Public Paradox: The Dark

[Romi Jade]

​

The sky above the desolate planet flickered like a broken holoprojector, hues of twilight warping unnaturally. Clouds churned and twisted, as if the heavens themselves were straining against the fabric of reality. This world, unnamed and uncharted, lay hidden in the heart of the Unknown Regions, a place where the laws of time and space seemed to have lost their grip.

Amidst the twisted landscape, a lone figure emerged from the shadows of a jagged rock formation, clad in robes that whispered with an ethereal darkness. They were one of the Sorcerers of Rhand, wielders of the mysterious power they called the Dark. The figure's eyes, gleaming with an unnatural light, scanned the horizon, sensing the unseen disturbances that rippled through the Force.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet shuddered, a tremor that echoed through the rifts in the World Between Worlds. From the shimmering air, a portal tore open with a thunderous crack, spewing out a cascade of temporal energy. Figures began to emerge from the rupture, some familiar, others not, each one displaced from their own time and place. Jedi, Sith, smugglers, soldiers and all—strangers to one another yet bound by the same cosmic anomaly.

The Sorcerer watched with a mixture of curiosity and satisfaction. The Way of the Dark was unfolding as foretold, the power to destroy and reshape reality manifesting before their eyes. But even they did not fully understand the consequences of these Force Ruptures.

A cloaked Jedi stumbled out of the portal, eyes wide with confusion, followed by a Mandalorian warrior whose armor bore the scars of battles yet to come. A droid, ancient yet pristine, hovered into view, its sensors blinking erratically as it tried to process the temporal chaos around it.

The Sorcerer stepped forward, their voice a cold whisper that carried through the winds. "Welcome to the edge of reality. Here, past, present, and future intertwine. Your destinies are now entwined with the Dark."

As the portal flickered and began to close, a final figure emerged—a young Padawan with a look of determination, clutching a broken lightsaber. They looked around at the gathered beings, each one grappling with the realization of their shared predicament.

Unseen by the newcomers, another figure watched from a distance, cloaked in shadows, their motives hidden. The fate of the galaxy hung in the balance, teetering on the edge of paradox and possibility.

In this fractured moment, alliances would be forged and destinies rewritten. The Sorcerers of Rhand sought to bend the future to their will, but in the chaos of the Force Ruptures, anything was possible. The galaxy was on the brink of an apocalyptic transformation, and it would take the combined efforts of these disparate souls to navigate the maelstrom and seek out a future worth saving.

The journey had begun, and the Force itself trembled with anticipation.

The unknown planet itself was a nightmare come to life. The sky, fractured and tumultuous, cast an eerie, flickering light on the landscape below. Strange, twisted flora reached out like claws, and the ground was a patchwork of jagged rocks and bubbling pools of unknown substances. As the newcomers gathered their bearings, a cacophony of growls and hisses rose from the shadows, announcing the presence of predatory creatures native to this chaotic realm.

In the maelstrom of the world, survival became an immediate struggle. A hulking beast with multiple eyes and rows of glistening teeth lunged from the underbrush, only to be met by the swift hum of lightsaber strikes. Elsewhere, blasters rang out, felling a serpent-like creature that had coiled around an unsuspecting persons. The air was thick with tension and the acrid scent of danger.

Despite the chaos, an air of ominous mystery pervaded the scene. The planet seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy, as if it were alive and aware of its intruders. Whispers echoed through the minds of the gathered beings, half-formed words that hinted at dark secrets and forgotten truths. The Sorcerer of Rhand, watching from a distance, could feel the pull of the Dark stronger than ever. This was a place where reality itself was thin, and the boundaries between past, present, and future were nothing more than fragile veils.

In this hostile environment, there was no choice but to come together. Every step was a fight for survival, every breath a testament to their resilience.

The true danger, however, lay not in the creatures that prowled the land, but in the mysteries that surrounded them. The Force Ruptures were more than mere anomalies; they were doorways to other realities, other possibilities. The Sorcerers of Rhand intended to exploit these rifts, to bend space-time to their will and bring about an apocalyptic future ruled by gods from beyond the gap.

As one would navigate the treacherous terrain, one could feel the weight of unseen eyes upon them. The planet was a labyrinth of paradoxes, and one would only just begin to understand the scope of the challenge before them. Each decision, each action, could ripple through the fabric of reality, creating new rifts and further destabilizing the timelines.

In the heart of this ominous and chaotic world, their journey had truly begun. They would need to unravel the mysteries of the Force Ruptures, confront the dark intentions of the Sorcerers of Rhand, and find a way to restore balance before they, or the galaxy was consumed by the impending storm.

----

Spoiler

OOC:
This story plunges you into a chaotic and mysterious planet in the Unknown Regions, where the fabric of reality is fractured by Force Ruptures. These anomalies, caused by significant disturbances in the Force, have displaced characters from various places and timelines, forcing them into a fight for survival against each other, and both the hostile environment and the predatory creatures it harbors. Amid this turmoil, the Sorcerers of Rhand seek to manipulate these rifts to reshape the future in accordance with their dark ambitions.

This setting is intentionally ambiguous to allow for a diverse range of characters and storylines. Join the fray, forge alliances, and uncover the secrets of the Force Ruptures as you navigate this perilous and ever-shifting reality.

It can honestly go anywhere. Be creative, it's what you make it.

Romi is not in this.

