Private [Character Intro] The Cult of Acolhuani

[Acolhuani]

"Can you hear it?" Ilana's voice was hush, the congregation before her even more so. "The beating of the Heart?" As the crowd listened intently in, Ilana mimicked the sound of a heart beating with the Force against the walls. The congregation erupted into cheers and praise. "The Heart gives us life! Food! Water! The Heart of Acolhuani is large and invites us all into its warm embrace."

Ah, I can feel it! I can feel its power! I need to feed. Acolhuani had kept its facade of Ilana Tezcapoca up too long for this day. It needed to recluse and "loosen" its restrictive vessel so to speak. Waving to its congregation, Acolhuani as Ilana bid farewell to the congregation and returned to the Temple, about a five minute walk from the settlement's quaint community area they used for congregation.

The area chosen for the settlement was in a place permeated with Light side Force energy. The flora here absorbed it like a sponge, creating bountiful fruits and anomalous zones. It was an area of respite from the hostility of the rest of the planet, teeming with hostile wildlife and areas of Dark side permeation. Along the path to the Temple were littered plaques commemorating the history of the settlement. How some one hundred years ago, Ilana Tezcapoca—prophet of Acolhuani—led the survivors of a shipwreck to an oasis.

Walking down a long hallway, Acolhuani slowly began to leak starlight from the eyes and mouth. This is what it meant to loosen its vessel, to expand itself beyond the oppressive interior. The altar ahead was illuminated by a solitary skylight, allowing the setting sun to cast a ray of sunshine across its surface. Sitting down atop the altar cross-legged, Acolhuani entered a meditative state. From the air around it, tendrils of some mystic energy formed and flowed into its vessel, where it was absorbed.

Ahhh...the power flows once more, my kin, wherever you may be. That was when a notable presence in the Force appeared on its radar. A new being had arrived at its settlement. A being of...concerning aura.

Kyyrk

​

 

[Kyyrk]

A man had come. From somewhere far away had he traveled. And with him came whispers of war. Not in the conflict he brought with him, but in the conflict he had endured. While many had crashed upon the surface of this planet, his ship sat pristine. He was clad in dark robes, augmented with plates of metal accenting his important organs and joints. His silvered hair augmented a pale face, within which rested two eyes of unfathomable depth. He was an unobtrusive sort, wandering the village as if a travelling merchant. In fact if one wasn't looking right at him, it was quite easy to forget that he was even there...

Something had called the man here. It was only natural that the great Acolhuani had called another to her flock. But there was something...different, about this one. This one shared the gifts of Acolhuani. His eyes held a soft glow that waxed and waned with every breath. In those same eyes, the wisdom of aeons. The burden of millennia. It was only natural that this oddity be brought before the Prophet. The man was an agreeable sort. Even going so far as to surrender his weapons. Twin lightsabers, of a certain description. Though one reeked of a foul odor only the gifted like he could sense.

As Kyyrk was brought near to the prophet, he could sense...it. Whatever she was, she wasn't a life form Kyyrk recognized. And for a brief moment he wondered if coming here had been a mistake. But his lust for answers drove him ever forward. He'd felt the tendrils of her presence in the far reaches of his mind, deep in the dark of night. He knew she was out there. Somewhere. It was only a matter of time till he found her. And now the dark robed man stood waiting. Waiting to come face to face with the entity that'd captured his attention.

<Do you think she knows anything?> The owl that watched the camp from the trees intoned in Kyyrk's mind. <Perhaps. Perhaps not. More of a lead than we had before...> ​

 

[Acolhuani]

Hmm...I can smell it. That blade, it reeks. Acolhuani could tell something was not right about this specific weapon, though what specifically it was that was wrong was unclear to it. "Well, has my flock brought me a new follower?" Ilana's voice rang through the Temple, artificially enhanced by the Force—she was more imposing that way.

She stepped forward and leaned down to meet his gaze. Her followers had decided, surprisingly of their own volition, that he should kneel to her, and had...strongly suggested that he do so. The Force around this individual is...unsettling. Acolhuani was particularly perturbed by the prospect of being unsettled by some mere mortal. If indeed some mere mortal this was.

"Tell me, fledgling, were you ever taught the history of this galaxy?" Ilana's voice rang true yet. "Perhaps, if you had, you would know of the Celestials. Grandiose deities!" She didn't pay much attention to the character's face as she spoke, instead focused on twirling her hair. "Were you aware that there is one who is even stronger?

