The Awakening of Crutiae.

[Will]

Hands clasped behind him, Beric Kanasur paced. He regarded the hololith table before him. It was powered down, and so the surface was simple glass, the workings of the projector on show beneath it. It was technology of such breathtaking complexity that was taken for granted in this age of modern science.

Interesting that he was reflecting on the pinnacle of now, with the issue at hand: A problem from the forgotten aether of the past. Darkness was threatening to burst forth on Trandosha. And the catalyst for this event was a fallen member of their own order.

It was known that the Grandmaster held the fall of each Jedi personally. Any fallen Jedi would not be forgiven. They would be hunted down and dealt with.

He looked up as the door opened, his reverie broken.

''Knight Valtiere. You still have not accepted the title of master? You're more than worthy.''

Beric did not look up from the table as he keyed in commands.

* * *

''I have more freedom as a knight, Grandmaster. You'll be asking me to take the role for many a decade, I fear.'' He gave a thin smile, remaining formal around the Grandmaster of the order. He remembered his training days, having his exuberance beaten out of him by the nigh on humourless Jedi.

''I presume I will not be alone on this mission?''

He stood directly opposite the Grandmaster, across the table, allowing the best view as the projector whirred to life under the table.
​

 

[Master Maverick]

Quick footsteps pattered off the marble floors, practically mirrors. They were quick and in perfect beat with one another.

A padawan with blindingly white robes, his cloak swirling behind him gracefully, walked down the hall to the room in which he was to be briefed. This was his second mission on behalf of the Jedi order, and the boy felt someone could hear his heart pounding from yards away.

Akacen walked a bit faster than he normally would, which meant 'normal' people might have to jog to keep up. He had his right hand upon his newly constructed saber; his first real lightsaber and the symbol that he was now really a part of the Order of the Jedi. He walked with new-found confidence , his back a little straighter and his stride a bit more sturdy. Under the tutelage of his Master, Ayisha Remy, he had learned much, and was eager to put these to use.

He knew Saia was attending this mission as well, but had yet to see her. He was anxious to as he hadn't seen her since they parted ways after Remy left after they completed their sabers. He had quite a bit of catching up to do.

He allowed his mind to reach out in all directions, riding the waves of the force and feeling the sentients around him. He had greater clarity and control now than ever before, and he was in awe of it, but respected it.

Soon enough he reached the chamber in which he was instructed to get the briefing. The automatic door whooshed open, and he saw the Grandmaster in the room, along with another man.

He entered the room, moving towards the middle, before introducing himself. "Grandmaster Kanasur, I am Akacen Mothturus, padawan to Knight Ayisha Remy." He bowed deeply to the man in which he held great respect for not only because he was the Head of the Order, but because of the great things he had accomplished. He felt honored to be in his presence, and was actually kind of surprised that he would be the one here to ready them for their mission.

 

[Xyrael]

Tython. Saia had called this place home during her training, but it seemed different to her now. She felt... advanced, in comparison to the girl she had been only a few months before. She was growing, in mind perhaps more than body. Her maturity had grown as well, and though she often wore a customary smile, this mission represented a true test for her. She had excelled previously, but that was against mercenaries. This would be dangerous, the Dark Side loomed like a shadow over her future; she could sense it. The visions that echoed in the recesses of her mind had given her a glimpse of the future, but as always the Dark Side clouded the future. Clarity would only be found in the here-and-now.

Her footfalls were faint and nearly imperceptible as her soft bootwraps gently glided along the floor. On her hip, a weapon she had crafted herself, different in several ways from more traditional weapons, hung akin to the scabbard of a sword. She entered the room where Akacen, Valtiere, and the venerable Grandmaster were already gathered. She bowed her head respectfully, marching into the room with stern confidence. She spared a glance at Akacen, casting a smile past her austerity, before acknowledging the Grandmaster. Grandaster Kanasur," she bowed her head, her azure eyes piercing holes into the floor, "what do you require?" She cast a curious glance towards the Knight Valtiere. She had not been afforded the luxury of spending time with the man, though his eyes seemed to emanate an aura of experience.

 

[Eternal]

As Melira plowed herself through the corridors her mind didn't drift, mostly because she was in a hurry to reach a particular set of chambers. The padawan moved gracefully, even though her walking could easily be mistaken for running, but she kept her posture.

The Jedi wore the simplest of brown robes, at least two sizes larger then her own, which left a false impression of her actual body proportions. In unison to the wavelike movement of her robes was her hair, reaching the floor with its tips and sliding left to right gently, like it had a mind of its own.

