Leena Kil

Leena offered a brief warm smile towards Kadi, “I am sorry that you feel that way. Sometimes to live is a fate worse than death. To live and to die is the will of the force. Regardless, I sensed some good in the dark sorceress. I touched it, amplified it. She cannot use the darkness anymore. Somehow I think the Sith will find her more a liability than an asset now. Regardless, she has been given the chance we all hope for when we stumble, a chance to be be forgiven. Her fate is in the hands of the force. You will have to suffice yourself with that. I will not stoop to the level of our enemy. Ours is the cause of righteousness. Let us not taint it. Let me tend to your wounds” As she spoke, Leena moved closer to the Jedi, reaching out a cool hand to guide the healing waves of the force as she probed the naturalist’s wounds and urged her body to begin anew purging any foreign contaminants and beginning to knit themselves back together at an accelerated rate. “Many of the Sith’s soldiers, some pressed into service, some not knowing any different life, and others controlled by fear and lies, have been captured. If you would please escort them back to the Temple. We can yet help them as well. Their fates will be determined by the authorities. I will go seek our foe. If she can be found, she too will be brought to stand trial.” she spoke as she mended the worst of Kadi’s injuries so as to allow her and her acklay companion to move freely. When she was finished, she offered a hand to Kadi in friendship before nodding to her Squibian companions. They would not part with their charges readily; but would help ensure that they remained relatively unharmed. To negotiate with them was for the Alliance. Right now, other darknesses needed the Healer’s attention. Setting off into the jungle, Leena began to search for Qaela, reaching out on the waves of the living force, finding good where it might glimmer and amplifying it; surrounding herself in light side energies and forcing the darkness back wherever she moved.

The living force surged through the Jedi Healer as her will and it’s own coalesced as one. The dark storm that ravaged overhead suddenly lessened in intensity as the healer struck. The living force glowed about the battlefield, illuminating the lives of Jedi, man, beast, and plant; driving back the darkness in it’s path forwards and outwards The power of Leena’s attack struck the Sith with full intensity, bypassing her armor and defenses as it drove it’s way through metals and flesh without hindrance or damage until it struck at the root of the problem: the evil that was intertwined about the witch’s heart. It struck with the power of a hammer, driving like a nail against the darkness until the darkness shattered sending a shockwave of dark energy echoing the battlefield; hurling Leena, Kadi, and the acklay backwards to the ground. The witch, at the center of the vortex of light, collapsed. The metaphysical power that sought to purge her soul became physical; the tendrils of energized light chased after the darkness as it sought to flee flooding the wake of darkness with a warm glow of comfort and life, forcing the storm up and away from the combat that was beginning to wane all about them. The explosive internal battle of the light and dark sides of the force was powerful enough that it tossed Qaela through the air, above the trees and into the sky, only for her body tumble haplessly back towards the ground. The entire time, the living force surged and purged, seeking any crevice that the darkness might hide in and exposing it’s content to the blazing light. Even the Sith’s skin glowed, piercing through the cracks in her armor, as she rushed past limbs and leaves, slowing slightly as she became entangled in the swinging vines and brush, coming to a stop just before she struck the ground, cradled and entwined by the foliage of the planet. Her glowing form would not extinguish back to normal until the last vestiges of darkness were cast out. The force raced through the slack Sith’s form, tracing along nerves and blood vessels, bones and muscles, tissues and tendons. Not a cell would be left untouched. Darkness was removed and the bit of light that could be found bolstered. The healing energies of the Jedi rejuvenating the woman’s decrepit flesh and worn body erasing years of dark side drainage in moments. When it was done, the light that radiated from Qaela’s skin would fade, leaving her feeling refreshed and confused. Her life was returned to her; but her mastery of the force was gone. The world about her would be as unto any other, a place of life and wonder with an odd sense of something out of place in the jungles of Felucia. Gone would be her connection and control of the force, her manipulations of and by the dark side severed by the light side of the force. As with much of medicine, the final outcome rested with the will and strength of the patient. After three-ish days, the shunt that prevented the Sith from touching the force would dissolve, as would the healing it offered. Only by a continuation of will by Qaela herself, and a rejection of the darkness, would the healing become permanent. Similarly, only by her own mental block would the Nightsister’s hampering of the force continue beyond. It was all Leena could do to save a life that many would have ended. The healer had little more time to concern herself with the Sith as the attack was no longer pressed. She had her friend and ally to think of and the remnants of the storm driven high above to contain as it’s fuel source was extinguished. Even as the living force swirled about her, churning into a froth of tidal energy as it radiated through and from the Jedi, Leena turned her laser scalpel focus back to the chaos at hand. The Sith’s powers had ravaged the environment and even as her arm ached against the scorch of lightning, so too did her comrade-in-arms require aid. As the surge of light side energies ebbed from their onslaught, Leena gently pressed them, echoes of calmness radiating about the clearing. She turned, looking for Kadi and warily eying the green-shelled acklay from a distance. “We are alive and the threat has passed my friend. Come, let me aid you in your healing.” she offered, reattaching her saber to her belt, sensing in the distance that though their fight may be over, the onslaught of darkness was not. She reached down to pick up the fallen spear of the witch, eying it momentarily before stabbing it into the ground. That could be dealt with in a moment; but for now, it was not a threat. They would need to be at their best to help the locals, contain any captured foes, and combat any other Sith that might present themselves a threat. “I suspect that the Mistress of Darkness will no longer be a threat to us for a time. I hope that this battle will be a turning point in her life and that she might begin coming back to the light.” The storm clouds tumbled and surged overhead, their power torn from them by the natural wind currents of the planet; their lightning unable to reach the ground as it rose higher and higher, weakening in the light of the sun. In the dense undergrowth all about them, the Squibian allies of the healer had an advantage. Small and lithe they could slip over and under vines, brush, and branches in the shadowy environment. Outnumbered and outgunned the squirrelly beings engaged in a sort of hit and fade style of guerilla warfare, drawing the Sith forces deeper into the jungles before vanishing and attacking from another angle and vantage point. In groups of twos and threes, the worked tirelessly, descending on the soldiers of the Sith Empire as soon as they fell from view of their comrades. Those that surrendered were quickly bound and stripped of their weapons. Those that did not were extinguished in balls of explosive flame, blaster fire, and gnawing teeth. Not all of the Squibs faired well. Some of their own succumbed to the assaults of the enemy. Bolstered by their Jedi comrades and the will of the force as it surged in what they could only describe as ‘magic’, the Squibian forces carried the day. As the storm overhead dissipated, they marched a tired and worn group of Sith soldiers, their hands bound about their heads, into the clearing. Many of the diminutive creatures sported a variety of gear and weapons striped from their prisoners. All about them was an aura of gritty confidence. The day was not over, but for now, they had won. What these w had was by all rights their to claim, their lives, the Squibs’ to barter with. It was not the Jedi way; but Leena knew better than to question it. They were not Jedi and she was not a Squib. Yet they remained stalwart allies.

Standing from her crouch, Leena felt her leg pulse gently. The wound reminded her that she too was mortal, but a servant of the power that grew in and around her. The light and darkness crashed together as the Sith launched a final desperate attempt. Her powers called forth the intricacies of death, manipulating them beyond that which nature intended crafting it into a whirlwind of destruction. Even as the winds tore about, growing in power, Leena opened her eyes to a squint. The wind tore at her robes, pulling the particulates of the gas away from her before they could take grasp. Her eyes still burned as tears blanketed her lashes, but they protected her from the whipping assault of the wind’s cargo. She could see, some; but even in the growing cacophony of the force maelstrom that grew around them, she could feel the dark mistress. The evil presence drew her like a wound or cancer on a patient to a point that needed her healing attention. The dark vortex about the woman’s heart, a cage that wailed it’s presence with vulgar pride to the world shone like a beacon of devilish intent. Feeling the force, Leena followed it’s guiding. Deactivating her saber, the girl allowed the winds to sweep her from her feet. Tucking her arms to her side as she was carried up on the swirling airs of the twister, Leena pointed herself, straight and arrow like. It was if she was diving into the training pool from on high again, only in reverse. The gassy particles whipped by her, repelled by a protective layer of light side energies that sparked and crackled with each minuscule impact. The force was her ally and her guide. She went where it directed and followed as it called. Here, in this moment, she gave herself completely over to it’s power. The healer’s body twisted and arced with the wind, the slightest movements directing her lithe swimmer’s body along the currents of the wind. Lightning cracked and spewed about the girl. She clenched her eyes, letting the force be her guide. Left and right, up and down, the more powerful the maelstrom became, the more the living energies of the force surged, for they were present in both life and in death, even the unnatural deaths called and honed into an unnatural weapon by the dark side. The more the light side grew, the greater precision Leena had. A bolt of lightning seared through the air, igniting the woman’s sleeve in a burst of superheated air. Leena winced as the force buffeted some of the pain of the blow, a surge of adrenaline dulling another edge of the pain. Still, it burnt her arm, charring her outer layers of fatty fishy skin into a crisp, smoke trailing behind her as her sleeve smoked; the flames extinguished by the winds. Angling herself towards the ground, Leena rolled, coming to a standing stop behind the Sith sorceress her momentum timed with the force to put her just out of saber’s range and the onslaught of Kadi and Juro. With her deactivated saber clutched in her burnt arm, hanging at her side. Leena lashed out with her free hand, forcing it forwards towards the Sith with a casting outstretched upward palm. She drew upon the true neutrality of life and death, the power of the living force empowered by the witch’s own doing, the light side glowing and cracking alongside each bolt of lightning as it directed their paths away from certain doom. From her outstretched fingers careened a wedge of force power, pure white in intensity as it carved it’s way towards the Sith’s tattered and withered soul, ensnared by the evil of the dark side and false teachings of the false prophets of the darkness. It sought to sever the hold the corruption had on the Sith’s heart and soul, to disconnect her from her magical attachment to the force until she could be purified of the noose about her conscious. ((3)) ((Buffeted by the winds and struck by lightning (burning her arm, but buffeted by the force and adrenaline) as she flew through the air guided by the ever growing power of the living force, Leena rolled to a stop behind Qaela and lashed out with her good arm with a wedge of pure light side power in an effort to try and severe Qaela’s connection to and ability to use the force.)) ((Great duel both of you. Travis, you make an excellent opponent. Thank you!!))

