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 Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 3:10 pm
Coruscant - Skies Above Market
Lord Esuritio sensed a mass disturbance in the force. One so sensitive was close, too close to the temple.
Is it a threat? Is it an ally? Or is it merely one who can easily be turned to our cause? Nevertheless, Esuritio intended to follow the disturbance to it's source.
He flew a speeder steadfastly across the Market Sector, following his senses.
"This one is strong, but who is it? Patience... They will become apparent soon..."
He let go of one control stick and unclipped his Lightsaber from his belt.
He stroked the intricate bevels around the activator switch with his thumb. If this is indeed dangerous, Esuritio's blade will taste bloodshed once again.
"It has been far too long..."
With that, he dove the speeder lower, hoping to get a better view of the bustling metropolis below...
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 3:31 pm
Coruscant - Market
Zara tried to blend in again with the crowd, drawing her hood further up over her head. Unfortunately, in her fury she had been unable to control herself, stabbing the man viciously even after he was dead, and blood was splattered on her cloak which did not go unnoticed. She tried to take shortcuts and alleyways to get back to the housing block, but she could feel the butt of a pistol pressed against her side as a thug grabbed her by the arm.
Zara was almost tempted to roll her eyes in frustration.
Bounty hunters? Really?
They didn't even know who she was and they were already jumping at her for seeing a little blood. She reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged into a dark alleyway, trying to swallow the lump in her throat formed by fear. A broken, rusted droid laid against a wall, and she could tell that it had already been scavenged for useful parts.
Come on... just a little closer...
When the man was distracted, she kneed him in the gut and ripped one of the rusty metal arms off of the droid, using all of her strength to bludgeon the man over the head with it. She only managed to piss him off even more, and he pinned her against the wall, drawing the attention of two other thugs. Zara took a sharp inhale.
She was outnumbered, outstrengthed and outmatched in every way.
Was this going to be the end?
She didn't cry out, she didn't beg for mercy or forgiveness. She was going to stay and fight, though the odds were horribly against her. If they were going to kill her, that was for the better. She would much rather die than be locked up or on the run because of a price on her head. Zara had her vengeance and she was satisfied with that. She brandished the droid arm in front of her, a certain ferocity and fearlessness in her eyes.
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 3:46 pm
Coruscant - Market
Esuritio's Descent
"What?"
He saw it. Her.
He saw the commotion as she was dragged into a nearby alley.
"Hmmm. Interesting... I wonder what she has done to attract the attention of the Bounty Hunter's guild. They're nothing but thugs..."
Esuritio had found the disturbance, in the form of a woman. Perhaps a hopeful, or a lost soul looking for a purpose? She was no Je'daii, he was certain.
The dark kernel he sensed assured him of that.
He set the speeder to hover and stood, placing one boot on the edge of the speeder.
"7... 10? Ten more in the street looking for her? Impressive. Hnh!"
He leapt, igniting his saber, the crimson blade almost invisible in the sun's harsh glare.
He soared downwards, his cape billowing in the wind. With his free hand, he launched a Force Wave to clear the path below, launching civilians to either side of the street.
He landed in the epicenter of the force wave, one heel cracking the durasteel walkway.
Straightening up, he looked left and right, disorientated civilians fleeing in terror. Sighing, he swung his saber sharply to his right, decapitating a bounty hunter who was attempting to sneak up on him. His head rolled into the gutter and the foul smell of the cauterised wound; seared flesh, filled the air for a moment.
He shook his head, moving his silver hair to the side and dashed towards the alleyway, not wanting to be too late.
He stopped when he reached the alley and cracked his neck.
"I suggest you put the woman down, before you all become scorch marks on the ground!"
In the dank alleyway, the bounty hunters turned, a slight panicked breath as they heard the hum of his lightsaber...
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 4:15 pm
Coruscant - Market
Zara's spine seemed to tingle as she felt the presence of another. She couldn't quite explain why, but she could feel a certain dark energy that made her feel a chill.
When the stranger approached, her eyes widened in surprise. Why was he bothering with this simple altercation? He had a lightsaber, and he obviously looked like someone with a lot of power and influence, so why would he be wasting his time on a bunch of petty criminals and bounty hunters?
Unless...
The person she had killed... was he very important? She didn't even know what his name was. Just an acolyte in some mad cult, right? Or maybe he was more important than she thought he was, and she had now attracted the attention of forces she couldn't even begin to match.
