Private Dead Kyber

[Cyndane]

The small shuttle shuddered as it broke through Yavin's atmosphere. Arisia wasn't afraid to be here, but she was still nervous. She hadn't been on an official mission since… Bastion itself, perhaps. Her own failure followed by the presumed death of her master, Akulak, had left her in a void. She was still a Sith, and an apprentice no less. But to whom? Even the overseers seemed to ponder over this question. The only assignments she had received since she had lost her regiment were simple 'search and destroy' missions. "Go after the deserters" They said. But a little recognition? No, that was too much to ask for.

Nevertheless, Arisia had continued her studies. What remained of 'Lord' Akulak's studies was in her hands. And while she understand little to nothing about his research and sorceries, she did learn from his more rudimentary techniques. The holocrons and scrolls had helped her advance, but if she truly wanted to prove herself, she needed more than being able to crush windpipes.

That was why she had requested this little trip. She had already claimed a lightsaber from a fallen ally, but it was not truly her own. It held no value and was definitely not a sign of her mastery. No, Arisia needed to build one of her own. And doing so required a crystal. The overseers had begrudgingly accepted her request, but on one condition… A Sith Knight would be accompanying her. Some Zambrano who was supposed to reign her in if she decided to step out of line. Great. Absolutely fantastic.

Stop thinking about it. She thought, her gaze averted from the Knight who sat on the other side of the shuttle. This is your requested jaunt. Your idea, and your moment. She took a deep breath, nostrils flaring as she channelled the Dark side of the Force. Just ignore her.

Arisia rose, head turning toward the pilot. "Open the hatch. We're jumping." Her tone was cold and decisive. If the databanks of the capital were right, their shuttle wouldn't be able to land nearby. Jumping was truly the only option they had, apart from an eight-hour trek through the jungle. "And you better still be around once I signal you." She added, glaring at the pilot as she walked toward the hatch with her face turned toward him. It was a dangerous leap from great height. But the holocrons of Akulak had made one thing very clear to her. A true Sith should never show fear.

Jezebel Zambrano​

 

[Jezebel Zambrano]

Tag: Cyndane ​

She had to admit there was something to the Apprentice's taste for quests that Jezebel quite enjoyed. Plenty of places for a Kyber be found whether it be in Ilum, Jedha, Lothal, Mygeeto (in time Jezebel, in time) yet Arisia picked a rather specific spot on Yavin to get her crystal. Now that was class. Arisia may prove to be a rather interesting little curiosity. Her record at first certainly seemed to be a bore, just another peasant who had lucked into having force powers. Nothing in her upbringing that denoted her to having future greatness and her last name was rather bland as a result.

Yet there were so many oddities in her service: her master being a mad hermit that barely made any sense, yet he certainly was shaping up to an interesting post-mortum enigma. Her failures at Bastion was certainly a sour spot, and the string of missions afterwards all lacked... creativity. Especially when browsing through and seeing each one was marked as successful. The Zambrano could almost sense the begrudging nature that each successful mission report was written with. She could already see the narrative that the overseers had so wrongfully misplaced on her, a good for nothing odd ball that was to put into permanent obscurity with each mission bringing the hope that it would terminate in a KIA. That's not what Jezebel saw, what she saw was down on their luck Sith that could prove to be a valuable instrument to her own greatness. Though that was only a hypothesis. This experiment would require a test, and a test required keen observation.

The shuttle would shutter along the atmosphere but the Zambrano sat perfectly still in her seat, seemingly unaffected by such minor inconveniences as turbulence. Her eyes remained shut as she merely let the energies flowing in the cabin tell her the lay of the land. There was always a joy to the information gathering phase, and she could already tell a bit. The apprentice was nervous, Jezebel's presence certainly was enough to put a pressure on her it seemed and perhaps it was made worse by the fact that any attempts to read her would net nothing as the strong mental shielding of the Zambrano rendered her but a blank page. Whether Arisia had truly understood the gravitas she was in the company of was yet to be seen.

The hatches opened and with that rushing sound of air flooded the cabin as she heard Arisia coldly growl at the pilot. Jezebel had remained sitting, her presence largely silent at first until hearing the apprentice make a comment that she just had to add on to.

