HoloNet News Breaking: Terrorist Attack On Ralltiir! Home of Clove Vanhoop targetted!

[The Storyteller]

The infamous symbol of GNN flashed across the HoloNet - gradually transitioning to the familiar studio and pair of news anchors, seated behind their desk. Their expressions were serious and solemn, allowing for a moment of pause before one of them - the Twi’lek on the left - broke the silence.

“Good afternoon folks,” She began, “We come to you with breaking news coming out Ralltiir. In an absolutely shocking turn of events, we are receiving reports of a terrorist attack - in what is believed to be a deliberately targeted attack against Star Guardian’s Leader Clove Vanhoop. Thermal Detonator charges were used to bomb both the home of Ms. Vanhoop and her family, in addition to business owned and operated by members of her family.”

The camera briefly cut away, instead displaying a smoldering ruin where Vanhoop Couture had once stood on Ralltiir. “Due to the natureof this attack, GNN cannot currently confirm the number of casualties - but it is believed that multiple employees, as well as Ron and Kaalina Vanhoop, were inside the building at the time.”

“While no individual or group has claimed responsibility, these attacks come after Ms. Vanhoop and her organization have some under intense fire by the Media - for their decision to aid Imperial troopers and Sith after the recent conquest of Yavin.”

“As always, our prayers are with the families of all the victims of this atrocity.”

 

[Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl]

A terrorist attack on New Republic soil, targeting the house and home of Clove Vanhoop. Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl turned away from the holo; in a word, dismayed. The state of the galaxy weighed heavily on him most days, but never as much as in times like this. Senseless violence targeting innocents was becoming more and more widespread as the holonet whipped the galaxy into a frenzy; earlier in the week, New Republic Senator Lerytel had been assassinated. Now, Vanhoop Boutique lay in ruins while the Star Guardians were lambasted on the holonets. He held no love for the Sith, but even he could set aside his biases enough to admit that the Star Guardians project wasn't aiding the Sith any differently than the ISCRA had following previous Sith conquests. Besides, Clove's actions following the bombardment of Kashyyyk had saved many Wookiee lives, and it was time for Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl to repay that debt.

A short time later, the Senator stood before a camera; slave to the very medium that had brought about so many aggressive reactions.

"Kashyyyk harshly condemns the baseless terrorist attack against Clove Vanhhoop and her family" he said, his face grim and somber. "The Star Guardians, like the ISCRA, are a neutral humanitarian agency; an attack such as this on them is an attack on the values of healing and mercy that they uphold. The Star Guardians project was a rare occasion where the New Republic, ISC, and FWA came together in unanimous support of a motion"- the Sith Empire had not submitted a vote- "because we agree that access to healthcare and medical attention is a galactic right; regardless of one's allegiances. The investigation into this terrorist attack will have Kashyyyk's full support." The FWA Sector Rangers stationed on his planet had been given clearance to aid the New Republic in their investigation, should the need arise.

The Wookiee fixed the camera with a glare usually reserved for Sith representatives. "Let me be clear: there is no place in this galaxy for violent attacks on innocent peoples. Those responsible will be brought to justice."

@LilyNion

 

[Darth Tempest]

From her throne on Thule, Vahliri watched as the news played out across the HoloNet - resisting the urge for a smirk to tug at the corners of her lips. It was revenge for New Alderaan and everything Clove had done up to this point - and she knew it would hurt the woman in ways that words could not express. That would make her wish Vahliri really had killed her on Yavin.

Her own Royal Guard had carried out the attack with expert precision - slipping onto Ralltiir under the cover of darkness to plant the charges. The half-Annfyn knew that investigators and media alike would attempt to point fingers, and the recent demonization of Clove across the HoloNet would create no lack of suspects - all with little trail leading back to the Empire.

She shook her head at the thought, hands spreading across the armrests of her throne. The Galaxy would search in vain for answers.. But most importantly, Clove would know.

She’d know exactly who was responsible.

 

[Amos McCord]

Amos McCord was having a bad day. He'd had to relocate off of Coruscant after the Sector Rangers had been abolished in the New Republic, and his office on Kashyyyk was designed for Wookiees which was taking some adjusting.

