The Eternal Vigilance (The Maw)

[Darex Trevelian]

Time passed slowly for Darex. He kept busy, doing the paperwork and handling the bureaucracy that kept the Order running. It meant staying in the background while Master Kirlocca handled the more public face of the Order, but it suited Darex for the time being. He also began to work up detailed plans of a new Knighting ceremony for Jedi padawans that he felt was exactly what the Order needed.

 

Every spare moment was spent with his family. The twins were walking now and saying a few words. They were quite a handful, especially at times when they instinctively tapped into their latent Force-abilities. Random objects were found in bizarre places, and often the twins displayed skills far beyond their years. Darex also made it a point to spend more one-on-one time with his fiancee, letting the nanny droid care for the twins for a few hours and pouring into Darla as much as he could.

 

Before long, however, he felt the Force stirring within him. Something was going to happen soon, he felt. To that end, he moved the EV to a spot in darkspace outside of the Corellian system, an area still secure but only a microjump away from the large system.

[Onderin Starlisk]

-- Incoming transmission for Grand Master Darex Trevelian --

 

"Master Trevelian. The Force has beckoned me to Onderon to investigate a disturbance that I have felt there which may have resulted in the deaths or captures of hundreds of civilians by an unknown threat. The planet is not yet on alert, so I have only my vision to go on, but I can't help but feel something is about to happen. Any threat large enough to cause this sort of disturbance I would rather not face on my own, and CoreSec has no presence here.

 

"I was wondering if you would like to come along, or if you could send a few other Jedi Knights in your place.

 

"Onderin Starlisk out."

 

-- End transmission --

[Darex Trevelian]

((OOC: Just going to get the ball rolling again))

 

It was a testament to their strengthening relationship that when Darex mentioned the comm he had received from Onderin, Darla, after some hesitation, agreed that he should go. Darex kissed her forehead. "Don't worry. I'll jump the EV back into darkspace and activate the security measures. You and the twins will be perfectly safe while I'm gone. I can't keep hiding away from the galaxy like this anymore. It's my duty." He tilted her chin up and met her eyes. "Just like you and twins are my duty as well."

 

They parted with affection, and Darex hugged the twins before belting on his lightsaber and heading to the hangar. There, he gave orders for the EV to jump to a spot in darkspace in the Outer Rim. Once it made the jump, Darex climbed into an E-Wing and headed out, logging the coordinates into his navicomputer. A few minutes later, he was on his way to Onderon.

[Darex Trevelian]

It was with a deep sense of joy that Darex brought his small ship out of hyperspace in the Outer Rim and saw the Eternal Vigilance floating before him. The station had always been a second home to him, and now that his family was there, it was even more so. As soon as he came near to the station, he could sense that Darla had felt his return. She was filled with relief; he knew she had most likely worried herself sick while he had been gone.

 

As eager to see his family again as he was, his landing on the decking of the hanger was a bit sloppier than normal. He immediately popped the canopy and leapt down. Darla was just entering the hanger, Jax in her arms while Alana toddled after them. A few quick strides and he was there. Scooping his daughter up in his arms, his spun her around as she shrieked with laughter. Jax immediately held out his arms to be spun around too, and so his father obliged, the grin on his face echoed on his son's.

 

The twins, being 22 months old, demanded much attention, and Darex was happy to oblige, but he took a deliberate moment to show their mother just how much he had missed her. Taking her in his arms, he kissed her deeply while the twins clamored for attention at his feet. "I missed you," he said. Then he glanced down with a smile. "All of you."

 

Mother and father both scooped up a toddler and together, the entire family headed back to their apartments for a good meal and some serious catching up time.

[Wookiee Jedi]

A singal went off on Darex's comlink, letting the Jedi Grandmaster know that a Council meeting was about to occur.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex had had a quite a chance to relax with his family after Onderon, and for that, he was grateful. Leading the life he did, he had learned to appreciate the time he had, and how to lavish that time best on his family members.

 

So when his comlink buzzed, he was in the living room, swinging the twins around and tossing them in the air while Darla looked on. He chuckled and set Jax down, then checked the message. Seeing that it was Kirlocca requesting a Council session, he tousled the twins' hair and headed into his connected office.

 

On his desk was the specially designed holotransmitter that Armiena had given him when he had first been invited to sit on the Council. Activating it, he stepped into the holofield.

[Darex Trevelian]

The Council meeting ended, leaving Darex with a heavy heart. He had wished things had gone differently. He felt in his heart that it had been the right thing to do to banish Master Kirlocca, but that didn't make it easier.

 

As the weeks following the meeting passed, Darex continued working for the good of the Order from the EV, as well as spending a lot of time with Darla, Jax, and Alana. The twins were walking now, toddling around slightly wobbly, getting into everything. They were also beginning to make more conscious use of their Force talents, for no matter how high Darla or Darex put an object on a shelf, one of the twins would always manage to get it down. It kept the two adults on their toes, but in a good way. It amazed Darex to watch how the kids developed in leaps and bounds. He was proud of them, and nothing gave him more pleasure than in sitting with them and just playing. It made him wonder if his own father had ever played with him. He liked to think he had.

 

He also made every attempt to spend time with Darla. It was difficult for them to get the chance to be alone; after the twins were in bed, they were both too exhausted to stay up very late. But he was determined to continue to pursue her, and to that end, scheduled regular date times for the two of them to leave the twins with the nanny droid and get away for a bit. Darex loved seeing how Darla slowly began to open up again, bit by bit, revealing some of the woman he had known years ago. The movement was incremental, but Darex was determined to not give up.

 

One day he was sitting at his desk skimming through his datapad. Suddenly the Force flickered, and he paused, frowning. Feeling a prompt to go back to the previous page, he saw a note from Knight Jaren Platt, the hopeful trainer on Lehon. It was just an update, a note about how many hopefuls they currently had and what they had been learning. But as Darex looked, it seemed that Force was drawing his attention to a particular name on the list. Darex's lips twitched. Another apprentice? He hadn't seriously considered taking one these past few years, busy as he was with other things. But now, maybe the time was right again...

 

He took a deep breath. I guess I'd better go to Lehon, then.

