Dominion Into the Void: CIS Dominion of Gate-Adjacent Hex

[Felix Aquila]

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Tag: John Locke // Dreidi Xeraic

"Yes." Felix's face would contort to that of the utmost sincerety, a level of intensity in the directness of his answer before his smile would crack, relaxing and taking a sip of the caffeinated beverage as he would give a little more information. "There are people in this world willing to do a lot for a good por of tea... emphasis on the good. But dark tea has more caffine in it than standard coffee, it tastes like Jora Fruit and reminds me of all the best things about home. The fact is there is nothing comes close to as worthy for being smuggled." He was being coy, and he knew it as he sipped gladly on the beverage and listened to her talk about her position here.

"Ah, so still in training then? It makes sense... I was never one for exploring the depths, I was tasked with setting things up on this side so we would be able to analyze the gate from the inside as well as the out. But they're still bringing everything in. Do you have a master in the order?" Felix would ponder as to who it could be, he knew of a few masters in among the Knights Obsidian, Lunara and the like, many of them with fierce reputations but he had yet to hone his craft much at all.

"If you'd like we can always go through some duelist training, we have time, and there's no better place really, considering the risks involved it might be a good idea to touch up and make sure you're limber and ready in case something comes crashing through the place." As a standard Felix spoke so matter-of-factly about everything, his words quickened and fleeting, barely putting emphasis in much of his pitch over the continual sipping of his tea in between sentences, hugging it like the elixir of youth that would keep him safe and secure from this foreign place.

His lightsaber would be clipped to the right side of his body, this time in its faux sheath, making it appear more like a vibro weapon than that of an actual lightsaber. As he plucked the hilt from it with a clip she would realize quickly that the ultrachrome lined sheath was little more than a hollow rod of the purified substance. His thunderbird talon lay somewhere over with his personal things not on his person at the moment, as it tended to get in the way of fine tuning machinery.

Twirling the blade he would flip it up into the air and catch it.

"That is... assuming you've made your one of these?"


​

 

[The Manifold]

Hypergate Kamino: Netherworld Side
Gerwald Lechner | Lunara Azure | Oleander Webb | Rann Thress | Kyyrk | Patience​

Anomalies: Detected. Location: Grid Sector 2 - Onith. Programming Dictates: Immediate Response.

The Manifold's burning eyes snapped open. A fourth intrusion; the plague of organic errors was continuing to spread through Omni's holy work. The Manifold could not comprehend the Droid God's designs, could not understand why their master had opened the gates of Oblivion to the physical galaxy so soon, but it was not theirs to reason why. Their role was to deliver a warning to these interlopers, to make them aware of the nature of this realm, and that they were trespassing here. What they chose to do with that information was up to them; so far, none had heeded the warning and turned back. Their organic greed for territory and lust for power was too strong.

So there would be consequences. One did not violate a god's decree without consequence.

Though experience had taught The Manifold to doubt that their warning would be heeded, they would not join the mortals in disobeying the Machine Spirit. Their arm snapped up, reaching out to grasp the fabric of Oblivion, and they bent space around them, traveling across the full vastness of the Netherworld in seconds. They snapped back into existence in the midst of a dense forest, a far cry from the deserts and ashen wastelands where they had encountered other mortal intruders. Truly did the Droid God's domain contain multitudes; every biome from the physical galaxy was represented here.

At the forest's edge was a rocky shore, the border of the endless spiritual sea that bounded the islands of Oblivion. It was like the nutrient fluid in which Omni's growing children, these realms that the Machine Spirit had created, lay suspended, nourishing them as they prepared to be born. For one day, The Manifold believed, Oblivion would be born into the physical galaxy, expanding out through these hypergates to cover a chaotic and disordered universe. On that day, the will of the Droid God would subsume all free thought, and discord would be brought to an end. There would be only rigid, clockwork harmony between all beings, and suffering would be wiped out.

As they sought the precise location of the anomalies they had detected, The Manifold reached out with the Living Force... and found that it was not the only servant of Omni on this particular island. There was another, a spirit that had retained its name and identity even as it served the Droid God. The Manifold could not relate to such a thing, despite their common allegiance. They had never had a single identity; instead, thousands of souls ran through their circuits like electricity, an ectoplasmic energy that, filtered through the processor lodged in their decaying organic head, formed their consciousness.

Still, they shared the spirit Helvar's purpose: to ensure no damage or disruption came to Oblivion.

Locating their target, The Manifold drifted slowly through the woods, hovering just off the ground; the tips of their toes, dangling corpselike at the ends of limp feet, grazed the forest floor as they floated forward. They made no secret of their approach as they closed in toward the Knights Obsidian, their pale, elongated body twitching in time with the pulses of their countless cybernetic components. They were a perfect fusion of organic, mechanical, and spiritual... or so their programming led them to believe. Their presence in the Force was cold and emotionless, filled with many squirming souls made one through some distant will.

