Private A Light in the Darkness

[Eenia Vahn]

Location: Lao-mon
Tag: Vale Vynar

---------------------------

What the hell was she doing here? If there was one thing that Eenia knew for certain about herself, something that she had complete and total confidence in? It was the fact that she was no warrior. Her forte was healing, saving lives, not protecting them out on some backwater planet that she had never even heard of before up until she had been sent to it. And she most certainly wasnot cut out to protect anyone! Sure, she could survive, keep herself alive when the need arose - and could get away quickly if she needed to - but being tasked with making sure someone else stayed alive too? She had never attempted to teleport another person before...

All of these variables had her on edge to say the very least. She had been tasked with guarding a Shi'do of clear importance, though to be perfectly honest she had no idea who or what this being was. It was simply the fact that Nia had been given orders, and nothing more. The blonde was very aware of the shapeshifting capabilities, as well as the eyes that watched her as she continued to pace a very small line that was formed between her charge and the door.

Each noise that drew close made Eenia's heart leap into her throat, and every time nothing came of it, she felt as if her legs were going to give out. She hadn't come here alone of course, not to the planet itself at least, but now it was just her and this important figurehead - or whatever they were - left in a room together.

Naturally the very last thing Nia wanted was to die; anywhere, but especially on some planet out in the unknown regions. She had agreed to come along on this mission specifically as a healer, but that had gone south in a heartbeat. Too much going on, too many things for the group that had arrived to deal with, and so it had been agreed upon for Eenia to stay behind and babysit.

A fact which everyone was going to regret if something or someone managed to get through those doors...

 

[Vale Vynar]

Lao-mon was an untamed jungle planet populated by beasts and monsters straight from your worst nightmares. It wasn't really a place one would want to spend a lot of time, but luckily it was just right for Vale Vynar. A master of the Dark Side of the Force, the Kiffar warrior was more than a match for anything on this planet.

He was an Agent of Chaos, a member of the highest rank of the Silencers division; a Reaper. He served Discordia directly, though he never spoke with his leader. None of the Silencers did. His dispatches were all received through an encrypted messaging system. For one reason or another he was being dispatched to deal with a Shi'ido Chieftain, which would be an interesting task even for him in itself without the interference of the Jedi.

They'd sent protectors into the jungle but they were of little consequence to him. His mastery of the Force was above theirs, as was his skill with a lightsaber. He was standing in the center of a village surrounded by limbs and bodies and debris, his lightsaber humming menacingly in his pale hand.

He turned his head towards the building where his quarry was being kept and probed it with the Force. There were two presences in there, one of them strong in the Force and full of fear and something else, something familiar yet elusive.

Interesting.

He slowly stalked his way around the building and shut off his lightsaber, but keeping it in his hand as he continued to search the hut with the Force. It was very easy to distinguish between the Jedi and the Shi'ido chieftain. Normally he didn't play with his quarry but this time he allowed himself to indulge in theatrics. He kicked and thumped at the walls of the structure.

“I know you're in there Chieftain.” He said, his gravely voice pouring roughly from his throat. “The Jedi in there with you won't be able to protect you.”

He used the Force to figure out where the two occupants were standing in relation to him and continued circling to the far wall behind them. He then placed his palm flat against the wall and inhaled deeply.

Vale closed his eyes and probed the wooden panel, searching for the invisible fault lines only detectable in the Force and finding its shatterpoint. It was a rare technique that he had learned early in his training as a child. Once he found what he was looking for he exerted the Force through the fault lines and into the shatterpoint and the wall crumbled under his hand.

It was a lot less messy than a tradition Force blast and also didn't give away his position in the Force. The corner of his pale lips curled upwards as he settled his golden eyes on the two occupants of the room, the shapeshifitng chieftain and a young woman. With a snake-like hiss, his lightsaber burned into life.

“Let's get this over with Jedi.”


Eenia Vahn

 

[Eenia Vahn]

While Eenia had never been good with the more physical aspects of her training, there were plenty of things she was good at when it came to the Force itself. She had a natural connection, could easily do the things she had come to learn - and learn them quickly at that - and had only been intimidated by one side or the other one time in her life thus far, and that had been her own doing no less.

