Talon

Talon smirked as Cal brought down an overhead sweeping slash. Talon stepped into the attack, easily deflecting it to the side, and flicked his wrist in a smart counter. Talon advanced, weaving his blade in a basic web before him, using his skills to test Cal's. The pair continued to exchange strikes for several moments, before Talon performed an abrupt switch. Using the extreme acrobatics of Form IV, he expertly maneuvered around Cal's blade, and placed a solid but undamaging shoulder into the Padawan's chest. Cal stumbled backwards, but did not fall. ”œGood. You have the basics. They will not save you in the midst of battle...”

((Completely understandable.)) When Cal came back to the training room to rendezvous with his master, he was to find Talon already waiting. He was meditating again, but he was not in a rest trance as he had been earlier in his room. Instead, he was simply open to the Force, enjoying its sensations and feelings as it flowed about him. Surprising to his apprentice, he was floating several feet off the ground, and several loose objects had lifted into the air around him. They hung about with no particular order or organization”¦ they simply were. More unique, however, than the objects floating was the uncanny glow that emanated from Talon's mobile. While the glow had a more practical use in the field as a biological light, Talon used it now to emphasize a point to his Padawan. ”œLuminous beings are we, not this crude matter we call our body.”

As Cal took the sword back in hand, Talon smiled. He had made his decision”¦ ”œGood. The most essential quality of any Jedi is his lack of fear, and you have just taken the first step in achieving this. You have acknowledged what it is you are afraid of, and you have prepared to confront it. Jedi doctrine of old has dictated that fear is the beginning stage in a progression towards the darkside. I say, however, that there is more to the story than just that. In time, I hope I can show you this”¦”

Talon nodded once, as if Cal's sarcastic question had been a serious one. Of course, he already knew the weapon was tainted. He had felt it the moment he picked it up. Perhaps it held the life-ruining properties that Cal described, and perhaps not. Instead of throwing it back down the hall, however, Talon flipped the sword in his hand so he was holding just the bladed section, and then he offered the hilt back to Cal. ”œThe only way for us to overcome our fears is to face them. Take back the sword.”

As his business with Kirlocca had finished, and there were no other demanding situations requiring his attention, he again exited the open council chambers. No sooner had he done so, however, that a hefty metal sword, almost in likeness to his own, came sliding across the ground to come to a crunching halt at his feet. Curious”¦ in my day, swords did not just randomly glide through hallways”¦ The thought was hardly serious, and a small smile appeared on Talon's lips. As soon as it had come, however, it disappeared. Sitting down the hall was, he assumed, the sword's companion. Through the Force, the Jedi Master sensed large waves of frustration and anger rolling off the boy; something was obviously wrong. Talon bent down and picked up the sword. He inspected it for a moment, taking care to notice its balance and composition, and then he walked quite slowly down the hall, until he was opposite the Jedi apprentice. As the apprentice was too focused on wallowing in his own self-pity, he barely even noticed the man had stopped and was looking down on his slouched form, until he drove the tip of the weapon down into the ground with a sharp, resounding clang. The boy looked up with a start. Talon, having successfully captured the boy's attention, spoke. ”œIn my days at the Academy, we were taught to treat our weapons with a bit more respect.”

Talon smiled. "You know, Kirlocca, that you do not need my permission to leave the Jedi base. If, however, it is my blessing which you seek, than you have it. With all due speed, go and solve your mystery."

Kirlocca allowed Talon a moment to get situated, in which time Talon took a seat in one of the plush council seats. Even though the Wookie's face remained unemotional, Talon could sense Kirlocca's frustration with Hou-Jo through the Force, so he tried not to keep him waiting. Once he was ready, the Jedi Master Kirlocca continued. After hearing him out, Talon took a moment to collect his thoughts. While Talon was quite strong in the Force, he was not well versed with visions; they were a thing that normally eluded him. In fact, the only visions he had recently received were the visions of some ethereal being that encouraged him during battle. Yet, Talon's companion Andon Colos was quite prone to visions, and the councilor had heard enough from him to know enough about the nature of farsight. ”œA vision within a vision is quite peculiar, though not unheard of. I would allot it special attention, and heed it carefully.”

Talon smiled. "I have no doubt." He paused, and looked around him, back towards the hall from which he had come. A quiet anxiety had built up in the back of his mind, and he knew something needed his attention. ”œPlease, send her my best when she's up and about. But, if you'll excuse me, there's something that requires my attention.”