 

[Cortana Jade]

She gripped the controls of her sleek starfighter, the vast expanse of space stretching endlessly before her. She had been on the trail of a group of marauders for days, hopping from system to system, following faint leads and whispers. The solitude of space had become familiar, but there was always an undercurrent of unease that accompanied such missions. As she navigated through the star-speckled void, she had focused her thoughts elsewhere.

Then a series of beeps and boops brought her back current -- something had freaked out her PIP droid. "What're you freaking out for PIP?"

Suddenly, an anomaly appeared on her ship's sensors. It looked like smoke, an ethereal haze drifting through the vacuum of space. "Oh..." She furrowed her brow, adjusting the ship's trajectory to get a closer look. The sight before her was unlike anything she had ever seen. The smoke seemed to shimmer and pulse with an eerie, otherworldly energy.

Before she could react, the anomaly erupted into a blinding cascade of light. From the shimmering air, a portal tore open with a thunderous crack, spewing out a cascade of temporal energy. The ship shuddered violently, alarms blaring as the controls slipped from her grasp. The force of the temporal storm tossed the ship like a leaf in a hurricane, hurling it through the portal and into the unknown.

Cortana's head spun, her vision blurred as the ship was flung through the cosmic rift. She could feel the very fabric of reality warping around her, twisting and bending in ways that defied logic. Then, with a final jolt, the ship was expelled from the vortex, plummeting toward the surface of an uncharted planet. Her heart raced as she fought to regain control of the ship. Her PIP droid, nestled securely in its compartment, beeped frantically. The little droid extended its tools, trying to assist with the ship's failing systems.

"Hold on, PIP," she muttered, her fingers dancing over the controls. The ground rushed up to meet them, the ship's hull groaning under the strain.

With a final surge of effort, Cortana managed to level the ship just enough to avoid a catastrophic crash. The starfighter skidded across the rough ground, metal screeching as it tore through the dirt and rocks. Sparks flew, and for a moment, everything was a blur of noise and motion.

Then, silence.

The ship came to a halt, resting at a precarious angle amidst the wreckage of its own landing. Cortana exhaled slowly, her body aching from the impact. She glanced at PIP, the droid's sensors flickering as it assessed the situation. "We made it," she whispered, unbuckling herself from the pilot's seat. The air around them was thick with the smell of scorched metal and ozone. "Feth..."

Talsin Lota

 

[Annika Starfire]

​

Location: The world between worlds
Objective: OK....?
Tags: Romi Jade Cortana Jade also open
Gear: in bio
Wearing: this but with her hat

"What in the living fuck is happening?" the Sith said to herself as everything shook, the thin glass like causeway through nothing bowed as if it was rubber and Annika felt reality shake in her soul. She had never experienced anything like this in all of her trips through the world between worlds, and this particular path between jutrand and korriban was one that was very well trodden by her.

"Enter the rift, my scion should not fear anything." a familiar voice came from the faceless tattooed lethan woman that perpetually stalked Annika here when she made these trips.

"It's not fear its... hmm" a sense of the unmaking of her personal reality, that if she died here she would never have existed and be wiped from the time line? Yeah, it was that feeling.

A tear in the dimension happened below Annika and her every instinct told her to to jump in like her existence depended on it.

The other end of the portal ended on a planet that Annika had never seen before, dark and brooding and seeped with sorceress energy. She had plenty of time to admire the view from several hundred metres above the ground as the strange energies seemed to slow her fall. The powers of the rhand seemed to interact with her own powers and what looked like a long cape of purple smoke billowed behind her and guided her down. She was surrounded by other smoking entities that flew around before coming part of her cloak. Below she saw what looked like a crashed ship, maybe she should investigate, she needed to get her bearings first though and work out why she was hear. A roar broke through the wind just as she landed, the kind of roar that you felt in your bones and Annika smiled, knowing in her heart, if not her mind, why she had come.

 

[Onrai]

Cairns, Bright Jewel system
Tags: Romi Jade Cortana Jade Annika Starfire OPEN

Gnosis.

The pursuit of knowledge esoterica had become a craving to Onrai. To understand the universe, the way it was created, and what beings of power and prestige existed within it. Cairns had become a repository of pernicious knowledge, a world filled with abominable trinkets and tomes recovered and copied from the world of Tython. In a simple meditation chamber, Onrai now read from one such tome, the Amalgamation of Fell Eruthros. A crumbling grimoire recovered from the darkest vaults of the Tython temple with the aid of Spindle , the malevolence of the book extant as she pored over its pages written in the dead language of forgotten gods. A section raised her nonexistent brow as the read from it.

There is a very old saying that has been found amongst the tombs and ruins of the Vampires of Séhal: "He who would drink the blood of his enemies and command unwavering servants should voyage to Chorazin and pay obeisance to the Prince of the Cosmos." Of course, there is no such world in the known galaxy, but the allusion is clear enough to those who have delved into such matters. It is known as the Black Pilgrimage, and it is an invitation usually proffered to those already predisposed to vampirism in one of its many forms to embrace their darker impulses, signified by the journey to the Charnel House and its Charnel Gods. The voyage is literal for some but metaphoric for others. That aspect matters less than the fact that those who accept become conscious participants. No longer giving in to the darkness scratching at them from within, they are transmuted into embodiments of shadow, hunting with gleeful intent and malice. While hope yet exists for the weak, who might be redeemed, from the Black Pilgrimage there is no coming back.

Something broke. The moment the last word was spoken, the essence of the false goddess was consumed. Torn asunder. Though her vestiges yet remained elsewhere, her core presence was whisked away through a rift, a blasphemous tear in the fabric of reality and existence as she knew it.

