Ilum

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Xae did feel a rise of anger within her, but she remembered the words of Kyp and of John, even as she hear the latter's voice in her mind and quickly calmed herself and suppressed it as she brought her lightsaber up, meeting and diverting hit after hit that the vile creature dished out.

 

Then he mentioned the crystal. Xae-Lin didn't know what it's purpose was, but she knew that Kyp had been looking for it to assist the Jedi, and that this evil being wanted it now to make him whole. That told Xae everything she needed to know.

 

She pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side, as though she were actually considering the offer then responded, ”œYou know”¦I really don't think that's such a good idea!”

[ObliviousKnight]

((Quite alright. Real life has a bad habit of butting into this.))

 

For Misal Draygo, the cold had been nearly obliterated, both physically and mentally. Sunk nearly to her neck in the snowy powder, the Miraluka woman was submerged in an excellent insulator that made it a practical impossibility for the wind to reach her. It would have been almost comfortable, if the wind wasn't threatening to whip her veil off her face and carry it away.

 

As Misal breathed in the frigid air and allowed herself to sink deeper into meditation, she automatically reached for her familial bond with her daughter--and almost instantly regretted it. The flurry of emotions from Armiena Draygo--determination, fear, the raw intensity she bore with her into combat--promptly warned the elder Draygo that her daughter had managed to get herself into another spot of trouble. Misal couldn't afford to distract her at a crucial moment.

 

If she couldn't help her daughter by seeing her through this next melee, she could at least help her by guiding Shawmus to be the best man he could be.

 

She felt Shawmus join her in meditation, felt his senses blank into serene contemplation, and felt his presence ease into the empty bliss of the Force. She also sensed his content ignorance of the next test she would place before him.

 

Piff.

 

A snowball struck the back of Shawmus' skull, scattering condensed clouds of snow over his scalp and back. It was a heavy impact, almost enough to temporarily daze a grown man, as she had somehow manipulated the Force to pack a solid sphere of ice into a disguising shell of snowy powder. It had to have been a stinging blow, and Misal could sense that the humiliating injury would eventually culminate into an embarrassing bump on the back of his skull.

 

"And as you have just witnessed, even this snow is part of the Force." Dry humor was audible in Misal's voice, rubbing salt to an already stinging wound. "Do your worst."

[Joreel Ordo]

((NPC))

 

The woman had no idea of how the mind of a specter worked. Slicing his back was a feeble move that could no more cripple him than having a stick of gum thrown at a person. He felt nothing, his body was dead, his nerves dead, to think he could possibly fear being wounded was a laughable feat indeed.

 

"Pathetic girl!"

 

The cadaver spun around and smashed his hand into the side of Xae's face knocking her into the ground. The feeling of her smooth skin against his coarse skeletal fingers must have been a frightening and painful experience for the mortal. He grinned all the while. He could not feel anything but took great pleasure in seeing her suffer in his grasp.

 

"You are an ingrate, surrender to me that Crystal or I will tear it from your body!"

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

For the first time during the battle, Xae-Lin felt fear as she was knocked to the ground. The chill of the abomination's skin made her skin crawl. She felt the panic beginning to rise within her. She had to call on the force, she knew she did, but the panic made it difficult to do so.

 

Her head hurt from where she'd made contact with the cavern floor, and she felt slightly dazed, something else that did little to help the situation. She rose as she watched the corpse approach her. This was only her second battle against an opponent, and the first had been against her master with training blades. Somehow she didn't think that the Sith corpse's lightsaber would merely pass through her should he actually land a hit.

 

With a new resolve, she calmed herself enough to re-attune to the force. The time for talking with the creature had ended. It was time to put an end to this threat.

 

Gradually her eyes shifted into a deep green-navy as her warrior-self took over. To that state of mind, combat was the last resort, and this was the time to step up for the protection of others as well as herself, and in that order. Xae-Lin didn't want to think about what would happen if the evil creature managed to get his hands on the crystal around her neck and became whole. That would leave him whole and with his dark powers back, Xae-Lin couldn't allow him to be free to hurt others, especially John. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in her master's abilities, she just didn't want to potentially underestimate this Sith's abilities. If he was powerful enough to have eked out this half existence, then there was no telling how powerful he was when he had been at his full strength, and she just couldn't take that chance.

 

She had to protect the crystal and keep her promise to her first master.

 

The young woman advanced, a new determination in her dark eyes, waiting for the corpses next attack, watching as he advanced as well. Their blades met and clashed, as she deflected attack after attack, falling further and further within the force with each parry and block. Finally an opportunity presented itself, and with a quick flash of her green saber, she cut off his shriveled head.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Suddenly she found herself floating in the darkness again, and once more the stars flashed back into being around the planet of Ossus.

 

She saw a small ship against the backdrop, fleeing a larger ship and doing everything in it's power to evade the barrage that the larger ship was laying down.

 

Then with a flash she was in the cockpit of the fleeing vessel, a hooded figure in the pilot's seat. The same one from her dream nearly a week prior.

 

Xae-Lin watched, her panic rising as the ship broke trough the atmosphere with every alert on the flight panel flashing and all the alarms blaring. She could only watch as the pilot fought to keep the ship out of a flat-spin as it sped towards the planet's surface.

 

Suddenly she found herself surrounded by the fiery wreckage of the shuttle. Xae-Lin walked among the scattered bulkheads and panels to what had been the cockpit if the ship. The pilot was slumped in the seat, unconscious. Slowly she reached forward and pulled back the hood of the stranger”¦

 

It was Kyp Durron, her former master who was more like a father to her.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Xae-Lin found herself laying on the floor of the cavern, her hand immediately flew to her neck, checking to see if the Ossian crystal was still around her neck. Upon noticing that the purple crystal was there, she sat up, feeling a little light-headed. The decapitated corpse was still in the cavern, a very real reminder of the challenges she would face if she continued down the path of the Jedi.

