In umbris potestas est

[Hailyn]

A recollection struck her, memories of a distant world far removed from Sith or Republic space that she had visited while following the Silver Jedi during her days as an infiltrator, a spy of renown within the Sith intelligence branch - a path which led to the end of her apprenticeship with her first master. These two had been the spark to light that flame, the flame which led to Veles' leaving her and the order, abandoning her like her parents would have. Like they should have. The impatience of the impertinent woman was absolutely fething maddening, driving her quite nearly up a wall. She'd presumed her waves of darkness to be her attempt at turning her, like the fools on Csilla before she'd ripped their morale from their hearts, before she'd lost it and shown to the Dark Lord's apprentice why she was worth her weight in beskar. But amidst the flow of defiance from the woman, knowing nothing of Sith Magic, nothing of her sorcery that had yet to be expressed, she felt the void of something else - of someone else. Her eyes fluttered to the side as she looked upon [member="Connor Harrison"] with quite the stoic expression, remembering when her master had sent her to a distant planet to obtain her lignan crystal when she stumbled down to his group, discovered how mad with the dark side he had been - then fled with Rave Merrill the alchemist in fear for her life, at that point still ripe for the taking. She could feel the rejection, the silence of pain, coming from the man - what either she or the Jedi had said must have upset him. She smiled.

"You speak as though I had ever seen the light, Jedi." She said dismissively, keeping her eyes trained on the male while her senses were kept keen on the woman. "The Dark Side is not as horrible as your masters lead you to believe, though I will agree that those that have accepted the... dogma of the light side of the force.. that have fallen were indeed weak - weak but became stronger. More powerful." She continued, her eyes shifting back to the woman with a cold gaze. "I was born in it, raised with it. I understand that you don't know quite much about me, as neither do the Sith, but I am something of an enigma among them. I was not raised by the Sith, nor did I know of them at my birth. I was simply aware of the stench of darkness that whispered to me in my sleep, telling me tales of great power, seducing me to its beauty even in my youth." Silara explained, her expression softening. She was aware she was speaking far too much, but she was already near the base of the stairway, close enough to the Jedi that she could see the forced resolve, not entirely as sturdy as she'd liked to believe herself to be. Corvus reminded her of her master, believing himself to be a 'True' Sith Lord while also retaining the duality of benevolence, and then the day that he turned on her, the day he fething burned away her pride and love for him and traded it for another - for the bright light of Ashla. But this woman was speaking as if reading from a script, one which was flawed and nearly all knew their way around. "But let us not speak of me, Jedi. Surely you tire of such.. tales." Said the Sith Lord, looking directly at the man expectantly as she softened her voice near the end of her statement

'You're playing with fire, my dear. But you've distracted them well enough. I did not expect you to bring up the subject of... your parentage. Quite unlike you.' Whispered the words of the unseen male voice in her head, her eyes looking over the tomb that was sealed tightly through the power of sith sorcery. 'The one to open it will forfeit their lives, child. But you already knew that, didn't you? Such a talented little wench, invoking spirits of those who should never have their slumber disturbed.' It continued, in turn revealing a hint as to whom the voice may belong to. She stopped walking, still a bit aways from the woman at the base of the stairs, and audibly sighed. "Let me cut to the chase, Jedi. Do you intend to kill me, or shall I take what these ridiculous fanatics have been trying to keep me from?" She asked, mentally reaching out with the force to feel out for the presence of any more of the Malevolence - glad to find that her puppet of a guide was still standing alone in the hall behind her. She could make out the presence of others, but did not give them the time of day as she returned the full of her focus on the two that truly garnered her attention. Should they strike now, she was fully prepared to allow them a brief look into what Sith Sorcery was capable of.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

They say a butterfly is most fragile at the moment they emerge from the chrysalis. Before their wings are dry and they’ve taken their first flight. So for Corvus, it was like undergoing her metamorphosis in front of a hungry snake. Her timing was – to say the least – awry.

Corvus was considered by most to be old-school Jedi. This was not in any way true – as she both respected the past and embraced the future. But a Jedi’s values had not changed over the thousands of years they’d been in existence. Once upon a time they were pitted against the Sith, fighting large-scale wars. It was a time for the warrior. Then, ironically due to a man that stood in this very room so long ago, the Jedi were fooled into believing the Sith were no more. They changed to become more sedentary peace-keepers, conducting diplomatic missions. Then came Order 66 and all that changed.

There was talk recently of the reformation of the Army of the Light. Everyone assumed Corvus would be opposed. So confident were they that they never asked her opinion. What Corvus would have opposed would have been the blood-lust. The use of the tool to justify mass murder. But the Army was created to face a foe just like the One Sith. Sometimes words only went so far. She was a Jedi, and would always look for the non-violent outcome. But sometimes that result is denied even the most fervently Light-sided. Sometimes a life had to be taken.

She glanced at Connor. There was proof that only weak Jedi turned to the Dark-side. Strong Jedi may be tempted – she was herself – but the strong resist. Those that are particularly strong return to the Light.

Corvus returned her thoughts to the here and now. She was conflicted. She wanted to remain silent – as the old Corvus would. But the new pushed her to speak up. To be the candle.

“You speak of knowing the Light.” Corvus finally said. Quietly and calmly. “If you had, we would not be having this conversation. And do not believe in your vanity that all Jedi follow dogma without question. That is truly a Sith lie, to brainwash you into believing you are the only free spirits in the galaxy.”

And Corvus laughed. It wasn’t a false laugh to prove a point. Nor was it a maniacal laugh of someone slightly unhinged. No, it was as if the Sith had said something genuinely funny. In fact, listening to herself, Corvus wasn’t even sure what she could have found so humorous.

“And I have studied the lives of the Sith.” She glanced at Connor at this point. “You do not have to be a killer to know how to catch one – but you should at least understand them. Unlike Jedi of the past, I would not destroy Sith artefacts. I would learn from them, find even more of your weaknesses.”

“I am not here by chance. I will not suggest I know more or even as much about Darth Andeddu as you, or Darth Bane, or any other Sith you care to mention. But I guarantee you my knowledge of the Sith vastly outweighs your knowledge of the Jedi. Or were your false words simply to provoke?”

“And can I say that every Sith I have mentioned – bar none – considers themselves an enigma. And without doubt believe the Dark side to be stronger. And that is why you will fail. It was the Jedi’s undoing centuries ago – to believe the Light side was stronger. To naively accept the Sith could be wiped out in a single instant and the Jedi alone survived. I am not here to wipe out the Sith. I am here to do the will of the Force. To ensure there is a balance.”

As the words flowed, Corvus’ calmness grew. The wings were drying.

