Haruun Kal

[Sanj-Misavj]

He smiled too as Raiin answered with a lot of enthusiasm. He then said to her, "Training can start now. I'd like to do it somewhere else though. Haruun Kal brings back bad memories." He used the force to toss a gas mask to her so she'd be able to get to his ship without having her head explode. He began to walk to The Silver Eagle And waited for Raiin to get in before it jumped to hyperspace.

[Raiin]

Raiin took a quick glance around, noting the lingering destruction of some untold disaster. She'd been grateful to help out, given the structure's previous status as a Jedi sanctuary, but the work would be eventually contracted out and there wouldn't be much need for Jedi Hopefuls moving chunks of debris into lingering piles. With that thought, Raiin donned the gas mask and briskly walked away until she caught up with Sanj and then matched his speed as they both continued to his ship.

 

She came aboard the ship just as he did and made whatever concessions needed to prepare for their next destination.

[Saerin]

What a strange galaxy... For the reality was that an infinite number of strange things made up the galaxy that encased them in black and stars. Reality was that there were an awful lot more nothings than there were stars, and reality was that there were a lot less habitable specks than there were void holes and ruins of worlds left cluttering the galaxy with wastelands.

 

Haruun Kal was one of those wastelands.

 

So many planets existed that ought to have been purged, wasting valuable space in the universe with their useless, poisonous surfaces almost constantly fighting to shred apart mankind. Haruun Kal was such a useless planet, with its singular permanent settlement and ocean of toxins in the lowlands. If anything, human life should have left it alone—should be fighting for Coruscant—should be!

 

Be as it was. The Jedi had settled for Haruun Kal and for the time, as would she.

 

She—oh gods. The Jedi Order was hardly difficult to find, it seemed like you could throw a bolt and hit five Force-users these days. Haruun Kal, was it? She'd done her research. What a ruin of a planet! Certainly some would say the Wild Space she called her home was equally worthless, but... oh, Force! Haruun Kal? The entire planet was one ball of toxins and metal-eating fungi with jungles made of more man-eating plants than friendly, man-supporting plants. The only life was above the clouds, causing for a weird highland life where so often the ground was barren to the sun—and who could live there not conscious of the fact that below their safe havens in the clouds, where the mountains peaked through, was a sea of toxic waste so thick that from space, it looked as though it were an entirely ordinary, habitable, worthwhile planet!

 

From space, it looked like Naboo. Corellia. Any normal planet.

 

From below...

 

What an absurdity! What drove humanity to stay on such rugged planets when there was an entire galaxy of perfectly sane worlds (with a side of worthless worlds not worth the touch of human feet) to occupy. But no! A world covered in a toxic cloudsea? Where humanity had to live on metal-eating jungles filled with violent and lethal floral and fauna, covering massive volcanoes and mountains? Filled with gargantuan jungle-destroying bugs? That was the choice of the Jedi?

 

What the hell were they thinking?!

 

In a way, she could understand Sith dwelling in the arms of such a strange world, where almost everything there could kill you, but Jedi? Peace-loving, light possessed Jedi? The gentle protectors of the galaxy? The cloudsea would kill you, and if the toxins didn't get you, the jungle would. And the entire highland continent was covered in jungle except for the city!

 

Jungle. That. Would. Bloody. Kill. You.

 

The blond Adumarian wasn't particularly fond of the idea. Yet here the Jedi were and as she was beginning to have every reason to believe she wasn't just your average honor-bound killer, but rather bound to the Force through her life's blood—the Jedi she would have to go to.

 

Paladin she left in the spaceport in Pelek Baw standing freely on the surface of a planet that wanted her dead. Humanity had harassed it—but only some of it. And of course the Jedi would be far too kind to try twist the surface to them, and so it would always be life hanging on above the clouds.

 

The sky laughed overhead. I'm not toxic. Not yet.

 

Thank the Force for the basic science separating oxygen from toxin, life from death—dark from light.

