L O S T
Ayvari Dorian, The Betrayer of Light
♫
"In The Dark, See Past Our Eyes; Pursue The Truth, No Matter Where It Lies"
BASIC INFORMATION
- Name: Ayvari Dorian
- Alias: Ayva
- Force Rank: Knight
- Force Alignment: Neutral-Dark
- Species: Near-Human
- Race: Ubese
- Planet of Birth: Uba IV
- Age: 20
- Height: 5'7"
- Weight: 128 lbs
- Eye Colour: Amber
- Hair Colour: Dark Brown
- Skin Pigmentation: Pale Caucasian
- Force Sensitive: Yes
- Masters: Sith Lord Xanxus; Jedi Knight Kyrze
- Apprentices: Sohna Odam, [member='Joon']
- Successful Students: N/A
- Ayva's appearance is very typical to the Ubese, not that any would be capable of distinguishing her as such due to the respirator upon her face and the lack of any real knowledge of her people. Her hair is long and, when she allows it to flow freely, it reaches down the length of her arm to her elbow. The right hand side of her hair has been undercut, leaving it short and her head more or less exposed. The rest is swept across to the left, yet somehow she still remains rather feminine in appearance. Should one see her without the respirator, which includes not just the breathing mask but instead a full-face piece to aid her in more difficult climates and atmospheres, they would note that she has fairly angular features and high cheekbones. Her skin is pale, and at first glance she may even seem like one who has been corrupted by the darkside, yet this is just a natural result of her origins and her upbringing on Ilum and nothing more. The only real spark of color amidst her monotonous features are her amber eyes, which seem to glisten when visible. These are also the only part of her which set her apart from other Ubese, yet oddly they are also one of the few things she is self-conscious about for that exact same reason. Otherwise, Ayva is fairly average looking: she is neither too tall or too small, nor is she necessarily skinny or muscular (although to many she may seem frail or fragile at first)
Since leaving Ilum Ayva had only ever worn one style of clothes, which appeared like the uniform an Imperial Naval Officer might wear. So it was that upon reaching the Jedi Temple some six years later she found it odd to adjust to her new attire. At first, while she would wear full Initiate robes when necessary or instructed to, Ayva was most commonly found in smart-looking training garments that remain crisp and clean at all times, much in the same way she'd had to maintain her attire when living within the Sith Academy. The materials were very practical and had a 'breathable' quality which helped to keep her cool while training. Since her return to the Sith, following the completion of her mission as an undercover Sith Agent, Ayva has once again returned to this Imperialistic attire which is now met with mild slashes of orange hues.
It should be noted that one of Ayva's feet have been replaced with a cybernetic variant following a mishap with a Sith Lord; while this is not visibly noticeable, especially given the synthflesh covering, it does make her right foot somewhat harder and heavier than her left. Thankfully, Ayva is very quick and light footed which means that she will often leave very impartial footprints if any at all; however, if she is forced to linger in one place, particularly on a surface which does not hold its shape, then a keen tracker will be able to note the difference in her footprints and as a result have an easier time hunting her down.
Ayva often carries on her person one other weapon - a blaster pistol which remains hidden away on her person. There is nothing particularly special or interesting about this weapon, except for a small engraving on its side. To carry smaller items such as spare datapads or rations she usually carries upon her person a backpack; however, should this compromise her ability to act swiftly in a life or death situation, she will make no hesitation to lose it when necessary. Despite this, Ayva is not really much of a fighter; she has received a moderate amount of training in lightsaber combat, and much of what she knows in terms of bladed or ranged combat has been a matter of pure survival as opposed to any official training. Likewise, she has received a decent amount of formal training in the Force, and when she was younger her Father showed her a trick to keep herself warm and safe in the harsh climate of Ilum where they resided. While not official, it could be observed that Ayva's fighting technique is akin to the Medium Style as she has yet to choose one of the more traditional Forms. While her true strengths lie in her swiftness, she is not so bold as to press an attack for too long owing to the belief that it will simply open up weaknesses for her opponent to take advantage of.
She is able to last quite a while in heated combat, having a high level of stamina and endurance, provided the respirator remains in tact upon her face. Should she lose this lifeline, Ayva would weaken considerably and tire at a much faster rate owing to the struggle she would face in terms of breathing: a Type I atmosphere would not be wholly impossible for her to survive on, but it would hinder her physical capabilities by a long shot. Likewise, the fact that she has a cybernetic foot could pose equally as difficult problems should someone find out and take advantage of the fact: surging it with electricity - while having the natural effects an individual would face when exposed to such - would make it short-circuit and could even destroy it leaving her with only one good leg to rely upon. Ayva is more than aware of both of these weaknesses, neither of which she has any control over, and while she seeks to balance them out in other ways she is also not afraid to possess them; she has no desire to be the strongest and most powerful individual in the Galaxy, and is quite fine with being moderately average. In fact, she will often remark on how the Galaxy is in need of more pawns and will openly admit to being just another insignificant piece to the Galactic game.
Ayva has a tendency to over-philosophise situations, and has a habit of sitting back and watching the world go by while making a note of everything she happens to see or hear. As a result, she is fairly wise for her years and has a strong yet malleable opinion on many aspects of her life and the Galaxy at large. Often this will get her into trouble, for questioning too much or calling someone out on their beliefs. All in all, Ayva is a multi-faceted individual who has no real strengths to fall back upon; she has a natural inclining to seeking out knowledge, yet she refuses to 'horde' it for the sake of knowing. She is extremely introspective, and would be the first person to point out any of her flaws should the conversation arise. That is not to say she lacks self-esteem, merely that she is not jaded or clouded with regards to who she is; she is simply comfortable being Ayva.