 

Xae-Lin shook the vision and cleared her mind. She was never one to step away from a worthy challenge and she could think of none worthier than the calling of the Jedi. However, in order to fulfill that task, she would need to get the crystal in order to build her first lightsaber.

 

She had to focus on the present and attune with the force to feel the calling of her crystal. She would deal with the vision later.

 

Quieting her mind, she closed her eyes and opened her mind, allowing the force to guide her to a cluster of crystals. Xae-Lin focused on the cluster, using the force as an extension of herself, but allowing it to choose the proper crystal for her, she called one to raise from the cluster and float over to her hand.

 

She closed her hand around it, feeling its energy flow through her in harmony. Slowly, she opened her hand revealing a pale jade green crystal.

 

Part of her wanted to call out to John, to hear his voice, to let him know that she was okay, but she knew that she needed some time to think about what she'd just encountered, why the creature had wanted the crystal around her neck so badly, and to ponder the vision that she'd received afterwards.

 

She quietly and quickly left the cave, her new crystal clutched in her hand, and left to find the landing site and her Master.

 

((OOC: Is this more of what you had in mind John? I tried your suggestion. )

[ForceFusion]

Pain thudded into the back of Shawmus' head and he emitted a shriek of curses in a booming voice. Almost. But in the instant it took for him to fill his lungs with the air that would provide the curses their power, he realized that the pain and his reaction could only diminish his connection with the Force. He was on the verge of snapping out of his trance. But his lightning quick reactions -- which had mostly only benefited him physically before his Force-training -- held him steady. Instead of drawing in the rest of the sharp breath that would fuel his angry rant, he pulled the rest of his air in slowly and calmly, concentrating even harder on ignoring the sensation that was the pain at the back of his head.

 

"That hurt," he said simply, too distracted with his meditation to come up with anything witty. He almost queried how Misal had procured such a stunt, but figured it would be more productive if he figured it out himself.

 

Surveying the events stored in his memory was the first step. His eyes had been closed at the time, his mind more interested in the vision the flow of the Force had to offer him, so he had no idea if Misal had snuck behind him, conjured an ice-ball and hurled it. But that was unlikely, for her presence had not been so active in the Force, nor had the sound of her voice betrayed any signs of recent physical strain.

 

Was there some other person working with Misal for this strange training exercise? Shawmus reached out further in the Force behind him, but sensed no life-forms other than the native ones he had noticed before, nothing large enough to help Misal.

 

Perhaps she'd set up a droid or some other sort of machine without Shawmus noticing. That was more viable, but they hadn't been here for long.

 

Then the connection came. Before she had dropped into her meditation trance in mid-sentence, Misal had been speaking about telekinesis, saying something about how it was a basic skill of the Jedi. Looking back at his memory's perception through the Force, he did remember a slight exertion coming from the woman just before the impact of the ice-ball. There was the explanation.

 

"Do your worst," Misal had taunted. Well, Shawmus wasn't one to let a challenge slip by, but he was obviously outmatched here. With no experience or guidance in the secrets of Force-telekinesis, it was very unlikely that Shawmus could conjure any sort of projectile. The extent of Shawmus' Force skills was physical movement enhancement and meditation. His reactions were quicker and he was more deeply connected to the Force, but that was about it.

 

But he had done a little bit of reading on the datapads that he'd seen come across along the way. And the Force had, on several occasions, been described as an extra hand for the Jedi. Well, if the Force was an extra hand, surely it could roll up a snow ball for Shawmus to fight with.

 

Shawmus pictured his hand in the snow, concentrating on the image with the Force. He opened his eyes to watch the progress. His mind's hand was desperately shoveling snow into a pile yet there was only puffs of actual snow being moved at all. There wouldn't be a snowball for a decade at this rate.

 

Well, it was his best shot. With all the strength he could manage in the Force, Shawmus shoved a few flurries in the face of Misal, not doing much damage, but at least it had been something. "Revenge is a dish best served cold." He grinned.

[Joreel Ordo]

John was beginning to feel worried about Xae. She had been gone for a very long time and a dark aura had seeped into the air surrounding the direction she had ventured. It was hard to know just if she was alive, the ice and snow made control of the force difficult with the unending new connections. The wind swept John's hair in front of his face which guarded it from being stricken with frostbite or hypothermia.

 

Where is she?

 

John reached out into the force, he could feel her, it was faint, but his love was there, she was alive. Squinching his eyebrows together in earnest to focus his energy harder he could feel Xae even better than before, he could almost see her. She wasn't too far away. John rushed outwards about 100 yards until he saw the blossoming hair of his love. He came forward to her and grabbed her holding her close and burying his face upon the top of her head.

 

"I was worried something might have happened."

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Xae-Lin returned the embrace with just as much vigor, she was still a little shaken from her encounter with the zombie-like Sith and the subsequent vision, her eyes were still dark and she seemed a little more distant, as though her mind's focus was elsewhere. ”œKyp's alive,”

[Joreel Ordo]

As she retold the events which happened in the cave John became more determined to never let her out of his sight again. If something were to happen to her, something he could not prevent or wasn't there to save her from, her could not carry on. His life as it was would be over, there would be nothing left he could feel like dying for. And he would certainly die for Xae. If anything in the universe he was certain about it was that little bit of fact.

 

The recounts of Kyp made John a bit nervous. That creep still lived on. The unfaithful lunatic who killed so many to become such an evil being. He was a worthless scum pile on the universe, but it was clear his life was still worth saving to Xae and so John buried his own prejudices and accepted that in time his life would have to be dealt with.

 

As for the Kaiburr Crystal, it was one of the things John had studied with interest on Manaan. It was supposed to be the most powerful crystal in the galaxy however it was imbued with a dark taint that no one person could deny, but its evil shape was meant to be red and this was a pale purple. It took John a lot of brain storming to come up with a conclusion on that one.