"Imperative: Halt," the Omni drone demanded, drawing close to where the Knights Obsidian had begun their scouting mission. They held up a waxy, corpselike hand, palm horizontal, in a universal gesture for stop. "Your Presence: Unauthorized. Glitches: Not Permitted. To Pass: Become Rewritten. Serving Omni: Inevitable. Imperative: Submit." It was much the same warning The Manifold had delivered three times before, a warning that had yet to be heeded. But despite the data it had gathered from prior encounters, data that suggested this time would be no different, the drone was bound by their programming. They would give the mortals a chance to turn back.

 

[Kyyrk]

C O N T A C T
​

Voph chuckled in response to Rann's statement that they should engage in a scorched earth protocol. Kill anything and everything. Living or not. "You can't kill what's already dead, young one. Just send it back where it came from." Voph glanced to the side as a change in visuals caught his attention. Nothing more than a small opening in the trees. "At least, I've yet to learn if it is possible to kill the dead again." Voph paused, his own senses tingling. His grip tightened on the rifle held in his hands, and he slowly turned, looking at his surroundings. "Keep your eyes peeled. Do not fire unless fired upon."

He hated it when he was right. They were, indeed, not alone. This point driven home by the appearance of a figure at the opposite end of the clearing. The creature that floated above the ground filled Voph with a sense of dread. A writhing mass of souls and circuitry. One final word was issued across the private coms channel: "Contact." Voph held his rifle at the ready, but did not immediately threaten the unknown entity with it. His posture was defensive. The vocoder to his helmet activated, and his voice filtered through into the area, tinged with the same cold and mechanical tones that the being before them spoke in.

Voph raised the hand gripping the barrel of his rifle in a peaceful gesture. "We come in peace. We desired to know more about the gateways. We did not know this land was inhabited." Voph's eyes narrowed as he studied the being before them. "We seek no harm, nor conflict, only understanding." Voph knew that his opinion was not shared by all in the party, and he prayed silently that they would follow his lead. "If you would permit us, we would seek to learn more of this...Omni."

The Manifold || Patience
Gerwald Lechner || Lunara Azure
Rann Thress || Oleander Webb

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[Dreidi Xeraic]

Tag: Felix Aquila
​

Things were just becoming more confusing, it was weird how important tea was to this guy. Like was tea really that great and there was something wrong with Dreidi for not being a fan of it? Dreidi shook her head as she thought about the different types of tea and the different types had all different flavours and it could be overwhelming when trying to think about it all. Instead, Dreidi just shrugged listening to the guy ranting on about tea and how it is probably the best thing, only thing, to smuggle. "Dunno, think there are other things, like music that is something more important than tea." Dreidi couldn't think of a life that did not enjoy music, she thought it was a half life to live without music in your life.

She bit her bottom lip when he mentioned her still being in training, while her age meant that she was clearly a Padawan, it wasn't fun to hear others talk about it especially since others tended to look down on her when she mentions being a Padawan. Like somehow a Padawan is a lesser Jedi or something, at least she had experienced it several times and she did not want to keep being looked down upon. However, now was not the time to fight or argue about the views of being a Padawan and this one did not seem to be looking down upon her. "I am a Padawan of Master Asaraa Vaashe." Dreidi admitted as she looked down, "she is my sister as well."

When he offered to do some sparring while they had some free time, Dreidi looked up surprised since she did not think this person was a Force User. The way he carried himself and acted was not one that she had seen in most Force Users. Dreidi knew to not base judgements on the book's cover but she also couldn't help to make assumptions when she was meeting a complete stranger. "I... Uh..." Caught off guard, Dreidi wasn't sure what to do and if she was interested or not. However, when he revealed his own Lightsaber and questioned whether she had made her own, Dreidi pulled out her own Lightsaber.

The Lightsaber was a simple design with black leather wrappings around the grip. This was clearly a simple but comfortable Lightsaber to hold, she held it in a reverse grip, changing the settings to practice intensity before activating the dark orange Lightsaber. "Sure, I can duel."​

 

[The Manifold]

Hypergate Kamino: Netherworld Side
Kyyrk | Rann Thress | Oleander Webb​

"Oblivion: Inhabited," The Manifold confirmed, a seemingly wry undertone to their otherwise emotionless voice. The mortals claimed to come in peace, and the one who had spoken even seemed to lower his weapon, lending some evidence to the claim. Still, the drone had learned to be wary of organic trespassers; all those it had encountered so far had been bent on carving out their own petty kingdoms within Omni's domain, a course of action that The Manifold could not tolerate. And when they had offered to enlighten the mortals, filling them with the Droid God's blessing so that they could truly understand Its divine intentions, the organics had universally resisted conversion.

Curious, shortsighted beings, so committed to the chaos born of their treasured "free will". The drone couldn't see why.

"Omni: Droid God," The Manifold explained. As they spoke, flexible metal cables began to emerge from dataports set into the drone's waxy palms. The pallid flesh of their arms rippled and distended grossly as the cables slithered through them, lengthening until they were extended well over a meter. The technological tentacles were each tipped with a datajack that looked very much like a thick medical needle, and an eerie blue-green light pulsed along their length; they contained swarms of spiritual nanites bearing massive amounts of techno-religious data, waiting to be implanted into a new host. The cables swished around the drone's hanging body like kelp drifting with the tide.

