Private Darkness Refined

[Adilya Solveig]

En Route to Kiffar


Darragh Cearmada

​

Deep in the bowels of the ship that carried the unholy duo, past the silent hum of the hyperdrive permeated echos of a whisper through its lifeless hull, Adilya was deep in mediation, basking in the darkness that was the force — in her own chambers that Darragh had given to her, to ensure proper concentration — outside the doors lie a select few of troopers that he had selected — no one but Darragh was allowed admittance. She was his, and he was a possessive and fervent man — but even still, he sought her safety and her care above all else — she was precious to him, and he to her. Days had passed in space now since her pledge of absolute fealty — and in that time she’d spent hours each day ordered by him in a bacta tank, strength now returning that had long since been taken from her restored, and a complexion to her body that hadn’t been there before. She was no longer a walking corpse, but a beautiful fallen angel, a syren lying in wait…. Ready to pull all those deemed unworthy to their doom.

In the dimly lit room, knelt Adi — her hands clasped together, her eye covering removed as she petitioned to the void, her head raised towards the ceiling. “All consuming is the void you produce O Dark Father. Grant me revelation that I may guide your chosen one down the old paths in which is the way. Give me truth that I may give strength to those whose resolve is weak — grant me vision, so that I may show others this great truth — give blessing — blessing to him abundantly, that those who shall oppose him are forced to bow onto bloody knees….” She spoke of Darragh. She was young, but only in years — her mind, her heart, her soul — craved and ached whenever he approached and like a jealous lover that sought nothing but to please him. For a lesser person that lacked sight, they might call him a deity — only the weak prayed and sought to name an imaginary being that they didn’t understand — he was more than that to her. He was a vessel, one that darkness incarnate chose to inhabit — and she the favored daughter that witnessed the birth of a black hole, one that would consume all in its path. “Holy is the ground he treads — from him shall a well of unfathomable darkness spread. Bestow upon him your favor, your power… your vision.” She spoke of the dreams that plagued her Master — they were gifts, visions that she knew Bogan gave to him… She and she alone could soothe the anguish in his soul and turn it into purpose and power.

A disturbance.

Her head turned sharply towards the bulkheads as a look of fear, confusion, longing, and disgust twisted across her face in the dark — they were above Kiffar. Her teeth clenched, a low growl escaping her lips as hate flowed from her body, memories of her parents, her past, her isolation flooded into her memory… Why… Why did she feel this way, why did fear lay just outside the door of her mind, threatening to overpower anytime she thought of them. Speaking to the dark, but knowing she should receive a response, she spoke, her voice cold and stoic. “My Master — why are we here?”

 

[Darragh Cearmada]

The beeping of various consoles filled the bridge, occasionally broken by the hushed voices of officers relaying information to each other. It had been a peaceful journey, with no interruption, but still the crew was visibly nervous. The reason was obvious to Darragh, if not to them. He could feel it, the overwhelming darkness that thrummed in the recycled air, Adilya cloistered away in her chambers. Quietly meditating, Darragh ventured to a guess. He'd learned quickly that when not training or fervently performing whatever task Darragh had assigned her, she chose to spend her time praying to the Bogan. The endless nights and days she'd spent kneeling on the floor of that dark cave had paid off whether she'd intended it to do so or not. A scion of the darkness. It put the crew on edge, made their blood run cold. Even being on the same ship as her, they could feel the power that radiated from her core. They'd acclimate.

As the light of hyperspace died, Adiliya's voice pierced his mind, almost completely void of emotion, were it not for the prodding, questioning tone that she spoke with. Why here of all places. Why come back. Darragh replied with a soft tug of her mind, summoning her to the bridge.

When Adilya arrived, she found Darragh standing at the back of the bridge, unlike so many of the other Imperial Admirals. He was no naval genius, but Darragh knew how important being able to effectively communicate with his crew was, and he could not do that with his back to them. "I never thought you'd think to question me or my decisions," Darragh said to Adilya by way of greeting. It was hard to tell if her was warning or teasing the girl. "We came here because I have a task for you, Adilya," Darragh said, never taking his eyes off of the planet they orbited. "Beneath our feet is a planet where those you once told me were unworthy to utter your name." It was doubtless that Darragh had no need to inform the girl of this fact, but he did so anyways. "All I have taught you until now has been for the sake of your next task. Only after you have succeeded will I name you my apprentice." And she would succeed. She would succeed, or she would perish. By his hand or theirs. "Eliminate them," her Lord ordered. "Eliminate the remnants of your past and prove to me that you will cut down anyone and anything that stands in your path. In our path." Darragh turned towards Adilya. "Unshackle yourself, and be free."

