Aliso Aliso City 41 ABY
Preoccupied as she walked through Aliso city, heading towards the shuttles for the Cordana Valley, Tahiri mused over some curious information she had found out from Kul. Another Zabrak had joined the clan, and the thing that stuck out the most was the name. Bril Teg Arga. Could it actually be thee Bril I know, or is it just someone with a similar name. The Adept had been so busy with the feud, and then preparing things for her next missions, that she had not been even able to meet this newest Acolyte of Plagueis, even though he wasn’t in the same house. When she was Overseer, she had been in charge of all the new recruits, assets and soldiers of Plagueis. She had heard that Nora had taken an Apprentice, but didn’t realize until Kul told her that the Quaestor had taken the Zabrak under her wing. Even now, the INQ data pad in her hand was finishing its download of Bril’s dossier. If it was Bril, I wish I had known sooner that he had made his way to the Brotherhood.
Alert as always as he padded along beside Tahiri was Hadzuska, her Vornskr, keeping her path clear of anyone who dared to cross it. Even though she had no need for him to keep her on track to the shuttles, as she was very aware of things and people close by, she had to make him stay closer to her a few times, as he had almost tried to make some patrol droids stop for her. With the new droid military units that the Dread Lord had deployed, sometimes the small guard groups that patrolled the city didn’t always stop for people to pass. Tahiri didn’t really believe that droids should fully replace living troops, there was no honor in fighting a bunch of servos and circuits. Quickly grabbing a seat near the entrance of an almost full shuttle, she began to read through the dossier. Tahiri was becoming more and more convinced that Bril was in fact the boy she had met 12 years ago. I need to meet up with him some time. I hope that his family is okay and that nothing bad has happened.
Aliso Cordana Valley
After a few more minutes, the shuttle landed and the bay doors opened to reveal the Cordana Valley. The air was clean and crisp, and the light breeze felt good. Most of the other passengers from the shuttle headed off towards some of the valley’s meadows and other nearby recreational places. Tahiri, after tucking away her data pad, began walking up a trail that headed deeper into the valley, where she could do some private training and meditation / relaxation. As she and Zuska stood at the edge of the bush, both looked around for a moment, before jogging off the trail and into the wilderness itself. Although, both didn’t realize that there was one person who saw them.
… Inhale …
Nestled deep within the labyrinthine paths of Cordana Valley, Bril Teg Arga sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, centering his attention on the sensation of his breath passing through his nostrils. Cool, dry air flowed in at a snail’s pace, filling every space it could find. He made no special effort to control the pace of his breath, nor how much of it his lungs accepted. The young zabrak simply devoted his full attention to each passing moment.
… Exhale …
And like a sojourner ready to move to their next destination, each breath left the space he’d provided. Wayward thoughts showed themselves on occasion, but instead of dismissing them, he showed each of them the same hospitality he would a guest in his home, knowing that they would leave when they were ready. And they did.
This meticulous process of passive observation and acceptance allowed Bril to sustain and deepen his concentration, endowing him with a sensation of profound levity that felt as if he were seated on a cloud. Any sensation of the ground beneath him fell into the hidden depths of his awareness, into that sub-liminal space where mere potential quale resided. And with that loss in his sense of grounding came liberation from the ground itself.
Another presence joined him, reaching out through the Force and carrying with it a distinct familiarity that his other guests had lacked. Echos of childhood memories filled his mind, beckoning him to reach out and examine them further. He obliged. A connection in the Force formed – reformed – sending a single pulse of warmth to both him and the Togruta woman who appeared in his mind’s eye.
-
His eyes shot open, and he quickly gathered his things to begin his trek back to the valley’s mouth. Bril knew exactly whose presence he’d felt, and he couldn’t contain his smile when he realized that he would see her again after all this time. Each step brought him farther down the trail and caused his excitement to grow alongside the strength of their burgeoning Force connection.
The narrow path opened into a larger clearing, and that’s when he saw her. He was smiling ear-to-ear by now, and his voice echoed throughout Cordana Valley when he shouted her name, “Tahiri!”
Tahiri let her mind freely wander as she went through form V, Shien’s fluidly spinning moves, stances, and saber techniques. She even opened herself up to the Force, letting it move through both her body and mind. When she had started, her mind was filled with racing and tangled thoughts, but now there were only thoughts of peace. Her mind now decluttered, and completely open to whatever came to her, her thoughts slowly went back to when she had trained a young 12 year old Zabrak boy, so eager to learn. Then she felt a familiar presence from long ago, as she finished the last set of moves. Pausing for a moment, she shook her head. Smiling as she knew the Force had just let her know that the person she felt was still alive, but no more. Normally she had to concentrate more when she tried to sense through the Force if someone she cared about was alright. But this came to her so much easier. Probably due to how much I’ve thought about him recently, she thought to herself as she clipped her saber back onto her belt.
All the while she was training, Zuska rolled around in the grass happily off to the side. Walking over to where a large portion of grass had been flattened, she took a quick drink of cold water from the bottle sitting next to her cloak and boots. Chuckling and shaking her head at Zuska, as he looked at her upside down, tongue hanging out, the barbed end of his whip like tail swishing through the grass, and happily kicking the air with his legs.
Walking back out into the knee high grass, she breathed in the crisp autumn like air. Unclipping her saber once more, she prepared to begin practicing the more acrobatic and wild form IV, Ataru, until she heard her name being called from across the field. She turned and saw a tall brown skinned and brown haired man approaching her. She took a few steps towards him and then paused, as the man closed the distance she could make out the recognizable black tattoos, vestigial horns that poked out of his hair, she could recognize him as a Zabrak easily. The way the man moved was different, the voice was different, but the smile… the smile, and those crystal blue eyes sparked her memory more than anything.
