Private Containment

[Justice Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Arm: xxx
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren

The Maw were a defeated foe, and that meant the galaxy would spend a certain period of peace reconstructing the destruction they had wrought on the galaxy. It was a difficult balance still as the Galactic Alliance paid a high price in bringing the Brotherhood to heel. Exegol was destroyed, a feat of military might and power to be certain, but it went against everything Justice believed. He was beginning to understand why his uncle remained disenfranchised with the New Jedi Order and the Galactic Alliance. Just needed to talk to Hol about it, but after the current mission.

His partner for this particular assignment was none other than Briana Sal-Soren. There was a chance the mission itself would be awkward considering the past the two shared. They had not interacted or talked much since her return, and when they had it did not go well. Both of them had every right to be upset with the other, but Justice hoped they both valued their friendship more than their current feelings threatened it.

Justice let his boots sink into the wartorn soil of the planet they had landed on. There was something about the destruction which also birthed life. It was a philosophy many had used to justify their genocide. Justice could no more agree with that than he could the ways in which the Alliance seemed to be justifying their annihilation of Exegol. There was only one thing Justice could agree with at the moment and that was whatever dark artifacts and pockets of Maw radicalization left behind, it needed to be contained.

His job was to secure the artifacts. Briana's job was to keep him safe and deal with whatever enemies tried to stop them. Justice also carried his lightsaber. He was a Jedi and Lesan after all. If he could not fight he did not deserve to be either. Much had improved with his skill since his arm was lost protecting his friend.

He smirked.

"Let's hope this one doesn't end like last time."

His voice was deadpan though anyone who knew him well enough knew he was being sarcastic. Justice's aim was to tease his friend rather than take a shot at their past failure. He rubbed his arm out of habit, and the phantom pains which still plagued him. That was unfortunate timing, even if it was almost involuntary.

"There should be some temple ruins two clicks from here. I don't know what to expect other than we have some holocrons to recover. The shadows have not told me what dark side activity to expect aside from that."​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Justice Lesan

"I think we've both grown since then," she said, trying to not let the comment she assumed to be a playful jab not bother her, all the while finishing fastening the songsteel vambraces to her forearms. Failing Justice was the turning point in her career as a Jedi and the lense through which she judged and measured every battle she'd walked into going forward. She wouldn't allow it to happen a second time.

Listening to Justice, Briana nodded. "Guess we'll learn on our feet then," she quipped, heaving to her feet in a fluid motion and slinging on her knapsack. She was used to having all of the details of a mission up front, and while it did make her uneasy, it didn't deter her.

There'd been plenty of situations where she'd had to make things up as she went. If there was anything she'd become adept at, it was making quick decisions in difficult situations. "I'm here to act as your shield while you extract and secure the darkside artifact, I'll defer to you throughout this mission, so just tell me what you need me to do and I'll do my best to execute it." It, being from any number of darkside creatures to providing assistance. Whatever it'd take to make sure this Mawite object was delivered to the Jedi Temple.

With an inhale and a swift exhale, they were off.

"This jungles hotter than a wookiee's armpit," she complained, wiping at the sweat beading on her brow from the thick atmosphere of the tropical environment. "You do this kind of thing regularly, then?" she asked, attempting to drum up casual conversation as they went.

 

[Justice Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Arm: xxx
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren

“I don’t need a shield,” he jabbed quickly.

Justice stopped in his tracks and canted his head toward Briana.

“That was not fair, I’m sorry.”

Did it sting to hear that from her? A little. The last time they worked together when it had been just the two of them it had been him protecting her. His arm had been the cost of her life. Justice was not bitter, but where he thought he had moved on from the event, something of it still seemed to hold on.

“We have both grown since then. It was not a good joke, but you have to admit, being out here like this brings back some memories.”

Some of them, many of them were good memories. Justice would never escape the fact he had been infatuated with the brunette for a long time. He was embarrassed to think of it, and in some ways it made him smile. They were good friends in those days, but she had been everything he had hoped to become. Briana had been the confident one, always sure of herself. Justice had to learn to come into that.

His injury had been what forced him to find himself. Archeology was the path he chose during his recovery. There had been an underlying passion for old and ancient societies which he had not fully explored until he had nothing else to do. Upon reflection, Justice had Briana to thank in a way. She helped him discover who he was, even if it had not been the way either of them would have hoped for.

“Frequently,” he quipped. “That’s the thing about archeology, it takes you to all kinds of places, and many times your feet touch places that have been lost for so long that yours are the first to walk old surfaces in millennia.”

Even as he spoke the excitement built in his voice.

