When Darkness Falls Starwars Jisu/Ko

KO! Make this pretty later.

((Ok, getting us all caught up))


Nar Shadaa was a harsh place to even consider visiting, it’s inhabitants and regular customers were often the bottom most scum you could imagine. And yet, these hardened criminals, these ruthless ‘business men’, these coldblooded murders, they all nervously shuffled away from a single figure striding confidently through the high catwalks that connected various buildings. They were clothed in a deep black cloak, the thick material flowing with her movements, with every step her boots flashed out of the cloak and the heels clacked imperiously on the metal grates. The hood upon her head was covering nearly her entire face save for just her lips, painted a stark white against tanned skin, which were currently quirked up in a malevolent smirk.

When she walked into a certain bar the guards at the door stood down respectfully. All of the customers of the bar fell silent for a few seconds turning to stare in something akin to awe before a snarl rolled from her throat and they quickly turned their attentions back to their former activities.

“Ahh, young Mistress,” an oily voice called from the counter as the bar keep smiled at the new comer. “My sources told me you were on your way. Though for what I can only imagine.”

The woman waved her hand dismissively, “I’m only here to create a lead Shinbal, my master wants the Jedi to know our presence is not to be dismissed. If luck is on my side, I’ll encounter one while I’m here,” the woman’s voice was a seductively deep purr, seeming only too content to be doing what she was doing.

“Well there’s a few bounties here on Nar Shaddaa if you wish to have at least a few minutes of entertainment while here,” Shinbal chuckled in an oily way before going back to cleaning the counters.

The woman nodded before finding an unoccupied table and sitting with her back to the wall, watching the various bar goers with a contemptuous sneer on her lips. “Mmm, I hope the Jedi send someone worth my while….”

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Five hours into the flight and Jesha was only half way to the mid rim world or Nar Shaddaa. Master Skywalker had given her a brief briefing and sent her on her way. She had, since then, read her orders more thoroughly and was aware of the priorities of her mission. Feeling satisfied about her level of preparation, she slowed her breathing and entered a state of meditation. She came out of the state as she felt the ship lurch out of FTL and take up a position in orbit above Nar Shaddaa. She made her way to the shuttle and was soon touching down on the planet’s surface. Her hunt for the Sith, for Vitani’s murderer, was on.

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A deep blue liquid swirled in the glass, with a green ball of sugar rolling around the concave bottom, the fact that it did not dissipate said much about the sugar content of the liquid. Toxic yellow eyes, ringed by red the color of dried blood gazed into the glass, a mild amusement shining in them. For the first time since she arrived, her cowl was down, though her large scarf was now pulled up to conceal everything from the bridge of her nose down. What was visible was unblemished tan skin, with a heavy coating of make-up. What was beneath the make up? Your guess was probably as good as any others.
Contemplative, she looked at the sugary drink then set it down, in the air before her face, where it firmly stayed, as she brought both hands up to her cowl and brought it up to rest on her head then brought the scarf down, pulling it loose enough so that her lips were clear and free. Holding out her hand, expectantly the cocktail obediently glided down to her awaiting fingers.
“It has been four days Shinbal, if I didn’t know you, I’d say that you haven’t told any informants of my presence here...” the woman purred in a low tone, sending shivers of both fear and pleasure up the spine of the bartender.
“Worry not Mistress V-“
“Do NOT use my name,” the woman snarled, now grasping his throat with a tendril of The Force, putting just enough pressure to make the male feel fear. “There are those that would hear it and use it against me.”
“A-ah, f-f-forgive my s-s-stupidity….”
Toxic yellow eyes narrowed in annoyance, “Be sure that it doesn’t happen again, Shinbal,” she hissed before dropping her influence, allowing the bartender to fall to the sticky floor with a dull thud, “I would hate to lose such a valuable tool to my master and myself.”
The man nodded frantically. “N-never again M-m-My L-La-la-Lady.”
“Very good,” she purred and went back to her seat, intent on getting comfortable to wait.
It had taken Jesha more time than expected to follow up on Master Skywalker’s lead, but finally she had been able to pin down the location of a dive the Sith frequented.

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Cautiously she entered the bar. Her hood was drawn far down over her face and the cloak was wrapped around to hide her robes, her saber tucked securely at her side. This wasn’t exactly the best place to be advertising the fact that one was a Jedi knight.
She scanned the room as she entered, eyes wandering over the same low-life scum she had known growing up on Tatooine. She knew the type well and she knew they wouldn’t take well the knowledge that there was a Jedi in their midst. They may have been a rabid pack of inbred criminals who were usually just as fine with killing each other as they were killing the law, but if they caught wind of a Jedi, they would suddenly form an unlikely coalition that was surprisingly adept at killing their common enemy.
Jesha casually approached the bar, blissfully unaware that her target sat mere seats away from her, blocked from vision by the many other patrons, and blocked from force sensitivity by the teachings of the Sith’s master. “Barkeep,” she called, just loud enough for her voice to be heard over the din of the bar. The man behind the counter turned from his conversation with another patron. He seemed flustered, and grateful for the excuse to leave the current conversation as he moved down the bar toward Jesha.

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Shinbal shuffled over, still shaken, “Y-yes, h-how may I help you?”
The woman with the blue drink that was mostly sugar tensed as she felt the Force presence of the one person that she hoped Skywalker would not send. Getting up, she left her glass on the table and began to walk out, brushing by Jesha and just for a split second let her Force presence, as tainted and dark as it was, touch Jesha.
“Having fun Jedi,” she whispered in a question, though it was slightly lyrical in its nature, mocking almost. There was a lilting laugh that echoed through the bar, and then the woman pulled back on her entire presence, hiding it so well that even if you were holding hands with her you’d not find her. (of course this was only good for hiding, and combat uses failed making it a good skill only for situations in which you KNEW you could get away.)
And then the crowd, being as attuned to the dark side as they were surged in and swept the woman away.

Jesha, who had been explaining her situation to the barkeeper, halted mid sentence when she felt the Sith presence and heard the toxic taunt whispered in her ear. In less than a blink of an eye, she had whirled 180 degrees and stood with her back to the bar, blue lightsabers humming dangerously in each hand as she quickly scanned the crowd.