-

Rhand

Through another rupture, a multicolored meteor engulfed in a rainbow of ever-shifting flame flew down towards the surface of the world with an impact that left a surprisingly small crater. The air around the impact site smoldered with the smell of burning oxygen and ozone as a figure slowly rose up, a groan that shifted between an ethereal tone and multiple female voices. She stood up, raising a hand and observing the horrors that had come to her courtesy of the unwilling journey.

She was changing. Her entire body was. Where once there had been a consistent shadowform, now it perpetually shifted. Midnight black shadow colluded with a ripple of near-human flesh that itself soon shifted into skin of plantine green, significantly inhuman - only to ripple back to a human form, then a shadow, and back again. The pain was excruciating - the past and present had somehow clashed within the woman, her robes themselves shifting - were they shadow? Were they simple black adornments? Were they brown? The skein of reality around her had been damaged as she focused, trying to look around and gather her senses.

"...Rhand? No... This... Isn't right..."

 

[Alicio Organa]

ALDERA, ALDERAAN
ROYAL PALACE GREENHOUSE
​

Alicio had never had a green thumb. Not like his wife.

The darkly-cloaked man walked along the rows of budding flowers, letting the spout of his watering pail linger over each patch of color. Each species, collected from a multitude of worlds, required their own level of moisture, levels he'd tried his best to memorize. But he was no Amani Serys . When she was away for Jedi business, he insisted on tending to her little project himself, even if he wasn't the best at it.

He'd always been better at growing cities than gardens.

Pausing at a patch of brightly-colored flowers, Alicio frowned, leaning down to run his thumb across a wilting leaf. "Miss her already, do you? She hasn't been gone long at all." Alicio smirked to himself. "Don't worry. I do too. I guess we're both fussy, that way."

But suddenly... he frowned. Something tasted... off, in the air. Rotten flowers, assaulting his senses. Before he could react, he started feeling woozy. A hand reached up, cradled his temple as he grew short of breath. The crystal in his lightsaber began to sing, a high-pitched whine that only happened when he used it to peek into the past or future.

"Wha..." he managed to groan out, before falling unconscious.

A boy materialized on an unknown world.

He couldn't be older than thirteen. Thin. Dark, wavy hair. Pale, chronically-inside skin. Light rain-grey eyes that seemed used to holding a morose expression. The only hint to his identity was his clothes- A Balmorran school uniform.

The boy looked around confused, scared, before doubling over, holding his head. "O-ow," he whimpered, before fighting off the sudden migraine, stiffening his lip, and forcing himself to stand up tall, and take in his surroundings. It was... desolate. Chaos. And it tasted... all wrong.

Boom.

The boy jumped, turning on a dime. A ship had just crash-landed in the valley below. Maybe they would help...

Boom.

The boy jumped again. A multicolored streak fell from the sky, even closer to where he was. And it felt... wrong, too.

Hesitating for a moment, he began to trek towards the crashed ship. There was so much Darkness around, but going towards the ship, it... felt like the right thing to do.

- Cortana Jade - Annika Starfire - Onrai -

 

[Oth'san]

A large, intimidating figure barred the way as the Rakata tried to force their way into the Star Temple. "You shall not pass. This day, none of you will leave here alive." Oth'san was willingly sacrificing himself to take out this Rakatan army while his comrades escaped through the Infinity Gate. "We helped you, built you up, and you repaid us by corrupting the Power of the Cosmos and becoming a blight on this Galaxy. We will bring you down, but right now I will be the one to take all of you here down."

The enemy did not seem to find the lone Kwa intimidating. Despite his massive size, he was only one against an army. They advanced, firing off their weapons at Oth'san. The broad, muscular Kwa raised his hands and blasted a wave of Force energy around the Rakata, causing all the projectiles to ricochet back on them. Oth'san calmly and defiantly walked forward one step at a time, slowly shrinking the size of the bubble. There was nothing the Rakata inside could do to counterattack.

Oth'san's nose began to bleed. He was channeling a lot of energy, but he only planned on channeling even more. Today, he would break his limits. He knew he would not survive, and that was what gave him the power to go beyond. Electricity crackled and sparked around the bubble as he forced it smaller and smaller, crushing the enemy inside and vaporizing them. He kept compressing until the bubble fit in his hand. He held it out, waiting for the second squadron of Rakata that he knew was coming. As the they surrounded him, he grinned down at them. "I think it is only fitting that you be taken out using the energy from your own comrades. If a vile people such as you can even have comrades." He held his hand up and squeezed the orb in his hand, letting off a massive nuclear blast.

---

Oth'san should have died instantly with his enemies. Maybe he was dead. He couldn't be too sure. Was this the afterlife? But there was nothing. He seemed to be floating in a void, only he could not feel anything at all. Did he even have a body? Perhaps it had been vaporized and only left his consciousness moving through the Void before he finally became One with the Cosmos. Only, something was wrong...

Then, he began to feel something. But it was nothing he could describe. The only thing he could compare it to would be travelling via an Infitnity Gate, yet that was not quite right either... Still, he began to see something. It was like reality was warping, which made no sense if was not even within reality in the first place. There were purple sparks and a moving tidal wave of black on black. Then, he felt like he was falling, though he still didn't know if he even had a physical body.

But then suddenly, he did. He could see his body, could feel it. And he was falling. He held out his hands to use the Force to catch himself, but nothing happened. He smacked the ground rather hard, leaving a sizeable crater. The large Kwa groan as he stood up. He had a few bleeding scrapes, but no broken bones.

