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Location: Dojo near Lake Objectives: Teach or assist People Nearby: [member="Eddlo Taphilic Hoc"] Gear/Equipment: Attire, grill, ingredients & utensils Post: 4 She looked at the giant with a slightly confused stare while awaiting an answer unsure if the man was just unsure to social interaction or just slow to speech. That or he just didn't like talking a lot, she personally knew a few like that, slow to answer but mind abuzz, fortunately the wait was no too long his deep voice finally breaking the silence. "That is your choice, it will probably taste rather strong, maybe hold off on the dressing once it is finished but it is fine".
"You seem to have things under control, I'll check in with a few more people and then we can move on". Giving a small nod the women addressed the rest of the class, finally making a full circle. "You all seem to be ready on the next step, pouring your mix, this part is pretty simple, steady raise the bowl, using your mixing spoon to push the batter onto the grill, helps to evenly spread the ingredients around". "After that simply wait until your feel the dish is done, you may flip it at your own discretion, this part has just as much customization as the last, but again do not hesitate to ask for help".
Attire: Cane, Black Suit for Mourning
Wielding: N/A
Tags: [member=Iapo Sim]
Location: Minister Kenway's Class Cabin, by the lake.
The Minister's head turned to the door, as it opened, lighting up his desk. He hadn't realised how dark he'd let it get. He tapped a button on the desk, and the lights in the room adjusted, filling the room with a level of light to match the outside. His eyes focused on the young woman who'd walked in, another hopeful who wanted to amount to something great. Perhaps a future leader of the Confederacy. Who knew in this day and age. He watched from his desk as the young woman stood at the door. Seeing as she wasn't going to come any closer, he got up, pushing the chair back on it's wheels, and he stretched, a few bones in his back popping from how long he'd been sitting. Another sign of his progressing age. He put some weight on his cane, and started walking towards the woman, putting on a fake smile.
"Greetings, I am Caesar Kenway, Minister of War for our glorious Confederacy. I'm teaching the Art of War, Leadership, and Diplomacy. They all tie in together, more than you might think. Welcome to my humble cabin. All are equals here, we all teach each other. Some more than others."
The man with the fake smile reached the young lady just as she introduced herself. A new recruit of the Confederacy. He almost felt honoured that his class was the first she decided to go to, instead of one of the combat lessons. He reached out to shake her hand.
"This is indeed the cabin of Minister Kenway, Diplomacy, War, and Leadership. On behalf of the Confederacy, welcome. And of course you may learn from me, that's why I'm here. Take a seat at one of the desks, and open a page in the Art of War, the book, any page, and tell me what the subtitle is. That is, unless you need anything else?"
He looked at her, his eyes focusing on hers, as if trying to figure out how she thinks, what she was thinking. Yet none of those things he could figure out, instead, they just left a burning sensation that could've melted durasteel if it'd been made a weapon. He then turned away, and started walking back to his desk. He rested his cane on it, and grabbed a bottle of pain killers, taking a pill, and swallowing it, then drank from a glass of water, closing the bottle, and putting it away. He then walked around his desk without the cane, perfectly. Finally, he stopped, and leaned back against the front of his desk, facing the class, a few more had shown up while he was talking to the girl, and fixing his ankle.
It brought a genuine smile to his face, to see so many people interested in classes like this. It gave him faith that the Confederacy might be lead by capable organics, instead of droids, running on a program.
Iapo sat down but kept her eyes on the man, following his advance around the classroom and saw him lean against the desk. His expressions were hard to read, cold smiles and a certain weariness in the way he moved around the room. She had the disconcerting feeling that he could read her easily while he was completely impenetrable to her. She was distracted by the arrival of several other people but when she felt his eyes on her she reached for the book he’d mentioned.
It was an old tome. She felt a half-smile form on her face when she ran a finger along the spine of the book. Her ten-year-old self would have been exhilarated by a book like that, imposing and old-looking, back when she was stuck on her cold little moon. She opened it without preamble, on a random page, flipping to the closest paragraph with subtitle. Her eyes followed the long sentences and she resisted the temptation to bury herself in the old tome. Instead, her gaze landed on a subtitle: Variation and Adaptability. She looked up to see the others that had sat down around the room. On her right, a man, a good decade older than her was still perusing a book and on her left, a middle-aged rhodian was sprawled on his chair, giving off an air of easy-going power and self-assuredness.
She still felt lost sometimes among these people who all seemed more accomplished and self-assured than she felt. At the same time, she knew that luck alone would have never gotten her so far and that the only way to be certain she deserved a place in the Confederacy was to prove herself.
Her gaze fell back on her book. 'Variation and Adaptability'. It evoked reactiveness and rapidity of decision to her. She saw how this could apply when one was alone and could take decisions and act in one go but in a large group, or even when talking about a whole army... Iapo decided that expanding on these musings would lead her nowhere and read out loud from the book instead. “Variation and Adaptability”.
Gianna smiled when she realized, that at least, her companions were friendly with one another. The green-eyed Jedi Knight had a tendency of making friends with people from all walks of life. This meant that on occasion she had entertained mortal enemies at dinner. Sometimes it ended well and sometimes she ended up replacing furniture and healing a few wounds. Thankfully, nothing on Naboo had burned to the ground.
At least it kept things exciting.
Regardless, she was still happy that Cassius had arrived. She didn’t get to see him nearly as much as she would have liked. Her eyes flared with inner-light at his response to the assessment of their current situation. Fascinating. Of course, he found it intriguing rather than terrifying. She tilted her head and released a gentle sigh. As much as he had grown since they’d first crossed paths he was still just a boy, with a ship, craving adventure. “Be mindful. There’s a reason the Hoylin fear this place.”
Gianna settled into the land speeder whilst Amilthi answered some of the questions Cassius held. She didn’t worry too much about him having difficulties with paying attention to where they were going versus holding a conversation. He’d never held too much trouble multi-tasking in that manner, though, she did take his bag when the flaxen-haired Jedi passed it forward. The entire atmosphere had shifted once they crossed the invisible barrier. She could feel a chill that swept into the marrow of her bones.
She could only liken it to a sense of desolation. Utterly, wretched.
In response to this, she kept her attitude light. She remained smiling. Optimistic. She drew a deep breath and let her peaceful presence flow in order to ride against what felt like an incoming storm. The mists were silent and seemingly innocuous but the closer they got the more she felt. She could feel it calling and everything in her railed against it. Instead, she focused on the scanner, and her delicate features fell into a frown. “I think it’s broken.”