"Where are you, /Sith/?!" she cried. "What, to scared to face me? You COWARD!"

By this point, several patrons had decided it was better to duck out while they still could than to deal with a clearly agitated Jedi Knight. However, the vast majority were either too drunk or too arrogant to be afraid, and instead began to close ranks on the lone Jedi.

Jesha swung one of her sabers in an arc before her as a warning, "Stay back. This is Jedi business; go back to your drinks." Some did, but those who were more drunk or more fool hearty continued their advance, one or two even producing vibro-daggers. One of the patrons with a dagger dashed at Jesha, and, in purely instinctual self defense, Jesha drew her saber up, effectively cleaving the man in two. The others halted for a moment, realizing, perhaps for the first time that they were truly dealing with a Jedi. Jesha looked around at the crowd, daring another to step forward while simultaneously warning them not to try.

Another lilting laugh filled the dim room, dancing through smokey clouds that seemed to help it sound out from all sides. The woman watched from afar, hiding again. "Afraid? Oh stars no no no. It is just too....early for us to meet you see," a deep voice said as one of the many thugs surrounding the Jedi spoke out. Holding her hand out, though Jesha could not see, she controlled the movements of one of the drunkards. The large man moved with the grace of a trained Jedi, or rather, of a Sith, as he held his vibro sword out like a saber in a double handed grip. "But I suppose I can play with you for a short while longer," this time the voice was not the same, nor did it come from the one holding the sword.

"Show me how far you've come my sister, so that I may see how far I must go to break you," the woman whispered to herself, a smile finding it's way to her lips as she unashamedly took the free will of the crowd and bent it to her liking.

Jesha's eyes darted around, trying without success to locate the origin of the ever shifting voice. However, her attention was soon captured by the man who stepped forward out of the crowd. He moved like on trained in the Jedi ways, yet Jesha sensed no true force sensitivity in him. Easily dodging the man's first offense, Jesha again scanned the crowd.

"Where are you, /Sith/?!" the last word dripping from her mouth like a curse. "Why send pawns after me?" The man had recovered from his first miss and was poised to make another try. The Sith's control over the man was slowly improving and his actions grew steadily more coordinated. Several parries later, Jesha realized she would soon be facing the full force of the Sith if she allowed the control of this man to continue. When next he attacked, Jesha again dodged his blow, ducking around behind him. She deactivated both lightsabers, placing them on her belt before stretching both hands out. With her left hand, she mustered a large force push, great enough to repel everyone from her, and with her right, she focused her mind, singling out every vibro-blade in the room before plucking it from it's owner's hand and pulling it toward her hand.

The effort left her more tired than she had anticipated but it seemed no one in the room was in any state to take advantage of her weakened state, or so the young Jedi thought. "You're lackies are no match for me, slimo! Come out, show yourself!" Jesha bellowed, her voice filling with the rage she felt for her sister's murderer.

'Sooo tempting, Sister mine,' the woman thought to herself, when she felt a slight tug at the back of her consciousness.

'It is time to come back my apprentice,' came the whisper of her master through their apprenticeship bond, and she found herself straightening with a smirk. She was far more closer to Master Chi'kai than Skywalker. And she couldn't figure out why. Perhaps it was because Chi'kai reminded her so strongly of the man she had watched die, perhaps it was because Vitani was lost and she had sought out the only thing that could relate to her pain, perhaps it was because Chi'kai was the only person who had told her to embrace it, to accept that this was out of her control and learn how to wield this power that had been gifted to her. Either way, she found herself attached to the man, and looked to him as her own father.

'I shall depart immediately master,' the woman purred mentally as she readied herself to leave.

'Be sure to leave no traces, Vitani.'

'Of course master. I would accept no less,' The lilting laughter only once more echoed and drifted, as one by one, her dark influence was slowly pulled from her unknowing puppets. "I'm sorry to say, little Jedi, that our playtime is over. Master calls, and I find myself short on time," one voice whispered through the air, shockingly and alarmingly close to Jesha, but the puppet soon slumped to the floor as his strings were cut. "I do look forward to our next meeting." Vitani whispered, in her own voice, loud enough to carry as she exited the bar amidst the small crowd she still held under her grasp.

Jesha let a savage cry tear from her throat as she felt the Sith presence leave. She had been /so/ close. They had been in the same room, Jesha was sure of it. And she had let the murderer escape. Her body flooded with pure hatred for several seconds before she felt a tug on her own consciousness and she too felt the voice of her master in her mind.

'Jesha,' Master Skywalker's voice soothed. 'Calm yourself, child. I feel anguish, pain, and rage in you. Come back to the temple.'