 

She walked. Walking calmed her, and as it was, her speeder wasn't on Haruun Kal—she'd felt it wouldn't be productive to bring it to a planet that could destroy anything metal based in the matter of a week if the right spores got in the wrong place. Walking took away that bitter chill of space and the memory of so much dark and so little light in transit. Between places, there was nothing pleasant. Walked, even though if the winds kicked toxic gasses up from below she'd die without a rebreather...

 

Walked.

 

Because walking was something solid. Because walking exposed her to the not-so-clean air, to the sun overhead, because the clouds lay under their feet, holding toxic gasses in a layer not so far away, because...

 

The Jedi Temple was a ruin.

 

And not in a metal-eating-organisms way, either. More in a recently attacked by fire demons way. The only real activity seemed to be in amending the cosmetic damage. Certainly she'd came to more inviting places than the Jedi Temple on Haruun Kal in its current state, but be as it was, Saerin Vilanar had no idea where else to find them.

 

This was a start.

 

If this is where the Jedi want to be, then I can only help them rebuild their light. A light that would shine out from above the clouds.

 

She set aside her sword, honor, doubts and uncertainties and joined in to finish moving away the debris. Once that was done, perhaps someone would give her further directions.

[Jhoren Zeur]

Haruun Kal was unlike any planet that Jhoren had visited before. He'd read about it prior to this trip, and apparently, it was quite a hazardous place to be. Mountain ranges and other high-risen mesas broke out amongst the otherwise lethal ground. According to what he had read about this world, every native being was Force Sensitive. That interested him a great deal. He wondered if he would meet any Korunnai at the Jedi base there.

 

The Argent Star skimmed along Haruun Kal's atmosphere, and it wasn't until he was close enough when he prepped the ship's landing sequence. Pelek Baw stood out like a wounded Kath Hound amongst the other towering mountains and flat-surfaced pillars of earth. The Knight had to admire whomever had constructed the temple here. Haruun Kal was quite a desolate place, and probably the last place anybody would expect a Jedi temple to be. He was able to pick it out fairly easily; from what it looked like, it had been constructed inside the perimeter of the city. Unfortunately for it and whoever was inside of it at the time, it had undergone a recent attack. He directed the Star to one of the open platforms and touched down. The entire process was rather smooth-flowing; a bit bumpy, but nothing too rickety or unsettling.

 

He shut the ship down and stood up, stretching his legs for the first time in hours. With a flick of his wrist, he activated the switch on the opposite wall that lowered the entry ramp. He patted his R2 unit's dome-shaped head and made his way to the main hatch.

 

”œStay here.”

[Saerin]

Interestingly forgiving even in the wake of what seemed a recent attack, the slightly shaken Jedi Temple had welcomed her with the understanding that she had come to learn. Saerin understood why the Jedi had the potential to be such a weak race. They were forgiving. They were gentle, kind, and opened their doors to everyone—and sometimes that included opening their doors to things that came in with the intent to destroy.

 

From what she knew of the history of the Jedi, they more than frequently fled, leaving ruins of temples destroyed by the Sith in their wake. From what she knew of the history of the Sith, they yet remained on Korriban.

 

What a great temple—what a great mess.

 

Assisting the majority of the small crowd, they cleared away the rubble off to one side, leaving a slightly damaged wall or two and a heap of burnt stone.

 

The Jedi Temples were glorious. She'd seen them before.

 

Why did they always end up in ruins?

 

A ship came in overhead. She noticed because the sound broke up the patterns of rocks and rubble being carted away and droids and Jedi beginning to repair the damage done, and the gentle sounds of a wicked jungle carrying through the bustle and clamor of the city...

 

A Jedi came out from the landing platform, walking down the ramp and standing, looking at the Temple. It was someone not involved in the bustle just yet, so she decided to catch him before he was (for surely he'd come to assist with the mess), and headed over, wiping her dust-covered hands on her skirt.

