Yavin IV

[Skye Organa]

"How unbecoming indeed", Skye added as she glanced back at the unconsious body of Faust. She walked along side Ara as the patient was moved into the Healing room.

 

"Yes, he drained himself. I'd actually be unwilling to use any of our blood for Faust lest he use the mix against us. You know how he is. I'll match his blood type and get I-Nine to synthetically make some." On the tail of having said it, Skye brought out the device she had used earlier to test his blood for infection. Now she cross matched his blood and sent the results to I-Nine. Flitter would bring the blood in to them once it had been synthisised.

 

As Ara began to softly sing, Skye took a position at his abdomen, eyes roaming over Faust's battered body. She looked up at the form Sanare had taken, "We'll have to remove his armor and clothing to be able to clean his wounds." As she moved forward, having donned gloves and protective gown first, to begin the removal with Sanare's help, "I do hope you're not going to start giggling again Faust, you'll only cause more damage to yourself if you do."

 

Before she could begin, Darla's message came through on Skye's comm unit. Being that it was from within Serenity it was a secure line so she didn't have to worry about Faust breaking into line to mock them again. She replied to Darla, "We're fine here Darla. I'm glad you're feeling better. He did have a saber on him. I have it in a contamination bag. I haven't had a close look at it. I'll send it over to you with Flitter once she gets here."

 

It wasn't long after she spoke that her droid arrived with the blood units. She sent the contamination bag back to Darla with Flitter and requested the droid return to aid them once that was done. Then she turned her attention back to removing Faust's armor and clothing. She knew that Sanare didn't want to be any closer to the Hunter than she had to be so Skye removed the items, cutting where she had to with a special surgical tool then giving the items over to be placed into a bin. With all removed, Skye placed a modesty slip over him then began to cleanse the blood from his body, taking care around the gaping wound at his side. He was covered in bruises. The armor had been damaged in such a way she did wonder what had causd it.

 

With the cleansing done, she began the healing side of her job, hooking up the blood units to his arm before she sank into the light energies of the Force. Ever so slowly the gaping wound began to knit closed. Flitter returned, flashing up a hologram of Faust's vital statistics so that they could monitor him as they worked.

[Vladimir Faust]

Slowly, a handful of small orbs, a bit larger than a Wookie's fist, sneak out from the underside of Faust's crashed ship. These lethal laser remotes, normally used for hunting down Faust's prey and recon, cosigned themselves soley to the latter.

 

At this time, the AI in Faust's ship tried hailing Ara's ship again, finding itself blocked and sending what qualified as a seed of frustration. It spoke up again on Darex's comm system, buzzing itself through.

 

Your associate was rather rude and managed to shut me out... Very rude... I would like to be kept up to date on what you are doing I realize my life may not be worth much to you, but I do have this attachment to it. If you need information on what attacked me, as well as visuals, I can have them relayed, assuming that damnable, backstabbing Jedi witch lowers her security enough to allow a comm through. After what she did to me on Coruscant, she owes me for this. That means I would like my armor, weapons, and the like back when this is over.

 

Though still an AI reflective of/part of Faust, the Hunter's love for the former Jedi leader had not deminished at all, fermenting into a fine, solid sense of loathing.

 

Funny how what I thought was my last act in the galaxy was saving your silly asses... Not out of any sense of love, but duty to those in my galaxy... Tell me, what has happened with the machine's invasion since I was last here?

 

*****

 

Of course, Faust, even comatose and bleeding to death, was not entirely free of mischief. Dissent was always good, as well as securing a way off of this rock... Besides, the malice fires never died down in his black soul.

 

A comm buzzes in, reaching the one person Faust new in his gut he could manipulate, trying to keep this one on the down and low until after the other healed him. Even as part of his ship's AI brain engaged those healing him, the rest called up an old friend of Faust's. Unlike the other calls, this one was made with every effort of discretion to avoid it being picked up by the others.

 

Hello, Darla Chilly, mocking laughter follows. Just thought I'd send this private message of my regard to you while you were here. I thought I felt your presence before I passed out. Oh, no, I'm quite helpless at this time. Just my ship's AI processing a few... orders... in tune with my mind's cybernetic link. Hacking into local comm signals to obtain yours was easy enough. Just like sending someone a worm using their buddy list really.

