spncentral | A Measure of Time

As the thawing process continues, Garth'zel slowly becomes aware again. He feels like he was waking up from a nap, albeit probably the worst one in his life. The hissing sound of the carbonite dissolving confirms his suspicions, and he drops to the floor, landing on hands and knees as it finally releases him enough to let him fall.

He spends some time with his eyes closed as he resists the urge to be sick. This felt worse than the last time, and given he had been dying of carbonite poisoning, that was saying something. At least Lana was there with the cure to keep him from dying on her and make her efforts to rescue him a waste of time.

"How long?" he rasps when he feels up to speaking, opening his eyes and blindly turning his head in the direction he could sense another individual's presence. A presence surrounded in the light side of the Force and powerfully so, making it clear what kind of person has found him. Well then. This may turn out to be interesting, depending on how offended whoever this Jedi is decides to be about his own darkness swirling around him even if there's plenty of light to offset it.

The question strikes him as strange, although perhaps it shouldn't. If he found myself mysteriously thawed from carbonite, he'd probably immediately wonder the same thing.

"I'm afraid that's a bit hard to answer without knowing when you went into carbon stasis," he replies, voice even despite his mounting concern. The Force is suggesting caution, but beneath that is a subtle strain of dangerous confusion that Kenobi recognizes from other caged animals.

He doesn't approach, but instead keeps what he hopes is a safe distance. "Could you tell me the most recent date you recall? Perhaps then I could give you a better idea."

"Ten years after the Treaty of Coruscant," he says after a moment. "I've met Grand Master Satele Shan, if that means anything to you."

Surely, it can't have been so long, no one would know who she was. After all, from his perspective, it's only been a few months since he's last seen her, along with Darth Marr's spirit.

He closes his eyes as he fights back another wave of nausea, opening them again when he was certain it was over. Not that he could see a damn thing. He'd be tempted to demand the lights be turned on, if he wasn't certain hibernation sickness was to blame.

There's barely a flutter there, but the reaction isn't entirely schooled and for that, Obi-Wan wants to kick himself. In most situations it's difficult enough to convince someone — particularly a person in captivity — that no harm will come to them, but to broach this type of conversation is certain to be... difficult. Put mildly.

"Yes, I've read a great deal about the Treaty of Coruscant in the archives. The subsequent years, of which there have been... many have brought about much change in the interim." Kenobi says, his expression once more even. He steels himself against the inevitable shift of energy that he expects will take over the room upon this revelation.

"It's been several thousands years."

The burst of emotion catches Garth'zel's attention, giving him a bad feeling, that was only confirmed when Obi-Wan starts talking.

The amount of time it's been causes his head to snap up so he could blindly not-stare in Obi-Wan's direction in shock. "It's--what?!"

His fingers start to try to dig into the floor as he grapples with the news, the Dark Side of the Force swirling around him. Darth Marr being dead wasn't a surprise, given even when he last saw him, he was a ghost. But Grand Master Shan? Her son? Talos? Lana? Ashara?

The last one galvanizes him, making his expression turn urgent. "Have you found anyone else in carbonite? A togruta?"

Edited (Removed random extra letter) Date: 2017-01-02 12:06 am (UTC)

"No, we haven't," Obi-Wan responds carefully, his expression and stance a bit guarded. With the Force howling darkly nearby, he's doing all he can not to push their out-of-time guest over the edge.

Hands clasping behind his back, Kenobi glances over at the monitors, all of which are taking in information from the man in front of him. He's really only interested in seeing the man's racing heart, the clear distress matching what he sees in front of him. No deception there.

"But I couldn't speak to whether or not you were alone when you were found," he adds, "because we weren't the ones that found you."

"She's-- Dammit," he snarls, a piece of machinery blowing out in reaction to the massed energy that he's struggling to find a reason to hold in.

He closes his eyes and grits his teeth, struggling to keep in control and not do what his darker urges are telling him to. Not only would Ashara not want that, in saner moments, he wouldn't either. "Get out."

Certain occasions demand accommodation, Obi-Wan reasons, and remembering his own struggles with loss, he ponders for only a moment before acquiescing to the man's demand.

He dips his head, but the look on his face says that he won't be going far. As much as he believes in offering compassion, particularly in light of a situation like this, the Jedi Master doesn't want to leave someone that's swimming in the Dark Side to have free reign for too long.

Once out in the hallway, he listens to the door close and then shields himself from what he expects to be a private display.

