Auro Syrdash

[Auro Syrdash]

Character Name: Auro Syrdash
Species: Vurk
Homeworld: Sembla a.k.a. Utavurk
Classes: Jedi Guardian & Jedi Weapon Master
Height: 1.95 m
Weight: 70 kg
Build: Muscular
Eyes: Black
Skin: Gray-green
Animal Companion: Pablo-Jill (Albek)
Astromech Droid: "Nines" R9-N9, formerly R7-D4 (R2-series)
Consular-class cruiser: The Saberjowl (Charger c70 retrofit)

[Auro Syrdash]

Outer Rim Territories
World of Fray
The Academy
Detention Center
c. 2918 AOK

In the center of a holding cell, Auro Syrdash found himself suspended in a containment field. He hung suspended in mid-air between an orb below his feet and a second orb above his head. His body was tilted forward and steadily rotated 360° in a bluish cone of magnetic energy. Metal cuffs secured each of his wrists slightly in front of his sides, while a matching pair held his ankles firmly in place, roughly shoulder width apart.

Electrical impulses wound their way through the containment field, compounding the already disorienting effects of constantly rotating and further disrupting both his concentration and his connection to the Force. However, by focusing his mind with the use of meditative techniques, he was able to withstand the sensory assault well enough to reflect on the implications of all that had transpired, along with the trials that he now faced along with his Saber Brother Graff and their fellow Saber Blades.

Just hours before, Auro had been standing on a tranquil beach at Graff's right-hand side as his friend exchanged wedding vows with Jenna, the woman he loved, before a Twi'lek officiant. This, of course, contradicted what Auro had learned about risks associated with attachment and the dangers of unrestrained passion from Master Truer and Knight Passik on Alderaan. While he did find it curious that the same two had maintained a romantic relationship of their own, Auro himself was the son of a Jedi Knight. These observations had led to his speculation that perhaps, with proper discipline, a romantic relationship need not end in catastrophe and ruin.

Nevertheless, Graff was prone to emotional outbursts, a flaw that Auro had as yet been unable to help change, despite his best efforts. Given that reality, Auro had done everything he could to warn Graff of the grave consequences his romantic relationship with Jenna could one day have. No matter what approach Auro took, Graff would not be swayed. As the other Sabers activated their lightsabers, forming an arch for Jenna to walk under, Auro cautioned Graff one final time before finally resigning himself to the inevitable. Knowing how much this meant to his Brother, he thanked Graff for sharing this important chapter in his life with him.

Suddenly, as the ceremony was approaching its conclusion, airspeeders supported by gunships converged on their location, accompanied by none other than Auro's childhood Xexto friend, Gadeon Halvran. Clearly outnumbered, Graff ordered the Sabers to surrender their lightsabers. Trusting their leader, Auro obeyed and lay down his own lightsabers. Immediately, each and every one of the Sabers was roughly subdued and taken into custody, including his small albek companion, Pablo-Jill!

Auro was completely blindsided by Gadeon's betrayal. Although he routinely followed the Sabers on their nightly patrols, Gadeon had personally given Graff his word that he would not follow the Sabers that night. Instead, it seemed that he had reported to the Academy's Headmaster, Master Aero'Vida and convinced him that the Sabers were planning to assassinate the boy king of the world of Fray.

Auro couldn't imagine what had possessed Gadeon to do such a thing. Although the two had recently found themselves at odds with one another in matters ranging from differing Force philosophies to how best prevent an impending crisis, Auro always believed that Gadeon's intentions were good.

Manacled in binders with his Saber brethren, Auro grasped for that belief on the airspeeder ride back to the Academy. He entrusted Gadeon with the protection of the six holocrons he had assumed guardianship of after they had crash-landed in this galaxy. Auro asked him to secure Pablo-Jill's release from the transparisteel cage in which the poor albek was now trapped and to look after him. He wanted so badly to believe that Gadeon had made a simple error in judgement. However, as he sat beside Graff in binders with Headmaster Aero'Vida smugly gloating while Gadeon stood by, Auro couldn't be sure if this really was just a terrible misunderstanding. Had Gadeon changed so much that Auro hardly even knew him anymore? Only time would tell…

[Auro Syrdash]

Outer Rim Territories
World of Fray
Palace of Baku
Medcenter
c. 2918 AOK

Without warning, Auro was jolted from his meditation. The visions he had just received through the Force were burned into his mind's eye. He found himself at a caf shop overlooking the spaceport. A Rutian Twi'lek female cried out to him, "They took my husband, just like they took my brother!"

