Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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A Tool, not a Weapon.

It has been a few weeks since Mullarus made the dramatic change in his life after being nearly slain by his old Sith Master and rescued by one of the most unlikely heroes of his old army of imperial stormtroopers. After much studying, many surprising discoveries, reunions with old enemies, new faces, and newfound comfort, Mullarus' quest to gather the proper components for a new lightsaber was completed.

They were, however, old. Relics. Most were salvaged pieces of old lightsabers he discovered on a downed Old Republic Warship on Felucia. The rest, with the exception of the dark, steel blue Kyber Crystal from Lothal, were found in the junkyards of Raxus Prime. Needless to say, the components needed cleaning, and the Crystal still needed to be meditated upon and infused with the power of the Light Side, which is what now stumped Krux.

Holocrons didn't help. Nobody in the holocrons talked about it much. Most Jedi just described it as 'Deep meditation that is shared'. Mullarus was certainly no stranger to meditation, but he was still a novice to the Light Side. He was afraid he would infuse the rare crystal the same way he did his first Adegan crystal and the synthetic violet one he used in Bleeding Cross. That couldn't happen. This lightsaber was different. It was not meant to be a weapon to inspire loyalty and intimdate his foes. It was a beacon of light in the spreading darkness. A tool, not a weapon.

Krux finds himself trudging through the corridors of the Voss Academy, passing some other Jedi students he didnt recognize, with the small, palm-sized Kyber crystal in his hand. It felt cold, like holding a shard of ice. Its energy was negative. There was power, but unused. It could be felt as he walked the halls. It not only was from the crystal, it reflected Mullarus' as well, much stronger than the average Padawan's. Krux was experiences already, of course. He was a student of the Jedi, not the Force.

Not to mention he still felt his internal conflicts. The struggle between Dark and Light. The Dark Side that still tainted his face, concealed by the hood of his robe and the mask he wore. His conflicted feelings for the woman who betrayed him and broke his heart. His motivation to learn the meaning of what it meant to be Jedi and to purge the darkness. To turn away Dark and convert it to light. He didn't just do it for himself and the sake of redemption, he wanted her back. Setzi Lunelle was a prisoner in the mind of a Sith Lord obsessed with his old master. The Light Side was the key that would break her cage and free her.

But there was something familiar on Voss today. It was like that of Nubica, whom he'd met on Lothal again after their battle on Balmorra, only...this one was...persistent.


[member="Ella Nova"]
 
[member="Krux Mullarus"]

At night, Ella Nova still saw the rain that had crashed upon her aching body. She could still see the wisps of smoke that had risen up from the blue light that had been her blade. Still taste the blood in her mouth. Feel the dirt and heaviness on her skin. Remember how her hair had matted onto her skin, drenched by the crashing waterfalls that had fallen on upon the killing fields. But more than anything, she remembered the yells from men and women long since dead.

Another survivor from that particular battle was set to encounter the Jedi Knight on this day. There paths seemed intertwined, connected almost by an invisible power. Many dark things had happened in between their first encounter. The Galactic Republic was in disarray. The One Sith continued their invasion of the Galaxy. In particular, Ella was still showing the signs of the torture she had endured in the Black Pyramid on Coruscant, in a futile effort to negotiate a peace between the Sith and the Republic.

Eyes still sunken, Ella surveyed the garden that she was stood in. Her face spoke a thousand words. She seemed bitter, frustrated, hurt. If not for the Jedi robes she wore, the Jedi that meditated around her would be forgiven for mistaking her to be a Sith, given how she looked. But Vornskr had not broken her. Not even the discovery that Sochi Ru still lived phased her. Or had it?

Bowing her head, Ella retreated away from the rays of the Voss sun, into the shadows that were made from the pillar she was leaned up against. Mullarus had much to discuss with her.
 
All of a sudden, Mullarus felt it as well. Another disturbance - a quake in the force - was now directly before him. Through the eyeholes of his mask, he watched the woman leaned against the pillar for a moment, feeling a wave of familiar energy brush over him. The rain fell against his body once again, his hair matting against his face and his first lightsaber's emerald green light piercing through the night.