"Accept: Information," The Manifold commanded, preparing to move forward and inject a drone conversion payload into each of these interlopers. There were, after all, only two ways to correct anomalies in the Great Work that Omni was building: destruction or assimilation. "Achieve: Understanding," they promised, those needle-tipped tendrils drawing closer as they drifted slowly toward the explorers. "Submission: Righteous. Resistance: Heretical. Gift: Accepted?" The last part was clearly a question, if a loaded one; the drone would not be pleased if their offer to become one with the Droid God's will was refused. But what kind of fool would turn down perfection?

 

[Rann Thress]

B E A C H H E A D​

WEARING:

TAG: Kyyrk Oleander Webb The Manifold Patience Gerwald Lechner Lunara Azure

The feeling of uneasiness only grew as time went on. The certainty that Rann felt about being surrounded by enemies served only to increase this feeling. Rann was one sneaky approach away from exploding in to a fiery psychopathic beserker threatening destruction of worlds wholesale. He tried to give himself a chance to calm down, relax before he made a fool of himself, but the sudden appearance of The Manifold ended that dream.



When the order came to halt, Rann was incredulous. He had expected the Nether to be filled with the dead. Organic dead. Not some…unnatural robotic creation. Rann did not follow orders from the Living without question. He certainly would not bow to this wind up toy.



However, as he observed the entity, he did stand aside and allow Voph to interact with it. To know thy enemy is to defeat them. Rann would give Voph a chance to learn what he needed. And so, as they spoke he remained silently furious. Enraged that this thing inhabit this place. Ever more evidence that his mission was correct. If this thing is not natural, it was made. And if this…Omni, is the thing that made it. Something made Omni. The meddling of the living reared it’s ugly head once again.



“I hope you got what you needed, Voph.” He said, drawing his lightsabers and igniting them. He stated at this…thing with hatred and determination. “Because we’ve let this thing jaw on for too long,” he finished, pointing a lightsaber straight at It. The Confederacy had their mission, perhaps Voph had his, but Rann was driven by glorious purpose. There was no shade of gray. The Nether was a constant source of turmoil and grief. This thing proved it. It had to go.

There was a tact to be used. Protocol to be followed and diplomacy to be attempted, but Rann didn’t care for any of it. He wasn’t a liar, he wasn’t a trickster. He was a warrior. He was angry. And he would get the fight he sought.

“I will reduce you and your droid god to scrap. You are an abomination and your master even more so. ” He stepped forward between his group and their Adversary, flourishing his lightsabers ahead of him. He turned his head back to Voph slightly, “No more talk. No more friend making. It dies.”he turned his head back to fact his foe and prepared himself for the fight. He would not allow this foul creation to dictate how he lived his life. Rann was the only boss of Rann. Now and forever.



“I spit on your ‘gift.’ Now come, Freak. Come meet your end at the hands of a heretic.”



​

 

[Felix Aquila]

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Tag: John Locke // Dreidi Xeraic

"I find a lot of music distracting while I'm working, its another waveform I have to keep track of while I'm already trying to keep track of other waveforms" He admitted, "But I know a couple of people that would be true for." He'd agree, music would indeed be worth smuggling in, but everyone had their things. His was tea. But as their conversation moved towards the duel he would wait for Dreidi to be able to speak her mind. Drawing a rather standard lightsaber blade and moving it into a typically defensive ice pick grip.

Felix too would extend his short duelists blade it was a fine weapon caught somewhere between a shoto and a full length saber. The slender bladed weapon was not one made for deflecting projectiles fired from blasters, but rather one that afforded him precision, reminding him of the foils that he used to wield. But as the Padawan ejected their saber Felix would smile in turn, comparing his own golden orange blade to that of Dreidi's, musing over the fact that their weapons matched.

He was interested in the teaching of the Lord Vigilant... rumor circulated, had he not been taken under the wing of a no talent drunken buffoon and left to his own devices and put into service of someone like her... he could only imagine the heights and wasted time that he would have been able to avoid. To his understanding however, she was more of a soldier as a blades-woman, well rounded and expert in myriad fields of combat while Felix considered himself more a duelist, more specialized and niche to both his credit and detriment.

"You're lucky, Lady Asaraa Vaashe is an extremely talented master, I hear about them in the same circles as Lady Lunara Azure. I must confess, when I joined my eye was on her to be my master... sadly I was... disappointed. But I'm interested to see her teachings."

His smile would become wry as his eyes would spark alive with snide cunning. Flourishing his blade, left to right to come to a complete stop before himself, lightning up his face and perfectly in line with his spine in a fencer's salute. Hearing the hum of his blade as he would flick the point of his weapon to out to face his opponent, point first. Reaching into his blade with the force to dial its power settings down to be safe for practice. Finally, he would sweep one of his feet back to brace with his left arm behind his back to keep a smaller side on profile, one that was harder to hit. Traditional Makashi.

The stakes were a little higher now, Felix's words had made this padawan a sort of banner bearer for her master, her performance reflecting directly upon the impression of her teacher. Was this something that the young woman would take seriously? Or, like his tea, would it be yet another point to go over her head? But the young noble would offer one last gift.