So she had felt it, the shift in balance, the moment it happened. While Nia had been aware of the conflict outside of the doors, she had not been focused on who or what was out there. It wasn't until the sensation had come closer that her focus honed in, and almost immediately the young woman felt sick to her stomach. While fear was there within her by the bucket loads, it wasn't that fear that had caused the wave of nausea to hit her as it did. No, it was the flare of calm, the sense of familiarity, that hum of desire for that power that she recognized. And that terrified her more than anything else in that very moment.

At least until she and the Shi'ido were no longer the only ones in the room. While the shapeshifting alien back pedaled quickly, Eenia had turned slowly to face the intruding body. She felt her chest tighten, her breathing hitch, but the panic she had thought would swallow her whole did not come. Instead, she unholstered her lightsaber and the blade hummed to life, though the yellow color did not compliment her currently pale skin in the least little bit.

She did not say anything in response to this foe, there was no need. Some part of her was quite aware that she would probably die in just a few short moments, but there was no way in all of the hells that she was going to go down without a fight - even if it wasn't going to be the most glorious of fights.


Vale Vynar

 

[Vale Vynar]

Vale smirked and leaped over the young Jedi, twisting in the air and landed behind her with the grace of a jungle cat. He hit her with a strong Force blast and sent her flying out through the wall he had desintegrated moments earlier. With that irritant out of the way for the moment he turned towards his target.

It was weak and trembling but tried to project confidence and defiance as it stood in the corner of the hut. The red glow from Vale's lightsaber filled the room. The Shi'ido stood up tall. “Do what you came here to do creature!”

Vale twirled his lightsaber and deactivated it and slammed his palm into the chieftain's chest. Shatterpoint was never intended to be used on living beings but with enough focus and training Vale had developed the technique enough to find the same fault lines in people as he did objects. It left a mess in its wake compared to something like a wall.

The Shi''ido's eyes went wide and visible cracks formed in his body. The pain radiating off of the creature was unlike anything it had ever experienced. “This is what you get for delaying me with the Jedi.” He said as he surged more of the Force into the body of the Shi'ido until the fault lines in his body gave way and he crumbled into meaty bits on the floor.

He turned his attention back to the young woman he had tossed outside of the hut. “You're still here? I thought you'd have run off by now. Probably for the best that you didn't. Saves me the effort of having to track you down in this forsaken jungle.”

Vale stalked towards her and reignited his lightsaber.



Eenia Vahn

 

[Eenia Vahn]

It was a good thing that Eenia was as connected with the Force as she was, for if she hadn't been, the blast that had caught her off guard would have hurt a hell of a lot more than it had. As it were, she was quick to bring up a Force shield to protect herself, but it didn't stop her from being tossed aside like a rag doll, nor did it keep the rush of air being expelled from her lungs when she hit the ground outside.

Had it not been for that last fact, the need to refill her lungs where the wind had been knocked out of her, the young woman would have been back inside to protect her charge. Unfortunately for them both, she felt the Shi'ido's life fade out in an instant, and she was struck with those feelings of failure all over again.

There wasn't a whole lot of time for her to lay there and wallow, but there was certainly enough time between the chieftain's death and this assailant's approach for those familiar feelings to consume her entirely. Failure was something Eenia knew about all too well, after all. With everything that had happened to her, everything she had done - and failed to accomplish - and now this too? Anger coursed through her in violent waves, and she pushed herself to her feet as she was spoken to.

Again she said nothing, she wasn't the snarky, witty commentator of the Vahn sisters after all. Instead she stood facing her opponent, drug both hands up to waist height palms up, then returned the earlier favor of a Force blast, this one with enough power behind it to dislodge loose boards from the walls, and throw anything not bolted down in it's path.


Vale Vynar

 

[Vale Vynar]

Vale turned his shoulder and used the Force to ground himself in place as he was hit by the raw power of this tiny girl. Everything around him was uprooted by the strength of her blast...except for him. He hadn't spent decades training under a brutal master only to be outmatched by a child after all.

When the blast diminished he stood up and faced her fully. “Well, well aren't you full of surprises? There's some power in you after all, too bad it isn't enough.” He reached out with his hand and grabbed her with the Force and flung her upwards into the air in a high arc and slammed her back down onto the ground behind him.

