Ask Onderon A civilization that took a very peculiar form

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach listened patiently and attentively. She still felt a discomfort as the Force surrounded her with an oily presence that told her the Dark-side was strong here.

“A tomb?” she echoed, her voice half-question and half-statement. “It makes sense. And if the holocron has been left here, who knows what unsuspecting souls may have come across it and fed it, increasing its power.”

She sighed audibly and looked around. “Traps are common in these places,” she waved a hand at the undead she’d faced, “and take many forms. And the mental ones are the most challenging. The Dark-side can play tricks with you. Get inside your head and pluck out your greatest fears – and then magnify them. And…and here is the clever part…it presents the Dark-side as the solution. Which is a lie, but an enticing and seductive one.”

“Part of me wants to leave here immediately and the rest wants to remain and deal with the spirit that resides here – to ensure nobody else falls for its lure.”

“But I feel you are the reason we are here, not me. Therefore, it is you that needs to decide what we do next. This is your path we are walking, not mine.”

Spoiler

ooc- no problem :)
[/spolier]

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

"Me?!" Aska blurted out though a sound echoing from further in the cavern caused her to flinch away from Fiach, raising the lightsaber that she held tightly. Realizing there was nothing there before she activated the blade, she lowered it slightly though the hairs on her neck remained on end. "That can't be right! You heard Gram! You were brought her by the Force... or whatever," Aska hissed. Still, even as she spoke the words she knew she wasn't convinced of them. Seeing the spirit of her ancient self had set something off deep within her and she needed advice. Before Fiach was able to respond, Aska let out a heavy sigh and continued.

"Look, when we split up... I came across a room that had a giant circular stone tablet or something in the center and this was sitting on the podium below," Aska pulled the small black prism from her pocket and presented it to Fiach. "Right after I picked it up, I was confronted by some sort of... Ghost, I don't know. It was a smokey figure at first but it transformed into..." Aska stopped. Fiach didn't know she was a clone of an ancient Sith and the idea of telling a Jedi that fact seemed unwise. Still, leaving any truth buried may prove to be a folly she couldn't make. "Fiach, I have to tell you something... I'm a science project," Saying it out loud hurt. "I was created in a lab on Coruscant by a Scientist who had been working on cloning ancient Sith DNA that belonged to an ancestor of his. I didn't turn out as they had hoped I would and they decided to let me go into the galaxy instead of eliminating me and starting over from scratch," Now that it was out in the open, Aska hung her head slightly. It was a bit of relief to finally get that fact off her chest for the first time since she left Coruscant. "When I picked up this... thing... I was confronted by... Myself, I think? If that makes sense..."

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach deliberately did not take the object Aska held in her hands. She could sense the Darkside radiating from it and so suspected that touching it would magnify the sensation – which did not feel like a very wise move.

And she knew enough to understand that she didn’t know all that much – not when it came to the Force and its ways. Yes, she knew significantly more than the average galactic citizen, but expertise might never be within her grasp. But she could use what she did know to help Aska right now.

“The Force reached out to me, I’m sure of that. Of course, the why was beyond me – but I am beginning to piece it together. It led me to you and I suspect that it was not my destiny to come here, but yours. I am playing a supporting role I think. Maybe I’m here to protect you, or advise you…” her voice tapered off. “The truth is, I am working on theory and hypothesis, not facts. The Force simply doesn’t work that way.”

“And as for being a science project…well…you may not be the only one. Not the same as you, but every time I enter a place like this, I get images pushed into my mind. Or maybe they’re memories? I can’t say for sure. But each time they’re more vivid and more information is revealed. I may be a clone of someone – but it feels like more than that. As if cloning was an experiment. But to what end I can’t say.”

“As for that thing, it could be the gatekeeper was your ancestor, or could be simply wanting to make you believe they were – to gain credibility in their eyes. Oh,” she quickly added, “a gatekeeper is kind of an interface to the holocron, it decides what information to share with you that is stored there. Jedi gatekeepers are typically helpful and don’t share anything you’re not capable of understanding. Sith ones, apparently, are mischievous and often have an agenda.”

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Aska was surprised to hear that Fiach herself was unsure of her own origins. She always felt as though this was something she was alone in dealing with but perhaps Fiach was able to understand the feelings she harbored. Regardless, it was a conversation for another time.

