Ask MoN: Two Roads...

[Zay Kartan]

Purple lightning streaked the sky and thunder shook the ground. Malicious energy emanated from the broken and crumbling buildings and from their darkened doors glaring golden eyes watched unwaveringly.

Zaylos Kartan stood at a crossroads. His eyes searched the ruined landscape before him, but he didn’t recognize his surroundings. Everything was alien to him, everything except the small hissing voice in the back of his mind.

“Come... to... me...”

Reflexively he looked for the voice, but it was nowhere and everywhere at the same time. As he looked back to the hellish landscape he was startled to find he was no longer alone. A lean muscular man with skin as back as tar and glowing golden eyes stood before him. He was draped in ink-black robes that seemed to flow over his form, and he wore a smile that promised everything and nothing at the same time.

“I’ve been waiting for you...” said the stranger in a voice that was both seductive and terrifying.

“W-what?”

“You’ve tried to hide from me, but now you’re here...”

Confused and scared, Kartan, took a step back then turned to run, but as he turned around he ran straight into the dark-robed man.

“Leaving so soon?”

Kartan tried to respond but his voice failed him. The stranger reached out with a hand dripping with ichor and placed it on Kartan’s shoulder. His touch burned, and Zaylos pulled back but wasn’t able to break free of his grip. The burning grasp ate through his leather jacket and settled on his skin, Kartan wailed in agony. The stranger smiled—

Kartan’s eyes snapped open as he lunged forward in his bed. He was covered in sweat and shivering. He mopped brow with the back of his hand. His skin was hot to the touch and his body ached.

Was he getting sick?

As he began to calm down, he realized his stuff was strewn everywhere. His brow furrowed in confusion as he stared dumbly at his belongings scattered across the floor. Realization hit him and he realized he’d had another accident. Concern replaced his confusion as he pulled his legs up to his chest and cradled himself.

Kartan gave up on sleep a few minutes later, he dressed, worked out, and ate breakfast. After taking care of his dishes he lit up a cigarette while scanning his datapad. He’d been in Felucia for a couple of days and decided to explore a bit today. He needed to get out of the one-bedroom apartment he’d been allotted for the job.

Zaylos swung by a local Caf shop and got a coffee. On his way out he overheard a conversation about a village not far from the settlement he was at, and he decided that’s where he’d start his adventure.

A few hours later he was approaching the end of a trailhead. He could see thin tendrils of smoke drifting upward from what he assumed were homes just a little further up ahead. As he got closer a rustling from his left caught his attention. A sudden burst of stars filled his vision and he felt his consciousness separate from his body. He crumpled to the ground the last thing he saw was a meaty mushroom-esque foot, stomping toward him.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

One of the hunters had made their way back to the village in haste to get Renfry. While it wasn't common for people to come to the village looking for her, it had happened before.

She'd followed the hunter out of the village and quickly through the jungles before arriving at where the man was unconscious.

You knocked him out! she exclaimed with a scowl in the local dialect, a mix of barking sounds and hand gestures. She let out a heavy sigh and shook her head in disapproval. Her eyes swept over to Gokkuul, the young warrior who was still trying to prove himself. She knew it was likely his overzealousness that had led to this outcome.

She knelt down and leaned over the unconscious man, slapping his face somewhere between light and hard a few times to try to wake him.

Hey, you! Wake up! she said, the hits getting progressively harder until he woke. @Zay

 

[Zay Kartan]

Darkness pervaded everything that was Zaylos Kartan as his consciousness attempted to return to his body. Blurred images flashed here and there and he could have sworn he heard a voice calling out to him, but it sounded as if he were submerged in water and they were on land.

A jolt to his face began to bring him back as if the constant slapping was acting as sonar for his aloof consciousness. The hits continued over, and over until finally, his eyes regained their life.

"Hm, huh? Ow, okay, I'm awake!"

Kartan swatted at the hand drumming a crescendoing beat on his face as he tried to escape the ensuing taps.

"I said, I'm awake!"

Kartan wriggled away from the person hitting him and bumped into Mushroom, foot.

"Aw, kark me," he groaned as a face covered in writhing tendrils glared down at him.

"Uh, okay this is a lot to process. I'm just gonna go with: Hi, I'm Zay, please don't kill me?"