Vale stalked over to where she had landed and planted an armored boot firmly on the back of her neck and let the tip of his lightsaber hang just above the back of her head. “You're very interesting Jedi, you presence in the Force is...stained. Let us see why.” He reached out with his other hand and her lightsaber flew into his palm.

Instantly his mind was filled with images of this woman's past, the things she had done and the people she had done them to.

Visions of a neglectful Master played out before him and of a fight with a sister that had abandoned her for a Mandalorian of all things. Failure, loss and abandonment were steady themes in this woman's life. That and a strong connection to the Force that had been poorly refined.

He opened his eyes and smirked. “Interesting. Very interesting.” He said as he shut down his lightsaber and removed his boot from the back of her neck. “Today is your lucky day.”

He walked away from her and thought for a few seconds. He had never had much ambition in taking on an apprentice before but now he found himself with a prime candidate with potential to be a strong warrior with the right training. “You've touched the darkness but have never truly embraced it. Why?” He asked her as he examined her lightsaber, keeping his back to her as he did so.



Eenia Vahn

 

[Eenia Vahn]

There wasn't time this time around for Eenia to shield herself, at least not more than a quick flare of shielding used to protect her face when she was slammed to the ground again. The rest of her felt the full brunt of impact, and she groaned in pain as she tried to get herself up again. The boot that was pressed against her was shoved against, but only until the hiss of that lightsaber got entirely too close to her head for her own comfort. In that moment, Nia figured herself as good as dead, and sighed out shakily as her body caved beneath the boot.

The thought to teleport came to mind, to slip through the seams, but she honestly had no idea what that would do to her if she attempted it while in contact with another body. She had never carried anyone before, had never tried to see if it would just move her, or another person if she were touching them, and right now did not seem the time to experiment.

Yet the longer she lay there, the more confused she became. She was still alive, and when she was walked away from? Nia was even more confused than she had been seconds before.

She managed to roll herself over, albeit slowly and with a sharp pain in her chest that she would have to deal with later if she continued to survive this. But she did not stand, right now she was aware her legs wouldn't hold her, and considering she was being spoken to rather than threatened, remaining as unthreatening as possible for the moment seemed like the best strategic plan.

The topic of discussion however, she did not like. This wasn't the first time she had wondered that very question herself. Nia was aware of the raw ability she had, and how amplified touching the dark side had made those abilities, even if only for the briefest of moments. So she of course had an answer, one for herself, and one to justify it.

"I can't control it," she answered finally, "And the Jedi have been good to me, even when I didn't deserve it..."


Vale Vynar

 

[Vale Vynar]

Vale continued his examination of her lightsaber. “You're lying.” He said simply. “Making excuses to justify those lies to yourself.” He spun on his heel back towards where she was laying and crossed his arms behind his back. “A four month old akk hound has had more training than you have at this point, Eenia Vahn.”


The left side of his mouth curled upwards in a grin. “Oh yes, I know all there is to know about you now and it all came from this.” He said extending his hand with her lightsaber in it. “It showed me the pitiful training you've received, the betrayal of your order and the abandonment you've suffered at the hands of your parents and sister. Tell me what kind of Jedi leaves her sibling for a Mandalorian?”


He gave a subtle shake of his head. “No, the Jedi have done nothing good for you. There is greatness in you, I can see it. It just needs to be refined and honed to a deadly edge. I can do that and give you the one thing you want most: purpose.”


He let the lightsaber float from his palm and dropped it on the ground beside her. “You've a choice to make, an important one. What will it be?”



Eenia Vahn

 

[Eenia Vahn]

If it was possible for the frown on Eenia's face to deepen anymore than it had already been, it would have done as such when she was called a liar. What she had said wasn't a lie; she had tapped that darkened power and couldn't control it. Or rather, couldn't control herself when using it. And the SJO had been there for her when she had needed it most. They had pulled her back together and helped to hold the pieces together.

But...he also wasn't entirely wrong. She did justify things to herself, as often as she had to o as such, just to make sure she remained sane. She had to work twice as hard, concentrate twice as much, and put in double the effort just to maintain a third of her originally bubbly persona everyone seemed to be looking for in her still.