Master Skywalker always seemed to have a way of disarming Jesha. Even his use of the word child had an unexpectedly calming effect on Jesha. The term, coming from anyone else, would be an insult, but not from Master Skywalker. From him, it was a constant reminder to the young knight of just how young she was and how much she still had to learn.

~~~

Many hours found Jesha back at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The trip home had done much to calm her, but deep down she still bore venomous thoughts toward the elusive Sith and about the failure of the mission.

Master Skywalker greeted her in the docking bay which had become more and more empty upon mission returns since the death of Vitani. "Jesha," he smiled.

"Master," she bowed respectfully, but made no attempt to hide the disappointment from her voice.

"Jesha, I know how you must feel -"

"No you don't," Jesha hissed as something snapped inside. She stormed past Master Skywalker without another word, heading straight for her quarters.

Vitani, unlike the sister she had just left, was smirking the entire trip through hyperspace. At times, she would laugh quietly to herself in a rather disturbing fashion that alarmed even her companion android (one, her master claimed, that was for Vitani's use as a maid of sorts, though the Sith Apprentice really had little use for such a frivolous thing, and knew that truthfully M1I4 was built and programmed to carefully monitor her for any slips and make sure that her master was kept up to date in her plotting) "Finally Mirr," she purred gleefully as she reclined in the pilot's chair of her craft.

"Finally Mistress?" Though electronic, Mirr's modulated voice managed to sound inquisitive and curious.

"Finally, Master Chi'kai is confident enough in my capabilities to allow me to confront the Jedi. They are fools, thinking that by shutting the darkness out, pretending we don't exist anymore, they're rid of us. No, the Dark Side has ways to remain just as powerful and just as strong...Don't get me wrong, Palpatine was a fool. As was Vader. Tch, Galactic power. Of course you were fated to fall. Kriffing greedy ass," Vitain said conversationally, as though talking ill of the once feared emperor was a daily issue, and given her training, it was. Chi'kai often warned the young Sith of the greed that tended to infect those that utilized the Dark Side, but those who let their greed rule were always struck down by a 'righteous Jedi' when in fact it was the Force reinstating balance.

"Mistress, if you don't mind me asking, why do you feel the need to show yourself to the Jedi?"

Poisonous yellow and rusted red eyes looked over to the silver bot, a slight frown upon her black lips, for a moment, Mirr was ready to ask the question again, processors assuming their mistress had not heard, or perhaps a glitch had caused it's vocal box to voice the wrong language, and then she spoke.

"I suppose it isn't so much as the Jedi, as it is Skywalker and Jesha...those two, they vowed to accept me no matter what, and that I could fight the darkness, that I wasn't weak. I want to prove them wrong. I'm not weak. The Dark Side ISN'T a sign of weakness, My master isn't weak. I want to show them that their preconceptions are wrong, and that power comes in more forms than just the light...."

"Very well mistress...I suggest you rest. Master Chi'kai informed me that you are to arrive in top condition as he wishes to test your Va'apad forms as soon as we dock."

The sith apprentice nodded and rose from her chair. "Very well then. I shall be in my quarters, inform me if any anamolies occur before we drop out of hyperspace, I also wish to be awakened before we enter Coruscanti space, I will be landing the Starling manually."

"It shall be as you wish mistress."

For hours after her return, Jesha brooded in her room. She thought, darkly, about how close she, in fact, had come to the dark side in the past weeks.

With the thought still lingering in her mind, Jesha had asked Master Skywalker for a few weeks leave. She needed time to sort through her emotions, to calm herself, to really move on and heal as she still never had after Vitani's death. She realized now she had rushed herself upon her return, pushing herself to be better, to not let it show just how much her sister's death had and was effecting her, but now she knew better.

Luke had granted her the time, knowing how hard a time it was for his young star knight. With the time, Jesha returned home. She had considered visiting Altheair, but decided she needed her own family, not Tani's.

The weeks passed and gradually word reached the bars and other less reputable places of the desert world of a young Sith apprentice rising, slowly but surly, in power and reputation. Eventually, the word spread out of the bars and into the ears of one Jedi Knight. The next day, Jesha left her homestead, heading not for the Jedi Temple, but for the last rumored location of the Sith.

The ruins in Taris were fascinating to the former knight, as she walked amongst the rubble, cloaked in her usual high collared mantle, heavy hood drawn up to shroud what the collar didn't cover in shadows. The planet itself was touched by darkness, showing itself in the sickly green of the plants that clung to life here at the bottom of everything, struggling to live even now. In a rare show of what could be called affection, the sith apprentice gently stroked a leaf, urging it upwards with her power, watching with a smirk as it became stronger from her attentions. Turning away from the plant, she returned to enjoying how her Force presence reached out and touched those nearby. She was enthralled with how her body reacted to this place by automatically reaching out and calling for the dark, drawing it in and relishing in it's strength and allowing that great passion to touch her soul, to hold her close and whisper it's promises in her ear.

It was with a sigh that she pulled away, knowing that spending too long listening to those promises is what often led Sith to their deaths. The Dark Side promised so much, but the payment for such wishes granted was great. Nothing in life was free after all. Master Chi'kai had warned her of this. "Spend too long in it's thrall, and you'll loose yourself to it, becoming nothing more than a pawn. The Force is ours to control, yes, but we must always take care not to become it's pawn in our arrogance."

Yellow and red eyes gazed up at the sky, staring sharply, despite the apparent obstruction of the hood. "So, you have come to me again my sister," she whispered. Now she hopped upon the speeder she had 'liberated' from a foolish space pirate, and deliberately, slowly trekked back to her ship, the Silver Starling. "I wonder if you too have grown in the weeks we have been apart," she wondered with a smirk upon her lips.

By the time the Jedi's Force presence was felt like a beacon of light amidst the dark, entering the atmosphere, Vitani was only a click away from her ship. Too far for it to be seen, yet still close enough to make a quick getaway. Yes, here was perfect. "Come into my web, said the spider to the fly," she giggled, a tad bit insanely, as she turned her gaze to the orange tinted sky.

As Jesha landed her craft on the dark world, she was keenly aware of darkness. The darkness of the planet itself, the way it reached out to and embraced dark force users; the darkness of the sith, even through the planet’s own darkness, the sith’s stood out as a force to be reckoned with; and last of all, but perhaps the most disturbing to the still very young knight, was the new awareness that, the more she sought her sister’s killer, the more she grew to be like the sith – a darkness beginning to build within herself as well.

