Ask Finding The Lost

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Hera had not been heading to Lucazec, exactly, rather, she had been traveling towards Vjun when her ARC-starfighter intercepted the distress signal from the forests of Lucazec. Before she could even process the signal, she had dropped out of hyperspace and started her approach on the planet towards the signal. Her little R6 droid beeped at her from the back of the vessel, a series of informative beeps and boops that probably meant something important. Hera just smiled and talked back, "Still don't understand ya buddy!"

It didn't appreciate that.

Setting her vessel down in a clearing of trees, Hera dismounted the starfighter and patted the side. "Keep an eye on her R6! I trust you!" She shouted to her little machine. It beeped back and it didn't sound happy, but as long as Hera couldn't understand it, it didn't matter! Laughing, she began making her way through the forest. Wearing her green armor and brown cloak, lightsabers strapped to her back, Hera made her way through the trees.

"Hello? Everyone ok?" Hera announced her presence as she called out, wanting to be careful not to spook anyone. Simultaneously, she reached out with the Force, trying to sense if there was anyone around before she encountered them.

@Altaris

 

[The Storyteller]

It wouldn’t take long for Hera to realize that everyone wasn’t, as a matter of fact, okay.

Within minutes of landing on the verdant surface of Lucrazec, the Jedi Councilor would be able to hear the screams and shouts that echoed from deeper in the wilderness - coming from a village that was nestled seemingly out in the middle of nowhere. She would feel the distress and fear that permeated the Force and poisoned the air around her, making no secret the panic that was felt by the individuals who fought and died within their isolated home.

And the Councilor would very quickly be able to sense a familiar presence within the Force. A single collective of sentient creatures - mirroring the same thoughts, emotions and sensations as part of their Hive. She would sense the Kilik, just as they had appeared on countless worlds prior to that moment. They had arrived again, and clearly had located their latest targets. And with her arrive, Hera had inadvertently lumped herself into that same category.

The Jedi Councilor would only be able to make it a few paces closer to the village - just able to make out the plumes of smoke and destruction - before the sound of tearing metal would draw her attention backwards. From the ground erupted a colossal Kilik beetle, tearing its razor-like limbs up from the ground and into the hull of the Jedi’s starfighter. The Insectoid clearly didn’t realize it was unoccupied, and was intent upon destroying the vessel and it’s passengers.

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Perhaps another Jedi would have had a different reaction to the great beetle that burst forth from the earth, crushing her starfighter as her R6 droid ejected and screamed. Perhaps another Jedi would have run back to the ship, or activated their lightsaber, or postured in some way. But Hera was not any other Jedi, and as her screaming astromech jetted away from the starfighter to find safety in the trees-

Hera laughed.

Igniting her blades, she designated the Killik beetle a non-threat for the moment and dashed towards the village. The smoke plumes became larger and larger as her body, enhanced by the Force, moved with inhuman speed toward the village. She could feel the fear, panic, and distress of the poor beings that fought and died in this place. It saddened her greatly, but it was not enough to penetrate her joyous exterior.

The Jedi would be running through the forest toward the village, blades ready, laughing like a madwoman. As she did so, she announced to the trees around her, "You face Hera The Joyful! If you value your lives, little bugs, flee from me!" Increasing the flow of the Force through her body, she attempted to make her presence through the Force as large as possible. An impossible, intimidating foe.

@Altaris

 

[The Storyteller]

By the time that Hera reached the Fallanassi village, the Jedi Council would find little to none of the idyllic paradise it had once been. Smoke from burning structures billowed in thick plumes, assaulting the nostrils of everyone in close proximity. The screams of the injured and dying filled the air, just barely rising above the oppressive buzzing of quite literally hundreds of Kilik warriors - marching across the grassy fields and descending from the skies above.

It was reminiscent of countless other planetary assaults. Countless other instances of Insectoid invasion that occurred across the Outer Rim. It was a reminder that the threat hadn’t been quelled for most, even if assaults against entire governments had largely ceased.

