Episode IV: No Hope

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Jentara Vel"] |

For the longest time that she could remember, Alicia Drey had that blindness, one that her Sith Master had sought to take away and show her a night light. Those red lines that appeared before her, that sensation in the pit of her stomach and the sudden wanting to scream at the world. A beast that lived deep within, rising to allow itself to show through her physical vessel. The dark side of the Force, so strong with her, that it threatened to burst from the seams and consume all that was in her path.

But there was a woman, or better yet described as an enigma, who could melt away all of those barriers and leave her vulnerable; and Alicia Drey allowed this to happen, for this was the one passion in life that went beyond the rage, the hatred and the imperative bestowed upon her and Circe Savan. Behind that facades, were two women that would shape the galaxy in the way they saw fit; and beneath all of the deception stood Ayra, in the arms of Pandeima on the eve of a new era that they would usher in.

Melting. That was the description Alicia came too when she was in the presence of Pandeima. In her arms, she succumbed to her fate. "You've already reassured me..." Whispering. "I am yours to do with as you see fit."

 

[Boethiah]

Anja stepped off the ship and into the cold world, her armour luckily kept her somewhat warm.

"I was born on a world near the edge of the galactic disk.", that was as much as she'd say on the matter. Her HUD scanned the surface to pick up anything unusual before looking back to [member="Vilox Pazela"] for a course of action. The Host Lord was quite curious about this planet.

Who lived here? Why? It was even more interesting to think that someone would be sending a signal.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Alicia Drey"]

As the Sith apprentice grew more and more limp within her arms, her embrace grew tighter. She buried her lips into the cheek of the woman who had long subjugated herself to the teachings of the Dark Side at her feet. All she wanted to do was support this Sith Lord who had done everything for her - who had done her bidding for years of continuous devoted service. And yet, overall...

What was her motivation for this? Did she enjoy the sight of Ayra naked as it was, stripped of any and all semblance of the shell that had formed around the core of the woman? A core molded by Circe and infinitely corrupted by the Dark Side within, that flowed through her veins and provided her with the strength she needed to overcome any and all obstacles. And here it was, showcasing itself through the tainted beauty that was Alicia Drey.

"Then come with me." She carried the woman as though she were a bride, freshly snatched from her feet by the groom as Jentara carried her deeper into the vessel's chambers, to her laboratory. Her place of dark power, where all of the scrolls, and holocrons, and other sinister possessions were located. It was here that she would begin the ritual.

A ritual to end all rituals.

 

[Tes Dralyn]

--ENTER ALDERAAN--​

​

Location: Blood Wastes --> Alderaan
Companions: None

​

She came tumbling out of the rift, duffel bags flying out and hitting the ground at first end over end, then rolling another couple feet before settling to a stop. They'd been wrenched right off of her person, and her shoulders were quite sore for it. She was quite dirty from effectively tackling the ground and the anger that had settled into a near-dull annoyance in... whatever that place was had come back with a vengeance, with far more intensity than it had when she was back in the spaceport on Corellia, looking to run away. As she picked herself up from the dirt, she saw another girl coming towards her... nay, almost flying at her in a tackle.

How familiar that motion was. An easy, thirsty grin took over her face and she let the other girl hit her full-on, only to turn things in her own favour and pin the girl underneath her. Then she just started pounding into that pretty, dirty face to which strands of natted blonde hair clung with every ounce of her strength - a wiry and powerful physicality from years of grav-ball, and all she could think was that this was a good test of what that could be used for, that this girl was lucky to be her first subject. The screams and pleading didn't factor in to the Corellian's psyche, the blood that had begun to coat her knuckles, nor the pain of repeated impacts to her fists. Least of all the way the now-once-living girl's face had caved in, nor how her windpipe had crumpled and only the faintest, wheezing gasps came before the body settled entirely.

She stared at her work, the effect of the rift starting to wear off. Fascination and pleasure gave way to mortification and shock, and she peeled her self off of the dead girl, crawling away shaking to collapse against those duffel bags. It was at her hands she stared, tears starting to prick as the age-old muttering, self-inquiry of 'what have I done' could be heard, ad nauseum. One other thing dawned on her... As with every time she had hit someone in anger in the arena, so too had this felt good.

