Outside of the Temple: The Gardens of the Awakened Being

The lonely X-wing from orbit descended through the clouds of Yavin IV, exhaust trails leaving behind a thin line of vapor. The vessel looped around the Praxeum in a wide orbit, then slowed, and completed a second loop at a much lower elevation. Finally, a third loop was completed as the snubfighter put down in the trees some near distance away, though close enough that anyone outside of the Temple grounds would hear the whine of its engines cooling down.

From the vehicle jumped a middle-aged man of roughly 50 standard years old. He had short, greying stubble on his face and brown hair that appeared to be outgrowing a military standard. He wore a tan flight suit trimmed in maroon, and a strange looking blaster at his hip. He looked up at the vehicle after settling in on the ground and tossed a white flight helmet inside the cockpit that had been his mother's. A droid beeped inquisitively. "No, I'm sure the radiation is fine; I've already got the flight suit. But I'll take the helmet if it'll make you feel better." The man slapped open the outer panel of the ship's small cargo space, drawing a helmet and cowl from it that were designed for EVA use. He began donning them. The droid beeped some more.
"You go ahead and take a look on your own, alright Oly? I'll be back in a while. Set up camp, will ya, looks like there's some activity at the temple, I don't want to intrude." The droid whistled at him and began lifting himself out of his housing in the ship as the man entered the woods, on approach to the temple.

Parting the brush in his way, Ander stepped into a small clearing before the final tree line ringing the Temple grounds. It was strange to be in a place so familiar to him that simultaneously had an alien energy. He'd been gone for so long and yet...Ander narrowed his eyes. The radiation had been wrecking havoc on sensors, though Ander had been unable to sense much through the Force as well. The energy around the temple was...dormant?
"Halt stranger! I'd ask you to identify yourself or turn back. This part of the forest is off limits beyond this point!" The voice ahead of him was stern, but mostly surprised. Ander wasn't a very imposing figure, but he'd clearly caught the soldier off guard. Ander opened his hands to his sides, showing that the only weapon visible on his person was the blaster at his hip. "I'm here as a friend...of the Jedi." To be honest, Ander was half guessing, though there was no malevolence in the mind of the man before him. Still, the galaxy was a strange and chaotic place. The man hesitated, or at least did not reply immediately, so Ander took the opportunity to continue. He stepped forward casually, to stand comfortably. "My name is Ander Tagira, I'm a Jedi Master. I was a student here once, and then a teacher. Hopefully that warrants a more kindly demeanor?" Ander smiled gently, and remained where he was. The guards themselves were at the disadvantage and Ander suspected they knew it. He wanted them to stay comfortable and calm.

Ander listened to the man's cautionary words, nodding along politely. None of the soldiers made to move against his position, and Ander felt a calm confidence solidify between the leader and his soldiers. Ander smiled, at ease.
"I appreciate the concern, and not only for myself." He nodded behind them, towards the temple, as he let his hands relax at his hips. "The last thing this temple should represent is a reason to stay away." He sighed, "It has too long a history as such," he said softly, mostly to himself.

Ander's specialty as a Jedi was in the manipulation of energies beyond the Force itself, be they spiritual, like emotions, or traditional ones, like blaster bolts. The radiation emanating from the temple grounds did not feel benign, but familiar. Though Ander could likely have walked amongst the energies of the Praxeum unmolested, it was pertinent instead that he walked easily amongst the temple's mysterious new inhabitants.

He looked down again, to the man before him. "You'll get no argument from me, though I was curious who you are, and why you're here? And..." he smiled gently, "If you could show me to whomever runs your outfit? I would very much like to speak with them." Ander's eyes narrowed slightly, though not unkindly, "I suspect they may feel the same."