As the sephi entered the room in front of her, she saw that Jedi were already gathered there. The presence of the Grandmaster quickly told her this was no joke, but she wasn't expecting it to be. The experienced padawan simply bowed down, wishing not to take up precious time with her entry she quickly introduced herself:

"Good day Grandmaster, fellow Jedi. I am Melira D'Von."

 

[Will]

Beric returned the greetings with nigh on imperceptible nods of his head. There was no time to waste on needless pleasantries.

''You are assembled. Good. We shall begin.''

An image formed in front of the Grandmaster, of a lush, green planet.

''Trandosha. Here is the location of your mission. The Sage Master recently had a vision of calamity to occur here. He believes that a rogue Jedi is preparing to reopen the mine workings to search for ancient pre-Imperial catacombs.'' The location pinged on the rotating globe as he mentioned the catacombs, along with a picture of the rogue Jedi.

He let the implication of the idea of a member of their own order falling so far from the light sink in for a moment, giving each of them a measured look.

''The Sage Master's vision showed a dark force waiting to be freed from within the mines. The Rogue Jedi must be stopped at all costs, the dark entity that lurks within cannot be allowed to escape. Ideally, the Rogue Jedi should be captured as well.''

He looked around at the team.

''Do any of you have questions?''

 

[Master Maverick]

Chancing glances at those gathered around him, the only one in the room he knew was Saia. She had indeed grown since they last saw each other. Since their last training, he had been on 2 official mission, as well as some initial training for the GADF.

He saw Saia glance at him, and he smiled warmly in return.

Listening to the Grandmaster impressed him immensely as well as humbled him, and he cherished the moment. It was his first time seeing the Grandmaster in person and he was indeed as impressive as many had said.

He understood perfectly what the Master of the Jedi had said. The dark side ran strong in that place, something he was not predisposed to, and the dark Jedi would have to be captured or eliminated.

At the moment, he was unaware, oblivious even, of the real danger of the mission.

 

[Xyrael]

Saia shook her head softly, her ponytail swaying back and forth with the motion signifying that she had understood. When do we depart?" was the only question she thought to answer, her eyes still to the floor not wishing to look upon the Grandmaster. As the most powerful Jedi of the order, she was not wishing to allow him to peer into the window of her soul with his critical eyes, perceiving nigh imperceptible flaws and judging her. She knew the idea that he might do this was ludicrous, but still she couldn't help but desire to avoid such a situation regardless.

 

[Eternal]

After a while words of Dark Jedi and forces that should not be taken lightly are a common thing. Melira was familiar with such missions and did not lack the skills to asses the situation with the eyes of a diplomat.

She had met the Grandmaster before, so his posture and stature did not intimidate her, although the same could not be said about some of the other Jedi that have been called to assist the Knight.

Grandmaster, have we contacted friendlies on Trandosha? I can only assume that the Dark Jedi has already influenced parts of the native population, but I strongly advice against writing off the trandocians completely. Local knowledge and experience could be of great help for our success.

 

[Will]

''There will be no guides. The catacombs are off limits. They have been for hundreds of years. You will be doing this alone, as a team. We have maps of the catacombs for you.''

Beric indicated a pile of data-slates.

''They all have information on the catacombs as well as the maps. There is a profile of the rogue Jedi as well. You leave immediately.''

* * *

''Grandmaster.''

Nikola bowed, taking a data slate in an armoured gauntlet.

''I'll meet you all at the ship.''

Nikola made his way to the hanger, jutting out over a cliff. The view was breathtaking.

If you didn't take the height into account. Nikola distracted himself from his principle fear by sitting on a fuel cannister and checking his dataslate. The catacombs were elaborate. A delightful puzzle of stairways, corridors and pitfalls. At the centre of this nest of stone was the main vault, where the darkness resided.

And the rogue Jedi. Dorhun Shi'ar. A humanoid. Nikola remembered him. Quite, studious. He filled every cliché of the sociopath. But he was a good Jedi. They had fought together, once, a decade or so ago. He had presumed him dead in that battle, for he had never seen him since.

Apparently, Nikola was wrong.
​

 

[Master Maverick]

Though he was anxious to start this mission, he moved towards Saia. He had a better feeling about this one than his last mission. He felt as though these Jedi were a bit more capable, and level-headed. He knew Saia for sure, and was glad to have a friendly face along for the ride.

"How have you been?" His eyes peered into hers. She felt and saw that she had changed a bit since their training. He was glad, but saddened by it as well. He wasn't sure if she had changed at all. He knew people changed, but wasn't sure what kind of changes would have been made, if any.

Initially he hoped for no changes, for he liked her as she was, but knew this was unrealistic.

Regardless, he motioned for her to start walking with him towards the hanger so they wouldn't waste any time.

 

[Will]

((Character Death. I'm out.))