Ask [Raxus] One Step Closer to the Edge

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Raxus Secundus, 151 ABY
​

Kyo had been alone for around a week now. Thanks to Yuri he was alive, but once he'd recovered more of his memories he'd found it difficult to cope with what he'd done, and felt the need to distance himself from her to keep her safe. He was pretty sure he was unwelcome by the Grandmaster and the Order right now. It wasn't every day you accidently dropped a wall on your own boss. He was pretty sure the woman had likely already had him officially exiled by now. It had been quite some time after Ruusan after all.

The raven-haired young man shook his head and sighed. Raven bangs hanging over his dim blues. A low fire crackled and popped next to him. A river ran by not too far away. The hills folded up and drooped over to create a natural shelter where the lost Shadow sulked alone, keeping away from the rain while he dressed a fresh knife wound he'd gotten from a recent fight. He hoped nobody noticed his use of the Force during the scuffle. It was still unrefined and he'd accidently killed one of the men who tried to mug him by blasting him off of a cliff.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

In the chaos of the Killiks, the galaxy burned, raw terror and scorching rage. Raxus was quiet, though. The croak of frogs and the chirp of crickets. The gentle whispers of fresh scented wind. The touch of grass swaying in the breeze. In the distance, where cities glowed, the ambience of machinery hummed over the fall of rain. It seemed that in some parts of the universe, peace was still resting tightly upon it's precipice, too stubborn to fall into the abyss below.

Even the ruthless Kel Dor was soothed by the gentle storm, and the sway of the trees. Sol had stopped on the planet to refuel his Interceptor, but he had ultimately decided to spend the night, a silent few hours of peace all to himself. He had settled within a small resort upon the edge of a forested lake, where the vibrant hues of the undergrowth reflected off of still water.

But even here, on the edge of civilization, there was danger. Something bright ignited the skies, not a light source, but a flash of something different, a distortion of the force which had flowed so quietly until now. Like a stone dropping into quiet water, something had disturbed the current. Sol makes his way down the steps of the resort, the rain falling across his bare head and shoulders as he peers beyond the storm and into the rolling hills beyond.

There is peace again. Stillness to the crisp air. But the Kel Dor knows what he had felt, knows that somewhere in the deep forest beyond, something worth investigation lurked. He heads out without a word, drawing a black hood over his head as the rain shrouds his footsteps. Around the lake, the Sith gazes into undisturbed waters, where mist was gathering upon gentle waves.

Eventually, the lake becomes a river, and the Kel Dor finds himself following against the current, his boots nearly silent against fallen leaves and sharp stone. The trek grows steeper, rougher, and night begins to set in as the rain shrouds obstacles and predators alike. Sol has the force though, knows exactly where to step, and what is watching him from the shadows. He presses on, until the scent of smoke rests heavy upon the rain swept wind.

From there, it isn't far. The small fire casts it's golden glow, and the Kel Dor strides toward the curled, earthy shelter with narrowed eyes. A man dressed a knife wound near the crackling blaze, with the rain and the river shrouding almost all sound the Sith could make. He isn't yet sure if this is the source of the disturbance he had felt, but it was worth his curiosity regardless.

If there was a Jedi on Raxus, Sol wanted to know about it. He probes at the man with the force as he draws near. If the other was force sensitive, he would certainly be able to notice. By that point, Sol was in clear view, a shadow against the nearby fire, his dark mask glinting in the low light. Though he speaks not a word, his presence alone is oppressive. The Kel Dor appears pale in the firelight, and behind his goggles, a corrupted glow shimmers.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

The rain dulls his senses, making it difficult for Kyo to split his focus between tending his injury and staying aware. Just as he nearly finishes the final wrap something catches his attention. A ping at the edge of his wary Sense.

Kyo's gaze flicked up, then he froze as he noticed the silhouette of an intimidating figure lurking outside his pitiful shelter. A lost hunter? Another mugger? Something worse?