After many curse words and a spilled tea thermos, he finally found what he was looking for; contact information for a former Ranger medic who had joined the Star Guardians. Soon, the Sector Ranger was on the comm with his old colleague.

"Shel, it's Amos McCord. I won't waste your time. Have you worked with Clove Vanhoop?"

"Sure have. I just saw the news. Poor girl..." came the reply. "Between the holonet attacks and all, she's had a rough go of it, but to lose her parents? Want me to put you in touch with her?"

"You can, but that's not why I called. Old Aezz asked me to do some digging; someone's got it out for Clove Vanhoop. Got any leads for me?" "Old Aezz"? Amos winced at his choice of words- hardly inaccurate, but also hardly professional.

The line went silent for a moment as Shel thought. "Now that ask... maybe. I was on Yavin IV, and there was an argument there I think. Another woman got in her face and was threatening her, right in the camp. Didn't hear the whole conversation, but I could probably give you a description of the woman..."

"Thanks, Shel. I owe you a drink next time we cross paths."

A dry chuckle answered him. "You owe me more than one drink by now."

The line clicked dead once the aggressor had been described, and Amos took the description to the nearest Ranger sketch artist. In a galaxy full of people it wasn't much to go on, but it was a start...

@Altaris @LilyNion

 

[Altair Din]

Theme
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Altair was in the middle of running some drills when the Holonews came in. He felt his entire body get weak. Lt. Aval - now Captain Aval - spotted what was happening and he rushed over at once. He was one of the very few that Altair had trusted with details about his personal life. He knew about Altair’s attachment to the Star Guardian’s leader. The tiefling grew limp, collapsing down to his knees right in the middle of the training area.

His helmet fell to the side with a clatter and he felt as if everything had been sapped from him. It felt worse than when he had taken Wildfire and the Force began to leave him. Bile rose to his throat and, without warning, he turned and projectile vomited. He was on his hands and knees, reduced to behaving like a primitive animal as he spewed vomit everywhere. Hot tears ran down his face, the sensation of being run over by a heavy speeder overwhelming him. He felt as if he was being crushed slowly from all sides.

“Sir!” He vaguely heard Aval yell as the man rushed over, “Sir!”

Altair was trembling, his vision blurry and his entire body filled with unimaginable pain. He was shaking, scratching at the ground, his tail raking the surface, “Clove…Clove…” His voice rasped.

“Sir, look at me! Sir!”

“...Her ma and pa…” Vivid memories of sitting at a table with Clove and her parents flashed through his mind. Memories of what could have been, what should have been and everything in between tore through his thoughts. He couldn’t even feel Clove the same way through the Force anymore, the realization sending another wave of nausea through him and causing him to vomit again, traces of blood amidst what he expelled now.

“I have to go…I have to go…I need to punish who did this..I need..”

He began to pick himself up off the ground. Altair started taking steps. But that was when Aval did something he had never done before.

“Altair you will not!” The Captain shouted at him, “You will not go to the scene of the crime! You will not be implicated! You will not get captured once again!”

“We’re not going to let you do this!” A few other soldiers chirped up. Altair started walking forward, but several men rushed over to stop him. The tiefling used the Force to send them flying back. To his surprise, his men didn’t stop. They peeled themselves off the floor and they all rushed at him. They pinned him back against the wall behind him as he fought and struggled against them.

“NO SIR! WE WON’T LET YOU DO THIS!”

“STAND DOWN COMMANDER!”

It was a testament to his relationships with his men that every single one of them risked their lives to pin him down. They threw caution to the wind, gripping him fiercely, putting their lives on the line, all so he wouldn’t walk into a trap.

But it did nothing to assuage his agony and his pain. He had lost Clove forever. He had been wanting to detach from her, but this felt as if a part of him was permanently carved out. Altair tilted his head back and he shouted out his fury. He shouted out his agony. He shouted out his despair. It was a Force Scream, and it echoed out physically where all the men were collectively sent flying back once more. It echoed to where a fissure appeared on the ground and streaked up the walls. Windows shattered, a column collapsed and the roof gave way. It would echo through the Force to where everyone for miles would feel it and almost collapse from the weight of it.

