Gala - Jedi Praxeum Ruins

[Dashel Illioni]

A small mse Droid, upon noticing Kari moving from her cell, trundled over to her. Following its programming it ran over her left big toe and then moved a few meters away and activated its holo projector.

 

"Greetings, Padawan Kohl," said the image of Dashel, "If you wish to complete you training, then meet me on the planet Tython. Come here by an evasive route. Please bring the Droid with you."

[Jedi X]

Time... It was a necessity. Time for wounds to heal, time for life to return, time for strength to be forged. And through time and will of the Force, Kari had regained her strength as well as her skills. The Force filled her body and mind, her soul a simple medium for it's will and divination. But something else burned within her very heart, able to be felt by all she would encounter upon this path, shining like a beacon. Faust may have forged her to be his disciple, but she would prove herself no puppet. He would pay for his betrayal, no matter the cost she would pay.

 

Strapping in the last of her gear, Kari found herself surprised by her sudden metallic visit, her toe nearly crushed had she not been wearing her boots. Kari smirked briefly as the thought of remaining a Jedi crossed her mind. But her convictions remained true. She would visit the Jedi Master, but for reasons of her own. And completing her training wasn't one of them.

 

"Come Ghost.." Kari ordered her companion, being sure to deactivate Dashel's droid before picking the small mse and making her way outside. "Let's go see what Tython will bring us."

 

And so Kari was off once more. No more would her intentions be pure, no more would her cause be rightious. For her path was no longer led by the Jedi Order. No. This time Kari was out for herself. And she intended to let no one stop her.

[Vladimir Faust]

With no comm call from Darex, Faust took a more investigative approach to finding the Jedi. Part of it was keeping his friends close and enemies closer, and part of it...

 

He could only smirk at that thought, knowing exactly what he had in mind.

 

Landing his ship at some distance from the Temple, he hops out, landing gracefully on the ground with the cockpit snapping shut behind him. A panel on the ship opens up and dozens of small remote helpers float out, orbitting around the Hunter. Without a word, they deploy for Recon per Faust's usual protocols.

 

The Hunter, while wearing his usual white armor, instead opted for a dark cloak and cowl, concealing his identity, but looking all the more like a classic Sith. Finding the Temple empty, he makes his way inside, his remote scouts reporting the Temple void of life or light.

 

With some effort, he stealthily locates the comm and security center, hoping to find some clue to lead him to the Jedi's hidden council. To his chagrin, everything was a total wipe-no comm systems or records. The destruction left behind was most thorough.

 

Musing for a bit at this dead end, he egresses the Temple, much more brazenly than before, knowing security was down. A pity since a comm or camera recording showing the departure of the Jedi would have been an excellent lead.

 

Returning alone to his ship, not without some eyes and ears left behind, Faust departs.

[Kenneth Trekina]

It had been a few months since the attack on the temple. Kenneth had taken off into the woods when the fires started. He had given into fear and allowed his emotions to get the best of him. The shame was too much for him. When he had finally gained the courage to return he had found the temple empty. The Jedi, his only family, had abandoned him. He felt feelings of pain and anger. How could the Jedi have completely vanished without even looking for him?

 

The young Jedi-no-more had taken to the streets of the capital city. The powers he had once practiced under the teachings of Jedi Masters he now used simply to survive. He learned to steal, to cheat, to lie and manipulate. He fought when he had to. Ken was no seasoned combatant by any means but could hold his own on the cold hard streets.

 

Over time he found that he could draw strength from the pain and suffering inside himself. During this period of life he learned to care only for himself, using others out of a necessity to survive.

[Kitt]

((I'm sorry for posting actions, but these two are inactive at the moment.))

 

Kitt was tired from the long journey from Coruscant to Gala. He could only imagine what both Nishtant and Dean were feeling, but time in the Force seemed very hard pressed for him to arrive as the quickest speed he could. As the small group landed, they had to then walk from the main starport to the Gala Temple, which would soon be rebuilt as the Jedi Praxeum. The walk was far, even further then the Tython walk, and he wasn't fully sure the young men would be up for the long journey, but he would help them as much as he could so that they would arrive.

