Populate ILUMinati | Ilum Aftermath Thread | GA Populate of Lahag Erli

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Ilum
Objective: Visit Kara in the hospital wing
Tags: Kara Jade / Jasper Kai'el

​

"Kai sounded really intent on throwing hands. It's not exactly a fair fight when you're opponent is a skeleton."

"His attitude to everything in that moment was unneeded, I'll be speaking with him soon enough," he said in a more serious tone than before, his attention switching back to Kara who was in the bed observing them. Like Jasper, he was thinking of the possible reasons why the empire would even consider harvesting crystals. Fuel for another superweapon possibly? if that was the case they were sure to find out soon. To Silas, it was just a marvel as to how intelligence didn't know they were mining there.

"Kara's right. All of us need to treat this as a lesson, some more than most" Silas looked to the floor and shook his head. During that whole disaster, his emotions had been all over the place. He used to be calm and collected when he first started, but now things had clearly changed in him. For once, he knew exactly why.

"Not one person was to blame for this, everyone who took part had something to be guilty about that day. If it was the masters, all the way to us padawan, everyone is caught up in this mess..."

 

[Arkyn Rane]

BYOO​

---

A massive tree loomed over them, glittering kyber crystals growing from the bark. The scars of war stained and marred the snowy fields beyond the tree, but the area around it seemed almost pristine, free of debris, the snow itself seemingly purer and whiter than the rest. Arkyn pushed herself up to her feet, brushing the snow from her gloves against her heavy coat. Her breath misted the air, and the wind was sharp in her nose. She felt light. Weightless, like a feather in an antigrav field.

The Force was new to her- her awareness of it, anyway. She'd have to remember this moment, this feeling of weightlessness, for the moments when the world seemed to heavy. She reached into her pocket and palmed the crystals in her pocket. They weren't quite warm, but she felt a tingle of something thrum up her arm.

She hadn't the slightest clue what she could possibly use them for, though. She was a brawler and a gunslinger, not a swordswoman- lightsabers weren't her style. Maybe kyber-power petars? <"R5, ping the locator on my speeder."> She turned to Alex and Seku.

"You all right over there, Alex?" He looked a little grey around the gills.

Alex StormWolf​

​

 

[Alex StormWolf]

"You all right over there, Alex?"

"Yeah," Alex answered. "Just had some pretty intense revelations while climbing out of that cavern, that's all. Relived practically every defining moment of my life, and some I didn't even remember. This whole area where we're standing seems to be an immensely powerful vergence in the Force."

"Thank my lucky stars I'm not Force sensitive," Seku interjected. "Something like that would probably drive me stark raving mad."

"Like you're not a little crazy already," Alex teased.

"Knowing you the way I do, for as long as I have, would drive anyone insane," Seku countered. "You're definitely the most reckless, self destructive man I've ever met."

"Not anymore," Alex said.

"What are you talking about," Seku asked, visibly confused.

"I'm going to see if I can find a member of the Jedi Council and ask to be formally reinstated into the Order."

"You're joking, right," Seku asked with a dubious look on her face.

"I'm not joking," Alex insisted, as he gazed as the pristine landscape in the immediate area of the tree. "I'm going to rededicate myself to the Jedi Order. And Ms. Rayne, I'd like to extend an invitation to join our ranks, if you are willing."

"Alex, something tells me lightsabers just aren't her style," Seku said as she looked at Arkyn's attire. "She's got the whole gunslinger vibe going for her. Not a bad look, actually."

"It never hurts to ask," Alex stated. "And even if she declines, we've still made a very interesting new friend today."

Arkyn Rane

 

[Sid Berik]

Allies: NIO l
Enemies?: Galactic Alliance l Sara Roche
Objective: Live

All this.

He looked around-
​

His body settling against the pillow he was in.

"You know- I wish I knew something to make me feel more important. That I'm worth capturing." He took a deep breath.

"I'm just a grunt. I hadn't even-" He wiped a tear from his eye, looking away from the soldier.

