Achy Breaky Heart (Kana Truden)

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya moved as she went through what was here and grabbed the amulet shaking it. "It is a projection amulet, sith use them to record messages." Then she was looking at the girl at the mention of the monster. "Yeah move, they are outside and you don't want to get bitten. I'll leave you here." Looking at the projection on the amulet, Balaya let her illusion become colder more tensed. Slowly she spoke. "This [member="Corvus Raaf"] left her to to the sith. I am going to have to show her why jedi do not abandon each other later on." She sneered while moving towards the doors and opening one as the roaring came out louder then there was a half eaten figure standing in the snow.

 

[Kana Truden]

So Sith used amulets for communication, a handy note for later. Kana glared at the woman at the mention of leaving her. Maybe she was just distraught or something but leaving the one person who actually seemed willing to help her felt a bit drastic.

Kana’s mood faltered drastically at the mention of teaching Corvus a lesson. It was something in how the master acted and the sound of her voice as she mentioned it. Kana’s voice grew as equally cold.

“What are you implying?”

What was this woman trying to say? Punishment for doing the right thing didn’t seem very Jedi-like. To take her sorrows out on a fellow Jedi for something like that, no matter how grave, would never be the right thing. Though perhaps Kana was simply being clouded by her own attachment to her friend or perhaps this woman was being clouded by grief. Either way nothing about what the woman said had lightened the mood.

Kana continued walking the path with her guide. The lurking feeling of danger grew stronger for each passing step.

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya looked at Kana and didn't speak while she looked at the figure and spoke. "If that thing bites you there is no cure, now move quickly into the building. We need to circle back around and get to the ship." Balaya moved backwards not taking her eyes off the thing while it turned a eaten face towards her and was screeching from a chewed throat with a gurgling sound. More started appearing while it stalked forward towards them.

 

[Kana Truden]

Kana withdrew the saber from her belt and flicked it on. The green blade of plasma illuminated the immediate area and she got herself ready for action. Even if there was no cure reassurance would have been better than getting told you’d be left for dead. Still, at least now Kana knew not to be careless.

“Got it.”

Kana froze in place for second as she heard the screeching. Slowly more of the things began appearing and suddenly it all seemed a lot more real.

“So how do we go about this then? Try to get around them?”

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

"Yes very much so, we could fight them but once they bite those sith they'll be added to the horde and more are going to wake up." She was moving back now and reached out to pull the padawan. "Run this is not the time to fight, we'll have a better chance inside and away from them." She closed the door are as one of them slammed into it and smashed the controls. "That is only going to hold them for awhile we need to get to the other entrances and back to the ship. I saw all I needed and know what I need to find Elara." She was moving now as screeches and clawing sounds could be heard on the other side of the door.

 

[Kana Truden]

Kana turned her saber off as Bellalika pulled her away. Those monsters were horrible, their shrieking served as a perfect indicator that it was in fact go time just like Kana’s guide had said. The tension from before had died down a bit. It had to, considering the circumstances in which they found themselves.

“So we make for the ship.” Kana hurried along with Bellalika. “We should look into more ways to buy us time.”

Kana kept an eye out for anything that could be of use. Maybe she could find something heavy to block the doors with? No, there was nothing, perhaps it was for the best to just keep running and trust the force that they’d actually make it back.

“Actually forget about that. We should just get out of here as fast as we can.”

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya thought about it and kept moving as the idea of throwing things in front of them to stop the infected was true they had a habit of solving puzzles though eventually and would figure out ways to get past them, get ahead and attack them. The strongest way to deal with such a problem was to be faster, be stronger and make sure they didn't get close which was why she worked clearing the saber and clenching her fists punching a sheet of ice with the force. The chill from the snow swept tauntaun paddocks were there and the infected animals snarled as their stomachs stretched until their were nearly see through held several of the infected ready to jump out. Balaya blasted force energy into them to send one back while the creatures snarled and were coming after them. "Keep moving." Her hands came away and let out an arc of black lightning as she snarled shocking one until its frozen fur was smoking and on fire. By all outward appearances Bellalika was slowly slipping into the darkside with the look of horror and grief on her face.

