Faction &nbsp; Library Hours: The Overdue Sequel (New Jedi Order)

I accept full responsibility, Master.

Oros appeared to quail inside his tank. His center mass shrank, tentacles coiling protectively. Ethereal thoughts shifted to a more somber minor key. Slowly a claw extended from the repulsorlift unit to take one of Yula's hard candies.

It is because of the archive's wards we keep such dangerous relics here, padawan. I suspect they are all that contain this phenomenon...for now.

Gunshots echoed in the jungle. Dark blood looked real enough. Massassi warriors howled cries of battle lust in response.

So much like your father, his thoughts echoed in Miri's head.

While the Jedi Master's physical form lagged behind, encumbered by jungle vines, Oros could feel them all through the Force. Celegian sensory organs were indeed quite primitive, yet Jedi training only amplified his innate cognitive abilities. Even the librarian's gifted mind could not pierce ancient stone and see inside the crumbling ziggurat however.

Horak-mul's spirit was bound to his sarcophagus. When the Empire looted his tomb after the crusades, they delivered it to the Order for safekeeping. I fear death has only strengthened him.

Ayra Lowe · Aug 31, 2022

// Padawan Lowe //

// Jedi Temple //

// Objective // Get Out of the Roots //

// Focus // 

 Oros
// 

 Gabriel Pryce
// 

 Jasper Kai'el
// 

 Yula Perl
// 

 Lossa Aureus
// Miri Nimdok // 

 Thal Mantis
//

The Echani continued her pursuit of ripping apart every last one of the vines in the same manner a starved Kath hound would a baby Acklay.

Ayra didn't initially notice the older padawan as he approached, instead opting to direct her attention and frustration entirely at the roots blocking her way. Some vines were still between her teeth as her attention was finally caught by the blonde figure that now stood outside the wall of vines, awkwardly returning the boy's wave with one of her own.

"I could've freed myself..." She muttered as the vines hissed and retreated, folding her arms atop one another. "I mean probably anyways." Her mood lightened as the boy introduced himself after muttering something to himself. "Well I hope it doesn't happen too often, can't say I was a fan of the being trapped thing."

It wasn't long before the boy was joined by another Jedi, this one pink-skinned and a bit more ready for a fight.

"Hello," The Echani's fingertips curled and unfurled in a second awkward wave. "I'm not a ghost though, probably not at least."

Aeris Lashiec · Aug 31, 2022

"These things never have just a single point of failure, Oros." Aeris grunted and began to wander off again before she was cut off by Yula. Rough day? "The roughest. Thank you."

The sweet piece of hard candy clacked against her teeth as she threw it into her mouth. Her tongue got to work pressing it against the roof of her mouth for a moment before she shook her head. Figure it would take the padawans a yelling-at to unite and get to work. If not out of confusion but to prove Aeris wrong or just… Spite her.

Well, if it got them moving…

Aeris restarted her journey towards the FORBIDDEN ZONE again. The ZONE that was FORBIDDEN to ALL JEDI. Except those with the right clearance and paperwork, of course. Aeris did, however, have it on good authority — mainly her own as she was the one who created the procedure — that few ever met the criteria. Infiltration and sabotage was not out of the question.

I fear death has only strengthened him.

"Yeah, well, I fear messing with my archives will put him closer to second death than ever." Aeris shook her head as she slowly began to climb the stone pyramid. "His sarcophagus. What is our plan?"

A poisoned dart passed by the periphery of Aeris' mind, tugged at the tendrils of the force and she quickly bent over backwards to dodge it. Her hand extended towards the warrior at the top of the structure, and with a flick of her wrist she tossed it like a ragdoll over the edge.

"We'll find this sarcophagus. Pry it open if we have to, and smite his unholy ghost until he wished he had kept it in his pants." Aeris said and stopped to turn around and look at Oros. "Hard to split reality in two if you've finally passed from this plane."

"He can rest in the Netherworld like the rest of his ilk."

Miri Nimdok · Aug 31, 2022

Oros said:
So much like your father.

The intrusion in her thoughts distracted Miri long enough that a Massassi warrior was able to get the jump on her, hitting her in the face. She reared back, blood gushing from her nose, then opened fire with a snarl.

Before the dead Massassi had even hit the ground, she was moving on to her next target, smearing red across the back of her hand. She was getting close. The question was, what was she going to do when she got there?

