JEDI HoloNet

Born as the bastard scion of a lesser matriarch of an Echani family and a human smuggler, Vakin’s life was never going to be an easy one. He stood out among his fellow peers with brown hair and blue eyes, which was a stark contrast to the normal pallor and silvered hair of other Echani. His mother died giving birth to Vakin, which forever earned the enmity of many within his family before he could even utter his first words. The infant would surely have perished from neglect, had his grandmother not intervened.

His Grandmother, Veseris, held reservations about a “half breed” living with the family, but when looking upon the vulnerable infant, she was reminded of what his mother was like in those years, and the joys of raising her. Resolved to not let the child of her daughter waste away, Veseris took Vakin under her wing and taught him much of the Echani culture. The minute of combat, the language of battle, the poetry of the blade, the core concepts of his maternal nature were unveiled to him, and Vakin reveled in it.

One of the more, perhaps unintended results, was that Vakin had begun to view himself as superior to other non Echani, even as the result of a union of mixed breeding. Vakin would openly show his disdain for other races, such as with the Ithorian arborist. Sadly, this was the one thing the rest of the family encouraged, as they were one of the more conservative houses.

Due to ostracization on account of his differences, Vakin often became withdrawn, pursuing a fanatical interest in Echani legends of the height of their glory, when even the mythical users of light and dark feared their wrath. The tales of Yusanis and his fall to the Lord of Ruin, of Raskta the Swordswoman became internalized within Vakin, more than just a method of escapism, but a potential way of life. Veseris grew concerned that he was becoming too obsessive with his interest but reckoned that the boy needed something to focus on, given his unique circumstances.

Sometime after his tenth birthday, tensions were increasing between the House of Helios, and the House of Ban’air. Vakin never heard the true reason, and when asked, Veseris gave no answer.

At around the same time, a stranger came to House Helios, claiming to need to take samples of the children’s blood, in case any of them had caught any diseases. After Vakin’s test and the smarting from the blood draw, one of the other boys mocked him, saying that the “half-breed” is the obvious carrier of anything foul. Flustered, Vakin marched of in a hurry, his heart resolute

He refused to be an outcast.

Vakin had now set upon a plan he’d daydreamed before: That he’d sneak away from his home, and seek kinship among the Ban’air.

How naïve he was.

One night when all the usual clamor of the day had turned to the dim hum of night, Vakin packed all he cared to take with him and hurried to leave, but not before leaving a note for Veseris explaining his reason for deserting, along with thanks for raising him when no one else would.

Vakin prowled through the halls, keeping to the shadows as he moved about. He was incredibly wary that patrols might catch him, and what they might do to him, he tried not to imagine.

At last, he finally found an exit through a maintenance hatch, and sprinted as far as he could into the forest. Vakin knew from the map he downloaded onto his datapad that the Ban’air stronghold was only a few klicks from the estate lines, but he never made it that far.

Veseris screamed his name, demanding he come back with her.

No, it was no demand. It was a melancholic plead. Vakin could see the tears streaming down her face reflecting the cold light of the moon. It was clear now that she embodied a love that he thought he would be bereft of.

Before he could even decide a flash of red light streaked and pierced Veseris in the chest, and she fell with a dull thud. Before he could even react, House Helios burned in the distance, a great deluge of lasers cascading as the rain of a hurricane.

Three Ban’air house guards approached Vakin, weapons forward and marked, their voices rattling off secret battle-speak, but he knew the intent well enough.

Kill.

Grief took hold within him, his entire life crumbling both in the literal in the metaphorical sense, all Vakin could do in this moment was scream in lamenting horror and cast forth his hands in defiance, when something unexpected happened.

The men were pushed away, as if by a great gale of a hurricane. At first, Vakin had believed that he had performed this deed, but his suspicions were cast away when he heard a distinct hum behind him, and smelled ozone in the air.

A blade of brilliant emerald shone and cleaved forth, and the three men were felled. The hooded figure stepped forward and explained that he was the Jedi Knight sent to sue for peace with the tension between the two Echani houses, but he came too late to effectively achieve anything. He further explained that Vakin is force sensitive, as his test came back positive for potential to wield the Force. He offered to take Vakin to the Jedi, reckoning that he had no other place to go either way.

The grief still swallowed Vakin, but with a newfound focus upon this Jedi.

He failed! Veseris would still be alive! The House of Helios would still stand, even if only one ever loved him.

The Jedi recognized this and lowered himself to touch Vakin’s shoulder lightly. Vakin met him in the eyes and could see clearly the grief in the man’s brilliant blue eyes. He then looked over to the ruined body of Veseris.

And Lasers were not the only thing to rain that night.