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry was unrelenting in her attempts to awaken him until he was actually awake. What he thought was "ow, okay, I'm awake" came out as more of ahoayIway. It wasn't until the second outburst that she was satisfied and relented from her assault.

Of course, this didn't improve her opinion of the fact that he was here. The locals weren't happy about it, and by extension neither was she.

She gave him a thorough look over and frowned. He looked like a spacer. He didn't look like a survivalist or a hiker. Not a hunter either. So what was he?

What are you doing here? she asked abruptly after he introduced himself. The name didn't really tell her much, and she didn't offer her own. She was more interested in answers.

It was as she took in all that she could about him that she noticed how the Shadow shifted around him. The world was packed with those who were at least moderately attuned to it, but here, the man in front of her was pulling toward himself. He was sensitive. A Jedi? Someone else? Her skepticism immediately shot up bordering on hostility, but not quite. @Zay

 

[Zay Kartan]

“What are you doing here?”

Kartan startled up, the voice he’d heard purred with a malicious baritone, but the being in front of him... well, she wasn't, uh, that big? Confusion stampeded across his expression as she glared at him expectantly.

Get it together Kartan...

Realizing she was waiting on him to respond Zaylos stammered, “Oh! Er, I’ll be honest I heard about a village back at the settlement to the east and... wanted to check it out?”

As he spoke he could feel his confidence waning, but the truth was the truth, right?

Zay added what he hoped was a charming smile and felt a wave of the void wash over him. Fear tugged at his charismatic veneer as he realized the hubris of his little jaunt into the wilds of Felucia. The woman looming over him possessed a pressure in her presence that threatened to steal his voice and muddle his thoughts. The dark passenger in his mind began to stir and from deep within his psyche Kartan could hear a malicious echo of laughter reverberating from his very core.

He was in trouble...

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry wasn't convinced. He had some connection to power and just "happened" to stumble into this village.

You're trespassing, she said, saying nothing else for a long moment as she looked at him. Her eyes were intense and wild, almost piercing through him.

If you're not going to tell me the truth, then I'll find out myself, she said, a hint of anger in her voice. She reached out with her hand and her mind immediately hammered into his. She was experienced with dealing with the minds of others and quite practiced in protecting her own mind from invasion.

He would be able to feel a splitting headache as she began to rifle through his thoughts, trying to discover precisely what it was he was doing here and perhaps even stumbling upon the nightmares and struggles he tried to hide.

 

[Zay Kartan]

Zaylos couldn't move. The predatory glare in the small woman's eye had rendered his body useless. He swallowed as she identified him as a traitor and knew better than to argue in this situation. His brow furrowed as his eyes flicked from the tangle of tendrils and the woman. Fight or flight was about to overcome his fear when she stretched her hand out.

An invisible pressure laid itself across his body seizing his muscles and rendering them useless. His eyes went wide as a searing hot pain slowly pressed it's way into his mind. His mouth opened in a wordless scream as his eyes squeezed shut.

Images of his past flashed in conflagrations of pain and misery. Moments of his existence that he'd buried down deep were unearthed like the magma oozing from broken earth. His vision swam through his memories, overwhelming him. Sudden, darkness pervaded everything. The sound of a stove timer going off could be heard in the distance. A pinprick light caught his attention and Kartan moved toward it. He could hear the murmur of voices in the distance growing closer as he drew near the expanding light.

The blinding white light was all he could see. The voices echoing from it's glow paid him no heed. Something within him stirred as a woman's voice pierced the veil.

"Jaylos, we can't just abandon our son."

"Zan, he's a kriffing monster! You've seen what he can do," cried a male's voice that sounded eerily similar to Kartan's.

Realization slammed into Zaylos like two starships colliding head-on. Tears flooded his eyes as he recoiled from the memory. Rife with emotion he stumbled over his own feet. His arms shout out in an attempt to stop his fall, but there was nothing to grab on to. He plunged backward passing into darkness. Discombobulated and scared Zaylos tried to move, but couldn't. He was stuck. His arms were strapped to something cold and smooth. Sweat born of fear coated his skin. A crackle and flash of electricity caught his attention and he suddenly knew where he was.

"No..." he whimpered.

