Ask Oh Lorrdi!

[Mako Krim]

Mako could only nod as Zathria voiced her observation. Whatever had happened here, there had been no survivors. They had entered the observation room and the turbolift slid quietly shut behind them. The Jedi felt a sinking feeling in his gut as they approached the broken window and Zathria shouted at the man across the chasm.

Mako could feel the apprehension from his fellow, mirroring his own as he held his Lightsaber at the ready. It would only take a simple movement of the thumb to bring the weapon to life. The figure in the middle of the circle seemed utterly still, far too still for any normal person. There was seemingly no reaction for a moment to Zathria's words.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Mako murmured to Zathria as he dark robes shifted, the wearer stirring. Hooded head turned to look at the observation window, face cloaked in the shadows of the dimly lit room. But the eyes. Mako could feel the searing intensity that seemed to glow from within the hoods dark folds as they cut through him. Utter loathing washed over him like fetid water.

"Jedi?" A quiet voice hummed from the figure, more a comment than a question. The answer was apparent. "Not who I expected to hunt me here." The eyes remained locked on the pair as the figure remained motionless, the words dripping with a quiet contempt. A low chuckle echoed through the chamber for a moment, the reverberation of amusement seemed almost... wrong. Like an imitation of laughter that didn't come naturally to the being in the room.

"I would ask what you thought of my childhood home but..." The figure slowly rose, dark robe falling from its shoulders to pool in the center of the platform. The man appeared to be middle aged, bald and bearded. The clothing beneath the robes was shabby and unkempt. He cracked his neck before finishing the thought.

"You won't be leaving here alive!" The words came out as a yell that was full of hatred as the man, no, not a man. The Sith launched himself across the gap at the pair with an almost unsettling speed, red lightsaber snapping to life in his left hand, crimson lightning crackling in his right before launching at Zathria as the Sith closed the gap.

Snap-hiss

Mako's purple bladed saber ignited to life in his hands just in time to bring it to bear against the blade that struck at his midsection as he landed in front of the Pyke. The strength of the man. Mako held his saber in both hands, gritting his teeth as he held against the strike that nearly blew through his saber. The mystery of the facility fled from Mako's mind as the Jedi suddenly found himself fighting for his life.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

Oh look, he didn't comply. Zathria was just shocked. No, no she wasn't. No one like this ever complied. It sometimes made her wonder why she even bothered trying.

Yeah... she grumbled in agreement. Because, really, who could have a good feeling about it?

She knew where this was going the moment he turned, the saber springing to life in her hand as she brought the blade to ready position, one foot drawn back as she prepared herself, centering her mind and body in the Force in Soresu.

When the split of lightning cracked across the distance, her saber came up, absorbing the energy into the blade as he leapt at her partner. She was wary of calling on the Force too heavily here, and she was certain this Sith would draw on the power of the Dark Side to an even greater level, drunk on its power. Drunk enough to believe he could bring down both Jedi alone.

She leapt toward him, approaching from his back quarter and swinging her blade in a downward chop so that even if he dodged it, the blade wouldn't hit Mako, trying to time it with the impact of Mako's strike as well to take the most advantage of their numbers and prevent him from leaping over it.

@Arcangel

 

[Mako Krim]

Mako was a competent swordsman. Not an expert, not a novice, but he was competent.

In that moment he felt it all fleeing as he was faced with a level of darkness that he had never before encountered. If it was just him and the Sith crossing blades, he would surely be dead. Thankfully, he was not alone.

Mako's blade held firm, a strong Shii-cho block that kept the Sith's blade away from his body. He felt the moment of decision in the bind as Zathria moved in on the Sith and acted in response as the Sith whirled his blade away, pivoting to bring his blade up to parry the other Jedi's away. Mako began a swing for the sith's legs, aiming to severe the closest one at the thigh, only to be met with a hand that released a powerful pulse of the force that sent Mako skidding backwards a few feet as he maintained his balance against the attack.

