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Ilum


RaveN

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The cold air greeted both himself and the young prisoner, as the outside air of Ilum confronted them both. In a way Fynn found the cold refreshing, he'd been in it so long on Hoth that it was a familiar presence. He'd learn to mitigate its harsh affects, to warm his body with the aid of the force, to keep his temperature perpetually balanced even in the iciest of conditions. He trudged forward into the light snow with the prisoner behind him still in cuffs, still bound. Two jedi accompanied them from the facility, reticent to leave such a potentially dangerous prisoner without guard. He'd convinced them however that there was no where the prisoner could go even if she did escape, and certain death awaited her if she remained in the cold for too long.

 

The distant weak sun hung high in the air. Fynn wondered if the young prisoner felt she was about to be executed, Jedi were merciful, but during the war there were few who would hesitate to...He quelled the thought. They were no longer at war, he had to remind himself. As they walked they approached a sunlit grotto, a small recessed patch between ice flows, a flat area with raised sides about 30 yards across. Fynn had said little as they had left the prison. Now he stopped and dismissed the guards. They looked at each other with surprised glances.

 

"She's in my custody, I will be responsible for anything that happens. Go." He said loudly. With some clear apprehension they left. It was just him and the prisoner alone now. He stared into her eyes again, trying to see what he had seen before. But it was absent, she was hiding again.

 

"Oh, come on..." Fynn said in near disgust as he walked away.

 

"I know what you are. So why continue the pretense? Sith lie, but there comes a time when even the best lie has to end. Tell me who you are and who your master is." Fynn said as he kept his eyes on her, never turning his back the young sith. He looked back at her, trying his best to stay objective. He had a purpose for this. He removed a small pack of rations from the small bag over his shoulder, the good stuff, no pellets. He slid it to her feet. He could tell just by her presence that food had been denied her for at least a short time. He bade her sit. But didn't compel her to, not this time.

 

"What was it that Ryu said to me? Something about talking meat... yes even Meat puppets can talk." Fynn said, surprised by the phrase of the once powerful dark lord coming through his lips. But, he had to convince her to say something.

 

"There was a time I hated your kind, but that was a long time ago, and I was a different man." Fynn said, not about to bore her with the details of lost love, and the broken feelings he once held."I don't hate Sith. Not anymore..." Fynn said honestly as he found a spot to sit on the frozen ground.

 

"Think about this... your dark lord is not coming for you. You mean nothing to him, just another...meat puppet to dance at his command. He's either dead, or he's abandoned you to your fate. Even if you did escape, would he truly be impressed? So why persist in deception?" Fynn said earnestly trying to reason with her.

 

"In some ways I envy you, perhaps I shouldn't. See...for all your darkness, you still have hope. Hope of being rescued, Hope of being reunited, that hope in and of itself is light. So detest it as you might, there is some light within you."

 

Fynn said almost chuckling at the right of it. He suddenly stopped, his mind turning to thoughts that did not feel like his own, again he dismissed them.

 

"Why not tell me?" Fynn asked again.

"Some things... are worse then death, being forgotten for example..."

Member Since '05 - The Old Ones | Character Sheet

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-- Incoming Comm for Onderin Starlisk using Jedi Encryption --

 

<< Master Starlisk,I must admit that your call comes at a slightly urgent time here on Bothawui. Senator Dirrm is dead. In investigation is starting, but his funeral will be held sometime within the next week. Your appearance might be worth noting seeing as he does have a background as a General under your command. >>

 

Kirloca took his own pause as he clearly was a bit hesitant towards the subject of the original call.

 

<< Qaela and her children... were set at the present time upon removal; informed that she could prove herself to earn them back. But given her history...and the father's history. They will not be in the same condition as perhaps maybe she will like. Forceless. Since I have plenty to suspect her of being directly involved in the assassination of Kitt Fitt, as well as her closeness to Ar-Pharazon, enough to have children with him, I decided to follow the advice of one of her former lovers and hold onto the children for safe keeping. It was at the time, the only option I really had Onderin. I took the children to Kashyyyk to stay with Geyyrao, a friend of mine, whom would look after the kids. I had Kit-er... I had them cut off from the Force, to never follow in the father's footsteps. It is there that you will find the children if you so think she has earned them back. >>

 

The image of Kirlocca bowed before Onderin, as sign of respect, as well as a sign that he no longer wished to talk about the issue at hand.

 

<< May the Force be with you. >>

 

-- End Comm --

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The journey to the surface was interesting, but uneventful. Except for a few odd looks from the other Jedi, they went relatively unnoticed, which was strange. Lallu ignored most of them anyway though and kept her eyes busy as the precession continued. She looked around at all of the doors, windows, electrical security devices, physical security officers and devices as well as all of the other paraphernalia the Jedi had tied up in the facility. It was pretty extensive for a simple base in the middle of a frozen wasteland, but something that poked and prodded at Lallu more than anything else was her master’s weapon. It was still in the facility. She could feel it nearby. It was faint, but her master’s aura was undeniable. She almost wanted to reach out to it and bring it to her, but she fought the impulse for fear of exposing her interest in it. In the meantime, she was devising a way to break the binders around her wrists, which were extremely annoying. During her confinement she determined that they were simple in design, but they were strong; stronger than any cuffs Lallu had been put in before. The only way Lallu figured they could be broken was by an extremely large amount of force or with a light saber. She wouldn’t be able to free herself with a light saber due to the constriction of her arms, but if one of the Jedi swung at her at just the right angle, then it might release the mechanism enough for her to move freely. Still, trying to get one of the Jedi here to willingly strike at her when they could just use their voodoo magic to subdue her, was more difficult than she really wanted.

 

Regardless, she was out and that was something. Once the group reached the surface, she could tell that her chaperone’s mood had changed. The cold air was a welcome feeling to the Twi’lek’s skin as the group left the prison and returned to the surface, but her escort seemed off. The robes of her disguise billowed around her and the icy air wiped away all of the tension she felt from being locked in a cage. Frigid fingers climbed up and down her spine, tickling her back and breaking away all of the lingering doubt that stuck there. Before her capture, the icy air might have been the harbinger of her impending doom, but now she met the doom with respect and embraced it for what it was. She had little else to lose and everything to gain.

 

Her emotions boiled close to the surface now that she was out in the open. The burning fire deep within her managed to comfort her and provide her with a means of survival regardless of the danger the climate presented, but she still held her secrets inside. She wouldn’t let go no matter how hard he wanted her to; especially with other Jedi nearby.

 

When her escort ordered the guards to leave, Lallu wandered around, feeling the biting snow underneath her feet and finding comfort in the snow as it cooled her burning, scarred, ebony skin.

 

"I know what you are. So why continue the pretense? Sith lie, but there comes a time when even the best lie has to end. Tell me who you are and who your master is."

She did insist on hiding, because it was all she had right now, but she figured he bothered to remove her from her cell, so at the very least she would drop the façade.

 

“Names aren’t as important as you make them out to be. Why do you insist on knowing my name when you also insist that you already know what I am? Lies never end. We lie to ourselves every day. What makes now any different?” Lallu said, allowing her real memories to resurface. She didn’t include the memories of Furion, but her real past was allowed to come back. The impurity of every man that took advantage of her, the corruption of every foul mind that treated her like trash and the desperation of her father when he sold her into a terrible life filled with death and darkness.

 

“I don't hate Sith. Not anymore..."

 

“You expect me to believe that? You approach my cell, insult me, berate me and insist on continuing on as if you think you’re better. You’re just better at hiding it than I am. I wear the evidence of my impurity on my skin and in my mind. You wear yours deeper inside. That doesn’t make it any different.” Lallu was riled. A Jedi that didn’t hate Sith? That was a hoot. Next he was going to tell her that storm trooper’s armor was made out of candy and that Wookiees were, at their purest form, kind and gentle. She didn’t like this man and his insistence on condescension was extremely annoying. From reading Furion’s history books alone, Lallu derived that whoever the Sith and Jedi were, they had been fighting for centuries. To not hate Sith was a taboo in Jedi culture and likely meant that the Jedi wasn’t a Jedi after all.

 

"Think about this... your dark lord is not coming for you. You mean nothing to him, just another...meat puppet to dance at his command. He's either dead, or he's abandoned you to your fate. Even if you did escape, would he truly be impressed? So why persist in deception?"

 

With every syllable of his pretentious gall, Lallu’s heart surged with more flame. The muscles in her arms filled with strain and the tremendous amount of emotion she had, welled up within her. His carelessness; his annoying patronizing attitude; his brutal disregard for what he was saying made her angrier and angrier. Then, when she couldn’t take it anymore, her eyes burst into red flame and her binders broke from her wrists.

 

"In some ways I envy you, perhaps I shouldn't. See...for all your darkness, you still have hope. Hope of being rescued, Hope of being reunited, that hope in and of itself is light. So detest it as you might, there is some light within you."

When he turned to face her, her expression was the twisted avatar of rage. Her muscles bulged against the loose fabrics on her body and she stared directly into his eyes. Her stun cuffs lay on the ground at her feet and she breathed heavily. “HOW DARE YOU!!!!!”

 

She ranted and raved like a trapped dragon chained to a single post, but she didn’t attack. Not yet. She readied herself for any repercussions that might arise, but ultimately she stayed in the same spot and stared deep daggers into the man’s heart. “You don’t get to say things like that. You pretend you know what I am, but you have no idea. Don’t sympathize or insult something you don’t understand, but… Because you freed me I will give you my name, because it means little to me now. My name is Lallunia Kallemi. My master’s name is not mine to give and you will not receive it no matter how much torture you invoke upon me.”

Lallu stood with her arms out at her side. She discarded her robe and let the bulk of her exposed skin bask in the cold air. Her rags were thin, but the inferno of hatred that brewed underneath kept her hot enough for the time being. If she had to stay outside for too long, she would still freeze, but she also didn’t care. She was still looking at him when she finished. She was waiting for him to make a move.

 

“What now? You going to let the Sith go?” Lallu said with a level of sarcasm that it was almost impossible to ignore.

 

 

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The air was tense, the tranquil surface of Ilum was broken by the near shrieks of Lallu's rage. It was something to behold, and Fynn found himself transfixed at it, her presence in force radiating an energy that he had felt before. It was what he felt on Merkava days earlier, underneath the statues of the dark ones. There was a time when Fynn would have called it day, but something pushed him, propelled him in ways he wasn't sure of...

 

"You going to let the Sith go?"

 

Fynn stood from his place, and took her in now, the totality of her. She was a picture of everything he would have raged against in his youth. Yet there was something in her, something that he could feel, even as she tried to mask it.

 

"There is no greater torture then that of your own mind Lallu. Your power, your rage...", Fynn said this as he felt something within him stir.

 

"The shuttle you arrived in is over the next rise, you can escape, all you have to do... Is kill me." Fynn said with some resignation.