“And as for the chase…I have to ask, who is the fox here and who is the hound? We will not let you take the knowledge you seek from this tomb. That is our resolve. How we achieve this will depend entirely on you.” She was acutely aware this was getting personal and made sure the Sith knew that she faced both Jedi, both Orders.

[member="Darth Vitium"] | [member="Connor Harrison]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor was half-listening, half-soothing himself. He gently limbered his muscles and let the Force, tainted as it was, support him and empower him. The battle of words and philosophy seemed to come before any confrontation between the Jedi and Sith, and so Connor was loosening up in order to move fast, and absorb any attack that would come.

He KNEW he was going to feel pain, and he knew his current situation was going to hamper him against another Sith, only this time it would be a more physical battle than mental, and he was ready to let the pain fuel his actions and motivate him to survive and to fight.

Swinging the hilt back and forward, casually, in his right hand, Connor let Corvus speak for them both; both Orders and both warriors of the Light. While their paths and morals were different, their goal was one and the same and before them represented the very thing they swore to destroy.

Inclining his head over to Corvus, Connor hissed gently, ”Be careful, Corvus. This is going to hurt.”

Connor turned to face the Sith full frontal. He had made his careful journey to salvation, now was the time to represent the Order and the Jedi he wanted to be; one not afraid to sacrifice himself for the sake of others in great adversity.


[member="Darth Vitium"] [member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Hailyn]

They say beauty is through the eye of the beholder - that reality is merely a fabrication of human perception, insanity being an aberration from the norm of society and of galactic life. In the eyes of the Republic the Sith are insane, completely filled to the brim of psychopaths, sociopathic heathens that seek only destruction and pain. Silara - Vitium - was no such perversion of humanity, seeking instead something far more fulfilling, far more causative. She took action without a seeming reason, without thought or consequence, expecting a formative 'win', often losing a decisive battle - often distracting onlookers and even participants from the bigger picture, from reality. To her, to the Vahla that spent her days in meditation when she was not engaging actively in fulfilling her visions of the future and goals, the inhabitants of the galaxy suffered from a detachment from reality - from sanity. To this wench, this audacious perversion of creation, this sithspawn, she was above sanity - seeing reality through perception - she saw reality as it were, without lenses or filters. And in this moment there was no mistaking that bringing ideologies in as a muse for combating those blind to the truth that was the dark side of the force would be a fatal error. Instead, lacking any ounce of dignity, the woman allowed her features to slump slightly - her legs and shoulders relaxing as her expression drooped. A small smile crept up like a spidery invader on her face from the corners of her lips into a cruel grin, and she tilted her head lightly to the side, a lecherous look of curiosity painted onto her delicate face.

'Oh? Have you decided to cast away the mask? Done with the charade?' Whispered the voice of uncertainty within the depths of her mind. She slid her right foot a millimeter back, pressing it against the cool duracrete step, her lips slowly starting to spread, eyelids slowly lowered halfway. Keeping her eyes locked on [member="Corvus Raaf"], the Sith lady lifted her head up and back in a rotating fashion, counter-clockwise, and allowed a small gap to form between her lips. "Yes." Vitium replied, aloud, and immediately moved back up the stairs with augmented speed through the force, an ability that she had spent mastering it to degrees that had impressed her late masters. 'Dropping the presumption of normalcy, are we?' Continued the male voice, echoing in the back of her fragmented mind, which worked to give the Sith Lord the final push required for her to disrobe herself of the fallacy that had been Silara. Pretending to be a pretender, that was who she had been, what she had been, and that was now a dropped charade. Enter from center stage the truth in all of this, the puppetmaster, engineer of war and strife - manipulator of factions galaxy-wide. "Then show me your skills with a lightsaber, Jedi. I do not fear death, I do not fear failure. My fear is my own - pathetic drivel, threats of defeat, of being hunted by the fools who know not how to open the crypt, do not dissuade me." She said, her voice thin, almost shrill even, as it came from everywhere at once like a hoarse whisper. Her eyes narrowed, fists clenched around the hilts of her sabers as they activated. Push come to shove and she would purge the keep of these two lightsiders, but she was .. merciful .. in a cruel sense. She'd let them live - only if they escaped forever scarred and humiliated.

[member="Connor Harrison"], [member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

The inescapable truth is that the candle in the dark is not immune to the elements. Sometimes it survived the cruel winds and flared even brighter but on other occasions the rush of oxygen was too great and the flame briefly blossomed before it was extinguished. And so it was with Corvus. Still feeling her way in this new persona, the girl still not quite a woman was surprisingly content to let the elements run their natural course and decide her fate. But then, perhaps that was only surprising to those that didn’t know her.

She trusted in the Force and it told her just how dangerous this woman in front of her was.

As if to prove the point, the Sith was beside her in the blink of an eye. Her words seductive and passionate yet at the same time full of darkness. And the strange symmetry was complete. With her Jedi cloak at her feet, she was dressed in her white robes. Beside her was a figure that sucked the very light from the room, so dark was she.

Jedi against Sith. Light against the Dark. The humorous truth for Corvus was that neither side would win. One or both of them might die today – but that was not a measure of success or failure. The two groups would continue to fight forever and a day. This was no defining battle. It would be, at most, a footnote in a report lost in the annals of time. But if the Light side were to turn the tide against the Dark, these were the sort of encounters that needed to turn the Jedi way. And there was Connor. She did not fear for his life but she didn't want him to die either. But thoughts of him would cloud her judgement. This was not a selfish act she was about to perform but a selfless one. If Connor joined her - and she fully expected he would - it would increase their chances of destroying the holocron. For that was the goal, not the Sith woman. But for now, she could only speak for herself.

Corvus smiled. “Who said anything about opening the crypt?”

And then she closed her eyes and recited the Code in her head.

‘There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.’
“There is no death, there is the Force.”

Her eyes gently opened as the last line escaped her lips without conscious thought. She had simultaneously entered Center of Being and Force Valor through this brief meditation. She could literally feel the midi-chlorians coursing through her blood-stream, energising her. Her saber and koto were still clipped to her belt.

She looked the Sith directly in the eyes. Her voice calm and composed, even gentle. She could have been reading a child a bedtime story, so soft were the words – yet they permeated the entire chamber.

“The crystal is the heart of the blade.
The heart is the crystal of the Jedi.
The Jedi is the crystal of the Force.
The Force is the blade of the heart.
All are intertwined.
The crystal, the blade, the Jedi.
We are one.”

“There is truth between my heart and the Force...I am ready.”

[member="Darth Vitium"] | [member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The wave of the dark tendrils was distracting Connor far more than it should; the Sith Magic infused in his brain stem feeding from his over analysis and increasing his defences. Hand gripped tightly on the saber, thumb gently resting next to the blade ignitor, the Silver Jedi was solid in stance.