She let the thought take hold of her for a moment, fully feeling how disturbing this new realization was before shoving it into some deep recess of her mind. She could deal with that later. As she began making her way toward where she felt the sith presence, she knew only one thing. She wanted – no, needed – revenge, however un-jedi-like it was.

((So, basically, I didn't know where you had Tani exactly otherwise I would had Jesha actually get to her. So you have my approval to control Jesh for a bit to get her to wherever you need her to be. Oh, and is this the one where Jesh gets her ass handed to her and then her saber taken? It's not the reveal yet, is it? (I really need to make a timeline.) ))

The Sith Apprentice sunk herself into a deep trance, letting the Force, in all it's darkness upon the planet, wash over her, through her as she watched Jesha's progress towards her current position. "Don't loose yourself to the darkness little knight, it is more than you'd be willing to loose," she chuckled to herself, slowly surfacing from the Force like a deep diver surfaces after a dive. She sat down upon a large rock outcropping, behind which her speeder was conveniently placed for easy access yet shielded from being a potential casualty of the inevitable fight to come. She had been delaying this fight for far too long. The Knight had to see what she was doing, lest she too be lost to the Order. It wasn't that she felt sympathy, nor that she felt regret, but rather that she was doing it for herself. Jesha could not fall. It was not part of her plans. How would she grow stronger if she had no one to measure herself against? She was no fool, she could not use Skywalker as a basis for measure, he had taken down Vader, single handedly rebuilt the Jedi Temple AND the former castle of Darth Vader. Skywalker was beyond strong in the Force, he was alone enough to count as an entire planet when viewed through the Force. Besides, by using her former partner, at least she was pushing the other to become strong as well.

By the time the Knight had entered her pre-chosen clearing, the Apprentice had a wide smirk upon her lips as she watched the Jedi dismount her speeder, though the top of the cowl shadowed the rest of her face, you could instinctually tell that her eyes were sparkling in glee.

"I would say 'We meed again, Jedi' but that just seems so very overdone. But welcome, Jedi, welcome to Taris," she said with a flourish and bow, smirk never dying in size nor power.

Jesha's blood boiled as she finally came face to face with the sith who was responsible for Vitani's death. "So you finally show yourself, coward? Not like Nar Shaddaa. That truly proved how strong you were, fighting me with puppets." she seethed, her fists clenching and unclenching over and over.

((Hmmm ok so this post is short but I don't know what else to do with it. Damn dialog and the way it shortens posts! I suggest we fire a few short posts back and for for the talking bit...))

The sith apprentice only shrugged, smirk never dying or fading, taking her arms and holding them aloft in a questioning and aloof gesture, with her gloved palms turned to the sky. "What is the measure of true strength? Is it measured in lives taken? If so, I think I win... Is it measured in lives saved? Again, I believe I would win, though you know not the extent.... Or is it the measure of our souls and our willingness to dedicate ourselves to the task at hand?"

Slowly those arms dropped to her sides, and her head gave a slight quirk, evidence that she had tilted her head in an inquiring move. "Do you have the dedication to see through your vengeance, Jedi? Think hard on this before answering."

Jesha's heart pounded with each word that came from the sith's mouth. With each sentence, Jesha was more and more convinced of her complete hatred of the being standing before her, and more steadfast in her determination to get revenge. That is, until the sith out right asked her, questioning her dedication, and more over, her willingness to turn from the light in order to achieve her goal.

Jesha faltered for a moment, her eyes darting around, looking at anything but the sith, knowing the truth of the question just posed. But after not too long, she seemed to steel herself for her eyes came back up to meet the sith's. "I suppose there's only one way to find out," she seethed as she dashed toward the sith, drawing her lightsabers to her hands as she launched forward so that they were humming by the time she reached her adversary.

The woman laughed, it was an encouraging laugh, urging the Jedi on. Her lightsabers were drawn and with a snap hiss, came to life in twin melody of humming resonance. The sharp cracking of two lightsabers meeting in combat echoed out in a harsh staccato. The blades she was using were not Her own, as evidenced by the deep red light now washing over her cloaked features. She didn't want to break her play thing just yet. Too much too soon would likely send the poor dear spiraling into the dark, and like she had stated before, she needed Jesha to stay planted firmly within the light, for purely selfish reasons.

But the apprentice frowned as she brought her borrowed sabers up to bare the brunt of another attack and felt something in the Force that caused her to flip up and away. They were not what she was used to, and slightly off balance when held in the standard Vaapad positions, in fact, if she was feeling the saber right, then the battery pack was VERY unstable, prolonged usage would probably over energize the crystal matrix and result in a brilliant explosion. "Oh banth poodoo," she pouted as she twirled the sabers in her hand. "I don't have long to play little knight, so come and show me if you are truly strong," the apprentice urged.

"Bantha poodoo?" Jesha murmured, but the next second the thought was gone as her focus was channeled into combat. Again she charged brazenly at the sith, all her training nearly forgotten in her rage, her blue sabers swirling and clashing violently again and again with the red of the sith's blades.

The more the sith blocked her attacks, the more frustrated Jesha became and the more her form slipped to the point where her swings were almost wild. But each continued to miss as the sith dodged or blocked each almost effortlessly. "Raaaaah!" Jesha cried in frustration, slamming both sabers down with as much force as she could muster. "I'LL KILL YOU!" she wailed, fighting to keep tears from her eyes just as furiously as she fought the mocking, sneering sith before her.

The Sith giggled at the display, "Anger does not serve you well little Knight." She tuck rolled past a furious swipe and popped up to flip away from a vicious thrust. "But this becomes less fun and more boring. You cannot fight me at your best, clouded as you are by your anger. It is rather disappointing really, to see such a pathetic display," the apprentice sneered in fake disgust, her smile came back too soon to make it seem as though she were truly disgusted, but there was an honest feeling of a deeply felt disappointment in her words.