 

First, you've probably no doubt heard, yes, the lightsaber I carried here was yours, and I use "was" yours. You may have built it, but I claimed it as my trophy after Ryloth. Whatever it once was, I've made it my own. The blood I've shed with it speaks more to that than anything else, so don't get any idea about trying to steal what is rightfully mine. If you wish to take it, challenge me to an honorable duel for it, instead of acting like some sneak-thief taking it from a comatose opponent. Though, even that will not cleanse it.

 

Given how Faust lured Darla out in a rage before murdering her on Ryloth and taking her saber as his trophy, he was fully aware of the hurtful irony of that statement.

 

Second, I know you have a bit of a.... grudge... against me, which years and years of therapy have not yet been able to heal. I wouldn't change that for the world since it shows I've done my job well, but for the sake of your friends, I'm telling you to be a good girl and refrain from doing anything stupid. You never know if I might be the kind to lace myself with explosive nanites that replicate and infect others, only to brutalize them with a signal released on my death or imprisonment, or tip off the Imperials to raze this place from well beyond orbit with a command sent off before I crashed, waiting in a satilite unless I give it an order not to in 24 hours. Or I could have... well... I'll leave the rest to your imagination, but assure you that you should make sure I live through this, and am not imprisoned or slain out of hand. That said, do behave, dearie, and don't let anyone know about this little chat either, hmmm?

 

The comm flicks off after one last laugh sneaks in.

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara received notice from her ship via a small "beep" that Faust--or his ship--had tried to send a comm over to her ship. Using the Force goggles around her neck as she worked to heal Faust, Ara had her ship send a comm to the Bhelliom in response to the previous failed message it had sent.

 

"Vladimir, if you wish to speak with me, you may, but I will not have you bothering everyone else around me with what you say. I can promise you that I will not allow any foul play to occur while we heal you, or afterward, and that you will leave as you came."

 

The Jedi had Sanare lend her energy to Skye, making the healing more powerful and more effective. The blade let Ara know in its own way that it wasn't exactly happy about helping, but it assisted anyway. Ara continued her own brand of healing, mixing the Force with her soul's music.

 

"I cannot promise you one of your weapons, however, if it turns out to be one you took from Darla some time ago. It does, after all, rightfully belong to her." The comm paused for a moment--Ara was in the middle of healing Faust, after all, so most of her attention was devoted to that task. "I'm keeping the promise I made to you, what I swore to you, some time ago, Vladimir. I told you I would heal you, if you let me. I keep my word."

 

Ara shut down the comm, but left open a channel for Faust/the Bhelliom to reply solely to her via the goggles about her neck. At least that way, the Hunter wouldn't be able to further aggravate Skye or Sanare.

[Vladimir Faust]

There is a moment of silence, almost strained. When Faust comms back, the voice of the AI is subdued, Faust's brow creasing actually creasing... almost as if grunting from the healing itself

 

Very well, Jedi, I trust you at your word... I confess a reluctance to, but in spite of everything... I do... I suppose this means I was a failure in awakening your sorry lot. Lucky for me. I live.

 

The AI/Faust wondered if that message sent out to Darla was as wise as it seemed. Fun, to be sure, but a bluff. A cold, cold bluff- though the type of thing Faust would do. Lying came easily enough to him when it suited him, and since people expected the worst from him (and often received it), the message was very simple indeed.

 

Still.... gratitude, especially when forcibly wrong from him by his enemies was not one of his more forth coming traits. Still, he got the promise he wanted and he could hold them to that.

 

I reluctantly admit, I find myself in your debt since you are letting me go. I guess I can never show my face around this galaxy again... Oh the humiliation... Your charity is almost as cruel as this twist of fate, but I'm not stupid enough to deny it either. Fate is... amusingly cruel...

 

Pity those damn brutes... well... the long short of it was I tried setting myself up in a new galaxy, finding this one... boring... and ran into the dominant species there. While they admired my prowess, they refused to accept my technology or status as the alpha male so speak... and revolted... Blind flight... a crash landing... and vola... Here... in your hands... Oh, the irony... oh, the failure...

