Naboo

[Jzora Scorpio]

The pair walked the streets in silence for some time, Jzora scanning the people they passed, looking for something in particular, Corvus apparently taking nicely to the pheromones. The prospects here were far slimmer than Jzora expected, she had heard that Naboo was one of the pilot planets for the imperial cleansing projects, but she wasn't aware of the extent that the planet's populace had been... replaced. Nearly three quarters of the population appeared to be biological constructs. It had a sense of order and purpose that appealed to Jzora, a display that complete control could create a safe place. That said, it made it nearly impossible to find what Jzora was looking for.

 

So they continued in silence for some time, before Jzora finally found what she was looking for. She was a pretty little thing, the daughter of the security chief. Doe eyes and an carefree smile defined her face, while her outfit could best be described as virginal with its whites and creams. Jzora hated her immediately, for the girl was everything that she had lost or been denied in life. Jzora approached her with an easy, casual gait, verbally greeting her and putting an arm around her shoulder to hide the dosing of drugs Jzora injected into her. As the girl tried to remember who this warm stranger that greeted her so fondly was, her grip on awareness slipped in a warm tumble into dream land. Using the Force, Jzora copiloted her body into a a quiet alcove in one of the nearby alleyways, bading Corvus to follow. When the young man joined her, she spoke to him of his choice.

 

"The new security chief for your area, appointed by the rebel government, is building a case against you and your cohorts. Should you choose not to act, and continue your life the way you are, you will be arrested and spend years in a penal facility for chasing your true nature. Pledge yourself to my teachings and murder this girl as a message to the chief, and not only will the legal pressure dissappear, but you'll be one step closer to who you really are. So the choice is yours, will you rot for a system of supposed justice, or will you embrace the only truth of the galaxy, shed your morality, and take your place among the powerful?"

 

Jzora produced a knife from her robes and offered it to Corvus...

[Corvus]

Corvus took the knife with a raised eyebrow, his fingers closing naturally around its knurled grip as his eyes slid to the unconscious woman. A jolt from somewhere deep inside his sleeping forebrain made him jerk as if slapped.

 

"Now, hang on..."

 

Corvus' voice was weak for a moment, as his will struggled exerted itself over his pheromone-induced complacency, but if there was any strength within Corvus' pampered body, it was in his survival instinct. At the moment, it was the only by the grace of his latent paranoia that he detected the false dichotomy before him. Corvus took a step back, and glanced up and down the alley.

 

"I'm not surprised to hear my... associates have drawn the attention of the authorities, though I was under the impression that my father had bought them over some time ago."

 

Corvus looked again at the girl and the knife.

 

"But this... This isn't the way. We kill her, it cements the chief's case and his resolve against us. We show that we can hurt him through his vulnerable family, and maybe we can encourage him to play by whatever agreement my father made with him in my stead."

 

He looked at Jzora critically. Phrases like 'pledge yourself to my teachings' and 'shed your morality' were harder to swallow now that the pheromone illusion was broken.

 

"If I kill her, I lose that bargaining chip and sign my death warrant... Just who the frak are you, really? And what's this truth you're peddling?"

 

Corvus surreptitiously maneuvered the knife into a defensive grip at his side as a stab of adrenaline sharpened his senses. The tingling in his palms told him the next few moments could determine the course of the rest of his life (however short it may turn out to be).

[Arclight]

"Well the question is does anybody really understand themselves Tiana?" said Fuh as he let her speak. Fuh's eyes continued to scan the horizon grazing over each and every surface as he went. However, as he focused closer and harder upon each object he could "see" it a little better. Tentatively Fuh closed his eyes and tried looking again... Giving him much the same feeling he had before as he wriggled on the ground.

 

Hmmm... The life seems apparent within each and everything here, the living force breathing within every pore of the planet itself. thought Arclight peacefully to himself as he listened to Tiana with an idol ear. Her self deprecation was calming as it seemed obvious she was back to her own dialogue; unaided by either hands...

 

As he heard the sound of gravel moving though, Fuh moved his head toward the noise; rustling his brown hair slightly within the transit. It seemed that Tiana had moved the gravel into a rather odd shape on the ground, but just as soon as it had formed, it fell to the ground.

 

Fuh looked slightly confused, retreating his blue eyes to Tiana's dark ones, but Tiana, as if she could read his mind, told him to put it back in that same shape. He could only guess that she wanted him to put it back in the same way she had.

 

The odd image stuck within his eyes for a little and preyed upon his consciousness slightly as he looked toward the gravel time and time again. At first reaction however Fuh seemed to reject, bringing his strong muscled arm up as if to cast the request aside, but he remembered that she was his teacher.