"A... gatekeeper?" Aska thought out loud. Did that make sense? The odds of discovering a direct connection to her genetic host thousands of years later were incredibly unlikely. Maybe Fiach was right, and if she was then Aska knew she needed to discover more of what this mystical power was and how it was tying itself to her life. "That's an explanation I'll accept for now. But the matter remains; Kiriena is here and she has the holocron. I'm in over my head here and whether it's my destiny or yours we're supposed to find, we need to capture her and the artifact. Otherwise I don't get paid and you've wasted your time coming here,"

"I'm afraid neither of you are leaving," The voice interrupted before the chamber echoed with rocks crashing down and blocking any exit they had. Opposite them stood Kiriena with the ancient blade in one hand and another outstretched calling one of the hilts from Fiach's fallen foes. Snapping to life, the Mirialan woman now wielded both a steel blade and crimson blade of a lightsaber. Igniting her own, Aska pulled her blaster from it's holster and fired a volley of bolts at the target, though each was deflected into the walls and ceilings of the cavern as the lightsaber blade she wielded moved with grace to collide with her attack. "Let's even things up, shall we?" Kiriena said with a sinister tone as she closed her eyes before two more rock slabs slammed from the cavern walls into the ground, revealing another two rotting Sith corpses brandishing ancient steel swords.

"I am so sick of this bitch..." Aska complained as she raised her lightsaber in preparation for battle.

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach was listening intently to Aska – perhaps too focused, as she was unaware that the woman she was having explained to her had sneaked up on them. Answers to her companions questions would have to wait.

Fiach turned to face the newcomer. The fact she’d blocked off any exit was irrelevant to the young Jedi right now. She did not anticipate leaving until the current situation was resolved, and now they were quite literally forced into dealing with the matter.

The Padawan narrowed her eyes, her saber hilt still resting in her palm, but the weapon was not activated. “I am puzzled by something. OK, in truth I am puzzled by many things,” her eyes looked up and left before returning her gaze to the woman. “Forty-seven to be precise, but that is not important now. What is currently pressing is why bring us here just to kill us. That makes no sense, at least not to me. Surely there was some greater design in luring us not only to this planet, but to this very cave.”

Even if they fought and won, Fiach appreciated they had unanswered questions and would not want to leave without them being resolved.

Plus, talking gained time – valuable thinking time.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Aska reaffirmed her stance as the undead began to snap their jaws in anticipation of the meal they craved, being her and the Padawan. Still, Fiach remained calm in the face of the threat and began to question Kiriena though this simply earned more of Aska's ire. She wasn't one to ask questions and this further proved that Fiach was her polar opposite.

"What does it matter? We're not getting out of here until she's dead so why not just get on with it?" Aska spat.

"Why bring you here?" Kiriena replied, clearly ignoring Aska now. "Dear Jedi, you weren't meant to be here," The Mirialan woman laughed softly. "But I shall satisfy your curiosity. Months ago, I was working with a man named Div Sedonias as an assistant. He traveled the jungles of Onderon searching for treasures from the many wars that have plagued this world over the centures and he always made off quite well doing it," Kiriena took a few steps forward and waved her hand towards the undead warriors, calming them momentarily. "He discovered this cave and when we began our exploration, we discovered this," Pulling a glowing red pyramid shaped object from the back portion of her belt, she held it outward as it levitated above her hand, rotating slowly in the air. Aska analyzed the object and noticed that one of the black corners were missing before feeling a tugging coming from her the pocket she had placed the item she had recovered earlier.

"Is that... a holocron?" Aska queried.

"Not just any holocron, my dear. You see, when Div found this device he had made plans to sell it to an off world collector.... But I couldn't let that happen. No, this device began speaking to me in my sleep. The voice promised me a power that I could never even begin to dream of attaining. So I stole it and disappeared into the wilderness. He tried reclaiming it of course, but he didn't succeed..." Kiriena grinned as she motioned to the rotting corpses snapping and hissing, awaiting the order to attack. "Opening it wasn't easy, of course. But the voices taught me what I needed to do in order to obtain it's secrets. And when I finally succeeded... I met the woman that would become my Master," As Kiriena said the final words, her cold steely glare turned to Aska and locked with her eyes. "Aska Ryun was an ancient Sith from millennia ago. She had made Onderon her home and trained her two children in the ways of the Force... However, she was killed when a team of Jedi scourged the galaxy in search of any remaining Sith from the war. When she died, she tied her essence to this holocron and ordered her children to find a way for her to one day return to the physical realm. Her son died in this endeavor but her daughter persevered. She threw away her connection to the Force in time but she never forgot her mission given to her by her mother. And she passed this on through the Ryun line... Which brings us to you,"