 

From the pack he withdrew a lightsaber, one he had taken from the cybernetic form that had stabbed him on Merkava. He dropped it at her feet, and took several steps back. He took out his own saber, and stood at the ready. He knew what he was doing was against everything he was supposed to do, allowing her to be armed, giving her an opening. But he also knew somehow that there was no other way forward. He could not allow himself to go any further, he couldn't..

 

"Come on Lallu, show me why you deserve to be called sith, show me the fire that filled my kind with fear for thousands of years. Do you still burn? Then earn your freedom. Rage against the light in spite of everything..."

 

"There is nothing simplier...you win, I die, and the scales are balanced! Kill me!! Before..." Fynn trailed off as he began to lose his carefully constructed balance.

Edited by Guest

"Some things... are worse then death, being forgotten for example..."

Member Since '05 - The Old Ones | Character Sheet

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"No... Freedom is not torture." Lallu said. Her voice was severe and her face was slate. Her hands were clenched tight and her eyes were glowing a deep blood red.

 

"I want my master's saber. If you want to challenge me, I want to fight you with a Sith weapon not this trash. If you want to die so badly at the tip of a saber then go get it. If not, I'll be here and I will find a way past you if I must." She was eying him with malicious intent, but she refused to fight with a weapon she didn't understand. She knew that if she had a weapon tuned to her master she would have a better time feeling each attack, but at the same time she wasn't sure she could learn a weapon from scratch. She assumed that the training she received from her master would help, but feeling his saber in her hands was a lot different than using a stick or a stun saber. It was almost alive and she would need that feeling to stand a chance in this battle.

"I am going to find a way out of here with or without your death. If you want to fight me unarmed then go ahead. I won't hold back." Lallu said without hesitation.

 

Her voice was intense and her hands tingled with flame. She held small razor blades in her palms and was prepared to use them if the Jedi wanted to make the first blow. She wouldn't be brash with this one. If she could get what she wanted, then good. If she couldn't, she would use any and every advantage she had to try and get him. Even if that involved turning the stupid saber on the ground on and chucking it at him.

 

 

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Qaela made no attempt to cause problems when the Jedi left her cell. Why would she want to escape now? If this Jedi was truly going to help her, then she would accept it. She may be prideful, but she was not entirely stupid. Yes, she made mistakes, she was honest enough with herself to admit that, but she never considered herself particularly dull. Even if Starlisk had not intention of getting her children or was unable to accomplish the task, she would be in no worse position for being patient. She was secure, had food, and was only slightly cold though that was her own choice. The odds against her had gotten worse with the presence of the Jedi Master, but that was no different than when he entered. She might be able to talk her way out of imprisonment, but if not, then she would at least go out fighting. Better to die trying than rot in a Jedi prison forever. Until the Jedi Master brought back word or something changed, she would wait. If it became clear he was simply stalling and had no intention of returning, she would address that situation when it came.

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Kirlocca provided some other clearly important details. The father was Ar-Pharazon, Qaela was suspected to have been involved in Kitt Fitt's assassination, and now the children had been cut off from the Force. It was another decision that Onderin saw as military justifiable but overall not very Jedi-like. The children of Ar-Pharazon would have been powerful and dangerous indeed if left as they were and under his influence. It would likely grieve Qaela to hear what had happened to them, and he wondered for a few moments whether he should tell her or let her discover it on her own. If she gave herself to anger in that moment, there was no telling what exactly would happen, although she didn't seem in any condition to overcome a Jedi Master and several Knights while unarmed. Kirlocca's actions had jeopardized this situation... but at the same time, Onderin could still deliver Qaela's children to her.

 

Onderin thanked Kirlocca, agreed to come to Bothawui as soon as this matter was resolved, and shut off the comm. The question was: would Qaela value him being up front with her enough to uphold her end of the bargain when he told her that they were severed from the Force? Or would her anger be greater still if--when--she discovered the truth on her own? He thought it better to tell her here and risk her wrath in a place where she could be held back from taking out her wrath on the Jedi Order. It was time to move forward with this, and he would keep the same stance he had taken with her so far: he would be honest.

 

The Corellian Jedi headed back to her cell and entered. "I have located your children," he said without preamble. "They were taken to Kashyyyk and left in the care of a wookiee there. I am prepared to retrieve them, and I would also like to offer to let you free to accompany me to their location, perhaps with a new set of clothing. However, I feel I must be honest with you. I have discovered a truth that might invalidate our deal; I will not blame you if you rescind your oath, though I will uphold my own. It has been told to me that to prevent them from becoming like their father--and without the knowledge of the Council--the children have been cut off from the Force."

 

He didn't physically brace himself, but he mentally prepared himself for her reaction. He had no idea what it was going to be.

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There is nothing good in war. There is good in why we fight them.

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Master Starlisk returned after all. Much to Qaela's bemusement, he didn't seem to hesitate this time upon entering and seeing her without clothing. He definitely didn't linger or waste time checking her over to...make sure she wasn't a threat. In fact, he seemed rather perturbed, or maybe it was hesitant. For normal people it wouldn't register as a blip, but for a Jedi Master though, it was not something worth noting.

 

She was actually quite surprised that he was able to locate her children so quickly. She had expected the search to take some time, but he was fast. Despite herself, she listened to every word of his with rapt attention until he got to the last part. She was a bit confused about what he meant by "cut off from the Force" since it could mean many things. Why would he mention that, especially with the preamble that came before it.

 

Then, the world imploded as realization hit her. Though it was very uncommon, she had heard of a most cruel spell that, when cast upon someone, permanently blocked their ability to craft spells or, as the Sith and Jedi called it, touch the Force. It was so abhorrent that very few even dared to learn it, much less use it. To do so was......unspeakable.

 

"No," she heard herself whisper in shock. For someone to do that to her was understandable. It could be argued that she deserved such cruel punishment. But to do that to her children, infants who couldn't even talk or feed themselves? The shock did not last long, not when there were far more potent and natural emotions to draw on. "No, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO!!!" She was shrieking by the end and very nearly throwing herself on the Jedi with hands like claws. The rage flooded into her like a sweet tidal wave promising vengeance, blood, and retribution. A string of profanity in Basic, Dathomiri, Huttesse, and a few other languages poured out of her mouth as the full impact of what had happened slammed into her. Tears unbidden flowed and fists were bloodied against the bed and walls as she found herself wanting to physical pain to balance the emotional pain she was experiencing. The mere thought of her children being stripped from their birthright tore a hole in her heart that she couldn't ignore.

 

Rage and fury consumed her, but it did not control her. A small, very small part of her brain remained rational and that small part prevented her from unleashing spell after vile spell to tear apart this room and attempt to destroy the Jedi both within and outside. Oh she wanted to drink the blood from their still beating hearts, she very much wanted to, but she didn't. The rage blackened her eyes entirely and threatened to burn her veins. If she so much as touched the Force, she knew her skin would bubble up in the blood blisters she had worked so hard to overcome.

 

Destruction, pain, and complete annihilation were the only answers to such a grievous insult to her and her Clan, to such an outrageous action. She would need her Sisters for true revenge, and probably Sith too. Yes, Sith, they were good at fighting and had the ships and money she would need. Even the fractured clans of Nightsisters would unite against this travesty, something that nothing short of invasion could otherwise have accomplished. The Jedi had crossed the line and earned an enemy that they would rue.

 

The Sith may be powerful, but somewhere deep down within themselves, they wanted to have something to rule. They conquered planets and killed many, but they held back in the end once their bloodlust was sated because they wanted something to rule and someone to fear and worship them. That fact alone prevented them from destroying everything. There were a few Sith who didn't care for such things, but not many. Those Sith were the most dangerous, but they were too few and their fellow Sith often kept them somewhat in check.

 

The Nightsisters had no such desires. She had no such desires. They would burn and destroy without thought of ruling. They would tear down the metal structures and burn the unholy cities of this Galaxy without care for survivors or loot. There would be murders on the streets, death in places high and low, and destruction at every corner. A hundred of her Sisters unleashed on the Galaxy with no purpose other than to kill and destroy and nothing staying their hand would be an awesomely terrifying force to behold and she would lead them to it.

 

That was the rage talking, whispering ever so softly and sweetly into her conscious. The rational part of her brain knew that was fancy at best. Even if there were a hundred Sisters willing to go onto a campaign of utter destruction, she knew that they would only go so far before being stopped, even if it were through sheer attrition and numbers. The planets of this Galaxy were too many, its inhabitants like grains of sand. It would take a hundred thousand Nightsisters to do what she wanted. That rational part of her told her to stop listening to the foolish rage and get into control.

 

Slowly, ever so slowly, that rational part of her reclaimed the rest. The rage and fury were swallowed down, buried back in their rightful place where they could be used if true need arose. Now was not the time, not with them ready and expecting it. If she was going to strike out at the Jedi here, she would do it later when they were not focusing on her as much. Yes, blood could wait, death could be stalled, and revenge delayed.

 

The Jedi had not fled and that was good. Her eyes were still dark as a black hole, but she was back in control. The rage was bottled up and her breathing steadied. She remained silent for a long time, collecting herself. The tears dried on her cheeks, but her fists were still bloodied. She would heal those later and paid them no attention now. What took her focus was the Jedi and how to address this situation.

 

She worked her jaw back and forth a little to unclench it before speaking in an exhausted, utterly drained voice, "You were wise to tell me upfront. Had you deceived me, I would not have held back my wrath and rage. Know that I do not wish to change. I am who I am. If you can accept that, I will take your offer to go and find my the tattered remnants of my children and give them what paltry comfort I can after such a vile thing was done to them."

 

She breathed in deeply to try to further calm herself, though she couldn't stop herself from shuddering and shaking as she exhaled. "I am not unreasonable. You spoke the truth when you suspected it may be dangerous, so I am willing to believe that you also spoke the truth about your leaders not knowing. The Jedi Order is just like my own people: fractured and full of individuals each with their own goals. This is a crime that is unspeakable, beyond what we would do even to our sworn enemies, so it must be punished. I will not abandon my oath of peace with the Jedi Order provided I have the names of all who were responsible for committing this atrocious act on my three innocent, defenseless babies."

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Onderin turned to face away from Qaela as she let her rage consume her once again. He had no desire stare at this naked woman as she played out her grief, and for a moment considered giving her additional privacy by leaving the room and coming back later. However, she slowly started to regain control of herself, still justifiably angry but coming to realize that she had to accept the truth for what it was, and she was impotent here to cause the destruction her impulses demanded. At least she didn't throw her life away to get what fleeting vengeance she might have been able to, perhaps, Onderin reflected, because of the implications her death would have for her children.

 

When she had more or less collected herself, he turned to face her again and she addressed him. It pained him that she compared the Jedi to her people--whoever they were--in that they were not unified, acting to their own purposes. And yet, he found that he could not argue with her logic; after all, surely if Kirlocca had brought a decision of this magnitude before the Council they would have dissuaded him. Still, she presented him with a difficult decision--should he give up the names of those involved and put them in danger, or let Qaela remain an enemy of the Jedi as a whole? Essentially, did he believe that what Kirlocca had done was punishable by his actions? It had definitely been wrong, especially as irreversible as the result had been. But Onderin had always looked up to Kirlocca--indeed, the wookiee had given Onderin his Master trials. Could he now say that the powerful Jedi Master had fallen so far that the Order would denounce his actions?

