Liar, Liar

[Connor Harrison]

Former Imperial Research Facility
Duro, Core Worlds​

The huge radar dish used to stand tall above the facility, a way to communicate with the galaxy.

A number of offices and storage hangers surrounded that atop a pinnacle of rock.

Below, the tomb like entrance to the Imperial Research Facility which displayed the proud Imperial insignia to all who came before it. Inside the facility, that was where soldiers were trained, warriors were made and the future of the Empire was forged.

It was also where Joon was forged; grown and trained. It was now, both her and facility alike, a ruin.

Bleak, desolate and lifeless.

She stood at the large boulder blocking the entrance, chunks of earth spat up around her and gaping holes in the rock where the Republic had struck. Joon had sat on this boulder for years as each night looking to the stars wondering when she would be free. Asemir came down from the stars that day, as did Ayra. One was painted to be a liar, one a saviour. However, the lines between which was which were now totally blurred.

Was Asemir really as bad as Ayra has painted out? Where was he now? It made sense that he was, but he had never been heard of again since Joon parted with the Sith for her future training. Now, Ayra seemed to have cast Joon asisde and so the young Apprentice took it upon herself to find out what had gone wrong and what she could do to fix it. Taeli Raaf had partially opened her eyes, and now being back at the only home she knew could open them more.

She climbed up onto the boulder, her stolen ship beside it, and lay back to see the bright blue afternoon sky. She would probably stay here all day until the night drew in to see if another savior arrived.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

OOC:
Reading the title. Triggered!

IC:

How long had it been? He wasn't sure. Months, right? If not years? When had he last set foot on Duro. It was long enough that he wasn't quite positive, yet not so long that the encounter had faded from memory. He remembered that he had left Joon with some supplies and a communicator, and a promise to keep in touch. That promise, he recalled with a wince, had been broken. To be fair, Joon hadn't reached out to him, but he hadn't made the effort either.

Not to mention she hadn't given her a way to communicate with her. The communicator had been two-way, but that required that Joon made the first call. It was a stupid mistake, a mistake that hadn't occurred to him until now.

And so, with that realization, he had decided a personal visit was in order. There was no guarantee that she was still on Duro. Perhaps the Imperials really had returned to fetch her. Or maybe she had found a way off the planet. Worse, she could have perished. Asemir found that unlikely though. The Imperial base must have been home to tons of supplies.

It felt like deja vu as he exited his ship. Well, if he didn't count the lack of dust this time. Or another ship within walking distance of the ruins. So, it really wasn't that much like deja vu. Except for that boulder, on which a figure lay.

He assumed it was Joon. Her Force signature was the same, but it felt... different. Stronger. More focused? She must have left the planet. The ship was indication of that, but her aura. Had she found a teacher? He hadn't even realized that she was a Force user.

Asemir stopped a short distance from the boulder, hands empty, no weapons except for the sword and lightsaber that were ever-present.

"Hello! Joon?" he called. "It's been a while."

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The voice was familiar, and the girl thought she'd fallen asleep. But for the last hour she had been wide awake and heard all the passing cruisers, wildlife and other diegetic noise around Duro. She hadn't, however, heard the mysterious liar return. She unhooked her hands from behind her head and snapped her head up, turned and saw the man she had seen in this very spot months before.

The liar and the one out to kill her!

Joon gasped, and pushed down with her hands, rolling backwards and falling a little awkwardly over the other side of the boulder and crouching down, hand fumbling for that blasted lightsaber hilt fixed to her belt. She didn't know how to use it well or what, but she would use it as she had to if he tried to kill her. She stayed quiet, just like she had the first time they met, but this time she had a head full of information from Darth Ayra about the man Asemir.

Part of her wanted to call out, but part of her wanted to hide and say nothing. The only Joon would have hid. The new Joon didn't want to be afraid.

”What are you doing here Asemir Lor'kora!” She shouted it loud to be heard, and it wasn't most welcoming.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

Joon landed in a crouch, perhaps a little awkwardly, with lightsaber in hand. Her voice, her tone, well, it wasn't what Asemir expected to hear. It was a threat response, and Asemir had to consciously keep his body from responding in kind.

