Corellian Jedi — notoriously contrary

[Corvus Raaf]

“Of course I’m listening!” Her tone was harsh.

“Listen,” she softened her voice, this was the old Corvus once more. “I can’t go to anyone with just the evidence that I had a vision – but I didn’t see who did it but you had a vision and saw this man. Don’t forget, I was the one that broke the news of my Master’s death – and told them all how he’d died in the electrical storm.”

“I can hear them now. She’s distraught. All those years of brooding have tipped her over the edge. You can see how tightly strung she is. Where is her actual evidence?”

“We should at least speak with him. He may have the perfect alibi. We’ll not challenge him. See if he gives himself away. Then come back with that evidence.”

The plan seemed plausible. Corvus’ usual exemplary logic was back in control of the Padawan he saw before him.

She smiled. “You know that makes sense. Now let’s find out where he is.”

Finding the woman they first met, Corvus asked, “Knight Sa’id. Did you see where Master Vass went?”

“Oh, you only just missed him. He went to the crystal caves. Said he had to source a new tunnel for a promising Padawan he’d identified. Of course,” she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “You know he always wanted you as his Padawan. Made no secret of the fact. Quite upset when you turned him down. Said he saw you as being the one to replace him one day. That’s as much praise as I’ve ever heard him give anyone. Anyway, you know where the caves are. May the Force be with you.”

She bowed and Corvus returned the gesture.

[member="VlPER"]

 

[VlPER]

He thought about her line of reasoning for a moment. It was a weak argument at best. They were still both Jedi, and there was a second unbiased person now added to the mix that gives credence to the accusation. But...technically, she wasn't wrong. It could very well swing the way she described as well. Her new more thought out plan of action wasn't a bad one either. It was far less confrontational than her recent mood swings. With a resigned sigh, he simply nodded his head in agreement and followed.

The adrenaline was beginning to flow as Viper realized they were closing in on their quarry. He was still concerned about Corvus though. One second she was her old self, and then the next she would explode. This still did not seem like a good idea. But he didn't have anything to argue the point further with. As they ran he gave her a side ward glance.

"Corvus..." He asked gently. "What's the Jedi code say?" It was the last small thing he could think of to try and keep her mind in the right place for the coming confrontation.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

"The Code?". It seemed funny to Corvus for others to quote the Code to her, but then it was a valid argument.

"Defend the Order. Combat the Dark Side and fight with mercy and passion. To go back on your word is to conduct oneself against the Jedi Code. I think that about covers it. We won't take a life unless it's necessary but to avoid the confrontation is equally wrong."

They had left civilisation behind now. The Jedi Enclave was close to the lakes and caves that she used to explore as a child and be taken to as a Youngling and Padawan to train and learn. She climbed a short hill to a small flat area that gave a perfect view of the caves below.

"Here's where Master Jareck died, where we had our shared vision.". In her mind's eye she could see his form stretched out where they stood.

[member="VlPER"]

 

[VlPER]

"Good enough." He thought to himself.

When they reached the spot where her previous master had died, he looked around quickly. There visions never gave detail about where they might find their target. And in the end, the visions really were fluid things. "Nothing is certain." He'd remember being told about them. "Shall we continue on to the caves then?" He asked after giving her a small moment.

He didn't mean to sound uncaring, but at the same point, it didn't serve their purpose in any useful way to stay in a place holding such pain for Corvus.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded in reply. She travelled the route she'd done that fateful day. - albeit in reverse. This time she was going back to the caves. She didn't know why - of all of the caves on Corellia she'd find the Sith here - but she just knew. Perhaps because these were the most dangerous, uncharted ones. This is where a promising student would come.

As they travelled, Corvus picked off the spots she remembered from the last time she was here. The place she'd waited. The path the Sandpanther walked - that delayed her progress whilst she waited for it to pass.

And finally they reached the edge of the lake and the entrances to so many of the caves. And echoing from the smallest entrance was the sound of boots - coming ever closer.

[member="VlPER"]

 

[VlPER]

Viper could her the sound of footsteps, feel the presence of the man drawing near. This was it, moment of truth. All the stories and visions had led these two people here to finally resolve an almost forgotten tragedy. He hoped it would turn out well. It still felt like a lot could happen in a short time.