 

He realized that he could. No one had told him that following the will of the Force was going to be easy or convenient. Sometimes, he would have to suffer for it. And she was right, to a degree, for the punishment Kirlocca had meted out was greater than perhaps any deserved. And it had been done preemptively. It was like snuffing out a city because it was rumored that a band of terrorists holed up there.

 

Finally, he spoke. "The Jedi Master you interacted with was Kirlocca. I believe that he did not act alone, but with one other... someone who you have already met," he continued. "To my knowledge, only Kitt Fitt has the ability to cut someone off from the Force. But Kitt disappeared some time ago after his death, and so far I have no knowledge that he his back among the living." He looked knowingly at her. "My offer to reunite you and your children is unconditional. However, if you act against Kirlocca you will in many ways be acting against the Order. I do not mean to suggest he will not be held accountable for this crime, though. I will speak with the Council on this matter, and I would like to stay in contact with you if it will bring any closure."

 

He turned to glance at the security camera. "Can someone bring a clean set of clothes for Qaela here? Something that's not Jedi robes?"

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There is nothing good in war. There is good in why we fight them.

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Like a rock holding fast against a mighty stream, Lallu's ebony body stood against the pure white flurry that enveloped her. The powdery flakes that chaotically pulled past her were ignited by the passionate crimson of her rage as it bubbled over the top. The rage that threatened to break her defenses and send her into a state of blind fury, but through soft force of will was pulled back and contained. She couldn’t afford to let her temper win here on this ground. She couldn’t afford to let go completely, because then she wouldn’t leave until the Ilum facility was purged. It would ruin the best possible chance she had at finding her master. It would ruin her chance to find him and it would waste time. The odds were too much and Lallu learned through many years of slavery that if the odds were stacked against her and she had an out, it was foolish to rush back in to her cage; or worse, death. Because despite all of her history, she still wanted to live. She didn’t know where the feeling came from or if, after a time, she was simply a cadaver on strings, but she had a fire deep inside that refused to go out. She kept moving regardless of circumstance and with the help of one man, managed to create meaning for her life once again. That was something she would never let go; not for anything in the universe.

 

That man saved her life twice, shattering all expectations that Lallu ever had about anyone. It may not have been intentional and he may have only been a tool in awakening something within her own body, but he was a force that was significant in her life. He meant everything to her and she was going to find him. No one would stop her; no one. Even if he wasn’t proud of her, even if he didn’t share her feelings, she didn’t care. As long as she could return the favor he once showed her, Lallu could find some measure of peace.

 

There was still something missing. There was still a gap in her life that she couldn’t fill and all of the revelations, resolutions, and realizations of the past year did nothing to assuage her feeling of unease. However, none of that held relevance on what she would do now. She made up her mind and was willing to make the sacrifice for herself and for Furion. She owed him that much at least.

 

Lallu turned her gaze back to the Jedi that stood nearby. She glued her eyes to any possible points that he may strike from and readied herself. She took a deep breath and held a deep ready stance when something the man did threw her off. She watched as the man before her lost balance. His tone wavered and his position shifted. One minute he was issuing his challenge and the next he seemed unsure, confused. Lallu was at odds with how to handle this development, but kept her eyes open for any surprises.

 

The Twi’lek tested her situation by moving around the opening they had between them, trying to make for the shuttle with slow mediated steps. However, she kept her eyes on the Jedi to see if he would make a move toward her or to see what his next steps would be. She didn’t think he would actually go get her master’s saber – although it would have been nice – but that was one thing she gave up on her way to the exit. When she saw the level of security in there it became clear that she would need a day or two to meticulously work her way through the base and find the saber. Not to mention, she would have to fight against Jedi. It was a prospect that she had never really looked into and the idea excited her, but her better senses struggled against the excitement to maintain the primary objective. Leave, find Furion, come back and don’t leave a trace of Jedi life behind; or something like that.

 

 

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Qaela might have been in control, but that didn't mean she was without feeling. Anger--not quite rage, but close--welled up in her once more. It was clear that he at least suspected her part in the former Grandmaster's death, but she was not ashamed of that. He said that he was willing to take her to her children unconditionally, but she wasn't so sure. It was better for her to test that now instead of later because she didn't think she would hold up very well if she allowed herself the hope of seeing them again only to have it snatched away because he found some sort of crime she had done in the past that he couldn't forgive. Best to have it all out now and either move on or die. "Kitt Fitt did not die by my hand," she said hotly, and it was not a lie though now she wish it were. "Ar-Pharazon killed him, and if he hadn't, then Sith Master Raynuk Montar would have. If those two failed, then Vigo Delta, the very one that your kind is dealing with, or another of his agents would have. I may have led the group to track him down, but he was the fool who made himself a target when he knew he was being tracked. None of us would have gone near him had he been in a Jedi Temple surrounded by allies."

 

She shrugged and said with a little less anger and perhaps a touch of pride. "Do not feel slighted, though. I have helped bring down a Jedi Grandmaster and a Dark Lord of the Sith, though I admit I played fairly minor parts in both. I helped kill a Jedi Master, too, but it was he who attacked us--and on the steps of the Sith Temple at that. I did kill a Sith Master with help from another. Snapped his neck and nearly popped his whole head off. I didn't quite have the same amount of skill and control that I do now. Another Sith Master tried to kill me, too." She twisted sideways a bit and pointed to the most spectacular of her collections of scars where his lightsaber cut her kidney in half. "He was killed by those with me, namely Ar-Pharazon and Vigo Delta, but I can't claim much of that kill since I was disabled at its start. I also killed me a couple of lesser Sith, too. One thought he could rape and beat me without repercussions. I later flayed his skin off and melted his muscles with acid while he begged for death. It took an hour for him to die because I wouldn't let him. There was a fresh Sith Lord I managed to lull into competency and kill, but that was because he broke and humiliated one who was mine. I also planned on blowing up their cloning facilities, but that didn't work out so well. Oh well, your kind and those bumbling fools at CoreSec managed to do that for me when they destroyed the Coruscant Temple.

 

"I have murdered others who were less notable. Most of them were common lowlifes who thought a pretty girl would make easy prey. It is most amusing to make yourself appear vulnerable to attract the predators who think they are the top of the food chain. One or two of them even got my heart racing before I killed them. There were a few of power that I took down, but that was training. Most males in this Galaxy see only a pet to put on their arm and to bed, not someone who can slit their throat. Those kind often have a good amount of money or valuables, things I found most useful once they no longer needed them."

 

She smirked at the Jedi. "Don't look at me like that. I don't kill for the sake of killing like some. Those I kill die because they needed to die or because they attacked me or mine. You might even be able to say that most of those I kill deserve what they got. Sure, there are a few who you may call innocent, but who in this universe is truly innocent?" She thought about that a few seconds, then added, "Well, I suppose three six month old infants may be innocent, but I can't recall ever killing infants or even young children."

 

"Oh," she said almost as if she had forgotten, "I tried to kill my mother, but a random blaster shot finished her off before I could. It was a glorious battle, though, and a lot of people on all sides died. Can't say that either side was exactly innocent, especially not in the end, but I didn't want to forget that. On that note, I guess I killed a few slaves during my training, but they don't count."

 

Her lips spread wide into a large smile. "Now, come to think of it, you might even be able to say that I have helped the Jedi far more than I hurt them. The Sith are not kind, even to one who shares their allegiance to the darkness. There is a very good reason why I hate the Sith, but the truth is that I haven't done all that much harm to your kind, Master Jedi. On the greater scale of balance, I would say that now the Jedi are the ones who are in debt to me. What was done to me and mine is reprehensible and is more than enough for a blood feud. This Kirlocca person has grievously wronged me and by the laws of my kind, I am entirely within my rights to hunt him down and place his head on a pike. Had done what he did to me, well, that is to be expected since I am a fighter and have blood on my hands. But my children?!? They have done nothing and have no part in this feud. I have not gone after Jedi children or younglings. Even in my dreamings, I only targeted those who were fellow warriors."

 

She crossed her arms across her chest and shook her head sadly. Her voice was bittersweet laced with regret. "No, Master Starlisk, what was done cannot be forgiven or forgotten. In my culture and many others around this Galaxy, those who knowingly shelter and protect criminals take upon themselves the guilt of the one they protect. If the Jedi Order chooses to shelter this Kirlocca, then they take the shame and guilt of his actions upon themselves. I will be coming after him, mark my words. Him and the furry Jedi on Cloud City that turned them over to him in the first place, and I am entirely within my rights to do so."

 

Suddenly, she realized just how much she had been speaking of late, and more of what she had said. It was rare indeed that she admitted her kills to any but her own Sisters. Sure, this may have been mostly bragging, but it almost felt good to tell this Jedi of all of her past "sins." She normally didn't talk this much, but the anger and indignation of what had happened just brought it all out. She harrumphed and sat back a little to consider.

 

"Though," she mused, "the thought of Jedi punishing their own is somewhat attractive to me. You say that you will bring this to your Council? Well, I might be able to live with that, provided he is punished properly. As the aggrieved party, I would like to be there to see that, in person if possible. It is my right to face the one who attacked my own flesh and blood. If you give me your word that this Kirlocca and the tall furry one will be brought before your Council for judgment within a month, then I will forgo any plans I may have for hunting them down."

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I am going to find a way out of here with or without your death. If you want to fight me unarmed then go ahead. I won't hold back.

 

A moment passed...two. Finally after he could feel the reservation in the dark one before it, Fynn laughed. He laughed heartily, and heavily. He used the force to quickly pickup the generic saber he'd found on Merkava, activating it to inspect it's quality then returning it to his small pack. He settled his thoughts, thought admittedly with difficulity, He had to focus on the cold around him, using it to tether him to the planet, and all the life found therein. Still Lallu's seething rage made finding a balance more then difficult. The darkside was indeed a powerful ally to those that bent to it's will, but Fynn didn't need it, not now, not here. The light was still open to him, and something told him that he had to hold back, and conserve his mind.

 

"Amazing, I give you battle and you refuse it. What an amazing galaxy this is..." Fynn said still bemused by the turn of events. He'd almost lost himself again, and this time the only one to witness it was a young dark apprentice. Either the will of the force was that he live, or he was just damned lucky. Either way, he'd gotten some leverage that he intended to use. He finally knew what it was she wanted, at least in the short term. He could use that, in the short term.

 

"Your focus on possessions is not at all healthy. Neither is your anger." Fynn said ironically as he took a deep breath, and deactivated his own blade. Getting her into open air had lead him to many truths, he now knew who she was, and that there was a dark lord out there with a plan for Ilum, possibly even it's destruction. But who, and how eluded him. Still he seethed for a fight, and if Lallu wasn't going to give him one, he'd find it somewhere else.

 

"Even if you could get to the shuttle, without a jedi and a clearance code, your as good as dead, admit it Sith...you need my help." Fynn said with a sly smile that seemed to mock the young sith. He could help Lallu, at least until he had what he desired.