 

Finally she was worried, and John could not have felt more sad to see her in this state of mind. She needed not to ask him for his permission to continue training for John would always except her, she could have become a Sith Master and if she wished to be with John he would allow it. He loved her, so very much.

 

"Xae, there is nothing in this plane of existence that can prevent me from teaching you the way of the Jedi Guardian. I would use the last bit of energy I had before my own death to complete your training.

 

"On a side note, I do believe that this thing here is the Kaiburr crystal, it has the same shape, and I can feel the force around it is stronger, I guess I just assumed it was just your power, which it is, but this amplifies it. It's been purified."

 

John stood there for a few moments reflecting on this. If this is he true Kaiburr crystal, this could become the greatest thing a Jedi could ever have, it could become something we could all share.

 

"We should take it to the Jedi Council, but I believe it has yet to come together in some time. We should get back on the ship though, c'mon."

 

John led them into the ship and he didn't prepare it for launch but set a pile of items in front of Xae.

 

"These are the components to your lightsaber. The internal pieces are here, and this is a selection of exterior choices here. We have gold, tan, wood, leather, durasteel, rubber. All the things you could need to build your own lightsaber are here. Enjoy yourself in its construction.

 

((For a look at how a lightsaber is composed click here. I need this post to be fairly long. Approaching or beyond 1000 words.))

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Xae looked down at the crystal that was around her neck, it now became clearer to her as to why she seemed to be having such success in her training. The crystal had been amplifying what had already been there. It made her wonder for a moment, if this crystal hadn't amplified the bond that she'd normally have had with John as well. ”œI agree that it should be taken to the council as soon as possible. I would like to know my own real ability without the assistance of the crystal.”

[Joreel Ordo]

After a few hours of meditating upon the status quo between Hartel, Xae, Kyp, and the Jedi Council, John rejoined Xae to see she had completed her lightsaber. It was beautiful, organic, and sleek reflecting much of Xae's own personality based just upon the hilt alone. She was a professional, and he was sure the blade color matched her ferocious but docile attitude toward life. He was amazed with its glory and left it beside the saber he gave her. That could be hers for all time as far as he was concerned.

 

He turned to see her unconscious body lying about the sofa, her head inclined just enough so with every breath a short coo echoed from her luscious lips. John smiled at his love and used the force to create a pillow of comfort around her as he hoisted her up into the master bedroom. Once there he nestled her beneath the the sheets and blanket. John kissed her softly on the cheek and went to the cockpit after securing her room to make sure she was safe from all harm.

 

John turned the controls to the rightful positions and took off from the ice of Ilum making its way for space. The next target wasn't quite known. They would jut remain in space for awhile.

 

((Post in Space thread next...You post first this time.))

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

((Continued in Space Thread)) Edited June 26, 2007 by Guest

[Mes Tisserand]

Deep in the caves of Ilum”¦

 

A man sits in the darkest corner of an extensive cavern, clothes ragged, beard unkempt, hair down to his shoulders, with his sharp eyes fixed on a single hole in the cave wall. With a soft and steady exhale, he closes his eyes, and once again, as he has now done for years, focuses his mind on the past. One single memory continues to come to the front of his mind:

 

Sly Stevenson stood there... taking all this information in... when suddenly... an Image hits him... it was another glimse into the future, this time, It was for everyone to see.

 

The Setting was the same as the last one... The remaining Jedi attack the Queen of Darkness... In the Valley of skulls and bones, the battle Rages on, with the first casualty falling... Master Neh Raven sustains a slice to the Chest, Through the heart to be exact, As the saber enters the Old Masters Skin, He feels the Light Burn, more hott than a thousand fires burning bright, the saber slices through the heart of the Master. Neh falls to his knee's in pain, as his eyes blink... the last thing he feels Is Sly's hands catching him from hitting the ground. Sly Lays his former Master on the Ground, using his fingers to close his eyes... Rising to his feet, Master Prophet whispers to the young Queen... you will pay for that... as Sly Engages in battle... the Next one to fall is BLCKCLONE... the old wookie jedi suffers a blow to the neck, ending his life quickly... with hardley any pain to him if any. Two Masters remain, Adi-Wan, and Master Sly Stevenson. Who would be the next to fall... would it be.... as Kaylynn Locks sabers with Adi-Wan, Kaylynn force pushes Master Prophet backwards knocking him a good 30 feet in the opposite Direction. As Master Prophet senses a force presence he hasnt felt since he was 26 he rises to his feet as he feels what is comming next. Sly uses the force to accelerate his running speed as he Jumps in the air, knocking Adi-Wan himself out of the way. Kaylynn turns around in time to see her mountain of skulls tumbling down upon her. The Skulls crush the Queen of Darkness as A voice is heard from the other side of the Mountian of skulls.

 

"Good my young friend, your force powers still amaze me."... The voice was a familiar one to both Adi-Wan and Sly. The voice was... Mes Tisserand, one of the few remaining Masters of the galaxy, He was beleaved to be dead, but was alive, and had brought a Knight... A knight that was a former Padawan of Sly's. As Sly rises to his feet, Old with age he walks to the still fairley young Master Tisserand, his former Padawan. "You always did have the best timing Mes..."As Mes, Adi, and Sly catch up with chat, the skulls begin to move, saying nothing to the Masters, The Knight who remained nameless, rushes into battle with the Queen. As Kaylynn rises from the Skulls, she Ignites her saber, and locks face to face with the Jedi. Toe to Toe, Face to face, and Eye to eye... the two look very similar, the Boy, White hair, and white eyes, but... the Girl.. Black hair, and Black eyes... the two seemed very close, yet very different... The Sabers locked in battle, The Light Child speaks... "It seems we meet again..." The Lady Darkness replies with... "I was strong enough back then to kill THEM... Now I kill you..."

 

The Image fades once again, as Sly states... WE must be leaving.. This vision will save us all.