- The Painted Mynock: While she has not yet learned to pilot a starship, Ayva still has a vessel with which to explore the Galaxy. It has a jaded past, having previously been owned by a slave-driving bounty hunter, but due to a few touch-ups and improvements it would be difficult for anyone to know at first glance. It is piloted by a Class-5 Droid, and the other two crew members are likewise mechanical. This vessel has enough fire power to keep Ayva safe should a skirmish arise, yet it is not excessive. One of the many modifications to be made on the vessel is the odd utilization of the cargo hold, which has been transformed into training quarters. The ship does, however, still have a little space for personal storage, but not enough room to carry other transportation. Alongside the retention of the onboard cells, a small two-patient medical bay was also introduced; like the rest of the starship, this is run by droids.
- Lightsaber: The casing and components of this particular lightsaber are ancient, having been passed down from Master to Apprentice over the centuries.
- Armour: -
- Weaponry: Vibroblade, Blaster Pistol
- Droids: FEG-K4
- Transport: -
- Property: -
- Miscellaneous: Cybernetic Foot, Ubese Breathing Mask
- Force Sense
- Tapas
- Telekinesis
- Force Persuasion
- Pyrokinesis
- Force Concealment
- Force Illusion
NOTABLE MISCELLANEOUS SKILLS
- Blaster Combat
- Close Quarters Combat
- Teräs Käsi
- Part One: Humble Beginnings
Uba IV is certainly no place to raise an open-minded child, but then again neither was Ilum. This was the decision that one particular Ubese had to make upon finding himself a single parent and a grieving husband just three days into parenthood, and whether or not he made the right decision by moving himself and the child into isolation as a way to cope with his sudden loss was difficult to say. Yet either way, he achieved some sort of equilibrium, for the daughter he raised would be no uncultured xenophobe. This one, single, rushed decision was the basis of Ayva's upbringing, and she was raised in full knowledge of her Father's grief... Yet somehow it did nothing to affect her. Instead she remained as sweet as could be, as innocent as any child ought to be, although her environment was harsh indeed. Ilum had little in the way of native creatures, and even those which could be hunted often burrowed under the ice as a way to find a heat source, or better yet they were a much bigger predator than the two Ubese.
Life became more rigid around the time most children would have been beginning their education; instead of learning her ABCs or how to speak three different variations of Shyriiwook Ayva was handed a blaster pistol and told to shoot. At first she had a very poor shot, her aim was all wrong and at times it frustrated her Father: he needed a second pair of eyes and a swift trigger when out hunting, yet all he saw in Ayva was a walking disaster who would run them out of all medical supplies within the first few weeks of learning. Instead he sought another route, one he was not certain would even work at all. Being that both he and his late wife were Force Sensitive, although neither had ever chosen to side with the Jedi or the Sith, he was almost certain that his daughter would also face the same natural affinity. So it was that, like his Father before him, he decided to try and teach her what minimal aspects he knew.
First and foremost he focused on Tapas, a way to keep her warm so that they did not have to have a fire lit constantly. When she failed to show any potential with it, he nearly gave up hope of her Force Sensitivity. Yet with perseverance, and a change in route, he learnt that wasn't the case upon trying to introduce her to a simpler technique. He had her use the Force as an extra sense, and she immediately showed a talent for it - while she was not remarkable, the ease at which she picked it up left no doubt in his mind that Ayva was gifted. Yet he never told her of what she was, of what she could be; perhaps it was selfish of him to want her all to himself, yet more likely it was that he simply did not want his only child caught up in wars and potential corruption. With the additional sensory aid, Ayva began to make her shots much better and her Father was proud of her.
Shortly after this breakthrough Ayva was instructed to remain indoors - for they had a humble little dwelling upon the ice world which blended nicely into its backdrop - and obediently she did as she was told. But it was not her Father who returned to her a week or so later, instead she was met by two strangers who happened to barge into her home uninvited. While she was untrusting of them, she had been raised in a respectful household and as a result she offered them respite from the cold. What happened next was quite a haze, for it happened too quickly, and soon her home seemed filled with strangers. The tension in the air could have been cut with the bluntest of blades, a sensation Ayva did not like, and soon she found herself outdoors. While she felt bad about defying her Father's wishes, Ayva had felt overwhelmed and needed the fresh, crisp air to circulate through her respirator.
The original two individuals were hot on her heel, and they tried to persuade the child to go with them. Knowing that her Father needed her, and being that she was already distrusting of them in the first place, Ayva rejected their offer and even when they continued to push her into agreeing with them she stuck to her guns. Respite came in the form of a different individual, and given the relief it brought she had no time to question where all of the strangers were coming from. Instead she accepted this new stranger's assistance when he offered her fresh supplies, and when the two strangers - whom she would later learn were Jedi - left she ventured with the man to find something to hunt, knowing that her Father would be pleased if he returned home to find fresh meat rather than stale staples to eat. She remained so shaken from the almost forceful encounter with the Jedi that Ayva did not realise that something was wrong before it was too late.
- Part Two: Corrupting Influences
When she awoke she knew immediately that she was no longer on Ilum. While the air remained frigid and cool the ground was coarse and uncomfortable. Lay there in the sand the little girl had been perplexed, before learning of what had happened back at Ilum. What she was initially told by Auryus, the man who had brought her there, Ayva could not remember, but moments later she was met with the masked figure that was Lord Xanxus who informed that her Father had been killed and the two men who had tried to take her from Ilum were responsible. Bewildered, and uncertain of what this meant, Ayva was brought into the Sith Academy yet she was deemed too young to train: she was not innately dark, and while corrupting her would have been easy there was no way they could be sure she would survive should things become a little harsher than initially intended.
