Introduction
In 250ABY, the Jedi and the Sith engage in a massive war. The Jedi are backed by the Republic, and the Sith by the Empire. The war ravages the galaxy, destroying worlds in a caliber that had not been seen in centuries. The Jedi numbers drop, until none were left to oppose the Sith. While the war between the Republic and Empire goes on, the Sith cease fighting. They celebrate the destruction of the Jedi, and then do what the Sith always do. They betray one another. The Sith slaughter their own forces, wiping themselves out seemingly completely in a mad grab for power. The Empire crumbles at this civil war, and he Republic slowly starts to take control of the galaxy again.
In 400ABY, the Republic has control of the galaxy once more. Massive rebuilding efforts are put into effect. Numerous historical information is lost, leaving historians guessing at the gaps left in the timeline. Coruscant is once again the capital. The Jedi and the Sith fall into legends and myths, with most of the galaxy doubting their existence in the first place.
In 488ABY, a private droid business owner breaks off from the Republic, forming the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Supported by the black market and other illegal organizations in the Republic, the Confederacy gains quick wealth. War began with the Republic. The Galactic South becomes Confederate Territory, with Mustafar as the capitol.
In 493ABY, the Imperial Remnants band together and form the Empire once more, entering the war as a third party. The Empire has the smallest numbers, but the most advanced technology. The Galactic East becomes the Imperial Territory.
In 498ABY, the Confederacy and the Empire assault Coruscant, causing a 2 year long assault from all three factions.
In 500ABY, All three Factions are blind-sided by Coruscant militia, pushing each of the factions off the planet. Coruscant becomes an Independent planet, and with the defenses left by the Republic, it becomes heavily fortified.
The year today, is 500ABY. You are on the planet Tython, a planet in the Deep Core that has long been lost to the rest of the galaxy. This is where the Jedi retreated, all those years ago, when the Sith had thought they had destroyed them all. The war that rages on outside does not effect the Jedi. Missions can send Jedi out into the galaxy, but it is rare, and they are sworn to a low profile.
A New Day
The light of the morning rolls over the the tall forests of Tython, inching its way to the temple stairs. There is a feint, warm breeze that dances around the temple grounds, and into any open windows. It is a perfect time to wake in the morning...Nope! You were up nice and early that morning, when that soft wind was a chilly and strong force that was more formidable than your training partner. You were out with Denak Kilbaine, taking part in his mandatory training/workout session. This happens every week, and you get up at 3. You get up with the masters, the knights, the padawans, and the vanguards. The only ones who seem to be able to get out of the hell that is the day, are the council members. And hell it is.
After all day of a vigorous training regimen, its time to finish with some sparring. You are brought down to the training rooms, and assorted with a group. You are given training weapons, and then told to enter the training cell. With your first step into the cell, you can see your opponent entering from the other side, ready for you...
The Jedi Temple:
The Jedi Temple is the Jedi's headquarters. Here, the temple consists of a multitude of systems that work together.
- The High Council
- The Council of First Knowledge
- The Jedi Service Corps
- The Vanguard Corps
The Jedi High Council
(Grand Master)Gwada Kotsa(Cerean)5'10"- The leader of the temple, Master Kotsa has the best traits of every master in the council. He is very powerful in both the force and Lightsaber combat, and was put in this position for a reason.
Style: Double /Favorite form: Shii-Cho /Forms mastered: 1,6 /Lightsaber: Purple
Mu Zathris(Twi'lek)6'1"- Master Zathris is not interested in the outside world, and thinks the jedi should completely stay away from affairs that the Jedi aren't strongly involved in. It would take the younglings being put in the cross-hairs of a blaster...
Style: Single /Favorite form: Niman /Forms mastered: 6 /Lightsaber: green
Carta Fe(Kel Dorian)6'- An older master who has seen much, master Fe is a very accomplished pilot and is the best in the order. He is strong in the force, and stronger in the skies.
Style: Single /Favorite form: Makashi /Forms mastered: 2 /Lightsaber: orange
Zonne Pax(Nautolan) 5'9"- A younger master, Pax believes that the galaxy will not fix itself, and that the force guides them to help whenever possible.
Style: Dual /Favorite Form: Shien /Forms mastered: 1,Shien /Lightsaber: L: Green R: Yellow
Votar(Yoda's species)2'3"- An old and wise master, Votar is only second to the grandmaster in wisdom. Master Votar believes in helping where ever possible, so long as it is not unreasonable.
Style: Single /Favorite form: Ataru /Forms mastered: 4,6 /Lightsaber: Blue
Resadisk Dostter(Besalisk)6'1"- A young(for a master) council member who believes the jedi have no place acting as "police officers" in the galaxy, he instead thinks the jedi should be isolated people who keep to themselves. He does believe in stopping the Sith, of course.
Style: 2 Double Bladed Lightsabers /Favorite form: Soresu /Forms mastered: 3 /Lightsaber: L: blue, R: green
Basa Jerosi(Gungan)5'9"- A great teacher, master Jerosi is patient and very good with students. He is the head of youngling training.
Style: Single /Favorite Form: Soresu /Forms mastered: 3,6 /Lightsaber: Green
Other Notable Masters:
(Battle master)Denak Kilbaine(Human)6'5"- Father of Karkun, Master Kilbaine is a very powerful duelist, being a master of every style and having also mastered force absorb. He is also a master of force sight, and has a natural talent for it just as his son. He is a decendent of the founder of this Order.
Style: single /Favorite form: Djem-So /Forms mastered: 1,2,3,4,5,6 /Lightsaber: blue
(Lore-Keeper)Glyk Fey(Bothan)5'6"- The oldest of the Jedi, Master Fey holds more knowledge in her mind than most data pads can. She is the head of The Council of First Knowledge.
(Healer)Handra Vas(Human)5'6"- Handra is a young Master, only in her mid 30s, who has always possessed a strong skill in healing. She is the head of the Jedi Medical Corps.
(Master)Kisha Kil'donis(Human)5'4"- Kisha is an old master who took Kilos in as her apprentice, and brought him to Knighthood.
Style: Dual/Favorite form: Soresu/Forms Mastered: 3, V(Shien)/Lightsabers: Purple
Vanguard Corps
The Vanguards are the non-force sensitive members of the Temple. They are hired by the temple, and can range from volunteers to mercenaries. The Vanguards mainly serve as the security force of the Temple, but some can also serve as mechanics, messengers, etc.
(Captain of The Guard)Zalthuur(wookie)7'- Zalthuur once lived on Kashyyk, but left to explore the galaxy. He settled down in Zimita after a while of exploring. When the temple sent Master Kilbaine(a padawan at the time) and his master to help defend the town from thugs, Zalthuur was saved by Master Kilbaine, owing a life debt to him. He left with Kilbaine when the village moved to Jortin . He would never leave Kilbaine's side to ensure his protection, and because of this, he eventually was put as head of security at the temple, and thought of it as a good way to protect Kilbaine and the rest of the jedi.
Faction Leaders:
Republic: Supreme Chancellor- Wempta Piscotti(older, black, male Zabrak), Vice Chair- Lowanta(male wookie, dark brown fur)
Confederacy: Head of State- Sunko(Male Toydarian)
Empire: Emperor- (Name, species, even gender unknown to public), Grand Moff- Cuit Giff(older, white, male human)
Jabba's Palace: Leader- Durgo(Hutt), Translator- IG-110(Ancient Confederate droid from Clone Wars, reprogrammed for translating), Head of Security/Body Guard- Corvo Takisir(Human Mandalorian, wears Mandalorian Shock Trooper Armor, wields a DLT-19 rifle and unknown blaster pistols)
Character Creation
You are allowed to be either a force sensitive or non-force sensitive character. Characters can be a Jedi Padawan, a Jedi Knight, or a Vanguard. Keep in mind that non-force sensitives can seem under powered later in the story, and is unfortunately a drawback of being a non-force sensitive. If a Padawan, then you must have a Knight for a master, which could include another player, so go ahead and ask. Force bonds may also be established with other players. Any other ideas for a character must be PMed to me first.
The Dark side will overtake one's mind, and I reserve the right to alter your character's actions and words if he is not being RPed properly. If your force sensitive character is performing Dark side acts, then his actions will be affected.
Character Bio:
Name:
Species:
Force Sensitive: (May choose not to be.)
Jedi Specialization: (Guardian, Consular, Sentinel) (If applicable)
Jedi Rank: (Padawan, Knight) (If applicable)
Age:
Appearance:
Language(s): (Spoken, Understands) (must be explained in history if not native language)
Description(personality):
History: (Must be on Tython of course, working or a part of the Jedi Temple. PM me if you have an idea to be something else)
Equipment: (Keep it reasonable, non-force sensitive characters have access to more and higher quality gear)
Lightsabers
"This weapon is your life."
A Jedi's lightsaber is a symbol of his membership among the Jedi. Every lightsaber is personalized to the user. There are a number of colors, hilt designs, and styles to be used by a Jedi. First thing to choose, is style.
- Single Saber
- Dual Sabers
- Double Bladed
- Guard shotos(Tonfa Sabers)
- Lightsaber Pike
*Note: Double Bladed Lightsabers may not use the Makashi Form when both sides are active.
Lightsaber pikes may not use Makashi or Shien.
Jedi may take any color, for it is what the Jedi expresses him/herself with.
Special Features: Jedi may take a single special feature to their lightsaber, listed below.
Dual-Phase: Allows the lightsaber to adjust length
Bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse: Allows the lightsaber to be activated underwater
Mandalorian Iron Hilt: Makes the hilt unable to be cut in one swing.
Silent Emitter: The Lightsaber makes no noise when activated.
Magnetized Shielding: When the Lightsaber makes contact with a shield of any kind, including a lightsaber, it repels it with greater force.
Conductive Emitter: Electricity is attracted to the blade, making blocking any form of electrical attack easier.
Dual crystals: Allows a Double-Bladed Lightsaber have two crystals, allowing one blade to be active active without the other.
Thin Emitter: Thins the blade of the Lightsaber. Useful for Makashi.
Lightclub: A Lightsaber of much bigger size. For larger species.
Attributes:
Strength:
Dexterity:
Charisma:
Intelligence:
Awareness:
Constitution:
Luck:
There are 6 points to spend freely. For humans, each attribute starts at 5, and caps at 10. PM me your species and we'll work out the stats.
Skills:
Heavy Weapons:
Blasters:
Melee:
Thrown:
Unarmed:
Repair:
Medical:
Programming:
Science:
Piloting:
Land Vehicles:
Naval Vehicles:
Vehicular Weapons:
Survival:
Animal Interaction:
Security:
Expression/Art:
Speech:
Politics/Strategy:
Stealth:
Larceny:
Demolition:
Non-Force sensitives
Characters choose 4 major skills, and 4 minor skills. Players have
4 specializations to use on your major skills, and 4 for your minor skills. You can have multiple per skill. So you can have 1 specialization for each major skill, or use all the points to put three specializations in one major skill. Same idea for the minor skills.
Example: If i have major skills of repair, melee, and stealth, i can either put 1 specialization in each, put 1 in stealth and 2 in repair, or put 3 in repair(skills in this example are interchangeable). Repair may have specializations like star ship or weapon maintenance. This is to further explain where your skill set lies.
Example 2:
Major- Melee(Dueling, Multiple Opponents), Survival(Harsh Environments), Unarmed
Minor- Repair(Forging, Star ships), Medical(First-aid), Blasters, politics/Strategy
Force Sensitive Characters:
Characters choose 1 major skills and 2 minor skills. They have one Major Specialty and two Minor Specialties.
Sentinels may choose 3 major skills and 3 minor skills, with 3 major specialties and 3 minor specialties.
Melee weapons do not cover lightsaber combat.
Lightsaber Styles:
Form I: Shii-Cho
Form II: Makashi
Form III: Soresu
Form IV: Ataru
Form V: Shien/Djem-So
Form VI: Niman
Form VII: Juyo
Form proficiency rating is ranked as follows: None/Novice/Apprentice/Journeyman/Adept/Expert/Master/Grand Master/Unleashed
All Jedi start at no proficiency in all forms except for Shii-Cho, which starts at Novice. Jedi Consulars and Sentinels may increase proficiency levels 3 times at character creation, so going from None to Journeyman in one style or spread out into other styles if desired. No rankings may be taken in Juyo
Jedi Guardians may increase proficiency 5 times, but may only increase proficiency 4 times in one form.
Ex:
Form I: Shii-Cho: Novice
Form II: Makashi: Apprentice
Form III: Soresu: None
Form IV: Ataru: None
Form V: Shien/Djem-So: Novice/ None
Form VI: Niman: None
Form VII: Juyo: None
3 proficiency levels are increased, Makashi from None to Apprentice, and Shien Novice.
Force Powers:
Control:
Breath control
Detoxify Poison
Flashburn
Force Agility
Force Body
Force Enlightenment
Force healing
Force speed
Force stealth
Force Strength
Hibernation trance
Morichro
Tapas
Cloak of Shadow
Sense:
Force Listening
Force meld
Force sense: Apprentice
Precognition: Novice
Shatterpoint
Psychometry
Force empathy
Farsight
Force sight
Force Vision
Telepathy
Comprehend Speech
Shadow Vision
Alter:
Alter Damage
Alter Image
Alter Environment
Animal friendship
Battle meditation
Combustion
Crucitorn
Dark transfer
Deadly Sight
Drain Knowledge
Droid Disable
Electric Judgment
Force absorb
Force bellow
Force blinding
Force cloak
Force Destruction
Force drain
Force fear
Force-flash
Force Jump/Leap: Novice
Force Light
Force lightning
Force Rage
Force scream
Force Stun
Force Slow
Force weapon
Force Whisper
Pyrokinesis
Malacia
Mechu-deru
Memory Walk
Mind trick
Plant Surge
Revitalize
Telekinesis: Apprentice
Force Powers rank the same as Lightsaber styles do, following the system:
None/Novice/Apprentice/Journeyman/Adept/Expert/Master/Grand Master/Unleashed
Dark side powers are able to be taken, but keep in the mind the power must be practiced and learned in secret, as the council would not approve. Only one dark side power may be acquired at character creation.
Guardians and Sentinels may rank up Control abilities 6 times, Sense abilities 6 times, and Alter abilities 8 times.
Consulars may rank up Control abilities 7 times, Sense abilities 7 times, and Alter abilities 10 times.
Adept is the highest one power may be raised at Character Creation. Some abilities start out at a certain proficiency for all characters, which is indicated below the power.
RP Sample:
Create a short sample of your character doing...pretty much anything.
- 73 posts here • Page 3 of 3 • 1, 2, 3
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 7 authors
It all vanished. The cold, the fear, the noiseless hum in the atmosphere, all of it. Atsa knew there were voices around him, maybe even ones he knew, but they may as well have been a mile away. The sights and sounds, chills and pains, worries and doubts, it all just shut off. Save for one image; Karkun. Being dragged into the limitless void within that tree. All Atsa's muscles froze solid, mental shackles bound every inch of him in place as the seconds stretched on and on. Karkun was..... gone. He dashed in to save Atsa, as he had always done, as he would always do, and..... now he's gone. Karkun had died, and it was Atsa's fault. It was all because of him.
........No.
That single defiant thought, which burst out of the innermost reaches of the little lizard's being, shattered all doubt, darkness, and fear in an instant. Karkun was not dead. Not as long as Atsa was able to save him. The shackles of his mind faded back into the nothingness from which they spawned, and in that moment the air around the glade lost it's tinge of fear. Those around him could most certainly feel it, like a tiny spark of energy in the air which brought with it the warm kiss of the sun. A wave of hope, to break the darkness. And in that hope, Atsa dove head-first into the black, gaping maw of the gnarled tree trunk. To those looking in, it would appear as Atsa piercing a hole through a curtain of living shadow, which quickly sealed up behind him. To Atsa, it looked like the hard, wooden construct of the wall that he just slammed head-on into because he put a little too much effort into his jump. His skull cracked against the innards of the tree with a resounding yet hollow thud, hitting with enough force to cause him to actually bounce of the wall and smack onto his posterior. Atsa's backside skipped on the dirt a bit before the dazed padawan could nurse his aching noggin. He voiced only a slightly whiney moan of pain before trying to stand, only to discover the first of many odd things.
The floor in here, it wasn't made of dirt. It was.... kinda grey, and more powdery. Softer too, and much lighter. The way it clung to his scales and practically repainted his robes wasn't like any sand he knew, and it had an almost smooth texture to it when he rubbed his fingers together. This wasn't dirt or sand at all..... It was ash. The entire floor was covered in at least a foot of ash. Or.... maybe deeper? Atsa's curiosity egged him on to probe this loose powder with his claws, to see if there even was a floor to this place. Beneath the surface, he could hear one of his claws scraping the surface of something hard and a little bit coarse. Atsa immediately tried to pull back, but only succeeded in hooking the tip of his talon into.... whatever this thing was. With a small tug, he managed to uncover it, and soon after regretted doing so. The tip of his claw was hooked within the eye socket of an old, scorched, humanoid skull. Admittedly, there was that slight pause in thought where Atsa's brain processed exactly what he was holding. The reaction to said information, however, was much faster in it's response time.
"GWAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"
Atsa's childish scream echoed around the room, trapped by the same presence which forced out the light. He quickly scurried away from the unearthed skull on his back, till he was pressed up against the wall. All he could do was maintain eye contact with.... well, the skull. As if it had eyes to contact with. Finally, the young jedi-in-training worked up the courage to look around this lovely abode a bit. The walls looked like they weren't carved out of this blackened wood so much as molded, with twisted and unrecognizable effigies engraved into the darkened grain of the wood. A black mist lingered in the air in odd places, obscuring them from sight. There was a doorway to another room, but strangely enough the doorway of the entrance Atsa leapt through was nowhere in sight. At all. Gone. Like it never existed. Not a trace anywhere. No dents, knobs, holes, absolutely nothing. However Atsa got in was not how he was getting out. The slight sound of rustling in the next room instantly set him on alert. But before his imagination could create a menagerie of potential night terrors as the culprit, the thought of it possibly being a wounded Karkun Kilbaine jumped ahead of them. Atsa scrambled to his feet and bolted through the doorway, and hello weird thing #8.