The Jedi Master was not quite startled by the sudden appearance of another presence behind him, but he was impressed she had managed to trick his senses. He also did not enquire as to how the woman knew his name, when he himself had never heard of her before. However, the Councilor sensed no feelings of aggression or mal-intent, so instead, Talon accepted the extended hand of Armiena's mother, Misal, and then his gaze followed the Miraluka's back to her daughter. ”œYour daughter is very strong. Perhaps she has seen better days, but she has also seen worse.”

Talon nodded his thanks to Dashel, and turned to his Council counterpart. ”œDashel's reports are quite accurate. My droid was aboard the station when the attack came. Luckily, he was able to rescue my Eta-2 and follow your emergency call back here, along with the other Jedi survivors. As this base has been attacked before, it is my recommendation that the Jedi Temple be moved to a safer location. I understand the benefits of the natural protection afforded by the planet itself, but I believe in this case they are outweighed by the risks.”

Talon's assault shuttle descended upon the Jedi world of Haruun Kal, and took the shortest route possible to the Jedi base. Haruun Kal was not what most would call a scenic tourist attraction: it was poisonous to most sentient beings and it was all in all very dull. It was, however, efficient at stopping a large-scale ground assault, and that was why the Jedi had chosen it. Talon usually tried to avoid the place, but since his droid had commed him to relay a distress signal and to update him with some important news. Talon decided it was worthy enough to warrant a trip, and plus he needed to rendezvous with his droid anyway. When he exited his ship, the Councilor saw his droid was already waiting for him, and beeped in excitement to meet back with his master. Talon inwardly smiled, but put on a fake look of mock anger. ”œI thought I told you to keep the Helix Station in line, and you let it go and get all blown up. What were you doing?!”

Talon's ship winked into the existence of real space with its target destination directly in front of it. The Jedi Order had several locations equipped with workshops and furnaces hot enough to fashion a nice sword, but this particular blade of Talon's would need the utmost attention. Talon could only think of one place that would be consistently hot enough to do what he needed: Mustafar, the volcano planet. And so the assault shuttle Excalibur II descended upon the molten world. En route, he was informed by his droid Zee that the Helix Station had been attacked and destroyed, but he and a majority of the Jedi aboard had evacuated and safely retreated to Haruun Kal. Talon never had liked the acidic green, poisonous planet, but he decided he would rendezvous there when his current mission was complete. Pushing the matter to the back of his mind, Talon focused on more important things. The final phase of his quest was underway. A majority of the lava harvesting stations that had been in operation during the Clone Wars had gone out of business. There were, however, a few of them left scattered about the fiery surface waiting for future use. A brief planetary scan indicated a number of these at certain points, and his onboard computer highlighted ones that fit Talon's requested criteria. Talon settled on one located just off the equator, where two active magma rivers and an underground vent all converged into one turbulent mess. When Talon's ship touched down, no one came to greet him. In fact, apart from the whirring of several motors keeping a protective shield about the station, and the occasional groan from the stations sole janitor droid, the station was absolutely silent”¦ and obviously uninhabited. It was for the better- he would not be intruding on anyone, and nobody would bother him. Talon exited the ship carrying all his necessary materials in the hoversled, and he walked across the catwalk of the landing pad into the facility. The whole building seemed to be shaded in fiery oranges and reds, and cool grays and blacks typical of the Mustafarian landscape. Talon, whose own lightsaber was a golden yellow-orange, found it quite soothing. As the station was so low to the lava flow to begin with, the processing plant and forge in the station were very close to the entrance. As soon as he had come to a stop inside, the 12-sided holocron on the sled behind him lit to life. Talon smiled and inclined his head in a slight bow. ”œI'm ready.”

Talon's assault shuttle dropped into hyperspace on the border of the Perkell system. The bright orange disk that was Gromas loomed before him, and Talon wasted little time in descending onto the moon's surface. It was a harsh desert world, but it was necessary for him to be here in order to harvest the precious phrikite ore needed to construct his special weapon. As he had already mined some cortosis from Bal'demnic (a small, ocean like world in the outer-rim), gathered some Mandalorian iron from Dxun, and purchased some tydirium from one of the numerous trading posts throughout the galaxy, it was the last key ingredient he needed before he was ready to start forging. Once he had safely landed in the outskirts of one of the many small mining towns, he exited his ship incognito- dressed in a rugged mining suit with several drilling tools and toting a small hoversled. He proceeded to one of the lesser used mine shafts, and coolly slipped into the mainstream of miners moving to and from the mine, and began mining a small bit of the precious mineral. Even if they noticed anything unusual about the miner, he would be long gone before they could do anything about it. ----- EDIT, 6-21 It did not take long for the Jedi Master to mine the necessary amount of ore required for his blade. Talon quietly returned to his ship, bearing the ore in the hoversled, and he stored it with the other materials in the main hold of his assault shuttle. Finally, he was ready for the forging. Just as quickly as he had come to the desert planet, he was gone”¦

Talon's shuttle traveled through space, progressively heading towards various locations where he gathered materials for his special project.