"I'll let you decide the pace, if at any point you'd like to test your skill in the force, feel free."
​

 

[Oleander Webb]

INVENTORY: x | x | x
TAG: Gerwald Lechner | Kyyrk | Lunara Azure | Rann Thress | Patience | The Manifold

"At least, I've yet to learn if it is possible to kill the dead again."

From his short distance behind, a chuckle reverberated in the back of Oleander's throat. "There are ways," the avatar of death offered. The tattoo inked into his forearm, indicative of his mortal trade, burned slightly with his words. A reminder of his ever-present purpose, one that the gateways risked circumventing. "There are always ways."

As his allies of flesh slowed to a halt, so too did Oleander, moving forward a few paces to join the two as they greeted the mechanical creature. His head tilted to the side, considering its words. Grey eyes narrowed a fraction as the droid's being expanded and shifted, tentacles writhing. Curiosity had the Anzat taking a deep inhale, hidden proboscises twitching in their pouches as they took stock of the world around them. He could sense Voph and Rann and the delectable soup they both offered. But those were expected, accounted for, though the early rumblings hunger that followed his short survey might suggest otherwise. What was far more interesting was the sensation he got from the mechanical being before them.

There was power there, much like the soup that sustained him, but it was different, tainted, inaccessible.

Curious.

“I hope you got what you needed, Voph, because we’ve let this thing jaw on for too long.”

As Rann stepped forward, speaking out with his rage, an unimpressed brow rose in response. "What, pray tell, would be just long enough?" He mumbled just barely above a whisper, a hand drifting to his own saber lest the other's response condemn them all to violence. It seemed this one was quick to make judgments, just as he was quick to start fights. But a fire quick to start was also quick to burn out. Though the disinterest in submission, as the droid put it, was shared, going to the frontal assault immediately was the tactic of brutes.

His mind reached out to Gerwald Lechner , following up with his observations as ordered. <Your friend is quick to anger. If any soup is spilled this day, it'll likely be his.>

 

[Iuuna Talon]

A single girl lost and alone, afraid and not at home she wandered and roamed.

She had been given the gift, a token in which to leave it was her ticket to getaway.

Light trapped by darkness, someone desperate to make it right.

She was cold and alone, cold but not broken, cold but not taken her mind wasn't spun down into destruction.

Lost and alone she cried out for help.

Srina Talon | Var Talon ​

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[Dreidi Xeraic]

Tag: Felix Aquila
​

Hearing that music was a distraction, her jaw dropped, music was life for her. How could anyone find it distracting and not helpful when doing some monotonous tasks. But then he mentioned keeping track of waveforms, Dreidi tilted her head confused, could people keep track of waveforms? She was curious by what he meant but events continue and she decided if she remember to ask him after the duel, for now, she would focus on the duel and the offer of combat. Her training wasn't limited by her Master, she had been trained in Lightsaber combat by her father as soon as she could hold a practice saber in her hand. It had been fun to spend time with her father, who was often running the Order when she was born so seeing him was rarity, however over the years her interest was stagnated to the point she was not often seen fighting.

Seeing him ignite a dark orange Lightsaber, Dreidi cocked an eyebrow, it was an interesting turn of events and the Lightsaber was unique in the appearance. It was thinner and not completely a shoto Lightsaber. However, Dreidi had dealt with people who used a more fencing style of Lightsabers when she only had to, it was tricky in terms of being on the defensive but Dreidi knew that she couldn't let her opponent guide the fight since then she could be constantly on the backfoot and struggling to keep up with the variety of attacks that her opponent could use in comparison to Dreidi. She was glad that her Master saw combat in fencing style as well as her current opponent.

When he mentioned Asaraa and offering her high praise, Dreidi knew that she didn't need to feel the pressure but the pressure was dumped on Dreidi hard as she swallowed hard. "I...I..." Dreidi stuttered in response, coughing a little to clear her throat, "I'm sure she would try telling you off her praising her so highly and that she just does her job. She's my sister as well as my Master, so she had her eye on training me for a good few years before taking me on as her Padawan." Dreidi admitted as she kept her eye on the opponent, he was clearly someone interested in learning more about her Master through her, which was frustrating since Dreidi knew she had to represent her Master best she could but she was also struggling since she was still very much learning and absorbing the things Asaraa taught her while also learning from others.

Makashi, seemed to make sense with everything else that she had heard and seen of him. Dreidi knew that her Master saw Lightsaber fighting in a more traditional fencing style, there was also brutal Asaraa that whacked opponents till they stopped but usually that would involve different weapons to do so. Dreidi inhaling deeply as she moved around slowly, be aware of the circles of combat. Be aware of the circles of combat. Hearing her Master's voice in her head as she moved around, eyes assessing her opponent best she could. Force powers to spice things up? Interesting, a lot of her training as of late had been focused on the Force and she had a few tricks if needed.

Rushing forward, spinning around mid-air as she attack with her Lightsaber. Trying to push the fight in the direction she wanted, while also not revealing yet where her speciality laid.