"Hello?" A hint of trepidation rattled out of his slightly shaky voice. Had someone noticed him earlier after all? He knew this was Sith territory, but it's not like he was a Jedi anymore. It was clear that this figure didn't just want him dead yet or he figured they would've ambushed him when they had the chance.

He didn't do much else. His hand had stopped mid-wrap, a small bundle of bandages in his right hand while the dressing was currently around his left. Kyo was prepared to drop the roll of bandages and reach for the blaster pistol at his hips, but for now he remained still, dim blues focused on the alien whose features he couldn't quite make out yet from across his little fire.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

If the man had felt Sol's forceful probing, he didn't visibly react to the dark side as it slithered around his soul. Instead, he seems startled, parts his lips to offer an uncertain greeting. Sol remains still, drenched in the rain that battered him, an ominous entity of wintry cold and shadow. In the distance, a roll of thunder cracks within the dark clouds. An eerie atmosphere to be sure, out here in the woods of Raxus.

"Hello." Simple. Dry. It lacks hospitality, and instead rings of danger. Sol steps closer, until he, too, was sheltered from the rain, the fire illuminating his robed features, and the hilt of a lightsaber gleaming at his belt. "Not long ago, I felt something peculiar." The Kel Dor goes on with venomous eyes. But he doesn't need an answer, he knows what he feels now, with his continued probing of the stranger with the force. "I admit my curiosity. So, just what am I looking at right now?" Not a Sith. A Jedi, perhaps? Unlikely, here on Raxus. But then again, he was camping out in the wilderness, far from civilization. A neutral, perhaps? Sol doesn't know, but he intends to find out.

"Answer honestly." The Kel Dor adds a note of cold warning.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

The dark side certaintly did not seem to affect Kyo as much as one would expect from most, something he suddenly realized he should've emulated as the figure welcomed themselves in. Didn't help that it was likely him this person felt earlier too. The noticable lightsaber did send a small chill down his spine though, since he realized he probably wouldn't be able to defend himself very well from this likely Sith with just a blaster pistol and vibrodagger.

Kyo gradually buried his presence in the Force, balancing just enough of it to shield his mind from any attempts to probe it. He hoped the black commoner's clothes he'd stolen made him seem a bit less like a Jedi. For now, he'd dodge the stranger's suspicion of him being the one who used the Force earlier.

"Just a nobody..." His response was calm and cold. An honest answer from his perspective. His eyes searched the individual, then paused. An image flashed through his mind. A vague and blurry image of a Kel Dor's head that looked a lot like this one. The memory snapped away and Kyo was left without the context he needed to remember where he'd seen this person before, if this was even the same one.

These kinds of flashbacks were nothing new to him. He'd learned to control his outward reactions when getting them now, and kept himself mostly steady as he stared up at his unwelcome guest. Only the slightest twitch of his head like a hint of recognition showed.

Anything short of a dark side attack would also seem to draw little attention from the lost Shadow, who'd gone far out of his way to increase his resistance to the dark over many cycles. He hunted Sith and rogue Jedi in the past. It would take much more for this one to illicit a response from him. He'd even made a set of armor specifically to challenge and tempt himself with the dark side, which he later purified to show his zeal for the light, not that he was very zealous about such things anymore.

Kyo very slowly and cautiously began to finish the last wrap of his bandage, unless the figure made any sort of motion or command for him to stop. "You?"

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

Just a nobody. A nobody camping out in the wilderness of Raxus alone, where it just so happened the Kel Dor had sensed that ripple through the force. He's not convinced, no, he's entirely suspicious. The man before him didn't appear to have a lightsaber, and the blaster at his side was certainly not something typically found on a Jedi. At the same time, the man doesn't look to be an equipped hunter.

He's an outcast. But whether or not this was the man responsible for the disturbance in the force, Sol's yet to find definitive proof. That doesn't mean he's not confident in it, though. Too many things didn't make sense.