The living force was a calm current, nearly an undetectable power, that surged beneath the surface even as the dark side raged in a maelstrom overhead. Instead of thrashing about ineffectually, the light side surged where it was needed, a riptide of life energies that went where it was needed. At the center of it, Leena poured herself into this tidal force against the explosion of emotions and dark side energies that spewed forth from the witch. The force exuded from the girl’s pores, light side energies blanketing the area and lashing against the dark energies that sought to overwhelm the area. It tingled, it twinged, reacting to the natural bodily tendencies of the combatants and the world around them. Nothing was hidden from the will of the living force. As such, Leena forsaw, if but by a moment, the lobbed gas grenade spewing forth it’s caustic irritants as the winds picked up in an unnatural form, whipping the air about them, carrying the particulates of the grenades in a dust devil of burning mucus-inducing suffering; rustling the leaves in a chaotic audible haze of noise about the clearing. Leena braced herself against the onslaught of wind and suffering; her eyes began to water, her vision blurring as tears flooded her eyes and mucus and snot ran from her nostrils. Sensing the incoming weapon, the Mon Cal instinctively inhaled before it got to her. Able to hold her breath for an extended period of time, the Mon Cal Jedi’s lungs remained protected. Even as she struggled to see, the force was the healer’s ally. She was but a vessel for it’s will and where her body failed, the force would carry the day. She blinked her eyes heavily, squeezing her eyes shut against the onslaught even as the wind whipped the particulates away, blowing more in a fresh and constant attack. With her eyes closed, they still burned; but Leena ignored it as she gave herself over entirely to the force. Leena relied entirely on it’s will and guidance, remembering the lessons of her youth, pulling them to the forefront of her mind against the dark memories that still lingered from the Sith’s last attack. This was but a training exercise with higher stakes. She sensed the incoming blade before it struck. Sheathed in a cloak of darkness as it snaked towards the gassed healer, the force warned of the attack. With an instinctual force-imbued leap Leena arced over backwards in a somersaulting motion, bypassing Kadi midair as if they were acrobats working in tandem. The Sith’s atomic-honed weapon trailed a line of blood down the Jedi’s leg as it carved a trail through her skin until it caught on the healer’s trooper boot tugging at the weapon as she moved. Landing in a crouch, Leena kept her blade-clutched hand angled towards the Sith witch hoping to tangle it defensively if needed. Blood dribbled from the cut in her leg. The Jedi Master’s free hand touched the soft soil of Felucia, allowing the force to flow up and through her. In an instant, Leena directing it outward in a 360 degree arc of telekinetic power that rippled through the air in an outward tidal wave of power that toppled nearby trees careening them into the forest just before Kadi landed, their roots arcing upwards into the air. ((2)) ((Leena continued to pour herself into the force, empowering and growing the light side. Sensing the incoming grenade Leena held her breath. Her eyes watered and she closed her eyes and gave herself over to the force, leaping backwards to try and avoid the spear attack. It traced a brushing injury down Leena’s leg catching on the girl’s boot. Landing, Leena sent a force shockwave out in every direction.))

The light side surged around Leena, blanketing the battlefield in a crackling field of tingling energy. She focused on the purity that oozed from the life-filled world about them, drawing the inherent goodness forth into full blossom. With saber in hand, Leena let the light side manifest itself on the battlefield. It flowed outwards from the Healer in tidal surges of empowering energies to heighten the awarenesses, the reactions, and perceptions of the forces of light. The living force flowed in and through the Jedi; making her a conduit for the powers of good, a beacon of the force on the field. ______________________ The battlefield had erupted in a cacophony of sounds as the Jedi’s squirrel-like companions erupted from the undergrowth to engage the Sith troopers. Armor and weapons did not matter to them, their array of weapons spit energized bolts, explosions, fire, and destruction as they ducked and wove through the dense foliage engaging their foes, these would be oppressors. They had seen first hand the justice and judgement these jack-booted terror goons brought with them and they wanted nothing to do with it. ______________________ The roars of the creatures as they faced off signaled that this pawn of darkness had no intentions of standing down. The tendril of shadow that bound the armored witch to the raging rancor trembled in the healer’s vision. It’s corrupting power an abomination in the force that could not be left to stand unchallenged. A surge of dark rage and painful suffering buffeted the Jedi’s mind as it sprung forth from the witch. It clawed at the Jedi Master’s psyche, slowed and weakened by the aura of light that flowed about the battlefield . Leena felt it. It tugged at the deepest recesses of her mind, trying to draw forth the most secreted away of pains the Jedi held in her chest. In a flash, Leena could practically feel Darth Mavanger’s blade piercing through her body, the life leaving her form. She could feel the emotional turmoil of pain and death as if it were called forth from the bitterness of the past. Such emotions sought to overwhelm the Jedi and sap her reserves of life and energy. It would have prevailed had it not been for the free flow of living energies if the force that grew exponentially as it passed from the Jedi back into the world. These energies met and matched the craving darkness and stood in where mete mortal could not. Leena threw herself into holding off the buffeting waves of dark energy, drawing from the light side energies of the battlefield to push back at the surge of darkness. With the Sith’s attention split three ways, between the mind-linked rancor, the surge of energy-hungering darkness, and Kadi’s charge, it was simple enough to do more than push back. Forcing the visceral emotional response the darkness sought to elicit back inwards, soothed by the comforting waves of the force that exposed the evils to the light of truth, Leena pressed back. She had died; but yet, she lived. The force had willed it so. She had seen and tasted death and destruction, and yet knew that such horrors of war served a purpose as much as the duel they now engaged in. They would stop the darkness in it’s tracks and carry forth light and peace and freedom to all that these Sith sought to oppress and destroy. The light side surged. Leena surveyed the unfolding chaos like a frontline surgeon assessing the wounds of a patient fresh from the battlefield. The cancerous growth of the dark side shone like a grotesque interloper, personified by the armored witch, her tendrils of death lancing out in every direction seeking a chokehold with which to grow and corrupt and destroy. With deft movements. Leena circled the edge of the clearing, keeping her eye on the clashing weapons of her friend and foe and giving the beasts and combatants plenty of space. Calling the light like a scalpel, Leena directed it’s healing power in a surgical strike towards the dark shadowy practitioner at a 90 degree angle from where Kadi sought to engage the servant of evil. If they were going to purge the darkness from this witch’s soul, she would need subdued. The light side energies sought to bypass the witch’s armored form and to render her sightless, her eyes unfocused and her mind no longer processing the images it received. If she could not see, the fight would be over quickly and with much less bloodshed. The ravenous rancor could be sent back to his own, the troopers captured that they might not bring more destruction; taught the error of their ways, and the witch, she could be subdued so that she might not spew the hatreds of the Sith. If all went well, they could reclaim her shattered soul from the skeletal claw of darkness. The light side was alive, touching the hearts and minds of the Squib, of the lush world about them, Kadi and Juro, Leena, and whatever slivers of light could be found in the troopers and the witch. It sought to blossom these glimmers of light and truth like flowers, blooming and growing as surely as the jungles around them. Where there was light, there could be no darkness; for the light would cast out the darkness. ((1)) ((-Continuation of battle meditation, bathing the battlefield in light side energies and seeking to drive back the dark side, empowering the forces of good and giving them an edge in combat (them being Kadi and Juro. All effects for the NPCs are just flavorful). -Was buffeted by Quela’s mental/dark side assault drawing up painful memories and emotions, but used the distraction of multiple focus points to press back in an attempt to blind Quela. -Drew on the light side and sought to blossom it in an attempt to weaken the dark side further and disrupt Quela’s connection to it and her connection to the rancor.))