The battle of words between Corvus and the Sith had a sense that it was far more meaningful than what he expected. He was fuelled by Corvus’s passion for the light, and he was bemused by the Sith’s passion for the dark; both strong allegiance’s, both more similar to the other with a fine line separating the two.

As the Sith spoke, Connor wasn’t ready for her Force amplified speed to meet Corvus up above. With a blur and kick back of light snow and grime from the floor, the Silver Jedi turned slightly and blinked against the speed that echoed around the tomb.

He turned quickly, seeing the two women dangerously close together on the high ground. The emerald glow from the sarcophagus was now yards from Connor. Should he provide Corvus with the back-up she deserved, but probably didn’t want, or focus on getting into the resting place of the Sith Lord and seek their goal; the holocron.

Corvus’ words resonated in his ears, soft and powerful words that made him instantly mutter his own words that dictated his path.

”I serve the people of the galaxy, I fight only when necessary. The defense of the weak and innocent are my main priorities and I will do all in my power to see that this promise is upheld.”

Two small steps back towards the sarcophagus made it clear he would aim to seek the holocron, and hopefully it would help Corvus if he managed to break its connection from the Force that was fuelling the dangerous, snake-like Sith warrior.

Focusing on Corvus in her angelic white robes, a guardian and protector of the galaxy, Connor spoke directly to her mind in an attempt to let her hear him.

“My strength will be your own. Trust in your ability and your instincts. I do."


[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Darth Vitium"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

Every man and woman has the chance to take his or her own choices in life. Decide if they simply want to be the extension of some Will of the Force-nonsense, or pick the path where you yourself are the catalyst of your own fate.

Darth Carach had chosen the path of freedom a long time ago, it was this path that had led him to the One Sith - they aspired to bring Order to the Galaxy, a worthy cause. There was no doubt about it and yet… the Voice of the Dark Lord had his doubts on the success of the mission, but a man with freedom had his responsibilities.

Today’s responsibility… aiding an ally.

And so it was that the Voice of the Dark Lord, Carach stood in the corner of the Tomb containing the crypt of Darth Andeddu. He saw [member="Corvus Raaf"] and [member="Darth Vitium"] fighting (or sparring verbally, whichever suits more), and he also saw [member="Connor Harrison"] walking over to the crypt. It seemed the Jedi Master was going to try and claim the holocron, while his companion held Warspawn back.

Yet the Sith Lord didn’t try and stop Harrison, instead he simply watched, a peculiar smile on his lips. Almost… as if he knew something that the rest did not know, almost as if he wanted the Jedi to open the crypt.

For what reason? The Master would only find out once he attempted to open the holocron’s resting place. But for all intents and purposes, it would be a doozy.

Oh right. The Sith was cloaked in the White Current, nobody would be able to see, perceive or feel him. Perks of being a multi-purpose Sith with a lot of friends.

 

[Hailyn]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fw8mf8SV50[/media]​

Death - Killing - was like a distant memory, one that was vaguely recalled whenever it was mentioned or experienced again. Her first kill, the first real slaying of a foe worthy of being remembered, was the Sith Lord Darth Mierin - her former master. It was the catalyst for change within the Vahla, a reason for a shift in goals. She no longer felt it fulfilling to merely serve the Dark Lord, though that was still something that remained on her mind, it was now her mission in life to return the Sith to the true path, the right path, the Order of the Sith Lords of old. This woman, this Jedi, was certainly no Mierin, she had no powers of mental control, no force lightning to repel her sabers from her hands, and certainly did not possess the same level of skill in offensive saber combat as the Sith Pureblood had. Though she had never directly met and fought the Jedi, she had never heard mention of her within the Sith - not by appearance at least - as a threat. But to the Sith Lord that stood here now, her boots planted firmly on the cold stone, all of the words given, all the titles made, all the accomplished garnered were simply that - words. Action proved where words failed, and it was in the instant that the Jedi had finished speaking that she unfurled her body in a way that only one learned and mastered through both Makashi and dance could.

Her left shoulder slumped less than half a centimeter as her right foot slid back, her left foot pivoting to the right and her back arching slightly, while her hands worked their magic. Darkness crept out from her like serpentine snakes, a return of the waves of darkness she had entered the chamber with, and her right saber was extinguished while her left was swept up and to the right towards the woman's chest. As the blade approached she pivoted her body to the right, allowing her left side to obtain a farther right, while her right forearm was pressed against her own abdomen, the path of the tip of the deactivated saber positioned to be just out of the way of her own left arm and just beneath the line of sight for the Jedi - at least as close to out of sight as she could muster - and she immediately reactivated the blade. In mere moments she had combined her mastery of Makashi with her skill in trakata, but there was a distinct reason she had trained under Veles in the past - back before she had any semblance of physical prowess, when she was still hindered by the physical restraints of her Vahla heritage.
Her left knee bent forwards, a push in the force could be felt directed in [member="Corvus Raaf"]'s direction at her lower half.

'Ah yes. The return of the little snake that nearly ended her master's life in their first little saber duel. Are you going to try to decapitate her as you nearly did that Mon Calamari?' Whispered the voice in glee, its words absolutely dripping with excitement. The expression on the blonde's face was stone-cold, unfeeling, as though she saw nothing - nothing at all. Her focus was extreme, tantamount to the apex of one who practiced battle meditation and spent her days in focus. There was no stopping it now, the animal that dwelt within her, and Vitium would not hesitate to lash out at any and all openings, pressing the Jedi with pure offense and elegance of Makashi with the brutality of her Niman and trakata. "Can you feel it, Jedi?" Came her musings through a telepathic echo devised to sound as though it were a whisper from behind the woman. "Can you feel the fear of those observing our fight, of the Malevolence?" She continued, her expression still as stoic as it had been prior.

"Just accept it, draw from its darkness."

"You know you want to."

[member="Connor Harrison"], [member="Corvus Raaf"], [member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

And so it began…


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EXMXuJ3ivg



Fly Straight With Perfection – Find Me A New Direction


In this moment time stood still for Corvus. Had the wings dried sufficiently? Was the girl yet a woman? But one thing was clear – she saw the room and its occupants with crystal clarity. She felt the hatred oozing from the corner where someone was hidden from the Force – but their emotions betrayed them. She saw Connor, her Connor, steadfast by her side, as strong as any Jedi she’d ever encountered.

The new Corvus was feeling her way but rather than be apprehensive she was exhilarated. The Force coursed through her entire body. She felt connected as never before. It was as if her 15 years of training were for this moment and this moment alone.


