Achy Breaky Heart (Kana Truden)

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya stood on Ossus, it had been a little time since Corvus had failed to save Elara but while she stood there the large zeltron used the sith magics. Letting her body shimmer while she disguised herself as her sister [member="Bellalika"] a small scrappy fifteen year old jedi knight. It was an interest disguise while she looked down at the full image of her sister as she remembered her. Short blue hair, tank top and cargo pants for piloting. she moved throughout the academy looking for Corvus but others would do. She wanted to ensure she pressed and found how best to explain her newest... toy. One could never know what was being done.

"Elara... Elara have any of you seen my padawan?"

 

[Kana Truden]

It had been a good day and somehow Kana had managed to get more things done than usual. Makashi training – check. Force Barriers – check. Self-sustained injuries – double check.

Kana prodded at the bruises on her arm, it was definitely a double check. Maybe she had gotten so much done because of the weather? It was after all a pretty good day. The sun was shining, the birds chirping and some students learning.

Idly speeding through the courtyard Kana’s attention shifted over to the voice of someone looking for their padawan.

"Elara... Elara have any of you seen my padawan?"

Kana slowed down. Elara, now where had she heard that name before? Racing through what had happened the last few weeks Kana tried to recall the name. Was it someone she had met? No, it wasn't. Perhaps it was someone she had heard about? But who had she met except...

“Corvus.” Kana quietly whispered to herself. “But that means…”

It meant that it was the Padawan that had been kidnapped. Kana didn’t know what to do. Should she tell her? Kana and Corvus told the others about her kidnapping, yet it would seem that the information had not reached her master. She looked around, nobody else seemed to give the woman much thought. Perhaps it was for the best if Kana was the one to tell her. She may not have been there but she was pretty much the second best thing to having Corvus tell the master herself.

As she slowly approached the woman she gave her a look. She almost reminded Kana of what she had dressed like before arriving at the academy all that time ago. The exception being the cargo pants, you’d never see Kana in cargo pants. Not ever.

“Hi, I’m Kana…” She offered the woman a most apologetic look. “Did you say you were looking for Padawan Elara?”

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya looked up at the woman, the shorter zeltron searching her face with quick flicks of her eyes from under the scar on her face. She didn't speak but was trying to figure out who this woman was. If she knew about Elara she was either a friend Corvus had confided in or she was one of those padawan Elara had met and taken into the tunnels. A quick scan her of her showed she didn't have the a ring but a small internal smile came. "Yes, I sent her here while I chased after Sophia Walsh. She hasn't reported back to me if she found anything down below." The image of the fifteen year old crossed her arms while she was looking at her.

"She had more or less a stern expression or at least what she could manage... a fifteen year old jedi knight was many things but able to look stern and authoritative is not completely one of them. Balaya though did know her sisters hopeful reputation as one of the few who were able to escape Coruscant and the battle of Atrisia. Balaya spoke more running a hand through her hair while she looked around and moved off to the side away from the open area. "If Elara is here, she had better be in the infirmary or worse. I gave her strict orders to report in anything she might have found relating to Junra's tunnels and what might be down here while I went after a lost master."

 

[Kana Truden]

Kana continued to stare at the woman as she grew unsure of what to say. ‘Oh by the way the sith has taken your Padawan’ didn’t sit quite right on the tongue or ears. Needless to say it was a strange situation, one she wasn’t quite sure she was the right person for in the first place.

“I’m sorry, I thought you had heard.” Kana sighed. “I mean, I don’t know how to tell you, but…”

Oh how she dreaded the next part.

“She’s gone.” She turned her head away from the woman as if preparing to be attacked by a barrage of emotion. “Taken by someone called ‘Balaya’, and I mean I don’t know who that is but I can assure you that we’regoingtofindherand-...“ Kana began mumbling, she never were one to handle these kind of situations. At least not with strangers. She cleared her throat and gave it a second attempt. “Sorry, what I am trying to say is that we’ll get her back, don’t worry about it.”

