Space

[Jedi X]

"You lie!" Kari screams as she rushes to her feet, fumbling as her legs way momentarily in her rush to remove herself from his side. Her gaze adverts back to his, a look of horror, confusion- and even sadness echoing within her stare. She declares that she has no sister, and within her mind she truly believes it. "How can you make up such a tale?"

 

Meanwhile Ventra notices her confusion, her dear sister's state of mind as they come to a gentle landing upon Shili. Quiely she touches Lusef's mind once more,shielding her presence from Kari as she does so. "Take her to Angela's grave due east of here.... I will meet you there shortly." With those words she vanished once again.

 

It was time for Kari's full awakening, and the key laid near where it all began.

[Jedi X]

"Why does he keep acting as if I'm not an only child?" Kari questions to herself as he speaks, confusion still very much present in her idle stare, her emotions apparent through the glossy presence of tears. "Am i not?"

 

Kari begins to grow weak, her sight slightly urging to dim, her balance unsteady. She feels funny, noticing it quickly before she fell- catching herself and forcing her to sit. Surely Lusef- or rather Faust- had encountered such a thing before, two souls fighting for an existence within one singular body. But unlike the others, this held no partnership with with Alchemy nor dark magic. or this was driven by the Force it's self and countered by the process of cloning.

 

The spell dissipates as he finishes, her balance returning as she forced herself up once more. His words though, they seemed to tug upon both of her souls, a slight hint of desire for power crossing her mind. She wanted to be free- free of her memories of her mother, free of the possibility of having a sister, free to be the Jedi she wished to be. She was tired. Not knowing where her thoughts came from, she nods. "Can you teach me?"

 

But without Ventra, Kari would be as imbalanced as her own balance moments ago. Only Ventra knew how to repair Kari's rift between her souls. Faust's taint had begun to take it's effect.

[Jedi X]

Then i am ready." Kari speaks as he finishes his words. "Teach me to find strength and solidarity within my stance amidst the darkness so that i can become a beacon of light for the weak."

 

Kari looks around momentarily, her senses returned and her mind stretching beyond the confines of the vessel in which she sat. She felt the familiar sounds and sights of her home amongst the lifeforms on Shili as their feelings echoed upon her thoughts. Turning back to Lusef, she wondered why they had came to her home.

 

"Why are we on Shili?"

[Jedi X]

Kari gathers her things as Lusef exits, despite most of them having already been pack or upon her personal. Her thougths wonder upon what his words had meant, her past having literially been buried here. But as she does, she answers her own questions in the form of her mother, who she now seemed to hate. Catching up to Lusef, the two blades upon her side as well as the lightsaber, she walks in his shadow in more ways than one.

 

"You meant my mother, did you not?" She questions, her gaze adverting to the smallish Hut she once called home. "To become the beacon of light, i must first face my own darkness."

 

Meanwhile, Ventra arrives at the cave first, a few things of note within a sack she now carried.

[Jedi X]

She gives Lusef a nod at his expressions of confidence, a more serious look taking shape upon her face. Kari no longer felt as she did when she first came into Lusef's apprenticeship, perhaps something common with maturing, perhaps something else. In truth, she did not know, only assuming the first. And as she shifted her gaze forward, Kari followed him toward the cave she once laid her mother to rest in.

 

"This is a place few outside my family have ever witnessed." Kari spoke, a hint of pride within her voice. "This is the site of my Pack's Burial Grounds..." Kari turned to look at Lusef as she spoke, making sure he heard ever word. "... And is said to be a nexus of the Force due my family's lineage. Whether it's true or not, i cannot say."

 

There was a strong presence laying ahead, but whether or not the stories of it being such a nexus was a topic of debate. However, if it was true, it was neither light nor dark- perhaps both - a the Koi line had always held a strong belief that each being should follow it's true nature and was comprised often of both Jedi and Sith followers. Such was evident in Kari and Tori's understanding relationship.

 

Kari takes the lead, igniting the lightsaber Lusef had given her, it's hue enlightening their surroundings. Step by step it's containments are revealed, primitive paintings upon it's walls depicting the Togrutas many hunts, words written in their native language telling tales of their legends and myths- and as they venture deeper, crystal formations begin to emerge from the darkness.

 

Suddenly Kari turns to Lusef, the hue of the lightsaber only lighting the side of her face that it's glow managed to reach. But even in it's dimmed light, tears that flowed from her face was visable. Kari's true soul had emerged, if only for a split second. "Master...." Kari speaks through her tears. "I can not do this.... It is too much."

 

Kari turns away, and at that solemn second, her former returns. Wiping her face free of the tears, she gazes upon her hand with confusion. For now she disregards it, holding in her concerns, unaware of what had just transpired. Instead she ventures farther inward toward the second room where the controls to a primitive security system laid hidden from all save the few who knew of it. Little did she know of the trial that laid in wait for her within the next room, compliments of Ventra.

 

Meanwhile, Ventra sat within meditation, her presence no doubt masked by the nexus in which she sat, the thousands of Togruta Jedi and Sith that lined their lineage reaching toward the top of the large chamber. Within her mind sat the three trials she held in wait for her dear sister, to awaken in full the truth of her sister's existence, all part of her own plans for Kari. She would see her labors grow into fruition, Faust or no Faust.

[Jedi X]

As Kari leads Lusef into the next room, she stops briefly, running her hand across the writings of a Koi legend that dated back hundreds of years- possibly even thousands. But to Kari and Tori, it had long held special meanings to each. For this legend told of two brothers, one that followed the ways of the Jedi, and the other the ways of the Sith. And though they were enemies in philosophy, they remained brothers to the end. They were both considered fierce hunters, but because of their family bond, refused to fight and instead chose to live atop a plateau and argue with one another over the mysteries of the Force. For this, it i said they were granted eternal life in stone. Which is why this place was called twin peaks in the Togruta native tongue.

