Faction [GA] Sacrifice's End

[Makko Vyres]

. "'Healing waters, the body spurns; Ashla, let this flame mend instead of burn.' Got it? Now you try."

Makko took the lighter. He enjoyed giving it a solid flick woth his thumb to spark it to life.

"Healing waters..."

Makko closed his mouth and looked up at Starlin. He sighed.

"Come on man, today isn't the day to try and convince me to say magic words for a laugh?"

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin chuckled, but then he shook his head. “Nah, not today. It’s totally legit. My master taught me a lot of other spells besides this one. It’s impractical to say the words during combat or other high stakes situations, when someone can just attack you before you get it all out, but it’s a good tool for focusing. Now, please, try it.” He gestured excitedly to the lighter.

Makko Vyres

 

[Arage Bao]

IVI

She held a delicate glass in hand but did not sip from it yet.

Instead Arage watched through the windows.

Would those masses ever know what creatures like M and Arage did to give them something to celebrate? The sacrifices made. The dirt and grime taken on their shoulders. Evil things in the dark. So that one day they'd all be free from the wiles of those born with powers they had no right to. Arage hoped not.

It might sour the mood ever so slightly.

"Oh, I took inspiration from a friend." Arage murmured smoothly. "One who is oh so skilled in deception. I do believe I hurt the feelings of Master Noble, but that was to be expected." In truth Valery Noble should have been happy she hadn't been murdered in cold-blood. But while the Alliance might temporarily overlook the disappearance of the station, thinking it destroyed, the killing of a senior Jedi Master?

No, they would have immediately come sniffing around the Humbarine Reach.

This Arage could not abide.

"Repairs have already begun. Taking out the ridiculous force-amplification technology. Instead... it will serve us." She gently bapped M's hip with her own as she finally took a sip.

"Your lot didn't do quite so well with Exegol." But Arage's words had no sting in it, just satisfaction. "Good. That world should have been wiped off the map a long time ago, don't you think?"

 

[Mercy]

Maijan Paisea

There was little that could go so wrong now that it would ruin Mercy's mood.

Everything was perfect.

Good music.
Happy people.
Great food.

Most importantly: they had pulled off the heist of the century. Well, Mercy was reasonably sure that others had stolen bigger and better, but this was the first time she had stolen something so big. A whole space station. They had done it alone too. Just the two of them. Even as Maijan pulled at her to gain her attention?

Mercy leaned in and wrapped her big arms around Maijan and gave a bear hug.

"You can have anything you want today, darrrrrrling." Said with obvious satisfaction and joy before putting the lady down and winking at the doorkeep. "Ya better move, boyo, cus' we in a spendin' mood." Without waiting for his say so, Mercy already pushed him aside and pulled Maijan-With-The-Dangling-Jewelry inside.

Where she commanded a corner booth and flagged down for drinks. Liters of them.

"So how ya feelin', Mai? Ya want a hit?"

 

[Maijan Paisea]

___________________________________________________________________
THE TRICKSTER
CORUSCANT || ZOTHIQUE
_____________________________________________________________
​

The worst part about the heist had been finding a discreet place to park it. Maij had managed an illusion that would hold, even when she wasn't around, to cloak the monolithic monastery but leaving it somewhere they'd remember and it would avoid getting bumped into by raiders or otherwise had been annoying. And parking it had been a slow, inch by inch job.

Delighted at Mercy's reciprocal joviality, Maijan squealed giddily when squeezed. By now she'd grown accustomed to Mercy throwing her weight around. Maijan was always one misstep away from a broken spine. But not today. Mercy was in a good, infallible mood today. Even the pompous doorman seemed not to irk her.

Even if he irked Maijan, who snootily lifted her nose up as Mercy manhandled her way past him, past the hostess, who hurried by their side and tried to keep the air of formality around the debonair restaurant. The young girl spoke quickly, excitedly, almost panicked, to Mercy and Maijan but went largely unheard until she produced two displays that unfurled like fancy scrolls and shimmered like Maijan's skin in their technicoloured display.

The hostess was joined by a waiter who bawked briefly at the lavishness of their orders, and quickly hurried away to do what was asked.

When they were alone in the booth, Maijan stretched and lounged garishly and took up far more room than someone her size had the right to.

"Mmm," she was still nursing the residual effects of what she'd taken earlier.