 

There is still a low, self satisfied chuckle as the comm ends.

[SithAcolyte]

Holding the lightsaber in her hand Darla felt a sudden rush. She remembered building it with Master Tares, Skye's own Master after he was hers. He was a remarkable man who had taught her so much. Darla wondered what he would do? He was a wise man, he would know when it was time to let go of the past.

 

Darla had thought that if she got her lightsaber back something would click into place. Some missing piece of herself would return. But as she held the weapon in her hand, she felt nothing of the sort. She felt cold steel. Nothing else. It just a lightsaber, it may once have been hers, but not anymore. It belonged to that girl who had died on Ryloth. Darla wasn't her.

 

A clone of a clone. She only distantly remember that life that she had once had. That life before everything had fallen apart. Before the darkness had claimed her. Even that was no longer part of her. In this new body it seemed like all of her past was a dream. A dream that she remembered in broken pieces.

 

There was one thing that Darla would take from this encounter with Faust. The Force had not left her. It was just dormant. Waiting. Waiting for her to find the key within her mind to unlock it once more.

 

Darla smiled.

 

"Flitter, take this back to Mistress Skye."

 

She didn't reply to Faust's comm. There was nothing that Darla wanted to say to the man. All she want was for him to leave her friends in peace.

 

"Oh and flitter, tell Mistress Skye about that comm I just received, make sure that she checks Faust's body for any hidden explosives."

 

It had to be a bluff. Surely Skye and Ara would have check him thoroughly before starting any work on him. One thing that Darla wasn't sure she would be able to bear was having her friends hurt by Faust.

[Skye Organa]

As the last part of Faust's side wound knitted closed, Skye opened her eyes and took a deep breath. There were times she missed the other skills she'd been gifted and lost. While still bitter-sweet, she didn't like to think of Chen too much as it made her miss what they'd originally had. It was hard not to when she looked upon her son. His hair and facial features reminded her of Chen. There had been times when she was alone that she thought back on their romance and how she'd loved him. Time seemed to heal the wounds. She'd sympathized with Armiena when she'd mentioned not having Aryian around for much of her pregnancy. That had brought back memories as well... and how glad she'd been to see him when he had come for the birth of her children. Giving herself a mental shake, Skye refocused on healing her patient, administering another painkiller prior to what she had to do next.

 

Flitter beeped for her attention, telling her that Darla had sent the saber back to her... and that it had been Darla's. Flitter then relayed the message Faust had sent to Darla. She turned to Ara, "Maybe someone should have told Faust that he can't harm us here. Tzeentch's wards would see to that. Even if he did have explosive nanites of that nature, I trust the protection Tzeentch has left in place here." Unsaid though in her voice when she spoke of her former love, was that she did miss the father of her children. She shook her head as she added in reference to the comm message that had been sent to Darla. "Just shows how spiteful he can be, even when his body is supposed to be unconscious." She looked over at the saber that Flitter had brought back to her. "I'll just put that away. After what he has done to Darla, and seeing that it was her creation, he'll not have that back. While he has used the saber to kill, the crystal's essence belongs to Darla. That I can cleanse and create something new for Darla that will help her heal."

 

Skye looked back at Faust, glancing back up at the vital statistics that Flitter was displaying. "I'll switch bags to a new blood unit and get Flitter to send I-Nine a message to create another that has a healing antidote in it. He's lost a serious amount of blood. I'd rather not hear his mocking voice while I work on him, but I would like to know what did this to him so I have a better idea on which antidote to administer and if I have to create a new one. I guess for now it'll have to be a broad spectrum one."

 

Giving a shrug she moved on to resetting his broken bones. She let herself sink into the light energies again, feeling Sanare reinforce her and sent a tendril of the Force to the first of his broken ribs, beginning the process of resetting it.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex ignored the communication from Faust. He knew the man was only trying to make him doubt his actions, and knew without a doubt that what he did was right. Although, he thought, they would have to question him about what put him in this condition. Faust was a formidable warrior, and anything or anyone who could injure him this severly was something to pay attention to.

 

He was not far from the comm when Aimee approached him. "It's alright, Aimee," he reassured the droid. "There is a dangerous criminal on this planet, but he's severly injured. Don't worry too much, but do as I-Nine said and keep the shields primed. The man in unpredictable and almost insane."