Ander thanked Vetge with a nod, and followed the man away from the Temple while his soldiers kept their eye on the surrounding area as they moved. Vetge answered Ander's questions kindly, while the latter took in the sights and smells and sounds of what had once been his home, not so many years ago. He'd long lived on the move, but his feet felt more than comfortable on the lush soil of Yavin 4. A presence of Jedi on the moon didn't surprise him; the last time he'd returned to find a Republic presence similarly snooping around the ruins. He'd rubbed shoulders with a diminutive Ewok Jedi by the name of Rawkill. An interesting creature that had been rather emphatic in his attempt to prevent GALSAF from securing the contents of the Praxeum's archives. Ander had been lucky to arrive first. It was that data, in part, that he was interested in returning to the Temple; there had been too much love lost between his own people and the Republic's self-proclaimed Jedi Order for his comfort to part with it. Ander shook his head as they neared a campful of military-style tents, similar to the ones GALSAF deployed with. There was no time to dwell on ills, he told himself.
He thanked Commander Vetge for his escort with a polite smile. "I appreciate your assistance," he said, before turning his attention to the hologram before him. A large, armored Saurian with red scaly skin buzzed before him on the holo. He'd never met a Saurian in person, but was familiar enough with the species. Ander nodded, "Yes, well, to be more accurate, or perhaps more broad, once I noticed a presence here, I desired to speak to whomever was leading it." He smiled, somewhat lopsidedly. "I did not know you or your outfit were here, nor who you were." He looked around briefly, frowning slightly. "I'm still not entirely sure who you are, but you seem familiar enough." Ander clapped his hands together in front of him. "My intent was to take students into the training of Jedi. I'm returning here, to my home, you see, for the first time in several years. I used to run the Jedi Praxeum here after my master, Luke Skywalker, moved on to found the new order of Jedi within the Galactic Alliance many years ago. I'm familiar with the land and the Temple itself, as well as the other ruins in the region, such as the Blueleaf Cluster Temple and the Temple of Exar Kun." Ander let his eyes light up a little, "The former is a dark and dangerous, yet very potent place for training, I might add, given the right guide."

Ander retained his friendly demeanor as he listened to the Saurian speak, though he searched with the periphery of his vision, listening and learning. Ander had never been a historian; his training with Luke had taken place before vast stores of Jedi knowledge had been rebuilt in the decades after the fall of the Empire, though the name Hoth did ring a bell. He was not, however, certain if the Saurian Nation was supposed to represent the government of the Ssi'kaat system and the Ssi'ruuk species. Ander wondered briefly if the Praxeum archives they held aboard the Basterd's Hand might contain some more information. He was doubtful, considering the relative youth of Titus' organization; the archive data he held had been out of the Praxeum's circulation for the last couple of years.
The sudden sternness of the reptile's conclusion caught most of his attention. The Lords were certainly concerned with making a place for themselves and Ander's own reputation clearly preceded him. He did not comment on this, however, focusing instead on the compromise that Titus recommended. Ander smiled and nodded politely. "The Blueleaf Cluster Temple was once our greatest training and meditation ground outside the Praxeum on Yavin 4," he replied. "While we rebuilt the Praxeum, years and years ago, we relied on the Cluster Temple as our second home. It will be more than sufficient for the training of Jedi." Ander gave the reptilian Lord a thumbs up with a gloved hand. "If your organization needs anything, please do not hesitate to ask. GALSAF exists to help fledgling and repressed populations. While you clearly are not repressed, so far as I can tell, you are certainly new to a place I've called home for much of my life outside the Rebellion." Ander offered a polite bow. "There is plenty to learn about this world, you need only ask."

Moments later, Ander found himself outside again, stretching briefly in the sunlight after realizing how cramped he felt from his trip in the X-wing. It had been a while since he'd been crammed into a starfighter for a long-distance trip; an experience he was loathe to repeat anytime soon. Starfighters were for blasting eyeballs, in his view, not for galivanting around the galaxy. He turned just long enough to offer Vetge a casual salute. "Thank you Commander, and best of luck to you and yours. The offer of aid extends directly to you and your soldiers as well."