Legacy

[Allyson Locke]

Feeling the ground under his boots, Sopher narrowed his eyes glancing taking in the scenery. He had heard the woman he was looking for was located somewhere on this planet. The boy reached into his jacket and retrieved a comm. He sent a quick signal out letting the Order know that he had touched down. The small computer beeped a few times and he downloaded a rough layout of the planet which allowed him some logical places to look for the woman. Seeing near him there were several bridge cities he unloaded one of the speeders that resided on the transport.

Adjusting his jacket, he kept the scowl on his face, he didn’t smile anymore - there was no reason too. Remembering he had @[member="Diana Moridena"] ’s contact information he sent her a quick message requesting an audience with her. She knew things - she knew things he needed and he wanted to prove himself to his Master’s Bladesister. The woman’s relationship with his Master was valuable.

Master Moridena,

I haven’t seen you around the temples, I heard that you have retired to this planet. I need you, I need you to teach me how to find Sith and destroy them.

Things are different. Coordinates are located in an attachment - I will meet you there.

Sopher Jakobs

With that, he shoved the comm into his pocket and pulled on a helmet over his head. The speeder flared to life and he headed off to the nearest bridge city where he would meet with the woman in an undisclosed location.

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana read the message as she read the message from Sopher, her eyes were cool and listless, a feeling that quite honestly touched her heart. She was hard pressed to care about much of anything these days, a feeling that had returned since the battle of O'reen. It was how Diana had felt as a girl on Tython, listless and apathetic. It was strange that it had now comeback to hit her once again, though now that it was here once again she felt at home. A slight twinge of a smile touched her face as she was reminded of all the people that would call her an idiot for feeling this way.

Slowly the red haired woman shook her head, as if wiping away the thoughts of her friends and family.

“So you've finally decided to become useful.” Diana said as she heard the soft almost girlish footsteps of Sopher approach her. The Blade Mistress had never been one to be soft to Sopher. She liked the boy well enough, he was kind and had a heart of gold. She had always liked that about him, but in truth she had never respected him.
Though he had always been amusing.

Now it seemed he wanted to change. What triggered this she hadn't a clue, but Diana was quite eager to see what would come of it.
@[member="Sopher Jakobs"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Sopher removed his helmet and continue to walk to meet with Diana, to the woman’s surprise Sopher was quite more than just “useful” he had grown a few inches and buffed up a bit. Broad shoulders didn’t match up to the soft and light footsteps. He was always the quiet type, crawling through the vents on Nar Shadaa. He didn’t smile like he usually did when he saw the Master, he was always fond of her - even when she wanted to strangle him for stealing her precious slurpee.

He smiled inwardly over the incident, he was such a little nuisance.

“I’ve always been useful Master Moridena, I just needed direction as a tool for the Republic. You look well.”

The pleasantries were just that, he considered her a friend and a mentor. If he didn’t he wouldn’t have been here and focused his lessons with his Master - but there was something Diana knew that he needed.
“I do apologize for interrupting your solitude, but like I said in my message - things are different and I need your teachings.”

@[member="Diana Moridena"]

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana crooked an eyebrow, not sure how to answer his statement of “always being useful”. Though perhaps on Nar Shaddaa he had been of some user, after all he had disabled the tractor beam. She frowned slightly, and then looked him up and down. At least he appeared to be more serious, that or he finally hit puberty.

“So what do you want to learn from me?” There was of course really only one thing she was good at, and that was bladework. Diana was renowned as the Jedi Orders greatest...and perhaps only blademaster. She was the student of Darron Wraith and had supposedly come to match him, perhaps even surpass him. Diana had fought Emperors, Queens and everything in between, more importantly however she had won. She had beat the all.

None of that mattered now of course, she was a useless tool during times of peace. A warmonger is what they called her.

She frowned slightly, as if remembering the councils last words to her.

 

[Allyson Locke]

"Everything. Specifically your blade work. You're a master of masters and where my Master has taught me things - you could perfect them."

The woman frowned and he wanted to figure out what he had done to disappoint her. His frown lengthened as he leaned forward making him eye level with her. He wasn't the best at reading people and he was slightly confused at her reactions. Why did she seem upset? Was it because he had bothered her? The woman had disappeared after the treaty with the Fringe and he wanted to know why, though he didn't question her reasons just yet. If he questioned and upset her, she would probably refuse to train him.

That couldn't happen.

