#jakar

[joyousgeekeryart]

My first Pathfinder character somehow survived our campaign and married a half-orc vampire former-mercenary. I mean, can you blame her? Look at him. (Incidentally, the other vampire who had been trying to seduce him for a millennia found out the secret was Simply Be a Furry. The pursuit was promptly dropped.)

[keldae]

Fall From Grace

The most important debate of Xaja's life, and she wasn't permitted to be involved. In the past, she might have railed against that restriction, loudly voiced her complaints -- but that had been before she'd fallen and had the weight of the galaxy thrust on her narrow shoulders.

Right now, Scourge and Doc were both in a closed meeting with the Jedi Council, arguing opposite viewpoints. Xaja knew Doc wanted her to go on leave and recover from her ordeal, while Scourge insisted that Xaja had no time before the Emperor enacted his terrible plans. Why me? she silently asked her hands as she waited outside the Council chambers, watching her pale fingers tremble.

If she thought too hard about it, she could still see lightning racing down her arm and off her fingers, arcing to whoever she'd been told to torture. No, no, don't think about it, she tried to tell herself as she squeezed her eyes closed. I'm not a Sith. I didn't fall, I was dragged down, and Master Orgus helped me crawl back up. I'm not a Sith… I can't be a Sith… 

She shuddered. She knew Master Kaedan at least considered her to be a fallen Jedi, little better than a Sith, and would probably vote to expel her from the Order that she had called home. Who else would agree with him? Maybe the Council would let her stay for healing before banishing her to the galaxy at large and eliminating a monster from the Order's ranks. That would be a small mercy, Xaja thought. And more than you deserve. Didn't you enjoy causing pain? Don't you want to track down the Sith who hurt you and make them hurt just as badly? That was a dark thought, but not an inaccurate one. Xaja flinched from her own dark mind and tried to focus on the Code. "There is no emotion, there is peace…" she whispered. "There is no emotion, there is peace… peace is a lie, there is only--" No! She flinched and tried desperately to banish the Sith Code from her mind. "There is no ignorance, there is knowledge…"

Hurried footsteps didn't make her look up, even when the footsteps were approaching her. She kept her eyes closed, trying to make herself unnoticeable, not wanting to see more judging looks or hear the whispers from the other Jedi on Tython -- the real Jedi, the ones who hadn't fallen and done terrible things at the Emperor’s bidding.

Then a pair of large, battle-roughened hands settled on Xaja's own fingers and gently squeezed, ignoring how she flinched and tried to pull back before she could hurt their owner. "Hey, short stuff," came a too-gentle voice from over Xaja's head. "You with me?"

Xaja opened her eyes, and immediately looked away from Jakar’s worried look. His concern made her heart hurt. She had to look as awful as she felt, if he wasn't teasing her like normal. "I feel like I'm in a nightmare I can't get out of," she confessed before she could stop herself. 

Jakar squeezed her hands again. "I came as soon as I heard you'd made it back alive," he said. "We were worried about you, Xaja. Are you… no, dumb question, you're not okay."

Xaja shook her head in agreement with her oldest friend's diagnosis. "I'm a monster," she whispered. "They're arguing over my fate." She gestured with her head to the Council chamber door.

"You are not a monster," Jakar firmly insisted. "You're my adopted little sister who just escaped from months as an Imperial POW. Whatever happened to you there, you're here now, and safe. They can't get at you here." He squeezed her fingers again, hard enough to make Xaja look back up. "I know you too well, Xaj. You are not a monster, no matter what they tried to tell you. The Council knows this too."

Do you know me as well as you think? Do you know what evil things I'm capable of? How much pain and suffering I can inflict? Xaja opened her mouth, then looked away from Jakar, shame making her eyes burn with unshed tears. "They made me do terrible things… they made me hurt people…" A tear escaped her eye before she could blink it away. "... They cut my hair," she finally whispered, her tone plaintive. Something stupid to be so upset about, when it was just hair… hair that had been to her waist, long and luxurious, before the Sith hacked it off to barely brush her shoulders.

"I see this," Jakar acknowledged. "It'll grow back, I promise." One of his hands left hers to run his fingers through the shorn locks. "It'll take time to get to where it used to be, but it'll get there. As far as everything else..." He sighed. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve any of this. And you don't deserve to be hurt for what they made you do while they were trying to break you."

Xaja just shuddered and looked down at her hands, unable to share in Jakar’s optimism. How could she tell her oldest friend that the Sith had broken her, and only Master Orgus' intervention had brought her back? "I hate this," she finally whispered.

