Campaign Balance Point (Open to All Jedi)

[Geiseric]

Heinrich Faust | Eina L'lerim-Vandiir

​

"The Maw found their way to Ilum some time ago, but I doubt that they would have delved this far beneath the surface. If something were to be guarding this place, it would have to be old... very old. Even then, I doubt it would have survived."

"Unless we act now, the next attack by the Maw will be worse. I have faith in our cousins, but faith alone will not protect this world. If we find this record vault we should destroy it, transfer its contents elsewhere."

Geiseric looked on quietly as Eina offered to create a Force bond with Heinrich. He commended the man for refusing. The last time Eina had done such a thing it had created well... something far deeper. He'd known Heinrich for over a decade, though there duties had drawn them apart. Eina, his love, was one of the few strong links between them now, which seemed strange to Gei.

They continued walking through the system of frozen caverns. Jagged shards of ice protruded from nigh every surface, sharp enough to cut at a slight touch. Though the caverns were wide, the available path through them was narrow and winding. The air was chilled and stale. The echo of the platoon;s footfalls reverberated off the dense blue ice crystals. The ice creaked gently as they went along.

The cold here was uneasy, so unlike the cold of the Sanctuary. Here it was a dry cold, the air sucked of its moisture by the Icey monoliths that lined their route. No sooner had SAINT alerted him to a darting nearby movement when he heard a man scream from the back of the marching order. He stopped in his tracks and turned around, pushing his way through the stunned knights. At the rear, a man of 7 feet in height, composed entirely of ice, stood over thee body of a crusader. The knights all around had their hands on their lightsaber hilts, though the thing made no move. It stood solid, blood already congealing on the sharp ice spike protruding from its hands.

A deep quiet hung over them. The creatures lack of eyes made it hard to tell if it was observing them the same as they observed in. Geiseric's HUD showed no vitals or heat coming from it, but its aura in the Force was clear. To Gei's left he heard the snap hiss of an igniting saber. The ice-man immediately turned his attention to the weapon, and with a lightning motion thrust its spikes through the brash knight. The rest of the knights ignited their sabers.

From the towering stalagmites of ice, more ice monsters emerged as if they had been one with the ice, sleeping. The warmth of the sabers enraged them, and from all sides the descended on the crusaders...

​

 

[Zark San Tekka]

JEDI TEMPLE
ILUM
UNKNOWN REGIONS
Dagon Kaze Coren Starchaser Shimrra Rin Arlo Renard Aeris Lashiec Romi Jade Bernard of Arca
​

"They hide in uncharted space but... Zark, you have contacts among explorers that can help with that, right? The Chiss, too, this space was their home."

"We'll need to make contact with the closest Navigators Guild Concourse. Frontier hypertravel can be a challenge. Few stable routes, gravity wells and rogue black holes. Local guides channel the Force to avoid such hazards. Ah, Master Jade."

Zark turned and inclined his head. Another smile touched his lips. Despite their own problems on Ossus two of the Praxeum's most experienced Jedi had answered his call. He received a message from Master Caltin Vanagor and knew his contacts in the Silver Order would also be of great help. This was quickly becoming a coalition effort.

"Coren and I were just discussing your noble efforts in the Tingel Arm, among other things."

“We can talk about it later.” She whispered under her breath. “We’re already here so we might as well just get this over with. Working with Master Starchaser's contacts is a solid start.”

"As you wish, Aeris. Your concern is admirable," Master San Tekka seemed to relax once the emotional tension bled away, "We must learn more about our surroundings. Knowledge is the one thing we lack most in this war. They know everything about us yet we understand so little about them. Where the Maw began."

"If we secure this world, make it a stronghold for the Jedi, we can make sure, certain, that they won't use this path again, and," he tapped on the worlds in the section that crossed Maw territory, "it's also the Jedi's staging ground for operations into Brotherhood space. "

He examined the artifact with a faint sense of wonder. Zark knew there were stories of ancient paths but they had always been nothing more than folk tales.

"We're not soldiers. We can't win this war on their terms so we'll have to win it on ours. Disrupt their war machine and target the slave trade."

After reflecting for a few moments, the Jedi Master turned his patrician gaze upon Kai.

"What do you think, Padawan?"