The vision swirled into a scene of pitched combat at Baku's spaceport. Wielding their lightsabers, Angel, Biggs, and Auro joined Republic troopers, B1 battle droids, B2 super battle droids, and droideka destroyers in fighting a heated battle against Baku's City Guard. Two droideka destroyers fought alongside Auro. Suddenly, a bloodcurdling, screeching howl pierced the air as the droideka destroyer on his left was shredded like tin by a massive, brownish-black, scaly beast wearing red plate armor. It brandished razor claws curved forward as fanged jaws belched forth flames and smoke while they snapped wildly at Auro. The beast was like nothing Auro had ever imagined in his very worst nightmares.

After composing himself, Auro stood and made his way over to the holoterminal in his friend and fellow Saber Blade Maya's medcenter room while the precognitive Rodian slept. When he sat down at the console, his albek companion, Pablo Jill, jumped into his lap and stared at him, his head tilted as he whined softly as though concerned. Auro fed him a several fresh meat treats and began to research everything he could about the secrets held by the city on a collision course with destiny… Baku.

[Auro Syrdash]

Outer Rim Territories
World of Fray
Baku Spaceport
Republic Charger c70:
The Saberjowl
Lounge
c. 2919 AOK

As the severed head of Auro's friend rolled across the floor of the abandoned Jedi Council Chamber's, Auro's blood began to boil. Staring directly into the frigid blue eyes of Maya's murderer, he suddenly knew what it was to feel hatred. Part of Orchid's veiled face was exposed to reveal tattoos, half were illuminated by the crimson light of her double-bladed lightsaber, the others glowed in the green light of Maya's blade. Auro raised the blue blade of his own lightsaber and attacked his friend's killer only to be thwarted by an explosion between the two of them.

Just as someone might hear a distant voice calling out during a nightmare, Auro recognized a familiar voice. Suddenly, Auro felt Gadeon tugging at his arm, shaking him from the fog of vengeance in which he had lost himself. As smoke filled the once stately chamber. Finally, he was able to hear Gadeon's words and, reluctantly, Auro retreated with him to the airspeeder hovering outside the crumbling temple spire. There, he found his loyal albek companion there waiting for him. Heartbroken and confused, Auro held Pablo-Jill close. Moments laters, he had regained control of his emotions. Nonetheless, he had failed his friend. They had both sensed the suffering of numerous spirits trapped within the decaying temple. Why had he felt that the Force had guided them there despite the surrounding darkness?

Time and space gave way to blurry swirls as Auro heard Gadeon's voice echoing repeatedly inside his dizzy mind. "Auro, come to the temple now," he insisted. Surreal colors and odd noises bled into images and the sound of footsteps. Back inside the temple, he saw a dozen Jedi Masters and several Padawans meditating together in a circle. The oppressive darkness that had inundated the temple before had now been replaced by a sense of peace and calm. No longer were tortured spirits imprisoned within these walls; they had been released. With Pablo-Jill in tow, Auro and Ashla followed Gadeon to the decaying spire where Maya had lost her life and Auro had lost control of himself. Upon arriving there, they sat cross-legged in the center of the chamber.

When Auro looked up, the visage of his Rodian friend and fellow Jedi, Maya, stood before him, radiating light and warmth. Her translucent, bluish spirit form knelt before him. "I can't maintain this form for long," she told him as he listened intently. "Journey to the world of Clovis in the Antemeridian sector to seek out Al'Mor'Ah. It is time for an old debt to be repaid," she told him. "Even when you suffer defeat, good can still come from that. Don't give up on yourself or those closest to you. I am always around you," she promised as her spirit faded and rejoined the Force.