Somewhere far across the galaxy, the armrests where Vahl (@Altaris )was sitting would abruptly crack. A wine glass and the decanter next to it would all explode, sending wine everywhere. Along with every other bit of glass anywhere near her. She would suddenly feel sapped of all energy.

Somewhere far across the galaxy, the windows near Ashla (@Wit) would shatter and crack. She would collapse to her knees.

Somewhere across the galaxy, wherever Veles (@vamp) was, there would be a surge through the Force to make him drop to the ground.

Somewhere across the galaxy, Aadya (@Logan)would suddenly be gasping for air and her eyes would water.

Somewhere across the galaxy, Wodan (@Braden) would feel immeasurable agony in his mind and physically in his chest.

@LilyNion

 

[Wodan]

Wodan sat in a simple livingroom, sparsely decorated with only a few reminders of home, family and friendships spread out across the space. The couch was covered in dozens of holo-tablets, bits of paper and ancient scrolls, the Sith buried in the middle of it. His eyes were red and bloodshot from lack of sleep and the constant searching through millions of words for something. The fingers on his right hand fiddled with the broken shard around his neck as he flicked through another manifest from a hundred years ago.

The TV was playing in the background, but he had long ago forgotten about it, the sound blurred into the background. But his ears picked up the name ‘Clove Vanhoop’, his predator eyes snapped away from the pad and onto the screen as the story played out. His mouth dropped as did his stomach as he replayed the newsreader's words through his mind.

Wodan didn’t give a shit about Clove, the Jedi Hussy could perish in an explosive fireball for all he personally cared. But shit, Altair. He stood quickly from his couch, scattering holo-pad’s papers and all sorts across the ground. “Vand’ball.” He shouted a tone of panic and urgency clear in his voice, the small aide quickly darted into the room, panic and fear in the young man’s eyes. “What is it Sir?” “Find me Imperial Commander Din’s location immediately.”

If Vand’ball was confused about why his master suddenly was so desperate to the Hero of Korriban he didn’t stop to ask the question. Turning on his heels and making for the door, he only managed two steps before Wodan cried out in pain. Collapsing to the floor one hand clutching his mind the other his chest.

Visions of pain, agony, fear and torment flashed through his mind, his own, Altairs and someone else's. Waves of emotion flowed through his psyche at an alarming rate, rattling the cages of his already weathered mind. His chest, felt empty, as if something deep inside of him had been ripped out, where his mind sent shockwaves of negative emotion rolling through his body, his chest, his heart, sent nothing warm, nothing positive. It was like a deep crevice had opened inside of him sucking at any joy from his life. Wodan knew what this pain was, it was Altair, everything he felt in a single moment sent cascading through The Force to reach him.

Through that pain, that agony he felt something, rage, anger, Darkness. That secondary mind of his latched onto that emotion, bound his own mind to it forging a connection for a split second between the two.

Pulling himself from his feet, Vand’ball attempted to assist his master but his help was thrown off by the Firrerrian. “Do I still need to… “No, I know where he is, get me a ship, now.”

@Sreeya

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

Clove accepted Alex's (@Valen Pelora) invitation to return home even though she had initially intended to travel to Barab One. But, regardless of where she was going, she had to visit her parents first. When Clove asked them to pack their bags, it was to get them out of Ralltiir because the universe was aware of their existence. She'd just messaged the Grandmaster that she'd come to the Jedi after visiting her parents when her puffy eyes noticed a few datapad messages. She ignored them at first, thinking it was Ruzaan or Arctus wondering what the hell she was doing, or someone from the Star Guardians quitting after her announcement on the HoloNet. But she was wrong. Clove froze on Bib as soon as she read the words 'Terrorist Attack on Ralltiir.' "... Bib? Bib..! Fly faster!" Her voice was no louder than a whisper, but the white winged creature understood her.

Somehow, Clove found herself on Ralltiir. Although Bothawui was far from her parents' house and she couldn't remember how she got there, she could feel her feet moving through the grain fields and the tall winged creature following her. She had long seen smoke clouds blooming far above the yellow fields in the distance, but she refused to believe it.