 

“Good afternoon!” she greeted. “I don't suppose you know what's happened here, Master Jedi. I'm afraid I came after everything interesting happened.”

[Jhoren Zeur]

Jhoren proceeded to walk off of the landing platform, spectating the men and women below as they worked at clearing up the area. One of them broke away from the crowd. It was a woman, with long blonde hair, garbed in a green dress with some kind of an overlaying tunic. She approached him and called out a greeting in his direction.

 

”˜Master' Jedi? He glanced to either side then behind him, wondering if she was referring to somebody else. That wasn't the case. She'd mistaken him for a Jedi Master. Even though she was mistaken with his rank, to be called a Master was deeply gratifying - even if it wasn't his actual title.

 

”œI'm not sure,”

[Saerin]

He seemed young for a Jedi Knight, now that she'd gotten closer to him. Hardly an adult, a young one if anything. But war did age people faster, and she was hardly one to speak when it came to the way appearances came across.

 

If not here for the apparent attack, then what?

 

She filed away the curiosity for later.

 

So, he was a Jedi Knight. The second rank, she'd been led to believe--not a Master, but nothing to sneeze at, either. To become a Knight alone took years of training, advanced under the shadow of war, she could only assume, but nevertheless--something respectable, a rank earned by trial and not time alone. Though she could call herself Lady, that there was a rank earned by chance and genetics--Knighthood was an honor bestowed, and she respected that.

 

She kept her tone respectful.

 

"Hm, well, no one's ever quite certain, I suppose. I've been placed under the assumption that some attack took place prior to my arrival. Saerin Vilanar." She offered a hand, before remembering they were still dirty and settling for brushing a couple stray strands of her blond hair out of the way. "I'm afraid I'm not well aquainted with introducing myself to Jedi. I apologize if I'm breaking any protocol, accept my apologies in advance if I've inadvertantly offended you. I admit my curiosity sometimes sneaks into priority."

[Jhoren Zeur]

”œI'm sure it's safe to assume that an attack indeed took place here,”

[Saerin]

The little bit of baffling back and forth banter left her a bit offput for a moment, but she chuckled, good-humoredly waving a hand. "Not at all, Jhoren. I am a lady, researcher, ageless and honorable, mother and daughter and sister, warrior and hunter--but not a Jedi. Not yet. The art of the Force isn't yet mine to know, I'm afraid. The popularity of your religion hasn't yet reached my homeland."

 

He did seem a fair bit distracted by the bustling activity, and like her, he seemed to have little idea as to what happened.

 

Perhaps he'd come to answer a call for help. In which case, any further discussion only held him back from the assistance he'd come to give and put her in the way of far more important business when research was her only calling. Here lay a distracted temple and as long as she stood around cheerfully chatting, she couldn't continue her research.

 

"Don't let me detain you," she added quickly, "I'm sure you're here on business rather than to pander to trivial dialogue. A pleasure to meet you."

[Jhoren Zeur]

”œIt doesn't need to,”

[Saerin]

"To be honest, becoming a Jedi is something that's certainly never occured to me." She laughed. "I've so many other titles, and anyway, I've heard in order to master it you must begin training at a very young age--look at you, you must be half mine. I just mean that as of yet, I've little exposure to the nature of the Force. I'm here in search of an answer to a question. Or more, the end of a story." Saerin gestured broadly. She was naturally an expressive and slightly dramatic person and when she began to tell stories, it took over her nature and the dynamics of her body. "I traced a man to Myrkr for a bounty. He'd kidnapped and killed three children but this is not a question of his honor--this is the explanation of a story. I'd heard rumors about the planet's unique effect on Force-users but I had never actually experienced it myself. To be there was like to be in a void, it lacked all the expression and brilliance of an ordinary world. It was dead. Research led me to an answer... that to lose my sense of being there was to be bound to the Force."