Adilya Solveig

 

[Adilya Solveig]

In Orbit Above Kiffar

Tag: Darragh Cearmada ​

Darragh had summoned her no sooner than the words she spoke rolled off her tongue. Standing up from her knelt position, Adilya slowly tied her eye covering on and effortlessly glided across her chambers. The door hissed opened as the troopers outside her lair stood straight at attention, not even daring to breathe as she passed by them. Without delay, Adilya proceeded to the bridge and as the doors slid open, there he stood, her purpose, her Lord — the swirling vortex of dark energy seen within her mind as she approached him, gracefully going into a bow as he spoke, her blood chilling, a pit in her chest and stomach forming . “My Lord — I would never dare ques—…” But she was quickly cut off as Darragh moved past the comment and shed light on why they had returned.

Her mouth went dry, her ears rang, and her blood seethed now with a silent fury that poured from her body. Up until this moment, malicious — murderous intent lie just behind a door that Adi had not the will, nor key to unlock in her own strength — but when Darragh spoke to her, regarding commit, her resolve — fully becoming his — a haste, a urgency in her very bones awoke. He was the hand that stoked and kindled the ember that now began to smoke, turning into flame… and to be fully made his, the desire to please him was one that she sought desperately after.

Darragh turned towards Adilya. "Unshackle yourself, and be free."

A heartbeat would be felt in the room, and then another one as Darragh spoke these words. Falling was a funny thing — at first, you feel out of control, panicked… but then, a pace takes over as you slowly embrace what is to come — for Adi, there was a peace that washed over her and baptized the woman as Darragh spoke the words into existence which gave her liberty. “Your will shall be done, my Master.” No words were spoken beyond that — no cryptic sayings… No, simply standing up, and gracefully turning around, Adi looked at the troopers behind her, the leader of the squad speaking as they stood to attention. “ Awaiting your orders my Lady.” Adilya began towards the door, her back facing them as she spoke coldly. “It is time for them to know pain and sorrow…, it is time for darkness to descend… We leave none alive.” With that, Adilya took off and down the long hall, the troopers falling in line right behind her as she headed to the shuttle bay. Within what seemed to be an eternity, the comms specialist would notify Darragh that Adilya’s transport was clear of the cruiser and heading into low orbit… it was time, time to see what darkness had hidden away all those years from the light — it was time to see just how deep this well from which darkness sprang from was… It was time for darkness to refine… and be made whole.

 

[Darragh Cearmada]

For all the devotion that Adilya had shown since Darrah had lifted her out of the darkness of that cave, off the surface of the planet below, blazing through the sky as they'd broke through the stratosphere and into the stars, Darragh was not so much a fool to believe that there was not something in their great, wide galaxy that might cause the girl to falter. Such was the nature of all living things. Either by way of love and adoration, or disgust and appall, there were limits to the things that they would willing do. Even he, a man who was defined by his ambition, had his limits. And he had destroyed them. Because so long as such threats to their great and lofty goals existed, there would always be a threat looming over the horizon.

Darragh did not know if whatever ties Adilya still had to her family, her home, were what might make her falter, but he would destroy them nonetheless. Have her destroy them. Only if it was done by her own hand would she be able to rise above her own limitations, and learn that necessity would have her do so again. It was a harsh lesson to learn, but a necessary one, one she might come to hate him for. But his role as teacher was not to be loved.

The air pulsed, rippling like a drops of water from a faucet, slowly opening wider. Faster, faster, strengthening. The crew present paused with breaths frozen in their throats as they looked towards the kneeling girl, the space around the girl visibly distorting in time with the beating of her heart.

Then stillness.

“Your will shall be done, my Master.”

Adilya stood, and made for the hanger, a trooper following close behind her, the other members of the squad falling behind them both. Darragh coldly turned back towards the viewport, Kiffu framed perfectly in the center, glowing with its pale-red light.

---

Captain Korso walked alongside Lord Cearmada's student, the men of Cresh Squad, 103rd Company just behind them, their footsteps echoing down sterile white-grey walls as they made their way to the hangar, the dropships fueled, armed and ready. Twelve soldiers in total. The men of the 103rd were all under the direct command of Lord Cearmada, and soon, this girl. If she completed the objective that their Lord had set out for her.