You Never Realised The Things They Say – We'll Never Realise Until We're Dead


Corvus was never the most gifted with the Force. Others picked up abilities without apparently trying. She was different. She had to be different. She could count on the fingers of one hand the days she hadn’t trained every waking hour available in the last 15 years. And she’d have five digits left over. There was no socialising. No evenings off. No games of pazaak or skorch.

When she’d first arrived on Ossus she knew everything there was to know about saber combat. Her practical skills were limited to the First Form – but she’d studied every file, every holocron she could since the age of four to understand the Force, sabers and the Sith. It was perversely the man that was so successful in wrenching secrets from the holocron they sought that had shown her the way to defeat the gatekeeper. Ironic in fact.

But for now there was a greater foe.


The Fires They Burn Along The Coast Of Triumphs – The Ebony Embittered Souls Of Children


Corvus stood for the Light and the woman in front of her was the embodiment of the Dark. She’d faced Sith before. As a Padawan she’d faced Balaya, Darth Praelior and lived to tell the tale. Truth be known, she’d held her own for as long as she could before running away.

And she’d defeated the Sith Lord on Corellia – but spared him his life in the darkest moment she’d faced since becoming a Jedi. And then countless other Sith whose names were irrelevant. And of course Balaya again as a Knight. This time she’d held her own and was almost surprised at how the creature that once seemed invincible had chinks in her armour.

But they all shared one thing in common. She had only taken a life when absolutely necessary. Amongst the Sith she was probably considered weak. Their underestimation gave her power. She did what she did because she was a Jedi. A true Jedi. Her footprint was white.


We'll Seek Another Way Before Too Long – But Will You Stop My Wind Before I'm Gone?


For now she’d have to call on every Force ability, every remembered move from every holocron. She’d been teased as a child for it. When others played games, she re-enacted saber battles – reviewing weaknesses, considering alternative endings. Not the typical pastime for a five-year old.

Even on the way here she’d reviewed the style of Master Fisto – a Jedi that combined Teräs Käsi with lightsaber moves.


And When You Find Me All Alone – Your World Has Never Been My Own


They were so different and yet so alike. She understood what the Sith did but could never, ever, comprehend why they did it. Yet as they stood there, waiting for the dance to start, the symmetry of their respective positions was absolute. They were polar opposites – but like Yin and Yang, they completed each other the way two from the same side never could. It was as if this was ever meant to be. So very, very close yet miles apart.


My Friend You’re Black And When You Fly You're Wild – I Am White Sometimes I Behave Just Like A Child


There was a naivety in Corvus that remained – even in her current transformation. She did what she did for the greater good. No doubts, no rhetoric, just belief. No passion, just serenity.


The Northern Seas Are Cold But They're Our Own – We'll Sail Your Southern Seas Before Too Long


Like any dance, there was a leader and a follower. Corvus followed. It was her preferred style and so she waited for the Force to tell her the moment to act – or rather react. Peace, knowledge, harmony. She waited patiently for what seemed an eternity.


When I Was A Viking – My Friend He Was The Raven


The first sign was a small body movement – but Corvus remained impassive, her hands still by her side, her eyes fixed on the Sith’s.

The dance had started but Corvus waited for her partner to dictate the pace.

A saber was deactivated and the Sith started to work her magic. There was beauty in her movement, it was almost captivating. But in this state, her vision was secondary to the Force. Your eyes can deceive you but the Force will never let you down. So her actions were quite literally unconscious movements that the Force dictated and she listened to without question.

She matched the pace of the dance, her saber snapping to her hand and igniting in one fluid movement to block the incoming blow. A split second later, the shoto was ignited, meeting her hand as it travelled into the perfect position to block the surprise attack.

And finally the symmetry was complete. The tango was underway and their body-language, the focus writ large across their faces, the perfect opposites of Form were all testament to the duality of the situation. And then she heard the woman, taunting her. It sounded like it came from behind her but once more she trusted in the Force.

She spoke out loud, her voice calm and barely above a whisper itself. “If I live or die today, the one thing I can be certain of is that there is truth between my heart and the Force. That truth cannot be tainted by false promises.”

Corvus was serene, unafraid – but knew that deep down, Soresu could potentially maintain the fight indefinitely but never end it. The truth she had just spoken of was real to her – sooner or later she would have to take the lead. Comfort zones would be out of the window. And the Force knew that, deep down, the fear of failure was lurking, waiting for the most inopportune moment to strike.

[member="Darth Vitium"] | [member="Darth Carach"] | [member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor stood below, watching the stand-off between light and dark, Jedi and Sith; two women with the Force flowing through them, but with very different interpretations of the gift they were born with.

As streaks of light pierced the cracks up above in the ceiling steaming down with the odd flake of snow dancing down with it, Connor stood on the black dais that the crypt of Darth Andeddu and the holocron of Heresies rested on. The green unnatural glow from a stone in the crypt illuminated his face, and he ran both hands over the cool lip of stone that was ready to be opened.

He could easily rush to help Corvus, uniting their ability to take down the Sith Lord, but what would be the point? It would be a stupid move; dangerous and insulting to her for one, and arrogant on his part to intervene. Once more, he reminded himself they were from two separate Orders and could both look after themselves, which, when it came to it, he didn’t doubt she would if it meant leaving Connor to his own fate if she could accomplish their goal.

Darkness was present, and it goaded the Silver Jedi forward to act swiftly and deftly, to be the light that broke through, just like Prakith was doing naturally now. Cracks in the tomb represented the crumbling Sith way of progression, the light represented the Jedi breaking through.

Stepping back with his right foot and pushing down with great force, Connor held his breath and pushed the stone lid of the ancient crypt. Stone grated on stone. He exhaled softly as the Force boosted his muscle strength and focus. The lid moved back further and further until gravity took over and it tipped down the floor with a firm [b[THUD[/b] at a 45 degree angle, resting on the open crypt.

Connor took in the sight before him, not letting himself be distracted by the snap-hiss of blades above where the confrontation was beginning to take place. She was doing her job so he could do his, and vice versa.

A Sith Lord now at peace; a feeble, decayed humanoid figure with empty, hollow features which had sunk away over time and now left behind a sickening and frail corpse. The remains were detracted from by rich looking garments covering most of the body, and atop of them rested the holocron itself. A small gold and black pyramid with a small glowing crimson peak, obviously form the crystal within.

Connor tilted his head as he licked his lips eagerly, taking in the precise decorative inscriptions and symbols as well as the Aurebesh writing along the bottom:

IN UMBRIS POTESTAS EST

Crouching down slightly to be eye level with the holocron and rubbed his jaw, taking in the small but powerful object that was calling to him to take and absorb the Force within.

”In the shadows, there is power.” A whisper escaped from his lips.