It was then that he realized what had been wrong the whole time, why he was unable to slow his fall. His connection to the Power of the Cosmos had been broken! He could not feel it. It was if his entire essence, his soul, had been ripped from his body. He fell to his knees and let out a loud bellow of sorrow, anguish, and rage.

 

[Kai Bamarri]

Kai took the bacta vials Greta handed him, then turned as the Model 3s offered him gear. He cautiously approached the crates they were unloading, giving the items within a once-over, before plucking an energy shield generator from the crate and attaching it to his wrist. Anything else would only slow him down...

---

It was mere hours after their ship crashed on Bryn-occupied Boz Pity, where they were attacked by the Draelvasier. Kai had watched them eat his friend Ax. He had killed them all, calling upon the Dark Side which was ingrained into his very nature to eradicate them. The slaughter had drawn the unwanted attention of a certain terrorist with a droid army, but desperate times call for desperate measures. He still had to get Claudia off the planet safely, and return to Coruscant...

Kai was suddenly plucked from the armory, torn away from the droids and their twisted overlord and thrown onto an unfamiliar, hellish battlefield.

He stumbled, disoriented, but landed on his feet with a cat's grace. A moment later his lightsaber ignited, ready to kill again. But instead of Drael, he saw... a boy.

The youth was a few feet away, looking bewildered and frightened. Child or no, an older Kai would have recognized Alicio in those features. But this Kai was young and full of hope. He was a Jedi Padawan, hiding his Dark aura from his peers. He hadn't met Alicio Organa yet. He hadn't made the mistakes which would lead to that happy accident.

He lowered his blade, letting it hum at his side, controlled. In the distance, he heard blaster fire. Not wanting to frighten the child with telepathy, but at this point still unable to verbalize speech, he silently held out a hand. An offering.

Interacting: Alicio Organa
Oth'san Cortana Jade Annika Starfire Onrai​

 

[Valkoryen Sunfell]

THE WAR BEYOND - THE BATTLE OF SIN
[ T H E M E ]

Objective: Win and Survive
Location: Beyond Shadows, Force Plane
Command: Sacred Phalanx and Dragon-Templars​

Time was a luxury which was not available Beyond Shadows, a concept which defeated both purpose and impossibility of the Force plane. A place that was and was not, could not be anywhere in time while it was everywhere at all times and nowhere at no times. The mortal mind craved for standards and measurements to comprehend their surroundings, an anchor of sanity and of consciousness. It was much easier to know where to go, when to go and how than to be ridden of such facts. But when these facts were absent, especially the component of time, it seemed impossible to maintain sanity and clarity.

Little sanity was left though for nobody knew when their hardship would end.

Valkoryen thrust His spear, Innos, into and through the chest of the creature what once might have looked like a chieftain of the savage Massassi from Yavin, red skinned, muscular, massive. But it was twisted, its soul burning with a corruption so intense that it would leave only a pile of ash once it had exhausted its purpose and energy. The golden weapon cut this life short as the rune-covered tip burst through the back, thick black blood covering it, hissing and fizzing as the blessed blade destroyed the cursed matter.

A heartbeat of breathing was not to be. The gilded warrior took on the next enemy and the next. And the next. But he was not alone, the plane, resembling what many with marginal esoteric imagination would describe as 'hell' was a battlefield, a slaughterhouse of Light and Dark. It was a clash of life and death and the faithful stood with Him. Wielding blades and spears, shields and polearms they fought under the banner of the living, of their Dragon-Emperor Sunfell and they died. Hundreds, thousands lay dead or dying, screams of agony and pain echoed across a scene that would never be known, sacrifices made which no tale would be told about.

Crimson lightning lighted up the smoking skies as the Army of Sin spit forward battle hydras and other winged Sithspawn. Below them the horde continued to bash against the shields of the Sacred Phalanx, Sith of old, their spawn, undead, creatures of woe and vile lust for bloodshed spawned out of the wrath and death inflicted upon them in the real galaxy by decades of death and a never-ending struggle between the Jedi, Sith and their petty off-springs. It was a horde born from this terror and intending to sweep into real-space.

But He was here to end the threat. He was battling them for ... eternity. He did not know for how long they fought, for it mattered little in this place. He had gathered allies, readied souls and prepared for this for the better part of His life and longer. To lead His host here and to end the threat by sealing the gates would permanently eradicate this threat of life and peace. They had succeeded in dealing with two gates so far and the third, the last, was in sight.

Across the landscape of ash, lava boiling and exploding, smoke rising from corpses and fires alike, bare black rock as sharpe and pointy as razors rose carved stone of similar origin. It was where the horde came from, this Army of Sin. A materialised image they required to make their attempts into reality, a thought which became matter. Matter could be handled by the living, matter could be destroyed by the living. In order to achieve their goal, they had to lower themselves to the standards of the living. A necessary error.

Thunder roamed as the battle raged. The blood of the living fumed when it was mixing with the blood of the netherspawn, a noise as unimportant and unheard as the screams of agony. Swords clashing, orders being shouted, beasts roaring, shrieks of demons and screams of men alike filled the thick, hot air with terror and despair. But the forces of the living advanced, slowly, meter by meter, their determination as unwavering and unbroken as that of their leader. Their battle was not for land, for ideology, for credits or for any motive imagineable but one: survival.