"We'll be making orbital entry directly above the city," the Captain informed the girl, his voice not betraying the hint of uneasiness that sat at the back of his mind. "Where we land is up to you, ma'am, but where ever it is, we'll need to be able to disembark quickly. The dropships won't be sticking around."

To call this a suicide mission was, under normal circumstances, an understatement. Just a lone squad, made up of two fire teams. Were it not for the Darkling they'd been assigned to follow, the fact that they would not return would've been a certainty. But not a single man had complained. Not a single one had muttered a curse under their breath or had their doubts about the mission. This was their duty.

Besides, they were the best in Lord Cearmada's army. Their gear, though clean and well-maintained, bore the telltale signs of countless fierce battles. The certain footsteps a drumbeat of discipline and fearlessness. The escort ships each bore numerous tallies, each marking a kill. A familiar sight for the soldiers as they boarded their drops ships and gripped the overhead handles.

The doors closed with mechanical hissing and clicks, and the dropship shook as they took off. "We won't be getting any support down there," the Captain said as he gave his gear one last check. "Your orders, ma'am?"

Adilya Solveig

 

[Adilya Solveig]

Tag: Darragh Cearmada ​

Silent torture — The memories of her parents flashing in her memory — grief beyond life itself as she mourned what was to come — and seething rage — anger that sparked and threaten to consume all in its path like a wildfire. Sitting in the rear cargo seats, Captain Corso approached her and spoke… The uneasiness heavily laden in his voice — Adilya’s keen hearing picking up on it. “That will be fine Corso — once we land, tell the men to stay directly behind me until I give my signal. I will create a city wide diversion — your men will engage and exterminate all with extreme prejudice… ” Her voice cold and calculating. “Once fighting breaks out in the city, between that and my distraction — we should have a direct line to the Magistrates Palace.“ Adilya turned her head to the side as she felt the pulse of the city beneath them, the sounds of the air raid sirens going off now — this was good, a large portion of the cities police force would be focused on the carrier that would be violating air space — and, not to mention the ship looming just inside orbit… She knew her father, and knew where his attention would be focused — but that was where she would help to escalate things.

“ This city is an affront to our Lord Darragh — they choose to follow a path contrary. Submerse yourselves in the the waters and allow the darkness to drag you into its depth where you shall find strength…” Standing up now as she walked gracefully over to the rear of the ship, the metal ramp opening as she stoically stood there, flood lights all around the landing zone on the drop ship, Adi walking out, no emotion on her face. As she stepped out and onto the streets, she could feel the heightened fear, anger, and confusion… all adding to the fire. “Unidentified craft — power down your drive and prepare to be boarded — you are in violation of both air space and orbital entry. “

No one noticed her — no one cared. Her anger grew in her mind as the planetary task force began to converge on them — they all deserved to die… They held equal blame. Her hand spreading out in the force, feeling the electrical grid and the natural resources beneath them, she reached further until she located the nearest natural gas line — the line feeding to the mains. With her other hand, Adilya reached up and removed her eye covering — the man leading the defense force now immediately recognizing Adi for the Magistrates Daughter — beginning to speak until…. Adi inhaled sharply, a sickening pulse of dark energy surging from her body sent a repulse towards the large group of men in front of them.

CRACK — HISS — BOOM

Am explosion, one after another igniting down and through the city — the planetary soliders listening to the screams of terror coming from the city as all around them explosions occurred. Adi had simply reached through the force and combusted the main gas line and started a chain reaction through the city — choosing the simplest method with maximum consequence — this was her signal to Corso and the fire squad to engage and converge on the city.

 

[Darragh Cearmada]

The man didn't seem to respond for a moment after Adilya issued her orders. Despite that there was as buzz of activity in the small space the dark sider inhabited, the other troopers all giving seemingly nods of agreement towards their captain. "Copy that, ma'am," Captain Korso had said after the nodding had subsided. "Tally all."

The shuttle began to shudder as the dropships broke through atmosphere, blazing through the sky. Comms chatter began to fill the trooper's ears. So far, tower control had yet to figure out that the two dropships were anything more than incoming vessels. The lights dimmed in the dropship's cabin, a red light then flickering on. The mechanical whining of blaster safeties begin flipped off filled the air for just a moment before all went silent.

Greenlight, the pitch black. The doors snapped opened.