Immediately, one of the bounty hunters ran away at the sight of the stranger. The one holding Zara down let go of her for a moment to pull out a blaster and point it at him with a shaky hand.
"Don't make me use this... I swear, I'm not messing around." he said, the fear apparent in his cracking voice.
Zara took this opportunity to scramble away, though she was stopped by one of the other men who held her by her shirt collar as she struggled to break loose.
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 4:34 pm
Coruscant - Market
Esuritio burst out into laughter at the thug's attempt at a threat.
"Hahahaha! Are you not? Prove your worth, pull the trigger!"
The thug gulped and proceeded to squeeze the trigger, but he was too late.
He stood there, his eyes wide with fear and pain and Esuritio was stood behind him, on one knee, blade outstretched to his side.
The thug coughed and fell, his torso sliding off his waist, both parts of his body collapsing into a heap onto the floor.
Esuritio stood, dusted his knee off and de-activated his lightsaber. He then turned his attention to the second thug attempting to hold up the woman.
"Release her." He ordered.
The thug laughed and ignored his order. But his laugh was cut short. He started to gargle and choke.
"Again, I detest abhorrent, lowlife beings such as yourself. Now die!"
With that, Esuritio lifted the man into the air with the force, his fingers slipping off the girl's collar. He attempted to scream, but could not muster the breath to.
A wry grin crept across the Sith Lord's face as he clenched his fist.
the man's body jerked into itself, the sound of his bones and organs crushing filled the alley as his body was then tossed aside.
Esuritio's eyes seemingly changed colour from red to brown as he knelt down next to the girl, he spoke softly "I've felt your presence moving across this planet. You're strong in the force. I can feel your emotions. Your anger, insatiable lust for vengeance..."
He steadily brushed the girls hair out of her face and continued.
"I am Esuritio, High Lord of the Sith. I can sense the Force in you. I can sense your untapped potential. Your suffering screamed across the planet, your desire to exact your revenge ensnared my senses. I sensed the danger you were in.... what is your name, young one?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 7:24 pm
Coruscant - Market
Zara only understood about half of what was going on during the altercation. Everything was happening so fast, and suddenly all of the thugs were dead and Zara was thrown to the floor, somewhat disoriented. She managed to sit herself up, though she kept her head lowered. But her eyes widened in shock when she saw him kneel in front of her.
She looked up at him with a combination of fear and awe, about to surrender herself for capture. After what she had just witnessed, she certainly did not want to cross him.
But as he spoke, she realized he was not here to hurt her. His words came as a bit of a shock to her.
She had the Force within her? But... how? Certainly there had been a few incidents where she couldn't quite explain what had happened, like how she had been able to paralyze that man from before, but these were all just flukes, right? None in her family had the power of the Force...
But of course she remembered the hurtful, whispered rumors that she had been an illegitimate child to an unknown father. She pushed that out of her head for now and only blinked up curiously at the man, the one who called himself Esuritio. The gears in her brain began to turn and she thought upon all that he had said before attempting to give him a response.
So he was a Sith Lord? That wasn't hard to believe, after that display. But was he telling her the truth when he spoke of all this latent power resting inside of her? Though when she looked up at him she was filled with awe and fear, she couldn't hide the suspicion in her eyes. She wanted to believe him, she really did. But were the Sith not renowned for deceit and manipulation? To be that powerful, though...
No one would ever dare hurt her again. She rather liked that idea.
As he asked her for her name, her mouth opened slightly out of instinct as if she were about to say something. But of course, no words came out. She drew a sharp inhale and closed it again, though not fast enough for him to not see the stump of what was left of her tongue in her mouth. She couldn't say her name to him. She looked down again, her face growing hot with shame.
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 8:31 pm
Coruscant - Market
Esuritio's eyes momentarily widened.
::Her tongue has been severed? I cannot imagine the humiliation brought about by this.:: He thought to himself.
He shook his head slightly and spoke again, with a more caring demeanor in the tone of his voice.
"You are unable to verbally speak to me... I am sympathetic to that. There are other ways of communicating to one and other and the most prudent one at this moment in time is telepathy... But you cannot control the Force in that way... Yet." Esuritio then completely sat on the floor, cross legged.
