Emerging from the Shadows

[Jaron Lesan]

The Academy for Practitioners which was located on Crina had been in the hands of the Sith for some time now. Jaron Lesan had been instrumental in its capture, but no one knew it. For the better part of a month, Jaron had remained hidden in shadow, doing what needed to be done to secure the facility. His actions were done apart from the knowledge of those who had been assigned the task directly. His master would not have him simply reveal himself openly to the Sith as her mission, her personal objectives, relied on secrecy. The Sith he was would never be fully revealed, not until it was time. Instead, he was content to be seen as a Dark Jedi, one which wandered about the galaxy doing as he pleased.

Over the course of the month, however, Jaron had been able to observe the work of those who now handled the facility. There was on in particular who seemed to prove valuable. Her efforts had been aided by him on numerous occasions, and she seemed... suspicious, at the very least. The warrior was perceptive, and someone Jaron could use as an ally should the need arise for one among the Sith Empire as it existed in its current state. One could never have too many friends in all sorts of places. The lesson Jaron had learned from his Unlce, and Jedi, Judah Lesan, was one of few things Jaron retained form his service to them.

The observatory was empty, save for one. She was there, and so was Jaron, though no one knew it. Always so vigilant to remain in the shadows, but today, she would know of his movements. It was time to reveal himself to her, after all, he had observed enough of her to know she was trustworthy at least. Stepping from out of the dark which kept him hidden, Jaron slowly made his way for the starmap in the center of the room. He needed to use it any way. His latest assignment from his master required he take a peek.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

The Cosmina Academy for Practitioners happened to be a stately building that Tmoxin Temi didn’t mind spending so much time in. With its bright stone façade, waterfalls which rushed into a flowing river and high towers and turrets, the architecture reminded her a little of the Castle of Per'Agthra on Fountain Palace on her home planet of Hapes.

After the facility was sacked and its riches shipped off to storage, auction or salvage, the Commander stayed behind to oversee plans for what the Academy was to become. The Imperial Inquisition sent scholars from Imperial Training Academies on Byss and Anaxes to see if it could be turned into such. Sith Lords came to assess the grounds for use in training acolytes. But neither group could agree so she was there on Crina, in the middle of the debate, much longer than she expected to be.

“Frankly we should just keep it the way it as everything is already established. It makes our cause appear more sympathetic to the people of Crina to keep the Academy the way it was and open it up to the Crinans again," she advised. Tmoxin's idea was quickly dismissed as usual, but the Commander wasn’t there to be an ambassador on behalf of the Sith after all. She was following orders and those orders had her nearly finished with her mission and close to clearing out her troops to get ready for the next assignment.

One of her favorite places to spend time while she waited for the official orders to leave was the observatory which lay in a top level of the Academy, close to the archives and the library. Tmoxin was currently observing the asteroid belt around the planet, which had taken a blow from The Scourge and other starships as they blasted their way through the asteroids to provide safe passage for the battalion. But like stars, suns and planets those asteroids just kept spinning around the planet and would continue for eons. The constancy of that thought gave her some comfort.

But suddenly she felt a prescence in the dim light of the observatory and she slowly turned around to see if anyone else was in the room. She wasn’t afraid, as the security inside the facility was extremely tight, but the Hapan officer didn’t like surprises, especially in the dark.

[member="Jaron Lesan"]

 

[Jaron Lesan]

And there he sensed it, something he should have sensed on the outset. How had he missed the fact the woman had a force signature? No matter, she had still never seen him in the shadows, though now she turned as his aura was unmasked. Jaron had made himself known. Stepping out, his hands were upward, at about his waist, and held out to show there was no weapon in his hands. His lightsaber was clearly seen from his waist, but this was standard.

"Just another observer," he said with a grin. "I liked your idea for this place, but I guess the ones who do the grunt work don't get to decide anything huh?"

Clearly she would not remeber his face, but Jaron had been there. As he said, he was an observer, and he had been observing. The proceedings were a mess, and neither groups could agree. This was why the One Sith would eventually meet the fate of every Sith Empire the Galaxy had ever seen. They always fell. Jaron was determined to build something that wouldn't, but that would take time, and require that he limit decisions to those who could make them well. No debates.

"I bet you can't wait for them to make up their mind and get you out of here. Those of us that are made to complete tasks, we are people of action and decision, are we not?"