The pale ghostly holograph of an ancient Draethos Jedi Master flickered to life above the holocron. The voice which emanated from it was not spoken, but instead voiced itself through his head telepathically. ”œGreetings, squire. I am Master Odan-Urr. How may I be of service?”

The chamber beyond the door lit up in a similar fashion- bright lines of light spidered their way around the vault, lighting torches of various size as they went. Eventually, a bright golden hue illuminated the whole cavern, and Talon could see quite clearly. Various artifacts were scattered about- Jedi amulets, holocrons, records of ancient civilizations, lightsaber crystals that were no longer used for making lightsabers, and the like. Talon, however, was not immediately interested in any of this. His quest brought him here looking for a specific holocron. It was not difficult to find”¦ it was by far the most important artifact in the vault, and as such, special attention was given to it. It was specially placed on a raised dais in the middle of the vault, and the other artifacts seemed to radiate around it. The lit engravings seemed to converge on it, and it was lit brighter than anything else in the room. Talon strode to it. Unlike most holocrons, this one was sculpted from 12 sides. It's metal frame and glass panels revealed the inner workings of the item. After all this time, it was right there in front of him. He bent forward, picked it up, and it lit to life”¦

Talon's quest had grown treacherous indeed. Jagged rock formations jutted out towards the progressing Jedi Master. Some of the said tips were sharper than knives. Huge chasms separated entire passages, and Talon was forced to leap between them. The cloak that had protected Talon from the raging winds earlier now protected him from the damp cold. Without sunlight to guide his path, Talon employed an old trick of exciting air molecules around his hand so they would glow bright, creating a sort of human flashlight. Yet, despite all the things that would deter the average vault pillager, Talon could not help but feel he was going in the right direction. He had traveled more than a kilometer into the cave, and the hairs on the back of his neck were tingling in anticipation. And there it was. He had just turned around a giant stalagmite, and his makeshift human flashlight illuminated a large, ancient, circular stone door. An intricate, carved out pattern extended from a circular hole in the middle of the gateway, and it stretched towards two long extinguished torches that flanked the sides. Talon moved up to it. Surprisingly, it was warm to the touch, but it would not move. No matter how much strength and amount of Force he put behind it, it wouldn't budge. So he sat down on a nearby stone, looked up at the door, and thought. Obviously, he was missing something. There had to be a way into the vault, otherwise it was a pointless endeavor. He couldn't just carve his way through with a lightsaber, or blast it open with the Force, as it would damage what was on the other side. Talon's eyes surveyed the door carefully. He analyzed the pattern inscribed in the stone, following it closely from the outside in. All the patterns centered into the hole in the middle”¦ almost as if it needed a key! For an instant, Talon was excited again. But as soon as the excitement had come, it passed again. He didn't have a key. He sat back down and opened the manuscript, seeing if it would reveal any clues. He turned to a page he had yet to read, and there on the page before him was a drawn picture of the vault door. Unfortunately, this particular page was written in some ancient language which Talon did not understand. Some Jedi were blessed with the gift of tongues, but Talon was not one of them. Luckily, as it would turn out in the end, he didn't need to read it anyway. In the center hole of the door on the manuscript page, Talon could clearly discern a lightsaber hilt embedded in the stone. The key was a lightsaber hilt! The Jedi's smile was quite clear as he approached the door once again. He had his lightsaber in hand, and when he approached the door, he slid it into the slot. It only went so far when the stone hole constricted and locked it into place. It spun until the ignition button was facing Talon. It was pretty obvious what the door wanted next”¦ Talon fingered the ignition. As the emitter was half a foot into the stone wall, he could not see the blade come to life, but he could hear it. Immediately following the procedure, a bright orange light the exact color of his blade began to light the intricate pattern on the face of the door. In several moments, the entire pattern was illuminated, and the light stretched towards the torch on either side. In a dramatic flash, both lit, and cast a golden light on the cavern behind him. It was now that the door swung inwards, granting access to a Jedi for the first time in several thousand years.