 

She sighed ruefully. "He got away. Escaped under the leaves of the massive trees and the strange metallic influence that prevents tracking. I heard someone else turned in the bounty. I'm satisfied that he was brought to justice, even if it wasn't by my hand. Have I been cheating all along? Force-aided tracking? It's a blight to my honor to think supernatural means have been aiding me all along, rather than my own skill. Ah. Forgive my monologuing. I simply came to research more on the topic. I believed the best place to go to find out about the Force was to the very wielders of its strange power."

[Jhoren Zeur]

She was right. He was much younger than her, but despite the age difference, he had more training and knowledge under his belt. But, what Saerin said interested him; if she had very little knowledge of the Force and how to use it, what other titles could she have possessed? She didn't look very old; he assumed that she was in her mid-twenties or early thirties. To have never been trained in the ways of the Force, especially when you knew about your Force sensitivity must have been difficult for her. Or so he assumed.

 

He remained silent as she spoke, listening respectfully. Out of the corner of his eye, gray clouds hung low in the sky, seemingly growing closer with each standard minute that passed. They'd have to find shelter, and soon.

 

”œI'm sorry to hear that,”

[Saerin]

Above them, clouds began to roll in. Jungles tended to have more erratic weather and here was an example of it. The sun vanished and the clouds began to boil with the threat of an onslaught. The wind was picking up a bit and the thick gray clouds had covered the sun, casting a dull gray over the temple. She was reminded of the threat that lay below them, below the clouds. Now the clouds were rising above them...

 

She giggled, brushing her hair out of her face. The wind was catching the stray fragments too short to stay in her braid and sending them everywhere, highlighted by the dull sun still trickling through the heavy clouds. She was a light-hearted person, always smiling and laughing, her eyes constantly glittering with excitement. She wasn't a person who sighed and stared off mournfully to the horizon--her thoughts and attention were then and there.

 

"Oh, Jhoren," she laughed, a twinkle in her green eyes, "I'm not like the acolates down in the courtyards, questing for a master to train them in the mysterious ways of the Force. They're young, open-minded, not like me. I should be retiring to a nice house on Coruscant and yelling at droids to stop leaking on my sidewalk in a decade or so. I'm too old to quest for new talents. I spent my childhood learning the art of the duel and now I'm just an old witch set in my ways. At least a datapad can't argue back."

[Jhoren Zeur]

He understood what Saerin meant, but now, he began to wonder if there was an underlying reason for her refusal to search for a master. He wouldn't pry, but his curiosity was piqued. There was no denying that. If she didn't wish to become a Jedi, that was her decision. It wasn't one for him to make.

 

”œYou give yourself far too little credit,”

[Saerin]

"Goodness, it seems that the weather itself is foreshadowing any decisions I do make. I'd rather read the datapads before making any critical decisions," she told him, retrieving her sword and sheath from where she'd safely left it during the period of manual labor, reattaching the metre long blastsword to her belt.

 

She regarded the sky and the first drops of rain with a rueful thought towards the now vanished sun. Knowing this place, it was probably poisonous rain that would burn away their skin and eat through their ribs and to their very soul, replacing their heart with that of a poisonous planet seeking the death and destruction of all in its path.

 

Well.

 

Maybe.

 

She laughed lightly, a contrast to the oh-so-serious Jedi Knight, and started across the courtyard back to the ruined Jedi Temple. They'd slung canvas across the holes to the exterior and most of the damage was interior and aestetic. And all the acolates and droids must have gone somewhere.

[Jhoren Zeur]

Robes flapping in the breeze, Jhoren mounted several long strides across path and came to a halt by the young woman's side. Instead of actual precipitation, acid rain was said to be of moderate threat to Pelek Baw. Caused not by industrial zoning, but instead, the planet's volcanic activity. There was so much of it, that over time, nearly every region on the world had become submerged in the smoggy void.

 

He touched one of the remaining walls. A blistering heat radiated from the duralloy, causing him to jerk his hand back in surprise.

 

”œIt's... hot.”