But the closer she got, the stronger the scent of fire became. With each row becoming darker, the once-healthy grain fields lost their yellow appearance. Until her hands came across a grain so black and scorched by flames that a single touch sent it crumbling. She'd run in these fields before and helped her father harvest them in the autumn before deciding it was time to leave the fields and explore the wonders of the galaxy. Instead of wonders, all she saw were smoldering ruins.

As she ran as fast as she had ever run, the half-Annfyn let out a cry. Logically, she knew the explosion had to have been so powerful that no one could have survived it, which was why no one had come to help in the first place. But logic didn't matter because she wasn't thinking straight in the first place. She did nothing but run, run through the ashes and over the smoldering beams that once supported the structure. "Mum?! Pap?!" Clove yelled, her eyes widening as she looked around the ruins, her breath unsteady and heavy. "MUM!? PAP?!" She knelt down and grabbed a beam to push it out of the way, oblivious to the embers in the wood burning against her skin. She pushed it away, and then another, and another, determined not to stop looking until she found her parents.

And as her hands pushed against the bricks, beams, and relics of the past, one thought crossed her mind: all of this started because she wanted to help. All she wanted was to save Altair's life on Dantooine. And yet, ever since she did that, everything had come crumbling down. She knew Vahl had done it; she'd seen the look in her eyes, heard the promise, and knew exactly what she'd do: hurt innocent people unrelated to the mess. And Tia's jab at the Star Guardians? That too was nothing but petty revenge. Even so, she couldn't feel regret over saving the man, even if it had resulted in all of this. Plus, maybe her parents weren't home. Perhaps they missed her message to pack their bags because they were at the market or even on another planet?!

Then, just when she was beginning to believe that perhaps her parents weren't home, she noticed some dirty blonde hair. "MUM!" With her hands now covered in burns and what were to be blisters, she scurried on her knees toward the direction of the hair, pushing aside anything in her way. With just one more beam in her way as she reached the Annfyn, Clove smiled hopefully. "I've got you! Hold on!" She said as she exerted all of her strength against the beam. And as the beam rolled away, Clove's eyes met her mother's lifeless stare and all hope faded. Any flesh that wasn't covered with burns was as dry and ashy as the grains on the ground. And, worst of all, the Annfyn seemed to be missing a lower body and chunks of flesh thanks to the force of the explosion and contact with the debris.

A never-ending stream of warm tears rolled over her eyelids, leaving ashy traces on her cheeks while Clove fell over the woman. Her quivering hands reached desperately for her mother's chest, her palms quickly pushing down on her ribcage. "PLEASE! MUM!" She cried as she continued to push against her chest, but it was obvious that it was fruitless; the woman had long since perished. "PAP! Pap I need help!" But no one responded. She briefly glanced away from her mother to look around, but no one was there to help. She was all alone. Her hands eventually came to a stop when she realized she wouldn't wake up, and those same wide eyes lowered back to her mother.

"Please! Don't leave me!" Clove choked out before lowering her head closer her mother's chest and placing her forehead against the scorched skin while her arms embraced the body. She rocked back and forth, sobbing uncontrollably and her breath on the verge of hyperventilation as the pain and anguish in her chest increased. It ran through her veins, soaking her cheeks with hot tears till the pain became unbearable. The Force pulsed out of her body and into the burning wreckage as she erupted into a loud scream. The once-embers suddenly burst into bright tall flames, briefly coloring the sky a vivid red. After passing the flames and embers, the Force continued to sweep over the fields, leaving Clove behind as it did rather than returning to her as it always had.

And in that moment, those who had been connected to half-Annfyn stopped feeling her through the Force (@Sreeya, @Forsythe Crowholde, @LouJoVi, @SlagathorTheUnknown). All that was left was a quiet, dull throb after a wave of misery powerful enough to take their breath away hit them all.

