Lost and Found
Aurelion's Lightsaber
Ossus. A world long-held to great importance to the history of the Jedi. The world contained the summation of their knowledge, or perhaps now more accurate to say the ruins of such, from untold generations. It is a world known to the galaxy since before the formation of the Republic, gracefully dancing between it's twin stars in a figure-eight orbit while it itself was orbited by it's moons Mim and Nerit. It was a world that had been lush and lively, devastated to a rocky and desolate terror, and then restored again over the millennia and, now most importantly to Aurelion, it was where he was being sent for a personal mission. To gather what knowledge and artifacts of the ancient Sith and Jedi he could and return to Dromund Kaas. But this was not the whole truth of his assignment here.
Aurelion had been stripped of his armor, and instead was given a simple robe over a simple jacket and shorts. While even his single, remaining eye had been covered by a full blindfold. Testing him, forcing him to adapt, and to see with the Force or perish on this mission. As was the case with the Dark Lord and his methods, Aurelion would adapt, he would survive, or he would die. It was an odd sensation to Aurelion, almost entirely unpleasant, as the Force once again fought his use. Squirming and writhing fitfully in his tenuous grasp even as he was nearly blinded by the vibrancy with which Ossus shone. Each tree, each patch of grass and creature, glowed with the Force. Softly permeating their being with their life and essence, causing it to swirl through the air, dance among the wind, connecting everything. It was beautiful, it was terrible, as the Force caused a pain to manifest behind Aurelion's eye. Already beginning to take on the form of a headache.
Thankfully for Aurelion, though it made him worry, the murmuring tendrils of darkness that flowed about him suppressed this pain to allow him to focus. To consciously turn his gaze away from the two Sith who had been sent to return and cloak the ship should Aurelion fail in his mission. While Aurelion bore a twisting cloak of Dark Side tendrils, coiled around him like the thorns of a massive garden of roses surrounding a lone marble statue, these Sith were.... worse. Far and away glowering with molten, obsidian hatred and blackness that Aurelion's eye watered, even through the Force, to look at. It did make him wonder briefly, however, what he looked like through the Force? Did everyone see things the same? Would these Sith appear different to someone like Prazutis, who dwarfed them in power? He did not know and, as the shuttle finally touched down quietly on Ossus' surface, he was pulled from his thoughts at the sudden rocking motion of the ship.
The Sith did not say anything, they did not need to, Aurelion was more than clear on what his goal was and with some time to prepare himself and exit the ship, Aurelion felt it vanish from his senses as soon as he exited the boarding ramp. If he were not able to turn around and look at the ship, he would never have any idea it was present through the Force, and the thought frightened him a bit. Than an expert of stealth, Force-based or no, could kill him from a mile away given even something half as effective. Shaking his head slightly Aurelion inhaled and winced as he truly gazed upon the lush splendor of Ossus now, the recent encounter between one of Sith splinter factions and the Silver Jedi leaving the ample opportunity for infiltration once things quieted down.
As Aurelion subconsciously laid a hand on his Lightsaber he felt the now twin crystals soothe him a bit, steady him, and he exhaled the breathe he was not aware he had even been holding in. Without allowing another thought of doubt to cross his mind Aurelion began to move through the lush landscape of Ossus, his senses kept steady by the familiar aura of the crystals in his Lightsaber as well as the Darkness offered by the tendrils that coiled and writhed around him. Though it was a rare time of peace and quiet for Aurelion, he hardly noticed the precarious balance teetering between Light and Dark, how the Force now naturally quickened his step and enhanced his muscles, how the low, throbbing pain behind his eye subsided into nothingness. As Aurelion came upon the ancient ruin and paused for a moment to catch his breathe, his realization of this was halted at the sight of an unfamiliar ship already present. Doubt immediately began to suffuse Aurelion's being, causing the whispers of the Darkness to spill over, breaking the tenuous balance, and made Aurelion wince as the sharp hissing of the Dark Side filled his mind. The pain behind his eye returning as he struggled to gaze clearly upon the ruins now, aglow with ancient, faded light as they were.
Aurelion could not help but hesitate. He had reservations about fighting anyone from the Silver Jedi, he had been a member himself not long ago after all, and he hardly doubted there was anyone in the Order he could beat even if he tried. Even still, he knew he had to try, even if it meant fighting a Jedi. Swallowing down the fear and anxiety in his throat Aurelion would slowly approach the ruin, noting the fighter was empty and that the person who owned it was likely inside already. Which he was slightly thankful for. With any luck he would be able to avoid them, get what he could, and leave without them never knowing he was there. As Aurelion approached the ruins and laid a hand on the ancient stone he winced, his ears ringing, as distant, echoing sounds reached his ears. The sound of voices, entirely unknown to him, calling out in a variety of ways and tones. Young Padawans speaking to one-another, patient Masters provided even-handed guidance in more level tones, and as he gazed back at the clearing in front of the ruins Aurelion jumped in shock as he saw them. The Padawans with their training sabers, the Masters watching patiently, all of them ephemeral, all of them very much dead and in the past. Long forgotten to the galaxy.