"And what would your dear little partner knight think of you," she taunted, a lilting laugh punctuating the end of the question. "Must be so ashamed of seeing someone she treasured come so close to becoming entrapped by those feelings that feed the Dark Side. I had been hoping that the remaining star pupil of Skywalker would be more of a challenge, and yet I face such pitiful attempts, do you mock me? No, you are not consciously holding yourself back." Again she flipped out of the way, clearly making no effort to move in an offensive way, there was no need, Jesha was not fighting the way she remembered, not fighting with that strength that had made her her equal. "You are weak, little Knight, because you let your need for vengeance hold you back, let it go or you shall fall to the darkness. And make no mistake, I am not willing to share my Master with another apprentice. Become stronger and leave your fool's quest on this planet," the Sith hissed, "such things will get you killed. Stay in the light where you belong, little Knight, or I will end you myself."

With her words spoken the Sith brought her red blades together and let the battery pack do exactly what she hadn't wanted them to do in the middle of battle, but since she had turned one off, the explosion was only a show of light and sound, with an inconsequential concussive wave that felt like a mere breeze. Her distraction carried out, she turned away from the battle and in a show of superior strength and training, performed a set of complex acrobatic moves to scale the large rock formation and disappeared on the other side where her speeder was waiting. Jesha would either do exactly what she had told her to do, or she would loose herself. Either way, it wasn't her choice to make and if she did loose herself, she would drag her, kicking and screaming if she had to, back into the light, after all, the Apprentice still needed her.

Jesha was left sucking in heavy breaths of air after her fruitless over exertion as the sith made yet another escape. A vicious scream tore from her throat as she deactivated her sabers letting them fall carelessly to the ground. She collapsed to her hands and knees, slamming her fists down on the earth, tears now allowed to slowly trickle down her cheeks. Tears of frustration that the sith once again had escaped, but more over, tears because Jesha had indeed heard every word the sith had said, and knew each one to be true.

For several more minutes she allowed herself to stay there, crumpled in a ball, feeling completely sorry for herself. Then slowly but purposefully she stood, gathered her sabers, dusted off her robes, made her way back to her shuttle, and set in a course for Coruscant. She was not looking forward to the earful she would be receiving from Master Skywalker but she knew she would be deserving of every last word.

The Sith Apprentice sighed as she leaned back into her captain's chair of her starcraft. The White Starling was a small ship, but built with comfort in mind. Despite being fast (perhaps not the fastest but still) it was hard to call the silence and isolation of hyperspace consoling and tolerable if your ship wasn't outfitted properly. "Ahh, that was rather disappointing," she sighed into her hands as her head came forward to rest on the hand that was resting heavily on the plush arm rest. "I hope that Master has more interesting things for me to do..."

As the vessel entered into Hyperspace the apprentice shrugged off her heavy cloak and boots, as well as the black gloves upon her arms. When all was said and done, a young woman was in the place of the imposing figure. Somewhat dark skinned, curling fire-like hair whose color shifted as she moved, and poison yellow eyes ringed with rusty red. Red tear-like markings ran from the inner corner of her eyes to the outside of her jaw, branching out twice in short, sharp extensions. Her lips were painted black, and curved into a smile as she relieved herself of her armor and coverings. Sure, she could waltz around wearing what she wished, but then, her cover would be broken and she'd have to deal with the fall out from that.

Humming to herself thoughtfully, Vitani smiled, "No, best let them get over the loss before I break their hearts. It'll be more fun that way...But before anything, I think a sonic shower is in order..."

Keeping true to other times when Jesha had been in trouble with Master Skywalker, there were no clustered padawans looking for tales of epic battles from her most recent mission. Just one very upset looking Jedi master.

“Master, I can explain-“

But the words didn’t even manage to truly leave her mouth before being cut off. “No. Not this time, Jesha. This time you’ve gone too far. You put yourself in both physical danger and danger of falling to the dark side. For Hutt’s sake, Jesha, I felt you. From across the galaxy, I felt the darkness bubbling inside of you,” Luke’s voice faltered. It was evident he was truly upset at his star pupil, but not just in a strictly teacher/student way. Jesha and Vitani were about as close as he had ever come to daughters and the loss of one was making him even more protective of the other.

“I’m sorry, Master,” Jesha muttered. “Truly, I am. I realize how I’ve been acting…it’s wrong. I claimed I was better. That I had moved past…her death. But I haven’t. Not really. Not yet. I still,” she took a calming breath as even the thought of the sith responsible made her pulse race, “I still wanted – still want revenge. I can’t; I shouldn’t. It’s not the Jedi way.”

“Perhaps you should go away somewhere. Somewhere isolated, where you can be at peace. Take some time, Jesha. Find your center, and move past this, once and for all,” Luke said, moving forward and placing a hand on Jesha’s shoulder. “I’m afraid there is nothing more I can say or do to help you. No amount of words exchanged will make you feel better. This is something you must come to terms with on your own.”

Jesha meekly nodded. “Thank you. I think I’ll go home. Well, to Tatooine. Please don’t tell my parents I’m coming. I’ve no intention of any human contact. I just need…to be home.”

Luke smiled, understanding. “I remember I used to dream of getting off that planet,” he mused. “My uncle always said, just one more season. Then they’d have enough money to buy new droids. Then I could leave. For years it was “Just one more season.” Then they were killed by stormtroopers and before I knew it I was traveling around with a princess, a pirate, a wookie, and an old Jedi knight, getting swept up in the rebellion. Every now and then I still wish I could go back to the simple life I had on Tatooine. As crazy as it sounds, I miss the sand storms, the heat, the dryness.”

“The pod racing,” Jesha injected with a smile. Luke nodded. A silence fell between them until Jesha spoke again. “I’ll leave first thing tomorrow.”

“Alright. Good luck,” he smiled.

Jesha nodded and turned for her quarters, setting a brisk pace and avoiding all eye contact along the way.

She shoved her door open angrily with a liberal application of the force, jarring the mechanical opening mechanism, causing it to scream just as angrily as it closed behind her. She stopped just inside the door, standing for several seconds in the middle of the room as a wide array of emotions ran through her body. Anger at the sith for killing Vitani. Fear that the sith could see into her so clearly. Self pity that she had allowed herself to come so close to the dark without even realizing it. Betrayal that no one in the order was truly there for her the way she needed them when she needed them most. Calm in that she knew now what she had to do and had a plan to do it. And rage. Rage at the sith, at Master Skywalker, at the order, at Vitani, but mostly at herself and her own weekness.