Time passed, but Clove remained among the ruins, clutching her mother in her arms and rocking silently. Her mother's flesh had been gradually torn apart by the contact, and her own once-bright green dress and skin had been slightly burnt by stray embers and stained with old blood. No, it wasn't until she felt a touch on her shoulder that she finally lifted her head, bloodshot eyes meeting the gaze of Luxor, the girl she met on Brighthome with Crix. She mentioned something to Clove about leaving the area and visiting Alex as she had promised. Her hands hesitantly let go of her mother as she somewhat understood what the girl was saying, but it all felt like a thick haze. She nevertheless took Luxor's hand and slowly stood up on her trembling legs, her eyes returning to the burning fields. She wasn't exactly prepared to say goodbye or to go, but she followed Luxor without much thought until her once-very-beloved home disappeared from view.

---

-​

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

Jasnah stepped out of the waiting room and moved towards podium, a group of reporters waiting beyond. She carried a folder in her arms, often carried by dignitaries with prepared speeches when facing the media at a time like this. She didn't really need it though, she knew just what she needed to say.

"Good afternoon, thank you for staying back after your print deadlines. As you are aware, there was an attack on Ralltiir a few hours ago and that the parents of Miss Clove Vanhoop, leader of the Star Guardians, lost their lives in the attack. The thoughts and prayers of the Empire are with Miss Vanhoop, and the Star Guardians. The Empire has held Miss Vanhoop and the Star Guardians in the highest regard since their inception, and we are greatly saddened by this abhorrent action. We have intelligence reports that suggest that the Resistance might be behind this most abhorrent of acts, and we are putting all our efforts in pursuing this lead. The Star Guardians are a noble group that works to help people across the Galaxy, across boundaries, putting themselves into the line of fire to serve the sick and wounded. It is our understating that recent reports about the Empire's financial support of the Star Guardians, and the insistence of Miss Vanhoop and her Guardians to treat Jedi and Sith alike in the aftermath of the battle on Yavin did not sit well with some extremist elements of the Resistance. Imperial Intelligence continues to follow leads in this investigation, and we will ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. That is all, thank you."

With that she stepped back from the podium, ignore the sea of questions that were shot her way, giving the reporters a nod and vanishing back the way she had come. Her work was done, but other members of her department would secretly, and off the record, share more details with these same and other reporters, spreading more and more details about the Resistance's involvement in the explosion.

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

The water had been running hotter than usual lately. Aadya had meant to say something to one of the technicians on the ship but it always seemed to slip her mind. Just one of many things that had been slipping through the cracks the past few weeks.

Steam rose lazily from the tub as Aadya slipped off her robe. She sunk down into the water without hesitation, the just-too-hot water tiptoeing the line of pain and comfort. A tune played through her watertight earbuds as she floated there submerged in the blanket of warmth.

Her eyes closed and her breath held, Aadya felt the weight she seemed to always carry on her shoulders lessen. A moment's peace beneath the water, all of the things bouncing around her head finally settling and falling silent.

Unsurprisingly, Aadya's respite wouldn't last very long - though, she would be jerked from it far more violently than she could have ever been prepared for.

A rush of water would find its way down Aadya's throat as she suddenly gasped for air. She would shoot up with an uncomfortable jolt, coughing and sputtering as she recovered from nearly drowning herself. Eyes stinging and bloodshot from the soap in the water, Aadya pulled herself out of the tub and yanked on her robe as she fought throwing up while she still so desperately gasped for breath.

The wave of unfathomable pain, anger and wretched anguish.. Aadya had no idea where he was or what had happened, only that something in Altair had died. Not the man, but something more, something inside of him that he felt so deeply and so strongly. He had lost a piece of himself and would never be whole again.

Aadya's gaze was drawn to the window in her room, having finally managed to catch air and bring her breathing back to its normal rhythm. Tears rolled slowly down her cheeks as she stared into the void of black dotted by far off stars outside of her ship.

She wept for the man she knew, but even more for the man she had known. Whatever had happened with Altair had changed him forever and Aadya could feel it deep in her guts.

She would sit there for a long time, memories playing behind her eyes like old holovid movies, tears dripping off of her face to the slow beat of despair that still rippled through the force.

@Sreeya

 

[Bryce Callaway]

Bryce Callaway was a soldier, not a politician, so the fact that it had fallen to him to make a statement concerning the attack on Ralltiir surprised the man. But the Sith Empire had launched the first accusation; one that had to be responded to.

