Mission: Crystal Caves (Open to Jedi)

[Tugoro Taidarious]

The boy's eyes had closed long ago, when [member='Ki'an Karr'] looked at him he would definitely notice it. No response would come out of the boy's mouth, for he was in a deep concentration. Tugoro's focus was intense, he could feel the power of the force flowing around his body, and through the air as they stood among-st the crystals. Their glow was bright, shining noticeably as Tugoro concentrated, his mind being able to sense it's force infused essence. There were so many, they were all beautiful, but there was only one that could suit the boy, and he knew this. Opening his eyes, the boy would feel something click, everything suddenly making sense for him. Stepping forward, his arm would extend, grasping around a light red colour, almost a dark pink even. It was not an extreme change from his current saber's color, but it would do for the Jedi Order, hopefully.

"Here."

 

[Lok Xiangu]

He kept on walking straight until he met a wall. For others this would be a dead end but for him he could easily scale it. He ran at it, jumped on it, and began running the wall at ease. He was at the top and looked below him. It would be a nasty fall for any normal being. He continued his mission for his crystal so he could build his saber.

"Your heart is mine."

Something was calling him. Hatake looked around and saw his replica. His replica didn't had anything to cover his Sith eye but both eyes had the eyes of the Sith and he saw his face that was concealed for a long time. "No, you are not me. You're just a replica." The replica laughed and suddenly decided to strike him. But another came in to fight off the Sith Hatake. He recognized the Jedi was him and soon his shadows were in a duel. It was a long time that it felt like an hour until it came to an end. His Jedi shadow won but the Sith said, "Because of how you are you will fall to the dark side." And the shadows disappeared.

Hatake was in confusion and he stopped to think. He didn't want to be a Sith. He just sat down and thought of what he saw.

[member="Vala Melina"] @Ki'an Karr [member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Ki'an stepped forward and picked out a green crystal. Placing it in a pouch he secured it in his belt.

"It is a fine crystal." Ki'an said, having not seen one of that color before. "I feel like we should meet up with the others." Ki'an said. He turned back towards the rope he had secured at the top and began climbing. It wouldn't take him long to reach the top. Once there he could track his way back to the other groups.

"Are you coming?" Ki'an asked over his shoulder as he climbed.

 

[Vala Melina]

The two Valas stared at each other for a bit until the Strong Vala said, "Who are you?"
Timid Vala jumped a bit. "I'm...I'm Vala," came her sheepish reply.

The Other Vala scoffed. "No you're not," she said, "You're just an impostor. You are a shadow, a ghost that hides from risk, challenge, and people. You watch as others, both teachers and peers, pass you by. You keeping to yourself, not wanting to bother anyone. Why should anyone bother with you anyway? You are nothing special. If anything you are weak. You can barely touch the Force, let alone manipulate it. And look at you. It's surprising you can even lift that sword."

The Other Vala gave a chuckle and a choir of laughs from the darkness joined her. "You hear that? People like me. It's because they respect boldness and power. Strength. Something you don't have. You have no friends. No one cares about you," she said.

Vala was shocked at what she heard. Every secret doubt, every hidden thought, every buried feeling this person unearthed and mocked. "That's not true!" the scrawny Padawan proclaimed.

"Are you referring to your Jedi Master? He's not your friend. He took you out of pity. He doesn't care about you. He took you in to prove that he could train anyone, even the skinny girl that got excluded from all the clans and left behind by five classes. You should be in the Service Corps, not dragging this Jedi down because we both know you're a lost cause. The only person who ever cared for you was Mother and she's dead. It's your fault she's dead. She sacrificed herself for you to be a Jedi. Looks like it was in vain. You can never be a Jedi."

Vala simply stared, horrified at what she was hearing. No, it can't be true. Why else would Master Vorsa insist that she call him Talon? And Tugoro? Vala never had any real friends but he was the closest she had so far. These were doubts but they weren't true. If they were she wouldn't be here right now. She wasn't the greatest, she knew that, but she worked hard trying to get here. All of those times at the library studying, all those times practicing lightsaber moves by herself. And people due care. Her time with Master Kiskla Grayson was proof of that. These were lies.