 

[Eina L'lerim-Vandiir]

Lady Eina L'lerim-Vandiir
The First and the Light of Ashla
Heiress and Princess of the Eternal Empire and Terraris; Angelic Mascot and Representative of the Ashlan Crusade
Eternal Empire's Ambassador to the Ashlan Crusade; Matriarch of the Valkyrja; Leader of Sanctuary and the Fjölkyngi Smiđr Guild​

Objective: Explore the Vault
Location: Surface, Ilum
Equipment: Sverð Fyrstr (swords) | Ljósspjót (spear) | Skrúð Engill Fyrstr (armour) || Empyrean gland | OPBC-01m || Current appearance
Tags:: Geiseric | Heinrich Faust

[ Dawn ]
<"High Nelvaanian"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Eina nodded at Heinrich's words as the Grand Master rejected her offer. The Valkyrja knew how heavy the weight he was carrying and also that he was still wounded. She had helped him a lot since Ession, they talked a lot and tried to heal him with words, but Heinrich was one of those people who was slowly healing. And Eina didn't want to force anything. She really didn't mention that to Gei, because then she should have told him why it was happening, and she didn't want to. Heinrich has to do this when the time comes. But it is a fact that because of these things the brotherly-sisterly bond was formed between the two of them and they became as closely connected as they were.

The Valkyrja did not know the concept of jealousy, or feelings like that, or when someone felt something like that. She hasn’t gotten into a situation where she has to feel that way yet. So she didn’t understand why Gei left her there and why he didn’t take advantage of the opportunity offered. The offer was the same even without Heinrich's help. So for a few moments she stood in confusion after Geiseric left and watched her beloved crusader's back. She looked at Heinrich in confusion; she didn't really understand. Eventually, however, a few seconds later she also went on with the others.

The attack took place not long after they were already inside the cave. Eina did not move, but used her telekinetic power to pull the severely wounded knight over to her. She immediately knelt beside him in the snow; the woman was still not bothered by the cold here to try to help the crusader as she glanced at Gei as the man got to that creature. That was not what she felt, this demon was different. She blamed herself for a moment, if Gei accepted what she recommended and offered, they might have noticed the demons.

Her hand glowed in a golden glow, as did her eyes - the whole, the white part, not in Sith style - with the light of Ashla. She tried to protect the wounded with her wings while she wanted to heal him. However, the injuries were too severe, the knight growled painfully and coughed up blood. He tried to catch Eina's hand, who grabbed it. The man tried to tell her not to leave her alone. Valkyrja shook her head gently that she'll stay with him.

She pulled inward with the wounded as the other creatures appeared. Eina wanted to fight, but she couldn't leave the dying knight there. The man wanted her to stay, she couldn't deny this request, and she had to send him to Ashla. The ice demons attacked, the man cramped a few more and then was no longer moving. Eina raised her hand over the man's chest and reached out to the Force. A golden sphere of light came out of the man's body and hovered like a sphere over the Valkyrja's hand.

All she had to do now was send crusader's soul to Ashla. She already knew where to go, so she said a few words in the Valkyrja language. It was a very strong disturbance in the Force that she was doing something, but it was warm, pleasant because it was Light Side. Eina began to open a rift to Netherworld to send the soul of the dead knight. However, the ice demons felt exactly the soul and were hungry. They all immediately tried to care about the Valkyrja and the soul, who could not defend herself at this moment due to concentration and ritual.

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai blinked in surprise when Zark San Tekka asked for his opinion. He thought he'd just be regulated to an observer. Feeling eyes upon him, he focused on the star map laid out before them.

Though Chaldea wasn't marked, his gaze was drawn toward the space where he knew it resided in relation to the other planets. He frequently checked the current state of faction borders, always painfully aware of the line dividing Maw space sitting so very close to the edge of his homeworld. That had been the status quo for a long time now. If the Maw reached Chaldea, they would destroy a civilization that had stood for over a thousand years, and ravage the planet for resources. Bamarre would be picked clean for its tydirium ore, and with the annihilation of the unique and fragile ecosystem that produced his species, Kai would truly be the last of his kind.

But if the Alliance managed to take Mobus or O'reen...

He wasn't supposed to act on his own self-interest. Not when the fate of the galaxy was at stake.

<There's a lot of blank space here.> He gestured to the vast "empty" swathe that made up a large section of the border, a portion of the galaxy which remained largely unmapped. After all, the Maw had built their empire in the Unknown Regions—an area that was notoriously wild and untamed. <There might be undiscovered systems out there—but with the Maw laying claim to all this space, their first taste of the wider galaxy could be the Sith.>

It was merely an observation, though it suggested, perhaps, a naïve desire to protect people he wasn't sure even existed. Or maybe this presented an opportunity to gain a foothold in a system that remained yet unknown.

Bernard of Arca Dagon Kaze Aeris Lashiec Coren Starchaser Romi Jade​

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

TEMPLE EXPEDITION

(Post Soundtrack: "To Build a Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra, Patrick Watson)

It was good to be flying again.