The Jedi Councilor shone like a beacon through the Force - palpable to the Kilik’s and the hive mind that drove them. She was a powerful and intimidating foe, but the Swarm had conquered entire planets. Devoured civilizations. Joined the leaders of Galactic Governments and the greatest warriors alike.

Rather than cowering away in fear, the Jedi shone like a lighthouse - guiding the Kilik’s towards herself as the largest thread. Hera would see the swarm turn - as several dozen began to angrily rush towards her.

 

[Sarella]

Just as the Kilik’s began to approach the newcomer, Sarella saw her opportunity to act. The Fallanassi had been in the thick of the fighting alongside her Clansister’s - desperately employing a combination of the Force and traditional weapons to fight back the invasion. It was a hopeless and last-ditch effort, but it was necessary if any of their people were to survive. If the young and elderly were to find shelter somewhere deeper into the mountains, shrouded by the illusions their people mastered.

Since the Sith expulsion from the Empire and the death of her master, Sarella had been lost. She couldn’t return to the Jedi, and her own ties to the Sith were shaken - especially as the Dark Lord struggled to unite their remaining members. It left the woman to return to her roots. To find her Clansisters and perhaps her own path through the Galaxy once more.

It had only been days before the Kilik attacked.

Whatever she had been, Sarella owed it to her people to fight for their survival - and promptly used Hera like the homing beacon she was. While the swarm descended upon the Jedi Councilor, the Fallanassi dropped from her elevated perch, loosing two plasma-arrows from her bow. The thin streaks of pink plasma streaked through the air, finding purchase in two of the flying insectoids.

Before the rest could register what happened, she unleashed a blast of the Force - attempting to knock several others sideways while approaching Hera.

“What mental institution did they let you out of?” She said towards the Jedi Councilor, clearly not amused by the laughing or title of ‘Joyful’ while her people fought and died. The last thing she needed was some psychopathic bitch in the midst of everything else going on.

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Hera's joy did not wane as she came upon the scene of devastation before her. While, indeed, her heart ached for the people who were suffering below, it was not enough to overcome the utterly suffocating happiness that drove her body forward. Indeed, she was joyful, because she wasn't too late. Buildings burned, people cried out, and the Killiks attacked. But this was not the remnants of destruction, this was an attack in progress.

And Hera could intervene.

As dozens of Killiks swarmed toward the councilor, Hera's twinned orange blades left her hand. The dual-bladed saber flew through the air and spun like some insane pinwheel of death. It was thrown in the thickest direction of Killiks, aimed to cut them down before they could come near. In order to prevent any of them from getting out of the way, Hera simultaneously reached out and aimed to pull as many as possible toward the blade's spinning path.

Then came the voice of the other Jedi-Sith-Exile?? The new woman threw the Force at a few Killiks and made a remark that only prompted Hera to laugh. "The Jedi Order! And you? You must be crazy too if you're still fighting instead of running!" And at that, she could call her orange blades back to her, hopeful that she was successful in her attack (19 dice roll).

Breathing deeply, she increased the energies of the Force flowing through her and began to gather power. She would need it for her next ability, and it would be even better if it made her into an even bigger target.

@Altaris

 

[Sarella]

Sarella stared back at Hera with a completely unamused expression - listening as the woman listed off the Jedi Order as her choice of mental institution. The Fallanassi took in a breath, nodding, “That really does explain so much.” She said with deadpan delivery, allowing her gaze to linger on the Councilor for only a moment or two more. A question was asked in return, and Sarelle merely scoffed.

“Less than the windbag laughing through an invasion.” The woman said.

Without missing a beat, Sarella drew back the string of her plasma-bow - firing another two arrows into the Kilik invaders. Streaks of pink energy pierced through them, causing the Insectoid invaders to drop dead from the skies above. Hera would find her own attack to be more than successful - carving through scores of the Insectoids without issue. It was enough to draw their collective attention, and begin to grant the villagers an opportunity to flee deeper into the hillside and mountains beyond.