Right smack-bang in the center of this room sat the oddest little table and two seats. Both left as age-old scorched firewood, but oddly still functional. That wasn't what scared Atsa. What scared him was the things that were seated at the table. Two..... bodies? Burnt to cinders and left as life sized ash-statues. One was definitely a little girl, while the other was likely her mother. Their hands were frozen in time, with gestures suggesting that they were maybe playing when.... this befell them. Their faces were partially worn away, but Atsa could still pick up the faintest hint of smiles on their lips. Or lack thereof. Atsa crept forward, unsure why exactly. Something in him.... just couldn't believe this to be real. He needed to affirm it, or more preferably disprove it. His talon barely grazed the cheek of the young girl, causing the ash to disintegrate at his touch and revealing the tips of her jawbone. Atsa's eyes widened in absolute horror as he stumbled backwards away from the macabre scene, fumbling and landing square on his back. The ash cushioned his fall. In fact, it cushioned it a little too much, giving way like a sinkhole and pulling the little lizard under before he could even yelp.
Air came fast, and with it Atsa's yell as he fell into darkness, only to land sharply on his back again. There was no soft bed of ash this time, just a floor made of gnarled and tangled tree roots to land on, all the while being drowned under the torrent of ash pouring down from the ceiling. Spitting and sputtering out the possible remains of some poor soul as he rolled out from under the stream, Atsa took a moment to compose himself. The downpour of ash flowing from the ceiling slowed to a trickle, till it finally ceased altogether. Looking up, the ash was leaking down through the roots of the tree which made up the entire tunnel, making Atsa wonder how in the world he managed to slip through at all. The air down here was vastly different. It was aged. Like the air within an old trunk that's been sealed for years, only to blast you in the face when you open it. But this was less merciful. It wasn't just one gust, a single bad taste in your mouth. The air was everywhere. Cold, menacing, hating, conceiving. It was a discomforting, invading, violating presence that was impossible to escape from. And the darkness came with it.
This time, it was moving. There was no room for tricks of the mind, possibility or probability, it did not hide itself. The shadows were creeping in, towards Atsa. The air grew to a supernatural level of cold as this shapeless limb began to form and reach out to the padawan, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of dread and a soundless droning which resonating throughout the entire chamber. There was nothing Atsa could do, the fear clouding every reasonable thought and freezing him in place. No matter how hard he blinked, it wouldn't go away. All he could do was close his eyes and wait for it to be over. But then he felt it. Like a circuit of electricity that flickered to life for a brief moment. The Force bond. Karkun. He was down here somewhere. He was alive, beyond this thing. It couldn't be over. Atsa still had to save him. His eyes snapped open with glaring determination, speaking only two words in a stern, demanding voice completely free of fear.
"Go. Away."
With that, Atsa gave a stubborn and challenging step forward, almost daring this manifestation to do something. The tip of this shadowy tendril dissipated in an instant, and from the way it retreated away from Atsa, painfully so. The wall of impenetrable darkness lifted, and one could see fairly well down here. Atsa's knees wobbled and nearly gave out as he barely caught himself on the wall. This suddenly little display had somehow left him exhausted, like he'd just spent a day on one of Master Denak's obstacle courses. Still, he couldn't stop, and steeled himself to press on. Walking rather slowly on shaky legs, Atsa moved down the dank corridors of roots, occasionally lighting his own path with a mouth flash. Karkun was this way, and that's all that mattered. Atsa hated fighting, wholly and entirely, but that didn't mean there weren't things he'd fight for at the drop of a hat. His friends, and most importantly, Karkun. They may not have been in blood, but they were brothers. The Force bonded them together, and no one in the entire Galaxy was more determined than this little lizard to make sure that wasn't changing any time soon.
........No.
That single defiant thought, which burst out of the innermost reaches of the little lizard's being, shattered all doubt, darkness, and fear in an instant. Karkun was not dead. Not as long as Atsa was able to save him. The shackles of his mind faded back into the nothingness from which they spawned, and in that moment the air around the glade lost it's tinge of fear. Those around him could most certainly feel it, like a tiny spark of energy in the air which brought with it the warm kiss of the sun. A wave of hope, to break the darkness. And in that hope, Atsa dove head-first into the black, gaping maw of the gnarled tree trunk. To those looking in, it would appear as Atsa piercing a hole through a curtain of living shadow, which quickly sealed up behind him. To Atsa, it looked like the hard, wooden construct of the wall that he just slammed head-on into because he put a little too much effort into his jump. His skull cracked against the innards of the tree with a resounding yet hollow thud, hitting with enough force to cause him to actually bounce of the wall and smack onto his posterior. Atsa's backside skipped on the dirt a bit before the dazed padawan could nurse his aching noggin. He voiced only a slightly whiney moan of pain before trying to stand, only to discover the first of many odd things.
The floor in here, it wasn't made of dirt. It was.... kinda grey, and more powdery. Softer too, and much lighter. The way it clung to his scales and practically repainted his robes wasn't like any sand he knew, and it had an almost smooth texture to it when he rubbed his fingers together. This wasn't dirt or sand at all..... It was ash. The entire floor was covered in at least a foot of ash. Or.... maybe deeper? Atsa's curiosity egged him on to probe this loose powder with his claws, to see if there even was a floor to this place. Beneath the surface, he could hear one of his claws scraping the surface of something hard and a little bit coarse. Atsa immediately tried to pull back, but only succeeded in hooking the tip of his talon into.... whatever this thing was. With a small tug, he managed to uncover it, and soon after regretted doing so. The tip of his claw was hooked within the eye socket of an old, scorched, humanoid skull. Admittedly, there was that slight pause in thought where Atsa's brain processed exactly what he was holding. The reaction to said information, however, was much faster in it's response time.
"GWAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"
Atsa's childish scream echoed around the room, trapped by the same presence which forced out the light. He quickly scurried away from the unearthed skull on his back, till he was pressed up against the wall. All he could do was maintain eye contact with.... well, the skull. As if it had eyes to contact with. Finally, the young jedi-in-training worked up the courage to look around this lovely abode a bit. The walls looked like they weren't carved out of this blackened wood so much as molded, with twisted and unrecognizable effigies engraved into the darkened grain of the wood. A black mist lingered in the air in odd places, obscuring them from sight. There was a doorway to another room, but strangely enough the doorway of the entrance Atsa leapt through was nowhere in sight. At all. Gone. Like it never existed. Not a trace anywhere. No dents, knobs, holes, absolutely nothing. However Atsa got in was not how he was getting out. The slight sound of rustling in the next room instantly set him on alert. But before his imagination could create a menagerie of potential night terrors as the culprit, the thought of it possibly being a wounded Karkun Kilbaine jumped ahead of them. Atsa scrambled to his feet and bolted through the doorway, and hello weird thing #8.
Right smack-bang in the center of this room sat the oddest little table and two seats. Both left as age-old scorched firewood, but oddly still functional. That wasn't what scared Atsa. What scared him was the things that were seated at the table. Two..... bodies? Burnt to cinders and left as life sized ash-statues. One was definitely a little girl, while the other was likely her mother. Their hands were frozen in time, with gestures suggesting that they were maybe playing when.... this befell them. Their faces were partially worn away, but Atsa could still pick up the faintest hint of smiles on their lips. Or lack thereof. Atsa crept forward, unsure why exactly. Something in him.... just couldn't believe this to be real. He needed to affirm it, or more preferably disprove it. His talon barely grazed the cheek of the young girl, causing the ash to disintegrate at his touch and revealing the tips of her jawbone. Atsa's eyes widened in absolute horror as he stumbled backwards away from the macabre scene, fumbling and landing square on his back. The ash cushioned his fall. In fact, it cushioned it a little too much, giving way like a sinkhole and pulling the little lizard under before he could even yelp.
Air came fast, and with it Atsa's yell as he fell into darkness, only to land sharply on his back again. There was no soft bed of ash this time, just a floor made of gnarled and tangled tree roots to land on, all the while being drowned under the torrent of ash pouring down from the ceiling. Spitting and sputtering out the possible remains of some poor soul as he rolled out from under the stream, Atsa took a moment to compose himself. The downpour of ash flowing from the ceiling slowed to a trickle, till it finally ceased altogether. Looking up, the ash was leaking down through the roots of the tree which made up the entire tunnel, making Atsa wonder how in the world he managed to slip through at all. The air down here was vastly different. It was aged. Like the air within an old trunk that's been sealed for years, only to blast you in the face when you open it. But this was less merciful. It wasn't just one gust, a single bad taste in your mouth. The air was everywhere. Cold, menacing, hating, conceiving. It was a discomforting, invading, violating presence that was impossible to escape from. And the darkness came with it.
This time, it was moving. There was no room for tricks of the mind, possibility or probability, it did not hide itself. The shadows were creeping in, towards Atsa. The air grew to a supernatural level of cold as this shapeless limb began to form and reach out to the padawan, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of dread and a soundless droning which resonating throughout the entire chamber. There was nothing Atsa could do, the fear clouding every reasonable thought and freezing him in place. No matter how hard he blinked, it wouldn't go away. All he could do was close his eyes and wait for it to be over. But then he felt it. Like a circuit of electricity that flickered to life for a brief moment. The Force bond. Karkun. He was down here somewhere. He was alive, beyond this thing. It couldn't be over. Atsa still had to save him. His eyes snapped open with glaring determination, speaking only two words in a stern, demanding voice completely free of fear.
"Go. Away."
With that, Atsa gave a stubborn and challenging step forward, almost daring this manifestation to do something. The tip of this shadowy tendril dissipated in an instant, and from the way it retreated away from Atsa, painfully so. The wall of impenetrable darkness lifted, and one could see fairly well down here. Atsa's knees wobbled and nearly gave out as he barely caught himself on the wall. This suddenly little display had somehow left him exhausted, like he'd just spent a day on one of Master Denak's obstacle courses. Still, he couldn't stop, and steeled himself to press on. Walking rather slowly on shaky legs, Atsa moved down the dank corridors of roots, occasionally lighting his own path with a mouth flash. Karkun was this way, and that's all that mattered. Atsa hated fighting, wholly and entirely, but that didn't mean there weren't things he'd fight for at the drop of a hat. His friends, and most importantly, Karkun. They may not have been in blood, but they were brothers. The Force bonded them together, and no one in the entire Galaxy was more determined than this little lizard to make sure that wasn't changing any time soon.
"No more mine than it is yours Jehaa" he looked around "I have yet to encounter anything as foul as this place" he looked down at her "Your ready to go then" he reached behind his back and pulled forth a hand blaster. Nothing fancy to his knowledge, a DC-17 hand blaster, he used it to hone his skills in the event his light sabers were damaged. "You will need this"
"Hello? Can anyone that retains the ability to move freely hear me? If so, we who do not would greatly appreciate your help."
This voice was all to familiar to Revan "Adeline" he muttered in surprise. Then suddenly his surprise turned to fear, fear that his apprentice was in danger. Then into pure rage, as someone had dragged her into this place, and that she may be in harms way....
Revan flourished his lightsabers, and entered his Force Sense to attempt to track down his apprentice. Yet this darkness seemed to obscure the Force, like a cloud blotting out the sun.
Revan turned to Jehaa "Keep close to me, and watch your corners" Revan issued the orders as if he had been a seasoned tacticle veteran, but instead it was no more his rage and natural confidence that issued this order. With that the two took off towards the direction they believe Adeline to be in.
"Hello? Can anyone that retains the ability to move freely hear me? If so, we who do not would greatly appreciate your help."
This voice was all to familiar to Revan "Adeline" he muttered in surprise. Then suddenly his surprise turned to fear, fear that his apprentice was in danger. Then into pure rage, as someone had dragged her into this place, and that she may be in harms way....
Revan flourished his lightsabers, and entered his Force Sense to attempt to track down his apprentice. Yet this darkness seemed to obscure the Force, like a cloud blotting out the sun.
Revan turned to Jehaa "Keep close to me, and watch your corners" Revan issued the orders as if he had been a seasoned tacticle veteran, but instead it was no more his rage and natural confidence that issued this order. With that the two took off towards the direction they believe Adeline to be in.
Jehaa and Marcus came to the clearing in no time. They had a view of the whole clearing, seeing Koda'rai over to their left, and Adeline and Kelios to their right at the opposite end of the tree from Koda. The darkness that surrounded Koda'rai began to lift on the side of him that faced the tree, but the darkness thickened towards the rim of the clearing. Adeline's muscles slowly began to ease up, allowing motion.
Whispers began to come from the rim of the clearing, riding on the cold wind. They started off with only a few at a time, but then the whispers became more and more. The area beyond the clearing began turning pitch black, encroaching inward towards the group. There was only one way to go.
The immediate darkness was repelled from Atsa, but it did nothing for the cold. The ground stuck to Atsa's feet, and at times it even felt as if it were trying to pull him down. Behind him the darkness swarmed into the spaces that he left unoccupied. Ahead was a new room, or perhaps more just a new area because Atsa couldn't make out any walls, excluding the walls of darkness all around him. He could make out a figure further in front of himself. It was seemingly spazzing out in the distance. As Atsa moved forward, the figure become clearer. It was more of a swinging motion, and it was swinging everywhere. It was a sword. No, a lightsaber. It was being swung by a man, a tall man, it was being swung by a...by a...by a Karkun! Karkun was swing at solid shadow matter that was being shot at him as projectiles. As soon as Atsa approached, the volley stopped, and Karkun's head snapped to Atsa.
"Atsa! We need to get out of here, now!"
Without even a second for Atsa to respond, Karkun was darting in the other direction. He had an expression on his face that Atsa had not seen before, a look of almost confusion, of stress.
Karkun didn't stop running until he was forced to stop. What forced him to stop, was what he saw. There were skinned bodies laid down in rows, all of them with a crooked smile carved into their face. There were 4 rows of them, each with at least 15 bodies in them. This time he could actually make out that he was in a circular room, about a 60 foot radius. There were two pathways out of the room excluding where he came from, which were in the far end of the room and to the left side of where he was standing. Karkun slowly walked forwards in the middle of the room, bodies on both sides of him. There was dried blood all over the floor and smeared on the walls. He did his best to watch his footing, having very clear intentions of not touching on of the bodies. But, just his luck, one of the steps kicked a rock that made noise that would have been impossible normally. The instant Karkun kicked the rock, his heart stopped. The moment from when the banging of the rock against the floor started to where it ended seemed like an eternity. He stood still for minutes, trying to regain his senses. Holy shit...ok...we're ok. A single bead of sweat ran down his nose and dripped to the floor. The instant the bead of sweat impacted against the floor, all of the heads of the bodies snapped to Karkun. Their eyes a swirling void of darkness. He didn't know if Atsa was behind him, but he voiced his thoughts anyway.
"Run".
His lightsaber was now drawn and he was going to haul ass to the end of the room. Upon taking his first step, the bodies were standing up. With the number of skinned bodies ahead of him, Karkun would have to cut through them to get anywhere.
Whispers began to come from the rim of the clearing, riding on the cold wind. They started off with only a few at a time, but then the whispers became more and more. The area beyond the clearing began turning pitch black, encroaching inward towards the group. There was only one way to go.
The immediate darkness was repelled from Atsa, but it did nothing for the cold. The ground stuck to Atsa's feet, and at times it even felt as if it were trying to pull him down. Behind him the darkness swarmed into the spaces that he left unoccupied. Ahead was a new room, or perhaps more just a new area because Atsa couldn't make out any walls, excluding the walls of darkness all around him. He could make out a figure further in front of himself. It was seemingly spazzing out in the distance. As Atsa moved forward, the figure become clearer. It was more of a swinging motion, and it was swinging everywhere. It was a sword. No, a lightsaber. It was being swung by a man, a tall man, it was being swung by a...by a...by a Karkun! Karkun was swing at solid shadow matter that was being shot at him as projectiles. As soon as Atsa approached, the volley stopped, and Karkun's head snapped to Atsa.
"Atsa! We need to get out of here, now!"
Without even a second for Atsa to respond, Karkun was darting in the other direction. He had an expression on his face that Atsa had not seen before, a look of almost confusion, of stress.
Karkun didn't stop running until he was forced to stop. What forced him to stop, was what he saw. There were skinned bodies laid down in rows, all of them with a crooked smile carved into their face. There were 4 rows of them, each with at least 15 bodies in them. This time he could actually make out that he was in a circular room, about a 60 foot radius. There were two pathways out of the room excluding where he came from, which were in the far end of the room and to the left side of where he was standing. Karkun slowly walked forwards in the middle of the room, bodies on both sides of him. There was dried blood all over the floor and smeared on the walls. He did his best to watch his footing, having very clear intentions of not touching on of the bodies. But, just his luck, one of the steps kicked a rock that made noise that would have been impossible normally. The instant Karkun kicked the rock, his heart stopped. The moment from when the banging of the rock against the floor started to where it ended seemed like an eternity. He stood still for minutes, trying to regain his senses. Holy shit...ok...we're ok. A single bead of sweat ran down his nose and dripped to the floor. The instant the bead of sweat impacted against the floor, all of the heads of the bodies snapped to Karkun. Their eyes a swirling void of darkness. He didn't know if Atsa was behind him, but he voiced his thoughts anyway.
"Run".
His lightsaber was now drawn and he was going to haul ass to the end of the room. Upon taking his first step, the bodies were standing up. With the number of skinned bodies ahead of him, Karkun would have to cut through them to get anywhere.
The blaster that Revan unexpectedly hands her falls into her grip with a natural ease. The cold weight was a comfort against the whispering dark. As Revan takes off, full of angry energy, in the direction of Adeline's voice, Jehaa looks over her shoulder at the encroaching 'wrongness' that was slowly driving them all into the center of the clearing.
Stepping after the human Sentinel, she spots the big shape that can only be Kelios, as well, standing over the miralukan apprentice who was beginning to stir. On the other side, Koda'rai. And in the middle, she catches the diving form of Atsa disappearing into the heart of the twisted tree.