Facing down a Sith Lord was one thing, but facing down the holocron of another, that was a different angle altogether. His fingers came up, index finger rubbing the thumb, looking for how to tackle it. Could the Sith Magic planted his brain stem result in a deadly outcome if he touched the holocron, or would it allow him to safely become one with the power within and destroy it with Corvus?

Corvus – his eyes flicked up to see her locked in combat with the Sith, and his heart raced more as he knew they both had to trust the other in order to survive the dangers together.


[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Darth Vitium"] [member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

And so it was that greed and hubris would be the end of both the Jedi Master and the Knight who had stole their way into a place that did not belong to them, of which the very essence denied their right to soil the stones with their footsteps. But they had come anyway, denying caution and ignoring wisdom, in this they had only dug their own grave, this very tomb perhaps as a warning to those who dared to tread into places of the Dark.

It began as such, when [member="Connor Harrison"] removed the lid of the crypt he would not have enough time to ponder on heavy thoughts, he would not even have enough time to consider taking the dark artifact into his hands, because when the lid fell from the Sith Lord’s grave a curse flew out and caught the Jedi Knight straight in the face. It was an apparition, a manifestation of the Darkside - a force that was attempting to drain away all his life in one fell swoop.

Perhaps the Jedi Knight would be able to overcome the effects of the curse, but when even the powerful Darth Wyyrlok had problems with defeating Andeddu’s power? What hope did a Knight have, one who had been caught unaware of the curse even? Good questions one should always ask himself.

But that had not been Darth Carach’s doing, whilst the Harrison had been busy trying to take control over the holocron the Sith Lord was doing something else. His companion, [member="Darth Janus"], always enjoyed tormenting his foes with words, trying to make them slip in their commitment. But Carach was not one of those Sith Lords, instead… he liked to act and destroy his enemies with only few words to spare, at least verbally.

When [member="Corvus Raaf"] found herself fighting against [member="Darth Vitium"] she’d soon realize she wasn’t fighting a single Sith Lord. Out of nowhere the pressure of an avalanche settled upon her mind and applied the unrestrained force of one of the most powerful Mentalists this Galaxy has ever known. Spencer Jacobs had trained him, Je’gan Olra’en had tried to destroy him, but in the end… it was Carach who still stood in this defining moment, to thwart the attempts of the wicked.

Destroying knowledge.

What a waste.

 

[Connor Harrison]

He couldn’t see it, but he felt it the moment his hand reached around the holocron – the cursed pyramid emitted a blast of dark energy that Connor absorbed in his palm, feeling it shock and race through his body, awakening the Sith curse rooted in his brain stem. He felt the power of the Dark Side once more.

”No, no, NO! Not now!”

His body fell and his hands sprung forward to push on the lip of the crypt as the holocron clouded before him, a sicking spiral of black and gold through stinging eyes.

“Corvus Raaf will die, and you will be responsible – you will become the Lord you were destined to be.”

The holocron began to emit a crimson glow and a shroud of dark light seemed to bleed from the walls of the tomb around him, trembling the stone crypt he rested on and nothing but the distorted voice of Matsu Xiangu entwined with those who Connor had been near – Aika, Nima, Coci and Coruvs – all bleeding into one blood-curdling scream in his head.

A cry roared from his mouth as Connor fell to his knees and pushed out with the Force as hard as he could to combat the raging confrontation of Dark and Light racing through from the Holocron and coming up against the Sith Magic in his mind.

”AGGGGGH!”

”The Dark Lord will rise and take his place at the throne of the Sith once more. T corpses of Jedi will be scattered before him. Your betrayal of Corvus Raaf and the Jedi is nearly complete – she’s using you. They are all using you.”

Gravity seemed to disappear around him. He felt weightless, but at the same time rooted by a pressure that was crushing him; forcing his breathing to become heavy, his body to crumple and his muscles to tighten and fight the poison.

Through gritted eyes, fingers bleeding through pressure applied to grip the stone, Connor couldn’t shake the vision of a fire engulfing the bodies of all he knew. He could see it clearly, his allies of the light being destroyed as he stood before them and created the fire from his own palms, the dark shadow of the Sith hanging over him.

All he could do was trust that the Sith Magic would be enough to prevent the raging curse from killing him on the spot, because falling to the Dark Side would be a fate worse than death.


[member="Darth Carach"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Darth Vitium"]

 

[Hailyn]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLGH0H4Vr6Y[/media]​

​

There it was. Everywhere and all at once no where at all. Fear, confusion, uncertainty. Connor Harrison had found what she was waiting for, and its trigger had unleashed the torment upon both his body and mind, perhaps even his soul, and the feelings he felt - the feelings of the dark side - were all too delicious to savor over. The entire room was alight with his struggle, and with a single push he might come hurtling over the edge as she would soon push her own sister - once she reclaimed the Holocron and delivered it to her - but at the moment she was preoccupied in what amounted to a stalemate in saber combat with this warrior of the Light - one who claimed to be so great a Jedi yet could not puncture the darkness as she had expected of a master of her presumptuous attitude. Just as she had while facing the Jedi Graxin Rade, this was no trivial matter - but there was a slight difference in the entirety of this fight, and that was the nature of it. Graxin had fought back until he could fight no more and turned tale, whereas Corvus merely fought to defend - unable to bring herself to the offensive, unable to fight back. She knew the blade form, Soresu, and that if she grew too confident that there would be an opening that the Jedi would capitalize on, but she also was distinctly aware that the Jedi was already beginning to feel the imminent surge of fear radiating off of Harrison like the catalyst to a supernova. And how great that fall from the stars would be.

Pulling back, her left foot sliding across stone audibly as the stairway beneath it cracked and shuddered, Silara rotated her body to the left while moving towards the right, right blade shut off as she moved in to strike with her left in an upward arc to the right. As her saber moved in she lifted her right and performed a jab - one of the more unpredictable strikes with a lightsaber - before activating the saber less than seconds later. "Can you feel the fire burning, Jedi? Your friend, ally, is falling. I suppose you would call him weak?" She whispered callously, eyes still trained on the woman to watch her every move. "What will you do when your friend takes what you sought to destroy for himself, too tempted to side with you - you who are merely using him as a tool when you know you cannot succeed alone." Silara continued, a small smirk beginning to form at the corner of her lips. 'Give in to your fear, Jedi. Strike down your doubts and surrender to the Dark Side - there is no hope for success while you fight against the Sith, only inevitable defeat and failure. Deliver yourself from the evils of the Jedi's chains and come in to the dark - there are many trophies if you do, myself included.' Came the seductive voice of the Sith Lord in the ears of [member="Connor Harrison"], telepathy working its magic while she kept much of her focus on the Jedi Master that she fought tooth and nail - perhaps a prospective plus for being so naturally adept in the skill to begin with, mastered over the years of experience through these sorts of battles.

