\u00a0Les cinched up his haversack, packed with the bare essentials for his journey, clipped his lightsaber to his belt, and headed out the door of his room, down the columned corridor. He cast his eyes to the floor, focusing on his booted feet to avoid glimpsing Asya\u2019s door as he passed, even though it was closed, as it had been since she shut it for the last time prior to heading back to Xenen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0But, no, that wasn\u2019t right, he recalled; late on the first night back home, hoping a midnight stroll might clear his head so he could get some sleep, he\u2019d heard his mother\u2019s voice crying softly from the other side. Feeling as though he were intruding, he passed on by without interrupting her private outflow of grief.\u00a0
\n\u00a0He didn\u2019t know how she did it. As for himself, he knew he could never again be able to bring himself to cross that threshold. Nevertheless, he had only to close his eyes for his memory to reveal what lay behind it in exact detail: walls decorated with New Republic Navy recruitment posters, their dashing renditions of fighter pilots grasping their helmets while looking stoically off into a starfield bejeweled with starfighters flying formation; the X-Wing models, Les\u2019 earliest attempts, frozen in midflight just short of the high ceiling she\u2019d painted to look like the sky; the Atadian flag adorning the wall above her bed, upon which her favorite stuffed animals sat waiting for the girl that would never return\u2026.<\/p>\n
\u00a0He quickened his step, putting space between himself and the empty room. Things were not as they should be, nor would ever be again \u2013 she should be here, with them, their family whole. He missed her voice coming from down the hall, catching a glimpse of her crossing the courtyard. He couldn\u2019t escape her, or the guilt and grief left in the wake of her visitation with the Vong \u2013 at least, not here. It had become necessary to isolate himself from it all before it drove him to madness.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Passing by the study, he was met with his father\u2019s voice in the communications room that connected it. He talked to himself as loudly as if there was someone there to share the conversation with him, though little sense could be made of what was said. Peeking in, Les saw him sitting on the floor amid the entrails of the comm consoles – not content with merely repairing the faulty equipment, he was conducting a major overhaul. Typical. Bent over a maze of circuitry and wires, he was so absorbed in what he was doing that he failed to see his son standing in the doorway. Les paused for a long moment, wondering whether he ought disturb him, or forgo any farewell and just leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0As he pondered this, he couldn\u2019t help but note the trembling of his father\u2019s hands as he labored to join the ends of two wires together. What had once been barely perceptible, as they toiled together on the Stormcrow following their skirmish with the Vong, had increased to an unmistakable tremor. Though restless to begin his journey, Les again questioned robbing his father of his assistant. Feeling a sudden twinge of guilt over taking off to leave him companionless, he decided that the least he could do was grant him the courtesy of bidding him goodbye, and broke into his father\u2019s one-sided conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cHey, Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0Mark looked up suddenly with a lost expression, as though forgetting for a moment where he was, then he broke into a smile upon seeing Les in the doorway. \u201cMorning, son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cAfternoon,\u201d he corrected.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cOh?\u201d he inquired, looking about to note the position of sun and shadow as it fell upon the room. \u201cHmph. So it is. Where\u2019d the time go? Still here, I see. I figured you\u2019d have taken off at first light.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0He was surprised he remembered; he\u2019d become quite absentminded of late. \u201cTime doesn\u2019t matter, where I\u2019m heading.\u201d But it mattered here, and he reflected with mixed feelings on the days he\u2019d lost in being detained by his father\u2019s pleas for aid. Each day his torment grew until he had to at last turn insistent.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cAye, right you are,\u201d he replied, returning his attention to the wiring.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cHow\u2019s it going?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cAll right, I suppose. When this is all put back together, we\u2019ll have a stronger, steadier, more reliable signal, right here from Arradan – one that\u2019ll keep us connected to Atad no matter where we are, or what decision they come to back at the capitol.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cSpeaking of which, is Mom back from Atadia yet?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cNo,\u201d he answered, raising his eyes to the skylight as though by doing so could make the Stormcrow appear.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cShe talked about getting back, what\u2026yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0Mark nodded. \u201cThat was her estimate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cYou think that\u2019s a good sign? That they\u2019re taking her seriously?