"I've seen what passes for Imperial Intelligence" he said to the camera, in a recorded address from an undisclosed location somewhere in a jungle. "The lot of 'em probably had part of their brains removed t' keep 'em safe from the Kiliks." A strong start, if he did say so himself. "Needless t' say, it wasn't the Resistance that did this. We've got no quarrel with innocents and medics. Besides, our track record for infiltrations ain't exactly a good one..." How he wished he could've talked them out of that foolish attack above Denon.

"The attack was cowardly, and the fact remains that there's only one group with a track record of firing on innocents and noncombatants- the Sith Empire. Firrerre, Kashyyyk, Nixor, to name a few..." All highly publicized examples of the Sith's butchery. "Besides, a 'group that works to help people across the Galaxy, across boundaries, putting themselves into the line of fire to serve' sounds kinda like the Jedi Order t' me, and it's no secret what the Empire thinks about them..."

@Wit

 

[Darth Trelain]

Darth Trelain was intimately familiar with pain and agony, particularly when it came to inflicting it on others. She more than perhaps anyone else in the galaxy knew what the pain of others felt like in the Force, and though she was not one of those who was so close to Altair yet, when she'd heard the news about the little star princess or whatever she called herself, Trelain opened herself up to the Force.

She followed the threads of the Force that connected her to Altair and drank in his pain and suffering through that connection. She let it wash over her in waves, a wicked smile coming to her lips as she reveled in it.

Yes, very good. Very good, Altair. You may make a fine Sith yet, she thought to herself. She indulged a few moments longer before reaching over to type a new message to him.

Altair,

I sensed your distress and understandably so. Find whoever was responsible for this action and destroy them. Crush them without remorse. Do what must be done. Do not hesitate and show no mercy. See this through and exorcise your wrath upon them.

-Trelain

Trelain didn't care who was responsible, and if he needed someone to murder, she would happily supply him with a "guilty" party. The only thing that mattered was that he poured out his rage on someone. Only then would the darkness take hold deeply enough for him to emerge from his cocoon as the bringer of death she believed he could be.

@Sreeya

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Serenno

There was a strong ebb in the Force, a moment of pull like the ocean's waves prior to a destructive storm that stopped Tiamat in her work. She lifted her head, pulling off her protective goggles, searching deeper for where that feeling had gone. Her tools in either hand tapped on the table's surface and echoed in the unnatural silence that surrounded her. For a moment, she thought it was nothing, just an obscure feeling she got every now and again, but it would swiftly hit her, knocking the redheaded woman off her stool as she stumbled to regain some balance instead of falling to the floor.

She gasped, the pain roiled inside, but she knew it was not of her own, and instinct told her the name: Altair. She breathed in, trying to catch her breath as her heart raced, feeling as though it would explode from her chest. Despite understanding who, the question of why followed: what has happened to Altair?

Deep breaths continued as she searched for her tranquility, her calm to not be washed away by the waves that pulsed from the tiefling lightyears away. "I have to go to him." she said out loud in her empty lab, still stumbling but paused, grasping tightly to the table's ledge as though she were about to fall from a cliff. "I have to go to him." The pain still pulsed in her chest from the ache he experienced and she eventually crumbled to the floor, pressing her palm into her center as thought it would stop the pain. She shut her eyes tightly, as the urge to leave and go to him pressed onward, but there was the creeping doubt that came too, what would she even do when she got there? Did he even want to see anyone, let alone her?

Why did she feel the urgency? He could handle himself, no doubt, but this...felt different. Once more, Tia pushed herself to her feet and headed to her ship, "I have to go to him..."

 

[Arctus Friers]

Arctus was one of those who weren't present during the invasion of Yavin IV. Though he wanted to go there to defend or even help with evacuations, he was a million lightyears away from his second home and that the best he could do at the moment was to remain where he was and wait for the Grandmaster's word.

Not long after the invasion, news about the Star Guardians blew up. Needless to say Arctus had been terribly frustrated at the hate and backlash Clove and her organization were receiving. He knew that her humanitarian project wouldn't exactly please everyone, but he couldn't help but feel angry. He wouldn't ask why there were people who seemed to live their life destroying anything good the galaxy had to offer. From Senator Kalist's imprisonment to Senator Lerytel's assassination, and now...