[Saerin]

"All right," she agreed, offput by the strange weather even though it reflected the wicked nature of the planet. They headed quickly back to the landing platform where he'd left his ship only minutes before, but at least it would provide shelter.

 

The temple didn't seem much safter than standing out in the courtyard joining the landing platforms to the much larger and partially ruined temple right now. It had a strange feeling to it.

 

Sort of dark.

 

Or perhaps that was just the clouds sprinkling innocent rain onto a wicked planet. She cast a suspicious glance up at the darkening sky before catching up to Jhoren and following him to the shelter of the landing platforms.

[Jhoren Zeur]

Jhoren led the way to the landing platform, and as if he'd cued it to, the ramp of his ship aggrandized. As soon as it touched the ground, his red and white R2 unit rolled into sight. Its sensory arm, raised and whirling around in small circles retracted back into its dome-shaped head. It beeped unintelligently, rocking from side to side nervously.

 

”œGo plug in, Deethree,”

[Saerin]

((Forget about it? LEAVE it here? Uuhhh yeah no. However, if you'd kindly drop her off where she parked her ship, you can feel free to godmod us to space and to whatever planet you'd like.))

 

 

"Nothing left for us? Excuse me, I didn't teleport here." She folded her arms, leaning back against the wall of the ship. "I understand you want to protect your ship from the storm, but I happen to have a ship left here. I am not leaving it just because you in your almighty Jedi wisdom have decided there's nothing left here."

 

She gave him a few directions to the port where she'd parked her ship in the city, both to the physical skyline of the city just below them and the numbers she'd been given when she landed. If there was anything she was not doing, it was getting kidnapped and leaving her ship on a planet that could eat metal and technology with computer-destroying spores.

 

It just wasn't happening.

 

This place was too strange to trust.

 

"If you'd like to go to another Temple, perhaps on a less acrebic planet, you can give me coordinates and I'll follow you in my own ship," she said mildly. "But my ship is a difficult model to attain off of Adumar and I'm not leaving it to be eaten by the jungles of Haruun Kal. I'll accept your help, but I'm not making any rash decisions until I know more about you and the Jedi."

[Dahar Raikanda]

The Fireflight exits hyperspace above the planet Haruun Kal.

[Jhoren Zeur]

((I didn't say forget about it. I'm sorry if that's the impression I gave you. X_x))

 

His face flushed. He'd assumed...

 

He blinked. A Jedi should never assume. Assumption led to risk, and that wasn't something he planned on crossing with Saerin still on board his craft. He was willing to risk his own life to act in self-defense, but to do the same to an innocent person was out of the question. She told - almost demanded - that he drop her off at her own ship.

 

He spread his hands, not the slightest bit perturbed by her choice of words; ”˜almighty' wasn't exactly a term that he would apply to any other Jedi, let alone himself.

 

”œOf course. I will take you back to your ship.”

[Saerin]

((Man, this is getting complicated, just to have a conversation.))

 

Jedi were weird, she reasoned. Skimming quickly through events faster than she could even think to reply and say wait--excuse me--did you hear--I SAID--

 

Well, fine. So he was going to just leave on her? So be it, then.

 

She boarded her ship, going through the basic security measures to get on board the one man ship, sitting down and securing herself, and resealing it from the toxic atmosphere. Plugging in the frequency channel, she began going through the tedious routine of preflight checks that ordinarily, a droid would do. She didn't trust droids all that much, though, and preferred to go through the checklist manually.

 

Finally she took off, slightly relieved to leave the planet and its ruined temple behind.

 

She poked the button to open the comm airways. "I didn't say I wouldn't go with you. It was just going to be in my own ship. I'm interested in your assistance still."

[Jhoren Zeur]

((I'm sorry, Sae! I totally misinterpreted what you were saying in that last post. I'll try to make up for it here. ))

 

It wasn't until Saerin's voice crackled through the speaker when Jhoren realized his mistake. He cursed himself silently; he'd misjudged what the young woman was telling him prior to taking her back to her ship. How could he have been so narrow-minded? He only hoped that he hadn't given her the wrong impression. His hand flitted to one of the buttons on the communications console.