 

It seemed no-one but Sly knew what the Vision ment even though they all saw.

 

Years.

 

Years had passed.

 

"Yeah...I'm a Jedi Master alright..."

 

As true as that last statement the weary man made was, he felt no pride. His words echoed emptily into the darkness of the cavern, alone and cold. He began to think once again,

 

"He's dead...gone."

 

It'd been years since Sly had died, and he had at one point come to terms with it. Now, Mes Tisserand, once Jedi Master and Leader of the Jedi Council was a wreck. It'd been years since he'd seen or heard from a Jedi, this much of the prophecy was true. He'd been hiding in Ilum since his personal exile, years upon years ago. He still couldn't remember what made him leave, it was just a feeling, something internal told him to flee, to hide, to disappear. He stares deeper into the hole in the wall, something very near to his heart.

 

"Very Good Mes... This crystal is Powerful... This one is special... not just any green its Emerald Green... rare... but beautiful never the less...."

 

Master Prophet uses the force to lift up the parts infront of their faces....

 

"Now... Take this peice first... and place the crystal inside..."

 

He held the missing piece to that hole in the lightsaber lying beside him.

 

It was that very instant that Mes felt something move inside him...deep within him, a voice pushed his very being...

 

"Mes, move...it is time..."

 

"Master?!?" Mes shouted, but the only return he heard was that of his own voice echoing throughout the cave. He stood for an hour, listening, but to no avail. Moments later, he felt his body moving, but not on his own accord. A spirit pushed his hand down to retrieve his lightsaber, and he then felt his feet walking him toward the mouth of the cave...

 

With a smile crossing his face for the first time in years, he proudly stated:

 

"Good to see you too Master."

[ObliviousKnight]

Misal's veiled face jerked back as Shawmus succeeded in splashing white snow against her gray veil. It wasn't because the amount of snow he managed to scoop up was substantial--she was merely surprised by his method of retaliation. She'd expected him to shovel up a handful of snow and hurl it into her face, not to make an early attempt at telekinesis. Seeing his first attempt at telekinesis--much less a partial success--was surprising, to say the least.

 

"I said to do your worst." Even though her tone was condescending, there was no doubt that she had been surprised by the apprentice's partial success. "But if you mean to show off, I suppose I should teach you how to do it properly.

 

"Form a picture in your mind's eye; see what it is you want to affect with the Force. See what it is you want to accomplish with the Force. Find that object in the Force, and... push it to suit your vision." Unfortunately, it was all but impossible to properly explain how to perform many Jedi techniques with mere words, but... perhaps Shawmus would succeed with a second trial.

 

And perhaps he would succeed in embarrassing Misal Draygo. If that was the case, then she would simply have to find another way to control the situation again.

[Mes Tisserand]

Mes walked through the channels of the caves for hours, only by the guidance of his mind's eye. He knew the path by heart now, not needing the force or any other light to guide him. After an hour had passed, he finally came to a large empty hall that was dimly lit. He remembered what the hall looked like years ago...

 

The old Jedi Council Chambers on Ilum now acted as the hangar bay for the Golden Falcon, his personal Naboo N-1 starfighter. He'd spent the past few years not only meditating, but preserving the condition of his beautiful transport, just in case he needed it again someday.

 

Well, today was that someday.

 

Climbing into the cockpit, Mes fired up the engines, and lifted off through the large hole in the roof. Setting his throttle to full, he made a beeline for the sky and didn't look back.

 

((Space))

[Nom Anor's avenger]

((Considering there is no activity in this thread, I will be making editions to one post creating a super long one in order to avoid double posting.))

 

IC:

 

The icy planet of Ilum revolved slowly amid the infinite fringe of space, quietly resting in its place among the stars. The atmosphere of the terrestrial ball contained a swirling mass of clouds. Flakes of snow dripped from them like soft tears. The surface of the planet lay amid a vast ocean, rippled in waves of the purist white. Ilum's sun reflected beautifully off of the crystalline surface, drenched in layers of snow, sending small spectrals of light radiating from the ground. Trees swayed softly in the wind, their branches covered in a thin layer of ice, preventing any real foliage from growing.

 

Tranquility only conceived of nature emanated from the planet. Untouched by the hand of man, creatures of all sizes and strengths roamed free under the distant sun. Despite the mild winds, a soft breeze, the planet filtered an array of silence so tangible; it seemed to outnumber the snowflakes. Such a thing is only a product of nature, the resolved fortress from mankind, who never ceases to destroy such a condition of peace.

 

As if on command, that very curse unfolded. Deep within the currents of the wind, came a soft almost unintelligible sound. A consistent hum filtered throughout the air, a sound unmade by the natural processes of this planet. It came from a mass of ruined stone, the remnants of a great temple. For deep within this disserted structure, came life once again. Smoke expelled into the silent air as it slowly dispensed into the pristine atmosphere of Ilum. This smoke, a environmental terror produced by man continued to flow, as if unending.

 

The hard impact was severally noticed as Nom Anorus painfully hit the floor. There was never an indicator of working nerves better than pain, which employed itself magnificently here. Sweat glistened from his naked body as every inch of his clean skin beheld flawless perfection. Nom's long silver hair flowed behind his shoulders undulating across his back. He breathed slowly, his new lungs getting used to their appointed function. Interrupting the vast peace that encompassed this planet was a man, lying naked on the cold warn floor of a once great Jedi Temple.

 

The floor felt cold under his bare skin. It was a mixture of old stone and worn metal, ravaged by the constant decay of time. The human got to his feet, slowly testing the amount of weight his new body could handle. The slight gyrations in his knees took the man by surprise, sending him stumbiling forward. He stretched his hands forward, slowly contracting and relaxing his muscles. After a few moments of sublte stretching and heavy breathing, the man took a few laps around the room, working his lungs in a consistent strenious fashion.