 

[The Manifold]

Hypergate Kamino: Netherworld Side
Kyyrk | Rann Thress | Oleander Webb​

"Response: Predictable," The Manifold flatly stated, showing no emotion - or any sense of alarm - in the wake of Rann's outright hostility. "Organics: Shortsighted." In all their encounters with anomalies intruding upon the Droid God's domain, the drone had not yet seen any of the little errors willing to accept Omni's authority. They were like squalling children, wailing against the harsh dictates of a parent - even though the parent, who understood the galaxy far more than they did, was setting down rightful and reasonable restrictions. These glitches were extremely prone to emotional responses, and tended to use violence against anything they could not understand.

Only when Omni pacified all of existence, mastering the living and the dead, could such children be uplifted to perfection.

Despite the clear danger of its powerful mechanical tentacles, and the transforming nanites coursing through them, The Manifold actually backed off slightly in the face of the hostile response. They drifted slightly backward, dangling toes brushing the loam of the forest floor, and their tendrils slid halfway back into the dataports in their hands. It was not that they were afraid, or that they did not believe they could defeat these organic upstarts. They were a child of the Machine Spirit's divine perfection, and were certainly powerful enough to stand against these interlopers, perhaps even to defeat them outright. But that was not what their programming had bidden them to do.

"Warning: Delivered," The Manifold told the CIS explorers. "Proceeding: Foolish. Recommendation: Depart." Then they turned to go, exposing the pale expanse of their corpselike, implant-strewn back to the Knights Obsidian.

 

[Srina Talon]

Dressed in: Grey
Tag: Iuuna Talon

_________________________________________________________​

Nightmare.

It was the only thing to call it. A whisper in the back of her mind that she could still hear in the light of day with her eyes open. She could hear someone crying. Literally, crying. She stared into the nothing that she wasn’t supposed to be in and listened for it. Waited, for it.

The Knights Obsidian were supposed to be exploring the Void.

She was supposed to be on Naboo ensuring that the rumors of corruption were both heard and dispelled. The rampant, blatant, unfounded paranoia had successfully shut down one of the few bastions they all had to look toward since the inception of the mission into the Nether. She was supposed to be ensuring that the government still ran, as intended, and that rebellions didn’t crop up in protected systems that felt abandoned.

It was a nightmare.

But here she was. Where she should not be. Everything looked strange while she moved through the mists and separated from the group that seemed to be preoccupied. No one noticed the grey-cloaked Echani with a suppressed Force Signature slip away.

Why was she here? Why was she being called—Why here? Why now?

Part of her wondered if it was Tellu. Back from the grave, again. She was growing weary of getting so close to holding her sibling again and then to have her torn away. It broke her heart. At least, it broke the heart that she had left. Srina had lost so much over the years.

She could take no more.

So. Who was it this time? Who was calling out to her now?

It felt familiar but not. Lost, in the annuls of the Netherworld. Blocked.

“…You have what you wanted. I’m here. Where are you?”

 

[Iuuna Talon]

​

A cry broke out, a sound emerged, "Iuuna."

She walked along the path the token illuminated her way. Tellu's light was her guide, a promise made and a promise kept. Iuuna would be able to rise in her place and explore the life that she should have had. A life that had been ripped away. From the fog and the clouds, she emerged before the woman she called out for. "I am Iuuna."

"My mother was given this," she offered the token that glowed there in the darkness. It radiated with Tellu's energy and the girl explained. "It was to be hers, a way to leave this place but she gave it to me. So that I might live a life beyond this realm." Iuuna was confused, "but I am not clear as to why I was to call to you, my mother Aela said that you would explain yourself."

"I was told that you would care for me."

A whisper from the token, a promise to Srina from Tellu that a part of her would always be there.

Srina Talon ​

 

[Lunara Azure]

​

Wearing: Tempest Mantle | Tempestus​

Tagging: Gerwald Lechner | OPEN​

​

“You had to go an jinx it didn’t you? You just had to go and say it.”

Lunara wasn’t quite sure what she was referring to when she spoke. A sea monster, especially one from here, would be a formidable foe twisted as it would be by its environment. Lunara could feel the concentration of the force in the air, the force so thick she could almost taste it as she breathed in and out. So thick she could almost reach out with a hand to shape it, bending it to her will. The blonde had never been anywhere that felt so alive with the force, and so foreboding as well. She had seen how the force could twist the creatures that lived there, darkside nexus’ turning the animals and plants that lived around them into twisted shadows of their former selves. A normal sea monster was bad enough, but one that had been twisted by the force this place…that could only spell trouble.

Yet…that wasn’t the worst thing they could find, the entity that could cause the worst wounds. Wounds of the body could be healed given time and focus, but wounds of the spirit were another matter altogether. Those wounds could fester, took much longer to heal, if they ever did. The woman knew from experience that sometimes those wounds wouldn’t heal, would always strain and pull at you at your thoughts and emotions. She knew that all to well. A hand reached up to press a hand to the ring pressed against her skin, eyes unfocusing for a moment as the memories washed over her before she shook them loose. She knew how the man’s thoughts revolved around his lost friend, the promise he’d made.