 

About eight hours later, all three made it to a blacked out Jedi Temple. Kitt made it priority to head to the power and security and have them powered up so that both Dean and Nishtant could get some much needed rest from their long journey. After an hour passed, Kitt managed to get everything turned on and up and running without major difficulty. Now that he had done that part of the job, he made his way to the main hall alone, allowing for both Dean and Nishtant to get their rest, he would sit and meditate until Kirlocca and Dahar showed up so that he could finished his business on Gala and head off for Nar Shaddaa.

[Qaela]

A ship going by the name Euphoria landed two kilometers from the old Jedi Temple. A lone woman, barely what might be called an adult, got out and began the short trek to the Temple. Qaela was dressed in a simple charcoal tunic and a lightsaber dangling from her belt. Tucked in her belt was a long piece of white cloth. As she neared the Temple, a shudder of disgust went down her spine and settled in her stomach. Being near Jedi without the Force negating atmosphere of the Last Call was unpleasant to say the least.

 

She made no attempt to conceal her presence, but neither did she magnify it. She was genuinely curious to see how close she could get before the Jedi noticed her. Just in case, though, she pulled out the white cloth and made sure it was clearly visible. Were she on Dathomir, she would carry a white spear, but she didn't want that tradition revealing more about her than she desired. So, with the white cloth in the open, she continued a measured march to the gate of the damaged Temple.

[Kitt]

As his meditation began, Kitt was able to sense something that appeared familiar to him. It was a sense of a seething anger that carried with it loathing to a degree. True, he never actually felt something like it in the Force, but he felt as if he should. The sense was strong enough for him to reach out and seek it. It took him a moment, but he eventually did find it. Right outside the the Praxeum, a presence within the Force. He wasn't fully sure yet of what his reaction should be. If he flat out ignored it, it could spell a tragedy of sorts. But on the other hand, to directly address it could result in an opportunity lost. He decided that he would keep an open eye on it through the Force and allow for the presence to make their way to him. Then, he would deal with it as needed.

[Qaela]

Qaela made it to the gates of the burned Temple without challenge. She couldn't sense the legions of Jedi she expected to find, but just a couple including Nishant. It was odd that none came out to challenge her. Perhaps they were too busy among themselves to do something about a dark one coming so close to their Temple. Or perhaps since it was ruined, they didn't care about it.

 

Either way, she continued. Nishant was here, that much she was sure of, and she could feel a powerful presence cloaked in the sickening light. When she got to the actual gates, she paused and looked around for droids or automated defenses. One more concerning explanation for the Jedi's lack of care for her presence could be that they knew their defenses would kill her quickly. At this moment, the last thing she wanted was violence, especially against machines.

[Kitt]

The presence was moving very slowly and carefully, but it was still moving. Kitt was almost dumbfounded as to what purpose this person held in entering the Jedi Praxeum this way. Had he not been able to feel a Force presence, he would have assumed it was a vulture looking to pick up artifacts of the Jedi, but the Temple wasn't abandoned that long ago to have it common knowledge yet. Deciding to directly address this entry, he stood up from his meditation and walked towards the presence. As he neared, he could see the all too familiar girl who was at the Dark Lords side on Coruscant. Is she following me? It was a curious maneuver for the Dark Lord to make, one that might hold more answers upon a direct conversation with the relatively young Force user.

 

"You seem to be very far away from your master young one."

[Qaela]

Qaela bristled at the implication that Haphaestus was her master, but said nothing. She was finding it difficult to stomach being so close to a Jedi like this, but she was strong and would tolerate it for the greater good of her Clan. She had not expected the Grandmaster to stay around, but that did explain the more powerful source of light she sensed coming in.

