Slow Night

[Krux Mullarus]

Late evening at a pub on Tatooine. This was the first time Krux Mullarus had decided to venture so far out of Sanctum space since his fall from grace and defection to the Jedi. He had never wanted to visit this planet before after hearing the rumors behind how dreadfully slummy and vile it was. "You will never hear of a more wretched hive of scum and villainy", an old wise man once said, apparently.

Tonight, for the first time as well, Krux decided to cut back on his studies on the seemingly endless number of Jedi Holocrons the Coalition had at their disposal, as well as Holocrons from the headquarters of the 'New Jedi Order' Academy on Sullust. Tonight, Krux decided to act like a normal person. Someone who wasn't stressing out over the girl of his dreams having children with a disgustingly vile Sith Lord, probably sleeping at his side as she once did with him and whispering about how much she loved him in his ear, despite how much the Dark Side tempted lust and not love...

Krux lifted his glass of Corellian Ale to his lips, sighing with frustration. This is why I need relaxation...

The cantina was virtually empty except for Krux, sitting at the bar alone while the blue-skinned chiss bartender cleaned up and began preparing to close for the night while his coworker, an ithorian, bussed the tables. There was a devaronian sleeping at a table, drunk, but he wasn't bothering anyone.

Tatooine felt sinister to Mullarus, so sensitive to the living Force that pierced the planet. It felt a bit like Dagobah, in which there was so much life on the world, despite it being so barren in many places, that the planet itself felt alive. Only, unlike Dagobah, Tatooine felt closer to Korriban. The life was evil and corrupt. It made Mullarus' heart sink and his stomach shake. But, according to everyone he asked, Tatooine had the strongest drinks in the outer rim, and the rim worlds were a good place to get away from the Force for a while.

Obviously, wearing white robes was asking for trouble on a world like this. Krux wore something a bit shadier to blend in with the average Tatooinian citizen so late in the evening, his lightsaber tucked comfortably into a pocket on the inside. As for his aura in the Force, it would certainly be there in its normal 'mostly Lightsided, but still scarres by the Dark' feel. Even his face, which had healed a lot of his Dark Side corruption that once scarred him after his falling to the Dark Side after being cast aside by the woman of his dreams, after a trip to Ossus, was not hidden by a mask today. He let his short, charcoal black hair be stained by Tatooine's dust, dirt, and sand. The physical scars on his face were still there, though, and easy to see. His most striking feature, his indigo eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dimly-lit pub, stared into his half-empty glass of ale.

Yeah...I feel...relaxed...right?

[member="Katelyn Thanewulf"]

 

[Katelyn Feanor]

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

Katelyn walked into the Cantina. Her hazel eyes scanning around the room before falling upon the Chiss running a rag across the counter-top of the bar. Katelyn walked over to the bartender who was wiping down the bar. The Chiss ignored Katelyn for a short while before leaving the rag to rest upon the bar and turning his crimson red eyes towards Katelyn. Katelyn pulled up the sleeve of her leather jacket on her right arm to the elbow with the use of her left metal hand before hearing the Chiss bartender for the third time.

"Hello miss, anything suit your fancy?"

Strange, he's well mannered for a bartender. Especially a Tattoine bartender. But, maybe I'm looking into this too much and it's just his first day on the job. Hmm, let's see..what to have...what to have? Something heavy..do they have......Yes they do!

"Uhm...I'd like to have the 'Dathomir Bite' I believe they call it around here, but it's actual name is.."

"The, 'Thick Dathomir Ale,' would it be miss?"

"Yes...."

Katelyn pulled out a wad of credits from the inside of her leather jacket and placed it atop the counter. She signaled with her eyes to the bartender to keep the credits . Once the transaction finished, Katelyn walked over to the table Krux was at and sat down in the chair opposite of his on the opposite side. Katelyn brought up the bottle to her lips and slowly drank it down before placing it back down on the table, closing her hazel eyes as she did so.

