Meditation: Reaching Out

[Kieran Devaneaux]

Though a lot of the knowledge he had gained was from his own travels and intuition, Kieran Devaneaux felt he still needed to work on something he had known he'd had since he became somewhat of a gypsy - his telepathy and his healing technique. He sat quietly in the meditation room of the Jedi Council on Coruscant, his legs crossed and eyes closed, and he reached out....

Around him, he could hear the screams of terror, the cries of pain, the pleas of the people of Reydovan Prime, trying to beseech their lord to show mercy. His father was that lord, and he had no capacity for mercy. After the incident that had caused him to lose his memory, Kieran could see his father Artimus entering the tomb of the great Jedi he was named for, taking a long cylinder from the crypt. He knew immediately what it was - the Jedi Master's viridian-bladed lightsaber, one of the rare double-blade varieties. Immediately afterward, he heard the screams of billions as the planet was bombarded....

Kieran opened his eyes and emitted a short, high-pitched scream....

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria was in one of the adjoining meeting rooms that branched off from the main meeting room, working on some of her projects in private when she heard the scream. Quickly she raced out of the room and found herself somewhat surprised as to whom it was crying out in pain. Kieran had left for his tour of duty months ago... when did he come back and why didn't he come and see her?

"Kieran?!" She spoked with a firm voice, not wanting to startle him and went wide around his side incase he had thought her an attacker. "Kieran snap out of your vision." As she spoke, her mind extended outwards to begin calming his mind, using the Force to gently soothe his nerves so he could attempt to focus on what was real.

[Kieran Devaneaux]

Kieran was breathing hard, eyes as wide as eggs as he saw Nav standing there near him. "Why is it," he said, mostly to himself, "that whenever I close my eyes for five bloody seconds, I get some kind of flashback that makes me either nearly fall to my death or scream like I'm being bludgeoned to death?!" To say he was angry would be a bit of an understatement. "I don't seem to remember asking for this!"

[Navaria Tarkin]

"Kieran." She said with an even firmer tone. "You must relax your mind. The anger you feel, though understandable, is not going to help your frustrations. It will only compound the problem and make it worse."

Then Navaria's features softened and she spoke with a gentleness, "We often don't ask for things in life, but we must learn to live what is given to us, otherwise it will consume us."

[Kieran Devaneaux]

Kieran fumed for a moment, until he heard a voice, old and crusted over, from many years earlier - the voice of a freighter captain who knew his father. The fact that you still have your sense of compassion proves you are a better man than your father, Kieran. Artimus' compassion died with his parents and siblings, many years ago.....along with the rest of his humanity. Now all that he has to live with is his rage, his madness, and his hunger for death and destruction.

Calmer now, he glanced at Nav and said, "I'm alright. Forgive my outburst....I'm still not quite....healed yet."

[Navaria Tarkin]

She nodded, "It is all right. Healing takes time and I will help to see you through this."

A hand gently covered his, "Have the worsen? The visions?"

[Kieran Devaneaux]

Kieran nodded. "Ever since I encountered my father, things started to get worse....first he comes after me with bounty hunter lackeys and his puppet Imperial officer who may be my clone brother, and now he's stolen my ship, the Skyrider. We barely escaped with the new ship I helped build..."

[Navaria Tarkin]

A very confused look came across the Knight's face and she held up her hands in defense, "Whoa, whoa ... Please slow down. Everything you said is meshing together. Start from the beginning with your father and go from there so I can understand the entire situation better."

[Kieran Devaneaux]

Taking a deep breath before speaking, Kieran patiently explained what little of his history he had rediscovered: that his father, Artimus, was an embittered former Jedi who conquered his homeworld and ruled with an iron fist. It was soon after he conquered Reydovan Prime that Kieran was born. When Kieran was sixteen, he helped overthrow the demented warlord, at great risk to himself. "I understand now why I was cursed with this amnesia," the Jedi officer said. "The resistance had hijacked a ship, and that ship had launched a volley of concussion missiles at my father's citadel. They did not know I was still in the fortress." Now he explained that Artimus was a Sith now, in order to receive more training to become an equal to Kieran himself in combat. "I was able to beat him before the concussion missiles struck. Now he seems bent on beating me. He took my Naval command, the Skyrider, in an attempt to not only get to my new ship, the Republic, but also me as well."

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria listened on in silence, mulling over what has happened to her Padawan since she last saw him. Only until he fell quiet, did the Knight speak up. "What of your father now?"

She wondered if Kieran's memories were only going to get worse as he remembered his past through his visions. His father seemed to be the key, but the Jedi was still uncertain of this since her Padawan's future remained clouded.

[Kieran Devaneaux]

Kieran sighed. "Back on Corellia. Waiting for the next move....and I think the Imperials are the ones who will make it. When they do, he'll be on the frontlines with them. With his Imperial puppet....my 'brother'." He explained about the rather aged-looking clone of himself he had encountered in recent weeks during the battles with his father. He found out that he was also an Imperial agent. The existence of Demon-Kieran still ate at him, wondering how in the galaxy he had been created before his birth...

