The Y-wing dropped out of hyperspace above the jungle planet of Sepros. Calenhad brought the ship downward in a slow descent toward the forest floor. With the practice of an experienced pilot, Calenhad gracefully set the ship down upon the forest floor. Calenhad opened the cockpit of the ship and vaulted over the edge. His feet landed upon the forest floor and he took a deep breath. “It’s good to be back” he stated as he felt the Force flow through the forest. Life flourished among the large wroshyr trees and emotion flowed freely upon Sepros. Calenhad turned toward his astromech S4-Dow. “Stay with the ship S4-Dow. Etah gave me permission to borrow it and I expect to return it in one piece.” The droid whirred disappointedly. “Master, does this mean that there is no meatbags for me to kill? Oh, how dreadfully boring. Certainly there is something better for me to do?” Calenhad let out a sigh at his droids antics. “Just make sure the ship is in one piece S4-Dow.” Without waiting for a response Calenhad walked off into the forest. Confident of the Force’s ability to warn him of any danger Calenhad allowed it to lead him through the forest. He eventually found himself before the long destroyed Temple of Shadow. “I suppose you have something to show me?” Calenhad spoke, hoping the Force would send some sort of response. Only silence awaited him. Calenhad knelt before the ruins and opened himself up to the Force. The vastness of the galaxy swirled around him. Life was created, emotion flared. Happiness, love, hope, anger, jealousy, hatred, all flowed past him. Just as it began, life ended. A mere speck upon the great canvas of time. Calenhad opened his eyes to see a elegant garden with flowing fountains instead of the ruins he expected. “Well this is….different” he stated as he looked quizzically around the room. “Have you sought the tranquility of the Room of a Thousand Fountains?” a voice called from across the room. Calenhad turned toward the voice to see a young Mirialan female entering the room. “Yes, that is correct’ Calenhad answered quickly while attempting to collect his thoughts. ‘Didn’t the academy teach that the Room of a Thousand Fountains was located in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant? Why is the Force showing me this? This can’t merely be a vision if the girl is able to see me.’ The girl’s voice brought Calenhad out of his thoughts. “Excuse me Master?” the girl stated politely. “You may call me Calenhad. What is your name girl?” “Barriss Offee” she replied. Calenhad paused in thought. ‘Why did this girl seem familiar? Barriss Offee...Offee….Offee, Wait a moment, that was the Jedi responsible for the bombing of the Jedi Temple in the months leading up to the end of the Clone Wars.’ “I have been rather troubled as of late Barriss. The Jedi are not what they once were. “Why do you say that master?” she asked. Calenhad gazed into her blue eyes. “I speak of the nature of the Jedi Order in this conflict young Barriss. Do you remember how this conflict started?” She answered immediately. “Of course I do. The Jedi launched a rescue mission to free Masters Kenobi and Skywalker as well as Senator Amidala.”
“That is where you are wrong I am afraid. Of course the media will portray it as such. The glorious Republic goes off to war to rescue it’s captured citizens. But did you consider the army the Jedi used to fight? The Clones did not appear overnight after all. No, my dear, the clones take years to properly grow and mature. It takes time for a slave to learn its new routine after all. This is what the Republic and by extension the Jedi Order has become. We are no better the the slavers in service of the Hutt Cartel. But this is not the worst thing to consider. Why don’t you ask Master Kenobi what the purpose of the Clone Army is? The Jedi Order could not have possible known that a war would break out on a galactic scale all those years ago now could they? So why was such a massive army commissioned?” The mirialan looked disturbed by the outpour of information. “I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that question Master.”
“The Jedi have lost their way Barriss. They seek political gain and involve themselves in the Senate. It is not enough for Yoda to control the entire Jedi Order. No, he must have the entire Republic with his grasp. We have become the very oppressors that we claim the Separatists are.” Calenhad could feel his form slipping as the Force called him back to his time. “Just think about what I have told you Barriss” Calenhad called, as he faded back to Sepros. His orange eyes gazed upon the Temple of Shadow and a smirk blossomed upon his lips. “The seeds have been planted within her mind. Now it is only a matter of time before they bear fruit.”