She couldn’t read it. The interactive display was just flaring with colors and wouldn’t respond. It was either that or there was some sort of interference that was making the equipment run wild. There were reports of people getting lost, even prepared, so perhaps this was why. “That—or whatever the Nothing is made of is affecting the scanner. I can try to recalibrate but I’m not sure it will help…”
Gianna kept fiddling with the device before a flash of light caught her attention. It was fairly far from them, but even with the gray sky, she could make out the rising sight of smoke. A ship? Or a speeder? “I wonder if that’s from the other expedition team. They’re looking for the source of the Nothing while we’re hunting for the victims…”
Victims. The Lost. Gianna could feel her stomach sink whilst she pulled her comm up and searched for the appropriate frequency. It was a relief, to know, that at least communications were still working well enough. Scratchy, but viable. She’d checked to see who would be handling that part of the mission before meeting up with Amilthi. She reported the sighting and general location to [member="Darth Tacitus"], [member="Tellu Talon"], and [member="Rashae"] the Minister of Science.
The drive through the Grey Barrens, so far, was uneventful aside from the scanner going berserk. When she couldn’t do anything about the results reading as complete gibberish she returned to relying on her eyes and others senses. Something tugged at her. Something other than the dark allure of the mists of the Nothing. Beyond the tree line at the base of the mountains, there was a rather wide forest range. There seemed to be old buildings littering the area but they were covered with strange plant matter. It seemed to have threaded through the permacrete. Almost like some sort of fungus or mold. Spores rose in the air that were a strange shade yellow-green.
“We should check there. Perhaps they tried looking for shelter?”
Gianna would rather sleep in the open in the Barrens over what looked to be a long abandoned settlement but the elements in this place were said to be unpredictable. She could understand that desperate times called for desperate measures. Even though they hadn’t gone too far from Elbright when she looked behind her, back the way they had come, it seemed that the mist blocked the view.
No wonder it was so easy to get lost here.
“I would also recommend staying together. I know we could cover more ground separately, but, we don’t want to get lost here. There is a potential pathogen in the air so we may need rebreathers. We also shouldn't touch anything without gloves...”
Whether it was an effect of the Nothing or the root of it—Gianna did not know. What she did know was that people who spent too long in the nothing rarely came back the same. That was especially true when they breathed the air from beyond the Barrens. She pointed Cassius to a small clearing up ahead. “There’s a place we can park. Let’s set leave the speeder and go by foot. The trees are too close for us to maneuver."
Location: Hand to Hand combat dojo Wearing: Dauntless camo workout gear Post #2 Tags: [member="Srina Talon"]
The white haired echani, the one who had to be assumed to be Exarch Talen, called to her as she approached the training dojo, answering her question. Nodding quickly in response to the order, Luna leaned down to begin to unlace her boots, placing them beside the growing pile of shoes. Probably something the redhead should have thought of beforehand, especially considering the Echani’s typical ideas about combat and clothing. She wondered if that gave off a bad first impression for not preparing correctly beforehand. Oh well, something to ask about afterword possibly.
Striding forward to the circle with the rest of the attendees, Luna began to feel much more at ease. This was just a class to better her skills. It wasn’t a one on one competition or anything of the sort. She was here to learn, nothing more. And at least in a crowd of others, she would be able to just focus on herself in a way. Able to make mistakes and learn from them, not in front of a group of people…
Her head snapped up at the words of the Exarch, giving a small smile as she was called up to the front to stand beside the Echani, obviously to help demonstrate something. In the back of her mind, Luna had just wanted to blend in the crowd today, but it would be nice to train with the Exarch herself. The redhead stepped forward to stand next to the woman, standing at attention as she awaited instructions.
Removing footwear when entering a Dojo was a matter of respect. Regardless, as an Echani, she did prefer to feel the solid ground beneath her feet. It left her feeling stable. Balanced. The slender woman waited for [member="Luna Terrik"] patiently. The sun was shining and the day was still young. There was no reason to rush through any movement, let alone, any sort of need to rush someone that wished to learn. Silver eyes followed the line of the form of the Dauntless Commander when she approached. Some might have taken the intensity of her gaze in an indecent fashion. That wasn’t the case.
Every movement the ginger-haired female made told the Exarch a little bit more about her ability. Srina took what side she favored, how she distributed her weight, and even the surety of her footsteps. She fell in line with the rest of the Knights that had come to flitter between herself and Adron. Plenty wanted the opportunity to practice and learn. Especially, it seemed, when it came to learning from those that could occasionally seem inaccessible. Srina regretted that. Ensuring that the Confederacy ran smoothly was a chore that left little time for any of them to truly get to know those that depended on them the most. It was disappointing, however, it was unavoidable.
“Thank you.”, Srina breathed softly when the soldier moved to the front of the class. The majority of her participants seemed to be female, or, of a smaller build so the Echani had decided to focus on techniques that used the opponent’s energy against themselves rather than directly opposing it. The Echani let her arms remain lose at her sides while she turning her focus on the rest of the class. It wasn’t in her nature to teach, however, combat ran in her blood. It was the air she breathed.
It was the one thing she knew better than anything else.
“If you would be so kind, Ms. Terrik, I would ask that you try and strike me. We must remain within the ring.”
The simple instruction was met with a ghostly smile whilst the woman fell into a partial bow at the waist before she straightened. Her posture eased into a forward stance, a basic structure, and she felt her body settle into a comfortable state of familiarity. Srina had trained long and hard within the military on Eshan before finding herself in Confederate space. Her spine remained straight, with her chin level, and pressed slightly up. The feeling was not unlike wearing a gown with a collar that was a little too tight.
Her hips held neutrally, neither being extended too far forward, or too far back. When Ms. Terrik moved to attack her overly keen eyes would aid in anticipating her movements, although, anyone could nail down these techniques with enough practice and dedication. Her posture would be maintained throughout but Srina wouldn’t appear to be made of wood or stone. Moreover, the white-haired female would appear fluid, like water, and feather light. Gravity only a vague hindrance. “Do not worry. You will not harm me…”
It wasn’t that Srina didn’t believe Luna couldn’t tag her. Far from it. The seemingly delicate creature could simply take a hit rather well. She had trained with her Master, Darth Metus, and frequently sparred against Adron Malvern. Neither men pulled their punches.
Objective: Locate Missing Hoylin that Disappeared in the Nothing With: [member="Gianna Aegis"] | [member="Amilthi Camlenn"]
As Amilthi explained some of the history of The Nothing, Cassius looked out to the horizon with squinted eyes, running a variety of scenarios through his head. He tried to theorize exactly where it had started, and why it had spread so quickly. There were no doubt parts of this planet that were completely untapped by modern civilization – something could have festered there for decades or even centuries before getting out. There could be a valley or cave system where this started… it would be so much easier to try and figure out its origins if he just knew what it was.
Gianna took his bag and retrieved the scanner, finding that it was essentially useless here. “I checked it before I got here – it must be how the area is affecting everything.” He stole a quick glance over to it. Cassius could already tell that nothing Gianna could do to it would really help. Electronics only acted like that under certain circumstances, which he’d only seen a few times before: places of great darkness, of death and decay. A few temples that had been used for nefarious purposes had caused similar effects on scanning equipment.