 

His eyes rested upon the rocks on the ground. His blue orbs plowing into the small gravel pieces trying to tell them through his thoughts the shape he wanted them to take, but it didn't seem to work. Fuh paused for a moment as he looked around. Then, as he had done before, he sat in no real determined position upon the cool grass and earth of Naboo, feeling the lush environment beneath him.

 

Then, as the afternoon breeze blew, its majestic tendrils wafting Fuh's Hair about, Fuh closed his eyes gently. He felt the breeze filter through his body; he heard the sounds of nature around him as it all left.

 

Fuh had cleared his mind before, but it had been a while and became increasingly difficult to remove some of his memories from his conscious thinking pattern.

 

However, after a few minutes of sweating and trying upon the ground floor, Fuh's mind was completely cleared except for the image of the shape he had wanted the gravel to be, and the gravel itself as it set upon the white ground of Fuh's mind.

 

Then, as if with proverbial fingers, Fuh tried to pick the rocks up with his mind as Tiana had, but as the vision came to life it seemed too far from his reach. He could not grasp what he saw within his mind and therefore failed. So, determined to succeed at least once, Fuh kept his seat and kept staring absently upon the gravel with closed eyes.

 

What level of comprehension was required for this feat? Fuh thought to himself. Maybe...

 

Fuh's mind drifted to his visions within the solace of only his own consciousness and what power had driven them. The force seemed a stealthy, but valued benefactor within his exploits, so maybe the same principles would apply here.

 

As if it were some kind of mongrel dog, Fuh subconsciously prayed to his mind to obey him, but it did not recede its stubborn prevention of his attempts at mimicking Tiana. It seemed his mind could not be won and hope was inevitably lost, but words rang true within his mind that sang to him his tried and true proverb that had kept him going for years. "Keep faith and pride in yourself and help others do the same, for if freedom can't be won then we are all surely prisoners of ourselves". A saying passed to him by his mother when he was little and something he would never forget; words that meant much to him but only reminded him of his pain. He hadn't a thought as to where his family was and had lost them through the grasp of time and nature themselves.

 

Arclight started to sob slightly to himself and as tears rolled from his face the emotional veracity within him seemed to excite an energy he had only played upon before. Fuh moved toward it slightly within his mind and tried to bring more in; to bring more of the light into the dark caverns of his mind. The force of his pull broke off too much though as Fuh's mind filled with the energy rapidly and chaotically. The streams of light only making it harder to concentrate and instead sending him into dire straits trying to fix the mess he caused. His head pounded and focus dwindled. It took five more minutes though before he could wrangle the energy down to a suitable magnitude and even then his head was sweating profusely.

 

Seeing within his mind's eye, the bountiful energy he had just obtained, he touched it with his mental hands, unaware of the beauties that crossed or would cross his mind. At the moment where his fingers met the plasma like substance, Fuh could see the planet and its people; he could see their lives and fears, their jaunts and cheers; he could feel their presence and enjoyed the visions the power had given him for now.

 

He was getting off task however and had yet to do what Tiana asked, so as quick as he could, taking time to let more energy in, he tried to imitate the pattern once more. Fuh focused as carefully as possible upon the gravel and manipulated his energy so as to move them with small force fingers; to nudge them with bright fingers that filled Fuh's every nerve and node”¦

 

By now, Fuh still had his eyes closed, but once he opened them he found the rocks were arranged in the pattern that Tiana had described. He was covered in sweat and panting heavily”¦

[Corvus]

Corvus stared at his impassive companion, willing her to say something. Anything! Her silence unnerved him most of all, as if her last edict was some command that simply had to be obeyed. It was as if his actions were already woven into the tapestry of fate, and he was left no choice in the matter.

 

Frak that!

 

Corvus' grip loosened on the knife, as he started to let it fall.

 

Don't just drop it where she can reach it.

 

He suspected she had other weapons, or still more insidious means of defending herself and obliterating him, but he didn't wish to present her options. He ran, tossing the knife into a public wastebin as he passed it. With his now hands empty and loose, he sprinted, long loping strides shaking his athletic frame as he made for home. He shouldered through the crowds, and half vaulted, half scrambled through an open air market. He hadn't even looked to see if she deigned to pursued him. Clear of the more populated area, he sprinted the rest of the way home, slowing only twice to vomit.

 

---

 

Manservant Argyle was attending to Lord Korden in his study when he received the page; a simple text-only message, poorly composed, but direct from Corvus' onboard wetware.