The darkness around them only presses closer, and Jehaa exhales once, slowly, in a moment of self-centering she knew before Tython. Flying thoughts and a growing fear that might've caused a rookie to stumble are sent to a cold, hard pit in the middle of her chest. Drawing her 'self' into that center, she carefully visualizes constructing a wall of calm confidence. She had the skills, the will, and the means. All she lacked was the solution.
The wind whispered in languages she shouldn't know that she was wrong. Unworthy. Doomed to be forgotten as a failure. And that inner fire bites back until the voices retreat, hissing, into the surrounding dark.
Better steeled against the murmured voices, Jehaa lets the nervousness manifest back in a shifting of her weight. She was just a corporal in the Vanguard, and ill-prepared to face phantoms and ethereal evils.
"We have to go after Atsa!" She points at the lizard's last flick of a tail into the tree, "Spit knows what's inside, but it's the only place left to go."
Putting action to the words, bolstered by the Force-morale-boost and with blaster in-hand, ready to burn the first sign of a hostile, Jehaa ducks her head and in she goes!
She pulls a similar disappearing act to Atsa, the darkness closing over and feeling about like stepping under a bucket of ice water. Only less pleasant. But whatever else, Jehaa told herself firmly it was better to move foreward than stand and wait to be driven.
Stepping after the human Sentinel, she spots the big shape that can only be Kelios, as well, standing over the miralukan apprentice who was beginning to stir. On the other side, Koda'rai. And in the middle, she catches the diving form of Atsa disappearing into the heart of the twisted tree.
The darkness around them only presses closer, and Jehaa exhales once, slowly, in a moment of self-centering she knew before Tython. Flying thoughts and a growing fear that might've caused a rookie to stumble are sent to a cold, hard pit in the middle of her chest. Drawing her 'self' into that center, she carefully visualizes constructing a wall of calm confidence. She had the skills, the will, and the means. All she lacked was the solution.
The wind whispered in languages she shouldn't know that she was wrong. Unworthy. Doomed to be forgotten as a failure. And that inner fire bites back until the voices retreat, hissing, into the surrounding dark.
Better steeled against the murmured voices, Jehaa lets the nervousness manifest back in a shifting of her weight. She was just a corporal in the Vanguard, and ill-prepared to face phantoms and ethereal evils.
"We have to go after Atsa!" She points at the lizard's last flick of a tail into the tree, "Spit knows what's inside, but it's the only place left to go."
Putting action to the words, bolstered by the Force-morale-boost and with blaster in-hand, ready to burn the first sign of a hostile, Jehaa ducks her head and in she goes!
She pulls a similar disappearing act to Atsa, the darkness closing over and feeling about like stepping under a bucket of ice water. Only less pleasant. But whatever else, Jehaa told herself firmly it was better to move foreward than stand and wait to be driven.
Adeline wasn't sure what sort of response she had expected to receive to her monotone call for assistance, but it certainly achieved a greater level of success than she'd have thought, and in moments the Gorvan-Horansi, who had previously been unconscious was on his feet, brandishing a double-bladed, presumably non-training, lightsaber.
"Stay behind me young one..."
Briefly, Adeline considered pointing out that, as she had just mentioned, it was literally impossible for her to act to follow or disobey that command, but after a moment she decided against it. While it would not be meant in that way, it could come across as rude. After saying this he seemed to contemplate the best course of action, before kneeling down and, from what Adeline could tell, entering a state of battle meditation.
"This one possesses means of mobility but appears to trapped within a specific area of space."
The mechanical manner of speech and the use of "this one" to refer to oneself identified the other being as the temple's guest, Koda'rai.
"If the one to whom Koda'rai is speaking could provide some information on their location it can see about providing assistance. This one's species is quite adept at navigation, if nothing else describe the stars and their view. It will be sufficient for this one to get a rough location."
Adeline's vision was rather obscured at the moment, but she wouldn't be able to describe the stars normally anyway. She was very adept at using the Force to see, but things outside this solar system were definitely out of her range. Seconds later however, navigation became a non-issue, as suddenly the whole clearing was visible, and in it was Koda, along with Jehaa and Revan. Thankfully, from what she could tell, everyone was alright, with the possible exclusion of those in the tree. Another interesting development was odd dark mist that was closing in from the edges of the clearing. Finally the Padawan realized that she could now move freely, without the interference of whatever had been restraining her previously. Instantly, her lightsaber was in her hand, though not yet activated, and she made her way over to her master and the Vanguard. As she reached the pair, Jehaa voiced her opinion on what should be done next.
"We have to go after Atsa! Spit knows what's inside, but it's the only place left to go."
Truthfully, Adeline agreed wholeheartedly. While it was clearly the center of all this mess, it was also where they were being driven, and where Atsa and Karkun were. Unfortunately the soldier then decided to dash in on her own. Turning quickly to Revan, the Miraluka said "She's right. We're going to wind up there anyway, and the sooner we do, the sooner we can help them." She extended a hand for him to take, explaining "It'll probably try to separate us once we head in. At least that's usually the way these things work." The things she was referring to were technically classified in the archives as Dark Side manifestations, thus why she didn't call the phenomenon by name.
"Stay behind me young one..."
Briefly, Adeline considered pointing out that, as she had just mentioned, it was literally impossible for her to act to follow or disobey that command, but after a moment she decided against it. While it would not be meant in that way, it could come across as rude. After saying this he seemed to contemplate the best course of action, before kneeling down and, from what Adeline could tell, entering a state of battle meditation.
"This one possesses means of mobility but appears to trapped within a specific area of space."
The mechanical manner of speech and the use of "this one" to refer to oneself identified the other being as the temple's guest, Koda'rai.
"If the one to whom Koda'rai is speaking could provide some information on their location it can see about providing assistance. This one's species is quite adept at navigation, if nothing else describe the stars and their view. It will be sufficient for this one to get a rough location."
Adeline's vision was rather obscured at the moment, but she wouldn't be able to describe the stars normally anyway. She was very adept at using the Force to see, but things outside this solar system were definitely out of her range. Seconds later however, navigation became a non-issue, as suddenly the whole clearing was visible, and in it was Koda, along with Jehaa and Revan. Thankfully, from what she could tell, everyone was alright, with the possible exclusion of those in the tree. Another interesting development was odd dark mist that was closing in from the edges of the clearing. Finally the Padawan realized that she could now move freely, without the interference of whatever had been restraining her previously. Instantly, her lightsaber was in her hand, though not yet activated, and she made her way over to her master and the Vanguard. As she reached the pair, Jehaa voiced her opinion on what should be done next.
"We have to go after Atsa! Spit knows what's inside, but it's the only place left to go."
Truthfully, Adeline agreed wholeheartedly. While it was clearly the center of all this mess, it was also where they were being driven, and where Atsa and Karkun were. Unfortunately the soldier then decided to dash in on her own. Turning quickly to Revan, the Miraluka said "She's right. We're going to wind up there anyway, and the sooner we do, the sooner we can help them." She extended a hand for him to take, explaining "It'll probably try to separate us once we head in. At least that's usually the way these things work." The things she was referring to were technically classified in the archives as Dark Side manifestations, thus why she didn't call the phenomenon by name.
Revan was glad to have found his apprentice, she had become like a daughter to him. Knowning she was in harm had placed him into a blood rage, from which he was now slowly returning to reality. Revan gazed around at the dark mist as it crept in closer and closer to their clearing, forcing the individuals towards the tree. It seemed to gain strength and speed the closer it got.
"She's right. We're going to wind up there anyway, and the sooner we do, the sooner we can help them." Adeline extended a hand for him to take, explaining "It'll probably try to separate us once we head in. At least that's usually the way these things work."
Revan looked at her hand, then up at her. He wanted so much to follow her, to take her hand and make sure she was safe. But as he saw the others struggling to move, and the mist creeping in he held off from his own selfish needs "No Adeline" he said closing his sabers and placing them upon his belt. He walked towards the mist "You need to help get the other Jedi to safety" he gestured towards them "I will buy you as much time as I can" Revan held up his hands as he embraced the force to hold off the mist. It did not take the effect he had planned, as the mist continued to seep in, but it seemed to struggle against Revans will
"Go Adeline!" He said with great effort "I will be right behind you" his mind was so focused now on trying to stem the tide of darkness to save his fellow Jedi.....
"She's right. We're going to wind up there anyway, and the sooner we do, the sooner we can help them." Adeline extended a hand for him to take, explaining "It'll probably try to separate us once we head in. At least that's usually the way these things work."
Revan looked at her hand, then up at her. He wanted so much to follow her, to take her hand and make sure she was safe. But as he saw the others struggling to move, and the mist creeping in he held off from his own selfish needs "No Adeline" he said closing his sabers and placing them upon his belt. He walked towards the mist "You need to help get the other Jedi to safety" he gestured towards them "I will buy you as much time as I can" Revan held up his hands as he embraced the force to hold off the mist. It did not take the effect he had planned, as the mist continued to seep in, but it seemed to struggle against Revans will
"Go Adeline!" He said with great effort "I will be right behind you" his mind was so focused now on trying to stem the tide of darkness to save his fellow Jedi.....
Koda'rai heard sounds and voices, a bit too much at once for his translator. But from what he could discern the one he sought to help had been rescued, which left his own predicament. By the rules of the Pilgrimage, he wouldn't be wrong to seek using the Force at this time. However, the shifting of the shadows leading towards the trees lead him to believe that this was something he'd have to go through normally.
"Go Adeline! I will be right behind you," finally he heard words he could understand. This at least meant the translator still worked well, and too much noise had been the earlier issue. Koda'rai strode towards the tree, after all he wasn't versed enough in non Aing-tii ways to recognize the situation despite his time in exile.
"Is there anyone in there," Koda'rai cautiously fed a question as he walked. While uncertain, he was not scared and probably couldn't afford to let fear show anyways. " This one is but a humble Pilgrim and seeker of knowledge and would like to engage in communication." With every step closer to the tree, the atmosphere felt a bit different but he couldn't tell in what way.
"Perhaps this one can learn something, or maybe teach something. But at the very least, Koda'rai is of the belief that a deal of some sorts could be arranged." At this point, Koda'rai was within arms reach of the tree. He couldn't tell if his words fell on deaf ears or even if this thing had a consciousness. But at the very least, he'd seek the peaceful route...only if all options are exhausted will he try the Force again. After all, he still needed to find and rescue the others within the forest.
"Go Adeline! I will be right behind you," finally he heard words he could understand. This at least meant the translator still worked well, and too much noise had been the earlier issue. Koda'rai strode towards the tree, after all he wasn't versed enough in non Aing-tii ways to recognize the situation despite his time in exile.
"Is there anyone in there," Koda'rai cautiously fed a question as he walked. While uncertain, he was not scared and probably couldn't afford to let fear show anyways. " This one is but a humble Pilgrim and seeker of knowledge and would like to engage in communication." With every step closer to the tree, the atmosphere felt a bit different but he couldn't tell in what way.
"Perhaps this one can learn something, or maybe teach something. But at the very least, Koda'rai is of the belief that a deal of some sorts could be arranged." At this point, Koda'rai was within arms reach of the tree. He couldn't tell if his words fell on deaf ears or even if this thing had a consciousness. But at the very least, he'd seek the peaceful route...only if all options are exhausted will he try the Force again. After all, he still needed to find and rescue the others within the forest.
Inside the Tree, Jehaa finds herself alone. The whispering wind is gone, replaced by a silence so profound her ears start to ring. There aren't any ashy bodies to greet her, just an empty room. A room she knows. She grew up here. The knickknacks on the shelves, the familiar holos. The contrast is so jarring that, for a moment, she just stands here, as her mind tries to make sense of the absurd normalcy before her.
Taking a step forward as if in a dream, she half-expects to hear her mother admonish her for tromping her boots all over a clean floor, or to hear the alien keen of an old family pet welcoming her as it bounds in from another room. From the darkened passageway leading out of this room, figures -do- appear, but they're far from glad to see her.
"How -dare- you." The poison in her father's voice is a tone she's never heard from him. Not directed at her, his 'Little Treasure'. It stops her dead in her tracks, and she forgets the blaster in her hand.
"How DARE you come crawling back to -this- house after you abandon your own kind to play with a bunch of holier-than-thou Jedi."
Taken aback, Jehaa stands straight up, like a child trying to lessen incoming punishment, "What? Dad? I didn't - "
"No, you didn't. That's the problem." A harsh tone comes next from the mockery of her mother, face twisted and almost unrecognizable with the look of absolute hate she turns on her only daughter.
So it goes, one after the other, as a parade of people in her life circle her. Next a brother, then a childhood friend, and even that old pet snaps and snarls as if she were a stranger to be driven. Each of them has a fault to flay her with; one that she'd secretly harbored, herself, making the words cut all the more to the quick. All of her attempts to defend herself, to fight back with reason and example, are interrupted and shouted down. She knows that these people cant possibly be on this planet, let alone in this nightmare, but that small truth doesn't stop her from trying to appease the phantoms.
Anger rising as they continue to ignore her efforts, she whirls to her brother and gives him an angry, violent shove out of her way, pushing through to the door. Standing there, blocking her way, is the next torment from the Dark Side.
It stands in the easy, solidly-grounded way usually attributed to some giant tree; like the galaxy itself could not make the figure move if it chose not to. The armor it wears is well-loved, and bears all the tiny marks and dings of a lifetime of campaign. A veteran soldier - more than that - a leader of men, of armies. And the apparition wears her face. Older, lined with the weight of her authority, and thoroughly unimpressed by what she sees standing in front of her. What - ?
"Everything you'll never be." It answers her unspoken question with a sneer, "Better. Stronger. You don't have the guts to get to where I am. You're no soldier."
Bristling against this latest insult, Jehaa clenches her fist. The pinch of her skin around the grip of the blaster reminds her of the weapon, and she takes a menacing step forward. The figure just laughs, and unlimbers a blaster rifle from her shoulder. Before Jehaa can act, the silent figures of her family - who had so recently been ready to disown her - spring forward and push her back; bodily putting themselves between her and the threat.
Helpless to defend herself against their insults, she's now helpless to protect them as her future self guns them down with a cold detachment, like swatting at flies. As the ones she loved fall, one by one, the bodies dissolve into the same heavy ash that Atsa and Karkun have already encountered, coating the floor in a thick, powdery mass.
That anger rises again. Well, it doesn't rise so much as it explodes. With an almost inhuman howl, Jehaa springs up, blaster flying into alignment with the laughing face of her twisted clone. The blaze of blasterfire doesn't stop the laughter, somehow, even as the smoking corpse falls, and Jehaa stands over it, roaring her defiance and pulling the trigger into the crumbling ash that was once the armored figure.
The blaster overheats with the furious pace - it was just a little holdout, after all - and when the trigger clicks emptily after the failsafe triggers, Jehaa hurls the weapon down into the pile as if to deliver further injury. The dust just puffs up in a low-hanging cloud, mocking the futility of her violence.
Her heavy breathing doesn't cover the sound of shifting ash for long, though, and as yet another bundle of movement rises up from the ashy floor, Jehaa snarls with murderous intent and hurls herself at the half-formed and ash-covered movement, fist drawn back in a haymaker worthy of pay-per-view.
The startled squeal and a blinding flash of green phosphorous light warrant a surprised yelp, and Jehaa throws the unknown little bundle away from her, digging the heels of her palms into her eyes.
Taking a step forward as if in a dream, she half-expects to hear her mother admonish her for tromping her boots all over a clean floor, or to hear the alien keen of an old family pet welcoming her as it bounds in from another room. From the darkened passageway leading out of this room, figures -do- appear, but they're far from glad to see her.
"How -dare- you." The poison in her father's voice is a tone she's never heard from him. Not directed at her, his 'Little Treasure'. It stops her dead in her tracks, and she forgets the blaster in her hand.
"How DARE you come crawling back to -this- house after you abandon your own kind to play with a bunch of holier-than-thou Jedi."
Taken aback, Jehaa stands straight up, like a child trying to lessen incoming punishment, "What? Dad? I didn't - "
"No, you didn't. That's the problem." A harsh tone comes next from the mockery of her mother, face twisted and almost unrecognizable with the look of absolute hate she turns on her only daughter.
So it goes, one after the other, as a parade of people in her life circle her. Next a brother, then a childhood friend, and even that old pet snaps and snarls as if she were a stranger to be driven. Each of them has a fault to flay her with; one that she'd secretly harbored, herself, making the words cut all the more to the quick. All of her attempts to defend herself, to fight back with reason and example, are interrupted and shouted down. She knows that these people cant possibly be on this planet, let alone in this nightmare, but that small truth doesn't stop her from trying to appease the phantoms.
Anger rising as they continue to ignore her efforts, she whirls to her brother and gives him an angry, violent shove out of her way, pushing through to the door. Standing there, blocking her way, is the next torment from the Dark Side.
It stands in the easy, solidly-grounded way usually attributed to some giant tree; like the galaxy itself could not make the figure move if it chose not to. The armor it wears is well-loved, and bears all the tiny marks and dings of a lifetime of campaign. A veteran soldier - more than that - a leader of men, of armies. And the apparition wears her face. Older, lined with the weight of her authority, and thoroughly unimpressed by what she sees standing in front of her. What - ?
"Everything you'll never be." It answers her unspoken question with a sneer, "Better. Stronger. You don't have the guts to get to where I am. You're no soldier."
Bristling against this latest insult, Jehaa clenches her fist. The pinch of her skin around the grip of the blaster reminds her of the weapon, and she takes a menacing step forward. The figure just laughs, and unlimbers a blaster rifle from her shoulder. Before Jehaa can act, the silent figures of her family - who had so recently been ready to disown her - spring forward and push her back; bodily putting themselves between her and the threat.
Helpless to defend herself against their insults, she's now helpless to protect them as her future self guns them down with a cold detachment, like swatting at flies. As the ones she loved fall, one by one, the bodies dissolve into the same heavy ash that Atsa and Karkun have already encountered, coating the floor in a thick, powdery mass.