"Trench always told me that I was cloned from his ancient ancestor... So he was just fulfilling an ancient objective from a Sith woman..." Aska said, stunned. She was always under the impression that she was meant to be sold to a crime lord as an enforcer. And perhaps she was, but it seemed there was a more sinister intent in her creation...

"And he did well. Well enough that my Master has been watching you through the Force for years. She has been pulling your strings from the other side of the veil, bringing you here for this moment. At first, she wanted you to come here so she could use your body as a vassal and finally return to the world of the living... Now? Now she has promised me that honor. I will kill you both, claim your lightsabers to prove my superiority and then my Master shall deem me worthy enough to become her true descendant!" As Kiriena spoke each word, her tone grew increasingly harsh and threatening before finally raising her empty hand and unleashing a volley of lightning towards both Aska and the Jedi Padawan...

@Corbeau

((Sorry about the wait. Internet was down this weekend >.<))

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach listened intently, her left eyebrow raising higher and higher as the woman spoke. Finally, it snapped back into place and the young Padawan did something she rarely ever did. She chuckled. It was not some effort to unsettle the Sith but a genuine response to something she found most amusing.

But before she could speak, the woman unleashed the Force in the form of Lightning at the two. Instinctively, Fiach's training in the third Form kicked in and she raised her saber and activated it in a single motion - the blade absorbing the energy.

“My apologies,” she said to Aska, “I am not making light of the situation, but rather,” she pointed with her free hand at the woman clutching the holocron, “I am still amazed that what I read can be born out so accurately. Didn’t I tell you that the difference between Jedi and Sith holocrons was their intent? Light-sided gatekeepers protect and enlighten. Dark-sided ones trick and entice you. I suspect everything promised was a lie. To what end, I have no idea. Maybe I am the intended recipient of the holocron? After all, I tracked you down when the Force spoke to me and without me, I suspect you might not be here.”

She looked at the woman again. “I’m not suggesting you’re lying to us, but that you’ve been played. It’s the Sith way, after all. Not that this gets us further forward, but at least I understand. And so I give you the chance now to put the holocron down, walk away and live. It is not an offer I shall repeat.” Her voice matched her face – the smile had gone and her jaw was defiant…resolute.

Spoiler

No worries - your posts are always worth waiting for :)

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

As Fiach found herself able to bring her saber up to meet the rushing storm of energy, Aska was not. The blue lightning coursed through her body, making her knees tremble in pain as she nearly dropped her own lightsaber. Just as Aska was about to beg Kiriena to bring the attack to an end, it was as though thr Mirialan had read her mind and ceased the attack. Falling to her knees as smoke ascended from her entire body, Aska breathed in rapid and heavy draws.

"You're apologies?!" Aska exclaimed as she finally found her breathe once more and rose to her feet, reigniting her weapon and slowly taking a few steps back behind the Jedi. "Oh, yea, let's just ignore the rancor in the room and keep trying to kriffin' negotiate! Are you dense?!" While she didn't fully intend to lose her temper with the pacifistic Jedi, the pain she had just endured sparked a new level of hatred and fear within her. Negotiations were over, and Kiriena was evidently on board with the same train of thought.

"Go, my children. Take the clone. I will deal with the Padawan,"

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach was bereft of emotion, or at least had been until recently. A combination of meditation and Force training had shown her other’s emotions and so she was beginning to understand why she did not experience them – because from a young age, the Force had somehow erected a barrier in her mind to shut them down. Probably to protect her from the onrush of other’s thoughts – and she was now coming to terms with the prospect that she was some natural empath. With a lot of effort, she could access emotions of her own, although she found it near impossible to ascertain that the chemicals and neural connections were telling her about the way she felt. But accessing other’s feelings was easier and she had a handle now on the basics – like anger and fear.

So, she felt Aska’s temper rise and sucked in a deep breath before blocking it out. The last thing she needed was her own emotions brought into play.