 

She bit back a retort, but only just barely. Instead, she replied in a calm voice, "Yes, the Dark Lord has purpose for me, one that involves you." She held her hands out showing that all they held was the piece of white cloth, "I do not come for combat, do you recognize my truce?"

[Kitt]

He couldn't place it, but the white clothe seemed off to him. Deciding that if he was to discover what her purpose would be, he would allow for her to speak and feel free during this time. But he was not absent of ignoring the feeling that she carried deep within her. So with that in mind, he proceeded with caution.

 

"I can recognize it, and will allow for you to explain to me this purpose."

[Qaela]

"As you have accepted my truce, I pledge that no violence shall come from my hand unless provoked by the need for self defense," Qaela said in a calm voice. A truce was brokered, even she could not break it without being exiled from her Clan or worse.

 

"I come here to offer a deal. I have information that will save the life of at least one Jedi and am willing to give it to you and thus completely ensure that life will be saved. In exchange, I will need the lightsaber of a Jedi, one that was recently used and bears the impression of that Jedi. I will also need you or another Jedi to inflict minor lightsaber wounds on me. I will need to inflict at least one minor wound on a Jedi, I will explain why should you accept.

 

"As Jedi, I know you have a sense of honor lacking among the Sith and know that should you agree to my terms, you will carry out your end of the bargain. Therefore, once you agree, I will tell you the information first so that you may know I am not going to cheat you. You may employ whatever methods you desire in order to ease your mind. You will understand my terms once you receive that information. If you do not, I assure you that you will have the blood of at least one Jedi on your hands."

 

Qaela knew that someone as powerful as the Grandmaster would be able to penetrate any lies she could offer, so she didn't even try. As much as she might not like what she was doing, she had her orders from the Clan.

[Kitt]

Kitt could sense no lie within her words or her mind. But even with what she was requesting, it seemed strange as to why she was being asked to do this. And it was also clear that there was no part attached to Haphaestus in all of this, or so he could tell from the ripples within the Force. Hesitantly, he spoke with caution in his own words.

 

"I can sense you will hold to honor in this, but I feel I must ask as to why or whom you must do this for."

 

There was confusion within Kitt's own mind as he tried to figure out why such a deal needs to be struck by this young Force user. If she could shed a little light onto the situation, it would greatly help ease his mind.

[Qaela]

With a smile, Qaela responded, "I am doing this for myself, of course. Is selfishness not the Sith way? Agree to the deal and you will understand why I did it." Again, there was no lie. She was doing it for herself, from a certain point of view, even if she might not like it.

 

She decided to sweeten the pot. Slowly, so as not to alarm him, she pulled her lightsaber off of her belt with a thumb and single finger. She flipped it to where the emitter was facing herself and offered it to the Jedi. With her other hand, she did the same with her knife. "Here, take my weapons if you do not believe that I am sincere. Surely, a mere apprentice such as myself stands no chance against the Grandmaster of the Jedi when it comes to displays of the Force, so you would be taking my only ability to harm you."

[Kitt]

Kitt at this point felt a desire within himself to help this young woman out, but he wasn't willing to bring her harm in order for her to get what she needed. Reaching out with the Force, the Grandmaster attempted to find a ripple that would point to this Jedi that could have harm and death come to them, but there were too many to follow at the moment. Letting out a breath, he spoke with a strong calmness.

 

"I will help you, but only if you are absolutely positive that there is no other way for me to do so without harming you."

[Qaela]

It took all of her will to repress a smirk at the Jedi's comments. "You Jedi always trying to escape pain, even when it is necessary. No, Grandmaster, I would not trade a momentary pain for the added risk I would take by not receiving it. Do not weep, though, I have received far worse pain in other training exercises."

 

She noticed that the Grandmaster did not take her offered weapons. She wasn't going to stand there like a fool holding out her weapons forever, so she lowered her hands to her sides, but didn't reattach them to her belt. The lightsaber's emitter was facing away from the Jedi, as was the blade of the knife.

