Private Canyon Crawlers

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Armor + Robes
Tag: Ran Serys

Darth Anathemous had always been impressed by that which defied fate.

The Jedi temples of Ossus had been ravaged by time and peaked clean by scavengers for hundreds of years before her birth. Only ruins stood now, dusty, crumbling, but standing nonetheless. They whispered secrets to those who but had the will to hear, to clean away the dirt and much and to read them carved upon the walls in runes once considered a dead language.

Others were lucky enough to find their secrets, but few understood them.

Deep within the Imhar Canyon, one such secret had been discovered. A rockslide, they said, old stone eroded somewhere far beneath them all had caused a shift in the surface. It had revealed something peculiar; a door that did not open.

Locals had worked tirelessly to clear rubble from the entrance, archeologists had sketched and theorized and cleaned away the dust just long enough for rumors to spread into nearby systems, and it is for this reason that Anathemous came to them.

"I am permitted to be here." she said idly to one such man.

"You are permitted to be here."

Kaila looked at him, lips pulled into a frown at the use of such powers.

Still, it was better than the alternative.

"I am not to be disturbed, send the others away until I return."

The workers were given an early break whilst the hooded figure carefully observed the door, chin pinched between gloved fingers.

At first she found it confusing with no visible mechanism by which to open the ruins, but in time, she noticed the large grooves in the walls around them were not so decorative as she once believed. Flanking each side of the door, there was a circular dip with some sort of metal plate. Were inquisitive gaze followed the indentation to the opposite ends, where large bronze spheres were tightly bound to the wall, or so one may believe.

Kaila smiled faintly.

She'd seen this on Jedha.

With a flick of her wrist, both spheres rolled through each groove until arriving beside the door, and with the sound of grinding stone and falling dust, the door began to ascend into the ceiling.

The sith walked into it's dark halls, following the sounds of rushing water.

​

 

[Ran Serys]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Robes
Tags: Kaila Irons

Ossus was a planet with a long and gone history. Cultures, peoples, and knowledge lost to time. Ancient History. At the core of that history was the Jedi. So there Ran was, a Jedi Knight, come to see what had been.

A recent rockslide reported in the Imhar Canyon revealed an ancient sealed door, one that could not be opened according to the locals and Ossus’ more studied visitors. Ran held a theory that it was only unopenable to them, the many who could not touch the force as a Jedi did. She decided it was best not to test that theory so far away from home. After all, she was an interloper in a part of the galaxy where the Galactic Alliance had no sway. If a Jedi opened the way for more discoveries, the enemies of the Jedi would bear down on her. So Ran walked the canyon, keeping a distance from the excavation site, feeling as if she walked in the wake of another. She tried to shake off the feeling but it was an echo in the force and therefore unable to be shook.

She searched her surroundings to find nothing immediately threatening, and still she pulled her lightsaber. She held it out before her and channeled the force into its hilt. Its casing was made mostly of magnetized Slivian Iron, and when focused on Ran could use it as something akin to a compass or dowsing rod to find magnetic distortions, mineral deposits, and water. Anything that could be used to find the presence of caves, ancient ruins, water ways, and aquifers.

It didn’t take long for her to find an alternate avenue. The ruins were crumbling with time just as the nearby rock faces. All Ran needed was to find a path down, and a path she did find. She inserted herself, with some effort, into a narrow slit in the canyon face. She crawled through the tight, claustrophobic darkness, until she met water. Running Water. It was even more void-like than her cave crawl. She blinked her eyes, triggering her mutation. A form of night vision and infrared sight, with it she could even see in the dark. She waded into the cool, dark waters, feeling refreshed and also pulled. The current had taken her into its arms, not violently but softly, and transported her through water way after water way that were too precise to be naturally occuring. The waterways were aimed at her destination and she knew this. She trusted in this.

 

[Kaila Irons]

Wearing: Armor + Robes
Tag: Ran Serys

The doors shut behind Kaila with a flick of her wrist.

She was forced to wield a lightsaber as though it were a torch.

The cave was bathed in crimson glow as she made her way deeper and deeper. It didn't take long for her to become waist deep in rushing water, at some point the current was enough that only the weight of her implants kept her from being swept away, eventually leading to a deeper point.

Now the young Darth was no swimmer, but she knew a trick or two.

After a moment spent staring hesitantly at the water, she removed her robes, which were quickly swept up by the current and sent gods know where.