She stared at the ground and shuffled her feet around. What a disaster.

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya was amused but she didn't show it in the disguise. She was moving around and looked nervous while speaking. "You said Balaya? Balaya took my padawan?" For a moment her eyes flicked with something but she spoke. "And how did my sister manage to get onto Ossus? I knew there was something happening but her being able to get here means it has to be worse then I thought." She moved now grabbing at the padawans shoulder and moving away from people into a room. "If you know my sister was here then you know the situation, I was investigating what happened and how several prominent jedi were turned to the darkside. Something is here or someone, if my sister was here then I have new theories but I need you to come with me. You have the information I need to find her. I know a few places that she controlled when she was in the empire. There was a Blackblades safehouse, meet me at my ship and bring your gear."

 

[Kana Truden]

”I’m sorry but all I know is what I have been told.”

Kana let herself get lead into the room by the stranger. Partially out of guilt, the woman must be heartbroken. Kana would be devastated if it was her Padawan, then again Kana wasn’t good at letting go.

As Kana tried to open her mouth to speak she found herself interrupted by the woman. She let her talk - this woman was the afflicted part after all, Kana was merely a messenger. At least that is what she was thinking until the woman instructed her to get her gear.

Kana stared at the woman as she left the building. What gear? As a Padawan the only possession worth mentioning was the clothes on her back as well as the lightsaber on her hip. She thought on it, this wasn’t her fight and if anything from what Corvus had said Kana should know better than to go along with this. However, on the other hand it wouldn’t be right to send this woman off alone.

Kana threw a few quick glances toward where she had last seen the woman cut a corner. This was so stupid but a small part of her told her she had to do this, if not for her own sake then for bringing some closure on her best friend’s behalf.

“Hey, wait up!” Kana called out to the woman. “I’m already good to go.”

Kana ran up to the woman and let her guide her to the ships, even if she had a bad feeling about this.

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya looked back and was still heading towards the line of ships while she stopped and looked at the padawan with a nod of her head. "Good then we're ready to go." She moved getting into the Defender and making room to the bridge. The illusion wouldn't be able to control the ship but the droid knew how and sending the message for it she spoke when able to. "We shouldn't be that long, a quick jump towards faustin and we'll search the base there. We ready for the snow and make sure your prepared to fight; The creatures on that world are not always the most happy to see guests." Understatement of the year but it would do as the ship began to leave and send the verifications.

On the planet Balaya left an amulet of projection for [member="Corvus Raaf"] delivered from Alderaan. The round amulet with a blood red lens depicting a message for her from Balaya with Elara in the background being tortured. "Corvus... such a lovely name, when you find this you will realize I hope that no matter what happens I will be able to reach you and your precious jedi.. There is much I am planning and having one such as you derail it while not the expected was certainly going to make things more fun. Keep the amulet, so you can keep this message. If you tell the masters, if you tell the grandmaster your friend is dead. She is already off world with no one else and I'll let her die if you reveal my plans. I'll allow your silence on this matter to serve as a first lessons, you will learn to listen to me and obey one way or the other."

 

[Kana Truden]

“Snow?” Kana gave the woman a confused look. “I mean, there is snow on Rhen Var and Hoth, but not here on Oss-… Wait a minute. Ooooh.”

They were going away from Ossus, and to a snowy planet nonetheless. Then maybe Kana should have gotten ready after all. While ‘too cold’ was preferable to ‘too warm’ a coat would still have been nice. Oh well, she’d simply have to suck it up and deal with it. She had gotten herself into this position and she sure as hell wasn’t going to leave the woman to walk this path alone.

“This is the first time in forever that I leave the temple grounds.” Kana couldn’t think of anything better to talk about. “Last time I saw something other than the temple was when I went to Rhen Var with Corv-… A few other padawans as well as the grandmaster.”