 

[Krux Mullarus]

From the second the girl stepped into the pub, Krux's eyes immediately fixed upon her. Not just because she was attractive, but because she felt...different. Not Jedi, but not Sith. Something tugged at him like she was Dark Side, but...a different kind. Not the Sith. Something...else. As she conversed with the chiss at the bar, he closed his eyes and let the Force show him what her physical, mortal body hid in her soul.

Her aura was hard to see, as well. It wasn't blue and pure, like many of the Jedi he had grown used to being around lately. But just as he suspected, she was certainly no Sith. He had more than enough experience with Sith to know that.

His eyes averted away from her when she seemed to turn to him, but then returned when she, to his surprise, sat across from him and made herself comfortable. A few features of hers caught his eye. The mechanical hand of hers being the first. What was it with cybernetic limbs that people liked so much? How were so many people losing limbs? Did everyone fight with lightsabers? Sure, if Krux removed the glove on his right hand, he would be brandishing two fingers, his middle and index, would be made of metal and wire from the battle of Balmorra so long ago.

The second feature he noticdd instantly in the girl was the drink in her hand. There wasn't a doubt in Krux's mind she looked mature enough to be drinking - she looked mature enough, indeed - but that drink she ordered was a Dathomiran Alcohol. He'd shared a bottle with Setzi one night a while back, when she still loved him. Boy, that was a fun night. Debauchery and drunken sex galore. What was this girl plotting drinking such strong ale this late with a stranger?

The final feature was not quite so deep. She just looked quite surprisingly attractive for such a filthy rim world.

He cocked a brow at her, leaning back in his chair and studying her appearance a bit more. Knowing most rim world women, which Krux didn't, she might take it as him 'checking her out', when Krux was just an observant man, really. "A woman's gotta be really confident, or really naive to sit with a strange man at a pub on Tatooine this late at night." he said, his deep voice probably sounding too deep for him. The Dark Side had taken its toll on the young warrior after so long being its puppet.

[member="Katelyn Thanewulf"]

 

[Katelyn Feanor]

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

Katelyn noticed the man watching her from below where her eyes were focused drinking slowly but she pretended not to notice him staring at her quite oddly. She merely took it as him finding her attractive which is what most guys saw in her, an attraction to her for some odd reason. Katelyn did enjoy it sometimes, but most of the time tried to ignore it..well unless she decided to make the first move and try to flirt with a guy who found her attractive.

Katelyn's hazel eyes continued to watch the man across from her before putting the bottle down when he told her something in a rather menacing deep voice. Much like her voice altered in a Knight of Ren mask. Katelyn now noticed how creepy it sounded hearing it from somebody else. Katelyn chuckled softly before laying her hazel eyes upon the man across from her before responding.

"Oh, I'm confident all right..and not one bit naive. Besides, I could still beat you down if you were some type of sick pervert..which you aren't. So, are you just curious or what?"

 

[Krux Mullarus]

'Not one bit naive...but you're no pervert, right?'

Krux felt unconvinced.

He crossed his arms after setting down his glass of ale, meeting her gaze. Eyes as blue as the sky on a cloudless day. He began to wonder if this girl really was another pawn of the Dark Side. As far as he could see, there was no corruption on her face. No crimson eyes like he once had when raged, no piercing yellow like Setzi's. Just...hazel blue.

"Curious? About why a young lady's out this late on such a dangerous world? If you're not naive, you're at least cocky, which explains the Dathomir Alcohol. You're bold. I haven't seen that kind of bold in a long time." he felt a grin creep up his face, lifting his drink to his lips.

"Alright, Darksider, i'm Krux. I'm what you may call a traitor. I was once a puppet of the Dark side like you, but I tore off the dark veil over my eyes and saw the error in my ways and turned away from it. Now, i'm doing well. What about you? Still convinced the Dark Side will always be tame and you're above those who fall victim to it? Are you that confident?"

[member="Katelyn Thanewulf"]

 

[Katelyn Feanor]

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

Confusion was beginning to spread across at the man's assumptions about her being fully part of the Darkside. Katelyn's eyes searched over the face of the man across of her, her mouth torn between confusion, annoyance and a feeling of hurt. She wasn't a bad person at heart that was true, seeing as how she didn't enjoy killing people. But did killing people make her a Darksider? If so, well she was full on darkside. But, from what her jedi master taught her a few years ago before he died, is that your life is what you make it to be as he was more of a gray jedi then full on lightside. Which is what Katelyn wanted to be, but her morals were being twisted by the First Order and now this guy making assumptions of her like she were some Pawn or Monster.