"You wouldn't want to be the pilot known for abandoning a Zambrano afterall." Were the words that exited the Jezebel's lips, her tone neutral as she got up. The extent of her tall form reveal as she was forced to duck her head down slightly whilst walking towards the ramp. Arisia would be able to clearly see how the approaching Zambrano had towered over her, being atleast a full head taller. Jezebel's robes were flowing with the wind as she cupped her hands together and looked up and down the Apprentice.

"I look forward to your little expedition Apprentice Paro. May it prove illuminating for the both of us." With that her little seed was planted and she prepared for the descent. While hidden away from the apprentice there was truth that she had always wanted to visit this spot, So even if Arisia would prove disappointing she could flay that away with the view they were about to receive.

 

[Cyndane]

Arisia's gaze narrowed. The Zambrano's words were cryptic, but held no ill intent, or so she believed. Still, it made her somewhat suspicious. Illuminating for both of them? Please, she hadn't planned this far ahead to deal with unexpected twists. No, this was a simple extraction. Nothing illuminating about it… Right?

Believing that the smartest choice was not responding, Arisia turned to face the opened hatch instead. The jungle was roughly eight thousand feet below them. That was doable, if her former master's holocrons were anything to go by. Thus, without hesitation, Arisia leapt out.

Immediately, gravity took her. She could barely open her eyes against the rushing wind but luckily, she didn't need her eyes. She just needed to exert her will on the Force. Arisia pushed her awareness past the cold presence of the Sith Knight behind her. She was still kilometers above Yavin's surface, meaning that she had at least some time to get a feel for the technique. She realized that this was perhaps one of those moments where practice would've been smart. But it was too late to think about that now. Focus.

Arisia was no Jedi. Where they communed with the Force to make the supernatural happen, she just pushed her boot down harder on the figurative neck of the Force to get what she wanted. And right now, Arisia demanded it to slow her descent.

But gravity's pull remained what it was. The roar of the wind still passed her ears at full intensity. Fear began to form in her chest. Did she miscalculate? Arisia glanced down, eyes squinting against the wind. She had to do something, and fast. But what?

The Sith Apprentice felt adrenaline pumping through her body. Perhaps the Zambrano behind her could catch her before the trees impaled her and the surface broke her bones… But would she? Definitely not. No, she had to do this on her own.

"DO AS I SAY YOU BLASTED FORCE!" She growled, her words made incomprehensible by the wind. Her face contorted in a scowl as she pressed her 'boot' down harder, hoping to finally trigger a response. The fear of death crystallized in her chest, transforming into a well of power she desperately needed right now. As far as Arisia knew, choking the Force itself was impossible. But her combination of fear, temper and will had to amount to something. It couldn't end here, with her dying as some failed Sith Apprentice.

Arisia pressed down even harder on the Force, and this time the Force responded. The pull of gravity gradually began to weaken until her speed was reduced to that of a snowflake, mere seconds before she reached the treetops. "That's more like it…" She mumbled, still a bit taken aback from her own lack of control. The next time she would attempt a stunt like this, she would definitely practice it first.

A small breath of relief escaped from her when both her feet finally found the ground again. She reached for a small compass clipped to her belt as she waited for the Sith Knight to land beside her. Once she did, Arisia spoke up again, trying to hide the rollercoaster of emotions she had experienced in the last couple of minutes. "We have to go East. We're about seven minutes away from it, I think."

Jezebel Zambrano​

 

[Jezebel Zambrano]

Tag: Cyndane ​

And silence. Number of reasons for that potential reaction, though most stem on whatever they have to say they think is nothing good. Still better then some arrogant buffoon that would run their mouths and fill the air with their trite crap. She seemed to instead focus on the moment ahead of her as she leapt off into the great sky. Jezebel followed shortly after though instead of leaping out she merely let her body tilt and fall of the edge of the ramp. During this her Emerald eyes turned to it's shade of dark black as she let the force guide her vision.

Air rushed passed her howling in her ears as gravity dragged her down to the surface. Her eyes tried to keep track on Arisia as she too fell towards the surface. The two were but black specks in the sky for any onlookers, not that anyone would dare venture where they had planned to go. She had to admit this was already exciting, most apprentices wouldn't dare an air drop like this, especially unassisted. It require a confident firm grappling of the Force, or else the result would speak for itself. She hadn't done a full blown drop like this though she had slowed her fall many a times. If she could make the Force bend to her will for such trivial manners then this would be an easy extension of that.