 

"Our pack believe this place to be sacred.." Kari proposes, stepping away from the writings and toward the room's center. "They believe it to grant the descendants of all buried here great power and wisdom through life and nature." Kari glances at her boots, her gaze echoing of sadness. "Though i have long cut myself from nature, my family having been Individualists since my mother's..." She pauses. "Well you know."

 

Kari reaches the center of the room where root like vines hung from the cave's roof, grabbing one and pulling down upon it. Gears hidden behind the inner wall begin to turn and shift as a section begins to shift inward and to the side, revealing a hidden tunnel. Kari, having thought all defenses were deactivated, motioned to Lusef to follow as she ventured down the tunnel and into the sunlit room ahead. Little did she suspect that one defense remained active ahead along with Ventra's own that would send her through trials of her own, a trial of souls if you would.

 

As Kari ventured into the next room, light penetrating through small holes within it's circular ceiling, corroded away by millennia of rain water. Fauna filled it's entirety.. along the walls, floor, and ceiling.. as well as streams of water falling into pools and mist carpeting it's floor. Kari turns to Lusef. "This is called the Heart of Life, or Room of Light. Above us is this brother Tuik, one of the brothers mentioned in the legend."

 

But before Kari could finish her instruction, Ventra's presence washed over them entirely. The fog began to swirl and engulf them, and within moments, a light begins to flash before them. At first it is unrecognizable, blinding and confusing. But it slowly begins to fade and reveals before them a haunting memory of Kari's past. Ventra's trap had been sprung and Kari could not escape it. Lusef could had aided, but Ventra knew he would not. or now, Kari would have to face it alone.

 

It was the same as before, Kari being abused by her 'mother', the young Togruta begging and pleading for her to stop. Deep inside, Kari watched with growing hate as her 'mother' hit her countless times, Faust's implant growing with each break of a bone or tear of the skin. But then Kari notices something unlike before, two faces hidden beneath a nearby table, one's face hidden behind her sister's embracing arm.

 

"But that face!" Kari exclaims, her gaze falling upon the sister who held her sibling so protectively. "That's me. But how...who?" Her gaze falls upon the child who her 'mother' was beating upon. "Who is this child that has taken my place?"

 

Kari's hate drifts away momentarily, instead finding pity and sadness for the unknown child replacing it. And as her feelings grow deeper, hope that she would save herself just as she had. But nothing happens, the beating continuing until the child lays limp, her life barely hanging onto it's grip over death. As soon as her "mother' disappears, the two emerge from their hiding and rush to the beaten child. Kari falls to her knees, tears flowing from her eyes as she gazes upon the girl's fallen form. Hate begins to overcome her once again, and as it does, it seems to consume her.

 

"Angela..." Just as Lusef's seeds seem to blossom, all reaches tranquillity as Kari's true soul finds strength to regain control. "I am sorry i could not save you then." The mist lessens and returns to normal, revealing the hidden garden's exit. "I am so sorry that you became her. But at least through my training, i was finally able to set you free."

 

Kari rises, tears still filling her eyes. She turns to Lusef. "Let's go..." She states with a cheerful grin before it returns to it's serious state. "I intend to finish this once and for all." With that Kari heads toward the exit and enters the darkened tunnel.

[Jedi X]

"Violence only begets violence..." Kari murmurs as she ventures deeper down the tunnel. "If i had been trained in the Force by that age, would my sister truly have been saved? Or would i have been the one who robbed her of her innocence? What she did to me was only what she was taught, and if i had saved her from mother... - would i have taught her that life could be taken so easily?"

 

As Kari enters the second chamber, both find themselves in complete darkness aside from the dimmed light of their lightsabers. Sniffing the air, Kari finds her senses alarmed and quickly turns to Lusef. "Quickly, go back." But it was too late. The chamber's seal shuts abruptly behind them, cutting off their exit. The smell of gas begins to fill their lungs within the barren chamber. "The gas.... It's hallucinogenic."

 

For a Togruta like Kari, it had a mild effect, meant to induce a spirit walking effect during the Right of Burial Ceremony, a means to communicate with the deceased by partially separating the spirit from the body- a dangerous situation for Kari. But never had a non-Togruta been allowed this far in, so it's possible effect on Lusef was unknown. It was a slow process, taking quite a few moments to take hold. Kari knew she would have to endure it, but she worried about Lusef.

 

"I...I haven't the slightest clue as to what effect the gas will have upon you." Kari states. "But the door out of here is timed and will not open until long after the gas has taken effect." Kari sighs. "This the Chamber of Darkness, or Soul of Death, and sits below Tao- the brother of Tuik. My Pack believes it to be a way to communicate with the deceased after they have passed from this realm. I've only been here.."

 

Kari swoons momentarily as the gas's effect takes hold of her mind, but she quickly recovers. As the green hued gas begins to glow- likely due to it's hallucinogenic effect- Kari notices a shadowy figure beginning to form before her. She steps back, falling into a defensive position as if she was awaiting an attack. But to her surprise, she gazes upon herself, or rather a shadow like form of her self. Without warning it attacks, it's darkened aura overbearing her own.

 

"Wh....What... are... you?" She inquires, her hued blade clashing with it's shadowed blade. Retreating momentarily, Kari reaches out through the Force and sends a wave of energy toward her opponent in an attempt to widen the space between them.

 

"So Master Aryan was correct...." It replies, a devilish grin spreading across it's face. It's reflexes quicken, dodging Kari's attack and closing the gap as it attacks again. "I do have a sister, a twin no less. Interesting indeed."

 

"A sis... sister?" Kari attempts to dodge it's blade, but falls short as it burns her left arm with a single scrap across her skin. Grabbing her wound, Kari steps back. "Then that must mean your.... me?"