 

"So Jedi, do we have a deal? My information for a lightsaber and a little exchange of pain? The lightsaber doesn't even have to be in working order if you are concerned about giving a functioning weapon to an enemy."

[Kitt]

Within the Force, Kitt could find not reason at this point not to grant the young lady her request. Slowly, he withdrew his own lightsaber and took out his crystals, placing them in his belt. He then handed the lightsaber to her.

 

"I hope you know and understand what you're doing."

 

With that, Kitt awaited her to take the lightsaber hilt and for the 'exchange of pain' that she needed.

[Qaela]

Qaela was surprised when the Grandmaster handed her his own lightsaber. She had not expected to be in front of the Jedi's unarmed Grandmaster while holding her own weapons. For a moment, the temptation to attack was great, but she put it down. Not even a Nightsister would violate a white spear and, though there was no spear involved, she had offered a truce and it had been accepted. Even if she were to strike down the Grandmaster himself, if she broke the truce, the Clan would have to exile her or worse.

 

"I will explain, as is my side of the deal," she said. "My master, Dark Lord Haphaestus, has sent me out into the Galaxy to find and kill a Jedi in order to be named a Sith Lord. As proof of my kill, I was to bring back a body part or a Jedi's lightsaber. He has instructed me specifically not to let the Jedi know I was Sith or that he was behind the attack. As you probably suspected, he is not wanting to work with the Jedi any more than would look good to the public. He openly offers a hand of truce while stabbing you in the back with the other.

 

"Instead of complying with his wishes and putting myself at risk by fighting one or more of your Jedi, I choose to do what I am doing now. By simply telling you what he wishes, I can acquire the lightsaber I need without putting myself at risk. You in turn, gain from this as well. I am elevated among the Sith and you save the life of one or more Jedi, and plus are aware that your enemy seeks you harm.

 

"But Haphaestus is not a fool. If I showed up at the Sith Temple without a scratch, he would suspect I either killed a Jedi far below my level of skill and thus was unworthy of a test or I simply bought or found a lightsaber. Not only that, but it would be much harder to lie to him if the wounds were not inflicted by a Jedi. As for the damage done to a Jedi, I need at least some real memory of harming a Jedi to fuel my deception."

 

She looked down at the Grandmaster's offered lightsaber, "I would prefer another Jedi's lightsaber, especially if they were dead. I am not sure how powerful Haphaestus is or how good his memory was. He saw you at the Last Call and may recognize the lightsaber. Even if he didn't, he could sense your presence on the lightsaber and would not believe that I slew the Jedi Grandmaster. If it is the best you can do, then I will take it, but if you have any other lightsabers, I would prefer one of them."

[Kitt]

"Then wait here."

 

Kitt grabbed his lightsaber hilt back and then turned and walked away from her, leaving her alone in the coolness of the slight illumination that the old Temple radiated. He walked back into an old training facility that would soon be revived by Kirlocca and Dahar and retrieved from it a lightsaber hilt of a Jedi whom had left it. The Temple carried a few real lightsabers for the purpose of a full experience in training for padawans, but one would not be missed. Returning back to the young lady, he handed her the lightsaber hilt.

 

"There, that one should not bring up any form of skepticism. And as for your wounds..."

 

Once she accepted the hilt, Kitt flung his wrist, launching her back and through a wall. Making sure it would hold a bit more damage, he followed her as he continued to hold her with the Force and flung her through one more wall. The walls would be okay to be broken as they would be rebuilt soon anyways. As she had gone through the second wall, Kitt released her from his hold and allowed for her to make a natural fall to the ground.

 

"Would those wounds be sufficient for your master?"

 

Kitt wasn't taunting her but plainly asking her. Going through two walls wouldn't occur in a fight unless she picked a fight with someone who was clearly beyond her skill. In fact, only a few Jedi Masters would be able to do such damage. Over time during a fight, a Jedi Knight may be able to pull something like that off. He was almost sure the damage would be sufficient for her master.