She pictured it in her mind, the vast web that she could touch and prod and pull to her heart's content. So many little waves and ripples she could send out and all the little ways small things could build themselves into the shapes of thrones and empires. All of it expanding out for her just begging for someone to just arrange it all together and put it in motion. It just needed her.

She began to pull the strings of the Force and it obeyed dutifully as her velocity began to slow down and the blurred tree line became more and more defined. Though the same couldn't be said for the apprentice as she kept hurtling towards the ground. She watched with anticipation for disappointment. Seeing the Force within the woman feel constrained and just looking for an opportunity to burst out from her, and soon it did. Arisia managed to slow down and Jezebel was happy that she needn't not have to walk back to the shuttle alone.

Without any theatrics or dramatics she graced upon the ground. Moving to carefully brush her now messy hair. With that she was told about where to go. A walk due east. Perfect.

"Wonderful, We can pass the time with a bit of conversation too." She said as she followed behind Arisia. There's an air of total ease around her as she waded through the unknown Jungle.

"If I may pry, what is someone with a lightsaber trying to get another crystal for? Most apprentices are satisfied with just one."

 

[Cyndane]

Her eyes shifted between the canopy and the compass in her hand. She had seen the massive wreckage from their shuttle, but the foliage and wall of trees made it nigh-impossible to tell what was five meters ahead of you. Even something as gargantuan as the Death Star wreckage remained hidden on Yavin 4's surface. Arisia nodded, more so to herself than the Zambrano beside her. East was indeed the right direction.

"It's not just 'another' crystal." Arisia said with a surly expression, as she moved through the jungle with a confident stride. She reached for the hilt clipped to her belt, igniting it in a broad swing to cut a path through some particularly thick vines. "It will be my crystal. This lightsaber?" She raised her weapon for the Knight to see. "I plucked it off a corpse when the capital fell." She resented what had happened that day. A Mandalorian had beaten her. Not a Force user, a Mandalorian, of all beings. Naturally, she wouldn't tell the tall woman a thing about her personal loss. She didn't like the woman's prying, but as a mere apprentice she had no choice but to answer.

Slowly, Arisia began to recognise the change in their surroundings. The rusty brown crust of the metal support beams that stuck out of the soil like trees, moulded remains of wires and occasionally some white spots sticking out of the dirt. She felt it in the Force too. The Dark side, as malicious as ever, trying to provoke her in fits of rage and contempt. Arisia stopped in her tracks. The presence of the Dark side was extremely dense here. The remains of the laser had to be nearby.

"It's here somewhere…" She mumbled, silently cursing herself for underestimating how overgrown this area would be. "Just… give me a moment. I need time to find it." Despite having told herself not to care about the Zambrano's opinion, she still felt like she had to justify her actions to the woman.

Jezebel Zambrano

 

[Jezebel Zambrano]

Tag: Cyndane ​

She smiled at Arisia's answer. 3 sentences. All could be contextualized around one single word.

My​

Arisia said very little but it told so much. Now Jezebel could better understand what drove this woman. Arisia was a woman that sought achievement, she didn't want to be given something, she wanted to take it from the snout of fate. She was someone that wanted to build her own pillar to rise from. Having a lightsaber wasn't enough for her... It was about earning it. She had a feeling that if for whatever reason Arisia had been handed the title of Darth right now it would probably disgust the apprentice. Everything had to be worked upon, it had to undergo trial and hardship. It had to be done solely through her own grit and determination. Anything that Arisia sought had to be so indisputably hers that she could claim sole ownership on it. It had to be something she could refer to with the simple possessive of my. Chances were that any time someone failed to acknowledge the work and achievements she had made that it would breed the deepest resentments from Arisia. All very useful things to know. This would make something in the immediate future much easier.

For now though there was something pressing and that was what they were approaching. The Darkness slowly seeping into their bodies as they got closer with each step. Jezebel could feel the hairs on the back of her body stand up and with it she felt so much more alive. She could her feel her connection of the perception with the web get so much clearer, able to take in all the sensitive vibrations. She could feel it all dip down towards one point like a gravity well drawing the two in. Though the apprentice seemed to be drawing up problems finding the exact spot. Hmph. Jezebel wasn't going to throw her a free bone, though she would like to nudge Arisia. if she was too inept to get the hint then she could lead them. She didn't like others wasting her time with being lost. Still it brought a small bit of splendor knowing that her presence was likely causing a bit of performance anxiety.