 

With that, he gave Aimee a pat on the shoulder and strode out of the ship. He could sense that the healing was still going on, and sent a quick comm to Skye, telling her to let him know when they were finished with the healing if they wanted any assistance with whatever step the two healers wished to take. That done, he reentered Skye's ship and found Darla and Aerec in the main hold.

 

"You all right?" His question was directed at both of them. "Darla, how are you doing?"

 

He turned to Aerec. "Padawan, how are you?" I'm sorry we haven't gotten much training done, he added through the Force. I hope to remedy that shortly.

[l:BlueVortex:l]

Haron's ship was soon about to enter the atmosphere of Yavin IV. The last time he had been here, Haron had been a small child.

 

He looked to the surface of the planet, aware of T8's presence in the cockpit. He swivled himself around and looked down at the droid, who immediatley warbled a question at him.

 

Haron nodded. "We may be able to find some refuge here. I don't know for certain, but it doesn't hurt to look."

 

T8 beeped in acknowledgement and left the room. Despite the calmness that he felt from the planet, Haron had decided that it would be best to land his ship away from any form of civilization; after he had met the locals here, he would bring his ship into any town or city he found.

 

Finally, he spotted a small clearing in the brush, and switched off the auto-pilot of his ship. Carefully, he landed the ship in the opening. After several minutes, he shut the ship down and left it, looking for any town or small city that he could find.

[ForceFusion]

Aerec heard words in his ears and words in his mind and for a second he was very confused. Both sets of words were coming from his master. However, they were coming from two very different sources. After a moment of being baffled, he figured out what was going on. Darex had spoken to him both through the Force and through his words.

 

Well, I can't split my attention like that, Aerec knew. So he focused on one medium.

 

I'm alive. I'm learning loads just being around you crazy folk. What happened, anyway?

[SithAcolyte]

Darla was happy to see Darex. Although she had calmed down a lot seeing that he had returned unharmed put her at ease. Without her Force senses she had no idea of what had been going on outside of the Serenity. But she knew that Faust was in good hands with Skye and Ara. They wouldn't be letting him escape anytime soon.

 

"I'm feeling much better now Darex, thank you." Darla smiled and greeted him with a friendly hug.

 

"Although it was unpleasant suddenly feeling Faust through the Force it did open my eyes. I'm seeing things very differently now and I have lot of hope or the future. Aerec here, he was a rock of support for me."

 

She looked to Darex's Padawan as she praised him. He and Darex needed to do some catching up, but Aerec was well on his way to becoming a great Jedi.

 

And a great friend... Darla thought to herself.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex smiled with a touch of masterly pride at Darla's praise of his padawan. He quickly filled them in on what was going on outside the ship. "Faust is in good hands. I told Skye and Ara that when they were finished, they should call me. Better to have more eyes on him when he wakes up than less."

 

He turned to his padawan. "I'm glad to hear you've been learning a lot. There's nothing like being around a bunch of different Jedi to give you a better perspective on the Order as a whole. We are all individuals, you see, but we make up the whole. Jedi choose their own paths and their own specialties, but it is that fact that we are all Jedi that brings us together."

 

He changed the topic. "Remember when I had you search for my presence in the Force? I want you to do that now with the others here. The better you know the person, the more chance you will have of knowing that it is them specifically, but that's not what I want you to focus on here. Every Force-user feels a little bit different. I want you to stretch out with the Force and find the others, and describe to me any surface impressions you get."

 

It would be interesting to see if he detected Faust. The hunter was a Sith Lord, but he was also semi-concious. He was very shut down at the moment, and indeed, Darex himself could only glean a surface impression.

[Arlan Vass]

((Sorry if I'm cutting into your guys' scene... I'll try to make this as un-intrusive as possible!))

 

---

 

Arlan braced himself.

 

This is what he hated most about big, lunky transport ships. There was always a rough jolt just before their landing gear touched the ground. No matter the surface that they were landing on, the crafts were never stable enough to provide a 'smooth and comfortable' landing, despite what Arlan had heard from his friends back on Dantooine.