 

That night at dinner he broached the subject to Darla. After some discussion, it was determined that Darex would leave the EV where it was and take a shuttle to the new temple. He wanted Darla and the twins to come with him. That issued a whole new round of discussion. Darla was concerned for their safety, while Darex assured her that nothing would happen. "I won't let it." Finally, they agreed that Darex would take Jax, while Darla would stay here with Alana.

 

So the next morning, the two Trevelian men farewelled the ladies and headed off into space in a shuttle.

[ObliviousKnight]

After a few more hours of crammed waiting in the cockpit of the Switchblade, Armiena was more than slightly grateful that she had long mastered the disciplines that enabled a Jedi to control her bodily functions. Still, after the stress that accompanied what had seemed to be an imminent showdown with Vladimir Faust, she was relieved when the tiny interceptor burst out of hyperspace and appeared in the controlled airspace that surrounded the Eternal Vigilance.

 

Armiena ignored the glowing surface of Coruscant. After the years following the civil war and her descent into alcoholism, that excessively developed, overcrowded planet had lost all of its appeal for her. It was no longer an energetic world that was brimming with the collective energies of uncounted billions of sapient creatures, but a crowded and tense environment that functioned on sheer inertia. The crowds were no longer exhilarating, but rather unnerving. The seclusion of the orbiting Jedi cruiser and its thrumming, electronic life were far more to her liking.

 

After yet another troubled negotiation with the craft’s traffic controller over her horribly outdated identification code, Armiena was finally given clearance to land in the Vigilance’s primary hangar. After a sedate approach mandated by the nervous security forces on board, the elite pilot finally touched down on the gunmetal deck and wearily climbed from the cockpit of the Switchblade. She glanced over the curvaceous lines of the craft’s interior with exhausted eyes. The massive, orbiting submersible had always been a comforting environment to the veteran Jedi—she had first encountered the Jedi within this vessel—but now she was far too anxious to take solace in its familiar confines.

 

Faust tended to have that effect on her.

 

Slowly stretching out the tension from being crammed into the craft of her interceptor, Armiena stepped into the bowels of the ancient submersible and sought out the refreshers. After washing away the ripeness of a day spent in a cockpit with substandard ventilation, she donned a fresh white robe and trespassed into the empty Council Chambers… and promptly fell asleep.

[Darex Trevelian]

The shuttle bearing the Grand Master returned once more to the Eternal Vigilance.

 

It was always good to come home, Darex thought after making his way through the many security screens and checks that anyone boarding the massive craft had to go through. Darla and the twins were waiting on the other side, and he smiled as he scooped Alana and Jax into his arms. Setting them down, he kissed their mother and took her hand as they walked through the ship. Darex filled her in quietly on the search for Faust. It was a sign of how much she had grown in the past few months that she didn't freak out at the mention of his name, but Darex knew well that fire that came into her eyes. Being with his family allowed Darex's own professionalism to break down, and he felt keenly the wounds that Faust had inflicted on him in the past.

 

After reassuring Darla that the Jedi here would be gone soon hunting down Faust, he left them and headed to the Council Chambers. Opening the door, he almost stepped on a sleeping Armiena. He smiled and crouched down, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know, a bed is usually a lot more comfortable than the floor." Belatedly, he hoped she wouldn't attack him for waking her up. He couldn't remember ever seeing her in the morning, but he was sure she wasn't a morning person.

[ObliviousKnight]

Decades of experience in war had caused Armiena to develop a rather useful talent of being able to fall asleep virtually anywhere on a moment’s notice, as well as the ability to wake up and return to full awareness within seconds. However, while her lifestyle had made the distinction of being a “morning person” or not more or less irrelevant, it did have the downside of making her a somewhat… dangerous person to wake up unexpectedly. The dozing Alderaanian started after feeling Darex’s hand on her shoulder. She was in familiar environments, she would tell herself no more than two seconds after waking; she was among friends, and it was her most trusted friend from the Jedi that had just awoken her.

 

Unfortunately, training and paranoia had a tendency to react more quickly than conscious thought.

 

Feeling the pressure of Darex’s hand on her shoulder and the darkness of the unlit Council Chamber pressing around her, Armiena woke with a gasp and her hand made a move for the belt by her side to reach for one of the myriad weapons it was burdened with. Then she remembered where was and who had just awoken her.

 

“Oh, Force, I’m sorry. Lights!” The Council Chamber lit up to its usual brilliance. Armiena took a step back and turned away to collect herself. Sensing her alertness, her implant began flashing reports on the developments of the last few hours over her eyes. Nothing unusual had transpired recently, surprisingly enough. In fact, the only pertinent thing that had happened was a message from the Firkraag-Roden Arms Foundries, happily informing her that her recent order for pre-belted AP-HE/homing beacon autocannon ammunition had just been fulfilled… invoice attached… pleased to do business and looking forward to any future opportunities that may arise. And attached, Firkraag-Roden’s slogan: We didn’t start the fire.

 

Alas, the firm only did business in bulk orders supplying ammunition in far higher quantities than Armiena could realistically expend in short order. The Eternal Vigilance was about to get hit with an order for thirteen pallets of high-caliber ammunition. Hopefully, the delivery wouldn’t cause too many problems.

 

“I’m so sorry.” Armiena was clearly frazzled, bothered by something more than just the fact that she had nearly turned her lightsaber on her friend. She turned around to face him. “This… wasn’t exactly a social call. I’ve had a plan to counter Faust, and you and Aryian are the only two people that I would trust enough to help me carry it out… or to tell me that I’ve gone completely mad.” Armiena told him.

 

The idea was insane and more than a little desperate, the product of thinking that would have shocked most of their contemporaries. However, if the Jedi were going to have a chance of countering Faust, Armiena was of the opinion that they were going to have to try to take the offensive and try to draw out the infamous hunter. Still, Armiean could safely say that of all the Jedi, she held the most trust in Darex Trevelian. Her trust in him extended far beyond trusting him with her life. Armiena had been at war long enough to appreciate that there were worse fates than death. She would have trusted him with someone else’s life, or her own sanity, or even her soul.

 

All she had to do was trust Darex to be himself, and nothing more.