"It's times like this that you don't look with your eyes but the Force. Surely your master taught you that." She muttered though she couldn't help but lace in a bit of condescension into her tone. Still even if the apprentice threw her lip she would be ignoring it as she fixated on the well that was pulling on all of the strings. Determining location of the source. The web would point her towards the right direction. She smiled satisfied she had an idea, and doing so let her mind drift to other matters. She could feel something onto and faint as they were it felt like the ground itself shook. Not physically but through the Force. Maybe there was something watching them or atleast moving about. Though that remained unknown. She merely thought of the saber that was attached to her hip. Perhaps she would be given a demonstration of what Arisia was capable of in more ways then one.

 

[Cyndane]

Theme​

She wanted to scowl at the Zambrano. She really did. But Arisia knew better than to anger Sith Knights or Sith Lords. They would simply crush her, or leave her for dead somewhere without any other Sith batting an eye. That was the cruel and harsh reality of the world she had mistakenly entered. So instead, Arisia controlled her temper the best she could. "Of course he did. I know what I'm doing" She glanced at the composed Sith, slightly creeped out by her Jedi-like composure. Whether her claim was true was up for debate. But at least she would make it seem like she knew what she was doing.

Arisia turned inward, seizing the Force its attention and snapping her demands at it. Unlike jumping out of a shuttle, she had practiced this technique many times before. With relative ease, she opened her mind's eye. The cold touch of the Dark side flooded her conscious, now no longer kept out by her mental defenses. She had read about the corrupting effects of the Dark side in her former master's scrolls. It made her wary of the power, only using it sparingly, when she absolutely had to.

Her conscious reached out, jumping from shadow to shadow. The Force was life and light, but every light indirectly gave way to darkness. It were those long shades cast by bright lights where she reigned supreme. And in that darkness, she found her goal.

She turned her head in the direction of one of the larger metal husks. Behind it, she felt a presence. Drumming like a beating heart, synonymous to the rhythmic pulse in her own veins. "Over there." She marched forward with her eyes closed, stopping two meters before the durasteel cylinder that blocked their path. But the Dark side was with her, and nothing could stop her now.

Arisia leapt up and flipped over the large durasteel barricade, safely landing on the other side. She couldn't help but grin. Perhaps she wasn't such a failure after all. "Are you coming, Zambr-" A whiff of danger. It was as if the Force pinched her arm, and with good reason. She leapt to the side, rolling over just in time to hear three small metal darts cling against the rusty metal of the death star wreckage. Blowdarts… Poisoned, most likely. She thought, her eyes snapping open to find the source of the attack. She caught a glimpse of red and then…

A roar, from right above! She reached for her belt, igniting and raising the red blade just in time to block the battleaxe that came down on her. The shock moved down her spine and into her knees and feet, but Arisia didn't budge. If it weren't for the enhancements of the Dark side, she would've been cleanly split in two.

Her brightly burning yellow eyes were locked on her attacker. He was taller than her. More muscular and judging from his expression, surprised that she had reacted in time.

"Massassi!" She exclaimed, strain audible in her voice. "Aren't they supposed to be karking extinct!?"


Jezebel Zambrano

 

[Jezebel Zambrano]

Tag: Cyndane ​

Aww the Apprentice was trying to mask her anger. So cute. One little jab seemed to get to her, oh how much fun would it be for her to really unfold and let loose. If that was enough to anger her than what would she do if Jezebel had said something more incendiary. Certainly be entertaining. Still the Sith would find herself surprised that the apprentice had latched onto a different location. Seemed like something else was fixating on the knight. Still she followed along tentatively as the blinded Sith relied on her mind and the force.

Meanwhile all about the two was the prodded overgrown pieces of durasteel and rust. An old abandoned unmarked graveyard in a sense for an Empire's might though Jezebel had a different description for it. Approaching a decrepit metal cylinder the Knight paused. She could feel the vibrations all around them trembling as Arisia seemed more fixated on moving forward. Jezebel meanwhile turned back. Her dark shrouded eyes seemingly staring off to the distance. Her body stood still but was braced and poised to act. Everything broke loose when the apprentice beckoned her.