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0Mark exhaled a cynical chuckle. \u201cWhat do you think, son? This is Atad we\u2019re talking about. Never a presence in the Republic Senate \u2013 New, or Old; never having anything whatsoever to do with anything that goes on outside this planet\u2019s atmosphere. Not even the Empire\u2019s hostile takeover back in the day could convince these people \u2013 my people, mind you,\u201d he smiled, not forgetting to count himself among their number, \u201c- that what goes on \u2018out there\u2019 can affect life here. I have my doubts that this threat to the \u2018rest of the galaxy\u2019 will convince them otherwise. Not until it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cBut\u2026she is the daughter of Lord Leslye Skyy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not sure if that\u2019ll play in her favor or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cYeah, but, all she\u2019ll have to do is point out what happened to\u2026.\u201d He stopped before speaking the name, but it was too late; a curtain of gloom fell across the room. \u201cI mean, that wasn\u2019t so very far from here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cIf I may speak, master?\u201d The deep, resonant voice of the tall Zehdekian took them both by surprise, his appearance in the room having been accomplished with cat-like silence. He had come into their very midst, bearing a tray of refreshment for his masters, which he set down on the one available space on the cluttered cabinet. Beside it was a generous and well-presented plate of food, untouched – breakfast. Mark\u2019s face reddened when he saw the browning fruit and bread gone dry, realizing he\u2019d again forgotten the necessity of eating. Giving his father a disapproving look, Les took note of how his clothes fit more loosely nowadays, as well as the increased prominence of cheekbones on his already thin face. Work proved to be an effective evasion from the grief that threatened to overwhelm him, thus he threw himself into it to the point of obsession, often to the neglect of all else. He might unwittingly starve himself to death, but not before everything in and around the house and the Stormcrow had been properly, if not overly, tweaked and modified.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Though Narak surely had to have noticed the neglected meal, he showed no sign that he did. Standing erect, he clasped his long, blue-skinned hands before him, his expression as unchanging as ever. His color-changing, pupil-less eyes, a Zehdekian\u2019s only outlet of emotion, for the one knew how to read them, displayed a milky, mellow orange, actively swirling like a muddy puddle that had been disturbed, stirring anew every time he blinked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0When it became apparent that the one proudly proclaiming himself their slave was awaiting their permission to speak, Mark nodded. \u201cYes?\u201d he questioned, curious. When a Zehdekian offered a piece of his mind, it was a time to sit up and listen close, for it may not happen again. \u201cWhat is it, Narak? By all means, speak whatever you like, whenever you please.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0Narak gave a slight bow. \u201cThe message sent by the young master \u2013 Maker keep her close to his heart \u2013 did not go unheeded by my kindred.\u201d His eyes brightened to amber as he clasped a fist to his chest to respect the memory of Asya, who had become something of a hero in their eyes. \u201cThe\u2026guardians\u2026keepers of the years are prepared to meet whatever may come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Though the alien had struggled with the words, Les understood that he was trying to say that not only had Asya\u2019s death not been in vain, but also that the Zehdekians, his people, had notoriously long memories; history was their teacher, and the lessons learned never faded over time. Come what may, the natives of the Zehdek moon would be ready to face it, with both eyes open. Unlike the governments of many worlds, they didn\u2019t mess around or waste time with an abundance of words when action was called for.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cThank you, Narak,\u201d he answered on behalf of the Wylers, if not for the under-appreciative Atadian population, who may be in a position one day to have to thank the Zehdekians for themselves. \u201cWe\u2019ll not forget this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0If Narak was capable of smiling, he might have; but instead his golden eyes glazed over with a silky, silvery sheen. He bowed again. \u201cThank you, young master. Forgive me if I spoke out of place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cNot at all,\u201d said Mark, as the alien returned to his duties. \u201cAny time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0Pouring the tea, he stirred it with a wooden spoon, tapping it twice on the rim, then placed a naccau leaf in each cup. The floating green leaf spun hypnotically on the surface of the pale brown liquid. The tall alien wordlessly gathered the neglected meal onto the tray without any indication of insult, then excused himself, closing the double doors behind him as he withdrew from their presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Following the age-old practice, Mark dipped the leaf in the tea, closed it in his mouth and let it set for a moment on his tongue before chewing it to pulp and swallowing. Les did the same. The unusual flavor that he could find no comparison for as the leaf was crushed between his teeth had always been his favorite part, but now it only served to elicited the memory of the time Asya sneaked a handful of immature leaves from the naccau tree in the courtyard, and the stomachache that kept her in bed all the next day as a result. She never touched naccau tea after that; couldn\u2019t even stand the smell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0There it was, another one \u2013 another memory to haunt him, another weight added to his heart, distracting him from concentrating on regaining his footing with the Force. He had to get away from here \u2013 just a few days with nothing between himself and the Force but darkness, desolation, and water dripping on stone. Again he wondered if he were really just running away, a thought he quickly ushered from his mind, reminding himself this was a legitimate exercise; \u2018Jedi time,\u2019 as his mother so often put it.<\/p>\n