 

However, that was the last thing on his mind right now. He carefully scanned the faces of each and every man and woman who were now exiting the ship, unsure who, exactly, he was looking for.

 

Next to him sat a grundgy-looking utility droid, which was malfunctioning. Despite the droid's out-of-date appearance, it had been Arlan's best friend ever since his mother and father had been killed. Arlan was unsure as to how R1-G6 had been damaged, and had not been able to repair it. Though he was handy with tools, the droid required a professional diagnosis and repairing.

 

The ship's intercom suddenly came to life, startling Arlan.

 

"All passengers, please exit through the main hatch. Again, all passengers, please exit through the main hatch."

 

Arlan waited until every single passenger had left the ship before he got up from his seat. He grabbed Ar-One and carefully picked it up. He was grateful for the droid being so lightweight; he would never had been able to have it with him if it was any bigger, or any heavier.

 

He made his way through the corridor of the transport and proceeded down the exit ramp. He was suddenly stopped short by human-cyborg sort of droid that had walked into his path.

 

This droid looked down at Arlan.

 

"Welcome to Yavin IV!" the droid said in a monotone voice. "I hope you had a pleasant ride. Now, if you'll look behind me, you'll-"

 

Arlan wasn't listening. He stared, bewilderedly, at the Yavin IV spaceport.

 

How could I have been so stupid? he thought to himself.

 

He then looked back at the droid, who was still jabbering away.

 

"Do you know how I can get to Gala?" he asked.

 

The droid stopped talking and waved his metallic arms around a bit.

 

"Gala?" he asked. "Why would you want to go there?"

 

"Because I'm looking for someone," Arlan replied.

 

In reality, Arlan had no idea who he was looking for. He had been told about Gala, and the Jedi Temple, numerous times from his parents. Only recently had he learned that they were Jedi; he hoped that he would be able to find out more if he could get to Gala.

 

The droid said, "I am sorry, but I cannot help you, sir."

 

Arlan nodded. Shifting his hold on R1, he walked away, hoping to find someone who could help him.

[Skye Organa]

((OOC:: Sorry to tell you guys this = Arlan Vass & Haron = Yavin IV was destroyed in this RP and only a few people know that it was brought back. There are no transport ships that come and go from here and there are only 'native' type villages. No cities. Just to let you know.))

 

IC:

 

With the broken ribs now knitted together, Skye set her healing powers to his other injuries. The stubbed toe would mend in it's own time but the other broken bones would need to be reset. She concentrated on the shattered pieces of his broken leg, letting each piece move back into place. The nerve endings she reconnected where they were broken as well. This was a slow process as each bone, each nerve had to be precise.

 

By the time she finished with is broken leg, Flitter had the bandages and plaster ready to put on it so that Faust wouldn't rebreak the weakened bones. She put on new gloves and began to place the plaster over his leg.

[Arlan Vass]

((Crap. Thanks! Have any ideas where I can go to get some role playing in other than some ash-barren planet? Haha. Thanks!))

[ObliviousKnight]

Master Organa received a brief message. Undoubtedly, the Master Healer would have liked to share the news with the other Jedi present, but given that she was in the middle of an operation, and especially considering the patient...

 

But in any case, it was very short and written in a terse style that would only have significance to Armiena's friends.

 

 

 

 

Good news. Thought you'd like to know.

 

Hold tight and put up with your guest. I'll try to think of something to help you.

 

--M

[ForceFusion]

Aerec could feel a few presences in the Force and picked one randomly. He only recognized his Master and Darla, though Darla's was muted due to her strange disconnect. He still remembered the moment when she'd come back, just that brief moment. He really wished she could come back for good. He sent a smile in the Force her way, but doubted if she would feel it.

 

Getting back to the task at hand, he focused on his random selection. Okay, got one, Aerec communicated to Darex. Seems like a woman, he said when he felt an intuition that his subject was feminine. She's got this aura about her that she can fix things...no people. She can fix people, that's strange. Is she fixing someone right now? There's a muted presence near her, but that's all I can tell. Who is it?

 

He realized he was getting caught up on one very interesting aspect of this woman. Other things, right. Umm, she cares a lot, I think, like for people. She's hopeful. About her life, or about changes or something. Like she's at the brink of something new, kinda like me, I guess. She's at ease, too, even though there's some unresolved things in her. I can't tell what, but she's not sure about something big, but it's okay.