He took a step toward her. He knew who she was, but she felt so different now. "...Ella?" he asked as he approached slowly. Like himself, her face looked scarred and tainted with the Dark Side. It was almost heartbreaking to see hee that way. He remembered seeing her as a prisoner in the Black Pyramid. Whatever the Sith did to her...changed her.

And she didn't wear a mask to hide it.


[member="Ella Nova"]
 
| [member="Krux Mullarus"] |

Ella kept her back to the voice. Her hazel, brown eyes remained on the Voss sun. It was almost a silent attempt to recapture the light, as if she longed to return to a time before the Black Pyramid; the Killing Fields; and the Battle of Coruscant. But she knew that was impossible, and unlike the Jedi that resided in the Voss Temple, Ella had no intentions of abandoning the Galactic Republic. Not whilst there was a democracy left to fight for.

She sensed Mullarus' apprehension. When [member="Vaulkhar"] tried to free her, it had been Mullarus- so resolute and dedicated in his service to his Lords and Masters at the time- that had stopped him from freeing Ella at the time. Indeed, Ella should have taken the opportunity to escape the Black Pyramid at the time. But she had been hopeful. She hoped that Vornskr would bring her before his fellow Sith Lords, where she could negotiate a peace treaty. Hopeful that [member="Sochi Ru"] would find her, so that she could help her Jedi Master.

That hope was gone now. Instead, it had lit a fire inside the Jedi, that she wasn't aware she had before. Perhaps she hadn't had it before her duels and encounters with the dreaded [member="Darth Vornskr"]. It was almost frightening. But if there was one thing Ella had taken away from the Black Pyramid, it was that she knew she was resolute in following the Jedi Code. Although she had been bowed, bent and broken, she was determined to save the Republic, more so now, than she had been before.

"I forgive you," Ella said, voice soft, but loud enough for Mullarus to hear. It was the will of the Jedi to forgive and move on. To become attached to her pain was to invite hatred, which was a pathway to the dark side. "And I am proud of you."
 
Mullarus felt the conflict within her. He knew what they felt like. His own would be evident within him, as well, though it was a different kind of battle being waged. It wasn't about the fate of the Republic. She turned her back to him, but she still spoke, her voice soft and seemingly calm. "...You sound...different" which was funny because here was Krux speaking from behind a mask, afraid to show the Jedi his corrupted, scarred face beneath it, "Are you alright?"

He took a couple of small steps toward her until he was practically beside her, looking down. He didn't forcefully look upon her face. If she wanted to hide it, that was her choice. However, Krux felt he could trust her. He'd known her for a while before he could call her an ally. He knew he saw some scarring on her face before she turned, so maybe seeing some more would help her. He slowly reached up, pulling down the hood of his robes from over his head, and then removed the metal mask from his face, showing her the matured face that she once saw on Contruum and in the Black Pyramid. This time, however, unlike those times, his face was scarred from war and tainted with Dark Side corruption. Ella wasn't the only one who had changed.

[member="Ella Nova"]
 
| [member="Krux Mullarus"] |

"No, Mullarus. But I will be."

Ella maintained her focus on the skyline, eyes averted away from the man that had saved her life. She knew there was good in Mullarus. The Force had told her that he could be swayed away from the Sith, and in turn, embrace the ways of the Jedi. She had felt it the moment they had clashed on that rain swept battle. Now, she was here to finish what she started.

"I have come to teach you in the ways of the Jedi, and but more urgently, I have come to seek your help. I need to speak to a member of the council here on Voss about Vornskr. I need their help."
 
[member="Ella Nova"]

Mullarus cocked a brow curiously. "I was not aware Voss had a council. You're still in a skirmish with Vornskr, hm? What's the problem?

"And I..appreciate you wanting to help me, as well. I have a formal master already, but i'm willing to learn from anyone. Who is on the council here on Voss? I probably know some of them." he said, watching her with a look of concern. He didn't feel her in any pain or anything, but there was still something that felt...off about her.
 
| [member="Krux Mullarus"] |

Ella would go back to the other matter that had brought her to Voss. That could wait. "Another Jedi has taken you on as their Padawan learner, I see. Who is it?"
 
She still didn't turn to face him, which brought him even deeper into concern for her. She may not have even noticed he had taken his mask off for her, which was rare for him. He worried what other Jedi would think of a man with so many scars and so much Dark Side corruption.