 

((Please let me know if you haven’t received my PM.))

[Ary the Grey]

The Blur popped out of hyperspace, inbound on a landing course to the Eternal Vigilance. Silently, it sent a signal to Aryian, who was still in a trance, the mind of his Cathar passenger still in his own.

 

"Well, given time, I shall teach you everything you wish to learn. It's not hard...just tedious. Like writing words on a page. Anyways, we've arrived."

 

Slowly, the world he had created dissolved, and Ahzani's mind gently removed from his own, both waking up in the cockpit. However, the situation wasn't exactly a perfect one, as the ship's AI sent him another message.

 

"What do you mean we don't have landing clearance? We're not registered as Jedi vessels anymore? Screw it, remote hack it and add us in as guests. Or at the least disable weapons targeting and open the hangar doors."

 

Several minutes later, they had boarded, and Aryian found himself strolling down the landing ramp. He mentioned to Ahzani something about not getting lost and to stay close, but didn't really care. There was no threat here...unless Darex or Armiena were allergic to cats. As it was, the security was on a skeleton crew, and though they were on their way, only intercepted Aryian as he walked into the council chambers, having been thrown off by a myriad of illusions and tricks of the mind.

 

"Would someone tell these people I'm not a security threat? Well, mostly. Their software is out of date. That's all."

 

When it came to NPCs, Aryian enjoyed the fact that he could practically get away with whatever he wanted as long as the excuse was plausible enough to be believable. Of course, they didn't know they were NPC's, and to mention it would likely make their heads explode. Of course, that last bit would likely be explained by a completely plausible excuse.

[Darex Trevelian]

(OOC: Okay, guess I'll go ahead and post)

 

Darex waved off her apology and stood quietly through her explanation of her idea. Frankly, he thought she was crazy. But perhaps it was crazy in a good way. She was clearly willing to risk a lot, personally and professionally, to stop Faust. She had always been willing to risk things to put an end to evil--it was what had made her such a great Jedi, and it was one of the things Darex respected her for. Some in the Order thought that she crossed lines, or went too far, but Darex thought better of her than that. She was a mover, a woman of action, one who had suffered much under evil's hand and had come out stronger as a result.

 

Frankly, Darex thought her idea might be their best chance. But before he could say so, Aryian arrived, complaining about the security. "The security is there for a very good reason, Master Darkfire," Darex said, a bit of Grandmaster-sternness crossing his face. "If you'd just cooperate with them, you'd get put in the system and not bothered again."

 

He turned back to Armiena. "I think that while dangerous, your plan is solid. And it might be our best chance of finding--"

 

He broke off as a wave of anguish rolled over him through the Force. He staggered and sat down heavily in one of the chairs. Closing his eyes, he tried to seek for the source of the attack, but it was difficult to pinpoint. He got a glimpse of large forests, furred natives, and towering heights, and then nothing. He took a deep breath and reached into the Force for control. The tidal wave slowed and then subsided. He opened his eyes again, his look bleak. "Of finding Faust before he strikes again. We must act, and quickly. He must be stopped."

[ObliviousKnight]

“Well, that’s me.” Armiena didn’t look when her ex-husband entered the Council chamber. I’ve never exactly been known to be conservative in my—“

 

And then the wave of agony that resonated throughout the Force hit. While Darex had somehow managed to preserve his dignity and collapse in one of the padded seats that were generally reserved for the Jedi Council, Armiena’s reaction was somewhat more severe. She saw images that were too sudden for her to comprehend as the disturbance in the Force passed. Living towers burst from dark earth and rose far from sight through a gloomy mist. Leaves and twigs, as thick as rain, fell from above in a grey storm. Someone in the distance was screaming for help—Armiena couldn’t tell who the voice belonged to, but it sounded familiar. All around her, the forest was shivering as though in pain as it shed generations of growth and the cacophony of the wood degenerated into white noise.

 

Eventually, the pain passed and Armiena came to. She blinked, and she realized that she was staring up at the ceiling with a considerable ache in the back of her head. Her throat was hoarse, and she realized that it had been her that was screaming for help. Her limbs shivering against the artificial chill of the Eternal Vigilance, the former Jedi gathered herself and rose to her feet.

 

“I saw an ancient forest… and darkness. Not Endor.” As Armiena spoke, her normally pale skin regained color from the ashen hue that it had been stricken by when she fainted. She stubbornly remained standing in the middle of the chamber, her arms shaky and hands balled into fists. “Kashyyyk.” She reiterated her plan for Aryian’s benefit, watching his expression as she summarized.

 

Armiena took a seat and inhaled deeply, reaching to the Force to steady herself after the cataclysm that had just rattled her nerves. “If we do this, it needs to be right now. We will not have another opportunity in the future.”

 

The Alderaanian would not have denied it; she was afraid to finally confront Faust after their disastrous meeting at Gala. She had seen what that man had done to Ara-Lai and she was terrified of the possibility of losing herself to him, if she was defeated again and held captive. Not only that, but what she was asking of Darex and Aryian was a technique that she had always resented and suspected was a source of the prevailing animosity of a significant portion of the galaxy’s population towards the Jedi Order.

 

As she sat there in the quiet, waiting for the Force-touch of either of her old friends, a memory of her days as Jedi Grandmaster sprang to mind. One of the younger members of the Jedi Order—or was it a trainee in the Rebel Alliance? She couldn’t remember now—had boasted that she was the most courageous woman in the galaxy, that she was a woman who felt no fear. Aside from the ludicrous, and childish hyperbole, that was completely absurd. One could not be courageous if they were incapable of feeling fear.

[Ary the Grey]

Sighing, Aryian turned to the security officer, giving the man his information as Darex's dismissal seemed to be enough to warrant no further actions against the Grey Master. Then, it struck with a quickness. Nausea. Heartburn. Indigestion. Upset Stomach. Diarrhea. Immediately Aryian produced a small bottle from under his robes, labeled 'MEDISUN'. Uncorking it, he downed the chalky pink liquid contained within, making a face as the aftertaste hit him. He'd felt surges of the Dark Side before, but this one left him feeling...dehydrated.

