More Than She Could Chew

[Connor Harrison]

Centrality Sector
Wild Space​

Joon didn’t care what Darth Ayra said; her attention had been waning for days, and right now she felt like she was an invisible woman. After her violent outburst in the forests of the fort during training, Ayra had changed, in fact it was ever since the exploration of Freedon Nadd’s tomb.

Right now however there was someone whom Ayra had mentioned, and whom Joon had met before, that was of interest, and one who she felt was a link for Joon to find out more of the Jedi and those who stood with them. Taeli Raaf.

All the pretence of “holding back” and “not revealing intentions early” was out of the window now for Joon as it was Ayra who was holding HER back while she explored and led a fight to those Joon wanted to help destroy. Now, with a stolen two man craft from the fort, Joon had the coordinates of her facility on Erilnar, a world she never heard of, and one Aurora Industries.

It was a simple flight from Sojourn, and the clone felt like she hadn’t blinked for hours as she stared into the void of space waiting to arrive and find the Jedi who looked down her nose at the Sith Apprentice. To do what? She didn’t know, but she wanted to assert herself more and become a name that would ripple out to be heard by all, not just the girl who stood with Darth Ayra of the Sith.

A few calls came through to the craft, but Joon ignored them and focused on the coordinates, a steely resolve in her eyes.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

"Miss Raaf, local authorities and our own security are tracking a ship into the system," Aurora's security chief said, cutting into Taeli's holocall with her engineers at Nubia. Apparently, something was going on in the system and she had been busy getting the sit rep about it. Now this... just lovely. She was still feeling the effects of the injuries she suffered during the Liberation of Coruscant, mainly just the fatigue and lingering pain that Force Lightning could cause. At least her opponent had been left in a worse state before the ceiling collapsed and separated them before Taeli could deal the coup de grace.

"Is it responding to any hails?" Taeli asked.

"None, Miss Raaf," the security chief replied. "I was just about to clear two Lunars to deploy and either escort it to a controlled location... or to blow it out of the sky." Taeli contemplated the options. Reaching out with the Force towards the rapidly approaching ship, she felt a flicker of remembrance. Whoever was coming felt familiar... she could handle this personally.

"Have the Lunars escort them to these coordinates," Taeli said, transmitting them to the security chief. "I'll deal with whoever this is myself."

"Yes, Miss Raaf," the security officer said, the holocall ending. Getting to her feet, she grabbed one of her lightsabers and left her office. She would be waiting at the nearby lake shore for whoever this mysterious intruder was. Coming to Erilnar unannounced only meant, to her and her company's security, that it was threat against either Taeli or a thief. Either way, two AI-05 Lunar starfighters would come roaring towards the ship, sending a simple message. Deviate to the coordinates being given or they would be fired upon.

 

[Connor Harrison]

The chimes came through from the nav-computer, indicating two fighters moving in on Joon, to which she responded by doing nothing. She just kept pushing on, until a message came through a new set of coordinates – and the threat of being shot down.

While Joon was stubborn and hot-headed, she wasn’t stupid, and didn’t fancy making it a third time she was in a crashing ship. She didn’t verbally acknowledge, but fell back with the two escorts in a clear move towards their new destination, wherever that was and whoever had the muscle to intercept her.

As she broke the atmosphere and down through to the oceanic world that caught her attention for a good few seconds, again, never having seen anything like this, she pulled the craft back on track as it lazily diverted with her loss of attention. Eventually, over a few pockets of land and a number of cities, the coordinates brought Joon to a large industrial park and a gleaming building to which the escorts flew over and circled as she brought the craft down.

She never thought about having only used her lightsaber against un-armed campers and training orbs, or even about using the Force against inanimate objects and Ayra herself in a controlled environment. Joon was walking into a dead end, but her blind anger and absorption of the wonderful energy of the Dark Side of the Force fueled her to feel dangerous and alleviated above everything else.

Killing the dual engines and leaving the ship with a spring in her step, the lightsaber hilt by her side and a small blaster on the other, she looked around and noticed an armed welcoming party, to which reminded her of the Republic forces who stormed her home of the Imperial Research Facility on Duro.

She pointed to one of the guards, with a small crowd taking interest from the walkway and building above.

”Do anything to me and I’ll kill you.”

Joon felt in control, and felt dangerous and looked around in a slow 360 degree motion.

”I want Taeli Raaf, and I demand to be taken to her at once, wherever she is on this world! I know she’s here!”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

"Of course I'm here," Taeli said, the security forces surrounding the girl parting as she walked forward. Her lightsaber was visible on her belt, but beyond that, she was simply garbed in a blue dress that went with her purple eyes. "This is my company's headquarters. Gentlemen, I'll deal with out interloper."

With just that simple instruction, those watching moved away to a much safer distance and security moved to protect the civilian watchers. Taeli regarded the girl before her, both in the physical world and in the Force. They had met at Alicia's Gathering on Sojourn, the girl introducing herself as Justiciara Noctare, aide to Alicia. Well... in this case, that had to mean apprentice as well. The dark side was with the girl, but she seemed... far too overconfident. There was that arrogance and rage that only came from one who was only just beginning to learn of the dark side of the Force... well one who didn't have a regard for the more subtler aspects of the Force.

"Miss Noctare, yes?" Taeli said. "What exactly do you want?" Taeli was pretty sure she knew what this girl wanted, her head on a pike, but maybe there was a way to get out of this without resorting to a more proactive exercise.

 

[Connor Harrison]

The clone span on her heel and her eyes feverously scanned the faces where the affirmation came from, and spotted the well-dressed Jedi taking charge of the situation in a heartbeat, commanding them all with a simple request.