"I'd like to learn anything you'd like to offer up. Though none rival your sword Master @[member="Diana Moridena"] .

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana perked an eyebrow again, though for the longest time she didn't say anything.

She of course had her own apprentices. Avalore and Sarge, not to mention the one that Sarge had brought to her, though she hardly got to see the girl now that Sarge himself could train her. Avalore. In truth took up most of Diana's time, the girl was as ravenous for knowledge as she was for food, and in the brief few times she shut up Diana taught her many things, though none of them really connected to bladework.

It would be nice to teach someone her true skills. She quite enjoyed teaching Avalore the lighter sides of the force, meditation and enhancing ones own strength but her mastery of blades was something she would truly enjoy giving to someone, though such a thing took not only years to learn, but also natural talent.

“Very well. Though I don't know how much good it will do you.” Diana was a blademaster partly because of her natural grace. When she fought with swords or lightsabers in hand she had often been described as water flowing over smooth rocks. She was fluid, fast, and graceful.

None of those words described the Sopher she had known.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Sopher had his own grace, the boy was light footed and fast despite his new muscular size. The trait was something he picked up as a child and during his first mission on Nar Shaddaa. Though he would never move as smooth as Diana, but he wasn’t trying to be something graceful. He desired to be a rock, something to draw attention from his team. Sopher was a big boy and thus was a big target, his idea was to use that to his advantage.

Like when he entered his footsteps were light as he gave distance between him and Diana. Grabbing both blades from his thighs he lowered their power to stun, like one usually did when training with sabers. He enjoyed his lightsabers, but his true goal was to obtain something like the sword Diana had owned. Sopher knew that was something he would need to earn, but to do that - he needed to learn from the best.

“Start with one saber, then we move on to two? And I thank you for your teachings Master @[member="Diana Moridena"], I hope to prove all your thoughts about me wrong.”

 

[Cedric Dorn]

“Becoming a true blademaster will take months, years really.” Diana spoke, though there was no hint of insult in her words. There was simply instruction and truth. She would do her best to teach Sopher, just because she thought him slightly silly did not mean she wouldn't do her best to mold him into something great. Diana was not vindictive in the least, in fact a part of her was shining with pride at this transformed young man before her. “I can teach you, but in the end it will take time.”

Slowly she pulled out one of her own blades, a single lightsaber with a straight hilt. The Curved dueling hilts she had once used were gone, seemingly replaced by these cool blue metal cylinders, far less organic than the old ones. She flipped the switch, though for some strange reason she did not turn down the power level on the blade. “Lets start”

Diana for the first time in what seemed like an age, smiled.

 

[Allyson Locke]

One week later...

It was everything he expected from Diana, but then it was so much more. The woman worked him to exhaustion and sleep was the only break he received, but even then the sleep was filled with nightmares of what he knew and feared of Evelynn. The short moments of sleep were all he got, when he woke up in a pool of his own sweat and short of breath, he would return to the training room. There he would meditate and continue to hone his body into a machine to not only protect the Republic, but to save @[member="Evelynn"].

This particular evening, he couldn't fall back to sleep after meditating. He found himself in echani training pants and shirtless, sweat clung to him as he felt the chill of a soft breeze that blew over the bridge city. The wind blew back and through his blonde hair and his eyes closed as he felt the Force around him. It wasn't as welcoming as he had always thought of it - there was something missing. Sighing softly he rested his elbows on the edge of the balcony and looked out towards the night sky. Somewhere out there his goal lingered waiting for him.

His mind wandered to Diana, he was curious at why she had retreated to a planet like this. Why would she just leave the Order and take a vacation? A soft sigh escaped the boy as he felt the wind blow once more against him, there were so many questions that he didn't have answers for and he wondered if he would ever get them answered.

@[member="Diana Moridena"]

 

[Cedric Dorn]

With soft almost unheard footsteps Diana appeared behind the boy. Here on Cato Neimoidia pretty much every room had a balcony, heck every single room was a balcony. Mountain cities and bridges lined the top of the world, and the Jedi Temple that she had helped construct here was no different. The Temple sat at the very top of one of the tallest mountains, strong but pleasant air ran through the halls almost constantly, gusting winds being slowed to a crawl by winding hallways.

Here on the balcony however it was different, the air was cooler, almost cold. Though once someone got used to it the air seemed to be constantly pleasant no matter what you were wearing. To Diana this was the case.