Nay, it felt better.

After a time, when mortification, shock, and realisation gave way to numbness, she once again collected herself and those duffels, and made her way towards finding her way off of this world. She recognized it for what it was, underneath all the 'forming: Alderaan. She had been here so many times before with her parents, and for all the wanting to get away, she had a taste of that and now just wanted to go back home, if only for a little while. So, through means, through a bit of convincing of the right person, she was able to gain passage to Corellia.

She had no idea of the extent of what awaited her there. There was nothing anyone could have said to prepare her. And what did she do when she saw it for herself? Found out her parents were gone, and so many other things were forever changed, once again? She laughed as if she had lost it, just as she had in that oasis. Was she crazy?

Maybe she was.

 

[Bol-Jahir]

426 ABY: Who are you, Bol-Jahir?

"Kill him."

Bollie remained silent.

Vollo looked at Bol-Jahir and laid a hand upon his shoulder. "Bollie, please! We need to run!"

The younger brother of Vollo looked over, finally breaking gaze with Zero's hypnotic glare. His lips pursed, and his eyes seemed darker than before.

"No, Vollo..."

"...You need to die."

Bollie wrestled him to the ground and began mercilessly beating upon him. Vollo tried to struggle back, but Bol seemed to be possessed by some greater power. Something dark, something sinister.

Something Zero concocted. Vollo's fingers wrapped tightly around Bol-Jahir's forearms as Bollie gripped both hands around his throat and began to squeeze.

And squeeze.

Tighter.

Vollo's hands fell to the floor. Bollie slammed his brother's head twice against the floor for good measure, still crouched upon his brother's dead body.

"Bol-Jahir..."

Zero's words pierced the air like a frozen dagger.

"My new apprentice."

He approached Bollie, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Rise."

844 ABY: Not long after billions of people disappear from the Galaxy...


"Omni built it by direction of the Galactic Alliance," Bol-Jahir responded. He didn't really have time to explain who Omni was. "And yes. The people she took are still alive. They're just... in some sort of purgatory."

Behind the mask, Bol-Jahir seemed sad for the man. He could sense that Gherron had lost someone.

"We will find them. We will liberate the Raptured. I have been bestowed a great weapon to use against Akala... by the Order for which I serve."

Bol-Jahir smiled.

"For I am a Knight of the Order of the Lotus, an ancient organization dedicated to defending the Galaxy... We've been watching, waiting... and in times of great crisis, we act."

Bol-Jahir began punching at the console before the hypergate.

"This is one of those times."

The facility began to shake and hum as the hypergate before them exploded to life. Before them, the inner rims of the hypergate began to swirl and spin, blue lightning arcing across various ornate sigils decorating it's exterior. It was exploding to life, but seemed incredibly unstable.

And incredibly loud.

Bol-Jahir pulled out a dagger from underneath his robes.

"THIS IS HOW WE KILL HER," Bol-Jahir yelled from under his mask, raising the dagger to show Gherron. "NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS ON THE OTHER SIDE, ENSURE SHE IS DEFEATED."

"ONLY AKALA'S DEATH CAN FREE YOUR LOVED ONES."

With that, Bol-Jahir leapt into the Portal, and instantly disappeared in a flash of blue light.

[member="Darth Valtryx"] [member="Wanderer EXO"] [member="Gherron Vael"] [member="Vilox Pazela"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

[Moving post to episode V]

 

[Onrai]

And so it was done.

The ritual had been completed according to the complex instructions that Circe had previously developed. Still standing there, over the weakened form of [member="Alicia Drey"], Jentara accessed a close comm panel in order to speak to the crew on the vessel's bridge. "Did we get any intel from @Krest on where he and the others were going?"

"Last we heard, their destination was identified as Csilla." The mechanical voice responded to her.

"Very well then... Tell [member="Ven'Rain Sekairo"] to meet us here at our current location so we can accept her on board and get this going once more. I'm tired of sitting around - the DMZ isn't going to construct itself."