But her thoughts were pulled from this reverie when her name was spoken, and her gaze lifted to return to him though her head did not lift anymore than it had already been. It was just her eyes, just that sharp expression where something evidently was struck within her when he had mentioned what she wanted most. Again he was not wrong, and that was something Eenia knew she should be ashamed of - but she wasn't. She had, had so many paths ripped right out from in front of her, one right after another, over and over again. And now? She had no direction. Sure, she could remained with the Silver Jedi Order and heal people for the rest of her days, but she would do so as the hollow shell of a young woman that she had become.

Nia didn't want that.

When her saber was floated back towards her, she watched it, and continued to stare at it even once it was on the ground at her side. She did this in silence, for quite a long moment in fact, though when she eventually spoke, it was quiet but without waver in her tone. "What do you want from me?" It was a simple enough question, but would have an immense impact depending on the answer.


Vale Vynar

 

[Vale Vynar]

His smirk widened. "A commitment." Was all he said as he started walking towards her and then right past her, beckoning her to follow him. Vale led her out to the area where he had massacred the protection the Jedi had arranged for the Shi'ido. Not all of them were dead, one of the Jedi remained and was crawling away from them.

Vale extended his hand and caught the young boy in a strong Force grip and dragged him back towards the center of the village. He dropped the boy at the young woman's feet. "Commit yourself to the dark, end this weakling."

He fixed his golden eyes on her and clasped his arms behind his back once again. This would be where he found out if all that raw strength this woman possessed was going to go to waste or not. He knew he'd hit all the right buttons but this was a big step and if she refused well...he'd have a new lightsaber for his collection.


Eenia Vahn

 

[Eenia Vahn]

At first Eenia debated whether to get up or not. He wanted commitment? There were only a very small handful of things that she could imagine that would give way to a sign of loyalty, and none of them were very appealing. Yet the blonde pushed herself to her feet, scooped up and holstered her lightsaber, and followed along behind this Dark Jedi. Its not as if she had much choice in the matter; it was either follow, or die.

And perhaps not so strangely, the more she thought about it, the more she began to dwell on the things that had happened to her over the past couple of years. Hell, some of the things since she had arrived to train under the SJO in the first place. There were still so many things she didn't know how to do, and she had yet to come across someone who understood her lack of connection with a blade. It wasn't that she couldn't do it - obviously - but it wasn't the same flow for her there as the flow she had with the Force. Plus, her body still didn't move quite the same way it had before her fight with her sister...the list went on.

But those were just the surface frustrations. There were deeper things buried, darker things that welled up now that, that flood gate had been opened again. The raw, stabbing betrayal she had endured, the abandonment, the gut wrenching heartbreak she had suffered, and the loss that had followed it all. Everything had fallen apart, one thing after another, time and time again and no one had stepped in and defended her honor, or attempted to shield her, or any other number of things people who care for you should do. Not until she had said something about it, at least.

So when she was brought to this surviving Jedi - one she did not know, and couldn't even seem to remember seeing before - she stood for a time and watched him at her feet. He was badly injured, and Eenia was very much aware of the fact that she could heal him in a matter of moments. She could save his life with just a tad bit of concentration, and the pair of them might even stand a chance to get away from this damned planet and this Dark Jedi who was very obviously testing her in that moment.

No healing came. Nor did Nia reach for her lightsaber. Instead, she lift a hand and reached out, using the Force to squeeze the space of the man's throat, just beneath his jaw. She watched him gag, to lift his hands to scrabble at his own throat, and beg her with his eyes, but she did not relent and merely continued to watch. And when the struggle began to wane, and the light in his eyes started to face, the blonde loosened the grip - did not relinquish, but loosened it to give the Jedi a moment to breathe. There was hope in those eyes when they found Eenia's aquatic gaze once again.

A hope that was gone as quickly as it had formed, for the squeezing recommenced seconds later, though this time? Eenia's hand curled into a tight fist before it flexed open again, sending a small Force pulse just strong enough to blow the Jedi's head entirely apart right there in front of both herself, and the Dark Jedi Master. She had been quick with her other hand to shield them both from the blood splatter, but then casually released the headless body and turned herself to face the had-been waiting man with a loft brow but an otherwise void expression.


Vale Vynar

 

[Vale Vynar]

A little blood never bothered Vale, it was damn near currency for him at this point in his career as an assassin for the Silencers. The manner in which she had chose to kill the young Jedi was quite interesting and also very telling. There was a lot of anger in her.

