Clipping A Little Bird's Wings

[Connor Harrison]

The Imperial District
Coruscant, Core Worlds

Joon hadn't forgotten.

Not at all

Twice she had been to the very same plaza, with the destryoed statue of an age-old Jedi, framed by the large domed sensate building on the horizon. Skylines contines to whip around the heavens, industrial pipes ran along the perimeter and the noise from the lower levels was almost a whisper.

Twice she had been here to call out the strange masked avenger who dared to fight Joon and run.

She hadn't forgotten, and she never would until the girl was dead and her body framed under the statue, or she left with Joon as a new recruit for the Empire. Her Empire.

Joon's amber eyes looked out over the skyline as she waited. She was would a little longer, and then go. But if she did, she would be back again, and again, and again.

[member="Stephanie Brown"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

Stephanie had noted the womans presence several times in the same area, the last time she had engaged the woman she had nearly been killed but she had also dished it out pretty well, she kept a very special eye on this area. She would swoop onto a nearby building and look at the woman. She hadn't forgotten how dangerous this woman was, in fact she had trained herself harder than she ever had before. She wouldnt be embarrassed again especially on her home turf.

She would then make eye contact with the woman, her eyes burned with hate. Stephanie couldnt risk the woman hurting anyone else, she had to do it now. She would engage her glider and jump from the roof. she would be glad for the familiar weight of her Beskad on her back it was reassuring. When she landed she made herself ready

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon didn’t need to look at the little vigilante as she made her presence known. She heard the swoop of the glider, and the soft landing made. She also felt the hate inside her. The clone smiled.

”Here she is. My little bird. So...angry.”

Spinning on her heel, she gave the girl a warm smile – her deathly aura and make-up was enough insight fear into a stranger, but her unnerving tone of voice and smile was even worse.

”Are you back to prove a point? Because you’re not going to fly away again from me.”

With a wave of her hand, she beckoned her over.

[member="Stephanie Brown"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

Stephanie was afraid, that was true enough, the sound of the womans and the look of her was enough to scare her silly. but as the woman beckoned her over she would somewhat lose control of herself, she found herself wanting to go to the woman. She would walk slowly but purposefully towards the woman, she didnt know what had come over her in that moment. She would want to reach for her Beskad but would find herself unable to reach for it, soon she would glance slightly upwards to meet the womans eyes, she would begin to feel a palpitation. She would allow the woman to do anything not by her own free will

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The girl was scared. Why?

Joon started to walk slowly towards her, and batted out her fur robe so the lightsaber hilt could be seen on her hip.

”I can smell fear on your, little bird.”

She tilted her head, amber eyes sizing up the prey.

”Do I frighten you? Do you see now what I have become, while you are still the scared little bird unable to spread her wings and be mighty?”

Closer she came.

”Are you willing to die, Jedi?”

[member="Stephanie Brown"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

Stephanie would stand there tongue tied and terrified, she had no answers to the woman's questions, she saw the lightsaber hilt and knew that the woman was serious, Stephanie was still a girl. Was she really ready to die just to protect people from this woman? She didn't know, if it came down to bowing before the woman or dying would Stephanie have the courage to stand up for what is right? She didn't have an answer. She knew she couldn't beat the woman. She couldnt even meet her eyes

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon walked a little closer and glared down at the girl.

”Look at me.”

Nothing.

”Look at ME!”

Her eyes burnt as she demanded the girl look into those amber pools of corrupt power.

”Are you ready to die a coward, little bird? I'm going to remove your organs one by one so you can feel what true pain is like, and I'm going to really...really...enjoy it.”

The predatory smile came back, and she raised her hand to wrap the Force around the girl's throat to enduce more panic.

[member="Stephanie Brown"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

Stephanie couldnt bring herself to look into those amber pools of corrupt power. She didn't want to die, she would do whatever the woman wanted her to if she would just spare her life. She would begin to beg for her life, "Please please don't kill me please"

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon glared at the girl and held her up with the Force.

”You dare BEG me to preserve your life? Why would I do that? You’re a Jedi – the scourge of this galaxy, using the Light to blind others with manipulation and genocide!”

She took slow steps, and now stood an inch or so before her.

”Tell me your name. And give me a reason to spare you.”

[member="Stephanie Brown"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

"St-stephanie, if you sp-spare me I will do anything you ask" She said gasping for air all the way through it, she just wanted to live, she didn't care what it took. She would do really anything for the woman if she was just allowed to have one more day of life. She would feel herself wanting to pass out, she would fight with everything she had just to stay awake

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The clone held on a second longer, and then released her grip. She looked down at the girl.