 

This is all pretty weird. It's just these big feelings, not a lot of details. It all makes so much sense but I can't put it in words. Is it possible to communicate the feelings to you? I mean, I guess that's what I'm doing, but with words. And the words are getting in the way.

 

He opened his eyes, which he didn't realized he'd closed and looked at his Master, a questioning eyebrow raised.

[Vladimir Faust]

Slowly, fighting his way past the drugs, then the pain, Faust struggled to consciousness, his cold, icy blue eyes blinking open. Though they remained intense and fixed, there was a cloudiness in the ice, stemming from his current ordeals. They gazed upward, taking in fully the two Jedi healing him, causing his stare to turn flat on recognzing fully the Jedi who had once blasted him to pieces atop the Jedi Temple. His lips, pale from bloodloss, nearly turned into a snarl, but he found the effort almost too taxing.

 

Though Faust's lips barely moved, the cybernetic enhancements to his voicebox buzzed to life, working almost in sync with the comm channel. It spoke with a light, though halting ease, still as full of venom as ever.

 

"I'm afraid, you'll have to endure my mocking voice," he quipped lightly, "though I still claim ownership of that crystal... Some things... can never be cleansed... Not that bloody crystal, or this bloody, forsaken galaxy. Delusional sentiments..." There was a short cough, though Faust only shook in pain. "Bloody stupid Yuuz-" There was another short rasping cough. "Not the only bloody galaxy out there... Went alone... new galaxy... following the damn Arach'tar and their masters... Avenging Reagan... found some new friends who'd ran into our current playmates in times past.... True Warriors they were..." There was a short laugh. "I found... a home to be proud of.." The Hunter chuckles lightly, quickly sobering up.

 

"How much longer before I can get off this blasted rock?"

[Darex Trevelian]

"Indeed you can, Aerec. Well done. Yes, using the Force to send across emotions is actually simpler than using actual words," the Jedi told him. "Emotions are the basest aspect of many species in the galaxy. Oftentimes, a Jedi will simply send out a feeling of being in trouble generally through the Force, which will be felt by any Force-users close by."

 

He paused. "That's not to say that danger is the only situation in which you can use that. You can also make it broad or tight-beamed like we've been using.

 

"This is related to expanding or decreasing your presence in the Force. If you decrease it, you can essentially become invisible in the Force--a Sith won't know you are there unless he sees you."

 

He remembered fondly some of the times he had used the technique himself. "It can be extremely helpful. Broadcasting your presence comes with more risks, as it's essentially announcing yourself to any enemies, but when you want to be found, it's very helpful to your searchers."

[ForceFusion]

Darex's voice didn't come as Aerec was expecting it. "Y'know, communicating in two different ways can be kinda confusing when you have no idea what's gonna come from where. Or should I have thought that at you?"

 

Aerec then realized that his master had actually said some important things while Aerec had spent time being confused. He grabbed the words form his memory and concentrated on them for a bit. "So, this vanishing in the Force...easy to do? Next on the list?"

[Darex Trevelian]

A grin was Darex's response. "Give it a try, Padawan."

 

While he watched Aerec, he spoke softly to Darla as to not disrupt Aerec's focus. "So have you made any new plans? Whether you get the Force back or not? What are you going to do?"

 

As he waited for her reply, he kept a close eye on Aerec and watched his presence in the Force, ready to help him if he should need it. Darex doubted it though. His padawan had proved very adept at mastering everything Darex had set before him. A trifle overwhelmed at times, maybe, but very adept.

[SithAcolyte]

Darla hadn't really given much thought about what she would do afterwards. The journey of regaining her past knowledge had been her focus, her goal. Afterwards... If she did get her powers back...

 

"I'm not really sure. I know that I left the Jedi, but all of you guys are Jedi and I've always felt like I'm home when I'm with you. I have given some thought to maybe taking on another Padawan. I've enjoyed helping you with Aerec so much, it's made me think that this is something that might give me a new sense of purpose. I'd like to able to heal again, there's always need for healers."