[member="Corvus Raaf"], [member="Connor Harrison"], [member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

You make me dizzy
Running circles in my head
One of these days I’ll chase you down
Well look who’s going crazy now
We’re face to face my friend
Better get out
Better get out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eNBM17tkjI

Two onto one never seemed fair – but she was a Corellian, and you know what they say about telling them the odds.

If there was a benefit in training as hard as she did – and this was something she instilled in the Younglings and Padawans she taught – it was that so many things came automatically to you in situations like these. Like Center of Being, like Teräs Käsi.

But whereas her training in Steel Hands meant she usually was oblivious to mental attacks, this time she was acutely aware. It felt as though someone was squeezing her mind. Whether it was an attempt to enter her thoughts or something else she didn’t know – but if it kept up, she’d need more than a couple of aspirin in the morning! And worse still, she didn’t know how much more painful it might become.

And she was aware of Connor. His cries of anguish were real although what demons he faced were less tangible to her. But she was a Jedi. She planned for success and only then for failure. In her mind, they would destroy the specific piece of knowledge they came for and leave. That was their mission, albeit two rolled into one. The second option was that Connor fell to the Dark-side. Then she would follow him, return him to the Light-side and deal with the Holocron. To her it was simply black and white. Two plans, one outcome.

Of course there was one significant obstacle in her way but not in the sense she was expecting. And it was not Connor. Funny how back on Ossus she was known as the cold-fish and the bookworm. Funny how Jedi saw her as dispassionate and yet invariably Sith tried to play on her emotions to lever an advantage. Connor would do what Connor would do. She could neither control it nor worry about it. Attachments were something she gave up aged four. She could not, for example, hand on heart tell you if her parents were alive. Or her siblings. Or even how many siblings she had. And being a Corellian, this was through choice, her choice. Green Jedi were allowed to live at home whilst at the Academy. Corvus preferred to sleep in the empty dormitory.

So the taunt about Connor being weak was ignored as at worst designed to annoy her and at best simply the truth. And she reflected on her performance to date against Sith Lords in particular. The score was 1-2-0. OK, only one in the win column but she hadn’t lost yet, and she took comfort from that as she stared into the eyes of the woman who aimed to end her undefeated streak.

Corvus followed the Sith’s moves. Blocks needed to become parries to further conserve energy. As her opponent pulled back, she pushed forward, denying space that was clearly sought, and as the Sith's saber shut off, she ignored it and focused instead on the Force. She parried the upward swing with the minimum of motion but the jab required considerably more effort. Parrying in the inner ring was risky at best but to block meant she would allow the blade to remain too close to her body. The split-second decision made, Corvus managed to deflect the blow but smelled the acrid aroma of burning material and was thankful for the armorweave and impervium for saving her ribs.

She knew that sooner or later she would have to switch to Form V, that her defensively-minded approach would only serve her so far. But first she called on Force Valor and performed a simple but effective somersault with twist over her opponent's head. There was no harm in mixing it up after all. "Now let's get a move on, we've got a Holocron to destroy here."

But lurking at the back of her mind was that previously mentioned obstacle. It was…pity. There was something about the woman in front of her. Her beauty and grace, her focus and determination. How Corvus felt they were wasted on the Dark-side. How she felt such anguish and torment from her opponent and how it masked in Corvus' opinion her true splendour. How Corvus wished she could simply switch off her saber and embrace her – and tell her everything would be alright if she simply walked away from the Dark.

How very, very naïve.

[member="Darth Vitium"] | [member="Connor Harrison"] | [member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mdYgJLLIGU

The Sith’s words bounced around his head. Connor forced open his eyes, looking down through a veil of grey mist to see the blood dribbling between his fingers as they pushed into the stone crypt.

He felt nothing from Corvus – no strength, no support. The Republic had their own goal and it didn’t matter who fell as they reached it. He felt support from the Sith - a want, a fascination. The Sith had their own goal, and didn't care who they broke to reach it. Launching forward, Connor seized the holocron with his right hand and the Sith in his head became louder as his knees buckled slightly.

Now you can have it all – take her, become great, show them – be YOU!

With a body stiff with pain and adrenaline, Connor’s eyes clouded with emptiness and anger at himself, at Corvus, at the Sith and at the galaxy’s eternal power struggle. Another cry left his mouth as he launched the glowing pyramid over to the left. The relic clanked and bounced along the stone floor, coming to a rest and pulsating between the duelling warriors and the crypt itself.

Fists clenched, the Silver Jedi pushed up and ripped his lightsaber from the belt and thumbed the blade into life with a satisfying snap-hiss of blue. He turned to where the Jedi and Sith were performing a dizzying battle of strength and words, and felt his chest rise and fall with heavy breaths.

The thoughts were blurred between right and wrong, and the confrontation between the Sith Lord was fresh in his mind; the Dark Magic working against the Light, but also working against the cursed holocron. Connor wanted to have it all, and to also have nothing. He stalked forward, looking at his blue blade which represented so much. Visions of ghostly faces flashed in his line of sight, but it was all a big trick – all a game, and everything the Sith promised him was empty. And that made him even more angry, angry at the thought he was such an easy toy to play with.

They doubt you – they mock you – they don’t trust you.

Reaching out with his left hand, he felt a dangerous build-up of Force energy in his palm and an electrifying current building from the pressure of rage and isolation he felt. He turned to secure his footing and let the Force flow though him.

”Come to me,” he hissed, face steely and eyes determined on the two up ahead of him.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Darth Vitium"] [member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

Three things happened roughly at the same time, but before we get into that something entirely else gotta be noted. Teräs Käsi was an ancient combat form, created by the Followers of Palawa in the times of yore.

Carach knew this, because Ovmar knew this.

In the grand scheme of things Steel Hands was a discipline taught to master the art of unarmed combat, but it was far more than that. Few if any people really believed that Steel Hands allowed you to resist the mental tricks the Jedi Order incorporated in their operations.

But Carach knew better than that, this mythical capability of Steel Hands Masters was very much a reality. A reality embedded not into some kind of arcane shield that projected itself around one’s mind and allowed them to ignore mental attacks, it wasn’t some kind of magical vongified mental deadness, there ain’t no Sith Magic spell involved that hides your presence from the Force, or even the hugging of your mind into the folds of the White Current.

The truth was far more simple than that. Teräs Käsi was about control and mastery of one’s self, extending this to the mind what Steel Hands basically did was allow you to focus your mind which in turn allows you the chance stand firm against those who try to penetrate your mind, but it wasn’t passive, you had to keep focus.