“This was something I wanted to share with you for a long time… your family took you away. I never thought I’d get to share this part of my life with you.”

It was an honest statement born of an attempt to recapture what parts of their friendship they could keep or salvage. Justice owed Briana for one other important part of his life.

I met Hollis on a mission similar to this… I don’t know if you knew that.”​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Justice Lesan

Her strides stopped abruptly.

Between the joke with his arm and now this, Briana was starting to doubt he really meant the apology he tried to usher in to cover up his sharp words and tone. "You're right, it wasn't a good joke. If this is going to be a problem with us, I can go back to the ship. It'll take me two seconds to call up the council and request a transfer if we can't work amicably together. Is that going to be a challenge for you? Cause if it is, tell me now so I'm not wasting my time being out here."

There was only so much that Briana was willing to take before enough was enough. Back in the day, she would have slugged the person who dared to try and take that sort of tone with her. She liked to believe that she wasn't that person anymore, that she had a better grip on her emotions, on compartmentalizing when she had to, despite feeling her dominate hand curling up tightly.

Stepping over a large vine, she listened with apt attention as Justice spoke, feeling her flared temper cool down to a smoldering ember.

"Maybe they haven't been walked through in a millennia because sane people know there are better environments... never hear of them finding something neat on a beautiful resort world...." she grumbled beneath her breath, pushing a branch out of her path and ducking down quickly to avoid being smacked as it whipped back forcefully.

"I knew you met her on a mission," she told him, "despite what you might think, I actually do try and keep something of a bead on my friends and what they've been up to. I wasn't sure of the details though, since we haven't talked in a while. How's that going, anyway?"

 

[Justice Lesan]

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Wearing: xxx​

Arm: xxx​

Tag: Briana Sal-Soren​

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Justice could not argue that he deserved the tongue lashing which Briana gave him, though he did have to admit that it stung. She knew their history, and she knew his feelings for her ran deeper than he should have ever allowed them to. They were friends, yes, but that only made their history that much more tragic in a way. The brunette had tried to protect him, but she had failed, and his arm was the price of keeping them both alive.​

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The young Jedi was much stronger since that day.​

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He just nodded his head when Briana asked if they would be able to work together. There was nothing else to say really.​

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“You’d be surprised what you can find underwater with some patience and rebreather”​

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Justice shrugged.​

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Had Briana meant for him to hear what she said, likely not, but he got the gist of it anyhow.​

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The topic of his relationship came with a probing question. How was it going? Justice shrugged again. It was not that it was going poorly, or that he wanted to be dishonest about it. The question in his mind was how much to tell Briana. For some reason it felt awkward in a way.​

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“It’s going well,” he finally said. “We moved in together… I bought a ring…”​

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Nervous Justice, always the one to ramble. He had certainly shared more than he intended to. Briana might as well be the first to hear it though. Aside from his crazy uncle and distant cousin, Briana was about all the family he truly had among the Jedi, that was not his beloved Hollis after all. She definitely had to be the last to find out There was no way it would be a surprise.​

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“Don’t tell her or anything… I have it all planned out…”​

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His face was turning red.​

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“We uhh… we need to go that way.”​

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Justice lazily pointed to the left as they came on a fork in the road.​

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[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Justice Lesan

Briana's cheeks flushed, mortified that he'd overheard her hushed grumblings of discontent, silently vowing to be more careful with her words for the continued duration of their mission together.

Attempting to shrug off her momentary lapse in judgment, the duo continued on, Briana trailing closely behind Justice as he carved a path for them through the thick jungle, their conversation veering into more personal territory. A small smile played at the corner of her lips as he stumbled over his words.

Justice hadn't changed, it seemed; Briana instantly recognized his nervous ramblings for what they were as he all but confessed his intentions to propose to Hollis, finding herself oddly comforted by the familiarity of the conversation, reminiscent of how things were before. Momentarily forgetting the underlying tension that existed between them.

"That's great news," she replied, sincerely happy that he'd found someone who reciprocated his feelings, although a pang of annoyance followed shortly after. "Really, Just?" she asked, her tone laced with disbelief as one of her manicured brows arched in skepticism. The thought that she might blab about something like a proposal was preposterous. Had he completely forgotten who she was? "Do you think I'd let something that important slip?"

Taking a deep breath to dispel the tension gathering in her shoulders, she made a conscious decision to let it go, "But I'm happy for you," Briana told him, adding warmth to her voice before speaking again, all the while following him through the thick foliage, "really."