Talon's assault shuttle nestled down in a small, barren valley in the western hemisphere, as guided by the manuscript, in correspondence with his advanced scanners. There were large, imposing cliffs on either side of the valley, and several pointed spires interspersing the space between. The small, translated document pointed Talon towards one of the ridges out his front viewport, where there were several folds in the rock, but no apparent signs of any vaults. Of course, he had already suspected there wouldn't be- otherwise it would have been raided and pillaged long ago. Talon guessed he would have to travel through one of the creases to access it, though he really had no clue which one. Donning his cloak to protect him from the harsh elements, Talon descended down the landing ramp. He carried with him only the manuscript, which he might need, and his lightsaber, out of habit. He was hoping he wouldn't need it, but in cases like this when traveling alone, it was always better to be safe than sorry. Braving a steady wind that carried a pestering dust, Talon made his way towards the monolithic cliff faces. He tried to reach out with the Force, sensing each of the cutbacks. Unfortunately, this was a well-masked and hidden vault. Its contents were apparently worthy of extra care and protection”¦ So with no valid leads, Talon decided to simply choose a route and explore it. He crossed the dusty valley in several minutes, and looked up at the looming cliff faces, overlapping each other in an intricate pattern. Down one of the crags in the rock face was his treasure, he was sure. The closest one proved after several meters in to be merely a dead end, so he turned back and moved to the next. It was narrower than the first, but it went further. Once he had reached a certain point, the sky overhead was crowded out, and the passage became cavelike. It angled downward, into the Ossus earth. Every step forward became darker and darker. Talon's eyes slowly adjusted, but he did not need them to keep his footing. Once the entrance of the cave was no longer visible, the terrain became more rugged. It was here when the comm system on his belt beeped. Zee was hailing him, and he wouldn't be unless it was something important, so Talon stopped and took the time to take the call. The screen on the comm unit translated the droids beeps. It seemed the Jedi were going to war. Talon shut off the comm, and continued on.

Long ago, the planet Ossus was the capital location of all Jedi. Nothing before then and nothing after ever achieved the magnitude of what was built on Ossus. Sure, temples had been built. Bases had been constructed. But at one point in time, the entire planet of Ossus was a teeming center of Jedi activity. And yet, this ”˜Golden Age' of Jedi could not last forever. The Jedi homeworld was destroyed millennia ago in a cataclysmic supernova. Life had all but returned to the barren world, and anything that remained from the glorious civilizations of old was buried deep beneath the surface of the earth. This was what the Jedi Master Talon sought. His ship- without his trusty R2 unit- dropped out of hyperspace with a bright twinkle, and slowly descended upon the ancient world. For some time now, he had been on a personal quest for a new weapon which would rival Kakuto's war-hammer or Ara's Sanare, and he was led to believe that one of the vaults hidden beneath Ossus”˜s surface held the answer to his problem. He would soon find out”¦ The manuscripts he had uncovered in the Helix Station archives were particularly helpful in pointing out at least one major vault which had apparently not yet been opened, but there was not much in the way of current maps. Anything in the manuscripts would be thousands of years old. True, he had a general direction, but he had no exact location. He had some searching to do”¦

As Talon and Damon approached the planet, Talon was able to focus not on piloting the ship, but in the planet beyond. It seemed pleasant in appearance, but there was something about which seemed a bit sinister- something hidden, as if it were lurking in the shadows. Once they had approached so far, a slight patter of rain fell upon the front viewport of the assault shuttle, but it was not a hindrance to the flight, and they arrived at Draken's manor without problem. Throughout the whole ordeal within the ”œSith's”

High above the planet Serenno, the assault shuttle Excalibur II dropped out of hyperspace and appeared in real space. Immediately, on the experienced Jedi Master's command, the shuttle began carefully scanning the surrounding space. Although Talon was not expecting any sort of ambush, he had learned the hard way it was better to be safe than sorry. Once sure that there was no immediate harm, Talon turned towards his traveling companion, and gestured towards the ships controls. ”œYou have the link with this ”˜Sith', and this is your mission. From here on out, you're calling the shots”¦ and as the shot caller, you get to pilot in the ship.”

A short, encrypted update is relayed to all Jedi on Mechis III via comm or computer. ”œThe planet of Mechis III is officially declared out of Jedi hands. All Jedi remaining on the planet are advised to withdraw, or proceed at own risk. If any are in need of aid or assistance in complying, reply to proper station via encrypted comm.”

Talon laughed along with Andon. It was good to be back in old company. ”œWell of course I did. I had to do as such, or else it wouldn't have been a trial, would it?”

Talon had sensed a familiar presence on the trip back towards camp, but truth be told he was a bit surprised at the abrupt drop-in of Jaina Jade. He had not seen his old friend for quite a long time, and at that point she was no ally. ”œHi, Talon. Long time no see, eh?”

”œCheckmate.”