Almost as soon as he hears the door close, Garth'zel lets the Dark Side have free rein, shattering the delicate insides of assorted machinery. He blindly senses the frame for the block of carbonite he had been encased in for so long, and forms a tight telekinetic grip on it to smash it against a wall repeatedly until it was thoroughly destroyed with a deep dent left in the wall to mark what happened, as if the twisted remains left laying on the floor wasn't clue enough.

His rage spent, he rocks back in a seated position, covering his face with his hands and weeping bitterly for all he had lost. For Ashara, who could be considered his better half; Lana, who had a loyalty that was rare among the Sith and whose advice he trusted; Theron Shan, who he met through unlikely circumstances and has come to value as a friend. And many more besides.

Eventually, he's too exhausted for even that and just sits quietly for a moment, head bowed before closing his eyes to try to center himself enough for the healing trance Ashara has shown him. Time both to take comfort in the Light and, more practically, shed the weaknesses his stay in carbonite left him with.

Edited (What are pronouns?) Date: 2017-01-09 03:23 am (UTC)

As with all things, Kenobi exhibits his patience. He waits out the powerful waves of energy shattering the normal calm of this place, insistent to his peers that everything is under control even if it doesn't quite appear that way. He feels it all, although he very much wishes not to. But with this proximity, there really is no avoiding it.

Time passes and so too does Obi-Wan's grief, and while it was never his own to start, he can only imagine what it feels like to lose everyone. Losing Qui-Gon had been hard enough.

When he returns, it's after the Force has settled again. He can feel the Light and while he doubts he's welcome, he doesn't think that he'll be turned away when he does enter the ravaged room. Observing the damage, he stands in the doorway, leaving it open.

"If you're willing, I think it's best we find you another room for now," he urges, his voice quiet.

Garth'zel draws in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, loosening the trance's grip on him. He opens his eyes a moment later, turning his face in Obi-Wan's direction. He still can't see, but at least there's been some improvement, even if everything is a dark blur.

"Where are you intending for me to go?" he asks quietly, not yet moving. Given that this person, whoever he was, is a Jedi, he's not worried about possibly being killed once out of the room; but being imprisoned was a definite concern.

Not that he was up to fighting to keep his freedom at the moment. Not only was he too emotionally exhausted to really do much but sleep, the healing trance hasn't really been given time to do its work.

"A meditation room," he says, voice as quiet as Garth'zel's. He has no interest in making things more difficult — the journey ahead of this man is certain to be an unfortunate one after all this time — but he does feel that keeping that separation is a good thing for now. Let him have time to come to terms, and time to see again.

It's going to take some time on his part, too, but Obi-Wan finds he can't quite wash his hands of this, even if it's already once been suggested that he's not needed for things to move forward.

He steps farther into the room and leaves the doorway open. "I trust you'll be fine walking next to me. I don't want to lead you unless you need the help." He feels that's an adequate trade off, a sense of respect he doesn't need to offer, but does.

He considers that for a moment before nodding, it taking an effort to get up. Once he's up, his eyes are closed as he regains his equilibrium and he stretches out with his senses to help keep track of where things and people are in order to make sure he doesn't run into anything or anyone before starting forwards.

"Something tells me that maybe I should have had a chat with a Miraluka at some point about how they use the Force to see," he says slightly dryly as he walks through the doorway, very aware of where things were. In some ways, even better than if he could actually see, although he'd rather have the use of his eyes back.

Obi-Wan follows along, hands clasps together behind his straight back, eyes fixed ahead more often than not. He's had his share of carbon blindness, although he's always been fortunate to quickly bounce back from such things.

"There's a wealth of information to draw upon. Although, I suspect you won't need it, it's hard to imagine anyone saying too much knowledge is a bad thing." And yet there are plenty who do. "Perhaps you'll use it in another time and place."

Kenobi prefers to be well informed, although he does draw a line at being too well informed of the Dark Side of the Force. Mace may feel comfortable dancing with that danger, but as far as Obi-Wan's concerned, he'll give that enemy no quarter within himself.

Obi-Wan's also managed to not be in carbonite for three thousand years. Hardly a fair comparison.

"I would prefer not to need this particular knowledge again," Garth'zel says just a touch wryly before pausing, head slightly tilted in a listening pose as he senses something in a room they were starting to pass. A faint sense of his, Satele's, and Marr's power all in one place. Which tells him exactly what the object he's picking up on is.

He immediately turns, hand going for the button to open the door, causing a handful of padawans sorting through the things also found in the freighter to look over at him. Including the one who was about to no longer be holding the object she was examining.