She remained focused on Kiriena, wishing they could take control of the situation, but relieved that she would face the Mirialan whilst Aska would be charged with defeating the undead.

Fiach sighed, a sound of deep resignation. “So be it,” she said and sounded as if she genuinely meant this was not the outcome she wanted. She was not a pacifist, as Aska hinted at, but a Jedi. Conflict and violence were the last resorts in any situation – but they always remained an option, albeit an unsavoury one. It was why using the saber was a daily exercise for Fiach, she spent more hours honing this skill than any other.

Fiach closed her eyes and held her lightsaber horizontally in both hands, with the lightsaber hilt just below her chin. It was a meditative stance used in combination with passive and defensive lightsaber Forms. One who fell deeply into this style could almost unconsciously defend from even the most flowing random attacks and feints. She was becoming adept at the third Form and hoped to one day master it.

The attack came the instant Fiach’s eyes closed. It came without any warning, Kiriena moving with the preternatural speed of the Force. A lightsaber was sent spiralling across the room toward Fiach faster than thought itself.

The young Jedi barely managed to evade it, the lightsaber’s blade slicing off a section of her cloak as she threw herself to the floor. By the time the weapon completed its boomerang path and returned to the Darksider’s hand, Fiach was back on her feet, eyes open now – but still trusting in the Force to guide her actions.

She realised the woman had been hoping that Fiach would lower her guard. “You move fast,” the Jedi said, almost a hint of admiration in her voice.

Fiach braced herself for the next assault. In her mind the next few seconds played out in a thousand different scenarios, each unique in its specific details, each a vision of a possible future glimpsed through the power of the Force. The sheer number of possibilities could be overwhelming, but Fiach had been trained well. Instinctively, she collapsed the matrix of probabilities into the most likely outcomes, guided by the Force, effectively allowing her to anticipate and react to her opponent’s next move even before it happened.

The Mirialan fired out a sharp burst of power in a shimmering wave designed to knock Fiach from her feet. The Jedi easily countered by throwing up a protective energy barrier, the simplest and most effective way for one Force-user to defend against the attacks of another. It was a technique taught to every Jedi Padawan, and it had been one of the earliest lessons she had been required to master.

“Not bad,” the woman said, casually twirling her lightsaber in one hand.

Kiriena leaped towards her and the two blades joined, and they fell into the familiar dance.

The Darksider came in low to start, slashing at her legs. When she parried the incoming blade the Mirialan spun away quickly, moving out of range before she could retaliate. With the Force the Darksider picked up a large rock on the side of the cavern and hurled it toward her left flank. At the same time, she dived forward into a somersault that brought her close enough to strike at Fiach’s right side as she tumbled past her.

Fiach found she easily repelled both threats, her spinning blade slicing the rock in half even as she pivoted just enough so that the Mirialan’s weapon missed her hip by less than a centimetre. For good measure Fiach kicked her hard in the back as she rolled past, a blow meant not to disable, but to goad her on to further aggression.

When two skilled combatants engaged each other with the lightsaber, the blades moved so quickly it was impossible to think and react to each move – and so it was foolish to try. Fiach had learned to rely on instinct, guided by the Force and honed by thousands of hours’ training in the martial Forms. This training allowed her to realise within the first few passes that the woman was using a modified variation of Ataru, a style defined by quick, aggressive strikes. In only the first few moments of battle she had already evaluated her opponent, noting her speed, agility, and technique. Kiriena was good. Very good. But Fiach also knew without any doubt that she was mbetter.

The Mirialan, however, had yet to come to the same realisation. Fiach’s kick had had the desired effect: when Kiriena came at her the next time, her face was twisted with snarling rage. Her fury allowed her to call upon the Dark side, making her potentially more dangerous as she unleashed her next series of attacks. Leaping high in the air, crouching low to the ground, lunging forward, springing back, spinning, twisting, and twirling, she came at Fiach from every conceivable angle in a relentless barrage meant to overwhelm her defences, only to have Fiach turn her efforts back with a cool, almost casual, efficiency.

