Life or Pride?

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Darth Ophidia"] | [member="Jerit Kolomor"]​

Voss​

852 ABY​

​

​

Kei almost felt wrong.

Voss was once the homeworld of The Silver Jedi, it was once the place where The Silver Jedi went about their business. They trained so many young padawans on Voss, so many people had lived alongside each other on Voss. Voss was once classed as the homeworld for the current generation of Jedi. Voss was once an amazing hub of Jedi activity, the Voss temple something to behold.

Then those who occupied Voss left. Voss lay abanonded to the scavengers. Voss stopped being the center of The Silver Jedi Order and instead just become another planet for people to forget about, another planet that no-one would grow to care about eventually. Voss had gone from such an important world to a world that meant absolutely nothing any longer.

Kei didn't know what had drawn him back but he felt wrong returning. He had brought Jerit with him with the hopes of teaching the younger padawan something about the history of The Silver Jedi Order but he didn't know if he could. Even be stood at the grand doors of the temple made him feel weak, made him feel unsure about everything, about returning.

The Nightshadow drifted above in orbit ready for evacuation if it was needed. There were very few reports on Voss after The Silver Jedi Order left so it was unknown if The Sith Empire had moved in and made the temple their home. Kei couldn't feel anything in the force but he was still alert, still weary of a Sith Empire presence within the temple.

He looked towards Jerit slowly. The young boy was innocent, he didn't know the past of The Silver Jedi Order and what they'd done. Kei was almost hoping that as he walked through the old temple, he would be able to properly recount the past stories of The Silver Jedi Order and he would be able to successfully recount everything that The Silver Jedi Order had done.

"Are you ready?"

 

[Darth Ophidia]

VOSS
[member="Kei Raxis"] [member="Jerit Kolomor"]

Indeed Voss. The Jedi did not appreciate this world as the Sith did. They did not see the power that resided within the orbit and tradition of its mystics. No, the Jedi only cared about their tradition, their history. While true power lay right under their noses, power that would soon fall into the hands of the Sith. The Sith Empire had not yet put Voss in a stranglehold, remaining wary of overextending their borders - A lesson earned dearly by those who had set the core ablaze in the One Sith. - and yet, its agents had eyes on the former Jedi capital, and the temples therein.

Hungry, greedy eyes, lingering in the shadows.

Darth Ophidia had come to Voss a day prior, seeking to establish contacts and informants among its populace, and to investigate the abandoned temples of the Jedi for clues to unravel their state of mind and strategies, anything that could be utilised in a future offensive. Her ship had approached in cloaking and now lay nestled in the woods nearby, hidden by branches and brush, but with a clear view to the temple.

She lowered her macrobinoculars as she saw the ship, the Nightshadow, make its approach.

Her eyes narrowed in thoughtful suspicion as her droid chirped to her from inside the ship, she looked over her shoulder at him as she put down the macrobinoculars and picked up her little cup of tea.

"I know. I will have to investigate." She emptied the tea into her mouth and set the cup down on the makeshift table. "Do make sure the lieutenant is aware." A wicked smile spread across her lips as the droid quipped back. "Then I will kill him."

She pulled up the hood of her cloak, her already shrouded presence in the Force then melting into nothingness as she clipped her sabres to her belt and started the walk to the temple. As she turned by the first tree, she was gone - like the brilliant idea one has in a dream, but never remembers to write down.

Hungry eyes set on the Silver Jedi temple. Feet in a fell and fluent stride. Mind bent on enmity.

 

[St0rmSlaSh]

The Voss Temple felt so... empty. It was once a peaceful and sacred place for the Silver Jedi Order. A place to become more attuned to the force. A place for everyone to be in unity, to help and to serve the light. Jerit remembered about the first time he set foot on this planet. He was in his freighter that previously belonged to his Father. He remembered meeting Jedi Grandmaster Arisa Yune here... a deep and lonely expression was displayed the young boy's face. He knew she left. He knew she went somewhere. She couldn't have died. Jerit never bothered to ask anyone of her whereabouts because he did not feel like bringing back bad memories.

He was next to Kei Raxis. A man Jerit had recently met and already considers him to be a good friend and a well respected Jedi. As the pair walked up to the front doors, Jerit felt more and more gloomy. He didn't want to feel these emotions. Not at all. He wanted to find peace with this place. But he just couldn't. Every step that would break the almost perfect silence of the area around him made Jerit feel so different then when he would be at the Kashyyyk Temple or in the battlefield. He felt alone. Like a boy being left behind by his family. He looked to Kei. The man said to him:

"Are you ready?"

Jerit looked forwards again. He breathed in and out, trying to stay calm. In the back of his mind there was always a sense of danger. Who knows what might be here after the Silver Jedi abandoned this once great and magnificent temple. Sarcasm filled his tone as if to fight the negative feelings he was currently having.