Corvus was the last person to have seen Elara alive and Rhen Var had happened almost right after it. Well, after they had told others about the disappearance and the background of it that is. So maybe bringing her name up to light wasn’t the best of things to do at the moment.

“I just hope we know what we're doing here.”

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

BGalaya looked at her while she stood there on the ship and it left Ossus making a quick jump. They had what was needed on the ship and thanks to the information on her datapad, the real trick was as she looked at the padawan and grinned. "Oh I have done easier things but the sith presence is not as strong here now, all they have are the old bases some refuse to do anything about. For now be ready and make sure you can last in the snow since the jedi presence hasn't been great on some of these worlds it has allowed things to fill in the gaps. FOr now meditate and I shall get you when the time comes." Balaya moved and waited, Faustin was desolate she knew and from the few missions still plagued by the infected which meant the blackblade base would and should have enough resistance within it to push this padawan to her limits.

 

[Kana Truden]

Kana did what the woman asked of her and meditated on the matter as she took the time to think on what Corvus had told her when it came to Elara and her disappearance. Something about the rings and the Sith. It was discomforting to say the least to know that the Sith could be right under Kana’s nose like that.

Kana remained blissfully unaware about the true nature of those she had decided to go on this little ‘adventure’ with and delved deeper into her meditation. She had to have a clear mind for what they were doing. She hadn’t been to Faustin herself but the rumors about the place was troubling.

She remained in her state for now but the doubt remained, did they truly know what they were doing? Shouldn’t they have brought at least maybe another knight?

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya meditated and focused, the planet was close to Ossus and Rhen Var... very close which would make it seem all the more dangerous that the sith still operated in Republic space. With the jedi's lax standards in some area's she was able to move. With everything happening their infighting was her gain. The ship came out of orbit and bypassed the quarantine beacons as it went towards the pl;anet. Balaya focused her senses on it and spoke. "It is time to go, make sure you are wrapped up and do not hesitate, the last jedi team that came here died because they hesitated and joined the monsters." A strange statement but she expected and hoped they would know what was happening this close to their main temple, if the infection got out Ossus was a prime target for the dead. Balaya went to the ramp holding a blaster and saber while she moved out.

 

[Kana Truden]

“Monsters?” Kana gave the woman a confused look. “What, are we talking wampas?”

It wasn’t that Kana was afraid as much as she was careful. She was far from her home on a planet she had never seen before, with a woman she had never seen before. When put at that angle it really made no sense at all for her to be there. Had she just followed some random woman to meet her potentially painful death?

No, she hadn’t. She was here to help a fellow jedi find out more about her missing padawan and nothing else. Still, the situation had become increasingly questionable but for now it was best to just play along lest she’d be left for dead on this glacier.

She could trust this woman for now.

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya moved as she had a grin. "Well there might be a wampa or two but no, there is a reason that no one comes here. The dead are said to walk the planet and old academy. The sith made a base here and one say everyone was gone, vanished with no signs of what happened to them." She kept moving now and in the distance was the large base built into he mountain with sections of the academy uncovered going downwards. Balaya was moving quickly to get to a new section of it while she went through the open hole in the wall. "Stay close." It was built for her to walk thrugh and the snow had frozen the section of the base while she went closer seeing more damage and blaster fire. "So tell me all you know about what happened it will help me find my sister."

 

[Kana Truden]

”I can only tell you what I know.” Kana repeated. “But if it helps then fine, I don’t know how much you want to know but…”

Kana took a deep breath and trudged along through the snow.

“Apparently it had all begun as a good friend of mine was awoken by your Padawan in the middle of the night. They were looking for…”

Kana promptly paused for a second as she tried to remember.

“They were looking for a lab.” Kana rubbed her forehead. “I think so anyway, they reached a lab eventually where they found bloodied walls and stuff.”