She collapsed at the side of her bed, her knees on the ground, her upper body flung on the bed. She pounded a fist against the mattress once. Then a second and third and fourth time. Then stopped. She let a low sound, somewhere between a moan and cry, sob out of her throat. She wanted to scream and cry and tear the room apart with the force, but she restrained herself. She knew control was part of recovery. True recovery, not the false state she had rushed into before. She crawled up onto the bed and shortly passed into unconsciousness, exhausted after her brief but emotional encounter with the sith.

He couldn't believe his luck, or rather, lack of it. Master Skywalker had assigned him to tracking down the Sith, on his own. Sure he was just supposed to locate, observe and collect data, but he was a negotiator for the love of the Force, not some infiltration's specialist, or some gung-ho sentinel ready for battle. He preferred to settle things through peaceable talks and civilized negotiations. He knew, yes, he had to go out because he experienced that loss, and this was all part of the Force’s test, to make sure he was strong. But still, couldn’t they have at least chosen to send him with a partner or even a star-mech or droid at least? Something to break the intense silence that was the middle of a hyperspace jump.

Sighing, Knight Kovu ran a slender hand through his now shoulder length black and blonde hair. This planet was relatively “Light” in the Force. The fact that a Sith of the caliber that was confirmed to have confronted Knight Antilles in a seedy bar on Nar Shadaa would have had to have been trying extraordinarily hard to shield themselves from his sweep both annoyed and relieved him, which gave him cause to relax. Annoyed because again he met a dead end, and relieved because that meant he still had time to prepare himself in the event he DID actually come across the Sith.

“Thank the Great Mother,” he murmured to himself, and brought up his compact communicator to call his ship out of orbit. Just as he was bringing it to his mouth to relay the instructions, a woman brushed past him, and there was a whispered voice in his ear.

“Little Kovu,” came the soft whisper. “So far from home baby brother... Our Mother must miss you so.”

It was not the casual use of his name, nor the fact that she referenced him as ‘baby brother’ but the inflection upon Mother. His pupils shrunk, amber eyes darting around. A Force presence reached out for his and embraced him in such a familiar, one he could never forget nor mistake. This was the Force presence of one whom was said to be dead, but no body was recovered, but she had disappeared into the Force, like death had taken her.

“For what it is worth, I have missed you Kovu-olenne (little brother Kovu),” came that same voice, one that he now knew, one that now smashed through his mental shields like a bull rancor’s claws cleaves through a hutt’s hide.

Kovu almost sunk to his knees, but strong, though female arms, came to wrap themselves around him in a hug. This was the hug of a beloved family member whom you haven’t seen in a very long while. Her scent was still the same, still that spicy sweet scent he associated with home, with the Delma Reane, with....a Knight that died three standard galactic months ago. A kiss was placed upon his brow, and he found himself returning the hug fervently, unable to speak, unable to move, unable to question.

His voice was constricted and pained when he finally was capable of bringing himself to speak. “Vitani-alande, (Elder sister Vitani)” he almost sobbed. “You’re alive...” It was both a question and a statement. Like he didn’t know weather or not he was believing this.

Jesha woke the next morning, made her few preparations, and was traveling through hyperspace before most of the temple was even awake. She arrived on Tatooine an hour after dawn on the desert planet. She had chosen her landing cite specifically due to how far it was removed from all traces of the civilization. It was also atop a mesa, providing a complete panoramic of the desolate desert bellow.

Rummaging through her small messenger bag, Jesha withdrew a pair of goggles which she strapped over her eyes and a black handkerchief which she tied over her nose and mouth. She also pulled out a bottle of water which she hooked to her belt. She tossed the bag back into the vessel, sealing the door before walking several hundred meters away and plopping down, cross-legged on the sandy ground.

The young knight took several deep breaths through the handkerchief and closed her eyes. Within seconds, she was in a state of meditation. She allowed her mind to wander, to commune with the force, to seek and find the answers and the healing and strength she required. For days she remained in this state, taking small sips of her water only when absolutely necessary. She meditated through hunger and weariness. Through the extreme hot of the day and the extreme cold of the night. Even through the violent sand storms that seemed to come at least every other day.

Kovu spent days with Vitani, though he sent periodic reports to the temple that he was in good condition and still scouting a planet he mentioned nothing of just whom he had found on the quaint little planet. He enjoyed his time with her, speaking of things of little consequence, basking in the source of warmth that was her readily given embraces, learning of how she survived, but never truly learning about how she survived. Part of it was because he was afraid of the answer, part of it was because he didn’t want to know, but most of it was because he himself had a pretty strong idea of just what happened in the bowels of the cloud city, pieced together from Knight Antilles’ recollections, the various holo-vids taken from the security droids, and Vitani’s own stories. What he was able to piece together was a dark tale of pain, defeat at the hands of the dark, and inevitable surrender to the pull. But it was one tale that he wasn’t willing to believe. Kovu knew Vitani. He trained under her, was tutored by her, got past the loss of his partner, thanks to her. She was his sister in the Force, and his future Delma Reane, a veritable Queen, by mandate of his people.

She always rose with the sun and performed her morning rituals, just as he remembered, and he would sit and watch at times, as she would settle into that deep meditation of thanks, and wonder if he was wrong, because no Sith would sit and give thanks to life every morning, nor would they converse with him, a Jedi Knight, on topics such as the concerning rise in the Hutt power base. Though he knew that his suspicions had basis, for what else could be the reason for the small ring of yellow inside her irises that would sometimes almost glow, or when he would sometimes catch a wave of a deep running darkness screaming through the Force and a glimpse of a snarling Vitani as she held her head, but it would fade in seconds of it coming.

On the dawn of the fifth day Vitani received a short message from somewhere on Coruscant, though his ship was unable to fully decode the heavily coded message, he knew it had something to do with her presence on this planet, and the man she called “Master” with such fondness Kovu was struck by a sudden realization, he had heard Jesha often refer to Master Skywalker in such a fashion, but never Vitani. The elder Althalarian Knight had always held herself just slightly more aloof from the Master Jedi, though he never knew why, but now he did, Luke Skywalker was unable to give Vitani what she had needed when the darkness had invaded her soul, this man had, and it was in that moment that he knew without a doubt. His Vitani-alande was a Sith.