"I believe that is mine," he says mildly, stretching out a hand and calling his lightsaber to it, hooking it on his belt after it smacks into his hand. Having it makes him feel better. Not entirely, given circumstances, but at least he has this piece of Marr and Satele back.

Edited Date: 2017-05-03 02:43 am (UTC)

Obi-Wan's expression quickly tells the Padawans not to worry — he has enough control here that the Force isn't heralding danger. They seem to settle, but not fully as they clamber to the door to watch the retreating figures.

"Others are apt to be anxious about that," the Jedi Master remarks, but that's really all he says on the subject. Even without the complications that make Garth'zel's presence unsettling, a stranger traipsing around with their weapon isn't ever particularly welcome.

"If you could tell me more about where you came from, I think that would help in facilitating your... eventual release. Of course, I say release, but you're not quite a prisoner here, are you? More a subject of observation." Surely he understands why.

Garth'zel smiles thinly, hearing the unsaid. "You may want to remind your Council that having spent millennia in one prison, I'll be rather, shall we say, unenthusiastic about being put in another."

Best not to try it, if they don't want to see what he can do if he feels the need to defend himself. Right, time to move on.

"I suppose you wouldn't recognize my accent as belonging to someone from the Sith Empire. Not with as long as its been. I'm sure it's probably changed by now." While he can't see, he does his best to at least mimic his habit of giving people sidelong looks at certain points. "I've managed to get along fine with Satele during the times we've met. For the record. Even fought alongside her once when a certain ancestor of hers was causing problems."

Said ancestor being Revan.

Despite all of the implications floating in the air, Kenobi feels he's lucky things have remained as impressively civil as they have. Even with a large group of Jedi on edge, they've managed to most maintain themselves and so far there's only been a minor amount of damage all around.

"You'll find no one here so close to that history, I'm afraid," he warns, although he doesn't expect that Garth'zel will be surprised by this fact. He's already admitted too much time had passed, although Obi-Wan imagines it would be just as difficult to go into his own future and find that this time in his life is long forgotten by a galaxy always in motion. It's in the archives, sure, but finding a person to specialize in that section of history is a little harder, particularly now that the war is raging.

"The Sith activity is much more... restricted at this time. There is a—" How does he put this? "—a more distilled class devoted to those teachings." If only Obi-Wan understood it all himself.

Whoever gets stuck with fixing what happened in that room may disagree about how minor it is. Although probably agreeing they're lucky that's all that happened.

Garth'zel frowns, not liking the wording involved. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

Not that he wants to worry about who knows how many Sith to fight off if the Jedi are smart enough to let him go home instead of trying to keep him. Still. It makes him wonder if he even has a home to go back to.

Obi-Wan isn't going to be the first to really broach the subject, but he can sense how very out of sync Garth'zel will be with the Republic, with the galaxy at large. He wouldn't want to be in the guy's boots.

"You and me both, as I'm sure you can imagine," Kenobi half-quips as he comes to a stop in front of the open door of an empty meditation room. He eyes the other man, trying to decide if there's been any improvement on the vision front. With no apparent indication, he has to assume Garth'zel hasn't made any progress.

Kenobi clears his throat. "I hope this room will be satisfactory until we can find you something more appropriate. You shouldn't be bothered here while you're resting." He knows Garth'zel hasn't seen it, and that maybe he won't, but he's banking on the Sith sensing the neutrality of the provided space.

Garth'zel just snorts at the quip. "I'm well aware of the general opinion Jedi and Sith have of each other, but I'm generally willing enough to leave you lot alone if you leave me alone."

Excepting during the skirmishing before the war was officially reopened and then after it started back up again, obviously. Not really any way to avoid that completely.

Garth'zel stretches out with his senses to gain an idea of the room's dimensions before nodding. "It will be fine. I rather imagine the Jedi Council is going to want to talk to me at some point. Just give me a little advance warning first so I don't have them sprung on me, hmm?"

No one likes having the Jedi Council staring judgingly at them without warning.

He passes into the room after that, picking a good spot to sit where he'll be facing the door, legs folded under him and letting the neutrality of the room soak in. "I'll see you in a few hours," he says, closing his eyes and slowing his breathing as he works on slipping back into the healing trance that had been interrupted earlier. He can sort through things later after he's physically recovered and has had time to let his emotions become slightly less raw.

Edited Date: 2017-06-27 04:47 am (UTC)