Through the gray haze of heat, humidity, light and dark sides of the force, amongst the long shadows of the jungled overgrowth, Leena could feel her fellow Jedi and her massive companion moving towards the tear in the energies of the living force where the desecrated village had stood. The ship overhead had been noted and relayed back to Squibian allies. With a wave, Leena urged her companions forward, their craft zipping expertly through the trees guided by the growing aura of the force. As they neared the village, Leena’s hairless brow wrinkled in disgust, she licked her lips. The foul taste of death hung heavy amongst the humidity, soaking the master healer’s white robes as surely as her own sweat. Idling into the village, Leena drew her purring bike alongside Kadi; wary about disturbing the great beast that accompanied her. Leena’s comrades hung back about the fringes of the village, almost superstitiously wary of the place. Even without force affinity, they could taste the darkness of the air. Death hung over this place like a fog. Astride her hovering craft, Leena nodded in agreement with the Jedi Knight. Even here, in the heavy air, the force still swirled. As long as they lived, the light surged still and would not give the darkness that all-consuming victory it desired. Elsewhere about the world, a cloud seemed to descend. The still air about the Jedi seemed to chortle in glee at the arrival of forces of destruction and devastation on the land. This village had been just the first sign of a cancer yet to manifest. They had not stopped it in time and the cancer was now here. Regardless, Leena felt the innate goodness and purity of the natural world subtlety pushing back in it’s own turn. Even here, in the shadow of the dark side, light would, and did, find a way. Leena, usually full of words, did not need to speak. She simply nodded in agreement, drawing the slivers of light inward and radiating them back out as surely and steadily as she breathed; offering a warm encouraging embrace of the soul to her fellow Jedi before she took off. As the acklay and it’s rider made the jungles once again, Leena turned, waving to her companions. In unison , their engines flared back to life. Whatever darkness had done this to this village was, to Leena, a cancer that needed cured or carved. To the Squib it was more simple; this dark presence, these murderers, were but rabid dogs that needed put down. Theirs was not the Jedi way, for while they served alongside Leena, indebted to her and enjoined by the bonds of friendship; these squirrel-folk were of a different stock, good, but different. With a dull throbbing hum, the swoops and speeders tore back into the jungles, arcing a wide path paralleling the naturalist and her steed. Leena could taste the dark path that trailed from the murderous agents of the Sith and their craft. It tainted them, the blood of the innocent crying out in pain at life cut short. From their minutes in the village, the craft was still visible descending into the jungles beyond. They gave chase, targeting where the ship had landed and departed. A dark evil touched the soil there and needed cleansed. The swoops, bikes, and speeders moved quickly through the jungles, over rocky outcroppings and downed trees, swerving and zipping with force-imbued surety. The fluttering white robes of the healer flickered and flipped on the heavy air as it flowed past her, carrying on them an embracing aura of goodness and protection that enveloped the group. As they neared, the dark presence that advanced through the shadows, Leena slowed in coordination with Kadi’s movements. The Squibs continued circling wide as they moved. The hum of their craft drowned the clearing in a cacophony of noise that purged the silent stillness until they all suddenly fell silent as the Jedi Kida spoke. As Kadi and Juro materialized before the Sith forces, Leena stepped into the edge of the clearing following half a dozen paces behind the Knight. Each step she took towards the clearing, Leena drew upon the force, finding the natural light that radiated from the life-filled world, life that stood in contrast to the endgame of darkness. She drew it in and exponentially radiated it outwards in calming tidal surges of light and hope that sought to drive back the darkness. The Jedi felt it in her soul and so would other users of light as a meditative stillness befell the clearing, energizing the Jedi and seeking to hamper the forces of darkness. Purity and light would carry this day. Nevertheless, a crack and hiss joined the thrum of Kadi’s saber, Leena adding her own teal hue to the scene. “Please stand down. Let us help you.” she spoke, her voice cheery yet serious. “Else,” Leena inclined her face towards Kadi and her saber before jerking the top of her head towards Juro; a clear indication that she would stand alongside the words spoken by her fellow Jedi. This was the Sith’s chance at a peaceful settlement; but unlike on Trualis, there would be negotiation. The Sith were arriving in force and such a cancer needed amputated before it could spread. Nestled amongst the trees and undergrowth the guerilla-minded Squib kept a watchful eye on the scene from a variety of angles. They held their hodge-podged array of weapons expertly, each experienced in their usage. All that need happen was for a sign of aggression to come from the Sith forces and the diminutively sly and cunning squirrels would descend on the troopers of the Sith in rabid fashion, allowing the Jedi to handle any mass-murdering force users to be found amidst their ranks.

