The Trial of Worth

[Ashelia]

Ashelia
Post 1
Location: Jedha - Kyber Crystal Cavern
Continued from A Rite of Passage (TJO)

The Dark Master was the first and only one to find her.

It had not taken long for Ashelia to lose herself within the deep recesses of the kyber crystal cavern. Only a few minutes before, the diminutive Elzeri had tapped into her residual anger and harnessed it to embrace the dark side. However, as she moved deeper into the sprawling cavern, Ashelia became lost in the dark side and within the cavern itself. Her anger had quickly clouded her judgement to the point where she could no longer trust her own perception of the outside world. Eventually, minutes became hours, which almost translated into an entire day. The strength of the dark side within the cave was so overwhelming that had the Dark Jedi Master not found her, she would have surely froze to death.

By the time the Master found her, Ashelia was on the brink of senselessness. The woman immediately wrapped Ashelia’s small form up in her cloak before carrying the young Initiate out of the cave and back to her ship. Then, once she was inside, she set the softly murmuring Elzeri down on one of the beds, dimmed the lights, and sealed the ship. Ashelia only perceived the ataractic warmth of her surroundings before she fell into a deep slumber.

Ten hours later, she woke up.

“Drink.”

Ashelia blinked twice in quick succession as she took in her surroundings. The Mirialan woman sitting at the opposite end of the table was an unfamiliar face, but she sensed that the woman was extremely powerful in the Force. However, she did not know whether she had been rescued from the cave as an act of mercy or to the end of something more nefarious. At that moment, the only thing which she knew for certain was that she was in debt to the strange woman sitting across from her.

“T-thank yo-”

“Don’t.” The Mirialan cut her off. “This is only the beginning. You should listen, Initiate, if you want to survive.” The woman continued. “This is not mercy, do you understand?” She delivered the rhetorical statement in an extremely firm tone.

“It’s a trial.”

 

[Ashelia]

Ashelia
Post 2
Location: Outskirts of Holy City, Jedha
Equipment: Holdout Blaster Pistol, Pocket Vibro-Dagger

“You will foil an assassin.”

The Holy City was a multi-denominational church built into the framework of a walled city. The woman who had rescued her, Kuri San, had given her a brief overview of what to expect within the city and her expectations for completing the trial itself. In essence, her trial was to foil an assassination attempt through any means she perceived as necessary, lethal or non-lethal. If Ashelia failed in the execution of her task, she was not welcome back on the Dark Master’s ship and she would never be allowed to associate with the Dark Jedi again.

“Remember, Initiate, I will know if you fail. It would not be wise to attempt to deceive me.” The Dark Master delivered her stern warning as Ashelia stood before the open exit doors . However, the woman’s ominous message did not come without a few words of encouragement. “That said”-Kuri slowly closed and opened her eyes as she considered her words-"I hope you succeed. May the Force be with you, Ashelia.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the exit doors opened and Ashelia departed the ship with a nod, before beginning her long trek into the city. The only weapons that she had on her person was a small holdout blaster with four shots, a pocket vibro-dagger, and the Force itself.

The last was by far her most potent tool.

 

[Ashelia]

Ashelia
Post 3
Location: Holy City, Jedha
Equipment: Holdout Blaster Pistol, Pocket Vibro-Dagger

She had four hours before the assassin struck.

It was more than enough time for her to locate and scout the temple of the Holy City temple of the Carnifex Avulsuna, but it was barely enough time for her to formulate a non-disruptive plan to thwart the would-be assassin. The woman that she was charged to protect was a prominent Apostle of the Carnifex Avulsuna. Although Ashelia had not been told why the woman was a target, she deduced that the woman’s activities were extremely disruptive to an individual or group of particular influence on Jedha itself or within the Unknown Regions. However, she doubted that she would have the chance to discover who that was.

Ashelia paid close attention to her surroundings as she walked through the streets, particularly to check that she was not being followed. The din of merchants hawking their wares, priests shouting sermons, starships flying overhead, and children playing in the streets filled her pointed ears. However, she also utilized the Force itself. Although she was not especially trained in the ability, the Force granted her a heightened awareness of her surroundings.

Stopping briefly within a secluded alleyway, Ashelia took a deep breath and closed her eyes in order to prime herself for to sense the flow of the Force. In her brief meditation, she felt the emotions of those around her, along with their latent anxieties and fears. Fortunately, she sensed no danger. However, with deeper concentration, she sensed the aura of the dark side only a few blocks down the street.