 

"You? Haha-haha." It bursts into a laughing fit at Kari's notion, allowing Kari a moment of peace to settle her confusion and thoughts. "I could never be so weak, just as my pathetic mother found out for herself."

 

With that it attacks again, drawing her blade high as she closes the gap once again. Kari dodges it with moments to spare, granting her enough time to land a well placed push through the force and sending it hard into the surrounding wall. Shifting the blade within her palm to the rear, Kari stands in wait, confused in what was transpiring. Had her soul fallen from the Jedi's path? In truth she had, courtesy of Faust. But little did Kari know of this. As it brushed off the dirt and soil, it stood.

 

"I will not fail." It screams as it attacks again, it's senses growing more alert and it's reflexes quickening the more emotion it poured into it's self. Kari defends herself, lost in her own confusion. But her self is too much for her to take on, and amidst her confusion, finds herself slowly being defeated. And as the door opens and the gas rushed out, freeing Kari from this spell, finds it once again in control. "I will defeat you, dear sister."

 

As Kari former soul regains control, darkness fills her heart so. Surely Faust would be proud of his new found Apprentice, but the trials were not yet complete. The final test would define Kari as a whole, and one Ventra did not expect to unfold. Within Lusef's mind, Ventra speaks but four words. "What have i done?"

[Jedi X]

((Excuse the Breaking Benjamin lyrics. It just seemed to fit the post, and I'm hoping it'll gain the feel i want from it. Something I've wanted to experiment with for awhile now. Feel free to critique me.))

 

The tunnel ends and spiraling stairs reveal themselves, descending into the depths of the planet's crust, for beneath it's lush exterior laid the lifeless, long having laid their bodies to eternal rest. And at the bottom laid the final chamber, and within it sat Kari's true destiny. No sooner had they entered, Tori pounced. Before Lusef remotely held a chance to react even in his weakened condition, he found himself thrown hard across the room, incapable of reaching his apprentice before Tori tore herself into Kari's mind and forcing apart the two souls.

 

Set within a netherworld void, the two souls find themselves lost in mental battle, wills tested by Ventra's presence, each fighting for existence within the body shared. Though Kari's dear sister wanted her real sister back, she know only Kari could decide that. Now would be chance for her to do so if only she decided to truly live. This battle would to decide the victor, and once done, offered no turning back.

 

<Here I lie forever, Sorrow still remains. Will the water pull me down And wash it all away? Come and take me over. Welcome to the game. Will the current drag me down and carry me away? Suddenly the light begins to fade...>

 

Ventra: HOPELESS!

 

Kari(original): I'm falling down.

 

Ventra: FEEL THIS!

 

Kari(original): I can't wake up. I can not hold on.

 

Kari(clone): I will not let go.

 

Ventra: WORTHLESS!

 

Kari(original): It's over now.

 

Ventra: GUILTY!

 

Kari(original): I can't wake up. I can not hold on.

 

Kari(clone): I will not let go.

 

Tori pleads with her sister, but finds her words falling upon weakened ears, her cloned soul having been tainted by Faust's darkened seeds and possessing most of her power. Falling deeper into the Force, Tori forces herself deeper into he sister's torn soul and lends her power in Kari's aid. Kari's resolve strengthens, but also leaves Tori in a weakened state. Not that it mattered to the Sith, for Ventra would gladly lay down her life for her sister.

 

But somewhere deep inside, Kari hears Lusef calling her name. Perhaps from a memory, perhaps from the Burial Ground her body now found occupancy within. She could not tell. Outside, her presence grew stronger.

 

<Silent eye goes under, I am not afraid. I can see the daylight shine and slowly drift away. Safe to say it's over. Sink into the break. There's nothing left inside. But I am wide awake. I can hear the devil call my name... >

 

Kari(clone): HOPELESS!

 

Kari(original): I'm falling down.

 

Ventra: FEEL THIS!

 

Kari(clone): I can't wake up. I can not hold on.

 

Kari(original): I will not let go.

 

Ventra: WORTHLESS!

 

Kari(clone): It's over now.

 

Ventra: GUILTY!

 

Kari(clone): I can't wake up. I can not hold on.

 

Kari(original): I will not let go.

 

The cloned soul begins to grow weaker, Tori's aid to Kari begins to overpower even Kari's strength that her cloned soul now loosened it's grip over. Little by little she begins to lose her fight for existence. But Tori also begins to grow weaker, not having used such power in so many years. It was beginning to take it's toll on her aged body, and it showed vibrantly as she fell to her knees. But she did falter from her task, and continuously poured her power into Kari. She would die before she lost her sister again.

 

Ventra: HOPELESS!

 

Kari(clone): I'm falling down.

 

Ventra: FEEL THIS!

 

Kari(clone): I can't wake up. I can not hold on.

 

Kari(original): I will not let go.

 

Ventra: WORTHLESS!

 

Kari(clone): It's over now.

 

Ventra: GUILTY!

 

Kari(clone): I can't wake up. I can not hold on.

 

Kari(original): I will not let go!!

 

A vibrant light begins to glow from Kari's chest as she hovers mid air. And for one small instance, it's as if you can see the two souls separate of the body, one fading and one pulsating with power. It was in this instance that Tori clasped her hands and spoke a devilish incantation, sending the two souls into a collision and sparking an eruption of blinding light. In an last ditch attempt to be the victor, both souls draw in all their power to usurp the other.

 

Kari(clone): HOPELESS!

Kari(original): HOPELESS!

 

Ventra: Now the two are one.

[Jedi X]

Tori falls back upon her bottom, exhausted and worn out. Silently her gaze adverts to Lusef, as if implying that she knows what he had done, almost expecting it. But she fills neither with hate nor anger, but adorns a grin- as devilish as it may be -and instead calls out to her sister. "Kari."

 

"Yes?" Kari questions as she stands up. She too looks at Lusef, though at first, one couldn't tell which she meant. Her aura was strong, slightly darkened. She held composure and not emotional duress, her defenses well fortified. But then a glimpse of the victor emerges as Kari turns to help her sister up.