The Ossus Initiative handled a myriad of ventures, most of which dealt with problems on the ground. It was the planets that had been Scarred by their belligerent former hosts, deliberately ruined and formed to match the image of their oppressors, and so to the planets went his feet. Other than a few moments, like the time he and Atlas Drake were entangled in a mess of pirate raiders, the Jedi Knight had spent most of the last few months with only his eyes turned skyward.

"Chatterbox to Alakai Hoku, sphere of influence established. All unknowns identified or confirmed benign, Maw activity confirmed zero." Seated in the cockpit of his starfighter, Jerek had flown escort for Master Starchaser's flagship. Today it was aligned with the colors of the New Jedi Order, tomorrow it might be the Jedi Praxeum or Ossus Initiative again. The young Jedi could hardly follow the layers of organization that Coren often found himself embedded in, Jerek was only hopeful that it wouldn't soon lead the venerated Master into conflict with the Brotherhood of the Maw.

That's what today was all about, ensuring continued stability for Ilum tomorrow.

"I can continue to fly CAP."

"[Negative, Chatterbox. We can handle it up here. Head on down, Tachyon Rising reported needing more hands on the surface.]"

"Acknowledged, Alaki Hoku. Heading to the landing site, Chatterbox out."

With practiced hands, Flashdance was nudged into a controlled descent towards the icy planet below. Jerek could have let the craft manage its entry ballistically for a while, and he could have switched on the computer to do it for him. Instead, the Jedi Ace took his ship down with his hands fully engaged in the process, and behind the helmet of his protective suit he was grinning ear to ear.

Jerek slowed his starfighter as he approached the collection of vessels, a few freighters and transport ships scattered among smaller ones, no doubt the personal ships belonging to the Jedi already gathered on the surface. A gust of wind blew up as his ship descended, coating its hull with frost and blanketing his canopy with swirls of snow crystals. Jerek continued on unabated, refraining from the computer system or even the holographic interface that would have given him a sensor's-eye view of his surroundings. He could feel the craft more than he piloted it, sensing his distance from the other ships as if through the hairs on his limbs.

There were others nearby, all Jedi or their allies. Some were milling about, others were setting off for patrol. Jerek saw only a few readily unloading, a sight that should have surprised him. Perhaps the cold made priorities lethargic, just as he might have been if not for the resistive properties of his suit. He shrugged his lean shoulders, an answer to some unseen conversationalist, starting off toward the troupe handling cargo.

Spying a familiar face in their midst, Jerek's prospects brightened. Ilum's surface was harsh and cold, but the comfort of a friend could make the worst weather seem pleasant. He bent his path toward Jorah zos Darnus , raising a hand to greet the Dathomiri boy. "I thought you would be deeper in the caves, there's a lot of Jedi history in there," Jerek remarked by way of greeting. He glanced at open hold of the freighter nearby. "What's left to do?"

 

[Ishida Ashina]

LIGHT MUST COME FROM THE INSIDE
BYOO | ILUM | CRYSTAL CAVES
YOU CANNOT ASK THE DARKNESS TO LEAVE
YOU MUST TURN ON THE LIGHT
Iris Arani

​

"Stolen." Ishida retraced through the conversation, doing her utmost not to stall out the interaction for hours and hours of silence. Though it might have been preferred, more connections throughout the Order was something Auteme always seemed to encourage.

The cave pitched them into total darkness. Only small glimmers of sporadically placed coloured dots, the tips of crystals, glimmered off the shifts of their shadows. The Force was the only thing that gave them any sort of glow. Ishida resisted the urge to ignite her own sabre to case light in the impossible-to-see hallway.

"How did Domxite manage to get stolen?"

Within just a few paces, the original width of the cavern's welcome tightened. The darkness demanded single file travel, and Ishida took an intentional step backward to let Iris go first. This was, of course, her journey to recover a crystal.

"Your connection to your blade seems worth protecting. What happened."

​

---

 

[Dagon Kaze]

BALANCE POINT
THE GREAT ERROR vol. III
Issue #1

Dagon gave a silent nod as a form of greeting to Romi's arrival before his eyes honed in on the holographic projections before him. Their revolving reflections threw ever-changing shapes and forms over his steeled features. His gaze followed the Extolled One leaving the chamber briefly before turning his attention back on the discussion between Aeris and Bernard. He wondered how much did the demise of the previous Jedi Order weigh on her shoulders. He couldn't deny it - that feeling - every time the Jedi gathered, every choice they took seemed to hang between the right one and the one that would spell their extinction.