36 ABY- First Order Command Ship

“This is Kadrol Hauen, requesting permission to land.”

“State your business.” The officer replied.

“I come on a diplomatic mission from the clan Scholae Palatinae.”

“Insert your landing codes.” The Officer mumbled, clearly bored by his job. Kadrol did as he was told, and reached up, punching in the code to be transmitted.
“You have permission to land.” The voice said over the system. Kadrol drew in closer to the monsterous ship so the tractor beams could pull the ship in.

After the ship had landed, Kadrol lowered the shuttle’s ramp and stepped out. He was immediately greeted by a swarm of stormtroopers: twelve to be exact. Without a word, the beckoned the Pantoran to follow, and they led him down the long cooridor. As they reached their location, the lead trooper opened the door. Kadrol stepped into the interior of the room, and the doors closed behind him. As he looked around, a voice said “Ah, you must be Kadrol. Take a seat.” Kadrol grabbed a chair and sat down. He came to be seated across the long table from Kylo Ren. “I’ve heard much about your training,” Kylo said, “Palatinae stands with everything the First Order believes in, but I’m sure you know that already. I am much more interested in seeing what you have learned.” Kadrol didn’t know how to respond. He had grow up idolizing Kylo, and now he was in the same room with him.

“Come on. Show me what you have learned.” Kylo said. “I will show you the ways of the Force.”

“Ok.” Kadrol replied. He genuinely could not think of anything to say. Even if he had something to say, he wasn’t sure he could physically get the words out. Kylo led Kadrol into a large training room similar to the one he was used to back on Antei.

Kylo Ren pointed him to a dummy, saying “Give it all you’ve got!”

Kadrol drew his lightsaber and demonstrated the few moves he knew. The purple blade hummed as Kadrol struck the dummy very carefully and precisely. He didn’t want to blow his shot of impressing the Supreme Leader.

“Stand back.” Kylo warned. Kadrol took a step back. Watching the Sith, Kadrol became entranced with the fiery red blade with the iconic cross guard. He couldn’t help but just stand there in awe as Kylo Ren sliced the dummy to bits. As he finished, Kylo remarked “In time you will be able to do all this, and more. I look forward to watching your career with great interest.” For the rest of the afternoon, Kadrol sought to learn all he could from Kylo.

As the day came to a close, Kadrol said goodbye and headed back to his ship. “Hey, Kadrol!” Kylo said from behind him, “Tell your clan that the First Order fully supports clan Scholae. Also, I’ve had my Imperial armorers make you a set of armor. It’ll be delivered to you soon.” Kadrol turned around, closed the ramp, and took off. What a day.

It's a thing, a short thing, have it, sorry.

A normal day of work and errands for a grown-up ferret gets a little wrench - or two - thrown into the mix.

*Capital City Space Port, Capital City, Pantora*

Kadrol heard the landing thrusters activated. Finally. He thought. I am home. The shuttle’s door opened, and the young Pantoran stepped out. Hailing from the upper class of Pantora, he had people to do almost everything for him. One of his family’s servants, Jax, walked aboard and brought Kadrol’s luggage out in a hover sleigh. After all his stuff had been put in the trunk of their hover car, the two took off toward the house.

“Master Kadrol, how was your stay on Antei?” Jax asked, trying to make conversation during the twenty minute drive.

“Not bad. I learned a lot while I was there.” Kadrol replied.

“Well, that is good to hear,” The servant said. “Your parents have been very excited for your return.”

“I can’t wait to see them too.” Kadrol said longingly. A few more minutes passed in silence before they arrived. After Jax had parked the vehicle, The two walked toward the doors of the large house. He hadn’t even touched the handle before the door opened.

“Kadrol, you’re home!” His mother said, hugging him. His mom was fairly young, only 34 years old. She was also very sweet and beautiful. Her pink-purple hair was tied up in two buns, as many senators wore their hair. She was wearing a gold headdress that perfectly accentuated her magenta dress.