There was one slight problem with using this technique against Darth Carach.

It was the assumption that he was trying to get into her mind.

The Voice of the Dark Lord was not a standard Sith Lord, he didn’t care about her memories, her secrets. He didn’t want to try and convert her like Silara, Carach wouldn’t make the same mistake Palpatine had with both Skywalkers, Malak had made with Bastila and all other Sith who had been too concerned with trying to convert a Jedi to the Darkside, instead of simply ending the threat.

Carach didn’t have anything to prove, he wasn’t in the market for another apprentice and if he wanted to pick up a self-righteous chaste woman, he’d visit the local feminist movement.

This brings us back to the first thing that happened, to illustrate what was happening with [member="Corvus Raaf"]‘s mind, one could picture the tendrils of an ancient Leviathan, wrapping itself around her mind and applying pressure. Enough strength to break apart capital ships was applied to her mind, and perhaps cracks would start appearing in the metaphysical plane of her being.

Every crack meant destabilization and every crack meant agonizing pain. In the meanwhile [member="Darth Vitium"] would continue to attack her, probably, if she wasn’t too busy trying to convert a Jedi Master to the Darkside. Carach would have sighed, if he wasn’t so bored.

On the other end of the spectrum there was [member="Connor Harrison"]. He received a vastly different treatment, again… not because Carach wanted him to turn or anything like that. It was all about strategy, all about rationality and trying to end the threat as cleanly and amusing as possible. So it wasn’t strange when suddenly Connor might stumble, blink and when he’d look back at Corvus… he saw her.

But it wasn’t her, not really. He wouldn’t know that, but it was a keenly created mental illusion, crafted just to cater to his exact wishes. So that the Jedi Knight would see exactly what he wished to see and hear, mocking laughter, derision across the lips - it would all only solidify his opinion that the Jedi Master cared not for him and only viewed him as a joke.

This could push him over the brink, only make him more aware of the fact that the Jedi didn’t take him seriously. Not even serious enough to accept there might be a threat coming from Harrison, perhaps he’d even try and bullrush the Jedi Master, who was struggling with her own set of problems right now.

Maybe, probably. If everything went as planned.

Oh right, the third thing. The moment the holocron was pushed away from its pedestal, it landed on the floor and… promptly disappeared. It wasn’t entirely clear what this meant, had it been an illusion all along? Some magical trick to make them pursue figments of their imagination? Or did someone take the holocron?

Did it really matter?

With Raaf probably focusing on trying to keep her mind together, while probably fighting on two fronts. With Harrison dealing with his own crisis of faith and temptation… there would really only be one person in the situation to realize that something wasn’t entirely correct here.

Probably.

Perhaps she too was busy focusing on the duel.

In the grand scheme of things not every plan worked out and not all went as hoped. Perhaps Raaf would be able to keep her mental sanity in check, while fighting a Sith Lord, perhaps Connor would get a grip and aid (instead of fight) his ally. Perhaps all three of them would be tired of being all emotional, notice that the holocron had disappeared and try to figure that particular mystery out.

Darth Carach on the other hand was still in one of the corners of the room, with his stupid grin plastered to his lips. He is such an a-hole sometimes.

 

[Hailyn]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSvmiWV-T4Q[/media]​

For the briefest of moments her eyes met [member="Connor Harrison"]'s as he approached, in the same moment that [member="Corvus Raaf"] spoke, and as the Jedi leaped over her and she rotated her body to meet her, Silara gave the weakest, the most vulnerable, of smiles with a look of surrender in her eyes. The very core of her being was on display for the briefest of moments for him alone, for she knew what others did not. She was not a god of the force, she was no unbeatable foe in saber combat to her peers in Makashi, but she was far more than they could ever hope to be - Silara was the Voice, the face, she was the one who wielded words as weapons, used raw emotion as gears to turn, who exposed weakness in herself to break the flow of her enemies. Master of manipulators, Sith Lord of vices, she knew the frailty of a light sider that fell to the dark, how fragile they were in their early stages, how easy it was to break them, to make them see horrible things, things such as death and sorrow, to make them believe that their chosen way was the better, that the light was merely a lie. 'Remember, once darkness has gotten a taste for the light it will not stop until it has swallowed the stars. You cannot hope to control it - to control us.' Came the voice, so fething irritating with its warnings at such pivotal times. 'To control me.' She spat back, having long since passed the fine line between using the dark side and taking it in like the air she breathed. Soundlessly she mouthed two words to the man as she turned her gaze and her full attention to the Jedi master, not fearing a lick of lightning, knowing full well how she would be able to turn even that on the pair.

Yes, she was indeed a harpy, though having to utter such words still stung her deeply, as she had never felt those words for another herself. She was here for a sibling, a sister, someone she treated like a new pup, finding her trinkets and toys, dolls and clothes, never once feeling as though she was actually connected through blood, through a bond that she had felt prior to their first meeting, but part of her doubted if that was the reason. Silara was not a slave to emotion, she was not bound by the labors of some naive love, but she did have her own goals, her own ambitions and aspirations, and if she was to ever reach there then these two would need to feel their first defeat at her hand swiftly and without due recourse - she was done with the games, the toying. The woman, [member="Corvus Raaf"], had assumed the waves of darkness to be the full extent of her abilities, of her reach in Sith magic, but she was so horribly underestimating her - she who pushed back three Jedi Knights prior to her becoming a Lord, prior to having even came to the conclusion of performing this quest with her acquaintances. There was no mercy beneath the skin of this Sith Lord, and now that she had been treated like a common apprentice, like an unknowing padawan of their order, it was time she put these miserable curs in their place. "In His voice there is only darkness, there can be no light." Vitium spoke, cryptically, as she slid back and pushed up from her perch on the step on the stairs she had been standing on prior with acceleration from force speed. There was no further need for allowing this to continue any further, she could smell the acrid sensation of an ally in the air, hanging in a languish fashion, and knew that this was to be her own victory. Even if this Jedi duo was to escape with their lives, they would know that where they had failed to crush a holocron, one of the two had also fallen to the dark side, perhaps even been seduced by her words - she had not lied to him, if he had joined her, she would have been his - and so for once she was on the wait, allowing the two to make their moves first like a snake lying in wait, or something far worse.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

‘An abyss that laughs at creation,
A circus complete with all fools,
Foundations that lasted the ages,
Then ripped apart at their roots.