As a result, Ayva was raised amongst the Sith without ever actually becoming them. She was treated more like a senior officer than a Force Sensitive, yet with that said she always had Auryus watching over her in the way a Master might his Apprentice. Soon she was no confused child anymore, but instead a confident young girl who showed promise. Auryus had taught her a couple of Force techniques that might prove useful to her, without immersing her into the Darkside, as well as how to wield a vibroblade to keep her safe against Korriban's native creatures and any who might seek to do her harm. And so it was that Ayva could hide behind her guardians no longer. Instead it was expected of her to go through the initial trials through which she might become an Acolyte of the Sith. Travelling through one of the many ancient tombs Korriban's Valley of the Dark Lords had to offer, Ayva located a Sith Holocron with Auryus' help and there she was instructed to take the artifact to the Dark Lord of the Sith in the hopes that he might permit her to train and enter their ranks.
During a mission to Tython, Ayva was met with the sight of yet another stranger. Only this one seemed different from the others who came before him, and for whatever reason Ayva chose to speak with him. He addressed himself as Kyrze, a Knight of the Jedi Order, and Ayva could not help but recall what had been said to her of the Jedi in the years following her departure from Ilum. By some restraint she did not realise she had in her, Ayva chose to listen rather than attack; there she learned a great many things and was left with more choices and opportunities to ponder upon. By the time they were finished talking she had reached quite a conundrum within her mind: could she really sacrifice all she knew on a whim? Asking for a few days thought, the young girl was permitted to return to Korriban while the Jedi Knight continued on his travels, with the understanding that they would meet again in a few days time to reach a decision with regards to her future.
Back at the Academy on Korriban, Ayva made a conscious decision not to enter into the ranks of the Sith and kept the holocron hidden amongst what few possessions she had in order to avoid it being found and thus the realisation that she had done the trial yet not turned it in. Needing to know for certain where her future lay, Ayva asked for an audience with Xanxus - one of the few Sith she truly respected - and tried to come to terms with the disruption to her plans. Refusing to seek out Auryus, as she knew he would sense the issues and conflict going on inside her mind, she instead spoke with the Sith Master about the offer she had been given from the Jedi - yet she wasn't looking for any form of guidance from the man... Quite the opposite really. Instead, Ayva posed it as a proposition: she would work for him, as an Agent of the Sith, and subjugate the Jedi Order to gain their trust and in turn any valuable information that might be gleaned from them. Surprised yet pleased by her assertiveness and willingness to do something risky for their cause, Xanxus agreed with the sentiment and so it was that Ayva was contracted into his service, unbeknownst to the rest of the Galaxy - including the Sith themselves.
On the final day before Ayva was supposed to meet with Kyrze she had been waiting to speak with Xanxus once again when - quite rudely - a Sith Lord invaded her thoughts by mentally informing her that there was a lesson and she was expected to join in. When she politely informed him that she was neither a Sith nor there to train - but instead waiting for an audience with a Sith Master, the man attempted to force her into coercion. Naturally, Ayva did not take too kindly to the slight and resisted his efforts at all turns until she simply gave in; Ayva did not like to play silly games, after all, and she figured she would let the Sith Lord say what he wanted so that perhaps she could return to what she was doing. Instead he tried to humiliate her in front of his class. She learned several things at that moment: that the man, Darth Drakrern, was not as well liked amongst the Sith as he might have liked, and that sometimes the easiest routes was not necessarily the most pain free.
While Ayva has no confirmation of the reason why he did it, she still believes that Lord Arkanis was helping her to defy Darth Drakrern when he took out an oversized firearm and shot her in the foot. The pain was unbearable, and her foot was beyond saving, yet nonchalantly he informed Drakrern that she would not be able to continue with his lesson and instead had her taken to the medical bay to have a cybernetic foot implanted in the obliterated organic one's place. Drakrern may have been trying to teach her a lesson, as too she supposed was Arkanis, yet the lesson she did take from that day was certainly not something either would have been intending: Not everyone could be a deciding factor in the Galaxy, a pawn was just as necessary as the King in a game of Holo-Chess, and Ayva had no intentions of scrapping for the top-position in society.
Thankfully for Ayva, the woman who saw to her cybernetic implant was a talkative individual who was curious as to Ayva's reasoning for defying a Sith Lord infront of his class. The ensuing conversation allowed her to ponder on who she was, her decisions so far, and where she intended to go from there. Almost lamenting the way the Sith in general and the Galaxy worked, she cautiously informed the woman of her philosophical outlook - yet wisely she refrained from discussing the conflict in her mind. And rightfully so, for part way through their conversation they were interrupted by Arkanis who was carrying Drakrern's head. Yes, she would certainly take a few lessons from such an encounter; yet she never received any explanation for either of Nitrax's reactions. By the time the heatless sun set on Korriban that evening, Ayva had left the Sith behind.
- Part Three: Suffocating Light
Rather than linger amongst them, she had instead chosen to step away from their power struggles to pave a new path - one of her own choosing... at least that was how she would eventually pose this change to the Jedi. So it was that when she met with Kyrze again Ayva allowed herself to be 'swayed' unto his cause. Travelling with him she ended up spending the entire journey discussing a great number of topics, and by the time they reached the Jedi Temple on Yavin IV she knew she had made the right decision. As an act of 'trustworthiness' Ayva handed him the Holocron she had found on Korriban, and explained its origins, coaxing him into locking it aboard his ship.