Vale stood there motionless as she looked down at the mess at her feet and let his long coat flutter in the breeze. "You've taken your first step into a much larger world." He said to her. "You're afraid of it, I can feel it. Why do you fear the dark?"

 

[Eenia Vahn]

That was at least a question with a simple answer, "I told you, I can't control it." Nia told him, though then made a noise in her throat and shook her head once. "No," she corrected herself and shook her head just once more. "I can't control myself. The emotions are amplified, and it's like they take over and I'm just along for the ride with tunnel vision on a single task. Nothing else matters."

She huffed out a breath and frowned deeply once again. "I don't want to reach a point where things no longer matter again." There was a fear of losing herself all over again, and that was most certainly something she did not want.

 

[Vale Vynar]

Vale huffed. “Your lack of control is due to your lackluster training. That's the problem with Jedi taking too many apprentices, they start to favor some over others and as a result so much potential is wasted.” He said simply as he stood there staring at her. “I will teach you this control and you will only lose yourself if that is what you choose to do.”

Her swordsmanship needed work, there was little confidence in her own abilities and lots of fear and raw power to be shaped and refined.

“Forget what the Jedi have told you of the Dark Side. It is all propaganda and misinformation. They'd have you believe you'll becoming this creature seeking to oppress the galaxy and bend others to your will. That might be true of the Sith Empire, but I am no Sith.”

Vale stalked over towards Eenia and circled her slowly projecting his power into the Force. “You will have strength, you will have courage, you will have freedom and you will have purpose, but those things will not come without great pain and sacrifice, things you have become very old friends with. In the Dark you will find greatness Eenia Vahn. Are you ready?”

His gold eyes settled on hers and he extended a gloved hand towards her.


Eenia Vahn

 

[Eenia Vahn]

He wasn't wrong, about any of the things that had just been said. Eenia had witnessed first hand favoritism among her fellow Padawans, though had never thought to question it simply due to the real difference in power and ability between the lot of them. But it had effected training, most certainly. Then there was the topic of the Dark Side; that was most definitely tales to keep good little paddies in their beds at night.

She took a deep breath in and sighed it out slowly through her nose. She wasn't exactly fond of being reminded of her former pains and sacrifices. She had worked hard to bury them deep, to move past them, to be better. Yet here she stood, gaze to gaze now with a Dark Jedi who was offering her the things she had been struggling for, for far too long now. Offering the things she needed instead of skirting around the problems.

So, she reached out to take the offered hand. "I am." she assured, more confidently than she had felt in some time.


Vale Vynar

 

[Vale Vynar]

When she took his hand his mind filled with more images of her past, things he would take note of and use in the coming days of her training. He grinned wickedly at her. "Good, very good." He let go of her hand and turned to head back towards his ship, beckoning her to follow him.

Reaper-One was a prototype ship for the Silencers to use on their missions. His task here on Lao-mon had been the testing ground for it and he was happy to report back that the ship had performed flawlessly. It was a small ship designed for speed and stealth and wasn't built to hold too many people. As it stood right now it was just him and his sparring droid.

"We'll begin your training right away, right now our resources are limited so we'll start with your saber technique." He said to her as they walked up the ramp of his ship. "Eight-Kay is my holodroid, programmed with fighting styles of various Jedi Knights and Sith Lords. For now sparring with him will have to do."

He proceeded to activate the droid. "Eight-Kay this is my new apprentice, her saber skills are subpar. Activate training and instruction mode." Vale turned towards Eenia. "I've dumbed him down from his normal training routines. Usually he's programmed to try and kill me, but that might be too much for you at this stage. That being said, he's still going to hurt you."

Vale started heading towards the pilot's chair and set a course for Rhigar, deeper into the Unknown Regions. Once they were away into hyperspace Vale stood up and marched past the dueling droid and his apprentice. "I must report the success of the mission, do not disturb me." He said without looking at her.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

There was only the very briefest moment of second guessing herself over what she was doing, but it was followed quickly by what she had just done and how that brief moment of control had felt, and then she was following along behind her new Master. Nia had leaned a little to see around him when they approached the ship, and she eyed it curiously up until they were headed inside.