"Chit, why not. We'rrre celebrrrating. I wanna feel all that flavourrrr the way it's meant to." Open faced, her palm gestured gimme gimme to her supplier.

"You everrr thought about giving it a trry? Think it'd amp you up even morrrre or...?"

____________________________________________________________

Mercy
____________________________________________________________
​

 

[IVI]

THE DIRECTOR
CORUSCANT | SIA HQ | PERSONAL OFFICE

​

M huffed a sound of amused appreciation. Project Lightpoint had fallback after fallback built into it. The detachment of the egg was the least of the Jedi's concern. If they'd known about the abandoned designs around frontal lobes, or the approved and implemented designs of a particular type of energy-sapping tech. A fallback that would render all Force-Users planet side deeply affected.

They hadn't used it.

"On the record, no. We did not fare as intended." The Galactic Alliance would have a hard time explaining the entirety of their decisions if they wanted to maintain the pacifist, do-gooder approach in the galaxy. Their position as a pontifex of safety and justice had been compromised by a few scrutinizing news outlets.

But mostly, nobody cared. Exegol was a faraway blight of a planet that people had hardly heard of if they weren't deeply religious or deeply bent on revenge. M was only one of two. Operation Heartseeker had been an initiative born of her own lust for vengeance. And now it was complete, but the catharsis was limited.

"But, Off the record, I'm glad of it. Both for the technical validation, and the destructive outcome Exegol deserved. And, with limited damage to the wider-galaxy. The debris are mostly trapped behind that Galactic Barrier. Far less of a mess than Csilla." Her voice didn't shake anymore when she spoke of her homeworld.

"The actual reason for destruction is hard to pinpoint. Some could argue it was the result of the supernatural on either side. Either the Jedi and the Force amplification technology, or the storms that came with the Maw's gods.

Others could blame it on the failure of the team responsible for disabling the self-destruct protocol on the planet." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. That one stung, because that one was in her backyard.

"That was a Task Force Null operation. I'm still unclear how a Jedi broadcast that missive, and managed to take responsibility, but I expect the upcoming debrief with the surviving agent will provide explanation." She shrugged. "At least that could be argued as another supernatural mistake, in a way, if the press needed to."

---

Arage Bao ​

 

[Brigadier Looch]

Just wanna thank my troops for fighting with me against the Final dawn and for those who had lost their lives you would always be remembered in Galactic Alliance army .

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Brandyn's head tilted as Aeris spoke. Her mind was clearly not entirely present with him, but far off in thought. His hand tighten around hers, unwilling to let go. "Aeris..."

Hand still clinging to hers, Brandyn stepped around Aeris to stand between her and the door.

"Look at me. Aeris."

His free hand had been stumbling about in his pocket for just the thing that he had now found and pulled out. A small comm device. His comm device. He turned her hand over, and slipped the device into her hand. "This is my personal comm. It's...secure," he said eyes drilling into hers with intent. Seeing as it was his comm device handed to him by the Queen of Hapes herself, secure was an understatement. "There is a a contact on there simply called Home. Message that...and I will come to you. Do you hear me?"

Aeris Lashiec

 

[Aeris Lashiec]

Brandyn Sal-Soren

"I hear you, Brandyn." Aeris frowned at his insistence that she look at him. She obliged even if only to get him to stop. She looked at the device he handed her and gently wrapped her fingers around it with a solemn nod.

"Thank you." She said and gave him a small hug as a token of gratitude. "Luck willing, I will not have to use it."

"Look, I think I have delayed this for long enough. I need to leave now or I will end up feeling stuck here again, and neither of us want that."

She took the first step beyond the barrier of the door.

"Peace be with you, Sal-Soren. Maybe next time we will meet under better circumstances."

The device was waved in the air for a moment before she pocketed it and took the next step and then the one after that. By the time that Aeris was fully outside she could already feel the way that the weights began to shift. They still lingered, they always would, but even now they still felt far better than she had expected them to.

She would make her way into the crowd, and from there she disappeared. There was a new part of her life, and the galaxy's life as a whole, to open a new chapter. It remained to see what that meant.

 

[Cybelle Elyance]

Wearing: X
Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren | Briana Sal-Soren
__________

She was in a daze.

Cybelle wandered slowly from the medical ward with a clean bill of health while people drank, sang, and celebrated around her. She could feel the electricity in the air from hard-fought victory—But there was also an essence of respectful remembrance for those that had been lost. She stood for the longest time in a full plaza while people carried on the frivolities. Smiling. Shining. Bright, happy citizens of the Core.