She heard it, a buzzing in the air, chaotic and waving towards her in a confusing trajectory. Several spinning discs were hurtling towards the Zambrano. Yet she could see their spinning trails through the Force and with that it also revealed it's source. She pulled her left hand feeling it grab onto the very air itself as it quickly extended forward into a push that deflected the sharpened discs. The very air generating a distorted sound as the Zambrano used the push to flow into twisting her entire body into a spin. Her right arm grabbed onto the hilt of her doublesaber. The sound of plasma thrumming to life cracked through the air and by the time the two blades fully ignited Jezebel had completed her spin and her right arm released the Saber sending it spinning in the air towards a figure nearby. That figure being a Massassi wielding a Lavnarok frantically trying to reload the device. Soon that all ended with the sound of cauterizing flesh, as the spinning blade began to return to it's owner. She heard Arisia's words strained out of her, and with it came a simple reply about the Massassi degenerates.

"They will be after we're done" The Sith replied moments before her blade was about to return to her.

Though Zambrano had to act as she heard the roar of a beserking Massassi savage wielding two hand axes. The Massassi sprung up from the ground and charged Jezebel forcing the Zambrano to roll out of the way of the Pureblood inbred. Her Saber finally returning to her just in time she managed to quickly raise it up in a defensive position. one of the blades managing to catch both axes, though now the Sith had to contend with another one wielding a sword taking a swing at her exposed back. The Zambrano let her right shoulder give under the force of the Massassi pressing down on her and used it to rotate her body towards the new threat. The blade catching the axes standing straight up until Jezebel began to spin it clockwise a half rotation throwing the axes out of position and using the top blade to catch the sword swing. Her legs bent ever so slightly from the sheer amount of brute force the savages were using for their swings. Jezebel would quickly let the top blade lean towards her as she twisted her chest to position it out of the Saber's path and using it to raise the lower blade towards her axe wielding foe.

She extinguished the blade catching the sword, freeing the saber and her body to quickly shunt forward and impale the first Massassi, before reigniting the blade just in time to deflect a series of swings from the swordsmen. Though it quickly came to an end when the inbred tried an overhead swing that with one simple sweep unhanded the Massassi before another swing beheaded him. Jezebel turns back towards the Cylinder and using the Force assists her leap as she bolts up into the air and lands on top of it. Looking down upon Arisia to ascertain her condition.

 

[Cyndane]

Arisia narrowed her gaze as she drew deeper into the Force. She commanded the Dark side to invigorate her body and warp her own Dark side presence into a jagged blade. It was one of the few lessons Lord Akulak had taught her before he disappeared. The Force was just a tool. The true weapon was the wielder. The true blade, was Arisia herself.

She loosened her grip on the black hilt of the lightsaber, letting the axe of the warrior breach her guard. She moved slightly to the Massassi's left to evade the axe and swiftly freed a hand from her lightsaber. I am the weapon. Not the lightsaber. She thought, as her free hand balled into a fist and dislocated the Massassi's jaw with a haymaker.

She stepped in, rotating on her front foot to bring her saber down on the Massassi. Her attempt to end him was thwarted by three new darts blown in her way. Arisia stopped mid-turn, instead dancing to the side to avoid them. They found a target, but not her. She heard the Massassi warrior grunt and collapse behind her, likely taken out by some form of lethal poison.

A Jedi would have patiently waited for their attackers to reveal themselves. Arisia, however, lacked that sort of patience. She rushed forward, blade held by her side as she made a beeline for the bushes. Her yellow eyes scanned the foliage, looking for glimpses of red. The Massassi, budging under the tension, moved back when Arisia closed in. He was fast, agile and would be able to escape her red blade with the head start he had. Unfortunately for him, Arisia had more tools than just her lightsaber to her disposal.

Her hand reached to the shards of metal that had once been some part of the Death Star. They all rose on her command. And they all shot in the direction of the Massassi by her will.

She couldn't tell how many managed to pierce the Massassi. Some were blocked by trees, other flew past the escaping hunter, but the majority penetrated the hunter's red skin. She felt it through the Force. The sudden, cold void that marked the end of a life.