\u00a0As he took a cautious sip of the hot liquid, Mark interrupted Les\u2019 musing as he murmured, \u201cThey\u2019re good people, all; let\u2019s hope the Vong\u2019ll just pass on by.\u201d He lifted the cup to his lips, the tip of his moustache dipping into the hot tea as he sipped. How could the quaking of his hands not bother him? Though it was so bad that he nearly sloshed the tea out over the rim, he seemed to take no notice at all. \u201cBecause if they don\u2019t,\u201d he concluded, \u201cthey\u2019ll not stand a chance, no matter how ready they think they are.\u201d He sighed. \u201cNot a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0As Mark set the cup aside and returned to his work, Les felt once more the tang of guilt that had kept him tied here for longer than he\u2019d wished. \u201cNeed a hand?\u201d he asked, hoping he would remember, would notice the bag slung over his shoulder \u2013 he needed this journey, needed to be alone, be free of the coils and memories of everyday life in Arradan as he sought out his place, if any, in the Force.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWell\u2026\u201d he began tentatively while licking wayward drops of tea from his moustache. Though he thought he might have caught a glimmer of mischief in his eye, Les held his breath; he wasn\u2019t sure what he\u2019d do if he said \u2018yes.\u2019 Pulling himself to his feet with the aid of a nearby chair, Mark rose so painfully that Les crossed the room to help him up. \u201cS\u2019alright,\u201d he told him, wincing. \u201cJust been sitting in one spot for too long.\u201d Settling in the chair and exhaling a long breath, he found his pipe among the parts and tools lying about on the console, tapped out the ashes in a little gray pile amid the mess and took his time in filling the bowl afresh.<\/p>\n
\u00a0With an undying fascination Les watched his father fill and light the pipe that had once belonged to his grandfather, gone forever with Alderaan. Eyes affixed to the old pipe, his mouth watered to hold it between his teeth, in spite of the objections his parents would certainly raise \u2013 then grow a moustache and have green eyes and scrawl quick sketches on his cuff for want of paper as ideas struck him and understand how all things work and come up with creative ways for how they can be improved and be the best pilot ever known to the galaxy. The woody aroma that wove itself into the air along with the languid smoke was a comforting manifestation that filled him with fondness and memory. Merely the smell of it clinging to his father\u2019s clothes transported him to a place of peace and safety, where he knew he was always loved, like being held in a warm embrace. It brought to mind all those hours they\u2019d spent together, working their hands and minds over a project or problem. In short, it reminded him of that forever-lost feeling of youthful innocence that comes with being a child, yet unaware of evil in the universe. Since Asya\u2019s death, the knowledge that those days were past, and were indeed an illusion, had risen to such acuteness as to bring a rare tear to his eye.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Satisfied that he\u2019d held his son in suspense long enough, and then holding out another moment longer, Mark leaned over the panel and flipped a couple of switches. Leaning back in the chair, he nodded with satisfaction as a section of the control board lit up in steady green lights. There was a twinkle in his eyes as they met with his son\u2019s hopeful gaze. \u201cOh, I guess I might be able to get by without you, just a little while.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0Les smiled in relief; he hadn\u2019t forgotten.<\/p>\n
\u00a0A familiar sound approached from the distance, triggering a spark of delight in Mark\u2019s eye. \u201cSounds like your mother\u2019s back,\u201d he said as the two of them raised their faces to the domed skylight in time to see the Stormcrow flash by overhead. \u201cYep, there she is,\u201d he confirmed as he set the pipe aside and got up, having less trouble rising from the chair than from the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0By the time they\u2019d made it to the front door and out onto the terrace, Janet was emerging on her speederbike from the woods surrounding the landing clearing. Shutting down the bike, she sat there for a long moment, still dressed as the diplomat on official business, as though she had come straight from a meeting in some high-ranking assembly, which in fact she had. The anger and disappointment on her face told them all they needed to know as far as her meeting went with the Atadian Security Council. At last she looked their way. Allowing herself a little smile, she swung her leg over the bike and hopped down onto the ground. Mark met her half way and put his arms around her, while she sank into the embrace, resting her head wearily onto his shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWelcome back, General,\u201d Mark said, lifting her chin with his finger to press his lips affectionately against hers. Feeling as though he were spying on something private, Les averted his eyes and shrank back into the shadows.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI missed you, Jan\u2026missed you missed you missed you!\u201d Mark exclaimed, accentuating his declaration with more kisses. That brought a smile to her face, but frustration lingered in her eye. \u201cNeed I ask how it went?\u201d he asked as he smoothed her windblown hair.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cKnow something? Politicians can be the dumbest people in the galaxy,\u201d she complained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cCan\u2019t say I disagree with you there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cHonestly, time and again I can see why Father threw up his hands and closed himself off from the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cYou want to talk about it?