Auro Syrdash

[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.