Another warbeast fell by Valkoryen's spear, its claws having left another scar across His armour, now numbering in the dozens. The once richly decorated warplate had nothing of its former shine and beauty. Scarred, scorched and bloodied it had seen a thousand enemies from up close and would see many more.

Suddenly the ground shook as Vaexann landed next to his rider, the scaled tail wipping away a group of Dark side creatures, the claws cutting apart muscle and sinew as it eviscerated an ancient Sith in obsidian armour before sending a stream of yellow-blue fire into the ranks of the enemy. The ancient Arkanian dragon was Valkoryen's oldest companion and his hide was as scarred as the riders armour. It gave the Epicanthix a moment to breath, a heartbeat of respite.

Heartbeats were the only currency offered towards time in this place.

Tag(s): Open

 

[Nej Tane]

Nej was not usually the one to be considered bright, overtly intelligent, but he had his clever moments.

This, however, was not one of them.

This, kinda sucked.

One moment, he was drifting happily through space (being chased by law enforcement from the Alliance again, probably at Valery Noble 's chagrin if she found out), the next-

Well, he was face down, ass up on a planet. His ship was gone, he was there, and he had no idea where he was. Wherever it was, suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucked. The smuggler, fresh off a very lucrative bank/jewelry store/antique shop/liquor store burglary job, was now in a very strange place, with no one close to him, and no idea where he was.

Luckily, he had his stuff.

A couple of sneaky grenades, his grappling hook, his pistols, his sweet jacket.... but he had no idea where he was, or what brought him here, or even how! Nearby though- he heard someone scream. A guttural scream, a not-so-nice scream. But only one.

"Uh oh."

Nearby: Oth'san

​

 

[Zarava Dekki]

ZARAVA

Location: Unknown
Tags: OPEN
Close-ish to: Alicio Organa , Kai Bamarri
Interacting: No one
Objective: SURVIVE

The tests that the academy had put her through had been grueling, but she had known from the beginning that she would make it out. Of course, there were moments during the trials when she believed that she was going to die. Her determination had seen her through and she had passed, albeit she wasn't at the top of her class. Exactly how she had planned it. Zarava had no intention of having eyes on her if she was going to eventually try to escape the Sith Order. After all, she had no intention of staying for long if she could help it, she just had to craft up a plan on where to go from here. During the trial, she also managed to get a sponsor, which seemed to matter quite a bit.

Zarava knew soon that she would start her training with who specifically, she wasn't sure. She knew the name of her sponsor, but that was it. She wasn't sure if it was just Sith that could sponsor or how the system even worked. The teenager wasn't told very much when she was taken from her home in Elrood once her mother sold her out that she was force sensitive. The Order wasted no time in picking her up at the potential of having another Sith added to their ranks. When it came to comparing the Sith to the Jedi, she knew there were differences, and the longer that she stayed in the academy, the more she realized how cruel the Sith could be. After all, she had seen others of her age die during the trials that they went through.

Zarava sat in her bed looking at her datapad. She was cloaked in her usual black outfit that she had been given when she first arrived on the planet. On the datapad were some blueprints of how a lightsaber would work. She didn't have hers yet, but she knew eventually she would acquire such a weapon. The redhead focused quite a bit on the engineering side of things, taking great interest in learning how things worked. It was a hobby that she had when she lived on Elrood, inspecting all of the different kinds of spaceships that would arrive at their port. One of these days she would learn how to fly one and get herself out of this mess.

While she was reviewing the schematics, she slowly started to feel that her room was rumbling. A confused look spread across her face as she grabbed her datapad, but as she moved to stand up she nearly felt her feet give out from underneath her. What the hell? Her arms flailed outward trying to grab onto the bed to keep herself from falling. Her blue eyes turned to look and see some kind of void that had opened up in the middle of her bed. Shadows flickered out from the portal, the tendrils seeming to drag her further down. Her grip began to slacken, and soon a scream was silenced as she passed through the portal.
______

Zarava landed heavily as she was ejected from the portal. Her eyes took several seconds to adjust to the light, and she couldn't help but let out a pained groan. She began to move herself from laying down on her stomach, looking down at the rock ground that she had landed on. Her senses eventually began to catch up, and the smell of ozone was the first thing the greet her. The redhead's nose would scrunch up, but there was little time to think about her situation as the sound of roars and fighting broke out around her. Adrenaline began to fill her veins as she pushed herself up and was able to get a proper look at her surroundings.

Zarava was frozen at the sight before her, a cacophony of crashed ships, lights of blaster fire in the distance, and smoke from other explosions lighting up the darkness. This was insane. She was able to make out the shine of lightsabers in the distance, at least that is what she could guess. She didn't even have her own lightsaber yet, and the only thing that she had that was a weapon that was on her were a couple of knives in a pouch on her belt. Looking to her right, she noticed how close a crashed ship was to her. She could see other people were here as well, probably dealing with a similar fate with how the place seemed to be some sort of battleground.

Zarava reached into her pouch and grabbed one of the knives that were kept there, the hair along her arms and the back of her neck standing on end. The redhead didn't approach anyone and instead stayed back and tried to survey the scene and try to come up with a game plan on what to do next. She had little to no training when it came to fighting, let alone using the force. She was still new to all of this after all. It took all of her power to keep her heart rate in check and not completely go into a panic. She could do this. All she needed to do was survive.

 

[Me.]

Journal Entry...

What in the world is going on here?