 

[Kana Truden]

The first sign that something was wrong came with the punch. As the ice broke so did the silence. The look on Bellalika’s face told of sorrow and despair, Kana could recognize it as the same she had felt on Rhen Var as the cave spiders had entrapped her friends. It was not a good place to be in, Kana would probably not have stopped herself if not for the intervention of her friends. Kana jumped as lightning shot out from the woman’s hands.

“Calm down!” Kana cried out. “It’s not worth it, Bellalika!”

“Don’t let the anger consume you. Not now.”

She was pretty sure the cries would fall on deaf ears. People in that position never listened until it was too late.

“It's not too late, we can still save her. Calm down."

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya stopped the lightning and was moving she she pushed past one of the tauntauns and shouted jumping over a wall of the paddock. The rage was there in her voice and she was hearing the concern of the padawan in it all while she moved rolling into the snow. "You're right I need it all for the ones responsible for Elara getting harmed. All of them are going to pay and I will do what it takes now move they know where we are and we're going to be needing to run quickly." She moved going into the snow and quickly brushing some from her face where thin lines of tears were frozen.

 

[Kana Truden]

She listened, but not to all of it or maybe Kana was just unclear. The woman’s anger and rage was still there and she was letting it burn into her. Kana truly didn’t know what to do, she was under this woman in status yet she seemed to have a better grip on it. However that was probably due to her outsider status in the whole ordeal.

“Listen to yourself, Bellalika.” Kana maintained her calm. “You are acting on your anger.”

Kana trudged through the snow with the heartbroken woman. Force forbid this went any further. Bellalika seemed like a good woman, maybe a bit quick to anger and she did threaten Kana’s best friend.

“I know it hurts but don’t dwell on it. It’ll only make things worse.”

Kana would know, she spent years dwelling on the past. Not even once did it lead to anything good, only drunken blackouts and abuse.

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya was moving now as they were in the snow and charging through, the massive zeltron pushing the force through her body and into what she needed to stay warm and move quickly. Stay unencumbered while keeping on the move was what she had learned while dealing with these creatures and hearing the concern from the padawan had her interested in what else she could draw out of her while her eyes looked around and the howls were heard. "We don't have time, we need to get to the ship and then we'll deal with this." Her eyes were hard and glaring in the snow while she moved going after the ship on the tacpad.

 

[Kana Truden]

“Fine.” Kana sighed. “Let’s get to the ship.”

The creeping feeling that it was Kana’s fault altogether was slowly emerging. She was the one who had informed Bellalika of her padawan’s disappearance. She was the one who second guessed her at every turn during this trip.

But Kana had good reason, didn’t she? Reasons like, well, she couldn’t actually think of anything.

She pushed ahead through the snow in an effort to reach the ship faster. The sooner they got off this glacier the better.

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

All she did was nod and moved quicker through the snow picking up the pace as it got harder and more packed. She stood still for a moment before orienting herself and then running again further towards the ship until its flashing lights came into view. The screeches were in the air more and more but Balaya wasn't worried about that she was looking plainly at what was standing in front of them as her saber activated and she slashed into the on infected cleaving half his chest off to match the half eaten body and one arm. The kick to send it away while she pointed. "Get the ship started and get inside."

 

[Kana Truden]

”Got it!”

Kana wasted no time getting herself onto the ship out of two reasons. First off she wanted to get off this rock. Secondly there was no way in hell that she would say no to the chance of piloting this thing. Disregard her blatant inexperience with actual piloting but how hard can it be compared to co-piloting?

Rushing inside Kana quickly disposed of her jacket on the ship’s floor and took a seat behind the controls. Quickly performing the start-up sequence she gets the ship’s engines going and awaited Bellalika before taking off.

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya moved into the ship and sealed the doors while she moved through it, the need to make a good show while the rest of her was going after the rest of Ossus to have her fun. A grin now on her face as the ramp closed and she spoke into the comlink hoping the girl knew what she was doing while sending a droid to handle and fly the ship if need be. The sounds of the snow going muffled. "get us in the air and back to Ossus, I have all I need and we don't want to be here when more arrive they do know how to break into ships."

 

[Kana Truden]

Well she had gotten the startup right, now all that remained was the part where you made the ship take off. Calmly relying on what her gut told her she flicked a few switches and to her surprise found the ship taking off and hovering a few meters above the ground albeit in a very unstable hover that had the ship swaying from side to side.

“Uh, right.” Kana talked to herself. “Next move is to get the rest sorted out.”