With that, she waited patiently for the arrival of Ven's shuttle, helping Alicia back to her feet. A message was still transmitted to [member="Silara"], which hopefully would be received considering the current situation. But all things considered, who knew?

Who knew indeed...

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Jentara Vel"] |

As Jentara carried her into the room, with her arms limp and eyes heavy, Alicia's thoughts traveled back to a simpler time. She knew that somehow, the Sith Master that held her close had made her subscumb in a way that she did not understand. She didn't feel angry anymore. It was like clarity had settled over her and she had accepted her fate. For the first time in her life, she was at peace.

Garments removed, Alicia thought of the process as a purge. That all of the facades she had put up as a child to protect herself and her family from her Force-sensitivity, the lies that she weaved and lived as herself and Alicia Drey, had been torn away. Here, at the feet of her master, Alicia laid bare, stripped and free. The heaviness on her eyes was too much.

She passed out.

An unknown amount of time later...

Alicia felt wet. It covered her entire body, matting her shoulder to her face, shoulders and back. She felt hands begin to lift her out of what she gathered to be a pool of substance she could not recognize. It certainly wasn't water. Eyes opened, the artificial light over head blinding her. As Jentara helped her up and out of the pool, she allowed herself to become accustomed to the light.

Then she felt it. A pain in her lower body. It was not an injury. She had felt the effects of an internal injury before, when Meric Nadun had crushed her spleen during the Battle of Kashyyyk. This felt much worse. Alicia nearly buckled, the pain becoming too much. Lowering herself to the floor, on her knees, she lifted her yellow eyes to the woman who stood beside her. "Is it done, master?" Ayra asked softly.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Alicia Drey"]

The liquid in question that had been spread along the ground was Sith Poison, intentionally arranged in the shape of a pentastar to allow for maximum focus on the center of the circle. And what had been there? Ayra, of course, and thanks to her dark ritual, they had hopefully succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Whether it was actually the Dark One or whether it was just a tremendous amount of Dark Side energy built up within her apprentice's body was still questionable.

What was unquestionable was the fact that regardless of the situation, Alicia was now the person she had always been destined to be. The shell was more like the skin of an onion, slowly peeled away until all that was left was the true core of the matter, a true Alicia Drey unlike any facet of her individuality that had allowed itself to focus onwards. She smiled, considering the times that they had had, back when Alicia was a young heiress and she the ordinary-seeming woman who had brought her down the path of darkness.

Slowly, Jentara got on her own knees, gently placing her hands around Alicia's body as she attempted to comfort her apprentice. Physical contact between people of such a close relationship usually was what was needed to soothe pain or agitation, and she could tell just by looking at Alicia's face that she was experiencing a form of pain never felt by one before.

"It is finished. You did well, my... darling."

 

[Lassiter]

Her hand softened its grip around the pipe as a devilish grin spread from cheek to cheek. The inaction from either side of this scene was evidence enough that this man had no idea what he was doing. A fish out of their depth about to be devoured by the bigger fish. Well, if a slightly shorter and crazed redhead would be enough to be counted as a bigger fish.

She snickered. “I see how it is.”

Without much of a warning she tossed the pipe for the Weequay’s head. A slight miscalculation mixed with a faulty throw had the pipe hitting him on the shoulder. The knife’s grazing touch was loosened before the knife was dropped completely.

There was no time to think. There rarely ever was when Sena acted this way. Rather than tackling the man and risking anything stupid she sprinted for his blade. With a kick it spun away and she continued her sprint away from the man. Suddenly it was all in the moves. The way of things always seemed to favor dexterity over strength in these situations. Well, clearly strength could have played part of it but why would she admit a weakness like that?

The man came after her in rage muttering something in his native language but she’d have none of it as Sena’s right hand reached out to grab the blade. It was now a very dirty blade but it would do the trick.

One punch, then another. Sena dodged them both before he tried to turn it into a tackle with a hug-like pounce. It was now or never, she had to act fast and let her right arm extend itself carrying the knife towards the man’s chest before a staggered breath parted the man’s lips. It was a whimper upon the precipice of death, music to her ears and a sweet end to what could have been a catastrophic mistake on her behalf.

“Embrace it.” A hushing whisper into his ear. “It’ll only get worse if you fight it.”

