Hivolt begins to wander around the small settlement on Aagonar3. He looks into the small shops, and finds himself in a small cafe. He sits down and waits for a waitress to come over. A small human female, glances quickly at Hivolt, then smiles and asks, "You want the usual, Doc?"

Hivolt is stunned, but waits, not truly sure she was speaking to him. The woman walks by again, but this time taps him on the shoulder and says, "Doc, Hun I'm talking to you." Then the woman looks closer into the big Jedi's face and just freezes. "Oh, festering cesspools, you ain't Doc."

She quickly turns and walks back into the kitchen. Hivolt can hear some mutterings from the back room and shortly afterward, heads begin to pop out of the kitchen and back again.

The waitress hesitantly returns to the table where Hivolt sits, while a young Yuzzem runs out a side door. Seeing the huge furry beast scurrying was almost comical.

The waitress approaches Hivolt and is almost rude in the way in which she looks back and forth at Hivolt's face. "Excuse me sir, but you are the spitting image of Doc Dunrik. A bit younger maybe, but still you could be kin."

Hivolt must call upon the Force to hold his emotions in check. There are many emotions pouring through the normally stoic Jedi Master. Anger, happiness, nervousness, just to name a few.

"Ah, yes, do you speak of Gruu Dunrik? I have come to speak with him if I may." He sits up straight trying to look official. "Gruu?" the server asks. "Never heard him called that. Around here he is just Doc." Pointing to the now closing side door, she continues. "Tee has gone to fetch him."

The door to the small cafe opens in an older man walks in. He walks with stooped shoulders and yet still stands taller than most humans. He has a smooth and confident stride. He wears his gray hair long and has a few days growth of stubble on his chin. As he approaches the table in the center of the room, he notices a large man in what appears to be green Jedi robes sitting with his back to the door. The man known as Doc begins to speak. "Halenia, what has Tee so excited? He practically dragged me down here."

Hearing the voice that has the same timber as his own, Hivolt stands and turns around, removing the hood as he does.

The place drops into an eerie silence. With the exception of the clothing they wear and an additional 30 years of age, these two men could pass as twins. Hivolt stands a few centimeters taller than Doc and where his own hair is peppered with gray, Gruu Dunrik's hair is almost pure white. But the line of the jaw, the position of the eyes even the tilt of the head clearly defines these men as relatives.

Hivolt gathers his composure quicker than Doc, because he has been warned. "Father?" he asks.

With that the jaw on the doctor drops open. "But . . but . . how?" the healer stutters. "What in the five planets of Corellia is going on here!" he yells. Doc Dunrik turns to each of the other patrons of the diner and gives them a look of anger and suspicion. "What is this, who is this man?"

Hivolt sends a calming message through the Force. He turns to the doctor. "Do you remember a woman named Joyce Monika?" A tear starts to form in the Jedi Master's eye as he remembers his mother and speaks her true name for the first time since she died.

Gruu can feel the emanations of the Force from Hivolt and can sense the truth in his words. Gruu's mind drifts back nearly 50 years to the woman he loved but only held for a very short span of time. "What do you know of Joyce? She would have died before you were born. We were planning to be married and she was going home to gather some personal belongings and return, when her ship was attacked by pirates and she was killed."

The rest of the beings in the diner could see that the large doctor was also fighting back tears. No one had moved. Some were actually standing there motionless with their mouths slightly open in stunned silence.

Hivolt reaches out to the other man and motions for him to sit. "No sir, I'm afraid that story is slightly wrong. Please, can we sit and talk for a while?" Both men sit at the table and as they do, it's like a switch that causes the rest of the people around them to resume their lives. The waitress, Halenia, brings them some food and drinks.

Hivolt begins his narrative.

"Sir, I am Joyce's son, and as you've probably figured by now, yours as well. Mother, er, Joyce, explained it to me before she died. She wouldn't tell me your name or even much about you. She didn't want to cause you any grief. She sent me out into the world without any knowledge of you. I knew she loved you and that my special talents were a trait I picked up from you."