Zark chimed in after, offering Kai a platform to speak his mind. He saw the boy's surprise and faint hesitation at the request before he finally braved through the doubt. Dagon followed the padawan's gesture at the map, supplementing with more ideas the next course of action. The raven-haired Knight's mind surged with action plans given his fellow Jedi's suggestions - from Coren's navigation experience, Aeris' justified concerns, Bernard's Jedi Gate proposal, to Zark's considerations of disrupting the Maw's resources and Kai's observation of what was uncharted that could be utilized.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The faintly visible stubble counted the sleepless nights of the last week. Much more of those were to come.

Focus.

"Ilum can act as a staging point for Jedi incursions into the Unknown... but it needs to be fortified more, and like Zark said - we aren't soldiers." it needed the Alliance's resources, just as the Sith had the cultists. He wasn't sure how to 'convince' the Alliance about this, Dagon was the last person to recruit for a 'diplomatic mission' like this one. Plenty of better options stood around him.

He leaned down on the holoprojection table with his hands, cracked his neck then continued, "Way I'm seeing it is - solidifying Ilum, focusing efforts on dismantling their supply lines, explore the blank space that Kai mentioned - perhaps finding allies in the face of resistances like the Chiss? And utilizing Coren's knowledge of the Fringe to find the Sith." Dagon recapped, throwing glances at each gathered Jedi, then adding, "I can volunteer on the latter - tracking down the Sith. With me I could take Zaka , his capacity in tracking anything will be needed to find them before they find us. Again."

Folding his arms, he pulled back from the table awaiting the rest of the Jedi's input. They had made ground in identifying the problem and finding solutions. On his side of things, he would lay out the operational part of it when decisions were agreed upon with the rest of his fellow Jedi.

Zark San Tekka Aeris Lashiec Arlo Renard Coren Starchaser Shimrra Rin Romi Jade

 

[Jorah zos Darnus]

TEMPLE EXPEDITION
tag: Jerek Zenduu
[ post theme ]

"I thought you would be deeper in the caves, there's a lot of Jedi history in there,"

The young Dathomiri gave a bow of his head, though his eyes veered off in thought. How to explain why the boy had avoided the Jedi Temple proper? Certainly the invitation to the crystal caves was a generous one. Were Jorah a Sith instead of a Nightbrother, he doubted that he would have received such an offer.

Of course, even being a Nightbrother on Ilum -- for the second time no less -- at the invitation of the Jedi was at a contrast for most of their shared histories. "In our language, it is called jinhiz." If there was a translation in Basic, it escaped him for the moment

Lacking the ease to express himself in Basic as he might have in Paecian, the youth opted instead to tell a story that might illustrate his point for him, "The village I am from, Shaol'mara, was near one of our sacred altars," the teen began, clasping his hands together, the fingers intertwined, as he opened his palms as though they were a book and extended his arms toward the older Jedi. "Were the Jai to visit there, even invited, there are some who would say, 'these are not Daughters of Allya' or 'they do not know the words of the Nightmother, they have no business there.' Some would say that these attitudes are wrong, but they exist."

Unclasping his hands, the boy followed the parable by remarking, "This is one of your sacred places. I would not want my being in your temple to offend one of the Jai from a different tribe."

"Besides," the youth noted, turning back to the crate that he had been unpacking as he noted, "There is work to be done here and a man should leave the spiritual matters to the women, and tend instead to the labor..."

Except the Jai did not distinguish between women and men the same way. Scratching the back of his bald head, the teen sheepishly remarked, "Uh, I guess that one doesn't translate as well."

"What's left to do?"

"Most of the supplies have been brought down from the star-ships. But the containers need to be unpacked and the contents stored -- particularly before the more delicate items succumb to the cold," the youth noted, gesturing around the cargo area that was currently in various stages of disassembly and stowage.

"I am told some of your... electronics... are quite fragile."

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The world represented the Jedi well, it was cold, you had to be calculated, and wise to survive. The world of Kattada, or Ahch-To with the warmer temperatures, the water and life growing, it could make it easier to survive, but it also placed people right where the Force was most alive, most chaotic in some cases. It was one of those dichotomies with the Force. While the Sith were out to control and the Jedi to preserve, it almost felt like peace was more chaotic than subjugation, which was a perversion of order. But this sort of mental philosophical discourse was not serving them at the current time.

"The Guild is definitely someone we want to contact, and maybe contract with. I know I can get Kaia and the company to help, but we'll need more pilots." He made a mental note to contact Aeshi Tillian to see if she'd take credits for it. Or if it was going to need to be something else. "What about the Skywalkers?" He meant, of course, the Chiss.

Listening to the others concerns he nodded. "Zark is right… We've tried to be soldiers, time and again. Need to be soft, need to help and shield rather than strike.