 

"Look in the satchel i brought with me." Tori speaks, her gaze of an older Kari shifting back to her cloned sibling. "Now that you are whole again, it is time you once again picked up your weapon."

 

"You think that wise?" Kari wonders, lifting Tori up and grasping a tight hold as her sister nearly slips from her fingers. " I do not think i still possess the skills to wield them with proficiency."

 

"Take the crystals i left for you on Tatooine..." Tori speaks, furthering her convictions. In truth, even now Lusef's attacks were beginning to tear apart her insides. "Tune them to your soul and rebuild the Jedi weapon you were meant to."

 

Kari merely nods, turning from the bunch and sits upon her Angela's tomb. Delving into the Force, Kari begins to pour her soul and heart into the gems- a present given to her by Tori so many years ago when they last visited these tombs. To possess two rare crystals such as these, each imprinted by one of her separate souls, was even rarer to be. It would be a long process, and would leave her drained as well. But if this is what Tori wants, so shall it be.

 

"So you have defeated me Sith..." Tori jests as she turns to Lusef in private. "You won only one battle, yet it cost you the war. To think you were so impatient to best me, yet i have already beaten you. Typical of you and your brethren."

[Jedi X]

"Perhaps it was meant to end this way?" Tori states, hiding it behind the question she had long ago asked her own self. "Fate is a questionable ideal- So many have denied it's existence, yet they can never disprove it's existence nor escape it's hidden grasp."

 

Her gaze adverts back to Kari, who was still finding herself locked into place, lost within the void of the entity called the Force. Tori stares for a moment longer, a seemingly sincere smile of love.She turns back to Faust.

 

"It seems you and i are not among the exceptions. Our pasts so very similar, yet we find ourselves finding our own sick redemption within her." Tori leans back farther, the pain of her vibrating organs beginning to burst taking hold of her conscious. "For you, it is because of your failure with your sister, the weakness within her that you could not strengthen. For me, it was my weakness that my sister could not strengthen, my own failure."

 

Tori coughs, blood spilling from her mouth as she did. Yet she seemed at peace, a certain glow of the light beginning to emit from within her. After the moment passes, she speaks again.

 

"Let me tell you a story..." Tori begins, her hand reaching the string of blood that hung upon her aged cheek. "When Kari was killed, i was a Jedi Knight within the Order. I was powerful, that much was true. But Kari was special. She held true power. I was arrogant, believing that because my training had been completed before her's, that i was infallible."

 

"But one day, not long before her death, i challenged her to a friendly duel. I called it a test, but in truth, i wanted to see who was truly the best between us, my older sister or i." Tori coughs again, this time until she begins to throw up. Gasping for breath, Tori sits back up, relentless in her story telling. "She defeated me with ease, hurting the very ego i had built upon for years. And for that, i grew to hate my dear sister. And in my anger, attacked her and nearly killed her."

 

"I could never figure why she forgave me, but it was then i discovered her true power- a power that eventually led her own Master to lust over." Tori laughs for a moment, then flinches at the pain. "Forgiveness is her power, a heart and soul of the purest Light. It was this reason why i practised Sith Alchemy, this reason i could never train her. Only the strong can teach the strong. You will see this one day."

 

Tori coughs again, blood spewing from her mouth and lips as her death inches closer. But in the distance, Kari's presence grows. The Crystals begin to pulsate their light in sync with Kari's own beating heart. Parts begin to slide out of the satchel and hover in place. The crystals pulsate again, sending the parts into a circulating frenzy around the padawan. Piece by piece begins to join, two shapes beginning to form in the process, and then four. But as one looks closer, they see the separate halves of Kari's twin lightsabers. And as the four halves begin to join in two wholes around the crystals, a bright light blinds all.

 

"And so my sister is whole once again." Tori voice echos as visions begin to return to all blinded. Before Lusef stands Kari, twin Lightsaber Tonfas placed appropriately upon her hips, their black tone standing out against her white pants. But beside Lusef sits an unexpected surprise, for all that remained of Tori were her clothes, and upon it, the infamous mask behind which she had hid her face for so many years.

[Jedi X]

The Tonfas themselves were of particular design, unorthodox and potentially deadly in design. The forward grips were slightly curved for a looser grip, yet it's tip was pointed inward to insure stability- while the rear grip was elongated, capable of resting upon Kari's elbow if need be. But more importantly was the netting like substance than ran completely around it's form, and secured tightly by electrum trim. If one were to look close enough and be able to recognize it, they would be informed of the shell spider silk present.

 

Kari grips tight the hilt of one as Lusef speaks of them, spinning it within her palm and gaining the feel of her weapon. It had been so long since last held the original, and she dared not to activate it without doing so. She remembered well the lesson she learned so long ago, the numb throbbing of a lost limb. Once she felt reacquainted with it, she activated it, it's high pitched hum pulsating with her aura. It was as if it's hum mimicked her very heart beat.

 

"My intent is exactly what i told you that day on Haruun Kal." Kari's voice is stern and her tone serious, almost an uncanny mimic of Tori's own. "I have chosen my side to stand upon." Holding her now deactivated saber outward, Kari chuckles. " This is my weapon... -A Jedi's weapon."

[Jedi X]

Kari looks at Lusef with curiosity, his choices of headings unknown to her. Helix? What was this place he thought of? She knew of Haruun Kal. Something about his question threw her senses amok.

 

"It's your decision, Master." She replies, "Where ever that may lead us. However,..." Kari glances down at her hand which still held the tonfa. "It would be wise to go somewhere i can get some training with my weapon. "It's still vulnerable to destruction if i can not use it properly."

 

Though Kari's gaze does not falter, she places the tonfa back upon her hip, instead choosing discard the electrostaff and the Echani Vibro-blade and place them beside her sister's mask. With a shrug toward Lusef, she turns toward the exit.