"Ready as I will ever be."

[member="Kei Raxis"] | [member="Darth Ophidia"]​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Darth Ophidia"] | [member="Jerit Kolomor"]​

Voss​

852 ABY​

​

Kei pushed open one of the main doors on the temple.

The cold air hit him first. He assumed no-one had turned on the heating when they looted the temple. The dust covered the floor, thick layers of it. It was just another sign that no-one used the temple anymore. It was almost depressing that the place that was once a hive of activity, a hive of Jedi activity had become such a run down hovel, such a run down mess that no-one cared for anymore.

Kei stepped in, closing his eyes. There was nothing in the force. Where there once used to be the lightside, everyone in the building was with the lightside there was now nothing. The building wasn't force dead but it may as well of been. It would been less depressing if it was, less memories associated with the building. Less memories accosiated, the lightside would of never been in the building.

It just felt empty without the lightside there.

"The Silver Jedi once ran everything from here. This used to be the hub of the fighting against the darkside. Everything changed at Mirial"

 

[Darth Ophidia]

[member="Kei Raxis"] [member="Jerit Kolomor"]

The halls were unwalked by feet of flesh, yes, but she had wandered the halls with her extended will, seeking to map them before setting foot, watchful of traps and dangers left behind.

Darth Ophidia reached the gaping maw of the once glorious temple shortly after the two Jedi. Maintaining her shroud, she lingered at the entrance, keeping close to the wall and peeking in and seeing the two figures ploughing through the dust, one speaking to the other. Having taught three apprentices or more herself, she recognised the tone of voice and the look of reverence. She could not know, but she had an idea: Master and Padawan.
S͘átd͝ij͠on͠a͜

"- Everything changed on Mirial."​

K͢û͟ts̢i͡z҉ir̴​

A wicked smile spread across her lips as she followed into the hallway. She stepped soundlessly after them, her feet falling into the footprints they left behind in the dust. Her hands rested close to her hips where her lightsabres rested, clipped to a belt that subdued their dark presence. Ophidia stayed a good distance behind them, but never let them too far out of sight.

Indeed, everything had changed on Mirial; the Jedi had proved themselves unable to withstand the tide of the Sith Empire, and they found a world unwilling to relinquish imperial protection. It was no surprise, Mirial only hastened the inevitable. In the end, all would kneel before the Empire and the Emperor.

 

[St0rmSlaSh]

Jerit walked into the temple with Kei and the boy started to look around. More memories were swelling within himself. He walked more slowly to try to absorb the feel of the room he and Kei were in. His boots still thumped in the echoey halls.

He tried reaching out with the force and felt nothing. Just emptiness. It was a similar feeling. That fateful day when he was little... he felt nothing. The boy let a breath escape from his nostrils in a hurry. He wanted to forget about this but at the same time he was grateful that Kei brought him here again. Relive old memories. Let the past die and maybe learn something new from all of this.

"The Silver Jedi once ran everything from here. This used to be the hub of the fighting against the darkside. Everything changed at Mirial"

"Ya. I remember this. I was here but only for such a short time. I was in a little "retreat" form the order and next thing you know we had to desert it. It was truly a place so lively with all kinds of people. It was a place of peace for me. I knew someone from here and I never saw her again. I never knew what happened to her."

He thought more about Arisa and sadness struck him like a bullet to the chest. She was one of the best Jedi ever and Jerit felt so bad he never got to see her one last time. What was weird what that whenever he was his master, Jyoti Nooran, he could feel Arisa inside of her. It was a weird thing to think about but it was true. He stepped more and noticed a banner on the ground. A lone footprint from Jerit's boot was enough to dirty the thing. The boy lifted his foot and noticed it was a Silver Jedi Order banner. He walked around it and continued to advance further with Kei.

[member="Kei Raxis"] | [member="Darth Ophidia"]​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Darth Ophidia"] | [member="Jerit Kolomor"]​

Voss​

852 ABY​

​

​

Kei stopped Jerit quickly.

He closed his eyes. He could feel something, a presence he hadn't felt before. It wasn't a good presence, it wasn't a member of The Silver Jedi. Kei shook his head, attempting to feel with the force, increase his clarity. He hated not having the same abilities within the force as most others, not being as attuned with it as others naturally. It made things like this more difficult, harder to carry out.

The presence was behind them. His hands slowly slid down to the lightsaber at his side, it jumping from his belt to his hands within a phemtosecond. He didn't ignite it but he wanted to be safe, he needed to keep Jerit safe. Kei had never met Jyoti Nooran but he didn't want to be responsible for telling her that he had accidently gotten her padawan learner killed while he was trying to teach him about The Silver Jedi.