After a final scan of her environment, Arisia would shut her eyes. She took three long breaths before she opened them again, this time revealing her natural light blue eyes. The turbulence that was her presence in the Force ceased too, like a sudden end to a ravaging storm. "I believe that's all of them, for now." She yelled up to the Sith Knight as she made her way back to the large cylinder. "There tribe will probably come looking for them soon." It was a guess, but Arisia made it sound like a confident claim. She didn't doubt her instincts. Not for a second. Otherwise, she would have never undertaken this mission. "I'll find my crystal before they arrive." She continued, this time more calmly, although her tone still had its underlying frustration.

Jezebel Zambrano

 

[Jezebel Zambrano]

Tag: Cyndane ​

It was just lovely not having to bail out the apprentice from trouble, instead Arisia was busy bringing the trouble to the Massassi. It was just a ball to take in. Arisia was like a firehose of rage. Calm and held within despite the pressure that may have lied underneath until the moment came where the rage was needed. Then, it drowned it's target underneath a torrent of the force. Whether it be a impactful torrent of a fist strike or flinging shrapnel. It was all too delicious.

Jezebel liked the rage that seem to wallow up and was the fuel for Arisia's expression in the force. It seemed to exist in a conundrum dancing a line between controlled application and raw brutality. She would be an entertaining person to be of use to her Jezebel thought as she stood and gazed upon the approaching apprentice. While Jezebel stood distant and overlooking of Arisia, the shadow the knight was casting streaked down to ground towards the apprentice almost inviting interaction with Arisia as she heard the apprentice try to make claim and demand the terms of the situation.

Jezebel merely smiled.

"Massassi are wretched little moths drawn to the flame that is the darkside and it is a livid presence here. Probably is more likely inevitability in this case, but so too will their fall at our hands." The sith muttered and with it came a step off the cylinder as she pulled the webs of the force to lessen her fall. Landing down she moved to take Arisia's side.

"It'll be interesting to see what fruits have called out to you. Perhaps once you claimed your spoils we can track down a well in the darkside I sense around here. One that likely have drawn the Massassi here to begin with... perhaps there we can find something else to satisfy the overseers..." Jezebel said with a bit bemusement. There were matters involving the overseers that needed to be attended with. She had plans in her mind playing out as she followed Arisia.

 

[Cyndane]

Knowing my luck, the fruit will probably be rotten." She grumbled, beginning to stride in the direction she believed the Force its call came from. "Oh, and don't take me for some generic and pathetic acolyte. I'm not interested in pleasing the Overseers." She immediately continued. Whether that was the truth was once again questionable. It wasn't as if she didn't want to be honest. Of course, Sith should spin webs of lies and deception to keep their enemies guessing and misguided. But… it would be nice if she herself could discern what exactly the truth was. Did she want to please the Overseers? Did she really want recognition? Did she deserve recognition?

Her grip tightened around the darkened electroplate of her lightsaber's hilt. The questions she asked were all the same. She could sum them up in one simple sentence. Did she have ambitions, or not? It was not something she liked nor wanted to think about. Not now. Right now, only one thing mattered. Victory was on the horizon, and victory would set her free.

Her path took her past more rubble, metal wreckage and overgrowth of proportions she had only ever seen in holovids before. She knew that the first Death Star had been larger, and the second even larger, but seeing the wreckage truly showed how mighty the Sith had once been. Even if most of the wreckage no longer reached the treetops, the fact that it was there eight-hundred years later was truly impressive.

But what really attracted her attention, was the beckoning call of the Dark side. The wild energy that pulled her in, guiding her to the kyber she so desperately wanted. And finally, she would find it.

Arisia reached the point where the Dark side was at its strongest. It was a small glade, marked by a large pipe that stuck out of the earth like a splinter in one's thumb. The Dark side reverberated through the metal, which undoubtedly contained that what she was looking for.

The acolyte raised her hand with open palm, and demanded the Force its attention. There was a repository of kyber deep underground, preserved by its rusty container. Exactly what she needed.

"You will come to me." She muttered as she closed her fist, pulling with the Force at that which was buried deep below her. She jerked her hand back, resulting in a small snap that echoed through the hollow pipe. Seconds later, a small green stone shot upward toward her. One she caught just in time. "Ha! Got i-" Her brief triumph faded when she opened her hand, and saw the state of the kyber. It was dirty, cracked, and the dull green color made it look similar to just another rock.

"Wha… what?"

Jezebel Zambrano