Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Break Me Down, Build Me Up

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Location: Bastion of Ren, Virgillia

Deep within the Bastion of Ren was a silence that hung over all, the sound of footsteps echoing through corridors from the source, the brush of fabric against stone, even the lightest sounds of breathing heralding each new arrival far before shadows could be perceived. The training rooms location in the heart of the mountain were mostly empty, many of the Ren who’d once populated these halls either dead, missing, or away preparing for the war to come, for there was always war on the horizon and they, as the shadowy hand of the Supreme Leader himself would always be there to spill blood in his name.

Ara Ren, or Ara Zambrano now, occupied one of the private suites below, a myriad of weaponry arranged along the walls and resting on natural stone shelves, circles of varying sizes carved into the center of the room. Balanced in the dead center of the smallest of these rings, a mere three meters in diameter, the knight stood still, a pillar of power surrounded by emptiness. The girl concentrated, weapon held tensely in her right hand, the unusual weight and balance of the lightwhip her sole focus.

A quick step forward, one arm raised and flashing out to the side, the sulfuric tendril flashing out in a wide arc, snapping short of the target, a small droid hovering at chest height in the air. A curse as the weapon settled beside her, sparking off the ground where the plasma came to rest. The unhappy pulses of power coming from the saber on her hip was yet another distraction, the blade aching to be used and woefully abandoned as the Ren worked to expand her skills with a new, unorthodox armament.

Fingers tightening around the handle ever so slightly, she turned, shoulders relaxing in a sense of defeat, a familiar aura approaching from the outer hallways drawing her attention for a moment. Once corner of her lips pulled up in a small smile as her training partner came closer, one of few she felt any sort of kindness towards since her once friend’s betrayal. Before he could enter the room, she spun, whip glowing in a fiery trail behind her. Wrist snapping the serpentine weapon upward to collide with the small sphere in a hiss and snap of contact, the smile flared, teeth bared in success.

A simple press of a button had the fire of the whip die in a moment, the Knight turning to welcome the man with a half-bow.

”Thank you for joining me, Brennan.”

The words dripped from her lips in a light purr, eyes crackling with mischief and humor, the socialite mask in place once again.

[member="Caehl Ren"]
 
Brennan Cabrol was not a name of which was frequently used anymore, not known to any of the remaining Knights of Ren save for [member="Ara Zambrano"] and [member="Samka Derith"], though the latter had always gotten it wrong and called him Brandon or some other such title of ill worth to the Knight of Ren now. Caehl Ren, the newly promoted Knight among their secretive Order of whom had recently been promoted for his devotion and service to the will of Sieger Ren, the Supreme Leader of the First Order, following the return of the new Queen of the Pacanth Reach and she whom had surpassed Caehl in every way, the mutual link between them being their mutual mentor [member="Kriel Firin"].

Since the miserable failure of his first held lesson for the means of Training in the Disciples and his bid for unity among his superiors seeking to encourage overall collaboration within the Order, Caehl Ren had resigned himself to focusing on much smaller groups, his responsibilities as a Knight of Ren having forcing himself to shift his attention away from his more immediate priorities towards those of his subordinates now, expected to take at-least one of them under his wing and educate them in the ways of the Supreme Leader's elite. Perhaps his expectations were too high, for he had seen little as of yet to warrant or justify their being presumed to be of anything greater than above average.

With the Gauntlets of his Armor still smeared with the skin and blood cells of the last disciple he was forced to educate in the manner of behaviors expected of them within the Bastion of Ren, Caehl had been otherwise summoned to meet with Ara Zambrano; for what reasons he did not yet know. Decitus Ren had recently paired the two for their immediate combined objectives, Ara of whom would reside over a large region of the First Order's territories, home to many powerful Sith Lords whilst Caehl would stand guard over her and ensure that all her enemies would fall beneath the might of their great Order. Outside of the Ren, the Bastion or the Academy of Skye, their being seen together would not be such an anomaly after some time. Those that would raise questions would be silenced one way or another and better it be by their merciful Queen than her stone handed Praetorian.