That anger rises again. Well, it doesn't rise so much as it explodes. With an almost inhuman howl, Jehaa springs up, blaster flying into alignment with the laughing face of her twisted clone. The blaze of blasterfire doesn't stop the laughter, somehow, even as the smoking corpse falls, and Jehaa stands over it, roaring her defiance and pulling the trigger into the crumbling ash that was once the armored figure.
The blaster overheats with the furious pace - it was just a little holdout, after all - and when the trigger clicks emptily after the failsafe triggers, Jehaa hurls the weapon down into the pile as if to deliver further injury. The dust just puffs up in a low-hanging cloud, mocking the futility of her violence.
Her heavy breathing doesn't cover the sound of shifting ash for long, though, and as yet another bundle of movement rises up from the ashy floor, Jehaa snarls with murderous intent and hurls herself at the half-formed and ash-covered movement, fist drawn back in a haymaker worthy of pay-per-view.
The startled squeal and a blinding flash of green phosphorous light warrant a surprised yelp, and Jehaa throws the unknown little bundle away from her, digging the heels of her palms into her eyes.
Babump. Babump. Babump. That was the only sound hear. Nothing else. Just the steady hammering of Atsa's pulse pounding in his own ears. The small bit of ambient light had faded once more, the darkness was rolling in more fervent than before. It was kinda weird, almost like it was angry. At Atsa. For pushing it back, for pressing on, for ignoring it, and he was pretty sure for just existing in general. It was so amazingly bleak that Atsa couldn't even tell if he was in a hallway anymore. He was just walking in the direction he knew (sorta) that Karkun was in. The shadows pervade about him, taunting him occasionally with their hints of movement. Their passing leaving a cold air about him. Atsa learned to rarely lift his gaze from the floor, he didn't like having to look up anymore. Still, in the hopes that in the thick, black veil Atsa would catch a glimpse of Karkun, he kept searching the darkness. Though that wasn't the figure he ended up seeing. Atsa was frozen solid, petrified by her hellish eyes.
He couldn't move, he dared not move. Her slender frame was on the bordering of the infinite black and the visible range, the deep shadows cloaked over her like thick ethereal robes. Neither of them moved an inch for the longest of times. Like, 5 seconds in all honesty, but still. The stand off broke with the simplest and most malicious of gestures, her lips curled into an ever-so-slight smile, and the last ounces of Atsa courage vanished as if they were never present. He ran as fast as he could away from her. Never looking back, for fear that she would be there. Tears streamed down his eyes. He knew exactly what he was doing, he was running away. Away from her, the darkness that swarmed around her, the promise of a horrible fate, all the nightmares that could ever exist within this horrid place, but the worst thing of all, he was running away from saving Karkun. In his head, all he could do was beg for forgiveness. From what, from who, it didn't matter. In Atsa's heart and mind, he was abandoning Karkun. Finally, the thought was too much and he fell to his knees.
The cold was creeping up his back, over his shoulders, but Atsa no longer cared. He was scared, more so than he'd ever been in his life, but he had to keep going. Master Votar once taught that the Force has a plan for everyone, but how could that plan involve this place? This tree, this darkness, it was entirely unnatural. It wasn't suppose to happen, not here, not on Tython. Especially not this close to the temple. This wasn't the will of the Light Side, which meant that someone had to do something. Atsa had to find Karkun in here, somewhere. He had to, even if it meant losing himself in this darkness. Even if it meant facing her, staring into those black pits of nothingness where eyes should be. Even if it meant turning around. So, he did, and he was back where he'd first ran. Atsa couldn't explain how he knew this, given how freaking dark it was, but somehow.... he just did. The women was nowhere to be seen, but in the absence of sight, sound prevailed. Movement. The sudden jolt of the force bond sent Atsa trailing after the source, Karkun was close.
Atsa raced into the darkness, but the tree made it clear it didn't want that. The root floor seemed to become more gnarled and knobby, making running next to impossible. Even though Atsa was exceptionally light on his feet, every spring and bound was cut short by his foot hooking in this damned twisted wood. But Atsa wouldn't stop, and his persistence paid off. Finally, finally, he found Karkun. His cobalt blue saber battered away at these living shadows, fighting away at..... something. Damn, it was dark. Atsa tripped and stumbled closer, and the invisible assault seemed to cease. Karkun's eyes darted instantly to Atsa, but there wasn't the cherishable look of finding each other again, it was a fearful and worrying look. Atsa'd never seen Karkun's eyes like that before, never saw that lack of confidence or surety. Before Atsa had a chance of input at all, Karkun practically vanished in a flash, sprinting away full speed. Thank the force, Atsa's ability to leap kept Karkun within range of sight. Though Atsa almost flew full-force into Karkun's back when he stopped abruptly.
His eyes were wider than ever, and utter terror poured over the bond. Karkun looked like he was..... counting, almost. His eyes darted around, but all Atsa could see was darkness. But..... there was something else, like Atsa was only seeing one side, and Karkun was seeing the other. For a brief second, those boundaries crossed for a frightful moment, as Atsa's reality "flickered" with aspects of Karkun's. Bodies, corpses, cadavers. Skinned, horrifying, smiling. For not even a second, Atsa saw them and felt their gaze. They were all watching him and Karkun with a soul-stealing stare. It was.... indescribable. A thought, or word, or something, came through Atsa's mind. It was one word, and it was Karkun's voice. "Run." Both of them took off like the whole of the darkest things in the galaxy was right on their heels, and for all the Force, it was. Atsa struggled to keep up with Karkun. Usually, he never did, but this was different. Like the floor between the two was stretching out, purposefully distancing them from each other. Atsa wasn't falling for this again, and he leapt forward with all he had. Time slowed to a crawl, Karkun's figure sprinting a mad-dash away was all Atsa focused on. His clawed hand got within inches, as Karkun's brown robes dispersed into shadows. He was gone again.
Atsa tumbled to the ground in several rolls and flips, banging his hands on the floor in a minor tantrum of frustration and anxiety. He was right there. And now he's gone again. There wasn't any doubt in Atsa's mind, Karkun was just moved away, or maybe Atsa was, or both. Point is that they were in different places again. Atsa glanced down at his hand, specifically the bits of brown fabric that were hooked on his claws. Karkun's robes. Atsa was so close. Still, at least he knew Karkun was alright..... for the most part. Atsa got up and set on to find him again, when something felt like it caught the back of his robes. Looking back, a root from the ceiling had snaked down from the ceiling and snagged onto his collar. That definitely wasn't there before. Atsa reached back to try and unhook the annoyance, but then it got tighter. Kinda like it was..... getting.... a better grip?
Oh.... That's where this is going.
Before he could react, the root yanked Atsa up into the ceiling. The roots parted and swarmed, and soon Atsa was practically drowning in the ash from the floor above him. The root let go, abandoning Atsa to his fate of being buried alive. He struggled and squirmed, digging and thrashing around till the tip of his claw made contact with the cold air of the surface. Now, armed with the knowledge of which way is up, Atsa finally breach the floor's surface. Or, tried to. He was greeted by being throttled, the vision of an incoming fist, with all the wrath a human being could muster aiding it. Atsa, in this time of split-second decision, fell back on his default reaction to sudden surprise. Scream and mouth-flash. The highly agitated voice of one Miss Jehaa Starcross marks her identity to Atsa, right before she basically hurls him away into a wall. Once again, the half-hollow thud of his skull greeting another, scarily less-hard surface rings around the room.
"Owwwwww! It's the same wall! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! .......Oh, hi, Jehaa! Uhh..... what are you doing in here?"
Yep. Atsa. A testament to seriousness and focus. And total obliviousness.
He couldn't move, he dared not move. Her slender frame was on the bordering of the infinite black and the visible range, the deep shadows cloaked over her like thick ethereal robes. Neither of them moved an inch for the longest of times. Like, 5 seconds in all honesty, but still. The stand off broke with the simplest and most malicious of gestures, her lips curled into an ever-so-slight smile, and the last ounces of Atsa courage vanished as if they were never present. He ran as fast as he could away from her. Never looking back, for fear that she would be there. Tears streamed down his eyes. He knew exactly what he was doing, he was running away. Away from her, the darkness that swarmed around her, the promise of a horrible fate, all the nightmares that could ever exist within this horrid place, but the worst thing of all, he was running away from saving Karkun. In his head, all he could do was beg for forgiveness. From what, from who, it didn't matter. In Atsa's heart and mind, he was abandoning Karkun. Finally, the thought was too much and he fell to his knees.
The cold was creeping up his back, over his shoulders, but Atsa no longer cared. He was scared, more so than he'd ever been in his life, but he had to keep going. Master Votar once taught that the Force has a plan for everyone, but how could that plan involve this place? This tree, this darkness, it was entirely unnatural. It wasn't suppose to happen, not here, not on Tython. Especially not this close to the temple. This wasn't the will of the Light Side, which meant that someone had to do something. Atsa had to find Karkun in here, somewhere. He had to, even if it meant losing himself in this darkness. Even if it meant facing her, staring into those black pits of nothingness where eyes should be. Even if it meant turning around. So, he did, and he was back where he'd first ran. Atsa couldn't explain how he knew this, given how freaking dark it was, but somehow.... he just did. The women was nowhere to be seen, but in the absence of sight, sound prevailed. Movement. The sudden jolt of the force bond sent Atsa trailing after the source, Karkun was close.
Atsa raced into the darkness, but the tree made it clear it didn't want that. The root floor seemed to become more gnarled and knobby, making running next to impossible. Even though Atsa was exceptionally light on his feet, every spring and bound was cut short by his foot hooking in this damned twisted wood. But Atsa wouldn't stop, and his persistence paid off. Finally, finally, he found Karkun. His cobalt blue saber battered away at these living shadows, fighting away at..... something. Damn, it was dark. Atsa tripped and stumbled closer, and the invisible assault seemed to cease. Karkun's eyes darted instantly to Atsa, but there wasn't the cherishable look of finding each other again, it was a fearful and worrying look. Atsa'd never seen Karkun's eyes like that before, never saw that lack of confidence or surety. Before Atsa had a chance of input at all, Karkun practically vanished in a flash, sprinting away full speed. Thank the force, Atsa's ability to leap kept Karkun within range of sight. Though Atsa almost flew full-force into Karkun's back when he stopped abruptly.
His eyes were wider than ever, and utter terror poured over the bond. Karkun looked like he was..... counting, almost. His eyes darted around, but all Atsa could see was darkness. But..... there was something else, like Atsa was only seeing one side, and Karkun was seeing the other. For a brief second, those boundaries crossed for a frightful moment, as Atsa's reality "flickered" with aspects of Karkun's. Bodies, corpses, cadavers. Skinned, horrifying, smiling. For not even a second, Atsa saw them and felt their gaze. They were all watching him and Karkun with a soul-stealing stare. It was.... indescribable. A thought, or word, or something, came through Atsa's mind. It was one word, and it was Karkun's voice. "Run." Both of them took off like the whole of the darkest things in the galaxy was right on their heels, and for all the Force, it was. Atsa struggled to keep up with Karkun. Usually, he never did, but this was different. Like the floor between the two was stretching out, purposefully distancing them from each other. Atsa wasn't falling for this again, and he leapt forward with all he had. Time slowed to a crawl, Karkun's figure sprinting a mad-dash away was all Atsa focused on. His clawed hand got within inches, as Karkun's brown robes dispersed into shadows. He was gone again.
Atsa tumbled to the ground in several rolls and flips, banging his hands on the floor in a minor tantrum of frustration and anxiety. He was right there. And now he's gone again. There wasn't any doubt in Atsa's mind, Karkun was just moved away, or maybe Atsa was, or both. Point is that they were in different places again. Atsa glanced down at his hand, specifically the bits of brown fabric that were hooked on his claws. Karkun's robes. Atsa was so close. Still, at least he knew Karkun was alright..... for the most part. Atsa got up and set on to find him again, when something felt like it caught the back of his robes. Looking back, a root from the ceiling had snaked down from the ceiling and snagged onto his collar. That definitely wasn't there before. Atsa reached back to try and unhook the annoyance, but then it got tighter. Kinda like it was..... getting.... a better grip?
Oh.... That's where this is going.
Before he could react, the root yanked Atsa up into the ceiling. The roots parted and swarmed, and soon Atsa was practically drowning in the ash from the floor above him. The root let go, abandoning Atsa to his fate of being buried alive. He struggled and squirmed, digging and thrashing around till the tip of his claw made contact with the cold air of the surface. Now, armed with the knowledge of which way is up, Atsa finally breach the floor's surface. Or, tried to. He was greeted by being throttled, the vision of an incoming fist, with all the wrath a human being could muster aiding it. Atsa, in this time of split-second decision, fell back on his default reaction to sudden surprise. Scream and mouth-flash. The highly agitated voice of one Miss Jehaa Starcross marks her identity to Atsa, right before she basically hurls him away into a wall. Once again, the half-hollow thud of his skull greeting another, scarily less-hard surface rings around the room.
"Owwwwww! It's the same wall! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! .......Oh, hi, Jehaa! Uhh..... what are you doing in here?"
Yep. Atsa. A testament to seriousness and focus. And total obliviousness.
Adeline stood for a long moment, before letting her hand drop. She did not like this plan. It was obvious that everyone would have to head to the tree at some point, and there was no sense in splitting up like this. Still, it wasn't in her nature to argue the point, especially with the one who had taken her to be his Padawan. Still, she hesitated.
"Go Adeline! I will be right behind you!"
She wasn't completely certain if she believed him, but she'd carry out his instructions regardless. First, she'd see about finding a way out. Well, for the moment it would seem that the tree was the only way. She'd try making a path through the mist, but considering how much trouble Revan was having just holding it back, that probably wouldn't be possible. So, the tree it was. Seeing that Koda was already next to the odd flora, she focused on the large feline instead. "It looks like we'll have to go through the tree to get out. From what I read in the archives, the journey won't be pleasant, but hopefully nothing we'll see in there will be real." That said, she lead the Knight over to the tree in question, just in case there had been some sort of doubt as to which evil-looking tree in the center of the clearing she'd been talking about.
While she had planned to suggest that they all hold on to one another and enter wherever it was the tree would lead them, the thing driving this apparently guessed that she would do so, and an invisible force pulled Adeline in before she could so much as open her mouth.
The moment she emerged on the other side, she was keenly aware that she was surrounded by... nothing. It was as thought everything in the universe had simply ceased to exist. After a long pause, the Miraluka ignited her lightsaber. Almost instantly, she saw in front of her, herself striking Atsa, her blade slicing through his wrists as she rose from the seemingly nonexistent ground. Only this time, it hadn't been a training saber, and the hands were severed from their previous owner. Apparently the false Adeline wasn't quite done yet either, as the blade came back around decapitating the smaller Jedi's image, which then fell limp between the two. Horrified and taken aback, she was for the moment too shocked to respond to this. The doppelganger however, seemed to have no such problem.
"It's quite a shame. He really didn't deserve it." The look-alike shrugged as if to show that it hadn't been too great a loss in its opinion. "Still, he stood between you and carrying out your orders, so he had to go."
Adeline took a deep breath. "Nothing you say matters. You do not come from me, nor do you come directly from the Force. You are a ghost, and nothing more." The double chuckled at this taking a step toward the Padawan, almost stepping on the false Atsa's hand. "And how does that make me different from you? You claim to enjoy Atsa's company, and even consider him a friend, but when you're pitted against him, he's nothing more than a target for you to eliminate. You spend all this time in the archives, looking through countless ways of using the Force, and still use nothing more than the narrow selection that the Masters prescribe to you. You claim to believe the Force doesn't have a Dark Side, and still you avoid anything considered to be connected with it. You are a hollow shell of a being, that has little to no will of its own. I'm more alive than you are!"
"There is no emotion, there is peace." Was the response it received. "See, that's what I'm talking about. You disagree with a large portion of what they have to say, but you still keep spouting their code like some sort of prayer." It got no new answer to this. Adeline was repeating the same phrase every two seconds or so, and was clearly shutting out the outside world. "Answer me!" The thing screamed, clearly infuriated with the result, or lack thereof, it was getting. Suddenly the fake vanished, along with the corpse between them, and the world reappeared. Adeline had only a moment to appreciate this however, before she suddenly began being thrown about, slamming into things as whatever it was she had upset expressed its annoyance with her. This lasted for a few moments, before she was tossed into a room of some sort, her lightsaber rolling to a stop next to her.
"Go Adeline! I will be right behind you!"
She wasn't completely certain if she believed him, but she'd carry out his instructions regardless. First, she'd see about finding a way out. Well, for the moment it would seem that the tree was the only way. She'd try making a path through the mist, but considering how much trouble Revan was having just holding it back, that probably wouldn't be possible. So, the tree it was. Seeing that Koda was already next to the odd flora, she focused on the large feline instead. "It looks like we'll have to go through the tree to get out. From what I read in the archives, the journey won't be pleasant, but hopefully nothing we'll see in there will be real." That said, she lead the Knight over to the tree in question, just in case there had been some sort of doubt as to which evil-looking tree in the center of the clearing she'd been talking about.
While she had planned to suggest that they all hold on to one another and enter wherever it was the tree would lead them, the thing driving this apparently guessed that she would do so, and an invisible force pulled Adeline in before she could so much as open her mouth.
The moment she emerged on the other side, she was keenly aware that she was surrounded by... nothing. It was as thought everything in the universe had simply ceased to exist. After a long pause, the Miraluka ignited her lightsaber. Almost instantly, she saw in front of her, herself striking Atsa, her blade slicing through his wrists as she rose from the seemingly nonexistent ground. Only this time, it hadn't been a training saber, and the hands were severed from their previous owner. Apparently the false Adeline wasn't quite done yet either, as the blade came back around decapitating the smaller Jedi's image, which then fell limp between the two. Horrified and taken aback, she was for the moment too shocked to respond to this. The doppelganger however, seemed to have no such problem.
"It's quite a shame. He really didn't deserve it." The look-alike shrugged as if to show that it hadn't been too great a loss in its opinion. "Still, he stood between you and carrying out your orders, so he had to go."