A change happened in Vala. She stood with new found conviction. She walked forward into the light and took off her hood, revealing a face and chocolate brown hair that few have seen. A hand reached down and grabbed the pair of dog tags around her neck. Her mother's dog tags. "I will be a Jedi," she proclaimed, "I will be a guardian of hope, protector of those who can't. Just like mom."

The Other Vala gave a menacing laugh. "Look where that got her," she said then hefted her sword into a ready position, "Now you will join her, shadow."

The Other Vala's eyes turned yellow and she gave a bloodcurdling yell as she swung at the Jedi Padawan. The scrawny girl quickly shuffled out of the way, drawing her own blade. Vala attacked the impostor but the fake Jedi simply parried and countered. It continued on like this, strike, block, counter, as both tried to dominate the other. Sadly for Vala an advantage that Form V gave to its wielders was that it favored those who were physically strong, something the skinny girl was not. The Other Vala knew it too. "You can't win!" bellowed the doppelganger, "I'm stronger than you!"

Vala was tiring under the constant barrage but she wasn't going to give up. She can beat this impostor. There had to be some other way. Then an idea came to mind. Focusing her mind, when it was Vala's turn to counter she did so with a powerful Force Push. The Other Vala cried in surprise as they flew into the shadows. The cave shook slightly and two crystals fell from the ceiling. One blue and one orange. Vala reached out in the Force and found that the darkness was gone but the crystals were both calling to her. Putting her sword away, the Jedi Padawan grabbed them and gazed upon her prize. She could feel them full of energy in her hand. She turned around and found the tunnel back lit up for her.

She walked through it and found Master Vorsa waiting for her. Vala showed him the two crystals she found. "I'm ready," she said.

Tugoro Taidarious Hatake Mutashi Talon Vosra Ki'an Karr

 

[Kian Karr]

One hand over the other, Ki'an climbed to the top of the incline until finally he grasped the edge at the top and hauled himself up. As he pulled himself up, he felt something in the force. Some presence in the distance as if a great battle was being fought. At first he felt apprehension and fear and then suddenly a feeling of confidence and power washed over him. It wasn't his own feelings, but those of another. Someone, likely a padawan, was being tested by the force in these caverns and they had proven worthy. He didn't know who had proven themselves, but Ki'an was happy for them. He was surprised that he hadn't faced any obstacles or force vision in retrieving his crystals, but knew that this wasn't always the case and that he still wasn't done with constructing his lightsaber. Sensing that [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] was fine behind him, Ki'an moved further down the corridor they had come from.

At a crossroad in the cavern, Ki'an made his way to the left, where before he had gone right. He felt a strong presence in the force in that direction and believed that it would lead him to Master Vosra and the other padawans. They would now have to embark on the next part of their journey, constructing a lightsaber.

[member="Talon Vosra"] [member="Vala Melina"], [member="Hatake Mutashi"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Watching as [member='Ki'an Karr'] began to climb, Tugoro would wave to the man, offering him a good-bye. "I'll catch up." He would simply say, not bothering to explain anything else. That was just how he was, too clueless to care about such things as details. Though, one thing that the boy had studied was the lightsaber, specifically the one he had obtained in his battle with the Sith Knight Maleus, on Kashyyyk. Lowering his hand, the boy's pale palm would wrap around the black metallic handle that hung at his waist, tugging it off of it's restraint. After cocking his arm back, Tugoro would toss it into the air, letting it almost hit the ground before he caught it, with his mind of course. He had reached out with his newly trained telekinesis ability, using the flowing force in order to bind and surround the saber handle. It would begin to rise from the ground, floating infront of him as he imagined it doing so in his mind, allowing his will to guide him, rather than his want. He didn't want it to float near him, he knew it would, and that is what made all the difference.