"Can you feel that?"

The presence was right behind them, Kei swore it was. His lightsaber was already in his hand, urgency in his voice. The presence stunk of the darkside, the presense was full of the darkside. The presence was full of anger, hatred. Kei needed to know who it was, what it was. He needed to turn and look, he needed to get Jerit away. He didn't know which was more important, which needed to be done first.

All of about three seconds had passed.

And he turned, lightsaber igniting as he did.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

[member="Kei Raxis"] [member="Jerit Kolomor"]

They turned, they looked, but there was nothing to see.

Oh Ophidia still stood there. Her presence in the force was subdued, baked away into nothingness. Her physical form was hidden under the cloak of shadows, which bent rays of light around her and concealed her physical form. There were no footprints as she had put her footfalls in theirs. There was no sound. In fact, it was far too quiet for comfort. It felt suddenly as if the wind itself held its breath in drawn-out anticipation and neared the point of choking.

And just when one felt it was nothing after all.

The scream of some unnatural being, hollow and fierce, permeated the hallway, turning into a haunting laughter. Light sputtered and choked as though the sun itself had been eclipsed. Where there had been nothingness, a blur of shadow and black fabric advanced upon them with supernatural speed. It was near impossible to see the humanoid within the black robes, her face was cast in perpetual shadow, but her eyes peered out from under the hood like burning coals. Her lips twisted her ashen face into a wry grin, showing pearly white teeth.

As she advanced upon, a hilt slipped into one of the two gloved hands, and a scarlet blade erupted from the end. Ophidia wasted no time, launching straight into a thrust for Kei's hand, seeking to destroy his weapon early in the confrontation. Of course, if he were to move it out of the way, her thrust would continue straight at his torso. Hidden in her other hand, was a second hilt, fingers ready to bring the blade to life in defence or offence.

The laughter still permeated the air, sourceless, yet her lips had not moved once since she made herself visible.

 

[St0rmSlaSh]

Jerit was startled by Kei's sudden activation of his lightsaber. Is this guy really on edge? No. It could not be that. There was something here. Something dark. Jerit looked behind him and sure enough there was an unknown entity near the two Jedi. It was a shadow of darkness headed for Kei.

The padawan panicked. He withdrew his lightsaber and activated the blue blade. He centered himself. He did not know what this.. Thing was. Could he even stab it? The boy never more confused in his life. Instead of trying to get close to it, he decided to give it a mighty force push. His saber was still in his hand. He held it away from him and Kei and pushed forth his other hand. With everything going on, it may have been mild so the creature might not be knocked back so substantially.

"Kei, What're we going to do?!" Jerit screamed. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins. He wanted to know what this thing was. He was scared but Jerit knew he had to calm himself. He did not need to Kei babysit him especially right now.

The boy stepped back, trying to gain distance from the enemy. Maybe he could try something else if the push did not work. He did not expect it to.

[member="Kei Raxis"]
[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Jerit Kolomor"] | [member="Darth Ophidia"]​

Voss​

852 ABY​

​

​

Kei watched the red blade dive towards him.

He heard the crazed laughter. He knew someone was behind him, this was his proof. The red blade diving straight towards his hand, scarlett blade aiming to disable his weapon. Kei knew that it would be but seconds before the lightsaber connected with his own, knocking his own weapon out of the battle. He needed to come up with a plan as quick as he could, come up with a plan to save his weapon and his life.

"Jerit! Move!"

He brought his own lightsaber down, catching the scarlett red blade just seconds before it caused harm. The yellow and scarlett blades were joined togther in a saber lock. Kei forced the two lightsabers up to eye level, leaning back to balance himself. He pushed back against the lightsaber, the shadow that attacked them. He tried to push back, break the saber lock. He wanted to break the saber lock, protect Jerit.

"Who are you?"

 

[Darth Ophidia]

[member="Kei Raxis"] [member="Jerit Kolomor"]

Confusion, fear - Darth Ophidia could taste it on the air.

Red and yellow clashed, then locked in front of them. Her shoulders showed a certain movement of delight as she pressed back against the yellow before Key tried to break off. Her left hand as about to move when she sensed the Force building in the Padawan. Keeping the second sabre concealed, she stepped back from the sabre-lock - Her main weapon remaining in a defensive position against Kei.

Her eyes glanced over at Jerit just as he threw his push.

Rather than resist it, the Sith Lord allowed the push to move her and simply altered her trajectory. Her boots touched the side of the wall, followed by the flowing black fabrics, and rather than kicking off, she simply stuck as though gravity held no sway on her. She put the tip of her blade out towards Kei and moved across the wall in a calm stride to circle them.

