."

    She waves it off, shaking her head a little. "Though, I guess if I can ask- what brought you to the archive? Guess that should have been an earlier question."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"Cayde, hmm? I'll keep that name in mind. I suppose my first thought would be to try and ascertain the root behind his lack of control and search for something to enable him to better focus his talents. That's why we are here, no? Our responsibility with our gifts and need for control and wise judgement in using it. if they are acting on thier own accord without a measure of strength or guidance surely there must be a reason behind that. Something that, frankly, I"m surprised wasns't identified when he was a youngling but perhaps the loss of his Master is part of this tale. I'll put some thought to it and bear it in mind should we meet."

Caius quiets and then says, once more looking at the screen, "Ironically it was for reasons similar to what you just told me of, regarding Jedha and their vault. I...well...as I said I have reason to believe that there are multiple individuals with an interest in what may lie on Jedha. I had a run in with such individuals just before my return here and it disturbed me enough to try and get a head start on seeing just what may be piquing so much interest."

There's a pause as he frowns now, a hint of something not being quite right.

"The Council doesn't seem to agree wtih me though. I was requesting permission to access some additional archival information and so far I'm not being given much flexiblity."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Perhaps there's already an inquest? Might have to ask a few of the other masters what's being done. Or, well, if you think you can wake up a person in a coma induced by one of those strange artifacts... maybe that would be a lead?"

    Ann shakes her head a little, drumming her fingers on her terminal idly. "It does sound a little like someone masterminded it and then word got out, something like that. But then, if the festival meant the vault was open anyways..." she trails off, exhaling. "Wide galaxy of possibilities."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"Anything is possible, this much is true. But I think there are some things here that can be inferred based just on our conversation. I would agree that it sounds as if there were conflicting agendas and goals here and that, perhaps, someone sowed deliberate confusion during a time when the vault would be accessible. Your description of both a sorcerer and the thieves randomly grabbing whatever they could and then being run off with some encouragement would suggest this.."

Caius rubs his jaw and then shakes his head, "I think the council has other reasons for ....not agreeing to my request but you may be right. I could simply go to Jedha on my own and make myself useful. It certainl wouldn't hurt to try. I have some gifts with the mind though I imagine if one of the Masters already attempted this I may not fare much better. It's a good suggestion though, Ann. I'll think on it."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Well, the vault *is* a dangerous place. I doubt I'd be allowed back in despite the majority of my fighting being inside," notes Ann, shrugging a little. "And well... the Council is sometimes set in their ways, or so Master Gaiss liked to suggest. Perhaps you could convene a group of people with those mental gifts, see if multiple could succeed where individuals might have failed. I'm told that padawan, Imoen, might have a vested interest. And Cayde... feels guilty that it happened. Maybe not great for him to dwell on it, but might be good for him to see good coming of his abilities."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"Guilty that it happened?"

The phrasing there catches the interst of the other Jedi and Caius arcs an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that Cayde is somehow responsible for the sorcerer's current state?"

This premise seems to trouble him and he rubs his jaw again. "I can see how that would complicate matters. In fact if it is somehow related to the mind then it might take very skilled hands to be able to navigate or even heal the other mans state. If it's even possible. Yet it may be the only clue as to what's really going on..."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "The boy... well, he had one of those mental moments. Got swept up in another padawan's feelings. Used telekinesis to throw whatever was nearby at the sorcerer. Sorcerer was in a trance for some purpose, one of the items he threw, unknown to him, was something called the blade of hibernation. Had an interaction with the trance- sorcerer slipped so deep Cayde couldn't reach him. I haven't heard much. Akashaya Tomi, if you need to look into his status. I think he's still in the infirmaries on Jedha."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
For a long moment, Caius is quiet as he considers the screen infront of him. Then:

"I can see why you have compassion for the padawan. If his control is so lacking then...." he frowns, rubbing his jaw, "..That is a handful yes." Caius nods his head a few times and then looks back over towards Ann, "Without knowing more about the specifics of this blade it's hard to say but it likely is not going to be easy to try and overcome.. I imagine it will need more then one or two powerful minds but at the least perhaps the blade can be studied to see if it reveals any clues on how to rescue the mind of this sorcerer. In fact...with some guidance...perhaps Cayde should be involved in that as a way to ...help him process things and learn by dealing directly with the consequences of actions taken. I would ay sooner, rather then later, addressing the source of these challenges with his abilities should haepen. There's potentally much at stake for himself and for others. That's very brave of you to want to try but if you dont' mind me saying...I think you're going to need some help."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Well, we're the Jedi. Ensuring each other have help is part of it," notes Ann, smiling faintly.

    "But... yes. There's muich to figure out with these young ones. I mean, I know I was a handful around the training rooms, but... not sure I was ever quite like this. Studying that blade might help, but being in the vault on Jedha I'd guess it's in those extended archives you're worried about."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"Perhaps..." says Caius.

He then slowly begins to rise and a flick of his rist turns the archive station off. "But just knowing the name of the blade and its properties does give me a place to tart. I think I'll speak with The Masters again. Maybe if it's in the interests of helping hte sorcerer and also these wayward padawans it will let them be a little more flexible."

Caius glances over again and nods, "I think all of htis information makes one thing clear though...that we both need to be careful and let The Force guide us. I think a wrong move can easily lead us to a dead end or make this situation worse."

At that Caius smiles, "It's good to see you again though, Ann. I was glad to return here but also thinking ahead towards returning to the Mid Rim..but maybe this meeting has given me some of the direction that I was looking for..."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "I never got too many especially strong signs from the Force, admittedly," says Ann with a wry smile, shrugging it off- at least outwardly.

    "Good to see you again too. Hopefully this new direction leads you to good places. See you around sooner or later, I am sure."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"Don't sell yourself short Ann." advises Caius, pausing on his departure. "If you did not have strength in The Force your saber skills would have humiliated far fewer opponents."

Caius gives that lopsided smiark again, "We'll have to see just how we've both progressed once things settle down a little. Either way, yes, it was good seeing you. I'll keep you appraised and if I meet Cayde I'll be sure to have a word with him..."

With that, he gives a respectful bow to the other knight and then turns and begins to make his way deeper into the archives.