 

Listening to Armiena's plan, he stroked his chin. "I dunno. Sounds risky. But, we need to move. Darex is more than qualified to do this, whereas it seems I have business to tend to."

 

He felt the dark side's presence, clear as day...or night, I guess...down on the surface of Coruscant, near the senatorial district. It was definitely something to investigate at a time like this. Telling Ahzani to stay put, he rushed to his ship and took off.

[Azhani]

Azhani stood at Aryian’s side silently. It wasn’t her place to make a commotion where it wasn't needed. She held a naturally composed – but restless – stance as the talking went on. She didn’t know what was going on; she didn’t even know where she was, but she thought it was interesting that no one noticed that she was there. She kept a mental timer in her head, wondering how long it would take for one of the Jedi to notice the almost seven foot, furry humanoid standing to the side of Aryian.

 

Just as Azhani was about to speak up and break her silence, she felt inexplicably sick. Her mind was clouded a little and her vision went blurry. Her head pounded and she could feel her heartbeat. She didn't fall to the ground, but she grabbed at her head softly and massaged the top of her right brow with the leathery pad of her right paw. Wondering what just happened, Azhani looked around to see the others react in much the same fashion.

 

The Cathar looked from the Jedi that fell to the ground to the one that plopped into a chair and was curious to what extent this instantaneous sickness pervaded the area around them.

 

She walked toward the woman on the ground and offered her a paw to help her to her feet, but the woman on the ground seemed contented in her posture and didn't even see Azhani's outstretched paw. The Cathar held herself in that position for a moment before Aryian, treating Azhani like a cub, told her to stay put and ran off through the hall without saying anything else.

 

That left her here, in a place she didn't know, with people she didn't know, exploring powers and potentials she never even really knew or understood she had. It was very frustrating, but Azhani didn't let it show. Her eyes slanted a little and her nose scrunched a few centimeters above its normal position, but she refused to let her disappointment show abundantly on her face and any evidence that hinted her discomfort faded quickly.

 

She offered her paw to the seated woman again and held it there a little while, offering what little help she could, seeing as how she didn't really have anywhere else to go or anything else to do.

[Ary the Grey]

"Psst."

 

The sound came from one of the security guards, who had lingered behind after the brouhaha with the Grey Master. He was trying to get Ahzani's attention, and upon doing do, motioned her over towards the door where he was still standing.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex took another deep, steadying breath. Yes, Armiena was right, both in the location of the disturbance and the need to act quickly. For the moment, they knew where Faust was. But he surely wouldn't stay there long.

 

He was about to speak up, when a strand of worry plucked at him. There were so many things that could go wrong. He knew Armiena was willing to take the risk, and that she was a strong independent woman who could take care of herself, but what she was proposing was no small matter. If it worked it would be worth it, but if it didn't, who knew what would happen? He didn't want to put his friend in a position like that. But he also knew that this was their best chance. "Alright," he finally said.

 

He was about to speak to the Cathar that Aryian had brought in with him, but then a security guard motioned for her to come over, and the opportunity was lost. The Grandmaster did want her to feel welcome, but it was probably best she left before what was about to happen, especially as she was clearly new to the Order. So Darex settled for softly speaking a welcome into her mind through the Force, and encouraging her to head down to get herself registered in the system. Perhaps she reacted strongly to hearing his voice in her mind--it was usually a shock to those who were unfamiliar with that form of communication--but Darex didn't really notice. "Please leave us," he said quietly to everyone else in the room.

 

Once the Council Chambers were empty save for Darex and Armiena, he moved over to her. "Try to relax," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I will do my best to track you while you hunt him down. I will not abandon you to his clutches," he promised. "Have no fear."

 

With that, his green eyes closed, and he immersed himself in the Force. The light side embraced him, and for a moment, he was overcome with the gentle joy of it's presence. His connection with it never grew old, and he hoped it never would. Slowly, he entered Armiena's mind, moving in gently along streams of shared memories that they both had. He felt her removing what barriers she could to help him, but her mind was locked up very tightly. He did what he could to minimize her discomfort, and tried to stay away from memories of a personal nature, but it was inevitable that he learn things about her that he hadn't known before. Finally, he nudged a corner of her brain and put her into a deep sleep.

 

Once she was unconscious, it was time to get to work. The Grand Master immersed himself even deeper into the currents of the Force. Human error would be debilitating at this juncture. He had to surrender himself to the Force and trust it to not let him make a mistake. Fortunately, Darex didn't have to change a lot in Armiena's mind. He left her long-term memory completely untouched and focused instead on the short-term. Carefully, he turned the Force into a razor that scraped away and obliterated most of what had happened over the past few days. It was difficult and painstaking, and Darex was grateful for the time he had spent learning the healer's arts from his old master, Skye, for much of the theory was the same. He was narrow with his mental probe, and yet he had to plunge deep, for he had to remove not only memories of events, but the feelings related with those, and even the tangents her mind had taken as a result of the things that had happened and the conversations she had had. There were things he could leave in--what had happened, Faust's words, her leaving Corellia and heading to the EV. But everything else had to go.

 

It was hard to say how much time passed, for both Jedi were unaware of it. But eventually, Darex knew he had removed every relevant memory from the present back to when she was on Corellia only a few days ago. He left untouched everything that was not going to change. Now came the even tricker part. He had to fill her mind with false memories. In theory, every Padawan learned to manipulate the thoughts of others and give them ideas that were not their own, but what Darex was doing was on another scale entirely. He worked carefully, giving her a memory of being tormented by the words Faust had spoken. He built in a good deal of anguish, and then had her remember leaving Corellia when they learned that Faust had fled with the beginnings of an idea.

 

While she was traveling to the Eternal Vigilance, he gave her memories of wrestling with herself, trying to determine the best course of action. He had her come to the realization that no matter how much it would pain her to collaborate with a man that she so despises and wants to destroy, Faust had spared her in the past when there was a much greater threat to be dealt with and he might be in a similar situation now. If he was telling the truth, she had to seek him out and learn what he knew. He had been forced to remove the memory of Faust's attack on Kashyyyk, since it had been too tied up in her sharing her plan, but he knew it was an important detail. As much as he didn't like doing it, he gave her back that memory, changing only the location. She needed to believe she had been in space travelling to the EV when it occurred. Finally, Darex turned to a different aspect and implanted a code phrase in her mind. Once triggered, it would cause her to contact Darex with Faust's location, leaving the door open for the Order to bring in the cavalry. When it was triggered, she would no doubt be confused, but she would act. Darex also made sure that when it was triggered, she would be ready to defend herself against Faust, for he knew that might well be the moment that Faust figured out what was going on.