 

"You want your masters saber? Fine...Done. I'll retrieve it myself, and deliver to you. Only, tell me the truth, why it is so important to you. What difference does it make?" Fynn asked curiously. Did the saber hold some secret power, was it the trigger for some explosive? There had to be a reason. Sith weren't sentimental, unless Lallu was indeed different then he supposed.

"Some things... are worse then death, being forgotten for example..."

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((Happy Birthday by the way. ))

 

Like a cold dagger, his laughter cut her deep. She pictured strangling him; she pictured stabbing him so many times before her final strike that it would be a mercy to end it quickly; she pictured decapitating the poor bastard and then mangling his head to the point that not even his mother would recognize him. It wasn’t even hard to imagine these things, because she had already considered them two seconds ago. The only difference now was she was two steps away from doing it. Any more cajoling and this man would have had her mind in a flurry and she wouldn’t have stopped until he was a stain on the snow.

 

"Amazing, I give you battle and you refuse it. What an amazing galaxy this is..."

 

“Not all Sith jump to battle.” Lallu was panting. Her eyes were almost on fire once again and she had to contain all the fury she had bottled up. She was like a volcano fighting against its own eruption.

 

"Your focus on possessions is not at all healthy. Neither is your anger…”

 

“My anger drives me and my passions are all I have. To let go of them is to die. Dangerous or not, you are the one playing with fire. You want to fight, keep talking.” Lallu’s tone was dark. Her head was bowed ever so slightly to the ground and her muscles were tensed. The veins underneath the skin of her arms were pulsing violently and her jaw was clenched so tight together that her teeth were grinding against each other. Electricity and flame danced intermittently around both of her fists and her body wore a faint red aura.

 

"Even if you could get to the shuttle, without a jedi and a clearance code, you’re as good as dead, admit it Sith... You need my help…"

 

His smile was poison and before she could control herself, she walked over the threshold between them and close hand slapped him so hard and fast in the jaw, Lallu could swear a few of her fingers slipped out of their sockets. When he could finally talk again, Lallu was not smiling. She stood a few feet away and was in the same state as before. Still, his comment did stir her. Did she need access codes to leave? That would kind of put a damper on anything she had planned.

 

The Twi’lek calmed a little and it was vague exactly how much. However, it was clear that the added information and her outward aggressive expression was enough to put her somewhat at ease.

"You want your master’s saber? Fine...Done. I'll retrieve it myself, and deliver it to you. Only, tell me the truth, why is it so important to you. What difference does it make?"

 

He doesn’t need to know everything, does he? How will I get off of this blasted rock if I don’t give him some information?

 

Any information you give him is a noose girl. You tell him and you’d be tying your own hangman’s noose. The Jedi hate the Sith, what reason could this man possibly have with trying to help you. He just spent the last few minutes insulting you. How could you believe a word he says?

He let me out even when he didn’t believe my lies. He was willing to give me a fight for my freedom, even if he was an ass.

 

Do what you want, but you know the consequences…

 

I know…

 

“I want it because weapons mean something more to the Sith than the Jedi. I want it… because I love him. He’s more than my master. He’s the only man in this world - in this universe - that I trust. I know that isn’t easy to understand for someone like you, but that is the honest truth. If you want to slap me in the face with it and shit all over my words then I will kill you here and now!” said Lallu with a snarl. “I don’t even care if I go down with you. I’d rather die trying to save him then waste any more time here with you, but if you utter one more offensive word about me or the man I love, I will grind your head so far into the snow that your face will become a WHIRL OF ICY MEAT PASTE!”

 

The sacrifice she was making on her own behalf was immense. She exposed one of her biggest vulnerabilities in one fell swoop, but she didn't care. She was going to wager her own life and she was going about it recklessly, but it didn’t matter anymore. She needed to get out of here. She had a clone set on Spite Station and she wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

 

 

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Onderin kept his features fairly neutral as Qaela started to open up a little bit. In some ways, she confirmed how he suspected Sith politics went. It was amazing that the Sith still existed at all, with how often they killed or preyed upon each other. Some of what she accounted was much less tasteful than self-defense, such as how she considered the lives of slaves to be meaningless. He realized that the purpose of this was likely to let him know just who she was and what he was getting himself into. She was unrepentant when it came to her murder victims and wanted him to know that she was not going to change.

 

Still, from another perspective, it wasn't like that at all. Sitting in a prison cell, skin bare, she exposed as well many of her sins to him. Although her point had been that she could never change, what Onderin saw was a woman taking her first steps down that path. He only hoped he could continue to take actions to facilitate that change instead of hinder it.

 

"I am not here to judge you based on your past," he said. "When it comes to blood, I am stained much more deeply than you." He was not going to go into it as she had, but it was the truth nonetheless. He had given orders that had claimed the lives of thousands or millions in his career. Armies had risen and fallen around him. And he could not deny that some of that blood must have been innocent. The bombardment of Kuat Drive Yards had claimed the lives of anyone that had not been evacuated, indiscriminant of whether they had been soldiers or civilians. And in personal combat? He had cut his way through squads of stormtroopers, slavers on Thalassia, Arach'tar, and tested his mettle against Sith from all walks with mixed results. No, he could hold nothing against Qaela for acts committed in the past; not even purpose.

 

"Just to be clear, Kirlocca is the furry Jedi you are referring to. He seems to have acted alone, especially if Fitt is indeed dead," he said, confused that she still seemed to keep them separate. "I cannot make any promises about the severity of the punishment or whether you will be permitted to sit in on the trial, should one occur. It's not really my call. But I will make your desires clear to the Council. For now, let's start with retrieving your children from Kashyyyk."

 

A Jedi arrived at the door with a fresh change of rather plain civilian clothing that definitely wasn't Jedi robes. Onderin retrieved it from him, then gave it to Qaela. "I'll prep a shuttle. One of the Knights outside will escort you there when you are dressed and ready to go." He then turned and left, doing as he had said and letting the Jedi guarding the door know that she was not to be restrained--but still watched carefully and escorted directly to the shuttle without detour. Then he headed to the hangar and began liftoff prep.

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There is nothing good in war. There is good in why we fight them.

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Qaela was pleasantly surprised at how this Jedi reacted. Perhaps he wasn't as prudish as she had initially feared. If he could still work with her after hearing she was an unrepentant murderer, maybe he would prove of some use after all. At least he seemed more collected and rational than most of the Sith she had worked with. If more Jedi approached things as he did, she might have made a mistake in approaching the Sith for knowledge and training in the first place. Even though he was a Jedi, one of the invaders of her planet, as long as he kept his word and didn't try to kill her, she could work with this one. He might even prove worth being the father of her next child, too. She would need an appropriate heir now that the three she had with Ar-Pharazon were cut off from the Force, and what better way to snub the Sith who treated her so than by them having a Jedi father? Plus, as she had thought before, maybe it would give them a link to the Jedi that would forestall another invasion. She would need all the protection possible after dealing with Kirlocca, especially since she now knew him to be the one she faced earlier. That one was high in their ranks and the Jedi would not take kindly to her capturing, torturing, and then cutting him off from the Force as he had done to her children. She didn't know how to perform that particular spell, but she knew some among her Sisters who did and would be more than happy to use it on a Jedi.

 

She kept that all to herself for now. Best not to scare the poor man away or give them too many ideas about her plans with Kirlocca. The clothes he provided would have never been something she would wear by choice, but at least they weren't Jedi robes. They were a little loose on her, but they fit well enough. Now that she was dressed, she allowed herself to be escorted by the Jedi without issue. If they were taking her to her children, then she had no cause to fight. If they were somehow using that notion as a means to trick her into compliance, she would have a better chance of escape on a small shuttle than on this base. Either way, logic dictated that she give them no reason to think her a threat.

 

When she saw Starlisk again, she decided to test how much he trusted her. "I would like my knife back. It may only be made of wood, but it has significance to me."

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Onderin was at the bottom of the shuttle's boarding ramp when Qaela approached. He was somewhat relieved to see that she had accepted the clothing they had provided for her. As attractive as she was, he had little interest in an extended shuttle ride with her in that state, nor in having her follow him around on Kashyyyk that way. He assumed now that she had had a chance to flaunt her scars, the purpose for the display had concluded.

 

He considered for a moment when she asked that her knife be returned to her. On one hand, he couldn't be certain that this was more than just a long game to her and that she wouldn't be looking for a chance to stab him in the back at her earliest convenience. On the other hand, he was taking her to her children. At the moment, he saw no reason why they needed to be enemies at all, and killing him would only hinder her purpose--at least until she had them back. At that point, things might shift... but a wooden knife wouldn't make the difference at that point.

 

Onderin looked at one of her escorts. "Please retrieve the knife," he said.

 

The Jedi seemed surprised. "Really?"

 

He nodded. "There's nothing to fear from this one."

 

The Jedi was gone for less than a minute before he returned and handed the knife to Qaela. "On our way, then?" Onderin asked, heading up the ramp. When she was aboard, he raised the boarding ramp and gestured for her to follow him to the cockpit. He sat and lifted the shuttle off the ground. On their way to the hyperspace jump point, he gave her a sidelong look. "You're definitely not Sith, though you do let your emotion cloud your judgment like they do," he began conversationally. "They have also proven themselves cruel masters. Why have you allied with them? Where does your hatred of the Jedi come from?"

 

She had told him repeatedly that she was not Sith, but he still didn't know what she was. He couldn't imagine why any non-Sith would ally with them. It was even possible that she was a fallen Jedi, perhaps, which might explain the hate. But he didn't feel like that was the case, either. She was something different, maybe something new. Something that was clearly a servant of the dark side, but perhaps not as far gone. She had let her anger swell, but so far had not given herself to it.

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There is nothing good in war. There is good in why we fight them.

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With her knife back in her possession, she felt far more comfortable. It wasn't that she truly needed the weapon to defend herself because the Force was far more potent. It was embued with the Force to be stronger than the hardest metals and honed to be sharper than a razor's edge. Sure, it was made of finely carved wood, but it was nigh unbreakable and could block a lightsaber or even a light blaster bolt. She hadn't tried it against armor, but with enough physical force, it might do a wonder against some of that, too. What made her want it was that she found comfort in having this small token of her past. It was a part of her that was from a more simple time when all she had to worry about was not angering her mother or saying the wrong thing in front of her new Sith instructors. That was before the assassination attempts, the pregnancy, the battles, or the chaos that came out of the Sith after the loss of their Temple.

 

She followed the Jedi into the small cockpit of the shuttle without resistance. She should have known the interrogation would begin, not that she really minded. He was far too soft to do what was needed to get the full answer out of her, but she could answer at least some of it, just to be polite. "I am not a Sith and have no intention of ever being one. They are far too violent toward their own kind. Many times, I think you Jedi should thank whatever deities you worship that they are that way because otherwise, if they put their full strength toward destroying you, the Jedi Order would be no more. They kill each other more than they kill their real enemies and for that, I can't stand with them."