The man’s time was running out into a warm sticky liquid that would come to cover the entirety of her hand as second for second the very essence of his life dripped to the floor. It brought out that joy inside of her; that addictive sensation she swore to never overindulge upon, but damn if this didn’t feel great.

She hushed his grunts and stroked his head while lowering his soon-to-be lifeless body to the ground.

His eyes began to shut; his time was coming to an end. In yet another whisper she left her final goodbyes. “Thank you.”

[member="Mira Gyndar"]

 

[Writer]

It was all a blur of motion – things and actions she couldn’t comprehend in the state of mind she was in. She’d collapse to the ground next to the now lifeless Weequay, her hands still bound in the durasteel cuffs. Her ruby gaze would glance upon the form of both [member="Sena Lassiter"] and then the Weequay as panic suddenly hit her heart and adrenaline would kick in from out of nowhere. Her senses would come to, and suddenly – the dizziness fading and her nausea going away as she scrambled for the fallen Lightsaber.

She’d snatch it up and flip it just at the right enough angle, turning her face away to cut the locking mechanism of the cuffs away with a quick snap-hiss of the blue-white blade. She’d disengage the saber and look back at Sena – panicked as this woman apparently wasn’t someone she could trifle with – not in her current state. She said nothing as she rushed over the corpses, slightly tripping herself up, pushing past a group of onlookers – heading back towards the alleyway where she was found.

She had to get away, she had to find someone she knew? Could she? Where was she? The bright neon lights of 1313 would rush past her as she ran, unable to really feel the Force or call upon it to aid her speed. Why? She’d stumble forward as she tried to round the corner, tripping up a bit as she moved into the alley.

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Jentara Vel"] |

For a while, Alicia knelt, hands clutched around her chest and stomach as she grew accustomed to the pain. She begun to shake, frozen by the lubricant and liquids that covered her in the open environment. Her teeth chattered, eyes unfocused and gazing out into nothing at the floor, thinking. She knew her body, as everyone else knew theirs. There was a difference now. She wasn't sure whether to think that what it was shouldn't be there or not. Hadn't she consented to this to happen? Wasn't she to be the one who would carry this prophesied chosen one?

"I need to get dressed," Alicia murmured, without looking at Circe. Her eyes gleamed yellow, the sign of the dark side. Rising, the effects of the ritual beginning to subside, Ayra left the side of Pandeima to dry herself and get dressed again.

 

[Onrai]

On their way to Csilla, two individuals would be picked up - [member="Aria Xius"] and [member="Ven'Rain Sekairo"], their ships resting in the Cyracuse's significant hangar bay. Jentara had notified each of them to meet her on the bridge when they had the opportunity to, but for now, she would remain here, pondering over the potential aftereffects of her ritual on [member="Alicia Drey"]. The creation of the Dark One was something that had taken so much out of her, she was unsure as to whether she had generated the necessary amount of energy to perform her spontaneous actions.

She sat there silently, waiting for any sort of activity as she further prepared for the imminent arrival to the bridge of her newest guests.

 

[Antoir Setrrin]

[member="Jentara Vel"]
Ven found herself on the bridge within five minutes of her shuttle landing. This place felt... strange to her. But then again, everywhere felt strange when half of the galaxy was gone. Oh well. Quietly she stepped into the chamber and glanced around. Who was she looking for? Which version or disguise of her friend was she supposed to meet?

"Ven'Rain Sekairo reporting for duty."
Announcing her presence seemed like an okay thing to do.

 

[Falcon Rekali]

--EXIT NETHERWORLD / ENTER VOSS--​

​

Next thing he knew, he was ejected into the dirt, spat out as if the cosmos found him filthy and rotten. He had no control over how he landed, and was going to be sore for it, later. Furthermore, how was it that one moment he was climbing onto a boat, and the next he was... well, where was he? He stood, brushing himself off, and looked around, to find himself in the midst of a large stand of trees, seemingly unending in every direction.

Well, except that one. Was that a clearing? What was this feeling? An awareness he didn't hold prior to his disappearance took hold of his consciousness, pushing that 'a-ha!' moment to the fore, the undeniable surety of sudden knowledge.