So when she appeared behind Sopher she was wearing nothing but tight bandages that covered her breasts and lower regions down to her upper thighs. It was a strange choice of attire, though there was a reason for it. In this clothing The scars and burns across her stomach, back, legs, and neck showed clearly, open to the cool air.

From her years of fighting Diana had accumulated more scars and burns then many of her Jedi Companions. These old wounds and burns still ached and tore at her, covering them with clothing caused them to flare up quite a bit, a pain she could normally tolerate, but chose not to when her aim was sleep and comfort. So she came up behind Sopher in her strange bandaged attire, her face placid and her eyes glowing slightly in the darkness, she did not even shiver as the wind touched her bare skin.

Modesty was far beyond Diana, she did not care if she ran around nude in the temple and other people saw her completely naked. Thus approaching Sopher in this way made her neither uncomfortable nor worry about his reaction, he was a Jedi too after all.

“Why now?” It was a simple question, one that probed into the boys heart.

She had no idea of course about @[member="Evelynn"] and her fall, she had only met the girl once and that had been...disastrous, but she could have no clue about Sophers involvement with the young woman.
@[member="Sopher Jakobs"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

"Why not now?" He answered her with a question, but realized that wouldn't be good enough for either of them. Hazel eyes peered towards the bandaged woman, he didn't react knowing that they were Jedi and such reactions were frowned upon. Though despite that, he was still a Man under his code and honor and even with the scars @[member="Diana Moridena"] was a beautiful woman. His gaze only lingered for a moment and then set back towards the darkness before them. Her question was simple yet and spurred a fury of emotions within him, the Padawan did his best to control them, but his hands which rested against the balcony clenched.

Finally taking in a breath, the boy looked back at the woman and spoke quietly. His words felt shameful, but he couldn't help how he felt. "A few years ago I met a girl. Things I have never felt before happened when I met her. I have been keeping in touch with her for some time. I know its against everything we stand for to have attachments, but I can't stop this." Sopher paused and strain showed on his face, it was even more apparent that he was nothing like the boy Diana had first met. "She was taken by a Sith Master. I have --" Remembering the closeness of his Master and the woman behind him he quickly turned around. He didn't look at Diana, but peered at the ground still with his fist clenched.

"Please don't tell my Master - I need to take care of this, I have to save her."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana watched the padawan for a few moments. Even in the darkness she could see him perfectly, her scarred and damaged eyes aided in that greatly. Daella had brought up Sopher hard. Then again he had mostly been raised in Selena Halcyons Order, a calling back to the times of old. The truth was in modern day attachments were not denied to the Jedi, but more frowned upon. It was a preference of the Master really what he or she taught their apprentice, and of course Daella had frowned upon attachments.

That did not surprise Diana in the least, but she took on a pleasant almost comforting smile, almost.

“Daella never was one for attachments.” She had fun yes, but she never grew attached. That was beyond her bladesister. “The Order doesn't disallow attachment Sopher. Two out of the last three Grandmasters were married, one nearly had a child. Half of the Jedi Council are besotted by fool women and the other half sleep with whoever they can find. Were not robots. Were not emotionless husks. We feel, we care, we even love.”

She shrugged slightly, not mentioning which part of the two groups Diana had been a part of on the council. She also didn't need to tell him about her love for Daella, or the attachments that were bread naturally in the Jedi Order. “I won't tell her for now, but if you disappear I will have no choice.”

That was simple enough, and the truth. If Sopher disappeared fighting this Sith Master she would have no qualms with grabbing Daella and breaking the man or woman who had taken Sopher and his lover. “Who is this girl? And for that matter, whose the Sith?”

That piqued Diana's interest. She had hunted down more than one Sith in her life time, hell she'd taken down the last Sith Emperor and caused the collapse of the Empire. If Sopher was hunting a Sith, it was more than likely that Diana knew of him or her, even here in retirement she kept things up to date.

 

[Allyson Locke]

"Thank you Master Moridena" It was all Sopher could muster emotionally. He was grateful knowing that his Master would frown upon his attachment to Evelyn. The woman was hard, but she was the reason he was still alive today and not the scrawny teenager she had the ill fortune of gaining as a student. It felt like some time ago when he was nothing more than a little mouse that ran through the vents of Nar Shadda knocking out tractor beams by accident. He didn't smile upon the fond memory, his frown did subside though and a straight stare glanced towards the woman. He knew nothing about Diana's escapades of hunting Sith, to him she was just a Master that had retired till she as useful again. Still, if she could provide some intel to help him he would be grateful.