"Acolhuani...Our savior."

She gestured into the darkness beyond her solitary skylight and curtains fell from the other windows, revealing mural upon mural of rich recorded history. Paintings depicting a giant eye in the night sky offering boons to the righteous and smiting those who would stand against it.

She reached forward and grasped the chin of the man, crossing her legs upon her altar. "So, child, do you see their power? Acolhuani, who brings us life and gifts, has chosen you for their flock. Do you accept?"

Kyyrk

​

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk had been forced to kneel, that was true enough. But those striking the backs of his knees knew a truth the others may not: He knelt of his will, not theirs. He watched in bemused silence as the prophet...the entity, sang the praises of one greater. Kyyrk could only assume that this entity was the very same being whose virtues were extoled. He did not stir, did not move, save for the stir of his chest as he drew breath. When she took his chin within her hand, he remained as stoic as ever.

But his eyes. His eyes told a different story. The way they glowed, burned with an intense light at the presence of another touched with the Force. It was as if his very soul seeped into the world around him through those orbs. He was one with the Light, the benefactor of the small cult around them. Yet hidden within that light was shadow. Darkness. This was a man of equal measure. Not bound by either, but uplifted by both. "I know of the celestials." And he spoke true. Upon his very soul, the scars of a Celestial rested. He did not know of the Celestials.

He'd faced one.

The very fact that he stood here, in the mortal realm, spoke volumes of him. This was a man that had crossed a Celestial and lived to tell the tale. But it had cost him greatly. What it cost him was his business to tell and none else. But the scars upon his soul were plainly visible to those that knew their sign. "I've been beholden to flocks and prophets before. Never again." He turned his gaze towards the Prophet more fully. "Why bow in subservience when the will of the master can be twisted into your own?" Kyyrk's brow lifted. He didn't trust middlemen. "Do you speak for Acolhuani? Or for yourself?" ​

Acolhuani

 

[Acolhuani]

As she held his chin in between her index and thumb, as she listened to his words, she came to realize. "Everyone, out." She ripped her hand back and stood up. "Now." Her voice boomed, no longer Ilana's but now Acolhuani's. Not Celestial by species but celestial in sound, the voice would be considered a beautiful thing by those not used to its song.

As the followers filtered out, some singing praises, she spoke again, still as Acolhuani, "Worm. You bear the stench of Celestials." One might mistake the voice as masculine with its deep, booming quality. "You trespass on the land of the Makers." Her eyes began to glow with a violet starlight. "Which one sent you? How did they find me?"

Without so much as a gesture, the curtains covered the windows again such that they were enveloped in darkness once more, solely illuminated by the eyes which smoldered a violet flame. Despite all its posturing, however, Acolhuani dared not lash out directly against this threat. It was a fight it could potentially win, but it was also a fight it could potentially lose.

Less fearful of its life and more for its ego, it decided the best action was to negotiate.

Kyyrk

​

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk stood as the cultist filtered out of the room, turning his head to look around. "So you ARE Acolhuani." He waited until the peons had left the room before stating this aloud. Kyyrk was silent for a moment, almost as if in defiance of the being's demands that he answer her. Until his glowing eyes turned towards her once more. "I do not serve the Celestials. Not outside of my own interests." Again with the rebuke of higher authority. The man was a renegade. A rebel that swore loyalty only to his own cause. Or so it seemed. There was an air of measured temperament about him. It was not an act of defiance that prevented him from surrendering his free will. No, it was something else entirely...

Kyyrk stepped over to where his blades had been deposited, and picked up the normal one, turning it over in his hands. "You're not exactly hard to find. Not to a person like me." Kyyrk placed the blade upon his back, then picked up the second one. The plagued one. "On the simplest technicality, I came here on my own. You offered a great opportunity. One that I felt was time to take advantage of." His gaze turned back to Acolhuani. "Knowledge in all things, you know."

He offered the being a simple smile. It was clear that he knew her intention was to negotiate. Perhaps because she'd let her fear get the better of her. If she was as powerful as she claimed, she could have simply smote him for being a spawn of the Celestials. "And knowledge, you will help me find." He was still an unknown quantity to the being. And that, he intended to use to his fullest advantage. After all, how could she withhold knowledge when she did not know what he sought? "You claim to be greater than the Celestials. How much greater?" ​

Acolhuani

 

[Acolhuani]

Ilana's eyes still glowed their violet flame in the darkness, creating a sort of dichotomy between the two. Two flames in the darkness, staring each other down. She kept her silence as he confirmed that she was Acolhuani, exhausting a starry cloud of smoke from her mouth that twinkled in the darkness between them.