Jaron made his way to the holomap, and turned it on. There was one world he was curious about, a place for the next crystal he was hunting.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin did have a force signature but the Force in her lay neglected and uncultivated. She rarely ever tapped into it for numerous reasons, so the sensing of this individual was more unconscious than anything else. Her brows furrowed and her lips pursed into a tense frown.

He had a lightsaber on his belt, but by his body language, she could tell he didn't mean her any harm. Yet.

"Why yes I tend to agree with you but the biggest question is why were you spying on me in the first place?" she asked in a firm voice. Since she was out of battle, Tmoxin wore the standard black Imperial uniform for stormtrooper commanders and her red hair was swept up off her shoulders. She approached him but not too close. The Commander was still wary of an assassination attempt by a rogue Crina Practicioner who was possibly hiding among the Sith. Her hand didn't draw her blaster, but hovered around her hip where her E-11 would be in reach if needed. "And just who are you?" she added.

She watched the man turn on the holomap and waited for his response.

[member="Jaron Lesan"]

 

[Jaron Lesan]

"I haven't been spying," Jaron said pretending to be hurt by the accusation, "I've been helping."

He turned around and faced the woman, even though the map was on, he didn't really care right now. Jaron wasn't in such a hurry that he could't talk, besides she was the reason he came out of hiding anyhow. This meeting was more about her than his need for the map.

"The shield generator, Two practitioners that fell behind you mysteriously as they tried to run you through from behind, the jammed door mysteriously opening, the list could clearly go on... all of that was me."

Jaron grinned as he pointed to the hand about to grip the E-11 which was secured in its holster.

"Really, I think you don't need to pull that on me. Clearly I've been in the shadows long enough to have killed you a thousand times over if I meant you harm."

He offered his hand to shake, a friendly gesture.

"Jaron Lesan, some call me a Dark Jedi, others Sith... I prefer Jaron."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

The Hapan officer smirked and said, “When you have a bounty on your head for a million credits you leave nothing to chance.” Such hyperbole, she thought. Killed a thousand times over! Who was this man anyway?

She appeared more thoughtful as she spoke again. “But I do remember the incident with the shield. At the time I assumed the Crina practitioners had just surrendered."

She tentatively took his hand to shake it. He was part of the Sith as he admitted so she had nothing to fear. But her countenance was still puzzled. “Thank you for your service to the Imperial Inquistion but why stay in the shadows?” she asked. “And did you come here to star-gaze and or did you come here to seek me out?” She looked over at the holomap and then back to Jaron. “I am just an officer… I don’t know how I could be of use to you. Shouldn’t you be off in some Sith temple, trying to conjure a smoke demon or something?” she asked. Her tone was slightly barbed but she still wasn’t sure what the motives were of this young Sith member.

[member="Jaron Lesan"]

 

[Jaron Lesan]

"A smoke demon, really, is that the best you got," Jaron chuckled.

The idea of just sitting around and making smoke demons was hilarious. He composed himself and continued.

"I'm sorry, but that was good. I don't care about the bounty. Being independently wealthy helps curb those temptations. No worries there, and you're welcome about the shield. They weren't planning on surrendering, so I just sped the process along. Always like leadership to sacrifice the pawns to remain in control, but the pawns are also very useful. I just figured the Sith could use more than would have been left in an all out assault."

She coukd believe he was Sith for now Jaron didn't need her knowing the truth just her. She didn't trust him, and it was clear. Funny that he had given a name, but never got hers. He didn't need it since he'd been observing things long enough, but it was clear she was still guarded.

[color=add0dd]"I'm here for the map, and I'm here for you. I've got to get off the planet, but you see that little asteroid belt is causing me problems. My ship is designed for pure stealth and has no weapons or defenses. Now before your fleet blasted through I managed just fine, but the course of several asteroids have been changed, and belt is not completely safe to navigate. My help to you perhaps is enough to get your help off this rock?"

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

He would finally see the hint of a smile on Tmoxin’s face as he chided her about the “smoke demon.” She knew it was a ridiculous thing to say, done to goad him a little. “I’m sorry I know nothing about the Force aside from the horrors I’ve seen when it’s used on the battlefield.” She shuddered slightly recalling lightsiders clawing their own eyes out of their sockets because of dark illusions. She had seen the strongest warriors, reduced to blood spatter by sheer combustion. Was the Commander herself innocent of murder and possible war crimes? Not by a longshot but the warfare she supported was conventional and militaristic. Not all of this magic and voodoo, she thought.