When they reached Yavin IV, Kyrze completely forgot about it, leaving it where it was. It was there that Ayva saw a tranquil landscape for the first time: never before had she witnessed trees or water, or even the sensation that came with being in such a close proximity to a Lightside Nexus. It provided her with just a moment of peace before anxiety took over; Ayva had never adjusted well to sudden change like this, and she wondered if the Jedi would accept her if they knew her origins. Luckily she had nothing to worry about.
Over the next few days Ayva found herself inducted into the Jedi Order; she was given a tour of the Academy, provided with a set of Initiate robes, and encouraged to attend a lesson on what it meant to be a Jedi. While at times it was difficult for her to accept everything she was told without inquisition of the facts, Ayva found she liked the open nature of the Jedi who provided her with answers and information when she required it. Yet at the same time, she felt trapped and frustrated by her inability to freely leave the Temple in order to explore more of the Galaxy that she was only now beginning to see the many faces of. Within a few days, however, she found she was able to see a little more of space if nothing else, for the Jedi had to make a swift relocation from Yavin IV to Tython.
Training began almost immediately, and it was so intense that Ayva did not have the chance to realise that Kyrze had not journeyed alongside them to their new base. Instead she was taken to one side by Master Fae and put through her paces, taught the 9 initial stages required of a Jedi Initiate. And due to her love of seeking out knowledge, of listening and learning all that she could, this was something that Ayva seemed to excel at - at least when it came to the knowledgeable aspects such as Jedi Ethics and History. Yet there was also physical training which had to be seen to, and for this Ayva was much more nervous. It was clear, almost immediately, that she had no experience with a lightsaber. All the same, Ayva was able to keep up with the simple training program, and while she knew it was nowhere near as intense as the real thing she felt her confidence blossom somewhat.
Finally it fell upon her to learn various aspects of the Force; some of the criteria Ayva was already trained in, such as how to utilize Telekinesis and a genetic Force Sense. The rest proved a little more difficult. However, prior meditation lessons aided in her ability to truly focus and grasp the teachings required to learn aspects including how to conjure up a barrier and how to stop an individual from attacking her - however briefly she might have been able to pull it off. It wasn't until she came to learn Force Stun, taught by Master Sylas, that Ayva ran into any real difficulty. The idea of cutting someone off from the Force seemed wrong to her, regardless of whether or not the stun was temporary. While she showed she was capable of doing so, she did not uphold it for very long and vowed never to use it again unless absolutely necessary.
With all of her formal training out of the way Ayva then proceeded to enter into a spar with Master Ank'hu, and thankfully the Jedi Knight chose to use kendo sticks as opposed to lightsabers. Already somewhat adept at non-energised combat, Ayva was able to keep the Jedi Knight on his toes, much to her own amazement, until he eventually yielded. Ayva did not see it as a victory, however, because she noted a lot of weaknesses in her own form as well as Sylas' injured state. All the same, the realisation that she was more capable than she first believed left her with quite the conundrum when it came to considering her future path within the Jedi Order.
It seemed that the Force had yet more trials for her to face, however, for within the space of one Tythonian day Ayva was presented with two opportunities to further her learning as a Jedi Padawan; the first was brought about by Master Ank'hu, and the second a returned Kyrze who had faced trials of his own on Yavin IV. Ayva patiently waited and meditated on which path to take, trusting in the decision of the Force rather than any ulterior motives. Neither of the Jedi Knights sought to rush her, and so they permitted her time to properly consider their offers. In the time which followed, Ayva was sent to accompany Master Ank'hu and a fellow Initiate whom had become quite her rival in the classroom - Skyler - to carry out the final part of her Initiate Trials: the Gathering.
The trio departed from Tython and ventured instead to a world Ayva knew better than any other: Ilum. There she was tasked with directing their group to the crystal caves, and in doing so she not only had to test her memory but also her ability to sense through the Force. Quite welcoming of the trial, she successfully guided them to the crystal caves; there Ayva and Skyler were left by Master Ank'hu, with only the Force to guide them to the correct crystal. Once inside, however, a landslide of ice blocked the entrance to the cave and trapped the pair of Initiates.
Knowing they had a task to do, the pair remained calm and each began to enter a meditative state. From thereon in they followed the guiding hand of the Force as they walked amongst a huge collection of crystals. Ayva heard them sing out to her, calling for her attention, yet one of these mesmerizing voices rang above the rest. Eyes closed, she was unable to look upon the crystal and instead she dislodged it from its place with the Force, finding it came to her quite effortlessly as though wanting to be taken. Before it reached her hand, however, Ayva's eyes were suddenly wide open and she found herself upon her knees, rooted in place. A darkness seeped through her body and along her spine.
The figure of Xanxus loomed over the girl; at first he seemed quite impassive, before his gaze darkened and she felt a chill in the air forcing the air to mist in her throat. The Sith who had been her sole mentor during her time on Korriban looked at her in disgust, displeasure wrought on his expression. He made a move and for a moment she thought that he had come to end her... But instead he turned away from her and became enveloped in the shadows which in turn began to descend upon her. She felt herself starved of oxygen, choking on the darkness itself as the Bogan energy seeped into the core of her being. Tears streamed down her cheeks before freezing in place, the oppressive darkness ever present as it consumed her.