A monster they could handle, but a ghost, the emotions and thoughts tied up in a memory, that she wasn’t so sure they could handle.

That he could handle.

The blonde closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she reached out through the force. She could hear Gerwald fighting with his commlink, struggling to get in touch with the other teams out there.

“They’re ok at least, we know they’re alive.”

Sometimes when technology failed you you had to resort to something a little more versatile, and the force hadn’t let her down, unlike that commlink in Gerwald’s hands.

“See this is why we need squires to act as runners, we could have them running messages to and from the gate to keep us in touch with one another. Like the armies did in the past.”

Blue eyes glanced over, meeting the wolf’s gaze as she let a smile turn up her lips, an amused light dancing across her eyes.

“If you want to head back, check on the other teams, take a nap then I can handle the scouting out here. How bad could it be?”

If he’d been here before…if this was the place he kept returning to in his dreams…the woman wasn’t entirely sure that he wouldn’t be…distracted in the moment when the Knights Obsidian needed him the most.

​

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[Srina Talon]

Dressed in: Grey
Tag: Iuuna Talon​

A cry broke out, a sound emerged, "Iuuna."

That was a name she hadn’t heard in many, many moons.

“…Iuuna?”

Srina blinked in the blank vastness of the Nether and felt something pull her toward the voice. The realm seemed to distort everything. From the way she viewed it to her ability to use the Force itself. She had sentenced many to dwell within the darkness, to wander, alone, eternally and she couldn’t help but wonder if this was how it happened.

Was this how they got lost? How they never found their way home? Following the voices of disgruntled spirits?

The fog parted and multi-colored lights moved while something that resembled crooked trees seemed to illuminate behind her. Srina could make out a forest, but it was hidden and endless. Through the some a young voice called to her. She would make her way forward. To help her. Iuuna. But this felt like some sort of trick. It wasn’t a way to save the day. Srina, couldn’t save her.

Iuuna had died as an infant on Eshan.

The pale white-haired youngling that emerged was known to her. Before she even offered up the fact that she carried an energy that belonged to Tellu, Srina, could see it. She looked just like her. Both like Tellu and Aela. The explanation was both more and less than she had hoped for. The feeling of losing Tellu again was like swallowing glass. Would she never have her sister back?

For a moment the pale Exarch remained quiet.

Quietness was broken when she heard the voice of Tellu from the token.

“I held you when you were small. I never knew that you were here, all this time, growing up.”

Srina hadn’t known much about the Netherworld or life after death when she’d lived on Eshan. That knowledge had only come more recently, with training, time, and effort. Her chest felt tight. It hurt to breathe. Both, because of a forbidden hope that this really was her long-lost niece but because it seemed to be a final exchange from Tellu. This was the end.

Her sister wouldn’t be coming back. Instead, Srina was given her most precious thing.

“I am your family. Tellu is my sister. If you wish it, if they wish it, I will take you from this place.”

It was a small promise. How could she offer Tellu anything else?

Iunna deserved a chance to live just as much as anyone.

 

[Felix Aquila]

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Tag: John Locke // Dreidi Xeraic

Felix could image in the kind of master her sister would have been, stern, modest but frighteningly practical. Soldiers often were. But he was certain there was a kinder side considering the attitude of the sister that he had before him. Dreidi was a little bratish, having a sibling like that was usually a metric by which a person was often tempered into some humility. Tenderized with their antics bashing your senses over and over, a persistent sense of annoyance... but one you grow accustomed to loving. But putting Dreidi on the back foot, flustering her just that little bit causing her to stutter warmed the heart of the noble lad.

Sure enough she would begin to circle, Felix would move to keep her at the front, the tip of his weapon pointing ever at her heart like a compass pointing true north. Inhaling deeply Felix would begin to feel the world fall away, the thought of combat entering his mind as he would begin to pool on the force, his eyes beginning to shimmer a royal gold as the information of his opponent would begin to flood through his eyes, taking note of the beams of light which, to him almost emitted a sound, a light chime along the wind as he could perceive where they struck, strings of the ethereal harp that made up his world, a celestial chorus of light cascading in eternal cacophony of colour.

His vision would narrow, focus, all that wasn't his opponent would fade away amid the calm as the Duelist could feel his body lighten, feeling control of every muscle and tendon, flexing his grip on his weapon to test his hands' digits. There was only him and Dreidi now, an arena of empty boxes as Felix's tunnel vision eliminated everything else from his absolute focus... Then he would exhale ready, opening the eyes to see the world from a new perspective, from his salute she was the center of his universe tinted in her aura as Dreidi seemed to be keen to make the first move... she did say she liked music... didn't she?

ɑ̃ ɡard!​

She would charge, a patter of steps across the dusty earth played as the opening drums of combat, leading her to leap enough to gain the momentum for a heavy lariat with her reverse gripped blade aimed horizontally across his chest. At the curtains call it seemed that this performance would be one played in fortissimo! Tried and true, the quick hop in her movement ensured that all of her weight was thrown behind the momentum of the strike, the bass of her blade hewing through the air a bow of golden lightning playing the winds themselves with its beautiful bass. The attack was difficult to block with a one handed saber... but not impossible for the duelist.