One minute, I'm in the pooi playing with my dogs, and the next minute, in a flash of light, I'm standing in the middle of the apocalypse? What the? It was a hot summer day, and I was lounging by my pool, sipping on a cold drink and enjoying the sunshine. It was going to be a ridiculously hot summer day, so I wouldn't be out there long, but I was going to enjoy it while it was enjoyable. Suddenly, a blinding light engulfed me, and before I knew it, I was no longer in my backyard. Instead, I found myself in the middle of what looked like an apocalypse.

The sky was a fiery red, and the ground was cracked and barren. Buildings lay in ruins, and strange creatures roamed the streets. I was completely disoriented and had no idea where I was or how I had gotten there.

As I frantically looked around for a place to hide, I spotted a dilapidated building nearby. With no other options, I made a run for it, dodging debris and dodging the creatures that lurked in the shadows.

I managed to slip inside the building just as a group of the creatures passed by. I found myself in a dark, dusty room, with only a small window to let in a sliver of light. I huddled in a corner, trying to make sense of my surroundings and figure out what had happened to me.

As I sat there, my mind racing with questions and fear, I heard a noise coming from the hallway outside. I held my breath as the sound grew closer, and then suddenly, the door burst open, and a figure stood in the doorway.

It was a human, but unlike any I had ever seen before. They were dressed in tattered clothing and had a wild look in their eyes. They beckoned for me to follow them, and without hesitation, I did.

As we navigated through the crumbling building, the person explained to me that I had been transported to their planet, thousands of years in the future. The world had been ravaged by war and destruction, and only a few pockets of humanity remained.

They led me to a hidden underground bunker, where a small group of survivors had gathered. They welcomed me with open arms, grateful for any new allies in their fight for survival.

As I settled in with my new companions, I couldn't help but marvel at the strange turn my day had taken. From lounging by my pool to fighting for my life in a post-apocalyptic world, it was a wild and unexpected journey that I would never forget. And as I looked out at the desolate landscape beyond the bunker walls, I knew that my adventure was far from over.

 

[Me.]

I had been running for what felt like hours, trying to escape the chaos of the apocalyptic world that had suddenly descended upon us. As I ducked into an abandoned building, my heart pounding in my chest, I finally allowed myself a moment to catch my breath.

But as I looked around, I realized that this was no ordinary building. It was a spaceship hangar, filled with strange, futuristic technology that I had only ever seen in movies. And then, as if to confirm my suspicions, I heard a series of beeps and whistles coming from the shadows.

I turned slowly, my eyes widening in disbelief as I saw a group of astromech droids rolling towards me. They were just like the ones from Star Wars, with their sleek, metallic bodies and domed heads. I couldn't believe my eyes - I was face to face with real-life astromech droids!

As I stood there, frozen in awe, one of the droids approached me and extended a mechanical arm. It beeped and whistled, as if trying to communicate with me. I couldn't understand a word it was saying, but I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

Here I was, in the middle of an apocalyptic world, surrounded by astromech droids. It was like a dream come true - if only it weren't for the impending doom outside. But for a moment, I allowed myself to forget about the chaos and just geek out over the fact that I was standing in the presence of these incredible machines.

As the droids led me deeper into the hangar, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement building within me. Who knew what other wonders awaited me in this strange, new world? And who knew what adventures lay ahead as I navigated my way through this apocalyptic landscape, with my new astromech friends by my side? It was a thrilling, funny, and utterly surreal experience - and I couldn't wait to see where it would take me next.

 

[Talsin Lota]

Tags: Cortana Jade

"Hey, you, stop right there!" Talsin shouted over familiar sounds of haggling, gambling and money exchanging hands. The bazaars of Denon's night district were infamous for its crime and lax attitude towards regulations. As long as CorpSec got its dues in the end, nobody cared what was happening in the gutter.

Several people had been found knocked out and robbed. Beat to an inch of their life if they were really unlucky. Talsin had been asked to help and after several days of hunting finally found the culprit. Caught the creature red-handed even.

That was why Tal was busy jumping from roof to roof while chasing the strange shape that seemed to melt from shadow to shadow.

A sudden cry of alarm caused him to lose his focus however. Mid-jump. He slipped and with eyes wide he stumbled into the gap between buildings. He cried out. The ground looming fast and his eyes closed while he rolled into a ball to minimize the damage to his vitals and head. The bone-crushing crash never came however.

Instead there was a lurching sensation, as if something hooked into him right beneath his belly button and then yanked him upwards, sideways, down again. The directions crazed and mad. He didn't dare to open his eyes because the flickering of lights and howling in his ears frightened him... until he dropped right on top of Cortana's crashed ship.

The sudden crash was less damaging than landing on the concrete would have but it still crunched the air out of his lungs and send him gasping.

"W-what..." Eyes wide and skating around to see where he was.

 

[Mr. Hate]

Then....858 ABY: Operation Kyber Dark

The blood, the screams, the chaos – it's all so... intoxicating. This is where I belong, where I thrive. Look at them, scrambling like insects. They thought they could betray me, that pathetic New Imperial Order. Fools. They forget who I am. What I am. They forget the power of the dark side flowing through my veins. The Embodiment of the Darkside.

Their betrayal only fuels my rage, I grow stronger. Every swing of my sword, every foe cleaved in two– it's becomes my song of mayhem and destruction, and I am the conductor.

He moved with blinding speed, a blur of sinister energy and raw power. He charged across the blood-soaked ground, his massive form cleaving through soldiers like a scythe through wheat, leaving only mists of gore in his wake. There was no wasted expenditure of momentum nor inertia.