With a gasp Ayva awoke from the vision and clutched at her throat. She could hear someone heaving from the other side of the cavern, and knew that the experience had been shared by another; yet at the same time she knew that neither would speak of whatever they had seen. Collecting the crystal from her side she began to meditate, attempting to lift the darkness from the core of her being. Slowly the oppressive sensation all but disappeared, and she felt her connection with the crystal in her hands begin to bolster as it attuned itself to her being. Without a word she rose and ventured to the entrance, the thin sheet of ice which had been covering it melting in the sunlight. A day had passed since they had landed upon Ilum, and Ayva knew in that time a change had settled over Skyler and herself.
Upon exiting the cave, they were met with the sight of Sylas who simply asked them how they found their trial. Skyler remarked upon how taxing it had been, and his mental and physical exhaustion was obvious. By contrast, Ayva merely replied that it had been testing - yet in truth she was grateful that neither could see her tormented state. The crisp air of her home world brought her some solace, and she chose not to linger on what she had experienced. Sylas seemed to know that they had each faced an inner demon within the cave, yet he assured them that they need not speak of it to any other should they not wish to. It was not until this point, once all had been said, that she realised the color of her lightsaber crystal: it glistened in the icy air, casting a light green sparkle across the snow. They left in silence, and by the time they reached Tython Ayva had compartmentalised her experience - yet she chose not to forget it completely.
Falling back into step, Ayva continued to study and attend lessons despite the fact she had completed all aspects of her Initiate Trials. Yet it was not too long before the Force called out to her in answer of the path she ought to take, and it seemed that it had expressed the same sentiment to another within the Order. So it was that when Jedi Knight Kyrze sent for her she already knew the answer to his question. With the Force as her guide, Ayva became the Padawan Learner of Master Kyrze and through this began the next stage of her journey... And the progression of her self-imposed mission.
- Part Four: Two-Toned Missions
Things, for the most part, did not change too drastically after Ayva took up the mantle and responsibility of a Jedi Padawan; the largest difference was that she was now free to learn aspects of her training that had previously remained untouchable due to her status as a Jedi Initiate. As would be expected, her relationship with her new Master began to expand as a level of trust grew between the pair, and Ayva enjoyed the freedoms of studying at her own pace as well as in a more closely monitored fashion when it came to learning from her Master, and in a lesson pertaining to all things lightsaber-construction-related, Ayva was even gifted an Ossus Duelling Lens for her hard work as an Initiate by Sylas.
In the next few days, Ayva would venture from the Temple on a very small mission which took her into the Outer Rim Territories. There, however, she felt a pull in the Force - not quite a disturbance - and knowing that she had to trust both it and her instincts she made a subtle detour, as the mission was not time-reliant. Heading to the source of what she could only describe as a calling, Ayva soon found herself lowering into the atmosphere of Mustafar. There she was met with Imperial Guards who led her into a research facility, and once inside she was met by a familiar visage: Xanxus. Without hesitation the child had stepped forward, while keeping a respectful distance between herself and the Sith Master, before sinking to her knees in subservience. Even her head was bowed as she awaited his acknowledgement.
Surprisingly, Ayva did not have to wait long before being permitted to rise. Greeting him with an eerie "My Lord", Ayva then began to relay information taken from her time in the Jedi: Their current location, and specific co-ordinates to the Temples on Tython and Yavin IV, a list of current Councillors and Sub-path leaders as well as recent prisoners to the Jedi Cells, and finally her training and recent ascension to Padawan with the promise of further information to come alongside her new-and-trusted position within the Jedi. Pleased by the progress she had made in such a short space of time, and by her willingness to seek him out, Ayva was rewarded with a pat on the head, the promise of recognition when her mission was over... And a holocron. Told to study what it contained, without it being found by any other, Ayva was then sent back to the Jedi Order with the reminder of her task.
By the time that Ayva was able to leave she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, despite the fact that her robes were somewhat heavier owing to the addition of a new object on her person. From there she left the planet and made her way back to Tython, making sure that she detoured to Lianna to carry out her mission and pick up a new part for her spaceship supplied by Santhe Corporation. Upon returning to the Jedi Temple on Tython, Ayva had already hidden the holocron and masked all traces of her true self once again.
In the next few days Ayva would be trained by Kyrze in the art of Lightsaber combat, where he was surprised to learn that Ayva had quite the capacity for learning and storing information; with the lore side of her training already covered, as Ayva was frequently noted for having her nose in a datapad or lost amongst the archives studying, he instead began to train her on the more practical aspects and techniques. He would also come to teach her how to utilize the Force Speed and Force Leap techniques to be used primarily in conjunction with her Ataru lessons. As she became more and more confident in her combat abilities, Ayva's prowess with a blade likewise began to shine through. While not brilliant, she definitely had a knack for it.
This was when an opportunity for further progression in other areas of Ayva's life struck. Kyrze decided it was time for the pair to get better acquainted outside of the classroom and so it was that they took up a recon' mission to gather information from a fallen Republic vessel in the sands of Tatooine. However, once they reached the planet things did not quite go as planned - with her Master insisting that they split up in order to cover more ground. More than adjusted to the extremities of planet's climates, Ayva had little issue with the heat especially considering her efficient use of Tapas. Instead it was the directional difficulties she faced, yet rather than find herself truly struggling the girl simply gave herself over to the Force and allowed her senses to kick in.