"I know you do. And I hate that you had to go through everything that you did." Jakar gave her hands an upward tug. "C'mon. We're going to Corellia so Essi can get her hands on you, and so you have a chance to recover from--"

"I'm afraid that won't be an option, Master Forseti," interrupted Master Bakarn's voice. Xaja jumped as she looked up -- the Council had ended their session, and nobody looked happy. "Knight Taerich is back on active duty as of now."

"Against my recommendation," Doc muttered in a tone that was clearly intended to be heard by everyone present. "I'm still not clearing her for active duty."

"The needs of the galaxy outweigh the opinion of one biased doctor," Scourge dismissively said. "She's the only one who can stop the Emperor before he destroys us all."

Jakar shot back to his feet, protective fury radiating from him in the Force. "Are you insane?" he demanded. "Stop the Emperor himself? When she can barely function as it is?"

"She can still wield her lightsabers," Scourge shrugged. "She's combat ready. And would you rather have her go at the Empire now, while the memory of her wounds are still fresh, or wait until the memory is cold and old?"

Jakar opened his mouth to tell Scourge exactly what he thought, immediate presence of the Jedi Council be damned, but Xaja set her hand on his arm as she stood up. "Jakar, it's okay," she quietly said, trying to convince herself as much as him. "I'm okay enough for duty. And someone has to… to stop him." And I need to atone for what I've done. What better way to seek atonement?

"You are not okay," Jakar protested. "Masters, sending a recently-traumatized Jedi out on a suicide mission is cruelty, and asking for a disaster!"

"We understand your worries about Knight Taerich," Master Kiwiiks finally said, her voice low and calming. "But she does have the best chances of being able to strike at the Empire, and at locating the rest of the missing strike team. If the Emperor’s Wrath was willing to defect based off a vision of her, then we need to take that into consideration."

"And before you ask, you can't lead the Rift Alliance to do this task in her stead," Master Bakarn added. "The Children of the Emperor are a serious threat, and one that only you can deal with, Master Forseti. Knight Taerich simply isn't ready for that."

"No, but she's ready to go charging off and fight the blasted Emperor himself?!"

"Be mindful of your emotions, Knight Forseti," Master Kaedan interjected. "Corellian though you may be, you still need control of your own feelings. Your fear for your friend is blinding you to the needs of the galaxy."

Xaja looked away from Jakar’s furiously flashing eyes and looked for Master Shan in the group, who had been quiet so far in this argument. "I can have my ship refueled and ready to go shortly," she quietly said, and tried to not flinch when she saw the sadness in Master Shan's eyes, or heard Doc's frustrated sigh.

"Whatever support we can give you while you're on your mission, you'll have it," Master Shan finally said. "May the Force be with you, Xaja." She was definitely worried if she was using Xaja's first name and not a more formal tone of address.

It could start being with me any minute now, Xaja thought, but didn't voice that out loud. She just bowed to the Council and turned to Doc, who looked equal parts worried and pissed off. "Can you and Scourge get the Serenity ready to go?"

"Against my better judgment," Doc finally said. "Bloody Jedi," he muttered as he left, with a sidelong glare at the assembled Council. Scourge followed in his wake, uncaring about the angry doctor he was following, or the stares he got from the Jedi in the Temple.

Xaja turned to follow the two men, before feeling Jakar set a hand on her shoulder. "Check in with me once a day," he lowly directed, eyes still flashing with anger at the Council's ruling, but his voice concerned. "Promise me."

"Promise," Xaja quietly agreed, nodding. "My love to Essi, next time you see her." She took a step back, making Jakar drop his hand, then resumed walking to the shuttle, imagining she could feel the stares of every Jedi on Tython. How many of them knew what had happened to her? How many now considered her a fallen Jedi and no longer worthy to be called the Hero of Tython?

A call from behind her made her pause. "One more thing, before you go," Master Shan said as she came up to Xaja, separate from the rest of the Council. She lowered her voice as she came close to the younger woman, blue eyes darting down to Xaja's belt. "This is solely for my own curiosity. Those aren't the lightsabers you went on that mission with, are they?"

Xaja shook her head in confirmation. "I don't know what happened to those sabers," she admitted. "The Sith gave me new ones, but I surrendered those already."

Master Shan nodded. "I don't recognize the new ones you carry. Did Scourge give them to you?"

Again, Xaja shook her head. "They were left on my ship," she quietly said. "With a note from someone claiming to be my… my father. If the note is accurate, they used to be my mother's." She slowly drew the note from her father out of an inner pocket of her tunic and handed it to Master Shan. She'd read it enough times to have it memorized, but it felt good to have the note with her father's love beside her heart.