 

”œMeet me on Nar Shaddaa,”

[Saerin]

((Righto.))

 

She laughed a little to herself, beginning prep for hyperspace--which wasn't more than pushing a button after imputting the coordinates for Nar Shadda... and watching as the stars streaked across the window, and then vanished into a nebula of blue mystery.

 

Who knew what lay between places...

 

Saerin never got to find out.

[Dahar Raikanda]

This is Dahar Raikanda of the Fireflight requesting permission to dock.

 

A moment of silence...

 

This is Dahar Raikanda of the Fireflight requesting permission to dock.

 

Still nothing...

 

This was certainly quite a prediciment. Had Dahar crossed the galaxy in vain to discovered a planet devoid of life? There had been no response to his docking request, yet Dahar felt a presence coming from the planet unlike anything else. It was a feeling inside of him he was only beginning to understand. He connected with the planet, as it if was alive. He could... feel it.

 

Dahar began to remember the feeling that lead him to leave his homeworld of Adumar. That same feeling had whisphered to him "Haruun Kal". It was this same energy that drew his interests to the planet. As the Fireflight entered the atmosphere he was alerted to the conditions of this strange new world. Noxious gasses were high in volume towards the planet's surface. In the sky however the atmosphere was breathable. He set course for what the computer had told him was the capital of the planet, CAPITAL.

 

As the Fireflight glided towards the city Dahar was met with an alarming site. There had obviously been some sort of conflict here. The feeling that had touched him in orbit of the planet became ever stronger the closer he came to the city. He brought the ship towards what appeared to be the ruins of a temple and landed in the docking bay. Standing in front of the door he unsheathed his blastsword from his back. The door opened and the air of Haruun Kal filled his lungs.

 

The feeling overwhelmed Dahar as he stepped from the ship to the hard temple ground. He was connected, he could sense and feel things he never knew possible. It was as if he was in symbiance with something greater than himself.

 

Wow...

 

The young man entered the ruins of the temple and traversed the corridors within. As he went deeper his thoughts stirred. He started to wonder if he had made the wrong choice by leaving Adumar. He began to feel empty inside and longed for the familiar, the riches of his planet, and the glory of the battlefield.

 

I flew all the way out here for this?!

 

Something was influencing him, he was becoming more aware of the deep seeded anger inside of him. This was quite different than the wonderful connection he felt in his meditation. It was an uncomfortable feeling, yet as he let his doubts and fears feed him he felt euphoric and almost... powerful.

 

Something definitely wasn't right. His mind in turmoil he dropped to his knees.

 

What does this all mean?!

[Dahar Raikanda]

Dahar attempted to calm the rage building inside of him. Something in this place was attempting to sway him down the path he had left Adumar to escape. His lust for glory and rage was everything he was trying to leave behind yet an influence here was filling him with longing. He decided to use his brief understanding of the Force to try and deduce what was going on. Sheathing his sword he lowered himself to the ground. Crossing his legs and sitting upwards he closed his eyes. He began to take long deep breaths. In and out he focused on the air entering and leaving his body. Slowly he started to feel the Force around him, connecting him to everything that was. Dahar began to meditate on his current situation and started to feel two distinct energies. One was pulling him one way, one the other.

 

He let his thoughts flow down the first path...

 

Dahar started to feel in sync to the world around him. He felt a loving connection to all living things. The feeling was exhilarating, energizing, and positive.

 

Bringing himself back to neutrality he let out a long exhale...