 

"It's time i leave the past buried." A chuckle is present within her words, though it holds a lightened emotion within it, almost as if her grievance had long passed. "Tori would have wanted it this way." With that,Kari exits the room and leads way up a narrow staircase. "Come. There's another exit that leads out not far from my home. We can rest there tonight."

[Jedi X]

Kari steps outside of the cave, Shili's moonlight shining down upon her form as it emphasizes her white clothing against her darkened skin tone under it's affectionate beams. It seemed their little trip here had taken more time than she had thought, as well as drained her of most of her energy. She needed rest, and as she gazed upon the distant fields, she saw their refuge for the night.

 

"There, up ahead..." Kari spoke, pointing toward a humble hut sitting just a few hundred yards from the forest's treeline beneath a towering shade tree- most likely the product of nature, it's seedling brought out by the wind and nurtured by the rain and excessive sunlight. "It isn't much. But at one time it was home."

 

The Hut it's self wasn't much as far as huts go, a shack of solitude, separated and forgotten. But as they reached it's location, it was noticeably homely. It's structure still remained strong despite the years it had been abandoned, dust and mold having long gathered through-out it's interior. Kari sneezes briefly as they enter, one of her tonfas finding it's self lit to reveal what darkness had engulfed. Without thought, Kari approaches the manifold of the fireplace and finds a lonely frame sitting upon it. With a chuckle, she picks it up.

 

"It wasn't long ago, you know..." Kari begins, a slight hint of remorse arising within her before it mixed with an inner happiness. "That Angela, Tori, and I were running around here with smiles upon our faces as we played. When mother was off drinking away her sorrows, it was the happiest times of our lives, a moment when we felt like normal kids." Kari sits down the photo and gazes upon the rest of it's interior. "Or maybe it was too long ago. I still haven't quite got a grip on time yet- my memories though old, seem only recently."

 

Kari's eyes fall upon two separate rooms. "Take the one on the right. It was Mother's. I'll take Angela's for the night." There was a third room, though Kari never looked toward it, nor even acknowledged it.

[Jedi X]

"Yes. I suppose you are right..." Kari begins, a humorous chuckle erupting barely above a whisper, a joke of irony that her life could have been worse. In a way, his words relieved her from most of the burden she had been carrying. But even still, it's mark still remained. It would be a part of her forever. After a moment of silence, her lips part again. "We all have our prisons- some more luxurious than others."

 

Kari steps toward Angela's room, it's own interior mimicking their brutal mother's to the very teeth. A single bed, bottles of undrunk liquor stuffed within the nearby drawers beneath cloths that had not been worn in decades, even a chair that sat opposite the beds as if something had forever been watching over them as they slept. But as Lusef mentioned the third room, Kari's eyes broadened and force her gaze to fall upon it's entrance.

 

"That was not our room." Kari spoke, the hint of fear so mesmerizing to those who craved it's stench. But the memories of that place frightened Kari to the very core of her existence. It may have been what gave Kari her strength to survive, but it was also her greatest weakness. Stepping toward it, Kari touches the door's outside frame, running her finger across it's paneling until it's reaches the primitive lock. "This was our cell, our punishment for our existence, our hell."

 

With that, Kari walks away and enters Angela's room. She would need her rest for their arrival at Helix.

[Jedi X]

The thing about Kari being home, other than distant memories and bothersome dust, was the Kari would naturally find it difficult to sleep. Try as she did, she could not close her eyes without memories- both happy and sad, mostly the latter -flooding forth at every opportune moment. Part of herself found peace in returning to this place, though as horrible as it was at time, while the rest of her urged to sleep outside and away from it. So instead, for most of the night, she laid awake, staring at the ceiling above her head.

 

The room Lusef entered that night was about the size of his own, and likely as old unlike Angela's which had been a more recent add on, most likely after their mother's passing. It was mostly filled with storage caches, Koi family artifacts of minute importance, items one would find in a rural family house. But if his search had led him further back, he would have noticed a primitive cage, built to hold animals or small children. This was the hell in which Kari had spoken of earlier that night.

 

Perhaps Lusef had taught too well, or she had not fallen asleep as deep as he had hoped. For as she felt his presence return to his room, Kari sat up in Angela's bed, her gaze falling upon the floorboard underneath the door. The creaking of wood soon erupted beneath her as she stood and made her way toward the door, walking along as quietly as she could. And as she exited Angela's room, she finally brought her gaze upon the third door.

 

When the sun finally rose the next morning, Kari found it's warming embrace comforting as she rose and stretched, her neck and back sore from the way she slept. Focusing her eyes, she looked over to her right, finding she had slept besides the cage all night, her back still against the wall. With a smile, she rose fully, her presence quite cheerful that morning. With that, Kari made way toward the door.

[Jedi X]

Kari looks surprised, maybe even a bit unaware as she opens the door to find Lusef before her. Without thinking, she naturally opens herself to the Force, her mind subconsciously probing his own in an attempt to gain a sense of his thoughts as he catches her exit. A testament of her growing skill one might say, but none the less, it remained unintentional.

 

She finds nothing unusual, nor would she, had she knew who it was exactly that she had just tried to probe. None the less, as she tried to speak her reasoning for being there, Lusef spoke first, hindering it for a moment.

 

"Excellent." Kari replies, her aura reflecting of her nervousness as she spoke. "It shouldn't take me long to get reacquainted with the tonfas, but to be on the safe side, i'll adjust their lethality. Wouldn't wanna cut my arm off again."

 

Kari ends her words with an awkward chuckle before offering him the lead.

 

"After you, Master."

[Jedi X]

Kari watched closely as he described combat with her new weapon, taking in every aspect of his demonstration- each step, swing and block. Her skill with the blades from before would come with remembrance, like an old man riding a swoop bike after 20 years. But in order to get it back, she would need the practice.