 

The naked man spotted found an unused tunic which was laced in brown and black trim. The robes were nothing special, obviously the customery set of clothing left for the newly clonned.

 

That last thought, a flegent observation, held firm within the man's mind. He was a clone. He looked to his left, then to his right. Each speckle of skin seemed to shimmer, embroidered evenly across his body. A fresh, newly made clone.

 

What am I...

 

As if triggered by that very thought, a vast array of images rushed into the man's head. He saw metallic floors adorned with bodies, the reeking stench of carnage seeping into his nose. A green pillar of light shimmered before him and emitted a soft hum, practically soothing. A familiar man stood in the forground, a countenance plastered with malice. His creased into a putrid stare, drenched in crimson as if they were bleeding. The man's smile cracked across his face in almost direct contrast to his eyes. Was he enjoying himself?

 

The green lightsaber rushed forward, tearing through the expanse seperating the two warriors. A viscious (and rather violent) entanglement ensued as the clone witness the memory. The image within his mind shattered as this man tore through him, his blade ripping him into reality.

 

His back was pressed firmly against the floor, his newly aquired robes strewn about. Sweat drenched his skin causing it to stick to the floor. He breathed heavily, still not used to this plane of reality.

 

He was Nom Anorus, Jedi Knight.

 

Nom slowly rose to his feet and dauned his attire. The robes themselves seemed to trigger yet another thought. He searched every crevice of the room even checking behind the heavy machines from which he just came. Nothing...there were no lightsabers present within the room.

 

Arn't Jedi suppose to have lightsabers... Nom's relapse of confusion remained intact as he wondered out of the cloning chamber and into the heart of the planet Ilum. A sad and ultimately depressing situation remained hidden from the newly clonned Jedi. He was the only sentient being on the planet, imprisoned in isolation and solitude.

[ObliviousKnight]

Misal Draygo poked Shawmus in the arm. It seemed as though the Padawan had fallen asleep, a generally terrible idea on a planet like Ilum.

 

____________________________________

 

It seemed as though Shawmus had perished--that unusual illness that seemed to prey on Jedi Padawans seemed to have done him in, even on a planet as inhospitable as Ilum. Carrying his body up the boarding ramp to her borrowed shuttle, Misal left Ilum for Coruscant.

[Hou-Jo Poleb]

Xen-Que's Blade entered the system of Ilum and landed near a cave entrance. He used the Force to mold two chairs of ice for he and Dhan-Jaroe to sit and converse in. He sat down and waited for his padawan to arrive and enter the cave.

[Zero]

Dhan-Jaroe's ship landed down next to Poleb's and he approached the seated Jedi. Sitting on ice? Why not. Dhan-Jaroe took a seat, and the cold shot through him. "It would probably be best we don't sit here too long. Jedi or not, hypothermia is an aggressive enemy."

[Nom Anor's avenger]

"Why is it so cold?"

 

Anorus could barely get the words out of his mouth. His lips shivered so intensely, he could only speek in slurs which jumbled anything into a chaotic mess. Why he couldn't have just left his comments to internal thoughts only alluded to the heavy solitude weighing on his heart. He slowly worked his way through the sand as his throbbing feet trudged deligentlly through the frozen percipitation. He felt as if his entire body were about to simply fall apart, a would-be unfortunate end to an unfortuate journy.

 

Through ice-glazed eyes, bearing small crystal fragments on the tip of his eyebrows, Nom Anorus located hope. Resting on the reaches of the horizen sat a cave, imbedded within a large rocky outcropping. He hastly headed in that direction, the concept of warmth and shelter already making his fatigued body rejuvinate.

 

Upon entering the cave, Nom literally felt the feeling enter his toes once more. He slowly began to make his way deeper into the natural structure, lightly running his fingers across the smooth granite lining the walls. The rock seemed oddly cold, an intense sensation of feeling sprinkled across the tips of his fingers. As if spured from that occurence, a flash of curiosity spiraled through Nom's perceptions. He again placed his hangs on the rock, letting all of his nerves within his palm investigate this sensation. The reciprication seemed more intense, amplified by some unknown factor. He looked to the rest of the tunnel and beheld the corridors in unbelieveably good light. He found such an observation odd considering the exit to the icy surface of Ilum now shrank to a considerably smaller size. If he was so deep within the cave, how could he possibly see it in such detail?

 

Suddenly, something rattled within the man's mind. The Coruscantian native wheeled to his left. Therebefore him stood a great lizard, a creature perhaps his size if not bigger. The creature took in air heavily, leaving visible whiffs of carbon dioxide behind. Nom froze obviously worried he had just disturbed the monster's nesting site. It seemed his worried were correct as the lizard immediately erupted towards him, having sensed the fear driving hesitation seeping from its new found prey.

 

As if acting on instinct alone, the once fierce Jedi Master threw his arms forward. He wasn't quite sure what inspired such an odd response, yet it seemed like the right thing to do. As if hitting an invisible wall, Nom's amphibious adversary halted its carnivorous advance instintaneously. Nom's eyes widened, the whites of his eyes clearly visible. The supernatural ordeal finshed glriously as the lizard flew hard against the opposite wall, its life ending in a loud splat.

[Hou-Jo Poleb]

Hou-Jo eventually grew impatient waiting for his apprentice to come. He decided to return immediately to Gala when he felt a massive disturbance in the Force. "I'm sorry Dhan-Jaroe, but it looks like my apprentice is not coming. As I'm sure you felt it as well, there's a major disturbance and I must be returning to Gala."

 

Hou-Jo boarded his ship and left.

[Zero]

Dhan-Jaroe followed the other Jedi into hyperspace.

[Kitt]

Kitt brought his ship out of hyperspace, followed by Conner. Kitt made a quick sweep of the planet to make sure that they would not run into mentally ill species. Once that was down, Kitt touched his padawan's mind with the force, telling to him follow closely.

