Pierce Tondry
Mar 9th, 2004, 01:02:13 AM
Legends and Myths
An original story set in the Star Wars universe.
Written by Brian Sears
It is a time of calm in the galaxy. Activities of the existing Sith are low-key or non-existent altogether. Taking advantage of the calm, the GALACTIC REPUBLIC seeks to bind together its sovereign worlds more tightly than before in order to remain strong against the storm they and the JEDI ORDER perceive the Sith must eventually foment.
Jedi Knight and Republic Intelligence Operative PIERCE TONDRY is charged with a diplomatic mission to the planet Uru'thuwa in the Kaelas sector as part of his duties. He expects the process to be long and arduous, and so seeks out a quiet moment with his son, JAX, before he must leave...
Chapter One: Bedtime Stories
By reputation, Coruscant did not feel for its population. To look at, the cityplanet held up to this reputation. The gigantic cityscrapers and towering skyhooks reduced all who beheld them to less than they were. Speeder traffic ringed the planet several times, or would if the air routes did not lead into orbit. The entire world measured out into a mass of sentient beings huddled inside an even larger mass of metal. Even the Jedi Order with its members among the most empathetic beings on the planet, could feel stilted and formal.
In all that wide world, Pierce could not admit to true comfort outside his home. And even there, only one room in particular within it brought him peace.
"Jax?" Pierce cracked the door to his son's bedroom and poked his head in. "You up?"
No answer. Plus, the lights were off. "Jax?" Pierce repeated, more softly.
The covers heaved themselves into the air, revealing a dark and amorphous blob of shadow. "Surprise!"
Pierce jerked, then smiled at his son's antics. "You should be asleep," he admonished as he came all the way into the room.
"I know," Jax replied apologetically. "But I heard from Master Ryla that you're going away again, and you always come see me before you go away."
His son's rustling noises gave way to illumination as Jax turned on his small bedside lamp. In the dim light, Pierce regarded his son. Five years old and still possessing some of the sandy-blonde hair of youth, there lay inside Jax a seemingly contradictory inner spark of great maturity. Many a time Jax surprised his father with questions Pierce would more naturally expect from children some years older. The explanation ran that Jedi children perceived more than their non-Force-sensitive counterparts, and some even theorized the deep empathic connection Jax shared with his father carried knowledge between the two of them.
All the mysticism aside, Pierce privately believed being the son of a warrior line played a part, too.
"Always," Pierce sat on the bed with a smile. He brushed a hair from one of his son's sleep-puffed eyes. Jax had been up far too late. "But you really need your sleep. You have a trip tomorrow. Besides, I'm always with you anyways, son. You know that."
"I know." Jax's voice was small and sad, and he clung to Pierce. "But I missed you."
Pierce could feel his son's loneliness even as he felt his own emotions. Only a basic understanding of the Force allowed Pierce to differentiate between the two. Even so, Pierce felt the time of separation from his son too keenly anyway. That Jax felt it too nearly broke his father's heart.
But Jedi committments superceded such emotion. "I have to help people understand each other," Pierce said. "If they understand each other, then they won't fight all the time and we can all work together and do good things. But that doesn't mean I'd rather be with them. I want to be here with you."
"I know," Jax said again. "But I wish you were here instead of just wanting to be here."
Pierce twisted to look at his son directly. "When I get back, we'll spend the day together. Okay?"
"Promise?"
"Promise, and you know I always keep my promises."
His son nodded, but Pierce recognized something in his son's eyes that showed itself when Jax was thinking. "Are you gonna go now?"
Pierce checked his wristchrono. 2245, or 10:45 PM in layman's terms. Scheduled departure for his shuttle was in fifteen minutes.
Another look at his son brushed the worry of being late from his mind. "Not yet. Why?"
The news caused Jax to perk up. "Can you tell me a story, like you did when I was littler?"
Pierce laughed. "All right. Which one did you want to hear?"
"Any one." Jax shrugged.
"All right." Pierce eased Jax onto his lap and began an oh-so-gentle swaying motion. "Once upon a time-"
"Dad?" Jax interrupted.
"Yes?"
"Can you tell me a real story? Like, what really happened kind of real?"
"Most stories have real parts to them," Pierce explained. "But usually a story will get changed because people want to make it more exciting."