Each swing of his colossal sith sword split enemies in two. The air crackled with dark energy, and occasionally, a burst of Force lightning leapt from his fingertips, incinerating those foolish enough to cross think themselves stronger than he. The screams of the burning fill the air, mingling with the sounds of battle, only for the sound and very essence to be inhaled into the Titan of Fury as fuel.

Kezeroth's eyes, blazed like twin suns, locking onto his next group of targets. With a mere gaze, invisible waves of hate-filled energy disintegrated all in his line of sight, erasing lives as if they had never existed. Sith and New Imperial Order troopers alike wiped away in an instant, their bodies turned to ash and dust, their screams cut short.

His charge was relentless, he was truly unstoppable and yet when there was a sudden gathering of energy and a flash of light around him, Kezeroth gave only a blink and then there was nothing. No more battle, chaos or destruction.

All of replaced by confusion.

The battle meant to end his reign and very life was ...changed.

Now.... 900 ABY: ???
Location: The World Between Worlds

Kezeroth awoke with a start, the echo of battle still ringing in his ears. Moments ago, he had been amidst a raging battlefield, cleaving through enemies with a ferocity unmatched. But now, as his eyes opened, he found himself in a place beyond comprehension – the World Between Worlds.

All around him were portals, shimmering like ethereal mirrors, each one an abstract window into another time, another place. The expanse stretched infinitely in all directions, a vast network of dark and light energy connecting the portals like bridges of pulsating power. The aether-like currents swirled around him, a constant ebb and flow of light and darkness, intertwining in a dance of cosmic balance. He took a step forward, the ground beneath him feeling both solid and immaterial. Each portal he passed by flickered with scenes of distant battles, forgotten worlds, and ancient conflicts. The bridges of energy connecting them buzzed with an arcane hum, resonating with the raw power that coursed through his veins.

" What the kark is this?"

Tags: Talsin Lota Cortana Jade Me. Onrai Zarava Dekki Nej Tane Valkoryen Sunfell Kai Bamarri Oth'san Annika Starfire Alicio Organa

 

[Alicio Organa]

Another headache. And suddenly, the boy wasn't alone.

He stepped back as someone else appeared out of nowhere, lightsaber poised as if to strike. His hands went up defensively, and he looked away, squeezing his eyes shut with a frightened cry. But... the death blow didn't come. The boy looked back again, eyes wide with... memory.

Not his. Or, at least not his yet. But some recognition glimmered in his eyes. He didn't understand why, but... this was a friend.

Alicio took the Jedi's hand.

Then, he looked off to the left, his gaze drawn by something unseen.

"There." It was a girl, relatively close, but barely perceptible in the wastes. Alone, like he had been. The boy stepped cautiously behind Kai, but looked on with some kind of curiosity.

"She's scared."

- Kai Bamarri - Zarava Dekki - Open -

 

[Kai Bamarri]

The boy overcame his fear. There was something else in his eyes, something Kai didn’t understand, but he sensed no danger. All that mattered was protecting this innocent child from whatever horrors stalked the battlefield.

"There. She's scared."

Kai had been scanning the horizon for threats. It was difficult to differentiate friend from foe here. His gaze honed in on the girl the boy had pointed out. Zarava Dekki stood some feet away, guarded and wary of everyone else.

Gesturing for the boy to keep close, he slowly approached her. Feelings of calm and peace radiated from him—or as much as an angst-ridden teen could project serenity. Then came the telepathy, which in this case was necessary.

<Do you need help?>

Alicio Organa​

 

[Zarava Dekki]

ZARAVA

Location: Unknown
Tags: Kai Bamarri , Alicio Organa

This strange place felt wrong. There had to be some explanation for this, as she had just been on Jutrand moments ago. When it came to the Force, Zarava knew that she understood very little of what it could do. Was this the work of the Force? What reason was she brought here? Maybe there was a chance that this was some secret test by the Academy and that her goal was to survive all over again. Whatever was happening, wasn't just happening to her either as there were several individuals of different races that were scattered around the ground. From the look of some of the starships, some had just recently crashed if their heated engines were noted.

She was alone, on her own once again. However, she could manage this. Back on Jutrand, she had to work with classmates that she knew nothing about. Zarava wasn't given much of a choice as they were supposed to work in teams. Even when she was left to her own devices growing up, she had little need to interact with others, preferring to keep to herself. The teenager couldn't help but feel her anger grow, at the reminder that she was only in this mess because of her darling mother. If she were to die here, she was certain that no one would miss her absence, as she wasn't sure what her extended family even was. Zarava had no one that she was close to in the Academy, as it seemed everyone had their own agenda that Zarava wanted nothing to do with.

The young apprentice noticed movement to her right, and her grip on the knife tightened. Her blue eyes immediately locked onto the lightsaber that the young man was holding. It was white. That wasn't the color of lightsaber that the Sith used, at least from what she was able to gather from several sessions of reading in the archives to even remotely understand the force. A Jedi then. From what she had gathered in history, the Jedi hated the Sith, and well, she still hated the Sith for making her go through everything she went through. Zarava wanted nothing more than to escape their grasp, but that could also mean that Jedi would potentially consider her an enemy if he realized what group she was technically with. As far as she knew, there was nothing on her person that would give her away that she was currently with the Sith Order, against her own will, obviously.