 

Kitt used the force to guide his starfighter towards a mountain formation, where, with passing time, Kitt was able to see a small coving to land both of their ships. Kitt brought his in first, and waited to power down till after Conner safely landed. Kitt gathered what he would need and then climbed out of the Starsword and into the cold air. He took a glance at his apprentice.

 

"This will be your final test. It will force you to test your skills, discover ones you don't yet know about, and it will have you look into the mirror. All of these things must be taken in with humbleness and grace."

 

Kitt zipped up his coat that he had pulled out of a storage compartment from the Starsword.

 

"You must make the climb by yourself, enter the cave by yourself, and return to me by yourself. You must trust in the force at all times during this long trial."

 

Kitt looked up towards the top of the mountain, then back down at Conner.

 

"When you are ready..."

[Conner]

Conner followed his master's ship and watched him closely. Bringing his ship in for a landing he got out of the cock pit and pulled his Jedi Robe around him. He looked around and then looked up the mountain he would have to climb. "Yes master" Was all he could get out and he turned back to the StarSword and pulled out some warmer cloths.

 

After he was dressed he walked to the mountain side, taking one last look at his master he bowed to him. "I will return, May the Force be with you master" He said and started to climb. The cold air blew threw him it was hard for him to think after he was high in the air. Taking a break he looked down and could no longer see Kitt or the StarSwords.

 

Pulling gloves out he continued to climb. The air was becoming thinner as he climb, drawling on the Force he cleared his thoughts and his lungs seem to grow in size making it easier for him to breath. Pushing on he could see an opening where he would be able to climb in. Pushing himself onward he found that the opening was an opening to a cave. P ulling himself into the small hole, he slide down the entrance and came to his feet.

 

It was dark in the cave, real dark, he couldn't even see his hands in front of his face. He closed his eyes and started to drawl on the Force, slowly opening his eyes he was amazed at what he just say. It was dark in the cave but he could see around the whole cave. "Whoa...." He started to walk around the cave with every step he could feel something calling him in the Force.

 

Slowly moving forward something moved behind him. Quickly turning around he saw a Gorgodon, taking a step back he drew on the force and formed a bubble around him. Looking at the Gorgodon he tried not to show that he was scared or here to cause harm. Reaching with the Force he touched the creatures mind and had him think friend. The Gorgodon moved closer to Conner and started to sniff the air around him.

 

Turning from him, the Gorgodon left him alone, Conner released the Force field and moved on into the cave. Sitting down after a while he didn't know how far he moved into the cave but he was tired and needed to rest. Laying down his robe he laid down and closed his eyes only for a minute.

 

It seemed as he was falling through time, Conner was standing in a room it was empty and dark. A light came from the corner of a room when a lightsaber was ignited and he saw his own face. Scared from what seemed to a long battle. Someone else was in the room, she looked familiar but couldn't figure out how. They have been fighting for days it seemed.

 

He woke up and looked around, he was breathing heavily and fast. Slowing his breathing down he picked up his robe and continued on. He must of slept for the rest of the day, the cave was light and he could see with out using the Force. "Okay time to get out of here" Conner started in a random direction or at first he thought it was random but then he felt the Force flowing from deep in the cave.

 

Entering the room were the Force was flowing from he was amazed to see all the different crystals. Moving into the center of the cave he started to mediate. He felt the different signatures from the crystals until he felt one that caught his attention. He opened his eyes and started to move towards the crystals that were calling to him. Carefully picking up two crystals and putting them in cloths he turned to leave the cave. Heading for the exit he found himself caught by a pack of Gorgodon's each of them seemed even more mad then the next. "Uh-oh" he said to himself.

 

They started to charge at them, their teeth showing and their claws ready to slice through his bones. Drawling on the Force Conner was able to push them back and make room for him to escape. Getting as far from them, he started to use the Force to fool them. Causing an illusion of Conner running the other direction. They quickly followed the illusion and he quickly headed for the exit. Coming to the small hole of the entrance he started to make his climb down. After awhile he made it to where his master was waiting for him. Breathing heavily he used the technique he discovered when he was climbing up the mountain.

[Nom Anor's avenger]

The deserted cave reveled in absolute silence as Nom's icy breath filled the air. He staggered back, the whites of his eyes still brimming with shock. The initial adrenaline rush of the situation ebbed, replaced with a powerful rush of fatigue. Balance forsaking him, the once Jedi Master crumbled to the ground, landing upon the hard rocky surface with a thud. His eyelids grew heavy, as if the weight of the cold crusted on the edge of his lashes. They slowly began to sink, his field of vision fading to black. Before darkness shrouded him, a tiny sparkle of light caught his wavering eyes. Curiosity seemed to overpower the intense fatigue and confusion welling inside the once powerful Force user. He staggered to his feet, which proved to be a task quite daunting, and stumbled to the carcass of the soon-to-be rotting lizard. Two beautiful crystals say next to the beast, each reflecting what little light filtered into the cave into a spectral of various colors.

 

He took the two in his hand, inspecting them carefully. The two crystals seemed mesmerizing, the various array of colors tempting his eyes to close. Any kind of defense the Jedi might have erected fell to the imposing figure of fatigue. His mind wasted no time bringing visions to bear”¦

 

 

*

 

 

 

Nom Anorus stood amidst a forsaken room, its emptiness all too apparent. Small tufts of smoke filled the area, making eyesight significantly limited. How he could even tell the room was empty was a mystery to him, yet somehow he knew. Everything changed however as a shrill shriek pierced the silence all around him. Within moments, a woman breached the smoke, her visible form becoming more crisp and sharp as the seconds passed by. The first thing Nom noticed was the desperate glaze in her eyes. The rest of her appearance seemed to follow suit as her clothes were torn and her hair rested atop her head in complete disarray. She was running from something.