Meanwhile she made her passing steps, the fingers of her left hand clenched and her eyes turned once more to Jerit as she attempted to apply pressure through the Force, concentrated around his hands. Her goal: To crush his fingers between her pressure and the metal of his lightsabre hilt.

"Tusatsa, Midwan."

Her lips moved now, her voice hoarse, husky, dry like a desert corpse.

 

[St0rmSlaSh]

Everything was happening at once. He could feel the cold. The darkside. It engulfed him as Kei now locked sabers with the menacing warrior. The force push did push her, but not in the way Jerit intended. The boy was nervous that someone could actually use an attack for their own. It made him more and more nervous every second.

There was no use in fighting the person. All he could do was try to stay away but at the same time try to help. The boy went into his stance and stood back. He looked to the yellow and red light clashing. Jerit drew in quick breaths and figured out how to go about the fight. He knew that a padawan of his training would not stand a chance against the assailant but he had to try something nonetheless.

That's when he felt it. A sharp pain growing more and more in his fingers. The padawan screeched and dropped his saber. The pain ceased.

Did they really try crushing my fingers?!

He stood back. The lightsaber rolled too far away from the boy. Even if he could reclaim his weapon, he would have something worse happen to him. He only knew one thing now and the thought made him feel like a coward. They needed to try to flee although the boy realized that the attacker may catch up with them in no time flat.

"Kei! We need to run!"​

​

​

[member="Kei Raxis"] | [member="Darth Ophidia"]​

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

[member="Jerit Kolomor"] | [member="Darth Ophidia"]​

Voss​

852 ABY​

​

​

Confusion and fear.

That summed up Kei's current feeling well. He was confused as to why the Sith was on Voss. Afrsid, not for his own life but for the life of Jerit Kolomor, the padawan who had entrusted his life to him. He looked towards towards the Sith, the darkside shadow that was attacking them, trying to take their lives. He looked towards the Sith shadow, he looked towards the dangerous creature attacking them.

They needed to run. Jerit made that obvious, they wouldn't survive this fight. However, he wouldn't let Jerit come to harm. He would make Jerit run first, he'd follow Jerit once the Sith was either dead or stunned long enough to give them a chance to run away. That was the option, he had to stop the Sith or die trying. He had to get Jerit to get away, he had to give Jerit chance to run, to get away.

"Jerit! Now, run!"

He looked to the Sith, orbitting his lightsaber in his hand. He was ready to try and save Jerit the best way he could. He needed to save Jerit, get Jerit out of harms way. That was the goal, give Jerit enough time to get away. He didn't want Jerit's master to get angry, he didn't want Jerit's master to end up lost that his padawan was dead. He needed to get Jerit out of the temple, onto the ship.

"Your move"

 

[Darth Ophidia]

[member="Kei Raxis"] [member="Jerit Kolomor"]

Self-sacrifice?

How dreadfully noble. Yet, by his inaction, Kei had doomed his own venture. He was leaving Jerit open and opening himself for failure. In an instance such as this, there was only success or death. The Pale would make him remember every mistake.

She jumped off the wall, away from Kei and down on the floor, effectively putting herself between them and the exit. The Sith Lord made sure the point of her blade threatened Kei throughout her movement, meant to deter any advance by threatening to simply skewer him with the tip of her bloodshine blade.

The moment her feet hit the floor, her eyes glanced over to the weapon Jerit had dropped. Her will still lingered around it from her previous attempt at crushing his fingers, and with a swipe of her left hand, she launched it at Jerit. The blade would not activate until the very last second, making it difficult to estimate its destination. She meant to nail the Padawan to the wall with his own weapon, preventing his escape and -Painfully, but non-lethally- use his anguish to push the Knight further off balance.

Or at the very least, increase the stakes of their fight.

 

[St0rmSlaSh]

Jerit listened to Kei's words and tried to run, but was stopped by the sight of his lightsaber in the air. The padawan did not know why it was doing that until he realized it was the dark being manipulating its movement. He tried running away but it was no use. The saber ignited the second he tried to run away from it and the boy felt an immediate searing pain in his shoulder.

Jerit hit the back of his head on the wall and was subsequently nailed to the grey slab by his own lightsaber. Jerit screamed and tried to pull it out but the pain was too great.

"ahh! Kei!" He had to call his friend to know what happened, but Jerit did not want any help. Kei had to focus.

"Try to finish the fight!"

Jerit looked to his lightsaber that stabbed just below his shoulder. He deactivated the blade and the saber fell to the ground. The padawan fell to the ground, gripping his shoulder and breathing quickly. He had to run but he was paralyzed by pain. He tried to stand but was too wobbly to. He tried crawling away instead and it seemed to work. His only hope would be that Kei would stick to the right and that the other individual would be distracted by Kei.

[member="Darth Ophidia"] | [member="Kei Raxis"]​