 

She was glad to see this frozen waste of a planet fade behind them and hoped she would never come back here. "I allied with them for the same reason anyone dares to go among their kind: power. They have power that I needed and the only way to acquire it was to gain as much trust as they ever place in anyone so that I could have access to their teaching and libraries. As with anything worth attaining, there is a cost. I paid that cost with my blood, my body, my sweat, and my heart." She sighed, though that was to cover the shudder that ran up and down her spine. "I cannot say whether it was worth it or not, but nothing in life is gained without pain and loss. Even among my own people, my training was only slightly less violent and painful."

 

She debated on what she would tell him about her feelings toward the Jedi. She could say that she hated them because a Jedi attacked her people and killed many of them, but that wouldn't be entirely the truth. If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that wasn't how she felt at all. "You mistake my feelings toward your kind," she said at last. "I didn't hate Jedi until one of them took my children. If I had any choice in the matter, I would have never even come into contact with a Jedi, but I had no choice. When someone as powerful as a Dark Lord of the Sith orders a mere apprentice girl to kill a Jedi, a wise person doesn't balk at doing what she was told." She chuckled at the memory of being so young and weak. "To tell the truth, I don't even remember how I found Kitt, but I did and he willingly met with me. I told him what I was and why I had come and he offered to help. The idealistic fool, one does not escape the clutches of the Sith so easily, not when they had a purpose with you. I weighed my options and opted to ally myself with one of the few greater powers among the Sith. It didn't take too long to find him and he was most eager to accept my offering of the Jedi Grandmaster as payment for his alliance."

 

She gazed longingly through the viewport at the thought of those days. Her voice was almost dreamy, something that would have disturbed her had she not been deep in reflection. "Ar-Pharazon was so powerful, so dark, and so delicious that it was almost intoxicating to be near him. I had never felt that much strength in one place before. I was almost surprised that he was open to my invitations to share his bed, but he was. Say what you will about that man, but he does have his own sense of loyalty and chivalry. He saved my life multiple times, and not because it benefited him. In his own way, I think he came to care a tiny bit about me, at least to the point of being willing to teach me some very important things. I don't know if he realized that I was using him or if he even cared. We both got what we wanted in the end: he got some physical pleasure and I got my children.

 

"I needed those children, you see. My kind is weak in the Force, all of us. Though I was one of the stronger, I would be considered quite below average out here among the Sith and Jedi. But there are ways to. . . alter one's potential in the Force. It isn't common, but Ar-Pharazon knew the ways and with his offspring within me, I was able to tap into that font of power and bring myself closer to your own level. I could never be what he was, nobody could, but I can now match brawn with the best of those in the Galaxy."

 

Qaela nearly shook herself out of her near trance. This was odd indeed. It was the first time she thought about Ar-Pharazon since that ritual without feeling bitter hatred at betrayal. He had indeed used her then, but as she had just said, she used him too. In the end, he had fulfilled his promise to her and had left without demanding any further payment. As much of a monster as he could be, he hadn't tried to cause her any harm when so many Sith had. In truth, she hadn't even felt even a small bit of hostility from him and that was definitely not something she could say about any other Sith save perhaps Furion.

 

She started and realized where she was. Why was she speaking so much? She had revealed far more than she had with even Ca'Aran, and with a Jedi no less. It had to be something he was doing to her, some subtle spell that she had never heard of. He might not need torture if he was this effective at bringing out the truth. The strangest thing was, she didn't much mind telling him these things. That was what scared her, but at the same time, it felt good to just get it all out there in the open. Honesty was definitely not something she could enjoy with those she normally surrounded herself with. At least she had some sort of sense that this Jedi wouldn't turn all of this against her, though that could just be foolishness.

 

With a mirthless smile, she continued. "I thought myself strong, but I was wrong. I am not sure if it was the hormones or simply the situation, but I came to fall for one of the greatest weaknesses my kind could have: love. As much as I may hate to admit it, I came to love those unborn children within me. What a fool I was to give myself such weakness for look at where it has taken me. My mother always warned me never to love anyone or anything that could be taken from you. I loved a man and he was taken from me. I loved my children and they have been taken from me. She was right, my b***h of a mother, may she ever be cursed, was right."

 

She looked straight at Master Starlisk and shrugged. "The Jedi never had much part in my life. If anything, I pitied your kind. You hold yourself back from so many things that could be yours. You are forced to protect those who are unworthy of protection. Don't get me wrong, unlike the Sith, I look after my own, but I and only I select who my own are. I was fine leaving the Jedi and the Sith to their own eternal war as long as I got what I needed and was left alone. It was the Jedi who made themselves my enemy when Kirlocca kept my children from me. It was his choice and he decided to declare war on me, so I went to war with him.

 

"You are fortunate, Master Jedi, that you stopped us back there. I believe that the others were going to slaughter a great number of your kind. Me? I wasn't going to kill any of you, no, I had a worse plan. I was going to cut up a few of your number and leave them with a message, a warning: if the Jedi continued to hold my children, I would start hunting Jedi and those who supported them. One by one, people would disappear and be later found rather brutally slaughtered. I can be creative when it comes to killing. It wouldn't have been all Jedi, either. You have workers who help you, allies who work with you, and they all have families. I am not sure if your kind has ever faced one of mine in a true blood feud, but I can assure you that if we hadn't been stopped back there, you would regret it. It isn't always about the killing, you know? It is about the terror of not knowing who was next or where I would strike. Explosives are fun, but knives and fingernails are so much more intimate.

 

"This war would have gone on until my children were returned to me. Once that was done, then I would have faded into obscurity with them to live out my life. You see, I don't have any desire to conquer planets or slaughter the helpless. All I ever cared about was me and mine. The Sith may have caused me great harm personally, but that is just part of the game. It is expected, just as it is expected for me to fight back. Perhaps that is a concept that your kind cannot grasp. I betrayed Kitt because it was expected. He was a warrior, a man who carried a weapon and had used it to kill before. The same goes for the Sith that I betrayed or killed. Those men and women I stalked and murdered were also part of the game, though one that was slightly different. They fought using different methods than we and I killed them by those methods. None of them were innocent and all of them had a chance to overpower me, even if it was a small one.

 

"Kirlocca violated those rules and upset that balance. If he had punished or killed me, then that would be expected and acceptable because I am a warrior and am part of the game. My children, on the other hand, were not. That is why I am so infuriated. He stepped across the bounds of what was proper and included someone who could not protect themselves and had no part in our games. In doing that, he freed me from those same rules which would allow me to do the terrible things I mentioned, things that went against the natural order. Our people's aren't in a blood feud that would necessitate total extermination of even the slaves. When my people wage war on our enemies, we kill those who can fight and enslave those who aren't part of the battle. Kirlocca did what was not acceptable even for my own kind. That is why he needs to be punished, and quite severely."

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His face still stung, and he swore that he felt a tooth lose from Lallu's forceful slap. It was well earned, Fynn had been unkind, and the slap brought him back from his mocking tone. Strange as it might have seemed, he enjoyed it. He wasn't quite sure why, but there it was all the same.

 

The rage that Lallu exuded made sense more now. Emotional ties like love were among the most dangerous things a force sensitive could ever take on. Countless billions had died of it or for it. His own expierence with it had only embittered. Love to Fynn was a distant cold memory, of a time in his youth when he still thought in black and white. It had only meant pain and sorrow to him now. It was only now that Lallu had reminded him of it, that Fynn realized he had only been in love twice and both had ended badly. Hana had died, and Darla...he quickly realized his thoughts on the matter could easily be read, and focused on other areas in his mind.

 

"Love? You love..." the words even felt strange to Fynn. He could sense that Lallu meant everyword of it. His mocking tone had vanished, replaced by a quiet stillness,

"I believe you. I don't trust you, but I believe you. And I do envy you. I would give anything to feel that strongly about someone." He said solemnly realizing just how empty his heart had become. In all the time alone, he really had lost more then he dared admit.

 

He turned and climbed up from the small icy clearing,"I'll meet you at the shuttle. I'm a man of my word Lallu." He said as what he had to do became quite clear.

"Some things... are worse then death, being forgotten for example..."

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Onderin was surprised but pleased by how much Qaela had opened up to him. She had given him several things to think about, and he started formulating his response when the nav computer came back with the jump coordinates. He quickly hit the hyperspace lever and started the long jump from Ilum to Kashyyyk, which was practically half a galaxy away.

 

((Continued in the Space thread.))

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There is nothing good in war. There is good in why we fight them.

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((Sorry Its a bit lengthy.))

 

Lallu immediately regretted her confession. Instinctively she wanted to put her hands over her mouth, but she stood firm; she held her stony gaze filled with passionate rage and let a pool of red fire build in the palms of her hands. Veins pulsated in her head so much that she felt a little woozy. Her stance was strong, but her balance was shaken.

 

What have I done?

 

She knew that Furion was just fine without her. He was the Dark Lord of the Sith, and she was his apprentice. She was expected to break out, to fend for herself, to survive and prove her strength, but here she was exploding like a child with a loaded blaster and exposing secrets that could get her killed. Damnit Lallu! Why do you have to be so damn stupid?

 

I don’t know. I guess it just… I don’t know.

 

She held firm behind a physical conviction made of fire, but her mind was boiling over with tumultuous thought. She couldn’t piece it together. She couldn’t see what repercussions this would have. She couldn’t see what her master would have said to her if he saw her. All she saw were those damning golden eyes; eyes that had seen through the soft shell of meat that so many others couldn’t see through; eyes that saw powerful potential in a slave that thought she had none; a slave that thought she wasn’t worth the secretions of monsters or a decent name.

 

She felt awful. Lallu’s gut ached and flipped over itself constantly. She couldn’t stand the scrutiny; she couldn’t stand the isolation. A gap opened up in her consciousness longing for understanding; longing for something more than she had. It was futile… She would always be alone… Always…

 

Burning tears emerged on her face. The fire of her passion hadn’t winked out when Fynn made his realizations, but she was slowly deafening her rage as the Jedi in front of her seemed to deflate.

 

Without anything else to focus on, Lallu watched as Fynn’s expression softened. The mocking tone left quickly from his voice and Lallu could tell in some small way that he was reconsidering something.

 

"Love? You love..."

 

Somehow hearing him say those words made her feel even worse. Her gut wrenched so hard that it threatened to push her to her knees. She winced slightly, trembling a little under the weight, but she remained standing regardless. Hollow legs on a hollow body made her feel like she was floating on a sea of sludge; brown and murky, slimy and uncomfortable...

 

"I believe you… I don't trust you, but I believe you. And I do envy you. I would give anything to feel that strongly about someone…"

No you wouldn’t… No one would. Lallu thought to herself. She was falling and screaming from the infinite passion that had no outlet, but her reception was cold and harsh. The icy backlash from her powerful feelings being swung back in her face was almost enough to kill her. The frigid temperatures started to worm their way up her spine and into her body. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t see, she couldn’t feel. She tried to move her limbs. She tried to call out to them, but her words fell on deaf ears.