 

"Got you." Kari spoke with a grin, spinning the forward hilts within the palm of her hands as she gained a feel for the tonfas. Within moments as her confidence rose, Kari nodded her head and the orb activated. "Let's see if memory serves me correct."

 

Opening herself up, Kari allowed her forceful aura to fill her limbs and tonfas, becoming one with her weapons as she drew ready for battle. She charged forward, the tonfas running parallel with her crossed arm. Blaster bolts flew, Kari quickly pivoting and colliding her left blade with the first as it ricocheted off to her ride side. Her grace and elegance seemed to have never left her side.

 

But as more followed in suit behind the first, Kari was quick to send her blade rotating within her palm, a glowing indigo fan propelling the flaming beams in opposite directions. And as moments passed, so did Kari's skill seem to improve as the orb continuously raised it's difficulty level after each attack. Soon the room filed with scorch marks and stray blaster bolts as Kari stood admist them, her blades rotating and holding strong their defensive manuevers.

 

'Let's end this." Kari said as she out stretched her hand and grasped tightly the orb using the skill Lusef had taught her. In the blink of an eye, the orb collasped as it struggled to break free from it's invisible prison, hittng the ship's floor with a soft clank. Looking down at the scorch mark upon the hilts, Kari frowned. "If it had been a lightsaber, they wouldn't have lasted."

 

"How do Jedi keep their lightsabers from melting to pieces after getting struck?" Kari questioned Lusef.

[Jedi X]

Kari chuckles at Lusef's remark, her gaze still fixated on her marked weapons, but finding her attention drawn away.

 

"I know about Phrik and Cortosis alloys. The Masters at Haruun Kal and Ossus often preached about it's defenses." Kari spoke, placing the tonfas back upon her hips. "But besides alloys, what else can a Jedi use to strengthen their hilt?" Kari looked briefly at her remaining credits, and then with a chuckle, finished. "There's no way one could use the Force to do so? After all, it's free."

[Jedi X]

Kari didn't like the idea of practicing a dark art one bit, and the slight paleness to her face shown it vibrantly. But as her gaze shifted away, she wondered if like everything, there could possibly be a lightside to it - a way to use it to do good.

 

"I wasn't referring to that." Kari speaks, her gaze still looking away from him. "I meant Force Imbued, similar to a Jedi Katana." She briefly grabs her Jedi Katana and angrily shakes it. "I don't know how to work this thing!"

 

Kari sighs, placing her blade back into her satchel.

 

"I suppose if it's possible for a lightsider to use alchemy, then i should take this chance to learn about it." She quirks up a bit. " Just be sure to kill me if i go all yellow eyed and my skin starts rotting." A laugh busts forth. "Not like you'll have a choice though."

 

((Okay. My posting should pick back up now. Sorry about that Robbie.))

[Jedi X]

"I see." Kari speaks, sheathing the blade and following her Master. It seemed the imprinting wouldn't be so far off from similar skills she possessed such as Force Sense and telekinesis, but on a molecular level. She would have to pour her energy into the hilt, therefore strengthening it with her own energy. It something she could try at least. "Even metal can be manipulated, then?"

 

Viewing ahead as they exited, even Kari found herself surprised to see the emptiness of space. Surely the Jedi Master at Haruun Kal could not have lied to Lusef. But then again, she never met the man, as she had remained aboard her ship when they returned there.

 

"It seems as much." Kari spoke, reaching forward and activating a local scan of the area. "Perhaps the station is cloaked?" It was a possibility, at least within Kari's mind. As Lusef questioned her on Darex's character though, Kari was puzzled. "I only felt his presence during our time there. If he had ulterior motives, he was successful in shielding them from me."

[Jedi X]

"Welcome to the Night Owl." Kari humbly boasted as she tossed her Trench coat aside, revealing the tube top that laid beneath and the tattoos that adorned her upper form, most notably the mural sleeves of Ashla and Bogan that covered each arm as well as the twin Tonfas strapped across the small of her back. "You're welcome to take up quarters wherever you like."

 

When she reached Ghost, Kari gathered up a few splices and tools she would need as she worked away into the droid's AI and mainframe, backtracking the message and locating any other alterations made to its wiring. She wasnt so much ticked off that Ventra managed to pull it off, but that Ghost had allowed the vile sister to do such a thing. They may have been triplets, Ventra, Kari, and Angela, but surely the droid could tell age differences.

 

"Sit down and enjoy the tale I weave for you while I work away at the blasted droid's memory banks." She said mostly in jest as she motioned for him to take a seat, her eyes never moving from the wires. "Where to begin? May as well start from the beginning I guess..."

 

"It began roughly fifty or sixty years ago, maybe longer as I'm not quite sure how long ago I was originally conceived. Our mother was a slave to a small time Sith Lord that had taken up governing the world of Shili under the Imperial Ruling Body at the time.... Kari stopped for a moment of thought, the look upon her face one of deep puzzlement and conjecture before continuing with acceptance. "I suppose most of our kind were slaves to the vile creature, but our mother happened to be one of his favorites. And Darth Osmus, or at least I think that was his name, made her life a living hell as you could imagine, often summoning her to his chambers simply out of spite. Or so i was told."

 

Despite Kari's solid composure and demeanor, her gaze stayed fixated on Ghost's mainframe to hide the watering of her eyes as she spoke of her past in such a casual way. But after the incident with Faust and Ventra, she vowed to never have her past hidden ever again. Wiping a singular tear from her face, Kari kept explaining it as she continued her work.

 

"It wasnt long before Mother found out she was pregnant with the three of us, even on backwater world like Shili. And fast forward about a year, and we existed. Though, not by her choosing or her want. Yet, by then, she was stuck with us and our 'father' was dust and bones. And as you can imagine, due to our means of conceivement, we really didnt have much of a childhood, let alone a happy one. We were products of rape, and as such, treated like unwanted pests, especially when Mother drank. And did she ever drink. Think I got that habit from her, as did Angela. Tori... Ventra, never really did care for the taste."