 

Nom tried to yell, to grab her attention in some way. It was as if he wasn't there at all. She took no notice as she streaked quickly passed him. The shadows began mounting behind her, finally forming the darkened outline of a man. The seconds revealed the physical nature of this second figure as well, the form of Kakuto Ryu appearing amidst the smoke. His hair shone with the brightest silver, his eyes bathed in pools of crimson. Anorus, beckoned by his natural inclination to protect, stepped between the two. Kakuto Ryu stopped, a malicious smirk adorning his devious face. His crimson lightsaber pierced the smoke as he charged the wary warrior defying him. Nom's jade green blade ignited in response, its sharp light much shaper amid the dense smoke. As Ryu approached, his own blade sharpened as well as he moved into focus. The two blades met, crimson and jade dancing to melodies of pain and anguish.

 

Strength was not one to accompany the righteous endeavors of Nom Anorus. Ryu's lightsaber was inches away from Nom's neck. The only thing standing in the way was Nom's own weapon. Slowly, the crimson blade closed the small gap as the Jedi's own muscles failed to repel certain death. The result was swift, Ryu's lightsaber digging into the crevices of the Jedi's neck. Anorus could only scream in pain as tangible agony overwhelmed him.

 

 

*

 

Nom's eyes fluttered open, a new haze of reality forming in front of him. He was amid a dark street as small droplets of rain fell from the melancholy clouds above. Children's cries filled the night, each more desperate than the last. A cloaked figure dawning two crimson blades thrashed through the alley, viciously cutting down all in his path. Anorus wasted no time with questions. He flashed forward, his own crimson blade igniting as he went. Upon closing the gap, he could see the Sith before him.

 

”œHephaestus, you will kill no longer.”

[Kitt]

Kitt allowed for himself to tread the force, carefully finding what new waves might have been created and by whom. Out of all of the things that were creating ripples in the force, Kirlocca's seemed to stick out to him. After he spent some time trying to figure out what might be going on, he felt his padawan approach from behind.

 

"Going through the mirror is a hard trial for most Jedi. It's is difficult for them to look at who they are inside. Some find the trial of flesh to be the hardest, others, the trial of skill."

 

Kitt breathed in and out with his eyes still closed and his back still towards Conner.

 

"But Ilum gave you a chance to go through all three in a way. I feel that our personal journey together has come to an end. We must leave our roles as Master and apprentice, and become brothers."

 

Kitt stood up and turned around to look on his padawan. He was a great Jedi, one who will do far more good in the universe then most other Jedi will. Kitt smiled as he approached Conner.

 

"You are now a Jedi Knight, Conner. You serve both the will of the council and the force."

[Conner]

Conner could feel that his master felt distressed about something. Reaching into the Force he could feel a ripple in the Force, turning towards Kitt he listened to what he was saying. "Both trials are difficult master"

 

"We were brothers from the start Kitt. I will serve both the council and the Force with great effort and I will not disappoint you." Conner faced his master, friend, brother and smiled. He looked back and thought when he first met him. "Something doesn't feel right, I can feel Kirlocca's presence sticking out in the Force more then ever. Should we go to him?"

[Kitt]

Kitt smiled at Conner's remarks. He shook his head and walked up to him and placed his hands on his shoulders.

 

"Kirlocca is only sending ripples into the force, that's all. It's nothing that we should worry about yet. When it becomes something else, then we will go to him, but your concern is noted."

 

Kitt pulled away and began to walk towards his Starsword.

 

"In the mean time, we should get back to Gala...I feel our presence is needed there more right now."

 

Kitt climbed into his starfighter and began to start it up. After a short warm up, Kitt had his fighter climb out of the atmosphere and then made the jump into hyperspace.

[Conner]

Conner followed his master's orders and got into his starfighter. After the ship was warmed up he launched himself out of the planets atmosphere. Climbing into space, and making the jump into hyperspace.

[Nom Anor's avenger]

He was surrounded by pitch black, every inch of space shrouded in darkness. Nom Anorus, Jedi Master, lifted his hands in front of him. It was a strange sensation, feeling the brain signal the arm to movement, yet the visible confirmation of the act lay hidden amidst the black. Thinking on instinct, the Jedi Master ignited his lightsaber. This time, a marvelous silver pillar of light cut through the darkness. Surprisingly, the light humming from the Jedi's blade did nothing to cut through the pervasive darkness, despite its ability to cut through most anything else. A crimson blade joined his as a second lightsaber ignited, one wielded by someone else.

 

"Nom Anorus, we just keep meeting it seems." The sinister voice of Raynuk Montar, Darth Quitus rang through the night with particular familiarity, the masking presence of darkness failing to hide the malicious presence beneath.

 

"Your efforts are in vein naive Jedi," the Dark Lord continued. "Every feeble attempt you make to save life fails, your life as well as those you seek to protect vanishes by the end of my blade most of all," Quitus added, chuckling slightly. Even though Nom could not see the man, he was more than willing to bet anything that the Dark Lord was smiling.

 

"You rise defiantly beneath the crimson blade fight after fight Jedi. You give your life for the cause so many times. The epic duels you wage need no introduction to the pages of legacy." Quitus began to move forward, the haunting crimson lightsaber dancing even closer to the Jedi, closing the distance between the two warriors.

 

"Yet correct me if I'm wrong," Quitus mused playfully, "but I find no victory in those pages for Nom Anorus, no light at the end of any chapter. Your glorious righteousness has done nothing but thrown you into shadow. You valiantly charge into battle and lose EVERY TIME!" Quitus' screams echoed through the chasms of darkness, accentuating the last two words of his fierce diatribe.

 

Nom Anorus, Jedi Master, servant of light stood motionless. The defiant smirk of confidence that once graced his features remained invariably absent. For the first time in his life, no witty retort escaped his lips. Only silence echoed from his fleeting mouth, against the dense blackness surrounding him.