While many Jedi learn and even become proficient in some form of the arts of Jedi Healing, Jedi Healers occupy a unique role within the Order. Having dedicated themselves to the art of healing, they are the best of the best amongst the Jedi Order when it comes to restoring life, motion, and sanity. As such, these Jedi are uniquely prepared to confront a wide variety of dark side manifestations and evil that might be overlooked by the more militant of their order. THE CIRCLE OF JEDI HEALERS: These are the best of the best Jedi Healers. Healers who have, through years of dedicated study and and service, become so adept in the healing arts that they have been known to channel the will of the force to return life unto the dead and stave off the most horrendous of injuries and infections to the mind, body, and soul. They are healers who by their very nature are pillars of light by which darkness is driven from whatever crevices it is found. When there is no hope, in the blackest of nights, and the bleakest of outcomes, the Circle finds the light and amplify it into an overhwleming force of good. They illuminate the darkness with truth, light, purity and restoration. Most members of the Circle are inherently tied, on a deeply metaphysical level, to the light side of the force. For a member of the Circle to fall to the dark side is rare indeed. Not all healers are members of this Circle; nor do all healers desire to be. To be a member of this order is to declare their dedication to peace, to giving up the thrill of victory or combat in return for serving others. These healers are masters of their art and masters of their respected wards and patients, but to them, to be such a master is to be the lowest and greatest servant; a guardian of purity and life and all that it rightfully stands for. The purity of soul that is required to become a member of the Circle of Jedi Healers lends itself well to combating corruptions of the dark side. Many Jedi from this organization can be found standing against the darkness and containing it as they render aid to locals, galaxy wide, in need. And while a Jedi of the Circle can take a life, they are hesitant to do so; even more so than the average Jedi. With their skills, they hope to save even the most twisted and desecrated souls. A Jedi of the Circle will go to great lengths ,should even the smallest glimmer of light exist, to seek to close the gap and nurse even the darkest soul back to light and life. They will do whatever they can for even the smallest hope to save a ravaged soul regardless of the time or effort needed. To be a member of the Circle is to forgive. To recognize the taint of darkness and drive it out, holding not a grudge against they that were touched by it. To walk amongst the darkest recesses of tortured minds, bodies, and souls, and emerge as white as their freshly laundered robes on the other side. The Circle oversees several aspects of the Jedi Order. A member of the Circle is found in almost every Jedi run or associated place of healing, from field hospitals to the most advanced surgical suites in the galaxy. One of the aspects that the Circle oversees is the Jedi Medical Corps. Another is the training of traditional Jedi initiates in the basics of force-based healing and the provision of light side attuned areas to instruct in the more complex aspects of the force without dark side influence. Wherever members of the Circle are, the dark side is sure to be repulsed. These are the Jedi who are called upon alongside the Jedi naturalist to heal the taint of darkness upon the land and to close tears wrought upon the force and those afflicted by it. The Circle is governed by the Chief Healer, a member of the Circle appointed by the Jedi Grandmaster to oversee the administration of all Jedi healing facilities across the galaxy. Traditionally this person would maintain an office within the Halls of Healing of the main Jedi temple; however, given the state of conflict in the galaxy, this individual is often found administering on the fly as he or she moves from pace to place, aiding in healing efforts and purging the dark side around the galaxy. A Note On Membership Within The Circle: A Jedi must be of Knight rank or higher and have dedicated themselves to the healing arts. With exceptional strength of will and purity of soul, a member of the Circle of Jedi Healers is expected to act swiftly in the face of danger, exercising all the care of a surgeon in their activities towards others, be it within the force or on the table or ward. These Jedi are not prone to fits of emotion and have taken an absolute stand against the dark side in all its forms. A member dedicates themselves to the purification of lives, to serving and saving others, even at the expense of their own. They must guard the patients under their care with the calm ferocity of a mother sand panther guarding her young. To become a rank of this order, means that the healer will wear the traditional white robes of a Jedi Healer and often carry a teal-hued lightsaber. Although this is not a hard rule, it is the expected outward appearance of a Jedi Healer and is recognized across the galaxy as one who brings aid to the sick and dying, not war. Jedi healers do not carry weapons of war unto the battlefield and to do so would be a desecration of their membership within the order. Although a healer may be accompanied by armed soldiers and agents of war and law, the healer themself is expected to maintain their status as one who saves. Membership is granted by another member of the Circle, with the rank of Chief Healer being granted by the Jedi Grandmaster or carried by the same if he or she comes from the ranks of the Circle. Healing Outpost on Ilum: The Circle maintains a small and relatively remote facility within the world of Ilum. There they use the natural amplification of the crystal caves and stillness of the remote world to foster a level of healing that may be untenable elsewhere in the galaxy. The facility is far removed from the actions of the galactic conflict and members of the Circle work tirelessly to study and develop new, and rediscover ancient, healing techniques. From the air, the facility is undetectable. The small hangar that peovides the most direct offworld access is nestled deep within a crevice on the surface. No ship larger than a small freighter possesses the size limitations or maneuverability, even with the aid of the force, to finagle a safe landing inside. Even so, the hangar is limited in size and can only accomodate a half dozen or so craft at a time. To gain access, ships must descend deep beneath the world’s ice, delving into the realms of myth and shadow before traversing a maze-like path of ice and metals that play havoc on sensors and scanners. Deep within the maxing crevice the activities of the surface are lost, even orbital bombardment has little effect this deep. There are several smaller access tunnels that traverse beneath the surface on icy steps and mechanized shafts. Some of these are no larger than to allow a single smaller being access at a time. Others can accommodate bits of supplies and gear in ancient wheeled carts and tracks as they pass through some of the deepest reaches of the crystalline caves. Within the facility, the temperatures are warmer than the outside world, even then, they are still cool. Exceptions are made for patients’ rooms and individualized quarters with an array of individual heat sources. The entire facility has an aura of sterility and cleanliness to it. The facility itself is staffed by approximately a dozen of the most reclusive and brilliant minds of the Circle, a small retinue of members of the Jedi Healing Corps, and the occasional select few non-force using healers selected from the most dedicated and advanced minds across the galaxy. Contained within one vein of the underground facility is the housing units for all staff members stationed at the base. It is here that the healers and medics spend their limited off time to rest and recuperate. Hete they have limited access to the holonet and an exceptional collection of rare and ancient texts covering the treatment of ancient maladies, historic maladies, and alternative medicines. An adjoining shaft has been hollowed out to form a large treatment and triage area with adjacent surgical suites, bacta treatment rooms, patient chambers, and rest areas for working staff. These areas have been stocked with the best supplies that can be gathered the galaxy over and represent a significant investment on the part of the Jedi. Quarantine rooms can be accessed from here but are also accessible directly from the hangar area. These quarantine suites are negative pressure sealed so as to keep any potential contagens within and open for observation from the medical area via duraglass view panes that can be rendered opaque for privacy. A tunnel connects the above two shafts with several caverns reinforced and secured for long-term storage. This tunnel is also accessible via the hangar as well as from a pair of shafts leading towards the surface a distance away. While scientifically this facility is one of the most advanced in the galaxy, it is little known, even amongst the bulk of the rank-and-file Jedi. The greatest defense of this place is it’s anonymity. Boasting some of the most advanced scientific and medical minds, the facility is found lacking in overall warmth and welcoming, being dedicated solely to the healing arts and turning little attention towards the aesthetics of welcoming those in need. The only exception to this are the sweeping icy stone arches that beckon from one chamber to another and guide the path from the hangar into the facility with swirls of stone outcroppings carved there by Jedi Healers and Artisans of yore. The entirety of the facility can be reached via a narrow, rocky and slick underground cliff-spanning pathway looking down into a dark seemingly bottomless chasm. This provides the sole underground access to the caves of crystals where many young Jedi first obtain their first stones with which to construct their sabers. This gruelling 3 day journey can only be made on foot. Many Jedi have found that this path helps them focus themselves and allows them to meditate and learn to trust in the guidance of the force. Even as Jedi come to Ilum on quests or to obtain the valued crystals grown within, the healing outpost remains aloof. Not wanting to interfere in the training and work of the other Jedi, the outpost refrains from contact with visitors, carefully keeping a distant watchful eye should the worst befall them and rendering aid as they may. Their secrecy remains their greatest defense. Even so, the Healers of Ilum have become quite adept at cold weather survival and the treatment of cold and exposure related injuries is more than second nature to them. They are experts in the field of rugged cold weather rescue, survival, and stealth. Jedi Medical Corps: While to many within the order the Jedi Medixal Corps is nothing but a path taken by their fellows who did not pass the rigorous trials to become a Jedi Knight, this is decidedly a falsehood manufactured to allow some to feel a sense of superiority over others. They are wrong. While it is true that there are some members of the Medical Corps that started their paths off as Jedi Hopefuls, becoming a member of the Corps is not a sign of failure. Many initiates choose to progress down this path instead of seeking to become a Jedi, forgoing any militaristic or combat training in favor of dedicating themselves wholly to the healing of people and worlds. Other members are Jedi Knights and Healers that have been assigned or assigned themselves to assist the Corps in its mission to provide healing and care to all worlds and people throughout the galaxy. A small amount are Jedi initiates who failed their trials, but this group is decidedly limited and even so, their assignment to the Corps is not seen as a failure but as the Force directing their life down the correct path. Not all members of the Corps are force sensitive. Some of the most compassionate souls and best medical minds in the galaxy have found themselves attached to, affiliated with, serving alongside, or members of the Corps. Many come to lend what aid they can to this apolitical galaxy-spanning organization. Some come to learn from the healers employed within. The Corps can be found on the front lines of battle in field hospitals and first aid stations, armed only with their compassion, conviction, and tools of their trade. They can be found accompanying exploration expeditions to newfound worlds so as to ward of unknown maladies and bring anaura of compassion and kindness to any first contact. They are found throughout medical centers across the galaxy, their teams providing first aid, advanced medical treatment, comforting the injured and ill, aiding doctors and healers, and bringing a sense of calm hope to the chaos of life turned upside down. The Corps are officially overseen by the Circle of Jedi Healers. In practicality though, they are mostly self-administering with the Circle offering a relatively hands off approach towards the day to day and logistical decisions of the group. Membership within the Corps is open to any Jedi, medical professional force user or not, all that is required is a dedication to good. Even non-medical professionals can become a part of this organization, using their talents in supply acquisition, transport, administration, and others to the benefit of the galaxy as a whole.

Leena scowled as she listened to the Grandmaster as she addressed Sandy. Could she go? Should she go? Something felt off and there were injured that needed tended to. Then the Grandmaster turned to her and spoke. The Jedi’s words were unnerving, almost harsh. The look on her leader’s face concerned Leena and her eyes squinted into a wince as the woman turned her feigned indignation on her. Yet the young healer stood. She had faced down harsher words from that Sith and braved his saber, this paled in comparison and Leena would wether it. Still something felt off about it all. Then, before she could interrupt, the Grandmaster’s face broke, and the jest was revealed. Leena’s eyes grew wide as the Grandmaster spoke. Was this part of the joke too? She did not know and she was hesitant to ask. Thankfully Sandy seemed to confirm the haphazard promotion. Leena had never imagined making it this far in her path. The desire to bear such a title was not there, she just wanted to help. It was an honor though, and given her doubts, Leena hoped that she would be worthy of such a mantle. The darkness continued to push at the fringes of her senses. Something, somewhere, was off; a cancer seemed to be lurking. Then it surged. In her freshly healed heart, the Healer felt a pain seer suddenly through it as the darkness seemed to pulsated before it was contained by the collective power of the light. It was death. It was something Leena knew all too intimately. She gasped, her wide eyes looking to her three fellow Jedi. “Th-thank you all,” she stammered, hardly the most fitting first words for a Jedi Master, “But I, death! They need me.” she sputtered, hurrying off with Kira opting to depart at the same moment. She was not going to the infirmary though. Neither was Leena, not anymore. No, this surge of cancerous destruction came from the jungle. It was not the darkness of before, the entity; this felt more malevolent, wonton and evil. Hurrying through the halls of the Temple, Leena spotted a gaggle of blue and green furred squirrels pawing through a pile of what a normal passerby would dismiss as junk. These were her companions; the Squibs. Each was arrayed in a mishmash of gear from bandoliers and helmets to armor and oversized boots, toting everything from ion blasters to heavy blaster pistols, to launchers of the homemade variety. She waved to them as she hurried by them. “Come on. Something’s causing trouble in the jungle!” The Squibs exchanged looks of shock and surprise before bursting into a chittering blur of fur after their friend. They had thought she was dead. Was there anything the Jedi could not do? Hurrying from the Temple, Leena and company found a stable of varying speeders, swoops, and bikes. Leaping upon one herself, the Squibs piled in haphazardly across several others and they set off into the undergrowth unintentionally following a parallel path to that of Kira. Leena pushed the bike as fast as she could, following the surge of pain that radiated like a beacon somewhere ahead. She let the force guide her, slowing slightly so as to emanate a protective guiding aura about her and her companions. There was no sense losing the diminutive space scavengers in the undergrowth. They were a force for good. They were her friends. They were ferocious allies when the time arose. In the distance, smoke rose above the treeline and Leena could tell that was where the sigil of death had been born. Looking up through the smoke, a shuttle could be seen lifting off, flying low across the jungle. Nearby, the Healer could feel Kira and her massive companion. They moved much more stealthily than her own entourage; but at this point, stealth was not what Leena was after. Another advantage of having Squibian counterparts was their fascination with all things tradable, information, air, tech, gear, whatever it was if they found value in it one could gamble they would find a way to exploit it. As the speeders purred to a pause, several of the squirrelly beings were already directing feeds of the belching smoke and flames coupled with the departing ship back along a hodgepodge array of their own holonet system of receivers and transponders back to their ship and fellow tribesmen. It would not be long before such information was bartered to the rebels and Jedi back at the Temple. The Squibs remaining there scurrying to secure whatever treasures were there and ferreting them and anyone that might barter passage or they feel be in need of their assistance, to be paid back later on some loose ill-defined terms, to safety aboard their eclectic fleet of vessels; a flotilla that looked more like a Ryn convoy than any sort of fighting force.