Beyond all this good is the terror,
The grip of a mercenary hand,
When savagery turns all good reason,
There is no turning back, no last stand.’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvHYlb-9f6M

The pain in Corvus’ head was getting worse, much worse. She knew initially this might not be an attempt to invade her mind and the longer the torment continued, the more she was sure she was right. Not that it got her anywhere, but she’d have to deal with it sooner rather than later. Ideally she’d review what she knew of the attack and consider a counter. A few hours in the Library and access to the Great Holocron and she might have a plan! But her own torment wasn’t her overriding issue now.

Connor was clearly battling demons and two onto one she didn’t fancy her chances. If the worst came to the worst, she’d face three of them. And live or die, there was one aspect of the holocron she could never let them have.

"In His voice there is only darkness, there can be no light."

The words of the Sith in front of her were seductive. Corvus wondered if the beauty she saw was a veneer, like most Sith lies. If her own belief in the good in people was being used against her. But the key was that the fact the woman wasn’t pressing her attack. Corvus was used to teaching and talking. She’d mastered Center of Being and Moving Meditation. At least with mundane tasks like instructing Padawans or simple Force techniques – allowing her conscious mind to focus on a task whilst her body was left in the hands of the Force. Belief was key here. Isn’t that what she told her most promising Padawan only days ago. Believe and trust in the Force. Any self-doubt and you’ll fail.

A small smile played on Corvus’ lips – despite the increasing pain in her brain. Here stood the scholar. Scoffed by so many for being a book-worm yet here they were – four masters of the Force fighting over what? Knowledge. And the reason for the smile was genuine irony. For what she was about to do she had been taught by none other than Darth Bane himself.

Of course he hadn’t deliberately taught her. But journals and records were there to read weren’t they? That’s why she hated the typical Jedi Shadow response to destroy any Sith artefact they found. All that knowledge on how to defeat the Sith wasted. So she listened not to the Sith Lord in front of her but the one that died so long ago.

She had accepted before she got here that it was a long-shot but in her Jedi way, it was her secondary plan. Her plan for the failure of the primary plan. The one where they walked in and out without opposition. And balancing it all out – it was all she had left.

Reaching out with the Force, she plunged her awareness into the holocron and dived into the depths of the pyramid's inner workings. She felt the gatekeeper let loose a howl of rage. Thrusting her consciousness directly into the capstone, she let her will invade the small four-sided talisman. For a brief instant she could feel the burning inferno of power trapped within. It threatened to consume her identity.

Unlike a Sith, unlike Bane before her, she could not feed from the pain, but like those times on Ossus when she’d helped to repair the damaged minds of the Younglings, she endured it. And she encapsulated it with the Light. Now under some semblance of control,
she started to navigate the Holocron's crystal matrix. This was no surgical effort, she simply wanted to…no needed to manipulate the filaments, twisting, turning, and shifting them – scrambling through the data in pursuit of…? She didn’t know yet, but trusted the Force to guide her. It felt like an eternity but it all happened in the blink of an eye.

With each adjustment, the gatekeeper's essence flickered and cried out, but she had to remain oblivious to the suffering. Now thousands of images flooded her consciousness, an explosion of sights, sounds, and thoughts that nearly caused her to break the connection. But she couldn’t and wouldn’t. More and more she raced through the information she found until she stumbled across the one thing they had been looking for. If she couldn’t take the holocron and destroy it, she’d render this one piece of data useless to anyone who wanted its secrets.

Finally it was done. Returning to her own head, she was swimming, images of the secret of transfer essence she had wrenched from the holocron's depths were now in her brain. The data of the radical Dark-side power may be scrambled, but her memories of what she had seen were intact.

As she returned to her conscious body, she was aware she was sweating and the pain in her head was now unbearable. She stumbled slightly as she came to terms with the excruciating torment that threatened to rip her sanity apart.

[member="Darth Vitium"] | [member="Darth Carach"] | [member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QNlelx3kKE

Connor felt a wave of calm suddenly rush over him – as if he was lost in zero gravity. His arm gently dropped, his gaze fixed on the combatants up above. The Sith Lord locked eyes with him and he felt the surrender in her aura. Corvus was mentally battling her, but physically, she was devoid of the will to continue.

His lightsaber lowered with the surreal mouthing of her words before she lost herself with Corvus again.

Love Me

He was here on the edge once more, and only he could decide the way he was to go. The Sith was alluring and his head told him one thing; his heart another. The Republic Jedi was succumbing to the powerful energy being twisted inside her, and he would rather die than see another one he cared for succumb to a fate he helped bring on with his arrogance.

”Stop!” Connor shouted, pushing down with his boot to run as fast as he could, through a swirl of snow from above and up over a pile of rocks and the low lying wall to get to where they both were.

Gritting his teeth, he was adamant he heard the Sith again, and felt her power, and she seemed to vanish with a blur, back onto the stairwell where she first came. He glanced over to her, and back to Corvus. The path – honour or arrogance. He could take the Sith – he could, he had survived two before and he could fight –

A gasp from honour broke his thoughts, as Corvus lurched forward. Snapping his head back to the Sith, he mentally captured her face and voice in his mind when he would find her again. He killed the blade and dropped the hilt to the stone ground with a clatter of metal.

Brushing across the incline that led to the opening into the tomb where Corvus stood, Connor let the past go and reached for her, grabbing her arms and sliding around behind her, supporting her weight with both arms.

”We need to get out of here – you’re in danger. We aren’t safe.”

He felt the sickening pulsation of the Dark Side around them – stronger than it was before, and a horrid echo in his head of a triumphant laugh. He had failed, again.

”Corvus!”

Connor looped his hand over her arm and called his hilt to his left palm, gripping it and hoping she would come back with him the way they came, rather than push forward to face the sneering Sith Lord before them.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Darth Vitium"] [member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

Yet again the Lord of Freedom found himself surprised by the sheer amount of flexibility the Jedi allowed themselves in term of alignment and crossing the fine boundaries between them. Just a moment ago the male had been giving in to the temptation, busy trying to kill his female companion. But something had stopped him from succumbing to his primal urges and he had seemingly snapped out of it, briefly Carach wondered if the female would accept her former assailant's help, or if she would remain skeptical.

Then again, perhaps it was for this reason that Carach was a Sith Lord and she was a Jedi Master, only Sith dealed in absolutes, or so they supposedly say. At the end of the day it didn't really matter for the Voice if the two would continue their amicable consort, or if this mission had soured it beyond rescue, because the most important part had been accomplished.

Preservation of knowledge.

And so the two Jedi thieves would not find their escape restricted, because Carach had instead opted to brush closer towards Silara. His voice would softly reach her ears, deep baritone with a rich texture which only underlined a single fact. Darth Carach had been made to speak.

"My, my. The company I keep finding you in, sister." another brush of air, signifying his closeness. "I might just have to partner up with you more often, so... interesting."

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Darth Vitium"] [member="Corvus Raaf"]