Her blue eyes then landed on the younger boy who was behind the taller man, who looked even younger than she was. She could only imagine how what it would be like in this situation at such a young age. Her attention returned to the Jedi, at least she assumed he was as he continued to get closer. The air that he held was oddly calming, but it only helped her nerves a small amount, as she was wary of anyone who would approach her. Zarava had her arm raised with the blade pointed in the pair's direction as she took a step backward from where the Jedi had stopped moving, trying to make sure she was out of striking range of the blade. She had never come face to face with a lightsaber before, and the thought of a weapon being capable of killing her in a single blow made the hair on her arms stand on end.

Then, a voice spoke, but the Jedi's mouth did not move.

Panic flared in her chest, causing her to flinch away at the voice so severely it almost seemed like she had been punched by something. That voice did not sound like her inner thoughts, and the mere idea was frightening. She tried to remain calm in a situation like this, but there was so much going on and so many new aspects that she had never encountered before. It took several seconds for the words to finally register that he was asking if she needed help. Everything that she had learned so far in the Academy told her not to trust anyone.

Was she supposed to trust these strangers while all she had to defend herself was a knife? Zarava's brow furrowed as she steeled her expression away from the fear she was currently feeling. However, it did little to hide the emotion that was shown in her eyes. "Who are you? Where am I? Why can I hear you in my head?" Zarava quickly questioned, eyes darting between the pair, waiting to see if they were going to attack her. Her weight remained on the balls of her feet, ready to react at a moment's sign of a threat.

 

[Alicio Organa]

The boy didn't understand... anything, that was happening.

He'd been in his dorm. Looking out his window, at his fellow students kicking a ball around. It had been a pleasant afternoon on Balmorra, the sun was shining, and classes had gotten out early. Many kids at the boarding school took the opportunity to hang out with their friends, enjoy the fresh air. Alicio, however, had walked straight to his room, locked the door, and opened his books.

Alicio was alone. He had nobody. As he'd always been. As he wanted to be.

Then, a blink, a headache, and he was here. Hiding behind someone he knew without knowing, looking at someone he felt without feeling. It almost felt like he was dreaming. Perhaps the shock was why he wasn't freaking out, yet.

The Jedi's telepathy surprised Alicio, too. His frown severed, and he took a step away from him, before quickly stiffening his lip, and stepping forward, to stand beside, and not behind, Kai. He hated talking to people. But the situation called for it.

"I-I... don't know either." He glanced at the oldest among them, expecting it to be the same as his hands restlessly fidgeted with each other. "I have no idea what's happening. I was in my room, reading, and... Now, I think we're in a lot of danger."

The young boy seemed to remember his manners, in that moment. He was learning etiquette, after all. This seemed an important time to use it. "I'm... Alicio. What are your names?"

- Kai Bamarri - Zarava Dekki -

 

[Oth'san]

Oth'san had been too absorbed in his grief and rage to notice the strange beast sneaking up behind him until the thing attacked. No longer being able to feel anything through the Force, he only noticed right as the shadowy beast growled a split second before its claws raked across his armor. The armor itself saved him from a serious wound, and the attack shook him from his sour mood, somewhat.

He still held onto the rage, which now had an outlet. Oth'san grabbed the large tiger-like shadow as it opened its maw to bite him with its obsidian dagger teeth. The Kwa may have lost his Force connection, but he still had his muscle, and he was the biggest and strongest in the Kwa military, being nearly three times broader than average. At three meters tall, Oth'san was large and intimidating himself, which meant that the attacking beast was apparently not that intelligent.

Oth'san twisted and pinned the monster's head to the ground to keep the head between himself and the claws. Exerting his strength, he pried the jaws open, hearing the cracking of bones as he did so. The bones sounded less like hardened calcium and more like sheets of stone cracking. Finally, the beast's bottom jaw broken away, a sludgy black mess of what seemed to be its blood exploding forth. It had the consistency of crude oil.

"What a strange beast you are," Oth'san said to the dying beast as it gurgled and hissed. When it finally stilled, the whole thing began to turn to the same sludge substance of the blood. "Gross. Where in the Galaxy am I? How long has it been?"

Looking around, he noticed someone else off a short distance. It was a tiny person, not even two meters tall. He was of a species the Kwa had never seen before. Brushing off as much of the black sludge-blood as he could, Oth'san walked to the person. "Greetings," he said. He doubted the small being would understand his language, but thankfully the Kwa telepathy was not tied to the Force. Though the man would find his words to be foreign, his mind would still be able to understand them. "I do not know where I am. Is this your home, or have you also suffered a strange experience as I have?"

Nej Tane ​

 

[Kai Bamarri]

"Where am I? Why can I hear you in my head?"

<I don't know where we are. You're picking up my telepathy. I don't speak.>

"I-I... don't know either. I have no idea what's happening. I was in my room, reading, and... Now, I think we're in a lot of danger."

Kai glanced at the boy as if he had just uttered the understatement of the year.

"I'm... Alicio. What are your names?"

<Kai,> he answered. His eyes—which during this time were a precise replica of Dagon Kaze 's blue irises—searched the horizon, following the paths of errant warriors. The disconnected battles around them were headed their way, converging upon the group. Alicio held his lightsaber two-handed, instinctively moving into position to protect Alicio. He was still burning from Ax's cruel death at the hands of the Drael. No more would die on his watch today.

<If you want to get out of here in one piece, we're better off working together to escape,> he told the redhead. He wasn't sure if she would stick around. She reminded him of a wild animal: skittish, self-serving, ready to fight for survival. Her instincts might not extend to helping others.

Zarava Dekki Alicio Organa​