"I turn twenty next week." He said sadly, laughing as he cast his eyes downward in shame. He was nineteen, and had the guilt of a war, the weight of defeat, and the reality of war hitting him at once.

"Can I call my parents? They're probably worried. If the Empire even told them anything. I heard sometimes they don't for a while. Long while."

​

​

 

[Arkyn Rane]

BYOO​

---

"Yeah," Alex answered. "Just had some pretty intense revelations while climbing out of that cavern, that's all. Relived practically every defining moment of my life, and some I didn't even remember. This whole area where we're standing seems to be an immensely powerful vergence in the Force."

A vergence? So that's what this is called. "Hn."

She knew little and less about the Force. What talents she'd accumulated thus far were of the natural sort: her skill with droids, her ability to chart course through hyperlanes- even through Wild Space and the Unknown Reaches.

"I'm not joking," Alex insisted, as he gazed as the pristine landscape in the immediate area of the tree. "I'm going to rededicate myself to the Jedi Order. And Ms. Rayne, I'd like to extend an invitation to join our ranks, if you are willing."

"Thanks but no thanks. I'm cool with the gig I've got now. Jedi'ing ain't quite for me. I'll come with you back to the temple, though. Just gotta get back to my speeder first...on the other side of the mountain."

She was already settling on the idea of a couple light-petars to complement her fighting style. Not that she got into fights often nowadays, since she'd focused her energies mostly on smuggling. Shootouts, sure, but rare was the time she had to engage in fisticuffs. Maybe she was due for a refresher.

Alex StormWolf​

​

 

[Alex StormWolf]

"Thanks but no thanks. I'm cool with the gig I've got now. Jedi'ing ain't quite for me. I'll come with you back to the temple, though. Just gotta get back to my speeder first...on the other side of the mountain."

"Told ya she'd say no," Seku told Alex with a smirk.

"You always have to rub it in when you're right, don't you," Alex replied.

"Somebody's gotta give you a hard time, so it may as well be me." Seku answered. "So, are we heading back to the ship, or we standing here freezing our appendages off all day?"

"Just a moment," Alex answered. "There's something I need to see here."

Out of the corner of his eye, Alex had noticed two very distinct crystals shimmering green in the daylight at the base of the tree. Going to the base of the tree, he noticed that they appeared to be sheared off cleanly from all of the other crystal formations. Reverently, he picked the two crystals up and pocketed them.

"I think it's time I gave my lightsabers an upgrade," he said, in answer to Seku's puzzled expression. "Either that, or construct an entirely new pair."

"New lightsabers? How long will that take you?"

"Depends on how fancy I want to get. Let's get back to the ship before our arms and legs drop off."

Arkyn Rane

 

[Sara Roche]

Lieutenant Sara 'Meteor' Roche
GADF Marines, 222nd Nova Corps, 121st (Augmented) Battalion, 3rd Company, 3rd Platoon Battalion Reserve​

Location: Alliance HQ, Ilum
Objective: Debrief
Equipment: Garrison Uniform

"Can I call my parents? They're probably worried. If the Empire even told them anything. I heard sometimes they don't for a while. Long while."

Despite her better judgement, Sara was beginning to feel bad for the kid.

"I don't know if security protocols will allow that right now. Maybe once news of this crisis gets broken to the public... I can talk to the MPs and security guys, see what I can do. No promises."

 

[Cordé Sabo]

DULCET
CORUSCANT | THE JEDI TEMPLE | HALLWAYS
Sion Lorray

Cordé took that seat she’d asked for earlier, on the edge of the water decoration. It was smooth beneath her hands and she leaned back, stretched her legs out, and crossed her ankles ahead of her.

To her surprise, their eye contact never wavered. It was the first time she noticed that with the red, shiny, gnarls of the scar around his eye, he was missing an eyebrow. She frowned at this, but she concealed her reaction and blew it out with a dismissive snort for his rationale for her call-out. It wasn’t an illogical claim; she had been in the same boat. The only reason she knew his name was because of that Gabe kid.