 

[Justice Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Arm: xxx
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren

“I know, I know… it goes without saying, but I said it so…”

The banter between them seemed to slow naturally. Justice could easily admit he missed how easy their friendship was when all things were equal. There was no longer the issue of his feelings to get in the way of the good things they had already had going for them. It was right in a way that was just as right as marrying Hollis. Justice was mature enough to see where the people in his life needed to fit, and he was happy to know that Bri would always be a good friend.

He nodded.

For some reason there was part of him that needed to hear Briana was happy for him. He had looked up to her for so long that what she thought still carried some weight with the young Lesan. It was akin to a sister approving of a girlfriend if he was honest. Whether either of them wanted to admit it, Briana was the closest thing to a true sibling Justice had. He had brothers, but he did not know them well enough to understand the dynamic. The one he had felt close to died when he was too young to know better. Briana was family.

“I have you to thank you know.. If I would not have gotten hurt I would never taken the time to dig into all the history that is still out in the galaxy. I found my calling as a Jedi because of you, and that led to bumping into Hollis… well, she bumped into me.”

Just chuckled.

“We are way more alike than any two people should be, and it works… you know…”

Justice paused as his eyes fell on the massive stone structure. Much of the Maw sites Just had visited to this point were ruins. This was still intact. It even looked as though it could be in use if the Jedi did not know better. Fortunately for them it was abandoned, or supposed to be. That did not mean they were free from any traps left behind for unsuspecting trespassers.

He moved ahead cautiously, almost quiet. There was a darkness about them. For a moment Just wondered if they were walking into a dark side nexus, but it was not powerful enough. The taint turned his stomach sour, and his eyes darted back to Briana. It felt eerily similar to the day he lost his arm.

Would she feel it too?

“Maybe it is a good thing you’re here to be a shield.”​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Justice Lesan

Briana listened intently as Justice spoke, her eyes gradually softening at the heartfelt appreciation of his words, though there was a hint of doubt lingering within her, making her question if the gratitude he expressed was somewhat misdirected; reflecting on their shared experiences during their time on Ossus and realizing that she’d never quite been able to get over the feeling that she’d let Justice down.

If only she had been more careful, more prudent in her decisions, not allowing her true nature to guide her so recklessly… maybe he wouldn’t have suffered.

The guilt that weighed on Briana’s shoulders ever since that day, lingered, and for an extended period, she'd found herself incapable of confronting him and the repercussions of her behavior. She’d thought she was doing the right thing, taking charge and making the tough calls, but in hindsight, she realized that she’d been too hasty and impulsive.

A knot tightened in her throat as Justice’s words echoed through her heart, unable to shake off the feeling that she was failing him even now by her inability to fully accept his gratitude.

"I'm glad you feel that way," Briana finally spoke, her voice laced with a hint of sadness. "But I have to be honest with you, Just. I don't think I deserve your thanks." She paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. "I let you down, I was reckless and impulsive. Any accomplishments you’ve made, the growth you’ve done? Meeting Hollis? That wasn’t me, it was you.”

As Justice turned his attention to the looming stone structure ahead of them, Briana felt an unsettling aura of darkness drape over her shoulders, thick enough that it was nearly palpable; there was something eerily foreboding about the colossal stone edifice looming ahead of them, and she couldn't help but feel that they were inadvertently walking into a more dangerous situation beyond what they'd been prepared to face.

“Let’s hope that comes about later, rather than sooner.” Inhaling deeply, she dispelled the encroaching darkness and nodded at Justice, clasping her hand on his shoulder. "But I’ve got your back, no matter what.”

 

[Justice Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Arm: xxx
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren

“You did let me down.”

Justice was not going to lie just to make Briana feel better. He had expressed his thoughts on that before. She knew the disappointment was multi-faceted. He confessed the feelings he had harbored for her. Much of the betrayal came from the fact he had certain expectations because of something he had never shared with her. It was never fair to her, so Justice learned to let that go. Besides, all of that had contributed to the happiness he now had.

“Maybe, it is what I did, and maybe you still played a part in all of it. What I do know is that however it came about I would have never gotten there if you had not inspired me to do so in the first place. You don’t need to build up what I did for myself while diminishing how you helped.”

This was as close to any form of closure the two could likely expect. Neither of them spent a great deal of their time together talking about heavier things. Perhaps it was for the best, or maybe it wasn’t. Regardless of what it was, Justice was happy they could work on a mission together.

He nodded in agreement with her hope that trouble would be much further down the road for them. Every sense he had told him otherwise, but Justice felt at peace. He was so calm about it he almost made a joke that would have likely gotten him hit. This was likely not the time to mention his arm again, so he just nodded a second time.

“We have each others’.”