Leena offered a warm smile as she embraced Master Sarna. She continued to appreciate the Jedi Master and the wisdom she offered. Clipping her now deactivated saber to her belt, she released her fellow Jedi as she sensed the presence of the grandmaster. Turning, Leena offered a slight bow of respect for the leader of their order, her warm smile trying, and failing to revert to a stoic appearance. The grin still tugged at the corners of her mouth and played across her eyes. “Grandmaster. It is truly joyous to have your presence among us.” And as they stood, four bastions of light, Leena frowned. She was not a naturalist, not as in touch with the natural world all about them as Kadi; but she was a healer, a Jedi trained to find the slightest malfeasance of darkness within a body, the ticking time bomb of destruction within a ward of sick and injured. The force flowed through her, the light amplified as it passed from her very pours back out into the world around them in a soft invisible aura of light that sought to strengthen, energize, heal and protect all who were encompassed by it’s soothing waves. Yet buffeting against it was more than the worldly darkness of this place, more than the darkness that irradiated a battlefront hospital fraught with killers, killing, and killed. No, there was something else, something different, something dark, something strange yet vaguely familiar. It was a presence far off that seemed to tug at the doubts she sought to control. The Healer could feel them as if they were pricked by a pin. They struggled to surge forward, contained by the girl’s confidence amongst her fellows and knowledge knowing she possessed the ability to fight the darkness in medicine and in combat. Yet it was there, it’s tendrils touching the waves of light, a disturbance that rippled across the forests. And Leena frowned. She nodded along with Kadi. “A darkness ripples in the very air masters. If I may, I will recuse myself to the sick and injured, tend their wounds and stand stalwart against this fog that may seek them harm.” Leena inhaled, her eyes turning to Sandy with a nod as she focused her mind, reaching out to the others, to bolster their own reserves and seeking to push back against the first lapping tidal crests of darkness.

Leena was surprised at Sandy’s sudden surge forward, recoiling backwards in surprise, her lightsaber cracking with the collision of their two weapons. It was a clash of force-fueled instinct as the girl’s body naturally recalled the learning she had in basic lightsaber combat from earlier in her training. It had been ground into her along with other Jedi younglings during those aspects of their traditionalist Jedi upbringing. Leena heard the master’s words and tried to listen as she renewed her focus to her task at hand: in this case, literally the saber in her hand. Placing her second hand on her hilt, Leena moved to try and deflect the onslaught of blows, stepping backwards with each swing of Sandy’s saber. Her mind raced, trying to calculate the unfolding battle that was before her. She barely could keep up with the flurry of precision strikes, the force was her only saving grace. It whispered to her. It moved with her. Before she could think. Before she could comprehend. It was the force. Leena felt it flowing through her. It was almost like she was on the front lines again, tending the wounded as they were rushed inside their makeshift field hospital. She had to feel, not think. Be in the moment and allow her instinct, training, and the e force to guide her. This was not that though; and with each blow she faltered less, but gave way bit by bit. Then as Sandy swung, her white saber clashed with Leeba and sent it swinging wide in one hand held tightly, leaving the Healer exposed. Leena felt the flow of the force, the surge of it’s power as it urged her along with Sandy’s words. Bringing her free hand up, Leena called upon the force, thickening the very air before her into an invisible form of gelatinous consistency to catch the next blow, flipping over in a backwards somersault , landing out of range of the Jedi Master. Leena’s feet hit the ground and she canted her head to regard Sandy. This was training, but she assumed like the medical field, one trained to the real thing. So she stood for a second before sweeping her hand in a open-handed slicing motion towards Master Sarna’s feet, a surge of telekinetic energy seeking to take her fellow Jedi’s feet from under her.

Leena smiled at the others. Of course the doubts were not gone, but to dwell on them was futile. She had faced the darkness, on Scarif, on Felucia, Coruscant, Mon Cal, and more and never found the force wanting. It had been facing another being, corrupted by the darkness, that had caused her to stumble. She had even thrown her lightsaber aside in hopes of saving him. It had been futile and as much as she could not stand the idea, there was truth to the statements her two fellows were speaking. She, they, had a responsibility as Jedi. Sometimes that responsibility called on them to purge the darkness. Unfortunately, that was rarely pretty and while Leena succeeded in one aspect of it, direct physical combat was another area of that same purging. The same side of the same coin. It was why she carried a lightsaber. She was a Jedi. “I’d like that very much Master Sarna.” She responded at the offer to practice. To try and develop and hone her abilities outside the presence of a clawing darkness would be akin to treating a wound that was not imminently seeking death or to practicing a new technique in the lab so as to better serge her patients. It was something of a familiarity to the Mon Cal, and in that she took some comfort, even as they entered a large training hall and she rolled her deactivated saber hilt in her hand. She looked down at it, her mind flashing back to how she had thrown it away in her battle with Darth Mavanger, how only in the last moment had she activated it. She shook her head, returning her focus to the present. She could not change the past, but she could shape the future by her action now, in the moment. Inhaling deeply, Leena embraced the force. The calm goodness that was multiplied by her fellow Jedi. She let it flow through her, pushing the bulk of her concerns from the forefront of her mind. She flicked the switch on her saber and a teal pillar of light materialized with a energized hiss, it’s power dulled to a training level. The girl focused on the blade itself, holding it at her waist, ready. “Please teach me. I only know the basics.” She felt the force deep in her soul. It’s purifying energies warmed her and comforted her. She exhaled. The force was her ally. Even if she did not understand it’s will. She was a servant of the force. And still, something lingered. Staring at her saber, Leena knew, hoped, she could do this.

Leena pondered the words in silence for a few minutes before she opened her mouth to respond looking from Kadi to Sandy. “Of course you are right. How can I stand for what is right and true if I allow evil to persist unchecked. Still, we cannot fight evil with lighter shades of it. We must remain fully in the light in all that we say and do. That is easier to say than do sometimes. Even well intended actions can have dark outcomes.” she thought about what had happened back on Mon Cal the last time she had been there. “The dark side is a wiley foe and it is against that that we fight. Not against mere mortals.” The girl turned and for the first time since setting out on her walk offered a genuine smile to Kadi. She extended her hand in greeting. “Hello Miss Kadi, I am Jedi Knight Leena Kil, a member of the Circle of Healers.” Lowering her voice, she whispered, “Does Juro roam the temple freely?” a look of genuine concern flitting across her face at the idea that such a fearsome creature might disturb the patients healing within or the younglings studying by it’s mere presence.

Leena chuckled as she hesitantly made a fist and swung it haphazardly at Sandy’s chest. Suddenly she felt the flow of the force envelope her fist. It was if a thick goo had enveloped her hand and was forcing it to slow. The more she pushed, the harder it seemed to move. “Huh.” she raised an eyebrow in surprise and wonder. It was more an obstacle than a shield, but Leena had no doubt it had it’s uses. She could already see where such a skill would have been of great use in her last skirmish with the darkness. She shuddered as she thought about it. Being struck with a lightsaber , even if the bulk of it’s power had been dissipated in flashes of soft light, was less than pleasant. Leena redirected her focus to Sandy who was still speaking. She did not hear all her words though, the shock of an invisible wave of the force grazing her abdomen catching her off guard. “Well then,” Leena responded pondering the information she had just been shown. “I wish we didn’t need to do all this. Why can’t we just live in peace? We are Jedi after all! I’d rather help the sick and dying. Barring that I guess I’d prefer keeping our guys in the fight.” Leena looked down at the saber hilt clipped to her waist. “We are Jedi, not soldiers. Combat shouldn’t be our first option. If it comes to that, then, like you said, death is the last option of the last option.” She spoke these last words with an air of confidence as she reassured herself of the same as she spoke. Leena inhaled deeply, drawing the calmness of the air and the temple about them inwards allowing it to nestle within her soul before exuding it out exponentially from her very pores. Even if she was not quite sure of herself, Leena knew the benefits of force meditation. She was a whiz at it. Even as they spoke Leena subconsciously exuded gentle tidal surges of light as she regained her focus on the light. She still had doubts, but Sandy had reminded her of some of the goodness that was the force. Away from combat, in familiar surroundings, Leena felt comfortable. She felt safe.