The comments about her saber technique were nodded to; she wasn't an idiot, she was very much so aware that, that was where she needed the most work, and she had been saying as such for years now with no results. Though she did kind of stop short when she came to face the droid. While she was used to the little sparring bots and such back on Kashyyyk, she had never actually interacted with a full sized droid before, especially not one made like this one was.

Her attention shifted quickly when she was informed of the droids usual programming, "Kill you?" she repeated, then looked back to the droid. Well, it was nice to know it was toned down for her, but she was still a little weary of it. Despite this, she was still able to keep up with the things that were said to her, and a simple, "Yes Master." was her response to him. While she of course had no idea what would happen between now and later, Eenia didn't figure there would be much need to bother him for any reason.

...Unless the droid managed to lop off one of her limb, but that was of course an extreme case. "Eight-Kay, hm?" she sighed out lengthily and drew her lightsaber, but didn't activate it yet. "Are you just a sparring bot, or are you capable of conversation too?" Maybe it was silly to ask, but if she was going to be spending ridiculous amounts of time with this droid? Nia wanted to know the details of what she was working with.


Vale Vynar

 

[Vale Vynar]

“Oh I'm quite capable of conversation!” The droid exclaimed back at her. “It's quite enjoyable learning about someone as I try to tear them limb from limb!!”

Two training sabers jutted out from his forearms and into his mechanical hands. Their electric fields interacted with a lightsaber blade in a way that made it impossible for the lightsaber to cut through the metal shaft. The sparring droid hurled himself at the blonde Force user.

Vale situated himself in his quarters and pulled up the datapad that he received his dispatches from. His missions came directly from Discordia but he had never actually spoken with the leader of the Agents of Chaos. They were relayed to him through a highly encrypted messaging service.

He relayed his mission's success and that he was ready to receive new orders. He could hear the commotion on the other side of his door and his sparring droid's offhand way of politely trash talking his opponent.

The brooding assassin just sat and listened to it for a while, reading the Force as his new apprentice battled the unknowingly sarcastic droid. It was very obvious just through the Force that the droid had the upper hand on his new apprentice and that as it went on there was only growing frustration and more tactical errors.

He emerged from his private cabin and stood there with his arms crossed over his chest and watched as the pair battled.

“Master Vale, where did you find this one?!” The droid said. “I've seen Gamorrean rancor wranglers with better sword technique!”

“That's enough Eight-Kay.” Vale said and he turned his cold gaze towards Eenia as the droid halted combat immediately. “Tell me what you've learned from this training session?”



Eenia Vahn

 

[Eenia Vahn]

"Oh...well that's...encouraging..." Eenia let out, though by no means did she mean those words seriously. When the training sabers in front of her activated, she took a step back at first, but seemed to remember that this was what she was supposed to be doing. So her own saber was brought up now, activated, though she turned the power down so that she didn't destroy anything - ship or otherwise.

By the time her new Master had re-emerged from his cabin, the blonde apprentice was sporting quite a few new welts and was very clearly feeling as defeated as she looked. Though she had. not. quit. At least not until the droid was called off, but even then she did not deactivate her lightsaber. No, instead she watched the droid wearily, frowning at the way he spoke about her - even if he wasn't entirely wrong.

"I've learned that your droid is an nerf herder." she answered both honestly and bluntly. And she wasn't speaking about the training itself, just the training-nerf herder's voice box.


Vale Vynar

 

[Vale Vynar]

8K looked from Vale to the young apprentice. “Did I offend?! What did I say?”

Vale ignored the droid, a skill he had developed very rapidly since coming into possession of the robot. Instead he fixed Eenia with an unamused expression. “If that's all you learned then you failed your first test.”

“Emotion fuels the Dark Side of the Force, true, but you have to use it correctly. You fought Eight-Kay and became overwhelmed and frustrated and then you lost.” He said as if it should have been the obvious answer to her. “Your former master really taught you nothing it would seem.”

Vale let out a breath and looked over at his droid and then to his new apprentice. “You will continue the sparring. This time though you will channel that anger and frustration. You command your emotions they don't control you. That is the first lesson you must learn.”

The Dark Jedi crossed the center of his ship and returned to the cockpit. “Eight-Kay, increase the voltage of you training sabers by twenty percent and then increase it by an additional ten for each time you defeat her.”



Eenia Vahn