Ask Yavin IV Seventy Times Seven

[Aadya Rasheer]

The skies above Yavin had darkened with the ominous silhouettes of Sith warships. Aadya's shuttle had departed one of Nesuto-Class carriers just a few moments ago, staying in formation with the others as they began their descent. Eventually, the shuttle that housed Aadya and a dozen or so troopers veered off from the group, heading to a different destination than the rest.

The main siege led by the Eternal would draw much of the Jedi's attention, hopefully meaning very few if any Jedi would notice a lone shuttle going off to do its own thing. Above all other things, the Jedi were predictable. Aadya knew they'd be setting up triage spaces for the injured and incapacitated and evacuation stations for those that were in the temple but could not fight, like younglings.

That was Aadya's target- all of the young Jedi hopefuls herded into the same place like lambs, but not to slaughter. No, Aadya would take them from here, rip them from the Jedi like tearing up saplings. She would bring them to the Sith where they could unlearn the Jedi's indoctrination and be free, be superior, be Sith.

Aadya's shuttle touched down the moment she spotted Gammorean guards ushering children towards waiting shuttles. Her troopers would engage the guardsmen while she surveyed behind them. A presence on the air caught Aadya's senses, causing her nose to turn up and sniff like a vornskr catching a scent. It was familiar but she couldn't quite place it. A ripple on the force, someone she had met before, somewhere.

Eyes narrowing, Aadya gripped the hilt of her new lightsaber tightly, a wicked smile spreading beneath the mask on her face.

Take the children alive. Kill everyone else, She said cooly into her comm as she made her way towards the transports.

Spotting one of the younglings trying to take out what was likely a training saber to defend against the Sith troopers, Aadya chuckled with venomous cruelty under her breath. Reaching out with the force, she gave the kid a hard toss through the air, slamming him head first into a nearby duracreet barricade. His head opened up like a busted jack-o-lantern.

Couldn't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, after all.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

It wasn't the alarms that had jolted Clove awake from her slumber, though they were a sure way to wake anyone up. No, it was that sinking sensation in her stomach, a never-ending pit signaling that something was about to go wrong. The alarms only confirmed what they already suspected: Yavin was under attack.

There was no need to peer out the windows in search of the warships' silhouettes. It's not that she didn't want to see, because she did. She wanted to point in disbelief, throw a tantrum, cry out in terror, and curse the Sith, but if Crix had taught her anything in the last few months, it was to accept the fact that things are the way they are.

The Sith were coming, and they were coming fast.

As a healer—and fighter—in training, Clove's position was quickly determined for her: get to one of the triage spaces and be useful, whether as a medic or a protector. The half-Sephi didn't fight back; instead, she gathered her belongings and dashed to the designated zones. The beginning of a disaster was always calm; some referred to it as the calm before the storm, but it meant that all of the beds were empty for the time being. Clove took advantage of the peace and quiet to send Crix (@Nefieslab) a quick commlink message, just in case. "Hey, Master! I'm in the second triage area, zone B, I believe it's called. If anything goes horribly wrong I'll be heading to Naboo, so look for me there if you can't find me. Good luck out there, I'm rooting for you!"

Perhaps a little excessive, but their home was under attack and they needed to flee if something went wrong. Only the Force knew if they could all flee together.

It wasn't long before the sounds of battle rippled through the air, trumpeting the arrival of the first wave of terrified children and injured soldiers. Clove's gloves were already covered in blood by the time the first Jedi was patched back up. Closing wounds without the Force was never a clean business, but she needed to conserve her energy as much as possible, which meant delaying any Force Healing until there was no other option.

Everything was fine.

Everything was more than fine up until the Sith troopers stormed in, causing panic among the guardsmen and children who thought they were safe.

But it wasn't because of the Sith troopers that the half-Sephi was frozen in place, no. It was something else entirely, or rather, someone else entirely. A cold shiver ran down her arms and legs as an aura swirled through the air before colliding with her senses and traveling down her spine. She knew that aura; she had felt it before and it gave her the same sickening feeling. But, unlike the first few months, when all she did was run in fear or fake it, she was ready to stand firm and face it.