It disgusted and deeply hurt Katelyn enough to show it in her eyes along with what was also shown on her mouth.

"What are you Talking ABOUT? I use both the Darkside AND the Lightside..I'm no monster like you seem to think I am. Sure, I get pissed off easily but that doesn't make me a Darksider does it?! What about me killing people!"

Katelyn paused for a minute to regain her composure and noticing she was now standing up and pointing at the man across from her accusingly like he was a criminal or thief. She sad down back in her chair scooting the chair back a few inches before she began to speak again.

"You know what, yeah I'm Bold! Oh, and you think I'm blind to what I do?! I'm Not I feel guilt for what I've done..so if that makes me a monster..j-just...."

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The Force was a strange thing. Krux saw so much of himself in this girl after this display, he began to feel guilty. Would she be able to tell? Probably not through the rant he threw her in. In fact, he probably ruined any chance at getting to know who this person really was, and that was wasted knowledge.

He set his drink down, "No. You're right. Light, Dark, it helps, but it doesn't determine if you're a good person or not. I knew many who called themselves Sith that were some of the best people i've ever met. I fear for them, because the Dark Side is a dangerous ally who could either be fighting beside you and watching your back, or it could be pulling your strings and manipulating you into your own demise...

"I apologize for the assumption. I only know of both sides of the Force...too well. I'm still adjusting. I'm a veteran of war, but not peace, which is why I am still just a student of the Light." he admitted, secretly hoping this stick of dynamite with the lit fuse would stop exploding now. He was starting to like her.

"Before I jump to any more conclusions, miss, may I have the privilege of knowing more of you? Both Light and Dark, you say? You somewhat remind me of myself. I'll even buy you another drink if it will help. I...really am sorry if I struck a nerve." he said, his grin turning more into a frown as he leaned foreward on the table and stared across at her.

[member="Katelyn Thanewulf"]

 

[Katelyn Feanor]

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

Despite all of the emotions that were going through Katelyn, she still found a way to forgive the man across from her. Well, not fully forgive him but forgive him in the most part at least. Katelyn didn't hold a look of sadness and annoyance in her hazel eyes or upon her mouth anymore, but it was now more apparent that she held a look of hurt in her eyes and upon her mouth.

Katelyn drank lightly from her drink again before putting it down once more. "I..I'm sorry for ranting it's just that what you said...hurt and made me remember something. M-my name's Katelyn, uhm...what's yours? Oh, and you want to know more about me? Ok..well here goes....

Katelyn was struggling to find words before speaking up again. "I..I uhm...had a master ever since I was fifteen. My adopted parents sent me to him seeing as how he was a friend of my biological mother. I trained with him for a good many years. U-until..l-last year when I was eighteen....

"Anyways we were training one day and we were on Tattoine, it's like my home away from home....." Katelyn chuckles slightly at the revelation. "Despite it being the opposite of my home, Hoth. A-as I was saying, w-we were training a-ans then...." Katelyn paused to gather her bearings and to take another sip from her drink before continuing on, her voice sounding slightly calmer than before. "P-pirates came a-and they..." Katelyn was struggling to say her next few words."They shot him as he tried to protect me and kept on...shooting him as he was dying. He hurled them away and gave me his saber before h-he Died!"

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Krux was surprised. Not at anything Katelyn had said, but at himself. Months ago, when he still called himself a Knight of the Sith, he probably wouldn't have really cared if he hurt this girl with mere words from his mouth. But he had grown so much since his defection, and he could see it clearly now how much he actually cared now. His brows folded apart, a look of regret forming on his face. "No, no, i'm sorry. Really. I shouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly. It's...something I struggle with. I'm sorry I...hurt you." he confessed, leaning further onto the table with his elbows now.