Annoyance frays at his mind, because he's certain that this fool is lying. That he's hiding here for a reason. Ultimately, what did it matter? There was nobody here but Sol and the stranger. No witnesses to claim that the Kel Dor had slaughtered a civilian unprovoked. Nobody here to dispute his suspicions, but the stranger himself, and he seemed far from talkative. The knife wound that the man was bandaging draws his eyes.

"How did that happen?" Sol inquires dryly, gesturing toward the bandaged wound with a narrow claw. He doesn't introduce himself, because why should he? If the stranger intended to dodge his questions, then Sol held little desire to be cordial. He's not going to stand around and play games with the stranger all day. Ultimately, Sol didn't need answers. He already had an excuse.

"I will be frank. I know what I sensed. I know that somewhere in these woods, someone is drawing on the force, and it was not a Sith. Here, I find you. Not a hunter. Not a traveler, or you wouldn't have strayed from the roads. You have an injury, which means you've likely been in a recent fight. Is any of this ringing any bells for you?" The Kel Dor's vocals are dark and biting as he goes on, "From my point of view, there's only a few things you can be. None of them are good for your health." He points out harshly.

"The way I see it, you're either some criminal looking to avoid the law, or you're the one responsible for the force signature I felt. Either way, I doubt anyone will come looking for your corpse. So, a different tactic," Sol drawls cruelly, "Why shouldn't I simply kill you now?"

If this man was an asset, it would be a shame to waste it. Thus far, though, the stranger seems more akin to a burden.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

The final wrap finished just as he was threatened. Kyo's hands paused again. His blank and distant stare fell to the fire. "Well I..." A heavy breath escaped. Even if he did somehow manage to overpower the Sith, which would likely be an extremely challenging fight, what then? He faintly shook his head, gaze glued to the flames. "...alright, alright. I get it." He closed his eyes and gradually began to relax the tension in his muscles.

"I was checking on my traps for today's meal." He cautiously leaned forward at the fire, not making any sudden movements that might trigger the stranger. "Nothing in them, unfortunately..." He moved his hands forward to the top of the flames, keeping them distant enough so the edge of the fire's tip would flick against the bandage and split it between his hands.

"Then on my way back I got jumped by some men..." Kyo pulled back and set the roll of bandages next to a rock near him, which had a small black bag resting against the base of it. "And well, I guess they thought I had something they wanted." He motioned his hand over to another small boulder near the opposite side of the fire to invite the Kel Dor to take a seat.

"So they ganged up around me. Cornered me. Began to attack me..." There was just enough of a hint in his tone to show that Kyo did not feel as calmly about the incident as he was trying to let on. "I had to defend myself. So..." He shrugged lightly, but then hesitated when he went to speak, as though he wasn't sure he should reveal what happened next. He took another deep breath.

"So I fought back. They had vibroblades and blasters. I had the Force." He paused, bringing his dim blues up to the Kel Dor's covered eyes. He wasn't sure the stranger needed any more details about the injury than that, but he did feel the need to reassure this likely Sith that he wasn't a Jedi anymore. "But you needn't kill me over that. I am no Jedi."

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

The man seemed to get the message. Would it save him? That was yet to be seen. The Kel'dor could be brutal, but he doesn't kill others for amusement. A Jedi was a threat, and not something he'd casually permit within Imperial boundaries. A neutral force user was unlikely, but still a danger nonetheless, especially when untrained. Either way, the life of the stranger hung in the balance. His words would either save him, or doom him.

The man speaks of traps, but claims they had all been empty of prey. Sol doesn't really take the man for a trapper, though. Did he live out here? Or did he simply check on the traps a few times a week?

It doesn't matter, in the end. Sol doesn't care about his so called traps. He is silent as he continues to listen, the stranger illuminated by the glow of the fire as the rain continued to fall beyond their earthy shelter. Bandits were not entirely unusual, especially beyond the boundaries of local towns and cities.

The Kel'dor doesn't move, doesn't take the offered seat, just stares with wintry eyes as the tone shifts within the stranger's vocals. It was hardly noticeable, but Sol catches it. A moment later, and the man admits that it had been him, the source of that ripple through the force. He claims that he's no Jedi, says it with such conviction, but the suspicion within the Sith has not yet settled. He does find himself curious, though. If not a Jedi, then what?