She was down to an armored bodyglove which thankfully kept the water out, and soon fitted with a breath mask from her toolbelt. Still the Sith was not so prepared as one may think and she sank to the bottom of that watery chamber as though she were a heavy droid. It took powerful levitation to achieve come close to the surface, such that she could no longer concentrate fully on veiling her signature in the force, spreading a dark chill a short distance around her, though it was not the extent of her signature.

Even so, she was at the current's mercy for some time.

Kaila closed her eyes and a sixth sense prod her surroundings, keeping her informed enough to dodge the odd rock or two by shifting her weight and levitation in one direction or the other. Eventually this led her to a much larger chamber after many twists and turns, emptying out in a great pool which connected many passageways.

She clung to the rocky bank with all the strength she could muster, ripping the breath mask away.

Glowing eyes shone fiery gold in the dim light of that chamber, illuminated only by the thinnest sliver of sunlight from the ceiling high above. She rose to her feet slowly, creeping towards a vague feeling in the force.

Something was here, likely important, deeper within.

And she wanted it.

​

 

[Ran Serys]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Robes
Tags: Kaila Irons

It was soon when the waterways were ready to release Ran. Their currents slowed and brought her to an easy exit. With less than a spurt of water, Ran exited the subterranean canals with impressive grace. Yet, despite her impeccable balance, she felt off. Strange sensations touched her awareness. She felt it. The chill of the Darkside. It was a muted feeling, hushed, but one that Ran had to question. How? Why here? Were her suspicions correct and did she walk in the wake of another? She prepared herself for the possibilities of taint, corruption, and trespassers with less than noble intentions.

The antechamber the canal set her loose in smelled of dust and ancient mildew but was otherwise well preserved. It was down deep enough to be kept safe from the ruined surface and still time took its toll. Ran continued onward in the only direction she could. The antechamber led out to what appeared to be a training room for the Ossus Jedi of the past. Walls were intricately carved with stories by the hands of Jedi artisans. Their style was unmistakable. Ran’s knowledge of the past let her date the carvings to the times of the Old Republic. She pulled a datapad from her belt to scan and preserve the carvings and the stories told. She’d look to confirm these stories against the Order’s own archives.

With more to explore, Ran recognized the symmetry in the layout of the underwater temple. Several antechambers meant several different entry and exit points. She doubted they all led back to the same point of origin. Instead of following another watery canal she continued down an adjacent dry hall. The hall was lined with several rooms. To the untrained eye, the rooms were filled with ancient scrap, junk, silly gizmos and doodads made of long oxidized metals. A dust covered tinkerer’s workbench in every one. To the trained eye, the rooms were a slightly different sight. The rooms were filled with lightsaber components, some more well preserved than others, and a crafter’s station with specialty tools not seen in thousands of years. Ran inspected them. The knight catalogued the components in her mind by size, shape, obsolescence, and rarity.

It wasn't until she came to the end of the hall that Ran found something she was truly interested in. Interested enough to linger on. A box only opened with a slight touch of the force revealed it. She picked it up, the component inside, and inspected it. Holding it in what little dim light the temple systems provided. It was a focusing lens, masterfully crafted and balanced, and wonderfully preserved. It was as if the lens were new. Ran knew a lightsaber didn’t make a Jedi but she also knew to add this piece to any lightsaber was to increase one’s control over the multi-faceted instrument. She held up her datapad in an attempt to scan it but when she did, she noticed a shadow in the datascreen’s murky reflection. She was not alone. But was the being a friend or was it a foe?

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Armor + Robes
Tag: Ran Serys

Kaila strode the halls at a leisurely pace.

Some were collapsed, others carved by water and time, but many were ancient structures.

Statues of old Jedi from various timelines were committed to memory, excerpts carved into the walls scanned into her wrist-computer, all the while something in the force drew her on. A crystal, she thought, or waterlogged artefact? Eventually she could feel multiple in the periphery of her senses, causing her to circle back.

Had she missed one?

In time she realized the feeling was below her, leading her down a staircase.

She stepped carefully in the dark, lightly, silently, as not to slip if these chambers too were flooded. Slowly she followed reflections cast upon damp stone, until eventually she reached a doorway.

Benches, tools, and freshly disturbed dust covered the chamber and floating through rays of dim light.

Glowing eyes went wide and her body froze in the doorway.

There was a figure there at the chamber's end, holding something. But that was impossible, wasn't it? She'd sealed the door behind her and this was surely no ghost, they had no need to such worldly possessions.

Kaila had no time to ask questions, lest she give up her advantage and risk retaliation before having the upper hand. Better to act swiftly, she thought, play a strong hand and force the stranger to explain themselves before she made any decisions.