It was bold for her even to challenge him. She knew that.

But she was an agent of the SIA — acquiring secrets was her primary creed. However, it had to be done.

Part of her wanted to continue withholding her information. As if it gave her some sort of advantage in their dynamic. It didn’t, of course, so she relented the tenuously held desire.

“Cordé.”

Her grin spread to be roguish and toothsome: “Nice to meet you.”

She leaned forward again, straightening her spine and shrugging her shoulders.

“I uh, I don’t really know how to say this so I’m just going to get into it. Then you can get back to..” she gestured vaguely at the lines in the sand his footwork had left behind.

“I can’t stop thinking about your reaction in those caves on Ilum. Surely you saw the insignia on those bodies as men of The Empire, but yet..” she paused and chewed the inside of her cheek to hem-haw what she said next. The script she’d cobbled together fell away and became unreadable in her mind’s eye.

She’d practiced this in the mirror. So far, she’d only matched one of the bullet points she’d noted to say when brushing her teeth.

“..it looked like you wanted to heal them. Almost like you could feel their pain or something.”

She’d meant to ask a question at some point, why would you do that? Why do you care? How can you feel what they feel? But left each option unasked. Instead, she just stared at him while he decided how, or if, he chose to answer.

 

[Sion Lorray]

Cordé Sabo

He watched her carefully as she picked through the pieces of a sentence that seemed to have been choreographed.

Practiced perhaps even.

Maybe Sion wasn't the only one who struggled with this. Socializing. The awkwardness of connections. The reason it was awkward was different for the both of them however. For Sion? He felt too much. If the Jedi reached out, he could practically sense the shape of her thoughts, and this level of intimacy coloured everything with conflicting hues.

Cordé? Something told him it was the opposite for her.

It probably didn't help she caught him in the middle of his training either. Even just shirtless... Sion redoubled his effort to dry himself off, so he could put his tunic on.

"I did, yes." It had been obvious they were Imperials. Soldiers of the Empire come to kill younglings and destroy. To an extent Sion wasn't surprised at her own reaction. Her lack of understanding. "-and if I could have saved them I would."

This part of the equation had always come easy to Sion.

Empath things, presumably.

"They were on a horrible path, Cordé." Using her name felt strange. Like he got to know her all over again. "But death prevents any opportunities for growth. To change. To do better. The Imperials believe it is their way or the execution lane. I believe we should strive for something better... if we don't even make the attempt?"

A shrug there.

Sion wasn't going to say it would make them just as bad as the Imperials. That was a foolish sentiment. They didn't go and execute Imperial acolytes, that automatically made them better.

But being better meant added responsibilities to do better. Even if it was hard. No, especially if it was hard.

 

[Cordé Sabo]

Indignation hardened behind her ribs. Solid enough for her to feel it shift when she straightened at the sound of her name, freshly known and placing it in a spot that felt like a lecture.

She'd been told this before, warned about the self-righteousness of the Jedi. Those who felt they were both responsible and capable of adjusting people's lives. The hubris that welcomed double agents, defectors and downfalls of The Alliance in the past.

"Hm." She feigned a noise of understanding, and felt that tension behind her ribs tighten. The harsh defensiveness bloomed from her torso to her throat,

"— and if they accept growth, what happens.” She interjected what she supposed; “You show them the way to the light?”

Sion Lorray

 

[Sion Lorray]

Cordé Sabo

She could feign all she wanted.

This didn't prevent Sion to sense her discomfort. The sensation touching his self was enough to make him recoil. Not because it was foul, but because he didn't want to intrude on a feeling she was so clearly trying to cover up.

A head tilt there at her question.

"If they accept growth?" Sion bit the inside of his cheek in thought. "I don't think it is our duty to redeem them." This is where Sion differed from the other Jedi. Who would gladly take in Darksiders of any colors to turn them. Sion... had a different understanding. Perhaps that was because he could feel their malice and hatred. Their coldness. Suffering.