All of a sudden he felt two more arms wrap around his waist. “Hello, Shane.” Kadrol said instinctively.

“I missed you, Brother.” Shane said.

“I missed you too.” Kadrol replied. “Where are Dad and Tanya?”

“They went out to do something. They’ll be back soon.” His mother answered. The two of them walked towards the family room to catch up. Shane ran ahead.

“Shane is super happy to see you again. It’s been way longer than nine months for him.” Kadrol’s mother explained, laughing. As the two reached the family room and sat down, the door opened again.

“Those two have great timing,” Kadrol said sarcastically.

“Let’s go to the dining room.” This time it was Kadrol who ran. When he reached the dining room, he and his sister locked eyes. Kadrol ran and jumped right into his sister’s arms. She had always been pretty strong, considering she was a year younger than Kadrol was. The two shared a bond so strong that it was indescribable.

“Welcome home, Kadrol.” She said, putting him back on the ground. The two embraced each other.

“What about me?” His father asked.

“Ok, ok. I missed you too, dad.” Kadrol said, giving him a hug as well.

“Let’s take a seat and you can tell us all about your trip over some pie.” His mother said, gently. The family took a seat and his sister, Tanya, served each of them a slice.

“So, what did you do while you were away?”

“Not much. I did a lot of studying and testing, as well as a lot of training while I was on Antei… I’m getting pretty tired. I’m still running on Antei time.” Kadrol said, yawning.

“Get some sleep. We will see you in the morning.” His mom replied.

*The Next Morning*

Kadrol awoke at his usual time. Of course that time was also 5:00 here on Pantora. He took the liberty of telling the couple cooks they had that they could take some time off and that he would make breakfast. By the time his family made it to the table an hour and a half later, he had made some Pantoran-style hotcakes and squeezed some Pantorange (a delectable fruit comparable to a cross between an apple and orange) juice. He was glad to be able to give the cooks some time off. They deserved it.

After breakfast his siblings had to go to school. His father went to organize his army figurines on his battlefield of a table, or as his mom would say, “He went to go play with his big kid toys.” Kadrol, being a diplomat at heart, went to the Pantoran senate with his mom to work on some of the bills she was trying to pass.

The Pantoran senate was fairly large, but could be compared to a dot on a piece of paper when compared to the galactic senate building, which was now a landmark on Coruscant. The Pantoran senate held 112 senators, two from each sector of Pantora.

“K., I need your help with the wording in this bill.” His mother said, exasperated. K was the nickname people had given him. He didn’t fully understand why, though, because Kadrol wasn’t really a long name that needed to be shortened, nor was it difficult to pronounce. He didn’t mind people calling him that, though.

After a couple minutes of reading and analyzing speeches from opposition of the bill, Kadrol exclaimed “I think I’ve got it! Your problem is that you need to add the Naboo Comma. It should say ‘a thousand credits for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology,’ not ‘a thousand credits for physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology.” The concerns our opponents are voicing is that the credits for occupational therapy and speech-language pathology, without the comma there, would split the allotted amount between the two sections.”

“Good work, Kadrol! That might save the bill!” His mother exclaimed. Kadrol had become used to helping his mom while he was home, and he had loved it ever since his mom first took him to view a senatorial session when he was ten years old. Though the most he usually did was run and get things, he enjoyed following in his mother’s footsteps. When his mother was younger, granted she had been 18 when she started, she was an aide to a senator. It was usually the only way to become a prominent member in the senate, though there were a few exceptions.

“K., Do you want to watch a session from the viewing platform with me?” His mother asked.

“I would love that.” Kadrol replied quickly. He had seen the senate debate things before, but he had never actually been in the platforms with the senators before.

“We have to be there in half an hour.”

“Ok.”

The two ate their lunch and then walked to the senate chamber. There was a loud buzz as the senators talked amongst each other before the session began.