"Argh, dammit" he seemed to say more to himself, "I'm a Jedi now. I'm trying to be more compassionate, really. Back when I was a-" he cut himself off, figuring it was probably a bit early to tell some stranger he just met about how he used to be a Sith. Would probably be a big turnoff. He let her introduce herself. "Katelyn." he said, softer now, "That's a...fine name. I'm Krux. Krux Mullarus." he might have been afraid of saying his last name, as it was the name he went by as a Sith, the name he had gained his dark reputation with before turning away from the Dark Side.

He watched her as she explained her story. He still felt the Dark Side in her, and not a lot of Light like she said, but something about her background told him he shouldn't worry about it. Not every Darksider in the galaxy is a heartless beast like the Sith, anyway, and this girl was certainly no Sith. She was too...vulnerable. It didn't seem to take much to piss her off - which made sense for a Darksider - and even to upset her. She was so emotional, but that was okay. Even Krux was still a very emotional man despite how much he wished he wasn't.

When she was finished, he reached across the table and gently raised his hand as if gesturing for her to stop, "That's enough. Calm down, Katelyn. It's all in the past now. Keep your concentration here and now where it belongs. Would it make you feel better if I told you about...my wherabouts?" a chill ran down Krux's spine as he said this. Should he tell her about the Sith part? She probably wouldn't care, if she was as much of a Darksider as she sounded and felt. If he had no experience with Force Sight and feeling auras through the Force, he wouldn't have once guessed she was a Darksider. Was she just a Dark Jedi independent from the Sith, or from some other group he'd never heard of? Now he really wanted to know, and maybe if he came clean about his own shameful past, she could trust him more after their rocky start.

Something about this girl was driving Krux crazy. She somewhat reminded him of a past lover, one he, admittedly, still had not completely gotten over. He saw a lot of her in Katelyn, and as she spoke, it almost felt like he was talking to her. Could he make this Katelyn see the Light as he does?

[member="Katelyn Thanewulf"]

 

[Katelyn Feanor]

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

Katelyn was jerked away from her thoughts by the deep commanding voice of the man across from her, who's name she now knew, Krux. It was a nice name, short let sounding thick and powerful at the same time. Katelyn's hazel eyes jerked away from the table and towards Krux, drawing her away from her current thoughts. It took Katelyn some time before she actually processed what Krux both asked and told her. Tell her HIS Story? No, no Katelyn couldn't let him do that, let alone allow him to do that. Katelyn took her drink and drank a small sip before placing it down again to think about what she should do. Katelyn's hazel eyes looked back upon her drink as she began to ponder about what Krux had offered to her.

Wait, he wants to tell ME HIS story?! No, no I can't allow him to do that. Should I allow him to do that? NO, no I shouldn't...it's not right I don't want to make him any more uncomfortable then I probably already have done. But, then I could tell him...even though I already know how to deal with the other problem because of the First Order.

Katelyn took a short sip from her drink before finally responding to Krux. "Ok, I'll let you tell me your whereabouts if your comfortable with doing do.

 

[Krux Mullarus]

He nodded, taking a long drink from his ale until the glass was empty. That would ease his story. Well, 'story'. He wouldn't want to bore her to death. "Well...i'm from Anaxes. Parents worked for the...Sith military" he had a feeling she would be able to tell where this was going now. "They were murdered by hired guns who stole Republic starships, but were hired by my grandfather, a...Sith Lord who wanted me as his apprentice. I fell to the Dark Side after my family's demise, and my grandfather...trained me to be Sith for about...six years?" he swallowed deeply, feeling so ashamed now thinking of what he did as a Sith.

"I...lasted a long time in the Sith, until recently when...my eyes were opened after a heartbreaking betrayal that made me do things I...am not comfortable admitting. Not to you, personally, Katelyn, it's just...i'm...ashamed of it all. So I turned away from the Dark Side and now i'm a Jedi. Short and simple." he went for another drink from his ale, but realized it was empty now, setting it back down.

"If...you don't mind me asking, what...are you? You're too kind to be Sith, but...I don't...think you're a Jedi. Are you?"