[Navaria Tarkin]

"I'm sorry that this has happened. It's ...never easy to accept that your family has foresaken you for another that looks exactly like you and is how they had wished for you to be." She spoke as if having some experience from a similair situation but moved onto helping Kieran. Her demons had been long laid to rest. "What do you intend to do when confronted with your family and the clone that was created?"

[Kieran Devaneaux]

"The clone is an abomination and must be destroyed, either by my hands or someone better. Since Demon-Kieran is an Imperial agent, it will depend on my New Republic comrades." Kieran paused. "As for Artimus...I must deal with him myself. Not necessarily kill him, but try to stop him before he becomes too powerful to stop."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"Why must you deal with him yourself?" She asked curiously. "Are there none that can help you with this ordeal."

[Kieran Devaneaux]

"He's my father. I think I should have something to do with what happens to him. Though.....the man is quickly becoming powerful with the Force. I will face him, but I will not take him alone. The question is...who will come with me, and what will we be when we meet in battle again?" Kieran knew his father's mentality, and knew another confrontation was inevitable. "Will it be at Bestine, him with my ship, and me in the one I fought to save? Or will it be much later in the future?"

[Navaria Tarkin]

"Confrontation will come, but do not go looking for it or even to dwell upon it. Your time would be better spent in reflextion and training to make certain you can stand up to your father properly.

Do you not agree?"

[Kieran Devaneaux]

"I am no longer sure. I am being recalled to the fleet, with the Republic....something big is coming up, and unfortunately I don't know what. But I think Bestine will be a battlefront once again. And I think he will be there..."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"And if he is there, do you go off and fight him alone?" Navaria asked, lacing her fingers together. Emotions would run high in a situation like that and she was wondering what her Padawan would more then likely do. Would he go out of his way to face him and with what reason. To fight because it was the right thing to do or because of revenge, believing that his father had to die.

[Kieran Devaneaux]

Kieran looked up sharply at that. He knew what she was thinking....the tone of her voice tipped him off. "This is NOT about revenge, Master. And he does not have to necessarily die. Be made to account for himself, perhaps. For killing billions, for betraying the Order, for murdering the crew of the Skyrider and on the other ships who assisted in our defense, and whatever genocidal campaigns he has conducted or has yet to begin. I think he should be allowed to live with the shame of his actions.....but if fate determines otherwise, I will not oppose it."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"I had to make sure." She said, bowing her head apologetically. "I hope you understand. Not all can see past their emotions."

[Kieran Devaneaux]

Kieran's single eye stared coldly. "Emotions are all I have left. No family, no home. Just being....out there, alone with my thoughts - that has been what has sustained me for nearly a decade." His expression calmed somewhat. "It's been a long time since I have been able to speak about it to someone besides myself...."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"We have our emotions, it's what makes us unique. To be consumed by them is another thing entirely. But as you are beginning to understand, we are also not alone and have friends and mentors to help us through our troubled times."

She watched as his features grew softer, knowing that her student was finding a small sense of peace.

[Kieran Devaneaux]

As calm as he looked, Kieran did not feel at peace at all. In fact, he was in agonizing - but silent - pain, both physical and emotional. His right leg had been troubling him for years, and he still suffered from the wounds and bore the scars of the war against his demented father in years past....including the one that had claimed his right eye. His body was bad, but his mind was mostly clear - and that was all that was important at the moment. He sat down again. He knew his time was beginning to run out...his fate was tied to the fate of his Sith father. In the war to come, he knew, one or both of them would be dead, and he explained so to Nav. "Call it instinct or intuition...but I just have this feeling that the fate of the Devaneaux family and its tradition of Jedi may end up dying with us."

[Navaria Tarkin]

She stepped to his side, merely listening in earnest until Kieran said his peace. Only then did Navaria offer some comfort by placing a hand upon his shoulder, "You will find peace once you confront your father. That is all the Force can show me. It is not able to tell me how you will find it."

[Kieran Devaneaux]

"I would want to work more on my mental skills before I do that. My father is learning the mind powers from the Sith's master mentalist himself..." Kieran looked very concerned. "While he is nowhere near as powerful as his master, he is a very quick learner."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"You know of his Master?" Navaria asked throughtfully. "Who is he? It could give me an idea on how to prepare you."

[Kieran Devaneaux]

"I'm not sure. Je'gan something or other. All I know is, he is the Sith Order's most powerful mindlord, and now my father is being taught by the man."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"Je'gan Olra'en." She said with a tone as if hearing the name before. "I will look into it. There are usually some records here on most of the Sith and Dark Jedi about. I will consult with the librarians tonight about it. Tomorrow we shall begin your training again. Is that agreeable?"

[Kieran Devaneaux]

Kieran nodded. "Anything I can do before I leave...."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"Good. Then get your rest. We begin early." She bowed and swiftly left the room with a purpose.