She wanted to be like that.

Shiny.

Instead, she found her thoughts distant. They had left Exegol behind…But part of her felt like pieces of her had also been left behind on the freighter. Innocence, lost. She wasn't sure that she could go back to being a Jedi Knight that found peace in watching grass grow. There was a sliver of darkness in the back of her mind, a tether, that had not existed before. It left her feeling quite chilly even though the weather was more than fair. Was she still…Cybelle? Was she still herself?

Or was she something else?

Cybelle didn't know of any Jedi that had been brought back to life through the blighted curse of the Darkside. There was a way for Jedi to live on in the Light…But this wasn't it. She wasn't a Force Ghost. She was real. Flesh and blood. Someone clapped her on the shoulder and pressed a toffee-flavored drink into her hands with endless exuberance and she was startled from her spiraling thoughts. She accepted it gracefully, blinking, before pressing a sweet smile onto winsome features.

Everyone was so congratulatory because Project Jareth had been secured. Three young Knights had completed a dangerous mission that was fraught with Sith and difficulties that even experienced Masters might have fumbled. Instead, they pulled it off without a hitch. Intact. Or…So they thought. Everything that happened was intertwined. Everything that would happen was intertwined. They had been victorious. They had won. The Galactic Alliance had won.

If that was the case…Why did she feel so hollow?

It was with that acknowledgment that she forced her smile to remain ever-present. She was missing the cloak that usually shifted to hide her figure and the ever-changing nano-tech had pressed her attire into a plain suit. Forest green, with black piping, and tips of silver. It had repaired itself from the holes that had been in both front and back. For all intents and purposes…Cybelle looked none the worse for wear.

Were it not for bleary eyes and mistakenly walking into a very solid person.

She caught her drink and reached for the arm of none other than Briana Sal-Soren to steady them and immediately apologize. Her features were…Uniquely, beautiful. Cybelle couldn't say that she or Brandyn really looked like the other, but, there was a presence that she was more than familiar with. "Bri—I'm so sorry I didn't see you I was—"

Her words cut off and light-caramel eyes swept the floor. Searching, for an excuse.

"I was…Lost in my head, a little."

Not an unusual occurrence. What was unusual was the way Cybelle moved. Careful. As if the ground beneath her feet might shatter like glass and swallow her hole. No amount of inherent grace or poise could hide the fact that for the young Hapan, the sky, had literally fallen. She shook her head slowly and with the eloquence of a painter began to rebuild the façade.

Smile, more. Add warmth to her eyes. To her tone.

Be a person.

Not a shell.

"You were amazing out there."

Truth. The Truth—Was that Briana was always amazing. She always had been. It was a truth that she used to distract and add some semblance of normalcy. She'd caught sight of Brandyn Sal-Soren while moving through the celebrations but it seemed that someone had already claimed his focus for the time being. Her thoughts lingered on him, as they often did, before finding purchase in his sister. Another fond friend. A good, kind individual, that deserved the best of her. Not the change. Not the hidden dark. "I can fix a fighter and race a speeder…But pilot like that?"

"Not a chance."

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: Armored Jumpsuit, Synthweave Tunic, Utility Belt, Appearance
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Coruscant, Post-War Celebrations
Tag: Cybelle Elyance

Being bumped in a crowd like this was almost expected, what wasn’t expected was the person doing the bumping, nearly sending her on a direct crash course with the ground. Thankfully, Cybelle was quick to correct the mistake, grabbing a hold of Briana’s arm and helping restore her balance before she suffered the embarrassment of a face plant.

She laughed a little and shook her head, “Nah, that’s alright. No harm no foul, it happens. Great reflexes though,” she commented, unconsciously brushing herself off and readjusting her clothing, looking for anything that might have transferred from Cybelles cup and onto her person during the kerfuffle, all while aptly listening.

“Ah, thanks, my Mom actually taught me a lot of what I know,” when it came to flying, at least. Some of her best memories as a child had involved flying home with her mother after a humanitarian mission and being invited to sit in either the gun wells or pilot's seat, shooting down various specs of metal debris and space rocks in the atmosphere or being taught some fancy new trick. The look on her mother’s face when she was successful, boasting natural pride and affection for a skill that was not tied to anything Force related…it’d developed her love for flying early on, encouraging her to develop her own style and flourishes.