As the man spoke to her, she slowly rearranged the smoke into a holographic image. As he asked exactly how much greater she was than the Celestials, the image completed. It was a model of the galaxy, accurate to every last star. "Much greater. The throne they claim is mine by birthright."

Or so it had been raised to believe. The culture of the Star Children preached two main ideas: the Celestial throne is ours by birthright, but don't cross a Celestial if you want to live. Following these two tenets, particularly the last one, a Star Child could eke out a living among the galaxy. And so it had, but it was face to face with a challenge to its second tenet—and it was not keen on taking the challenge.

"Observe." Expanding the smoke throughout the room, it effectively "zoomed in" on a specific star near the core of the galaxy. "This is where I was born, some one thousand five hundred of your years ago." It panned the image around, showing the presence of a nebula. "This image is outdated, based on my memory, but this is my parent. Or what's left of it. A Celestial killed it when I was young to consume its power."

A sadistic grin enveloped its face as it leaned through the smoke. "You, too, have much energy I could consume." Returning its focus to the image it had created, it rearranged it entirely to a new image. One of a Celestial. "This Celestial," it resumed, "was responsible for the death of most of my species millions of years ago." It animated the smoke to show the Celestial flinching and retreating from view. "I mortally wounded it in battle."

In truth, the Celestial was barely harmed. Acolhuani was embellishing events, and leaving out the grave wounds it sustained as well. "So, worm, if what you wish is for my demise, know that a Celestial could not do so. If what you wish is for my help, however..." It contemplated deeply for a moment. On the one hand, it could have the chance to kill a Celestial assuming this was no solo operator, and there were more of his kind similarly imposing. On the other, if it agreed and it was wrong in this assumption, it could spell its doom.

I have too much to lose here...A force nexus, a cult of worshippers, it's too much to sacrifice. It thought to itself. But it had one more thought, one that turned the tables entirely. But how many worshippers could I gain by taking a Celestial's throne?

"Then I will help you, on the condition that my power remains mine. I will not be subordinate to another. Least of all to a mortal such as yourself.

Kyyrk

​

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk watched with a vague interest as the planet was shown to him. As the entity waxed poetic about its life. The death of its progenitor. But perhaps the most disturbing thing he did was completely involuntary. As the map zoomed to show the birthplace of this...Acolhuani, Kyyrk's eyes sparked in recognition. He said nothing. But it was clear he knew this star. But he said nothing until the entity paused, attempting to strike a deal with him. "You and I both know that your demise is of no interest to me."

Kyyrk looked back to the great being, his brow furrowing. It was not the only thing that could engage in...theatrics. "I know this Celestial you speak of." Was the bane of her people the very same Celestial this man had faced? No, it could not have been. It wasn't possible. "My people call it The Unmaker. A god of death and destruction. Capable of twisting creation until it never existed to begin with." Was he speaking of the same Celestial? Perhaps. One god of destruction was just as potent as another. But only Acolhuani knew for sure. As Kyyrk continued to speak, the wall behind him began to shimmer and shift. An illusion borne of the man that stood before her.

"It came not once, but twice, to my homeworld. A once verdant land lush with jungles and wildlife." A veritable paradise sprouted forth behind him. Kyyrk paused to run his fingers along a broad leaf that presented itself to him. But as he touched it, it began to whither and dissolve. Soon, the entire scene was nothing but a barren waste. The grass, the trees, the very AIR had died. And the small point of light that had once been a sun winked out, leaving a dark, desolate wasteland behind. But just like that, the wall that had been behind Kyyrk had returned. As if the scene had never been there. "I am the last of my people. I, too, have wounded a Celestial and lived to tell the tale. I have no interest in your power, nor your people." Kyyrk turned fully back to the entity, and folded his arms across his chest. "I care about killing a Celestial. And what you know of how to accomplish that." ​

Acolhuani

 

[Acolhuani]

Seeing through the illusion was no issue for it, which it initially chose to do out of self-defense. Seeing no hostility, however, it allowed the illusion to take over its senses. As he spoke—and as the scene changed—it saw too much similarity to the Celestial it had once fought. The Celestial, named the Unmaker, was perhaps poetically so as one name of Acolhuani's kind was the "Makers". Most of its kind were killed in a great war between the Makers and all Celestials, but this one in particular was infamous in the tales it had been told.

