Private May The Past Be Forever Vanquished

[Ettiene Kharne]

P A L A C E
Tags: Kyyrk

Eiattu’s wind caressed the branches of the trees that overhung the courtyard of the Royal Palace which housed both the Priamsta and the Royal Family of the planet. Jasmine’s sweet aroma wafted through the air; a calming presence amid the turmoil that frantically to expound from within the former High Marshal and Deputy Minister of War. A tempest of emotional pain and agony that only seemed to grow, exponentially so, since Alden had moved to cancel a past he’d removed himself from. A past that, in his eyes, had played him, and his people, as nothing more than pawns in a quest for personal power. A reality that had since been shattered in his mind as his eyes became opened to a certain truth.

But even so. Even with the separation he drove between that past life and this one he sought to forge now, threatened to collapse. In the days since his inner awakening the mark placed upon his arm by his previous mentor that had done nothing but manipulate him for years grew more and more aggravating. The discomfort becoming unbearable. Cutting into his ability to even sleep at points.

Evidenced by the bags that hung heavy under his eyes, the terrors that wracked throughout the man’s subconscious continued to manifest. There was next to no escape. At least not by his own hand. And that is why he’d reached to the former Lord Commander of the Knights Obsidian. A man that Alden knew to be versed in a great many aspects of the Forced. And one that he hoped and prayed would be able to help remedy his situation as it continued to grow dire. And continued to threaten his sanity as it lay within the fragile balance that remained.

The whites of his eyes were flushed red with exhaustion and irritation. The band that once bound his finger lay upon the cold stone before him. He didn’t wear his prosthetic on this occasion, leaving the nub of his left shoulder wrapped in a cloth bandage, veiling the irritated skin beneath. His right hand grasped the hilt of his lightsaber, his knuckles flashing white as his grip flex upon the metallic construct. The blade did not extend and instead remained lifeless. But that was a short-lived sensation. In a mere few seconds, from his knelt position, Alden activated the weapon, its amethyst blade humming to life. The blade rotated in hand. Once turn then a second. The finally came violently down upon the cold stone with which the ring helplessly lay.

Effortlessly, the blade pierced through the ring and fractured its structural integrity. The ground flared a bright red-orange color in agony, and what was once a ring became nothing more than molten scrap and dusted crystal.

The lightsaber hissed closed in an instant and he waited. Kyyrk would be here soon and perhaps his agony could be concluded once and for all.

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[Kyyrk]

A I D
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Voph walked slowly down the halls of the grand structure. Even as far as he was, he could still feel the pain and agony radiating from the chambers he could only assume housed Alden. Officially speaking, Voph hadn't returned yet. That business on Lahag Erli was a matter of convenience, moreso than duty. He'd been in the area, and been called upon by the Lord Commander to help. Even though his return had not been formally announced, however, Voph was not about to leave an ally of the CIS to their fate.

Voph strode into the room, pausing to survey the scene before him. He'd seen Alden strike the ring out of rage. A wedding band, he presumed. But he did not know of what the man had summoned him for, nor did he know if this action had anything to do with it. "You look like shit." Voph's quiet proclamation was laced with sarcasm. For Voph to be able to tell someone was in poor appearances was a feat in its own right. And certainly saying the obvious were he to draw attention to it. But it was also not out of character for him. Voph never had been one for formalities. "And it would appear that there is little time to waste. To what do we owe the displeasure?"

Ettiene Kharne

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[Gerwald Lechner]

O B J E C T I V E​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Ettiene Kharne | Kyyrk

”You aren’t even officially back, and here we are stopping to help someone while I am stressing over getting the reports filed on time. You just put me in charge so you could avoid the mounds of paperwork the job requires.”

Gerwald was only partly joking. He knew they needed to help in anyway they could, but Gerwald did know the mess that the recent conflict would cause for him in regards to paperwork. How was he going to explain that he allowed an Anzat to enjoy a meal in order to gather the intel they needed. The idea made Gerwald smirk. The wolf within found the method amusing, as well as the thought he would kill for a fresh meal.

The thought was interrupted as the raw anguish felt by one of the Confederacy’s best forced its way to his senses. As they walked into the room, Voph said what Gerwald was thinking. After all, it was not every day that one walked into a room to find a disheveled man with one arm. The Deputy Minister of War seemed to be far from the man Gerwald had seen on occasion. Whatever had happened, it had caused him to let go of himself. Gerwald let Voph close the distance while he stood back.