And her willingness to go with the flow paid off, as Ayva was soon rewarded with the site of a sunken sand-covered base in the distance. Once inside, Ayva realised that she had just uncovered an ancient starmap and decided to take the information it held. She duplicated it once in her possession, intending to pass one off to the Jedi - as her Master had found out via a comm-feed that she had discovered it - and another for other purposes. Then she continued on her way again. It wasn't too long until she reached a ravine and inside the caverns which interlocked one another Ayva stumbled upon a tomb.
Inside the lure of the darkside was thick almost to the point of suffocation, yet it was oddly soothing for her too. She noticed the tomb and as she neared it she also saw the curved hilt of a lightsaber pommel... Yet she knew she could not take it then and there, as from behind her she heard the scuffle of feet and felt the familiar presence of Kyrze. Instead she made a mental note to double back on herself once they had parted ways again, heeded his warning about getting too close to the tomb, and carefully left. Once Kyrze was gone, however, Ayva returned to the tomb and stared upon it for some time, allowing the darkness to seep through her yet remain unintelligible from the outside as it had been since leaving Korriban.
Ayva sank to her knees and allowed herself a few moments, before finally fighting it off and moving towards the tomb itself. She could feel a tingle run along her spine, and knew that the artifact would be laced with the darkside in the same way the Holocron Xanxus had given her was. Yet temptation is a deadly thing, and Ayva took the curved hilt for herself, coaxing into existence what had to be at least a semi-ancient Force spirit. Rather than fight it, to begin with, Ayva permitted the concealment which covered her to lower ever so slightly, and her own darksided presence met with it - smaller, subservient, yet fuelled with her goal, Ayva was able to subdue the ancient spirit with willpower alone and lure it back into its tomb. There she concealed herself again before leaving the tomb, ensuring she tracked in the opposite direction to Kyrze.
As if the Force itself was laughing at the irony, this would not be the final 'gift' Ayva would locate amongst the sand. After trudging through the dune sea Ayva was once again graced with the promise of shade in the form of a sandstone outcrop. She rested there for a moment, before realising that she was beside the mouth of another cave. Venturing inside, Ayva noticed that she was inside another darksided space... Only this time, it housed a shrine. Knowing that this would not be as easily found as the Tomb, Ayva sank to her knees and meditated there for a while, knowing that Kyrze would not find their true target - the crash site - for some time yet. Drawing her energy from a pyramidal object upon the altar, Ayva allowed her aches to wash away.
Then, rising, she stepped forward and stretched out the Force, grasping the holocron from its position and levitating it telekinetically over to where she stood - not trusting it enough to simply touch it. There she wrapped it in cloth and placed it into her backpack, viewing it as a gift for Xanxus rather than herself. After leaving the shrine Ayva took a direct reading of her coordinates and began to dig down into the sand. Taking a fairly small lockbox from her back she placed the two darksided items into it and buried it into the sand, making sure to double check the coordinates before she left. While she did not know for certain when she would be able to return for them, she thought it better to keep them safe than risk Kyrze getting hold of them. It also reminded her of the holocron she had once given him as a peace offering, and curiously she wondered if it still remained upon his ship.
Ayva journeyed for several more hours before she met with Kyrze again, somehow the pair had managed to find the crashsite at the same time. By now Tatooine was going dark, but the pair were not without light as the back up generators had kicked in casting the site in an eerie fluorescent glow. The stench of death lingered in the air, and Ayva carefully noted how they deserved a burial rather than to be left here rotting for the carrion of the dune sea. Agreeing to do so once they had the required documents, the pair began to search for first the vault and then the access key after watching a relay of the final holo-log the ship had to offer, which showed the ship being downed to the planet surface. When the pair eventually had the vault unlocked, and the information to hand, Ayva was instructed to hand it over to one of the Republic's Generals who were stationed at the Temple, while Kyrze dealt with the bodies.
Promising to have a ship sent for him once she reached Kyrze's, Ayva set back out into the dune sea. Unbeknownst to Kyrze, she did not head first to the ship itself but instead to the site of the items she had buried, deciding that this was her opportunity to add them to her steadily growing cache of items. From there she left the planet, sending a ship to pick up Kyrze as promised... However she did not go back to Tython. While the ship moved through Hyperspace, Ayva began to explore the vessel of her Master which she now had free access to. She could feel the pulsating lure of the Sith Holocron she had found upon Korriban calling to her, and knew it still remained onboard. Grateful for this knowledge, Ayva made a mental note not to remind him of it in any way.
The ship landed once again on Mustafar, and when Ayva left it this time there was no guard waiting. Xanxus was not expecting her. Instead she gained access and entered the complex, once again sinking to her knees before the sole being she looked up to in the Galaxy. When permitted to rise, she expressed the fact that she had a few things for him. The first she handed over was the Republic Documents, replicated of course. She had not divulged herself on the contents, but knew that if the Jedi had been sent to retrieve them they must have been of importance. Next was the holocron, yet he quickly dismissed it as containing the teachings to a skill he already knew - Force Persuasion - and told her to keep hold of it. Finally was the star map, which contained regions of Deep Space that had rarely been noted since their initial discovery. On it, Ayva had marked out a few other key Jedi locations and other places of importance.
Pleased with her progress, Xanxus even went so far as to praise her efforts... Yet reminded her that the task was not yet complete. Instead he had a specific mission in mind for her: to gain key information pertaining to the Jedi and the Republic's plans, against the Sith and other Factions in general. He also instructed her to begin learning from the two holocrons she now had in her possession. Then she was permitted to leave, which she did without being escorted as she had been the first time around. Knowing better than to drop her guard and forget to integrate herself entirely, Ayva passed on the documents she had acquired to the relevant people within the Jedi too upon reaching Tython, and went about her business as normal.