A crackle of electricity on his immediate right made him flench as a floating torture droid extended it's arm toward him.

Zaylos screamed as the current sought grounding through his body. His vision swam and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He was falling or at least he felt like he was falling. The smell of sulfur and the heat of mid-day intermingled snapping him from his nightmare. He was on Lotho Minor. He pushed himself up from the ground, confused. Had the past year been a dream?

From just around the bend two figures emerged, seemingly running for their lives. In front was a young woman followed closely by... him. Kartan's brow furrowed as he watched the scene play out. Repurposed security droids were fast on the duo's heels, their weapons letting loose a hail of blaster fire. A bolt grazed Zay's shoulder and both entities cried out.

"Don't stop Zay, we're almost there, we're almost free!"

Zaylos knew what he was seeing, and even though everything in his body begged him to turn away... he couldn't.

Tears stung his eyes and slid down as his cheeks as the blaster fire continued. Gripping his arm, Zaylos of the past, ran to a heap of trash and kicked a precariously placed droid arm, which caused the heap to crash. It was a futile attempt to delay their attackers, but in his mind at the time he'd just secured their escape.

Rin turned back with glee in her eyes. Zaylos watched her excitement melt into resolve, she lunged forward, wrapped him in a hug and twisted. They fell to the ground, confused Zay wriggled out of her grasp.

"Rin, what the—"

"I'm sorry."

"What, c'mon, stop messing around we gotta go."

"Live for me."

She was clutching his shirt in her hands. Her knuckles were white with effort as her blue eyes bore into his.

"Go."

A single tear slid down the side of her beautiful face. Kartan turned away.

The scene around him shifted and he watched other moments of his life play by.

His escape into space and indenturement to a crew of pirates.

His adventure with Song at the edge of the galaxy, where he'd allowed his rage to consume him.

His gruesome introduction to Lorcan.

The heist with Leggy.

Finally, the scene from the coffee shop.

Kartan had been telling the truth.

Zaylos had done his damnedest to live a normal life, but the galaxy seemed to reject the idea. At every turn, he was thrust into a new terror, he was constantly being pushed to the brink of sanity and while everyone he met seemed to just accept it as the way things were, he couldn't. He was sick of living in fear, but most of all he was tired of being weak.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry didn't hesitate as she tore through his mind and memories. She needed information, and her own safety and survival was far more important to her than him or his comfort.

The scenes that played out in front of her were horrifying. She could sense the faint scent of the pain, despair, and hopelessness that he felt. She didn't understand everything that she saw, but there was enough there to be able to tell what was going on.

She withdrew her hand a moment later, pulling herself back into her own body. Her gaze was like ice still as she looked at him and she stepped back and stood, at least satisfied that he wasn't a Jedi. What did he want, then? Did he want to become a Sith? He had no shortage of trauma and dark emotions to draw from.

Did you come for training? she asked. She still didn't buy that he just came wandering into the jungle to find a random village, but then, perhaps it was the spirits drawing him here. Either way, she waited for him to recover from what he'd just seen, able to tell that he was... shaken. @Zay

 

[Zay Kartan]

Suddenly, Kartan's mind was returned to the present. To his embarrassment, he felt a tear slide down his face. The woman's voice cut through the thundercloud of his roiling mind and he was snapped back to the present. A plethora of questions vied for the opportunity to be heard, but when she asked if he'd come to be trained, he knew it to be the truth.

"Yes."

His words were bearly louder than a whisper. He was afraid of this woman, but there was a familiarity about her. The same shadow that clung to him seemed to cling, no, permeate from her. She wasn't afraid of the darkness and he didn't want to be either.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry could see the tear creeping down his cheek, but her face remained impassive. To become a Sith was to be broken and reformed over and over. The pain he felt now was only the first step, and she wondered if he had any idea what he was asking for.

And what are you willing to give for it? she asked. She offered no further explanation, and whether he would interpret the question as true payment or commitment to the cause.

This isn't something to undertake lightly, she said. It was the only warning he would receive, and there was gravity to her words when she said it.

 

[Zay Kartan]

The woman asked Kartan what he'd give for power. He considered her words, noting the underlying implications of the question.

What was he willing to give?