Adeline took a deep breath. "Nothing you say matters. You do not come from me, nor do you come directly from the Force. You are a ghost, and nothing more." The double chuckled at this taking a step toward the Padawan, almost stepping on the false Atsa's hand. "And how does that make me different from you? You claim to enjoy Atsa's company, and even consider him a friend, but when you're pitted against him, he's nothing more than a target for you to eliminate. You spend all this time in the archives, looking through countless ways of using the Force, and still use nothing more than the narrow selection that the Masters prescribe to you. You claim to believe the Force doesn't have a Dark Side, and still you avoid anything considered to be connected with it. You are a hollow shell of a being, that has little to no will of its own. I'm more alive than you are!"
"There is no emotion, there is peace." Was the response it received. "See, that's what I'm talking about. You disagree with a large portion of what they have to say, but you still keep spouting their code like some sort of prayer." It got no new answer to this. Adeline was repeating the same phrase every two seconds or so, and was clearly shutting out the outside world. "Answer me!" The thing screamed, clearly infuriated with the result, or lack thereof, it was getting. Suddenly the fake vanished, along with the corpse between them, and the world reappeared. Adeline had only a moment to appreciate this however, before she suddenly began being thrown about, slamming into things as whatever it was she had upset expressed its annoyance with her. This lasted for a few moments, before she was tossed into a room of some sort, her lightsaber rolling to a stop next to her.
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As the last of the Jedi made their way through the tree, Revan straigned against the dark mist creeping forward. He could feel it building up, like water behind a damn waiting to be released. As he saw his path to the tree become narrower and narrower as darkness crept in, he knew it was now or never.
"To the depths with you" Revan gave a final surge of energy to push the tide back, and he turned in full sprint for the tree. And just as the Force disipated, the darkness flooded forth, engulfing everything in its path. Revan was closing the distance to the tree, but not fast enough as the mist lurched for his body.....
With one final leap, Revan was sent into the tree, as the darkness flooded the world....
Marcus.....
...Marcus where are you......
......Commander......
The voices whispered in Revans ears as he lay on the cold earth, they were like the sounds of the dead calling out to him. Yet he knew all of the voices, and to his knowledge they had all just seen him that morning.
....get up Jedi....
A cold and malicious voice said. Revan strained as his conciousness once again returned to him. He put his hands to the earth, and slowly began to rise.
"I said get up!" Suddenly a kick was landed into Revans abdomin, and he was sent into some wall. Yet the darkness clung around him, and he could not see his surroundings "You are weak and pathetic"
Revan rose quickly this time, as his eyes adjusted to the fading light, he saw the figure before him.....a Sith Warrior.....
"To the depths with you" Revan gave a final surge of energy to push the tide back, and he turned in full sprint for the tree. And just as the Force disipated, the darkness flooded forth, engulfing everything in its path. Revan was closing the distance to the tree, but not fast enough as the mist lurched for his body.....
With one final leap, Revan was sent into the tree, as the darkness flooded the world....
Marcus.....
...Marcus where are you......
......Commander......
The voices whispered in Revans ears as he lay on the cold earth, they were like the sounds of the dead calling out to him. Yet he knew all of the voices, and to his knowledge they had all just seen him that morning.
....get up Jedi....
A cold and malicious voice said. Revan strained as his conciousness once again returned to him. He put his hands to the earth, and slowly began to rise.
"I said get up!" Suddenly a kick was landed into Revans abdomin, and he was sent into some wall. Yet the darkness clung around him, and he could not see his surroundings "You are weak and pathetic"
Revan rose quickly this time, as his eyes adjusted to the fading light, he saw the figure before him.....a Sith Warrior.....
Koda'rai had been content to wait for some form of response,either from the tree or the darkness itself.At least until the other Padawan, the one that arrived with a feline Jedi and seemed to know what was going on, was swallowed. That lead to his diving into the tree after her, but he emerged in an area without her... then the visions began.
He saw himself standing-no floating over the planet Alba. This other version of himself turned in his direction...and winked but more profound was the change to Alba. No longer was it a lifeless desert, instead it was the bustling and lush civilization his one time friend had dreamed. The other Aing-tii, him yet infinitely different descended to the ground and Koda'rai beheld a sight he'd never envisioned. The village and populace from so long ago was still standing, and living with joy... brought to life by a power he himself was still beginning to learn. Was this a future or a fantasy...twice this Koda'rai has demonstrated absolute mastery of powers he could barely begun to learn. As if to further show off the sheet gap of power, this version of him who was practically his ideal warped them both to a spot he'd never expected to see again...home. The power to cover such a distance so effortlessly only occurred amongst the Grandmasters and even then it was rare enough to be considered myth. But it was then dream became nightmare. His look-a-like forced its fellows on all fours, once more demonstrating power beyond belief and for a moment shielded everything...even his planet from view. The next vision was himself, standing before a planet that had done him know wrong, but it was obviously full of life. The image slammed its staff of the ground, and Koda'rai saw a near infinite numbers of dots and lines criss-crossing his vision of the space. Above them all, one point stood out, the point this version of him reach for and struck with the stun stick. On the electrical discharge from the stun stick, the planet was no more... power beyond measure even in the Shatterpoints. Even somehow hiding an entire planet from vision and Force sensory... this monster that was himself held power that could truly be called godly.
But it was all wrong, Koda'rai did not want power like this... it was too much and used too selfishly. This version of him then came to him, with no translator and furthermore removed his own. For the first time in sixty years, Koda'rai would speak as Aing-tii do naturally. Licking the hide of his counterpart he understood, "You envy my power do you not, you dream of performing feats like these. But such power is beyond simply self discipline, a true understanding of the Force is needed- all the teachings the Jedi hoard in their temple of other faiths will suffice. But you must also take power from others if you seek me." The pheromones were overpoweringly strong and left a bitter taste on his seven tongues. Koda'rai gave his answer in kind, the seven tongues making his shell crawl.
"This one does not seek such power. Nor does this one intend to ever become so vulgar in speech and action. Koda'rai shall also express gratitude for the confirmation of his belief. But there is no such power to still another's Gift." He put as much defiance in his statement as possible, but deep down... he could not refute himself entirely.
"Oh but there is such power in the Dark Side. Yes the Force has many colors, but remember colors have shades. The darkest of reds allows for the forceful stripping of power...Force Subjugate. I'll show you a memory of the first time we use it." At that point both of them shifted into the blue form of Flow Walking, and they watched another scene. It was himself...older than now but younger than the other walking up to a Sith Lord he could not name. Looking closely, space and even the Force itself seemed to flow through him instead of around him like normal. The third Koda struck the Sith Lord with his stick, stunning the creature and placed a hand on its head. Vicious red luminescence showed on the hand in this realm that wouldn't be visible anywhere else. Both the Koda'rai there and the Sith were quickly wreathed in a gold aura, it was their Gift. Koda'rai didn't know how he knew this manifestation was such...but he did. In horror he watched at the Sith's aura faded and disappeared into nothing...while the aura of his parasitic self grew in equal proportion to what the Sith lost. "Yes, that's the right feeling...fear, envy and determination- you're more like me than you believe. But I shall show you the difference between us."
The clawed talon of his nightmare grasped his throat, still in Flow Walking, their aura's flared. Koda'rai saw his own, fairly large in its own right if he had to guess. But his jaw dropped at the monster before him, the aura dominated his field of vision. "Gaining true understanding was before me at that time, but reaching Enlightenment doubled my power. At that time I had about thrice what you do now,but imagine...double the power of an individual by simply learning the Force. In total, the power of a hundred Grandmasters is mine to command...you cannot defeat me. You must simply become me." At these words, a jet black manifestation crossed from the hand and into his throat. "We will be one, and our power will be beyond measure."
Koda'rai barely got out his retort, "this one disagrees," and struck his own core Shatterpoint. The other power had brought it into visibility, thus letting him end his own existence... the other shouldn't be able to restore that. His consciousness returned to his body, his mask just beyond his reach and his body unable to move properly from fear.
(Not sure if we're supposed to end up in the same place or not, so I left it ambiguous.)
He saw himself standing-no floating over the planet Alba. This other version of himself turned in his direction...and winked but more profound was the change to Alba. No longer was it a lifeless desert, instead it was the bustling and lush civilization his one time friend had dreamed. The other Aing-tii, him yet infinitely different descended to the ground and Koda'rai beheld a sight he'd never envisioned. The village and populace from so long ago was still standing, and living with joy... brought to life by a power he himself was still beginning to learn. Was this a future or a fantasy...twice this Koda'rai has demonstrated absolute mastery of powers he could barely begun to learn. As if to further show off the sheet gap of power, this version of him who was practically his ideal warped them both to a spot he'd never expected to see again...home. The power to cover such a distance so effortlessly only occurred amongst the Grandmasters and even then it was rare enough to be considered myth. But it was then dream became nightmare. His look-a-like forced its fellows on all fours, once more demonstrating power beyond belief and for a moment shielded everything...even his planet from view. The next vision was himself, standing before a planet that had done him know wrong, but it was obviously full of life. The image slammed its staff of the ground, and Koda'rai saw a near infinite numbers of dots and lines criss-crossing his vision of the space. Above them all, one point stood out, the point this version of him reach for and struck with the stun stick. On the electrical discharge from the stun stick, the planet was no more... power beyond measure even in the Shatterpoints. Even somehow hiding an entire planet from vision and Force sensory... this monster that was himself held power that could truly be called godly.
But it was all wrong, Koda'rai did not want power like this... it was too much and used too selfishly. This version of him then came to him, with no translator and furthermore removed his own. For the first time in sixty years, Koda'rai would speak as Aing-tii do naturally. Licking the hide of his counterpart he understood, "You envy my power do you not, you dream of performing feats like these. But such power is beyond simply self discipline, a true understanding of the Force is needed- all the teachings the Jedi hoard in their temple of other faiths will suffice. But you must also take power from others if you seek me." The pheromones were overpoweringly strong and left a bitter taste on his seven tongues. Koda'rai gave his answer in kind, the seven tongues making his shell crawl.
"This one does not seek such power. Nor does this one intend to ever become so vulgar in speech and action. Koda'rai shall also express gratitude for the confirmation of his belief. But there is no such power to still another's Gift." He put as much defiance in his statement as possible, but deep down... he could not refute himself entirely.
"Oh but there is such power in the Dark Side. Yes the Force has many colors, but remember colors have shades. The darkest of reds allows for the forceful stripping of power...Force Subjugate. I'll show you a memory of the first time we use it." At that point both of them shifted into the blue form of Flow Walking, and they watched another scene. It was himself...older than now but younger than the other walking up to a Sith Lord he could not name. Looking closely, space and even the Force itself seemed to flow through him instead of around him like normal. The third Koda struck the Sith Lord with his stick, stunning the creature and placed a hand on its head. Vicious red luminescence showed on the hand in this realm that wouldn't be visible anywhere else. Both the Koda'rai there and the Sith were quickly wreathed in a gold aura, it was their Gift. Koda'rai didn't know how he knew this manifestation was such...but he did. In horror he watched at the Sith's aura faded and disappeared into nothing...while the aura of his parasitic self grew in equal proportion to what the Sith lost. "Yes, that's the right feeling...fear, envy and determination- you're more like me than you believe. But I shall show you the difference between us."
The clawed talon of his nightmare grasped his throat, still in Flow Walking, their aura's flared. Koda'rai saw his own, fairly large in its own right if he had to guess. But his jaw dropped at the monster before him, the aura dominated his field of vision. "Gaining true understanding was before me at that time, but reaching Enlightenment doubled my power. At that time I had about thrice what you do now,but imagine...double the power of an individual by simply learning the Force. In total, the power of a hundred Grandmasters is mine to command...you cannot defeat me. You must simply become me." At these words, a jet black manifestation crossed from the hand and into his throat. "We will be one, and our power will be beyond measure."
Koda'rai barely got out his retort, "this one disagrees," and struck his own core Shatterpoint. The other power had brought it into visibility, thus letting him end his own existence... the other shouldn't be able to restore that. His consciousness returned to his body, his mask just beyond his reach and his body unable to move properly from fear.
(Not sure if we're supposed to end up in the same place or not, so I left it ambiguous.)
The Sith stood in front of Marcus, his chest rising and then lowering with each breath. His lightsaber was made from...bone. It had many different carvings on it, many appearing to be hieroglyphics. He was hunched over a little, and had on a cloak that was as black as the darkness around him.
"The Dark Side is strong in you...".
The hunched Sith snapped into combat position, his posture suddenly completely fixed. The 5'9'' man who was just previously standing before Marcus morphed into a hulking 7' tall Sith Warrior. His Lightsaber of bone ignited into a fiery red blade, and in that blade, Marcus could see the face of all those he cared about. And that same blade, with all those faces within, was now heading straight for Marcus. The ensuing battle was one-sided, with Marcus being completely toyed with by the Sith. Swing after powerful swing forced Marcus back, and then to his knees.
"You must use your hate to defeat me. You cannot win without calling upon the source of victory, the only thing that can change this galaxy for the better, the dark side." The Sith brought his blade above his head, and in the blade once more, Marcus saw his mother and Elyssia, both screaming in agony. Their terror was completely silenced after a mere moment, and Marcus knew they were dead.
In a fit of pure rage, Marcus embraced the power he needed, and stood up with both of his lightsabers being swung upwards to block the Sith's strike. The block knocked the Sith back a step and off balance, to which Marcus would capitalize on. With a mad flurry of swings, the Sith's chest was practically gone, and Marcus ended it with one final swing by bringing both sabers across his body. The Sith flew backwards, vanquished. But the body that flew backwards wasn't the Sith, it was Adeline. Before the body hit the ground, the room started shifting. It was forming into the Temple, into the archives room. Everything was burning and broken. Smoke filled the top of the room, and bodies of fellow Jedi littered the floor. Fear and pain could be felt in the air...
Atsa and Jehaa, after Jehaa regained her senses and figured out the small annoying bundle was Atsa, experienced a similar change in scenery. The area narrowed into a long hallway, barely able to fit Jehaa and Atsa. The walls were a cold stone, with small vines slowly taking them over. Down the hallway was a bright light, which was almost blinding to look at. From behind them, a swarm of what had to be some kind of insect began spilling out from holes in the wall. The swarm started charging right for the two, all with 8 long bug legs. The insects were all black and the size of a grown man's fist, with two long tendrils protruding from the front of their heads. Their exoskeleton was smooth, and was shaped like a beetle.
The walls of the hallway were now slowly starting to come together like a trash compacter, and parts of the floor began to give way. The chittering sound of the swarm's movement was becoming louder, and Atsa and Jehaa didn't have much time. Little did they know, or really think to care, was what these arthropods would do to the pair if they came into contact with each other...
When Koda next opened his eyes, he was floating above the galaxy, looking down on it. It was truly a beautiful sight, each sun shining with its own unique light, surrounded by their own unique planets. There was a sense of peace that could be felt by Koda. There was a certain balance to it all. But just as quickly as he had arrived, the galaxy was becoming consumed by fire, left only with darkness after the flames died out. The screams of the people from every planet echoed in Koda's head, and the galaxy fell to the darkness.
An unknown force took Koda and shot him towards the burning core of the galaxy, towards Tython. From the atmosphere Koda could see the smoke, a smoke that carried the very smell of death. He was brought closer and closer, until he was above the Jedi Temple. It was untouched, the only thing on the planet at this point. But a large force was coming out of the burning forest, a force that was covered in black cloaks. They casually walked up to the main door of the temple ad knocked on the door. After no response was given, the one in the front of the army kicked the giant door down, and so began the battle of the Temple. Red lightsabers illuminated the sea of black. The back rows equipped blasters and began firing from their positions.
Koda was unable to do anything to interact with the scene, but was able to move around and observe. One by one the masters fell trying to protect the younger Jedi, who became the victims of the next wave. No one was safe, and eventually every Jedi fell. The assailants left the Temple, and all that remained was the ruined temple with all of its inhabitants slain.
In the archive room Adeline and Marcus would appear, and in the council room Jehaa and Atsa would appear.
"The Dark Side is strong in you...".
The hunched Sith snapped into combat position, his posture suddenly completely fixed. The 5'9'' man who was just previously standing before Marcus morphed into a hulking 7' tall Sith Warrior. His Lightsaber of bone ignited into a fiery red blade, and in that blade, Marcus could see the face of all those he cared about. And that same blade, with all those faces within, was now heading straight for Marcus. The ensuing battle was one-sided, with Marcus being completely toyed with by the Sith. Swing after powerful swing forced Marcus back, and then to his knees.
"You must use your hate to defeat me. You cannot win without calling upon the source of victory, the only thing that can change this galaxy for the better, the dark side." The Sith brought his blade above his head, and in the blade once more, Marcus saw his mother and Elyssia, both screaming in agony. Their terror was completely silenced after a mere moment, and Marcus knew they were dead.
In a fit of pure rage, Marcus embraced the power he needed, and stood up with both of his lightsabers being swung upwards to block the Sith's strike. The block knocked the Sith back a step and off balance, to which Marcus would capitalize on. With a mad flurry of swings, the Sith's chest was practically gone, and Marcus ended it with one final swing by bringing both sabers across his body. The Sith flew backwards, vanquished. But the body that flew backwards wasn't the Sith, it was Adeline. Before the body hit the ground, the room started shifting. It was forming into the Temple, into the archives room. Everything was burning and broken. Smoke filled the top of the room, and bodies of fellow Jedi littered the floor. Fear and pain could be felt in the air...
Atsa and Jehaa, after Jehaa regained her senses and figured out the small annoying bundle was Atsa, experienced a similar change in scenery. The area narrowed into a long hallway, barely able to fit Jehaa and Atsa. The walls were a cold stone, with small vines slowly taking them over. Down the hallway was a bright light, which was almost blinding to look at. From behind them, a swarm of what had to be some kind of insect began spilling out from holes in the wall. The swarm started charging right for the two, all with 8 long bug legs. The insects were all black and the size of a grown man's fist, with two long tendrils protruding from the front of their heads. Their exoskeleton was smooth, and was shaped like a beetle.