 

"We spent most of our childhood locked away in cages at night, sometimes at night too. But what little free time we did manage to get, we spent hunting and stealing just so we didnt starve to death, especially Angela. Unlike Tori and I, she lacked the gift that gave us our freedom from Mother. And when Shili was liberated, a Jedi managed to find us and take us with him to Coruscant. Angela, on the other hand, was stuck under Mother's thumb for the rest of Mother's life, which didnt help when Tori cloned me."

 

Kari stopped for a moment, her form as still as her breathing, a subject she had to reveal to anyone outside those who already knew. She sighed, setting aside her tools and turned to face Ban as she slide against a bulkhead. "I died in my original life during my Padawanship. I was around sixteen or seventeen and me and my Master, a Knight barely the age of twenty, fell in love. We knew it was forbidden at the time, not as relaxed as the Order is now, but it couldn't be helped. And when we became liabilities for one another, he had us reassigned. He died a few months later in combat, and I did shortly after at the hands of a lustful Master."

 

Ban could see the hurt in Kari's eyes as unnoticed tears streamed down her cheeks. She was intensely beautiful, even for a Togruta of nearly thirty, so a lustful Master wasn't much of a long stretch. But being a product of rape and dying during a similar encounter could put anyone through the ringer, especially someone of only seventeen. "So Tori left the order and became Darth Ventra after she murdered My Master for what he had done to me, and eventually cloned me a few years later. After that, I was given to my sister Angela to be raised, only unknown to Tori, Angela was more like our Mother than we bargained for. And because of that, it seems, my second chance at life wasnt any easier than the first."

 

Kari leaned forward and gathered her tools, returning to work. "Tori cloned me using black market parts and Sith Alchemy, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that when one of Angela's rage filled attacks caused both my lifetimes to converge and skills that were forgotten became dangerous weapons in my untrained hands, and I ended up taking the life of our youngest sister. In an attempt to correct her mistake, Tori wiped my memory and I was left at the Jedi Temple at Ossus."

 

"Fast forward a few years, and I was finally taken as a Padawan under a one Lusef Aryan, also known as Vladimir Faust. At the time, that moniker was unknown, so he was able to slip in as Jedi Master and play his little games. I held no knowledge of either, and he held no knowledge of my past or of Ventra." Kari spoke as she cleansed what remained of the commands Ventra had placed in Ghost and shut closed his paneling. "After nearly destroying the Temple at Gala, I wandered the Galaxy until I found Tython, my mind broken by my past life and my current one. Thankfully the spirits of Tython were capable in helping me to fix the damage that was done, and I now stand before you whole and complete. I just hope it remains this way as we investigate Ventra's final message."

 

Stretching her arms upward as she stood, her back and arms popping with her movement, Kari looked back to Ban. "I know it's a bit confusing, so if you have any questions, you have only to ask. I made myself a promise long ago to never hide my past, even from strangers. This way, I'll never forget again."

[Jedi X]

Kari chuckled at the forefront of of her pain, not realizing how the recount of her tale could throw someone off so well. To her, it was her life, known and lived. She never considered someone having any better than her own. After all, with the Sith, the Black Sun, slavery, murder, terrorism, war, and hatred having ran rampant throughout the Galaxy, tales such as hers seem to come dime a dozen. Some far less, but just grueling as the next. To know someone had lived a better life than her despite the odds stacked against them gave her a sense of enjoyment. It meant that there were still a semblance of balance left untouched.

 

"You have nothing to apologize for." Kari spoke with a heartily smile as she activated Ghost who sprung back to life. Looking down upon her arms, gazing upon the Ashla and Bogan mural tattoos that adorned her arms, she again chuckled. "I suppose I do carry my life upon my sleeves more than most, but it is the life that made me. We would all do well to know each other's lives as such. Then perhaps we could truly understand one another better."

 

Kari motioned Ban to follow her, originally intending to lead him to the beds he requested, but instead detoured into the a small kitchenette like area where she placed a pot of water on to boil and gathered some small herbs from a shelf to grind and add to the water when it began to percolate. Once it had, she added the leaves to it and gathered a couple of tin mugs as it sat there simmering. "Forgive me if my tale made you uncomfortable, but aside from preventing my never forgetting again, there was another reason I wished you to know it." Kari stirred the brew and poured it into the tin cups, handing one over to Ban as she blew upon her own to cool it before she took the first sip. "Where we are headed upon Shili is the crypt of my family. But it's also a small nexus within the Force. There's a chance you may see part of it just as Lucef did all those years ago."

 

Kari carefully took a small sip of the bitter tea, feeling its calming effects flow over her as the warm water washed down her esophagus and hit the pit of her stomach, warming her chilled body up slightly. She never understood why, but hyperspace held an unnatural chill to it whenever she found herself traveling it. "But even if not, given the unknowing we're walking into thanks to my sister Tori, I felt it was best if you knew everything. Tori was a Master of Illusion and Deception, a Seductress among Seductors. She held a natural affinity to turn any situation into a benefit for her. So we need to be careful once we arrive.

 

Once she was halfway through her cup, Kari pointed behind Ban. "Those are your quarters there, just down that hallway. Mine are just opposite. We've still got a few hours ahead of us until we reach Shili, so resting would be a good option if you need to. I, myself, plan on at least having one more cup before I turn in."

[Jedi X]

"Could use a bit of sugar.. Kari jested with a laugh as she propped her own self against a nearby counter, taking a sip as both hands grasped the warm cup. "But in truth, most prefer it's natural taste with a dash of milk to overcome the bitterness. Unfortunately, I havent had very much time to restock my supplies." 