\u201d he asked as they started into the house, hand in hand, Les following at a respectful distance.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cThe most they would agree to is to put the proposal for interplanetary communication through the committees,\u201d she told him as Narak met them in the vestibule to take her cloak, \u201cbut I can\u2019t see it going anywhere beyond that. They don\u2019t see any need for even considering putting together an evac plan, or for setting up an early warning array.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWhat of the military?\u201d he asked as they wound their way through the house in the direction from which Mark and Les had just come.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cPromises and placating words, Mark. They talk of putting the sentries on a heightened state of alert, but they\u2019re wholly unprepared for an attack from the outside. The Imperial occupation taught them nothing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWell, you know,\u201d he reasoned, \u201cthis is all an entirely alien concept to them. No one comes to Atad from the outside, no one leaves. You and I, our family, coming and going, traveling to other worlds \u2013 we\u2019re peculiar to them; the nonconformists. Atad\u2019s been completely isolated and self-sustaining for all known history. They\u2019ve been stuck in this vacuum for so long they don\u2019t know anything different. What does the Vong invasion have to do with them, they probably wonder. They view what happened with the Empire as a fluke, a one-time thing, and that threat is ended, gone. Of course they\u2019re going to have a hard time understanding.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0They fell silent, as they had by this time come to the communications room, where Janet stopped cold when she saw the mess. Finding her voice, she asked, \u201cUm\u2026how\u2019s it going?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0Realizing how hopeless it must look, he told her, \u201cMust admit it looks a tangle, but you know how I get into a project.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cOh, I\u2019m not worried,\u201d she resigned with a sigh. \u201cAt least one of us knows how to get a job done right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cNow, Jan, don\u2019t do that,\u201d Mark groaned. \u201cYou had a difficult job, and you did the best you could.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI just wish someone would listen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cSurely you found somebody\u2019s ear. What about Lady Eldinand? Lord Theaphus?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cYes, well,\u201d she was forced to concede, \u201cbut it\u2019s too few. I guess I just expected more \u2013 enough to make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0He put his hands on her shoulders. \u201cWe\u2019ll maintain contact with them as well as we can, keep them informed. Give them time; don\u2019t give up yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cHow much time do you think they have?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0The question hung in the air, weighty and stifling, seeming to suck the very light and breath from the room. The bleakness she carried was beginning to rub off, but Mark stubbornly refused to give in. \u201cHey, now; chin up. There\u2019s always hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t forget about the Zehdekians,\u201d Les reminded as he stepped across the mess to join them.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Janet spun around as though his voice startled her. Then she allowed herself a smile. While still stung by her experience with the bureaucracy, which shouldn\u2019t have come as any surprise, their words gave her comfort, and she let herself relax. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, boys. It\u2019s just\u2026been a long week.\u201d Looking tired, wrung out, she rubbed a hand over her face. \u201cOf course,\u201d she said, reaching up to comb her fingers through Les\u2019 unruly hair, \u201cthe eternal Zehdekians. It\u2019s a wonder they don\u2019t rule this world rather than we humans. We\u2019d probably all be better off for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cThey\u2019re too humble to presume such a place,\u201d Les said defensively.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Janet shook her head, even laughed a little. \u201cThere are some who would say they\u2019re too simple, yet you understand them like father did, my Jedi Knight\u2026. Wait a minute,\u201d she said, suddenly remembering, \u201cweren\u2019t you going off into the caves for some \u2018Jedi time\u2019? Don\u2019t tell me you\u2019ve already gone there and back again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI was just leaving.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWell, I\u2019m glad I got to see you off before you embarked on your little adventure. How long do plan on being down in the Draed Mines?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026a few days is all I think can be managed,\u201d he said with a glance at the comm center. He honestly didn\u2019t know how much time he needed; he hoped it would be enough.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWell, you be careful down there,\u201d she advised. \u201cAnd keep your grandfather\u2019s cloak on your shoulders at all times. It wouldn\u2019t do to worry the Manes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t worry, Mom,\u201d he said, doing his best not to roll his eyes. \u201cI\u2019ve been down there a dozen times, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cYes, but\u2026.\u201d She turned a pointing finger on herself. \u201c\u2018Mother,\u2019 remember? Just doing my job.