The Sith finally moves toward the rough boulder, taking a seat opposite of the fire. Now that the man had opened up a bit, the Kel'dor was inclined to be a bit more civil. His right hand was still close enough to his lightsaber, should he need it.

"If you are no Jedi, then what are you? You must have learned to use the force somewhere." Sol points out flatly. At the very least, he doesn't threaten to kill the stranger yet. He had yet to decide the fate of the man, but for now, he was inquisitive, and he would listen peacefully. Perhaps this would present an interesting opportunity for them both.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Once the stranger finally decided to sit near the fire there was enough light to illuminate his features more than Kyo had noticed before. Another flash nearly blocked out his vision. A datapad suddenly in his hands. A cropped image of the stranger along with a list of other missing Jedi. People Kyo once hunted, not to kill, but to bring back to order. A collection of words next to his face.

Rank: Padawan
Status: missing

The stranger's title was clear, but his name remained a blur for the moment. It slowly began to clear for a moment, but then snapped away, and he was in the present again. The look of recognition that had just been a hint before was now much more. Kyo paused, but before his hesitation became too awkward he'd finally answer the stranger.

"I was a Jedi once, like you were." There was no hint of deception, just pure conviction. No doubt lingered in Kyo's mind as another instance of studying the list of MIA Jedi flashed through. And then another. The lost Shadow had seen that list so many times. Had seen this very stranger's face scroll along with the others over the many cycles he spent operating alone at the edge of the Galaxy.

Kyo's dim blues shimmered with a flare of light. Then his expression shifted. Softened full of genuine empathy for the lost Padawan.

"What happened to you?"

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

There's a pause. It hangs in the air, leaving Sol with an aura of impatience. When the stranger finally does speak, his words are unexpected. Sol's immediate reaction is shock. His time within the Jedi had been brief, far briefer than his time with the Sith. What little he remembered of it had been twisted by the dark. Regardless, it was a stain upon his psyche, a memory that the Kel'dor would sooner have purged than accept. He had little desire to face his past, despite how it continued to haunt him.

The second thing he feels is rage. It's quiet, and seething. Not the roar of a fire, but the hiss of a snake.

"You know nothing." Sol's vocals are quiet. He doesn't need the pity of this stranger. He was right where he belonged, and the galaxy was within reach of his talons, should he only work hard for it. The Empire had been his rebirth, and Sol was grateful to it, grateful to the Sith for sharing their knowledge, and perhaps more importantly, their power. Whatever he was, whatever he used to be, Sol would shun that vision of himself for an eternity.

As for this stranger, the one who claimed he was no longer Jedi, like The Kel'dor, he is uncertain. Was he an exile?

The thought is a curious one, and it presented an opportunity that the Kel'dor would not pass up. A part of his thinking was sick, in a way. To corrupt this man, to destroy all that he is, to reform him into something better, just as Sol had been.

"Do not turn this upon me." The Kel'dor responds, and his vocals are not raised, but rather, are like a cool chill upon the breath of a winter's breeze. "What happened to you? Are you an exile?" Sol counters.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Kyo's attentive gaze lingered upon the stranger. He tried to search for the memory again, getting a flash with the same image and only a blurry name. Once the ex-Padawan asked him if he was in exile though, Kyo sighed and lowered his head. "Yeah... I'm pretty sure I am by now..."

Again his demeanor was honest. "I made a pretty big mistake... I made the wrong choice and hurt some innocent people, including the Grandmaster..." He took a deep breath and paused for a moment. "I'm pretty sure none of them want me back..."

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

It seemed that now, finally, Sol was getting to the truth of the matter. He wasn't interested in games, in beating around the bush, as it were. For a time, the Kel'dor had seriously been considering electrocuting the man. Now, though, he finds himself even more thoughtful than before. A Jedi was one thing. An exile was another entirely.

