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 Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:39 pm
The war itself honestly didn't sound to be that bad to Red. She had to admit, sending in armies only to be slaughtered was definitely not something to be proud of and indeed was a large setback in the grand scheme of things, but the law of combat seemed about the same: confront, conflict, continue.
Kalee Vique...the name caused an arousal in Red, as though she knew exactly who the girl was. Her ears began to wiggle atop her head as though anticipating a confirmation to her guess that his Padawan was more than just a Padawan...or at least had become more at some point. She was too confident to believe him even if he told her she was wrong and she knew she had probed his mind, albeit for a moment, and decided to keep her mouth shut on the issue.
However he was right. She did want to know more about their capture. What the Vong did to kill Kalee, and what Valin did to lose an arm after being captured. It seemed to be exactly the type of information she would need not only to better understand Valin, but the call of the Dark Side that he warned her so ominously about whenever they discussed it.
"I do want an explanation, yes. Perhaps though, tonight isn't the time?"
Her comment seemed to have a hint of understanding in it, but her voice seemed about as cold and analytical as it usually was, as though her suggestion were made based on data that implied Valin might need to rest his weary mind before continuing.
"Besides, as much as I wish to know about your plunge into the Dark Side, I must admit I was under the impression that you and Rutum were allies at some point. The bad blood between you is too strong to suggest otherwise. For now though, get your rest and prepare yourself to continue this story from your capture until the loss of your arm...to the very least."
Pushing herself off of the tree, she made to walk again, as though there were actually some shelter somewhere on the island. There was no such place yet, but she already knew that and she did not need a conventional roof over her head to sleep in this place. However the feminine commodities and morning materials were all aboard the carrier, so she might as well sleep there. Valin already knew he was welcome to join her, but she had a pilot waiting in case he wished to return to the mainland.
She did not look back at him as she made her way southwest. He was a grown man after all.
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:50 pm
Valin sat on the ground, silent as she spoke. Yes, he would prepare himself for the tomorrow to explain his story to her. She wanted to understand him... and he needed to talk. To finally get this off of his chest. After the war... there was no one to turn to. His Master Kyle Katarn said he forgave him, understood the call of the Dark Side but Valin just felt that he had disappointed the man, friend, and Master too much. He didn't want to worry his mom further after the death of his little brother. No real friends, either - many Jedi just didn't trust him.
Red had left by now and Valin sat on the ground, still. He closed his eyes and left his worries behind, eased his mind into the comfort of the Light Side of the Force. His fox-like friend Red would find him in the same place tomorrow. As he began to slip into deep meditation, he spoke something lightly to himself,
"Rutum wasn't an ally... he was a friend..."
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:12 pm
She returned to find him still in place, which was neither shocking nor expected. Easily he could have found sanctuary aboard her carrier, and yet he seemed to be the type to prefer the comforts of nature over the confines of iron and steel. The sun would have baked her shoulders alive were it not for her hair which, despite the abuse, remained as lustrous and vibrant as ever.
With naught but a white spaghetti strap top and loose, baggy black pants to cover her, it was none too difficult to hear her bear feet crushing small twigs and leaves beneath. Rather elegant as was her nature, the random objects of the forest floor seemed to have virtually no effect on her balance as she made a graceful entrance to the center stage of their conversation.
"You mentioned going to Coruscant to search for relics of the Jedi Temple. Did they have any real significance to this story or were you simply trying to preserve these artifacts?"
Whether it would be proven relevant or now, she could not say, but were it not for those objects he and Kalee went for, it seemed neither of them would have met the fate they were later assigned. Still, she was not looking for a bedtime story, so she would move on to the worst of it sooner or later.
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:27 pm
Valin awoke from his Jedi meditation as though he had been asleep - though he was very much conscious of the world around him when in such a state. He felt Red's presence in the Force before he could hear her steps and had slowly withdrawn from his meditation.
The Jedi Knight cleared his throat and reached to his belt to remove a small flask of water, from which he took a drink. As he return the little flask to his belt, he answered Red, "The artifacts were just that - old artifacts from the original Jedi Order that could be used to help restore lost knowledge of old Jedi and of the Force. The Jedi had been whipped out years before that and much was lost because of it. They have little to do with the story. It was... a passion of mine to find those old, lost artifacts."
It had just been another mission, really - though this one was Jedi orders rather than New Republic ones, someone must have pulled strings to get him off duty. They probably just needed someone with the experience of finding, preserving, and further researching those artifacts - Valin was that guy due to practical experience. In short - he just happened to end up at the wrong place at the wrong time.