The walls of the hallway were now slowly starting to come together like a trash compacter, and parts of the floor began to give way. The chittering sound of the swarm's movement was becoming louder, and Atsa and Jehaa didn't have much time. Little did they know, or really think to care, was what these arthropods would do to the pair if they came into contact with each other...
When Koda next opened his eyes, he was floating above the galaxy, looking down on it. It was truly a beautiful sight, each sun shining with its own unique light, surrounded by their own unique planets. There was a sense of peace that could be felt by Koda. There was a certain balance to it all. But just as quickly as he had arrived, the galaxy was becoming consumed by fire, left only with darkness after the flames died out. The screams of the people from every planet echoed in Koda's head, and the galaxy fell to the darkness.
An unknown force took Koda and shot him towards the burning core of the galaxy, towards Tython. From the atmosphere Koda could see the smoke, a smoke that carried the very smell of death. He was brought closer and closer, until he was above the Jedi Temple. It was untouched, the only thing on the planet at this point. But a large force was coming out of the burning forest, a force that was covered in black cloaks. They casually walked up to the main door of the temple ad knocked on the door. After no response was given, the one in the front of the army kicked the giant door down, and so began the battle of the Temple. Red lightsabers illuminated the sea of black. The back rows equipped blasters and began firing from their positions.
Koda was unable to do anything to interact with the scene, but was able to move around and observe. One by one the masters fell trying to protect the younger Jedi, who became the victims of the next wave. No one was safe, and eventually every Jedi fell. The assailants left the Temple, and all that remained was the ruined temple with all of its inhabitants slain.
In the archive room Adeline and Marcus would appear, and in the council room Jehaa and Atsa would appear.
"Gah!"
Jehaa finished rubbing the shine out of her eyes, "What am I doing here?! You mean this isn't the 'fresher?!" Yep. Toilet jokes. You heard it here, first, folks.
When she stands, the scenery in the Tree lurches sickeningly, twisting in on itself and elongating.
"Oh, slag, what now?" The Vanguard asks with a weary and mildly nauseous sort of tone, holding out her hands as the new hallway closes in, pushing them both into a very cramped space. Her bare skin prickles at the sudden cold stone that meets her palms, and it doesn't help when the skittering, clicking noises start to rise behind them.
Bristling at the danger, Jehaa reacts with a sort of instinctual reflex. Atsa wouldn't have much a chance to argue as the limber human digs her feet in and leaps down the hall away from the chattering mass, a hand shooting out and down to scoop up the poor alien by a deathgrip on one of the horns in his crest. Yoink!
Down the shrinking hallway she pelts, cold air burning lungs that were accustomed to the oppressive moisture of the forest world. But you don't get through the Vanguard training as a fatbody, and she kept up her own runs on the side.
The closing walls start to brush her shoulders as they get closer to that light, and the insects' single-minded advance starts to draw closer in nightmarish fashion. Even Jehaa's determined charge looks to be cutting it close, no matter how much speed she pours on, the hallway just gets that smidge longer. When it seems like the light is just an arm reach away, Jehaa makes an inarticulate noise and -hurls- the little alien as far as she can towards relative safety before the hall restricts her arm movement.
And just like that? It's over. There is no hall. She isn't inches from stone giving her ribcage a stress test. They're in the Council room, with all the breathing room in the world, and no insects hungry for their flesh.
Not that Jehaa has ever been there, but she could imagine what it was like. And this was it. Er.. Well, not exactly.
The smell of smoke hung thick in the air, even lingering screams. And the Council Masters weren't much concerned with the sudden appearance of a Corporal and a Padawan. No, they weren't much concerned with anything, anymore, sprawled in various poses of death around the pair.
Jehaa can almost taste the angry defiance rising into the back of her throat again, "Kef this!" She snarls, "Someone find me a flamethrower, I'll burn this place from the inside out if that's what it wants."
She takes the first few steps that she's going to need to bust out of the Council doors and into the ruined temple, proper, tired of letting herself be driven where the damn Dark Side wanted her to go. If it wanted a fight, the Vanguard was more than willing to give it one worth remembering.
Jehaa finished rubbing the shine out of her eyes, "What am I doing here?! You mean this isn't the 'fresher?!" Yep. Toilet jokes. You heard it here, first, folks.
When she stands, the scenery in the Tree lurches sickeningly, twisting in on itself and elongating.
"Oh, slag, what now?" The Vanguard asks with a weary and mildly nauseous sort of tone, holding out her hands as the new hallway closes in, pushing them both into a very cramped space. Her bare skin prickles at the sudden cold stone that meets her palms, and it doesn't help when the skittering, clicking noises start to rise behind them.
Bristling at the danger, Jehaa reacts with a sort of instinctual reflex. Atsa wouldn't have much a chance to argue as the limber human digs her feet in and leaps down the hall away from the chattering mass, a hand shooting out and down to scoop up the poor alien by a deathgrip on one of the horns in his crest. Yoink!
Down the shrinking hallway she pelts, cold air burning lungs that were accustomed to the oppressive moisture of the forest world. But you don't get through the Vanguard training as a fatbody, and she kept up her own runs on the side.
The closing walls start to brush her shoulders as they get closer to that light, and the insects' single-minded advance starts to draw closer in nightmarish fashion. Even Jehaa's determined charge looks to be cutting it close, no matter how much speed she pours on, the hallway just gets that smidge longer. When it seems like the light is just an arm reach away, Jehaa makes an inarticulate noise and -hurls- the little alien as far as she can towards relative safety before the hall restricts her arm movement.
And just like that? It's over. There is no hall. She isn't inches from stone giving her ribcage a stress test. They're in the Council room, with all the breathing room in the world, and no insects hungry for their flesh.
Not that Jehaa has ever been there, but she could imagine what it was like. And this was it. Er.. Well, not exactly.
The smell of smoke hung thick in the air, even lingering screams. And the Council Masters weren't much concerned with the sudden appearance of a Corporal and a Padawan. No, they weren't much concerned with anything, anymore, sprawled in various poses of death around the pair.
Jehaa can almost taste the angry defiance rising into the back of her throat again, "Kef this!" She snarls, "Someone find me a flamethrower, I'll burn this place from the inside out if that's what it wants."
She takes the first few steps that she's going to need to bust out of the Council doors and into the ruined temple, proper, tired of letting herself be driven where the damn Dark Side wanted her to go. If it wanted a fight, the Vanguard was more than willing to give it one worth remembering.
When Adeline's "vision" cleared, or to be more accurate, when the manifestation finally cleared its obstruction of her perception, she was in the archives room of the Temple, a room that the Padawan was intimately familiar with. The main differences were that the place was now littered with corpses, everything was broken and/or burning, and her master was standing over her, lightsabers drawn and activated. So basically, everything was the same, except for almost everything being completely different. Adeline made note to work on her similes later.
"I failed you." Truth be told, this was actually an accurate if slightly skewed assessment. "You gave me one task, to see to it that the others escaped safely, and I instantly failed it. Whether or not everyone else is alright, I did not see them to that state as you instructed me to. For that, I am deeply sorry." For a moment, there was a stray thought in her mind, that considered that her double may have been even more correct than she had initially thought, but she quickly squashed it. There was no point in worrying about the words of a long dead being taking cheap shots at a young adolescent, at least not at the moment.
In any event, Adeline was far more worried about Revan's sate than her own, though admittedly she was rather scratched up by the manifestation's temper tantrum. "Are you alright? What did you see?"
"I failed you." Truth be told, this was actually an accurate if slightly skewed assessment. "You gave me one task, to see to it that the others escaped safely, and I instantly failed it. Whether or not everyone else is alright, I did not see them to that state as you instructed me to. For that, I am deeply sorry." For a moment, there was a stray thought in her mind, that considered that her double may have been even more correct than she had initially thought, but she quickly squashed it. There was no point in worrying about the words of a long dead being taking cheap shots at a young adolescent, at least not at the moment.
In any event, Adeline was far more worried about Revan's sate than her own, though admittedly she was rather scratched up by the manifestation's temper tantrum. "Are you alright? What did you see?"
Koda'rai felt the world spinning after the latest bout of visions, or were they real? He couldn't tell, but the massacre of the Jedi temple had left the greatest impact. It was at that point that he saw his hands... they were still blue; a second discovery was made at that point. He was in two places at once, or was it two times at once? A matter of examination showed that it was the former that was true. But examination of multiple times and or places simultaneously was something he'd never heard happen before. He closed his eyes, and slowed his breathing in heart rate; he sought the connection to his body... he could barely feel it. This was hardly solace, he was still nearly adrift in time and space...stuck wandering as a consciousness for eternity.
With all the power he could muster, he brought his bodily connection to the maximum. At this point, he could use Morichro, it'd keep his body in suspended animation and maybe he'd be able to rejoin it. This left him in a dangerous position, first off it'd need a Master to truly re-synchronize himself with his body. Then came the issue of his use of Morichro; it was safe enough when he used it on himself. But since he had to remotely apply it to himself, it was far more dangerous...potentially lethal. Once more it would require someone far more skilled in the art than himself to safely wake up his body. Well a lot of luck could bring him back to his body, but waking it up again with his current skill would either mandate the risk or take a lot of time. This would be him inside a body and thus unaware of the flow of time around him.
He was roused from his musings by the simultaneous speaking of two females, the Padawan from before and another Jedi. One was in the Council Chamber- now full of Corpses and the other with a different Jedi...presumably her master. He didn't detect the presence of his mask, which meant even if he could communicate with them- his voice wasn't an option.This meant he'd have to catch their attention non verbally, but there was no guarantee what or even if his messages could get through. His current level of Flow Walking severely limited his ability to interact with the world...even for the limited capacity the ability allowed. For starters, he couldn't understand their words but he could read and write in Galactic Basic.
Koda'rai struck out at both spaces with all the power he could muster, normally enough to move a ship of about two hundred meters. But in this circumstance, he'd be lucky if they even felt his Force Push, the best effect would be a light push. It'd barely be enough to move an arm, from there he'd try to get his message across some how.
With all the power he could muster, he brought his bodily connection to the maximum. At this point, he could use Morichro, it'd keep his body in suspended animation and maybe he'd be able to rejoin it. This left him in a dangerous position, first off it'd need a Master to truly re-synchronize himself with his body. Then came the issue of his use of Morichro; it was safe enough when he used it on himself. But since he had to remotely apply it to himself, it was far more dangerous...potentially lethal. Once more it would require someone far more skilled in the art than himself to safely wake up his body. Well a lot of luck could bring him back to his body, but waking it up again with his current skill would either mandate the risk or take a lot of time. This would be him inside a body and thus unaware of the flow of time around him.
He was roused from his musings by the simultaneous speaking of two females, the Padawan from before and another Jedi. One was in the Council Chamber- now full of Corpses and the other with a different Jedi...presumably her master. He didn't detect the presence of his mask, which meant even if he could communicate with them- his voice wasn't an option.This meant he'd have to catch their attention non verbally, but there was no guarantee what or even if his messages could get through. His current level of Flow Walking severely limited his ability to interact with the world...even for the limited capacity the ability allowed. For starters, he couldn't understand their words but he could read and write in Galactic Basic.
Koda'rai struck out at both spaces with all the power he could muster, normally enough to move a ship of about two hundred meters. But in this circumstance, he'd be lucky if they even felt his Force Push, the best effect would be a light push. It'd barely be enough to move an arm, from there he'd try to get his message across some how.
"What's a fresh-" Atsa tried to ask, as the world around him twisted and warped. Reality seemed to shift on a whim here, but this was an extreme. The gnarled tunnels smoothed and straightened, like they were made of putty and their crafter got bored. "-er?" This hallway stretched on for several yards, and it's obvious ending was lit up by some kinda light. A subtle prompting to proceed, which was soon followed but a much more obvious motivation. Out from holes and cracks they poured, tens, hundreds, thousands. Jet black carapaces and chittering legs. The sound of all of them made Atsa's skin crawled. There wasn't a need to guess. Beetles= Bad. Atsa was about to bound away, to warn Jehaa, to do something. Though it was kinda hard to do much of anything when Starcross was already hauling ass down the tunnel, carting Atsa by his crest like luggage.
Even though the Vanguard was running as fast as Atsa'd ever seen a 'normal' human run, the bugs were still right on their heels. Every blast of Force Atsa threw at them just seemed to peel off the top layer of insects like a safety blanket, while those underneath soon rebuilt their mass to take another hit. "Jehaa! Please run fasterrrrwaaaaagh!" the Nosaurian yelped as the human hurled him at the light. The very second he touched it, everything was gone. The phrase "in the blink of an eye" couldn't even really describe it, it felt faster. The sudden change of.... everything was so sudden, it made Atsa's ears pop and caused some pretty bad disorientation. Dizzied and with blurred vision, he took in the new surroundings around him, and found them very familiar. The.... council room? Were they out? This was unmistakingly the temple, so that had to mean they were out, right? Then the differences made themselves apparent.
The bodies...... That's all Atsa could look at. Jerosi, Votar, Zathris, Fe, and even Kotsa. They were all dead. "J-....Jehaa.......?" Atsa's voice was shaking, tears trickling down his beak. A second ago he'd hoped they were finally out, now..... Now he prayed by all the Force that this was just another trick. All his senses seemed to numb, but he still noticed the Vanguard storming off, and despite not wanting to see what this tree held for them next, the last thing Atsa wanted right now was to be alone. He waddled along after her, until something.... called out to him. There was an urgency Atsa couldn't explain, but he hopped after it like the world depended on it. Beneath a slab of stone, which had sheared off of the ceiling above, Kelios was still alive. He was in pain and dying. Atsa could feel it, like broken glass on his skin. An unknown instinct kicked in, one Atsa was familiar with. Shoving with all the Force, he managed to slide the stone off of the massive cat.
Even with the exhaustion of hauling the rubble, Atsa knew what he had to do. With legs crossed in a meditative stance, a rush of air began to circle him. The Force in the surrounding area gathered to one spot, and condensed within Atsa's body. Placing his hands on Kelios, Atsa waited for the sudden pulse of energy that always happened when he tried to heal someone. But.... something was wrong. The Force simply dissipated when he touch Kelios' body. Atsa tried this repeatedly, but each time the same happened. He couldn't understand this, until he noticed that Kelios had stopped breathing. The jedi had passed shortly after Atsa moved the stone, and was now beyond any means of saving. This never happened before. This just didn't happen, how could it? A sobbing lizard turned to see Jehaa, who'd apparently followed him here. All he could do was shake his head and continue to cry. Attempting to stand on wobbling legs, Atsa tried in vain to wipe away the tears from his eyes as he walk towards her, utterly defeated.
But there was still a sort of defiance, an unwillingness to accept what he saw. "This.... this isn't real. I know it. I know it...... We're still in the tree, we have to be." In his heart, Atsa completely believed this. Suddenly standing a little straighter, but still with the occasional tear in his eye, Atsa looked up at Starcross with total determination. "I *sniffle* I-I think Karkun is over that way.... We'll find him and the others. And then we'll get out of here." Even for the least assertive of the padawans, Atsa was still tired of this. Unbeknownst to both of them, Atsa had extended his bubble of Force light around Jehaa. This damned tree wasn't taking her away. It wasn't going to take anyone away. Even though this made him feel weaker by the second, Atsa wasn't running away anymore.
One goal: Get everyone out of here. Nothing else was acceptable.
Even though the Vanguard was running as fast as Atsa'd ever seen a 'normal' human run, the bugs were still right on their heels. Every blast of Force Atsa threw at them just seemed to peel off the top layer of insects like a safety blanket, while those underneath soon rebuilt their mass to take another hit. "Jehaa! Please run fasterrrrwaaaaagh!" the Nosaurian yelped as the human hurled him at the light. The very second he touched it, everything was gone. The phrase "in the blink of an eye" couldn't even really describe it, it felt faster. The sudden change of.... everything was so sudden, it made Atsa's ears pop and caused some pretty bad disorientation. Dizzied and with blurred vision, he took in the new surroundings around him, and found them very familiar. The.... council room? Were they out? This was unmistakingly the temple, so that had to mean they were out, right? Then the differences made themselves apparent.
The bodies...... That's all Atsa could look at. Jerosi, Votar, Zathris, Fe, and even Kotsa. They were all dead. "J-....Jehaa.......?" Atsa's voice was shaking, tears trickling down his beak. A second ago he'd hoped they were finally out, now..... Now he prayed by all the Force that this was just another trick. All his senses seemed to numb, but he still noticed the Vanguard storming off, and despite not wanting to see what this tree held for them next, the last thing Atsa wanted right now was to be alone. He waddled along after her, until something.... called out to him. There was an urgency Atsa couldn't explain, but he hopped after it like the world depended on it. Beneath a slab of stone, which had sheared off of the ceiling above, Kelios was still alive. He was in pain and dying. Atsa could feel it, like broken glass on his skin. An unknown instinct kicked in, one Atsa was familiar with. Shoving with all the Force, he managed to slide the stone off of the massive cat.
Even with the exhaustion of hauling the rubble, Atsa knew what he had to do. With legs crossed in a meditative stance, a rush of air began to circle him. The Force in the surrounding area gathered to one spot, and condensed within Atsa's body. Placing his hands on Kelios, Atsa waited for the sudden pulse of energy that always happened when he tried to heal someone. But.... something was wrong. The Force simply dissipated when he touch Kelios' body. Atsa tried this repeatedly, but each time the same happened. He couldn't understand this, until he noticed that Kelios had stopped breathing. The jedi had passed shortly after Atsa moved the stone, and was now beyond any means of saving. This never happened before. This just didn't happen, how could it? A sobbing lizard turned to see Jehaa, who'd apparently followed him here. All he could do was shake his head and continue to cry. Attempting to stand on wobbling legs, Atsa tried in vain to wipe away the tears from his eyes as he walk towards her, utterly defeated.