\u201d She hugged him and kissed his cheek because he\u2019d grown too tall for her to reach his forehead. \u201cNow, if you two boys will excuse me, I\u2019m very tired. I\u2019m going up to find a change of clothes, then when I return I\u2019m going to sit back, put my feet up, sip cup of Cree\u2019s wonderful tea – and keep you company, Captain Wyler,\u201d she said, giving Mark a teasing smile. He grinned back at her, eyes asparkle. In that fleeting scene, Les caught a glimpse of his parents as they were, before\u2026. His heart longed for the return to the normalcy they had lost.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Once Mark had watched her until she\u2019d gone out of sight, he sank back in his chair before the communications board and played with a corner of his moustache, twisting the long whiskers between his fingers. The dark cloud Janet had brought home lingered, tainting the air with the premonition of an ominous storm darkening the horizon. \u201c\u2019Tis a pity,\u201d he sighed in admittance that he, too, had harbored hopes that she could make them understand. \u201cBut I suppose if Jan, or even what happened to dear Asya, can\u2019t convince them, there\u2019s nothing that can; nothing but the enemy swooping in and slapping brute sense into them.\u201d He looked up at his son. \u201cLet\u2019s hope it won\u2019t come to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cYes, father,\u201d Les said, his restlessness to begin his journey increasing with every passing minute – impatience Mark picked up on.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cSo you\u2019re on your way then, are you?\u201d He took the pipe in hand to relight it, for it had gone out. \u201cYou still figuring on climbing down into the caves?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cMind what your mother told you,\u201d he said, wrinkling his brow and pointing the stem of the pipe at him as he gave Les his version of Janet\u2019s admonition to take care.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cYes, sir,\u201d he repeated, again resisting the urge to roll his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI wish you well in your expedition. I hope you find what you\u2019re looking for.\u201d Giving his son a smile that was meant to be encouraging, he put out his hand, offering him a manly handshake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Les looked down at his father\u2019s open palm. The gesture, offered either out of deference or trepidation that he might consider himself too grown up to be wrapping his arms around his old man, Les saw as indicatory of the barrier that had arisen between them over the past days and weeks; growing, for some inexplicable reason, apart rather than closer together. The revelation startled him to the core and filled him with remorse. Rejecting the handshake, he leaned down and hugged him tight around the neck, pleasing Mark so much that he seemed reluctant to let him go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cThanks, Dad,\u201d he replied as the embrace ended and he backed towards the door, careful to avoid Mark\u2019s eyes, sensing they\u2019d become moist with tears. \u201cSee you in a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cAll right \u2013 go and do what you\u2019ve got to do, but don\u2019t take too long about it. We\u2019ll be going back to Xenen once this is back online. Unless, that is, you\u2019d care to remain behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0He shook his head. \u201cNo, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0Being the answer he\u2019d expected, Mark nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0As he put the room behind him, he paused just beyond the doorway to look back. One arm slung over the back of the chair, Mark slouched motionless where he sat, pipe hanging loosely from his teeth. Blank look on a face etched with lines that had deepened since Asya\u2019s tragic end, graying hair hanging unkempt over eyes dull and fixed on nothing in particular, he looked older and more careworn than what his sixty years ought to have affixed. Les noticed the object lying in his hand. As he absently caressed with his thumb the little cam Asya had carried with her always, the aching of his heart could be felt from where he stood, and he wondered if any of them would survive this loss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Aye, they would \u2013 life, and time, ever do they march on. Yet even Time itself, hailed as the great healer, could only cover their wounds with an ugly and tender scar – and how long that would take? Years? A lifetime? In the interim, all any of them could do was to live one day into the next and so on and on, propping each other up until it worked its wretchedly inadequate magic.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0Standing on the edge of the north garden, Les looked off towards the border where Arradan met the dark curtain of trees drawn across where the path he would follow disappeared beneath their deep shadows.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0In the face of it, he questioned what good any of this could do. Whatever expectations he might have had over this exercise were drowned in a sudden onset of apathy. With halfhearted effort, he drew upon the Force. Though the air itself was abuzz with the life surrounding him, rather than sensing the surge of energy he ought to, he felt little more than a spark. That separation bothered him, but not like it should. It had been, after all, a self-imposed exile, and he was out of practice. Wavering for a moment in indecision, he almost turned to go back into the house, yet he knew what he should do.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever the use of it, might as well get on with it and get it over with,\u201d he said aloud to himself. Throwing his grandfather\u2019s cloak across one shoulder and his haversack over the other, he commenced the journey that would take him to the darkest depths of the planet.
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c:)
\nSkyy<\/p>\n