"Open your mind to me... Allow me to read your thoughts. I will verbally respond to you. Trust me, I'm not going to hurt you. Please, tell me your name..."
He smiled softly, hoping the girl would trust him. After all, a towering Sith Lord rescuing a seemingly common girl from bounty hunters would be a shock to anyone.
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 8:49 pm
Coruscant - Market
A small shudder went down Zara's spine. His voice was surprisingly gentle. She was still rather wary of the entire situation, but did she have any other choice but to trust him? He did just rescue her from bounty hunters, and though he was intimidating it didn't seem like he was here to hurt her.
She closed her eyes, and though she tried to hide her fear her body was still trembling slightly.
My name is Zara Kelvyr. Those men were after me because I sought vengeance on the man who did this to me. Have I done something wrong? What I did felt right, at least in my heart. But if I'm in trouble, I don't want to fight you. I didn't know that he was someone important, I swear...
But she drew away from the connection now. Though she had started out with confidence, she felt that her words were becoming more frantic. Maybe he wasn't going to punish her for that. She could only hope so. She shivered at the thought of what happened to the bounty hunters, and what might happen to her if he were angry at her. But... that didn't seem like the case.
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 8:54 pm
Temple - Wastes of Mandalore
The droid continued to lead her silently down the corridor.
Her mind was racing over all that had transpired. Biting on her bottom lip, she dreaded what was to come..her compassion for what Vic had gone through was tearing her up inside...he had once been a friend..he now considered her a grave enemy...what would await her when she left the Temple and met him under the desert sun?...She also thought about what she must do now that her journey was near an end...she must activate the Force imbued nanomachines the Je'daii on Tython had implanted in his brain..she must erase the memories of Tython and what had transpired there...would it also erase the memories he had of Mandalore?...could they be friends again? she shook her head and her long copper hair moved about her shoulders...so much still unanswered...her frustration with the collective had gotten the better of her...smiling to herself..Ka'all had often warned her about her temper..even as a Je'daii Master, she had never really got it under her control...hours of meditation had not been able to erase the passion for life which drove her on....
They stopped in front of a black and red colored blast door. Etched into it old runes from a forgotten era.
"Master Rodger...a moment..."she placed her small hand on the door and traced the runes...ancient writings..familiar...yet unknown.....
The door opened slowly, as it opened huge clouds of dust escaped from inside the chamber.
Coughing, Elyria shielded her emerald eyes from the smoke-like wafts of dust that escaped..apparently this was one area the droids did not maintain
The door showed a room with a pedestal in the center. The walls of the room were rusty with age. Cobwebs hung from the corners. As her eyes adjusted to the light she spied the pedestal... floating..as if suspended in mid-air was a black cube. It seemed to glow from within...a dim glimmer shone about it...
Master Rodger..is it?..I mean... a look of awe lit her features ..is this a Jedi holocron? But it's blackness...was this stolen from the Sith? Tell me..do you know the origins of this artifact?
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 9:10 pm
Coruscant - Market
Decisions, Decisions...
"Zara Kelvyr... No. He was no man of importance. I found you through the Force. Any person you have killed means nothing to me."
Why has she blocked her mind? Is she scared? True, the Sith are a figure of fear and terror, but not in this instance.
"You have done nothing wrong. The Force is strong with you. I can feel your pain and I can tell what you long for. I can sense what troubles you."
He stood, knowing this particular one had strength that could be harnessed.
He pressed a button on his wristcom, calling his speeder to the exit at one end of the alley.
"Zara, I have rescued you from the scum of this planet and I understand you more than you know."
He extended his hand to help her up.
"Come with me and I can teach you how to defend yourself. How to exact the vengeance on those who have hurt you. I can bring you into a family, one where you will not have any fear of abandonment."
He then pulled out a blaster pistol from the pouch on his belt, extending it in his other hand.
"Or you can run, as you always have, lurking in the shadows. Waiting for the moment to strike. And possibly die. Die and leave the world of the living. Take my hand and come with me, or take this blaster and run. I can help you. Train you. Teach you to harness your power."
He smiled and spoke once more.
"What I did to your assailants is a mere fraction of power you could harness. It is, however, your decision."
He retracted the hand with the blaster in it an inch closer to him, hoping she would realise that it would be foolish to run.