Lightsaber battles were brutal in their intensity; few duels lasted more than a minute. Even for a trained Jedi, the effort of all-out combat was exhausting: particularly when using the acrobatic maneuvers of Ataru. It didn't take long for Fiach to sense that her opponent was wearing down. She, on the other hand, was barely winded. She had become an expert in the defensive sequences of the Soresu Form. It was simple for her to parry, redirect, or just evade her opponent's blows by using the woman’s own momentum against her, easily keeping the Darksider at bay.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Unable to watch as the Jedi and Acolyte engaged each other in the blurred dance of saber to saber, Aska brought her own crimson blade up before her in both hands, levelling the point away from her and directly at the snapping and hisses corpses. Clearly, as Kiriena had stated, they were the bodies of what was once Div Sedonias and one of his hired hands. The Devaronian corpse moved first and began to rush towards Aska with it's ancient blade lowered to it's side. Quickly releasing the hilt of the saber with her dominant hand, Aska reached to the holster on her hip before pulling her SE-45 and firing a volley of blue energy at the undead man, each shot finding it's mark in his chest and shoulders. Still, much to Aska's dismay, it hardly did anything to slow the man and the human corpse was now following suit in Div's charge.

Aska brought her left hand up with her lightsaber to meet the blade of Sedonias as it silently sliced through the air before finally making contact. As the sparks flew, the connection of blades began to melt away at the blade of the ancient sword before the top foot finally fell with a glowing molten end.

"Ha!" Aska celebrated prematurely before being tackled by the second combatant. Hitting the ground in a wrestle for survival, Aska pushed back on the human undead with a weapon in both of her hands, her right hand with the blaster pushing up on the chest of her attacker, the left with the lightsaber pushing against the undead's own right hand that wielded it's sword. Snapping it's jaw at Aska as she exerted herself to keep from losing an ear or her nose to it's slimy teeth, drool dripping down and sliding dowmn the leather jacket. Grunting with exertion, Aska slowly turned her right hand so the barrel of her blaster came to point directly at the jaw of the human before squeezing the trigger. The small space between them lit up with bright blue as the bolt of energy burned it's way through it's rotting flesh. Even an undead man seemed to have some sort of energy in their eyes that showed they were animated. Once the bolt slid through the man's skull, however, that energy quickly faded as his body went limp. Pushing him off, Aska rushed to her feet as the Devaronian prepared to finish what his ally had started. Snapping and hissing, he leapt at Aska with the half of blade he had remaining.

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach remained calm and almost impassive as the duel continued – and her ubiquitous smile never left her lips. “I apologise for misleading you before,” she said to her foe. “I now give you another chance to surrender and accept whatever fate the courts provide.”

The Dark-sider hissed an obscenity at the young Padawan and charged at her once more. Fiach could sense the weakening of the attacks and it seemed her opponent did too. So, no sooner had her latest flurry been parried with relative ease, than the woman stepped back and surveyed Fiach.

“A decent warrior would have finished me. You either have more compassion than is healthy, or you lack the killer instinct. Neither is precisely a positive trait.” But despite her brave words, she did not progress her attacks and she appeared to be weighing up her options.

Finally, she fired a volley of Force Lightning at Fiach, which the Padawan blocked with her saber. And as the Padawan defended herself, the Dark-sider used the Force to pull some of the ceiling down on Aska and her opponent. She may have been weakening, but she had the measure of Fiach in another way. She knew the young Jedi would feel honour bound to protect her companion. Which she did.

Fiach threw up a protective bubble that covered herself plus Aska and the Devaronian. How long she could hold it, only time would tell. But as she did, the Dark-sider began to make her escape.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Side stepping the attacking corpse as it leapt towards her, Aska brought her elbow forward and made contact with the undead jaw. A sickening snap followed as the jaw was pushed out of place before the Devaronian slammed into the ground, sliding away with the momentum it had gathered before its attack. Her breathing heavy and her heart racing, Aska braced herself for the creature to stand and attack once more but as it prepared to do so, the sound of falling rubble from above broke her from her focus on combat. Instead, Aska threw her hands over her head in a vain effort to protect herself from the falling debris... but nothing made contact.

Looking above her, the swirling boulders hovered in the air as they were held in place by the Jedi padawan. Breathing a sigh of relief, Aska quickly realized that if Fiach was focused on keeping the rock from crushing her then Kiriena must have been free to move as she pleased. And move she did. The Mirialan woman had began jumping with an unnatural grace along the rocky walls of the cavern to the opening above that she had created by collapsing the ceiling above. She couldn't escape. Not again.