But there was still a sort of defiance, an unwillingness to accept what he saw. "This.... this isn't real. I know it. I know it...... We're still in the tree, we have to be." In his heart, Atsa completely believed this. Suddenly standing a little straighter, but still with the occasional tear in his eye, Atsa looked up at Starcross with total determination. "I *sniffle* I-I think Karkun is over that way.... We'll find him and the others. And then we'll get out of here." Even for the least assertive of the padawans, Atsa was still tired of this. Unbeknownst to both of them, Atsa had extended his bubble of Force light around Jehaa. This damned tree wasn't taking her away. It wasn't going to take anyone away. Even though this made him feel weaker by the second, Atsa wasn't running away anymore.
One goal: Get everyone out of here. Nothing else was acceptable.
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As Marcus' vision cleared of the darkness, and his senses returned to him. He found himself within the archives of the Temple. Around him lay bodies of the dead, burning and damaged pieces of the temple lay scattered about. It was as if he had entered a nightmare, the last bastion of the Jedi had been destroyed. He could not move, he could not even shift his gaze, he just stood there starring into the air.
It was not possible. Only moments before he had been fighting the very being he had sworn to protect the galaxy from. Now he stood within the ruins of the Jedi Temple.
"Are you alright? What did you see?" a familiar voice caught his ear, Marcus gaze shifted to his apprentice.
That was when everything hit him. In the blade of the Sith, Elyssia and his mother screamed in pain and agony. The feeling of their loss had clung deep into his heart. It was this sudden memory that caused Marcus to do something he had never done before. He fell to his knees, his sabers released from his iron grip and fell to the floor. There he knelt, his head dipped in shame, his face in a stoic gaze as he could not fathom what had taken place.
This is not real. They are not dead. His mind buzzed with the thought of his friends and family. Valik would have gotten them out. If he knew the Temple was lost, he would have gotten them out.
Though his mind told him that this was true. His body would not give him the strength to rise, and his soul lacked the will. He simply knelt in his slump, for the first time unsure what to do.
It was not possible. Only moments before he had been fighting the very being he had sworn to protect the galaxy from. Now he stood within the ruins of the Jedi Temple.
"Are you alright? What did you see?" a familiar voice caught his ear, Marcus gaze shifted to his apprentice.
That was when everything hit him. In the blade of the Sith, Elyssia and his mother screamed in pain and agony. The feeling of their loss had clung deep into his heart. It was this sudden memory that caused Marcus to do something he had never done before. He fell to his knees, his sabers released from his iron grip and fell to the floor. There he knelt, his head dipped in shame, his face in a stoic gaze as he could not fathom what had taken place.
This is not real. They are not dead. His mind buzzed with the thought of his friends and family. Valik would have gotten them out. If he knew the Temple was lost, he would have gotten them out.
Though his mind told him that this was true. His body would not give him the strength to rise, and his soul lacked the will. He simply knelt in his slump, for the first time unsure what to do.
Well, that wasn't the reaction she was hoping for, In fact, out of all the possible reactions that Adeline had thought that Revan might have, that was not one of them. For a moment, she merely stood, stupefied as he simply knelt there, slumped over stewing in his uncertainty. Finally, in an uncharacteristic bout of what seemed almost indignity at how completely upset the natural order of things was, she held out her hand to him for the second time that evening. The main difference this time being that she was very clearly not going to allow it to be refused.
"With all due respect master, get up." By the time Adeline had finally spoken, she'd regained some of her normal calmness and objectivity, though her voice was still shaking slightly, barely displaying that odd blend of confusion and righteous fury at whatever was responsible for all this. "We have a job to do. We need to see if anyone else is alive, assuming that this isn't just another illusion. If it is, we need to break through it. Either way, sitting here isn't going to help." Just then, a wave of of force made its way through the room. It was barely as strong a a powerful breeze, but it was enough to let her know that something was present. "See? There's someone else out there. They might need our help."
"With all due respect master, get up." By the time Adeline had finally spoken, she'd regained some of her normal calmness and objectivity, though her voice was still shaking slightly, barely displaying that odd blend of confusion and righteous fury at whatever was responsible for all this. "We have a job to do. We need to see if anyone else is alive, assuming that this isn't just another illusion. If it is, we need to break through it. Either way, sitting here isn't going to help." Just then, a wave of of force made its way through the room. It was barely as strong a a powerful breeze, but it was enough to let her know that something was present. "See? There's someone else out there. They might need our help."
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"With all due respect master, get up" Adeline said extending her hand to her master.
With what little strength he had, Revan turned his eyes to his apprencices hand. It had been the second time she had done so to him that day, but from the look in her eyes she was determined that she woulde not move without him following her. It was her determination, that gave him strength. "We have a job to do. We need to see if anyone else is alive" Those were the only words he needed.
It was as if a switch had suddenly turned in his mind, and his soul had been purged of the darkness. He knew that Valik, Elyssia, and Rebecca were all alive. If they were not here, he knew they had made it safely off the planet. He took Adelines hand, as she pulled him up. In his face, she could see his change.
He stood straight and tall as he had always done, scanning the room and the corridors evaluating his options. That was when the force brushed him. His Force sight honed in on its directional source.
"See? There's someone else out there. They might need our help." Adeline said
Revan shot out his hands, as his sabers returned to him, he activated them, spinning them once to get the feeling back into his arms, he looked at his young apprentice "Be preparred for any situation Adeline, as you said this may be real or an illusion of the dark side. You have cleared my mind, now keep yours cleared as well" he looked around "The Dark side has its way of manipulating the fabric of reality itself" He started forward, then turned to her "Let us find the others"
With what little strength he had, Revan turned his eyes to his apprencices hand. It had been the second time she had done so to him that day, but from the look in her eyes she was determined that she woulde not move without him following her. It was her determination, that gave him strength. "We have a job to do. We need to see if anyone else is alive" Those were the only words he needed.
It was as if a switch had suddenly turned in his mind, and his soul had been purged of the darkness. He knew that Valik, Elyssia, and Rebecca were all alive. If they were not here, he knew they had made it safely off the planet. He took Adelines hand, as she pulled him up. In his face, she could see his change.
He stood straight and tall as he had always done, scanning the room and the corridors evaluating his options. That was when the force brushed him. His Force sight honed in on its directional source.
"See? There's someone else out there. They might need our help." Adeline said
Revan shot out his hands, as his sabers returned to him, he activated them, spinning them once to get the feeling back into his arms, he looked at his young apprentice "Be preparred for any situation Adeline, as you said this may be real or an illusion of the dark side. You have cleared my mind, now keep yours cleared as well" he looked around "The Dark side has its way of manipulating the fabric of reality itself" He started forward, then turned to her "Let us find the others"
"J-....Jehaa.......?"
The Vanguard soldier almost didn't hear Atsa's tiny voice, having cracked open the door enough to press a shoulder against it and scan the shattered room beyond.
When she looks back, he isn't moving, and something in her finds that annoying enough that the emotion actually crosses her face in a hardening around the jaws and eyes. Her own storied past had been rather full of bodies, and for a moment she forgot that the little lizard - while he hadn't had a perfect life - had always known this as a safe place, and these people as untouchable.
"This.... this isn't real. I know it. I know it...... We're still in the tree, we have to be... I *sniffle* I-I think Karkun is over that way.... We'll find him and the others. And then we'll get out of here."
She softens with a smile and nods, waving him over to her and - when he does approach - putting a hand on the scaly shoulder in an act of comfort.
"No worries. Just stick close, yeah? We'll get out of this together. This place doesn't know who it's messing with."
And the corporal flashes a cocky grin she didn't particularly feel, but the façade boosted her own morale, and hopefully might do the same for Atsa. She leans into the door fully, moving the massive construction just enough for two slim bodies to slip through. The noise that the huge stone door makes on the ground, without its advanced hydraulics to smooth the process and probably damaged by the battle-that-didn't-really-happen, is a slow, grating scratch. It echoed through the eerily empty temple halls.
Wincing at the noise, Jehaa beckons Atsa to follow quickly, taking off at a fast trot that burns after her recent life-or-death sprint. Many of the dead around them now aren't even Jedi. Her eyes linger on people she knew. People in Vanguard armor, sprawled with holes burned straight through. Some died at their posts, some died in defensive alcoves. Others died in front of Jedi corpses; vainly trying to shield their charges from whatever unstoppable force had done this.
She considers taking a blaster, but they were probably as much illusion as the bodies themselves. They pass the rooms of the Masters on their way out into the main rooms, and it's then that Koda'rai's presence ripples through. The touch on her bare arm makes her turn sharply, ready to fight, or to admonish Atsa for making her start. But it's neither. Just a cold breeze. Unlike the rest of the wind in this damned place, the chill doesn't make her shiver. It was far from familiar, but for whatever reason, she didn't feel it was hostile.
The turn points Jehaa in the direction of a room with its door pried open. Squinting at it, she approaches. Call it morbid curiosity. Call it checking her flanks. Call it the Force. Whatever it is, she looks in. Again, she spots a familiar face attached to a corpse, and grimaces. The soldier almost turns away, before it catches her eye. This corpse was still breathing.
He was hung up on the wall, skewerd there through the shoulders by two long pieces of metal debris. At his feet, the crumpled body of a Master. His father, actually, if Jehaa placed the face right.
"Karkun!!" Atsa knew him all too well.
Jehaa steps into the room quickly, scowling up at the bars that pin the Padawan, "It might be another trick." she warns the lizard, but all the same points at his ankles, "Grab hold, lift him up. Karkun, if you can hear me, this is going to hurt."
When Atsa takes Karkun's weight off the bars, Jehaa reaches over her head to grip one, plants a foot against the wall slick with his blood, and pulls with all her might. If Atsa wants to lend some Force assistance with the second one, that would be great.
When they get him down, Jehaa uses the holes already in his shirt to rip it properly, getting a good look at the gaping wounds. She fingers the rags, judging how much bandage she can make out of them, when Atsa leans foreward and plants his scaly hands right on the wounded padawan.
"What-"
It's like static charges the air around them, and Jehaa jerks back as the wounded flesh on Karkun stitches together in a steady rhythm. She looks up at Atsa, but the padawan's eyes are a million miles away, and in rapt concentration, so she claps her mouth shut and just watches the spectacle. And what a show it is, as the wounds close from the inside out, repairing tendon, muscle, and finally skin like time was on fast foreward.
When it seems like there's nothing left but pale, new skin sealed over the former holes, Atsa wavers and would have fallen right on top of Karkun if Jehaa didn't act to reach foreward and steady him. She wants to make a smart remark. Something about THAT coming in handy, but frankly, the words fail her, and she can only nod.
After he's taken care of best they can, she sighs. Atsa was way too small to carry the bastard, and they couldn't very well leave him here, or expect him to wake up so soon after that kind of blood loss. If he did, he'd still need a steadying shoulder.
Crouching near him, Jehaa leans his torso across her shoulders, crawling back up with sweat beading her forehead into a Fireman's Carry. Even her small size could carry someone heavier for a while.
"Atsa." She grunts, "You're going to have to lead. Make for the main hall. If anyone else is alive in here, that's where they'll head, right?"
The Vanguard soldier almost didn't hear Atsa's tiny voice, having cracked open the door enough to press a shoulder against it and scan the shattered room beyond.
When she looks back, he isn't moving, and something in her finds that annoying enough that the emotion actually crosses her face in a hardening around the jaws and eyes. Her own storied past had been rather full of bodies, and for a moment she forgot that the little lizard - while he hadn't had a perfect life - had always known this as a safe place, and these people as untouchable.
"This.... this isn't real. I know it. I know it...... We're still in the tree, we have to be... I *sniffle* I-I think Karkun is over that way.... We'll find him and the others. And then we'll get out of here."
She softens with a smile and nods, waving him over to her and - when he does approach - putting a hand on the scaly shoulder in an act of comfort.
"No worries. Just stick close, yeah? We'll get out of this together. This place doesn't know who it's messing with."
And the corporal flashes a cocky grin she didn't particularly feel, but the façade boosted her own morale, and hopefully might do the same for Atsa. She leans into the door fully, moving the massive construction just enough for two slim bodies to slip through. The noise that the huge stone door makes on the ground, without its advanced hydraulics to smooth the process and probably damaged by the battle-that-didn't-really-happen, is a slow, grating scratch. It echoed through the eerily empty temple halls.
Wincing at the noise, Jehaa beckons Atsa to follow quickly, taking off at a fast trot that burns after her recent life-or-death sprint. Many of the dead around them now aren't even Jedi. Her eyes linger on people she knew. People in Vanguard armor, sprawled with holes burned straight through. Some died at their posts, some died in defensive alcoves. Others died in front of Jedi corpses; vainly trying to shield their charges from whatever unstoppable force had done this.
She considers taking a blaster, but they were probably as much illusion as the bodies themselves. They pass the rooms of the Masters on their way out into the main rooms, and it's then that Koda'rai's presence ripples through. The touch on her bare arm makes her turn sharply, ready to fight, or to admonish Atsa for making her start. But it's neither. Just a cold breeze. Unlike the rest of the wind in this damned place, the chill doesn't make her shiver. It was far from familiar, but for whatever reason, she didn't feel it was hostile.
The turn points Jehaa in the direction of a room with its door pried open. Squinting at it, she approaches. Call it morbid curiosity. Call it checking her flanks. Call it the Force. Whatever it is, she looks in. Again, she spots a familiar face attached to a corpse, and grimaces. The soldier almost turns away, before it catches her eye. This corpse was still breathing.
He was hung up on the wall, skewerd there through the shoulders by two long pieces of metal debris. At his feet, the crumpled body of a Master. His father, actually, if Jehaa placed the face right.
"Karkun!!" Atsa knew him all too well.
Jehaa steps into the room quickly, scowling up at the bars that pin the Padawan, "It might be another trick." she warns the lizard, but all the same points at his ankles, "Grab hold, lift him up. Karkun, if you can hear me, this is going to hurt."
When Atsa takes Karkun's weight off the bars, Jehaa reaches over her head to grip one, plants a foot against the wall slick with his blood, and pulls with all her might. If Atsa wants to lend some Force assistance with the second one, that would be great.
When they get him down, Jehaa uses the holes already in his shirt to rip it properly, getting a good look at the gaping wounds. She fingers the rags, judging how much bandage she can make out of them, when Atsa leans foreward and plants his scaly hands right on the wounded padawan.
"What-"
It's like static charges the air around them, and Jehaa jerks back as the wounded flesh on Karkun stitches together in a steady rhythm. She looks up at Atsa, but the padawan's eyes are a million miles away, and in rapt concentration, so she claps her mouth shut and just watches the spectacle. And what a show it is, as the wounds close from the inside out, repairing tendon, muscle, and finally skin like time was on fast foreward.
When it seems like there's nothing left but pale, new skin sealed over the former holes, Atsa wavers and would have fallen right on top of Karkun if Jehaa didn't act to reach foreward and steady him. She wants to make a smart remark. Something about THAT coming in handy, but frankly, the words fail her, and she can only nod.
After he's taken care of best they can, she sighs. Atsa was way too small to carry the bastard, and they couldn't very well leave him here, or expect him to wake up so soon after that kind of blood loss. If he did, he'd still need a steadying shoulder.
Crouching near him, Jehaa leans his torso across her shoulders, crawling back up with sweat beading her forehead into a Fireman's Carry. Even her small size could carry someone heavier for a while.
"Atsa." She grunts, "You're going to have to lead. Make for the main hall. If anyone else is alive in here, that's where they'll head, right?"
"No worries. Just stick close, yeah? We'll get out of this together. This place doesn't know who it's messing with." The smile and pseudo confidence was an appreciated attempt, even though Atsa could tell it wasn't fully genuine. It's hard to hide that sort of things for an empath. Still, he returned the smile back, trying his best to look hopeful. This little moment of peace was disrupted by the massively loud racket they both made opening "elegant" engraved double doors blocking their path. The broken seal released a blast of cool air, carrying with it only the smell of more death and fire. Scattered bodies of jedi littered the halls, their faces contorted by pain and fear. Atsa did his best not to look.
Jehaa jumped suddenly, looking first at Atsa then around the room. Before Atsa could even ask what happened, a sudden breeze picked. It's source was seemingly out of nowhere, but.... it was more than that. There was emotion here. A little bit of fear, aggravation, desperation, but also hope. Something was trying really hard to send a message, and Atsa could feel it. There's...... someone there? He would have stayed to maybe try and communicate or something, though when Atsa looked back he could see Starcross rounding the corner. Following suit to keep line of sight, Atsa saw her peering through an open door, slowly creeping in. Interested in what she saw, Atsa approached quickly. Both of them ended up doing a double-take, before spotting what was hanging there.
"Karkun!" Atsa chirped, at first full of cheer before it dawned on him how he was stuck there. "It might be another trick." Jehaa chimed in, but at the same time those words fell on almost deaf ears. "Grab hold, lift him up. Karkun, if you can hear me, this is going to hurt." The air around Karkun's lower half densified as Atsa focused on lifting his weight. The unseen energy of the Force hoisted the Knight's lifeless body while Jehaa pried the first bar out of the wall. The second one was a bit of an issue. Atsa couldn't fully support Karkun and pry out the second bar, he was already burning energy at a rapid rate. Though, with one moment of concentration, Atsa pulled with all he had. The bar came flying out of Karkun/the wall like a javelin, nearly spearing Atsa in the process. Luckily Jehaa was able to keep the Kilbaine from just outright smacking into the ground.
With no durasteel bars blocking the view of how bad the injuries were, Atsa's eyes fell right on the severity of Karkun's wounds. His mind wondered off, as that same alien instinct took over. The air drew to one area, in the space between Atsa and Karkun. The Force encircled and then condensed around them. The brightness of his aura became just barely visible for a brief moment, as this time everything went as it should have. Karkun's wounds sealed close, his bruise vanished, and any other injury would be mended in seconds. Though as with all things, the price was now to be paid. The Force Atsa had called on to perform this now became rapidly unstable, releasing in a powerful wave that sent him tumbling back. Completely robbed of all his energy, Atsa began slipping into his usual coma that followed.