 

He then decided to venture down the other path to see where his thoughts would lead him. Dahar became more in touch with his worldly emotions. He began to focus on his fears, his confusion, and his feelings of loss and abandonment. He concentrated on Adumar and the regret he was starting to feel for leaving. The thoughts of the battlefield came to him, the adoration of the crowd, the euphoria of victory. He focused on that final moment when he had championed over a combatant. He saw himself standing above a defeated victim, begging for mercy, and remembered the power he felt having a life in his hands. Quickly the thought of power engulfed him. He let his mind wander into an obsession of slaughter, for truly the ultimate power was the control over life.

 

Dahar opened his eyes. What were these two energies that lead him to such extremes? He had so many questions and nobody to answer him.

 

He cried out, but in a different way than he ever had before. In great anguish he screamed through the Force...

 

Somebody help me!

[Dashel Illioni]

this post takes place entirely through the force, so please be aware that Dashel is still on Ilum still as of 09/27/2009

 

Dashel had the strange feeling of being in two places at once. He could see before his material eyes the icy landscape of Ilum. At the cave's entrance, a storm raged.

 

It was through through the force that he perceived a jungle world, where once stood a Jedi Temple that was now little more than weed choked ruin.

 

Beside that ruin impatiently waiting was a young life form, that stood upon a cross roads where one path lead to a place shrouded in the pain and fear of the Darkside.

 

The other path opened to him was one that Dashel had chosen. It was one he hoped to share successfully with someone else, teaching and sharing, growing together in wisdom and knowledge of the force.

 

To the young life form, he directed his thoughts, "Be at peace. For in peace, we Jedi find our strength, our courage, and our wisdom. It is when we are at peace, that the strength of the living world flows through us, around us, and makes us a beacon of light among the darkness."

 

The connection he felt with the young one on what Dashel would eventually learn was Harumn Kal was strong, almost a resonance within the force that allowed him to sense his emotions, his need for guidance and the awareness that was just beginning to bloom in the young one's mind.

 

Knowing what that first awakening to the force was like and just how terrifying the first confrontation with the possibilities that that knowledge presented, Dashel also fed a reassuring warmth, a promise of a future free of terror and pain, in which wisdom and knowledge guided the heart, mind and hands toward bringing peace to any they served.

[Dahar Raikanda]

Dahar had been wandering the broken down halls searching for some sort of answer to his questions. Both the Light and Dark side of the Force had revealed them self to him. Both paths were tempting, promising him a life he had never before experienced.

 

The Force had begun to reveal itself to him. When he asked, it answered him. He was beginning to learn to look towards the Force for guidance.

 

Finding a tattered stone bench he sat down and began to meditate. He cleared his head and began to focus on his breathing.

 

In his mind he began to see a cloudy silhouette. Concentrating on the figure made it become a little clearer, and then it spoke to him...

 

"Be at peace. For in peace, we Jedi find our strength, our courage, and our wisdom. It is when we are at peace, that the strength of the living world flows through us, around us, and makes us a beacon of light among the darkness."

 

The words shook Dahar to his core. This was something different than the voice of the Force, for this was a tangible voice, that of another being. "Who could it be?" he wondered to himself. But more curious than the who was the what.

 

We Jedi.

 

Dahar spoke aloud to himself.

 

What does that mean? Could it be that I am to follow the path of the Jedi?

 

Dahar found some solace in the words the voice spoke to him. He began to think about being at peace and what it meant to him. He wondered if he had truly ever been at peace and if it were something that he could find or be shown. He most certainly wanted to be a light among the darkness. The comfort he found in the message also lead to a plethora of new questions and a longing to learn more.

 

I must find the person behinds these words, if it is a person at all.

 

Dahar tried to focus on peace. He emptied his mind and relaxed. He could feel the wind blowing through his hair. The warm feeling of the Light side of the Force returned to him and he felt a connection to the life around him. He felt connected to the very ground he sat on, to the trees and jungle around him. He embraced this peaceful feeling and moved his thoughts to what he should do next.

 

Through the Force he was able to see a being in some sort of icy cave. He could feel a connection to this being as if it were real and alive. He could hear the voice again, speaking to him, and connected the two. This was the man who had spoken to him, it had to be. But where was he?