“Order!” A Voice boomed, aided by a microphone. “Let’s debate the personal health care bill. The committee chair will be the first to speak.”

The debate took about four hours. There were a few good points in the debate, but some senators, particularly the ones who openly opposed the bill, droned on for what seemed like forever. After the debate portion ended, it came to a vote. The bill passed with a vote of 73 to 32. It was getting late now, and Kadrol and his mother retired to the house, where Kadrol fell into bed, almost immediately started falling asleep. Wow. He thought. This all started just like any other day, and I ended up getting to watch the senate in action.

With the dawn came snowfall. Tumbling out of the skies thick with clouds, the constant tumble of a billion different flakes reduced the sunrise to a mere bright glow on the horizon. Blanketing out everything, it had reduced visibility to little more than a few meters at a time. Save for the towering shapes of the lost ruins, and the flat blade-like form of the citadel’s outermost walls, the world was one of pure white. The only other light-source came from a dim glow on the fringes of the citadel's outermost tower, from a broad window set against the mountain.

The blue-white of a plasma fire shone brightly against the biting cold, offering some small respite and heating that room there alone. Within it was little more than a small hovel. Strings of animals, skinned and salted hung from the ceiling, while opposite them a simple bed was set against one wall. A desk rough hewn from stone had been placed next to the wall, piled high with dataslates and ancient tablets. The room’s lone occupant - one of the few permanent residents of the winterlocked planet - had spent much of the previous night skimming through details and comparing notes with historical records. He had paused only to watch the rising sun now, sitting with his chair facing the window and running one gauntleted hand through his greying beard. It was a recent edition, one of several changes Tarvitz had made during his twilight years.

The man who sat in that chair, now in his mid sixties, barely resembled his younger self. What little colour that had been in his hair had long since faded away, and his scalp was closely shorn. Furs and winter clothing had taken the place of his armour, and even the lightsaber he had once carried had been replaced with an ancient heavy blade of alchemical origin. He sat there for some time, simply watching and thinking. The semi-blizzard had not ceased since the previous night. In fact, it hadn’t stopped since the first flakes had come earlier that month. Winter was neverending here, but it was a sign that it was moving into its harsher months. There were no howls of wolves, no bellows of the remnant Yuuzhan Vong beasts which had acclimated to the world’s limited ecosystem. They were either in hibernation or had moved on, and that meant hunting was required.

Tarvitz smiled slightly at the thought of the challenge, the thrill of chasing down a pack and outwitting them. Between it and his efforts to more deeply explore the world’s darker secrets it was all that had kept him sane. With the fall of the Collective, the First Order and the Brotherhood’s corrupt leadership, there had been no challenges left to him. Even his self-imposed tasks had rarely borne the true victories he desired after mastering his chosen style of lightsaber combat and excelling at craftsmanship. As others had suggested, he had done his level best to settle down, to live a life of normality. Yet the simple fact was that he couldn’t. For as long as he could remember, Tarvitz had struggled against something, and within a few months the boredom of retirement had nearly driven him insane. Rhen Var had offered a reprieve from that monotony.

The simple life there was a hard one, impossible for most and it offered ever new ways to kill a man. In the first week alone Tarvitz had died almost three times, from hidden chasms and monsters alike. Yet there was a beauty to the crude simplicity of it all which he found satisfying. Uncomplicated was the word, and just as Yoda or Kenobi had done before him, Tarvitz had found the desolation and untamed nature of an Outer Rim world to his liking. There were no Sith to fight, no pirates to combat or prisoners to rescue, but until old age or one mistake too many claimed him, it was enough to keep him sane.

As he waited, Tarvitz heard a distant whistling howl of a pack beast somewhere in the far distance. Perhaps he still had a chance to claim one more meal before waiting to weather out the heavy snowfall that was to come. With a smile, Tarvitz rose from his chair and snatched up the spear resting against his desk, before turning to leave. “Normality” might have been a substantial change from his previous lifestyle, but in a place as unforgiving and harsh as Rhen Var, he found it to his liking.