 

argyle situation frakked have ship ready bring weapons

 

Argyle had suspected this situation would arise sooner or later from Corvus' recent misadventures, and quickly excused himself to load the contingency provisions he'd had the foresight to prepare. By the time Corvus made the estate's front gate, the ship was 3/4 fueled, and fully loaded, with his blade and pistol in their respective cases at Argyle's side. Corvus seized the man for stability as his body attempted to vomit a third time, resulting in a dry series of furious muscle contractions, and staggered inside wordlessly. Manservant Argyle peered out the door owlishly before closing it after him.

[Corvus]

Corvus stumbled up the ramp of The Aristokratia, delirious with fatigue and the after-effects of adrenaline. He paused as he waved to Argyle, and became distantly aware that he might never see the man again. He mumbled something appreciative and composed himself enough to shake his hand. It was a meaningless gesture, really, but Argyle's characteristically placid features split in an avuncular grin.

 

Good.

 

A small kindness. A token payment on his massive Karmic debt. He chuckled as he entered the cabin, and no sooner had the ship hit lower atmosphere than was he fast asleep.

[Sanj-Misavj]

A small vessle lands on Naboo. A young Jedi padawan climbs out. He walks around, looking around. He has his hand by his blaster. He stops and looks up. He bigins to grow impacient. " Where is he?" Sanj says. He walks around the area, staying close to where he should. He begins to swing an imiginary lightsaber. He sits down bored and begins to rest.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Guest

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Receiving orders directly from the fleet, Captain Slaughter's unit of Talons was rotated out of Naboo to rendezvous for a deployment with the fleet.

[Sanj-Misavj]

Sanj wakes up, rubs his head he gets up and starts to pace. Walks in the woods and sits back down to read.

Edited April 21, 2009 by Guest

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

The Cabur exited hyperspace as it entered the system of Naboo. The ship itself held no markings that tied it to the Jedi Order, but instead bore the identification of the Ordo clan of the Mando'ade.

 

For those outside of the Jedi Order, there would be no clue to the fact that the ship bore two Jedi and their Padawans.

 

As the ship entered orbit, there was a coded transmission on channels that were reserved for communications between the Republic and the Jedi Order advising the Republic Officer in charge of their arrival and docking request.

 

In the ship itself Xae-Lin took in the view of the planet below, sensing the shadows and scars that marred the planet's Force presence. Her mind involuntarily flashed back to a vision of a much darker Hartel than she knew now. Blood thirsty, and savage, and she could feel her own stomach roll with a waive of nausea as she knew that the vision had really happened. Long ago, but still the vividness of the vision stunned her.

 

This was the place where her love had had his darkest hour. Their mission was as much for banishing the personal demons of her betrothed as it was to help the Republic shore up a presence here.

 

"Dredik, Rep," she said, turning to address both of her Padawans. "Occasionally there are times that we as Jedi must blend in and be discreet. This is definitely going to be one of those times."

[Reptilia]

Reptilia looked around at his surroundings, Naboo was a beautiful planet and hoped there would some time to explore it. He turned to Xae as she spoke, he nodded in excitement as stealth and blending in has always been one of his specialty but he did have a question.

 

"If were here to help the Republic then why do we need to be discreet?"

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

The petite woman fully turned to face the six foot plus Kel Dor, considering his question for a moment. Once more there was a momentary flash of John, standing over a body, with blood covering his usual cyan armor, leaving it an unnatural tint of purple; she quickly dismissed it.

 

Rep's question was a valid one, so she flipped on the ships intercomm system to broadcast her answer for the benefit of those in the other areas of the ship.

 

"This planet is new to the Republic, and was known to have had Sith activity as well. They may still be here. Our goal is peacekeeping, not to ignite a conflict. Walking the streets at this time, openly as Jedi, I sense is not the best course of action at this time. That is not to say that we will remain hiding, our caution will remain until we are able to gauge the climate that awaits us."

 

She flipped off the comm and addressed Rep directly once again.

 

"I can understand how hiding for now might grate against your nature, believe me. I'm marrying one of the Mando'ade, as well as it does also go against my own nature to a degree. Through the Force, we learn to put off our own natures and embrace its guidance as trusting the flow and feel most often leads to the most favorable result."

 

Once more she flipped on the intercom.

 

"Rep, Dredik, try listening to the Force about the planet below, open your mind and your feelings. What does it say to you?"

[Joreel Ordo]

John walked out of the ship, seeing that Xae wasted no time getting everyone hidden in non-Jedi attire. Looking at his heavy armor, the Mandalorian knew he would not be confused at first glance as a Jedi Knight. He did not even have to hide his lightsabers, and the fact he had multiples would give him the guise of a Jedi or Sith Slayer. John had his helmet under his arm and he swept his hair behind his ear. Stepping down he decided to sit down on the grassy knoll they landed upon and meditate to get a flow through the force itself here on this tainted and vile planet.