"Bring the kids to the northern hall, I'll cover your backs." Clove told one of the Gammorean guards just as a sickening snap slammed into her sensitive ears, causing them to twitch. That, too, was a sound she had heard before. She took her newly crafted lightsaber off her belt and stepped towards the entrance, which was created and held together by duracreet barricades. She gave the child's corpse a quick glance, seeing its head lying open like a pinata on a greedy child's birthday. But there was no time to mourn the child or be disgusted by it; there was something else, looming at the entrance.

There she was, in all her glory and doom. The girl from Dantooine. Her curly hair, black body armor, and mask were all undeniable. She looked as if she had just walked out of her many nightmares.

"It's lovely to see you again! What's your name, anyway?" Clove was well aware that talking didn't work the last time, and that it wouldn't work today. She was, however, prepared this time.

Plus, she was genuinely curious about the name of the girl who caused so much pain.

---

Tag @Logan ​

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

The shifting feeling of familiarity that had caught Aadya's attention a few moments ago intensified as she strode towards the now cowering younglings. Dark brown eyes newly flecked with gold scanned the scene in front of her, Aadya assessing threats and assigning priorities.

When her gaze fell upon the one who spoke to her, though, Aadya's focus tunneled in while a condescending smirk curled the corners of her mouth.

The Jedi really don't send their best and brightest, do they? Aadya asked, her tone laced with the slightest bit of disbelief that the girl from Dantooine was here, let alone charged with overseeing something as important as evacuating children.

Seeing the girl gave Aadya harsh flashbacks to Dantooine, stuff she didn't particularly want to remember if she were being honest. Too many feelings too all at once. A distraction when she did not need a distraction.

In times like these Aadya would often remember lessons from Darth Stolas to steel herself. Instead, the words of Darth Raze thumped in the back of her skull, a rhythmic drumbeat like a hammer coming down on a stubborn nail.

“Your mind has to be a blank canvas upon which you paint only things of your purposeful design. No other thoughts can color it. No distractions or doubts can layer it,”

Aadya's eyes narrowed harshly, her gaze never wavering from Clove as she continued to walk towards her, blaster fire from the Sith troopers flanking her sides as they continued to engage with the Gammoreans. Images of her past experience with Clove forced out, buried, gone for now.

No distractions. No doubts.

Aadya, She answered finally, coming to a stop three or four meters from Clove. With a flick of her thumb, Aadya ignited the saber in her hand, its distinctive silver blade erupting to life.

It was possible Clove would recognize the weapon as the one Master Hannibal Grayza once used, the one he died using on Dantooine. Ironic, now, that it would soon reap Jedi blood.

Aadya smiled, finding humor in that irony, the tips of her elongated canines showing but hidden behind her mask.

Are you going to tell me yours?

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

"No, they're fighting the Sith's brightest and bravest on the front lines." It wasn't exactly a dig at Aadya, but neither of them could deny their roles as a Padawan and, Clove assumed, an Acolyte, being shoved away in the back. Meanwhile on the front lines were Jedi Knights and Masters, as well as Sith Champions and Lords.

Though despite the fact that it was cruel and pure evil, she had to admit that sending a Sith to the wounded and children was a strategic strong plan.

The blaster fire surrounding the two girls was difficult to ignore, and the half-Sephi's ears danced up and down with each new shot. Her gaze and focus, however, never strayed from Aadya. Crix's lessons were not going to be in vain. He worked so hard to help Clove overcome her fears, and he spent so much time working with her on her problems. She was not going to let him down.

She never took her gaze away from the girl, even when the distinctive silver blade erupted into life, reminding her of Hans and his sickening laughter.

"Aadya." Clove hummed her name as she sparked her own lightsaber. A gentle green blade sparked to life, its crystal delicately radiating the Force's Lightside against her palm. With her Force being so shaky since she killed that child, a small reminder of the warmth it could bring was more than welcome. "That's a beautiful name."