This was something malleable, something that he could break, and rebuild. Reshape into something of his making. Like shattered glass, it would be the cruel claws of Sol that puts the pieces back together, even if some shards must be left to the dust.

"Their loss, then." Like a snake, he speaks with a honeyed baritone, as if his opinion had suddenly changed, as if he hadn't threatened the stranger with death just minutes prior. If this man had hurt the Grandmaster, mistake or not, then surely he would be worth the Sith's time? A trained assassin at his beck and call. Sol might as well had been drooling at the idea. He wanted nothing more than to pick this man's brain apart like a surgeon in some cruel lab.

"So, you are an outcast." The Kel'dor comments, finally recognizing the makeshift shelter for what it was. An Exile hiding within Imperial space, where the Jedi would not think to ever find him.

"So am I." Sol speaks as if he's opening up, when he has a far more conniving plot in mind. "You're right. I was a padawan. But like you, I made a terrible mistake. It was for the better, though." He continued, and how a man could shift from so cold to so polite, the stranger might wonder. "But mistakes are not our end. They are a learning opportunity. I grew from mine, became something better." He points out lightly.

"Perhaps I should offer you the same option." It's a lie, really. Sol never had a choice. He was stolen, obliterated, and rebuilt as the Sith saw fit. Worse still, he would do the same to this man, if given the opportunity. Regardless, the proposal was on the table. The Champion was offering the Exile a second chance.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"Became something better?" Kyo's brows quirked as he glanced over at the lost Padawan. "I sensed the dark side all around when you came in here. You walk with a saber still. No doubt it's red." His eyes narrowed. "Would you expect me to kill innocents and use the dark side as well? How can I believe you're an outcast and not suspect that you're just another Sith?"

He remained on edge, strategizing how he might close the gap between them and disarm the ex-Jedi if he made a move to attack. Until then he'd stay steadfast, readying himself with each moment that passed. Slowly but surely he'd begin to subtlety attempt drawing in the tiniest drops of the Force to gradually alter and strengthen the muscles and joints in his legs. "What if I refuse?"

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

Ah. Just the sort of response he'd expect from someone who used to be a Jedi. Honestly, it agitates Sol more than it amuses him. The stranger was right in claiming he had sensed the dark side, just as he was right about the crimson color of his blade. The Kel'dor intended to hide neither of these things, particularly if he intended to bring this exile into the fold.

"I am a Sith." Sol responds simply, as if he were merely stating a fact. After all, if he was going to adopt a new student, he'd might as well be honest about it. For a time, the others in his Order had doubted him, had doubted his history, and his intent. Now, though, the Champion was breaking free of that mold. In time, he intended to gain in power, and all that had condemned him would have no other choice but to kneel.

"But regardless, I am offering you an opportunity. The same that was offered to me." Some would say that the dark came with it's costs, but so far, Sol had only ever experienced it's strengths. The exile before him might have been inclined to disagree with that assessment, but it was the Kel'dor's belief nonetheless. "You would be wise to accept." An edge to his tone, a warning. It was not often that Sol extended such fruitful opportunities.

But should the Exile refuse? The answer was simple enough.

"Then being an exile will be the least of your concerns." The Kel'dor responds with cruelty. Would he kill the exile, knowing that it might be a wasted resource? Perhaps not. But then, there were far worse things than death.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Images of being chained up in a dark dungeon flashed through Kyo's mind. He'd been captured before. It wasn't something he wanted to happen again. If it wasn't that then it was likely death the Sith insinuated.

The lost Shadow's eyes narrowed. The slow draw of the Force continued unabated, building just enough to close the gap between them in the blink of an eye should he snap into action. His muscles gradually tensed. He leaned forward, acting as if it were to deliver his next words with greater emphasis, but in actuality he prepared himself to pounce like a wild nexu.

"You know..." He paused. Eyes flicked to the Kel'dor's goggles. "You might just be my ticket back in to the Order. Padawan." Then he suddenly lunged forward with enhanced speed, darting through the fire and appearing in front of the Sith in a flash.