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:37 pm
"So while you were supposed to be on an excavation, you ended up being captured by the Yuuzhan Vong in an attempt to help others escape."
Getting straight back to the point, she fell silent as she mulled over her words a bit, being sure to pick them carefully and in the right order as some questions were more important than others. For all too practical reasons though, for she thought it much more important to discuss Rutum immediately, she kept her focus on his capture as he had already opened that chapter to her.
Folding her arms as she had the night before, she situated herself up against the bark of a tree across from the Jedi, opting to sit this time rather than remain standing. Shifting about, she crossed her right leg over her left at the ankles before continuing.
"While trying to help, you were captured. However, despite this, the Vong felt it necessary to kill Kalee and remove one of your limbs. Why did they do it?"
Her tail snapped uncomfortably as though she didn't honestly want to know. Truth was she didn't care, but touchy subjects were just that regardless.
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 2:01 pm
That was just like Red to keep going from point to point until she got what she wanted. She didn't really seem to care about anything or anyone, but perhaps that was just a show, "We had been brought upon a slave ship. Thousands of captured men, women, and children could be kept on the larger ones. We were kept on a very small one - no more than a dozen prisoners and three dozen Yuuzhan Vong. It was there they tortured and tested on us. Yuuzhan Vong believe that pain is all there was to life - and they wish to share this 'enlightenment'. Furthermore, they hate Jedi even more than the other beings in the galaxy. So any that were called Jedi, even if they were not such, got extra special treatment - hence why we all ended up on the same ship."
He stopped, pausing to think before continuing, "I was placed into the Embrace of Pain... its... its a rack-like device... that... that triggers all your pain receptors in your brain... I... It..."
The Jedi stopped trying to compose his thoughts better, he should know better than to try and explain the Embrace to someone who had never been in it. It was... a unique experience, "Kalee, however, was tested on with poisons to see how long it took Jedi to fight them off. I can't tell how many different things they pumped into her body... I can't tell you how much timed passed before... I snapped... minutes, days, weeks - it all blurred together under my pain. But I did snap."
"And they all died. I killed them - some with my bare hands. I couldn't stand what they were doing to her anymore. I reached into the darkest depths of the Forces... it was a slaughter. I realized later that one of the Vong warriors sliced off my arm. And when all was said and done..."
Again he paused, again he composed himself, "When all was said and done, I couldn't save Kalee anyway. We made it to one of the Republic controlled planets after I hijacked the ship. I killed the Vong pilot after we landed. No science, no magic could save Kalee though... and when she died... the doctors say the room was ripped from the inside out and all their equipment was shattered beyond even recognition... I don't remember much after Kalee died though... I remember her funeral pyre... but it wasn't not until I got offered power that thinks begin to clear up again..."
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 2:12 pm
She listened quietly and carefully to everything he said, not sparing a simple interjection for any clarity. It was about as clear as he could make it anyway she was sure. The technological feats of the universe transcended that of Earth's by far. It was a miracle that they lived in such a useless part of the galaxy.
"So then for you, the call of the Dark Side came as raw power from the beginning. Moved to action by your love for Kalee, you slaughtered thirty six Yuuzhan Vong at the cost of but an arm. You must have had an impressive amount of power to pull that off, but still..."
Her voice was sickeningly calculating she was sure. It would come as no shock if Valin were disgusted by how lightly she took this story he had to tell her. Not even a moment was taken to pay respects or offer condolences, and yet whether she cared or not, she did not say and she did not show.
"The Dark Side that you warn me of has more power than those that claim to master it, or so I would imagine. You used so much of it that your memory is hazy, as though you were just an instrument of something much larger than any one individual. Until you were offered the power to contain it..no..command it at will, you were its servant...
"With Kalee dead though, what did you think it would do for you?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 2:31 pm
Valin sighed and decided to do more storytelling. He did not want to say anything to Red - she wanted to all this and he was going to oblige it whether he liked it or not, "I thought... it would bring it her back from the netherworld of the Force. Those were the lies fed to me by my Sith Master."
He decided that some explanation about the Sith that trained him was needed, "I have rarely talked about my tutor, haven't I? Her name was Lumiya and she was trained secretly by Darth Vader, or Anakin Skywalker, father of Master Luke Skywalker, founder of the New Jedi Order. The Skywalker line are some of the most powerful Jedi in the universe - I am nothing but an amateur compared to them. She said that Lord Vader had been taught by his Master how to save someone from death and even how to create life via the Force. She went on, saying that the technique for such could possibly be adapted to bring a soul back from the netherworld."