This is what he should have been doing the whole time. He declared himself a Crusader from Sullust and wanted to be the Sentinel of the Galaxy. He was that, but his skills allowed him to find those areas that were lost, the cracks between places… He had the ships designed for this worm. Maybe this could bring him back to working fully with an Order, or allow him to be seen as more than a has been and a wayseeker.

Or was that in his head?

The Force definitely called him here for a reason... or at least because Zark made the call.

Zark San Tekka Dagon Kaze Aeris Lashiec Arlo Renard Shimrra Rin

 

[Heinrich Faust]

Tags: Geiseric , Eina L'lerim-Vandiir

Heinrich nodded in response to Geiseric's comment, his eyes still looking toward the path ahead.

"Yes, certain measure will have to be taken. Even if they don't find it, there's no telling what destruction they may bring to this planet in the future."

There wasn't a need for an explanation; the destruction of Csilla did more than enough to prove Heinrich's point. The Maw would not stop until the entire galaxy burned, and nowhere would be safe until they were stopped. The Jedi on Ilum would likely defend the planet valiantly, but there could be no chances taken. They would have to extract whatever secrets this cavern held, and then ensure that none would find them again.

As they entered the next chamber, there was a strange shift in the empyrean. Heinrich couldn't respond quickly enough to save the first man, nor the second. The creatures were strange, and by the look of them, possibly as old as the cavern itself. Heinrich hadn't encountered such creatures before, and had no time to strategize. He quickly thought to himself of the new abilities bestowed upon him during his quest to kill Abeloth. The holy fire he could now conjure could possibly do some good here, though he still had a difficult time controlling it. One wrong move, and he could damage the ice-covered walls of the cavern and bring it down upon them all. No, today would not be the day for such attacks. Something else would have to be done.

He almost reached for his lightsaber, yet stopped himself before drawing the blade. He shot a look over to Geiseric and Eina, moving closer to them as he watched the creatures converge on their position.

"Any ideas?"

Whatever these beasts were, they weren't going to let them pass without some sort of resistance. The answers eluded Heinrich, but he knew deep down that there had to be a way through.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Ilum | Patrol Rally Point​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Kahlil Noble Tieuvelli Renlas Zaka Briana Sal-Soren Caltin Vanagor | Open​

​

As the groups were formed, Valery simply nodded. With Kahlil and the two Padawans going into the caves, she believed they had a solid enough group to handle that. So her eyes turned to Caltin Vanagor and Tieuvelli Renlas and she'd dip her head lightly. 3 on each team was a good balance point.​

​

"Master Vanagor and I will go through the canyon, then. Erimentha, once you've brought the others to the cave, I would appreciate your eyes over the canyon as well. If anything moves or draws your attention, let us know."​

​

One last time, Valery looked between the group of Jedi to make sure they were all ready for the patrol. Without any signal of worry or questions, she finally turned and began the walk across the flat icy plane. To reach the canyon, they'd have to walk for about 20 minutes while cold winds were looking to cut through any exposed skin. If it hadn't been for her use of Tapas, Valery would have regretted her choice of clothing because of it.​

​

But eventually, the two groups reached their destination and split up to handle their respective objectives. Together with Master Vanagor, Valery began to walk through the canyon, hoping Tieuvelli Renlas could give them an update on what was ahead soon enough. ​

​

Within the caves, the three Jedi who ventured inside would initially find themselves in silence. The loud winds weren't reaching them anymore, and the cave itself seemed about as empty as one would expect on Ilum. But a closer look would reveal something strange — the texture of the cave walls made it seem like they weren't formed naturally. The walls were extremely smooth and large circular tunnels expanded out from them, creating what looked like an entire network.​

​

With senses extended or even just a decent sense of hearing, the three would be able to pick up on movement behind the walls. Something large was on the move, and it was quick. Agile too, as it seemed to change directions through the tunnels rapidly. Slowly, the vibrations it caused began to reach the Jedi and with a closer look through the tunnels, one may see glimpses of... something circling around them. There was a sudden tremor of danger in the Force.​

​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Themes: XoXo
Tag: Valery Noble , Zaka , Kahlil Noble , Caltin Vanagor , Tieuvelli Renlas

She kept her position at the back of the pack, not out of any form of awkwardness, but in fact the opposite. Being a social butterfly, Briana was comfortable in large groups even when she didn’t know anyone and had learned it was easiest when you went with the flow of things. In this case, hang tight, maybe try to learn a few names, and wait for further instruction.

When Kahlil addressed her directly, oceanic eyes lit with a flash.

“I can show you something new that Val might not have thought of.”