He held his hands away from his body, palms out. Maybe he had surprised her? Maybe that was why she was so apprehensive? He wasn't sure. "I came back to check on you," Asemir replied honestly. "All that time ago, I left with a promise saying that I'd keep in touch. I'm sorry, but I failed, and I apologize. Never mind that I didn't have a way to contact you. I felt it would be best if I came back to see how you were doing."

He took a few steps forward. His eyes flickered towards Joon's lightsaber. It was still deactivated, but it trembled, just slightly. "I'm not here to fight or for violence or anything. You can put the lightsaber away. Like I said, I'm just here to see how you are. What you've been up to. To see how you've been."

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

See - that wasn't how a liar spoke, was it? He was telling the truth about checking on her, and offering her help, because he had said that. But, then, that's what he would want her to think if he was trying to kidnap her or kill her. Wasn't it?

Things were going so wrong and so fast. First Ayra had vanished again, and then Taelie Raaf had embarrased her and made her doubt everything, and now the one person who didn't try to bully her into anything was possibly trying to kill her. From being on the cusp of everything about the Sith and their knowledge, she was more and more alone with nothing to show except an old Sith lightsaber she didn't know how to use.

The Apprentice sighed and rested her brow against the cold rock. She probably looked so different to last time they met. Gone was the long hair, plain face and muted grey clothing; now it was choppy hair, streaks of red, black and tan clothes and a hard face complete with a temporary tattoo she wanted for the hell of it under her eye. All to look like someone else.

Who was she kidding. Probably not him, and not herself.

”I'm doing fine, thank you. If you can leave my home, I will be happier. Thank you.”

Two thank-yous in one line of speech. Joon was cracking again.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

Asemir didn't move or respond for a bit. He watched Joon, visually and through the Force, sensing her confusion, frustration, exhaustion. Her manner of dress was all different from when they had first met. She was not the young woman who wanted to see the galaxy and was eager to greet the universe. Instead, Joon was something else. Perhaps a little stronger in the Force, but just as equally lost and maybe broken?

The Forgotten let out a tired sigh, ignoring her request to leave. He stepped forward a bit more, not so close as to be a threat, but close enough to make the encounter a little more less formal. He gestured at a bare spot on the ground. "Mind if I sit?"

Waiting for just a heartbeat, he sat beside her and unshouldered his pack. After a moment, he rummaged through the pack and offered a paper-wrapped sandwich. "Are you hungry? It's something I picked up on the way in. Artisan bread, organic tomatoes. The meat is from free-range nerfs. It's quite good."

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

No! He wouldn't get away with offering food again, and she, the last of the JN soldiers, would NOT crack! He wouldn't make her, and neither would Ayra!

She stood up, as if someone had planted a charge in her feet, and stormed over to him. With one swipe, she knocked out the outstretched food, eyes never leaving his. So full of mystery still. Her finger jabbed to a point.

"Forget your bread and meat Asemir Lor'kora. Tell me who you are and what you really want with me. It's not a coincidence you're here again when I am! And don't tell me anymore lies or I'll kill you right now, I swear it."

The Dark Side fuelled her anger, and it felt empowering - her eyes crackled with power that she was in control of. Or so she thought.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

A flare of anger to match what was pulsing through Joon's veins. Asemir knew he could have broken her finger and shattered her arm and eviscerated her before the bread and meat and veggies completed their journey through the air. But that moment lasted for less than a heartbeat, barely registering across Asemir's eyes as a flicker.

He glanced sadly at the ruined sandwich and decided he would have to choose his words carefully. The Dark Side sang brightly from Joon now, and though he didn't doubt for an instant that he could fend her off, he really didn't want to hurt her.

"I'm not telling you any lies," Asemir said slowly, carefully. "My name is Asemir Lor'kora. I hail from the Xedael Empire, many, many light years from here. I was a soldier by profession, trained from birth for the military. I have led men into battle, and I once held the rank of colonel. Forty years ago or so, I had cause to leave my home and that was when I started to travel the galaxy. I met many others, experienced life outside of that sector of space.