- Part Five: Unsolicited Betrayal
Gleaning information as a Padawan was no easy feat, yet luckily for Ayva her Master happened to be a Jedi Sentinel. This in turn brought about an idea within her mind; Ayva was no fan of the Jedi, they had killed her Father, they were weak and vulnerable, and ridiculously hive-minded. Knowing that if she remained too much longer she might begin to give her game away, as her patience was subtly wearing thin, Ayva instead constructed a plan to give Xanxus and herself both what they wanted.
As night fell upon the Jedi Temple, and all but a small minority of Jedi - which included her Master - had gone to sleep, Ayva slipped from her bed, donned her robes and ventured to Kyrze's dorm. Grateful to find him awake, Ayva falsely expressed her desire to join the Jedi Sentinels and claimed that in order to qualify for the Training Program, Master Ray had informed her that she would first have to work on a few crucial aspects of her training. The example she gave was how to arrest a criminal without lowering herself to using violence in accordance with Form Zero. She also slyly slipped in the false fact that Ray had also told her that she should choose someone she trusted to practise this with. Naturally Kyrze agreed to help her out.
The pair discussed Form Zero, and how it could be used in situations such as during an arrest. Then they both slipped into a roleplaying state where Kyrze took on the persona of a wanted criminal and Ayva a Jedi who had tracked him down. Sticking to diplomatically attempting to bring him down, she first informed him to halt and cited his crimes and his rights, and when the man naturally did not want to come quietly she subtly cast a Force Persuasion over him. Knowing it wouldn't really affect Kyrze, she suggested it more than anything else. When Kyrze said she had dealt with the situation well, and informed her that he knew other ways she could have done it, Ayva carefully changed the subject.
Informing him of her slight worries when it came to actually making the arrest itself, stating that she did not know whether she could work the stun cuffs properly - and how she did not want to do that part wrong if it was a life or death situation - Ayva allowed herself to seem genuinely concerned and without any hesitation Kyrze agreed to be the test subject. Holding out both his hands, all Ayva had to do was step forward, cuffs in hand, and lock them down over his wrists. As he began to tell her that she had nothing to worry about, she had done perfectly, Kyrze instead was met with the sensation of his Force abilities being wiped from him as the stun set over him, and in the same motion his legs were kicked out from under him.
Before his knees had hit the ground, Kyrze's temple had been met with the blunt blow of a lightsaber hilt and in an instance he was knocked out. Ayva then scoured his room until she found his medical equipment, and brought out a repulsor-stretcher. Rolling Kyrze's limp body onto it, and allowing it to rise of its own accord, Ayva then took out a stim and injected him with it - ensuring he would remain unconscious and in a drug-addled state when he did finally awaken. Then she left the room with him on the stretcher, informing the single Vanguard who bothered to stop her along the way that Master Kyrze had hurt his head and she was taking him to the medical bay. Instead she took a detour to the deserted hangar bay, hijacked his ship and left the planet.
With a course set for Mustafar, Ayva scoured the ship and found the hold which held the holocron she had once given to Kyrze as an act of peace. Taking it for herself once again, Ayva pocketed it before returning to the cockpit while Kyrze remained in an unconscious state - of course, his vitals were being monitored throughout to ensure he did not die... After all, that would not do at all. Upon reaching Mustafar, she informed Xanxus of what she had done and found him pleased - insisting that they bring Kyrze before the Dark Lord of the Sith. As a result Xanxus journeyed alongside her to Kashyyyk, where in the aftermath of the battle - with the slaughter of many Wookiees easily visible - Ayva brought Kyrze before Lord Croshim.
Praised by Xanxus, who gained all the credit from Croshim as she had both expected and intended, Ayva was informed that she had far surpassed his expectations, while the Dark Lord reminded her that she still had a long way to go to prove herself. When Kyrze awoke, and after Croshim had removed the taint of the drugs from his system, she heard his confusion at her betrayal yet did not lower herself to give him an answer as to why. Instead she allowed Axurion to take control of her former 'Master' and drag him down to the Darkside. After all, her work here was done... And finally Ayva could bring herself to join the Sith, knowing that she had been right about the Jedi all along, and so it was that she brought the Holocron she had taken from Korriban so long ago and use it to begin her training.
- Part Six: Evasive Planning
Before Ayva met with Xanxus again, she was informed of Kyrze's location. Curious as to whether or not he had submitted to the Darkside, Ayva chose to visit his cell-like dorm aboard the Nova Spire where she found him deep in meditation. For a moment, the girl was not entirely certain whether or not Kyrze had submitted at all... Until she felt the subtle pulses of his Bogan presence. It took a few moments before Kyrze realised that she was there, but the moment he did he was on his feet with a hand extended. Ayva felt her throat contract as he applied telekinetic pressure to it, before she effortlessly overpowered his attempt and was dropped gently back to the ground.
Kyrze told her that she had failed, he had not died as she had intended, but this only made the little girl internally laugh and shake her head. Informing him that her plan had never been to kill him - for he would be dead by now if that was the case - she instead reminded him of his own failures, of how trusting he had become as one of the Jedi, and that she had him exactly where she had planned... At the mercy of the Dark Lord. She added insult to injury by stating how wrong the Jedi were and had always been, how their concept of peace was flawed and the way they chose their future generations immoral. But it soon became apparent that Kyrze did not really need any further persuasion... He was already immersed into not only the Darkside itself but the Sith as a philosophy.