Master Shan frowned as she accepted the note. "Your father? That raises more questions than answers." She read over the note, her eyes softening a bit before she handed the creased flimsi back to Xaja. "How do the lightsabers feel?"

"They feel good," Xaja softly answered. "I can almost believe they might have been my mother's. They feel like an extension of myself -- almost more natural than my old sabers."

"May they serve you well then." Master Shan hesitated for a moment and set her hand on Xaja's shoulder. "I'm sorry for sending you back out so soon after your ordeal. Remember that no Jedi exists alone -- you have the Force, and you have the rest of the Order. Both will encourage and strengthen you during your mission. I know Jakar told you to check in with him regularly, but check in with me as well. I want to know that you're doing all right, as much as you can."

Xaja really did look like a wreck, then, if the Jedi Grand Master wanted her to personally check in with her. She pushed that thought down and nodded. "I will. Thank you, Master."

Master Shan offered a small, tight smile and squeezed Xaja's shoulder before letting go. "If you need anything, let me know and we'll do our best to make sure you have it. Now, get going, before Scourge comes storming back to find you. The Force will be with you."

There was no escaping duty, and no rest for the wicked, it seemed. Xaja bowed to the Grand Master and got a nod in return, then resumed her walk to the shuttle for the orbital station. Duty awaited.

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Thanks for the loan of Jakar, @corey-067! And for giving it the once-over before posting, @andveryginger! <3

For how Xaja got her current lightsabers, and the note she lets Satele read, check this fic.

[merrymarvelite]

Cover of the Day: Captain America #150 (June, 1972) Art by Gil Kane & John Romita Sr.

[karaci12-blog]

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[loomhand-blog]

There is no end of Reading and Weaving... Okumanın ve dokumanın sonu yok... Yola çıktı geliyor...#jacquard #weavingloomjacquard #jakardokuma #jakar #tahar #aliodabaş

[justplanes]

🎥 Day 3 filming Druk Air! ✈️ Today we film the ATR-42. This mornings trip took us to Dhaka Bangladesh and this afternoon we will film a domestic sector to Bumthang (short runway at 9000ft elevation) Great weather so hoping for some fabulous views! #justplanes #drukair #royalbhutan #paro #atr #atr42 #atraircraft #dhaka #bangladesh #dhakaairport #bumthang #jakar #bathpalathang (at Paro, Bhutan)

[keldae]

Fictober 2021 -- Day 2

Featuring a cameo from Jakar. Thanks for letting me borrow him, @corey-067! 

The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, while known as a passionate and stubborn individual, wasn't typically known as a person prone to losing her temper. And Jedi Masters, especially the Barsen’thor or the Hero of Tython, were usually not considered the reasons for most people to resort to furious shouting.

Usually.

"I know you had something to do with this!" Saresh shouted at the Jedi Masters before her, blue holofigure quivering with rage. "This is a new low for you two!"

"Chancellor Saresh," Jakar interrupted the tirade, his voice calm and patient as befitted a Jedi Master, "with all due respect, you have no proof that either myself or Master Taerich was involved in this."

"We are terribly sorry about the state of your office, of course," Xaja added, all serene innocence, "but surely you know accusing us of such things is--"

"A blasted glitter bomb! In the office of the Supreme Chancellor!" Saresh almost had steam coming out of her holo's ears. "And a stench bomb! Not to mention all the rest of the traps you two laid in here!"

"You would accuse two Jedi Masters of stooping to childish pranks?" One of Jakar’s eyebrows quirked upward, incredulously. "Two respectable adult Jedi Masters with duties and responsibilities to the galaxy and the Republic?"

"I know it was you! Nobody else has the guts to pull off something this brazen!" It was fortunate that Saresh couldn't strangle the Jedi before her through the holo. "And that was not a compliment!"

"Chancellor Saresh," interjected Satele Shan from where she'd been ignored up to now, standing just off to the side, "these accusations have no reasonable merit. Unless you have proof that two Jedi Masters, one of whom is on the Council, took time from the Dread Masters aftermath to break into your secure office in the Senate Tower and rig it with glitter bombs, stench traps, and -- what else did you say the guilty parties left behind? Paint bombs?"

"And a shock trap worked into my desk! And we'll not even mention what they left in my chair!"

"No, that's certainly not necessary. I daresay the entire tower heard your reaction to that." Satele shot a look at the two younger Jedi, both looking perfectly innocent. "Unfortunately, your ire is misplaced, unless you have something more substantial than accusations to throw at two of the Order's most decorated heroes and disciplined masters of the Force. If we're finished here…?"

"I…" Saresh seemed to be seething. "... Fine. But I know you two had something to do with it!" She slammed her hand down on her desk, ending the call with the Jedi; for a long moment, silence reigned.