"The last time we met, I really was on planet to survey it for some company. Nothing more. It was pure coincidence that I even met you. And after I left? Fifty years ago, I wouldn't have even thought about returning. I would have left you here and forgotten about you because I was trained as a cold-blooded soldier. But there's this thing called empathy and compassion, right? I've learned that in the last twenty years or so. And so I remembered our meeting, my promise to keep in touch, and I felt guilty for not having to done so. And here I am, to try to fix that promise."

He looked up at her, noting her chopped up hair, contrasting clothing. The anger and fear and corruption in her eyes. Part of him noted with some amusement that she looked exactly like an angsty adolescent seeking help or attention from the world.

"I don't know what happened in the last few months, Joon. When we first met, you were idealistic. You wanted to see the galaxy. You were hopeful. Now you're... angry. Hurt. What changed? Who found you? What happened to that Joon?"

[member=Joon]

 

[Connor Harrison]

It was so...confusing! Why had Ayra said all these things about this man who sounded so honest, and never seemed to make Joon answer these questions that made her brain hurt. His words were true, she could feel it, but it...it didn't make sense!

Joon grimaced, blowing out a frustrated breath, trying to battle with her mind, which was a difficult thing to do. She clenched her hands, pushing one onto her temple.

"But who ARE you to me? Why did you come to ME? What do you want with me?!"

And then she brought both hands over face and screamed into the sweaty palms of her hands out of sheer frustration and anger at Ayra and the lies she had been told by him. By her. Herself. Anyone! Eveyone! She missed the security she called home. After a few seconds, she was red faced and sweating, and faced Asemir again, prickling with rage.

"I am an Apprentice to a Dark Lord of the Sith to follow my true calling as a Sith Lord, taking the place of my sisters and fulfilling the Empire's war against the Republic. That is what happened, Asemir, and I am drowning in pain. I hate her. But I can't leave her. She's all I know, and she's not helping me."

She threw herself forward to the large boulder and leant on it, bent over as if wanting to be sick, but really just sweltering in the growing rage and anger building up inside her that she didn't understand and know how to control without it consuming her. If she could peel off her skin to release the hurt, she would.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

OOC:
Stupid DDOS attacks.

IC:

He stood, watching her. A part of his mind noted her words and genuinely felt pity for Joon. He knew firsthand the pain and anguish caused by becoming ensnared by the Dark Side, of selling his soul to a Sith Lord. It was always so tempting to follow the Dark Side. The promises of power, of vengeance, of justice even, they were too strong to ignore. And it wasn't that the Light Side was any better, just that the Dark Side was so much more appealing and satisfying.

Another part of his mind, the cold, clinical murder that had been trained to kill anyone that stood in the way of a successful mission, started to calculated possible means of escape and combat variables. If she was a Sith Lord's apprentice, that meant he was in danger simply by mere association. And that also meant she could lash out violently and randomly. That boulder there would be a good object to put distance between them. He could kill her now with a quick draw of his blade.

Asemir told that part of his mind to feth off.

"When we first met, you said I was a friend. That is what I am to you, and that is what I am trying to be to you." He took a few careful steps towards Joon and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know the hurt because I've been there. I know the promises the Dark Side always sings. I know what Sith Lords say. Sometimes what they promise comes true. But often times, it's an empty promise that only leads to more pain, either yours or others'. It's not a fun path.

"You have to turn away, Joon. Turning away and friends are the only things that will help with that pain. And you've got friends to help you."

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

She didn't move or lash out as he came to her, but she could feel that tingle in the air, like he was trying to calm her, with that Force power, like a blanket over them both keeping them safe. She did say he was a friend from what she had known of friendship, and he had never hurt her. Never. Unlike Ayra.

"I am not turning away. I don't have friends. Well, many." That was an admission for him he was a friend. color=#ee82ee]"And the pain is only temporary. It will make me stronger, and my Master will help me through, one day. If she trusts me. Which she doesn't seem to."[/color]

Joon looked to the sky for a moment, and then back to the mighty Asemir. She took his hand from her shoulder and cupped it in hers.

"She said you were a killer, and in time you would kill me to finish the job the Republic didn't. That is why I fear you and call you a liar. I'm conflicted, but not unsure of what I am. But I don't want to fight you, because I'll lose. I've already come away from losing to a Jedi scumbag."