Sabers screeched as the Sith's crimson clashed against blue, a parry that aimed to send Zathria's blade off to the side before a swift follow up reversal of momentum that sought to carve a molten gouge down the echani's chest. Mako rushed in with horizontal strike at the waist, attempting to catch the Sith in motion, hoping to cut him down before he could cut down his fellow.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

The Sith blocked her downward strike, aiming to send her blade out and away from her body, but Soresu was an art all about conservation of momentum, continuous blade movement, and incredible speed. These elements all worked in concert for her, and the Sith struck and struck again, but her blade never truly stopped moving, seemingly catching a strike and immediately moving to where the next was going to fall without missing a beat.

But amidst the flurry of blows that she blocked, not a single strike of her own was leveled against the Sith. Although she was capable of such attacks, it was taking most of her not-inconsiderable skill with the blade to just keep the Sith at bay.

As Mako leapt back into the fray, she felt a wave of relief at the sight. The rapid blows falling down on her - Ataru, she thought it was - came to a close as the man leapt into the air into a perfect back flip that when he landed meant he had not only evaded Mako's strike at the waist but also now had both of his opponents in front of him.

He leapt forward in a blur once again, raining a rapid sequence of blows down on the Pyke in the hopes of overwhelming him to take him out of the fight.

 

[Mako Krim]

Mako's blade bit air as the Sith leaped over him in a perfect backflip, his form nearly flawless as he moved with economy and precision. Mako's robe whirled as he spun to face the man, danger screaming in the back of his mind as he brought the blade up just in time to block the first strike as the Sith rushed in on him without pause.

The Sith struck in a flurry of rabid succession and Mako barely had time to blink, let alone think as he moved his blade almost by instinct in response. The basic defenses of Shii-cho while simple, held an excellence in their simplicity. Mako's blade moved from strike to strike, block to block, but it put him on the back foot as he retreated from his foe. Each block caught the enemies crimson blade further and further in on his guard, closer and closer to his body as he fought desperately just to survive in the pit of darkness that he refused to call his tomb.

"Shhyaa." The involuntary exhale, the hiss of a yell as Mako shunted the Sith's blade to his right in a Djem So parry, the tip of his own sword suddenly zipping dangerously close to the Sith's face as shifted forms. He stepped to the side away from Zathria as he swung another strike in an effort to put the Sith on the defense, if only temporarily, to gain space and put some distance between himself and his ally so that she had room to work.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

Zathria started to pull the Force to herself to attack the Sith who was in retreat now from Mako's blade, but even as she did, she felt stifled. Like the Force was still distant, and instead she decided for another route. She reached up and touched the amulet around her neck. If she couldn't use the Force, then she wasn't going to let the Sith attack her with it, either.

She launched herself forward, saber swinging around, but rather than swipe at the Sith, she blocked the Sith's counterstrike against Mako. The maneuver was unconventional, but the greatest strength of the Light was in its alliance with each other. That lack was the greatest weakness of the Dark.

The Sith's attack was all he could manage as Mako had put him on the defensive, and with that single counter-attack defeated, it left Mako open to deliver one, solid Djem So strike to finish the man off, but only if he acted quickly.

 

[Mako Krim]

The battle had seemed like an eternity but in reality only a few seconds had passed since the Sith's opening assault and the final moment. Mako's change in style had put the Sith on the defensive as he shifted suddenly from all out defense to attack. Zathria's blade came in, sizzling near Mako as it crossed between the Pyke and the Sith, blue blade catching red in a violent crash that dazzled Mako's eyes.

Opportunity. Mako would be a fool not to seize it. With a clearer head he might have mused on the consequences of a lethal strike, considered mercy. But there was no mercy there in the pit of darkness, no mercy in the Sith. Neither had likely ever experienced such a thing in their existences.

Such was the power of the Sith they fought that there had been no time for thought, no time for consideration. Only clear and decisive action.