 

Lallu wasn’t alien to torture, but this. This was far worse than she could have ever imagined. Still, she remained on her feet and did what she could to rally her strength and to keep her body warm. The Jedi was still here. She had to maintain some semblance of stability, because any vulnerability would be exploited. If she didn’t believe that, then she would have died a long time ago.

"I'll meet you at the shuttle. I'm a man of my word Lallu."

 

Just like that?

 

Shit…

 

I should feel good… Shouldn’t I? I have freedom… Right?

 

Lallu was speechless as the Jedi left. Her expression was a little off because of confusion, but she stood like an empty manikin outside a storefront window. Activity kept brewing in her mind and helped to fuel her life giving fire, but her body was hollow.

 

I’m better than this. I have to be… DAMNIT!!!!

 

Lallu held tightly onto her head and muffled her scream with her open palms. It was all she could do to stop herself from making the situation worse, but she couldn’t stop herself. She missed him with her whole body. Aches held bare from shadows that meant nothing, passion felt but not given, and phantom affection given to a husk was nothing compared to his attention. Why did he care? Why did he ever care?

 

WHAT AM I TO HIM??!!!

 

She fell to her knees and smashed the snowy floor, breaking half a foot of solid ice underneath each fist. She continued to pound one after the other, adding to the depth of each movement until her fists began to bleed. She didn’t care. Red slush flooded past her indiscriminately and she ignored it. Maybe the physical pain would get rid of her emotions. Maybe blood would wash away her feelings. Maybe she was just a piece of meat…

 

All those times she felt strong were beginning to fade. What kind of Sith cried and flailed?

 

Were those just lies too?

 

Lallu heaved violently. Her fists were sopping wet and the snow around her spread out in a ring of crimson from the epicenter of her violent rage filled storm. She stopped pounding for a few moments and just sat, bleeding. She looked at the cold world around her and sat silently. All she could hear were the sounds of her heavy heartbeat, the wind as it rushed past her, and the panting that resulted from her futile tantrum. She looked around slowly, spotting the shuttle off in the distance through bleary eyes, but she wasn’t worried about that right now. She thrust her eyes downward, looking at the massacre of her own flesh and shook her head back and forth. Why Lallu? Why must you destroy?

 

What would he say?

 

 

 

Pulse…

 

Lallu looked up quickly and got to her feet. The razor blades in her wristbands shot toward her bleeding hands with graceful precision and she grabbed them, adjusting into a ready position and waiting. She winced for the barest of moments when her fingers grasped the thin metal, but she ignored the pain and forced her fingers to comply.

 

Pulse…

 

The Twi’lek stood in a ready stance for a couple of seconds before she looked around. Her left brow rose to express her intrigue, but simultaneous confusion at the sudden noise. She walked a few paces away from her meeting spot with Fynn toward a small cavern and poked her head inside. Hello?

 

Pulse…

 

It was louder this time. Lallu could hear it in sync with her own heart, but it was different. It felt different. It was a diversion, that was certain, but right now she needed a diversion. She needed something to keep her mind off of the pain. Many things came to mind in order to counter this curious instinct, but curiosity won out of all other options. Lallu walked carefully through the open mouth of the small cavern and into the small opening. It wasn’t that deep, as far as she could tell from first glance, but the passage was also extremely small. Lallu had to stoop to enter and even when she had, she had barely enough room for her body to maneuver.

 

WHOOSH!

 

One wrong step and Lallu’s leg shot out from underneath her. Her body rolled off into a full slide and she was tumbling down a massive incline toward complete darkness. All she could see were the reflections of blurry luminescent creations deeper in the tunnel. It was a technicolor hell that she propelled toward like a jet on steroids. She couldn’t make out her own face through the darkness and although Lallu couldn’t see her hands, she knew that the blood still streaming from them would be a problem sliding against the snow at high speeds.

 

PUFF…

 

Ow... It was white, it was cold. Lallu could hardly tell why she stopped tumbling, because it felt like she hit a wall, but whatever it was, it wasn’t pleasant. Her head was swimming in frail clarity. When she could finally get back to her feet, her balance was conflicted. She found a wall of snow with her ravaged hands and after some times, was able to make out a vague imprint of her body right in front of her. If she didn’t hurt so much she might have laughed, but it wasn’t the time or the place.

 

Pulse…

 

Lallu’s head jerked a little to the left when she heard the sound and she felt a crack in her neck almost immediately afterward. It was a little rough, but after a moment or two her neck felt better. She felt her hands and assumed that their shape hadn’t gotten any better. She was right. The red meat she felt between her fingers, gripping at her skin was enough to see what was going on. Her hands were torn up due to no lack of her own angst; her own foolish angst.

 

Lallu ripped a part of her raggedy blouse off and tied it off around each hand, applying some rudimentary pressure to each wound. She wasn’t a doctor, but the patch job was acceptable. Her head was still a little light, and she would have scars on her hands after she was done, but she would worry about that later. Right now she needed…

 

Pulse…

The sound is coming from over here… whoa…

 

Lallu looked around and immediately saw what had been making all of the ambient light. Crystals. There were crystals everywhere of all shapes, colors, and sizes. There were bright crystals, dull crystals, black crystals and white crystals. There were so many that Lallu couldn’t stop ogling. It was mesmerizing. It was hypnotizing.

 

Pulse…

 

Lallu jumped up and put her hands out wide, almost falling over. The sound was especially loud down here and it was close by. Lallu turned her head to the left slowly, scanning past a whole bank of massive green crystals and came face to face with a deep orange red crystal. She waited for a few seconds for the sound to reappear, but it didn’t. She pouted quietly to herself and was just about to turn away when the crystal pulsed and glowed. She heard the sound like it came from her own chest. She heard the colors, smelled the sound and felt the light as she got closer and closer. Its presence enveloped her and her presence enveloped it. She felt comfortable here. She felt… Different somehow…

 

The Twi’lek reached out toward the crystalline structure and touched it with her index finger. It followed her movements slowly, contemplating her motion, and when she made contact with the surface of its glassy exterior, it lit up with an amazing show of pyrotechnics. When she took her finger away from the surface, it stopped, but the intrigue of its show brought her finger quickly back to continue the spectacle.

 

This is amazing… It… I wonder if I can take it with me.

 

Lallu reached for one of the larger pieces of the lattice and pulled at it with a lot of force, expecting it to give a fight. It didn’t though, so she ended up falling backward with a piece of crystal falling with her. She hit the cavern floor with a large thump that hurt her sore back a little more, but the glowing crystal in her hands took away from her pain. She wanted this. It didn’t matter if she was in pain. It didn’t matter at all. The whole world melted in a theater of colors around her and for one second, her entire body felt as if it were glowing hot. She saw her life reflected before her as a literal translation in orange red, but it was strange. She saw it from the outside and observed it impartially. She saw the weakness, the regret, the isolation, the horror, the pain, and the desperation. She felt everything from her life flashing quickly in a whisper. An echo rang off of the cavern walls and took time to finally vanish. Lallu stared off with a vacuous look without the ability to speak and when the vision finally ended she sat still with her mouth open.

 

Her hands felt better than they did before. The pain in her back and arms seemed less profound and the crystal continued to glow like a red star in her arms. It was strange. This entire area was strange, but Lallu felt better. Her hands were still bleeding and she was still dizzy and maybe the feelings were just the effects of her injuries, but whatever it was, it helped.

 

She stood up and brushed the snow off of her bare legs and clasped the crystal against her body with her right arm. It was glowing powerfully and almost felt as if it wanted to be taken away. It felt so right to be near her that Lallu could feel powerful warmth emitting from it. It made her smile and almost took away from the fact that Lallu didn’t know how to get out. At least, until Lallu actually wanted to get out.

 

Umm… Crap…

 

Lallu could see a small path in the cave leading off into darkness, but she couldn’t tell one way or another if it was the way out. She felt inclined to go forward like she was being called, but she couldn’t make sense of it. Regardless, it was her only lead, so Lallu continued forward and hoped that she would find the exit soon. She had to get off this rock… She had to prove that she could free herself even through unconventional means. If she couldn’t prove herself, she had no worth…

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The door to the jedi stronghold slid open, and Fynn's shadow crossed the threshold first. The few jedi on watch gave him clearance. Jedi Adar confronted him immediately. Peppering him with questions about the young prisoner.

 

"Where is she? Did you-" Her words of suspicion couldn't be misunderstood. Fynn smiled wondering if she thought him an executor.

 

"Out there, waiting for my return. I have confirmed that she was indeed an apprentice of the darkside." He said unceremoniously, thinking on what he would do next. His mind seemed in overdrive.

 

Adar stood there slightly surprised by the new information. Before she could retort Fynn moved forward continuing to speak as he dusted of his drab gray garb, and jedi tunic.

 

"Wether or not she still constitutes a threat to the facility, I'll determine soon enough. I will need something more however." He said as he made his way to the weapon locker. Jedi Adar was on his heels. By the heaven he disliked this one. So persistent in her manner so unyielding. Fynn felt she was at least half droid. There amongst the few artifacts gathered over the years was the saber that Lallu coveted. It was an audacious weapon, and as he picked it up, he could feel the darkside influence that covered it. A dark lord constructed this, and burnished it against his foes. The weapon must have seen the rending of flesh, the untold suffering of his underlings. Yet it held power, even here, in the bastion of light.

 

"Knight Relmis, I feel that there is conflict within you. It wasn't there before. Are you sure-" Jedi Adar's protests were cut short.

 

"My inner conflicts are not your concern, neither is she, I will conduct interrogations my way. Unless you have something besides suspicions to contribute, I suggest you allow my work to continue. I will determine what needs to be done." Fynn said as continued to examine the weapon. It was a masterpiece, hewn together with great care and much patience. Each piece perfectly fitted, the weight perfectly balanced. In the right hands, a weapon such as this could be the undoing of anyone that opposed it, depending on the ability of the user of course. The dark side techniques that constructed it were as foreign to him as the strange language he had seen Tares read on Merkava. He wanted to understand, to know more, but such things were verboten for jedi, no matter how much he desired to know them.

 

"I will contact the council, surely-" Her words seemed desperate.

 

"You do what you must, and I shall do what I must. Now...step aside." Fynn said gently but firmly. He was adamant on his course now.

 

Adar gave him a glare, but stood aside. Fynn left the locker with the weapon, and headed to the supply locker room to prepare for his journey. He packed a small sack with supplies, and a change of clothing. He then stopped, and knelt down to meditate, and center his mind for whatever lay ahead. After a moment he reached out with the force, and tried to speak words into the stream that was the light-side.

 

You have never let me know joy, or pain, or hate, or love. I realize know that you taught me everything you thought I needed. But not what i needed most. I am a poor jedi, and a worse person. So many have died, and I cannot atone. Being a pure jedi was your wish for me. But know I go where I have feared to tread, I embark now on my own destiny.

 

He then felt it...her... Lallu her cry in the force was unmistakable.

