Man in the Iron Mask (Artemisia/Ember/Turin)

[The Hound]

Flame sputtered from the chasm that separated the two. He looked back over his shoulder briefly, his once ice blue eyes consumed by determination, anger, and hate. Only the red-orange orbs of the Darkside gazed back at the old man that had tried to save him from this very fate once before. His eyes narrowed. "Stay out of my way Rekali!" he shouted. This was something only he could do. How far down the abyss he was willing to go...that was anyone's guess. Using the Force to augment himself, he leaped onto the floor above and headed to Darth Ira's ship. The vessel that she had used to bring him here would set him free.

He was on a war path.
[member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Writer]

She breathed deep, gasping as she was held in the clutches of [member="Ember Rekali"]. Her head would fall back, her mouth opened slightly. "You...have to stop him." And then darkness would consume her, exhaustion overwhelming her very being. It was too much, even for her to take in. Her mind was in disarray from memories that had been long since lost, memories she thought to be wiped clean and new memories created from the hellish nightmare that [member="Darth Isolda"] carefully planted. It would take someone like [member="Boolon Murr"] to sort through the mess and help her make greater sense of what was in her mind.

 

[Darth Isolda]

There, within [member="Turin Val Kur"] 's mind eye would bloom a singular eye. Pulsing, watching, ever observing.​

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Laughter would bubble forth and surround the man, seeming to echo round the volcanic debris and chasm around him, only in reality, it was just in his head.​

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E̺̪͉̯̞ṃ͚̜̝͇̦͕b̨͚͈͙r͓͡a͎̺̟̭͙̱c̵͖͚̯̟̪e̜ ̱̩̟̦͉̖͠y̵̼̱̪̠o̶̯̰̺͚̙͉u̪͕͜r̯̳ ̼͔́r͙̲̱̪a̯̤g͇̞͖̙̗͎̝e̤​

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G̳̞̞̲̗͖̱o̘̱̥ͅr͉͔͉͞g͏e̶̮̝ ͚͔̜̲̞̳ỳ̻͔̬͍ou͓̱͎̞͙̦̪r̠ͅ ͓̜ͅḫ̻̤͠à̺͖̮̟̖̰̝ț͡r̀e̞̱̬̳̤d.​

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His mental cry would reveal the Eye of the Dark Lord in the midst of her farsight meditation, the vague imprints and images of his current situation blooming in her mind. Of Turin. Of Ember. Of that lost little girl.​

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In this, the Goddess would pleasure in the chaos.​

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Fo̳̮̠̟̯̫̠r͍̙͚ ͏̱̺a̴̖̲͚̘̮̼̼l̰͍̀l̝̝̮̪͖̪͖ ̼͚̩̳̭̮tͅh͝a͎̬t҉̯͉͔͙ ̫͍̘̙y̳ͅo҉̞u̟̭̜'̯͘v͏̗e̬͕ ̭̤̻̦̦̲͢d̙̯͖̠͚̱̳́o̡̭͍n̮̘̯̞e̤̟͖ ̼̳͠ͅi͎̰̦͓̙͇s͍ ̙͔͞n̵̙̲̳̗o̭ț͠h͇̱̯̮i̘̱̥͈͢n̢g͇͙͓.͇̦͔̘̳̪ ͔ ̣̗̠A̞̜̗̳̝͎͞ĺl̮͎͝ ̘̰̜̗t̤̦̣̜h̰̩̻̮͕̦̖at̢ y̛͙͍̥̯̯͍̘o̢̮u̖͞'͏̲̟̦̝v̡̙̦͓͎̭͔e ͈͍̩͔ac͇̯̮c̟͍̣̬̝̖o̬̙̩͕̘͓͖m̙̜͚̻͓̗̕p̼̗̜li̳͡s̮͢h̝͕̱̹e̟͕͖̺̦̥̹d̜̤̠̗ ҉͚̣̥͇̖̩̻i͓̜͇̘̰͔̥n̡̬͚̲ ̜v̵͚̹̖̩ͅa̮̬̖͎i̵̙̥͎̖͚̞͚n̹̘̲͎ͅ.͉͟
̛̯̟ͅ
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̬͉͉͙͚̘̙͡C̰̘̼o͎̣̯͚m͎̥e͇͙̠̩̬̝ ̗͙̯͖̭̖̬l̟͉̠͓i̘̬̟̤t̴̯̮ṯ̟̟̮̪͠le̬̖̬͓̠͎ ͏͕̮̠͈O͓͜r̟̙͘a̮c͇̤̬͖̳̬͎ḷ̳̪e.̹̬̬͓͠ͅͅ
̼̮͈͢​