[member="Katelyn Thanewulf"]

 

[Katelyn Feanor]

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

Katelyn listened intently to what Krux was saying while taking a long and slow sip of her drink. She was taking another sip while he was finishing before noticing her drink was empty save for a little resting at the bottom of the drink. Katelyn didn't know what to think about what Krux said. His life was full of Tragedy with working with the 'Sith' who she wasn't really familiar with save for knowing that they were something out of a fantasy. A genocidal empire bent on galactic domination..just like the Galactic Empire of old which she had recently read about in the First Order Archives.

Katelyn's hazel eyes gazed upwards before falling back upon Krux's face. She hesitated to speak before willing up the courage to speak again. Her next few words were simple. "I..I'm not sure." Katelyn guessed that wasn't the answer Krux was looking for but she truly didn't know in her soul, if she was good in bad..despite knowing what she was doing was cruel for the First Order..the First Order took her in and she considered it her own home and family now.

What am I? Am I good? Bad? Am I.....Both?! I mean everyone is both good and bad in heart, both light and dark....I just.......I don't know in my heart what I truly am.

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Krux blinked, leaning back in his seat again and waving over the bartender. Moments later, he had his glass of ale refilled.

"You want anymore? I'll buy" he asked, trying to be polite, especially after the rocky start they had. His eyes then fixated on Katelyn's cybernetic hand, to which he used his left hand to pull the glove off of his right hand and set it on the table, showing off the two robotic, wirey index and middle fingers on his hand.

"You lose that hand in battle?" he asked, trying to strike up something new to talk about.

[member="Katelyn Thanewulf"]

 

[Katelyn Feanor]

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

Katelyn's hazel eyes rested upon the center of the table, her arms slouching upon the edges of the table closest to her. Her eyes jumped upwards when Krux began talking again, her eyes resting upon his eyes. When Krux took off his glove, she was shocked to say the least when she noticed that two of his five fingers were mechanical. Though, it didn't bother her in the slightest..just made her more aware of her mechanical arm. Then he asked if she lost her arm in battle.

If only I lost my arm in battle. Hmmm, might as well tell him and show him seeing as how he has already shared quite a lot of personal information with me already.

Katelyn rolled up the leather sleeve on her left arm to reveal her fully mechanical left arm. The wiring in it wasn't visible due to it having thin and lightweight armor plating on the outside save for the knuckles which had thicker armor plating yet still thin as to keep the illusion of weak armor plating upon her left arm.

Katelyn crossed her arms over her chest before responding to Krux with a sigh. "If your willing to then sure..." She sighed again and rolled her neck before it popped with a light crack of bone. "Uhm, no....I didn't lose my arm in battle. You see, I was attacking some random people on Tattoine due to not taking my medicine that morning, because I have a Multi-Personality Disorder. This caused me to attack them until a man appeared. I was fighting with my split-personality in my mind but could only watch as my body charged towards the man with a knife in my right hand and reaching for my lightsaber in other...."

Katelyn took in a deep breath seeing as she had barely stopped to breath throughout that whole explanation. "....Then he cut off my left arm and it hurt like Hell. One of the people knew why I attacked, and patched up my arm when I asked the man a question seeing as how he is apart of the First Order like I am. My biological mother gave me the name of a bartender when I was born so I asked the man about it.....That was when...............he told me that I was in fact his daughter which he didn't know about, making him my father."

 

[Krux Mullarus]

This was a lot to absorb at once.

Multi-Personality Disorder?

Attacking people at random?

The First Order?

The guy was her-

Krux sat up a bit straighter, looking down at the table before motioning for the bartender to refill their drinks. After a moment of silence, still taking in the enormous amount of information given at once, Krux nodded slowly. The First Order. That was a faction he had not heard much about. They were allies of the One Sith, so by default his opinion of them was fairly undesirable, and yet this girl who sat across from him seemed very kind and intellectual. Of course, attacking random people in the street? Well, that was the multiple personalities, right? Was she dangerous? Is that good? Krux hadn't met many women he would call 'dangerous', and he used to be Sith and had met many.