He noticed the flash too – it was far enough away that they didn’t hear it, and wouldn’t feel the rumble due to their craft hovering above the ground. After Gianna called it in, she suggested they head in that direction. “Doesn’t hurt to look,” Cassius said, adjusting their course and gunning the engine, taking them to almost full speed.
They zipped across the fields, and as what looked to be the remains of a town or village came into view, Cassius eased up the throttle, slowing them down considerably as he started to see the spores surrounding the area like a mist. As Gianna relayed to them her advice, he was nodding, his mind already going to the rebreather he had in his pack. He drove the speeder over to the recommended parking place and put it in idle.
He hopped out and grabbed his pack, pulling out his rebreather. Putting the transparent mask over his face, he clipped the main device to his belt. Cassius took a few deep breaths, and it seemed to be working properly – it just had a plastic taste to the air. After putting on his leather working gloves, he pointed towards the back of the speeder. “I brought some more gear if anyone needs it,” he spoke, his voice muffled from the mask.
Slinging his pack over his shoulder, he slowly began to step towards the area. The vines were completely intertwined with the building material. It begged the question: was this due to time, or was this how aggressive the Nothing was in ensnaring its victims? He crouched down one of the larger vines and tilted his head as he squinted. It seemed to be moving ever so slightly, like it was alive, and not just in the hard scientific explanation.
Location: Hand to Hand combat dojo
Wearing: Dauntless camo workout gear
Post #3
Tags: [member="Srina Talon"]
Luna, taken aback slightly by the Exarch’s thankfulness, not expecting something like that from her commanding officer. It was probably just manners, but the comment did make the redhead smile slightly. Most echani that she had met up to this point were much colder than Srina seemed. Although that could have been an occupational thing, as Luna herself wasn’t the most fluffy and cuddly. Not most people that could be labeled as military personnel were.
Most all of the commander’s basic training in terms of hand to hand combat had come from basic and a few isolated experiences with sergeants. They had taught the basics of it, mainly striking. To supplement that, during her time training to become an field solider, Luna also learned the basics of wrestling and boxing. But in essence, all she knew was how to throw a punch, a few different kicks, and that was just about it. She was better with a combat knife, but even then, she still needed a lot of training to get up to a serviceable skill level to be able to teach others.
But throwing a punch? She could do that. How hard of one to throw against the exarch was another question entirely. Assuming the echani could take whatever Luna threw at her, was she expecting the commander to throw a full punch or one for demonstration? No, that wouldn’t be what she wanted. She would want Luna to make it battle-like, to be able to give the best demonstration possible.
The redhead commando quickly returned the bow with one of her own before straightening and assuming a fighting stance. One foot in front of the other, placing her left foot farther in front of the right foot, thus having her weaker side closer to the opponent. With her right side farther back, she could put more power into jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, and haymakers from that side. Her left hand wouldn’t be able to do much outside of throw a few jabs here and there, but would be able to possibly block some of Srina’s punches. That is of course, if they actually started sparing.
For now, however, Luna curled her right hand into a fist, tightened her right bicep, before quickly throwing her right fist forward, switching her hips in the process, so that the power behind it would be amplified by the torque of her body turning. The commander aimed for the Exarch’s head, though, in the back of her mind, she highly doubted she was going to be able to hit her.
Tellu had ventured further into the Nothing, Elisea at her side notating and taking samples where she could. The city that surrounded them echoed more and more of the pathogen that had swept through here. Her quarantine gear crinkled in motion and as she stepped further toward the hospital the more she felt that something else was at play here. Darkness had taken hold of this place, she could feel it now as it lurked in the undertow of the Force. She shut her eyes a moment and pushed out with the Force, yes there was something here, and as she approached the hospital's grounds. Tellu knew now that this was not just an ordinary pathogen, this had been created by the darkness - it was precise and it was messy. As if this had been but an experiment and whether that experiment had failed or not remained to be seen.
Reports from other members of the Sacred Lotus came forward, they were heading back to camp. "Elisea go with them." She said without turning back to look, and before the Avalonian could object. "Just go, please. I'll follow along shortly." Her words were but a breath, an afterthought of reassurance. Part of Tellu did not want to go back, and another part knew that she had to return.
Dirt clattered around her covered shoes as she took a step forward. The hospital seemed so much more damning now than it had before. Each step felt so much heavier than the last and a weight on her chest seemed to grow. She took a deep breath and exhaled, perhaps it was just nerves or her anxiety. Maybe this was real, she wasn’t sure, her mind began to go the moment she stepped into the hospital.
It was as if people turned on one another, skeletal remains and lingering poses were all that was left. Tablets and holodevices were scattered and the Force seemed so much more malicious. Tellu looked around the lobby and pushing out with the Force again, hoping to find something. The tendrils were rotten as it curled around the lobby, she could not trust the Force here. Or should she? She wondered with a tilt of her head and looked over toward the left and then the right.
Tellu turned left and as she walked down the corridor, something shifted. The hospital shifted like that of a glitch in a holo. “Hello?” She questioned and there was no response, nothing but the agonizing groan of the hospital’s walls straining to keep itself upright. A crack ran up along the wall and in horror she watched. Tellu watched as it cascaded through the ceiling and then jumped when it came crashing down. Something or someone didn’t want her here, or was it just all in her head?
She had been quite sickly.
Tellu the emotional Echani so quick to react with her heart. Such a pathetic thing, she thought a moment and realized that that wasn’t right. Dark thoughts, doubts ran through her mind. A high pitched shrill ran through the right to the left, Tellu covered her ears and turned. She swore she saw the tips of a hospital gown flourish up the stairs, as a sign on the lift read out of order. And yet, as she passed it opened, it opened and blood poured out as if it had been inside the lift just waiting.
It rushed along the floor and she scrambled up the stairs as it washed down the hall. Tellu took a moment to breathe that couldn’t be right. She stepped back down and there was nothing, indeed there was a malignant chill in the air and the hospital welcomed its newest victim. Those on the outside of the hospital would begin to see changes in the Nothing, it began to shift, and turn, what was up was now down and what was down was now up.
Visions of blood and horror began to emerge, or was it all in their minds? Darkness begat darkness as whispers and cruel laughter echoed throughout the region. The buildings within the Nothing rumbled as small spawns of insects began to rupture from the walls. Banshee wails shot forth from the streets and blood flooded down the street Or had it? Had blood flooded down the street, had insects ruptured from the walls? Or was it all in the minds of those there?
Tellu found herself on the second floor where once again she saw the ends of a hospital gown. This time she told herself to not follow, whatever was going on here it wanted nothing to do with her and she was quite alright with that. It wasn’t going to have a choice, not today. She steeled herself and focused, she focused on her own memories she focused on the voice of her wife. She focused on the memories of her daughter, her family, mother, father, brother, and sisters too. Tellu spoke a mantra, “I am Tellu Talon, and I do not fear you.” She repeated this over and over again as she explored the second floor.