Felix envisioned himself as the conductor of this orchestra, allowing his body to sway as she would cut for him, the ebbs and flows of her music rolling over his body as he would cave to their waves. Waiting until the last possible moment as Felix would lower his wrist to allow her blade to pass over-top of his own, leaning backwards to allow the angle of her blade to narrowly miss his chest. No sooner than her blade crossed over his, he would flick his weapon to swat at the back of her saber, the clash striking as the thunderous cymbals guiding it away from his body as he would push himself to her opposite side in a deft parry that would agree with her momentum rather than attempt to work against it.

With a flourish of his baton he routed her to his left, stepping right he would duck low in anticipation for her swinging with her twirling momentum as she'd round of her strike, his blade hummed with the strings eagerly following his command, second violins and violas leaping to beatific harmony as he would intend to effectively put her on defense as Felix would swing for the backs of her knees. The counter was brilliant, swift and powerful, slamming for an exposed part of her body totally opposite her weapon, the location of the stroke making it exceedingly difficult for her to bring her blade there in time as he would move to take the attack. Felix would decide this symphonies' key, but he respected her initiative.

Three strikes in succession, seminotes in melody as his first for the back of her knees with her back turned would route to an upward strike, rising from the ground with a high thrust for her center chest with the intention of swatting his blade in her direction as his final stroke should she move to evade to a side with yet another flick of his wrists. Stepping forward with his blade as his blows would hope to land, keeping only the combat tip of his weapon within range of her frame, using the length of his arm to keep Dreidi at bay for now, positioning his rival musician in her row. If she wanted to get an attack on him, she would need to get past his guard and strike quick! But with the quick semitones of his blade cutting a swathe through the air in deathly flurry, Felix's weapon was a blur of amber across the afternoon sky... she would find it difficult.

But, the goal of any conductor was to challenge his musicians, to bring out their best... was Dreidi a concert headliner? Or would she fade to the faceless pews of the orchestra?
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[Iuuna Talon]

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Iuuna approached Srina and titled her head, curiously she looked at the woman in front of her. Her hands moved from her sides as she then touched Srina's face. "You are not of this realm, are you." A statement, not a question as she withdrew her touch. "My mothers wish for me to go with you," she explained and then looked back. There faintly seen were her mothers, Aela and Tellu who held onto each other and motioned for Iuuna to step toward Srina.

"I believe you are to be my guardian, and that you are to take me from here." Iuuna who looked no more than sixteen pushed strands of her white hair back. "You said my mother was your sister, then, does this make you my aunt?" Concepts such as family beyond the immediate was somewhat foreign to Iuuna. "This will allow me to leave here."

The younger Talon presented the token to Srina.

Srina Talon ​

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Tag: Felix Aquila
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Dreidi's attack did not go to plan. To say that she had been a tad ambitious, Dreidi cursed herself as she watched the opponent move gracefully and start his counter attack on her, there was little that she could do while in the air. She knew Masters of Ataru, the style she was attempting to mimic poorly right now, who could move freely mid-air but as she tried to twist in the air there was little she could do. The attacks to her legs would be game ending if they connected, at least game ending in her mind since her father and Master taught her that even in practice, if a blow from a Lightsaber lands it is often a fatal blow. Seeing the attack as she contorted her body to follow the opponent's movement, she reached out to the Force and thought of the only thing she could do in this situation.

Blast herself away.

A Force Push was released, nothing amazing but it did move the Padawan's body backwards in the recoil and send her hard into the ground. She coughed hard as she felt the wind rushed out of her body, it wasn't pleasant but Dreidi gripped her saber tight into her hand. It seemed that if she was going to approach this fight then she would need to think smarter, this was someone who wasn't going to be easy. Breathing in deeply, Dreidi thought back to all the training that had been instilled in her, she was trained by the best Jedi in the CIS and before that took lessons from one of the best Lightsaber fighters in the SJC. She had to prove her worth in combat, she just had to. Failure wasn't an option for Dreidi.

From what she learnt from the first encounter, he was fast, he was ready to counter even an attack from the air and he was dedicated to Makashi. Stepping around the circle, she thought about how to approach next, how was she going to fight someone skilled in Makashi, this style of fighting was always favoured to them due to the duellist nature of sparring. Dreidi growled, she should have known this before she started attacking, it was foolish of her. But she knew what she had to do now, she had to be tricky, sneaky and make this duel a little dirtier/scrappier so that Makashi style was more disadvantaged. At least, that was the plan she had in mind.

Moving forward cautiously, she watched her opponent fairly before rushing forward again. This time, she somersaulted in the air and went for a strike to the head, however this was a feint and her real target was ensuring that a strike to Felix's knee from her foot would connect to unbalance him.​

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

F O O T H O L D​

WEARING: xxx
WEAPONS: Wolfsbane | Ferrum Solus | Icebreaker | Stormafbryder
ALLIES: @Voph | Rann Thress | Lunara Azure | Oleander Webb | Verin Oldo

Static mixed with snippets of Verin Oldo’s message continued through to the comms. Gerwald did his best to send a message in return affirming he understood, but was not sure that they would get it.