 

Fynn got up and prepared to leave. He pulled on the heavy coat, and the heavy cowl that went with it. He added small spike tracks to his old boots, and added a warm set of clothes in a smaller size. A small tracking device and homing signal on the shuttle in case the visibility dropped.

 

"I inspected the shuttle thoroughly. the tracking device was placed on one of the landing struts. In case she tries to escape." She said this as if she were in on the plan, as if she had an inkling of what Fynn was thinking.

 

"Good, good. Now you wait, the next move in this isn't ours." Fynn said as he approached the exit.

 

"Are sure about this Jedi Relmis, She is dangerous." Adar said as the door slid open, and a bluster of snow and wind came in that caused Fynn's heart to beat faster.

 

"Thats what I'm counting on." He said with a smile that only he himself felt.

 

---

 

She was gone.

 

Fynn nearly cursed himself at the discovery. Only her presence in the force was left. But it was enough. Fynn had once tracked a wampa on hoth for two days when he hadn't eaten in three. This was child's play. He didn't follow her directly, instead he stuck to the surface. Moving swiftly over the windswept icy surface, Fynn used the force to make his steps light and to stop him from breaking through the surface. It was amazing how one who was force attuned could change to meet there environment. It had taken him years to discover how to keep his eternal temperature warm without the aid of a fire. Still he could only keep it up so long.

 

He was close. Fynn came to a stop, and for a moment, there was only stillness. His pursuit was over, he felt she was close... but where?

"Some things... are worse then death, being forgotten for example..."

Member Since '05 - The Old Ones | Character Sheet

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Lallu exhaled slowly. Her breaths were labored, but for some reason she didn't notice them. Her eyes glowed faintly with an orange red glow and her heart beat quickly, feeding the flow of blood to her wounded hands. The cold of the cavern around her persisted to bite at her frail ebony body. Yet Lallu's heart filled her with a renewed passionate fire. She walked through the cavern on a string woven before her time; a string that, although being one of many small and fragile chords, was resonating with purpose. She could see her past recorded in her mind through the eyes of orange and red. With each step she carried herself further down the echoed path and into her mind, trying to break apart her doubt and salvage what little courage she had left.

 

The cold was starting to get to her though. She could feel the haunting chill creeping down her spine and into her back. It played at her, poking her mortality with a stick and laughing at each feeble attempt at survival. It was cruel, but she was ready. Life had been cruel to her. People had been cruel to her. Everything seemed to want her to die. Everyone pressured her into a small box that led to her inevitable suicide. Had she listened to her heart when she was a child, she would have died years ago. But a sick will carried her on. A will that defied even her own wishes pushed her further and further. When she was given a spark by Furion to light the way to her freedom, she was given a chance; a chance to reclaim her life from the hellish spiral it had been. Her motivational light blew into a fiery inferno that consumed her and helped her to fight.

 

The porous stone underneath her feet was starting to return to the iciness of the planet’s surface. She could feel the snow on her black face and something told her that her captor, Fynn, was waiting for her nearby. She was pleasantly surprised that there weren’t any Jedi around, but to be honest, some part of her felt ashamed. She had nothing to show for her escape. There was no struggle. Other than her mental conflagration, she was somewhat at a loss when it came to show for her escape. Normally this wouldn’t have troubled her, but something in the way she acted now exposed something buried deep inside.

 

Through the veil of orange and red that sat over her eyes, she could see light from a nearby opening. She was cautious, but daring. She held her head high and proceeded with little regret. If they gave fight, she would kill them. If they let her leave, she would leave. She emerged slowly out of the approaching mouth looking pretty haggard. Her eyes were still glowing fiercely, but they were surrounded by a halo of greyish puffy skin. Her hands, although somewhat healed, were scraped and smashed pretty badly. The bleeding wasn’t as prevalent, but they still looked messed up. Her clothes, or what was left of the rags she was wearing, were clinging to what parts of her body that they could. She held a pulsating orange-red crystal in the crook of her armpit and she wore a loose, but exhausted expression of irritation.

 

She didn’t even look toward Fynn who she could clearly see off to the side, but the mere presence of mind she exuded seemed to acknowledge him without thinking.

 

“Hello…” Lallu said in a hollow voice. Her throat was dry, cracked. She couldn’t seem to conjure a good enough acknowledgment for the man, but she could see the short saber in Fynn’s possession. Her eyes gained a fire of their own. The intensity of their glow pulsed a little and a warm sensation surged inside of her. He found it… I can leave…

 

Her head was swimming with residue left from her emotions and the lack of energy she had to keep up her warmth. She almost staggered to the ground, but she held herself up with her right leg and kept her body upright. It was telling, but even in this vulnerable time, she didn’t want to give away a vital weakness to her enemy.

 

 

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The icy chill of a night on Ilum was becoming deadlier with each passing moment. Fynn shook his head. The trail was gone. Maybe he was losing it, maybe all the time in solitude was finally catching up with him... maybe...

 

Then he heard it. A heartbeat. A strong, raging heart beat that was screamed to him in the silence of the surface. He began to turn to face her.

 

“Hello…”

 

He took a second to take in her wounds, she covered them well. Ever she tried to put up a front of strength an invulnerability to him. He didn't by it. But he knew that he himself often pretended as if the scars he still bore didn't impair him. He decided to let her keep her visage. He took a step and handed her the small bag containing the heavy coat, and food rations. There were bandages in the kit as well, but he figured she could find those for herself.

 

She was an incredible being, a force unto herself. To show such resilience after captivity, to keep her head in the cold. A part of him wanted more then to simply regard her abilities, yet he felt he could restrain himself still. Still his control was slipping, as if something were working on his soul from the inside, changing him someone he didn't recognize, perhaps the person he'd always been.

 

"Here, unless you'd prefer freezing." Fynn began to volunteer more. But he stopped himself, she was a dark apprentice, she probably wouldn't accept much then he had already brought. There was a moment when he couldn't decide if he should proceed. But then he looked in Lallu's eyes, saw the fierce energy stored within. He wanted, no needed that energy, that fire... it felt like, life. He could feel it surge from her in waves, a dark energy that enticed him.

 

"Your master's saber. I'd say I had to strike down a dozen Jedi to get it. But somehow I don't think that would impress you." Fynn said this and turned away and retrieved it from his side and held it out. But he had more to say.

 

"This is yours, if you come with me to Merkava. Something happened there, I saw knowledge there that is forbidden to the Jedi. More then I probably should have seen. I ne-, want to know more.", He said this and looked away from her. Trying his best to hide the motives deep inside his core. He tried not to remember the battle that he had fought, the injury he received, the strange toxin that had poisoned him, the wild imaginings that troubled his mind. If he found out what he needed, he could change things, possibly even himself.

 

"I don't expect you to understand. But I will do whatever it takes..." He stopped himself again. He doubted that she cared about his reasons. She had her own ends, and Fynn knew they more then likely didn't align with his own. If she said no, he'd find his own way there. But he knew that the knowledge of the Sith, such as it was, was beyond him.

 

"Well? Merkava? Or freeze here alone. It's your call." Fynn said with a blank empty glare, doing his best to keep his emotions on the subject quiet.

"Some things... are worse then death, being forgotten for example..."

Member Since '05 - The Old Ones | Character Sheet

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Lallu could feel her master, close. The energy resonating from his saber was sickeningly sweet to her mind of deprivation. The cold wasteland that made her ache for his embrace began to thaw under the proximity of his weapon. It was a fire like an infection. It refused to go out and was spreading with quick, but measured strokes. Fynn's words meant nothing to her and they fell on deaf ears. When he held it out - the elegant metal short saber that dripped with her master's same toxic energy - she couldn't contain her enthusiasm. The glow of her eyes intensified and she opened her left hand, which until now, had hung low at her side. The saber flew from his grip and slid roughly under the calluses of her palm. She cringed when it passed through her broken grip, but she felt the fibers weave and move against her flesh. The cold metal bit relentlessly at her warm hands and she could hear screaming in her ear. Memories of her master's warm embrace came pouring into her and the ease of her passion exploded with the tingling she felt at every movement. The soul of the saber seemed to reject her, but something in the saber seemed contented to be in the hands of a free warrior than one who had been poisoned by the light.

 

"NO..." Lallu said. One word was all it took. Her voice resonated powerfully around her and she shrugged off her fatigue. It fell to the ground like a wet blanket and Lallu's expression was anything but comely and appreciative. "You said I could go. You didn't make a demand before and now you change your mind?! I am going to Coruscant whether I have to tear you and all of your Jedi friends down or not. I am tired of waiting. I am tired of pandering. If you want to follow, then that will make this decidedly easier. Merkava may come later, but that will depend on you."

Lallu's left hand sparked to life and in an instant the short saber ignited in a river of deep blood red. "If you question me again; if you stand here in front of me with the gall to spit at my demands. I will not hesitate to kill you." She raised the saber inches from the man's throat and her grip never hesitated. The scabbing tissue underneath her crude bandages threatened to break. The delicate seams of tissue that held them to her body were breaking in a row of searingly painful shocks, but it only fed her diatribe. Every painful sensation was extinguished in the mammoth fire of her burning passion. She would not be trifled with anymore. She was getting off this planet and she would find any way to do it.

 

The satchel with the coat and bandages called to her as the weakness of her mortal vessel became persistent. She didn't hear it. Her mind was separate from her body. She was not meat and her body didn't matter. True strength wasn't giving into weakness. True strength was survival, will, and passion.

 

Her face darkened and the glow of her eyes flickered severely. The orange-red crystal clasped underneath her right armpit glowed furiously and burst into a raging fire. Her eyes closed dangerously and she looked at Fynn's fate balanced precariously on the end of the crimson blade.

 

"Take. Me. To. Coruscant... Now..." Lallu uttered one syllable at a time. Flames whispered in the back of her mouth and the ferocity of each consonant sparked behind her teeth.

 

"Or Die..."

 

 

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The blade was so close, Fynn could smell the ozone as it crackled though the cold air. So close to death, Fynn felt his connection with the force stronger then he imagined possible. The knives edge of life and death that he had seen so many times. Each time he had stared into the abyss he always found a way to cheat it, to keep going on as he always had. He liked living...

 

"Coruscant..." he said through gritted teeth in response. He had to agree, As long as he could get to his goal...it would be worth it.

 

Lallu's anger was palpable, her affect on the force felt was amazing and yet so contrary to everything that Fynn had ever trained himself to emulate. Chaotic, unordered, raw. But her focus was still untrained, she was no master of the forces that she wielded. Whoever her master was, that was the true gatekeeper that he sought.

 

"I will take you there.", Fynn replied obediently after another moment. No deception, this time, he was done with being false. Something in her voice coerced him in a way that was uncanny. He almost felt as of he could do anything if told it by her voice. He was a solider after all, and orders were orders, just with a different tone.

 

"Now, if you'll deactivate your weapon, well go. I've had enough of the cold." he said as he patiently waited her next move.

"Some things... are worse then death, being forgotten for example..."