The swing that Mako had been making to catch the Sith's blade while sticking his own purple saber's tip towards the villain's face was easily shifted in angle and turned into a full bodied slash.

A stifled hiss filled the air along with the stench of burnt meat as the Sith's head toppled to the ground, rolling away. The lifeless body stood rigid for a mere moment before collapsing, crimson saber extinguished as it fell to roll a few feet across the ground. Mako felt a churning in his gut, a sense of dread as he looked down at the corpse.

The darkness around them seemed to deepen and Mako could feel it's stifling aura closing in. The Jedi Knight closed his eyes, pushing away the darkness that sought to entrap him in his actions, to drag him into the beckoning spiral of the darkside. He would have to do much meditating and centering of himself after the events that had taken place, that still needed to take place.

"It is done then." The Pyke said after a moment, opening his eyes and nodding as he turned to look at Zathria. His saber still glowed at his side for a moment before he extinguished the blade and stooped to pick up the Sith's lightsaber, regarding it. It was a simple thing, unadorned and unloved. Turning it over he noticed the same symbol of the arena stamped on the bottom of the pommel.

"I will purify this saber's crystal, bring the kyber peace." He said before walking over to the broken glass of the viewport to look downwards, past the arena that hung suspended over the pit, down into the darkness.

"I sense it is down there, the center of it all." He said. Though they had killed the Sith that had been stoking the nexus, the darkside was still strong. Its presence still existed as an oppressive blanket that lay over everything.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

Zathria watched the saber blow as it came around, cleaving through the body of the Sith and leaving his head to roll to the ground. Zathria's heart was pounding and her hands were shaking. She'd been in fights here and there, but it had been years since she had faced a Sith in combat. It wasn't something she relished.

Good, she said with a nod, finally lowering her saber and letting the blade flash out with a fshwoop. She walked over, boots treading on the broken glass as he indicated where the nexus was at and she nodded.

Yeah, I guess its time, she said, though her mind was drawn back to the man they had just killed. Not because she felt guilt over killing him, but because she wondered why he had stayed. As much as everyone tried to make the Sith out to be psychotic, many of them were not. Yes, the Dark Side could blind and it could absolutely drive people mad, but for every one of those, there were ten with a different story.

I wonder why stayed. Did the Nexus just drive him mad or was there something else? she wondered aloud as she dropped down into the arena below. Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi.

She took a slow, stiff breath as she took a seat in the heart of darkness, knowing it would take both of them truly working together in sync to lift the curse of this place.

 

[Mako Krim]

"No time like the present." Mako agreed. The sooner they were done here, the sooner the suffocating darkness was gone, the sooner they could leave. Mako followed Zathria, leaping down to the arena platform below. Standing there in the circle, Mako got a better view of the platform. It was marred and marked by gouges that had been smoothed out but not filled, leaving a ragged appearance to the surface. Several spots held large, lingering stains. Mako shuddered.

"Stayed? Or came back?" Mako questioned as he remembered the skeleton with its ribs caved in up above, a boot mark imprinted in the bone dust. A few steps of the same dust that had lead deeper into the facility. There was no time for such questions now as he sad own in the middle of the dreadful circle, joining Zathria.

He let his fears fall away, great as they were. Pushed away, Mako breathed. Deep, slow. He breathed. The Darkness around them was strong, but they were wielders of the light. The Jedi existed to bring light to the darkness, and they would bear the torch that brought peace to the accursed pit, finally.

Mako settled into a deep meditative trance, beckoning the light to come to him, strained and weak as it was here. The two of them would serve as beacons of light, conduits through which it could flow into the darkness below. Breathe. Mako felt the physical sense of his body slip away, his mind rising to meet Zathria's in the force as they joined their powers to purge the ancient darkness.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

Zathria shrugged as he asked about staying or coming back. Either one, she said. It did make a different, but not to them. Either way, she wouldn't be getting any answers from him, which was one of the many down sides to killing people.

