This Time It's Personal

[Kathry Van Alasdaire]

The First Sith


THIS TIME IT'S PERSONAL​

With the fall of the JEDI at hand and the successful machinations of the EMBERS imminent, LADY KATHREVERIS has summoned her adoptive sister, ALIYAH COVEN, to personal combat. As the one deemed worthy to succeed her father, KATHRY has become determined to destroy the Twi'lek who dares to call herself PHOENIX. Though the JEDI KNIGHT outmatches her strength in the FORCE, it is her kindness that shall prove to be her downfall...

@Autumn's Firefly

 

[Aliyah Phoenix]

This was a first. Lothal, as far as she knew, had been mostly taken by the Sith Empire... so it was the oddest thing to receive an encrypted message from the planet asking for help. Usually she'd take backup, but the garbled voice sounded like it was in deep trouble, and if it was a Jedi survivor, she had to help them however she could. Somehow, the Empire hadn't swarming her freighter the instant she entered the system - probably because it looked way to luxurious to be owned by a simple Jedi Knight. She banked it low over the plains until directly over the beacon. What she saw made her blood run cold, she recognized the armor style - it was a Vahla! Not only was the style the same as her father's armor, it looked like the woman was injured and required medical help.

My day keeps getting more and more interesting.

Putting the ship down immediately, she hid her lightsaber beneath the poncho of her robes and drew her Outrider, cautiously approaching the woman. As she got closer, it was clear the mark on her armor had come from pyromancy - powerful pyromancy. Had she been attacked by the Sith, or worse yet, had the Chosen found another one of Venatus' people and attempted to twist them to Vahl's will? It was obvious the girl wasn't a Jedi, she didn't have a lightsaber and she certainly didn't have any robes. Calmly walking towards the rock the girl leaned against, she kneeled next to her an offered a hand.

"Can you walk? What happened here?"

 

[Kathry Van Alasdaire]

This was the most delicious of subterfuge. Of course, any Jedi would rush to the aide of one of their own. The recent failing on Lothal made it one of the most opportune areas to stage an ambush. And, since this was the one prided as being her father's pupil, it was no doubt that she would also rush to the aide of any Vahla in distress. She combined both possibilities quite nicely, allowing her armor to look damaged and remaining almost completely prone, making her body look like it writhed in pain as the starship approached. The mark on her armor had come from a small conjuration of flame, meant to look as though she had been attacked by an Ember and left for dead. Her halberd, the Twi'lek would not recognize, even if she had heard the tales of the weapon. Her target immediately set the ship down nearby and rushed from the landing ramp to her aide, the genuine concern on her face almost eliciting a smile from Kathry. How easy she was to manipulate.

This is your pride, father? No wonder you have fallen so low.

As the girl raised an outstretched hand and asked whether everything was alright, the second part of Kathry's plan came into play. Her body had been severely damaged over the years spent entombed on Mustafar, and the Sith were not one to utilize healing powers of the Force. Sorcery remained an open option to her, but as she still possessed few allies within the Empire, she did not which to risk it. Instead, she would use this Jedi to heal herself, without revealing her true intentions until after the girl had exhausted part of her powers. It was a dangerous machination, and without the ability to speak it was possible she would sense the darkness permeating off of her. Nonetheless, Kathry began heaving over and coughing, as though desperately trying to speak through the damaged vocal cords. As she did so, Kathry's left hand slowly slipped behind her back, just close enough to her shortsword, in preparation to draw it if necessary. This Jedi, Aliyah, was more powerful than she - and it was for that reason the healing had to be complete before she attempted to engage.

Now, show me what he has taught you. Reveal the limits of your potential, so I might snuff your spark before you can reach it.

@Autumn's Firefly

 

[Aliyah Phoenix]

The girl didn't respond, only stayed still and breathed shallow. As Aliyah knelt down, the woman began trying to roll over and speak, but nothing came out. Suddenly, she started writhing and coughing, as though her throat was being constricted by an unseen enemy. Reaching out through the Force, Aliyah began to check the area before looking at the woman closer. Her face looked similar, but she couldn't figure out whether they'd met before. The damage done to her chest didn't seem very bad, but her body was extremely weak and brittle, as though she had been drained of all her strength. This was dark magic at work, something darker than she imagined, how this girl was even still alive was beyond her. The Vahla were a prideful and powerful race, Aliyah knew that. But this was beyond normal damage, it was almost as if her body had gone unused for years.

What keeps you going? The pain must be unbearable.

Placing her bow on the ground next to her, Aliyah gently placed her hand on the woman's torso and began to transfer healing energy into her. It wouldn't completely heal her wounds, but it would take away a lot of the pain and hopefully clear up whatever was preventing her from speaking. The weapon that lay nearby looked oddly familiar as well, as though she'd seen it somewhere too. This entire situation felt like a giant deja-vu. Still, she finished the healing process up and began to lean back, looking at the girl with concern before moving to help her off her feet and get her closer to the ship. She needed to get this one out of here, and quickly, otherwise more Sith could start swarming and the two of them could be stuck on this rock. It was a risk having come alone, but all in all it looked to be a pretty short visit.

"Alright, come on. We gotta get you out of here."

 

[Kathry Van Alasdaire]

She released a deep and full sigh as this girl's healing powers took hold of her body and cured it of it's aching and pain. The rejuvenated limbs felt... normal?! It was the most relieving sensation, even for the Vahla, as the pain of each movement had been nigh on unbearable. The Twi'lek was a fool to have drained so much of her energy so quickly for naught but a stranger. Now that she could control her body as she once had before, Kathry continued the ruse and gently began to rise, grasping at the rocks and the Jedi's own robes to help her rise. As she drew herself to full height, she cracked her back with a loud and satisfying crunch before leaning down and taking Grimm by the handle, placing the bottom of the halberd firmly into the ground. Turning her attention back to the Jedi who had so willingly crawled into her spider's web, she put on a grim smile. Kathry was going to enjoy this.