 

The last part of the procedure was covering up what he had done. He wouldn't put it past Faust to scour Armiena's mind to see what her true intentions were, and he had to make sure that Faust picked up nothing out of the ordinary. That was one benefit of their strategy; the plan had originally been Armiena's in the first place, so it had her flavor of thinking. When she woke, she would believe the idea was her own from the start, and if she believed it, then Faust would detect no meddling in her mind.

 

Finally, it was done. Much like a padawan building his first lightsaber, Darex took some time to bathe Armiena's rebuild mind in the Force, letting it make small corrections, naturalize the false memories, and cover any gaps he might have accidentally missed. Then Darex ever so slowly inched his way out of her mind again, going out the same way he went it, through shared memories. He wouldn't be surprised if she woke up saying that she had dreamt of something from their shared past. Once he was done, he stepped back and opened his eyes. It was strange for a moment to be back in his own body, and he shook his head and blinked several times.

 

Then he reached out and shook his friend. "Armiena, wake up." If he had been successful, she would wake up thinking that she had just arrived on the EV and fallen asleep in the Council Chambers.

[Azhani]

Azhani gave up trying to help the woman when the other man came over to help. Clearly he knew what he was doing; Azhani seemed to be nothing more than a furry prop.

 

Excuse me miss, can I hold your hat? Thank you... *sigh*

 

The Cathar thought she got some recognition from the older man as he went to the woman's side, but just when she noticed a faint glimmer in the Jedi's eye, a 'PSSSST!' sound bit her ear violently. To most, it was a harmless hiss of air, but to Azhani, even the ants that crawled on the ground were as giants. She could control the sensitivity of her ears most times, but some sounds were very prickly; one of those being, air hissing. Azhani looked around and saw a guard standing fifteen feet away, making the incessant sound with his lips like some sort of rigid snake with four more appendages than normal. When she begrudgingly turned her face to greet his, he beckoned her to him. It was a little odd, and she almost felt like he was beckoning the other two. She moved to the side, leaned her head to the left and to the right, and even got into a squat before she finally realized that the greeting was for her.

 

She took a few steps forward and glared at the smaller man with livid blue eyes. "Please stop making that noise... It's giving me a headache."

[Ary the Grey]

The guard frowned a bit, his spirits dampened.

 

"Er...uhh...sorry. I, um...I just need to get your biometrics into the security system. We already had Master Darkfire's on hand, as he was with the Order previously, but you're a newcomer, right? So we just need to get you...ahh...squared away, as they say."

 

A bit of his cheerful grin came back as he finished, looking up at the tall Cathar with a smile. Pointing down the hallway, he continued as he led her towards the security room.

 

"It's just this way, won't take very long."

 

The walk was a quiet one, but after a long awkward silence, he again tried to break the ice up a bit, realizing he hadn't even introduced himself.

 

"Name's Brutus, by the way. Guardsman second class. Used to serve with Master Darkfire, anyway. How, uh...how long've you known him?"

[Azhani]

The man's joviality was a little refreshing. Everyone in the immediate vicinity seemed a tad too morose, dramatic or ill to give her much hope that she had made the right choice. It wasn't that she knew or didn't know why they felt that way; because she didn't. She just felt that, while there was a time for drama, it may or may not have been needed right now.

 

This man was friendly and apologetic, two traits that Azhani felt were both odd and endearing for a guardsman to have, but his purpose was clear and she admitted her mistake with a slight nod as she fell in step behind him. She even reflected his smile when he looked up at her, although hers had considerably more shiny, sharp, teeth exposed than his did.

 

"Name's Brutus, by the way. Guardsman second class. Used to serve with Master Darkfire, anyway. How, uh...how long've you known him?"

 

Azhani took a moment to think, but realized that she actually couldn't recall how many days had passed since she met the Master. Space had a way of messing with her head.

 

"My name is Azhani of Clan Aketh. I have not known him long. He found me out of sorrrts and I followed."

 

The explanation had more bells and whistles than that, but Azhani wasn't really inclined to give everyone she met her entire life story. She could feel a bond forming with this individual and didn't want to squander it by giving things away too fast.

[Ary the Grey]

They rounded a corner, and the security room sprawled before them. All kinds of monitoring equipment, large computer displays, the works. The EV might have been a bit slow on their software standards, but their hardware was still a solid force to be reckoned with. Cameras, communication equipment, holonet feeds...it was still one of the last big places the Jedi had to tactically monitor the galaxy.

 

"Welp, ma'am, here we are. Just, ah...follow me on over here, stand on that pad there, and let the machine scan you."

 

He waited until she complied before activating the machine, mechanical arms coming down from the ceiling, spinning around and starting the complete scan.

 

"He ran off though, huh? I wouldn't worry about it. He always left us behind or told us not to continue on when there was something we couldn't handle, even if it was something he couldn't handle. That actually happened a couple times, heh. You know, I have a little bit of Force sensitivity myself...I was just never strong enough to learn most of the stuff they had to teach...so I just stayed on with the Order, doing odd jobs. I kind of miss my times working out in the field."

[Azhani]

Azhani rounded a corner along with Brutus - the guardsman - into what she could only describe as the most technology she had ever seen in her entire life. She didn't know what the latest tech gadgets were, so it didn't really matter the level of security or surveillance they actually had. She was a little thrown off though and something about the tech based pulse of the station disturbed her. The audible hum of the space station around her was ever present here and it made her a little uncomfortable. She let her discomfort slide off though, as the pair worked their way through the open room. It was still there, nagging at her beneath her fur and in her ears, but she let it ride as she was escorted to a moderately sized machine. The technicians needed a moment to re-adjust the machine for her size, but it only took a few strokes on something Azhani assumed was a control pad of some kind.