Leena nodded as she listened. A weak smile crossed her face. It felt good to not be rejected when she was feeling such a thing was deserved. The girl felt like a failure, even if Sandy said she wasn’t. Still, the master’s words offered encouragement and Leena let it flood her soul like a soothing balm. At the mention of food, the Mon Cal’s stomach gargled audibly and her hand flew to it instinctively. “Ugh. You will have to excuse me Master Sarna. I just came from the cafeteria. Coming back from the dead really takes it out of a body. But I’ll happily come with you while you eat! Maybe after that I can go find a practice room. I think that my lightsaber skills could use some practice; especially if we have to keep fighting the Sith all over the galaxy.” If the force had brought her back for a reason, Leena wanted to be sure she’d live to fulfill it. The force would be her guide. She would serve it. She had heard the call of the Sith and did not want to be found wanting again. The force was her ally, her protector; but it gave her the tools. It was up to her to put them into practice. As the duo wandered towards the cafeteria, Leena smiled, her old bubbly self popping through. “Did you know that the force can absorb lightsaber blows and NOT wind up getting a limb chopped off? she asked excitedly.

Leena winced. The Jedi Master had not taken her bait. Why should she have? Would Leena have done so? She doubted it, but then again she doubted herself. Maybe she would have been the fool. She did not resist as the slightly older Jedi master pulled her into a tight embrace. Even as she stood there rigid for the moment the act started to soften something within until Leena found herself gingerly, hesitantly, returning the gesture. Glancing to the bench, Leena pondered it a moment. Her muscles ached to move, to work out their restless energy. Being dead for the better part of a week and coming to to find yourself alive and not in some great beyond, life after life, had a strange effect on the sinews of one’s body, not to mention their mind. So placing a hand on the bench, Leena leaned shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she began to speak. She was hesitant at first, but as her tongue got moving she found it was easier to speak, even about the areas where she questioned her judgement. She spoke of the call of the force and of finding herself on Kessel of all places alongside a band of rebels, how she felt a part of them because they were so much like the countless soldiers she had patched up in her short life. Leena told, somewhat sheepishly of agreeing to go along with the rebels to Trualis, wanting to help but being unsure of facing off with the Sith. She told Sandy about going to surface, challenged by Darth Mavanger and of dueling him in the rain outside the crumbling temple. She talked about the battle, what she could remember of it, of not wanting to fight, going so far as to cast her saber away to prove the dark sider’s hubris and foolishness. Through it all, Leena spoke of the force, how she felt it guiding her, protecting her even as the Sith’s blades were repelled by it’s power. And as she spoke, Leena got excited and frustrated. Frustrated that she could not remember. Excited to tell of the power of the Living Force. Still, she fought to hold back her wmotions, because in it all, left unsaid, Leena could not find the words to vocalize how the force could have failed her that day. When she spoke of dying, it was with as little detail as possible; only telling of the dark warrior’s saber being plunged through her chest as she showed Sandy the scar. Leena spoke of what lay beyond, a serene sense of peace, oblivion, and a strange knowledge of painlessness wrapped in a warm unseen embrace. As she repeated this several times, the girl began to calm, although the knot in her chest remained, unspoken, what had she done wrong? Why had the force failed her? She talked about the strangeness of awakening to her own body, of life flooding back through her deadened limbs, of the peace that accompanied the return; the chaos of it muted and salved by the presence of so many force users and the radiance of the light. She hinted at how she could barely stand to remain in such a warmth, needing to get out, to move; but she stopped short of saying it was because she felt like the force had failed her and somehow it had been her fault. She had done something. And before her prattling rush of words came to cease Leena let slip one question: If the force had failed her and she had failed the force, “Why? Why did I come back? Why did it bring me back?” The girl looked at Sandy, tears welling in her eyes. She did not know and unlike all the other times she did not know when she knew she could count on the force, she did not know where to turn.

It took several hours of explanation from the healers in attendance, along with a hearty warm meal and a meeting with her Squibian companions before Leena could even begin to grasp what had happened to her on Trualis. Darth Mavanger, The Sith temple, the duel, the rain; it all came back to her in flashes. They were not a chronological screenplay of what had happened. Still, she understood something of the matter. Scraping the remnants of some sort of locally sources stew from her plate, Leena licked the spoon dry before depositing her plate, bowl, and cutlery in a bin in the base’s cafeteria. Walking out into the warm sunlight of Felucia, Leena felt the rays of the planet’s star streaming down through the cracks in the canopy. It brought a smile to her face. She ran a finger along the fresh scar tissue in her chest. It was still sensitive. Exhaling, Leena reached out on the force. She was grateful to be alive again, chosen by the force to continue her work in it’s service, the service of a Jedi Knight. Yet it was different somehow, a prt of her heart had been tinged by the dark blade of the Sith. It was a wound that could not be healed physically, it was a darkness of uncertainty. If she had been doing the right thing, how had she been killed. Leena questioned herself in countless ways as she walked the worn stone perimeter of the temple, the sun pressing down. Had she done something wrong? Was she not in touch with the force? Did something divide her from it, a wedge of unseen darkness? Had she not dedicated herself to her training enough? Should she have studied the forms of lightsaber combat more? Maybe it would have kept her alive? But what about all the lives she had saved? The hours spent pouring over the most forgotten and obscure healing texts from across the galaxy, studying the applications of the force to heal and not destroy. Leena walked, her mind roiling as she pondered what she could have done, should have done; in the battle, in life. She second guessed everything. Even the force that flowed around and through the healer so naturally reflected this. She had looked death in the eye countless times, held the hands of the dead and dying, fought to deny the reaper. Yet here she was, touched by the very thing she stood against. She had been detached, professional, surgical. The blade of the Sith had cut that all away. It had touched her now, deeper than she had ever allowed it too. And as she walked, she thought. She barely looked where she was going beyond where her next foot would fall. She nearly ran into Sandy Sarna, drawing up just short with a breath of surprise. Oh! Master Sarna!” she stammered. “I’m sorry. I was not paying attention. I, well, nevermind. How are things here?” she asked, desperate to turn her mind and any discussion away from her ravaged mind and hoping the master did not sense the turmoil the girl felt.

The customized needle ship, a vessel of Squibian build and designed, somberly sliced through space as it dropped from hyperspace. A brief relay of their intents and purpose was all that was needed to gain access to the growing presence on the world about the Jedi temple. The Squibs were known associates of Leena. Within the hold of their ship, the fallen Jedi lay in splendor as only Squibs could muster. Their glow still present, albeit dull, Leena’s healing crystals were arranged carefully about the downed Jedi. Interspersed between them were treasures and mementos of immeasurable value; to the Squib. As the corvette settled down outside the temple, they were met by a delegation of Jedi, many of them adorned in the white robes of the Circle of Jedi Healers, masters of their craft. With a nod to the Squibs who carefully transferred Leena’s body to an antigrav stretcher, the leader of the group, a wizened Kurtzen male, offered a few soft words of comfort and thanks. The girl’s body was whisked away by the white-clad Jedi into the temple. Inside, Leena’s body was transferred to a state-of-the-art surgical suite. Hushed whispers abound in the room as the expert hands examined the fallen form of the Jedi Knight. After several minutes, a trio of healers left the room. One of these healers returned minutes later with an array of exceptionally large healing crystals. Positioning them about the room, several other healers worked to purify and mend the wound through Leena’s chest. Each meditated in the force, one strengthening the other as the whole room glowed with healing power. As they began, the other two healers had gone throughout the Temple seeking other Jedi, healers or no, Masters, Knights, Apprentices, and Hopefuls, any Jedi whose spirit was dedicated to the light; they were each invited to join the hushed healers in meditating on the force to try and discern it’s will. If they could, the Healers sought to recall Leena’s spirit from the Netherworld of The Force. Silence reigned as each member meditated on the truth of the force, of the Jedi Code, as they bound themselves to one another in a healing aura that swelled out above and beyond the confines of the temple. The powers bolstered the healing of anyone it touched even as it was focused within the room that contained the fallen Jedi Knight. For three days and nights a stream of Jedi made their ways into and out of the room. The most dedicated of them, the Master Healers, and anyone with a dedication to see the ritual through never left. For three days and nights the force radiated. The crystals glowed with the energies that they absorbed and amplified. The room was the focal point of these energies. Very carefully Leena’s wounds closed covered in fresh scar tissue. Moment by moment life seemed to return to the room. The girl’s color flushed as blood began to flow once again through her veins. After three days, the Jedi Knight’s eyelids began to flicker. Slowly, Leena sat up. She had been clothed in a fresh robe, her modesty preserved. Slowly she looked around confused at what she saw. Still, the force flowed strongly about her and it was a warming comfort. Looking down at her chest, Leena saw the pink scar tissue in the center where the Sith’s saber had impaled her. It was soft and tender to the touch; but it was her. It was living. It was real. It was Leena. “Where am I?” she asked cautiously.