In theory, she only had to buy the fleeing Jedi enough time by distracting the Sith for as long as she could, much like Dantooine. But, unlike Dantooine, the girl was determined to do more than just that. Because if she could stop Aadya, she'd be able to keep a piece of the temple safe. Still, she wouldn't be the first to attack.

"My name is Clove." Her lips curled into a sweet, genuine smile.

---

Tag @Logan ​

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

Talking, talking, always so much talking. Aadya wondered if the Jedi actually taught their padawans to talk as a technique, like how they tell kidnaping victims to tell the kidnapper personal details about themselves. Apparently it can humanize the victim, make it harder to just see them as an object or obstacle, as just something to kill.

There was a time when it might have actually worked on Aadya, back when insecurity and self-doubt ruled her like two demons wrestling it out for supremacy. But now? Nah, things were different now. Or at least, Aadya actually believed they were different, which is all that really mattered. Because as the saying goes: It's not a lie if you believe it.

As Clove was talking, the force was coalescing behind her, invisible fingers wrapping around the spine of the boy Aadya had killed just a few moments ago.

"My name is...."

Aadya had heard enough. Before Clove could finish her sentence, Aadya would harshly interrupt her, her words coming out vile and laced with venom.

It doesn't matter what your name is.

With the faintest flick of her wrist, Aadya would wrench the spine from the dead boys body and send it hurtling towards Clove like some kind of depraved spear.

She would then look to close the distance between her and the half-sephi, saber gripped tightly and the darkside coursing through her veins, ready to react to whatever may come next.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Despite being rudely interrupted—what was Aadya's problem anyway, she had literally just asked for her name less than a minute ago?!— Clove's smile never left her lips. If she didn't want to know, that was her problem. Even the venom spitting from Aadya's voice didn't bother her much; she could hear the venom drip off her words night after night. It was a repeat of something she'd been focusing on overcoming.

But then her sensitive ears picked up a new sound, which she immediately recognized as flesh and muscles. It was a distinct sound, squishy yet firm and it was typically associated with surgeries in which knives were used to cut through flesh. But this was less precise; it sounded more like someone ripping open flesh with their bare hands than a cut. She had no idea what was actually going on, only that something was messing with the boy who lay directly behind her.

And that meant she had to move away from the body.

The half-Sephi wasted no time in sending a burst of Force into her legs, aiding her already quick steps in sprinting to the right as quickly as she could. Knowing she'd need to be cautious about draining her energy, the Force Speed vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, and she slowed down just in time to see the spine fly right past her and continue in a straight line forwards. Remains of flesh and blood droplets splattered over the side of her cheek and shoulder, painting the fabric of her sleeve with red.

She couldn't decide whether she was grateful to Crix for teaching her how to use Force Speed as quickly as possible or disgusted by the idea of a spine spear and a boy's remains splattered all over her. It was, however, creative.

There was no time to linger on the spine spear or the gore because Aadya was already attempting to close the gap between them. Clove didn't try to maintain a safe distance, instead, she firmly planted her feet on the ground and began to channel the Force's warmth through her own body.

Clove maintained a defensive stance, ready to defend herself against whatever came next. Before offensively fighting back, she wanted to see Aadya's actual combat skills because she knew she would be far less experienced and stronger than the Sith. Knowledge would be the key to surviving Aadya.

---

Tag @Logan ​

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

The acolyte glided across the battlefield like a predator. No energy was wasted with extraneous movements, mind honed in on one singular goal. Beneath her mask, Aadya's fangs were bared, begging to sink into the soft milkiness of Clove's throat.

No distractions, no doubts. The force had brought Aadya to Clove. This was her trial, she could feel it in her bones. Failure was of no option. She didn't even care about the children anymore, they were so far beyond what was important now it was almost laughable.