Stepping forward to enter into the center of the circular room, Caehl paused none in his approach, neither taking the knee nor removing his gaze from her as she would have learned to expect of him by now; the black of his Helm's visor meeting with her, a cold dead mask to save face for the scarred flesh of his mortal face. She had seen the effects and consequences Bespin had wrought over him before having to announce her position to the others upon the world of Skye, the day that Caehl had defied Sieger's Elite Guard in the pursuit of keeping her from the harm of their pikes. As unusual as it was for him, Caehl had acted instinctively and proven that his loyalty was not solely dedicated to one man, as significant and all powerful as Sieger was, Ara herself was a glorious asset to his influence within the region; as well as the sole figure among the Ren that had tolerated Caehl's presence enough to fracture that formidable filter that negated personal attachments.

"You summoned me".
 
”An invitation to join me is hardly a summons.”

A deep chuckle followed the words as she straightened, meeting his gaze through the visor with eyes narrowed in thought. Clipping the now cool hilt to the opposite side of her belt, she regarded him with interest and a sense a familiarity she shared with few nowadays.

”I was hoping you might be interested in a training session this evening. Considering how the last one progressed…”

Expression hardening as she remembered the chaos and disharmony that plagued the Ren that day, as well as the traitorous actions of one of their sisters in arms, the knight shook her head in disgust.

”I thought a private moment might serve our purposes better than an open forum.”

Little distinguished the Knight from the Ren she was months before, save the Eye of Solomon pendant resting against her chest. The black and red shades of her training clothing, a soft tabard over undershirt, pants, and boots, were standard issue, her long chestnut locks pulled back into a loose braid in difference to the dangers of practicing with new weaponry. A small nod to the side, where an alcove sat nestled into the side, already sporting her folded up cloak on one of the benches, invited him to join her as she moved to rest, weary muscles thankful for the break.

[member="Caehl Ren"]
 
Caehl Ren stood silent and motionless before her, his eyes on the new Queen observing and from all outside appearances seeming to pause in consideration. What may have been seen as uncertainty however was his consideration for the symbol of power that she was slowly growing into, adapting to this new title and image for which she would serve the First Order under a new pretense of duty. Her words spoken in retaliation to his formality were offered up on a curious gesture of individualism and generosity, such that he was not accustomed to dealing with in his day to day life within the Bastion of Ren. To this, he would respond with his hands lifting to meet the underside of his helm, a hiss of air escaping through the broken seal as he disconnected it from the neck guard of his armor and removed it, resigning to hold it beneath that of his left arm and soon stepping in closer so that they might speak without the ears of the rest of the Bastion to play witness.

"That incident was a travesty..." He agreed, a visible scowl escaping him as his eyes swept the room elsewhere away from her, a look of disgust crossing over him that he would not demean [member="Ara Zambrano"] presence in facing. "For Sieger Ren himself to appear before us and witness such behavior..." his words faded off into silence, the aura around him growing dense as the Darkside of the Force pooled to him in a moment of self expression, his anger and contempt for the past showing more than he would like to admit and in that one weakness, her portrayed some of the former challenges he had faced in coming to overcome during his training under Kriel Firin, when he was known as Brennan Cabrol. That training however, was never completed and in the absence today of their former Master, Caehl Ren questioned the motives behind Talon's disappearance and whether or not it was connected to his failures as a boy, arrogant and blinded by his own past trauma's; those of which he had discarded along with his former life finding security in following under the Supreme Leader's sole vision of purpose for the Galaxy and for the First Order.

"If we hope to overcome this embarrassment to his name, we need to ascend to greater power..." He turned back to look to their new Queen, offering a firm nod in compliance and then seeking to gain an explanation as to what she had in mind; "Where do we begin...".
 