[Qaela]

Qaela took the time while the Grandmaster went to retrieve another lightsaber to do some searching of her own. She didn't stray far, but did take note of how the Temple felt and was designed, at least the small portion she could see. It was as uncomfortable as the Sith Temple was comfortable, even without scores of Jedi roaming its halls.

 

When Kitt returned, he handed her another lightsaber, but before she could even attach it to her belt, he flung her through a wall. She had not been expecting the attack that quickly and it knocked the air out of her lungs in addition to a myriad of other injuries. When she went through the second wall, she was immensely glad that she hadn't decided to challenge this man in a fight. His power was similar to that of Haphaestus, just a perverted form of it. Clearly this man had little problems with the weakness of the light when he got around to doing damage.

 

When he released her, she slumped to the ground trying to catch her breath. The pain was good, even if she knew she would be healing up for a time. Even through the agony, she kept a wicked smile on her face. Between heavy breaths, she replied, "Yes, it should be enough."

 

Blood was dripping down the back of her head from a wound and she figured she had more elsewhere. Another set of clothes were ruined, but at least these weren't her favorite, but rather just another drab Sith style set. She reached back and touched the wound with both hands to check how much blood was flowing. There was a good deal, but it was a head wound and those bled a lot. Likely, she was more in risk of a concussion than bleeding to death. While she was down, she quickly breathed a spell as quietly as she could and made it seem as though she were cursing in another language. It wasn't hard, she did feel like cursing quite profusely as the initial shock wore off and pain set in.

 

She stood up after catching her breath and limped back to where Jedi lightsaber was lying on the ground. She attached it to her belt even though her hands left blood marks on the hilt.

 

She returned to where the Jedi was standing and said in as respectful a voice as she could muster around a Jedi. "You do your work well, Grandmaster. It will be some time before I recover, but it will be worth it. As much as I may hate your kind, I can have respect for power and you wield it very well. I am glad now that I did come here with the intent to kill for you would have smashed me like a bug. You have kept your end of the bargain and did not kill me even though you had the chance to do so. You have more honor than most of the Sith I am around and that deserves respect." Though it wasn't her custom, she knew it was the common custom of many in the Galaxy as a sign of respect and the sealing of a deal, so she offered her hand to the Jedi for a handshake even though it did have some of her blood left on it.

[Kitt]

Kitt slowly nodded to her. There was something different about her then what he had encountered before. She held seething anger and hatred, but she was not akin to the Sith likeness. Her mind set thought down a similar path, and her actions as well, but it was not the Sith path that she walked. No, she would never become the Dark Lord, but she would be easy to influence in the future if such a thing ever came to it. She may one day be on the side of the Jedi, or at least more neutral then she is now. Taking her hand, allowing for his own hand to get covered in her blood, he welcomed her shake. He offered her up a smile when their hands were no longer clasped.

 

"I am glad to have helped you. Take care of yourself until we meet again."

[Qaela]

Qaela nodded at his words. "You have my blood on your hands, Jedi," she said. "Few can say that and I hope that number stays that way. Since you have been so cooperative, if I am given a similar assignment in the future, I will consider contacting you. Do you have a way for me to do that?"

[Kitt]

Kitt smiled at the thought. While he trusted her, he didn't want to openly expose a possible chance to have any of the Jedi Temple's exposed by her master. So he decided on another route in which she can connect with him.

 

"If you need to, think of a meeting place as you touch an object. Then send it to me at this location. Trust me, the message will be received."

 

Not many in the galaxy knew or fully remembered the gift of psychometry, not even Force users. It was one of the reasons that kept Kitt in touch with the mysteries of the universe when he couldn't understand things. It was also a good way to send private messages to him.

[Qaela]

Qaela was expecting a comms number, but if that is how he wanted to play, that was up to him. "Very well." She picked up a stone and wrote a series of numbers on it using her finger and blood. "That is my comm number if you wish to contact me."