Another shift within the hospital, and on the outside it shifted once again. Up was right, and down was left, right was up and left was down. Everything went topsy turvy and the whispers grew stronger. They taunted and lured the weak toward the hospital, something hungered for blood.
Gurneys rushed past Tellu, and one aimed for her she turned and shot back with a Force push as the sound of the walls groaning caught her attention. Arms protruded from the walls, pushing against the cracked and molded duracrete. Tellu turned and ran for the stairs once more, heading up to the third floor. She knew now more than ever whatever was here, had to go. Not only did it have to go, but it did not need any reason to return. Darkness brought forth more darkness and so she turned to the light. More screams on the third floor, as blood swept through like that of a tide crashing along the shoreline. Doors came flying off, and the dark thoughts in her mind grew stronger.
"Get out of my head," she growled and pushed forward concentrating on her own inner light.
Tellu found the stairs once more and this time rushed toward the seventh floor.
The Nothing fought back, outside the ground turned again and horrors shifted seemingly out of nowhere. Dark whispers were now chants, blood dripped from the walls, poured from gutters and ran through the streets freely. Screams of all kinds echoed throughout the Nothing, and the more Tellu fought it the more violent it grew in return. It was not a pathogen, it was a stain on the Force - it was something that needed to be purged. Hoylin could not be healed until the Nothing was gone.
By now, Tellu had knelt down on the floor and closed her eyes. She focused on her inner light and what that would be, and what it meant to find it. This then turned into Tellu creating her own bubble around herself. A bubble of light, the darkness seemed to hide from. Tellu meditated on the light an introspection of herself clearing her mind. Finding that inner center, to pushout the chaotic mess of the Nothing. It felt as if she was really pushing out the chaotic stresses of the galaxy just as well.
Visually the seventh floor began to glow, a light emitted forth and it broke through the darkness. Strips of life could be seen wherever the light touched and the more the light touched, the easier it could be seen that the Nothing was starting to lose its grip on Hoylin. Where there had once been a drab, gray feel now there was hope and the vivid colors of Hoylin came to life. A thunderous roar could be heard throughout the Nothing as if Hoylin had now awakened, and the sunlight broke through the clouds just as the rains came sweeping down to wash out the horrors.
"The light is stronger than the darkness, and though you may bring your fear, and the stench of death. And though you whisper darkness into the ears of those weaker than you. Know that the light is stronger, for when there is a will there is a way, and hope no matter how frail will prevail. There is no death, there is only the Force and though the pain of loss is deep know that the morning will arrive. Know that there will be a dawn, and no matter how far the darkness goes on there is a light. There is always a light, and there is always a choice, and it is never too late to heal." Tellu's voice grew louder and the tears she cried resembled the rain that now poured around the hospital and the light grew brighter.
"For when there is death, there is life. Where there is hate, there is love - where there is fear, there is hope. You cannot have one without the other, and I am here. I am here, I am Tellu Talon and I shall not allow the darkness the prevail. For I have seen darkness, and I have known its name - I have known self-doubt, I have known the fears, the anxiety and the pains of depression. I also know that I am not alone, I will always have my family. My sister [member="Srina Talon"], and this darkness will too pass."
Her words ran over and over, and outside the hospital, life had returned to Hoylin.
The Force swept through the Nothing, restoring Hoylin.
Tellu however now laid on the seventh floor, she laid with blood rolling down her lips her body was on the ground. There was no death, there was only the Force and as the Nothing had rolled back there was something else now. A lightness, the Scar had been healed at least for now - and for how long? Who knew. Perhaps the Force did, and perhaps it was the Force that had committed the act. Maybe it was an experiment of some Sith, whatever had ailed the planet, ailed it no longer. Whether or not Tellu Talon was alive would remain to be seen, but at least for now the Viceroy and member of the Sacred Lotus had finished what the Order had started so long ago. At least now there could be peace on Hoylin, and surely while the Confederacy's scientists and scholars would comb through this phenomena others speculated that what happened on Hoylin had only been a start.
In the end, the Confederacy had cured Hoylin. Its people would be grateful, and join the nation without question as the beauty of the Hoylin sun shined down upon what had once been the Nothing.
"Yes, let's", said Amilthi gravely. Her mood was not, per se, dark, but she was concentrated on the matter at hand and easily forgot to so much as smile at a friend. She noticed a moment later and turned to Gianna, adding a look and a faint smile that corrected, as it were, her utterance. But her intense expression returned momentarily. She could not find within herself a flame of warmth to fan and grow and set against this dark place. She let the darkness pervade her, allowed herself to feel on edge as it would have her, to feel threatened and even anxious - and then, noticing all this, decided that none of these feelings were particularly hers in a way that should cause her much concern or influence her actions. This realisation, conjured consciously as it was, gave her peace and even a moment's delight that mixed into and superposed with the swirl of negative emotions in the most absurd manner.
Amilthi merely raised a hand to decline Cassius' offer of protective gear. She, or some part of that conglomerate of phenomena that was customarily identified as her person, felt like there was nothing this place could throw at her that would touch her, and she relied on it without question. Her confidence in the Force had no difficulty coexisting with the anxiety that she felt on a lower level of her being, and it was the former that guided her course of action.
Amilthi pulled her hood over her head and stepped into the ruins. There was an impression of violence about them, it was as though the vines that engulfed them had come for them, assaulted them - they had grown through windows and even pierced walls in an attempt to make the structure their own. As she ventured further, she found herself facing a flight of stairs, and suddenly, a scraping sound became audible form above and presently broke off again. Amilthi paused for a moment to listen, but it did not appear again.
As she emerged from the stairs a floor higher, she found herself in a large room, two empty door frames leading out of it - and just as her gaze brushed over one of them, it seemed to her that something moved swiftly behind it out of sight. The room itself was overgrown. Amilthi walked along the walls, casually looking over the plants, and suddenly stopped, furrowing her brows. She hunkered down next to what she had spotted to examine it further - it was as if the vines had been gnawed on by a set of teeth, and they were oozing a viscose resin that somehow managed to have the appearance of blood. It looked eerie, and Amilthi did not dare to touch it.
She rose again and stepped through the doorframe where before she might or might not have seen something move. The floor of the next room had broken down, and vines were hanging from the roof all the way to the ground below. And on the other side of the gaping hole, perched on a ledge that remained where the floor had joined the wall, holding on to a large vine crawling along the wall, was a creature. It was was humanoid, but emaciated, shrunk in height from normal human stature, hunchbacked and hairless, with large eye balls. It looked feral and pathetic in the extreme - and was staring right at the Jedi's sinister, dark-robed figure.
Gianna released a pensive sigh whilst she tucked the equipment away. Cassius was thorough. She’d learned that the very first time she had been sent a curious Padawan with a not-so-secret penchant for Archaeology. They made it to their destination without any physical difficulties but there was still something vile on the wind. The smoke from whatever had crashed not far off seemed to blend right into the colorless sky. Why was the Nothing so bleak?