"Of course? But where would we go?"

Now she was simply playing with fire. If she could garner the location of a Jedi base as well without any conflict, this entire situation may have been worthwhile after all. But even as she spoke it, her dark powers began to form around the base of the Twi'lek's neck. She prepared her left arm to flash forward with her short blade if necessary, maintaining her concentration on ensuring that her powers unraveled the girl before she realized what was about to happen. If this Aliyah attempted to stop her concentration or caught on too quickly, they were in such close proximity that even her advanced skills would not be able to stem the tide of the Vahla's wrath. If the girl answered, she would not have her neck yanked aside and squeezed, but if she grew weary for even a millisecond the sorceress would yank with all the power at her command.

"I don't have anywhere to call home... and I can't pay you...

@Autumn's Firefly

 

[Aliyah Phoenix]

Spoiler: OOC

The Jedi Need meeee

This healing was among the most complicated she'd ever preformed. Ever single tendon and fiber in her body screamed out with a pain and sorrow that concerned Aliyah to absolutely no end. It was as though she was sensing a dead body. As though torn from her skull, the remains of her somehow active brain lay scattered across unknown demons.

Behind her, in a twisted wreck, burnt up the last embers of a possible future, bound in the vile string that corrupted all she had ever touched. It ensnared her many years ago, and now in this final crescendo, in the terminal descent of the fingers of death upon the keys, in an upheaval of the wires that once held her suspended above the very thorns of circumstance, she lay crucified in her own suffering. There was something more, a single day that had erased all that had been proud and joyful to this girl, now splintering in the cracks of a shattered dream. As she rewound the muscles together, Aliyah couldn't help but grimace and look away. What did you do to yourself? She looked the girl over. She was now laying smattered on the dry grass, wallowing beside the stones of the earth, begging for mercy from a stranger. A thought that would hang in the memories of the silent, of the mouthless, what drives you to keep living? That's the only possible thing I can see...

In a moment of triumphant clarity, she had decided the healing had to an end. All that she began with a single broken woman on that sweetly-scented summer afternoon. She had a notebook on her, something Aliyah hadn't noticed before. Her hair was as a long and mesmerizing blanket of raven locks that went all the way down to her waist, her eyes were striking and unnatural, just like Aliyah's father's had been. The instant the healing was complete, the woman rose with all the confidence of a lion in her steps, grabbing her halberd with a strange ferocity and smashing it into the ground. Before she could even rise herself, the Vahla had taken the time to get to her feet, but the weakness seemed to evaporate the instant that halberd entered her hand.

Aliyah was becoming increasingly hesitant now, she had absolutely no idea who this person was or why they where actually here. How stupid have I been? This could all have been a huge trap and I'd be caught right... Aliyah stopped suddenly as the Vahla asked where they'd go. "To the Jedi Academy of course. It's the safest place for you to heal up, and hopefully I can help you find some of your people!" She gave a warm and friendly smile, trying to open her posture and look more natural. This wasn't her strongest suit, inspiring people, but you had to start somewhere. And with Dad gone... this was that somewhere she'd been looking for.

Father had always told her stories about the Vahla. They where a tribal and nomadic people who wandered the stars, cursed to be without any real culture because of the destruction of their home planet. The Embers of Vahl still existed, a dark side cult that wore armor oddly similar to this one. The Chosen where another nasty matter entirely, the eight priests where supposed to enact the Dark Goddesses will. Usually, that meant doing some twisted, demented and unlikable thing. Like sacrificing children to Force "gods", or murdering an entire compound full of innocent people just to try and kill Aliyah herself.

They where a nasty lot, but Venatus was always preaching that if you showed kindness you'd get some in return. You needed to treat people like you want to be treated, pretty simple and basic logic, and she was going with it. Aliyah thought back on the armor, and looked the girl over again, remembering something her father had said about them a while back. Once the shadow grips their soul, they are forever consumed by it's power, unable to break away from the icy grasp. You have been taught to fear the darkness, but through fear it gains more power than you could possibly comprehend. Reaching out with the force as she smiled, Aliyah probed to see what exactly Kathry was to her. "Don't worry about paying me. Really, it's not an issue. You can get a home, we can set you up with one in a bit, but you've gotta come with me."

She felt it instantly. The cold draping and all encircling carpet of the Dark Side creeping into her soul and trying to dim her heart. She could feel the power coursing around her, emanating gently from the Vahla in an attempt to wrap around her throat, probably to kill her. Aliyah didn't understand why someone would do something like this... and she wanted to call the girl out on it now. Not later, not a few seconds from now when she decided to crush her throat. NOW. Reaching out with her own powers, Aliyah wrapped Kathry's body in a tight aerokinetic bubble, holding her in place. It would not only startle and move her, breaking her concentration, it would also make sure she couldn't try anything with those weapons of hers.

"Look. I went out of my way to help you, came all the way out here into the middle of enemy territory just to save your life. That healing was complicated, but it was hardly rocket science, and it wasn't that draining for someone like me who's done stuff like that before. Sorry hun, don't know what you were planning, but you can kiss your pal Vahl and her Embers goodbye." Unclipping her lightsabers, she gently activated them. They naturally hummed with a strange and lower pitch, always in training mode, hopefully the Vahla would not know that. She wasn't leaving anything to chance, not this time. The last fight she was in was reminder enough to be careful."I'm giving you one chance here, just one. Stand down and we can both walk away, try something like that again and - well I'll beat you then I'll walk away alone. My offer still stands, I can help you if you'd only let me."

@TheMorrigan
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