Rolling out from under the collapsed cavern, Aska drew her blaster and took aim. "Drop them! Now!" Aska barked to Fiach in hopes she would crush the Devaronian as she focused on following the escaping bounty. Breathing the air from her lungs, she traced Kiriena's movements carefully before squeezing the trigger, a blue circle soaring through the air and colliding with Kiriena, stunning her and bringing her to the ground.

@Corbeau

((Yea. I'm still alive))

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach knew she could not hold the boulders and debris at bay indefinitely – and so was delighted when Aska was able to roll out of the way. Moving herself, whilst keeping the rocks in the air, she finally allowed them to fall to the ground.

Exhaling loudly, she ran a cuff of her sleeves across her brow. She was now fatigued and knew she could not continue to use the Force in such a manner without a rest.

As she looked up, she saw Aska catch the escaping Darksider in her sights. One shot was all it took. The escaping Kiriena was no doubt also tired, as she was unable to deflect the stunning shot and she dropped to the ground a dead weight.

Fiach sighed again and turned to face Aska. “Good shot,” she said. “The question is, what are you going to do with her now?”

@Tulos

[ooc: Glad to hear it]

 

[Aska Ryun]

As Kiriena lay stunned on the rocky surface of the cavern while the final death rattle of the Devaronian once known as Div escaped from below the rubble that served as his final resting place, Aska finally let herself catch her breath. It was over.

"The authorities here in Iziz were looking for her though it was Div that originally placed the bounty... I guess I'll hand her over to the city officials and let them deal with her," Aska replied, though she couldn't help but feel a slight tug of guilt at her heart. Glancing at the holocron that had fell of Kiriena's person as she had made the fall, it was clear that the evil influence of the artifact that had pushed her to take the actions she did. Walking over to the motionless woman, Aska bent down and picked up the pyramid shaped object and as she did, it sent a shiver down her spine.

"Well done, child. We will meet again, I promise you,"

The voice faded away as it whispered in her ear, though Aska hoped it was the last she heard of the prehistoric Sith. She still had her doubts, however. And for some odd reason, she couldn't bring herself to drop the holocron despite her loathing of what it stood for.

"I think I'd like to keep this, if you don't mind," But why? Why did she feel she wanted to keep the holocron? She didn't know, though maybe a return to the labs on Coruscant could shed some light on what it was.

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

There was, on one hand a great feeling of relief. The reason they’d come here, the whole trial of the cave…they had been resolved.

But on the other, Fiach wondered what new challenges, what new questions this episode had uncovered. And she was still unsure why the Force had brought her to Aska’s side in the first place.

She nodded at the suggestion to hand the woman over to the city officials, as long as they took appropriate measures. Then, as Aska walked forward to the prone woman, she noticed her companion pick up the small pyramid shaped object. Fiach frowned.

“It’s not about me minding or not, to be frank. It’s more about its potential impact on you that bothers me. Dark-sided holocrons deceive and corrupt. That’s what they do. Yes, they contain knowledge but will easily trap the unwary and so I ask you to reconsider. Not to hand it to me, but to think about handing it over to the Jedi Order, who might be able to either neutralise it, or at worst destroy it. It simply isn’t safe.”

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

"The knowledge this holocron holds... If it's tied to who I am and where I come from, then it belongs to me," Aska replied, though the angry emphasis she placed on the final word did come out unintentionally. The object surged with power, this much she knew. And the longer she held it in her hand, the more erratic her emotions became as she felt an unjustifiable anger bubbling within. Pushing these emotions down as well she could, Aska let out a long sigh. "I know it's dangerous, kid. I do. But if this thing can shed some light on the things that make up who I am beyond the surface, then I need to take it back to my creator's and then maybe they can analyze it and I can be better prepared against... Well, myself, I guess... She wasn't asking anymore. She made up her mind and this holocron was returning to Coruscant with her.