"Connor Harrison. After...the events that led me to turn from the Dark Side..." for a moment, everything flashed before his eyes. Falling in love with Setzi, his ascension through the ranks of the Sith, then suddenly being betrayed by her, falling into a blind fury, murdering dozens of imperials, his amaran servants, having thousands of his soldiers killed by a deadly serum, his duel with Darth Pyrrhus that almost killed him...

"H-he guided me down the path that led me to see the mistakes i'd made, and agreed to guide me down the Path of the Jedi..."


[member="Ella Nova"]
 
| [member="Krux Mullarus"] |

"I have heard of your Master. We will have too-" Ella was turning as she replied, to finally look at the man that she had tried to put on the Jedi path. She was done looking at the sun, caught in the trance of the light and there was work to be done. But she found herself caught by Mullarus, in a new trance. Hazel, brown eyes scoured the marks that crossed the Sith's face. She now sensed his extreme discomfort. It made her uncomfortable too.

She took Mullarus' by the hand, as a sign of compassion. Ella smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Mullarus. I haven't been the same after Vornskr." With her other hand, she put it in the mask he had taken off, but did not try to take it off him. "You never have to wear this. The Jedi respect all forms of life. There is no judgement here. The Force is your ally now. Let it soothe and heal you."

She let go. "Vornskr has to be stopped, Mullarus. You and I know that more than others. We can stop him together."
 
Mullarus' eyes wandered to the side as Ella studied his face, feeling a wave of humiliation wash over him. Even as she reassured him that the Jedi respected all, he still couldnt help but feel he didnt quite belong. "Thank you" was all he said.

She was still obsessed with Vornskr? Oh no. Mullarus suddenly looked at her with worry, "Ella, the last Jedi I heard that was this obsessed with finding a Sith Lord ended up being seduced by the Dark Side, becoming his apprentice, and becoming his personal schutta...please, be mindful, I dont want that to happen to you. Vornskr is dangerous, yes, but he's not the only Sith Lord in the Empire. There are thousands. Taking down one wont bring the Empire to its knees."

More visions of Setzi Lunelle bombarded his mind. Oh, what she could have been if she never became so obsessed with that bastard togruta. If his invisible hand didnt manipulate her so. Perhaps she'd still be the innocent young woman he fell in love with. Now shes just another agent of the Dark Side.

"Take it slowly. Patience is a virtue of the Jedi. Not only that, but Jedi don't seek out battle. I won't lose you, too, Ella..."


[member="Ella Nova"]
 
| [member="Krux Mullarus"] |

"Mullarus..."

Ella shook her head. If she could avoiding fighting Vornskr, she would. If the Sith Lord simply stopped, that would be ideal. But it was not an ideal Galaxy. Vornskr had decimated not only the lives of innocents, but Jedi as well and neither could be tolerated no longer. He had taken the fight to the Jedi Order many times and the time for pacifism was over. Now it was the time for action.

"I tried to reason with Vornskr. I tried to help him. I tried to get him to stop the war. But his mind has been twisted by the dark side. He is evil, Mullarus. Countless Jedi have tried to pacify Vornskr and failed. We have to act."

"Whilst there are many Sith Lords, that I'm sure you can tell me about, Vornskr is the one that has consistently stood out because his actions and the motivations he has for doing them are significantly worse than his associates. The Jedi can't idly stand by and let this madman continue his reign of terror."

"Attachment leads to hate. Hate leads to pain. Both lead to the dark side. I do not hate Vornskr, that is not my way. I want to stop him because it is the right thing to do. It is not only right, but our mandate as Jedi. That I why I want to speak with Master Harrison, to discuss your future in the Jedi Order, but too also discuss the possibility of stopping Vornskr."
 
Mullarus sighed softly. He had a feeling this was exactly the argument Setzi would have used when she became so incredibly obsessed with Darth Pyrrhus. "It's not that-...I..." he found himself at a loss for words, unsure what else to say. "Just...be careful. I've never even met Vornskr before, but I keep hearing about how dangerous he is. He trained my old pig of a master, Pyrrhus. To spawn such a demon, he has to be one hell of a devil himself.

"What do you think Connor will say?"

[member="Ella Nova"]
 

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