Even though he was no mechanic, the boy had spent days deconstructing the Sith's blade, allowing it's parts to lay out in a circle as he took short scribbled notes and sketches, for future use of course. The force Tugoro had gathered around the saber would slowly begin to infiltrate it's schematics, making it's way in-between every nook and cranny within the weapon. It would take several minutes to do so, Tugoro's focus causing his mind to strain, becoming rather tired. With a final push of mental confidence, the metallic handle would split into three parts. One piece would be from the blade shroud emitter, to the blade energy channel. This piece held a considerable amount of components within it, however they were not important for the task at hand. The second piece was the primary objective, for it contained the main crystal chamber, along with the other focusing ones. The last third would obviously contain the diatium power cell, it being what powered the plasma beam.

A wide grin was visible on the boy's face as he peered forward, being able to spot the shining red synthetic crystal that dwelled within the saber he had earned. Reaching forward with two fingers, he would carefully prod at the red gem, pulling it from the primary mount, replacing it with a sizable amount of the dark pink crystal. "Awesome."

 

[Talon Vosra]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"] [member="Hatake Mutashi"] @Ki'an Karr [member="Vala Melina"]

Talon sat as the fears and worries of the padawans either manifested or not. He could feel the force swirling around them and he began to project calm to each mind. He exerted himself to gove them the encouragement they needed. They were not some nameless faceless students in a crowd. Each had strengths and weaknesses, but qhat was more important was they had friends and Talon was one of them. If they worked at it they could overcome their weaknesses and face their fears. The future was never certain it was always in motion so they could only get hints and warnings of possible futures.

Talon took a small clear crystal from his pocket and then removed a cloth from his belt and set it down in front of him. Then with care he took his satchel off his shoulder and spilled many components onto the cloth and arranged them. Everything was ready for them to begin and for him as well to give an example.

"Take a seat Vala," he said smiling at her, "as soon as you're ready you can begin."

 

[Kian Karr]

Following the corridor further and further towards the force presence, Ki'an came finally to place that was mildly lit. Drawing out of the darkness he found [member="Talon Vosra"] sitting with many component parts before him. Ki'an approached and knelt down in front of his master.

"Hello Master Vosra," Ki'an said bowing his head and then withdrew the green crystal he had selected for his saber, as well as the schematic he had outlined on his way there. He pulled a few components out of his own pack. He didn't have the inner working parts he needed, but he had worked on developing the outer shell he wanted for the saber. It was made of dark grey material and a black upper hand guard. The specifications he had laid out for the handle was done with the anticipation of developing his skills further in Shien and Djem So.

"I have discovered my crystal. I believe I am ready to begin," Ki'an said and then turned his attention toward the brown haired padawan to his side, "greetings, I am Ki'an Karr." Ki'an said, as he was meeting this padawan for the first time. Knowing his face was concealed beneath his mask he projected warmth into the force. Pulling back his hood, he began to collect several of the inner components he would need to complete his saber and then with a nod to his master he went to work.

Having studies the literature on lightsabers extensively and having dismantled the training sabers at the academy several times, Ki'an would know call the process difficult, but rather time consuming. Closing his eyes, Ki'an began to concentrate on the force and slowly the pieces began to rise into the air and fit together. Several times he had to stop and reverse what he'd done, trying to ensure he fit the pieces together properly. Ki'an didn't see any visions as he was expecting, but rather felt a sense of calm and serenity wash over him that he had not experienced before. Suddenly he found himself piecing together the saber with no conscious effort. It was as if he was being guided to construct the blade. After what felt like an eternity, Ki'an opened his eyes and found his saber floating in front of his eyes. Lifting his hands, he lowered the saber down into this hands and gripped it. It was a perfect fit for his four fingered hands.

[member="Talon Vosra"] [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] [member="Vala Melina"]

 

[Maleus]

From within the crystalline labyrinth a ghastly specter shimmered faintly. It's weightless body levitated towards Tugoro. "From the lands of Kashyyyk a boy was born. But since his birth he has been abhorred..."
A ghostly appendage spun freely, the finger itself seemed oddly transparent, while all the while still bore tangibility. The index finger slowly brushed up against the child which released an eerie energy that grasped their ambient surroundings.