---

The explosions tore through the air, and the planetary defense force all looked in the direction of the red plumes, recoiling. For just a single brief moment, the orange light of the fires illuminated the interior of the drop ships. "Open fire." Twin barrages of red light shot from open ships, striking the defenders in the back. Troopers filed off, only to be trailed by another volley.

Before even half the boots had touched terra firma, the first group of defenders had been felled, and the men of Cresh Squad were already performing dead checks. One man groaned as he was turned over onto his burned, seared back and pleaded for mercy with an outstretched hand. The trooper displayed mercy in the form of a blaster bolt between the man's eyes.

"Push towards the Palace!" Captain Korso ordered, making the hand signal to move forward. Korso fell in beside Adilya, blaster raised as two more men took up either wing, forming a phalanx around them. The remaining troopers falling into two columns behind them. Red blaster bolts sang out constantly, short bursts as contacts were brought down. Planetary defense, local police, civilians.

The first street, the second street. Bodies lined the sidewalks and pathways. Adilya's signal had provided ample distraction for the troopers and the Darkling. First responders didn't know where to go, or were spread too thin. The diligence of the troopers did not falter though.

Korso marched on, his blaster lancing out with another red bolt and striking someone in the back as they ran. Movement from the corner of his eye, and Korso pulled the trigger again. A police officer fell, the blaster clattering to the ground. "No!" someone called out from the same direction. "10-33, 10-33, ten plus heavily armed subjects. and one child walking up the road towards the palace. I think it's the Sith!"

Another hand signal from Korso, and someone from the left flank lobbed an impact grenade at the wall. The rubble didn't speak. "Now that they know where we are, they're gonna hit us hard. Orders, ma'am?"

Adilya Solveig

 

[Adilya Solveig]

Tag: Darragh Cearmada ​

Despair — it was the strongest of all emotions she felt beneath the undercurrent of death and fear, she inhaled feeling a rush of almost diabolical excitement triggering an endorphin release through her body. These people — she loathed them all. They represented a class of people that did not deserve to draw breath, that deserved to be reduced to ashes… but yet, a crack ran through her heart — grief gushing from the heart that still clung to life, a remnant of the child she once was — she had to snuff that light out — she had too — she had to show the one that gave purpose she would stop at nothing to win his approval, that she was the weapon he had so desired.

Walking gracefully through the battlefield, dodging and side stepping blaster bolts Adi pressed forward, pushing the troops… until, the inevitable push back, the prey was determined to live, and to fight for one’s own life was a desire that was the strongest of them all. Hearing Korso speak, she simply looked his way, her eyes now tainted from the use of the darkside, but yet she said nothing. Standing at the head of the kill squad, the road in front of them blocked by a line of troops, she refused to move, her resolve more impassable than any mountain.

Staring back at the group of men, Hiram the head of the planetary forces stood disgusted. Fireteams worked to pull people out of infernos that began to spread from building to building — it was a disaster unlike anything he’d ever seen in all his years. Walking to the head of the line, he spoke into a device which amplified his voice. “You have declared open war on his Magistrates city — lay down your weapons and surrender unconditionally or we will take punitive action. DO IT NOW.” All weapons locked onto the group of men being led by this odd woman. A bead of sweat moving down the man’s brow.

Adi stared his direction — a twisted look of judgement on her face. Using the force, she spoke, a chill now breaking into the air as she drew on the force, her voice amplified. “You stand before that which will be — you who have passed judgment shall be receive judgement. Darkness harkens and will plunge all into eternal hell — you may pray for mercy, but none shall be given. You — all, shall be given glorious purpose — as a message to all who would stand against the one that is Darkness Incarnate.” Her hands would come up as a pulse in the air would be felt — she could see it, she felt it — pushing deep down within herself she unleashed the anger, she unleashed the loathing and she passed judgment into the ones that stood in front of her. The flames in the area, began to flicker hard and burn hotter as Adi channeled all she felt snd brought literal hellfire down upon the men in front of them — this was her squad and they her Lords subjects, she had to show them she was not to be underestimated. The fire consumed the men in front of them, flesh melting from their bodies as explosions from thermal devices and machinery ignited, until, Adi, making a otherworldly scream sent a force repulse tearing through their ranks, clearing a path right through the middle of them.

Euphoria, her body surging as features began to change across her body. Ancient sith runes and cracked lines of red pulsing over her body. To some — she was a horrific sight to behold, a fallen angel, no, a demon… but, to those like her Master, she was a vessel, with untapped potential. Walking now towards the rest of the men that managed to escape the volley of her relentless assault, her saber would emerge from her sleeve, the purple hued blade ignited as she sped forth and began to slice through any and all that stood in her path.