He watched as she gathered her voluminous black robes about her, pulled up her hood and called her ship to pick her up. Her mission was to ‘silence’ a senator from this planet. And Kovu, as a Jedi Knight, and as a son of Altheaire, could not let her do that, so he quickly rose from his seat at the table and palmed the door open, keeping his saber ready in his right hand.

“Vitani-alende!” He called to her as she was preparing to board the ship, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he knew he would not win a battle against her if it came to that, but perhaps he could talk her out of it, he was a negotiator after all. “I cannot, in good conscience, let you do what you are about to do, Vitani-alende.”

Vitani stopped halfway up the ramp, to turn slightly towards him, her questioning voice, though quiet, carried over the soft hum of the engines of her ship, and the whispering winds that blew through the clearing. “You would raise your saber against me Kovu-olenne?”

“You know I do not wish that, but I cannot let you destroy a life, no matter how corrupt, or tainted the person is. That is not the Jedi way, but more so than that, Our Mother would not agree with your actions, please....Vitani-alende, I’m begging, come back, we can fix this,” he spoke passionately, hoping against hope, that perhaps it would resonate with her and draw her back to that light, for five days, Kovu saw and experienced the ardent love Vitani held for him, for her family she had freely left back upon Altheaire, for the Jedi Order she had to abandon, but most of all, for the sister she was forced to betray. He knew she could come back to them, but it had to be her choice, freely made.

Vitani snarled and before he knew it, she was in front of him, pushing him down to the ground with a brutal shove, the yellow in her eyes perverting the wondrous ruby color that was passed down through the Delma Reane from the Great Mother. “Do not begin to tell me of the Jedi way Kovu. The Jedi know nothing of being forced to fight something you cannot win against. They know NOTHING of having to suffer, day after day, a cruel, burning, soul deep, pain, for choosing to protect a loved one. They cannot compare their morals and ideals to mine, tempered by a darkness I did not have the strength to fight.”

Kovu fell to the ground with a soft grunt, not expecting Vitani to get so aggressive so quickly. Her temper was far shorter now than he had recalled. Looking up, the Jedi Knight couldn’t help but shudder, the Dark Side was now flowing around her strongly. It coiled about like a Snipe, embraced her like a lover, and snapped at him like a vicious Wyvern. Her hood had flown back in her rush towards him and he could see as an invisible wind picked up her long fiery hair and gave it a life of it’s own, giving the Sith Apprentice the appearance of being bathed in a hellish fire.

“No one,” she continued softly, but the rage was made even more evident by her tone, “no one back at the temple ever offered me an understanding shoulder to turn to, never said it wasn’t my fault I was falling. They all just kept saying: “Beat the darkness! You can fight it!” Fragging sith spitting piles of nexu shit. I tried so hard Kovu, so fragging hard, and no one but Master Chi’kai dared to tell me that it was okay.” As she spoke her voice got louder, her tone more distressed. “Only he understood, only he said it wasn’t my fault, only he told me that it was okay to be tired of fighting the Dark, that I could let it run it’s course, and maybe even use it to work towards my goals....no one else. So, no, Kovu, I’m not going back. Not now, not tomorrow, not next week, probably not ever. I’m happy with my Master. He’s given me something that Skywalker wasn’t able to. He’s given understanding, and an unconditional love. I don’t have to live up to expectations or keep fighting the darkness now in my heart. I could just stay on Coruscant and continue to masquerade as his daughter if I wanted. But my Master has certain appearances to keep up, and I’m not going to sit by idly if I can help the man who guided me in my time of need.”

Kovu didn’t understand, how could the Sith show love, he knew the stories, he heard the tales and read the history. No, he had to keep her here, either that or somehow defeat her and take her back to the Temple, where she belonged. Where the Healers would be able to seal up the darkness again, and Vitani would be okay again. For so long, he had been taught that Freedom was the Force, but only if you managed to stay away from the Dark Side.

“I’m sorry Vitani-alende,” he murmured to her back as he watched her walk away. Casting off his heavy dark brown outer robes, Kovu charged Vitani, waiting until the very last second to activate his saber.

Vitani twirled on the balls of her feet, and one of her own deep indigo sabers came up to meet his in a loud, crackling, shower of sparks. Her other hand was held out, and Kovu frowned as he broke contact when he jumped back, he had put all his power into that swing, and yet she had warded it off with one hand. That, at most, could have been half of her power, but he had the sneaking feeling that is wasn’t.

“Don’t make me do this Kovu.” Her voice carried in it a solemn warning, and for a split second, the knight considered backing down and away. “You can go back to the temple, for all I care, tell Skywalker that I live, tell Jesha that I’m the Sith she hunts, but do. not. make me fight you Kovu, you will not like the outcome.”

“I must,” he shook his head as he brought his saber back up into an aggressive stance. “I know I was never the best fighter, and I know that I cannot win in a straight fight, but I must at least try to make you see reason!!”

The elder Althalarian was silent for a short while before she turned fully towards Kovu and cast off her heavy mantle, revealing a turtle necked singlet, a heavy open tasset of black and silver, and high boots that came to her knees. Her detached sleeves were different, now longer and wider, made of a light material that fluttered with the slightest of movements, she drew one saber and assumed the opening Makashi stance. “Very well then, come at me Kovu, and show me the depth of your dedication.”

The Jedi Knight didn’t understand her last portion, but he knew a challenge when it was issued. Though back at the Temple, and even as a child on Altheaire, he was a scholar, the society that had raised him was a very honor bound and traditional society. While Vitani’s issuance was a far-cry from a formal challenge, it was still a challenge none the less. And while he knew he would not be walking away from this battle victorious, his blood, the blood of many generations of noble and proud warriors, sang for him to stand up and meet it. With a exclamation he literally flowed into action as he extended himself into the Force to enhance his reactions and empower his strikes.

“Ah, so little Kovu has finally mastered Niman, then...I was wondering if you would...Perhaps you should look into Ataru after this,” Vitani purred as she fluidly blocked an upper hand slash towards her torso. Though she was giving herself many handicaps, such as using a style she had yet to master, and only allowing herself one saber and one arm in this battle, Kovu’s moves were so apparent.