 

"I need to get back to my ship and treat my injuries." She started limping back toward the entrance so she could leave. It would be another two kilometers to her ship, a good exercise in maintaining strength despite being wounded. "Oh," she said over her shoulder as she continued walking, "my name is Zemosa."

 

It took time, but she managed to stumble her way through the forest to her ship where Gorgeni and Mortin were waiting. Gorgeni was used to seeing her return battered and bloody, but Mortin was horrified. She had to shrug off his attempts to help as she cleaned herself up. She was very happy now that they were off of this planet. Being so close to Jedi was difficult, but being nice to them was worse. Still, she had what she wanted and more so Mother would be very pleased.

[Kitt]

He held the stone as he watched her leave. As he stared after her, he couldn't help but feel as if he would indeed see her again, whether through the battlefield or some other manner, he knew he would see her. Carefully handling the stone as to not tamper with it until her blood dried, he went back to meditate until Kirlocca and Dahar showed up.

[Dahar Raikanda]

The transport carrying the Jedi Knight and Jedi Master dropped out of hyperspace above the planet. With precisional navigation they soon arrived at the once docking bay, now in need of great repair. Dahar took a moment to allow the Force to flow through him. He was able to sense the ebs and flows of the Force in the area surrounding him. He sensed no danger but noted a certain feeling to his mentor.

 

"Master Kirlocca, this is not the same temple that I once lived at. There is no sense of peace or serenity here. That is something we must adress."

 

He and the Wookie Master made there way off the ship and out into the dock.

[Wookiee Jedi]

As Kirlocca exited the transport, he allowed for himself to stretch and yawn from the long journey. After he finished, he took a moment to reach out his senses, which Dahar had already done and spoke upon what he felt. It was indeed true, he could feel the same feelings of unease throughout Gala. It was almost as if the very absence of Jedi brought forth this feeling. That or the Republic and the Imperials merging created it. He did also feel Kitt Fitt, the Jedi Grandmaster on the planet, almost very close.

 

<< Yes, that needs to change. Maybe with just our mere presence the feeling of peace will return. But for right now, I think that our Grandmaster has a need for us. >>

 

Kirlocca didn't bother to ask if Dahar could feel Kitt, as he wasn't an apprentice. While he would be directly training under Kirlocca, the Jedi Master would not treat him as a padawan. He would openly assume that Dahar knew and felt stuff already in the Force.

[Kitt]

Kitt could suddenly feel both Kirlocca and Dahar arrive on Gala. They both seemed to be in a light hearted mood from what the Jedi Master could feel through the Force. Standing up, he decided that he would greet them at the entrance. As he arrived, they both also arrived. He gave them both a bow and then spoke rather softly.

 

"I am glad that you both are here. My task that I gave to you has become even more important recently. Not to mention that I am now hurried to uncover a great many things."

[Dahar Raikanda]

Dahar bowed with a smile. He was pleased to see the Grandmaster although it was unexpected. He knew their task was important but could sense the situation had become much more drastic. Or maybe it wasn't their situation, but Kitt's. Either way the Jedi's finely honed intuition could tell that something was up with somebody.

 

Although he had followed the Grandmaster fearlessly into the Death Star battle he allowed for Kirlocca to speak first. The bond between Kitt and Kirlocca was obvious so he waited for the Wookie Master to greet his friend.

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca lowered his own head in a bow right after Kitt gave him and Dahar a bow. As the Jedi Grandmaster spoke, Kirlocca was reaching out with his perceptions to feel within the Force the reason behind Kitt's words. He could find none.

 

<< I take it some things took a wild turn? Care to fill me in? >>

 

All Kirlocca could feel within the Force was Kitt's own sense of hurry. It seemed rather strange that Kitt would make a stop at Gala after giving him a task to rebuild the Jedi Temple into a Praxeum. It was also not clicking on how this task could even become more important due to an event.