Zathria sat and focused in meditation as Mako did, but instead of simply trying to force the nexus and the darkness into submission, she opened herself up to her partner. She let her energy flow into him and back to herself, willingly sharing that which the Dark Side so coveted. Darksiders couldn't understand the concept of sharing, and the simple act alone was one that created a small tear through which the Light could pour.

She let her mind drift to just her breathing. Even the anger that wanted to well up unbidden as a result of the very nature of where they sat was no match for her will. She had trained her whole life for this, and she was not so easily swayed from the path of the Light. She let calm and serenity well up within herself and overflow to the area all around her.

 

[Mako Krim]

The darkness of the pit was pervasive. Mako's breathing was a slow, steady rhythm as he felt Zathria's energy flow into him. Likewise, his spirit flowed through her, the simple act letting a single bloom of light grow within the darkness.

The dark would not go quietly however. Seemingly of a mind of its own it recoiled from the light as it opened up and spread from the aura of the two Jedi. Recoiled, and then returned. The two Jedi soon found themselves once again under assault, this time an assault of the mind and spirit instead of the body.

Whispers. Cries of pain echoed in the darkness around them. Visions would plague the Jedi as they focused their hearts and minds on the soul task of erasing the corruption that was so deep rooted in the pit. Mako shifted slightly as the energy bore down on them, trying to snuff out the light.

Steady. Breathe. Mako fought the urge towards fear and submission that the darkness tried to place upon him. He was a Jedi. He was peace. He was the light that shined in the darkness. And the darkness feared the light.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

The Force around them was pulsing with darkness like a storm that the two Jedi had to be the eye of. They had to be the calm center, and if they lost control now, there was no telling where it could travel and the destruction it could cause.

Just breathe.

But even as she centered herself in the moment, visions of all the deaths here began to play through her mind. Children fighting one another. A victor standing over the half-broken body of a rival and proceeding to beat the other child to death. She didn't want to watch. She didn't want to see it. She wanted to pull back and run away from this place.

She didn't. She stood firm and allowed herself to drink in the suffering even as she distanced herself from it. She couldn't fix it, she couldn't change it, she could only let the Force act as it would.

@Arcangel

 

[Mako Krim]

The force swirled around the pair of Jedi as they carried out their ritual. The baying of the dark nipping at the calm center of light that was building in the pit. Images of violence flashed across Mako's mind. Children fighting, with fist and saber. Violence, pain, death. It almost broke Mako's heart as he forced himself to look at it head on, staring the suffering in the metaphorical eyes as he sought to finally bring some vestige of peace to this place.

Mako knew he would never forget the things he saw in the pit, the things the darkness showed him. Images of torture and death were thrust upon the pair of Jedi, though their clarity began to fade as the aura of light grew. The dark pit below seemed to scream in frustration as the darkside fought for its survival in this place.

A final set of images flashed across their minds. The children they had seen before were older now. Consumed by darkness, it blazed in their eyes as they struck down their tormenters. Mako was torn, was it justice or something darker. It didn't matter as it was all in the past and the Jedi could only hope that some measure of peace could be brought to those poor souls who had been warped and shaped by the darkness of the pit.

On the surface, the sun began to rise. Below, the light dawned in the pit. There was a shift in the dank air that flowed through the tunnels. The pair of Jedi would feel the shift in their environment as the darkness gave way to light. The shadows seemed to lose some of their depth, the despair that existed seemed to recede as their purpose neared its completion.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

Zathria watched the same vision that Mako now saw, the children grown and taking vengeance on their captors, but even as she did, she knew that the darkness had consumed them anyway. She felt no pity for those that were cut down - dark torturers and evil beings - but she pitied the children who did it.

To cut them down was justice, but justice wasn't the reason they were cut down. It was the need for revenge. The terrible, primal desire that consumed and drove one to lose control.

And then the vision receded. The Light began to swell, and she could feel goodness returning to this place. Or maybe what she felt was just the receding of evil. A chance of rejuvenation and - hopefully - the freeing of the woman who was wracked with torment by this evil place.