“My name is Tmoxin Temi,” she said. “You have my gratitude,” she said. “And my ships.” She cocked her head slightly and laughed, a genuine whole-hearted laugh from her belly as if she was finally enjoying herself a little. “If I could only get off this planet. It’s been weeks that I’ve been here and you heard them yourself. They are no closer to making a decision about what to do with the Academy now than they were four days ago. I can’t leave unless I’m ordered to,” she said.

She sat on a nearby window sill and pressed the button to open the electronic window shade. The sun was setting on a stunning view of the Crinan landscape below and soon it would be night, the observatory pitch black, except for the glowing blue light of the holomap. Tmoxin tucked one of her legs under her as she sat and asked the Sith, “So now that you’re stuck with me why don’t you tell me about yourself and where you come from?”

The truth of it was, that the Commander was horribly bored these last few weeks on Crina without the company of Captain Vaiden or the comforts of her yacht or office in her garrison. Polite and casual conversation that had nothing to do with how to repurpose the Academy or which prison to ship the practitioners to was a welcome luxury.

[member="Jaron Lesan"]

 

[Jaron Lesan]

"I would know nothing of that. The force is not designed to be used to kill, though some would disagree. Blade to blade s how two force users should do battle. I might be considered a relic of an older age with that belief, but still."

Looking out over the window as it opened, a beautiful sunset was left displayed. The colors were magnificent, and for a brief moment, the world felt like home. She wanted to know about him. He could really sum it up in one statement. Though she was female, they liked details, feelings. Both of those things Jaron was not good at. He smiled anyway as he sat down to join the woman. There was no point in standing the whole time as it was clear they were going to get to know each other.

"So about me? Well I was born on Telos 4, raised on Corellia, and before you say anything about the loss, don't. My parents were wealthy, owning a company with military contracts tends to do that. I was supposed to inherit the company, but I showed an affinity for the force, so I was sent to my Uncle on Corellia to become a Jedi, which I might be had Corellia not gotten broken. You know, tragedy, feelings of hate and revenge build, anger, and next thing I know Jaron Lesan is a Dark Jedi aspiring to become Sith. My master holds me on a very loose leash, so I go where I want unless she has work for me. Thus my stay here, thought it would be fun to help, especially since the Imperial Remnant serves about the same purpose in this Galaxy as a mosquito in the lake country of Naboo."

Jaron kept his eyes fixed on the sunset. It was a beautiful moment, and those were rare in his life anymore. Truth be told, Jaron was lonely, but his life led him to a self imposed isolation of sorts. Companionship was risky, and the man knew it. Still, like all humans, he was a relational being, and needed social interaction from time to time.

"So what about you?"

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin had seen the Force do nothing but maim, kill and destroy, and except for a random encounter with a Silver Jedi, she really hadn’t experienced the lighterside of the Force at work. And almost to prove the point, this Sith Lord she spoke to, started out peaceful and then was tempted by the dark side. To the Commander it didn’t seem like the Force held any promise for unity and order. She was firmly convinced it was a tool for malevolence which is why she not only feared it, but wouldn’t cultivate her own Force sensibilities. But he would hear more about this when she described her background in return:

“I was raised on Hapes, also to a wealthy family, although they were not in business. They were politicians and expected me to do the same. My sisters went that route but my brother and I joined the Hapan Royal Navy after I got out of finishing school. I served the Queen as her secret service deputy and then entered the military,” she said, omitting a lot of details that didn’t put her in a very good light. Embezzlement from crime lords: check. Purchase of slaves on the black market to turn them into soldiers: check. But these parts of her past she didn’t want to freely admit. Although she would tell him something she thought may be of interest and a piece of information she rarely admitted to anyone.

“In terms of how I view the Force, my fear of it comes from the fact that as a young girl and into my teens, the finishing school I went to was connected to the Ni’Korish cult on Hapes. If you are not familiar with it, it’s an anti-Jedi cult established by the Hapan Queen at the time. Their sole purpose was to execute Jedi and instill a fear of the Force into the Hapan children of parents associated with the cult. Most of the Ni’Korish were executed a long time ago but some have survived and now live on Hapes and Gallinore, still slandering Jedi. They do not have the resources to hunt and murder Jedi like they used to."

She looked down, examining her slender hands for a moment and then gazed back up at Jaron Lesan. “I have been blessed by the Force but I’ve always suppressed it,” she admitted. “I’m afraid I have too much fear and hatred bred into me that I don’t know what would happen if I even experimented with it.”