Member Since '05 - The Old Ones | Character Sheet

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Her brow was furrowed deeply, pushing against her fiery red eyes. Her pupils were so large that they looked like hellish pits burning into the center of her mind. The red rings around each glowed like a macabre halo of blood and her mouth seemed to stick in a permanent frown. She stared down the mean, red blade at her Jedi victim and did not flinch despite the overwhelming terrain. The saber that burned in her hand; the crystal that was aflame in her arms; and the fiery passion that ignited in her heart drove her almost to madness, but she stood astride it all without fear. She didn’t question it anymore. She had no reason to question it. Like the snow and ice of the planet’s surface, this fiery passion was hers and hers alone; chaotic, unreasonable and constant like the flurries of snow that beat against her face. She had every right to feel it and every right to use it.

 

She was severely tempted to take his life. From this distance there was little he could do to fight for it. There was little movement required to sever his deceptive head from his polluted body. What she wouldn’t give to be in a position of power over this man so she could kill him like he so deserved. It defied her mind even to think about it. As of now though, he held the key to her escape. If she killed him now, she’d have to kill the whole temple as well in order to escape. And as amazing as she thought she was, that would be a little overwhelming for her right now given the circumstances.

 

With a flick of her wrist, the saber clicked off. The metal hissed as the light retreated and the screaming sounds came again in Lallu’s ears. The saber begged for flesh, it yearned for the taste of battle, but Lallu resisted. It wasn’t necessary; not now. She shook her head and her lekku rattled a little from side to side, but she wasn’t rid of the ache in her head. Whispers of dark temptations failed to coerce her, but that didn’t stop them from doing what they could to push her to their whims.

 

Lallu looked off in the distance and saw the shuttle under the blanket of furious snow that poured from the sky. It was getting dark, which meant it was going to get colder. The icy embrace cooled her embers, but she had to maintain the fire. She almost considered murdering something to sustain her own fury, but she had to withhold the hunger that lurched inside.

 

The Black Twi’lekk started off in that direction, but even with her eyes turned, she looked upon Fynn with every sense both physical and metaphorical that she could spare. She kept her grip on the short saber despite the nagging of her feeble hands, and she kept trudging forward despite the crisp stabbing she felt from the ground beneath her. Everything hurt… Everything…

 

“I hate the cold too…” Lallu said after a few minutes. Her breath was visible and while she was stable all of the way to the shuttle, she could feel her skin beginning to stiffen. Her muscles were so cold that even the subtle change when she crossed into the shuttle hurt them. She panted her difficulty on the ship’s cold metal floor, but the success she held in her hands was enough to alleviate her doubts. She knew Furion was on Coruscant. Not because she had some secret spy there; not because her love told her he was there; but because with all of the evidence laid out before her, that seemed the most likely place. She knew he was there and she was going to see him, or die trying…

 

((I would like to make the first post in Coruscant if you don’t mind. Feel free to make a final post here or do whatever it is you wish to do, but I would like to make the first post in the Upper Levels thread on Coruscant.))

 

 

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It was the eyes, those damned fiery eyes, like burning hot coals in a cold desolate abyss. The freedom behind them, the absolute abandonment of temperament and restraint, was more then a tempting lure. Fynn desired it, pined for it...

 

As they approached the shuttle, the auto departure sequence triggered. The landing ramp lowered gently crushing the recently fallen snow. Fynn considered one last time what he was doing, being led to an end he couldn't conceive of. Lallu would likely kill him as soon as she had the chance, or he outlived his usefulness, he knew enough about the dark ones to realize that.

 

But she had made one strategic mistake, one that a true master of the dark wouldn't have. She had left him a means of defense. He wouldn't be snuffed out like a candle to a stiff dark breeze, if she meant to end him, she would be surely disappointed. But the time for confrontation was over, if Coruscant would bring him closer to what he sought, then so be it. Still he didn't trust Lallu, not for a second...

 

Fynn entered the shuttle in front of Lallu, remaining in a position of willing submission. Fynn decided he would remain there as long as it was useful. He stowed the large bag containing the large force crystal he'd discovered in a side compartment. He disengaged the locks and received permission for departure swiftly. Keeping an eye on his new traveling companion, he directed the shuttle into the upper atmosphere.

 

As they left the defense grid, the ship calculated the jump and powered up it's hyperdrive. Fynn looked over at Lallu, opened his mouth to say something, but he saw the eyes again, the rage filled eyes that seemed to bore to his core and expose his true feelings in a way he couldn't defend. He shut his mouth, looking back into the endless sea of darkness as it all turned to star lines.

 

(:Exit to Coruscant thread:)

"Some things... are worse then death, being forgotten for example..."

Member Since '05 - The Old Ones | Character Sheet

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  • 4 years later...

The expedition took several long hours to reach their destination after landing, unsure on what security measures were in place. The ship, an ordinary Lambda T-4a shuttle commissioned by the expedition's leader, was set into a crevice, the group heading out on speeder.

 

Its leader dressed in a white parka and environmental suit, sitting rear driver's side, though the other three on the expedition suspected the environmental gear was for show. One was a Rodian mercenary at the pilot's seat, another a Mon Cal slicer, and the last, though it was hard to tell given the layering of clothing, was a Jawa who specialized in mining tech, arguably making him the most important member of this trip. Their leader went by the alias "Marlowe White", but none of the three were fooled, but decided to stick to the fiction in their interactions. "White" knew this and his lips, visible beneath his hood, twisted into a sardonic, thin smile.

 

"Is the plan understood?" Faust's incarnation asked in basic. "A quick extraction job. No engaging security or any watchers the Jedi may have left in their temple or caverns if we can help it. We load up on their crystals and get out... though if we can leave a surprise in our wake, all the better..." Recon showed the Jedi hadn't had a solid temple on Ilum that was active in some time, but no reason not to trash the grounds one done out of spite and fun. Since losing the Force, making his lightsabers was harder, much harder. The Sith believed in artificially creating their gems, but either way, the Force's need to detect imperfections was not something he could rely on. Harvesting natural crystals on the other hand, known for their purity, well that was a different matter entirely...

 

All the same, he wanted to be prepared, just in case watchers showed up or someone else hunted his scent. He doubted it, but given everything, he took no chances.

 

((Just some optional mischief for the Jedi to swat down. Enjoy! ))

O how wretched is that poor man that hangs on princes favors! There is betwixt that smile we would aspire to, that sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin, more pangs and fears than wars or women have, and when he falls, he falls like Lucifer, never to hope again.

 

-William Shakespeare

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  • 4 months later...

The blue ball known as Ilum appeared out the viewport. The captain of the small YT-2000 was, as usual, in the cockpit as it reentered normal space. It was always refreshing to see a new planet- and the captain always wished to view it winking into their path. Tobias stood firm in the cockpit as the three severely modified PIT Droids worked in harmony on the entry. Reaching out with that oh so mystical power of the Force- Tobias held the planet in his grasp. He searched the flow of energy whip over the planet- through the planet. The droids, Knight, Ni, and Ikky were all oblivious to this of course- as they were busy squabbling amongst themselves... as usual. It took time but Tobias had blocked most of the bickering out by now. As they started the typical approach- Tobias turned back into the ship he had originally intended to use as a command hub for his Peregrine Initiative- but now was just another ship. The YT line could be heavily customized, and customized it was. The crew quarters were along the back arc of the ship- flanking the engineering bay. A common room which held monitors and kitchen stuffs- and between that room and the cockpit were the storage compartments- one where Kota was now practicing his first lesson.

 

Tobias opened the door quietly- the room was mostly empty- but Kota was in there, crosslegged with his new training saber Sandy's apprentice, Frond had gifted the Togrutan. Vos smiled as the young boy held out his hand and with barely controlled fits of laughter coming out- raised the training blade a meter off the ground. The Jedi Master was impressed. The boy had gone through plenty in the recent days- a dark shadow wanted to rule the boys heart, but Tobias made sure not to let the shadow take hold. He wanted to find his apprentice's sister- and the boy had to be armed before hand. The ship he had taken to Iridonia had been sold on the spot- and Tobias made sure to set aside the money for the boy later. Silently, Tobias backed his head out of the room and shut the door.

 

Making his way into the common room- he remembered the brief reunion of Sandy and Adenna. Sandy had retired back to her old cabin and her two apprentices were elsewhere on the ship. Angling to the port quarters- his own- he opened and shut the door quietly. Adenna stirred on the bed; beautiful. Tobias's heart ached- the love of his life was still sick, and there was nothing he could do. She slept so much, the nanites had flared up and while she could break through the mental haze- the Kashyyyk fight had taken a lot out of her. He sat down on the bed, stroking her hair out of her face she woke. Bleary eyed, she winked, kissed his hand with her tender lips, then fell back to the bed. Tobias cherished those particular moments, small but meaningful. There was so much he wanted to ask her- so much he needed guidance with. Talking hurt- drinking was easier. Retrieving a datapad, he left his quarters and made his way to the common room. As he typed out his report on his activities since Nar Shaddaa- he wondered how Tom and Tut were doing. He made sure to check in with each of them. As well as the contractors and crews of his other ships. Three bottles later- the messages had been sent- and he called out to Sandy. It was her mission- and they were close enough to start seeing where they wanted to settle down at to go crystal hunting.

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Ilum. It was typically a cold and inhospitable barren wasteland with little purpose for those outside of the usual Jedi and those interested in the caves to venture toward, yet for this ragtag group of wayward souls, Ilum held a surprising venture, the likes of having never being seen before. And as soon as they exited hyperspace, an unusual presence could felt swelling throughout the entire star system. It was a presence of sorrow, of reluctance, of anguish, of loneliness. And it was strong, echoing from a singular place upon the usually blue orb known as Ilum.

 

Yet, Ilum appeared different, a strange aqua colored film encompassing its entirety, with a storm similar to those that happen upon Tython raging across its atmosphere. Yet, beneath the clouds, it was calm, not even a hint of snow falling from its stratosphere. It was eerily at first glance, especially when scans of the planet would show only natural flora and fauna, as if nothing sentient laid a foot upon its surface aside from the lonely beckon that sent its coded call of distress. Yet, despite the feeling that echoed like a scream through the Force, it too was calm and serene, as if something simply slumbered within its touch.

 

What awaited this gathering of Jedi below was unknown, the beckon below located several meters below the Jedi Temple and its known cave systems into uncharted pathways. So caution was best not to be thrown into the wind. Something strange was happening to Ilum, something ancient beginning to awaken, something that predated even Ilum's discovery, and would be found self evident once the group came across the bodies of Faust's own little guild of thieves whom had managed to get too close to what laid in slumber within.

 

Through the Force, as the group would grow closer to the Crystal Caves of Ilum after landing, echoes of sobbing would be heard, the pain and anguish that haunted a singular soul could be felt, and all the while, the presence would pulsate outward in ethereal eternity. It would be felt as deep, forever, like a white hole spewing forward into open space, only getting stronger as they grew closer.

 

"I'm sorry. So very sorry." A voice would echo through the Force, booming to the point that heads would ache and nausea would follow. "I never meant for this to happen. I never wanted this."

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"Forgive me, my mortal kin, for I knew not what I did."

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