The Unmaker, killer of a thousand Star Children. Devourer of their kin and destroyer of all they had built. It wanted the Unmaker dead. It wanted to be the one to do it. But this...this worm didn't desire its divine aid? Insolence.

"If you have no interest in my power," it said, eyes burning an inferno now, "Then perhaps you may die by it." Suddenly, the curtains ripped from their place on the windows, falling to the ground much faster than the planet's gravity would suggest, and a force pressed down on everything and everyone in the room, as though the universe itself had decreed a kneel. The only being seemingly unaffected was Acolhuani, who watched the man intent on seeing how he responded to such a power. It was time it learned whether it truly needed to fear a conflict with this man...

Or if it had reclaimed the power it lost so long ago.

Kyyrk

​

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk stepped back into a defensive stance as the beings presence filled the room. His left hand raised to stretch before him, and a protective dome shimmered to life around him. The effort was taxing, but he would never let his opponent see his weakness. At the same time, he drew the sword that reeked of plague, though he did not activate it. He was preparing himself.

"So fickle are you. So young...so untested." Kyyrk spoke casually. This was not the first time he'd been threatened by a being 'infinitely' his greater. "So....naive." Kyyrk still did not make a move to retaliate. He let his vaguely insulting claim settle for a moment. "If you would take on the Unmaker alone, then do so. I'll not stop you. But you'll need help. You know you will. I don't need your power. Just your knowledge. And you are far from the last of your kind."

He didn't need her. And he was gambling that she needed him. "The choice is yours, young one. If you wish to lend your aid, lend it how you see fit. We will defeat him one way or another. With, or without your help."

Acolhuani

 

[Acolhuani]

It hadn't let on—it dare not let on—that a pain was growing in its core as it had been near to this man. There were few things that caused such a pain, and a Wound was one of those few.

Acolhuani could tell the man was exerting against its crushing Force power. It almost was amusing, as it had expected resistance but...more. Increasing the weight of its power, it hovered closer and raised its right hand. From across the room, a metal brazier disassembled into a hail of sharp metal. It flung the flurry of blades at its victim—each one becoming engulfed in violet flame—and attempted to penetrate this barrier around its foe.

Simultaneously, from its left hand, an arc of coruscating lightning erupted and connected with the barrier. This was no Force Lightning trick, this lightning came from somewhere else. It was a cosmic lightning, the kind normally only found in the most volatile of solar storms and in the most chaotic of nebulae. This lightning was borne of stars.

It spoke not a word as it began its assault. It didn't dare to, for to speak was to distract itself from its goal: push this cretin's limits. But as it heard the heretic's heinous insults, it was driven to speech. "Ah, so ye art ancient." it was slipping into a similarly ancient dialect of Basic. "Ye who walks my halls," it flung another nondescript object at the barrier. "Ye who intrudes upon mine flock," another object connected with the barrier, as Acolhuani was within 10 feet by now.

"Ye who knows not the power of his foe," and with that, the coruscating lightning condensed, and condensed, and condensed until each arc was one, and from there it became a ray of scorching light. The screeching sound of ionizing air filled the room, almost deafening, and the stench of ozone invaded Acolhuani's nostrils. In the chaos of the room, a curtain was carried through this ray and evaporated into thin air. The power behind this attack began to drive the floating form of Ilana back.

"Witness my divine wrath and weep."

Kyyrk

​

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk said nothing. He didn't need to. Instead, his stance just deepened, and as the lightning collided with his protective bubble, a flash of light obscured all within the room. As the arcs condensed into a single ray of light, Kyyrk felt himself sliding back, bit by bit, until the shield collapsed and the beam shot clear through where it had once been to score the wall behind him. Where the man had once been, now but a charred pile of ash remained. It seemed that all his talk was just that. Talk.

Until the shadows stirred.

The man's cloak was gone, disintegrated within the ray. Without a word, his left hand lifted once more, and a series of projectiles shot from the knuckles of the gauntlet. The man advanced slowly, his hand dropping to his thigh for just a moment, and withdrawing a sidearm that sent one, two, and three bolts towards the being. With each flash of the muzzle, his aura within the Force spiked. The gun wasn't firing plasma, but concentrated projectiles of pure Force. The man was slow. Confident. Almost daring Acolhuani to strike at him again.