"Sounds like he's coming back. Let's go talk to him."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Master Vass soon appeared. He slowed as he reached the entrance but his face was friendly enough, he stood - hands on hips.

"Padawan Raaf and...friend. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure."

VlPER couldn't have helped but notice that Corvus didn't bow to the man, nor he to her. The tension could have been sensed even by someone not in tune with the Force. For someone who was - the sense of danger was palpable.

"Master Vass. Or should I call you by your given name. What is it? Darth Coward? Darth Traitor?". VlPER could sense the tension building in her, the anger rising as it had never done before. Her aura moving away from the blue-white he would have associctaed with her to a shade much darker.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. You are gravely mistaken and, I might add very, very foolish." He drew his saver and fiddled with the hilt. Instead of the traditional Corellian orange beam, a deep crimson saber blade was now ignited. "Foolish to think two Padawans could ever take me on and live."

His first act was to vault over the top of them and using Form V, started his attack - initially targetting VlPER.

Unbeknown to the trio, their melee was being observed by a young boy - out for a walk and innocent to the ways of the Jedi. At least he had the sense to keep himself out of view once he sensed the hostility of the situation.

[member="VlPER"] | [member="Orrell Maran"]

 

[Orrell Maran]

It had been a very tiring morning for the half-Human half-Miraluka boy who was now enjoying what he thought would be a simple walk through the area. His sight was not good enough to guide him properly but somewhat he managed to make his way with no problems, without the help of any sort of guide. Orrell was not blind, but knew very well that he would be one day and so he never let a chance of seeing new places slip away, no matter how blurry and imprecise were the images his very light blue eyes were able to pick up.

Nevertheless, as a result of having such a poor vision, his other senses were very sharp and so he was able to hear a buzzing sound, coming from the entrance of one of the crystal caves. He knew he should be careful not only because he felt something was very wrong but because he knew that this areas where home to the sandpanthers, animals he did not fear but was taught to avoid and to keep his distance from. He started to move faster and hid himself behind a big rock that was about fifteen meters away from the cave. He could only identify three figures moving but he did not need his eyes to know that a fight was taking place in the entrance of the crystal cave. The light irradiating from the sabers was also visible to him. Orrell was being careful none of the Force-users saw him, his senses and the poor sight he had trying to identify the ones that were now engaged in combat.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="VlPER"]

 

[VlPER]

Right when the man ignited his crimson saber, Viper's shoulders slumped a little as he withdrew his own sabers. For all of his saber training even before arriving at the order, Viper was not confident he'd be able to stand against a master either in saber combat, or with the force. Even with Corvus, it would be one heck of a challenge. As the man made his little comment and then jumped clear over their heads to take the high ground, his mind raced to find a quick way to end this.

Just from his attacker's first move. Viper's heart sank realizing that this master favored either ataru like Viper, or Shien / Djem So, a form he wanted to learn as it was a middle ground between his two current favored forms. "Let's see, a direct force attack will probably be resisted. A two on one, had not shown to have that great of results with myself and Corvus fighting together." He remembered amusingly for just a moment. Looking to see what he had around them. Viper noticed, the rocky surface of the trail leading down to the cave. It gave him an idea.

As Master Vass landed, Viper reached out with the force, and yanked a group of rocks out, causing the floor to slide downward. If that didn't knock the master off his feet, not much they could do would. Not wasting a moment, Viper jumped into the stumbling figure, bringing his sabers down on top of him.

[member="Orrell Maran"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

As the fight started Corvus was filled with hatred for the Sith. The man that killed her Master – all she wanted was for him to die. But she had enough presence of mind to keep her emotions locked away – remembering Knight Kian Karr’s words that the Sith fed on them, fuelling their Force powers.

As he vaulted them, Corvus took her usual Center of Being stance but then switched to Form IV. She wasn’t here to spar – she was here to avenge her Master. As VlPER kept him busy with the rocks, she went for the quick win. The Sith was able to not only parry her but knock the saber out of her hands. Her unfamiliarity with the Form was her undoing.

Fortunately VlPER had more success and although the Sith was able to deal with Corvus, he couldn’t protect himself from the rocks that literally took his legs from under him.