 

The planet itself showed him a great many things, things he could not have seen as a Sith when he was here last. Everything from the Gungans living openly over the southern hemisphere of the planet when the Nubians were a new race, and Theed was just beginning to be built. He saw disaster in the past as politics turned this place from peaceful to confrontational. Eventually, the peace ran out, and war was brought here. But in the midst of war, Love flourished. The heightened emotions and the constant saving of one another brough soulmates together, just as Xae and John were now. Then, a darkness shrouded over this place, and has only now begun to fade. The planet, showed one sign of light, this grassy knoll.

 

"Xae, there is no need for us to hide who we are," said John without opening his eyes from his trance, "This world belongs to the Republic, and as such we should be expected to arrive in this dark and unforgiving place. Besides, anyone who would be a threat to us already knows we are here. We did not mask our force signatures. The Light Side is very strong with us and the planet and thus anyone force sensitive on it can feel our presence. Any chance of Jedi secrecy is lost."

 

John opened his eyes and walked over to Xae puting his arm around her shoulder. Smiling as he looked to the blue-grey skies which lined the horizon. John could feel one neutral presence on this planet. It was near the Gungan settlements just south of their landing area. He looked to Xae and smiled and held her mind with his.

 

"There is a force entity to the south of here in the woods, I believe he is a hopeful who sent me a message a few days prior to our leaving on Naboo. I am on my way to pick him up to join our party. I will be back momentarily."

 

With that the Jedi took off at great speeds, far better than he had remembered he could. His prowess in the force has been growing over time, and his time in the force made him more aware of the living force than ever before. He felt as if he was barely using any energy as he soared across the landscape. Eventually he stopped in front of a male who was reading a book.

 

"I assume it was you who contacted me earlier?"

[Sanj-Misavj]

He looked up and saw a tall man up in front of him. He was obviosly the Jedi who was supposed to become his master. He was a Mandalorian and in heavy armor. He stood up quickly and said "Uhm yes, I was told to come to Naboo and meet my master, he looked at the Jedi guardian infront of him "I suppose that it's you." He took a small step back and waited for a responce.

[Sasori]

[Joreel Ordo]

Hartel looked at the pale blue man and made a slight smile as he looked upon him and reflected. The man was alien to this planet, even with its diversity as it is. Solitary and alone, John was familiar with the situation, as he found himself within its grasps until he met his Xae-Lin. Hopefully, with John as a master, and the force as the hopeful's ally, that solitude will go away.

 

"That I am. Jedi Knight John Hartel, Lord of the Mandalorian World of Ordo. And you are?"

[Sanj-Misavj]

Hartel looked at the pale blue man and made a slight smile as he looked upon him and reflected. The man was alien to this planet, even with its diversity as it is. Solitary and alone, John was familiar with the situation, as he found himself within its grasps until he met his Xae-Lin. Hopefully, with John as a master, and the force as the hopeful's ally, that solitude will go away.

 

"That I am. Jedi Knight John Hartel, Lord of the Mandalorian World of Ordo. And you are?"

 

"Sanj-Misavj, call me Sanj. Nobody from the planet Alderaan." He noticed how the man in front of him was staring at his blue skin; "Freshly waxed," he said and laughed to himself. "If you think my skin is neat, you aint seen nothing yet," then he sent a memory of happyness to his new master and took a step back smiling.

 

OOC: It is NOT a force power, a natural ability of my species is to transmit memories to others.

[Joreel Ordo]

The memory of a young child frolicing through the warming meadows of Alderaan filled the Jedi Knights head for a brief moment. The use of messages in the force even this innate ability of his people, showed great potential as a pupil of the Light Side. Hartel looked to the blue tinted being and allowed a smirk as he used a little power of his own.

 

"I can send my words across the galaxy to you, Sanj, using only the force itself, this is a power you will learn to use under my instruction."

 

The force message was sent to Sanj with ease and the Jedi Knight looked to Sanj and decided to speak again.

 

"Grab your stuff and get ready to go, my comrades have already assembled for a mission we came to this planet for, I believe this will be a good time for you to get some real training."

 

Hartel walked toward where he had come from, and began his journey back to the landing site, hoping Sanj was in tow.

[Sanj-Misavj]

The memory of a young child frolicing through the warming meadows of Alderaan filled the Jedi Knights head for a brief moment. The use of messages in the force even this innate ability of his people, showed great potential as a pupil of the Light Side. Hartel looked to the blue tinted being and allowed a smirk as he used a little power of his own.