The marks on her arms burned as the darkside coursed through her veins. Reminders of her greatest failures - but more importantly, proof of what she was able to conquer.

As soon as Clove let the force speed fade, Aadya would reach out with her off hand and lash out with the force, blowing up a a thick plume of rocks and debris directly into the half-Sephi's eyes.

Hoping to capitalize on her own distraction, Aadya would close the gap into melee range and slash with her lightsaber, looking to catch Clove across the torso.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove was taken aback by the cloud of dust, debris, and rocks. Her instincts told her to close her eyes as soon as the debris approached her, but it wouldn't protect her from the danger. Small wounds were created by the small rocks scratching against her pale and delicate skin around her eyes and cheeks. And the particles of dust, shattered rocks and other debris? They were able to irritate her eyes to the point where it was too painful to open them for the time being.

The pain and annoyance kept Clove from hearing Aadya's footsteps closing the gap until she was almost directly in front of her. Understanding that the Firrerreo was stepping into range to attack, Clove did the only thing she could in a situation where she was blinded, disoriented, a little unsteady on her heels, and relying solely on her ears: she dropped to the ground as low as she could, praying that the Sith went for a traditional lightsaber slash rather than a vertical cut.

'Luckily' for her, 'only' a large chunk of her curly hair was caught by the blade in her downward momentum, filling the sky with the smell of ashes and her hair strands drifting away with the wind.

That filthy womp rat. She vowed to only wear braids neatly attached to her head from then on.

The impromptu defense put Clove in a position where she could get to Aadya's leg while keeping the Sith's arms at a safe distance. But it also meant that Aadya could knee her in the face. Wanting to beat Aadya to the punch, Clove wasted no time in slashing her lightsaber from the lower left and curving all the way up into the sky directly above her. That way, she'd be able to defend herself from any kneeing or incoming lightsaber attacks without seeing what's going on, and hopefully hit Aadya's knee or thigh, or even her abdomen.

---

Tag @Logan ​

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

Clove ducking Aadya's attack had worked well enough to dodge her opening maneuver, but the position the young padawan found herself in now was nothing short of absolutely precarious. Aadya recognized this instinctually, almost. At this point, she had quite a bit of experience in combat.

The old Aadya would have already had her mind racing, trying to think steps ahead of her opponent, worries and concerns flying behind her eyes and doing little else than offering an unwanted distraction. But now? Nothing of the sort was happening. Her was mind clear and focused. A canvas with only what she wanted written upon it; written in red, with her own blood.

Reaching out with the force, Aadya called her second lightsaber to her left hand as Clove's rather pathetic attempt to bring her lightsaber up started its arc. The crimson blade ignited, and Aadya used it to catch Clove's, but not just to parry it away. Instead, Aadya angled her blade down and used her leverage to catch Clove's saber to throw the Jedi's guard wide open.

As a Firrerreo, Aadya was already stronger than your average person. Coupled with the darkside pumping through her, she was more than strong enough to force Clove's saber away from the Jedi's body. She would hold the saber lock for a moment, but a moment was all she needed.

Swinging her main hand saber, Aadya looked to cleave the Clove's left arm off clean at the shoulder. Should this attack find purchase, Aadya would channel as much strength as she could into her legs. She would then look to kick Clove directly in her chest and send her flying backwards towards the duracreet barriers behind them, with enough power to maybe send the poor half-Sephi straight through.

This fight was not like the last one. Aadya felt no pity, no self doubt.

Only absolution.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

The sound of something metallic hitting something fleshy, followed by the humming of a lightsaber igniting to life, made the girl's ears twitch. Aadya must've pulled out a second lightsaber. That suspicion was confirmed when her lightsaber was met with resistance, but it wasn't a block; rather, it was guiding her blade away ino a whole new direction.

There was no time to redirect her lightsaber or change her body's position, which would have terrified Clove back in the day. This would have been it; there would be no way out; once Aadya completed the new curve she would be completely vulnerable to any attack with no defense. But this wasn't Dantooine, and Clove wasn't the untrained, inexperienced girl who would crumble at the first sign of fear. Not anymore.