“We need to draw them away from the others,” She barked towards Hera. With a raise of her hand, Sarella drew upon the Force - summoning it both and bending it to her will. It warped into heat and embers that burned within the center of her palm- erupting forth as a torrent of pyrokinesis that poured into the swarm of Kiliks. Several of them were ingulfed by the flames, and it only served to gain the attention of others who turned to engage the two Force-users. If Hera was going to do something, she needed to act quickly.

The Force and flames whipped up around Sarella wildly, vibrant and alive at her fingertips. If the Councilor was paying attention closely, she might notice the glint of a lightsaber hilt clipped to the woman's belt - swaying with every movement.

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Hera could sense the anger in the young woman, even though she fought to protect others. Though the Jedi didn't take anything Sarella said personally, Hera wasn't the type to hold grudges or take offense if others weren't overtly nice to her. Additionally, this wasn't a situation where niceties were at the forefront of the mind.

Nodding in response to the other woman's final response, Hera placed her hands on Sarella. Of course, she noticed the lightsaber at her hip, Sith markings and all, but that wasn't something that mattered right now. Breathing deeply, she whispered, "Trust me." And exhaled all of her gathered energies into Sarella. The effect was something like a massive amplifier for Sarella's own ability, as Hera drove her power into the fire-spewing woman.

If Sarella allowed the light to flow through her at that moment, their energies would combine into something truly magical and utterly deadly for the Killiks who surged towards them. The flames whipping around would increase more than tenfold, becoming a true firestorm of death to the insectoid invaders. Additionally, piercing through the flames would be the intense feelings of calm and joy that Hera experienced, and shared with Sarella.

If she rejected it, well, then they wouldn't be in a very good situation.

@Altaris

 

[Sarella]

Sarella wasn’t the least bit concerned whether her words stung the Jedi Councilor or not. It had been some years since she vanished from the Order, and her feelings of resentment had only solidified in that time. The Order and it’s teachings had failed her on Korriban, and it was only by the grace of Trelain that she was alive in that moment. It was only due to her training as a Sith - without reservation or restriction as had been opposed by the Jedi - that she’d continued to survive up into this point. There was bitterness that ran deep beneath the surface, and the questionably joyful demeanor only struck an exposed nerve.

Nevertheless, Sarella couldn’t have predicted what the Councilor would do next. Like a rush of adrenaline, she felt the energies that flowed into her and amplified the Pyrokinesis she wielded - transforming the gout of flames into a firestorm, terrifying to behold. It burned blue as it roared from her fingertips, engulfing every Kilik that dared to approach. It swallowed dozens and went pain echoing across the hive mind, a shared experience that momentarily distracted them from attacking the villagers.

Sarella felt the joy and serenity that came with the infusion of the Light - conflicted at once. It was a comfort she hadn’t felt in years and that she had craved.. Though it felt almost strange, given the circumstances. Sarella couldn’t help but wonder just how genuine those feelings and the sentiment to trust were, or just another deception to lower her guard in the long run. For the moment, however, she didn’t question it.

“Follow me,” She said towards Hera, watching as the swarm reeled from their combined attack. It had caused many of them to scatter and for others to turn towards them, giving the villagers an opportunity to reach the mountain passages that ran through the forest. Fallanassi illusions were woven centuries ago into those hiding places, and it would provide her people the refuge they needed in their moment of greatest need. As for Sarella and Hera?

They’d need to draw the attackers away until the evacuations were complete.

“There is cover deeper into the woods to the East we can lead them towards.” She stared back at the Councilor for a long moment before jutting her chin in that direction. “Trust me.”