Knees bent within seconds of establishing visual contact, and powerful legs flung her across the chamber.

She planned to grab them, use her augmented weight and force them to floor.

To make them talk.

​

 

[Ran Serys]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Robes
Tags: Kaila Irons

Foe! The question had been answered as her Jedi senses kicked in all too late. Ran attempted to move, to dodge, to evade. Even with force enhanced speed, it was too late. Ran’s body collided with that of her attacker. They tried to grab and pin, and she tried to escape which only resulted in a wild thrashing for them both. Ran’s datapad flung away in the process. She hoped it survived its impact along the temple floor. In her offhand she still held the focusing lens and rolled away and up to her feet.

With her lightsaber at her side she considered going for it, but she didn’t. Her attacker had only tried to grab her. Pulling her lightsaber would make her the aggressor and only exacerbate an already bad situation. “And here I thought I was alone.” Sarcasm dripped from her mouth as she caught her breath from the sudden start. Ran took in her attacker’s appearance. They were covered in an intimidating armor so aesthetically Sith it made Ran’s skin crawl. That’s all she needed to know for what to expect next, yet still she observed not getting much else save for a muscular physique.

She wondered what she looked like to them. Ran was taller, just as muscular but in comparison to the armor Ran wore nothing. A skirt, a belt, a top, and jewelry. She wasn’t weighed down by armor which could prove intimidating in its own way. Her glowing yellow eyes betrayed her affinity for the light and marked her as a product of the dark side, although that was a misnomer that many made the mistake of believing. Ran doubted that was a mistake her attacker would make.

“Why have you come here?" Ran asked evenly. "This is a Jedi Temple, and while I don’t know what you are, it’s obvious you are no Jedi.” She reasoned as she slipped the focusing lens into the empty slot in her belt, and watched her attacker intently.

Tags: Kaila Irons
​

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Armor + Robes
Tag: Ran Serys

She was hard to keep track of in the dark. They both were.

The mirialan could see much better than her, aiding in her escape, yet her the force was blinded to her assailant's presence, for no precognition nor visions could know her as the naked eye. It made her movements feel quick to some, slippery to others.

Regardless she found herself slowly rise, glowing eyes tracking their match through the darkness.

“And here I thought I was alone.”

"I could say the same."

Her voice was younger, spoken with an accent typical of most sith, and a little sharp in the moment.

With no weapons drawn yet, Kaila took her time observing the potential opponent before her. Physically at least, stranger was impressive. The fact that Kaila had to look up at all was an interesting change of pace to the others she'd fought, and that silhouette told her this was surely a warrior of some manner.

And yet, she'd trained her whole life to fight titans like this.

"...It's been awhile since I fought a woman bigger than I."

Her lips took on the barest curl.

“Why have you come here?" Ran asked evenly. "This is a Jedi Temple, and while I don’t know what you are, it’s obvious you are no Jedi.”

That smile thinned out quickly.

Since standing, Kaila's gloved hand had been tightly wound about her saber, thumb tracing over the lock of her sheath, of which there were two situated on her hip. This talk of Jedi made that grip tighten, enough to audibly strain leather.

"I've been many things." she answered cryptically.

"Today I am Anathemous, explorer and collector of ancient things."

She dipped her chin in greetings, and hunched her broad shoulders in resemblance to bowing.

"What do they call you, warrior?"

​

 

[Ran Serys]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Robes
Tags: Kaila Irons

"...It's been awhile since I fought a woman bigger than I."

Ran ignored the thought. To think about the interaction as a fight would only make it true.

"I've been many things." she answered cryptically. "Today I am Anathemous, explorer and collector of ancient things." She dipped her chin in greetings, and hunched her broad shoulders in resemblance to bowing. "What do they call you, warrior?"

"Ran Serys, Historian and Archaeologist." She answered, forgoing her title of Jedi Knight as to not antagonize the woman, but also not dismissing the label Anathemous had cast upon her as a warrior, because while Ran had certainly kept scholarly pursuits, she had always been and would always would be more a warrior than anything else. It was apparent in the way she carried herself, and in the presence of the lightsaber that hung from her waist. There was no hiding what kind of warrior she was.

Ran finished her introduction with only the slightest of bows. It was obvious she hadn't the slightest bit of trust for the armored woman.

"Anathemous," Ran called keeping her distance. "Are we exploring today or collecting?" The Knight questioned. "Your answer will affect how I feel about your previous assault upon me, and more." She continued. "We can both leave this place peacefully. So long as you let us." She put the responsibility on Anathemous' shoulders.