On top of that, they were on Yavin IV, Clove's home. The Lightside that lingered within the temple brushed against her constantly, and it was still coursing through her veins from when she first began to channel the Force. Sure, her Force connection was somewhat rusty after all these months, but that didn't stop her from using it for anything that wasn't precision work.

She wasn't going to give up that easily.

Before their connected lightsabers could complete the curve and slide into a block, Clove deactivated her lightsaber for a split second before reactivating it again. It was just long enough for Aadya's blade to lose grip and swing into the air instead of against Clove's, hopefully throwing her off balance. Following the momentum, she curved the blade downwards and close to her body into a regular defense stance, in order to catch and block any lightsaber aimed at her head or shoulders.

And, as her blade curled back into a defensive position, the half-Sephi unleashed a chunk of that channeled Force point-blank against the Sith who stood so close to her. The Force expanded into a cone-like shape and slammed towards the Sith's body, attempting to push her back before she could kick her or perhaps even make her fall backward.

Should her Force push work and reward her with the sound of Aadya getting hit, Clove would quickly raise herself off the ground and take a few steps backward, her Force slithering out of her body and into the area surrounding her to sense for any movement her sensitive ears might miss.

---

Tag @Logan ​

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

A single raised eyebrow is all Clove would receive from Aadya in response to the surprise maneuver of deactivating her lightsaber in an attempt to gain a better defensive position. In numerous other contexts, it could have very well likely been an ace in the hole move, an easy blackjack, a free gotcha.

But in this scenario here? It was little more than a death warrant.

Aadya's left hand saber was already angled downwards, and the sudden free up of movement Clove's tràkata granted her meant the acolyte had no resistance to her actions anymore. A small repositioning, predatory eyes, and a sickeningly cruel smile hidden beneath a mask would be all of the pretense Clove would be granted before Aadya made her next move.

The moment she felt the resistance leave her saber and Clove started to pull her own in for a defensive posture, Aadya would reposition her blade so it was angled just a little more sharply towards the padawan - something she would not have been able to do if Clove hadn't deactivated her weapon.

With a flick of her thumb, Aadya activated the dual phase function on her left hand saber. Its blade would lengthen in an instant, extending to its full length of two meters.

The tip was angled in such a way that it would spear Clove just beneath her heart, having happened so swiftly the padawan wouldn't have had the time to fully pull her own blade towards herself in defense as she'd intended.

Having been interrupted and not having the chance to swing her main hand saber as she'd intended earlier, Aadya instead pulled her hand away from her body and thrust her main hand saber just below Clove's diaphram, the blade burying itself inside of her, dead center, right where her spine would be.

The damage would be significant. A severed spine leading to body numbness, excruciating pain, but the padawan likely wouldn't die. Not here, not on Yavin. Someone would be able to saver her, if they found her soon enough.

The wounds would likely send the padawan into shock, and Aadya would use this moment of wide-eyed-what-the-fuck to retract both of her blades - her left hand saber simply returning back to its original length - and channel all of the strength she could muster into a pulse of force energy concentrated in front of her.

If Aadya's lightsaber attacks had found purchase - which given the speed of them and Clove's position being somewhat restrictive to reaction seemed more than likely - the strength of the pulse would likely send clove flying backwards, rolling along the ground into one of the barriers behind her.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Did she mistime her maneuver? Was it her lack of vision that threw her entire plan off, or was Aadya's blade positioned in a way she didn't expect? But, in the end, it didn't matter what Clove had done wrong; all that mattered was that she had messed up.

She felt the lightsaber's heat travel down a path she hadn't intended and tried to swing her lightsaber as fast as her arms could go to the source of the sound. But then came the dreadful click of Aadya's dual-phase button, and the lightsaber's humming suddenly became louder. There was no time to move or react as the red blade sliced through her skin and dug beneath her heart.