[member="Jaron Lesan"]

 

[Jaron Lesan]

"Being a soldier is all you know then, huh? Seems like we both wound up coming to the Sith after giving up what we knew. Though I guess you still soldier."

Jaron looked out over the sunset still. There was something that they wouldn't say to each other. Both had done things the other didn't need to know. How many had Jaron cut down simply because he had been told to. They were both guilty of things which would remain hidden, though her fear of the dark side, Jaron would never understand it. He'd seen atrocities, but she feared she would commit them. What had she meant by exposed to so much darkness? If she was used to it, then why fear it. Jaron had embraced his inner darkness, and it had only freed him.

"You shouldn't be afraid of what you could do. There are Sith that allow their emotions to control them, but that's never how it should be. Even the greatest Sith teach mastery of emotion, they just use them as their fuel for power. Any butcher can cause a man to explode, that's not mastery of the dark side. True mastery of the dark side is the Sith that has learned to master everything, including his own passions. Those passions are not evil, they are meant to be embraced, but they are not the master. A true Sith controls everything. You fear the darkness because you're afraid you cannot control it. That's why you like the blasters, right? You can control those, a military, it's been trained in you to control the battlefield. You'd be surprised how that could help you control the force inside you."

Jaron was blunt with his advice, but that's who he was. The man never minced his words and said what what he thought. It would get him into trouble, but it also helped him. The pretty Hapan could at least respect his boldness to call like he saw it. Most military people liked that anyway.

"You know, the gardens of this academy are very pretty, and the grass there is more comfortable than the floor of this observatory. It's going to be a clear night... perhaps your rather view the stars from there?"

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

It felt refreshingly good to get a lot of that off her chest, Tmoxin admitted to herself inside. It wasn't often she got to sit around and have a polite chat and with a Sith Lord at that; because as Jaron Lesan had said: "she was a soldier after all." Soldiers were all action and little word, taking orders and not waxing philosophical over them.

This Sith Lord was different somehow from all of the other dark Masters she had been exposed to, which was only for short amounts of time on the battlefield. And then they weren't giving her sage advice about the Force, they were telling her to get back in position and stop interfering or she would be executed. Numerous times, Tmoxin nearly feared for her life, fighting beside them on the battlefield only because she was so disposable, having no Force powers of her own with which to defend herself if she were suddenly turned upon.

But in a way, she almost worried for this young man in such a strict atmosphere of the One Sith. Of course she hadn't seen his darkside powers, yet but she knew how unforgiving the Sith could be and any sign of weakness or tentativeness was met with trial and punishment. But that was his choice wasn't it?

"I would like that," she said at his invitation to visit the Academy gardens. Tmoxin rarely indulged in these types of civilized excursions especially while on duty, but gripped by boredom and loneliness, the slow conversation would be a welcome change of pace.

As they made their way to the gardens, Tmoxin asked, "Would you show me a few things? That I could do with the Force?"

This was an unusual request, one that she had never made before with anyone. But with the beautiful starry night to look forward to viewing, she felt reckless and willing to try something that terrified her if only to have a new experience.

[member="Jaron Lesan"]

 

[Jaron Lesan]

Jaron rose to his feet, and offered his hand to the trooper to help her up, if she wanted to take it. Corellia might be broken, but the Corellian charms Jaron had learned spending most of his life there were not. It made him likable, even for a darksider. His aim wasn't really to woo the woman, though she was pretty, and he was a man who certainly wouldn't object to anything were it to happen, but Jaron found this one intriguing, and he was curious. Her request settled in his mind as they made their way out of the observatory to the gardens which were at the base of the large stone foundation.

Trees lined the floor, and the grass covered what the trees did not. It was as if they had their own private outdoor sanctuary away from the debates happening indoors. Jaron was stuck until a decision was made, and he could follow behind a ship blasting through the asteroid belt. If he had to be stuck, at least he found some company. Naturally the sky was dark by the time they reached the gardens, and the stars were bright. The sky was so clear the asteroid belt was even visible to the well trained eye. The scenery was perfect. Jaron could hear water rushing in the distance, another reminder of his Uncle's compound on Corellia.

"What to help you learn that you won't be afraid of?"

Jaron often thought out loud. Mind abilities were out of the question. Though she did need something basic that would help her in the military. All skills were built on the ability to connect with the environment. So Force Sense was something to walk her through. Jaron was no teacher, but the skill was so basic.