“I wouldn’t mind showing you a few things, if you’re ever interested. But, honestly, I feel like I should be the one praising you.” Briana mentioned, shifting the conversation and casually letting her shoulder fall back to rest on the wall that Brandyn previously occupied, observing Cybelle with a careful eye.

Maybe it was nothing, but having been in this war throughout most of her time as a Padawan, it made Briana familiar with that far away look, her own thoughts drifting to Iris after her extensive injuries on Cato Neimoidia, of Viz after they’d narrowly escaped Naboo, Luric after the confrontation with Darth Wallgof . Work and training was a battlement to keep those experiences at bay. What would keep them at bay now that the war was over? “you’re the one who secured the project without nary a scratch. It would have all been for nothing if not for you. You’ve become quite the duelist.”

And hopefully, those efforts and risks had meant something beyond a simple pat on the back of a job well done.

Her chest rose on inhale, slowly deflating on exhale.

“If you ever want to talk about what happened back there, during that duel,” she ventured, “My place is just a hop skip and a jump from here. You’re always welcome.”

 

[Cybelle Elyance]

Wearing: X
Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren | Briana Sal-Soren
__________

"I would like that—", Cybelle began, though, she paused at the notion of being praised for something. She would have loved to pick up some of the tricks that her companion had used to get them to and from Exegol in relative safety…But otherwise? She was at a loss. Confused. The young Hapani couldn't imagine what Briana was referring to and it likely showed with her eyebrows drawing together just slightly. The way her friend leaned back against the wall and observed her with a watchful eye suddenly made her shift her weight from one foot to the other. She didn't feel as if she were pressed beneath a microscope or anything so invasive, but there was something a little too perceptive in the other woman.

She supposed that statement would have been true of most Jedi.

Hearing that it was in regards to the duel between herself and @Darth Temerant…Everything about her seemed to fall still. The joviality of the party behind them became a tepid silence while the beautiful sky above appeared to turn grey while the color washed out. The warm breeze felt foreign to her and her skin chilled, notably, by degrees. The air she breathed, the way it felt merely to exist in a place that was inherently filled with such cutting harshness—Was crushing. Especially, when compared to the other side.

There had been no pain. No uncertainty.

No fear, no doubt….Until Temerant pulled her out. Perhaps, out of…

Cybelle couldn't think of it. She cleared her throat and tried to blink back a sudden stinging in her eyes while the oxygen in her lungs felt like it had been cut short. Her focus turned down toward the fizzy drink in her hands as if she suddenly found it very interesting. "It's not what you think…", her small voice was melodic but touched with an ache that had no cure. It was with the tone of someone who worried that if they spoke too loudly…Something might break.

She reached up with her free hand to slowly brush lengths of pin-straight auburn hair behind her ear while she searched for the words. It felt like a lie was being perpetuated in her silence. Cybelle was no great Jedi who had led the Alliance to victory through battle prowess and skill. Again, she reached up to brush her hair back. It was a nervous tick of sorts. Strange, for someone that always seemed so composed in the face of adversity.

At the offer to talk about what happened, she nodded slowly in acceptance.

Cybelle didn't know why the subject felt so taboo. She didn't know why she didn't want anyone to know. Didn't want Brandyn to know. She had done nothing wrong, save, perhaps tilting a dark heart toward some aspect of the light. The Hapani couldn't say that it had been a complete conversion but something had changed. They, were changed. "Bri…"

"I lost."

The words were coupled with something that might have been a wan smile. Something, to make her friend feel better about her words. Not Cybelle. It was foolish to confide so easily in the sibling of the one person she didn't want to tell. It was beyond foolish to give any inkling of the truth. While she couldn't see the Jedi Masters on Coruscant reacting…terribly well…She had faith that they would respond accordingly. There were others, that couldn't be trusted. Organizations that were affiliated and enemy factions like the New Way. She had already been their experiment once.

Cybelle had been brought back from the dead.

She didn't want to be a lab rat again.

 

[Alexander Hayes]

Despite his best efforts, Alex couldn’t hide the cheeky little smirk at Maeve’s response. He knew teasing her would elicit such a reaction. That she’d speak the truth, but not the whole truth. He knew she didn’t want him to leave on a professional level, but was too prideful to openly admit the more personal side of things.

Made the K’paur all the more curious how deep that went.