Her eyelids, which had been closed for the duration of the fight, flew open. The pain in her blurry eyes was nothing compared to the sensation of the lightsaber resting in her chest. Her wide Porg-like eyes met Aadya's, who returned the stare like a predator ready to devour her prey.

Time went by so slow, and yet quick at the same time. Aadya's primary blade pierced under Clove's diaphragm and burned straight through her spine in a matter of seconds. It didn't take long for her legs and lower body to cease to exist; nothing below her diaphragm had any feelings left. Her body shifted backward involuntarily as the muscles that had previously supported her now failed to do so.

She watched it all in slow motion, almost as if it wasn't her body that was being pierced, but a holo-moviestar's.

But she couldn't, and wouldn't, give up without a final fight, a final attempt. She wouldn't start crawling in the dirt until her nails couldn't support her weight any longer. Especially now that Aadya has taken her lightsabers out of Clove's body. But her arms were so heavy that the lightsaber in her hand felt as if it had been replaced by a large rock. All she could muster was a swingle sweep towards Aadya's right thigh, the tip of her blade flying towards her and potentially cutting her flesh if she wasn't careful.

The repulse then struck her, sending her flying backward. It didn't take long for gravity to drag her back to the ground, forcing her to roll and skid until she hit the barriers near the entrance. The durasteel didn't give way, and the landing was a rough one, with the air kicking out of her lungs and her delicate pale skin bruising on impact.

The girl lay motionless, her functioning muscles stiffened by the shock and her damaged muscles unable to move even if she tried. Her blurry vision only saw Aadya's silhouette and the shadows of a boy's body close to her as she looked ahead. Her lips parted in an attempt to speak, but no sound came out of her mouth.

---

Tag @Logan ​

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

The tip of Clove's lightsaber sliced across the front of Aadya's thigh with ease, the acolyte not even attempting to move out of the way. She felt the heat, smelled the scorched flesh and yes, oh fuck yes, did it did hurt.

But the pain in her leg was nothing compared to the pain she inflicted upon herself, or the feeling of Raze making those wounds permanent. The thin, raised scars on Aadya's arm tingled just slightly, just to remind her that they were there.

Aadya watched Clove tumble backwards harshly and come to a stop near the boy that she had murdered so effortlessly earlier. There was no breakdown following her actions this time, no tears, no soul shattering identity crisis. Instead, Aadya felt fulfilled, content in her victory.

Some chatter across Sith comms informed her that, apparently, it would only be a personal victory. The main attacking force was attempting to retreat. They had failed in their trial. Not like her. Even though she would never admit it, for years now Aadya had wanted to fall asleep. The slipping off, the giving up, the falling into the infinite void of nothing part of sleep.

Aadya chuckled just the little bit and shook her head. Now? That was the last thing she wanted to do.

The Sith troops Aadya had arrived with had overwhelmed the small contingent sent to guard the younglings as they tried to evacuate. When the last Gammorean had fallen, the troopers had encircled the children, their rifles trained on them and Aadya could see the fear painted on each of their faces, some even had tears welling in their eyes.

If only they knew the nightmare was only beginning. But through their suffering, they would achieve strength.

Gather them onto the shuttles, Aadya instructed, her gaze turning to the motionless body of Clove once again. It didn't really matter if the Jedi was alive or dead and from here she couldn't tell. Take them to the Cadre.

Aadya started walking back to her shuttle. If the Sith were attempting to retreat, there was no point in her trying to do anything more than she'd already done. About halfway back, Aadya stopped and turned to regard the scene behind her one more time. Reaching out with the force, Aadya pulled Clove's lightsaber to her hand before clipping it to her belt.

Taking off her mask, the Firrerreo spit on the ground of Yavin IV. There was no Jedi left in her anymore. There was only Sith.

Aadya returned to her shuttle, its pilot having already primed its engines. As soon as the doors were shut they took off, flanked by two other shuttles piloted by Imperials -

And filled with Jedi younglings.

/endthread

@LilyNion