She patted his hand and let it drop and span on her heel, looking away from him over the landscape for a few seconds of silence.

"I'll be ok when I find peace with my Master. I have a lot more work to do, training. You'd be proud of what I have done so far."

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

"I've never worked for the Republic, and I will not kill you." Asemir stared across the landscape with her. Duro really was a beautiful world in its own way. "I am proud of what you are now, of the training that you've already completed. I'm proud that you've found a way off world and met other people." He paused. "Even if it is a Sith lord that you've called master."

The Forgotten sighed, turning to face Joon again. "About that. I know you've taken to your master. She's the first one to teach you, to become a mentor. In a sense, she's something like family, I suppose. But you have to be careful, Joon. I may not have ever served the Republic, but I have served Sith Lords. They are always self-serving. Whatever they say or do, it's always to further their own agenda."

He thought a moment, digging through his memories of his time with the Cult of Shadow. With the Sith Order. With Ashin. "Have you heard of the 'Rule of Two'? It's some ancient, thousands of years old Sith concept. Something about there can only ever be one Sith Lord and an apprentice. Guess how the apprentice advances to the Sith Lord position? He kills his master. Your master is well aware of that tradition, so she's well aware of what will happen and she's actively making sure that she won't die by your hand."

There was a pause as he let that sink in. "I guess all I'm trying to say is to be careful, Joon."

Asemir thought back to their first encounter. How different Joon had been at the time. Eager to see the galaxy. Innocent, in a way. Certainly not dark and mournful. "You know, I really wish I had offered to train you when we first met. I may not be the store house of Force knowledge like some of the other Masters out there, but I think I could have spared you all the pain you're going through now."

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon nodded, her stance shifting to that being less defensive now. Asemir never gave the impression he was a liar. It was clear Ayra was jealous of this man for finding her first, and she would do anything to make Joon listen and learn. Did she not think in time she would learn these truths over the years? Or, maybe, she expected Joon never to be free from her grasp. But, why did she vanish again and leave Joon alone? She was so unpredictable.

As the Rule of Two came about, she looked up at the warrior and gave a small shrug.

"I am serving that very rule, Asemir. I am being trained to learn everything about the Sith and the Dark Side to one day take over as Sith Lord."

With each word that left her mouth, her enthusiasm waned and her pace slowed. Saying it out loud, it started to slip further and further away. She rubbed her eyes.

"I hate her," she said, "and I wish I had never let her take me away. I will not stray while she is alive, but I wish I could have found another. I'm trapped, Asemir." She paused again and smiled. "Can you kill her? Or teach me how to fight to kill her?"

The smile turned into a grin, and a little bashful chuckle.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

"I, uh..." The question took him off-guard. It wasn't something he wanted to answer, but he gave it due thought. "Yes, I could probably kill her. And, yes, I can train you to fight. I can teach you all you want to know about bladework, about soldiering, about killing."

Asemir looked away, back towards the Duros landscape. "I'll teach you the skills because you'll need to know them if you're to survive the path you've chosen. But I'm only doing this because it might release you from the grip of your Master." He looked her in the eye. "But, if you end up going on a rampage because of what you've learned, I'll put an end to that. I won't have you marauding across the galaxy, tormenting innocents, because of some illusions of being a Sith." He held her gaze for a few seconds more before looking away and sighing.

"I'll be honest with you, Joon. Your Master didn't reach her current position without a ton of work and skill. In order for you to survive against her in a fight, it's going to take lots of work. Probably years of training. I don't want to get your hopes up. This is a long journey."

There was a pause as Asemir thought back to his own training, to his experiences. To all those years spent ending lives. "Plus, I want you to understand what this all means. What killing really means. Sure, the technique is just technique. You practice and practice and you get proficient at it. But you can never prepare for what killing does to your soul. Every time you take a life, you lose a portion of it. Killing should never be easy.

"Do you really know what you're asking?"

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon walked around a little as Asemir talked, back and forth in the terrain she’d walked in for so long. She kicked a large pebble along the plains. He sure had a lot of talk for the hunter he was – or soldier- or whatever he really was.

"Of course I know what I’m asking,” she said coolly, "so either help me with a blade or don’t. It’s ok if not. I’ll learn elsewhere. But killing doesn’t bother me. I’ve killed before and I will kill again, but for the one I serve and not for myself.”