She didn't know how much longer passed - probably hours - as the two Jedi sat there, but when it was finally finished, Zathria opened her eyes. What struck her first - and shocked her - was that she... wasn't tired. A full night without sleep and a full night of meditating to purify a nexus, but she felt she had more energy now than after a full night of sleep. She knew it was the Force's doing, and she knew that it was a testament to the Light returning to this place.

We should go back and check on the patient. And let the local government know about what happened, she said. She wasn't sure how they would feel about two Jedi being here, but they shouldn't be unhappy about the darkness being gone... you'd think. Time would tell.

@Arcangel

 

[Mako Krim]

When Mako finally opened his eyes he could sense that hours had been spent in the trance. Despite everything he had been through, the trials of the catacombs, the desperate fight for his lift, the night spent meditating to restore some vestige of peace to this place... He felt rejuvenated. Truly wondrous the force was.

"Agreed. Force willing she survived the night and will make a full recovery." He desperately hoped that was the case. He wouldn't say it had all been for nothing if she died, they had still eliminated a great threat and cleansed a greater darkness from the planet Lorrd. He didn't want to imagine the crushing despair he might feel at finding out she hadn't survived the night however.

Standing, Mako felt a weight dragging him down at the hip. The lightsaber of the sith felt heavy on his belt, as if it wanted to be anywhere else, the crystal resisting his presence. All in due time. Picking a direction off the arena platform, Mako led the way with the keycard, opening doors that eventually led to a long chamber lined with what could only be sleeping cells. Though their bars and ray shields had long been open and deactivated, a quick passing glance revealed bare metal chambers, the platforms that he could only guess were meant to be 'beds' looked just as solid and unforgiving as the rest of the facility. He decided he would rather not linger.

The trip to the surface took some time, finding their way through the maze of a facility, backtracking through the tunnels and catacombs. The restless spirits that had assaulted them during their descent left them alone as they walked the same tunnels, either finally at peace or merely willing to let the Jedi pass. Finally reaching the surface, they found the droid driven speeder had remained, awaiting them as requested. The flight across the dark flats was a solemn and quiet affair, both Jedi likely deep in contemplation about the events that had transpired in the pit, the visions they had seen, the wrongs they had witnessed.

It was almost noon by the time the pair finally reached the ill woman's abode. They were greeted by the sight of the husband outside, sweeping away the salt that had lined the doorway. His aura seemed well, relieved. It was enough to bring a slight smile to Mako's face as they approached.

"We return. Your wife... is she well?" Mako asked, getting straight to the point. They still had the local government to speak to and if everything was well with the woman there wasn't much reason to linger beyond briefly checking up on her.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

Zathria was silent as they made most of the trip out, knowing that this place would probably need further investigating in the days that came, but that was for another time and day. They hadn't purged the past from this place, but at least they'd managed to lift the taint to allow the citizens of this world just a little peace.

When they finally made it back to the house, Zathria could already sense the answer to Mako's question before they made it in. It was written all over the husband's face.

She is! Thank you so much. I don't know how we can ever repay you! he said excitedly. Lyra! Come out here, the Jedi are back! he shouted, and sure enough, out walked Lyra. Zathria would have thought she would be in - and would probably advise her to go back to - bed in order to rest, but for the moment, Zathria felt a wave of relief at seeing the woman in better shape than when they had left. Far, far better shape.

@Arcangel

 

[Mako Krim]

Mako's slight smile only grew wider at the husband's greeting, his manner the exact opposite of the night before. Though his eyes were lined with bags of sleeplessness he seemed energetic as he called for his wife.

"I am glad you seem to have made a full recovery." Mako said with a deep nod as the woman, Lyra, came out of the back room. They hadn't met before, her being in the throes of a nightmarish coma, but there was no better time than the present.