What would power mean to him? He thought about the malicious glee in Lorcan's eyes as the mad man unleashed a hail of blaster fire into an oncoming mob and decided if it cost him his morality he'd simply be trading one master for another. Zaylos was tired of serving and being at the beck and call of someone else. He craved freedom... but would this power truly set him free?

"I don't know if I'm strong enough."

Her final warning solidified his understanding. He stood on the razor's edge. Behind him lay fear, and slavery. Staring into her eyes, Kartan saw power and freedom.

"I'll give you everything."

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry's gaze was icy, a testament to how her own lord had rubbed off on her over time. She let him think, she allowed him the time to process what she was saying, and she heard when he said that he didn't know if he was strong enough.

If he already doubted himself, that wasn't a good sign. But then a moment later, he made his decision. She wondered if he understood the gravity of his statement. If he understood what he would suffer and be subjected to. The life of a Sith was brutal and difficult, and the training process was even more taxing.

I will hold you to that, she said, waiting for him to take his last opportunity to pull out of the contract he was making. She motioned to the village hunters that they could return to their village and leave her alone with the man.

What do you know? she asked. His answer could be as simple as "nothing" but she needed to know the starting point for this as that would tell her where to begin. @Zay

 

[Zay Kartan]

Kartan watched as the tendril faced warriors shuffled away at a signal from the woman. He stood. He could feel his soul toil with his decision, but thinking back to the power he'd felt flow through him when facing Valen Corta alongside Aadya had already confirmed his choice.

This wasn't the first time the force had called to him. The moment Aadya had put a name to the power in him he'd had nightmares. He'd been tormented for months by the dark passenger in his mind and the humble mechanic was ready to be rid of him.

"I have no real practical understanding, but I'm aware of the power in me. I've... I've experienced it's strength during times of emotional distress, but I've never been able to manifest it on my own."

Zaylos felt naked standing before this strange woman. She'd riffled through his mind like it was a holovid, she permeated strength in a way he'd never experienced, and truth be told, she scared the shit out of him, but everything she was he desired. Even now standing before the unknown he could feel the force pulling him toward her...

Toward the dark side...

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry continued to look at him as he answered. She could sense he was nervous, and there was reason to be, but his dedication would still be tested. She could sense the desire within him. He had a hunger that was always a good sign within the Sith. He craved power, and he would find it within the Sith.

Okay, she said, thinking of the best thing to begin with. Knowing nothing was both a burden and an opportunity for the teacher, and she would use it.

There's an energy that permeates the galaxy. Some of us - you and I - can tap into it and become channels for it. We control it, she said.

It's called the Shadow and it has two sides controlled by the Twin Spirits: the Fanged Spirit and Winged Spirit, she said. Her own views on the Force deviated far from either the Jedi or Sith, and thus his education on it - at least to start - wasn't likely to be conventional.

She thought about what he said about his own experience with it. Tapping into it when in deep emotion or distress was likely the power of the Fanged Spirit.

Emotions like anger and fear allow you to tap into a stronger power. The power of the Fanged Spirit, she said. She paused a moment, letting all of that sink in for a moment. While she didn't remember the first time she'd learned about it - she was too young at the time - she imagined it was a bit overwhelming to someone who had never heard of any of this before.

This world is strong in the Shadow, do you feel it? she asked. She wouldn't have been surprised if he said "no" but it was a further opportunity to establish a baseline. @Zay

 

[Zay Kartan]

Kartan listened intently to her words. She described a power known as The Shadow, which was different than what he'd been told by Adaya, but then again the two were drastically different in themselves. Adaya looked like she'd been ripped from a fashion magazine while this woman was purely primal. Was their difference in explanation cultural? He let go of the confusion and accepted the information for what it was. While Adaya had used simpler terms like "The Force," "Dark side," and "Light side," Kartan could see the similarities in what the woman before him was explaining.

"The planet is strong in the shadow?"

The concept of a planet being more attuned to the magical force was unsettling to him, but even as he doubted her words he could feel it's presence. It was as if she'd broken a curse that had blinded him. The flora around him seemed vibrant and suddenly alive. With a furrowed brow he found himself looking around at his surroundings with renewed interest. At the back of his mind, there was a faint tug.

Something called to him. Zaylos closed his eyes trying to focus on the siren call.