Daring. The man was not afraid. Not in the slightest. The glow in his eyes had deepened, and the room about him seemed just that one shade darker. The determination on his face showed no signs of fear. None of pity. None of remorse. Acolhuani had attacked him. He was just finishing the job. Yet, his attack was...underwhelming. What could he hope to accomplish with three puny bolts? Still, the sword in his hand remained inert. He wasn't attacking Acolhuani.

No.

He was provoking her. Toying with her... ​

Acolhuani

 

[Acolhuani]

As the barrier shattered and naught but a pile of ash remained, Acolhuani exhaled an exasperated breath. It let up its assault and went to fix its hair just as the man reappeared and started his own small retaliation. It didn't so much as flinch as the three bolts sputtered out in front of it, dispersed with ease. It turned its gaze to him in mild shock, and a short stare-down occurred.

Its gaze shifted to the blade hilt in his hand. It recalled the reek of plague, and was finally able to place it. Void. This was not good. No, not good at all. It thrived on the Force—losing its connection to it meant losing its connection to life itself. It had to think momentarily of how to prevent this from happening. Yes...yes that's right. This is more of a detriment to him than me.

"Alright, you're holding back. I can see that now." It began to pace around the room, keeping its distance at a comfortable as-far-away-as-possible feet. "But your blade, it is your only hope of winning this fight, isn't it?"

It stopped underneath a skylight, the moonlight illuminating it from behind to create an imposing silhouette. If it hadn't been noticed before, it was clear now that its cult following had gathered outside the Temple on the staircases leading up to its chambers.

"Your confidence, however, is misplaced. Do not so easily forget, we are called gods for a reason. Is this a fight you want to take?" There was a nauseating disturbance as the two suddenly found themselves in space. Acolhuani seemed largely unconcerned with breathing, instead choosing to communicate telepathically. "You've been at my mercy since you arrived on this planet." The disturbance returned and they found themselves on a nearby moon. "You just never realized it."

Again, the disturbance warped around them and the scene became that of a dark forest. Acolhuani emerged from behind a tree, saying "You thought your sword could save you." Once more they were in space. "But did you know that your sword has a shatterpoint?" They were in a desert. "I can see it, I can disassemble it right now if I wanted to. You could activate the blade, but how many of my flock would it take to hold you down when your own capacity for the Force is blocked?"

"I know how easily you could shut me down with that sword. But as soon as you can't use the Force, how will you defend against me? It took a Force barrier to hold fast against my assault before." They were back in the Temple. "What will you do without it?"

The cultists had filtered into the room, curious where they had gone, but were now scattering as they returned. A whisper propagated from its mind and the cultists all stopped in their tracks, turning to approach the solitary antagonist. "So I'll ask you again: is this a fight you want to take?"

Kyyrk

​

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk sensed the danger before it engulfed them, and so was able to drop his sidearm and summon forth another bubble of Force energy. While the being before him could survive in the vacuum of space, he couldn't. He released it, dropping expertly to his feet as the being pulled them to yet another location. Kyyrk's eyes were locked on the woman, even when she was obscured from his sight. His grip tightened on the sword when she mentioned its shatterpoint. Good information to know. If cornered, he'd have to rely on his command of the Force, not his skill with technology to fell her. IF it came to that.

How WOULD he defend himself from her? Her first mistake was making assumptions. That was always the first mistake. When the worlds stopped spinning, Kyyrk stood between the entity and her cult. He turned silently to look at the gathered behind him. Now it was do or die. He sighed quietly, and unclasped the helmet that had hung at the back of his belt. As he lowered it over his head, it revealed a string of medallions across the face, symbolic of many eyes. Kyyrk turned back to Acolhuani. "This is a conflict you have chosen. I would have been content to seek your knowledge, and go my own way. Understand that what has happened here is your doing, and yours alone." Kyyrk reached behind him and drew his second blade. "If this is the path you have chosen, then so be it. I will do what I must."

With that, Kyyrk activated the Void-blade. He lifted it over his head, and hurled it spinning end over end into the floor in the center of the room, where it lodged securely in the stone. Kyyrk and Acolhuani were well outside the sphere of influence it exerted. The centerpiece of their conflict had been established. Kyyrk's lightsaber roared to life, lightning arcing along the blade. With a flourish, the man spun the blade this way and that, transferring it to his dominant hand. Around a small orb affixed to his left shoulder, lightning began to surge and arc, the fingers of his left hand moving in time. "Come then, child of the stars."