<I have his eyes and ears, but favor my mother in all other respects, thankfully. Now, would you kindly explain how to turn this thing off?> she asked

Oros , glancing toward the menacing pyramid... where

Aeris Lashiec had already reached the top.

Sighing, Miri quickened her pace, jogging up the last few steps to the capstone just in time to hear something about a sarcophagus and smiting a ghost. <Sounds like a plan. I'll cover you while you conduct this, er, exorcism.>

Trextan Voidstalker · Aug 31, 2022

T R E X T A N

Trextan had never been a particularly good Jedi. He had been trained for years to meet any challenge face on, with violence. He had been taught to draw strength from his emotions.

Having faced those failings and having walked away from the Order, Trextan was somewhat surprised at the emotions floating around. At the way some of them surged forward to bring violence to the massassi ghosts so quickly.

His own father would have made a sarcastic quip, sighed and got on with the task methodically.

Yula Perl said:
"Alright ghosts, show yourselves! Deputy Law Reborn is on in half an hour.”

Trextan shrugged with just his shoulders. That commentary made him feel a little more at home here. He had met Yula before, definitely not the most Jedi jedi he had come across.

A compartment opened in his artificial arm. A weathered lightsaber sprung free and he caught it. The silver blade snapped into life. At its heart was a durindfire Crystal, a treasure from the original home of the Voidstalker family: tatooine.

"Harvest our organs? Really?" he asked Yula as Trextan headed through the tangles of vines and towards the darkness he could sense at the heart of this.

No one seemed to question him being here, so he advanced on a massassi warrior that emerged from the shadows.

Jasper Kai'el · Sep 1, 2022

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags:

Ayra Lowe ,

Gabriel Pryce , Miri Nimdok,

Aeris Lashiec ,

Oros ,

Yula Perl ,

Lossa Aureus ,

Trextan Voidstalker ,

Thal Mantis

Jasper was able to assess the situation a bit more when Ayra was untangled. He seemed to be a few years her senior, and she was notibly lacking a lightsaber. They were pretty quickly joined by the Zeltron, who Master Oros had addressed as Yula.

Ayra Lowe said:
"I'm not a ghost though, probably not at least."

"There's a ghost?" Jasper frowned, cocking his head. He remembered what the ghost was rather quickly, becoming somewhat embarresed. "Oh, right. The Sith spirit," he turned to Ayra. "So basically, some cryptic forbidden book-whatsit got opened and released the spirit of some ancient Sith Lord guy. Kind of a weird thing to keep in a library if you ask me, but that seems more like a Miss Lashiec thing... I've decided it's probably best for my safety not to ask."

Especially in her current state, he thought to himself.

The sound of distant shuffling drew his attention to a nearby corridor. A pair of massassi lumbered down the halls; One unarmed, the other wielding an ancient sword of some kind. Jasper, of course, had never seen a massassi in his life, but he quickly deduced them to be a threat. The duelist turned his lightsaber towards the massassi in a Makashi opening stance.

"Well, guess we're doing this now," Jasper shrugged, orienting his feet appropriately. "So much for my sleep schedule..."

Gabriel Pryce · Sep 2, 2022

The older girl had a funny way of talking, an accent that sounded distinctly Outer Rim. Either way, even if he would have cut her down before she asked, something deep inside felt like he was compelled to act. He hated working with Zeltrons. They always made his blood churn, reminding him of that night at the Temple...Gabe shook the brain fog away and gave his lightsaber a good flourish before stepping forward and slicing the vines around the other Padawan.

"What red guy?" Gabe asked cautiously as he helped her out of the vegetation. "I'm Gabe by the way." He was barely taller than her but she was clearly older. He felt the heat rising to his cheeks and he turned around, pretending like he was sweeping the area for hostiles, his lightsaber lowered in a ready stance. He was waiting for the 'Big Red Bugger', as she had so eloquently put it.

Oros · Sep 4, 2022

JEDI ARCHIVES
CORUSCANT

Oros reached out with the Force and mended Miri's bloodied nose. A massassi warrior slashed at Trextan only for the blade to ripple off a shimmering barrier conjured by the librarian. Aeris began to ascend towards the pyramid's raised threshold. He floated after her, still trailing behind. Sensing their approach, dark energies rippled out into the jungle.

Padawans! Look out!

Twisted vines sprang to sinister unlife. Several lunged at Gabriel, seeking to coil around his saber arm. Others slithered toward Yula and Thal. Horak-mul could feel them coming. Even not yet fully awakened the ancient Sith spirit was master of this illusion. He sought to delay their approach until it was too late.