"Well, every ability is dependent on your ability to connect with your surroundings. The force is in everything, so connect to it, and you connect to all things. Light or dark, this one truth is critical. How you connect is one thing. The fear you have, use it to open the door to you, then conenct, feel your environment. You'll be able to sense my presence. When you do, lock onto it."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin took Jaron's hand and allowed him to help her up to her feet. The Sith Lord was young and handsome, and at the way he silently appraised her, she could see a spark of interest towards her in his piercing eyes. While the Commander wasn't completely immune to the advances of a charming gentleman, her relationships were complicated at this moment and she quickly straightened out her uniform, putting her hands to her sides where they wouldn't be tempted.

And even though she barely knew him, Tmoxin trusted Jaron to help her with this experimentation she requested. Being a stronger Force user - and the Hapan officer literally never using the Force in her entire life - he could surely possess her mind and manipulate her will, but there was something about his chivalrous behavior that assured he would not do this. Well, one could hope at least.

And as Jaron promised, the gardens were indeed pretty and especially exotic in the nighttime. The Crina air was crisp and clean, the gardens untouched with no trace that there was even a battle at this setting not even a month ago.

She breathed deep and said, "Okay" at Jaron's advice on where to start. Tmoxin closed her eyes.

With her heart furiously beating - for she had been bred to be terrified of the Force - she concentrated on her surroundings, trying to feel the Force in the earth below her, the cool grass, the fresh air. And like the molecules in oxygen, she could feel something, a trace of what she was trying to find. Which was what? The door, he had said. He wanted her to tap into her fear and open the door to find him. Well that wouldn't be too hard to do, she reasoned as she was wracked with fear already at this whole exercise. But somehow her fear wasn't translating and she had to dig deeper into her memory to find it. She remembered a time on the battlefield when she watched a young Sith Alcolyte sever his own arm off to please his Master and how frightful that was to witness. She swallowed, her heart beating faster and finally, as metaphysical as it all was and very confusing for the Commander to comprehend, she felt the door open...

[member="Jaron Lesan"]

 

[Jaron Lesan]

Jaron watched and observed as she battled with her own perceptions, and fears, of the force. The young apprentice had learned early the only way to truly control the fears and pain which came from the darkness was to face them, confront them, even embrace them. These were all part of who she was to begin with, and only by embracing them could she truly be free from the haunting they could bring to her. Jaron truly believed the force could set a person free, and loose them of the chains which bound them. It was a lesson he had learned on his own journey of discovery, and because of that, he was so willing to help anyone make the same discovery.

He felt it when she broke past the barrier which she had built within her own mind. Whether it was to keep the darkness trapped inside, or keep it all from invading her, was not an issue. The barrier had now been breached, and Jaron's own mind could find entrance to hers. He could guide better this way, and having been a strong empath to begin with, he sensed everything she felt the moment the world of the force opened to her.

"Focus on me now, find my aura. Lock onto it, press against it. Learn to feel through the force, and sense your surroundings. What can you see? This will give you an edge in your combat... to know what's in a room just beyond before you ever have to enter it. Press deeper and find me."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Standing still with her eyes closed, Tmoxin listened to Jaron's calm voice guiding her along. She knew the Force required extreme concentration, which wasn't exactly one of her strong suits. Even though she was still connected to him in her mind, the door now open, there were a few false starts. Nearly once or twice she almost broke out of the trance she was in out of sheer bewilderment of her situation.

But her fear broke through that mental barrier before so she drew upon it again. He would be able to hear the hitch in her breathing as she confronted deep-seated dread and resentment. He may be able to tell that much of her anxiety was internal, much of her anger aimed towards herself. And she took all of that guilt, rage and resentment and pushed forward towards Jaron. And the fear that pervaded her now was that he would not see her as the strong, capable Commander but the weak-willed monster that she had become. The problem was her self-loathing was so intense she didn't want to find Jaron, she wanted to run away in shame. But she concentrated on his aura, picking up the smoky tendrils of his power and following them along with her hands like a length of rope in the dark.

Her heart still pounding in her chest, she could Jaron was there was there, just beyond the nebulous veil. But like a blind woman, she could not see and grappled through the darkness towards him, her hands losing their hold. I can't... go further, she said to him with her mind, struggling to connect. You will have to come pull me through.