That old Corellian smirk that’d been inherited from her father scrunched to one side of her face. A true adrenaline junkie underneath that prim-and-proper exterior, she’d be hard pressed to turn down the opportunity to learn something new.

“Why not? Sounds like it could be fun,” she replied with a nonchalant shrug, returning a polite smile to Zaka before looking back to Kahlil “and I’m always down for a challenge.”

Then, after a few final words, the two groups were off. “I’m Briana, by the way.” she mentioned in stride, her blue eyes regarding the one Valery had called Zaka and quelling her innate curiosity to ask questions and try to learn who he was. They weren’t here to shoot the breeze after all.

The pass to the caves didn’t take long to cross and once they emerged inside, Briana took the moment to assess their surroundings. There didn’t seem anything untoward on the immediate periphery, but there was a definitive shift in the atmosphere.

“You guys feel that?” murmured Briana, her neatly sculpted brows furrowing. A tremor in the Force, a warning that something was on the perimeter and heading towards them. Preemptively, Briana unclipped the chromium hilt hanging at her waist.

 

[Geiseric]

Heinrich Faust | Eina L'lerim-Vandiir

In a cohesive unit movement the crusaders formed a wall around their fallen, brandishing their blades and shields if they carried one. The human wall bought Eina some time to tend to the fallen. The crusaders grouped in close as the icemen lumbered forward. The closer they got to the lightsabers the more erratic they seemed to get.

"Any ideas?"

"Other than cutting them down? No." Geiseric cleaved his saber through one's chest. The passage reverberated the sound of splitting ice as large cracks broke open upon the creature and it fell limp. "They don't like the heat. Our heat. That won't change until they extinguish it."

Heat was light and life, yet even as cold as these things were their auras were not stained by the dark side. Their presence in the Force was more akin to an animal, unconcerned with the moral implications of light and dark. They were being territorial. He wondered if these things had existed before this place, or if they moved in after the Jedi. He doubted the Jedi had any hand in creating them.

Geiseric's saber lopped off the arm of one before it could drive its claws into him. The iceman reeled back in some mimicry of human pain. It stumbled to the side and placed its severed arm against one of the ice crystals. Within a few seconds the creature pulled away and revealed a recovered arm.

"Go for the torso!" he yelled, then watched the crusaders shift their fighting tactics to accommodate his suggestion. One by one they started falling, but each killed iceman was replaced shortly by another. They had to end this quickly, or it would be ended quickly for them, and not in their favour...

 

[Zaka]

BALANCE POINT
BLACKFANG - THE (NEW) JEDI vol. II
Issue #5 - Ilum Patrol
Kahlil Noble Valery Noble Briana Sal-Soren Tieuvelli Renlas

​

"No," he says, perhaps a little too hastily, his tone frigid, in concordance with their environment. He shook his head, a frown creasing his forehead below the hood. "I mean, not this time," he added after a brief moment of reflection. A wave of embarrassment emanating from him as his near instinctual need to remain independent won out.

He couldn't become reliant on others. Even if time and again he'd been proven to need them. How can I become a Knight if I always need help?

Offering a smile to Emirentha, Zaka wasn't content, but remained steadfast in his beliefs of needing to suffer alone.

Once the groups had split off, he looked on ahead, until he felt eyes on him.

He inclined his head in Briana's direction at her self introduction. "It's a pleasure," he said genuinely. He'd not spent much time with other Padawans. And despite the usually close proximity in ages of New Jedi Knights in comparison, they'd always seemed occupied with their own business.

Reaching the caves, Zaka tugged down his hood, and looked around curiously the further they went in. These don't... Sauntering up to a wall, he let a gloved hand slide across the surface. Feeling how easily it brushed by, realization dawned on him as he turned back, to see the multiple tunnel openings in different directions. "Not naturally forming," he wondered aloud.

He could see the indents in the walls, like grooves, marking the passage of a seemingly enormous creature. But before he could give voice to his initial thoughts, he felt the ground rumble, gradually becoming more noticeable the closer it came.

"You guys feel that?"

"Wish I didn't," he replied absentmindedly.

Staring down one of the tunnels, he reached out to take a handful of glowsticks out from a pouch in his jacket, and tossed them far down the tunnel. It was dark, darker than the other ones, and while he faced it, he could feel heat radiating from it. When the pack of glowsticks hit the ground, it partially illuminated the enormous tunnel. Looming in the darkness, the light revealed the sharpened rows of teeth of the subterranean worm.

How were they supposed to stop that?

"Can't stop, we have to move!" He said insistently, already shuffling to move down one of the other paths. Whatever it was, they couldn't attack it from the front. Not with a mouthful of teeth that looked impossible to bypass.