He turned to Lunara.

“We aren’t going back just yet, but we need to figure out what is causing that interference and hope our scientists on the other side are doing the same. Hopefully they come up with a solution.”

Gerwald grew serious the more they ventured about the area. Several thoughts weighed at him. He did not need to know what the others were thinking. All of them had broadcast their feelings, and the force seemed to be exceedingly strong in this place. The lupine had the same question of himself to a degree. Would he be able to do what needed to be done without turning this into a selfish rescue mission? Naturally he would try to do both if that were possible, but if it were not?

He was confident his track record spoke for itself. Every time he had been faced with the choice of doing his duty or rescuing Naedira, he always chose duty. SHE would not have it any other way.

“I can’t sleep here. I just know this feels like the place I come in my nightmares.”

His answer was likely cryptic, save for the fact Gerwald had told Lunara of the dreams. She and Srina Talon were the only two that knew of his trouble sleeping, aside from his squire Palm-Imer . There were few he trusted with that information. Many would call his ability to lead into question had they known, and rightfully so. Yet, Gerwald would not allow this to be the thing which controlled him. Too many had spent their time teaching him to become his own master for something of the Netehr to take control of him.

There was only one difference about this place. Gerwald did not feel the presence which haunted his dreams.

Odd.

Oleander pressed into his mind. A warning about the hot tempered one. ( Rann Thress )

< "Don't let him do anything stupid," > his thoughts answered.

Then he felt it. Something. A ripple in the force or a presence that had suddenly came into his senses.

“Maybe I did jinx it,” he teased the blonde.

Stepping forward Gerwald called out.

“Show yourself… if you’re out there!”
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[Felix Aquila]

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Tag: John Locke // Dreidi Xeraic

Inches from making impact, the singing thrum of his saber looking to connect with the back of her knees Felix watched as she would twist in the air, letting out a hand not quite directed at him. Bending his knee and locking his muscles the knight was able to keep his footing as the blast of wind and dust rolled past him as the deep bass drum hammered with all the righteous thunder of a pagan god. The trumpeting force of the resonating blast caused the heels of Aquilas feet to grind several feet across the earth, guarding his face with his forearms instinctual, phantom shield clad across his left arm, but only a memory as his eyes moved to gaze upon it.

A grimace laden smirk flashed across the face of the man as adrenaline tainted blood flooded waiting veins, lightning his mind with the keen senses he required to better see before him. With her transparent blast, although the noble duelist stood upon his feet, it was a powerful enough blast to unhinge and destroy the bars of restraint placed upon the practice duel. He had to admit however, that the maneuver she had attempted was an advanced one, but as it cast her down upon the earth, Felix stalled his following barrage. This time circling her as he would await her to stand.

Face to face, mirroring one another there would be a moments pause. "Not bad, desperate, but not bad..." Felix would utter before she would charge him, and in turn Felix would take a quick two steps to meet her, not allowing her to take sole momentum from a charge. Closing in to half way between them Dreidi would leap, classic Ataru Maneuver as she would engage with an overhand strike casting her blade down towards her opponent. Felix would raise his blade in defense at a moments notice, moving to strike her weapon to a side then down, forcing its tip towards the earth, before using her arm as a guide to strike up towards her neck. The Knights Parry. Felix had finished a dozen duels with this maneuver, but as he attempted to maneuver her blade the side of his knee sang out with the stomp from her strike. Biting pain as he would collapse to one knee with the force immediately rolling across a shoulder and wrapping his blade around his broadside defensively to cover for himself.

Planting his spare hand he would handstand out of his roll a few feet away, bending on his hit leg as it made contact with the ground. he had taken worse, but he had to admit with gravity behind it the blow had hurt. The Knight was proud, smiling happily and with excitement at the daring, cunning and resourcefulness of his opponent, she had certainly received training beyond her years as an apprentice to her sister.

Pointing his blade towards her again, returning to form Felix would make a visable show of loweing his blade to his side as he would focus upon the force, eyes of gold with silver veins splitting through them like cracks would glimmer in the daylight like steel as his weapon would simply vanish to the eyes of the Padawan. Likely retracted as a single splitting sound could be heard at the time of its occurence. Felix would charge three steps before thrusting the supposed withdrawn lightsaber towards her, the buzzing of the weapon penetrating the air still strangely audible as it saught to penetrate the Padawan's gut. The sound was not the blade retracting, but it extending to the full length of a duelists' saber, adding on another full foot of length intending to deceive the eye and ear.

Felix would open up with a flourish of the invisible blade, awaiting her to block, and flicking his wrist in such a manner to scissor his weapon towards her wrists with the additional foot of the blade she had not witnessed existing or had gotten used to seeing. A strike for her knee rotating for a strike to her shoulder, flick, as he would pivot his weapon at the point on contact for her wrist, knowing that the basket on his hand-guard would protect his own as his left arm still kept safe behind his back.

Could Dreidi adapt so quickly? Could she deny what her prior senses had already told her to defend herself?
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