As Corvus managed to scrabble to reach her saber, the Sith produced Force Lightning – aimed straight at her. This time she reverted to what she knew and in Center of Being was able to deflect the Force power away from her.

[member="VlPER"] | [member="Orrell Maran"]

 

[VlPER]

When the wave of lightning shot forth from Master Vass' hands, Viper's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates it seemed. He had of course, heard stories of this power. But to see actually seeing lightning shooting out from a mans fingers, was so much more impressive than any story. So taken aback was Viper, that he almost missed his golden opportunity. Almost.

So focused was the pompous traitors attack on Corvus, that even despite his feet being knocked out from under him, he paid little attention to Viper's incoming saber. He must have truly felt a Padawan would have been unable to actually be aggressive enough to strike in the face of such an attack. At least, he must have thought so before. Because at the last possible moment, his gaze finally turned toward Viper right as his saber came down on his hands. And a horrified expression it was.

The shrieking and hollowing that bellowed forth from the surprisingly brief fight, would not wipe away the widening smile that was slowly appearing on Viper's face. They had just defeated the dark lord in their shared vision. They had done so together, and they had done so without either having to turn on each other. At least, so he had thought. From the corner of his eye, he could see Corvus moving in to strike.

Viper had not yet finished his own attack for more than a second, but surely she had noticed the master was disarmed, for lack of a better term, ....right? Or had she....?

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Orrell Maran"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

VlPER was alert to the opportunity and took it in a way that Corvus had never been able to. His hands severed, the Padawan had managed to both disarm the Sith but effectively end the man’s resistance in one move.

Corvus held her saber in front of her, its tip pointed at the man’s head. She stared into his eyes as his screams faded.

”What’s wrong little Padawan? Too afraid to finish it? Do you need your better, braver and stronger friend to do the deed?”

“You could have been great you know. But you went with that fool Jareck. You turned me down. You were so pure, corrupting you would have been…delicious. But I sense anger in you now. I sense the taint of the Dark side. Strike me down and give into that anger. Avenge your feeble Master and give yourself to the Dark side.”

Corvus deactivated the saber. The click followed by a hiss-snap as the pure violet blade extinguished. But she could not trust herself to speak.

”I see I was wrong. You are weak – just like your former Master. Oh yes, he was weak. He begged me not to kill him you know. He even offered to give you up in return for sparing his life. Oh, yes, your precious Master Jareck was not only a coward but he would have gladly sacrificed you to save his own skin.”

”LIAR” With a flick of her thumb, Corvus reactivated the saber and brought it down in a vicious arc straight at the Sith’s neck. But at the last moment the blade vanished. Corvus had clearly resisted the urge to take his life, kept her anger in sufficient check to avoid succumbing to the dark side.

”VlPER – can you take him to the Temple. His saber alone should be proof enough of his guilt. I…I…I need to be alone for a few minutes. I’ll be waiting here for you when you’ve finished.” Corvus face was unreadable. Able to control her emotions at the best of times, it was devoid of any indication of her current mood.

Clipping her saber to her belt, she strode off, heading in the direction of the nearby lake, where she promptly sat and meditated.

[member="VlPER"] | [member="Orrell Maran"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus sat and connected to the Force. Soon she was in a deep meditative state.

’I warned you. The voice in her head was familiar. Qel-Droma. ’I was not the first, but my warning was most specific.

’The blade?’

’Yes. You knew the consequences. You even debated if you were an appropriate choice for the crystal. But I stand by what I said – the crystal chooses the Jedi. So ask yourself, why has this happened?’

’Am I going mad? Is this what falling to the Dark side is like?

‘No and no. I should know. I fear you have gained an additional conscience. I have no idea how long this will last but it seems the Force has need for me to speak with you.’

’You said I’ve been warned before. By whom?’

‘That is not for me to share. You know the answer – just as you know what happened and why – you just need to ask yourself the right questions.’