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Hera couldn't contain her smile as the other Force user reciprocated her attempt to fuel her fire. However, when Sarella allowed Hera's feelings to flow into her, she could feel some of the emotions frothing beneath Sarella's surface. She did not feel like an angry monster, rather, Hera could only sense a deep line of bitterness. There were other emotions, betrayal, confusion, sadness, hurt, fear, all these things, and more. Strange sensations for one such as Hera, who did not feel as others felt, and it made the councilor wonder if she could really understand and help someone like this.

But Hera, at the very least, would not betray Sarella. The woman echoed Hera's earlier words as the fires burned the Killiks. Simultaneously, some of the bugs fled while some of the bugs turned to chase the two even more. Following Sarella and trusting her words without hesitation, Hera simply smiled and responded, "Of course! Lead the way!"

Gathering the Force about her once more, drawing in more and more energies with her overflowing joy, Hera followed Sarella and began to speak. "I'm Hera Albion, by the way! It's a pleasure to meet you, do you mind if I ask you a question?" It was a request, but Hera wouldn't actually wait for Sarella to respond as the pair moved through the forest. "Why do you want to be a Sith?"

It was a jarring question, or Hera hoped it would be, as they moved. Of course, Hera could not know that Sarella was a Sith, but she did suspect it. From the combination of Sarella's emotions and the fact that Hera did not know this woman, Hera suspected she might be a Sith. If she were a Jedi, Hera would have recognized her face, or Sarella would have certainly recognized Hera's face. There were precious few Jedi who did not have some sort of reaction, positive or negative, to Councilor Justicar Hera Albion.

That and Hera was insanely curious as to why someone would become a Sith.

@Altaris

 

[Sarella]

Sarella didn’t need to be told twice. She knew that they couldn’t outright kill every single Kilik invader, and it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed. Whether Hera followed her or not, the Fallanassi began to dart her way through the thick forests and hills - making a break towards the crags and mountains beyond. She knew there was cover for them both, and It would provide her people the very opportunity they needed to escape.

“I know very well who you are.” She said flatly, not sounding particularly amused. She had been a part of the Jedi Order before, and was clearly familiar with the Masters that made up its ranks. Her thoughts on the woman weren’t readily expressed.

Still, Sarella couldn’t help some mild surprise at Hera’s question. She glanced back over her shoulder to stare down the Jedi Master - considering any motive behind the question. Given what she’d seen of Hera, the Fallanassi couldn’t quite tell if Hera was asking a philosophical question or trying to be recruited. “Because I refuse to allow myself to be shackled to restrained by anyone in this world.”

Their path led them towards a cave that carved deep into the earth - dimly lit by light pouring in from the cracks. “Why do you care?”

@Black Noise

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Hera laughed at Seralla's first response as she followed the younger woman. Their bodies moved in tandem sync as the Force guided their limbs through the tangles and overgrowth. Her dyed red hair flowed through the wind as they moved until, almost suddenly, they came to a cave where they might make a proper stand. Following Sarella into the cave, their movement slowing, Hera waited for a moment before responding to Sarella.

"Strange," She started, her body building with the Force, "That you would think yourself free as a Sith. I cannot imagine a more restricted and enchained lifestyle." Hera's tone was casual and matter-of-fact when she spoke to Sarella, and she continued, "The way I see it, you're here defending your people, family, and friends, completely alone. That doesn't look like freedom to me." At that, Hera would remain quiet for a little while.

The caves were like a winding and crazy maze, Hera could feel herself losing track of where they were as Sarella led her deep inside. However, the caves had obviously been used by the locals for many, many years. The Jedi would be surprised if Sarella didn't know her way around these caves fairly well, being that it was obvious she was a 'local' of a sort as well.

Continuing to gather the energies of the Force, Hera answered Sarella's second question, "Sorry, I'm no good with teenage drama. I care and, to the best of my ability, help, primarily because I want to. I'm free to do as I wish, to help whoever I want, and go wherever I want. And I want to help you, what more reason or care do I need?"