Surprise, easily masked, met his removal his helm, revealing the mass of burned, ruined skin and scars that marred his face after a mutually detrimental mission on Bespin had altered their fates. Her gaze ran over each of the markings briefly, noting the slight hints of healing present now than last she’d laid eyes on them. His contempt was not unnoticed, but passed unchallenged, the Knight knowing full well that bringing up the spectacular failure of the Ren during his attempt to guide them into a sense of unity would do little more than to incite him. As entertaining as a spar might prove, it was not the purpose of their meeting and she held herself in check.

Spine straightening as she felt his aura strengthen, his darkness permeated the air around them until she fought back a shudder at its siren call. Never would she fail to answer the power that beckoned, sweet, welcoming, and warm, offering strength and unending possibilities. Settling into the alcove, the Knight crossed once leg over the other and tilted her head to the side, braid swinging freely.

”That would depend on you.”

Dripping with innuendo, the deep purr and mischievous twinkle of emerald eyes accompanied the comment, a playful tease as was common with the Hapan. Knowing full well how he had reacted to previous attempts at flirting, she continued quickly without expecting much in return, much to her internal disappointment.

”I know we shared the same Master in our time as a Disciple, but I suspect our education varied. If you are willing, perhaps we could assist each other in his absence.”

Talon Ren had trained them both, of that she was sure. Her former Master having disappeared shortly after the disastrous invasion of Skor II, the last she’d seen of him the moment she’d sought his help in rekindling the Force connection that was severed. It was a bittersweet parting on her end, the mutual respect and bond between a Master and Apprentice the only thing tying the young woman to the Ren for the longest of times. Her gaze grew distant as she considered, searching deep within for any thread or sense of his presence, the Force woefully silent on the matter of his life or death.

Disappointment flashed across her face as she brought herself back to the present, eyes once more focusing on the man in front of her.

[member="Caehl Ren"]
 
"I am skilled in Combat yet my experience within the manipulation of the Force falls variety of area's our fellow Ren excel" Caehl Ren responded flatly, [member="Ara Zambrano"]'s promiscuous tone escaping him completely though whether that was by personal design or share denial could not be told on the outside of his cold and stone-handed exterior; "My Cybernetics leave me disadvantaged when it comes to the manipulation of energies for example, the discharge of electricity that left this mark upon me..." His right hand lifted to gesture to his jawline, the skin misshaped, burned and eaten away at before having healed over during the weeks since the failure of Bespin. It would seem that Ara's remark had been taken literally in that the choice of where they would begin was placed within his hands. A questionable decision considering the latest fallacy.

With the subject moving to that of their mutual Master and instructor within their training, Caehl's eyes lowered momentarily in consideration of where he stood on such a matter. "[member="Kriel Firin"] meant well in his wish to see me beyond the position of a Disciple yet he had poorly chosen his would be protegé. My failure to live up to the expectations worthy of his tutelage were a result of my inability to see beyond my own priorities. To dedicate myself entirely to that of the Order as I have done since. Bespin helped me see through the error of my ways yet by then, our Master had disappeared and I know not why. These are truths that I will likely never discuss with him"; Why Talon had left them and for what pursuits Caehl did not know, yet he often wondered beyond the portrayal of his outer shell seemingly void of emotional attachments and the like. Talon had been of the highest respects in the eyes of his student and during those early months of training, Caehl's devotion could have easily been molded to serve Talon's vision for the Galaxy as much as it had become Sieger Ren's purpose nowadays. As an initiate of the Ren, Brennan Cabrol had been robbed of everything and sort to fill that hollow husk of a life with a far grander purpose, a direction for which he could serve to better the galaxy beyond the Chaos of the Sith Empire and the dogmatic and weak ignorance of the Jedi Order. He had been consumed by the Order of Ren since day one, the day that Kriel Firin had approached him seeing something within the boy that he himself had not believed in.

And yet his promotion to the position of a Knight of Ren was earned by his own hand, his deeds since Talon's disappearance and the final death of the boy he had been, the sacrifices that had been freely given up in service to the Supreme Leader and those he had killed in the face of opposition against the First Order, he had done it all since on his own. While that was something he should have been proud of, there remained amiss, the past memories of his and his former Masters days discussing the ideologies of the Ren and the future that could have been.
 

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