WotH Chpt 58

==War on the Horizon - Chapter 58==
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===Drinks with Mysterious Lady===
Date: November 4, 3015/04.11.7954 CRCLocation: Dac, Calamari System (Currently neutral pending Confederacy negotiations),Calamari Sector, Outer Rim Territories
"What can I get you to drink?" I asked Fay as she stepped into the hut that I was using as a home during vacation. "I have water, some leftover soda, or a little bit of whiskey or rum."
 
"I will have a little bit of whatever it is that you are having." the Jedi Master smiled warmly. 
 
"Don't lewd the elf." I muttered under my breath as I poured two glasses of water in the kitchen. "Even if she does look like an unmarried Galadriel."
 
"Here you go," I handed the Elf a glass before taking a seat in the other rocking chair and looking out at the moon shining in the distance. "So, before I get into anything deep or heavy here. What led you to be here at this time?"
 
"I was invited by an old friend to help negotiate a settlement between the Mon Calamari and the Quarrens," she sipped at the water. "The two peoples are ever at odds with each other, but I believe that we have found a suitable compromise," she paused, collecting her thoughts. "Regardless, I was given lodging among your people after the negotiations were complete. Then, I found myself restless, and began to wander the beaches until I felt your anguish through the Force."
 
"You're a Jedi," I began and then paused, allowing silence to fill the air for a second. "I'm not sure that you'd understand what's going through my heart, mind, and soul right now."
 
"I have found that I while I may not understand some things, a listening ear is always a good thing to have on hand," Fay continued with that gentle smile. 
 
"I have everything I've ever wanted in life," I said after thinking it through. "I'm not just in the military like I'd wanted to be for most of my life. I'm the head of a force that would be equal to some of the most elite where I'm from. I'm better off monetarily than I've ever been in life, and I've got friends that are as close as brothers…"
 
I trailed off because I didn't want to finish the thought. 
 
"But I would trade everything to be back with my family again. Even though I know that there's nothing I can do to get back to them, or to bring them back here," I smiled sadly at the elf. "That's why you can feel my 'anguish'. I'm finally dealing with emotions that I've put off for the last fifteen years."
 
"If I may inquire," Fay said after considering what I had just said. "What happened to your family that you were unable to bring them? I have seen your soldiers, many of them seem to have come with their families from wherever it is in the Unknown Regions that you are from."
 
"My family has been gone longer tan that," I glanced at my water and suddenly wished that it was a stronger beverage. "There was an accident long ago, and I haven't been able to see or communicate with them since. We have been entirely cut off."
 
"I could search for a way to reconnect you with them," Fay offered. "I have seen many strange and unusual things in my wanderings of the Outer Rim and the Unknown Regions."
 
"I think I just needed to let out all of the emotion one final time," I sighed. "I've been bottling it up because there was always something else I could do to take my mind and soul off of it. Which just made the wound worse. Instead of allowing it to heal, I've allowed it to fester and it finally reached a point that it had to be dealt with if I wanted to move forward."
 
"You are surprisingly self-aware of your emotions," Fay finished her water. "I've not met many, Jedi or otherwise that were as knowledgeable about what they felt."
 
"I have this thing about self-control," I said after a minute. "I hate addiction, I hate not being in control of my own actions, and you cannot claim to have self-control if you're not aware of exactly it is that you're feeling and how you want to respond to it. Sometimes, that means that I shove the emotions away while I deal with the source of the problem. Sometimes that means that I limit what I am willing to do within a crowd. And sometimes, I let righteous anger take over and I act on said anger. Anger, hate, emotions are neither good nor bad, it's how we respond and act in the midst of emotions that determines what sort of person you are."
 
"I would agree." Fay said after a moment. "I am old, Colonel, I have seen much of the galaxy in my wanderings, and even though my Padawan has forgotten much, I do not believe that he understands what you have just described. Now, I have had enough of this talk that brings about a depressing atmosphere, tell me stories of something that is going well. If we only discuss that which brings us pain, we will remain in a place that holds it."
 
"Well, the dropship and tank crews are in a competition to see who can do the best nose and body art on their vehicles. Currently though, Hober's crew is winning. Partially because of how good the nose art is, and partially because the crew keeps making Katrina's breasts a bit bigger when Hober is busy doing admin work. They're not at a ridiculous size yet, but they're getting to the point that Katrina would be laughing if she knew. Her husband would be too."
 
I smiled as I thought about the probable current Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth. 
 
"I kinda wish the two of them were here," I laughed a bit. "They'd have taken the galaxy by storm already."
 
"Tell me about them." Fay leaned back, thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere. 
 
"Well, Arthur's the kind of man that has his integrity and refuses to let it be changed or shifted. And Katrina… She's the kind of woman you meet once in a lifetime. If she wasn't already in love with Arthur there'd have been men and women lined up to try and court her, and that's before you get into just the sheer amount of talent and grit that she showed. While I wish that they were both here to lend advice, they both have plenty of work to do if they're going to implement their planned reforms back home."
 
I continued to talk about everything that came to mind, my flow prompted by choice questions that brought me further back into the past, until eventually, Fay asked one question that I wasn't sure how to answer. 
 
"You've spoken a lot about the people you know and love, and the stories that you've shared with them. But I don't want to know about the people around you. Who, is Mark Hull? What drives him? What makes him decide to wake up and go about every day? Or," she seemed to stare deep into my soul. "Are you merely going through the motions because it is what is expected of you?"
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==Note from Author==
*; Author's Note : Sometimes, characters surprise you. Especially when they decide that your fun planned vacation chapters need to be sidetracked and a character arc needs to be finished before a fic goes on Hiatus…Remember, Hull. Don't lewd the elf, even if she is Galadriel in Star Wars…
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Chapter 58