 

"I can send my words across the galaxy to you, Sanj, using only the force itself, this is a power you will learn to use under my instruction."

 

The force message was sent to Sanj with ease and the Jedi Knight looked to Sanj and decided to speak again.

 

"Grab your stuff and get ready to go, my comrades have already assembled for a mission we came to this planet for, I believe this will be a good time for you to get some real training."

 

Hartel walked toward where he had come from, and began his journey back to the landing site, hoping Sanj was in tow.

 

He walked close behind him he was quite puzzled by how John was able to do that. He had thought Jedi as people with lightsabers fighting sith and storm troopers only using the force to push and pull things. He was glad he'd learn this trick.

[Joreel Ordo]

((You don't need to quote everything I say Sanj.))

 

The two moved toawrd the Grassy Knoll where the ship laid, but at the speed John moved to Sanj, it may take them an hour or so to get there. Thinking on this, John did not want to waste time, and figured training Sanj to ask the force for an increase in speed. Something that helped him get there nearly instantaneously. Coming to a stop amid the trees, Hartel breathed in deep.

 

"The forest is alive with the Force Sanj. It is a breeding ground of new life and thus the Force here is able to be gathered in easily by us Force Sensitives. Close your eyes, and embrace it, breathe deep and feel the force flow through you."

 

((I want a long post here Sanj, it is your first time embracing the force so it needs to be very detailed.))

[Sanj-Misavj]

He did as he was told, he closed his eyes and felt the force flow through him like a current. He felt a million times faster and stronger. He tried to keep it steady for as long as he could. He felt all of his sences hightened before him. He tried to open his eyes but, when he did the force began to break and become choppy. He was begining to lose the constant flow of everything. He tried once again and the consistency lasted longer than before but broke off soon after he opened his eyes. He tried once more and the rush of the force stayed with him after he opened his eyes and he soon didn't even need to concentrate to keep it steady.

 

He looked around the forrest and was sure that everything was a bit more colorful and bright than before. The grass was much greener and the sky, much bluer. He felt as if, for the first time ever he could think clearly. He could hear much clearer aswell he could hear the little footsteps of all the small creatures. He felt the force in the forrest now, like his master said and hoped if he left the planet his sences would stay as keen as it is now.

 

He then looked at his master and said "I think I've got the hang of this" he could manuver much faster than before and was sure he'd be able to keep up with his master. He felt pleased with himself and thought, One step closer to becoming a jedi.

 

((Long enough?))

[Joreel Ordo]

((Meh. I'll accept it, but I expect more in the future.))

 

Hartel could feel his apprentices power grow with each second, the stagnant poweer of the Force he held before had now quadrupled in a few seconds. He had never before seen anyone accept the Force so easily, though, this one had been using it unknowingly for sometime. The Jedi Knight was still surprised though as he watched the force come to the young man before him. Sanj was a natural. This much was certain.

 

"This seems almost too easy for you Sanj. Now that the force is there, ask for it to aid you, call for it to go to your legs and aid you to run faster than anything in the galaxy. Visualise your destination, and then...." John said trailing off, "go."

 

With that John took off hoping his Padawan would be in tow.

[Sanj-Misavj]

((Sorry, couldn't think of very much had a little writers block))

 

He listened to the words of his master then followed him as he took off. It took a lot of concentration to follow his instructions because he knew not of where he was going, he had to look a head as far as he could see and use that as his destination. He felt the wind on his face as he sped by and felt the force guide him through the planet he had never stepped foot on until today. He felt as if he didn't know where he was going but knew exactly where to go. He felt carefree and liberated. His master then came to a halt and he stopped right behind him, waiting for further instructions.

[Joreel Ordo]

John arrived at the landing area where he saw Xae and her two padawans. When he arrived he was about to say he was ready to go and they could begin their mission, yet, he recieved an emergency comm from the Jedi Council. He looked to Xae, with a sad look on his face that their plans had to be interrupted on the planet.

 

"We are needed on Gala. The Jedi Council has deemed this a Top Priority, all missions are cancelled as of this moment. Let's get on the ship and move out. We are to meet up with some others on Sullust."

 

With that John turned to Sanj.

 

"This is a good thing Sanj, in battle we are tested against the power of the Dark Side. If this turns into war, you will get to see and use the force in ways you have never before."

 

With that the Jedi stepped aboard the Cabur awaiting Xae to take it to Gala.

[Sanj-Misavj]

He was very excited about being able to fight the sith. Sanj was also very concerned about how he'd be able to fight. "Master," he said. "How will I be able to fight? "I'm pretty much defenseless," he said as he sat down and waited for a responce.