Steam veered out of the chasm of it's mouth. "Tugoro... I sparred you so that you could become like me... For we are one and the same... We are the manifestation of the dark-side... Now... You're weak.... Become strong.... Embrace your emotions, embrace your hatred. For in the day you do, you shall become me....." The entities voice came off as but a malevolent whisper, but it's tone was as sharp as acid...

"Turn away from the light.."

Tugoro Taidarious

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Lifting both of his arms, the boy would sweep them infront of his body, motioning with his hands in order to control the force. The gesture he had made resulted in each third of his saber floating together, each of their parts clicking as they touched. The metallic handle would be once more completed, each piece rotating to lock into place firmly. Tugoro's hand would rise into the air once again, his fingers grasping the black metal of his lightsaber, pulling it close to his eyes to examine it. Tossing it back and forth between his hands, he would deem it safe to operate, it's components not seeming to be loose at all. Suddenly, a strange feeling would shoot through the boy's mind, as if someone had ran their nails across a chalk board. Tugoro's neck would crane to the side, giving himself a good view of what was behind him.

The boy's two eyes would widen in fear as he witnessed [member="Maleus"]' form, it being ghostly, floating out of the shadows as if he had always been there. The Sith Zabrak spoke, a dark mist leaking out of his mouth as his cursed words escaped it as well. Clutching the handle of his newly colored weapon, the boy would begin to tremble, a feeling of nervousness washing over him. The strange aura that was present sent chills down his spine, opting him to leap backwards suddenly, onto his feet. "What...How?!" He would yell, the metallic handle's dark pink beam of plasma igniting into life to cast a bright glow around their surroundings. Memories of that day on Kashyyyk came flooding back into his mind as his enemy stood before him, taunting him words that bared the truth. That's how Tugoro saw it at least, for he had been beaten, and he was weak. However, his mind would be in conflict, not allowing him to back down.

"NO!" He would shout in anger, his arm lifting to retract backwards, holding the pink blade high above his head as he broke into a wild sprint.

The strange influence brought on by the crystals surrounding the boy had manifested Maleus as an apparition, bringing Tugoro's true thoughts to surface. On the outside he might've been a smug foreigner, but he truly was insecure. Streaks of white and pink would lash out through the dark air, hoping to aim and slash away at Maleus' form that had appeared.
[member="Vala Melina"]
[member='Ki'an Karr']

 

[Vala Melina]

Talon's smile was infectious for she too smiled with him. As the Jedi Master began emptying the contents of his satchel Vala carefully took out components out of her own bag across from him. When she was done she set the satchel down and sat on it, an impromptu mat to help protect her rear against the cold. She then pulled out her crystals. Though she had two sets of crystals, one blue and one orange, she only had enough components for one. She put them in different hands and closed her eyes, letting the Force guide her in making her decision which one to build first. It took a moment but then when she opened her eyes she had a fist held out in front of her. She opened it and revealed that she was holding the blue set. Stuffing the orange back in her pocket, she reached up and took off her bandanna, letting her chocolate brown hair fall to her shoulders. She placed the red cloth on the ground and on it her blue crystals.

With everything in place, she looked to her Master before closing her eyes as she entered meditation. Vala always aspired to be a Jedi and in her mind the first huge milestone was to build a lightsaber. She spent hours, days even going through the library, pouring over every single scrap of information she could find. She prepared for this for a long time now. She gathered the pieces during her time at the Enclave before she was ever sent to the Temple and met Master Vorsa. All she needed was a crystal. While crystals were rare, Vala was once presented with an opportunity to take one but she refused. She had to earn it the proper way.

Now she was here, in the Crystal Cave, shimmering blue crystals before her, a moment she waited and prepared for her whole life. With all the knowledge she gathered though she now found that all of it was useless. Everything but one bit of knowledge. The lightsaber was an extension of ones self and in building one they needed to pour themselves into it and ultimately let the Force guide them. Vala focused on the lightsaber crystal, pouring all of her concentration and energy into it.