Aeris Lashiec said:
"We'll find this sarcophagus. Pry it open if we have to, and smite his unholy ghost until he wished he had kept it in his pants." Aeris said and stopped to turn around and look at Oros. "Hard to split reality in two if you've finally passed from this plane."

My vision is clouded, the Jedi Master warned, But I sense something darker than massassi guards this tomb.

Within the pyramid, the life force of junior archivists at last burned away. Smoke rose from their disintegrating remains, coalescing into a wicked intelligence. It was a primordial thing, summoned into this dream realm by ancient rituals lost to time.

Thal Mantis · Sep 4, 2022

FROM THE DARKNESS

Huh?

"Look out for wha-" 

Vines slammed into Thal's chest, sending him violently backwards into the brush. He skidded on the ground for a while, digging his heels in to try and gain the upper hand. Fortunately, Thal was more or less a meathead wearing a Jedi suit, and was able to thankfully overpower the vines after a brief struggle.

The air grew tense and static around him while his arms were wrapped around the vines. He grunted and stood up, resisting their assault- before one struck him across the face. He managed to break the hold of the vines, curling a fist- and thrust it forward. The moment his fist touched the vine, the sickening CRACK of vines breaking reverberated, as the vines around him violently recoiled as arcs of electricity went through them. Thal stood tall, activating his lightsaber and cutting them back before they slithered away into the brush.

He jogged over to 

 Yula Perl
, gritting his teeth as he swatted away another vine coming at him.

And then he heard his name being called in the darkening room.

Not Thal Mantis, not in basic. In Huttese.

Whispers in Bocce. He could smell it. Blood. Cleaner. Disinfectant. The sound of thousands of lights, the hum of generators powering holovid cameras broadcasting all over the galaxy. He looked down at his hands. Bloodied hands and blood around him. He turned them over, panicking slightly. He wasn't holding a lightsaber anymore, it faded away into a black smoke.

He was back holding that knife. That awful knife they gave him.

He looked up and saw only lights and the electric cage that separated him from freedom. Thal was back in the Red Tower again, back in the slave pits, fighting for his life. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes.

No.

When he opened them again, he was in the library again, near Yula. He was breathing heavy, his presence in the force having gone from a thunderstorm to a hard rain in terms of anger and fear.

"What the hell was that?"

He said to no one in particular.

Dhuritok · Sep 5, 2022

@Open

Dhuritok wandered the thickly forested temple archives, his cloak billowing behind him from an aetherial breeze that permeated this strange new reality marble. It was a strange phenomenon. At one moment he'd found himself scouring an ancient Sith Temple on a forgotten world and the next he was standing in a strangely familiar place. It was only when he saw bits of the archive struggling to fight through this rampaging Sith creation that he realized he'd somehow been moved to Coruscant's Jedi Temple archives.

"Hm, curious. I sense many Jedi...Were the archivists such fools to cause this? Or was it something I did at the Temple? Maybe a combination of the two, artifacts of the Dark Side connecting in the Force. A dyad-like effect. I hope I can get out of this place without too much trouble..." It would be awkward to run into his compatriots again. He no longer claimed his Sithly titles but the Dark Side, it flowed through him strongly. He could never give that up. He dug a gnarled hand into his pouch and pulled the Smokestone from his pack, the pitch-blackness of it reminding him of a Dark Hole.

<Come,> he whispered in the ancient tongue of the Sith. The stone whispered back and a dark miasma clouded his fist. Two small smoke demons hissed from the stone and melted into the floor before rising up, their golden eyes searching, their bodies twitching every which way like a bird.

<Search.> The smoke demons hissed before melting into the shadows.

Aeris Lashiec · Sep 5, 2022

Jasper Kai'el // Dhuritok //

Thal Mantis and

Yula Perl //

Gabriel Pryce and

Lossa Aureus //

Oros and

Trextan Voidstalker and Miri Nimdok and me.

She focused on the threat, the one worse than massassi guards but came up blank. Aeris could feel that it was there, but not much more beyond that, and that worried her. A thoughtful frown fell over her as she turned back around to look at the entrance.

"They are bound to have trapped this place." She muttered and gently bit into her lower lip in deeper contemplation. "Question is how real this whole thing is. Elaborate illusion or genuine displacement?"