 

[Darragh Cearmada]

There were some things that did not require a sensitivity to the Force to feel. Some things were just so powerful, so all consuming, they could be felt across the span of miles, countries, planets, systems and sectors. Maybe the galaxy. The death of a planet, a city, was one such thing. The death of the Magistrate's Seat and her people hung heavy in the air. Palpable. The troopers could taste the ash in their mouths through their helmet's filters. The heat of the Darkling's flames was made worse by their armor and sweat beaded down their foreheads. The screams and cries of innocents cut through their ear pieces, unfiltered by the high decibel cut off. Not a one doubted that, as they burned and razed down the city, they were doing something terrible.

Not a one faltered. Not a one questioned their task or duty. Not a one questioned their Lord. With grim determination, they lined up, spanning the street and facing the planetary defenders who levelled their weapons at the Sith troops presenting their arms as if on display at a parade. Because the truest of loyalty was not the brainwashed, indoctrinated drones the Empire loved to rely on, but rather those who gladly marred, sullied, and made monsters of themselves for the sake of their cause. Who gave themselves without question. It was this loyalty that Cearmada fostered in his men. It was this loyalty that Cearmada aimed to foster in Adilya.

Adilya who burned like wildfire.

When Captain Korso had looked over to Adilya for her order, her once dull eyes burned brightly, glowed orange. He'd almost mistaken it for the reflection of firelight, but the Captain knew his own Lord's eyes too well, and as he ordered his men to put on a display, he swore he'd just seen his Lord in the would-be apprentice. She met their opposition's voice with her own. And the fire. The troopers, men of Cresh Squad, 103rd Company, watched their enemies burn alive.

The trooper's audio cut out for a moment as the Darkling's scream cut a clean path down the middle of the enemies ranks. No more than a glance was spared as the troopers began to march again. Death incarnate, the violet blade she wielded seemed almost unnecessary as the she cleaved her way through what few stood in her path. The troopers followed, hails of blaster fire streaking through the ember-filled sky.

Adilya Solveig

 

[Adilya Solveig]

Tags: Darragh Cearmada ​

The hum and drag of flesh came to an end as the violet blade retracted and faded away -- Adi's chest heaved raggedly up and down as she stood on the opposing side of the carnage she had dealt, he was near, and hesitation of what would come next threatened pause in her body. Why was she this weak? Why did she care about someone that cast her out. Her teeth clenched as did her free hand -- it was just him that gave her pause, it was also her... her Mother. Deep down, Adi loved them both, cried and longed for the feeling of love and acceptance; maybe... just maybe Adi thought, this was what it meant to truly mourn loss. She was now mourning the loss of her innocence for now she had a Father whom loved her... now she had someone that affirmed her for what she was -- now, she had purpose and to truly mourn and bury the dead would cause her to rise from the grave and be born again... this was the true reason he'd sent her down here... Adi had to die first, so she could be truly born into the darkness, and not just adopted by it.

Tucking her blade into her garments, Adi spoke, knowing assuredly that Korso would hear her over the carnage around them. "Korso -- just ahead lies the Magistrates Palace... there, my Father and Mother dwell. The guards in the Palace are the most trained of all you'll have faced so far, I do not doubt your resolve, nor your skill. I want the formation to split, half and half with me now in the middle -- In my zealousness, I've used up a fair amount of energy and must conserve if I am to face my Father.... my mother will give little to no fight, she is not my concern and under no circumstance are you to interfere in my battle." Her breathing was beginning to center, her voice calm, cold and steadfast as ever, but the effort in which she spoke of the deed she was about to do hung on her words and very body like a massive weight... in the end, she was something otherworldly, an aberration to the force and to the natural order of things... but still, she was a young girl fixing to plunge wholly into the depths like which she'd never before experienced.