Corvus reflected on this. She had been warned before? All Jedi are warned about the path to the Dark side. Path? Path? [member="Tracyn"] had warned her. He’d tried to tell her and she hadn’t truly listened – blinkered by her own view of the Code. She hadn’t been intentionally dim or foolish – but she had skated around issues and, at times, hidden behind the Code. It hadn’t necessarily made her a bad Jedi but perhaps a bad person? No – she dismissed that notion. But it returned without bidding. OK, perhaps not a bad person but she’d made decisions through blindly following the Code, rather than consider the more rounded view of what a good person would do. Maybe the decisions would have been the same – but she hadn’t given them a chance.

She nodded metaphorically. But that didn’t explain what just happened. Perhaps VlPER thought she’d turned her saber off, but given time, as he was bound to review the situation, he would realise the blade extinguished by itself – she hadn’t deactivated it. With any other saber in her hands, the Sith would be dead now. And she’d have not only blood on her hands but would have move inextricably towards the dark side.

But the voice of her conscience gave her hope. She had a reason for this behaviour – and she knew it. This was infuriating. Sometimes Jedi teachers would use this technique – choosing not to reveal the answer as the solving was almost more important than the learning.

At this point the Force warned her there was danger nearby – but she dismissed it. She was too close to the answer to stop now. The Force had warned her of the approach of the snake and fortunately for her, it had warned someone else.

A matter of days ago, reflecting on a fall to the dark-side would have been unthinkable. Yet here she was. She almost killed a man. And yet she couldn’t even close out a spar with a fellow Padawan. Tracyn! The promise she made on his ship came back to her. She had made a vow not to become a killing-machine. Had this honest but innocent promise set in course a series of events that now prevented her from taking a life, even for the greater good? She would reflect on this – but it was no closer to providing the answer, although it helped.

Her personality was set, so what had happened over the last few days to change it all? The caves? No, she was warned then but hadn’t she chosen not to take the life of even a feral creature.

So she reflected more. Elara? Was it the guilt of losing her to the Sith? No. It had devastated her but hadn’t changed her behaviour that she’d known. As she reflected on these thoughts, her corporeal body fiddled with the ring Elara had given her.

So when did she first start to change. She remembered snapping at VlPER in the caves, but then he was acting strange too. And then they’d argued on the way to the ship. And on his ship. So it had to be the caves. What else?

She cast her mind back to assembling her lightsaber. Then the vision, then leaving to find VlPER. No, there was something else. The second crystal…and the ring. She was wearing the ring now – as she’d grown tired of constantly picking it up. The rings from the labs under the Academy. The ring of the Sith. It was no marker of allegiance, it was somehow tainted with the dark side.

Her eyes snapped open. She had to tell VlPER. As she bean to rise, she was aware of another’s presence. They were strong with the Force. A Padawan perhaps? Turning to face the person she was aware he wore regulat clothing. No Padawan then. And he had something to say, that much was clear. She cut him off as quickly and as politely as she could.

”Wait there, I’ll be straight back.” And using the Force to enhance her speed, she ran off to find VlPER.

[member="VlPER"] | [member="Orrell Maran"]

 

[VlPER]

Viper couldn't help but just stand there and watch the proceedings. Completely unsure as to what he should do, he missed the chance to try and save the mans life from Corvus' hand. Fortunately, she seemed to have seen the light....so to speak, and extinguish her saber at the last moment. An audible sigh of relief escaped his lips as his outwardly stretched hand, which had begun to try and stop her, lowered.

Hearing Corvus' request to take the dark lord to the temple, he gave a simple nod. He didn't like taking the man on his own. But he figured it would probably be wiser to keep those two separated so he didn't actually goad her into killing him.

The march back to the temple seemed to take forever. Corvus was right, Viper had begun to analyse every detail of what had transpired. It was just his way. It's how he tried to reconcile situations and finally file them away for later reflection. What kept nagging at the back of his mind about the brief but ferocious battle, was the finale. She really did seem like she was going to kill him. Even her movements after the blade turned off seemed to indicate that she meant to keep going.

A sudden realization dawned on him as he looked at his recently created saber. "Of course!" He thought to himself. "Her blade has a Solaris crystal...." Moving as quickly as he could to explain what happened with Vass, and hand him over, Viper ran back to where he had left Corvus to her meditations. Though he did keep the master's saber.