That was when the Initiate realized that she was close to the temple.

 

[Ashelia]

Ashelia
Post 4
Location: Holy City Temple of the Carnifex Avulsuna - Holy City, Jedha
Equipment: Holdout Blaster Pistol, Pocket Vibro-Dagger

The Holy City temple of the Carnifex Avulsuna appeared as an inconspicuous hole-in-the-wall from the front entrance. However, it expanded below ground and in the eight levels set above the main entrance. Fortunately, since the temple was closed to the public for the day, beyond a simple electronic lock at the front gate which could easily be bypassed via a scomp link, security was virtually nonexistent. However, Ashelia had been told that the temple would still be occupied, since many within the Carnifex Avulsuna lived within it. Using the wrist-mounted datapad that Kuri San had loaned her, she inserted the device’s scomp link into the computer socket adjacent to the door and ran the automated slicing program to disable the cameras and unlock the entrance.

Five seconds later, the doors slid open.

As she entered the temple, the soothing warmth generated by the building’s air conditioning elicited a relieving exhalation of air from her lips given the bitter chill outside. Unfortunately, she had no time to relish in the ataractic climate. Moving as fast and silently as she could, Ashelia climbed the stairs and began to map out the layout of the hallways with the three-dimensional scanner mounted on her datapad. She moved quickly through the halls, knowing that the longer she lingered, the more likely it was that the temple would restore its security functions.

If the cameras caught her, her mission would be compromised.

Once Ashelia was finished mapping out the upper levels, she moved underground. However, when she sensed the presence of sapient beings in close vicinity, she realized that the living, study, and training areas were located closeby.

She needed to find where the Apostle was quartered before she left.

One hallway led into the next, but her progress was still achingly slow. After over an hour, she had managed to reach the living quarters, but a small group of disciples were seated around a table, engaged in some manner of small talk. The area was virtually impassable because of their presence, but that was not what made her vibrantly colored eyes suddenly go wide with alarm. She sensed a presence moving up the hallway adjacent to the one that she was in. The individual had not seen her yet, but the Initiate quickly realized that there was no conceivable way for her to avoid being seen, since she was effectively trapped between a living room full people and the lone disciple approaching from the other hallway.

Unless she used the Force.

In spite of the brief instruction she had received in its use, Ashelia had never been able to successfully execute Force Speed. Nevertheless, she immediately sought to call upon the Force to do so. The Initiate remembered when her instructor had told her that she needed to allow the will of the Force to manifest within her mind and body. She had been too stubborn to listen then, but at that moment, her success or failure depended on her willingness to set her pride aside.

For once, Ashelia did exactly that.

The diminutive Initiate closed her eyes and let the Force flow freely into her conscience. When she opened her eyes, she perceived the world as being nigh-frozen in time, yet she retained the ability to move and sense as she normally would. For a moment of time according to her perception, she stared at the seemingly motionless disciples situated in the living room in sheer astonishment. It was one of the first times she had successfully called upon the Force to perform something truly otherworldly. Although she had lifted rocks and created stone sculptures with her mind before, the sensation of excitement that she felt at that moment was far more intense than the awe she had felt after she utilized telekinesis for the first time.

However, Ashelia did not linger in her amazement much longer. She soon began to move down the hallway in order to extricate herself from the potentially compromising situation. The Initiate did not stop until she reached the laundry room, which was secluded in a narrow corridor between the living quarters and the bathroom areas.

In the wake of the unknown intruder’s preternatural speed, the disciples in the living areas only perceived a few falling papers which were quickly dismissed as a stutter in the air conditioning. By the same esoteric Force that they perceived as divine and therefore, far above their station, they had remained blissfully unaware of her presence.

 

[Ashelia]

Ashelia
Post 5
Location: Holy City Temple of the Carnifex Avulsuna (Laundry Room) - Holy City, Jedha
Equipment: Holdout Blaster Pistol, Pocket Vibro-Dagger

A single glance at the chronometer on her datapad told her that she had two hours before the assassin struck.