The Jedi looked at Red, the first real movement he had done in quite some time, "I was hooked. The Jedi could offer me nothing but promises that 'she was one with the Force' - they did little to ease my hurt. I had seen so many die! ... and I wanted this one person to live. Perhaps I had lost my mind with grief. Perhaps the war had weakened my resolve. Perhaps I just couldn't handle being a Jedi. I'm not sure of the why - but I am sure of that I just wanted to have her back, no matter the cost."
He turned around again, "And so I pledged myself to the Sith teachings, I declared the Dark Lady of the Sith as my new Master, and I allowed myself to tamp into the Dark Side of the Force."
"And Darth Misgien was born."
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 2:47 pm
The first thing that came to her mind concerned the origins of Sith names. It didn't matter in the least, but where the hell did they come up with them? Likely some dead language of sorts...or a very exclusive one. To either end she let it go.
"The Force must be an interesting thing for you to have fallen for such fool...forgive me. What I mean is few people on Earth would believe the dead can have life returned. The body may be reanimated, but that's it."
Deciding not to ridicule him any more than she may have done already, she kept silent about the rest. He was well aware already of what she would say from a first hand experience. A lecture would help nothing.
"Now that I know how you came to join the Dark Side, I'd prefer changing the subject. The rest can be saved for later I'm sure, but for now I want to know more about Rutum. You two were friends you said last night. Now you're blood rivals. What happened to cause so much resentment in him for you?"
As direct as she seemed to be, understanding the Dark Side told her that it was likely Rutum that felt animosity for Valin and not the other way around. Something about Valin, be it something he did or someone he was, pissed Rutum off and created an obsession. Of course she could be totally wrong, but that's why they were talking.
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 3:14 pm
Valin sat with his eyes closed for short period of time. Things were quiet and peaceful on this island and he would love to come here more often just to do his meditations on the Force. This place helped eased his minds... something he was gong to need after talking about all this. Red was right - what he did was stupid and made no logical sense. But nothing made sense during the Yuuzhan Vong War. Equally, she did not understand the sheer power of the Force - it was the power of life itself. And if one could rip life from an entire world via the Force, why could one not take a soul from the netherworld and bring it back to corporal form? Some of the old Jedi archives seemed to think that Anakin Skywalker was perhaps a pure manifestation of the Force, created by the Force itself...
Valin went back to thinking about the topic on hand, "My first order by my Sith Master was to test my loyalty. She ordered me to destroy someone precious to me. Felder Dai-Kalim was my best friend. He was on leave, too. I decided he was the sacrifice that had to be made. I went to his house... and I... I slaughtered his family. His mother, his father, his brothers, his sisters. And we did battle and I came to the conclusion that he was so weak to trust those stupid Jedi... and I... I thought him unworthy of the power he had and that he deserved a fate worse than death."
"I stripped Felder of the Force. That's the worse thing anyone can do a Jedi... it's like cutting off all your senses. You may as well be dead, anyway."
He decided to skip ahead, that what she only really wanted to know was about Felder, "I eventually found my way back to the Jedi and to the Light. I thought I managed to kill Lady Lumiya when I fought her - the asteroid mine that was her base collapsed, I thought I felt her die in the Force. The Jedi Council decided - by one vote - that I was to stay in the Jedi Order. Felder had long since disappeared."
The Jedi breathed in then exhaled, "Felder wanted revenge against me. Against an Order that couldn't figure out what to do with a Forceless Jedi. Lumiya sensed this, sought him out, and reestablished Felder Dai-Kalim's connection with the Force... and, as such, forged him into Darth Rutum."
Valin sighed heavily, "From a certain point of view then, Rutum is my responsibility because he is my doing. Had it not been for my foolish actions, none of this would have happened. Had I been able to accept what happen and resist the call of the Dark Side, Felder and I would not have been turned into murderers and monsters..."
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 3:24 pm
"It sounds as though he has all the reason in the world to come all this way just to hunt you out."
She didn't say much on the matter as far as whether she'd have done the same and whether it was truly a sound choice to make or not. The fact of the matter was that Rutum was here now and was trying to wedge himself between the kitsune and the Jedi. Likely he wanted to isolate Valin from the others, what few there were to have, but it occurred that User probably spoke to Valin much more than she herself did. However Rutum came to her first and, as far as she knew, had said nothing to User. Lately she had not gotten herself involved with anything because this Force was worse than having amateur psychics probing inside one's mind. It was best not to get involved with anything than to try keeping everything a secret.