A short pause ensued while this sank in. "But that means anyone can change it," Jax objected. "How do people know what parts of stories are real then?"
There was that surprise insight again. "Usually there are certain parts of the story everyone agrees on. People figure those parts have to be true, because everyone knows them."
Jax frowned. "Master Ryla says that even if a lot of people agree on something, that doesn't always make it right."
Pierce suddenly found himself with the feeling that his own son was about to out-manuever him. "That's true."
"So what makes a story real?"
The father had reached the end of his rope. "I guess I don't have a good answer to your question," Pierce admitted. "But I'll try and think about it."
"Okay. Dad?"
"Yes, Jax?"
Jax snuggled up against Pierce. "You can tell a fake story. I don't mind."
"All right," Pierce began, but his son's line of questions made this beginning more subdued than the first. "Once upon a time, there was a crowrang with a delicious piece of cheese in its mouth. The crowrang wanted to keep the cheese and wouldn't open its mouth for anything. As it sat on a branch, a fox came along..."
######
"You're five minutes late," the shuttle pilot stated.
"Stow it, Grainier," Pierce replied, handing over his duffel bag. He'd run the entire way to make up for lost time, only to end up short regardless. "We need to rendezvous with the Veridias before it leaves orbit."
"Five minutes late, boss," Alan Grainier repeated. "That's unheard of for you."
"I was visiting with my son," Pierce said, following Grainier aboard the ship. "Love makes a person do crazy things."
Grainier turned from securing the duffel and stared Pierce in the eye, affecting an astonished look. "But, five minutes! I mean, what the hell?"
Pierce rolled his eyes. "If you can't make up a five minute delay, I'm booting you from Tau Team."
Grainier grinned. "I love a challenge," he said. "You hit the hatch- I'll finish off the final preflights."
Pierce hit the close switch, but the energy drained out of him as he did so and he stood where he was.
The visit with Jax had left Pierce uneasy. He'd been looking for a memory of his son to carry with him and steady him as he dealt with the negotiations ahead. Instead he had a sharp ache in his heart and a looming question he'd been unable to answer.
Turning from the hatch with a feeling of defeat, Pierce headed for the pilot's cabin.
An original story set in the Star Wars universe.
Written by Brian Sears
It is a time of calm in the galaxy. Activities of the existing Sith are low-key or non-existent altogether. Taking advantage of the calm, the GALACTIC REPUBLIC seeks to bind together its sovereign worlds more tightly than before in order to remain strong against the storm they and the JEDI ORDER perceive the Sith must eventually foment.
Jedi Knight and Republic Intelligence Operative PIERCE TONDRY is charged with a diplomatic mission to the planet Uru'thuwa in the Kaelas sector as part of his duties. He expects the process to be long and arduous, and so seeks out a quiet moment with his son, JAX, before he must leave...
Chapter One: Bedtime Stories
By reputation, Coruscant did not feel for its population. To look at, the cityplanet held up to this reputation. The gigantic cityscrapers and towering skyhooks reduced all who beheld them to less than they were. Speeder traffic ringed the planet several times, or would if the air routes did not lead into orbit. The entire world measured out into a mass of sentient beings huddled inside an even larger mass of metal. Even the Jedi Order with its members among the most empathetic beings on the planet, could feel stilted and formal.
In all that wide world, Pierce could not admit to true comfort outside his home. And even there, only one room in particular within it brought him peace.
"Jax?" Pierce cracked the door to his son's bedroom and poked his head in. "You up?"
No answer. Plus, the lights were off. "Jax?" Pierce repeated, more softly.
The covers heaved themselves into the air, revealing a dark and amorphous blob of shadow. "Surprise!"
Pierce jerked, then smiled at his son's antics. "You should be asleep," he admonished as he came all the way into the room.
"I know," Jax replied apologetically. "But I heard from Master Ryla that you're going away again, and you always come see me before you go away."
His son's rustling noises gave way to illumination as Jax turned on his small bedside lamp. In the dim light, Pierce regarded his son. Five years old and still possessing some of the sandy-blonde hair of youth, there lay inside Jax a seemingly contradictory inner spark of great maturity. Many a time Jax surprised his father with questions Pierce would more naturally expect from children some years older. The explanation ran that Jedi children perceived more than their non-Force-sensitive counterparts, and some even theorized the deep empathic connection Jax shared with his father carried knowledge between the two of them.