"Do your worst." ​

Acolhuani

 

[Acolhuani]

As her foe declared that this was a fight she had chosen, as if to imply she should be fearful, there was a high pitched ring that began to fade in. But there is still so, so much this cretin has to learn.

As the blade planted itself in the stone of the altar, mimicking ancient legends from across the galaxy, it had become separated from its master. Within a heartbeat, the scene had changed. There was no grandeur, no flourish, they were in the Valley of Death. Irradiated, toxic air filled the space around them. Acolhuani took a deep breath in, thriving on the radiation. She closed her eyes, and as she opened them back up they glowed a brilliant violet, even in the daylight of this side of the planet.

"Color me impressed. You have surpassed my expectations twice now. Once in possessing the blade, and twice in abandoning it." She extended a hand and exerted a push upon the Force that rivalled the kinetic energy of a starship. The debris of ship wreckage was flung at the speed of sound into the cliff face that imposed upon them from behind. A gathering pack of reaver-jackals was liquefied. The very earth itself was torn asunder as cracks in the rocky cliff face formed, threatening to crumble on top of them. She let out a laugh upon seeing the destruction.

"Ahh! Blessed be ye who invokes my wrath!"

Kyyrk
​

 

[Kyyrk]

The sudden shift to another world had not phased Kyyrk. No surprise registered on the faceless helmet that stared back at the star child. Not that any surprise WOULD register. Kyyrk broke into a run as the being finished her monologue, sending the titanic wave of Force Energy at him. As he ran, the blade within his hand began to glow brighter and brighter, until it seemed as if the white blade shone with the very light of the Force itself. As He neared the wave, Kyyrk hurled his lightsaber into the wave with all his might.

The blade cut cleanly through the onslaught, buffeted by the shockwaves though it was. Kyyrk continued to sprint towards the wave. What exactly he'd hoped to accomplish wasn't clear, as there was certainly no way the blade would find its way to Acolhuani. But then Kyyrk's machinations were revealed. He pushed himself into the air in a leap, twisting to orient his hand at the same angle as the blade that now rested comfortably on the other side. And with a loud crack, the blade was once more in his hand. Kyyrk hit the ground running, now on the other side of the wave.

His left hand shot up, and from the orb upon his bicep, a host of lightning arced through the air threatening to engulf Acolhuani. Kyyrk feinted to the side, now running at an angle to approach Acolhuani, but not directly. He couldn't risk teleporting to his blade again. She already knew that disarming him was effective. He had to close the gap between them, and fast. Around him, a storm whipped up. The Force tore through the ground, sending bits of debris flying. He was obscuring her vision of him. Hiding amongst the turmoil. He couldn't out gun her. But he might be able to outsmart her... ​

Acolhuani

 

[Acolhuani]

Following the man through the chaos visually was a challenge, however her aptitude for telepathy kept her aware of his general direction as she folded space itself and brought herself out of the way of the lightning attack. She coughed and a small cloud of dead stardust dispersed into the wind. She looked down and a bolt of lightning had impaled her abdomen.

"Ahh. Blessed be ye who invoke my wrath, yet wary be I who invokes his." She fell to her knees and her eyes and mouth burst into pillars of light that trumped the sun. Then—as the pillars faded—she fell to the ground, limp. In the sky, a billowing nimbus of nebulous gas and twinkling starlight formed in the stratosphere. Within her foe's mind, a distinctive and familiar voice reverberated.

"Very well, warrior. You have bested my vessel. Yet from here I could smite you with a thought." As if to prove so, a godray of light twenty meters in diameter struck the earth some two hundred feet from him, leaving a crater twice as wide and coated in molten rock and glass. "So I posit that we call a truce, and discuss your plan to end a Celestial on neutral terms."

Kyyrk

​

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk's run slowed, to a simple walk as he looked up at the pillar of divine light as the being's vessel expired. Kyyrk had figured that the vessel would have been its weakness, but frankly he had expected....more. The being's essence filled the sky, and Kyyrk's helmet lifted as if to stare into its depths. His blade lowered, and the lightning around his form dissipated. Kyyrk was standing down. When the entity threatened him once more, he did not flinch. Did not even turn to gaze at the might put on display. Kyyrk's blade retracted, and a silence fell upon the land.