Ashelia had already scouted and mapped most of the temple, but she still needed to formulate a viable plan to protect the Apostle from the assassin, while also maintaining her cover. In addition to the fact that she had very little time for her to execute whatever plan she came up with, the reality that she only had one chance to fulfill her trial lingered in the back of her mind. If she failed, she would not be permitted to learn the secrets of the dark side from the mysterious Dark Jedi Master. In the brief time she had spent with the Silver Jedi, Ashelia had chafed at the restrictions of their teachings. They advised against the dark side in all of its manifestations. However, Ashelia had quickly realized that she would need the master the power of Bogan and Ashla in order to liberate herself from her soul-binding contract with the fickle, yet nigh-omnipotent Bedlam Spirit.

In order to free herself, she would need to learn under more powerful Masters than the Silver Jedi could offer.

While taking a brief moment to catch her breath, the beginnings of a plan emerged in her mind as she glanced at the organized stacks of laundry arranged next to the washing machines.

She could execute an assassination attempt of her own.

 

[Ashelia]

Ashelia
Post 6
Location: Holy City Temple of the Carnifex Avulsuna - Holy City, Jedha
Equipment: Holdout Blaster Pistol, Pocket Vibro-Dagger

After ten minutes, Ashelia was fully attired in the garb of a disciple.

Before she stepped out of the laundry room, Ashelia briefly meditated for a few moments in order to restore her energy and to ascertain the locations of the disciples. Although she did not want to be seen, she did want to be noticed. Any disciple who saw her would immediately see through her “disguise” and realize that she was not a member of the Carnifex Avulsuna. However, if she were noticed with a passing glance as she walked through the halls of the living areas, it was likely that she would not arouse suspicion.

It took her another ten minutes for her to reach the living areas. During that time, she strategically avoided the halls when they were occupied by other disciples, in order to prevent anyone from closely examining her features. Soon, she reached the office of the Apostle.

When the surrounding area was relatively clear, Ashelia rapped her knuckles against the door three times in quick succession as she placed a hand on the holster of her holdout blaster and pulled the hood of her outfit over her head.

“Enter!” A female voice called out from the opposite side of the door.

Ashelia pushed the door open and stepped inside the room as she pointed her holdout blaster in the rough direction of the Apostle. As she leveled her blaster, she briefly examined the terrified, yet comely features of the female Lethan Twi’lek on the opposite side of the room. Then, she squeezed the trigger of the holdout blaster three times in rapid succession, discharging a booming trio of blaster bolts in the rough direction of the Apostle.

Every single shot missed.

Nevertheless, in the wake of the violent assault on her person, the Twi'lek’s pseudo-assassin disappeared in what she could only perceive as a blur of motion.

 

[Ashelia]

Ashelia
Post 7
Location: Outskirts of the Holy City, Jedha
Equipment: Holdout Blaster Pistol, Pocket Vibro-Dagger

“Tell Brother Clesel to summon the Children! Put the temple on full security and do not let anyone enter or leave without clearance. We must protect Sister Amersu at all costs!”

Ashelia spent the next two hours hiding in the laundry room as the temple was reinforced with armed patrols from the Children of the New Order. The predicted time of the real assassination attempt came and went with little fanfare. However, Ashelia overheard a few conversations regarding a prisoner and a foiled second assassination attempt on the Apostle.

Soon, Ashelia received a message from Kuri San, ordering that she return to the ship. An hour later, the diminutive Elzeri slipped out of the temple through a window and made her way out of the Holy City. When she arrived at the ship, she saw the slender figure of the Mirialan woman at the top of the entry ramp, bearing an unreadable, yet seemingly relieved expression on her features as she watched Ashelia ascend into the ship.

“A fake assassination attempt? Very clever, Initiate.” The Master began as she pressed a few buttons on a nearby terminal to seal the ship, a smile creeping across her visage as she spoke. “You tricked them into saving their own skin.” She added.

“Thank-”

“No, Ashelia. Let’s not do this again.” She interrupted. “You have no one to thank but yourself.” Kuri continued. “Now, follow me.”

After leading Ashelia into the storage area, Kuri unlocked one of the chests and pulled a paper map with a ruby embedded on top from a small box within the chest itself. Then, she turned around and presented the map to Ashelia.

“You are worthy, Initiate.” She began. “Unfortunately, you are not finished, yet. I’m taking you to Ilum for your next trial. Take this map, study it, and rest. When we reach Ilum, I’m dropping you on the first glacier I see.”

“Is this a-”

“Yes. It’s a map.” Kuri interrupted Ashelia once again. “Surely you can read one?”

“I just-”

“Well, you better learn quick or look up how to read one. The password for the HoloNet connection is 75A2JY. Write that down.”