 

When she stepped onto the machine it lit up with fascinating blue lights. They whirred and buzzed in a melody of different noises that the Cathar swore she could hear, while the technicians could not. After a few moments, the lights died and a read out was projected on the screen.

 

Racial Identification: Cathar

Species type: Feline Humanoid

Blood Type: CA-12+

Years of Age: 17

Height: 6’ 6.9321” - = caused by Cathar genetic defect 231

Width: 4' 2.234"

Weight: 180.5 lbs

Fur/Mane: White-Blonde (Mostly White) - = caused by Cathar genetic defect 332

Eye Color: Pale Sky blue

Gender Identity /Sexual Identity: Female

Feet: 1.5’ Long Paw-like feet with 1.5” long claws on each toe (1.45" Claws on each finger).

Tail: 3.5’ long

Nose: Black and leathery

 

Name: Azhani

Clan designation: Aketh

Date of birth: (17 years ago)

Mother's name: Azhiira

Father's name: Cagani

SIblings: 1 (Brother) 3 (Sisters)

Status of family unit: Unknown

 

Force Sensitive

midi-chlorian count: 19525 per cell

 

All of this information was accompanied by a life size holographic image of the Cathar on a large nearby screen. Azhani was a little astounded to see all of the information that this little computer could figure out about her. She considered asking it questions later, but decided against it when she started watching the man fiddling with the control panel again.

 

The status of her family marked 'unknown' in the computer was a blessing, but also a terrible burden. She was no longer there to protect them and felt entirely responsible for their predicament. If only she had been stronger, she would have prevented this from happening; or tried harder anyway.

 

She stepped down from the machine when it was finished and watched Brutus as he regaled about his time spent in the Jedi Order. The Cathar gave a silent response to his nostalgia for a moment, before she responded with her own question.

 

"It's interresting zat you need all of dis technical eqvipment, I vas told zat ze Jedi vere ze spirritual guarrdians of the galaxy. Vhy is it zey need all of deeze tings?" She was thrown off of her guard, so her accent was a little thicker than she really wanted it to be, but she let the comment rest in the air between them until Brutus was ready to answer.

Edited February 4, 2014 by Guest

[Ary the Grey]

Brutus scratched his head, mulling the question over. He hadn't really thought about it much, it was just there, and now that she'd postulated the question before him, it made sense that it was more for CoreSec's line of work.

 

"Well, I suppose...I suppose the Jedi aren't really that much in number. Never really have been. And, to that effect, they really probably need a better way to keep an eye on galactic affairs. They're not really supposed to police the public, per se, but they do keep a vigil for the Sith and their nonsense. It's not easy to bring down some of their more powerful members, and it helps the Jedi to be faster in their reaction. Kind of underhanded, I suppose, but, ah...well, so are the Sith."

 

Brutus shrugged. It was the best answer he could think of, the best he could offer, anyways.

 

"I, ah...I don't mean to be rude, but...is your whole clan like that? Cream-colored fur, and all. I've never seen a Cathar with that color hair, and it's, ah...pretty. Well...granted, I suppose I've never seen many Cathar at all, but still."

[ObliviousKnight]

As Armiena gradually relaxed the barriers around her mind and drifted away into unconsciousness under her friend’s manipulations, she began to mumble somewhat incoherently. Her conscious mind might have just gone dormant, but it seemed that the Alderaanian had a very busy subconscious and it decided to take the opportunity to resurface.

 

"Can’t tell me not to be afraid…” Armiena grumbled as Darex began to strip her most recent memories. A few minutes passed before her next utterance, with more time passing between each rambling. “Say it’s the dream of tyrants and madmen,” she said in a moment of lucidity before her friend quieted the ever-racing circuits of her mind that were continually obsessed with mechanical creations and cutting-edge technology. “Luddites…… lack the……. mag-nation……. wonders the likes…..mmmmm……. machines……...” There was a twinge of genuine regret as Darex skirted the edge of a memory that Armiena had buried very deeply.

 

The steady hum of a freighter’s power plant and life-support droned on in the silence of an otherwise empty starship. Occasionally Armiena’s green eyes flickered into darkness as the glow of hyperspace travel lulled the woman into a drowsy state. An interminable length of time passed—the shipmaster must have fallen asleep—and the drone of the ship’s systems faded away, eventually replaced by the roar of whirling lightsaber blades and the whine of blaster fire. There was a cry of sudden, overwhelming pain from the voice of a young man, followed by a howl of rage from Armiena’s lips.

 

Suddenly there was a crystal-clear vision of Vladimir Faust’s features, startlingly vivid; cold blue eyes, slitted with concentration. The angular, once-handsome lines of his face were tightened with a sinister mixture of twisted satisfaction and harnessed rage. Pressure seized Armiena’s neck, that of a strangling grip as tight as a mechanic’s vise. Lifting her off her feet with the ease granted by mastery of the Dark Side, Faust slammed her body into the ground and violently penetrated her mind…

 

Armiena screamed as she sat upright in the cockpit of the freighter, glancing from side to side to ensure that she was not on Gala, being force-fed memories of some of Faust’s more twisted felonies. She sighed and buried her face into her hands. It was yet another nightmare—not quite a nightmare, but a memory that continued to haunt her life, years after that last encounter with that awful man. She glanced at the control boards that lined the left wall of the cockpit, where the communications suite was located. A number of bottles of a cheap whiskey—an absolutely shameful number, really—were placed precariously between the controls of the communications suite.

 

Maybe another drink would allow her to sleep in peace. Examining each bottle closely, nearly pressing her face against the cheap plastic containers, Armiena peered into each bottle to search for a hint of the amber fluid. Empty… empty… empty… nearly empty… The Alderaanian grasped for the neck of the nearly-empty bottle, knocking over another container in the process.

 

A whisper of cloth reached Armiena’s ears, coming from the corridor just outside the cockpit. The ex-Jedi dropped the bottle, spun in her seat, drew a blaster pistol from her leg holster, and checked its charge in a well-practiced series of fluid motions that not even her inebriated state could foul up. Somewhat unsteadily, she rose to her feet and settled into a stable marksman’s stance, then crept slowly into the corridor.