They parked and the trio began to move. They went in different directions at first. They had different methods, separate goals, and even minds. Gianna wanted to know why she felt so very prompted to push forward. Amilthi forwent any sort of protective gear and the crimson-haired Jedi Knight spared her a momentary glance of concern. The people of Hoylin had warned them. Thoroughly. Whatever pathogen, whatever evil, fled through these lands did not discriminate.
It corrupted all that it touched.
Regardless, Gia would not be breathing in the spores. She had packed her own equipment but thoughtfully retrieved a unit from Cassius instead. “Thank you.”, she spoke briefly, before hiding the lower half of her face with the device that would keep her from inhaling the potential toxin. The area was quiet. Too quiet. She didn’t hear the wind moving through the trees nor did she hear any birds. Did nothing live here? Not even the animals? “It always bothers me.”
“When all the world seems silent.”
When her own breathing seemed loudest of all. Gia was slower to follow along. Instead of surveying the small village with her eyes, more than anything, she let her senses sprawl out like delicate fingers. Gianna searched for a focal point. For something in the sinister mists that would tell her why this land was required to suffer. Elbright was so beautiful. How could this be the same world?
So many questions burned bright within her being but the answers, as usual, were outside of her grasp.
‘Amilthi…I beg you not to go so far.’, she mentally murmured mentally to her friend, noting, that she had disappeared into some of the buildings. Gianna didn’t like it. She finally moved forward when it felt like her spirit had settled. Nothing in her wanted to be in this place. As long as they were, however, she would remain hopeful. Optimistic. Perhaps it wasn’t too late for the people of Hoylin that had been lost.
Her confidence would take an almost immediate hit when she glanced into the cloudy window of one of the dwellings. Bones. They weren’t clean and white, like those on display in a museum, but covered in fungus and plant-matter that made it hard to tell what they once were. Gianna orbited slowly around Cassius. Her Padawan was, beyond measure, important to her. Everything she did, every movement she made, generally caused her to casually slingshot back in his direction. “The further we go…The worse it seems to be. The scent of death. It’s…”, she trailed off, her voice muffled through her rebreather, “Here.”
Like rotten meat that someone had sprinkled a few drops of sweet perfume on.
She passed building after building. Each scene seemed more foreboding than the last. If the dead were not little more than bone and dust, they were torn apart, at first glance, with missing pieces. The rate of decomposition was always a touchy subject, but here, Gianna could only guess. If the circumstances were different in the Nothing…Who knew how long these partially deconstructed corpses had remained? Shaking her head, slowly, she began to look around for Amilthi. Where had she gone?
While passing what seemed to have been a fountain in the middle of the square she noticed something that seemed out of place. It was a backpack. Newer. It wasn’t covered in spores and flora, instead, just seemed to have smudges of dirt. A flash of something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. For a moment, the world shifted, but she found herself staring at the first living thing they had come across in this place.
A man?
“…Cassius…”
She couldn’t tell. Gianna had no way of knowing that she was looking at a creature, very similar, to that which Amilthi faced on her own. It was staring at her as if it had never seen another human being. The green-eyed woman knelt down carefully, slowly, and retrieved the backpack with gloved hands. It was the only link, so far, that they’d found that could possibly pertain to their mission.
Gia backed up toward her Padawan and kept her gaze level with the emaciated, mutated, humanoid.
She could see its large eyes grow dark. They visibly filled with aggression. It was like looking at a wild animal whose territory they had just besmirched simply by breathing the same air. It looked like it wanted to rip them limb from limb. “Cassius—Go find Amilthi. Now.”
“Please.”, her final word was soft, strained, as images suddenly filtered through her mind. The backpack that she held had witnessed more than one might think. Psychometry was an ability she didn’t often rely on, but in this place, her abilities felt different. The play of distant, violent history, rang in her eyes for a moment before she blocked it out. It was too much. Even for her—It was too much.
The Jedi Knight stepped forward, hoping, that her brightly colored features would distract the creature from looking at her Padawan. Her heart broke for it. So pathetic, so different, changed, and destroyed from the smiling people they had once been.
‘…They people aren’t missing. They’re here. They just aren’t people anymore…’
Her mental words would filter to the flaxen-haired Jedi that had disappeared into one of the buildings whilst they would wrap around Cassius like a ribbon. When the former-Elbright-City-native charged at her she held up a hand to stop it. An invisible wall kept it from throwing itself forward and it slammed its thin frame against it. Gia had never seen anything like it. Sithspawn? For a moment she felt little more than desperation and darkness.
Then—A well of hope. It didn’t belong here, yet, it did. The landscape was changing. The dead remained by the mists seemed to be retreating. Again, confusion struck her. A flare of goodness and light echoed from nowhere and everywhere. There was something familiar about it. [member="Tellu Talon"]? Gianna felt as if she were at a loss.
Was the Southern Hemisphere healing itself?
If so, what of the creature that still snarled, and struggled to pass through her barrier? Could it return from this state? Gianna didn’t want to give up hope. She would never, ever, stop advocating for a better way.
Where there was shadow, there was light, and the Jedi intended to find it.
Per Tellu's post above Hoylin is trying to heal itself. There's a lot of scary stuff that went down beforehand in her post, but on our end, we have our missing people in these creatures. We can try and reverse the effects...But it may be too late. Choose as you will my friends.
Srina was polite, always, as the fresh-fallen snow was cold. Her demeanor belonged to creatures that were far removed from the notion of pretending to be a simple human. Echani were violent, proud, and in light of their own magnanimous achievements only managed to escape being referred to as beasts due to their ability to seamlessly blend fierce finality with perfect aristocracy. They were every bit as bloodthirsty as any Mandalorian, truly, with combat singing in their blood like frost fire.
Echani, generally speaking, were just better at hiding it.
Patience that stretched as long as it needed to filled her being while she waited for [member="Luna Terrik"] to make the first move. Her bow was returned, a small sign of respect, and mercurial eyes fell dead silent whilst the Dauntless Commander found her footing. The first punch came and the Exarch moved, side-stepping, but only as much as she needed to. She didn’t give any ground, nor, did she take her steely gaze from her opponent. “Lesson one. Remain calm and aware.”
“There is always someone bigger, stronger, or more skillful than you are. Even less dangerous adversaries can have accomplices nearby. Weapons can dramatically raise the stakes and their presence may not necessarily be obvious. You must never become paralyzed by indecision and fear.“
Srina nodded her head toward Luna and encouraged her to try again. Her reflexes were solid and her posture bespoke more skill than some in the room. It wasn’t perfect from the standard that the smaller warrior had grown up with, however, it seemed effective.
“Lesson two. Never assume that a fight will be fair.”
The pale-skinned Apprentice of [member="Darth Metus"] would not try to strike Ms. Terrik back, not yet, but she would continue their game of cat and mouse. When Luna moved to strike the Echani would move in the last moment, as if, someone was whispering in her ear. Telling her what to do, when to do it, and how. Silver eyes flickered when her sparring partner and student seemed to get closer and closer. She seemed to be adapting, which, was something that some fighters were unable to do.