When Kyyrk spoke, it was quiet. He did not yell, nor shout. Acolhuani could hear him just as well. There was no need. "By our knowledge, the Unmaker is awake. His forces attacked many star systems. Already, a quarter of the galaxy lies in ruin." Kyyrk was making the assumption that Acolhuani was not paying attention to matters beyond her domain. But he was not doing so maliciously. If anything, he was ensuring she understood the stakes his people faced. "Soon, more worlds will fall to his influence. I have no doubt yours will be destroyed as well."

Kyyrk reached behind his back, and withdrew an item. Ossus seemed....so long ago. But the item he'd recovered there had proven invaluable to him. His left hand turned to reveal a holocron resting within his open palm. "Legends speak of a great cleansing. All force sensitive life in the galaxy will be consumed to feed the Unmaker. My people have stopped it twice now. But we cannot struggle eternally." Kyyrk frowned as he said this. He knew, in the back of his mind, that it was correct. But the recent attack on the Confederacy had not been a cataclysm. Perhaps there was another time lurking deep in his subconscious? "The Unmaker is strongest within the void. But it is only within the void his power can truly be sealed away. Is there a way to bind such a creature to the mortal realm?" ​

Acolhuani

 

[Acolhuani]

Her nebulous form shifted and danced in the space above the atmosphere. It rolled over itself like a cloud and the starlight within twinkled. She was silent for a moment, considering, her form billowing and reshaping; swirling and dancing on the edge of oblivion.

"There is a way." She recalled deep into her memories. Earlier than her recovery from her battle with a Celestial, before even her time spent in the Old Republic, before her first steps outside of the system of her birth. Her memories touched on the thoughts of who she was before her birth.

"I was not born in the same way as most Star Children." Near Kyyrk, the beginnings of a nervous system floating in the air began to form. She was creating, and as she spoke, she continued this creation. "A piece of me was donated by my parent, but for the most part I was reborn of another. I am the latest in a long line of Star Children who practiced this Rebirth religiously." The nervous system was encased in bone, then surrounded by muscle, and eventually wrapped neatly in skin. "With each Rebirth a select memory was maintained. Some of us chose to maintain memories of anything we wanted: family, activities, skills, moments in time; but my lineage chose to carry the secret of battling Celestials."

Her form spiraled downward through the atmosphere, creating a point that drove itself into the base of the body's neck. As life entered its eyes, its skin glowed and its hair flared from grey to fiery red. She had created a vessel for herself.

"I will share this memory with you, however I have demands." She raised her right hand and held up her thumb. "First, I need my cult to thrive. You must guarantee their wellbeing and most importantly, their continued worship. Whatever that means you do, just let them worship." She held up her index finger, indicating two. "Second, my peace. You will leave me to my devices." Satisfied with her demands, she waited for his response.

Kyyrk

​

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk was at a crossroads. He wanted to believe that he could take the star child at her word. But he knew better than to hope beyond hope that she would ever help him out of the goodness of her heart. Those that enacted subjugation rarely had the best interests of others at heart. "No." Kyyrk spread his arms, gesturing to the area around them. "You lost the right to be left to your own devices when you attacked me." Kyyrk turned to look directly at the new vessel. "The Ascendancy will not demand servitude. But neither will you be left to your own devices. I don't care if I have to watch you myself."

Kyyrk lifted his gaze to the sky, as if watching for something. "But I will honor your first wish, insofar as I am able. There are two that walk among your cult. Men that I once called brother. They are good soldiers. And I'll need them to fight in this war. Give me them, and the rest of your followers will be left to their own devices." Kyyrk turned his gaze back down to Acolhuani. "This, of course, assuming that I feel the need to barter for your knowledge. Which I don't. You've proven yourself to be an asset, if one that needs to be...encouraged."

The man regarded her silently for a moment. A long moment. "My people will keep tabs on you and your cult. And you will return my brothers. And then, if you're cooperative, we'll consider you an ally when the Unmaker comes." Neither of them really stood a chance against the Unmaker alone. But unlike Acolhuani, Kyyrk had the humility to accept that. He'd had it beaten from him, to be sure, but he had it none the less. It was the only thing he had to barter with, so barter he would. Except for one small matter. "Share the knowledge now, and I may be willing to impart knowledge of my own. You may be a mighty child of the stars, but your vessels leave something to be desired..." ​

Acolhuani