Allowing the formation to split, Adi followed closely in suite -- the several bodies of men adorned with heavy army creating a metronome cadence of their footsteps as they came to the doors of the magistrates palace -- heavy doors which towered before them adorned with delicate designs composed of precious metals. Slipping her shoes off now, she allowed her feet to dig into the ashed and debris covered pathway.... breathing in and out her hands came up as she undid the braid on her hair which allowed the moon-kissed bleached hair to fall around her shoulders. Shrugging her robe off which to this point had cloaked her body, it slid off and landed on the ground, her delicate shoulders now seen as her sabre hung at her waist. Allowing her mind to clear, her thoughts to reach out into the void she began to speak softly, her hands clasping together as the team began to breach the doors, her head bowing. "Unending void... unyielding darkness. Give me the strength I seek -- return me to that wellspring from which all darkness spawns from and bring new life and purpose into me as I fulfill that which is required. Rend me and reform me... wake that which has been asleep.... quench the insatiable hunger within as I wholly surrender to the one that gives purpose... and as I walk through that valley of shadow and darkness, as i surrender to the dying of my light... I know in you I will be born once again." Lifting her head upwards, Adi's dead eyes stared straight ahead, no emotion on the girls face -- as the doors flung wide open, several hundred feet away, her Father, Mother and their royal guard standing in the throne room staring them straight down.

 

[Darragh Cearmada]

The blaster-fire quieted, only the occasional lone report of a rifle as the troopers performed dead-checks on the fallen, putting an end to the suffering of any who'd been unlucky enough to survive their injury. Captain Korso approached Lord Cearmada's chosen. She must've sensed his presence, because she addressed him, and issued additional orders. "...under no circumstance are you to interfere in my battle."
"Understood," the captain replied with a nod of his helmeted head.

A quick gesture in the air had the remainder of Cresh Squad forming up, and the sound of Korso's modulated voice relaying Adilya's orders echoed through the air as the troopers took positions on either side of Adilya. Walls of black plastoid, gleaming visors, erected on either side of the girl as she approached the palace.

In unison they stopped before the great doors. Massive, designed to be impenetrable. It would've taken a canon to blow them open, Korso reckoned. But they had no canon. Just their guns, and a girl, half the age of their youngest member.

She took her shoes off, then the cloak, and breathed deeply. Beneath all those layers, it was almost impossible for anyone to see how small their Lord's student truly was. Despite the recent weeks of care and treatment by their Lord's orders, the hints of the sickly state which Lord Cearmada had found her in remained. Pale skin stretching across her bones, the pale sallow tone only just regaining some youthful, healthy color. Long, wispy strands of hair, unkempt, and the color of moonlight.

With bowed head and clasped hands, she was the image of piety. Piety to a Dark Lord. One who would give her everything if she gave him all she had.

The troopers stood by, still as statues, their rifles presented across their bodies as if in marching line. "Unending void..." Without cue, someone stamped their foot. "...Unyielding darkness." A second and third soldier joined in. Korso made no motion for them to cease. "Give me the strength I seek--" By the third phrase, the whole squad had begun to stamp their feet in unison, forming a dreadful drumbeat, a perfect rhythm by which the Darkling's prayer became song. A song of the purest darkness, and the purest sorrow.

Again and again, they stamped their feet, and the air itself vibrated with their beat, her words, until, on the final beat, the doors exploded inwards, revealing the palace's inner sanctum, and the Darkling's final trial.

Unphased by the weapons pointed at them, the men of Cresh Squad slowly fanned outwards as they followed Adilya, levelling their rifles as they came into view of the royal guard. Not a shot would be fired if the guard did not open upon them first. If they did, the shooter was brought down quickly, efficiently, and any holes in the black wall of plastoid were soon filed with another body.

---​

High above the planet, Darragh breathed deeply. "My Lord, Cresh Squad has breached-"
"I know," Darragh interrupted the reporting officer. "I know. Continue to monitor the situation. And ensure the dropships are refueled for extraction."
"Yes, sir."

A tiny pin prick of fire below. That's all that Darragh could see from aboard the destroyer. But he felt Adilya. Even from light years away, he would've felt her. She was like a quiet hymn in the force. Always there, if you knew to listen. And if you knew how to listen, to understand her song. The conflict within her. The desperate need to be loved, as all beings did. The great sadness, for the death of her innocence, her childhood, herself, even the family that had forsaken her. And the resolve. Oh, that resolve. To take her justice. To destroy the chains that kept her in captivity, in anguish. To destroy herself for the sake of something greater than herself. For the family that would adopt her without question, if only she proved herself as devoted to them as they would be to her.

Darragh frowned. There was no thing harder, than this, than what his student, what his apprentice, now faced. She'd be forged anew, if she succeeded. When she succeeded.

Without a word, Darragh turned, and left the bridge and went towards the hangar, to await the return of his apprentice.

Adilya Solveig