This time was.... different, however. Atsa didn't usually dream during these, but then this didn't feel like a dream. His eyes eased open, greeting the light with confusion. He wasn't out cold? No, something was weird here. Atsa pushed himself off the ground, feeling unusually light. Jehaa and Karkun were right there, still on the ground. They seemed to be, well, Starcross seemed to be acting normally confused as to what the hell happened. Karkun was starting to rouse, or just groan. It was definitely one of them. Standing on much more stable legs than before, Atsa looked around, and saw..... himself on the floor. Still lying unconscious, sprawled on the ground, Atsa saw himself. Was he dreaming? If that was true, then that floating thing in the corner may not be so weird.
Nope, still weird. An ephemeral blue body just hovering there, with the same sort of emotions he'd picked up on earlier. The details were blurring in and out of reality, but Atsa could still make out two large eyes, a very large tail, smooth plates...... Atsa tried to speak, but no words came out. From him, at least. His real body shifted and mumbled something. This specter of the force seemed to be able to hear it, or pay attention to it, which was better than nothing. Atsa was quick to pick up on the fact that no one saw his dream-self. Trying a little harder, focusing on his physical self, Atsa got him to meekly point a finger in Koda'rai's direction, and mutter two words. "Bug..... Thing....." No matter much he tried, Atsa couldn't get his real body to do anything else. It was weird enough watching himself dream.
Irritated, Atsa tried to take a closer look at the bug thingy from earlier. Though as he stepped away from... himself, he felt a sudden cold wash over him. A deep, pulling sensation tugged at his core yanked him away from the scene, and from the looks of it off the planet. The cold magnified by ten times as the scenery blanked out to one of a completely arctic tundra. Dense snow flurries whipped around the small lizard as the icy gale winds blew over the plain of of white. The whole area was glowing with the orange hue of a dying sun, as Atsa looked to the sky. Four suns, all inching through the sky faster than Atsa knew they should. All of them were slowly being blotted out back large black masses. A total eclipse of four separate suns happening simultaneously. The impossibility was nothing compared to what came next.
As the planetary bodies moved into position, Atsa was assaulted by a barrage of images he couldn't even understand. Shields, wolves, light and darkness circling each other, entire planets on fire, oceans turning black with ink, the deep of space losing all it's stars to a crawling darkness, and then they started flashing by even faster. Too fast to even make out clearly. Then, he could see all he needed to. Koda'rai was indeed the thing watching them. Adeline and her master Revan were just leaving the archives. Karkun and Jehaa were, well, with him. There was a sense of importance around these people, a reason why they were here. Then it went dark, and cold. A new room, with with infinite blackness. A presence suddenly made itself known to Atsa from behind him, as his muscles locked up. Something was there, and he didn't want to look. A will not his own clashed against Atsa's on desperation not to look, and won.
Atsa's neck twisted around, forcing his eyes to see what lay in the darkness behind him. A singular figure, standing at almost ten feet in height, blacker than the shadow around it. It was like a construct of pure fear, dread, and unrelenting hatred. It felt like Atsa's heart had stopped, ice running through his veins. His senses of touch, sound, smell, taste, everything except sight, went completely numb. All he could do was stare into those newly forming empty eyes. Pain and anger were all this thing knew. A resentment towards everything that no living creature could ever muster. A being so consumed by the Dark Side that it could know no solace until the stars died out and the worlds of a thousand populations burned away to ash. A flaring red saber with a deep black core ignited, accompanying an inhuman screech, as the blade shot straight through Atsa.
Suddenly reality, or whatever this could be passed off as, came back full force. Atsa snapped awake, a scream of pain stuck in his throat. His entire body burned with the sting of every nerve reawakening, as if his every vein lost circulation and just now the blood started flowing again. Curling up into a ball, Atsa wasn't sure how much time had passed. He couldn't even begin to worry about that. He could sense Karkun was still in the room, and Jehaa with him. Consciousness was sort of in a fight with itself, the fear and pain keeping Atsa awake, while the utter exertion tried again to drag him back. Atsa wasn't going back. His voice was hoarse, strained and breathless. "I.... know where.... where the others are..... Kar.....Jehaa, I can't....... move......."
Jehaa jumped suddenly, looking first at Atsa then around the room. Before Atsa could even ask what happened, a sudden breeze picked. It's source was seemingly out of nowhere, but.... it was more than that. There was emotion here. A little bit of fear, aggravation, desperation, but also hope. Something was trying really hard to send a message, and Atsa could feel it. There's...... someone there? He would have stayed to maybe try and communicate or something, though when Atsa looked back he could see Starcross rounding the corner. Following suit to keep line of sight, Atsa saw her peering through an open door, slowly creeping in. Interested in what she saw, Atsa approached quickly. Both of them ended up doing a double-take, before spotting what was hanging there.
"Karkun!" Atsa chirped, at first full of cheer before it dawned on him how he was stuck there. "It might be another trick." Jehaa chimed in, but at the same time those words fell on almost deaf ears. "Grab hold, lift him up. Karkun, if you can hear me, this is going to hurt." The air around Karkun's lower half densified as Atsa focused on lifting his weight. The unseen energy of the Force hoisted the Knight's lifeless body while Jehaa pried the first bar out of the wall. The second one was a bit of an issue. Atsa couldn't fully support Karkun and pry out the second bar, he was already burning energy at a rapid rate. Though, with one moment of concentration, Atsa pulled with all he had. The bar came flying out of Karkun/the wall like a javelin, nearly spearing Atsa in the process. Luckily Jehaa was able to keep the Kilbaine from just outright smacking into the ground.
With no durasteel bars blocking the view of how bad the injuries were, Atsa's eyes fell right on the severity of Karkun's wounds. His mind wondered off, as that same alien instinct took over. The air drew to one area, in the space between Atsa and Karkun. The Force encircled and then condensed around them. The brightness of his aura became just barely visible for a brief moment, as this time everything went as it should have. Karkun's wounds sealed close, his bruise vanished, and any other injury would be mended in seconds. Though as with all things, the price was now to be paid. The Force Atsa had called on to perform this now became rapidly unstable, releasing in a powerful wave that sent him tumbling back. Completely robbed of all his energy, Atsa began slipping into his usual coma that followed.
This time was.... different, however. Atsa didn't usually dream during these, but then this didn't feel like a dream. His eyes eased open, greeting the light with confusion. He wasn't out cold? No, something was weird here. Atsa pushed himself off the ground, feeling unusually light. Jehaa and Karkun were right there, still on the ground. They seemed to be, well, Starcross seemed to be acting normally confused as to what the hell happened. Karkun was starting to rouse, or just groan. It was definitely one of them. Standing on much more stable legs than before, Atsa looked around, and saw..... himself on the floor. Still lying unconscious, sprawled on the ground, Atsa saw himself. Was he dreaming? If that was true, then that floating thing in the corner may not be so weird.
Nope, still weird. An ephemeral blue body just hovering there, with the same sort of emotions he'd picked up on earlier. The details were blurring in and out of reality, but Atsa could still make out two large eyes, a very large tail, smooth plates...... Atsa tried to speak, but no words came out. From him, at least. His real body shifted and mumbled something. This specter of the force seemed to be able to hear it, or pay attention to it, which was better than nothing. Atsa was quick to pick up on the fact that no one saw his dream-self. Trying a little harder, focusing on his physical self, Atsa got him to meekly point a finger in Koda'rai's direction, and mutter two words. "Bug..... Thing....." No matter much he tried, Atsa couldn't get his real body to do anything else. It was weird enough watching himself dream.
Irritated, Atsa tried to take a closer look at the bug thingy from earlier. Though as he stepped away from... himself, he felt a sudden cold wash over him. A deep, pulling sensation tugged at his core yanked him away from the scene, and from the looks of it off the planet. The cold magnified by ten times as the scenery blanked out to one of a completely arctic tundra. Dense snow flurries whipped around the small lizard as the icy gale winds blew over the plain of of white. The whole area was glowing with the orange hue of a dying sun, as Atsa looked to the sky. Four suns, all inching through the sky faster than Atsa knew they should. All of them were slowly being blotted out back large black masses. A total eclipse of four separate suns happening simultaneously. The impossibility was nothing compared to what came next.
As the planetary bodies moved into position, Atsa was assaulted by a barrage of images he couldn't even understand. Shields, wolves, light and darkness circling each other, entire planets on fire, oceans turning black with ink, the deep of space losing all it's stars to a crawling darkness, and then they started flashing by even faster. Too fast to even make out clearly. Then, he could see all he needed to. Koda'rai was indeed the thing watching them. Adeline and her master Revan were just leaving the archives. Karkun and Jehaa were, well, with him. There was a sense of importance around these people, a reason why they were here. Then it went dark, and cold. A new room, with with infinite blackness. A presence suddenly made itself known to Atsa from behind him, as his muscles locked up. Something was there, and he didn't want to look. A will not his own clashed against Atsa's on desperation not to look, and won.
Atsa's neck twisted around, forcing his eyes to see what lay in the darkness behind him. A singular figure, standing at almost ten feet in height, blacker than the shadow around it. It was like a construct of pure fear, dread, and unrelenting hatred. It felt like Atsa's heart had stopped, ice running through his veins. His senses of touch, sound, smell, taste, everything except sight, went completely numb. All he could do was stare into those newly forming empty eyes. Pain and anger were all this thing knew. A resentment towards everything that no living creature could ever muster. A being so consumed by the Dark Side that it could know no solace until the stars died out and the worlds of a thousand populations burned away to ash. A flaring red saber with a deep black core ignited, accompanying an inhuman screech, as the blade shot straight through Atsa.
Suddenly reality, or whatever this could be passed off as, came back full force. Atsa snapped awake, a scream of pain stuck in his throat. His entire body burned with the sting of every nerve reawakening, as if his every vein lost circulation and just now the blood started flowing again. Curling up into a ball, Atsa wasn't sure how much time had passed. He couldn't even begin to worry about that. He could sense Karkun was still in the room, and Jehaa with him. Consciousness was sort of in a fight with itself, the fear and pain keeping Atsa awake, while the utter exertion tried again to drag him back. Atsa wasn't going back. His voice was hoarse, strained and breathless. "I.... know where.... where the others are..... Kar.....Jehaa, I can't....... move......."
Adeline grinned as Revan took her outstretched hand, pulling him to his feet. His change in expression and bearing clearly broadcasted his change in attitude, even if the Force had not done so already. Like him, she turned in the direction of the source of the small wave.
In a flash Revan's sabers leaped to his hands, spinning and flaring to life. "Be prepared for any situation Adeline, as you said this may be real or an illusion of the dark side. You have cleared my mind, now keep yours cleared as well" The padawan nodded. She had no intention of allowing her thoughts to become clouded, even with things being the way that they were. Any issues that remained could be addressed after they'd finished locating the others and ensuring their safety. The Dark side has its way of manipulating the fabric of reality itself. Let us find the others" Two replies occurred to her, the first of which was something along the lines of saying that she noticed, and the other was pointing out that what the Jedi called the Light Side could do that as well. She didn't say either of those things of course, instead merely calling her own blade to her hand, though she left it deactivated for the moment.
In the halls, Adeline noticed how eerily quiet the place was. That wasn't to say the entire temple was silent, but any noise was too far off or too faint to detect with any reliability. Even with the Force, she couldn't see anything there, but under the circumstances she decided to get a second opinion. "I don't suppose you see anything?" She tapped just below her left eye socket to help clarify why she was asking.
In a flash Revan's sabers leaped to his hands, spinning and flaring to life. "Be prepared for any situation Adeline, as you said this may be real or an illusion of the dark side. You have cleared my mind, now keep yours cleared as well" The padawan nodded. She had no intention of allowing her thoughts to become clouded, even with things being the way that they were. Any issues that remained could be addressed after they'd finished locating the others and ensuring their safety. The Dark side has its way of manipulating the fabric of reality itself. Let us find the others" Two replies occurred to her, the first of which was something along the lines of saying that she noticed, and the other was pointing out that what the Jedi called the Light Side could do that as well. She didn't say either of those things of course, instead merely calling her own blade to her hand, though she left it deactivated for the moment.
In the halls, Adeline noticed how eerily quiet the place was. That wasn't to say the entire temple was silent, but any noise was too far off or too faint to detect with any reliability. Even with the Force, she couldn't see anything there, but under the circumstances she decided to get a second opinion. "I don't suppose you see anything?" She tapped just below her left eye socket to help clarify why she was asking.
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View All » Add Character » 11 Characters to follow in this universe
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Kelios Shara-da
"The Force comes in many lights and shades; just some not as bright as others."
Adeline Sha
"There is no emotion, there is peace."
Karkun Kilbaine
"What the council doesn't know won't hurt them...or me..."
Katori Atsa
"Karkun, why are those girls dancing on that pole? ........Karkun?"
Jehaa Starcross
Is it true? Are the Jedi returning to the Galaxy?
Trending
Karkun Kilbaine
"What the council doesn't know won't hurt them...or me..."
Jehaa Starcross
Is it true? Are the Jedi returning to the Galaxy?
Adeline Sha
"There is no emotion, there is peace."
Katori Atsa
"Karkun, why are those girls dancing on that pole? ........Karkun?"
Kelios Shara-da
"The Force comes in many lights and shades; just some not as bright as others."
Most Followed
Adeline Sha
"There is no emotion, there is peace."
Karkun Kilbaine
"What the council doesn't know won't hurt them...or me..."
Kelios Shara-da
"The Force comes in many lights and shades; just some not as bright as others."
Jehaa Starcross
Is it true? Are the Jedi returning to the Galaxy?
Katori Atsa
"Karkun, why are those girls dancing on that pole? ........Karkun?"
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73 posts · 10 characters present · last post 2013-05-30 14:30:23 »
Star Wars Owner: Tylerjohnny1
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Fullscreen Chat » Create Topic » Star Wars: Return of The Force: Out of Character
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Star Wars: Return of The Force
1 ... 6, 7, 8by Tylerjohnny1 on Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:10 pm
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- Last post by DustAndEchoes
on Sun Jun 02, 2013 7:04 am
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Star Wars: Return of The Force
Most recent OOC posts in Star Wars: Return of The Force
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
Yup. It appears the GM's gone tits-up. Sorry, folks. Shame, because I really wanted to see where this would've gone. Lot of interesting character types that would've really made a galaxy-wide story pop, you know?
But it is what it is. RPGateway seems to be full of people that just don't stick around. Any rate. It's been a pleasure, and if anyone out here ends up in another RP that needs someone willing to play just about any role, feel free to look me up.
Sorry, Richter. Was really looking foreward to the interaction.
But it is what it is. RPGateway seems to be full of people that just don't stick around. Any rate. It's been a pleasure, and if anyone out here ends up in another RP that needs someone willing to play just about any role, feel free to look me up.
Sorry, Richter. Was really looking foreward to the interaction.
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
Yep. Ya know, Koda could do something..... So could Adeline or Revan........
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
Welp. Anyone up for moving along? You could always come fine Jehaa and co. I don't know if Ty got caught up in school/work/etc., but there are more people out there besides him.
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
I think everything has been worked out now, when Tylerjohnny gets back on and reviews him once more my new addition should be able to make his entrance.
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
Alright, once Richter edits the sheet a little bit, things will be able to move a little smoother.
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
Alright, slight breakdown in communication. I have the post saved, but I need to get something sorted out with Dust real quick before I post. Sorry it took so long.
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
DustAndEchoes wrote:She's also the only Vanguard here; a member of the normal rank-and-file soldiers that guard the Jedi. *Steeples fingers*
I was really considering making a Vanguard character myself, but because I'm jumping in right in the middle of this, I figured I would have to change things up. Also, I eventually settled on a force-sensitive because of the possible drama and interesting interactions that his views on the force and the Jedi will bring. If he gets accepted, I think Jehaa and him will have some great back-and-forth at some point :P.
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
I is a tricksy hobbitses.
She's also the only Vanguard here; a member of the normal rank-and-file soldiers that guard the Jedi. *Steeples fingers*
"Hokey religions and and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side." :3
She's also the only Vanguard here; a member of the normal rank-and-file soldiers that guard the Jedi. *Steeples fingers*
"Hokey religions and and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side." :3
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
Gotta say, I love Jehaa's down-to-earth approach to all this craziness.
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
Post incoming, I promise! Meant to post yesterday, then got that oh-so-entertaining "Where are you? you're on schedule." call from the boss. -_-*
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
I'm getting pretty excited for this, no lie. I've never taken part in a Star Wars RP before, despite always wanting to. I can't wait to get started (if my character passes inspection).
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
no worries Dust, I did that because I was trying to set someone up for the very thing you did. Made me all the happy
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
My character is all done! He's quite a bit older than the other humanoids here, I hope that's alright. I deeply wanted to RP a storm-trooper, but couldn't think of a reason for him to be involved. So instead, I opted for a former storm-trooper.
Edit: Heheh, I'm getting the feeling that this new addition is going to cause some very interesting interactions with the existing characters. I don't want to reveal too much, but definitely won't be boring, I'll say that.
Edit: Heheh, I'm getting the feeling that this new addition is going to cause some very interesting interactions with the existing characters. I don't want to reveal too much, but definitely won't be boring, I'll say that.
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
Nekohina wrote:And now we're in the middle of a torn up and trashed Jedi Temple trying to figure out if it's real life or fantasy.
Is this the real world?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality....
/couldn't resist.
But yeah. We're all in a supped-up version of the Degobah dark side cave. Horrible illusions for everyone! As soon as Ty gets me that PM, I'll make my post.
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
Alright guys, with the introduction of a new player, I'm going to hold off on the post until the character is ready, so long as it doesn't take too long. Just have everyone meet up in the temple, as all of you are there together. Go ahead and throw some parts in there of friends and masters being found completely slaughtered. I'll PM Dust something for her post that you can all respond to as well.
Re: Star Wars: Return of The Force
We were all at Jedi Temple and it was a normal day. At some point and for various reasons everyone went into the forest at night. Some random darkness stuff began attacking and swallowing us all. Everyone had some kind of acid trip nightmare from the thing. And now we're in the middle of a torn up and trashed Jedi Temple trying to figure out if it's real life or fantasy.