@Altaris

 

[Sarella]

Sarella didn’t even glance back over her shoulder - eyes narrowing as she delved deeper into the maze-like cavern. It wasn’t much of a mystery where the Jedi Councilor stood ideologically, and yet the utterance of it still caused the Fallanassi’s cerulean eyes to roll back into her skull. “Then you really are as ignorant as the rest of your Order.” She said flatly, continuing right along towards a safe section of the caves.

She didn’t miss the way that Hera subtly drew the Force into herself - building in strength all the while they walked. Whether the Jedi did so out of concern for the Kilik’s, or in preparation to lash out at Sarella, wasn’t entirely clear. Nevertheless, Sarella never let her hand drift away from the saberhilt she carried - prepared for things to go south. She knew that the chances of fighting and beating a Jedi Councilor were damn-near none, but that didn’t mean she would be caught off-guard if it went there.

“I have no commitment or loyalty to anything but myself - to my own goals and ambitions.” She said flatly. “I protect this place because it is my current home, and I benefit from it. I protect these people because for this moment, I benefit from living amongst them.” It was a stretch of the truth. Sarella cared more than she let on for her traditional homeland and people, as those chains seemed the most difficult to shatter as she delved into Sith teachings. Trelain had helped the Fallanassi far along the path, but there was still far to go. “I may leave - go my own way - whenever I please.”

“You?” Sarella finally glanced back at Hera. “Feel obligation to protect those who you are able to help. To advance the interests of the Jedi Order because they are your friends, family and closest companions.” It was a guess - a shot in the dark - but Sarella doubted that she was inaccurate. Primarily, because it wasn’t so long ago she was Jedi herself. “You say you are free to do as you wish.” She tilted her head. “But you will always be bound to the Order - whenever they beckon or call. Regardless of whether it puts your life on the line, kills you or diminishes your own interests.”

“I wasn’t asking why you want to help,” Sarella corrected. “I was asking why you care about my motivations.”

It didn’t take long for them to reach the far side of the cave, slipping past a stone door that was opened with a tug of the Force. Sarella sealed the chamber behind them - before then gesturing to the space all around them. Light faintly streamed in from cracks and small holes in the earth, where previous tenants had clearly bored through to the surface. Mosses and lichen grew along rocks and boulders, many of which had been carved for seating and platforms to sleep - complete with dusty rugs and fabric stretched across. A single, bubbling stream of water fell from high in the chamber - creating a natural waterfall that ran down the wall and continued the length of the chamber - before flowing out through a crack in the earth, deeper into the caverns below them.

“The Kiliks are a problem,” She said, glancing over at Hera. “If you wish to help, perhaps the Jedi ought to address them.”

@Black Noise

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Hera laughed at Sarella's first statements, the obvious double-speak and mental gymnastics she was attempting felt comical to the Jedi. Then, without skipping a beat, she attempted to nail down Hera's own thoughts and feelings. Hera could have interrupted there to correct the narrative, but she was not the type to interrupt another's monologue; as a monologuist herself, Hera had respect for the craft.

Then they found themselves in a little hole in the wall. A home long abandoned yet clearly once loved. Sitting down in a stone-carved chair, Hera stopped moving in order to continue gathering the energies of the Force. It was growing incredibly strong now, and Hera would need to reveal her plan soon to Sarella. The energies had grown too strong to contain their signature now, the Killiks would surely be able to feel what Hera was doing as if a beacon of light were extending up through the caves and into the sky from their location.

Then, it was Hera's turn to talk, "Indeed, we should, that's exactly what I'm trying to do in fact. I have built a fleet, assembled the resources to build a droid army, hired tens of thousands of mercenaries, and taken over a shipyard to make even more ships to stop them. I've even put Jedi into the groundwork to find out how to tell the difference between a joiner and a regular being. The time of the Jedi letting people suffer is over. If I knew their hive homeworld's location, I would assault it and destroy every last one of them."