He already owed her so much for the training and her keeping his secret. Reaching into his pants pocket he removed an old photo of him not as scrawny as when Diana first met him, but possibly dated a year ago. In the photo was a young girl someone that Diana would recognize the harder she looked at it. He offered the photo to the Master Jedi. "Her name is Evelynn Dorn. I never got a full name, but I traced one of her messages back to Thule and then the most recent was from a planet named Pantha. Her messages are short and crude now, I think the Master knows. If only she would give me his name."

Sopher stopped and nodded, he needed to control himself. "Right now I just have so many loose ends, so I've focused on becoming stronger - if I'm strong enough I should be able to take her back. I love her."

@[member="Diana Moridena"]

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana took the picture and her thoughts were instantly shattered. Part of her gift as a Kiffar was the ability known as psychometry. She could see the past events of items, and this picture was no exception. She saw the image of Sopher and Evelynn together, she saw the picture being developed and being handed to Sopher by the girl in the photo, and clear as day she recognized her. Evelynn Dorn, Karin Dorn's daughter. Almost immediately a frown settled on her face.

Then suddenly like a crack flowing down a window another realization hit Diana, Panatha, Thule. There was only one Sith who was associated with those worlds.

She knew exactly who had taken Evelynn, and she knew exactly what he had done to her. Diana was no fool, she knew Kaine inside and out now. The Former Emperor had fought her on the field of battle, they had crossed blades and met fists. The Echani believed that fighting someone was a way of viewing into someones soul, and Kaine's had been as black as night.

The man would have taken Evelynn, and twisted her into a creature beyond recognition. Briefly the Jedi mourned the loss of the girl, she could have been one of the good ones. “You can't go after her.”

“She's lost to you Sopher.” Her voice was cold, almost as if an entirely different person had appeared. “He will have taken her. Twisted her into something vile and unrecognizable even to you. She will no longer be the girl you loved.”

Harsh words, but truth. Evelynn would be Sith now, like Kaine himself, like so many others. Inwardly she cursed the Jedi who had let him escape the transport back to Coruscant, had she been there the man would be in The Pit right now, or dead. Another one of her failures, another mistake she now had to rectify. A twinge of depression slid through her, and she sent a thought out to the now truly dead @[member="Karin Dorn"], I'm sorry.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Sopher quickly noticed her expression change, something had been realized and he waited for the information. If anyone knew who took Evelynn, it would be Diana. Finally she spoke and they were not the words he wanted to hear. She was telling him to abandon @[member="Evelynn"] to this monster, this caused his fist to clench and every muscle in his body to tighten. His jaw tightened the most as he fought with every fiber of his being to not lash out. How could the Master advice him to not save her? How could Diana say such horrible things about a girl she had never met? Sopher didn't know of course that Diana had been the one to tell Evelynn her mother was killed by none other than Sopher's Master @[member="Daella Apparine"].

Frustration go the best of him and he turned and punched the railing as hard as he could. Subconsciously he used the force to help protect his fist as he felt the wood crunch and stop against the metal which helped reinforce the railing. Pulling his hand back, Sopher extended and flexed his fingers trying to return feeling back into them. His face was flush with rage as he did his best to calm himself like he was taught. Though knowing that he might have lost the girl he loved to a monster, just was too much right now.

Through gritted teeth he spoke, his tone sharp, " I can't just leave her. I can't let this Sith win, I have to get her back I have to save her! How can you tell me not to go after her Master @[member="Diana Moridena"] ? I'm a Jedi, I have to save her - she's alone with a monster."

Sopher looked away from the bandaged woman and into the distance, his voice relaxed slightly "You know who the Master is - what is his name...please tell me, I need to know."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

“No.” It was a simple one word answer, and if she wasn't sure that Sopher would jump off the balcony has she left she would have walked away after giving it to him. She realized of course why he was frustrated, why he was angry, but she also knew that he couldn't win again Kaine, that there was no way he could defeat him. Sending Sopher against the Sith would be like sending a bantha to a slaughter house, she would not condone pointless death, especially for her bladesisters apprentice.

Diana gave Sopher a hard look, harder than anything than any look he would have seen from her before.

“I” She stressed the syllable hard “Was barely able to defeat him. He fought me to the edge of death and only surrendered because of Tyrfing. I'm sorry Sopher, but sending you to him...it would mean your death.”