"Strategic Intelligence Agency? Please. You're a stone pillar, Alex. You don't exactly blend in with a crowd—you stand over it."

Alex’s reaction was one of faux-offence at being called a ‘stone pillar’. But it cracked into a small chuckle, knowing Maeve wasn’t entirely wrong. The K’paur’s physical stature wasn’t exactly suitable for being sneaky.

“I dunno about being a Commander in the future, wouldn’t ever be able to get used to giving orders, rather than taking.” The suggestion of a Jedi did draw a raised eyebrow from Alex. He looked away and up, at the ever going array of fireworks.

“Nah, I don’t think I’d ever make for a good Jedi. Don’t have the discipline for it.” It was an obvious half-lie. “It’s…let’s just say I stomached enough while learning how my people view and use the Force.” Although, Alex wouldn’t be opposed to learning how to use a lightsaber. But he imagined that was a package deal with joining the Order.

A stray thought, an idea, struck the K’paur as he returned his attention to Maeve.

“You want to spar sometime?” He said, with that knowing look in his eyes. The one where he knew he was poking at the Shadow’s competitive side. “Once my side is fully healed at least, can’t be giving you too much of an advantage.”

Maeve Linahan
​

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve couldn't deny the slight disappointment she felt at his answer. He was a fine soldier, but had shown remarkable promise. She'd have liked to see him bearing a lightsaber of his own. Of course, Knighthood was not for everyone, and she understood his reluctance.

She nodded. "I respect your decision not to join. Just know that you're always welcome."

Another wave of fireworks splashed across the sky. Light bloomed, casting her face in red, and she looked up, briefly admiring the spectacle. Night had already set in, but that wasn't going to stop the many crowds in the city levels below from drinking into a stupor.

Maeve turned back to Alexander at his next question. She blinked in surprise. "Spar?" she repeated. If he looked closely enough, he might've caught the flash of curiosity in her eyes. Excitement, even. "I thought you'd never ask."

She crossed her arms and gave him a taunting smile. "I don't mind waiting. Take as long as you need to recover, because you're going to need it. Just don't be surprised when you find yourself nursing a bruise on your other side when we're finished."

Maeve had earned a ferocious reputation at the temple training grounds on Coruscant. She spared little mercy for even Jedi Padawans. Some thought her harsh, but how else would they learn how survive in a galaxy this cruel?

Alexander Hayes​

​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Cybelle Elyance

Her eyes shaded with concern while listening to Cybelle’s response, sensing the weight that burdened her, the unspoken fear and hesitation that seemed to almost choke her. It was becoming increasingly evident that Cybelle was grappling with an internal struggle, and yet, she appeared to be reluctant to fully divulge the crux of it.

“What do you mean…” Briana started gently, attempting to coax Cybelle out of her protective shell so she could have a better understanding of her words, head tilting to one side and her brows knitting together in obvious confusion, “...you lost?” It was becoming clear that there were concealed aspects of the situation concerning her friend's duel with Darth Temerant —details beyond her and Brandyn's awareness.

In a display of reassurance and care, Briana extended her arm and tenderly clutched Cybelle's shoulder, taking utmost care not to exacerbate her friend's distress or anxiety. "Belle," she spoke softly, but firm, "you know I'm here for you. You can trust me… what exactly happened?"

 

[Cybelle Elyance]

Wearing: X
Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren | Briana Sal-Soren
__________

Briana didn't understand.

Yet.

Cybelle could both see and sense the wheels turning in the head of the young woman that stood at her side. The night-blind creature waited, silently, for her admission to settle between them. There was a notable sense of relief that echoed in her soul from being able to be honest with someone. With anyone—Other than the dark presence in the back of her mind. Rather than to crumble before the broken truth the quiet Knight seemed to find her strength. The sweetly wan smile slipped, slightly.

Revealing a spine that was coated in steel.

It was not weakness, fear, that kept her on her feet. It was strength that drove her through the motions, living, as well as she was. It was pure strength that kept her on her feet. That kept tears from falling—That left her chin held high when she spoke again. Firm. "…I lost."

Lost.
​

When Briana touched her shoulder, Cybelle, touched that hand with her own. Her friend would see a glimmer of the duel that had occurred. It would be little more than a frozen shard, a fragmented snapshot, but through the haze, Briana would be able to make out two figures. One, leaning on the other. The smaller one, the female, with a red lightsaber running her through. The angles changed though neither figure moved.