“Lesson three. Core strength will see you through. Flexibility will aid you in avoiding injury, while adding the sensitivity needed for successful counters and reversals.”
It was then that the Exarch would pause, raising a hand to Luna, to signal that their game of cat and mouse was to change. Showing others how to dodge and avoid being hit would only get them so far. As graceful as it appeared, it wasn’t enough, and in order to win the rest of the Knights and Dauntless present would need to know when to strike back. “Little by little I will fight back. I will not injure you, Ms. Terrik.”
Any Echani worth their mettle could train others without causing grievous harm.
It was simply a matter of the intended lesson.
The next time Luna attempted to strike the ivory-haired female she would notice that her stance widened, and her hand would snap up when her opponent had her arm extended, with the intention of grabbing her wrist. She partially expected the movement to be countered. If so, she would retract, and move again when the opening presented itself. If her minor grapple was not avoided the red-haired woman would find her arm twisted, and brought behind her, so that if she applied enough pressure the elbow or shoulder joint would hyperextend.
Srina would let go, however, before initiating a full lock. Rinse, repeat.
A rush in the Force would momentarily distract her from her goals. It was strong, but not of her alignment, and thus mildly agitating. Something shifted in Hoylin. Briefly, she frowned, but she could not discern a sudden ache that began at the tip of her heart.
It felt as if something, or someone, were pulling down.
When next she breathed, Srina felt it, and would only narrowly avoid being struck in the face.
Pain. Somehow, through the ether, she felt pain. She just couldn’t place where it came from.
Location: By the lake Tags: @Ode Vi'dreya | [member="Chikako Liona"]
The fight had begun before Madalena gave her instructions, though the few moments they'd had were enough to shout orders. Metus' child would be thwacking the tentacles, and the Witch by her side would be casting spells. Two tentacles already made their way past the Pathfinder and towards [member="Ode Vi'dreya"], and Madalena decided to let the girl try dealing with them before she stepped in.
The Witch was something different though; Madalena had received some training in Spell casting, but what Chikako was doing was entirely different. Madalena had been taught how to cast full spells, all the words and stuff that went with it. Chikako had moved her hands and uttered a simple word in a language that Madalena didn't even understand. She was definitely going to have to ask her what it was she'd done later on.
"The plan is to kill it!" Madalena screamed at the top of her lungs as her knives slid from their belts and floated around her, and an instant later she jumped towards the beast, her blades ready to turn it into a blood fountain.
Hoylin has been diseased for so long, the native Hoylin almost forgot what it felt like to live on a world without the taint of the Dark Side. It was the initiative of the Order of the Sacred Lotus that led to the planet's eventual cleanse. As the investigation led by, [member="Tellu Talon"] came to a single point the Jedi Master came under assault by the darkness that Hoylin had hosted. Through her will, Tellu would combat the Dark Side of the Force and emerge victorious, but at what cost? With the Viceroy incapacitated or worse, the rest of the investigation team would rush to salvage her before her fate is absolute.
All over the planet the shadow of this evil would be lifted and life would slowly blend to normal. For hundreds of years the tale of The Nothing would ring across the planet, as would the honors bestowed upon The Confederacy and Order of the Sacred Lotus, the saviors of Hoylin.
With the darkness passed, the rest of Hoylin could continue to enjoy a peaceful experience. The leaders of The Confederacy would continue to use Hoylin as a base for their Workshops. Many lessons were had and the information shared would only serve the purpose of advancing The Confederate regime. With the setting sun Hoylin would have the assurance of a peaceful and prosperous night, and many more to come.
It did not take long for the party to reach some kind of abandoned hospital, who's ruin seemed to somehow dominate the landscape. He could sense it clearly, the dark presence at the core of the anomaly and immediately, he knew what it was. All thoughts of weaponizing it vanished from his mind as the Eternal Emperor realized the danger that this anomaly posed to the entire galaxy.
Twice before, he had encountered something similar. First on Haven, then on Dredd, both times had required some subtle trick to neutralize the source of the anomaly. And although one of the other two anomalies he had encountered was caused by the presence of an uncontained Darkside artifact, the other was less easily explained, a wound which resonated with the wrongness he had always felt within the Force.
But before he could say anything, the Echani rushed ahead into the building, prompting the Sith Lord to spit out a curse. "You bantha-brained fool!" he shouted after her, but it was too late. As much as he wanted to, he could not abandon the Jedi to her fate, for Srina's sake. He made a step towards the building, then stopped. Reaching within the darkness and feeding a rivulet of power into the amulet around his neck, he extended out his senses, giving him a proverbial bird's eye view over the surrounding area. What he saw made him curse again.
"//Take cover!//" he shouted at his men, the High Nelvaanian words reverberating oddly around the deserted streets just as the first monsters came rushing out of the nearby buildings. "//Weapons free!//"
The eerie silence was pierced by the staccato rapping of automatic slugthrowers firing in short bursts and the shrieking of blasters. The crackling snap-hiss of midnight-colored lightsabers coming to life joined them as the two Wardens each took positions on either side of the entrance to the hospital's courtyard, at the center of each of the two wings that formed the Wedge the Nelvaanian soldiers had arranged themselves in, while above them the dropship descended to an altitude of fifty meters, firing its repeating blasters indiscriminately into the churning tide below.
The time for protecting the Jedi's sensibilities had ended the moment she decided to rush into the building on her own and compromise the safety of the entire formation. Tacitus drew a claw across his palm, letting blood flow to the pavement below, sizzling and hissing angrily when touching the cold ground below. Reaching within the maelstrom around them, the Sith Lord seized upon some of the currents and drew them towards himself, redirecting them, weaving them into a pattern as he recited the harsh words of the spell. The darkness stirred, leashed to the Necromancer's will.
Before the mass of monsters could impact the formation of soldiers, something else emerged from the ruined buildings, leaping through windows to crash into the writhing creatures below, pained, dry howls and screeches adding their discordant notes to the song of blaster fire and slithering monsters. Awakened from their eternal slumber, the dead had joined the fray, tearing into the creatures with bony fingers and gnashing teeth.
A nightmarish struggle erupted, the smoke, dust and the fine red mist of monster flesh pulverized by the occasional grenade, painting the small battlefield in the garish colors of war. Releasing his longsword from its scabbard and reaching out with telekinetic fingers to lift and ignite three crimson lightsabers, the Sith Lord took off at a run towards the front line, leaping over the men with Force-enhanced strength, landing with a wide, sweeping cut from his blade as his three red sabers danced around him to clear a circle. The two Wardens followed, albeit at a shorter distance, midnight sabers crashing into monster flesh as they did their best to keep the creatures away from the soldiers behind them.
Monsters howled and men screamed. Blasters and slugthrowers unleashed their projectiles upon their targets, while fangs and claws tore into the soldiers who found themselves overwhelmed. There was no time to think, only to act. On and on the battle went, for what seemed like an eternity, until suddenly, it stopped.