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Armor + Robes
Tag: Ran Serys

Her eyes narrowed.

That name struck her as familiar, but why?

Then it hit her all at once. She took one heavy step back, without purpose, only shock.

"Valery Noble, Master Ran, and Knight Aadihr. Together, they came for her."

Golden eyes widened in the dark.

The Jedi bowed in her own way, kept cordial, but that was not enough for Kaila. Her jaw tightened, staring at the floor.

She remembered that Padawan still. Not the conniving little chit she'd become, but that girl she'd met on Ando. Kaila remembered the promise they made that day, even if she could not. She remembered what a bright, free thinker she was then, and the moment she considered leaving the Sith with that girl.

She remembered so much, but so little.

Their time had been cut tragically short by the Jedi.

They took that from her. Ruined her.

Killed her.

Whatever remained now, Kaila could only mourn what she'd once been. It permeated the force around her like a bleeding wound, too quick to save. Turmoil, pain, cold anger that turned her breath to mist as Kaila's self imposed restraints peeled away.

"We can both leave this place peacefully. So long as you let us."

"...like you left Serina in peace...?"

Kaila closed her eyes.

And when she opened them, it was Anathemous who glared back.

The sith muttered something under her breath, pulling a helm through a widening crack in the universe, a mirror of green mist and stars. It snapped shut as she pulled the mask over her steeled features, locking to her neckseal with a pressurized hiss. Anathemous could see clearly now, as the world was bathed in soft green hues, Nightvision optics painting a clear image of her adversary.

She pivoted, a broad shoulder facing the Jedi, hand hovering above her sabers on the opposing hip.

"There will be no peace here, Master Ran." her voice was different now, cold, distorted. Sith.

"Not for Kin Killers."

A flash of violet, the hum of a saber swung in a sweeping arc.

Anathemous had begun her attack in earnest.

​

 

[Ran Serys]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Robes
Tags: Kaila Irons

"...like you left Serina in peace...?"

Ran’s eyes went wide at the mention of Serina. She could feel the room’s temperature drop. The sudden change in Anathemous took her by surprise. “Anathemous. Whatever you think you know, is not the truth.” Ran objected to the question emphatically.

“I tried to help, Serina. I failed to help, Serina.” Ran explained but felt her words would not be heard. A sense of shame and guilt washed over her. Failing the former young Jedi was one of her greatest regrets, and one of her few regrets. It hit her that much harder, but she hid it.

The Knight backed away from Anathemous as the armored woman squared her shoulders. “I did what I could to protect her but-” Ran continued before being interrupted by the unnatural sound of witch magick. It sounded as if it would break their reality. A blackened helm manifested from the magick, seemingly pulled into existence by Anathemous. The harsh woman donned the helm. Her hard beauty, obscured by the blackened plate and darksteel. Ran could not see the woman’s eyes underneath the blood red t-visor so she looked at her body instead. When Anathemous pivoted, so did Ran.

There will be no peace here, Master Ran." her voice was different now, cold, distorted. Sith.

"Not for Kin Killers."

A flash of violet, the hum of a saber swung in a sweeping arc.

Anathemous had begun her attack in earnest.

A flash of blue came to life almost simultaneously. Ran met the violet lightsaber blade with her own. “I am no kin killer!” Ran shouted over the sound of clashing sabers. “And I will have peace, one way or another!” Ran pivoted away and drew her saber before her in a cautious guard. “Again, the choice is up to you.” The knight presented, readying for a battle. “A living peace or an eternal rest, Anathemous? Answer and I will hesitate no longer.”

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Armor + Robes
Tag: Ran Serys

Her strike was raw, vicious.

Metal bones added the weight of her loss behind that blow, crushing and immutable. Exo-muscle, a component of Sith power armor, gave silent voice to fury. Strong, but alarmingly precise.

Anathemous pushed forward, and had Ran not pivoted away, she would have pressed all her weight and all her inhuman strength until her guard, her life, was rendered little more than dust in a ruin. Instead she was made to chase.

“Again, the choice is up to you.” The knight presented, readying for a battle. “A living peace or an eternal rest, Anathemous? Answer and I will hesitate no longer.”

"Talking didn't save her!"

She reached for a second sheath with her offhand, quickly popping the lock off with her thumb.

"It will not save you."

The young Darth swiped her hand in a similar motion as before, but her hand never touched the saber. Instead a crimson shoto flung itself from her belt and swung in a half arc a few paces ahead of her, dramatically increasing the Sith's reach. It swung at eye level, blinding, forcing all attention on it while Kaila lunged with the other saber, meaning to skewer the Jedi amidst any lapse in her attention.