The pressure on her lip eased up. She looked at the others following her and Oros.

"I need everyone's senses up." Aeris ordered them. "Eyes, ears, and mind out for any and all surprises that this thing has in store for us."

But that didn't seem quite as necessary as initially believed. The first chamber was eerily quiet, and so was the hallway after it, but once the last foot of the ones who braved the temple had stepped within the boundary of the temple. The heavy stone door lost its grip on the door frame and slid down with a loud, deafening bang. There it remained resting, slightly ajar with a gap in it no bigger than that of a child.

"Crap!" Aeris exclaimed in surprise before she steadied herself in her center. "Alright, that is… Not good."

From behind her the shadows began to swirl. The darkness of the room, both physical and metaphysical grew overbearing. Red eyes peered at them from high above.

"That is…" Aeris swallowed, hard. "Even worse."

Yula Perl · Sep 5, 2022

Trextan Voidstalker said:
"Harvest our organs? Really?"

"Yes, really—WHA—"

The vines surged on Yula, coiling around her ankle and hoisting the Zeltron upside-down from the ceiling. "Chit, chit-" They were curling around both legs now, making haste towards her abdomen. Hacking away at the plant matter with her lightsaber did the trick though, bright yellow plasma burning and slicing the vines enough to release their hold. Yula dropped from the stone ceiling, managing to land in a dignified position for once.

The temple was stirring awake, and Yula wasn't keen on sticking around to see what else it decided to throw at them. The Massassi warriors and sentient vines had been enough to separate them in this labyrinth.

"Jasper! Ghost girl! Void-talker! Are you ali-"

Thal had found her, which was good—the darkness of the temple was easy to get lost in, but when she'd turned towards him, he wasn't Thal.

He was the corpse of her sister, Nida Perl. Pallid, limp, and for some reason her eyes had been gouged out and she was missing an arm. Nida was the reason for her even being here; she'd been captured by The Empire on Ilum, and Yula was determined to get her back. The elder Perl hadn't been able to save her from the Sith—nor had she been able to salvage Zaavik from darkside influence, or protect Kyra from the fallout of Nida's betrayal.

Because she'd been selfish. Too absorbed in her own life to figure out what was happening to her family, unable to come to their aid when they'd needed it. She'd always stepped in when things were beyond repair; confronting Zaavik had cost her an eye, she'd found Kyra in a pool of blood after severing her own arm, and Nida suffered immensely as a Sith puppet.

Not this time.

An unexpected sob burst from her lips as she grasped Thal by his shoulders, still under the smoke demon's influence.

"I-I'm sorry…" She wept, staring at what remained of her sister's sunken face. "I'm so sorry, I promise I'll…"

Nida's pale lips parted, and Yula's heart leapt into her throat.

Thal Mantis said:
"What the hell was that?"

Yula straightened, her cries retreating into a confused sniffle.

Huh?

Miri Nimdok · Sep 5, 2022

Miri was still wiping the blood from her nose when she sensed it mending. <Thank you,> she said.

Unfortunately, the situation only got worse, with the group entering the pyramid becoming trapped in one of the inner chambers. A swirling smoke demon manifested in the room with them, glaring down at them menacingly.

Miri reached into a pouch on her belt, pulled out a small pebble, and threw it at the demon, just to see what would happen.

Oros

Aeris Lashiec

Trextan Voidstalker

Lossa Aureus · Sep 6, 2022

Location: Somewhere
Equipment: Discreet Device - Left Ear, Long Handled Double Lightsaber, Weighted Training Robes, Concealed Sling Bag
Tags: Interacting

Gabriel Pryce

The vines were cut away finally, and a hand extended to help her out. A shuddering breath had the worst of her panic fleeing with the bindings cut.

"The big red-Did you not see one?" She wailed, beginning to hold her hand above her head before leaning down to ask her question.

"Big, red, gym freaks! I don't even think it had a neck Just sort of a head plopped between their shoulders!" She explained, a full body explanation at the height and body anatomy before she realized he'd looked away.

She cleared her throat, realizing she might have been a bit ungrateful for the rescue in question.

"Lossa. And thank you. I-" The temple itself began to feel ominous as she looked around the room and trying to figure out that ill feeling.

At least until everything changed to the sterile white of a hospital room.

I don't foresee any healthy changes to allow her to be active. I would keep her from other kids until we know for certain that- The long white coat swiveled in the chair, the hand of each parent in one of her own as her eyes watered at the memory.