 

Feeling very thoughtful, Darla had a far away look in her eyes. She wasn't sad, just thinking of the future and what it might hold.

 

"Anyway... That's a long time away I'm sure."

[ForceFusion]

"Give it a try?!?" Aerec exclaimed. But his master was already talking with Darla. He caught a bit of their conversation before following his master's orders.

 

First he focused his energies on how he communicated with Darex through the Force. He understood the tight-beam type communication they were doing and didn't think expanding that to a broader audience would be difficult. However, communicating to no audience would definitely be a challenge. Yet he was determined, and sent that sentiment to Darex via their invisible comm.

 

Okay, and cut it off! Aerec thought to himself, ending the imaginary laser going between him and his master. But that was just their communication, not his whole presence.

 

I have no idea where to go from here, Darex.

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara shook her head. "It'll be a while, Vladimir. Even though you're essentially healed, you still need to take some time to actually recover. We may have knitted your broken body back together, but that's not to say your own body hasn't tired from it, even with help."

 

After a moment, Ara looked startled. "Avenging Reagan? Did she...was she killed?" The Jedi was clearly worried, as odd as the situation seemed. Tormentor or not, the couple had had two children together, and to be raised without a mother was an awful thought. "Are the children okay, or did they..." She couldn't bring herself to even speak her full thought.

[Darex Trevelian]

"Well, you know," Darex replied with a hint of a glint in his eye, "I've been telling you all along you should take another padawan."

 

With a smile, he turned back to Aerec, sensing his difficulty. "Alright, let's try taking a different track. How do you see the Force, Aerec? To some, it feels like a river or a waterfall that you submerge yourself in. For others, it's a bubble of influence around them, and they can use the Force within the range of that bubble. Once you determine how you see it, it will be easier to learn how to absorb yourself into it, which is the point of this exersize."

 

The more experienced Darex became, the more the Force felt different to him. He remembered as a padawan that he was a waterfall kind of guy, and even now he could envision it as a small trickle in the back of his mind, always there, always subtly giving him hints and suggestions.

[ForceFusion]

"Umm..." Aerec had never thought of how he thought of the Force before. It was a little to meta for him to do on his own. But with Darex's prompting, he looked inward.

 

His "vision", for lack of a better word, of the Force was not easily translated into words, so he sent the feeling to his Master over the Force as he attempted to describe it. "I guess it's sort of like an ocean, if we're going with a body of water type theme. And there's this current running through me. It's invisible to the rest of the ocean, but you still feel it. If that makes any sense."

[Skye Organa]

((OOC: I apologise for not posting sooner. I was supposed to get my new PC last Wed but it didn't come till Friday. In the intrum my laptop died. Yesterday I had to take my PC back into the shop so as to get the second disk drive put in (that the supplier hadn't done) so... I'm up and running again now though so it's all good. ))

 

The comm Skye received was welcome news, though she wouldn't share it until they were away from their patient.

 

As Faust struggled to regain consciousness, Skye shrugged, watching his vital statistics that Flitter had up for both Healers to see. Her emerald eyes met with his icy blue. As they did, she saw straight through them, into his soul. It had been some time since she'd seen into the blackened nature of Vladimir's twisted soul.

 

"Haven't changed a bit have you? Still the same tortured and blackened soul. You're wrong though Faust. There are ways to cleanse the crystal and Darla did create it so despite the fact you took her saber, the crystal does still belong to her."

 

A warming sensation flowed through her, the Healer deciding to test it with some of the healing that she'd not been able to do for some time now. She let her hands hover above the broken bones of his leg and concentrated on the break. Tiny flicks of blue flame danced over the shattered bones, knitting them back together. Skye was almost overwhelmed with the emotion it brought behind it, though none of it showed in her serene face. As if part of the healing process, she closed her eyes, her thoughts reaching out though not finding it's recipiant. Thank you... Opening her eyes, meeting those of her patient once more, cobolt blue into icy blue.