“I think I’ll let you handle this one. Counseling is more your thing than it is mine.”
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[Ettiene Kharne]

THE REQUEST
Tags: Kyyrk | Gerwald Lechner

As the two men of the Confederacy’s Knights Obsidian entered into the courtyard, Alden didn’t speak. Not initially. Even as Kyyrk acknowledged his less than ideal state. There were no lies laced through the words, nor tides of a malicious nature. They simply were what they were. The truth. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Alden wasn’t in an ideal condition at present. Sleep had become increasingly more rare, no matter what he did to aid combat his situation. His body was filled with a level of anguish that never ceased. An ever present numbness embodying him that he simply could not shake. He knew what brought it on, though he never suspected the circumstances to unfold as that had now. Never expected that the cause which he’d unknowingly accepted so long ago at this point would threaten the mere foundation of his sanity. To challenge his ideology of the man he’d believed himself to be. Imprisoned behind and emotional turmoil when a bleakness of an effort to once again see the light of day.

Finality. Is that what this was? Would this state be his future? One of darkness and built on a foundation of the unhinged vengeance and rage he felt deep within. Whatever fate would divulge upon his very existence for now had chosen a loveless darkness. One that had fractured his very heart and soul into a writing pain.

And yet he was okay with the darkness he’d now let in. The darkness that had befallen him in the unfolding events of a very recent past.

His eyes rose to meet the figures of the man that had come upon his request and then to the one with which accompanied him. His fingers unwound for the hilt of the lightsaber he held in hand, allowing it to fall helplessly to the ground next to him. Yet another relic he would eventually rid himself of, though it would have to be later at this point.

He rolled over his arm, revealing the runic symbol pressed into his forearm which, at present, lay dormant. Its master and creator not currently manipulating it is the sick and demeaning way that Alden had now become well accustomed to. And as such, that is why Alden had invited the former Lord Commander of the Knights Obsidian to his home. A man he knew to be well versed in such archaic and insidious applications of the Force as had been done to him.

“A mark placed upon my flesh by the former Exarch and traitor,” Alden said. “For as long as it remains, the traitor will forever have a form of control over me and in a sense, a connection still, to the Confederacy.” He paused a moment, sighing. “Simply cutting it from the flesh does not rid me of its taint, otherwise I’d have found myself rid of it long ago. It simply comes back.” He motioned to the obviousness that was his missing left arm. “I asked you here to help me find the path to ridding myself of this curse placed upon me. I know no other as competent and versed in such applications of the Force than you. Please,” he continued. “Help me cleanse myself of a traitor’s malevolence.”

 

[Kyyrk]

C L E A N S E
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Voph arched a brow as Alden told him of the reason for his summons. The brow remained lofted as Voph's attention turned towards Gerwald. Leave him to deal with the paperwork while Voph got to focus on actual work? In a manner of speaking, the wolf was not incorrect. "You learn to live with it." Voph turned his attention back to Alden, and reached out to take his arm in his own hands, brow furrowing as he studied the mark upon the man's arm. He had of course seen such a method used to brand others before. And he knew what removing one entailed.

"I can remove it. Do I have to state the rest?" It won't be easy. Voph could state the words if Alden was feeling particularly talkative, or if Gerwald was really so ignorant as to the applications of such things. But he had a sneaking suspicion that both men knew what was about to happen. Even if Voph himself was the only one who had dealt with the specifics before. "A thing such as this... I could remove it cleanly, and lessen the pain you shall feel. But I cannot speak for the after effects you may be left with. Or, I can remove it completely and quickly. But you had best have a good tolerance for pain."

Ettiene Kharne || Gerwald Lechner

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[Gerwald Lechner]

O B S E R V E​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Kyyrk | Ettiene Kharne

Gerwald nodded. As a Lord Marshall he had learned to live with the paperwork as well. The mission to Naalol had taught him the fine art of ensuring that only the pertinent details made it into his account. There had been other details which Gerwald had only shared with some, and so far others had remained quiet on the matter. Regardless, Voph and Metus both knew everything about what had transpired on Naalol before their decision to elevate him.

What Alden wanted, however, was beyond the wolf’s expertise. He did not deal in such things as imbued marks or alchemy. Had he been skilled in such things, Naedira would already be free, either because she was alive again, or the ring would have been destroyed. It weighed on him, but the time to deal with such things would come. For now Gerwald had to focus on the one thing she had wanted from him at the start. Gerwald needed to live.

He listened to what Alden said, the way he used the word traitor so loosely with the former Exarch. Gerwald did not like it. The lupine had been sent to deal with traitors before, and without a trial, they did not need to bandy about such words. Regardless of what was now, Adron had done many great things for the Confederacy. He would honor them still.

“Be careful with your tongue. I understand you feel betrayed, but you must rise above what you feel. We are the master’s of our emotions! If you allow that rage to consume you, it will be the thing that kills you.”

Gerwald’s advice came from his own experience. Voph would know of the rash decision a young Knight had once made in chasing down Naedira’s killer. He would also know that it had been Exarch Talon’s timely arrival which kept the wolf alive. Alden may not have heard the stories, but there was one here who could vouch that Gerwald’s words were from nearly paying the price he gave voice to.

“If I were you… I would see it ripped off so you can move on. Though I am duty bound to admit that if the after effects are unknown, you should opt for the more cautious option.”
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