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̸͖͇T̶̻̹̟̦h̪̣͍̣į̞̦̳̠͇͙͔s̼̝ i̯̺͈̙̤s̪͕ ̥̜̹͍̹́y̱̬̣̬͈͘o̮̮̞̭̭̞u̲̙ͅr͕̣̱͖͍ ̪͉̝̀F͎a̙̖͕͡t͓e̷͕̱.̴
͙​

 

[Skye Mertaal]

Legs would pump as the Bounty Hunter had risen quickly to her feet, one hand looping the sniper rifle’s carrying strap over her torso, allowing her hands free.

The wind that had stirred with a certain forbearing had died down, but that didn’t mean that they were out of dangerous waters. A summon of the Phoenix through her wrist comm via slave circuits would bring the Firespray to their direction, guided by Mertaal’s command.

They had to get out of here fast, and to be honest, Mertaal wasn’t all too keen at having Ember’s kid trying anything more. She would be volatile -- unpredictable.

Skye knew that path all too well.

The hum and roar of engines would soon grace the trio in the distance as Mertaal would vault off the catwalk, igniting her jetpack to get her flying forward.

[ Get ready for extraction, Rekali ] would come her heads up through the comm. Meters would close.

Finally her feet would land just shy of three meters from [member="Ember Rekali"] and [member="Aaralyn Rekali"], her jetpack deactivating. Purposeful steps would close as she drew near. Although her face would be hidden behind the black tee of her visor, her expression would be grim upon seeing the unconscious form of Aaralyn in his arms.

“She out cold?” she’d ask, drawing nearer to take a good look at her, her voice tinged with a metallic inflection through her voice-meter. The backwash of the Shadow Phoenix would start to swell and send clouds of dust and debris as it would land, the signature rotation of the Firespray onto it’s back presenting the main access door towards them.

Her head would swivel from the ship back to Ember. “Get her inside. I can tend to her there if you take the controls.” she’d say curiously, but with the utmost seriousness. Either way, he would be better apt to lead them out and towards wherever they would need to go.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Turin Val Kur"] [member="Aaralyn Rekali"] [member="Skye Mertaal"]

Ember's voice thundered in the head of his old student as the storm raged.

-Call me when you need me, Turin. We walk the same road.

He picked up his unconscious daughter and stepped past Skye into the waiting Firespray. "Much obliged. Thanks for the assist, Mertaal."

Once Aaralyn was in place, he made for the cockpit and got the Firespray's navicomputer working out a course for the Jedi Temple on Ruusan. He commed a healer or two, as well -- the Ithorian, for one.

 

[Writer]

Aaralyn's eyelids stirred and flickered back and forth as she was plagued with nightmares in her comatose state, occasionally her leg or finger would twitch. Fortunately, her body was in good condition despite the dark side influence, although her skin was pale and her veins darkened from the poison that coursed through her. The raging rivers of fury that burned at her very core, begging her to awaken and destroy this very vessel that carried her despite the soothing essence of Ember in her mind as well as the presence of her own memories. There was so much conflict, so much she didn't understand.

She could see herself stand tall against a creature larger than a small starfighter, and she watched as he charged and she tried to deflect but her breathing became choked and short. She didn't have time to maneuver, she was hit hard and taken out. She felt the rush of air, the flow of blood cut off from her brain as she hit the ground and darkness took her.

Where was she?

"The mind may forget, but the soul remembers." A soft voice said in her mind, a woman's voice.

She could feel everything, each stone as it dragged across the back of her skull, the dirt as it caked itself into her wounds and against her flesh. Her leg lifted high into the air as she was pulled into some place dark and cold. The feel of the goosebumps against her skin and the warmth of her own blood as it crept out of her mouth and various wounds across her body.

Am I to die here? Is this where I died?

No, there was a sound of laughter, and then cooing that caught her attention. Her vision had faded in and out and then that face.

Isolda....

In the world outside her land of nightmares, Aaralyn's heart-rate increased rapidly, her muscles tensed visibly and the bunk to which she rested on began to groan under immense pressure from the Force which she projected around her. Inadvertently, she was bending the world around her, attempting to grab the [member="Darth Isolda"] within her nightmares and destroy her. Her teeth would grit and her eyes rapidly flicker back and forth under lids closed tight.

[member="Ember Rekali"], [member="Skye Mertaal"]