Then something changed. Sarella would feel it immediately. Dark energy would lash out among the power that Hera was gathering. It was a terrifying, roiling, raging thing that seemed to scream and buckle through the Force. As if a caged monster were struggling to break free to kill its captors. It hated the Killiks, it wanted them dead, it wanted them to suffer. Then, as quickly as it had risen up, it was wretched back down into its confinement. The darkness had come not from around them, but within Hera herself.

And Hera smiled.

"I am free, I have always been free. I go where the wind blows me, and if I chose to leave the Order I would be seen off with nothing but love and support. I don't know who you knew before, but the Jedi have changed. I care about why you joined the Sith because, well, I just don't understand it. I am a troubled woman, but I have received nothing but love and acceptance from the Jedi. It is but a small thing for me to try and give some of it back. The Sith seem, at least to me, to be evil simply for evil's sake."

Then, finally, Hera added, "And you don't seem evil."

@Altaris

 

[Sarella]

Long-winded as it was, Sarella couldn’t deny her general disinterest with Hera’s spiel. The Fallanassi had been Jedi once in her life, and harbored little interest in the altruistic values that the Councilor preached. While they might have been more proactive than before, there was little to convince the her that the Jedi Order had changed whatsoever. She couldn’t help but ponder Hera’s strong attachment to the Order people of the itself, which seemed to drive the woman more than any commitment to the Light or their purpose.

What did interest Sarella, however, was the ferocity in which the Councilor spoke of the Kilik threat. They were a blight on the Galaxy - who were just as much of a risk to the Sith as anyone else. Ultimately, though, they were sentient life. They were a complex and sophisticated society, and connected through the Force like any other creature. Even still, Hera spoke of wiping them from the face of the Galaxy. Genocide and eradication as her first course of action.

As if the words were not enough, Sarella could feel the palpable Darkness that thrummed within the Jedi Councilor - hatred and fury roiling beneath the surface. It was a raw strength that immediately piqued the Fallanassi’s interest, before it was yanked back down and caged by the woman standing before it. It was entirely out of place for a member of the Jedi Council, who ought to have been a paragon amongst their kin.

Sarella had to contain the hint of a smirk. Perhaps all the woman needed was a simple push in the right direction - and an opportunity to unleash the monster where it might flourish. To feed those worst impulses, to the point that the Jedi Councilor wouldn’t be able to cage it again - even if she tried. The Fallanassi quickly considered her own benefit in revealing the information, coming to a simple conclusion in her mind.

“Then perhaps you don’t understand the Sith at all,” She said simply. “But that doesn’t matter. What does - is that we agree on one thing. The Kilik’s are a threat to us all.” Sarella said, crossing her arms over her chest. “You say that you don’t know the location of their hive homeworld.. But I do.” Her head cocked to the side. “I was on Korriban, during the assault on the Sith academy. I saw through the Hivemind and was able to trace back their location along with others.” She said. “I am the sole survivor of that ritual.” Kaneloa, Trelain, Letous.. All of them dead. Only she remained.

“If you as commited as you claim to pursuing this hive, then I will give you that opportunity.” Hera had no reason to believe Sarella outright, but neither would the trained Force User - much stronger and able to read the Acolyte like a book - get the impression that she was lying.[/abox]

@Black Noise

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Hera's face darkened, though the smile remained. Her emotions were being pushed out as more and more Force energy flowed through her body. With so much power in this room, the pair would have to be foolish to assume the Killiks could not feel it as well. They swarmed the cave systems now, searching for Hera, searching for Sarella. Before long, every Killik on this planet would be in this one place with Hera and Sarella.

But Hera only had one thing on her mind. Stepping closer toward Sarella, terrible darkness began to seep from her. An emptiness, the true feeling of utter nothingness, began to overtake the emotions of Hera Albion. She still smiled, but there was nothing behind those eyes. Reaching out a hand to Sarella, she spoke.