He ended up finding her along the road halfway there. He had his sabers in his hands as he cautiously approached, but didn't actually turn them on. He wanted to try and give her an opportunity to explain without feeling threatened. Especially since it appeared, his vision could still technically play out the way he had seen it. "Corvus..." He said carefully, as he looked into her eyes. "At least they aren't yellow..." He thought to himself. "You ok?"

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Orrell Maran"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was so relived to see VlPER. The ring was now in her pocket and she wouldn’t risk touching it again.

She could tell he was wary of her and with good reason. She’d be wary of her is she were VlPER.

”It all makes sense. It was the ring.”

As quickly as she could she explained the course of events. She’d already told him about Elara when they were coming here, so the additional facts were simply slotted in to complete the story. How the ring was no doubt tainted, how that could have accounted for Elara’s rash behaviour. How she was fine before she put the ring on. How her behaviour changed from the moment she wore it. How she would have killed the Sith if the saber hadn’t saved her from herself.

”Do you believe me?” Corvus was pleased VlPER had allowed her to explain without interruption but suspected he may have questions.

[member="VlPER"]

 

[VlPER]

Viper listened intently to her words. It all seemed to make perfect sense. It also did much for his sense of relief to know it was that damndable ring which had been causing her odd mood swings of late as well. A cautious smile began to sneak onto his face. "If that be the case, then we only have one more task to complete. You still have the ring, I assume?"

Viper activated a saber and moved the blade directly in front of her. "Let us be rid of it then." He added with a nod of his toward the blade. A simple gesture to throw the corrupting item into the beam of energy. He had no further questions for her. Everything fit, and he was only to happy to hear there was a reason other than her falling to the dark side.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded at VlPER’s question. The ring in question appeared from her pocket – suspended in mid-air.

”The funny thing is, I chose to do this when I first saw it. I didn’t want to touch it. And then I went and put it on!”

Corvus guided the ring into the glow of VlPER’s blade. As it fizzled out of existence, Corvus noted, ”Of course, that was our only evidence.”

“Oh, and there’s someone we need to speak to. A young boy – not a Padawan but wandering up where we were before. We need to understand what he saw and also – I sense he has something to tell me.”

And Corvus made her way back to where the boy was still standing.

[member="VlPER"] | [member="Orrell Maran"]

 

[Orrell Maran]

The boy stood were he was, strangely understanding much of the things that were going on thanks to the teaching of his adoptive grandfather. This people where Jedi who had fought a Sith. The levels of Force-energy had somehow overwhelmed him and that was the reason for which he had not moved. If it was not enough, the straining of his vision in order to try and make out something more than a fast-moving blur from the form of the Force-users had left him a terrible headache and a slight dizziness. The male Jedi then left and the female stayed, soon leaving and he followed after from a distance. The boy observed her, or what he called observe, not meaning to be bad-mannered or disrespectful but because he was curious, this people where a part of something he sometimes had believed to be a tale and now, so out of coincidence...or not, he had crossed paths with three.

The woman seemed to be deep in meditation, he could decipher from the concentrated look on her face she was trying to understand or learn something, probably something related to the past events. She then rose, her feet holding her steady on the ground again and she turned to him. His blue eyes, despite the fact that they where not useful at all, looked into hers with some sort of passiveness, he did not want to get himself into any trouble but more important, he was wondering if he had offended her in any way. She then asked him to stay and wait, sprinting towards the same direction from where they had come, leaving a slightly confused Echani behind who, obediently, decided to wait.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus found the young man in precisely the same spot she'd left him. Nodding politely, she said, "Thank you for your patience. You are not a Padawan here but the Force is clearly with you. Are you a Jedi from another Order?"


[member="Orrell Maran"] | [member="VlPER"]

 

[VlPER]

"Oh come on. Give me some credit." He said with a smirk. "The security holos on my ship show you with the ring, there are the labs that you mentioned on Ossus. And then their is our word on the matter. Don't discount us now." After mentioning something about needing to see someone. Viper had followed after raising a curious eyebrow, but didn't say anything further. "A boy? What could she want with some random stranger wondering the hills?" He thought to himself.

Finally approaching the young lad, Viper gave a small but respectful bow, and let Corvus do the talking.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Orrell Maran"]