"Al'Mor'Ah," Auro whispered, emerging from his meditative trance. Pablo-Jill grunted sleepily, tilting his head and looking up at Auro from beside him on the couch. "The Force spoke through Maya, just as Maya spoke through the Force," Auro realized. "I am a servant of the light, and the life which infuses it," he intoned. It was a mantra attributed to his late father's Ithorian Master, Llim Lumas. "We're meant to abide by the Will of the Force," Auro affirmed. "When the Force lights our way, we must follow that path."

[Auro Syrdash]

Perlemian Trade Route
Hyperspace
En route from Fray to Clovis
Republic Charger c70:
The Saberjowl
Commander's Quarters
c. 2919 AOK

Unsettling: How else could Auro possibly describe it? Maybe it really was to ensure the success of their official mission, maybe it really was for the troopers' own good, and sure, maybe they actually had signed up for this. Still, it didn't take him much in the way of soul-searching to surmise that using the Force to penetrate the minds of the Republic Naval Troopers crewing this vessel, including the captain, had been a morally dubious act at best. Nevertheless, Master Chun was not one to debate the merits of his orders and Auro was on a timetable.

Only one trooper had remained unaffected by the mind trick. With the rest of the crew under the false delusion that one of their fellow troopers had been confined to quarters for disorderly conduct, he actually stood guard over the carbonite slab within which the dark Force-user Cordelia had been frozen. Posted just outside the locked cabin door, a second guard remained ignorant of the volatile cargo stowed within.

Auro intentionally set these distractions aside for now. Nothing would be gained from second guessing orders at this point, especially when he was already making an unsanctioned detour with the assistance of his newly repaired and restored astromech droid, Nines. Instead, Auro focused on the present and opened himself up to the ebb and flow of the Force. He reached out with his mind and felt the life force radiating from his friends, his crew, Pablo-Jill and even plant life he brought aboard the Saberjowl.

Having fully descended into a meditative trance, Auro's thoughts were led in directions he had not anticipated: first, toward his recent past and then his future destiny. Auro was not using farsight in the way gifted seers such as his sister Unna or his late friend Maya were proficient. Rather, he utilized meditative techniques, allowing the Force to guide him and illuminate certain truths already held within.

In his mind's eye, Auro envisioned Orchid. Again, she stood over Maya's headless corpse, holding her crimson-bladed double lightsaber in her right hand and Maya's green-bladed lightsaber in her left. She released the hilt in her left hand just enough to beckon him with her fingers, daring him to unleash his rage upon her. The look in her cold eyes seemed to exude a toxic mixture of glee, malice, and seduction. It was then that Auro had finally given in to temptation, lost control of his emotions, and attacked Maya's executioner in a wave of anger, that anger giving way to hatred.

He reflected upon wisdom that the holocron gatekeepers had imparted. "To kill a Jedi pleases a Sith," one Master told him. "But a Sith delights in the fall of a Jedi." There remained little doubt in Auro's mind that whoever had sent Orchid to slaughter Maya and destabalize Baku wanted to see him drowning in evil as a slave to the dark side. Another Master from a different holocron had tasked Auro with understanding both the predator and the prey. Orchid was undeniably an apex predator. Since Maya's murder in the temple spire, Auro had paid closer attention to the council of his three oldest friends. He had taken care to ensure that Ashla, Gadeon, and Unna felt comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings with him, not only as their commander, but as the friend they had grown up with. In Unna's case, he wanted to be the brother she always loved.

Auro's concentration shifted to the future, honing in on what the Native Force spirit had spoken in the ancient subterranean city below Fray's capital. Voices transcending time and space had called out to Auro in unison. The spirit said they belonged to family, friends, those whose lives he had saved, and those he could not. It was clear to him now that the fates of many of those same people would someday rest with him. Maya likened his destiny to a light that would shine across the galaxy. Although he could only begin to comprehend this role he would play, he trusted the Will of the Force to lead him forward and listened for its subtle whispers.

After several hours in his trance, Nines warbled through the Republic cruiser's intercom, notifying Auro that the Saberjowl was approaching the Clovis system. After emerging from the deep meditation, Auro's spirit felt renewed. He existed to serve the Living Force. Making his his way to the bridge, Auro found peace and serenity in knowing that was exactly why his squad was approaching Clovis in the first place.