Kyo's right hand would react to the Sith's own reaction, aiming to intercept, twist away, and disarm any weapon the Kel'dor drew. If he went for a Force power instead then Kyo would aim for the Sith's fingers to grab them, yank them back and upside down, and pressure the wrist to snap backwards if his target didn't relent.

Either way his left elbow would fly forward as the arm folded like a wing and directed the heavy attack directly towards the Sith's face - or if he went to stand in reaction to the attack - his throat.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

The man before him tenses, spits his words with vile vitriol, a harsh reminder of the Kel'dor's past. But he was no padawan anymore, no lost child with no grasp of the force. The exile responds harshly, darting through the fire like the shot of an arrow from a taut string. It was quick, but Sol was just as fast, the force screaming at his mind to move.

His initial intent was to snatch at his lightsaber, as his right hand had already been resting upon the hilt. The blade flickers to life for less than a moment before Kyo disarms him, no doubt having predicted the effort. The blade clatters to the wet ground, Sol doesn't have time to retrieve it. The elbow that was thrown at his face was a far more pressing matter.

With a snarl, the Kel'dor jolts backward, twists clumsily off of the heavy stone he had been sitting on. In doing so, he avoids the hit to the face, but then that doesn't exactly improve the situation by much.

With a surge of the dark side rushing to his clawed fingertips, Sol reacts swiftly with a counter-attack, force pushing the small boulder he had been siting upon directly toward the exile. He hopes that it'll hit with enough power to knock the man's legs out from under him, but either way, the intent was more-so to allow the Sith to roll back onto his feet.

Standing now, he once more summons the force to his right hand as he attempts to bring the glinting hilt of his lightsaber snapping back into his awaiting palm.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Without missing a beat, Kyo would press his attack. Having missed with the elbow he quickly drew it back and went to extend his right hand toward the falling saber. Upon seeing the Sith's hand gesture he went to lunge forward and grasp at the wrist with his left hand to interrupt him. However, it seemed he underestimated the ex-Padawan's speed.

Kyo went to dodge the sudden rock that flew at him, but one of his legs was glanced by the stone, nearly sweeping him off his feet. The concentration Kyo had been splitting to pull the Sith's saber to him was broken, since he was forced to use his hands to catch the ground in time so he didn't fall flat on his face.

It didn't matter though. The Sith summoned it for him.

Kyo was still down on one knee when he'd reach out with his right hand, attempting to snatch the Sith's lightsaber out of the air. If he succeeded, he'd then immediately tighten his grasp around it, and go to ignite the crimson lightsaber out to his side.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

The Exile was fast, and within the mere seconds that their duel had lasted thus far, Sol already had a grasp on just what to expect from the other man. He struck in a blur, pressed his attack with a crippling offensive. The stranger probably hoped to overwhelm his enemies quickly, and with an onslaught of unrelenting blows. The Kel'dor is no fool, though. If that was indeed what the exile had been trained to do, then Sol would use that against him. Let him flail upon Sith until his heart raced and his breath came with ragged gasps.

And so, Sol decides to conserve his strength.

The lightsaber is snatches from the air and into the palm of the exile, and it's crimson blade hissed to life. Wielding a Sith's lightsaber had consequences, and Kyo would undoubtedly feel the rage within it's bleeding crystal. The hatred that would threaten to creep past his skin and into the veins like a poison. How long would the light protect him from corruption, Sol wonders, while the blade which had seen so much death and pain would scream within his mind. It was not the weapon for a Jedi, exile or not. Regardless, the Kel'dor isn't about to throw hands with the man while he's wielding the weapon. The exile would have to continue his relentless pursuit on Sol's terms.

From out of the shelter and into the rain, the Sith moves quickly. He doesn't augment his speed, doesn't waste his strength. Every effort is disciplined and precise. Sol decides to encourage the stranger's onslaught, certain that Kyo's stamina would run out before his own. For now, it would be a deadly game of keep away as the Kel'dor chose to toy with his opponent.