"If they accept- they should be brought in, tried, a suitable punishment made by civilian governance. Mandated therapy."

Sion shrugged.

"I am just a Padawan, Cordé. All I know is that I'd rather heal people than kill them. If I have the choice? I will pick the former rather than the latter." He tried to smile there. It made the scarred skin tense and pull uncomfortably. "That must make me a chitty warrior, no?"

 

[Cordé Sabo]

Surprise elbowed its way past her indignation, and Cordé felt the tension in her expression slip to something with arched brows. She'd anticipated something more altruistic and self-sufficient from him.

Not mandated therapy.

On the subject of The Empire, she almost chuckled. Her brother had been a pilot with The Empire. He'd boasted their zeal, enacted their vision, and been left for dead. Cordé had to convince herself The Alliance would do no such thing for its soldiers.

If he'd survived, taken into custody by The Alliance, and put into therapy, he might have off'd himself.

Her hand snaked over her mouth to conceal the contorted expression that came with those thoughts.

Sion explained his stance further — Healing rather than hurting was to be her creed as well. She hadn't known how to shoot a blaster when she started in medicine. Now, she was well weaponized.

Weaponized enjoy to be assigned to a specific anti-Force team.

She glanced to the lines in the sand that had been Sion's footwork. She didn't know the saber forms and their demands, only how to disarm them.

Them. Jedi. Sith,

The differences were slowly being revealed betwixt the two.

"Maybe not, but not finishing your practice might make you one." She rose and dusted off the back of her legs.

What had she expected, coming here? An exchange of knowledge, she knew his name, he knew hers now, and… perspective?

"Do you ever train outside of The Order? Or is that dangerous for just a Padawan."

Sion Lorray

 

[Sion Lorray]

Cordé Sabo

Her mood seemed to brighten.

This was also a surprise, but Sion didn't poke at it. An improvement isn't something you looked twice at.

"Well, I'd counter that I'd be able to finish it, if you didn't interrupt me. But... I enjoy your interruptions." Almost as soon as Sion said that his brain caught up with his mouth. He flushed and felt incredibly awkward there for a moment. "...anyway. I haven't been here so long I have had a lot of opportunities to train outside the Order."

Honest as can be.

"Why?"

It was a bit of an odd question. Especially because Sion wasn't privy to Cordé's inner thoughts right now.

"If you are offering, I am down to spar together at some point." More time with- No, no, this is just for training purposes, of course.

 

[Cordé Sabo]

Interruptions certainly seemed to be a pattern of their relationship — if you could call it a relationship at all — instead, interactions may be more fitting. The reminder of this working pattern untangled her knotted expression into a simple, warm curve.

“Just curious.” She shrugged. Mostly keen on proving, or disproving, her theories of Jedi insulation.

Again, she was surprised he didn’t dismiss the idea of going up against someone who wasn’t Force Sensitive. The bravado she’d anticipated, yet again, failed to exist. That almost took all the fun out of the inevitable victory.

Almost.

“At some point?”

Her arms folded, one finger pointing out from the opposite elbow at the emptiness of the closed-off space Sion Lorray occupied.

“You’re too busy now?”

 

[Sion Lorray]

Cordé Sabo

Just as he surprised her, so did she surprise him.

"Oh... not... especially?" Sion blinked there and his hands went to his hips. Towel forgotten around his shoulders. "You just stood up so abruptly, I assumed you had more important places to be." The idea of sparring with Cordé wasn't really appealing to him. For one, he did not enjoy fighting in general.

Secondly? He much more enjoyed to just chat with her, for the limited time they had.

These were things Sion could not admit however.

Instead he stepped to the side and gestured. "Please, join me." Then a grin as he rolled his shoulders. "Go easy on me, will ya? I would prefer not to eat sand during our first bout."

Sion did not assume he'd eat sand.