All the mysticism aside, Pierce privately believed being the son of a warrior line played a part, too.
"Always," Pierce sat on the bed with a smile. He brushed a hair from one of his son's sleep-puffed eyes. Jax had been up far too late. "But you really need your sleep. You have a trip tomorrow. Besides, I'm always with you anyways, son. You know that."
"I know." Jax's voice was small and sad, and he clung to Pierce. "But I missed you."
Pierce could feel his son's loneliness even as he felt his own emotions. Only a basic understanding of the Force allowed Pierce to differentiate between the two. Even so, Pierce felt the time of separation from his son too keenly anyway. That Jax felt it too nearly broke his father's heart.
But Jedi committments superceded such emotion. "I have to help people understand each other," Pierce said. "If they understand each other, then they won't fight all the time and we can all work together and do good things. But that doesn't mean I'd rather be with them. I want to be here with you."
"I know," Jax said again. "But I wish you were here instead of just wanting to be here."
Pierce twisted to look at his son directly. "When I get back, we'll spend the day together. Okay?"
"Promise?"
"Promise, and you know I always keep my promises."
His son nodded, but Pierce recognized something in his son's eyes that showed itself when Jax was thinking. "Are you gonna go now?"
Pierce checked his wristchrono. 2245, or 10:45 PM in layman's terms. Scheduled departure for his shuttle was in fifteen minutes.
Another look at his son brushed the worry of being late from his mind. "Not yet. Why?"
The news caused Jax to perk up. "Can you tell me a story, like you did when I was littler?"
Pierce laughed. "All right. Which one did you want to hear?"
"Any one." Jax shrugged.
"All right." Pierce eased Jax onto his lap and began an oh-so-gentle swaying motion. "Once upon a time-"
"Dad?" Jax interrupted.
"Yes?"
"Can you tell me a real story? Like, what really happened kind of real?"
"Most stories have real parts to them," Pierce explained. "But usually a story will get changed because people want to make it more exciting."
A short pause ensued while this sank in. "But that means anyone can change it," Jax objected. "How do people know what parts of stories are real then?"
There was that surprise insight again. "Usually there are certain parts of the story everyone agrees on. People figure those parts have to be true, because everyone knows them."
Jax frowned. "Master Ryla says that even if a lot of people agree on something, that doesn't always make it right."
Pierce suddenly found himself with the feeling that his own son was about to out-manuever him. "That's true."
"So what makes a story real?"
The father had reached the end of his rope. "I guess I don't have a good answer to your question," Pierce admitted. "But I'll try and think about it."
"Okay. Dad?"
"Yes, Jax?"
Jax snuggled up against Pierce. "You can tell a fake story. I don't mind."
"All right," Pierce began, but his son's line of questions made this beginning more subdued than the first. "Once upon a time, there was a crowrang with a delicious piece of cheese in its mouth. The crowrang wanted to keep the cheese and wouldn't open its mouth for anything. As it sat on a branch, a fox came along..."
######
"You're five minutes late," the shuttle pilot stated.
"Stow it, Grainier," Pierce replied, handing over his duffel bag. He'd run the entire way to make up for lost time, only to end up short regardless. "We need to rendezvous with the Veridias before it leaves orbit."
"Five minutes late, boss," Alan Grainier repeated. "That's unheard of for you."
"I was visiting with my son," Pierce said, following Grainier aboard the ship. "Love makes a person do crazy things."
Grainier turned from securing the duffel and stared Pierce in the eye, affecting an astonished look. "But, five minutes! I mean, what the hell?"
Pierce rolled his eyes. "If you can't make up a five minute delay, I'm booting you from Tau Team."
Grainier grinned. "I love a challenge," he said. "You hit the hatch- I'll finish off the final preflights."
Pierce hit the close switch, but the energy drained out of him as he did so and he stood where he was.
The visit with Jax had left Pierce uneasy. He'd been looking for a memory of his son to carry with him and steady him as he dealt with the negotiations ahead. Instead he had a sharp ache in his heart and a looming question he'd been unable to answer.
Turning from the hatch with a feeling of defeat, Pierce headed for the pilot's cabin.