”Stephanie. Hm.”

She bore her gaze into the quivering wreck. How quickly she had cowered before her, when previously she was so full of fire and passion. Joon sighed and knelt beside Stephanie, and started to stroke her hair.

”What did they do to you. Why has your spirit been broken, little bird? Tell me.”

With her other hand, she pulled off the black face-mask.

[member="Stephanie Brown"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

"Th-they punished me fo-for letting you g-go. Th-they to-tortured me f-for you getting away and said if it ha-happened again it wouldn't b-be good f-for me when I returned" SHe said remembering the horrible torture she had been put through. She took comfort in the woman stroking her hair

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon nodded, caring little but at least looking like she did.

”That’s what they do. Use people like you, and when you fail, the berate you, break you and cast you out to die. Little birds don’t grow great with the Jedi. Your wings need to make you soar.”

She glanced at her outfit.

”What does this all mean. This, that you wear. Why?”

[member="Stephanie Brown"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

"I-I am a vigilante, I used to protect people, this outfit conceals my identity as well as offers protection from enemies." She said still curled up on the ground in a ball. She was completely broken into a million pieces, it would take years and the gentlest hands to piece her back together. She lay there as the tears came

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

As the girl seemed to cower, and curl into a ball. Joon let go of her hair and closed her eyes, trying not to lash out or be sick. It was embarrassing to see this weakness, but certified how blind Jedi Knights were.

After a moment, ignoring her sniffles and broken breathing, Joon looked to Stephanie again. She leant over and grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back.

”If I hear you sob one more time….I will break your neck. Do you hear me? I will not help you if you show me your weakness!”

She glanced at her bare neck, looking so inviting to cut. And then, as if nothing happened, Joon drew her fist into fingers and stroked her hair again and let her voice become soft and soothing.

”You spend your days helping others, but who helps you? Do you not see they don’t deserve you? None of them do. I told you the Empire would come, and it has, my love, it has. Growing stronger and stronger.”

Joon looked into her eyes.

”Clip the little bird’s wings. Become something stronger and take back what you want from the galaxy. Join me and the Resurgent Empire. They can set you free. I will set you free.”

[member="Stephanie Brown"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

As Stephanie was ripped up by her hair she would look the woman in the eyes. She would instantly silence her sniffles, she believed that the woman would break her neck. She would listen to the woman and everything struck home, this seemed like a good idea to her, the way she called her love also struck home it was comforting and she didn't know why. But she would uncurl herself and sit up looking at the woman "I will"

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon nodded.

”I was once like you. Afraid. Weak. Scared. Naïve to everything except what lies I had been fed. Now look at me. A Knight of the Empire. Merciless. Hungry for power and I am a warrior who kills for those I serve. Do you not want that too? To be someone.”

She pointed to her attire.

”You look like a child trying to prove a point. You need to act like a woman. A warrior! Be confident in yourself and what you can do. Silence those who doubt you. Feed from their fear….people will be afraid of you. And you will be stronger for it.”

She took Stephanie’s head, either side, in both hands and locked eyes. She wanted the girl to get lost in that burning amber.

”We will make you one of us. A Dark Side warrior. Your eyes will burn with passion like mine and you will serve an Empire ready to take down the Jedi Knights who enslave us and belittle us and make us weak. It can be yours, Stephanie, if you want to take it.”

The smile came back.

”Take it. It’s yours.”

[member="Stephanie Brown"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

As her head was taken and she gazed into the womans eyes she would get lost in the Amber blaze, the longer she gazed into them the stronger she felt, and the more comfortable with the blaze, she knew her own eyes would soon glow with the same fire as the woman before her. "I want it" She said to herself

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon nodded and let go of the girl, and she rose to her feet, and pulled the fur-lined robe back a little.

”Stand up, and you pledge your life to me. You serve me, and in doing so you serve the mighty Resurgent Empire.”

She offered her hand.

”You either serve with the Dark Side, or you die here today by my hand. You either start a new, powerful life today, or end your old, pathetic one.”

[member="Stephanie Brown"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

Stephanie would contemplate this decision as the woman held her hand out, two voices would scream at stephanie, take her hand begin your new life One would scream at her, Die a noble death The other screamed at the same time. She followed the former, she would reach up and take the womans hand pulling herself to her feet "I pledge my life to you"

[member="Joon"]