Looking around the controls she reached for the throttle and pointed the ship towards the sky. A red ‘Stall’ warning began flashing and the ship began to slowly lose altitude. In a moment of panic Kana readjusted the ship to a more gravity-friendly angle. Hopefully things hadn’t been too rough in the back.

Giving it a second attempt Kana found it to her surprise that the ship suddenly began working on its own. Almost as if…

“Oh.” Kana sighed in defeat as she saw the new droid pilot. “Well, that’s… Good.”

She slowly got out of the chair and entered the back where Bellalika was. A moment of awkward silence came to pass and Kana scratched the back of her head.

“I hope that wasn’t as bad as it seemed. I'm so sorry.”

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya was rocking around until the ship leveled out cursing herself for putting the padawan at the stick... Then the droid chirped it had taken over as she stood at the ready and prepared herself. She looked at the padawan when she came back and just glared a little. "Thought you knew how to fly?" It didn't matter, the trip to Ossus would be fast and she could enact the next stage of the plan as Balaya moved grabbing her equipment. "This wasn't a total loss, I can study the amulet and find where Elara is, my sister isn't one who would give up a fight and she enjoys the thrill of getting others to play her game." She went and sat down looking ready for anything and bristling while the saber was clenched white knuckled in her grip.

 

[Kana Truden]

"Yeah, no. Sorry about that." Kana gently shook her head and took a seat. Bellalika was still angry and still wouldn't let go of what she had seen in the amulet. "That droid is probably a life saver and doesn't even know it."

It wasn't in her place to tell the woman what to do but it was anger. Anger, hate, suffering - Kana had studied what the old masters had said of it and it made sense. As a master of a padawan there was a close relationship, that much was true but the old ones also mentioned the necessity of detachment. Now that was especially not in Kana's place to say.

She tried to find a silver lining. There had to be one. Elara was gone but what was there to be learned here? Maybe that the Sith were master manipulators. That they could be anywhere and the Jedi wouldn't even know. Maybe it was that through Elara's disappearance the Sith were playing Bellalika into their hands. She had already given in to her anger and hate once which worried Kana immensely. On second thought maybe there simply was no silver lining this time.

"Maybe we should turn this over to the other masters at the temple." Kana gave the woman an apologetic look. "We don't know what we'll find or how we'll react. Is it worth the risks?"

By 'we' she actually meant 'you'. Kana already feared the woman's reaction the second she shut her mouth. It was a harsh question but one that needed to be asked.

[member="Darth Praelior"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Balaya was looking at this girl and chuckling to herself, it was all so very very nice. Slowly as her hands clenched she spoke. They would be coming to ossus quicker this time. "When we get back to the temple I am going to drop you off and go after my padawan, there are only so many places in this area of space they could be and if they aren't here I'll go to Coruscant. The jedi have lost to many of our people because we sat back and waited for others decisions. I'd rather rescue Elara, rescue Sophia if she has been captured and be told I am blady blady blah my ones who have only shown they love to judge rather then do anything and have a clear conscious then let others die or turn."

She didn't leave it open, walking away and sealing the cabin of the ship so she could relax for the trip but the sounds of her screaming and crying were there. Balaya wondered if it was fair to exploit her sister like this but her grin remained when the droid announced they were arriving as Balaya directed him to close the cockpit doors and go over the academy. She moved out and now just let some of the darkside hang there clinging to her. A fifteen year old wasn't the best for emotionally stable and moving now she motioned Kana for the airlock while she spoke. "Come on the quicker I drop you off the quicker I can get going." The doors opened as the ship slowed to a hover and Balaya looked at Kana glaring. "Go."

 

[Kana Truden]

But that was still to act on her anger! Kana wanted to open her mouth but at this point Bellalika had already proven herself far too stubborn to talk sense into. Elara was probably dead and Sophia as well, this woman was struck with grief and nothing Kana told her would change the way she seemingly was hellbent on risking the dark side. It was wrong of her to give up but what little choice did she have, she had already tried and been brushed aside at every turn.

The charade was coming to an end, the woman would be free to do whatever she pleased. Kana's limit had been reached and there was nothing she could do. Only the force would be able to guide her at this point.

The door slid open and Kana walked over with out saying a word. They were still pretty high up, what was the deal here? Kana turned around to ask, but...

[member="Darth Praelior"]