A branch hangs relatively high over his head, and Sol leaps to it, augmenting his jump with the force. In the air, he twists, draws upon the dark side once more, and aims to wrap the force around the exile's throat with choking pressure. If he succeeds, whether Kyo had leaped after him or not, Sol would then attempt to fling the exile to the side, and into the trunk of another towering tree. Sol's own feet reach the branch he had been aiming for, and he grips at the trunk with one, clawed hand to steady himself. He's not exactly a squirrel, after all.

Sol knows that his opponent will likely try to knock him back to the ground. The Sith tenses in preparation for a counter-attack.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

The dark side pulsed at the edge of Kyo's mind. He went to bring up the light to protect himself, but then the recent memory of the man he'd pushed off the cliff snapped across his mind.

The man's scream rang out as he fell to what Kyo assumed must've been death for the mugger. The near-Human grabbed at the side of his head with his left hand. 'No... That was justified... They could've killed me otherwise... They were in the wrong.... Not me...'

His right hand trembled with the crimson saber. Then something else flashed across his mind. Ruusan. Killing someone else again in another accident he caused because he didn't know his own limit. Hurting scavengers on Raxus Prime and now here because he was just trying to defend himself. If it kept on going like this he was probably going to end up going down a path he didn't want.

Then a new vision clouded his view. He saw himself with golden eyes, walking up the steps of Yavin IV, a green nautolan guarding her younger brother as he approached them with the crimson saber, and raised it to strike them down. He saw himself standing on the bridge of a Star Destroyer, ordering an orbital bombardment on Rattatak. He saw himself turning his blade on Yuri, even after everything she'd done for him to keep him alive. Saw himself turning against the Grandmaster, and playing a part in the collapse of the Order. Falling to the dark side if he continued down this path.

He couldn't let that happen.

The red lightsaber hummed loud as Kyo's right arm swung forward then flicked his wrist back and stabbed the crimson blade toward the center of his own chest.

'It's for the Greater Good.'

He heard the mocking tone of his own digitized voice echo at the back of his mind. He barely had enough time to throw his left hand out to catch and hold his right arm at bay. The tip of the Sith's lightsaber lingered merely an inch away from his chest. The black cloth that covered him there gradually began to burn.

'No... Please... There's still so many people we have left to live for... I'm not ready to di--'

His struggle ended a moment later with a sudden choke. The lightsaber disengaged and dropped next to the fire pit as Kyo's hands shot up to his neck. He concentrated as best he could, keeping his trachea reinforced if the Sith tried to collapse his throat with the recognizable Force power being used against him. His body lifted into the air, and flew out into the rain a moment later, crashing hard into one of the trees.

"GHH!!" He grunted loudly upon slamming against the tree. Then he collapsed against it and gasped for breath. He didn't have a chance to do much else as he staggered and sluggishly reached for his blaster.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

He can hear the crack of the conflicted exile's body striking the sturdy tree trunk. It is a sickening noise, something that might wreak havoc with phantom pains for those with empathy. Sol doesn't react, though. Doesn't care for the pain he has caused. His expression is cold, a vile mixture of satisfaction and cruelty. The exile had refused to bow, had refused to break. The Kel'dor would not be so easily denied.

Wintry eyes catch sight of the man reaching for the blaster, a sluggish and disoriented effort that would earn him swift punishment. At least the lightsaber was no longer within the exile's reach. Sol's confident now that he won't need it.

Focusing upon the force, the Kel'dor would return the favor. Just as the stranger had disarmed him, Sol now aimed to wrench the blaster away with the force, and fling it toward the nearby river. He drops from the tree, hits the ground with bended knees and the gait of a prowling lion. Sol doesn't advance quickly, no, his movements are methodical as he lifts one, clawed hand and aims a short, excruciating burst of Sith Lightning at the dazed exile.

"I wanted to give you a chance. I wanted to train you." The Kel'dor's vocals are not risen with fury. They are a graveled drawl like the sensation of ice pressed against bare skin. "Now, I want you to scream."

@AdventCore