Grabbing his saber for want of nothing better to do, he needed to think up a plan quick!

 

[Eina L'lerim-Vandiir]

Lady Eina L'lerim-Vandiir
The First and the Light of Ashla
Heiress and Princess of the Eternal Empire and Terraris; Angelic Mascot and Representative of the Ashlan Crusade
Eternal Empire's Ambassador to the Ashlan Crusade; Matriarch of the Valkyrja; Leader of Sanctuary and the Fjölkyngi Smiđr Guild​

Objective: Explore the Vault
Location: Surface, Ilum
Equipment: Sverð Fyrstr (swords) | Ljósspjót (spear) | Skrúð Engill Fyrstr (armour) || Empyrean gland | OPBC-01m || Current appearance
Tags:: Geiseric | Heinrich Faust

[ Dawn ]
<"High Nelvaanian"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Eina, during her concentration and short ritual, was really unable to intervene in the fight, but with her light she embodied exactly what the frozen creatures hated. The life; even if it was the least true about her in the group. However, the soul is a great fuel and nourishment for such beings. And this was her duty; she had to take care of them. The small rift opened, Eina reached out with her hand and reached across the rift with the soul. She let him go where he belonged. The knight's soul could have really been one with Ashla now.

She withdrew her hand, the rift slowly closing; it was just a tiny little one anyway, that won't stay open for only a few seconds anyway. If it was not necessary, Eina had not created anything greater than what is good for a soul or just needed to travel. The fissures between the two worlds, the tissue of reality, were able to regenerate very well and quickly, but the serious damage can lead to serious consequences.

When she had finished this, she saw the knights surrounding her and their companion on the ground. One dead and one seriously injured so far. She was probably the one present who could heal the best, so she did not try to join the combat formation, but knelt in the snow again, next to the wounded knight. It was ironic that in the strictest sense of the word, Eina was the one who was furthest from the concept of a living being, yet she was the one who was best able to protect the souls, heal them and take care of the injuries.

Since she still had to concentrate on this, she did not respond to the men. Eina trusted them to find out how to resolve the situation. The Valkyrja put her hand over the injury. Her eyes began to glow golden again, just like the injured knight's eyes too this time. There was a very pleasant warm feeling in the Force. For a few moments, this warm and gently feeling embraced everyone around as Eina concentrated and used the Force ability. Geiseric could have recognized this exactly, as she had healed him in the same way when they were on the Sith Lord's ship. With her own life force.

Eina's life force flowed into the injured knight, at first the bleeding subsided, then the blood vessels boiled, after which the tissue damage recovered, getting smaller and smaller. The man's pain was constantly diminishing. Fortunately, the bone was not damaged, so the Valkyjra had an easier time. Eventually, the wound was completely healed. Eina gasped a little and stopped healing and took her hand from the man's side where the injury was. Ever since she got out of the parasite's captivity, she hasn't had to heal such a serious injury, that is, not that fast like now. Slow healing was less strenuous and exhausting.

It will take her a few moments to be able to stand up and overcome exhaustion, weakness. So now, on her knees, Eina watched the others get along with the ice demons or creatures.

 

[Iris Arani]

"I fought someone on Cato atop a train. Got knocked around, dropped them, then she took them. And threw me off." Iris lead the way into the darkness, though she didn't have too much trouble navigating it. Her sight wasn't something she needed, not here. Not with how strong the Force was around the,. She walked through the shadows confidentially, watching the colors. Letting it guide her to where she needed to go.

"I'm going to get them back."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

A couple of Padawans and him, going to the caves. Yeah, that should be fine. All things considered Valery Noble probably had the harder job of the two. She always did try to take the difficult tasks for herself. He chuckled a bit, glancing to his Fiance one last time before moving off with Briana Sal-Soren and Zaka . For the most part he just listened to their conversation, staying in front of them even as they entered the ground.

He felt it before the ground rumbled. Something ahead. His gaze narrowed in focus as he tried to see what it might be. Until one of the Padawans tossed a glow stick. And revealed the worm that made this cave. Kahlil blinked, but rather than turn to run he raised a hand. Stayed calm, focused.

"Don't panic. Don't get aggressive." His tone conveyed that calm feeling as he reached out. Trying to touch the mind of the creature. "Feel through the Force. It's not angry with us. Nor is it hungry. Not yet. Just reach out, show it you're not a threat." He did promise Bri a lesson. Who would've thought it'd be how to deescalate a confrontation with a subterranean worm?

 

[Shimrra Rin]

Iris Arani | Ishida Ashina ​

Calm. Peace.

Cold.