She turned her head to Asemir and nodded.

"And you wouldn’t hurt me. You’d miss me too much.”

And then, a smile.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

He watched as she paced. Did he really want to train her? Well, it didn't really matter anymore. He had offered, and she had taken him up on his offer.

"You're right, I wouldn't kill you." Asemir matched her smile with one of his own. It was nice to see her smile, a good contrast to her otherwise dour expression. "Fine, I'll train you."

The Forgotten unhooked the lightsaber from his hip. It was rather plain looking, nothing special. It was one of many he had liberated from the Sith he had killed. "What do you already know about bladework? Have you been trained on one of these?"

OOC:
So... I've never trained anyone on the lightsaber from an OOC perspective. How do you want to go about this?

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

OOC: No problem! I’m happy to work with melee combat; swords or knifes etc if that suits. The more….feral style of fighting.

She tipped her chin up to the hilt in his hand.

"Seems like everyone has one of these things. I thought they were for Jedi Knights and Sith Lords. Which one are you, Asemir Lor’kora?”

Facing him, she weaved gently side to side on her feet.

"I’ve used one before, had a little practice now and then. But you’re a warrior aren’t you? Can’t you teach me how warriors fight, not just the Jedi pigs?”

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

Asemir nodded. "A life time ago, I was a Sith Lord, if only in title." He returned the lightsaber to his side, where the nanomachines pulled the weapon to his armor. In its place, his hands now held a carbine. It was a newer model but unlike the majority of firearms in the galaxy, it was a slugthrower.

"Warriors use a variety of weapons," he said as he offered the firearm. "The most efficient method of killing is from range, something that most Force users have forgotten. This is a carbine, a lighter version of an assault rifle. It's a slugthrower, which means the randomness from the recoil will prevent most Force users from effectively deflecting your bursts. To use this properly, you'll have to scout your target, know her movements, and ambush her. From range, you shoot her, and if all goes well, she'll be dead before she knows you're there."

The Forgotten paused. "A warrior is concerned with neutralizing the enemy efficiently. There's no consideration for honor or show. Is this what you're looking for Joon? A way to dispatch your Master like any other battlefield soldier? Or are you looking for something more ceremonial?"

OOC:
Sorry for the delay. Lots of work to catch up on.

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon watched him intently, understanding more the warrior he was and what he really had been all along. She’d just been too blind to see. His words captivated her – he was a Sith Lord? The gun fell into her palm – it was heavy.

She looked over it, feeling the weight in her hand, looking at him.

"You were a Sith Lord? What did you do? How did it happen? Are you not a Sith now?”

It seemed the Sith were rife; more-so than the Jedi. She had encountered few Jedi, bar Taeli Raaf, but even she was confusing to her as what a Jedi should be. Had she even been told the truth about the Jedi as a race and religion?

Joon brought the gun up, looking down the barrel into the distance.

"I just want to know how to kill any chance I get. Close range. Long range. Melee. Firearms,” she fired the weapon once and absorbed the kick it gave. "As long as it kills, I’m happy.”

She turned to the warrior sheepishly after firing.

"Sorry.”

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

He watched her take the shot, noting her stance, how she took the recoil.

"Like I said, I was a Sith Lord in name only. I supported a friend in her bid for the Sith throne, and she won. She became the Sith Emperor. Or Empress, rather. She rewarded me with a swath of territory to govern and gave me the title of Sith Lord." Asemir shrugged. "I governed but after a while, decided that life wasn't for me. I stepped down and left the Empire. That was probably a good thing, given that the Empire collapsed soon after."

He held out his hand for the carbine. "I never bought into the whole Sith culture or beliefs. It was just a title for me. So I guess I'm not really a Sith anymore. I don't think I ever was. Just a bounty hunter. An ex-soldier." Checking the carbine's sights, he handed the weapon back to Joon.

A small gesture and Asemir settled two rocks on top of another, about fifty meters down range. "Take a shot at that," he said as he stepped behind her and gently corrected her stance.

"How much weapons and combat training do you have, Joon? What did the Imperials teach you and your siblings?"

[member="Joon"]