Whoever Ran was speaking to, she was rapidly fading away.

Soon only hate and regret would remain.

"Then mourn Serina."

"And love what killed her."

Because it didn't matter to her that the Jedi tried to protect her. There was no try, wasn't that their way? All that mattered was they failed, and to her that blood was on all their hands, equally.

"Who?!" she demanded.

"Which one of you?!"

​

 

[Ran Serys]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Robes
Tags: Kaila Irons

"Talking didn't save her! It will not save you."

"Then I will hesitate no longer!" Ran exclaimed before dodging the shoto and snatching it out of the air with a preternatural speed. Red and Blue light danced around them while Anathemous' cunning disguised an attack soon revealed. The Dark Warrior lunged forward with their saber, a violet needle hoping to find Ran as its pin cushion. The Jedi swung the red shoto and her own blue lightsaber, not in a counterattack, but in a practiced form. Her arms moved, her feet pivoted and so too did her body. A combination of Jedi awareness and the memories of a swordsman's relentless training was the only thing that saved her. The violet lightsaber's high heat singed the short hairs that grew on Ran's stomach. She was lucky her enemy did not gut her.

It was a close call, but Ran could not dwell on it. She returned and pressed an attack of her own. The presence of two lightsabers turned her bladework into a tornado-like whirlwind. "I believe this belongs to you!" Ran taunted as she swung the shoto at Anathemous. Red clashed against purple. As Ran slashed at her attacker with the short blade, she could feel how off it felt. The lightsaber was a foreigner in her hand. The synthetic red crystal felt as empty as it did rebellious in her hand. The small saber was not the Jedi's to wield, and would soon be back with Anathemous, but Ran would utilize it, and utilize it well for the remaining moments she had with it.

"Who?!" she demanded. "Which one of you?!"

"Who? Which one of us killed her?" Ran echoed. "Is that your question?" Ran continued but she knew the answer even as they continued fighting. The zap, and static of saber's clashing at various angles for various durations was almost melodic. Almost. The only thing that kept Ran from being lost in the melody of combat were the emotions that swirled around the two women. There was a focused rage and an informed guilt.

"Valery Noble, Leader of Jedi," Ran began. "It was her lightsaber that pierced Serina's chest, but it was put there based on the instigation of conflict by another." The Jedi paused and gritted her teeth. Ran could remember the moment well. The cyan-blue blade of a knight ignited first, Serina's saber only followed as reaction. Despite the darkness in Serina's heart, Ran knew Serina's actions with a lightsaber that night were only reactions to the position she was thrust into. "The one who escalated the incident beyond words and into violence was- Aadihr Lidos." Ran revealed.

"Now what will you do with that information, Anathemous?" Ran asked as she continued to push her attack, both lightsabers swinging in opposite arcs creating a tight X-like pattern aimed at Anathemous neck.

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Ossus, Imhar Canyon
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Ran Serys

The Lord of Blades had never been disarmed before.

This was different, but caught her off guard all the same, putting her into a fighting retreat to stay out of the shoto's reach, mitigate the woman's advantage. Each blow was parried as Anathemous began attacking the blades with vicious precision instead of passively blocking. She had Exo-muscle to conserve energy, Ran did not.

The war of attrition had begun.

"The one who escalated the incident beyond words and into violence was- Aadihr Lidos." Ran revealed.

Finally she had the answers she needed.

Two names, those whose hands were reddest with Serina's blood. Mist shot from either side of her mask, a heated, triumphant breath.

Ran's sabers never reached her next. She drew her hands above her shoulders, sparks flew from the clashing sabers to her right. And from the left, the air rippled and groaned. The shoto was suspended mere inches from her face, jittering and locked in her unbreakable grip.

They both were.

Anathemous stared into her eyes from behind the visor.

"...do you mean to buy your life for his, Jedi...?" she cooed, but the helm turned her voice to ice.

Her arms began to spread inch by inch, and with each, the sabers drifted safely away from her head.

"It's a good plan."

The young Darth stifled a chuckle and drew her head back as though she might laugh.

"But I'm not leaving without my saber."

With blinding speed she suddenly threw her head forward, striking at Ran's face with her own helm, following immediately with a telekinetic push as she punched forward, finally letting go of both lightsabers.

Whether the Jedi fought or dealt was her choice.

But Anathemous wasn't leaving without at least one drop of blood.

​