Shimrra shivered as she made her way through the crystal caves. The place where she normally meditated was deep within. There were plenty of Warriors to help the Jedi so she'd slipped off to cool her head. Just thinking about it began to heat up her core again, but after a couple of deep breaths she remembered just how cold these damnable caves were. Why couldn't the Jedi have a NICE, TEMPERATE world where they ritualistically gathered kyber and sent younglings to? She wondered how many younglings died in the days of the Old and High Republic.

She closed her eyes and opened herself up to the force, letting the voices of the kyber sing to her. Yes, to some this place was a mere imitation rock. A place dedicated to the hubris of the Jedi. If only they could hear the song-

"I'm going to get them back."

Get who back? Shimrra realized that a pair of Jedi were waking the caves. Had she walked all the way back around? She hid behind a block of rock and ice and listened in. Two Padawans walking the caves alone? Did their masters send them for their first kyber? Her heart fluttered. Was this it? Was this her chance to help guide the next generation of crystal hunters? She would listen a little longer before she decided.

 

[Ishida Ashina]

LIGHT MUST COME FROM THE INSIDE
BYOO | ILUM | CRYSTAL CAVES
YOU CANNOT ASK THE DARKNESS TO LEAVE
YOU MUST TURN ON THE LIGHT
Iris Arani | Shimrra Rin

Iris’ description of her loss was succinct, and Ishida couldn’t tell if that was because it was too painful to speak through, or if storytelling just wasn’t one of Iris’ strengths. So Ishida remained silent for several beats after the explanation mostly concentrated on avoiding getting snagged on any of the icy spikes that jut out from the walls.

The cave’s closed archways amplified the sounds of their footsteps crunching through the snow, and Ishida decided to lower the bandana around her mouth to eliminate obstruction of her voice. There was enough white noise to contend with.

"I'm going to get them back."​

Her fingers slipped up to pull the bandana from her mouth and raise her voice to Iris, but before she spoke up she paused and just hmm’d instead. Not a journey of vengeance, but some other claim.

Relegated back to silence, Ishida continued tromping along through the ancient pilgrimage site.

One side of the cavern’s wall yearned desperately toward the other, and the further the pair of Padawans descended, the narrower the journey became. After a while of walking, Ishida could feel stones scraping against the shoulder pads of her coat and she was forced to turn sideways to continue through the corridor.

Both Ishida and Iris were slight by galactic human standards, and she was baffled at the concept of anyone wider or taller making their way through this tiny pathway. How could someone like Master Sardun or Varobalder ever —— then she paused.

There’d been a vague sensation around them all along, but Ishida had just figured that was the expansiveness of The Force simply because this was such a lore-filled planet. But as she looked to her side, where Iris was shimmying along unbothered, she realized that passive stir she’d felt was acting as guidance for Iris. Drawing her deeper where the caves connected to her.

“Huh.” She breathed in realization, condensation clouding around her lips.

Suddenly, at the edge of the narrow pathway, the darkness abated to a cool, blue glow. It wasn’t brilliant, but it was the most luminescence they’d seen in countless minutes of sideways shuffling along the path Iris was following.

At the end of the corridor, the floor dropped several hundred feet. Ten meters across from the drop-off point, their original path continued. To the left, an alternative route presented itself as a skinny set of stairs that would lead them further down.

Ishida hadn’t noticed any decision points earlier in their journey, and she half-wondered if that was because she’d meant to or not. Or if The Force was showing this to her now because her participation was required to encourage Iris forward.

“Well,” She started, looking forward, then down to the left to assess the options. She stood at the edge, peering at the drop that descended into deep blue and distant humming glows of crystal. Not looking at Iris, but fascinated with the abyssal descent, she offered the other Padawan the chance by motioning vaguely ahead and then to the left: “Your choice.”

​

---

 

[Iris Arani]

Another time, the drop wouldn't of bothered Iris in the slightest. But as they emerged into the cavern and she stared down into the black abyss, her heart leapt to her throat. Fear. She wasn't used to feeling fear. A life of color was a life without emotion for the longest time. She didn't move. Just.. Stared. Swallowed.

“Your choice.”

Iris blinked. Turning her gaze to Ishida Ashina was better than staring down in the black below. There wasn't a choice. The call of the Force was pulling them deeper, towards the glow below. Down the narrow stairs. She swallowed again, only giving a nod before starting to take the stairs. The Force was guiding her, she didn't need to be scared, right? The first step down was the hardest one for her. She stared at the carved blocks, trying to will herself down.

Then took the step. Then another. She hugged the wall, back against it. Trying to keep herself calm. Stable.

"Just down a few stairs.." She was talking to herself. Trying to reassure herself. Needing to reassure herself. They would be fine, right?

Shimrra Rin