[Auro Syrdash]

Outer Rim Territories
World of Clovis
Northern Continent
Temple of Al'Mor'Ah
c. 2919 AOK

On a veranda overlooking the courtyard, Auro watched as Cordelia, a Force-user touched by darkness, toted a kettle of porridge out of the kitchen portico. Dutifully, she doled out supper to the priests, priestesses, monks, and acolytes of Al-Mor-Ah. He couldn't help but notice that she had accepted her newfound role here with grace and humility.

He felt Master Crrlst approaching before he observed the small, feathered Mrrlsi standing at his side. After a moment, he addressed Auro with a question: "How can you expect to save hundreds of billions of lives, if you cannot even save one?" Without another word, Master Crrlst continued on his way, leaving Auro to ponder the philosophically loaded question.

Cordelia had been apprehended by Master Chun after the Battle of Baku. Auro's mission was to deliver her directly to Master Windu on Coruscant. There, she was to stand trial before the Senate and face the charge of high treason against the Republic. An accomplice of the dark Force-user Orchid, Cordelia was indeed guilty of being Orchid's mercenary. However, despite ethical shortcomings she had exhibited in the brief time Auro had known her, it was clear to him that she was not beyond redemption.

"I don't," Auro whispered to himself. "All life is precious."

[Auro Syrdash]

Outer Rim Territories
World of Clovis
Northern Continent
Temple of Al'Mor'Ah
c. 2919 AOK

Outside the heavy gates of the temple complex at Al'Mor'Ah, Auro stood amongst the coniferous trees as the sun set beyond the mountain. He spun the hilt of his newly constructed saberstaff in his hands. Remarkably, he could feel his own energy resonating through the two, amber-hued crystals he had inherited from his father, Ploush Belatau, who lived and died as a Jedi Knight. Now, his memory lived on in his son, Auro. Unlocking the two small mechanisms at the center of his saber staff, he took hold of the twin hilts that had been locked together. He activated both lightsabers, the blades igniting with a snap hiss and illuminating his surroundings in a golden glow. Auro practiced his forms under the darkening sky, he felt the Force alive within him. As currents of life energy flowed through him, he felt reinvigorated.

Early the next morning, just under a month after he and his squad had crash-landed on Clovis, Auro meditated on the veranda overlooking the courtyard where he had spoken to Master Crrlst four weeks prior. From there, he could feel the hum of life emanating from the beings and creatures below him and yet obtain solitude to focus. He reached out through the Force, listening for its subtle whispers as others arrived.

Along with Pablo-Jill, dozing contentedly in his lap, Auro was now joined by his sister Unna with Ashla, and Gadeon. After careful consideration and consultation with one another, he and his friends had determined what one question he or she would present to Master Crrlst and an assembly of 18 Temple priests and priestesses. Each question was subsequently asked by the four of them in succession and answered. In hindsight, it seemed to Auro that the responses they had received within the temple chamber had been more personal to each of them than they had anticipated.

As Auro had come to learn, no matter how meticulously might plan, the will of the Force often intercedes, bringing forth the unexpected. For his part, Auro had intended to uncover the greatest secret held by General Praeta Syrdash, this reality's shadow of his real mother, the honest woman who loyally and courageously served the Jedi Order as an Antarian Ranger and made the ultimate sacrifice on the world of Tabiid.

It was there that, besieged by Imperial ground forces, Ranger Praeta Syrdash fought her final battle. Armed with a light repeating blaster rifle, she fired into the encroaching enemy lines with lethal accuracy. In a sling on her back she carried her 11 month-old hatchling, Auro. Leaping from one rock formation to the next was her lover and infant son's father, fugitive Jedi Knight Ploush Belatau.

Wielding a blue-bladed lightsaber in one hand and a green-bladed lightsaber in the other, he deflected the blaster fire of their attackers until he reached their right flank and began to cut through the enemy's ranks, before disappearing behind their front lines. Wherever bright green and blue arcs could be seen, the ranks of Imperial infantry would momentarily give way and shrink back before reinforcements would rush into the gaps.