[Joreel Ordo]

"You are far from defenseless Sanj. You have the force as your ally now. But, in terms of conventional weaponry, I have a few things you can use." With that the Jedi Knight handed Sanj a Blaster and a Lightsaber, reducing himself now to two lightsabers on hand. The Jedi Knight wanted Sanj to be able to construct his own lightsaber before learning how to use one, but desperate times cause changes, and saddened by this prospect he looked on the bright side.

 

"I will teach you how to use the lightsaber on Sullust, so you don't cut your own arm off. But I am sure you know how to use a blaster in any case."

 

With that the Jedi turned around but decided to send force messages to Sanj in the silence. To teach him silently to use and control the Force.

 

"The Force is a power thing Sanj, use it wisely, carefully, or you will fall to the seduction of the Dark Side. I know what you are thinking, the Dark Side is so evil, how can one possibly fall. There are many ways people fall, without being evil at all, they do it for love, for lore, to protect innocents. In order to do some of those things they see power as the only option, and thus the Dark Side corrupts again. You must not fall down this path Sanj. Celebrate life, celebrate the living Force by serving the Light Side as I do now.

 

"Now, calm your body, and feel the Force around you, focus on myself, the other Padawans, Xae, and even yourself. Feel how the Force connects us all. You have done this before when you sent me a happy memory, however this time, do not let so much of yourself flow, control it, strain it, so only communication, your voice, fills our heads. Start with me, and I shall tell you if I have recieved your note."

[Sanj-Misavj]

He focused his energy on his master and tried to let it come out of him in little small ammounts. He tried to control it and carefully sent it to his master. He concentrated on not sending picture, otherwise he wouldn't be using the force he'd be using natural ability. He then sent him a message saying, Is this right? and then stepped back awaiting conformation.

[Joreel Ordo]

((I have permission to GM Xae and her Padawans [Dredik and Reptilia] till we reach a destination))

 

A small noise came through, but nonetheless, Sanj had control of it so far. Hartel believed he could use some work until it was perfected, thus Hartel asked him to do something difficult to build up his strength with the force.

 

"Now, tell me who you are, where you are from, and how you chose to be a Jedi Sanj. All over the Force."

 

John saw Xae seated, and her padawans. With that he took control of the ship and lifted off toward space.

 

((Continue in the space thread.))

[Cal Regium]

Fluids pumped our of the GH-7 Medical droid, through long clear tubes, and into Cal's weak arms scared by daily injections. The light from the large window streched, elongated, to the edge of Cal's chair leaving the senator hidden in a shadowy darkness. His eyes remained closed, ignoring the pain from the needles and burning fluid. He could feel the cold, aching sensation of the liquid rushing up his arm, through his heart, and warming as it spread through the rest of his body. Since before he could remember this had been a daily ritual necessary for his survival. Doctor's had never been able to explain his injuries, but gauranteed him a long life despite the medical droid's consistent, mandatory presence in his life.

 

"Is this about over GH?" Cal said through clenched teeth without opening his eyes.

 

The droid beeped a response that apparently Cal understood.

 

"Good, get these things out of my arm."

 

The droid spent another fifteen minutes removing the i.v.'s and cleaning Cal's arms, and when finished floated away into the darkness. A long groaning, sigh fled Cal's lips as if something heavy was pressing on his chest. He opened his eyes and spent a few moments staring at the wall in front of him. It was covered with mirrors from floor to ceiling and reflected back to Cal an image of an old man worn by time and heartache.

 

"No, Cal," the giggling girl said as she danced through the field of sun drenched flowers. A younger version of the senator chased after the golden haired darling, laughing. He placed a rose in her hair and dared to kiss her cheek. She smiled a tooth filled smile at him.

 

Cal turned away from the girl's face in the mirror and rose from his chair. A cane clicked across the marble floor growing closer to the large window. The senator walked through a glass door and out onto a balcony, looking across the river at Naboo's famous palace. It was a beautiful place, and the only place that made Cal feel even slightly warm inside. Without this view, on rainy days or while traveling in space, the senator could be a hard, discouraging man, but on days when the sun reflected off of the gorgeous architecture a glimpse of humanity would grace Cal's face.

 

"Adrianna," Cal said to his assistant who had just walked out onto the balcony, "prepare for the holonet transmission."

[Tiana Calthye]

((good post, by the way, though I be so late in reply... heh... oops.))

 

She paced; idly she paced, her fingers lightly tapping against her staff, and her eyes half closed, though it barely mattered that they were open. "You remind me of a girl I used to know. She was asked by her teacher as a challenge, to levitate water, and instead of taking that challenge directly, she molded about it the very air that surrounded them. He was surprised. I expect he'd wanted her to reach out with the Force and cup it in the air, relying on nothing but that nonsensical energy to bind it. She..."