Justice still did not need her to protect him in the way she had been assigned to, but the sentiment was taken for what it was.

“In the meantime, we need to isolate whatever artifacts we can find. Whatever remnant of the Maw that is around will likely be looking, or any Sith greedy enough to add to their power base. Most of the sites I have been to were ruins. Intel says this place is abandoned, but the structure looks untouched. We need to be careful. I still think we might have a welcome party.”​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Justice Lesan

Briana's heart plummeted as Justice acknowledged the failures of her past. Though it wasn't the first time they discussed this, it pained her all the same. Yet, his honesty was something she appreciated. A no-nonsense and blunt person herself, she found comfort when Justice adopted a similar approach. It made facing her own inadequacies slightly easier.

"I agree," she murmured, her voice laden with emotion. "... and however things turned out, I'm glad I could be of some help."

Following Justice's cue, Briana nodded her head in agreement about the artifacts, the Maw, and the potential perils ahead. The air around them grew increasingly tense, but she refused to succumb to fear or trepidation. Taking a deep breath, she felt it settle into her bones, letting the current quiet of the atmosphere ground and settle over her, the calming presence of the Force thrumming through her blood.

Turning toward Justice beside her, she reaffirmed their united mindset. Having experienced firsthand the disastrous consequences of Sith artifacts falling into nefarious hands before, she knew all too well that they needed to prevent any lurking enemy from obtaining these powerful tools first.

"You're right, we need to proceed with caution," she agreed, before playfully poking his side. "I just hope you've been sharpening your fighting skills alongside your scholastic pursuits." A teasing smirk crept onto her lips in an attempt to lighten the heaviness weighing on their situation.

Then, without another word, Briana advanced with Justice toward the enigmatic edifice. Drawing nearer, her perceptions sharpened exponentially, a subtle disturbance in the Force reached out to her, akin to a distant murmur that swelled in intensity with each forward stride. Upon reaching the threshold, Briana deftly detached her lightsaber and held it at the ready with a poised sort of grace.

The environment exuded an eerie aura, almost as if the air itself held its breath in anticipation. Dark shadows and warnings through the Force cascaded around them, evoking a sense of foreboding that would have daunted any ordinary individual. However, Briana's resolve remained unshaken. Her emotions were a whirlwind of nervous anticipation and steely determination, with an underlying hint of excitement that she knew was uncouth for a Jedi Knight.

Turning to her companion, striving for a modicum of nonchalance, she stated, "Into the fray it is then?"

 

[Justice Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx
Arm: xxx
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren

Justice nodded. There was nothing more they needed to say on the particular topic. They knew where they stood, and despite a long trial for them both, they came out of the fire of it as friends. It could have been different, it could have been worse.

“You think I haven’t been training. Hollis is a guardian too, you know.”

It was an equally sarcastic response. In truth he had gotten much better. His master had seen to it. Justice also had found that discovering his path opened up whatever metal block that had kept him from succeeding where his peers had. This included his skills with a lightsaber. They were of a level that his Uncle Judah was no longer worried if he could carry on the Lesan tradition of being an excellent duelist.

“Maybe you want to test that theory when we get back. I’ll kick your butt.”

Was he trying to provoke her? A little. Justice was also trying to keep the mood light considering the feeling which was in the pit of his stomach. Everything felt wrong, and when Briana readied her lightsaber, it only made him that much more uneasy. Yes, he had been in dangerous situations before. His missing arm and the scar along his face were enough evidence of that.

Justice had seen war, and more of it than a Consular should.

“Into the fray…”

He stepped ahead. Justice felt the need to show Briana that he did not need her to enter first. For some reason it was not enough to simply tell Bri that he was different, better, capable. Just had to demonstrate it.

Something ugly washed over him when they crossed the threshold. A shiver ran down his back as the aroma of whatever rituals had been performed in the building collided with his nostrils. This was an evil place.

Like his uncle, Justice saw the world in black and white. While most Jedi had to contend with the gray of the universe, Justice could not. There was absolute evil in the world, and the Maw had been a prime example of it. To think any less denied the truth. The truth being something more absolute than many among the order wished to admit.

Justice pulled his lightsaber from the belt on his hip. One of the blades came to life with a snap hiss, enough to illuminate the room.

Runes covered the wall, a language Just did not speak, but familiar to many of the Maw locations he had visited thus far. They were enough to make him sick on their own. What they surrounded only made it worse. The image depicted a holocron, and shadowed figure holding it, and death surrounding it all. Whatever he and Briana had stumbled upon, it had something to do with that holocron.

“It is here, somewhere in this temple.”​