Soon after the Sith’s craft lofted off from the world, the squibs who had accompanied Leena began to grow concerned as their hails to their Mon Cal friend did not respond. As the sun began to set, the valiantly diminutive rodents put together a posse. Armed to the hilt with everything from hydrospanners to home-made disintegration cannons, they prepared for the inevitable possibility to confront any manner of Sith menace. Cautiously, utilizing infrared scanners and burst of light against the growing shadows the squibs set out. It did not take them long to find their friend. She was dead. Their usual carefree chatter turned somber and silent as they gathered their friends’ fallen belongings and fashioned a sledge of sorts to try and bring her back to their ship with some form of dignity. In the distance, an unknown animal howled dourly into the still and wet sky. The least they could do was return her to her people, the Jedi. After all that Lena Kil had done for the Squibs, they only wished they might do more.

The blows continued to rain down unhindered. It seemed that the catching power of light had done little but anger the Sith as he pressed the attack. Withering under the flurry of blows, Leena knew this could not continue; but it did. Even so, her high flung saber began to plummet downward, having lost momentum in the rain-filled sky. The force still swirled about Leena, a holy aura that flashed against the shadows with each blow of the Sith’s rage-tinged weapons. Leena ducked to one side as she sensed more than saw the Sith’s crimson blade slicing towards her neck. The Force was her guide and her protector. Even as she did, she felt her feet yanked from underneath her and fell to the muddy ground with a splatter as her bottom impacted the rain-saturated soil. The momentum of the fall combined with her backwards momentum sprawled her backwards for a mere moment. It was the only saving grace against the two-bladed combo meant to detach her arms from her body. Still, the move had done it’s work, leaving Leena at a position of disadvantage and interrupting her focus on her healer’s aura that had been negating the greater edges of the attacks. The Sith’s blades burned and split the flesh of Leena’s upper arms near her shoulders until she hit the ground with a cry of pain. Even if the force dulled it, the injuries still hurt. They were no mere burns and the Jedi’s body cried out in pain; Leena’s face contorting in immeasurable agony as the blades found there mark, if even for a moment. Inhaling a ragged breath, Leena’s vision swam as tears clouded her eyes. She felt the force swirling about her like a tidal force of water; electric, fluid, and concrete. It was a comfort. It was that still small voice that held Leena and centered her amidst the maelstrom of chaos and pain. It spoke to her, controlled her movements, led her when she could not lead herself. The momentum of her fall had been enough that Leena rolled back over her head in a backwards summersault, the Sith’s sabers tracing biting furrows down her buttocks as she rolled. Her hand was outstretched, it pulsated with pain. The force was her master. Leena served the force. Her cartwheeling hilt landed in her hand as she clasped it shut; the muscles in her arm grating in pain with the move. Leena churned to a crouched mass atop her knees. As she knelt there in the blood, her white healer’s robes coated in mud and blood and soaked by the rain, she barely had time to take a breath before the Sith sought to drive his blade home. As she did, the force seemed to recede into the Jedi, concentrating it’s power about her. In that moment, Leena’s saber hilt ignited, a teal beam of plasma that bathed the Jedi in it’s soft protective glow. The rain barely had time to strike the saber before it was moving. The Sith left her little time to consider her options, and Leena acted on instinct and guidance by the force alone. Having only basic lightsaber training, forgone in interest of further development of the healing arts, Leena knew she stood little chance against the warrior before her in bladed combat; but her ally was the force, she fought with it, not against it. It was a powerful ally. Leena was barely able to bring the teal blade up before the Sith’s blade plunged towards her chest. Her saber caught the blade; but the momentum of the Sith’s hammering strike was too much for her to hope to stand against alone. The girl’s breath escaped her body as she was driven backwards, her body tipping as she leaned with the clash of sabers. And as her breath was forced from her body by the power of the blow, so too did the concentrated force erupt from within the girl. A ring of shining energy erupted from the girl, an explosion of momentum and force energy and light. It leveled the grass about Leena in every direction, kicking up loose dirt, rocks and vegetation. Anything that was not anchored was at risk of being launched back away from the Jedi for meters in every direction. Leena only hoped that it was enough. ((ACTIONS: Tumbled, took several blows from Mordecai’s sabers, rolled back, caught her falling saber and used it to try and deflect Mordecai’s final blow while also releasing a force shockwave in every direction.)) ((3)))

As the Sith warrior’s onslaught continued, Leena buried herself deeper into the force itself. The light side was there all around them. The world breathed it. It hummed in the downed stones on the muddy ground; it reflected in the flash of lighting overhead; and it cascaded downwards with each drop of rainfall that carried life and healing in it’s tiny grasping globule. Her weapon was near useless as it continued to arc high overhead, tumbling end over end in a free dance, the rain reflecting the power of the storm on it’s silvery surface. She had hoped her blinding blast would have at least slowed her opponent. It appeared it had not, only dazing him for a mere moment. Still, a moment was better than nothing. She was a Healer. She was a Jedi. She was not a conquering general. She saved lives. She did not destroy them. A moment was all she needed. Mordecai’s onslaught begun anew before Leena could follow up with another offensive countermeasure. She back-peddled, drawing the battle in an arc back atop the hill her mind focusing on immersing herself in the force and bracing for the incoming blows. As she moved Leena stepped backwards and turned, their path bringing back around towards the crumbling temples The woman grimaced in pain, gasps and yelps of surprise escaped her lips as the Sith’s saber landed blow after blow on her body. The force flashed softly and sizzled in the raining air with each blow, embracing the incoming blow and slowing it against an otherwise invisible aura of light side tidal energies that surged to meet each blow. The glow of the force barely had time tondisapate before another blade arced towards the Healer’s body impacting the energized aura about her. Like a doctor drawing pus from a wound, the force leeched power from the sabers attacks and their deadly intent. Leena moved deftly with the skill of a surgeon. Each step was rapid and sure, keeping her at the fringe of the Sith Lord’s impressive range even as she focused on being one with the force itself, allowing it to flown through and around her, protecting her. She grit her teeth against the pain, stumbling slightly as the saber grazed her thigh. Her mind focused on ending this fight as only a Jedi could, through the purity of the force and righteousness of her cause. The girl’s white robes were torn and burned, wisps of smoke rolling upward after each stab and swing. Where the sabers impacted her body, they did not cleave flesh, instead they delivered horrendous burns, causing the Healer’s skin to bake and bubble, blacken and become crisp as the heat of the burning plasma sucked the moisture from her skin. Through it all, Leena stared at the Sith’s eyes. The warmth of her eyes cried out with a desire to not trod down the dark path the Sith seemed to push them towards. She felt the force. She silently called to it, allowing it to fill her and expel it out exponentially, bathing the battlefield in a purity that one could practically taste. ((Actions: Lessened the impact and momentum of the lightsaber blows to Leena’s body from Mordecai’s sabers, while backing up and moving across the battlefield. This was achieved via the use of a Healer’s Aura, lessening but not nullifying the attacks. As such, Leena is forgoing any offense attack this turn)) ((2))