 

Tap.

 

"...Did..."

 

Tap.

 

"...It differently," she finished in a breath, all the rhythm stolen from her motion. Then she chuckled, reaching out and touching his arm. "As did you. You sought for the energy created from the planet itself. Midichlorians, or something like that, they said. It's in all life. The energy of a planet is nothing compared to that of the dark side! Or the light side!" she laughed, "oh, I barely remember the light side now, because I never walked in it like this. The dark side is haunting, but here you are, my little Sith apprentice, and reaching out to the life of all things to make your motions happen! It's beautiful," she laughed, "more beautiful than I could've imagined."

 

Her fingers touched the sides of his head, and she dropped down behind him to her knees with a breath. "The Force is a terrible, awful, mysterious thing. It shows you the lives and fears of people, of the planet, the time and suffering it wrought upon this canvas of earth. You've taken its energy and used it to further manipulate this planet. But here, you've used the light. You've savored their lives... now feel their deaths!"

 

With an insane yell she pulled his mind into another world, a place underneath all the bountiful harvests only the pleasurable light side could reap from Naboo. She abused his exhaustion, his mental weakness, and tore him from the blasted, blinding light that filled his mind. There was the place where he could see hers, her Jedi and her Sith, dogging her every step. One shone, one bled, both horrific beacons of Force energy in this world created from the most twisted memories of Naboo.

 

People screamed here, running in terror. The water ran muddy, and the plants dried up and wept dusty tears as the ground absorbed them back to whence they'd came. From dust to dust, from flesh to blood. All the screaming, murders, thefts and creeping blackness--

 

Here she could see, but her eyes were nothing more than scorched coals in the depths of her skull, blazing out at him and sucking all the light he'd used for energy before. Like little black holes, and the world rippled around her face, all the light draining away. She scooped and picked up another handful of gravel, hurling it into the air. It didn't sink into a pleasant shape like before, but the harsh air of this reality whipped it around, battering him and the gravel with dark. It settled into a simple circle.

 

"Again!" she yelled over the roar of this place. "The shape! Replicate it! Do not let them fall or you will have to hunt for them before you wake!"

 

 

 

((You have a few options here. In fact, you have a lot. Do what she says using either the dark or light side of the Force, try to fight her to get her to let you out of this, counter the darkness with your own internal light... sit down and have some tea... pull off all your armor and start dancing... you know. You cannot do anything to fail this test, just do something. The explanation of this is simple: Tiana is using telepathy to feed the imaginings of a world into Fuh's mind. None of this is real. You are only seeing an alternate perception as fueled by darkness and hate rather than peace and tranquility as before.))

[Arclight]

((My Armor has been off since we left the ship btw ))

 

The momentary success relieved Fuh as his fatigue grew; Fuh's eyes blinked subtly as the sweat continued to dry upon his face under the cool breeze of the Nabooian air. His mind wasn't ready for the imperative focus required to use the force, because he had too many things on his mind; Fuh needed practice.

 

Tiana seemed to be talking about something though; it seemed that she was praising him, but underneath her praise lurked a secondary if not creepy feeling. Her presence appeared closing towards him as he continued to kneel upon the ground and a strange sensation sparked him as her fingers touched his skin. An explosion of insecurity, loss... horror, fear and delusion clouded his mind as his vision was once again plunged into darkness, but this time it appeared that the rest of the world went with him. The entire world in his eyes had been plunged into a hellish freak nightmare of great proportion. The scene was so unreal that Fuh could barely believe what his eyes comprehended as Tiana's already darkened eyes burnt into her sockets and left merely coals.

 

There they were though, their hiding place blown, Arclight could now see the mysterious benefactors behind her polar attitudes. They peered at Fuh with the same darkened eyes, but each carried their own aura. One appeared almost angelic; the only spit of light in this hellish shadow while the other stood there and bled. He could see their forms play upon his sight with waving uncertainty, as if they were blurs upon the edge of his vision. Fuh didn't feel it would help him, but he tentatively rose to his full height within the plume of shadow.

 

From standing, his mind pushed toward inevitable denial as it tried to conceive of the raping, thieving and ultimately acts of pure darkness that began to trump any hope Fuh had at regaining his sense of reality. Had all of these things truly happened on Naboo?

 

Something struck Fuh though, as he stood amongst the chaos, fully taken by the fury of the moment. His body became a shadow too within the new subtle reality he had been involuntarily drawn into, but something in his mind continued to flourish... One thought pierced through the dark cloud of his mind and became his driving force.