Satele finally turned to her charges and shook her head. "You two have the collective maturity of a twelve-year-old," she admonished them, her face somewhere between the patented Grand-Master-Shan-Disapproves frown and an amused smile. "A glitter bomb?"

"We have no idea of what you speak, Master," Xaja protested, blinking innocently.

With a sigh, Satele finally turned to leave the meeting room; the Force flickered enough to lightly swat both of the younger Jedi upside the head. "I'm sure you two had nothing to do with it -- but don't do it again."

"Yes, Master," both answered in perfect unison, patiently waiting for the Grand Master to take her leave. Only when her back had vanished down the hall and around a corner did two fists slowly raise and bump each other in celebratory congratulations, as matching grins spread over their faces.

"I think that might have been our finest work yet," Xaja said with a very un-Jedi-like cackle as she and Jakar started to leave. "Told you the glitter bomb was the best part."

"It'll take forever for the droids to clean that out," Jakar laughed. “We owe Tharan and Holiday for creating that diversion… and Master Satele for bailing us out. Do you think we went too far with the shock traps?”

“After what she said about our actions on Makeb? Nah, she had that coming. I wonder when she's going to find the--" Xaja tilted her head as the Force seemed to surge with shock and rage a few levels over their heads, strong enough to make even the average Sith do a double-take. "... Ah. I think she found the crickets. Shall we run for our lives?"

"Yes," agreed Jakar as the pair of miscreant Jedi started hurrying. "Yes, let's be far gone before she finds a way to pin it on us. I hear Hoth is decent this time of year..."

[keldae]

Xaja and Broken Glass for that mini prompt thing :D

Featuring @corey-067 's brainspawn Jakar, Xaja's bestie and the Taerich-verse Barsen'thor.

--------

Monster. Demon. Traitor. Broken.

“Shut up,” Xaja desperately whispered as she paced through her cabin on the Serenity. The voices in the back of her mind just laughed and continued their mantra that the Jedi couldn’t escape. 

Sith. Traitor. The whispers followed her around the small ship, followed her onto planetary surfaces whenever she disembarked, haunted her every moment, both awake and asleep. Murderer. 

“I’m not--!” Xaja clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her agonized sounds. She couldn’t deny the voices, not when the fragments of memories she still had confirmed them. Master Orgus, while he had been able to drive the Emperor out of her head, couldn’t have soothed the scars left behind. Xaja doubted even the best Jedi mind healers could have. But she didn’t deserve healing, did she? Traitors didn’t deserve to be spared pain. “Shut up,” she whispered to the empty cabin.

Broken. Monster. Sith. The voices refused to heed her pleading for silence. Weak. Demon.

“Stop,” Xaja pleaded, heedless of the tear escaping her squeezed-shut eyes and trickling down her cheek. “Please, stop...”

Sith. Monster. Demon. Failure.

“Shut up!” Xaja blindly lashed out with her right hand, as though she could hit away the monsters plaguing her mind. All she made contact with was the mirror, the sound of glass shattering temporarily drowning out the voices. 

She hissed as she felt the shards of broken glass bite into her hand, blood appearing on her too-pale skin. With an effort, she forced her eyes open to assess the damage to her hand. She couldn’t go to Doc; he would just give her that sad, disappointed look while healing the wounds that she deserved. Maybe she could just wrap her hand in a towel until the bleeding stopped?

Her gaze travelled to the mirror’s remains despite her best efforts. The haunted eyes that stared back at her were green, not sulphuric yellow. But that didn’t mean anything, did it? A monster lurked under her skin, one that Master Orgus couldn’t have saved her from. 

Footsteps outside the cabin door warned Xaja that the sound of the glass shattering hadn’t gone unnoticed. Shit. She looked down at her hand as the door slid open, the footsteps approaching her from behind, then stepping around her. She just saw the hem of a dark green robe, then felt two larger hands carefully lift her injured limb for inspection. When the hells had Jakar arrived on the Serenity? Then again, she was still docked on the Voss orbital station. Perhaps he had been around?

“Come on, short stuff,” the Barsen’thor finally said, scarred face drawn with worry as he stood back up and gave Xaja’s arm a tug. “You’re scaring me as much as you are the rest of your crew.”

Xaja shook her head minutely as she was pulled to her feet. “I’m fine--” she tried to say.

“No, you’re not. You need more than a medic, kid, no matter how good Doc is.” Jakar had to be upset if he’d resorted to calling Xaja ‘kid’ again. “We’re going to Corellia. Essi’s waiting for you at the Enclave.”