Leena heard the man’s words and for a brief moment her breath caught in her chest. She was not a warrior. She was a healer. Her eyes darted off to the side, as if to look behind her where he weapon, the weapon of a Jedi Knight now lay. She exhaled, allowing the fullness of the light side energy of the force to fill her, the energies pulsing along her extremities as they surged in light of the coming onslaught. And an onslaught it was. She had heard the words of the man. He had not even allowed her a moment’s response before he surged forward on a wave of dark tidal energies that crashed against the ever-growing aura of light that glowed about Leena. With her legs already tensed and half a move’s plan already in her head should the Sith speak with actions and not words, Leena moved as the dark side pummeled against her aura of goodness. With concentration, she was able to hold back the energized onslaught; but the whirling dervish of blades was a different matter entirely. By luck, or the force, Leena had not moved towards her weapon as had been expected of her; instead she launched herself into a quick summersault putting more distance between herself and her signature weapon lying enshrouded by the grass and already nestled in the moist soil. The Sith Lord’s charge placed him at a further distance from the girl than he had begun; his blade piercing nothing but rain and air. He did not stop though, spinning towards her like a devil. Leena stood; her body tense and the call of the force crackling about her with a light energy that continued to grow as the purity of the force, of her cause, of her soul, continued to feed and amplify it. The Sith’s saber slashed towards Leena’s skull with alarming speed and understanding, carving a furrow across the elongated cranium of the healer, burning her flesh ut not piercing her skull. Had she not instinctively ducked backwards the blade would have sliced her skull in two. The girl’s face contorted in pain even as the force dulled the worst of it; the rain hissing off the scorched wound. Leena did not even have time to comprehend the attack, it pressed on with such intensity and ferocity. The man was a warrior and his actions proved it. Leena was a healer, not used to the rigors of combat. So as she struggled to comprehend the rigors of the assault, survive the surge, and ascertain a way to turn the tide, Darth Mavanger struck again his blade driving towards where her knees had been before she ducked, tearing into the cloth bag that hung at her waist and spilling the specialized crystals within to the ground. The dozen or so stones fell, each radiating a colored glow through their multifaceted surfaces. The healing energies of the force were contained within and fed off and unto the growing glow of light side energies that cascaded about the Healer. And as they tumbled, an idea came upon Leena. She was a Jedi. She was a healer. The man had accused her and her associates of atrocities, atrocities Leena would not stand by either. She was a Jedi and she would act as a Jedi. Extending her palm towards the Sith’s face, Leena’s finger stretched taut as she drew upon the growing energies of the force, releasing it in a single blasting beam of pure blinding white light towards the Sith’s face against the backdrop of the darkened battlefield of cloud cover, rain, and shadow. Leena’s other hand called through the force to her downed weapon, sending it up and arcing into the air high above, deactivated and shimmering as it reflected the surge of starbursting energy against the dark sky. ((ACTIONS: Moved off center away from her saber (this move was discussed OOCly before writing of this post), taking a lightsaber blow to her head and having her bag of crystals sliced torn open. Leena continued to grow the surging power of the light side of the force about her in an aura of light, directing some of this energy into an attempt to blind and disorient Mordecai using the attack “External Light” as found in the Jedi Healer Guide. Leena then used telekinesis to throw her deactivated lightsaber hilt up into the air.))

Leena raised her eyebrows questioningly, “Cannot and will not.” Leena parroted the man’s words, turning them over in her mouth as she tasted the very thoughts that carried those words. Seated atop her stoney stump, Leena regarded the man, visibly flinching as the Sith’s blades ignited. She studied the warrior for a moment. She could feel his tempestuous emotions as they carried forth on his snarl. she inhaled deeply, focusing in what she was about to do, drawing in a sense of calm that she exuded outward through every pore. Carefully, slowly and calmly, Leena reached to her waist, unclipping her saber. She held it gingerly between her thumb and first two fingers so that Mordecai could see she was not palming it to strike. She reached back and tossed it behind her, sending the cylindrical shaft down the grass hill behind her. “Then lets put the rhetoric aside then and talk, you and I. No orders. No creeds. You and me, talking.” Leena’s knees tensed, prepared to spring into action if forced to. She did not want to, the force swirled in a sense of warm tidal calmness around and out from the Jedi. She waited his next move.

“Do you mean a strong guiding hand like the one that crushes the hopes and wills to live like the people of Mon Cal?” Leena retorted, rolling her eyes at the Sith’s blatant ignorance. ‘Why is it bad guys like to monologue so much?’ “What of the poisoned seas and death that reigns on every doorstep there all under the peaceful hand of the Sith? Is that even a life worth living?” “What about Coruscant? Were you there when your brother threw a moon into the world killing trillions in the name of order. I walked that world. Wherever the Sith go their fear holds hearts for a moment, but the legacy that trails in your shadow is naught but the chaos you claim to seek to rid us of. Their souls long to be free.” Leena paused. She took a deep breath focusing herself again, allowing the frustration she felt at the Sith Lord’s words to dissipate with the falling rain. She grasped the warm cloak that was the force all about her and allowed it to fill her from the inside out until she radiated with it’s warmth. Leena did not move from her perch. She sat, her legs tense and pushed against the ground as the stone she sat atop balanced precariously; ready to move if needed. She hoped it would not come to that. She felt the rain on her skin and a warm peaceful surge filled her soul. It seemed clear this man before her was misguided. She did not claim to be the smartest, experienced, or even most powerful Jedi. It did not matter. She served as she was called. The force blew like a gentle breeze through the rain about the temple, the smell of fresh rain and earth in it’s grasp. She turned her eyes back to Mordecai, the force and offered a smile. “You are right in the long run though. The galaxy would probably be less chaotic if everyone and everything were dead.” The girl’s voice rang with a laugh as warm as the rain as she spoke the words, they sounded so insane. Warmly she continued, “How about we make a deal? Since you, Master Sith, are the one seeking the chaos of battle, you turn and walk away. Return home. Lay down your arms and work towards the peace you desire, peacefully. We can work towards a peaceful galaxy together. No sense plunging it further into chaos with senseless violence right?”

Leena stood listening quietly. It was not as if the Sith was entirely wrong; but he had made some assumptions. Assumptions had a tendency to lead people down some interesting paths. His words twisted the truth. It sounded plausible, most lies had some basis in truth after all. The smile did not fade from the girl’s face. She just shook her head. It was not worth an argument. The man was sure of his own statements. “As long as people submit.” ”They will have peace.” “The same logic used by every conqueror the galaxy over. Leave the people to their own. Take your empire and go home. If chaos rears it’s head, protect the weak and innocent. Live in peace with all. I did not come here to fight you. Didn’t come to conquer or rebel or shed blood either. If I did, I suspect more than a piecemeal corvette would’ve been useful. My friends just gave me a ride. Those up above, they are not Jedi.” Leena paused as she pondered the musings of the Sith. She giggled softly before she spoke. “You sure talk a lot.” ”And that is saying something coming from me.” ”Still you seem pretty touchy with those sabers of yours for not being here as a warrior who just wants to talk. What would it hurt these people, the people of the Outer Rim, if you and your Empire left them alone? Don’t give them something to rebel against. Give them a choice to live as they desire. Peace for everyone.” Leena waives her hand calling a downed stoney chunk of ruin towards her. It dug a furrow in the ground before it stood tall, giving the girl a place to sit. Settling down on the stone, Leena’s legs bent, her feet flat on the ground, the rain continued to fall heavier as the clouds churned overhead. She felt the water running down her face. It felt natural. It was something of her very essence, the water. She relaxed against the touch of it against her flesh. She felt the power of the storm as it charged the air. It was natural; as cleansing to the world as any antiseptic in one of her wards. Leena smiled at the Sith.

Leena blinked with a start at the sound of a voice from around the temple, just out of view. Even over the drizzling rain she heard his voice clearly calling out after her stone had chirped against the settling structure. Making a semi-circled berth, Leena moved about a far perimeter of the temple, keeping the area in view bit giving her a safety margin should things turn violent unexpectedly. She only slowed to a stop when the rising human came into sight, his hair dripping with rain water. She remarked silently that he did not seem much older than she, although he seemed to present a more weathered countenance. Leena would have kicked herself for not sensing the dark aura that seemed to radiate with an ethereal glow on the energies of the force as they came from the man. He was truly a student of the darkside. She did not kick herself though, she was too busy letting a warm smile creep across her face at his words. Leena found it almost sad that the man seemed so convinced that her goal was to kill him, that her friends back aboard the ship were some sort of kill squad. That thought alone was enough to make her nearly giggle. The diminutive quick-talking rodents were sly and spritely, but a seasoned kill squad? Hardly. The only things they were good at killing were common sense and good pile of scrap metal. “Nonsense dear warrior. I am no butcher. In fact, I am far from. My name is Leena and I am but a humble healer.” Leena raised her hands to allow the falling rain to harmless batter against her outstretched palms and trickle downwards towards the slick grass and muck. She felt the life of this place. Even as the darkness clung to it’s hold, Leena felt the natural healing energies of nature growing stronger with each falling drop. “Truthfully I’d welcome the chance to talk Master Mavanger. Why have you come to this world but to corrupt and destroy with your fleets and your soldiers? You are already spreading across the galaxy. What is the point? So much destruction and waste, lives lost and upturned. I just do not understand.” As she spoke, Leena drew on the light of the world around her. She was not a naturalist by any means, but life was life. From that life flowed the Living Force. That was what she touched as she radiated a warmth into the air around her that permeated outward in a cocoon of soothing tidal energies. Leena stood regarding the Sith with a cautious sense of curiosity. What was it that made him so? What cancerous sin had bore such a man so low when he could have been so much; so quick to grasp at his sabers when the need for violence buzzed far off overhead without threat to them here. She smiled warmly at the man awaiting his reply and what revelations he may disclose. The girl’s silvery hilt hung at her belt. She did not make even a motion towards it. This wayward soul had yet to present any cancer that needed carving.