 

He laid his eyes, for what it was worth, upon his now demon-like teacher, her eyes of coal piercing his faded blue irises into the very depths of his dark pupils. Her mouth moved, as it had before, telling him to replicate a pattern she made with rocks that she had thrown into the air. She pushed it further with a sort of time limit to her request, but for the time Fuh ignored it as he registered the shape and tried to pick it out within his consciousness. With crude indifference, Fuh tried as he might to conjure enough energy to pull the already floating gravel back into the same pattern, but the harshness of the air pushed against his senses and his thoughts.

 

Once again though, a single thought flourished. It was small and weak, but it had been left for him to read within the confines of his consciousness. As an avatar of himself, he walked further toward a dim but brimming light within his mind; the cruelty of the world around him had been thoroughly exposed and the sorrow was weighing heavily upon the footfalls of his mental avatar, but once he reached the light he was sure all could be explained.

 

What he found though wasn't as liberating at first glance as he had thought it would be. All that was set before him was a quote; it seemed his mind was full of them, but this quote seemed oddly familiar. "Pursue your own path; do what you have to, to get what you need; pursue what is right for you regardless of what others think. Embrace the good and the bad, taking what comes at you. In the end all you have is yourself... "

 

It was an interesting thing to swallow for sure... Something he couldn't even remember saying, but was oddly floating through his mind at the time. It was a fairly selfish idea, but something seemed right about it to him; something about the quote hearkened back to his childhood and how when he was faithful to his friends and family all it got him was jail time. Sure he could help others in helping himself, but that didn't mean he had to. The quote offered something that seemed to have been relinquished from him in this world and that was freedom. He had been a prisoner of his mind, but no longer.

 

looking at the stones mentally he strove to use the power of the dead just as he had the power of the living, ignoring yet embracing the harsh screams piercing the fading air; ignoring yet embracing the flecks of ash floating past his face and into his breathing; ignoring yet embracing the corruption that befell those around him and getting down to the task he had set before him. The ends justify the means

 

Keeping his mind focused as he had attempted before, was slightly difficult, he noticed a slight difference. When the light of the world had been all around him it was almost too easy to absorb - almost to the point of explosion - but this energy seemed slower to gather and a bit more potent. The energies were analogous to each other however and served the same purpose, so it was a great deal easier, once he had the energy, to use it this time.

 

The origins of the power felt murky along his long mental fingertips as he imitated the same actions he had before when moving the other rocks. He was surprised to find that the rocks actually maintained their shape in the air and he smiled with a satisfaction as he gazed upon his work.

 

The cockiness that had appeared upon Fuh's face quickly vanished though, as he stood stock still staring down his master. He knew full well that this apparition may have been the real Tiana in this world, but that this apparition was merely a construct within reality. This simulation had taught him some lesson, but as of now it was merely that; a lesson that needed to be taught but had already been learned and as such proved no actual purpose.

 

Through the anger and hate ridden atmosphere of the World that Fuh was trying with all his might to rupture, he became witness to a rip from his own mind that appeared as an angelic version of himself in full armor, wielding his large claymore valiantly. Something that surprised him though, was an apparition that had accompanied it... A creepy looking apparition with stark red eyes in black armor emerged from his body, wielding his dual swords. It was a part of himself he had never known, but something he had to admit within his mind. A trial of his own was set before him.

 

All his life, Fuh had been considered a brave and valiant soul, so it seemed no challenge to accept the side of him that shone with a brilliant light, but something on the tip of his mind had grown his curiosity tenfold towards the ominous spirit. The foreboding apparition at his side, although similar, was once again something he had never even seen before or felt. With the slight nod of his head, the shadow plunged head first straight back into Fuh's body. The essence of the construct drew from Fuh a fury of which he had never felt before. His mind surged with memories that he had suppressed for years; memories that he forgot existed... and one memory that wasn't even his. It seemed that the same person, who had sent Fuh to jail, profited from his arrest, destroyed his family as well as the rest of the village patrons and fled planet. He saw it as if it was from....

 

Her eyes...

 

From the depths of his body came an utter growl that gradually rose from his body. The essence of his fury rose from the very ground itself and surged through every vein, through every limb, and exploded through his mouth as a loud yell echoing through the spacious yet vacant alternate dimension. The veins in his throat pulsated and power surged through his body; his arm shot out and the rocks that had fallen to the ground scattered rapidly within the air...

 

His yell surged through the air once more as it seemingly levitated within the air. The chaotic episode seemed like it was going to last longer than expected, but like an explosion the episode slowly petered out, taking the miserable ambiance with it.

 

Then, as the depressing landscape once again turned to its green luster, Fuh feinted heavily to the ground....