A shimmering light swept out from the ruined hospital, erasing monster and undead alike as it expanded out across the world, faster and faster until nothing of the anomaly remained. Silence settled in its wake, along with the first rays of sunlight.
Tacitus' cat-like eyes scanned the scene around him. Everywhere, men lay dead or wounded, their comrades dragging them to safety and tending to their wounds. The dropship was already descending to pick up the wounded and a second was announced over the comlink as being on its way.
Serenity had been restored to this part of the world, but Tacitus cared for none of that. Rage boiled in his blood as he turned and stormed into the hospital, intending to confront the Echani master. He was usually a calm and calculated individual, but this time the line had been crossed. The Lotus expedition leader had repeatedly demonstrated the tactical aptitude of a gizka and now it had gotten some of his men killed. The Sith Lord intended to tell her exactly what he thought of her brilliant strategy to rush into the hospital on her own.
You arrogant, duplicitous hypocrite, he thought as he stalked the halls of the ruined hospital, searching for the smug expression he had no doubt he would see on her face. When I get my hands on you, I'll...
His thoughts were interrupted by the ragged form lying in a pool of blood on the floor. The Sith Lord's rage subsided with a sigh as his expression softened into one of sadness at the sight. You idiot, he thought as he gently picked her up from the cold floor. You reckless, impulsive idiot.
A report came in over the comms as he emerged from the building with the comatose Echani in his arms. His missing dropships had been found. He wasted no time dispatching his two remaining dropships to the coordinates, hoping that perhaps, some of the crews were still alive.
"//Stabilize her,//" he ordered as he handed her over to the combat medics aboard the second dropship, climbing in after her with his remaining men. He ordered the dropship to set off towards Srina's coordinates at the workshops, tearing through the sky at breakneck speed as it rushed to deliver her wounded sister to safety.
As the dropship landed at its destination, the Sith Lord was the first to emerge, followed by the gurney holding the silent form of the Echani master. His eyes sought Srina as he searched his mind for appropriate words, realizing the futility of doing so. What could he tell her? That her sister was an idiot? That she had gotten his men and nearly herself, killed? A mixture of anger and disappointment contorted his features as he slowly shook his head.
Objective: Locate Missing Hoylin that Disappeared in the Nothing With: [member="Gianna Aegis"] | [member="Amilthi Camlenn"]
Cassius kept close to his mentor, stepping over the various vines intertwined with rubble. If he knew that any of his scientific equipment would work, he would be taking samples of the various organisms they came across, but he had a feeling he’d find only nothing. Not to mention the fact that taking anything outside of the zone for analysis would be extremely dangerous, and carried the risk of contamination.
As they reached the town center, Cassius could feel the air around them thicken, but not in a literal way. There was a tension… he could feel eyes upon him, like a predator keeping watch on their prey, waiting for the right moment to strike. He kept his head on a swivel, taking slow and methodical steps across the overgrown cobblestone.
When Gianna called his name, his head whipped in her direction, and he too saw the creature. His hand met her shoulder as she backed up towards him, and his free hand drifted towards his lightsaber. She pleaded with him to find their companion, but Cassius didn’t move right away. Although he knew that his redheaded mentor could more than handle herself, he didn’t want to leave her side just yet. After a moment, however, he turned in the opposite direction, towards where he thought Amilthi would be… only to see another creature at equal distance from him.
This one was slightly different than the one Gianna was facing. The being before Cassius looked as though it had been hefty at one point, but that fat had eroded away and now their skin hung loosely from their bones. Also, the face was unique – this was… had been a person at one point. Its legs were bent, knees pointing out to the side, their hands were held forward – a single spittle of drool was suspended from their chin.
The creature took a step forward, and Cassius’s hand immediately shot up, ensnaring the creature in a stasis field. It didn’t fight too much, but the anger and aggression it felt at not being able to reach its prey grew and grew by the moment. Another creature revealed itself from a building off to Cassius’s right, and Cassius threw up his free hand to stop that one as well.
His mind was already going through how he would step past the creatures in order to find the other Knight of their party, but something in the air changed. It was as if hope began to trickle into the area again. The humanoids in his grasp began to struggle much harder, snapping their jaws and clawing with unkempt fingernails. They could feel it coming too, and whatever hive mind the Nothing had connected them to was squirming like lizard in the cold.
A glint of light caught his attention. Looking off through the trees, towards the horizon, he could see a rush of golden energy start to come for them. If Cassius didn’t know any better, he would be concerned, but he could feel that this was a positive force. Just before it hit them, Cassius closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, as if he was waiting for the wave of an ocean to pass over him.
Suddenly, he could feel the creatures stop struggling. After a moment, Cassius opened his eyes to find the creatures were no longer creatures, but a man and a woman in tattered clothes.
Damsy asked, but wasn't too concerned with what the answer would be. This was a Confederate party after all, and the chances that someone here, even a local, would attempt to hurt a Dauntless was slim.
Still, when she learned that her caller was A'Runda, she suddenly did grow concerned. His startled exclamation made her flinch, but she shifted herself on the sand, finding new balance so she could extend one hand that had been propping her up out in the air, motioning for one of A'Runda's. "I have bad eyes out of the water," she said, slowly calming her heartbeat that had been frightened when she had frightened him. "But now I can hear you clearly."
'What happened to you?' The sithspawn had no idea how to begin answering that. Finally, she settled on a simplistic answer, "I have...two forms. I didn't want to show you on Rishi."
Well, actually, that wasn't totally true. Was she scared on his possible reaction even back then? Yes, a little. But, mostly, she didn't want to change because the metamorphosis hurt.
"I'm sorry, cuddlefish. Please, forgive me." At the very least, this new development might make things make a little more sense to A'Runda--namely, her proclivity for swimming, and her past life constrained to a water world.
But the rest of the discussion would evidently have to wait. A man had approached, forcing Damsy to crane her neck to look up at him and, if he had taken her hand, remove it from the Tusken's grasp to shield her eyes. Not that it helped her see any more clearly. "I'm-I'm Damsy," she began before glancing back at A'Runda to gauge if he minded the interruption.
A'Runda would soon begin to feel bad for his negative reaction to seeing her like this. It was easy being raised in a very xenophobic society to get scared of unfamiliar things like that. He would take her hand and help her balance as she motioned for his. But he listened intently as he looked over her secondary form. Actually for all he knew this was her primary form, and could certainly explain her dependence on water. Things were beginning to make a little more sense despite just a moment ago he wasn't sure what he was even looking at.
He did know that she wasn't really human, that was from when they first met. No human he'd ever seen had scaly skin. "Well... I'm not upset or anything. I just got concerned is all. One day you're walking with me on Rishi and the next you're... not." He wasn't all to sure what to say. It's not like he was going to start distrusting her. After all she's patient enough to be with someone who has yet to even show her his skin, let alone his face.