"What does he want with me then? He came to me directly, much to your dismay, to offer me power and teachings of what you would likely refuse were I to ask. From your story though, Lumiya sought you out because you wished to revive your lover and then turned to Rutum because he wanted to return to the Force and avenge the disgrace he endured.
"I am unlike either of you though. Yet have I to lose my lover, nor do I desire anything nearly as much as you desired Kalee's return. What possible use am I to Rutum, then? What could he gain by giving me more power when I have no allegiance to him?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 3:39 pm
Valin shifted himself, standing up to move and stretch his legs and arms, "The man wants, first and foremost, to cause chaos and to instill distrust amongst those who could possibly come together to defeat him. He didn't choose User because the man in too strong willed to follow anyone but himself. He picked you because you have shown the desire for power and control - something Sith appreciate, as well."
He sighed. All these Sith were alike, all attempting to grab at whatever they could to make a Jedi's life that much more of a pain. And former Jedi turned Sith knew all the weaknesses of a Jedi better than any being trained solely as a Sith.
Valin turned to Red, "Quite frankly, he just choose you because you're the closest person to me right now. Losing you as a friend means I have no one to rely on as well as the emotional distraught that comes with losing the only person you think you can trust. Equally, he chose you because you could only seemingly benefit by the temptation he was putting forward. He shows you all the power you can have and hopefully that's enough to make you ignore the costs."
The Jedi smiled lightly, showing some positive emotions out of all this grim history and talk, "But you are one to look at everything, aren't you? To see all game pieces and examine them very closely. I think he made one mistake - I think he underestimated you."
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:08 am
She hummed to herself as though to show distaste that Valin or Rutum could possibly consider themselves knowledgeable of her nature. One believed she was the type of person to give in to temptations of power and the other thought her to be some sort of strategic genius. That is to say, Rutum thought she was too simple and Valin thought her too complex. Of course only one of them could be right with that sort of mindset.
"The Sith are supposed to be masters of chess though, right? If anyone here is examining game pieces, wouldn't Rutum be that person?"
Thinking to herself about this more, it only made sense that if one wished to manipulate the game to his advantage, he would first need to know how each player operated. For Rutum to underestimate anything Red might be capable of would be a big mistake, especially if he were trying to prey on her emotions and desires.
"I do not deny that I will look for what I want wherever it happens to be, but that doesn't meant I'm as willing to take it."
She did not try to mask her implications this time. Rutum could offer her whatever she wanted, and she would take it, but on her own conditions. If that meant Valin would not trust her, she could not help it.
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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 7:20 pm
Valin nodded to Red's assessment of Lord Rutum, "Indeed, he is playing a fine game of chess, indeed. We are the pieces. But... he is not a master yet and, as such, will make mistakes. Equally, he has fallen into insanity. At times, he is perfectly in control of absolutely everything and at other times, he is having a grandiose manic attack."
The things Rutum could do with the Force, changing small factors to best favor his goals. Pull a string here, pull one there. Any and all events could be manipulated to best serve him... and the fact that Valin couldn't sense it meant that the Dark Side was clouding everything in his field of view within the Force. It was amazing, really... within a few years, Rutum had developed into a scarily powerful and well knowledged Dark Lord.
The Jedi Knight said nothing to her other words. There was no need. Whatever lecture he could say, would be falling upon deaf ears. His 'words of wisdom' would not be heard. She was not a Jedi, so to lecture with Jedi words would be a futile act at best. There was nothing to be said. He merely had to trust that she would not take the Sith's offer for power that was the Dark Side of the Force.
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Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 7:09 pm
She scoffed at the whole scenario as Valin continued to talk about Rutum. Not only was he obsessed and power hungry, but also apparently crazy. Things couldn't be much better for her part now could they? However it at least brought some comfort to know that there was a crack in Rutum's character. If things got too carried away she had a shot at destabilizing him, but only if she could figure out how. Even so, intentionally making him have a manic fit might not be the best thing for her. His level of precognition was dangerous, even against her telepathy.
"Well between him being mentally ill and me knowing little about grand strategies, if anything, I'd say we're on level ground. Equals at best and nothing more. This...works out fine for me."
Taking a deep breath, the kitsune let hers eyes lose focus as there was nothing particularly interesting to look at. She heard some sort of very faint crashing noise, only audible to her for her large ears. How bothersome these construction workers. If only she could send them and all their loud machinery back today...
"So what do you think he will do next?"
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