"The ferryman," he said to no-one but himself, as he looked down at his hands, "what will Aton think?"

There was a worry, and the Token girl? His brow creased. He hoped she got home to her loved ones, too. As for his? He walked towards the clearing, and when he came to the edge of trees, he looked around and saw a structure.

"A temple?" Then it clicked. "Voss."

He knew the starmaps well enough. Knew the general makeup of a good many worlds - what their resources were, who occupied them. Necessary for planning, for strategy. And what's more...

"I could have come out closer to home, but..." different rift, and he knew where all the others were, too, and... "o-oh..."

Worry worked increasingly into the lines of his face. Sure, it had been years since he last set foot on Corellia, but it had been home, once upon a time. He sighed, looked to the temple, then looked back at where he had hit the ground. He stared hard, as if attempting to will his son to come out at the same place.

He could only hope.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Ven'Rain Sekairo"]

"Ven!" Jentara smiled, happy to see an old comrade as she embraced the much larger woman. "I've been working on your body, by the way. Been growing that sample we got." Such was true - though the body was nowhere near finished anytime soon, after all. "I missed you so much... But now I need you more than ever. The galaxy is in shambles, and only people I trust can assist with this project of creating the demilitarized zone. All things considered, your presence here is a blessing."

Very much a blessing indeed. Hopefully she and Ayra wouldn't fight, however.

 

[Antoir Setrrin]

[member="Jentara Vel"]
"Heh, glad to see you're alright. I was pretty damn worried when I found my apartment building half empty. You should have seen my face when I found out that you were still around." She smiled sadly, going to hug her friend. Ven didn't even bother reacting to the part about her new body. That didn't matter right now.

 

[Asher]

-landed face-first in the mud. He took a deep breath and then another. This was a new place. Where was he? Why was his head spinning? Once more Aton sat up from the ground and rubbed his eyes. The air was crisper here, the place felt alive unlike the river. A surge of information ran rampant through his mind. A weird kind of notion that told him of, well, he honestly had no idea. It was like if something told him about certain points throughout the galaxy, but what they were he had no idea.

This was becoming way too much. The panicked whimpers of a hunched kid filled the silence that surrounded him. Each noise caused him to flinch, no this was not what he had predicted would happen. To touch a ferryman and end up somewhere else. How is that even possible? This was not the force he was used to. The force he was used to had people stumbling around as you pushed them or let you sense things in your immediate surroundings. Not this.

A clearing was up ahead. At first the little boy hesitated. What was beyond this treeline was up to anyone’s guess but going by today’s experiences there was nothing good to be had, probably. Still, he slowly snuck up to a tree. There was a man out there with his back towards Aton. Figure, posture and something about him spoke of [member="Falcon Gyndar"], but was there any way to be really sure of that?

Yes, there was but Aton was not going to like it.

Slow moving steps shuffled through the bushes in front of him. A scared little kid calling out for his father. “Dad?”

Here came the moment where it was a disfigured freak or a clown. A murder-crazy clown or worse.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Ven'Rain Sekairo"]

"We'll find out what's been happening soon. I received a message from Alexandra's husband with the location of several coordinates. Apparently they're rifts of some sort. I'm working on developing a way for us to damage or destroy them as soon as we can." A smile crossed her face - she had already been artificing in her mind a device that would potentially be useful against these rifts. "Ven... Would you happen to remember any caches of antimatter we might have?"

Antimatter could work out quite well.

 

[Lassiter]

She withdrew the blade from his chest and tossed it aside in time to hear the rapid footsteps of a girl fleeing the scene. Not a shred of regret ran through her systems. She had delivered on her promise and seen a murder through. She had fulfilled the weekly quota and there was no telling her to calm down. Well, except the kid. That worried her.

“Hey kid, stop!” She ran after [member="Mira Gyndar"]. “Stop!”

This kid was fast. Incredibly so. Bump for bump Sena kept bouncing into people before they began making way for her towards the fleeing girl. What had Sena done to deserve this? She had saved that girl from a fate worse than death yet here she wa fleeing from her savior.

“Kid, stop! You don’t even know where you’re going!”