 

Kari's mind wandered back to Coruscant and the Mandalorian invasion, then the attack at Dark Sun station after, which she purposely avoided. She knew how the outcome would be, the ties between the Black Sun and Sith Empire laid thickly upon the loose tongues of the underworld. She sighed as she stood there staring out the viewport of the hall that led to the room she had placed Ban in. Her time to cross paths with the Sith was coming closer, but it still had a bit of time before it arrived. Some could describe it as a feeling similar to when one knows the time of their own death, but for Kari, it was more a sense of divination.

 

"I suppose one could say that I was never a Jedi myself." Kari spoke, her gaze falling back upon Ban as he apologized for not faring her news well. "I was never one to follow the rules even in my former life, quick to temper and slow to rationalize my actions. It wasnt until my mind was nearly torn apart before I grew as a person, and even then, it still took nearly a decade to completely overcome it." Tossing the last bit of tea into her mouth as she threw her head back, Kari refilled both her and Ban's cups before setting the pot aside off the burner, the tea now having reached it's full saturation. "What doesn't kill me and all that.

 

Kari took a few more sips, goosebumps rising across her form as she shivered from the full strength bitterness that the tea had brewed to become. It was an uncomfortable taste to be sure, but its calming and relaxing benefits were well worth it as the aura around her grew completely mellowed and the tension she held completely withdrew. It nearly mimicked the effects of alcohol, but at a lesser degree and didn't affect one's motor capacity or reaction time. 

 

"I cant exactly say that I understand your role in all this myself." Kari finally spoke, her gaze staring down the cup in thought. "But given our unusual meeting and the timing of Tori's message, I felt it best to invite you along and offer the compensation for such a job. In truth however, I feel better knowing that someone is here to have my back, even if only for the credits."

 

After a few minutes of silence, Kari finished her second cup and looked toward Ban. "We should be arriving in just a few hours, so I suggest we get some rest. It'll likely be day break when we arrive and we don't want to be lagging." Kari chuckled, excusing herself toward her quarters. As she laid down in her bed, she took out Ventra's mask, her eyes tearing up both in sadness and in anger. She had moved on for the most part, but Tori was her sister, and knowing that only returned the pain. How her beloved sister could fall so far was still a mystery even to her. Grasping the mask tightly against her chest, Kari drifted off to sleep.

[Jedi X]

The intricrate web of a woven dream was as mysterious as the concept of life, its knowledge sought by all, but understood by none, at least in a true sense. For Kari, it was but a distant memory, one of the few in a handful that she had managed to make, but for the outside world, it was anything but. As she laid there asleep within her bunk, a darkness began to stir about her like a misty fog, unclear and impenetrable. It rolled about her form like a bank, seeping from its origination in a trove of black cloud. Her form sat up, her hands removing the boots she generally wore to separate herself from the life she used to live, and when she stood, the flesh of bare feet stood against the cold flooring.

 

Kari looked out across the horizon toward the setting sun, her feet dug into the sand and wiggling her toes as her gaze shifted toward Tori with a smile. The two were around fourteen or fifteen years of age and Tori smiled back toward Kari before the two shifted toward their Masters swimming just off shore. It was a time of peace and tranquility for the two, their life upon Shili but a distant memory save for their promise to return and free Angela from their mother's wicked grasp once they had finished their training and became full fledged Knights.

 

But by now, Tori had begun to see the feelings in Kari's eyes change, her sight lost upon the older Knight that had taken her as his Padawan. Tori reached over with her exposed foot and caught Kari's calf, a serious look in her eyes as Kari turned in disbelief. "You know as well as I that it will never be Kari." Tori spoke with general concern for her beloved sister. "The Order barely approves of those who have no connection, let alone Master and Padawan." Kari's gaze turned toward the view of their Masters, a look of sadness rushing to her face as the wind blew against it. "I know Tori. I just can't help myself. He's kind, caring, sweet. He even rushed over to me last week when I fell from that blasted tree." Kari spoke, her hand running across the nearly healed broken ribs that laid beneath the field dressing around her waist. "Its not like he'll ever return it. He's nineteen and I'm his Padawan. And even if I wasn't, and stood as an equal, I doubt I will ever be more than a younger sister." Kari sighed, her hand secretly grasping a handful of sand out of Tori's view. "Its probably for the best." With that said Kari threw the handful across Tori's form, squealed, and sprinted off even in pain.

 

The two dashed across the sands in playful manner that continued even into the night, through training and past dinner of which consisted of a local delicacy, and almost until bed time when the two laid out from exhaustion with pillows still hand. The two Masters outside chuckled, knowing the sisters had finally given up, causing both to smile as the final remnants of consciousness slipped away. But outside this delicate dream, Kari's form roamed the halls of her ship in a darkened daze. Her lifeless eyes hid behind the Mask of Ventras as the cloak of dark mist covered her form, seeping downward and into the air as it landed and swept outward upon the durasteel floors. From beneath the mask came an unsettling moan from beyond the veil, Ghost carefully following his Master with delicate and weary protection.

 

Kari's eyes shot open when the klaxons blared upon their arrival, the Togruta Je'daii nearly leaping her feet as she gazed out the viewport of the cockpit toward Shili. Grabbing the controls, Kari quickly and out of instinct began running the numbers for reentry as the shields came up to protect against the searing heat, the mixture of blue and orange not your usual sight to awaken to. It wasnt until they had landed that Kari realized she was far from her bed and held no recollection of how she managed to get to the cockpit. 

 

"We're here Ban." Kari spoke after knocking on the door of his quarters, her gear strapped across her shoulder and hip. A few moments later she disembarked and as her feet touched the dirt of Shili, Kari realized that she was barefooted. Keeping this to herself, she wiggled her toes in the risen sand, felt its welcoming warmth as she turned to gaze toward Ban. "If you haven't been here before, let me be the first to welcome you to Shili."