Also with Praeta were Unna's mother, Enhu Hi. She relentlessly sliced into the enemy formation with her deadly disc blade, leaving dismemberment and death in its wake. Unna's father, Ranger Uneer Chaanu fired a blaster cannon toward the menacing tanks at the head of the Imperial vanguard, slowing the massive machines by punching holes in their armor. Together, the four heroes managed to slow the Imperial advance just long enough for Praeta to shove baby Auro into Unna's arms and shout, "Run, Unna!"

The young Iktochi girl ran with her precious cargo toward the dimly lit tunnel still concealing her father's scout ship. Down to his last power pack, Uneer fired his blaster cannon's final shot. Enhu called out to Uneer and, as Praeta laid down suppressing blaster fire, he dropped his empty weapon, drew his heavy blaster pistol from its holster, and fired back at the Imperial stormtroopers gaining ground on his wife and friends as he raced toward his daughter and godson. Without warning, several round, metallic objects were thrown from an outcropping above. That very instant, Uneer sprinted forward and shouted a warning, "Sith Shadows!" Shrapnel from multiple frag grenades had ripped through his flesh before he could clear the blast radius and the explosions landed him face first.

Whether it was the resilience of a seasoned Antarian Ranger or the love and devotion he held in his heart for his family and closest friends, Uneer summoned the will to pick himself up and stumble into the tunnel. Finding his footing, he limped painfully to the ramp where Unna waited for him at the hatch. Already fired the thrusters, she closed the hatch and helped her father to the cockpit and into the pilot seat. Stoically, he gripped the controls and piloted them out the opposite end of the tunnel. As they accelerated away from the battle below, Unna sat in the co-pilot's seat with baby Auro in her lap. All at once, the ground below them lit up with a blinding explosion, the resulting fireball billowing up toward Uneer's ship.

Master Crrlst had spoken true when he told Auro that the greatest secret kept by General Praeta Syrdash would not provide answers to a question he had hoped to shed light on: Was there a shadow version of Auro himself in this universe? Instead, Master Crrlst replied simply, "She knows not to get into that airspeeder with the Chancellor tomorrow morning."

Auro humbly thanked Master Crrlst for his answer. The Chancellor's life was in grave danger. After bowing respectfully, he made his way out of the chamber but paused as one of the priestesses spoke. "Look to the horizon," she ominously intoned. "The Four Stars are rising…"

[Auro Syrdash]

Perlemian Trade Route
En route from Maldrood sector to Corusca sector
Republic Charger c70:
The Saberjowl
Bridge: Cockpit
c. 2919 AOK

Tensions ran high aboard the Saberjowl. No one was more aware of that cold, hard truth than Jedi Commander Auro Syrdash. Having dismissed the bridge crew less than an hour before, he had felt their contempt for him even as they carried out his orders. This was hardly surprising, given that Auro had all but been tried and convicted of treason by the newly confirmed Supreme Chancellor, High Jedi General Praeta Syrdash.

Auro's pet albek, Pablo-Jill, had trotted after him into the cockpit and hopped up into the pilot's chair, from which vantage point he dutifully watched the bridge doors. Requesting an update from Nines as he opened up his tool kit, Auro set about performing routine maintenance on the astromech droid he had shared a friendship with from his earliest years.

From the corner of his eye, Auro saw Pablo-Jill sniffing the air. At that instant, he could sense Gadeon approaching. Continuing to work on Nines, Auro gritted his teeth and steeled himself for another well-meaning lecture…

[Auro Syrdash]

Auro Syrdash
Jedi Commander
Personal Log: Excerpt
c. 2919 AOK

The HoloNet is now reporting Supreme Chancellor Lord Jedi Sephon Tirrel has been assassinated in broad daylight. As his airspeeder and accompanying motorcade wound through the Galactic City of Coruscant, capital of the Galactic Republic, the trap was sprung. Raw recorded footage indicates that he fell victim to a well-coordinated terrorist ambush.

My thoughts turn to Graff Tirrel, the late Supreme Chancellor's paternal grandson. I've come to count Graff among my most loyal friends, and he's also my sworn Saber Brother. Mandalorian on his father's side, Graff's family hails from the Core World of Anaxes in the Azure sector. With his whereabouts still unknown to me, I don't know when he'll learn the tragic news of his grandfather's untimely death.