 

Quitus took his opportunity to continue, taking advantage of Nom's hesitance. "How has the light served you Nom Anorus?" Quitus spoke as if he already knew the answer to that question. ”œYou have denied the power it grants for the sake of the innocence in the galaxy. It's funny really." Quitus twisted the blade in his hand, as if not paying full attention to the one-sided conversation. "Whenever I try to purge that innocence from this world, I always seem to succeed."

 

Anorus opened his mouth, desperately trying to find any words to spring forth. Yet try as he might, he was still bound by silence. All the while, Quitus continued to speak, his voice driving to a crescendo. "The light side of the Force is weakness, Nom. I know it, and I believe you are finally beginning to understand. Give into your rage Jedi!" Quitus snapped his fingers and the room flooded with light. His face sprang to view, the horrible visage of his eyes shinning with crimson fire brighter than the weapon he wielded.

 

Those eyes shattered the great burden of silence weighing down upon the Jedi. Oh how he wanted to see those flames extinguished! "No." Nom's words were weak, his voice barely breaching the barrier of silence that once pressed down upon him.

 

"You are foolish Jedi. You lost everything and will continue to do so until the day you cease to exist. Why do you keep fighting? The innocence you protect?"

 

The question again sent memories to the Jedi Master's thoughts. He remembered his very first encounter with the Sith Lord. He ravaged the streets of a broken Coruscant and literally killed all who were unfortunate to cross his path. Nom, still a promising Jedi Knight, took up the burden to protect those who could not protect themselves. After a well-fought duel however, the Knight fell to death and defeat. Quitus after defeating his foe, continued to purge the streets of life once more.

 

How often did that scenario occur? Nom's recollection brought him back further, bringing each important duel, where the drive to sustain life motivated him, to his mind. The scenario was the same. Each valiant effort ended in his death, and the death of several more after him. He was but one amid the ocean of murder, never managing to stem the tide.

 

"Yes, you see don't you Nom? You fight a losing battle, one in which you will never win. The desire to preserve that which is dear," Quitus voice fluttered to a comical tone, obviously mocking the Jedi, "has failed you. You need a motivation greater Anorus. Only then, will you rise to your potential as a wielder of the Force."

 

Anorus could only see the truth in the Dark Lord's words. Looking back, the resolve built by years of self sacrifice had yielded him nothing. Nom Anorus, Jedi Master, had not saved one single life since dawning the lightsaber. Such a realization was enough to send any Jedi into a massive life reexamination. The case was no different here.

 

"You're right," Nom sputtered, his voice still tipsy within the presence of the great Dark Lord of the Sith.

 

"Good Nom, now harness the Dark Side. Let its endless stream of power fuel you!"

 

The Jedi squinted his eyes, confusion laid upon his brow. He began to shiver, slowly losing control of the will to stand. He crumpled to the floor, his body hitting the hard stone. Could he save life, preserve its precious existence by switching to the Dark Side? He would have never thought it possible, yet the Light Side of the Force certainly failed him. How could he save the lives of those ended by the Sith by joining him? That possibility seemed equally impossible. Both ends of the spectrum, Light and Darkness were of no use.

 

The Jedi Master got to his knees. His flowing silver hair contorted across his face, sticking awkwardly to his skin due to heavy sweat. "I cannot join you Quitus." Nom's voice was not full of self righteousness or valor, but of complete sincerity. Only after truly thinking about it and weighing the odds, did Nom come to that conclusion.

 

"What will fuel you then?"

 

Anorus slowly got to his feet, his body swaying delicately. Had there been any wind within the room, it surly would have blown him to the floor. "I will make my own way. One carved by my own blade," Nom spoke with his eyes intently glued to his lightsaber, the silver blade ever tempting his gaze.

 

"Without the Dark Side, you will know no victory." Quitus spoke not with the bemused mockery he usually did, but with subtle intensity. He was simply stating a fact.

 

"I will seek to rid the galaxy of your kind. The protection of the innocent no longer fuels me. I live to see your head and others like it within my grasp."

 

"That sounds awfully close to darkness to me," Quitus responded, not sounding convinced. "You are flirting with Dark Side Nom Anorus."

 

"Then so be it!" Nom snapped back, his second blade igniting with his words. A blue lightsaber streaked into being, humming softly with the silver blade resting in the Jedi's right hand. With that, the torn Jedi Master rushed forward, blades raised. He would not halt until Darth Quitus was dead. He closed the distance, charging with all his might. This time, he was fueled not by light, nor by the darkness, but by himself.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Nom's eyes fluttered open, the haze of Ilum's cave slowly forming within his perceptions. After a moment, vision as he knew it returned. Two lightsabers now rested in his lap. He took each in hand and ignited them. Just as the vision had indicated, one was blue while the other was silver.

 

”œThen so be it”¦”

[Guest]

A small ETA starfighter exited hyperspace above Ilum, the Sith Lord above it searching not only for the crystal caves but any surrounging life forms. He only came to this planet for one reason, crystals for a new lightsaber, and he'd rather not disturb any Republic or Jedi members unless it was the only way back off. Unhooking from the hyperspace ring, he entered the planet's atmosphere.

 

Sitting the ship down outside the caves, Darth Oni made his way into the caves, searching for a cluster of green crystals for his new sabers. Listening to the water drip and the snow crunch beneath his feet gave Oni a sicking though of peace as the lightside forces there countered his own darkside. He wouldn't stay long.

 

The crystals seemed rather easy to find once he entered one of the bigger caverns, a few clusters of many colors laid about, but there ahead of him laid a cluster of green ones. Breaking off two, he placed them in his satchel and began his trek back to his ship. But first, it seemed one of the native animals had different plans for him.

 

Taking out his vibro-axe, the two beings began their battle of death, the animal becoming surprised by Oni's natural strength nearly matching it's own, and before a deadly blow could be performed, the creature made off. Returning to his ship, Oni set the ship's nav comp for Korriban and exited the planet's atmosphere. Hooking back up the hyperspace ring, he once again hit hyperspace.