The Padawan was adjusting to the Jedi base on Sernpidal. Discontent flowed off of him in waves, his promise to Indy tugging insistently now more than ever. There wasn't much he could do as a Padawan, and though there were still lingering doubts in his mind he was now ready to become a dependable Knight – a Seer, more like. And so he stood in front of the bulletin board, announcement about his intent to take the traditional Trials in hand. It was to honor Indy, and to test his mettle and if he was truly deserving of–

"Hey, old man!"

The old man in question looked up in search of the owner of the voice and found one of the Padawans running towards him, a look of horror on her face. Arctus noted the paleness on her green skin, her shaking hands, and wild, frantic gaze. Through the Force the teen was a mess of spiky yellows and morbid sepias, worry and apprehension jabbing at the older Padawan's senses from all sides. Arctus held out a hand to help steady her, hazel grey gaze softening as concern for the young woman bled through them.

"Kaliraaya, what's up? Something wrong?" he asked her, peering down at the girl as she caught her breath, one hand grasping at her chest. His demeanor changed at the weight she held in her gaze when she met his eyes.

"The news–" Kaliraaya gasped, a mixture of fear and worry etched on her face. She continued with each gasp, her words cut off with each gulp of oxygen she took. "Vanhoop– your friend? Her parents– home bombed– dead–"

At the last gasped out word the older Padawan's vision tunneled, a loud ringing buzzing loudly in his ear and drowning out the rest of the Mirialan's words. Arctus dropped his datapad, barely noticing how his hands began to shake violently as his gaze blurred into a mix of swimming colors. Something within him snapped, the thread that connected him to Clove through the Force turning a lifeless drab of grey being severed as the half-Annfyn seemed to disappear. What was worse was that the ribbon Kaaliraya used to tie her hair became the same deathly grey through his vision with the Force. He knew that color all too well because the young Mirialan almost always wore it whenever he saw her, and it was the same calming lilac Clove was in the Force through Arctus's eyes.

Clove's parents, dead. Clove's presence, her connection to him through the Force, abruptly severed–

"Vanhoop's home was bombed! Old man–"

With a quick wave of his hand Arctus levitated the datapad he had dropped to Kaaliraya's waiting hand. Almost breathlessly he asked her a quick favor to put the announcement up for his Trials on his stead, his booted feet already leading him towards the hangar.

He had only ever met Kaalina Vanhoop thrice, and the sting of Clove's loss drilled through him like a crown of metal spikes to his heart. Mrs. Vanhoop was a kind woman, and though Arctus never met her husband he was sure that Mr. Vanhoop was just as kind – one only needed to interact with Clove to realize that the half-Annfyn was raised by genuinely kind and compassionate parents. And now they were gone – and he feared that Clove was, too, in more ways than one – all because some terrorist group disliked how the caring half-Annfyn dreamt of helping anyone regardless of their background. All because she helped both Sith and Jedi in the aftermath of the invasion of the Jedi Temple on Yavin IV.

Arctus was sickened by the utterly cowardly move resulting in the senseless deaths of the innocents. He feared for Clove, because as much as he couldn't feel her through the Force right now? He refused to believe that she was dead, she was not, she was not, shewasn'tdeadshefuckingisn'tthereisnofuckingway–

"God, please..." muttered the Padawan frantically as he hurried his way to his ship. He needed to go to Ralltiir, he needed to find Clove! "God, please, I'm beggin' ya... don't take Clove from me an' Ruz, please..."

A heavy hand slammed on his shoulder, stopping him on his tracks. The bearded face of Knight Rudra Severino swam in the Padawan's blurry vision, the Morellian's mouth forming words he couldn't understand amid the onslaught of emotions riling within him, the ringing in his ears, and his heart hammering wildly in his chest like an animal caged. Arctus couldn't understand what Rudra was saying, but only one word slipped past his trembling lips as he collapsed against the Knight who was there for him the moment the thread that connected him to Indy disappeared, when all the golden autumn leaves turned to lifeless grey.

"Please...!"

No, no, not again, please... you've taken Indy from me already. You can't take Clove as well!

@LilyNion