Stating that he knew he had been wrong, Kyrze spoke of how he sought peace through Galactic Order and that he knew only the Sith could dominate the Galaxy in order to achieve this. But something about the way he stated it frustrated the child, who informed him that he would never gain power as he was in it for the wrong reasons. Then, with one last taunting question of 'Was it easy, giving into the Darkside?' Ayva left him, and the Nova Spire.
But her battles were not over; in fact they were only just beginning.
The Galaxy was unhinging. The Sith Empire lost Korriban as it crumpled from existence, forcing Ayva into exile alongside her Master. Even the Jedi faced losses, with many of their Temples laying abandoned and splinter groups reaching out into the surrounding Galaxy as a new face of Darkness arose in the form of the One Sith. Times were changing, and Xanxus refused to merge with the new Lord of the Sith's regime; falling into self-imposed exile, the pair fled to the outer regions where her training resumed. Pleased with her progress, the lessons she had taken from the Jedi, and her willingness to forge her own path the way that she had, he began to make Trial Preparations. While bringing down an esteemed Jedi Knight had reflected well upon the girl, she still had a long way to go.
Small skirmishes rose up across the more dense regions of space, where Force users fought toe to toe in order to protect the new borders they had established for themselves. Viewing it as an optimal time to test all that she had learned, and cross off another of her trials, Ayvari was sent into the Core Worlds, specifically toward Corellia, where a battle was brewing. Ayva and her Master quietly joined forces with their former Lord, who led one of the many assaults against the Jedi that had popped up across the Core Worlds. His marauders were close at hand, and behind them stood the sorcerers who flexed their powers the way Sadow had during the Great Hyperspace War. The Jedi were far more populous, but through the art of illusions the Sith Legion seemed to grow.
While still dwarfed by the might of the Republic, many of the younger Jedi and Soldiers were demoralized by the sight. There, in the heat of battle, Ayva's gaze fell upon the familiar sight of Sylas and Fae. By now many years had passed since her betrayal was realized by the Jedi, yet when the girl made her presence known, with Xanxus to her left and Kyrze - who had come along leaps and bounds in his descent into darkness - to her right, the pair immediately recognised who she was. The fact that Kyrze was also present was just another slight in their eyes.
Yet like the Jedi they were they did not immediately attack. Instead Sylas sought an answer to why she had forsaken them. And more importantly, why she had dragged her Master down with her. Unlike the Jedi with their Form Zero, Ayva was not bound by silly peacekeeping doctrine and really wasn't in the mood for discussing the intricacies of her life. Instead she permitted a lightsaber to drop into her hand, the very same she had once fitted with a crystal after the Gathering. Only now that which lay inside was vivid orange. The construct was ancient, having been a gift from Kyrze, yet it still served its purpose well; having been in the hands of the Jedi, the power had barely been drained. Ayva sought to rectify this.
Turning their teachings against them, the young girl, who was by this point well on her way to being a woman in her own right, began a flurry of aerial attacks using Ataru, much to her Instructor Sylas' disappointment. He did not miss a beat, however, and parried each of her attacks without making any of his own. Realising that Ataru could never last against Soresu, Ayva fell back and used the Force to pull Fae into his path. Forced to disengage lest he be responsible for the death of his peer, Sylas left himself open for just a few moments and Xanxus used the opportunity to his advantage. The stench of sulfur laced the air as arcs of lightning ran from his fingertips to the Jedi's chest, incapacitating him. Ayva and Kyrze, both no match for the likes of Xanxus, turned their attention to Fae, yet before they could begin their assault the Jedi Knight vanished.
- Part Seven: Brokellia
Something was most definitely not right. Across the battlefield people were vanishing with nothing left in their wake. Not wishing to stick around and be torn asunder herself, Ayvari fled the scene without her Master - who had been amongst the missing - and made her way back toward the Outer Rim. Her ship was intercepted by Croshim, who had noticed the return of Master and Apprentice, and Ayva thought herself done for. Instead he spoke of the need to combine their collective forces, in order to survive whatever turmoil was affecting the Galaxy at large.
Croshim expressed the need for more Knights to oversee the wave of Masterless Acolytes that had been left behind in the wake of the Rapture. There was no trial. No ceremony. Ayva's ascension was over and done with in as long as it took her to kneel and rise once again, after uttering an oath. She felt little in the way of satisfaction; her Master was not there to witness it, and she felt as though she hadn't deserved the cards she had been dealt.
Immediately she was sent two students, and while one was terribly hopeless the other showed some promise. His name was Cemas and, while she suspected he had received little to no training prior to landing in her lap, Ayva had no doubt of his untapped potential. Around this time stories of what had happened to Corellia surfaced; there had been many good men and women aboard the planet which had been broken in two, and Ayva worried for their survival. Kyrze, Sylas - whom she had always kind of respected, despite his Jedi ties - and even Croshim, who had returned to hunt down one of his Generals. It was a difficult blow, leaving Ayvari without any allies or ties left in the Galaxy. All she could do was hope that one of them turned up again ... somehow.
In the meantime, Ayvari sought a new place in the Galaxy. The Sith were, in her eyes, gone. Xanxus' refusal to join the One Sith made her view of them pretty clear. She had always been much better at following than leading, but now she had two students to teach and guide. She had to take control of her own destiny.
- N.A
1. The Punishment Of A Lifetime
2. Bilbousa Back-Room Brega
3. What Are You, Exactly?
4. The Darker Side of Life
5. Subjugating Will
6. Three's Company
7. Lend Me Your Ear
8. Let Your Darker Side Give In
9. To Forge A Weapon