The crystal began to glow as it became imbued with the Force. Vala was never particulaly strong in the Force but it could be felt right now. She could picture it perfectly in her mind. It rose in the air in front of her and the the pieces began forming around it, as if the lightsaber was being built from the crystal. It was slow at first but then exponentially increased in pace. It was at this moment that Vala would prove that lightsabers and their use would be Vala's calling for a process that would take hours only took her minutes. With a final surge of energy Vala slumped over with a huff. A moment later she slowly hefted herself up to find her lightsaber floating in front of her. She reached out and grabbed it. It felt...right. She stood up then activate her lightsaber. A brilliant blue blade with a strange but electric yellow core sprang from the emitter.

Vala gave a joyful smile. She did it. She built a lightsaber. Now she can truly become a Jedi as a famous old Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi would say, she had taken her first steps into a larger world.

Tugoro Taidarious Hatake Mutashi Talon Vosra Ki'an Karr

 

[Maleus]

After images of fiery pink flames clawed the air. The ionized plasma hummed with ferocity as it clashed with Maleus's neck. At first glance the blow itself seemed to phase through the ethereal apparition.

Seconds passed, and then a crimson geyser spouted out of his neck and onto the room... The crystals which provided the sort of omnipresent incandescence was now over-come with a rich sanguine. The blood itself churned, soon it was black as tar.

With the severed head flying through the air one would think that this would be the end. Sadly, it was just the beginning. Instantly Tugoro would find himself in a rural setting. The golden sun imparted it's beauty in intervals as the clouds loomed above, the two forces fought for supremacy. This illustration was symbolic... Soon.. He would see the bodies of people whom he killed. Only this was not possible, he killed no-one.. Or did he?

He struck at Maleus, did he not? Except it would seem that he had made a mistake... Women and children lay on the ground... Pink flames licked their corpses. "WHAT HAVE WE DONE!?"
"TUGORO IS A MONSTER!"
The words were soft, it seemed as if they winds themselves could have carried the voices.
With Maleus's head having been cut off, the only thing Tugoro could see now was.....Himself.
Tugoro Taidarious


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTRTGtM1hAU

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Blood seemed to escape from the wound inflicted [member="Maleus"], splattering all over the cavern walls, slowly spreading to consume the boy's current surroundings. The dark, yet illuminated cave he had once been in was gone, his being completely enveloped on a shroud of darkness. However, it would let up, revealing a seeming sunny day. Yet, that light too would be dampened out of existance, as powerful storm clouds rolled in on the horizon, blocking out the ultra-violet rays. The beheaded body of the Sith Zabrak would fall to the ground with a thud, his would having cauterized by now. Strangely enough, inhabitants of this apparent dream world would swarm around, bashing Tugoro verbally for his actions. It was all a vision, a mere illusion, but it seemed so real. He could feel the darkness around him, trying to eat away at the light he possessed with in.

Fear had managed to root itself with Tugoro, taking over his entire being as he stepped backwards in horror, looking on as the head of Maleus rolled in it's hood, revealing itself to actually be his own face. This was too much for the boy, immediately he would turn and run, trying to escape from the nightmare that plagued him on the grassy plains. However, he would most likely slam into a rocky wall, and render himself unconcious.
[member="Vala Melina"]
[member='Ki'an Karr']
[member="Talon Vosra"]

 

[Maleus]

Maleus's existence was a mere facade, Tugoro had encountered an illusion, the likes of which that could turn the most hardened men insane. Nonetheless he was tied in with the young boys consciousness. And as such he was rendered into a state of placidity. In his sleep the entity known as Maleus would depart. But not before he spoke.
"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken...
The force shall free me..

Tugoro Taidarious

 

[Lok Xiangu]

Well what type of riddle was that? Accept who he was? He was never taught on how to solve a fricking riddle. Accept who he was. He did accepted who he was. But there was something that he didn't accept: his left eye. That was part of his legacy no matter what. And in a second he accepted that his Sith eye was a part of him no matter what.