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 10:29 pm
Coruscant - Market
Zara took a long time to make her choice. She was staring from the hand he had extended to her, to the hand that held the pistol, her dark eyes blank as she contemplated everything.
It was as if he had tapped into her mind and knew everything she desired. To belong somewhere, to be strong, to be important and feared.
She didn't want to run anymore.
Concepts such as "good" and "evil" were things that Zara had never cared for. In her eyes, she needed to take the best path for survival, and choose the side that was winning.
This was the path that was right for her, she knew now.
Even if it wasn't the right path, did she really have a choice? To keep running and hiding who she was in fear of what they might do to her? To hide because of some silly price on her head, when she could ascend to be something much greater and more powerful? Why should she hide when she could learn to be stronger, to harness this "power" he said she had?
She did not hesitate any longer. She took his hand, now looking him straight in the eye and attempting the mental connection again.
I want to learn to become strong. I want to be so feared, that no one will even think about hurting me again. Will you help me?
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Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 12:55 pm
Coruscant - Market > Speeder to Temple
Esuritio clasped his hand around hers softly and smiled.
"Strength will come with time, patience and training, Zara. It will not be an easy path, but it will bring more satisfaction to your life than you could possibly imagine."
He holstered the blaster and lead her to the speeder waiting at the end of the alley.
"Get in, we'll get out of this festering cesspit and go to the temple."
As they clambered into the speeder, Esuritio said
"I'll provide you with some clean robes, some food, a place to rest and clean yourself. You'll need it before I bring you before my Master."
They both took their seats in the speeder and flew above the Market Skyline.
Esuritio looked at her out of the corner of her eye
::Nervousness... Fear... She reminds me of myself, when he found me... If anything, I can see her progressing quickly, much like myself::
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Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 6:30 pm
Temple - Wastes of Mandalore
The droid didn't respond, it quickly walked over and asked, "Your hand please." However, it didn't wait for a response. Instead, it quickly grabbed her by the wrist with its left hand. It then punctured one of her fingers with a needle on the right. Taking a small sample of blood before walking away.
It stopped at the door and said, "It has been a pleasure Master Jedi. Please take it and leave at your leasure." it then walked down the hall. Shortly to its right, a maintenance tunnel opened. When it entered, the tunnel quickly closed. You couldn't even tell if there was a tunnel to begin with.
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 3:19 pm
Temple - Wastes of MandaloreShe stood there shocked as he roughly grabbed her wrist and drew blood ,she knew this was for identification..she had witnessed the same with Vic..watching as he made his escape she yelled after him "The key Master Rodger..you forgot to give me the key!"Damnable droid! she muttered to herself as she sucked her finger to staunch the bleeding Turning her attention back to the artifact she watched it for a moment as it turned as if by it's own power in the dimly lit room. Finally, tucking her wanton locks of fiery hair behind her ears, she reached into her pack and brought out a pair of cortosis gauntlets, fitted perfectly to her small hands... still searching she produced a small metallic box. opening it she examined the padded velvet lining, before reaching up her gloved hand to gingerly grab the holocron from it's resting place, her fingers tingling as she grasped it ..even thru the gauntlets she felt the power of the Force pulsing thru the artifact...she sequestered it within the case for safe-keeping.. These artifacts were known to possess their users if not handled properly..she would leave it to the scholars on Tython to discover its mysteries. Removing the gloves, she again reached into her pack to produce a small pouch, she placed the box inside the pouch and hooked it firmly onto her belt, tucking it into the folds of her garments. She turned and looked around the dingy, darkened room before heading toward the door. She made her way back to the chamber where the two lovers were entombed. She couldn't help but look again at the portrait. It had lost some of its luster with the knowledge she had gained...but still...it stirred something in her...the passion she missed in her own life...the hope she saw in their love stricken faces.. was this all life held? She felt a sense of hopelessness..of sadness at the bittersweet picture she now glanced upon...shaking her head she again approached the Collective "AI..where shall I find the key to this Temple..or how do I summon Master Rodger for his assistance?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 8:14 pm
Temple - Wastes of Mandalore
"Look behind you." They said. A droid had seemingly appared out of no where behind her. It had a out stretched hand with a ring in its palm.
The ring was made of silver with a blood red jewel. "We figured you wanted to keep both of your eyes, so we modified it to something that may suit your tastes." The droid said, but it wasn't a voice that Elyria was fimilular with.
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