 

The next series of events was not exactly clear to Armiena’s alcohol-stunned mind. Catching a hint of movement towards her person, the gunslinger attempted to take aim and fired somewhat wildly into the corridor, completely failing to hit anything other than an unimportant air duct. There was a furious shout of “Secure that weapon!” coming from a voice belonging to none other than her Miraluka mother. The blaster clattered against the metal floor after Armiena dropped the weapon and was enveloped in an embrace by her mother.

 

“It’s going to be okay, Armiena. I’ve got you. I’ve got you…”

 

Armiena chuckled as Darex began to withdraw from her mind, gliding along the contrails of familiar memories to lessen the risk of causing harm to her psyche. “That instructor ever going to get started? Standing around all day… Ow.” She grunted softly, remembering the pain of a glancing blow from a clay disc in the training dojo on Borleias.

 

She was completely silent afterwards, until Darex completed his work and withdrew from her mind. “Sorry… fell asleep?” Armiena sat upright. Again, it was dark in the Council Chambers. Unfamiliar with the dizzying swirls of golden light that were visible from orbit above Coruscant, Armiena had no inkling of how long she had been sleeping before Darex arrived.

 

“I hate to do this to you, but I’ve had an idea that could end this crisis before it gets even worse, and… unfortunately, you cannot know.” Armiena winced. “Faust is just too talented of an empath. If he suspects a trap… well, best case scenario is that he’ll bolt and ensure that I’ll never get this opportunity again. Worst case scenario…”

 

Armiena paused for a moment, trying to think of the possibilities. She had suffered plenty of cruelties at Faust’s hands, and the worry-lines in her face and the bags in her eyes were evidence of them. It was better to not trouble her imagination, she decided.

 

“Well, it gets bad. I can’t ask you to come with me—it has to be me, and me alone. Just… last time I met you in this room, I asked a promise from you. I’m holding you to it. I have to go.”

 

And with that mysterious closing, Armiena jumped to her feet and jogged out of the Council Chamber. As she entered the hangar, she had started to work up a bit of a sweat, but time was of the essence. Every second counted… although she did take a moment to sign for the shipment that had just come aboard the Eternal Vigilance. She had no idea when she had placed an order for caseless AP-HE/tracer beacon autocannon shells, but as far as she was concerned when she had laid eyes on the belts of high-caliber rounds, it was like Yule Day come early.

 

After loading the ammunition into the Switchblade, Armiena climbed into the cockpit of her interceptor and took wing, disappearing into hyperspace shortly afterwards.

[Azhani]

((Sorry for the delay IRL troubles... Ugh))

 

Azhani looked at Brutus and smiled softly, exposing little to no evidence of the sharp predatory teeth that lay beneath her furry lips.

 

She replied after a beat, her voice as soft as her smile with very little of her accent sneaking into her speech.

"No, it is a rrarre - albeit known - fur discoloration. The typical colorr of a Cathar ranges frrom gold to brrown. It was thought, in days of old, that the spirits of a white Cathar were especially strong, but with the rise of invention and science in the major cities, they found that it had to do with something inside. A genetic anomaly as that computer called it."

 

Azhani didn't really have more to add to that. It seemed an effective answer with little left to the imagination. Something bothered her though. The mechanical hum of the room stood out in contrast to the organic sounds of heartbeats that played all around her, but even amongst the melodious chaos, the Cathar felt... Lost.

 

She looked at Brutus, a hint of concern reflecting in her cold, pale, blue eyes. "Brutus, what do I do now? Do I just sit here and hope Aryian comes back?"

[Darex Trevelian]

As Armiena came to, Darex was glad to see that it had worked, as far as he could tell. Armiena immediately acted, her parting words a reminder to Darex of the promise he had once made her. It was a sobering memory, but it was a vow that he would keep.

 

Heading out of the Council chambers, he started putting together a Jedi strike team, volunteers only, who would be ready to move the instant they received news from Armiena. He gave orders for them to be equipped with not just standard strike team equipment, but with anti-Force user weapons and strategies. He was pleased to see some of the names of the volunteers pop up on the list. They were all good Jedi, and particularly skilled at bringing down Sith. Their orders were to do whatever it took to stop Faust. Darex himself planned to join the team, and to that end, he spent a few moments assembling some gear, ranging from light cortosis-plated armor to stun grenades and a blaster.

 

Once everything was ready to go, he headed to the security room. There was a Jedi hopeful onboard that he hadn't had time to personally meet what with all that had been going on. He entered the room just as the Cathar was speaking with the security guard, Brutus. He approached with a small smile. "That is one of your options," he interjected, catching the last bit of her words. "But not the only one. Forgive me for interrupting. We weren't introduced earlier what with everything going on. I'm Darex Trevelian, Grand Master of the Jedi Order. You are most welcome among us."

 

He crossed his arms. "You came here with Master Darkfire, yes? Is he teaching you the ways of the Force? Or did he simply bring you here to find you a place amongst our Order? This place is more of a command center at the moment, but if you are seeking a place where you can start learning what it means to be a Jedi, I can arrange transport for you to our training facility." He was unsure if Aryian had officially taken her as his padawan or not. "It might be best for you to go there either way. Master Darkfire is part of the hunt for a very dangerous Sith criminal, and it would be too dangerous for you to accompany him during the search." It wouldn't just be dangerous physically either; a person who had just recently become aware of her Force-sensitivity would be ripe pickings for Faust and the persuasion of the dark side.

 

He uncrossed his arms. "The choice, however, is ultimately yours and his."

[Ary the Grey]

Brutus chuckled.

 

"Oh, dearie, I wouldn't even have to hope about him coming back. He always does. As for now, there's a few things this old ship offers, I know it definitely has one special training room with access to all the holocron data the Jedi have archived. Now that you're in the system, you should be able to access the data. I can show you, if you want. Otherwise, there's a console over there that can show you other areas. Like the cafeteria, if you're hungry."

[Azhani]

((Sorry about the wait - snow storm, work, lack of time... etc.))