"Goodness" he finally spoke, taking a drink from his refilled glass of ale after the bartender had come by and refilled the both of them, "That's...a lot to take in. I really feel like you just revealed a lot about yourself..." Did she want that? Well, if she didn't, why would she have- Bah, overthinking everything. As usual. "Well, that's very interesting. Are..." his voice trailed off. Probably better to not ask about her father. He cleared his throat once more, "Uh...so, First Order, huh? Is that...by choice? They sound cruel and very uncompromising, and from what i've seen, you're neither of those...or, at least, not this personality i'm sharing a nice drink with." he said, leaning back in his seat again and trying to get comfortable again with all of this new information in his mind.

[member="Katelyn Thanewulf"]

 

[Katelyn Feanor]

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

Katelyn's hazel eyes lingered upon Krux, awaiting a response whilst completely ignoring the refill of her drink for the moment. She took a long and slow sip from her drink. Trying to contemplate what Krux thought of the situation, though Katelyn thought he didn't think much of it at the moment. 'Not this personality' is what came from Krux's mouth, causing Katelyn to glare at Krux with an annoyance in her eyes. She had heard the same thing all of the time. 'Oh, your crazy because you have Two personalities' or 'People with multiple-personalities are Crazy,' it always disgusted Katelyn how people treated her or what they said directed at her when they found out she had a Mental Disorder like that.

She sit her drink down with a thud before leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest again. Then of course, Krux asked if she joined the First Order by choice. Saying that they sounded cruel by the actions of one or many, despite her actually knowing a few good people in the First Order.

Katelyn's mouth twitched into an annoyed frown along with her eyes giving off an annoyed gaze towards Krux before responding. "Yes..it is by Choice. They took me in when I was in need. Also, what do you mean by 'cruel?' Sure, their are some genocidal maniacs in the First Order along with good people."

 

[Krux Mullarus]

"I don't doubt that. I was a member of the One Sith, and I knew plenty of benevolent people in there, too. I'm sure the First Order is no different, just like there are some vile scum in the Jedi that i've seen, too. It's just what they stand for. Weren't they originally founded to hunt down and destroy the last of the Jedi hundreds of years ago?"

He could see her annoyed glare in her eyes when he also mentioned something about her split personalities. She could glare all she wanted, but if her second personality makes he randomly attack people, its pretty crazy. Maybe having her arm chopped off helped control it. Krux didnt know, and he wasnt going to mention it again in fear of having a glass of alcohol thrown at his head.

[member="Katelyn Thanewulf"]

 

[Katelyn Feanor]

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

Katelyn took a short sip of her drink before placing it back down upon the table, gently. "Well, I believe so..but I haven't delved much into the history of the sith or the empire. Sure, I've done a little but I've spent most of my research time looking into the jedi and especially gray jedi. I mean, I know this is off topic but, the gray jedi seem just in what they do. Sorry, sorry for straying off topic."

Katelyn moved uncomfortably in her chair before reaching her arms behind her head and crossing them over each other at the wrists before leaning her head back some and closing her eyes. She kept in that stance for a few second before crossing her arms back over her chest and looking back at Krux across from her. Her hazel eyes strayed towards his metal fingers but then strayed away, not bothering to ask about the fingers mostly due to her guessing about how he lost those fingers on his hand. Katelyn's eyes then lingered down to her hands which were now sprayed at the edge of the table closest to her body.

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Oh, another Grey Jedi fan? Galaxy seems full of them.

Krux made a face at the mention of Grey Jedi. "No, it's fine. I'll bite.

"Personally, i've never met a 'grey jedi', but i've heard of them. Some...more like arrogant vigilantes who think they know more about the Jedi Code than everyone else. Others, like Qui-Gon Jinn, smart dudes. I reference him a lot in my teachings." he suddenly got an idea. "You know...i'll be honest, Katelyn, you seem a decent girl. There are libraries all over the place out there that would have loads of information on old 'grey jedi' for you to see, if that's the path you want to take. You know, that's the whole thing with the Jedi. We...respect all forms of life. Despite what they may tell you, we respect Sith too, when they aren't trying to stick their lightsabers in our backs..." he said, leaning forward again and following her gaze to his cybernetic fingers, tapping them on the table comically for her with a grin on his scarred face.

[member="Katelyn Thanewulf"]