Previously: https://storytogether.com/2020/12/10/isaiah-the-gray-part-30/
Introductions & Welcomes
The Defiant’s crew – Isaiah, Jimmy, Isaac, Corban, and Zero-You – gathers in the central operations room of the ship. Zaren, cold and despondent, files in last. An uncomfortable silence fills the space.
“Everyone,” begins Isaiah, “please introduce yourselves. Zaren here has been through a great deal. And whether he realizes yet or not, aligns well with our mission.”
The rest of the crew, including Zaren, raise an eyebrow or two. No one immediately pipes-in.
“My name is Corban,” begins the Jedi Master. “I am the Keeper of the Jedi Archives on Coruscant. Up until today, I was the protector of the location of the Jedi Catalyst. And I was sent by the Jedi Council to find the perpetrators of the Czerka Corporation Headquarters disaster. But when I met Isaiah, I realized that there was…more at stake. So Zero and I joined and are committed to reaching the finish line, together.”
The group naturally shifts their attention to Zero-You, on Corban’s right. Zero-You just stands there in silence, creating an awkward moment in the circle. Corban nudges the droid with his elbow.
“I’m with him,” says Zero-You pointing at Corban who shakes his head. The group then shifts to Isaac.
“Isaiah, are you sure it’s wise to discuss…my background with someone we’ve, respectfully Mr. Zaren, just met?” asks Isaac.
“I am,” replies Isaiah. “I have Roshannon’s memories, feelings, and Force energy inside me now. These were not bad people. If anything, they’re just like us – trying to gain freedom from forces seemingly beyond their control.”
The Gray’s Turn
Zaren perks up at Isaiah’s words. Maybe these people aren’t so bad.
Isaac seems mostly satisfied with Isaiah’s answer. “My name is Isaac,” he says. “I am the leader of this cycle’s Gray. We are an organization dedicated to the preservation of the Force and its balance. I believe the mission of this crew has the potential to shake the very fabric of the Force so I am here to ensure it’s protected.”
The focus shifts to Jimmy. He is serious, perhaps uncharacteristically so. “I am a former Czerka Praetorian Guard. My life changed when I met Isaiah. Something inside came to life and my…awareness totally shifted that day. I am responsible for the destruction of Czerka Headquarters. It causes me great pain to think about. But it was an accident. Since then, I have done my best to further Isaiah’s goals because I trust that they’re the right thing to do.”
And finally the attention in the room shifts to Isaiah. He looks from person to person in the room, as if to survey their demeanor. “The truth is I was no one. I lived a life so unfulfilling, so soul-crushing, I was considering taking my own life. But when They did what they did to me, and I became powerful, very powerful, I’ve been trying to find a way to break myself out of this supposedly pre-ordained cycle, this test from our ancestors, and to be able to live my own life, under no one else’s rules.”
From Prey To Hunter
Zaren raises his head, focused on Isaiah’s words. Isaiah focuses on Zaren.
“So you see,” continues Isaiah, “our goals are really the same at the end of the day.”
Zaren stays silent. He scans the room using the Force. Everyone seems to have given him a genuine story.
“Everyone,” says Isaiah, “Roshannon and Zaren weren’t renegades, pirates, or thieves. They were trying to escape from the Sith. They were once students, yes. And when they no longer wished to be a part of that society, and to be free to set their own destiny, they left. And for this simple “crime,” they’ve been hunted relentlessly ever since. They sought the Jedi Catalyst not to steal its power, but to augment Zaren with its energy. And ultimately empower him to erase the memories of the Sith hunters.”
A silence washes over the room as the crew digests Isaiah’s words.
“I know where the last Catalyst is,” says Zaren.
- Part 1: https://storytogether.com/2020/02/06/isaiah-the-gray-part-1/
- Part 2: https://storytogether.com/2020/02/13/isaiah-the-gray-part-2/
- Part 3: https://storytogether.com/2020/02/20/isaiah-the-gray-part-3/
- Part 4: https://storytogether.com/2020/03/13/isaiah-the-gray-part-4/
- Part 5: https://storytogether.com/2020/03/26/isaiah-the-gray-part-5/
- Part 6: https://storytogether.com/2020/04/02/isaiah-the-gray-part-6/
- Part 7: https://storytogether.com/2020/04/09/isaiah-the-gray-part-7/
- Part 8: https://storytogether.com/2020/04/16/isaiah-the-gray-part-8/
- Part 9: https://storytogether.com/2020/04/30/isaiah-the-gray-part-9/
- Part 10: https://storytogether.com/2020/05/07/isaiah-the-gray-part-10/
- Part 11: https://storytogether.com/2020/05/21/isaiah-the-gray-part-11/
- Part 12: https://storytogether.com/2020/05/28/isaiah-the-gray-part-12/
- Part 13: https://storytogether.com/2020/06/11/isaiah-the-gray-part-13/
- Part 14: https://storytogether.com/2020/06/25/isaiah-the-gray-part-14/
- Part 15: https://storytogether.com/2020/07/02/isaiah-the-gray-part-15/
- Part 16: https://storytogether.com/2020/07/23/isaiah-the-gray-part-16/
- Part 17: https://storytogether.com/2020/08/13/isaiah-the-gray-part-17/
- Part 18: https://storytogether.com/2020/08/20/isaiah-the-gray-part-18/
- Part 19: https://storytogether.com/2020/09/03/isaiah-the-gray-part-19/
- Part 20: https://storytogether.com/2020/09/10/isaiah-the-gray-part-20/
- Part 21: https://storytogether.com/2020/09/17/isaiah-the-gray-part-21/
- Part 22: https://storytogether.com/2020/09/24/isaiah-the-gray-part-22-2/
- Part 23: https://storytogether.com/2020/10/01/isaiah-the-gray-part-23/
- Part 24: https://storytogether.com/2020/10/08/isaiah-the-gray-part-24/
- Part 25: https://storytogether.com/2020/10/15/isaiah-the-gray-part-25/
- Part 26: https://storytogether.com/2020/10/22/isaiah-the-gray-part-26/
- Part 27: https://storytogether.com/2020/10/29/isaiah-the-gray-part-27/
- Part 28: https://storytogether.com/2020/11/12/isaiah-the-gray-part-28/
- Part 29: https://storytogether.com/2020/11/19/isaiah-the-gray-part-29/