 

So Faust had gone to another galaxy... and made contact with it's locals. As he mentioned avenging Reagan, she did close her eyes in sympathy, to loose one's family.... she knew what that was like only in different circumstances. Skye had been lucky that her mother had not been on Corellia for the attack on it. If he'd found 'True Warriors' in his estimation... she only hoped that they hadn't followed him back to this galaxy. As if the Arach'tar weren't enough to combat. She wondered how that was going also, not having heard anything. She let Ara answer Faust with regards to when he could "leave" while she continued to knit the final broken bones.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex nodded slowly. "Alright then. I want you to blend yourself into that current, or, to put it differently, let that current become strong enough to fill every ounce of your being. Let it erode away your 'self'."

 

He paused. "It'll feel strange at first, believe me. If you feel you need to, you can use my presence as an anchor. The more one with this stream you become, the harder you will be able to be detected in the Force."

 

As they worked, Darex reviewed what he had taught Aerec so far, and came up with a mental list of the things he still wanted to cover before giving Aerec his trials.

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust gives a low chuckle at Skye's admonishment. "Please... Don't patronize me. Tortured? Me? It is far, far better to give than to receive." Without even thinking about it, his eyes slide over and fix on Ara as he makes that statement. "Corrupt? Blackened? Vile? Certainly! Self-righteous and deluded? No less than you, sweetie," he adds with a grin and a leer. "If you wish though, take it, and consider it payment for the excellent job stitching me up. In fact, you can call it a gift from me to dear old Darla. Even if you purify it and do everything else conceivable under the Light side of the Force to it, it won't revive the hundreds, if not thousands, that died from the light focused through that crystal."

 

Faust's muscles strain and slowly, his head rises up, feeling as if her were about to fall over- never mind that he was already flat on his back. "As for Reagan, you heard what happened to Corellia. I haven't heard anything from her, or the children since... Probably for the best... for their own good... Keeps wolves like you... and like me.... from going after them... to get to me..." Straining, Faust tries to sit up, only to crash back down again. "Bloody hell..."

 

Faust's eyes close, an angry scowl slowly drawing over his face. "It's truly wretched when one's body refuses to obey its master." Faust shakes his head, almost murmuring to himself. "Destroying the body only does so much.... Frustrating but endurable.... Far worse to be broken in mind and spirit, would you not agree?"

[ForceFusion]

Aerec felt the "current" in the "ocean" of the Force that represented the power he was getting to know. He touched it, as he had learned to do easily under Darex's tutelage. He felt its power and pictured the small feats that he could accomplish with it.

 

And tried to imagine himself within it, letting himself give up entirely to its power. He tried to blend with it.

 

But couldn't. What he realized now that he hadn't upon his first picturing of the Force was that he felt like an obstruction to the current, not part of it. It only flowed through him unnaturally, only through small caveats that seemed to come with Aerec's presence. But mostly it was going around him. He could move to manipulate it, but could never become part of it or control it.

 

He clenched his fists and inhaled sharply through his nose. His teeth ground together, attempting to keep the disappointment out of his heart.

 

Darex would know how to help. Without a word, without opening his eyes, he sent the images and feelings to Darex and hoped for some sort of help.

[Darex Trevelian]

The Jedi Master frowned. An obstruction?

 

He reached out through their bond to see if he could deduce what the problem was. Unfortunately, it could be several things.

 

So something is blocking you from experiencing the full flow of the Force, he Force-spoke to the apprentice. I can teach you how to get rid of it, but first you have to discover what exactly it is. That is something I cannot do for you. He put a hint of sternness into his tone. What is keeping you from accepting this path? It could be any variety of things, but when you discover the truth, you will know. The Force will reveal it to you.

 

He paused, then spoke aloud. "Why don't you go meditate? Quiet your mind, and let the Force speak to you. Flood yourself with it, and then listen to what it tells you. Only then will you be able to discover what it is that is holding you back."

 

There were plenty of small side rooms in the ship where Aerec could be alone and focus. It was essential that he find out what was blocking him. In a way, it was similar to what Darla was experiencing, but in her case it was more severe, and she knew the reason it had happened. If Aerec couldn't get past this stumbling block, Darex wasn't sure he could ever progress into a full Jedi Knight. But there was no sense to worry the boy about that. He had confidence in his padawan.

 

"In the meantime, I think I'll do some meditating myself." He paused. "Darla, will you let me know if Faust...well if Skye and Ara need an extra set of eyes or hands."