As he accepted the fact he felt something in the force and found a shiny object. Finally, step one was complete. He grabbed his crystal and began returning to the entrance of the cave. But he would take the long way to it cause he wanted to explore the caves.

As he was walking he found Tugoro unconscious on the floor. He went to his side and began shaking him. "Wake up! Wake up!" He wasn't going to leave him here in this icy place. Hatake isn't selfish. He would wait until the Padawan woke up so they could complete what they started.

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"] [member="Vala Melina"] @Ki'an Karr

 

[Kian Karr]

Ki'an rose. It was the moment of truth. Holding his saber in front of him he thumbed the activation switch. For a split second, Ki'an held his breath in fear that his saber would not ignite, then the blade sprang to life with a crackling hiss. The green blade shown radiantly in the dark cavern. He twirled the blade in front of him several times, feeling the balance and the weight. It was a good blade. It was his blade.

Ki'an turned towards Master Vosra and Padawan Melina too see how they were progressing. Looking around he realized the others hadn't made their way back yet.

"Padawan Taidarious and Mutashi haven't returned yet." Ki'an stated, somewhat worried. He didn't believe there was anyone in the caverns that could hurt them, but their were always dangers in dark caverns, especially those steeped in raw force energy.

[member="Hatake Mutashi"] [member="Vala Melina"] [member="Talon Vosra"] [member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Opening his eyes, Tugoro would slowly awaken, looking around the area, and up at [member="Hatake Mutashi"] who had been shaking him. "Hello." He said, his hand lifting to touch at his head. A thin stream of blood coursed down the boy's face, as a large cut had formed on the boy's brow. Just as he touched it, everything came back, his body suddenly jerking up to keep his eyes on the shadows behind the duo. Maleus wasn't there, he had gone. He was in the cave, of course Maleus wasn't there. Shaking his head from side to side quietly, Tugoro felt embarrassed as he climbed to his feet. The boy's arm would lift, his hand opening to have it's palm aim at the black metallic handle that was on the ground. With the force, Tugoro would reach for it, enveloping it in the energy source and pulling it back into his grasp.

"Thanks." He would say, approaching the cliff wall, before leaping forward, his legs and arms moving to assist him in climbing up. He did it rather fast, for he had spent years among-st the wookies on Kashyyyk, who were good climbers.

 

[Talon Vosra]

[member="Hatake Mutashi"] @Ki'an Karr [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] [member="Vala Melina"]

Talon sat concentrating on the Padawans when Ki'an spoke. It was disturbing true but Talon had been keeping track of their progress and all wad happening as it should.

"Padawan Tugoro had a powerful experience." He began, "Padawan Hatake is with him they'll be here soon. Good work on being mindful of your fellow padawans, but don't worry they're coming."

 

[Kian Karr]

Ki'an nodded to Master Vosra and hung his lightsaber from his utility belt. Dropping back down into a kneeling position he let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried leaving Tugoro behind, but had done as he was told. He waited patiently for the others to reach them. He was sure they would have some interesting stories to tell. While he didn't know what had occurred with padawan Melina, he got the sense that she too had experienced something intense in the cave. Ki'an, while not experiencing any force visions, had felt a connection with the force which he had never felt before. He had been with the Baran Do from childhood and yet here, amongst the crystals and with the Jedi, Ki'an felt as if he were just now beginning to understand the magnificence of the force.

 

[Lok Xiangu]

Good, the Padawan finally awoke from his nightmare. Hatake didn't ask cause it was private for Tugoro. He then saw him climbing a wall and Hatake followed him to make sure he doesn't pass. But instead of climbing it he rather ran towards it, jump, and began running on the wall. He reached the top first than Tugoro since running was faster than climbing with your legs and arms. Offering a hand to his fellow Padawan, he asked from his almost-concealed-face, "So, you have your crystal or are you still searching for it?"

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]