However- there was a calm confidence radiating from her that was difficult to miss by an empath. There was something in store for him... and the Jedi was already mentally preparing himself for it.

 

[Cordé Sabo]

Cordé only offered a shrug in response to his assumptions of her schedule and body language. Sion Lorray was obviously wrong, so there was no point in belabouring with an explanation. Instead, to further disprove his presumptuousness and accept his invitation, she shrugged off her jacket, folded in half, and set it where she’d been sitting.

A little lighter than before, she stepped past him and into the sandy area. One foot dragged ahead of her in a semi-circle, mussing up the lines he’d created with whatever he’d been doing earlier.

"Already mocking me." She shook her head and clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, feeling almost satisfied at the clear underestimation that came with his jest. Of course a Jedi thought they could joke about the imbalance of abilities.

She pointed to his unlit saber. "You going to re-light that thing?"

 

[Sion Lorray]

Cordé Sabo

He was about to put the saber away, but then she claimed he was mocking her.

Sion blinked.

Once, twice, it looked rather goofy, honestly. "Mocking? Cordé, I have had my ass handed to me in almost every fight." He pointed to his scar without shame. "I have no illusions you are somehow gonna whoop my ass." Especially with how confident her presence was currently. That was definitely the vibe of a woman who was ready to lay down the smack.

No, he hadn't been mocking, he had been teasing her gently while preparing himself mentally to eat dirt.

Regardless-

"Uh. Sure." He lit the saber without arguing with her. Then after a moment... lowered the intensity to training mode. "If I somehow manage to hit you, it won't slice anything off you might wanna keep."

 

[Cordé Sabo]

Her mouth opened and closed with only a click and no other sound. No words spoken. Who was being assumptive now? Despite his openness, she resisted the temptation to ask more about his scar. It was so obvious, so huge, so shiny, that it took a great strength to remain focused on the task at hand.

Besides, she didn't want to know more about Sion the Jedi Padawan. Her even being here, exploring the conversation of his motives and perspectives felt taboo.

No, what she wanted to show Sion the Jedi Padawan that she, a non-Jedi, was just as much a force to be reckoned with as he, a Jedi Padawan. It was a blinding motive.

"If I somehow manage to hit you, it won't slice anything off you might wanna keep."

"Appreciate it."

She paused, in a ready-ish stance, but before initiating anything...

"Jedi don't usually attack first, do they?"

 

[Sion Lorray]

Cordé Sabo

He calmly settles himself in Shii-Cho stance.

If Sabo had paid close attention to the Jedi combat forms, she'd recognize it instantly. It was the first form. The most basic one. Its roots were in defense and most Jedi (and Sith for that matter) transitioned quickly to other forms more pliable for their vibes. The elegant Makashi, the stalwart Soresu or the acrobatic Ataru.

Sion liked Shii-Cho.

It was basic, yes, but in that simplicity was beauty.

"Some do." He'd answer calmly, breathing out. "I do not consider them true Jedi." Spoken with youth and conviction of philosophy. In one line he had discarded most of the New Jedi Order... and perhaps even his own Master.

As he shifted low, a gap in his defensive posture appeared, but he did not seem to notice it.

 

[Cordé Sabo]

There it was. Finally. The morsel she’d been mentally projecting, wherein Jedi were incredibly judgemental. The sureness. It was like the image she wanted him to wear was slowly starting to fit.

“Good thing I’m not a Jedi.”

With his claim, he gave away which was his dominant foot. He’d not attack first. She recognized the form as the first of..seven? Was it? Where the dominance plainly asserted intention. He was defensive, so his back foot was the stronger of the two in his stance.

“Or we’d be just standing here all day.”

Cordé’s second thoughts slid away when she moved in, dust clouding around her feet with the forward-motion that, at the last second, pivoted to something that planted her foot next to his front one. Her first objective was to disarm Sion Lorray with the heel of her left hand to his elbow, and the other ready to defensively flatten as a guard to prevent the inevitable parry.