"No."

You can lead a comfy life without having to-

"No."

Young lady, listen to the doctor. We don't want you to-

"Don't tell me how to live!" She screamed, crouching down as the vines rattled around them.

Oros · Sep 8, 2022

JEDI ARCHIVES
CORUSCANT

Thal Mantis

Gabriel Pryce

Ayra Lowe

Aeris Lashiec

Oros passed across the pyramid threshold, before his floating crystal chamber paused and swiveled back around. There were still padawans still in danger, and for so long as this remained the library, they were his responsibility. Drawing on the Force, the Jedi Master summoned a light from deep within himself. A golden glow shined across the jungle.

Padawans! Follow my voice.

Perhaps in reaction to his radiance, the stone temple began to shake. A massive slab slammed down, nearly crushing Oros underneath but a premonition of danger provoked him to float back within just in time. Anyone still outside would have to find another entrance. If any students heeded his warning, the librarian could not tell.

Aeris? his chiming thoughts sounded discordant, Are you there? I...can't see. I can't see anything.

He was blind. In this dark place the Force betrayed him. Smoke gathered around them at the will of some dark intelligence. It took the form of that which each Jedi feared most, just as it had tormented the padawans in the jungle. Unsated, the darkside anomaly hungered for more fear.

Aeris Lashiec · Sep 8, 2022

Oros

The words rolled off her tongue with a quiet whisper. "Siqsa."

Before her stood… It was hard to really understand what stood there. It was the walking corpse of a dead man, a symbol of something that had died a long time ago and yet stood as tall as ever. A bright shining paragon of everything that was good, yet so utterly defiled at the same time. It was Alex, it was no-one at all, it was… It was a symbol of her beliefs, or her own perception of it. The misguided delusions, the self-righteousness incarnate.

Aeris teeth gritted for a moment as she tried to steady herself.

"I am here, Oros." She said while she placed a hand on his tank and hoped it would let him sense her. "It is a smoke demon."

Miri flicked a stone at it. Aeris blinked for a moment with her eyebrow raised in surprise and confusion for a moment. Did she just provoke it? Aeris continued to blink. No, she had done something so much more. As Aeris' glance shifted over back to the demon she noticed that the shape of the paragon began to tear at the seams. The pebble that had landed at its feet caused it to shriek in pain, and all Aeris could do was look at it.

"What is going on?" She asked and looked back at Miri as the Smoke Demon began to tear further and further apart. "What is that?"

Trextan Voidstalker · Sep 8, 2022

Thal Mantis

Yula Perl

Yula Perl said:
"Yes, really—WHA— Chit, chit-"

Trextan turned sharply, finding the Zeltron now hanging from vines.

"No time for messing around," he said, pulling back his saber ready to throw.

Darkness obscured his vision before he could release the saber. Trextan clutched it tightly to himself before thumbing it off. He didn't dare catch one of the padawans running around the library with the blade whilst he could not see.

He knew this was no blindness. He could sense the encroaching darkness and the disturbance in the Force that carried it over him like a wave.

It wrapped itself around him. A blanket that shielded him from the warmth of the light, not the cold of the night. It didn't conjure any particular fear, nothing took form before his eyes. Instead a clawing, existential dread took root at his core. Trextan had known the darkness, had been schooled in its use for years. This wasn't the Force being thrown at him by an enemy, it was a close, intimate touch of the dark side of the Force.

He breathed in slowly. His pulse leapt. He touched it, manipulated it to his needs.

Then, with regret, he discarded it into the aether. He held his breath before it came out in a sudden, audible burst.

Oros was nearby. Yula was getting back to her feet.

"Let's get to the heart of this and end it," he grunted.

Corin Trenor · Sep 9, 2022

Shielded from the acid rain that trickled down the windows of the cramped space, Corin stood with unopened boxes and plastic coated furniture in half-assembled states. His fingers tapped away at a datapad held in bruised knuckled hands between slight, shuffled steps forwards as a small frown creased alongside his reddened nose.

"C'mon." He muttered behind faintly parted lips.

Greeted by an ever spinning wheel on the holonet page, it went on for some time as a bitter expression transformed into that of a defeated acceptance. "The one time I want a book from the damned library." Corin sighed with the roll of his eyes.

He dropped onto the newly assembled couch, only for a leg to give way.

Oros must have been failing his job somehow.

Gabriel Pryce · Sep 9, 2022