They were smooth yes, they were very well polished, yes, he flowed directly from one stance to the next, yet, he telegraphed what he was about to do next. He wasn’t a fighter, and Vitani knew that. She half heartedly thrust at him, knowing when he would bat the thrust away to try and go for an overhead strike. Was this how high she had set her bar? So high that she was completely and utterly bored by fighting another Jedi, whom in all rights, should have been on equal grounds as she?

Her lackadaisical attitude was irking him, she was treating this entire thing like some overly boring game. Did she not know how much pain she was causing her family? Did she even care that she had thrown an entire civilization into despair and chaos because of what she was doing? It was all adding up to equate to an irate Kovu, and with a growl of annoyance, he threw his hand forward, pushing his entire Force capabilities into a powerful wave of kinetic energy that sent a good portion of the ground in front of him flying and caused the ship that was idling behind them to rock ever so slightly. Vitani of course, saw and felt this before it even happened, and allowed her body to fly with the energy, not fighting it. As the wave ebbed, she righted her body and landed upon the ground softly.

“You never were the best lightsaber duelist, little Kovu. Just quit now, while you are ahead,” she coaxed, truly not wishing to harm the young Knight.

The Knight on the other hand, rushed forward, paying no heed to her words. And for a moment, Vitani saw in a younger version of herself in Kovu’s eyes, and she froze. She saw weakness and a child with foolish ideals. That moment was all Kovu needed to get inside her guard and attempt to land a hit.

What happened next horrified Vitani, as she reacted instinctually, used to the spars with her Master, as she called forth a short but powerful blast of Force Lightning to her fingertips and loosed it upon Kovu before the saber could meet her torso. The young Knight, having never dealt with an attack of that nature, was caught unaware and struck full on in the chest.

It had been over a week and still Jesha felt unsettled. With a weak sigh, she cracked her eyes open, squinting at the harsh, mid-day sunlight. She reached for her water bottle, pulling the bottom tip of her handkerchief up over her mouth so she could sip the hot water.

“Really?”

Jesha’s head snapped up, some of the water falling to the ground as she hastily closed the lid and clipped it back on her belt, looking around for the origin of the voice.

“Hot water, no food, no shelter – and when was the last time you slept?”

Only the adrenaline pumping into her limbs gave Jesha the strength to stand and spin about as fast as she did, finally locating what appeared to be a female form standing several feet in front of her. “Who are you?”

“Who am I? Jesha. Have you really forgotten me already?” the voice teased.

Jesha’s brow furrowed. “Who –“

“You’re telling me you really don’t recognize me, Jesha-alenien? You really don’t recognize your own sister?” the figure said, finally stepping forward enough to be recognized.

Jesha’s breath caught and her heart all but stopped beating at the sight of Vitani before her. “How…?”

“Jesha, Jesha, Jesha,” Vitani tisked. “When we die, what do we become? The Force. And what are you communing with when you meditate? The Force. Think about it.”

Jesha seemed pensive for a second. “I guess so. But in the past, only masters had been able to –“

“You spend too much time in the archives. Aren’t you just happy to see me?”

“Yes, but…”

“But what?”

Jesha sighed. “I don’t – I don’t… It’s so good to see you,” she said, tears leaking from her eyes, forcing her to remove her goggles or risk becoming water logged.

Vitani smiled and rolled her eyes. “Good to see you too. Even though I have been watching you this whole time. You’re behavior by the way, not very becoming of a Jedi Knight. Master Luke must not be pleased.”

Jesha just shook her head. “He doesn’t understand. He doesn’t know the pain…”

“Doesn’t he? He lost friends too, Jesha. In the war.”

“I – I know,” Jesha mumbled, looking down.

“Why didn’t you ever talk to him? I mean really sit down and talk to him?”

“I don’t know, I just,” Jesha shook her head vigorously, the movement making her dizzy. “It was like Ton all over again. Another sibling, another best friend, dead.”

Vitani reached an arm out and gently shoved Jesha. The knight’s dizziness combined with the push resulted in Jesha ending up on the ground again. Vitani then bent down to join her at the new level. “Jesha-alenien,” she began soothingly, placing a hand on Jesha’s knee, “I know it’s been hard. But you have to move on. I have; now you need to, too.”

“It hurts,” Jesha moaned pathetically.

“I know. I really do,” Vitani comforted. “But you’re strong, Jesha. You’re so strong. I know you can do this. Nothing can bring me back, you must know that. So what you’re doing, this revenge quest, it’s only pushing you farther away from the light, farther away from your family at the Order, farther away from my memory of you. You’re losing who you are, Jesha, your very core.” Jesha looked up due to the sheer intensity of Vitani’s words. “You always believed in the Jedi ideals more than I did. You always held them so dear. I remember you lecturing me about the old mantra – the original one. You held those principals on a kriffing pedestal. Don’t lose them now when you need them most. Hold onto them, Jesha. Be a knight. A shining knight of the light. Be strong and move on. Live, Jesha-alenien. Live, and be happy.” The last word were said with such force and such love that Jesha couldn’t help keep a small smile from her face. Vitani leaned over and took both of Jesha’s hands in hers, giving them one last encouraging squeeze before releasing them and standing back up.

Jesha sprung back to her feet and grabbed Vitani’s wrist. “Wait!” she all but wailed. She shook her head as panic began to take hold. “You can’t leave me again. Please,” she begged.

But Vitani simply shook her head, gently pulling her hand from Jesha’s. “I’m not leaving you, Jesha-alenien. I’m part of the force now. I’ll always be with you, just as the force will.”

Jesha seemed somewhat pacified by the statement. “I miss you.”

“I’d be offended if you didn’t. But it’s time to move on.” Vitani smiled, “Speaking of moving on, I gotta go,” she said with a wave of her hand. Jesha felt her goggles being pulled from their resting place on her forehead and held over her eyes. “By the way, these are really dorky,” Vitani added, letting her force hold fade so the goggles snapped painfully back onto Jesha’s face, knocking her over once again.

When the knight blinked herself back into the world, she sprung back to her feet, pulling the goggles off her eyes so she could better survey the mesa. To her despair, she saw nothing. Not ship, not Vitani. The wind had even blown away any signs that she had even been there.

The knight once again took a seating position, drawing in several breaths as she absorbed the visit. Suddenly she smiled and dipped her head. “Thank you, Vitani,” she whispered. “And goodbye,” she added, her smile adopting a hint of sadness.

In a near comatose state, she shuffled back to her ship, more thankful now than ever before of the invention of auto-pilot.