 

The man from a little while ago came in to the security room and greeted Azhani warmly. She was still a little confused, but the composition of his facial expression and the tone of his voice helped comfort her a little. It was the warm paternal glance that her father used to give her when she was a cub. Not overtly loving, but protective and confident, which was kind of ironic considering she was a little bit taller than him and a bit bulkier. Then again, things in her life were a little out of the ordinary at the moment.

 

She looked him up and down for a few moments then stood to her full height and flexed her legs. She paced around him, crossing her own arms over her chest and then nodded silently.

 

"Masterr Darkvire vished for me to stay. I acknoledge and appreciate your offer, but Brutus suggests there may be more for me to do here. Thank you Master Travlion." She accidentally mispronounced his name, but didn't realize it right off the bat. She wasn't comfortable with all of the sounds in his name and ended up pushing his last name together into a vaguely fancy sounding name that was similar, but different.

 

"I vill train and spar here until Darkvire returns. Thank you for your hospitality." Azhani said. Her face was kind, plain and curious at the same time. Her mouth was closed, but the lips that formed the curve under her leathery snout, curved into a light smile that didn't show any teeth. "My name is Azhani of clan Aketh. Thank you again."

 

And with that, she left the Jedi's company and walked with Brutus to one of the other rooms. She asked him for a small tour and before long, was doing laps around the facility to verify and solidify the knowledge that she was getting in order to get used to her time spent - presumably static - in the space station.

 

_______ _______ _______ (a few hours pass) _______ _______ _______

 

 

Her muscles flexed idly as she bounced on the balls of her digitigrade feet. She counted internally, mumbling numbers to herself and watching the opposite wall with bated breath.

 

A few moments passed with a small ticking sound serving as the only audible cue to anyone that there was something else inside this spartan room. The sound was sharp, pointed, but very small. It echoed off of the walls in the large spacious chamber and came back to the Cathar's ear at only a slight delay every few seconds. After the fifth click, Azhani's feet kicked into motion and she began sprinting through the room at full speed.

 

On her second step - when the leathery pad of her foot hit the soft matted floor - a machine popped out of the center of the ground and started to shoot out racquetballs everywhere. Each one hit the wall and bounced back and forth, threatening the Cathar as she darted about wildly trying to avoid them. She'd done this once or twice already, but each time she did it, she got a little bit better. Her biggest problem though, was her large body. It didn't take more than a few minutes before she was pelted with a sharp bite at her upper thigh, smacking against her body with a harsh thwap sound.

 

She winced slightly, which caused another ball to graze her ear and yet another to pop violently at her arm before the machine stopped and popped back into the ground again.

 

The Cathar stopped, holding her pained areas and panting slightly. She looked at the disc in the center of the room and made a disgruntled face. Regardless, she was about to start again when she saw a few panels on the sides of the room open up simultaneously. She was curious as to their function, but decided against further investigation. That was, until an army of mouse droids popped out of the walls and scurried about picking up the remaining balls.

 

The droids were small and harmless, but their beeping was deafening. They all beeped in unison and after only a few seconds, Azhani was tired of hearing them. She said "shhhh," thinking that that was the only incentive they needed, but instead they seemed to get even louder.

 

Getting irritated, a small spark gleamed in the Cathar's pale blue eyes. One mouse droid scurried right next to her right foot and she lunged out to get it, but missed it by an inch. She smiled widely, bearing her large white teeth and immediately set out to grab every mouse bot she could before they scurried back into their holes. It was some sort of cosmic coincidence. Some small voice in her head told her that this chase was something that she was meant to do.

 

It wasn't really hunting, because hunting involved more sport, but even the attempted exertion was enough to give Azhani the impetus to try it again. And she was just about to summon more, when her stomach rumbled deeply with a large sustained bass note.

 

"Time to go to the kitchen then..." Azhani mused, rubbing at her belly and leaving the controls alone. "I wonder where Brutus ran off to."

[Ary the Grey]

((Sorry myself, I've been on vacation and it wasn't really interfering with my posting until the last couple days. Finally I get good internet...))

 

"Hmm? Brutus?"

 

Aryian's voice echoed from down the hallway as he rounded a corner, coming into full sight of the Cathar. He still had a slight grin, whether from the incident he'd just been through or the mention of the aging guard.

 

"That old bag of bones is still around here? I should find himm and catch up a bit. Haven't seen him since...Borleais, was it? Anyhoo...hi."

 

Aryian exhaled heavily, unsure what exactly to say.

 

"I suppose I could go for some food myself. There's shenanigans afoot with evil guys and the Sith and all that, but if you don't have a healthy meal every now and then, you can't keep your strength up with all of it."

[Azhani]

Azhani rounded a corner and almost toppled into a familiar figure that stood almost a foot shorter and at least a foot or so thinner than the large white Cathar. She stopped with a practiced intensity, her weight held primarily on the balls of her feet, and looked down at the man with a warm smile. Hello master Darkvire, vhere have you been?

 

That old bag of bones is still around here? I should find him and catch up a bit. Haven't seen him since...Borleais, was it? Anyhow...hi.

 

He seemed a little flustered, or exasperated. Of course, Azhani had just been darting around a small room for the past hour and was a little tired as well. She was panting a little and her body was still pumping from the work out. She was so rife with endorphins that she couldn’t tell between the thundering beats of her heart who was more exhausted. What she could tell was that her fur was matted with exertion and that she probably smelled terrible. She was just about to comment on her no doubt ‘pungent’ aroma when her stomach growled viciously beneath the fur covering her abdomen. As if in answer to her obvious hunger, Aryian continued to answer her question from earlier. The question that Azhani presumably asked herself in what she assumed was the silence of the hall.

 

I suppose I could go for some food myself. There's shenanigans afoot with evil guys and the Sith and all that, but if you don't have a healthy meal every now and then, you can't keep your strength up with all of it.

 

Azhani couldn’t really keep up with all of what he said, but the mention of food sent her mind a whirl with images of meat and grain. She managed to keep standing, but the fatigue struck her like a metal baton to her knee caps and she decided that a meal was just what she needed to regain her strength.

 

She nodded to the master and proceeded down the cold metal hall toward the Cafeteria. I think a meal sounds nice. Thank you.

 

The smell of food led her further on and it wasn’t long before she caught the scent of beef wafting through the halls to greet her hypersensitive nose.