Excitedly she called back, “Bril?”
So, it was her. She sounded the same, but she looked different. Her skin and montral markings had changed color, but there was little doubt that this the same woman he’d met so many moons ago, who had taken him under her wing. She had helped nurture his budding Force abilities and taught him how to protect himself and his family. He crossed the distance between them in moments, opening his arms to embrace the shorter Togruta in a tight hug that lifted her off the ground. A warm thrum pulsed across their Force connection as they embraced.
Once he put her down, he took a step back and smiled again. “It’s been so long,” he said, speaking in Togruti. It was clear that his grasp of the language had come a long way since his youth. “I didn’t think it would take this long for us to finally meet again. How have you been?”
He had to pinch himself to ensure that what he was seeing was real and not a dream or a vision given to him by the Force. What were the odds of him running into her this far away from Aliso city, after all? Ancestors be praised.
Tahiri was beside herself, the young boy she had found while on a mission, told stories to, and even mentored him in understanding the Force and how to use certain aspects of it. That same boy, now a young warrior, was standing before her.
“Yes, it has been a long time, Bril,” she was surprised by how fluent he was in Togruti. He had none of the mispronunciations or stuttering that he had before. “I’ve been doing well. But I see you, you’ve grown so much. I remember you were so happy you had just gotten to be about my height, when we last met.”
Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes, “So much has happened since I last saw you and your family. I'm…” She was interrupted by a low growl off to her left and the intent of protectiveness coming from her Vornskr. She immediately sent a firm mental command to stand down, her head and eyes snapping from Bril to Zuska for a moment. Making a small gesture with her hand, she looked back and flashed a small embarrassed smile at Bril.
“Sorry about Hadzuska, you two haven’t met yet so he doesn’t know that you’re a friend like Solan does,” she chuckled a little, as the Vornskr approached warily, keeping his eyes fixed on the tall Zabrak. Standing next to Tahiri, while pushing his head up into her palm that she had left outstretched and down for him to come to. “If you’ll hold out your hand, I’ll introduce you two.”
The smile on his face remained as they spoke, a brilliant beacon of the joy he felt to see her again. Although they weren’t related by blood, Tahiri was as much a member of his linare, his family, as his own flesh and blood were–just as Sivall was. When she mentioned his change in height, he laughed and gave a playful shrug. “What can I say? I had a growth spurt or two.”
A wave of somber emotion rippled through the Force, proceeding the tears that formed in the Togruta’s eyes. As if on instinct, he took a step forward with an outstretched hand. His urge to comfort those close to him had only gotten stronger as the years passed and now as a young man, Bril had a much better understanding of how to do that. His extended time with his new friends in Arcona helped with that, as well.
But when the slender canine released a growl, a clear warning not to step any closer to its master, Bril froze. The image of a vicious quadruped, far larger than the one standing before him with a murderous look in its eye, took its place. The rhythmic thumping of two hearts fell out of sync and sent the young Zabrak into a spiral of adrenaline and apprehension.
It wasn’t until he heard Tahiri’s voice again that he snapped out of it. He shook his head and afforded a sheepish smile. “So, Hadzuska is his name, huh? Good to know. And how is Solan, these days? It’s been … well, years.”
When she mentioned offering his hand, he hesitated.
Tahiri saw his hesitation, and smiled, looking down at Zuska, “It’s alright Bril, Zuska only needs to get your scent and see that you are of no threat to me.” Patting his sleek black head, she squatted down and motioned forward, asking him in Togruti, “Zuska, sniff, Bril is my friend.” The Vornskr cocked his head, looking up at her and then eyeing the tall Zabrak in front of them. Even though she gave him an encouraging scratch and nudge, he simply snuffed the air, stared at the Zabrak again for a moment and then shook himself before walking back over to his spot in the tall grass.
Tahiri shook her head and chuckled, “Well, at least he doesn’t dislike you. It’ll take a bit of time for him to come to you, but it’ll happen sooner or later.” Standing up, she dusted off her knee before cocking her head to the side. “Now as for Solan, he should remember you, although you were much smaller back then. Though your scent probably hasn’t changed much,” a smile tugged at the corners of her black lips. “Seems you’ve forgotten one small lesson I had taught you. Although, let’s see if you remember the other lesson I told you.” Though her body was relaxed, every fiber in the muscles of her legs tightened slightly as the hulking creature behind Bril got closer. She saw the confusion cross his face, just as a smile crossed hers.
After stalking up behind the tall Zabrak, the Akul snuffed in a scent that was somewhat familiar. Looking over at the tiny Togruta that was the beta of their pack. Images of a young boy flashed through his mind, coming through the bond between them, now realizing that this Zabrak was in fact a friend and the boy he had a familiar memory of was one in the same, it wasn’t completely evident as he continued to stalk up behind him. Coming up behind him, and then huffing a blast of hot air on the back of the Zabraks’ neck. Then Solan suddenly plowed his head into the Zabraks’ right shoulder, bowling him forward, and then with his huge paw pushed the man onto his back. Pinning him down with one paw, Solan sniffed in his scent one more time, before giving a loud purr, and then giving his face a big lick with his raspy tongue.
Bril’s eyes shot up to Tahiri when she called out to him. Her words of encouragement helped put him at ease, and he extended his hand to Zuska so he could sniff. “I’m sure we’ll be friends eventually,” he said with a smile, “I’m usually pretty good with animals.”
Lesson? What did she mean? Bril searched his brain for memories of what she meant but found nothing. A puff of hot air on the back of his neck caused him to jump a little but any nervousness he felt melted away with the massive akul pinned him down and licked his face. Laughing and turning his head from side-to-side, Bril lifted his hands to stroke the fur on Solan’s face. “Solan! Is that you, boy? Look at how big you’ve gotten!”