[member="Jaron Lesan"]

 

[Jaron Lesan]

She was struggling. Her battle was internal, and Jaron was beginning to see that she hated herself. This would not do. How could he tell her to embrace the fear and anger if the source of it was herself, and directed toward her. Yes it pushed through the wall she kept up to keep the darkness out, but it would always collapse on her.

"I can break through, but you may not like it.." he cautioned.

The fact they were having a mental conversation should have told her that she had indeed crossed through the wall into new territory. Jaron pressed into her with his own aura. It collided with the barrier she kept attempting to breech, but could not. Like the skillful architect would, Jaron looked for the weak point before attempting to bust through. If he could find it, only a gentle nudge would see the whole barrier fall. While most would bust through, ravaging her mind in the process, Jaron was more keen on seeing her develop her own use of the force without the fear of her consciousness being ravaged by an unwanted guest. The Sith may not have had the rules the Jedi did, but a wasted mind was not the goal here. She trusted him for some reason, and were he to break it, she would never attempt to connect to the force again.

He watched on the metaphysical plane as the redish smoke of his aura found the smallest of cracks. It filled the fissure, and soon found the path which wound it's way through to the other side. A gentle, yet aggressive, nudge of his own consciousness broke the barrier she could not pass, and as his aura was a seductress, it beckoned hers to come to him. His still moved toward hers, it would meet her half way, but nothing would keep her from locking on to his aura now. Once complete, he could help her apply this to the rest of her environment, and to expand her reach.

"Come..."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

She heard Jaron's voice in her mind accepting her plea for him to break through and reach her. She ignored his warning that she wouldn't like it. At this point, her curiosity overrode her fear of this strange, almost choregraphed mental dance they were performing. The two of them were the only audience after all, so she began to relax and yield. She beckoned him with her mind as well, and she felt his aura press upon her she didn't deny it. The Commander finally grasped onto the wispy smoke of his aura and emerged into Jaron's mental space, through the door.

And while there was no physical contact, there was a form of mental seduction going on, that much Tmoxin could feel, first in her thoughts and then trickling through her body. For the two were very much entwined - body and mind. And finally she was realizing that this may be how the Force worked.

But now that she was in Jaron's space, like a boat adrift, Tmoxin didn't know where to go next.

[member="Jaron Lesan"]

 

[Jaron Lesan]

It was a dance, but Jaron was unsure as to whether he was doing it purposefully or whether it was the result of her request. Either way, there was now no barrier between the two, and not only had he invaded her mental space, but she had completely invaded his. Her observation that they were entwined was accurate. They would have to be careful to not rip themselves apart, but when the time came to break the connection, it would need to be done as carefully as they had joined together... their sanity, even their lives, depended on it.

She felt lost, and he knew it instantly because of the link which they had established. There was no need to speak allowed. She would hear his words in her mind perfectly now, as if he were whispering in her ear. Jaron moved behind her, and raised her arm even with her shoulder, and pointed it toward a path which was just in front of her.

"Eyes open or shut, it doesn't matter, but now stretch beyond me and walk the path through the force. All of the activity just beyond you in the dark can be felt through the force just as you can feel me now. The force connects to all things, and connects all things to you. You are one with your surroundings. Everything builds off this principle."

There was something in the moment they were sharing that went beyond a casual encounter. Jaron had never pressed this deep into another person before. It was exciting to think that with just one violent push he could control everything about her. At the same time it scared him she could do the same to him in return. This built a curiosity, what could he do with one who so willingly opened themselves to him? This was certainly the wrong time be asking that, or thinking it. After all, they were completely connected.

"What do you sense?"

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin heard Jaron's voice behind her and she reached her hand back, grasping onto his hand and she intertwined it with his, for reassurance. She opened her eyes, unflinching to see what was before them and it was only a gaping void. The Commander shut her eyes quickly and pressed into Jaron's mental form for shelter from the overwhelming power of the Force.

But as the competent officer she was, she ultimately wouldn't turn away. The Hapan female was too proud to rely on anyone especially a man, to buoy her courage. Tmoxin listened carefully to Jaron's words, urging her to walk along the path of the Force and so she did. In her mind, she was covered in a thin veil of fabric, her feet bare, her body slightly exposed.

"I only see my misdeeds, Jaron," she admitted. "I'm powerless, but I know that beyond that helplessness I can return to what I once was. And what I can be."

And as his reticence conveyed, she suddenly lashed out to him with a power that both of them were unaware of: "What of you Jaron? What can you become?" she demanded, the Darkside of the Force now beginning to flow through her.

[member="Jaron Lesan"]