“Corvus said that’s when this hologram thought she was a Sith spy? The hologram apparently looked like that Sith Lord ‘Balaya’ that I told you about.”

Frankly Kana was amazed at how much she could remember all of this, though considering the nature of it there would be no reason not to remember it. There was still one issue that was disturbing her though. However, that wasn’t important right now.

“They found someone there, my memory is a bit blurry but they found some sort of ship. Out of it came none other than Balaya herself apparently. There were sith and they-… Well, I mean you know, they took your padawan. Don't worry though, we told some of the masters around the temple, we'll probably get her back in no time.”

Kana remained quiet for a bit before speaking up again.

“Hey, I’m sorry but I think I forgot to ask your name.”

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

"Bellalika my name is Bellalika and if she doesn't want you to find her you won't, I spent a year looking for her and came away with nothing just a lot of falseleads." She kept moving and turned her gaze to the area more then the padawan while moving. "Thank you though for coming, it isn't everyday I actually set foot on Ossus, he was never really my place. I much preferred the Shadows temple on Umbara or Diana's fortress." She stayed close to the one wall and the door opened as Balaya moved checking one of the dismembered bodies. "That lab they found was it the butchers?"

 

[Kana Truden]

“You’re welcome.” Kana tried to smile. “I’m sorry but I haven’t been to those places.”

Then she asked of the lab. Kana had never heard the mention of no butcher when Corvus had relayed the story.

“I don’t know.” She scratched the back of her head. “My friend just said it was a lab. Judging by the blood splatter though... Maybe?”

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

She turned her head back. "You really are young aren't you? Alright come on I'll give you some history." Balaya moved a bit and was listening while she reached out with her senses. "In the closing weeks of the war before Selena and Chancellor Harkness led the Republic to victory on Korriban we started finding camps. Kaine was a monster, he captured and took to labor camps prisoners of war, ones who fought back or spoke out against the empire, anything really. He had a sith doctor, a really skilled woman by all medical means. Top of her classes, top of her field and she ran the camps trying to make the perfect sith servant for him. Thousands died ad reports from the Fel Imperium when they went to Kalee had even more dead as a result of her incinerating the bodies. a small team found her labs on Ossus, some of them at least. Then after the war was over she was gone, vanished without a trace and left a trail of bodies she had been experimenting on. As my teams moved through several labs and have chased her, we've chased several of the sith who escaped. All found their way into the One Sith eventually and there are more dangers."

 

[Kana Truden]

Kana raised her eyebrows and nodded at the part about being young. If she meant young and dumb or simply young and ignorant didn’t really matter, at least ‘Bellalika’ was willing to give Kana a history lesson. Not that it helped, if anything it just made the sith look even more depraved than the innocent ‘little jedi’ would have guessed.

“I prefer the term inexperienced.” Kana’s joke fell flat amidst her worries. “So we are going after this butcher woman?”

Kana tried to keep up with Bellalika.

“And if we do find this person, then what? We arrest her?”

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

"If we find her sure why not." The look was more one of tiredness as Balaya moved down the hall and listened. The sounds of someone screaming filtered in with laughing and she flared her nostrils activating a saber before moving with her magenta blade activated. She moved in while the hologram showing a bald girl being shocked played out on the projection amulet. The same message she had sent to Corvus and left for her at the temple without audio and the small girl being shocked then brutalized with a large fist. Bellalika moved slashing into the one blackblade while outside the roars of the infected came on the wind from the academy. "Move." She turned to the padawan.

 

[Kana Truden]

”Good, if we find her then I guess that’s the plan.”

At least they weren’t going to hurt whoever it was, which was just right according to the way Kana had imagined she’d want to go about her first Sith encounter. Granted that day encounter hadn’t really come yet, at least for all Kana knew.

Then there were shrieking.

“Move.”

“What?” Kana still tried to keep up with Bellalika. “That was the 'monsters', wasn’t it?”

[member="Darth Praelior"]