Pushing the object into her pocket, Aska proceeded to bend down and begin lifting the motionless Kiriena. It was time to bring her back to Iziz and get off this world. There was still the matter of the incident within the cities walls that would need to be smoothed over if they were going to gain access to Fiach's ship and return to Nar Shaddaa, after all. And then there was also the possibility that the Rodian woman, Boola, was still waiting for them to return so she could claim Kiriena's bounty for herself. "Give me a hand, will you?" Aska requested with a grunt as she pushed upward with her legs, the Mirialan's left arm drapped across her shoulders. "This bitch is a lot heavier than she looks,"

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach continued to listen. She was not some pious Jedi that believed they held the power of life and death over every being in the galaxy. Nor did she believe they could – without justification – destroy every artefact, just because it was dark-sided. That did not mean she approved of dark-siders, but it was their actions she opposed, not the people themselves.

“I hope you find answers.” Fiach paused and then looked Aska in the eyes. “Actually, I hope you find answers that help you. Keep recognising the danger and be aware of your feelings. They are linked.”

Fiach smiled at being with the old Aska again and given her use of the Force felt somewhat spent, she simply slid under the Miralan’s right shoulder and took half of the weight. “Half the trouble is half of the load,” she said, the analogy so blunt she did not feel the need to elaborate.

“It’s been an eventful trip, even for a Jedi. How are you holding up?”

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Grunting under the weight of her bounty as the trio made they're way back through the damp cavern, Aska was silent for a few moments after Fiach had asked her question. Not because she didn't want to answer her but because she was unsure of the response she would give. She should be awash with a sense of pride for securing her first contract and accomplishing the deed but instead, she was numb. Sure, she did feel some sort of ecstacy from the task but everything else was taking a front seat for the moment

"I'll be fine once we drop this schutta off and get the hell back into orbit," she finally declared. As she did, the sunlight seeping into the cave system from the mouth where they had made camp what felt like hours ago started to shine on their faces. It seemed as though the storm had passed finally, as though the glow of the system's star was an indication of a turn for the better. Dropping Kiriena, Aska reached into the pack on the pack dalgo and removed a set of cuffs before slapping them tightly on the Mirialan's wrists. Clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth while gently coercing the dalgo to drop to its belly, Aska lifted the unconscious woman and laid her across the creatures back before securing her in place with a length of rope.

"There is one thing I know with absolute certainty," Aska began, looking to the Padawan from the corner of her eye, a slight smirk growing on her lips as she pushed herself atop her own mount. "I need a damn drink like an hour ago,"

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach was the patient type. So much so that she never worried about silences. If Aska wanted to answer her question, she would – and in her own time.

When the reply came, Fiach was in two minds. Was this a heart-felt response, or the gruff reply designed to keep Aska’s true feelings hidden. The more time she spent with Aska, the less Fiach believed she knew about her. Initially she saw the tough façade as just that. But now she was less sure it was a mask and even if it was, she was unsure what lay behind. Not really.

But the Jedi wasn’t going to press and probe. Everyone lived their own life. If people wanted to share their innermost thoughts, so be it. If not? That was fine too. It seemed that everyone had secrets, and Jedi were no exception.

“I for one won’t be sorry to say goodbye to this planet,” Fiach replied, her ubiquitous smile still there to see as the sunlight streamed into the cave. The dalgo seemed to be pleased with their return too and Fiach’s mount nuzzled into her shoulder as she got close. “Sure I’ll feed you,” she said and began to tend to the animals – whilst readying them for a swift departure.

As she finally sat atop her mount, she fished into a pocket and pulled out a small plasteel container. “I hope you like Corellian Whiskey,” she said and tossed the drink to Aska. “It’s purely for medicinal purposes,” she added with an even wider than usual smile.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Catching the flask as it reached her, a life flashed into Aska's eyes that had been absent for what felt like days. Was it days since her last drink? Surely it must have been on the Smuggler's Moon, but she wasn't really sure anymore. Regardless, that little dilemma was now about to rectified.

"Medical purposes, hey?" Aska laughed as she spun the cap off the container, pausing to take a long and drawn in smell of the whiskey inside. Not her preferred drink but far from her least favorite. "You made a good call in hiding this from me, kid," she added half jokingly, though if she did know about the liquor, this entire ordeal would have been exponentially more complicated albeit more fun. "Thanks, Jedi," With that, the huntress took a long swig from the bottle and enjoyed every second of the burn as it made it's way through her body.

"So we're in a tough spot. We left Iziz in a bit of a rush and under less than desirable conditions. Game plan?"

@Corbeau

((Wanted to get something up but work is kicking off for the day so didn't get much time to embellish))