Temerant, unfeeling, and face hidden by a helmet.

Cybelle, in pain. Fading fast.

The red saber light winked out of existence in small mercy, but it didn't matter. They both knew.

She was already dead.

Cybelle pulled her hand away and let the vision fade from her friend. Her petite jaw set tight while the sensation and sound of it, the sheer unholy smell, lingered. Foolish though it might have been to confide in someone so close to Brandyn…Cybelle did trust her. Briana, would also objectively want what was best for her brother. No good could come of this being brought to light. Brandyn would take all of her pain, all of her suffering, fears, and failures—And lay it on his shoulders as if it were his cross to bear. He loved her and his need to protect her would drive him to lengths she couldn't perceive. The fact that he had been denied the chance to do so, failed, to do so...

She didn't have the words, yet, to convince him that he wasn't to blame.

Cybelle hadn't been strong enough. It was that simple. It had nothing to do with how they'd split up or who they'd wound up fighting. In the end…Cybelle hadn't had the heart, nor, was she willing to sacrifice the goodness of her soul to kill another living person. That was her weakness.

Not his.

Brandyn, wouldn't understand that.

Her strength would come now. She could bear this...For both their sakes. Cybelle let tawny topaz eyes rise toward Briana's perfect blues and held her gaze for a long moment. It was in that quiet moment that the situation would become disturbingly clear. She had lost…Everything. She felt adrift. Half-alive. Because…It was true. The only time she felt remotely felt anything like herself was when Brandyn was close by. Otherwise…There was nothing left. Just a hollow...

With a speck of light in the center, glowing for all its worth, blind, alone, in the dark.

"…He can never know, Briana...Not ever."

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Cybelle Elyance , Brandyn Sal-Soren

Briana's mind raced as she processed the truth that had been revealed to her. She had sensed that something was amiss, but she never could have imagined this.

Her brow furrowed and her lips pursed, her heart breaking at the gravity of Cybelle's losses, of the harrowing memories that Cybelle had shared with her… at the same time, Briana couldn’t help but admire the strength in her friends steeled resolve and what it’d taken to carry this in silence up until now.

For a long moment, she simply stood there, feeling her own eyes misting with tears.

The truth now laid bare, was a pressing weight; the secret she’d been charged with keeping settling around her shoulders like a dark shawl as the conflict between her loyalty to Cybelle and the love she bore for her brother tore through her like a maelstrom. Keeping this from Brandyn couldn’t feel like anything less than a betrayal.

And yet, at the same time, she knew that Cybelle spoke the truth…

Brandyn's need to protect her, to avenge her…he would stop at nothing to see justice done for the person he loved, and that could only bring more pain and suffering.

The Jedi's warnings of old echoed in her mind of dangerous, blind love.

Her lips moved, opening and shutting several times as she tried to form words of comfort and reassurance for Cybelle, but none came. She dragged a hand through her hair and wiped that same hand over her eyes, breathing out the shock of it all in a slow breath, gnawing at her lip until she could finally form a response.

Finally, Briana whispered her promise, "I-I'll keep your secret." Her voice was barely more than a breath, filled with a mix of determination and dread. “I’ll be the shield that stands between you.” And make whatever difficult choices that meant, along the way. “I’ll help you carry the burden.”

But even as the words left her lips, Briana couldn't shake the feeling that things were only going to get more complicated from here, that this was only the beginning of something much larger.

However, for now, she would hold on tight and hope that the love and loyalty she held for both of them would be enough to overcome the unforeseen obstacles ahead.

 

[Cybelle Elyance]

Wearing: X
Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren | Briana Sal-Soren
__________

Never…Never was a very, very long time.

Her expression softened immeasurably when she realized the emotional effect the memory that had been passed to Briana had taken a toll. This was exactly what Cybelle had been trying to avoid. The relief that she had felt with a truth coming to light was quickly eviscerated by guilt. "It's all right…", her voice bubbled up, swiftly, to try and catch the morose feelings before they could take root. The last thing she wanted was for her friend to slip down that dark river.

It was a lonely place.

"I'm all right."

It was an unintentionally hollow reassurance. Physically, she was fine. In pristine condition. Just a few bumps and bruises that were already fading under the careful tending of the medical staff. Only Briana knew what she had been through, save, for Temerant. There was no way he would bring it up. She could feel his confusion, shame, in the back of her mind for succumbing to what he believed to be an illusion of goodness. He'd broken the wings of a mourning dove for a contracted mission that he had no real stake in other than reputation. It seemed that even for a Sith…

That was not a weight he could bear.