"I-I think I do."

Kartan could feel his fear creeping around his mind, but he wasn't focused on the immediate. He was looking both inward and outward at the same time. He could feel the roiling power of the fanged spirit. It was district but shapeless like smoke billowing from a fire.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She let him drink in the feeling of what was around him, letting him open himself up to it for the first time. Fear and excitement were evident within him, and she wondered if he would be one who always hungered for it after this. The galaxy was divided among those who were unwilling to settle and those who were passive. The latter had no place in the Sith.

Do you feel it flowing? she asked. When she reached out she could feel the flow of magick like rivers around her. She could tap into and redirect them. She could let herself become a vector, focusing them like water through a fire hose. Turning it from a trickle into a high pressure outflow.

Open yourself up to it. Let it flow through you. Let it wash through your fears and anger and come out the other side at your beck and call, she said. @Zay

 

[Zay Kartan]

Kartan could feel the ebb and flow of the force surging around him. It felt as though he was caught in a whirlpool and the woman before him was the center. With his eyes still closed he tried to reach out to it, but what was a single being to a planet?

No matter how he attempted to reach out to the power nothing happened, so he turned inward. If it wasn't something he could force many it was something he could allow. Suddenly, he felt a rush of power fill his body. The power was overwhelming and he struggled to remain standing. He felt like he was standing beneath a waterfall. The constant unending flow of power threatened to consume him.

Teeth bared in a snarl, Zaylos, worked to open himself to the power, so as to not only allow it in but to let it out. His chest felt like it was going to burst with the churning force building within it. His eyes snapped open, fear was beginning to overcome him. Was this a trick? Had the woman standing before him done something to him? Was this all just another lie?

Kartan collapsed to his knees, grasping at his chest, as a single word drifted into his mind.

Scream.

Zaylos reared back on his haunches, arms stretching outward with every muscle in his body tensed and he let loose a scream that shook the ground beneath him.

The power receded just as quickly as it had crashed into him and exhaustion filled the void left by the power. Sweat ran down his face and his chest heaved. He leaned forward resting on his arms, still trying to suck as much air into his lungs as he could. Surely he'd failed. Without a word he awaited judgment.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry could feel his power building, feel him struggling with or against what he didn't understand. There was a conflict within him that could only go on like that for so long.

While he may not have known what was coming, she could tell that something was coming. How it would play out wasn't clear, but she began to draw on her own wells of energy, and let them form into an invisible wall.

And then it exploded. A scream that erupted from him, fueled by rage and fear. Her hand flew up and the invisible wall glistened green all around her. The sound waves flowed around it, unable to pierce it until his outburst was done and it dropped again.

It's a good start, she said, waiting for him to recover, but otherwise remaining almost distant. @Zay

 

[Zay Kartan]

Zaylos felt liked he'd just run a marathon. His body trembled from excursion as he forced himself up to a knee. He watched the woman carefully finally too tired to fear whatever she had planned.

Kartan could feel her energy withdraw. He was confused, had she not agreed to teach him?

"I don't understand."

It was the most sensible thing he could think to say. His day had been rather unsettling and now he was kneeling before a startling woman who literally oozed power. Having no other recourse but to await her word, Kartan simply remained in place wondering if he'd embarrassed himself with his weird little outburst.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry wasn't entirely sure what he was confused about, but she also wasn't going to begin teaching him until he committed himself to this path. The last thing she needed was some rogue Force user running around on her planet causing problems.

If you want to commit yourself to the Sith, then maybe you can prove yourself, she said. It was a test of his resolve more than anything. She was still unconvinced and could feel the conflict within him. She didn't want to waste her time and energy on someone who wasn't actually invested in this. He'd had a taste of the power, now it was time to find out if he meant what he said when he told her he'd give anything.

She gave him the coordinates to a world she had once learned about and a means of contacting her when all was done.

Go there and find a kyber crystal for yourself, she said, offering no explanation about what kyber crystals were, another challenge in its own way.

If you bring me one, then we can begin your training, she said as if it were the simplest thing in the world. And yet, that was where she left it. A challenge for him to overcome, and she would be back to her own work. Perhaps she'd see him again or perhaps she wouldn't. @Zay