Aurelion withdrew his hand from the ancient stone, his breathing heavier now, and closed his eye to the Force. Waiting for the vision to subside before opening it again, and cautiously backing away from the courtyard into the ruins. He had no idea what had just happened, what he had seen, and was now eager more than ever to complete his task and leave Ossus as soon as he could. His steps becoming hurried and frantic as the Dark Side tendrils thrashed in response to the emotion, leaving deep pits in the stone of the ruins as where they struck, disintegrating bits and pieces of the venerable structure without Aurelion even meaning to. Thankfully for him the visions did not return, and he paused briefly at a branching hallway, trying to decide which way to go. This pause was not voluntary, far from it, as Aurelion sensed the other person in the ruins his heart skipped a beat, for several reasons.
The first and most obvious reaction of Aurelion was fear in a cold and palpable wave that tremored down his lithe body. This person was.... amazing. They were as bright a light as Prazutis was deep a shadow, and Aurelion's mouth dried in terror at the prospect of facing someone like that in battle. However, this was not the only thing he felt, and the second emotion while not as obvious was much more enthralling to him. Despite knowing that he could take the right-handed path and likely complete his mission, avoiding this person entirely, Aurelion stared like a transfixed child down the left-handed path this person had traveled. A soft, dulcet song reaching him in a tone not unlike a lullaby. It was no physical sound, but it pulled on his heart, his soul, all the same. Before now Aurelion had passively followed the Force, been carried by it into situations and into meeting friends before, but this..... the idea of going down the right-handed path never even occurred to him. Aurelion was sure he had never felt the active will of the Force before, nothing like this had ever called to him, and his entire being ached to follow it..... and so he did.
All but stumbling down the path in a stupor Aurelion rounded corner after corner, ignoring ancient statues and wondrous architecture as he drew closer and closer to this person, this unknown brilliant light the Force inexorably pulled him toward. Each step echoing through the Force, through his being, and he was entirely unprepared to round the final corner. Entering what was obviously an archive for these ruins, Aurelion paid not a bit of attention to the ancient knowledge surrounding him, the goal of his mission. The dusty tomes and various ancient dataslates less interesting than rocks and dirt as Aurelion's eye widened beneath it's blindfold. Standing there in the archive he was only able to look for a brief moment, before he had to turn away, as he was entirely unsure of what he was looking at..... but it was absolutely beautiful. As Aurelion unknowingly gazed upon
Valery Noble
before turning his head aside, a powerful thrum like the plucking of a massive string pulsed through the Force, and for a moment Aurelion did not even think what he had gazed upon was anything less than an angel through the Force. Words could not do her justice how hauntingly perfect she had appeared to him, how that soft singing, that pull through the Force, had reached a silent crescendo within him as he looked upon her for only a moment.....Closing his eye Aurelion could not bare to look at her through the Force again, still entirely unaware he had even looked at a 'her' to begin with. Instead he closed his sight from the Force, and pulled up his blindfold to reveal his single, soft blue eye and looked once again, only to be no less awestruck the second time. A woman, tall and gorgeous, with flowing chestnut hair and eyes that would suggest the Dark Side at first glance, but burned with an amber beauty like a smoldering set of twin suns, gazed back at him. He was.... breathless. Completely and utterly. His entire being erupting in a war of thoughts and signals from fleeing from this terrifying woman, to asking her name, to reaching out to her through the Force. The thought of his mission now gone from his mind.
However, after the shock of the first few moments, in the space of his now very loud heartbeat in his ears, Aurelion was not the only thing to react to Valery. If the now tumultuous writhing of the Dark Side tendrils was any indication the Darkness had noticed her too.
Aurelion shuddered at the darkness' reaction to Valery. It's hissing echoing through the Force, now doubt also audible to her, as it's intentions were more than clear and spiraling into a frenzy of emotion. It wanted to CONSUME her. To snuff out, smother and devour her brilliant light until nothing remained. Aurelion had.... never felt the darkness like this, and it scared him, the twisting grip of the Darkness upon him tightened to the point Aurelion found breathing difficult and his singular blue eye flickered an ominous shade of crimson for a moment, and Aurelion grit his teeth, closed his eye, and stepped back a step from Valery. His words coming out slightly pained, quiet, and little more than a murmur physically. But through the Force they were laced with regret, despair, pain and the dying remains of his wonder for her. "W-Will... you please stand aside? I need.... to leave. I need to have... what I came here for."
Still gasping for breathe and in pain from the constriction of the Darkness Aurelion drew his Lightsaber, not because he had told himself to, but because the Darkness stoked his fear and aversion. Flooded his mind with screeching whispers that killing this woman, that snuffing out her light, was the only way for him to have the peace he sought. That the pain would continue unless he obeyed. Regretfully, his heart aching as the last of his awe for her was smothered, Aurelion's wide, crystal blue eye would slowly shift to a soft, simmering red as he murmured. "I'm sorry...." Before igniting the Amethyst blade of his Lightsaber, the twin crystals snap-hissing to life and Valery would begin to feel a constant, draining darkness emanate from his Lightsaber. Like waves slowly eroding a boulder would this darkness pick and pull at her control, her vitality, slowly and steadily attempting to drain and demoralize her tiny bit by tiny but and Aurelion, his last thought before drowning in the whispers of Darkness, were simply....
I wonder if she heard me?