"Don't worry Damsy, you've done nothing wrong." The Tusken replied before a newcomer came over to them. A'Runda wasn't sure if they were a confederate or not. Perhaps they were a native of the planet. But given their word choice it seemed to imply the former. "Uh, I-I'm A'Runda...Who might you be?" He said back to the guy. Before looking back at Damsy to see if she minded the interruption. Clearly they were both thinking the same thing.
Location: Hand to Hand combat dojo Wearing: Dauntless camo workout gear Post #3 Tags: [member="Srina Talon"]
Luna knew in the back of her mind that her jab would never touch the Echani. But she couldn’t help but smirk lightly as her first punch hit nothing but air, as the Exarch moved, no, glided, out of the way with the grace of a swan. Her eyes met Srina’s momentarily, her grin still pulling at the upper edges of her lips.
“Lesson one. Remain calm and aware.”
The words rang clear in the commander’s head, even as she pulled back her fist to strike at the woman again. It would be another few, quick jabs before Luna began to mix up her punches and where she struck at. Many of her strikes were still jabs, but some came from the left, right, and she even made a few softer, dummy punches, in an attempt to make the Echani move before the full jab really came. But no matter what, not the Luna’s surprise, her punches continually landed short or to the left or the right of the woman.
“Lesson two. Never assume that a fight will be fair.”
Well that was certainly true. Even though the commander was throwing nothing but basic, quick punches toward the other woman, Luna knew there was no chance she would actually hit her sparring partner. Not that she let it frustrate her, as she knew the Exarch was known for such skill in hand to hand combat.
“Lesson three. Core strength will see you through.”
Soon after, she was told that her sparring partner would be fighting back. This didn’t make her change how she was punching, or even the punches she was throwing. She wanted to make a good example on how to counter the simple jab, and the best way to do that was by consistently throwing the same few punches at Srina.
It was in the blink of an eye that her arm was suddenly behind her back, being wrenched up in a slightly painful way, though Luna knew it could be much worse in Srina locked it in. She was quickly released, and they began anew, with Luna still on the attack and unable to touch her sparring partner.
The sparring soon got more and more intense, as the commander soon began to mix more and different styles of punches into her combinations. She knew the chances of touching Srina were less than slim, but at least the crowd that had gathered for the class would be seeing a good mix of countering from the silver haired Exarch. It wasn’t until Luna released a quick two jab combo from her left hand, before quickly following it up with a spinning elbow that just missed grazing her sparring partner.
Luna’s brow suddenly furrowed as she had almost hit the Exarch. It wasn’t if she hadn’t telegraphed she was going to throw an elbow. It was almost as if the silver haired woman was distracted momentarily. But the commander didn’t want to give away to the other students that something had changed. There wasn’t a point to that, and would only serve to get them talking about how she almost hit Srina. They were here to learn, not see if she could hit the unhittable.
So the redheaded dauntless commando stayed silent, still bouncing slightly in her stance, as she silently nodded toward Srina and waited for the go ahead to continue.
Her observations about the Dauntless Commander were favorable. She had fought with individuals with supposedly higher standing, for far more time, and had noted less positive characteristics. She could see that her verbal tutorials were hitting home in the faces of those that watched the light sparring. Srina appreciated it when she could see eyes flicker, following the movements made, versus just staring blankly. Ms. Terrik fell into an unpredictable pattern of punches that soon enough, almost, felt like a dance of intent versus pure sparring.
Past a certain point, as much as she wanted Ms. Terrik to give it her all, Srina wasn’t certain that the flame-haired female would. She didn’t doubt her skill. It could simply be difficult for others to strike down someone that generally speaking, they were designed to protect, not harm. Regardless of how their style evolved she could see that her partner was fighting with teaching in mind versus winning. If they were truly fighting, she highly doubted, she would have seen the same set of simple jabs.
Admirable, thoughtful.
Srina did not have the presence of mind to be thoughtful. Even when she released Ms. Terrik from the beginnings of an arm lock it was not out of kindness. It was practicality. Causing damage to those she wished to teach would be detrimental to the learning process. Both for Luna and for the spectators. She didn’t want them to be afraid of training, even though, brutality could have favorable results. The military on Eshan had preferred a much more forceful method. Yet, these people, for the most part, were not Echani. It was not appropriate to treat them as if they were.
When her concentration slipped—it was beyond obvious. The graceful flow of movement Srina was known for stuttered, like a hiccup, and Ms. Terrik paused. The Echani nodded her head, immediately, rolling through the discomfort as if it had never happened. The fact that the upset in the Force was enough to have a physical effect on her was startling. With the whole of the Confederacy present, she could only place her worries to the side for the time being. Regardless…The pull on her heart remained. Pulling down, wrenching, into a less than pleasing ache.
Were she not currently engaged in sparring she might have stopped to rub her sternum in agitation.
“Good, very good.”, she breathed, when her opponent held her stance, and they fell back into the demonstration. They would continue on until the sound of a ship interrupted the tranquility of the dojo. It was impossible to miss, with deafening thrusters, and the wind that kicked up. Srina could feel her sister. She could feel [member="Darth Tacitus"]. Her lips pulled into a soft frown as she dodged beneath another swing from Luna. Her true specialty, despite her size, revolved around pressure points and submission holds. “Hold. Please.”
She gave some distance, whirling away safely, before she stepped out of the ring.
Mercurial eyes fixated on the wide doorway. Tellu and Kainan would not typically occupy the same breathing space unless forced. Their ideologies were too different. Their personalities were like oil and water. The ache in her heart caused her to clench her fist. Even before she saw the gurney. Even before she saw the expression that the Sith Lord wore—She knew.
Her feet took her forward, so quick, that it was clear she’d been limiting herself. Whether it was due to her Species or the Force was up for debate. Words failed. Her glacier gaze flickered up, briefly, meeting the amber-eyed Emperor of Nelvaan. He did not need to explain. She could see him struggling to find the words, to tell her what happened, but it wasn’t necessary. Tellu was hurt. Kainan was doing what he could and had brought her sister back to her.
“Annon allen. [Thank you]”
She kept moving, stopping, by the gurney. The air that she vacated would seem as if a cold front had swept through. Her apprehensions were concealed with her vacant expression, but, the gentle touch to the cheek of [member="Tellu Talon"] gave her away. It was simple. Filled with concern and confusion. Her eyes closed for a moment as she stepped out of the way of the medics that were currently making sure her sibling remained stable.
‘Adron, forgive me. Please handle my classes.’
‘I must tend to an emergency Ms. Terrik. Thank you, for your help.’
Her words would mentally carry to both parties while she simultaneously called down the Ferocity from orbit with her holo-comm. She needed to get Tellu to Monastery. No matter what.
“May I borrow your men Kainan? I have a bacta-tank on board my ship but I don’t have the medical knowledge in case something goes wrong. Her alignment is light. I don’t want to harm her further trying to heal her.”