"Give it to me. The location. Open yourself-"

Suddenly, the sounds of Killiks began to fill their cavern. They were closing in, right outside the door now. Hera did not move, did not react, instead only keeping her hand outstretched to Sarella. Hera's gathered power was more than the combined life force of thousands of beings by this point, any more and it would strain to tear the councilor apart from the inside.

"-To me, now."

It was now or never.

@Altaris

 

[Sarella]

There was a long tick of silence as Sarella considered what Hera said. By instinct, the woman resisted the idea of anyone entering he’d mind - but also knew that there was no real opportunity to relay the information in writing. She could sense the Kilik swarm getting closer, and the Fallanassi was committed to escaping the caverns with her life. If the Jedi Councilor survived, she would undoubtedly take the information and act upon it. Hera would become the battering ram that Sarella had gauged her to be, and would utilize the resources of the Galaxy to eliminate a universal threat.

There was a faint hint of gold to her eyes, feeling the power that Hera struggled to contain. It was exquisite to behold, and there was no small part of Sarella that wished to see the Jedi give in to her worst impulses. To allow the passion to drive her and unleash such power without reservation.

Reaching deep into her psyche, Sarella drew upon the memories and visions that she’d witnessed on Korriban, opening herself up for Hera to see what was necessary. She deliberately kept the walls of her mental defenses up, if only to prevent the Councilor from gaining a peripheral view of the rest of her mind. The Sith had no way to prevent Hera from extracting more information if she so chose.. But neither would Sarella volunteer her deeper thoughts willingly.

“After everything they’ve done to the Galaxy, don’t you want to make them suffer?” She asked quietly of Hera, her words echoing in both the mental and physical.

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Was there a time that Hera would be better than this? Or was this moment destined to be? From the genesis of Hera's psyche, there were many emotions she struggled with. She did not feel sad when a beloved temple pet mysteriously perished. She did not feel fear when the instructors told her and her classmates about the Sith; described the dangers of the Dark Side. Hera felt so few things at all.

As Hera tore through Sarella's mind, spurred on by the young woman's question of wanting to make the Killiks suffer, Hera felt nothing at all. Ripping and tearing, Hera worked through Sarella's mental defenses like a rabid Zakkeg, then onto Sarella's memories. Finally, Hera found the location of the Killik homeworld, and the mental anguish Sarella had endured acquiring this knowledge. Perhaps another Jedi would have pulled away at that moment, frightened and horrified as they shared the feelings of the young woman.

Hera did no such thing. She experienced the fear and anguish Sarella felt from the Sith ritual, the nightmare vision on Korriban, and relished every moment of it. This was fear, true fear! Not something picked up from someone else. This is what it felt like to truly experience it for oneself! Hera's body was wracked with laughter as she continued to tear through the woman's mind. Sarella felt so many emotions! And fear, who knew there were so many ways to feel fear?! Fear of the future presented in her nightmares, fear of losing those close to her, fear of the torture inflicted upon her by Darth Trelain!

Sweet, delicious fear! Hera even felt scared of the Killiks beginning to tear their way into the cavern, imagine that! Faster faster faster- Hera tore through Sarella's mind. She would have everything, everything thought, emotion, and moment of training this woman experienced. Hera would have it all. Then, when Hera had finally finished, she released Sarella to fall to the ground. Channeling this fear, she used every ounce of her gathered strength and funneled it into the knowledge she had stolen from Sarella.

Flames engulfed the cavern, bursting forth from the top and incinerating anything that stood in their way. The tornado of flames spouting from the mountainside, free of their cavernous entrapments, could be seen for miles. Every Killik on Lucazec, concentrated in this one spot to kill the two Force Users, would die from the flames. At the center, Hera stood, her hands and arms burned inside of her gauntlets, heated red hot by the flames spouting from them. Sarella would lay at her feet, perhaps only barely alive, hearing only the sounds of fire and Hera.

And she screamed.

"I feel fear!"

@Altaris