"So you're the Jedi my husband was telling me about." She said as she came to stand beside the man, wrapping an arm in his. She smiled at the pair. She seemed tired, worn out, but miles better than when they had last seen her. "I can't thank you enough for saving me, for saving my baby." She said as she placed a hand on her belly, blinking back tears that were threatening to spill down her face.

"We require no thanks ma'am." Mako insisted. "The simple fact that your are well, that your child is well is more than enough for us." He finished as he lay his eyes on the woman's pregnant belly. Through the force he could tell that the life growing there was now thriving again, a far cry from what Zathria had sensed that night.

"Really, I must thank you in some way. We don't have much. Perhaps you could stay for dinner." The woman wiped her face and let a smile return to it. Mako glanced at Zathria. They really needed to inform the authorities of what they had found down in the pit, but perhaps...

"We really must be going, to report our findings to your government and... you should be resting still, right?" He asked the Jedi woman, the healer of the pair who knew better than him on those matters. Though he wasn't opposed to a home cooked meal there was still a sense of urgency that lingered in his spirit.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

Zathria let her senses flow into the woman even from here. She could tell the woman wasn't nearly fully healed, but she was on the mend and in the right direction. She could tell that the child was now well, much better than before.

She let Mako do the talking, which was totally fine with her, allowing her to check on her patient even from a distance.

Yes, as your healer, I really must insist that you get some rest. At least for the next 48-72 hours, she said, considering putting a hint of the Force into her "persuasion" but ultimately deciding against it.

I would hate for anything to happen to your baby, she said. And if motherly instincts didn't do what the Force did, then Zathria was a Hutt. Sure enough, the woman was practically booking it inside to rest before the two Jedi had even left, and Zathria suppressed a smile.

We wish you both well, she said to the husband with a slight bow before turning to leave and heading in the direction of the local governor. She had no idea if they'd even be okay with two Jedi being here... but again, they should at least be happy to have their problem dealt with.

@Arcangel

 

[Mako Krim]

Though they were missing out on a nice, warm meal, Mako was glad that Zathria had convinced the woman to rest. Despite no longer being haunted by the forces of darkness, she still no doubt needed time to recover from her force afflicted illness. Leaving the couples humble home after receiving directions from the husband to the Governer's Palace, the two Jedi began the final stretch of their journey.

"It is strange that this world has returned to its old practice of slavery considering their history." Mako commented to Zathria as they walked. If the records were right, they had a long held hatred for the practice, originating from the events that had led to the creation and later destruction of the Slave Pits. It was only in recent years, in the last thirty or forty years that the planet had returned to such a despicable practice.

"It makes me wonder if the nexus had something to do with it." He mused out loud as they approached the gates to the Governer's palace. He was of course open to Zathria's opinion.

The gates themselves were barred even during the daytime hours, and they were flanked by a pair of guards wielding force pikes. Along the wall that ringed the palace were several riflemen who seemed rather bored as they carried out their patrol duties. Mako waved at the pair of pike wielding guards who stood at the entrance.

"Greetings, we are representatives of the Jedi Order. We come seeking audience with the Governor." Mako informed them, hoping that was all it would take to gain entrance to the palace. His hopes were fulfilled as one of the guards got on his comlink for a moment before nodding. The gate opened and the guard waved them in before once again closing the gates behind them.

"That was easy." Mako said to Zathria as they traversed the splendorous courtyard, its rich fittings and fine greenery a direct contrast to much of what they had seen of the city. They were met shortly by an aide who guided them through a pair of grand doors and through the vaulted hallways of the governer's palace.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

I'm not sure I can look the other way on their slavery here, she said. She knew the Old Jedi Order had done that, but it hadn't been right. There were many things that Old Jedi had done that was just wrong.

As they made their way into the governor's palace, Zathria settled her mind once again to prepare for the discussion to come. She was thankful to have a partner on whom she could rely and it was a reassuring feeling to not be in it alone.

Their meeting with the governor went well, and despite his initial hesitation about a pair of Jedi, as the story unfolded, he warmed up more and more to the two, finding himself almost indebted to them as they finally left.