She stopped for a second and then glanced at him, a frown on her face. “And Very likely hers as well.”

 

[Allyson Locke]

Sopher’s grip on the railing tightened as he listened to Diana, there was no arguing with the Master and he knew it. Everything in his mind was telling him to listen to the woman, she knew best especially if she had fought him already. Yet, his heart ached to save Evelynn his struggle remained internal as he released the cracking railing. Looking at his hands, he realized he had given himself splinters from splitting parts of the wood.

The padawan looked up from his hands and watched as the woman began to walk away, he heard the echo of her soft feet pulling up from the ground as she walked and then stopped. She glanced towards him and spoke, saying something that nearly drove him over the edge. The whites of his knuckles showed as his fists balled tightly, he did his best to hold in the rage he felt building.

“Then what am I supposed to do @[member="Diana Moridena"]?” His voice stern as he forgot formalities and manners. “Do I just let her rot there? Do I just let him win? I can’t, I can’t do it.” Sopher moved from the balcony and walked past Diana, he ignored the splinters in his hands.

“I’m going to find him and kill him, I’m going to save her no matter her state – I’m doing this with or without your help.”

 

[Cedric Dorn]

“Train. Become stronger. Better. Give it time.” Diana spoke with a sternness to a voice that could only be described as harsh. She needed Sopher to understand that this couldn't work, that he would not survive the encounter with Kaine no matter what he tried. The former Sith Emperor was one of the most powerful darksiders currently alive, she knew from experience. If Sopher went up against him he would very likely end up dead. “You cannot save her if you're dead.”

With that Diana turned away from the apprentice. Part of her knew that he would disobey her, part of her knew that he would go after Kaine no matter what.

She was in denial however. When she had been an apprentice she had gone after Velok after all. She had hunted the Sith Master and in the end had slain him. The difference was that she had had the aid of a Jedi Master, and Velok had already been severely injured at the time. Sopher wanted to go alone, he wanted to fight Kaine himself.

Even if he succeeded however, he would find nothing but disappointment.

 

[Allyson Locke]

That night, Sopher gathered his things and left. He didn't say another word since it was obvious at where he was going to go. He was determined and didn't like being warned not to do something despite how he felt and what he viewed as being right. He couldn't leave someone innocent in the claws of something so evil - as a Jedi it was his vow to protect the innocent, he twist the code to fit his need which was a lesson he quickly learned to not do again.


[Several weeks later...]

Dry blood still flaked from his skin, deep wounds had slowly began to heal and he had done his best to heal himself enough to get to this point. The personal ship he had gotten a hold of crash landed into the land near the place he had trained with Diana. A part of him hoped that she was there, while the other part of him hoped she had left going somewhere else to hide which would allow him to die without having to face her or his Master. His choices were pathetic and his fight against the Sith had been something near death. What killed him was seeing Evelynn, she wasn't the same the light that he had fallen in love with was gone and the monster that used him like a pin cushion was the blame. A half dead corpse dragged itself towards Diana's door. He clutched the bloody fabric against his chest, he was without weapons and in rags - but he was alive and for now that will do.

With the last bit of his strength he still being a gentlemen, knocked heavily on the woman's door. With the wounds starting to take their toll once more on him, he couldn't wait any more for the woman to answer the door. His voice echoed the best he could and he called to the Jedi Master, "@[member="Diana Moridena"] !"

 

[Cedric Dorn]

The door was pulled open in a hurry, heavy wood falling back to reveal a woman dressed in a blue tank top with short shorts, colorful eyes drifting across the form in front of her in immediate recognition. Both orbs popped open in surprise, a small gasp escaping her lips followed by a single word. “Sopher!”

Diana moved forward and caught the boy in her arms, an embrace one might give to a fallen comrade. Before the young man could say anything Diana had grasped him and dragged him into the room beyond the door. Laying him onto a soft couch in the fore room and placing a pillow beneath his head. The Jedi Master unfortunately had no skill with healing, and in truth had only the barest first aid knowledge.

She did the best she could however, replacing bandages and sterilizing wounds as best as she could. When all was said and done however Sopher still looked as though he had been through hell, and Diana knowing this had called for a medical droid.

Hours later Diana stood over Sopher, this time with him properly patched up with bacta pads and other medical treatments. There was a look of pure judgment and disapproval on her face, she knew. “You went after him.”

It was not a question.