Chrystopher Legacy Chapter 1: Echoes of the Past

Chapter 1: Echoes of the Past

Jheryth opened the bay doors on his fury class starship to reveal a small forest clearing. He slung a survival pack over his shoulder and turned to address his small crew, "Head to house Thul, you should be received well. Enjoy some time off. I shall contact you when it is time to leave." His crew nodded and made their way back to the cockpit. Jheryth stepped out into the forest, hearing the door hiss close and the thrusters warm up. He turned and watch his ship and crew take off.

He turned back to the clearing. He placed a hand on a hearty tree, like a friend gripping the hand of an old friend. He marveled at the strong brown bark, having a distaste of the Hydenock trees that Alderaan was famous for. He ran his hand along the bark, then rubbed the dirt into both hands.

His thoughts and emotions spun around in his head. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, slowing down the personal onslaught he was feeling. Knowing it all must come to the surface, feel it all, put all his thoughts in their place.

He took another deep breath, centering himself, letting the forst fade away, his mind's eye pulling up the memory of his parents. He remembered how pleased they were when he was identified as force-sensitive, that a Chrystopher was to be trained as a Jedi. Jheryth's brow furrowed as the scene was replaced by the look on his parents faces when he returned from the Acadamy. Having to tell his parents that he was kicked out of the Academy. Their looks of disappointment, disdain, and rejection. Jheryth watched his former self, taking a few personal belongings and a survival pack, walking out without another word to his parents.

Jheryth opened his eyes, surveying the clearing, watching the shadows slowly creep across, heralding the coming nightfall. He set his pack down against an old log, the clearing having the look of a well-used campsite. He pulled out a few things from his pack, arranging a few cooking tools, sleeping bag, and a flint stone. He stood, looked around, and moved about the clearing, picking up some bits of wood and kindling. He thought back to the long walk from his parents estate, living off the forest, wandering for weeks, loosing all sense of time, until he found this very clearing. Without the slightest trace of civilization, he claimed this clearing as his own.

He made his way back to the campsite, set a fire going, then sat down on the sleeping bag, just starring into the fire, watching orange embers drift into the night. He couldn't fight the grin spreading across his lips as he thought of auburn hair and green eyes. He tried to recall any other woman he had been with, but no woman ever held his attention quite like she did. It was that hunger, that unbridled passion that matched his own, that first attracted him to her. Add on top of that, she was the property of a Sith Lord. The pursuit was too tantalizing to resist. He breathed in deeply, knowing the emoiton of defeat was surfacing again. No matter how much he thought he wanted her, she was not to be his. This Sith Lord was far stronger, and more cunning, beating him at every turn, taking every opportunity to humiliate him. In the end, another Sith convinced him that she just wasn't worth it. He let the thought of his first infatuation drift away with the winking embers.

"Aittera." He let her name roll off his lips. He remembered meeting her in one of the many cantinas on Nar Shadaa. He remembered knowing that he just had to go to that cantina that night. her wit, sharp banter, beautiful scarlet curls. A pull to this woman beyond anything physical. He just had to have her. Her name, her scent burned inside his chest. He had to hand it to her. She was really good at staying off of Imperial records. Standard inquiries got him no where, and it wasn't until their second meeting that he got her name, and so much more.

He sighed heavily, thinking back to his recent attack on an SIS station. He stood up suddenly, growling to himself. Disaster hardly described the results of that attack. Not only was it just a small surveillance station, monitoring some Hutt, but the computer server went no where. Not even a data link to slice. He gripped his hands into fists as he relived the battle inside the SIS station. The Force was with him. He defeated everyone inside. Not once had he let an enemy live. In every battle, there is victory. And the Force claims her spoils, and makes her champion stronger. So why did he let that Jedi leave with his life? He pressed his fists to his head, letting out an anguished scream.