Despite my Brother's defiance, he has already endured so much pain and loss over the past few months. With the indignities Graff is likely to be suffering even now, I can't begin to fathom what devastating effects the murder of his grandfather will have on him. Graff and Sephon Tirrel had their differences, but there was no denying that the Lord Jedi was a man he greatly honored and respected.

If only I could find a way to lead Graff away from the mire of his hatred and deliver him from the clutches of his enemies. I know Graff isn't a lost cause, and I refuse to let the dark side claim him without a fight…

[Auro Syrdash]

Core Worlds
Darpa sector
World of Val'Dora
Tropical Island/Resort:
Golden Coast
Republic Zeta-class:
The Arbiter
c. 2919 AOK

As Auro meditated with his trusty droid Nines nearby, he shut his eyes tightly and confronted an awkward truth. Were it not for his strong faith in the the Living Force, he could actually imagine himself reuniting with Cordelia and Pablo-Jill and discovering a remote, uncharted planet with a past long forgotten. On a world such as that, he could easily assume the role of Jedi Watchman, a sentry devoted to protecting the lives of indigenous inhabitants, animal, and plant species far, far away from the evils of war and the darkness with its unquenchable thirst for death.

I am a servant of the light, and the life which infuses it.

The words of Master Lumas, the Ithorian Jedi who had trained Knight Belatau, reverberated through his mind, through his heart, and through his very spirit. He whispered aloud, "I am a servant of the light, and the life which infuses it." As a sworn servant of both the light and life, Auro knew that his duty was to defend life by allowing the light to flow through him to become a shining beacon, shielding the innocent from the dark side.

As night fell, Auro, seated cross-legged on the floor toward the rear of the shuttle, emerged from his fifth and final meditation of the day. Gradually, he began to sense an icy, tenebrous, and familiar presence snaking its shadowy tendrils through the currents of the Force. He shivered involuntarily as he remembered all too well that the last time he had felt this same malfeasance had been on Alderaan. This presence had always loomed like a dark cloud somewhere in the Force, but one night it had seemed as though it was surrounding him from all sides.

Auro recalled Master Truer ushering Knight Passik just out of earshot. Older than the others, Mykala and Elden put on a brave face for the more sensitive younglings, some of whom were on the verge of tears. Mykala began to sing a cheery ballad that was a favorite of the younglings. When Elden added his deeper voice, other younglings began to sing along, momentarily distracted. Auro, however, walked over to his instructors.

"I wanna help you stop the bad things around us," he said bravely.

Master Truer knelt down on one knee and explained to him that the menace of the Sith was growing more powerful. However, he added that none among them must attempt to face that threat until they were ready. Nalan smiled weakly and squeezed Nontho's shoulder reassuringly.

Auro bowed respectfully and rejoined the other younglings but felt so powerless. Later, Master Truer and Knight Passik taught them what they had sensed could not harm them at the Alderaan Enclave. Both Jedi emphasized the importance of keeping a low profile so no one would draw attention to their family. As the younglings grew, they were eventually told that the wickedness of the hateful Emperor Palpatine and the brutal, masked Sith Lord Darth Vader that drove the Imperial war machine.

Breathing deeply and clearing his mind as he stood to gather Unna, Ashla, and the Jedi Knight Supreme Chancellor Praeta Syrdash had appointed to protect him named Duncan Starchaser. Having found the man to be direct and focused, Auro respected those traits and hoped Duncan would become his friend and a voluntary member of his team.

Tomorrow, Auro would face what would be one of the most daunting challenges he had taken on yet. A rebellious Antarian Ranger named Padmé Naberrie would test the limits of his diplomatic prowess, such as it was. However, if he could not arbitrate a truce and end the hostage situation without bloodshed, there would be repercussions for his mother, who Auro had reluctantly admitted she must be, at least in some biological sense if nothing else. He had defied the will of Chancellor Syrdash who referred to herself as Empress less than a day prior. It was up to Auro now to forestall the inexorable fires of war.