 

Ilum.

 

Dahar's own words jolted him in surprise as if someone else had put them there.

 

I must journey to Ilum. If I am to learn anything more about the Jedi, if I wish to join their ranks, I must find this man.

 

With a new found sense of purpose Dahar traversed the crumbled hallways of the temple back to the hangar. He found the Fireflight where he had left it. Placing his hand on the entrypad he commanded the ship to open. He boarded and took his place at the helm.

 

The Fireflight lifted out of the hangar and was soon high above the planet. Looking down Dahar glanced at the battered temple. He would never forget the feelings he had experienced there, his awakening to the Force.

 

He set the nav computer for Ilum. Dahar looked back at the bluish haze of a planet one last time and took a deep breath. With a flip of a switch the Fireflight made the jump to hyperspace.

[DarkJedi K'munee]

The Avenger exited hyperspace, then proceeded toward Haruun Kal. The ship began to jerk and shutter as the atmospheric pressure began super heating the outer hull of the shuttle. A slight course correction to the navi-comp, alleviated this problem, giving the ship a smoother descent to the planet's surface below. DJK leaned forward in his pilot's chair, looking at the barely recognizable surface. The planet had gone through some significant changes during his absence. The shutte's sensor array, displayed high levels of an acidic compound in the air. A thick orange smog was present, seeming to roll around the landscape, engulfing all of the native plantlife.

 

The grounds around the Jedi temple were covered with a layer of black ash, that has been carried over from a nearby volcanic erruption. The temple itself, looked as though it had recently seen a battle. The walls displayed scorch marks and some of the pillars supporting the temple's entry way, were scarred with multiple fracture lines. Even the statue of Jedi Master Mace Windu in the visitor's courtyard out front, had been destroyed leaving only the weathered foundation on which it stood.

 

DJK landed his ship in the courtyard. The landing ramp lowered and settled onto the black, muddy surface. He walked down the ramp, inhaling a lung full of the hot, muggy air. The rain was begining to subside. He peered down into a pudle of acid rain that steamed, as it devoured whatever life had been growing there prior to the downpour.

 

The enviromental suit he put on gave him some protection, although prolonged periods in a heavy downpour would definitely result in a suit breach. His walk to the temple's doors was slow as he tried to gage the amount of lifeforms in the immediate area. There was a lingering presence of something dark and sinister in the air. He walked the halls, accompanied by nothing more than the sounds of his footsteps, echoing around him. The central control room for the temple was intact, but running on reserve power. The door to the armory was jammed and the supply room door would open enough to get a hand inside. The basement was not illuminated and had become flooded. DJK reactivated three maintenance droids he found in his watery walk through the basement, to help with restoring full power to the base primary systems. Now the temple's hanger doors could be opened. Once his ship was secured in the hanger, he began making random repairs to the temple to make the temple a solid structure.*

 

There is still much to be done......

[Dahar Raikanda]

The Fireflight exited hyperspace.

 

Dahar followed the familiar path to Pelek Baw. As the ship approached the shattered temple he was able to feel the Force around him. Somebody else was here this time. Friend or foe he did not know but he hoped this person could give him some answers.

 

He took the ship in towards the temple, landing outside the main grounds. As he exited the ship he became aware of the foul rain sprinkling to the ground. It had a bitter smell and left quite an unpleasant feeling on his skin. Dahar made a conscious effort to dart from covered structure to covered structure avoiding the rain the best he could.

 

He let his senses guide him.

 

After a little while of wandering he found himself in a long corridor. At the end of the hall he turned a corner, and to his shock and excitement, found whom he was looking for. The Force radiated from this man and Dahar was sure this was why he had returned. The man was seemingly making some repairs to the broken down temple. Perhaps this was something Dahar was meant to aid in.

 

Keeping a distance he called to the man.

 

Eh... Excuse me? Master Jedi?