"Let me go back to the beginning. Mother loved you, but she knew when she discovered she was pregnant, she feared I would have Force abilities. She knew that would put you and me in danger because the Purge orders were still in effect. She said she was going to gather up her belongings and return, but knew all along she wouldn't until it was safe."

"The ship she was supposed to be on was attacked by pirates, so she allowed that story to get back to you to keep you from trying to search for her."

Gruu begins to get angry. "So she lied to me and ran away? What would have been so terrible about a life with me? Why was it right for her to take you away from me? And why didn't she return? Was I that hard to love? Why. . . . why?" and the doctor drops his head on the table and begins to cry openly.

"Father," Hivolt says and reaches out to him. "She made a mistake and paid for it with her life and nearly mine."

"She had no money and was seeking a safe place to give birth and raise a small child until such time the Emperor would stop hunting Jedi. She heard about a planet named Ylesia that was a safe haven for pilgrims looking for a spiritual place of solitude. They were offering free transportation so she accepted."

"It turns out the planet was using these "pilgrims" as slaves. The leaders of the planet captured her the moment she stepped off the ship and forced her to work in the glitterstim factory."

"She was lucky enough to save my life and I eventually worked as a maintenance man on their buildings and such. My talents with the Force allowed me to be able to find things that were broken with machines and repair them when others couldn't."

"We lived like this for about 45 years. 45 years of slavery, Father." With this Hivolt has a VERY rare burst of anger and slams his huge hand down on the table. The wood-like material the table is made from is not strong enough to handle the impact and splinters. "That is why she didn't return to you. She was addicted to the Exaltation and some evenings couldn't feed herself. I wasn't affected, so I had to care for her. Many days I watched her struggle to sleep and I would cry myself to sleep wondering where you were."

Hivolt pauses and regains his composure. "So you see, circumstances were such, that none of us could control. When a young Han Solo showed up on Ylesia looking for a job, he put into motion events that would lead to Mother's death and my escape. She was injured during a rebellion on the planet and we both were able to escape the planet."

"I was called Hivolt because of my prowess with the electrical equipment on Ylesia. During our escape Mother suggested I add the last name Starstrider to remind me that I would no longer be tired down to one planet. She died knowing she had helped me escape."

"After her death, I found my way to the Jedi temple and there was able to train and become a Jedi Master." Hivolt bows his head a bit in shame when he realizes his father was never able to develop his talents enough to become a full Jedi Knight.

"I was recently doing research on Exocron with Car'das, when his assistant, a man named Entoo Nee lead me to evidence of you."

"So, here I am."

Gruu Dunrik lifts his head and smiles through his tear-streaked face. "I am sorry, my son. Sorry I wasn't there for your mother. Sorry I wasn't there for you, but I didn't know."

"I know, sir. At first I didn't understand, but one thing I've learned in my studies, is that there are things that none of us can control. We must ride the waves of fate and allow the Force to guide us." Hivolt replies.

The two spend hours eating together, sharing information about Joyce. Gruu telling Hivolt about how warm and loving Joyce was as a young woman. How she would laugh and sing. Hivolt shared his stories of how strong she was in trying to fight the effects of the exultation and protect her young son.

Time passes and various patrons of the bar stop by and listen to the stories as the two huge men tell each other of their lives. As the hours roll by, Hivolt feels the pull of emotion as learns of the trials his father has endured over the decades. He feels a pride of his father, which he never would have imagined. He has lived nearly 50 years without knowing this man even existed, and now can see that he inherited all of his core beliefs and many of his character traits from this man.

Hivolt pauses and asks a very important question. "Father, . . . I know mother meant the best by giving my name, but would you mind if I adopted your surname? I . . . I would like to be known as Hivolt Dunrik, to show you I am proud and honored by my lineage."

Gruu feels the bubble of pride rise in him and it pushes more tears forth. "My son, I would be honored. I almost feel as if I should begin to use Starstrider, because of the nobility you have brought to the name. You have done much more for the galaxy than I ever could. But it wouldn't be appropriate for me since I've been anchored here for most of my life."

It is now Hivolt's turn to feel emotion. "No sir, the Dunrik name will be just fine."