Cybelle reached out slowly while Briana made her promises and uncharacteristically drew the brunette into a light embrace. It was full of apology. Her chin tucked against the slightly taller woman's shoulder and her heart sank from the knowledge that she was, once again, responsible for something going amiss with the Sal-Soren family. First, Baros and the New Way. Now…This. Secrets were breaking things that could tear at the seams of even the strongest relationships. "I'm sorry, Bri. Maybe I shouldn't have—"

It was too late. Her voice cut out while her eyes began to sting again. Instead, she held her friend just a little tighter. So many things were unspoken. Gratitude, worry, and an echo of something Cybelle had no name for.

"One day…", she trailed off, trying, to envision a future where the knowledge of her death might not break the man she loved. "I have hope it won't always be like this. He needs your shield, deserves it, more than I do. If it doesn't last…"

If her resurrection was only temporary.

"Brandyn will need you more than ever."

Cybelle didn't understand the theory behind what had happened. Perhaps, there was something in the Jedi Archives that might offer an explanation. The medics that had given her a checkup in the aftermath had found nothing to suggest that anything had ever been wrong. Just, minor things. Certainly not a reduced lifespan and no evidence that she'd been restored as a Sithspawn. She could feel the Light Side of the Force now more than she ever had. In truth… She just needed to find her footing and get over it.

What was done? Had been undone.

She wasn't willing to sacrifice Brandyn for a non-issue.

The night-blind Knight unwound herself from Briana and tried to clear her face of all that bothered her. All that she worried about. Her aura remains a steady, even, pulse of light. It was reminiscent of the battle meditation that she had recognized during the mission. The harmony that had dared strike through the heart of the place so forsaken as Exegol. "…I love Brandyn, you know. I always have…Even when I was too young to know what it was. Too dense and hypnotized by the old ways, I guess."

"I don't like this any more than you. But…The truth would only destroy him. He'll have to make do with love. That…That's more honest than I could ever be."

Cybelle…Just hoped that was enough.

 

[Alexander Hayes]

There was something in Maeve's eyes that told the K’paur she was a bit disappointed at his answer. But Alex had his reasons, one’s he had little desire to talk about, let alone think about. Maybe one day, but it wasn’t going to be today.

Instead, he raised an eyebrow as the Shadow seemed to almost ‘quietly pep up’ at the mention of a spar. It seemed he wasn’t alone in thinking about the prospect.

They had battled side by side, and saw how one another fought. So fighting one another was the natural next step.

Alex grinned as he watched Maeve cross her arms and flash him a taunting smile. It was always entertaining to see this side of the Shadow, more so when it was aimed at him. Promising one hell of a spar that was sure to leave an impression.

“Oh, I’d be disappointed if I left with only one bruise.” The K’paur chuckled as he decided to stoke that competitive fire. “But you might have some of that ‘ferocious reputation’ of yours damaged after we’re done.”

The celebrations continued on around them as they talked. Alex looked away to take in more of the spectacle, only for his eyes to land on a destination not too far away.

“In the meantime, how about some drinks?” He asked, turning to look at Maeve. “It is a time for celebration after all.”

Maeve Linahan
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[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve cocked an eyebrow in his direction. "Damaged? Don't make me laugh, Hayes. There's a reason why the Jedi at the temple call me Ironheart." She was cold as ice and fighting her was like swatting at a steel-forged wall. Not many could say they'd walked away from a duel with her without a lasting bruise or a bone fracture. Not many at all.

But she couldn't deny the stab of doubt she felt with him. Alexander was a fine soldier and an expert with a knife. Would he be the first?

She gave herself an internal shake. Of course not. She'd treat him the same as anyone else at the training grounds. An opponent. For now, with the height of Coruscant's celebrations underway, they were equals, twin souls, soldiers finally given a taste and chance at peace. At his offer for a drink, Maeve resisted the urge to smile.

She never passed up an opportunity for some alcohol. No less with him.

Maeve folded her arms over her chest. "I was just about to ask you the same," she said, then leaned off the railing and gestured to the neon-bright bar across the street. "Let's see who can last the longest."

Alexander Hayes / Exit Thread.​

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