While she was happy that Ayra had been beaten down when she left Joon alone, not knowing where and why she had left in the first place, Taeli still wound her up and had done from Sojourn with that…that…arrogant Jedi talk and that look in her eyes; judgmental and flippant.

”An interloper means a person or being in a place they are not wanted, or not welcome. How dare you tar me with that brush, you Jedi scum, when you are interlopers on every world you set foot in! Like Duro!”

Joon walked forward to confront Taeli face to face and stood before her, taking in her calm face, relaxed features and general sickening radiance.

”I don’t like you, and I never will like you, and you represent a group of butchers.” She spat at her face with venom. ”Call me Joon, not my true name. You won’t ever earn the right to do that.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

"Seeing as how you came here, to my private company, uninvited and unannounced, you are an interloper," Taeli replied calmly, while the girl walked over to stand face to face with the Jedi Master. Although... Taeli had no idea what the girl was referring to with Duro. She had never actually been to that world before, surprisingly enough. But then again, she typically stayed away from Republic space after Corvus vanished and the Republic decided to go full on crazy.

"Well... Joon, I'm not entirely sure what exactly I did to earn your ire," Taeli said, more amused than anything now. "I've never been one for idle butchery and we've only met once, briefly, at your Master's little party on Sojourn. Oh yeah, that's right. She, just like you, decided to reveal who she was while we fought during the Alliance's liberation of Coruscant. She didn't exactly leave in the best of states. I don't understand how you Sith don't value the whole process of killing any witnesses that know your identities or secret, or even better, keeping it secret from everyone."

 

[Connor Harrison]

She was just like Ayra; talking down to her, patronizing her and not listening. It felt like her insides were boiling away with each breath taken around Taeli.

”You are a JEDI!” She pushed Taeli's shoulder violently. ”You stand for EVERYTHING I don't, and everything that took away all I had! All your codes and morals and rules apply to those you deem worthy, but those you don't? You KILL THEM!”

Taeli was pushed again, and Joon used each strike to move forward, as if pushing and pushing and pushing.

”You are the one Jedi I know and the one who stood so close to me and just made my skin crawl - and then you attack my Master, and leave her for dead. I may not be as strong as her but I will never stop trying.”

Then, Joon sprang forward, letting the rage take over and not grabbing her weapon she often forgot about, but using her hands and fight fists to strike out and hurt the Jedi; tarnishing any clothing she could, tearing any flesh she could, and puncturing any muscle she could.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

Taeli let the girl vent, even accepted the shoves from the girl. She kept a completely placid look the entire time Joon raged, but she could feel the girl working herself into a tizzy. That could only mean she was close to outright attacking her soon. Then she was leaping at Taeli, her intent clear. Taeli dodged her clawing hands, jumping over the girl to land several meters away from her, an amused expression back on her face.

"Hark who is talking, my young Sith apprentice," Taeli said, wagging her finger in the air. Yes, she was deliberately taunting girl to get a rise out of her now. It was clear that Alicia had only just begun training this girl. "Tell me, have you murdered anyone for your master before? Have you slaughtered those who couldn't defend themselves? I bet you have. Neither side can claim a moral high ground in this eternal conflict, that is true, but don't try and make yourself out to be someone who hasn't destroyed lives or families. I almost pity you."

There it was, the one thing a hotheaded Sith apprentice could never stand hearing. That someone pitied them.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon soon faced a shocked crowd, as Taeli swiftly jumped to clear the space between them, and she span around to face her; the Jedi looked like this was a walk in the park, and it probably was.

Standing still, her chest rising and falling with the anger making her breathing hard and in short bursts, Joon just stared at the Jedi while she spoke and didn’t factor for anyone or anything else around them. This was something she had longed for, to face a Jedi and confront them. While she knew she wasn’t trained well at all, she had resolve and an erratic streak that couldn’t be tamed – a bloodlust that was strong for anyone who wasn’t her ally.

”I have, and I will again hopefully, because it was empowering and it was justified. I am Justiciara Noctare, and by that purpose I will keep doing what I was made to do, and it was YOUR people who drew first blood, and so I will continue to do so.”

She stabbed a finger out as she started to walk to Taeli again.

”You stand there all confident and arrogant in your ability, but you’re nothing without your Jedi title. I hate you all!”

And then she broke into a run, staggering her steps to form a strong roundhouse kick, fuelled with a sharp cry and a desire to hurt; a raw, primal urge born from being a clone designed to fight and fight and fight until the end.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

"Then you clearly haven't done enough research," Taeli said quietly to herself as the girl rushed forward, staggering her steps to get in a strong roundhouse kick. There was no finesse, no heed paid to whether or not her opponent might be more experienced. The girl was all ferocity and no subtly. A pity. As the kick came in, Taeli grabbed the incoming leg with both arms even if that was going to leave some more bruises there. While there was power behind the kick, the girl hadn't utilized the Force behind it.

"To defeat an enemy, you must know them," Taeli said, always the teacher. "Take for example this situation you are in. I could break your leg right here and now if I so desired, and then you lost the fight. Think before acting."

With that said, Taeli tipped the leg up so the girl was off balance more before releasing the leg with a push so the girl would end up on the ground.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon wobbled instantly, the grip on her leg was strong and solid, and when Taeli tipped her up, the clone flayed her arms and stumbled on the foot on the ground before falling back, turning mid-air to use her hands to cushion the embarrasing fall. The crowd were silent, but Joon felt their eyes burning into her and their secret amusement at the show going on before them. The Jedi could hurt her, but she could hurt them - and that was key to the Jedi; compassion for others.

Pushing up, brushing her hands on her black trousers, Joon turned to the crowd, mere faces of men and women she didn't know or care for, and ran to them. The first man who was closest showed fear in his face along with shock, and Joon's first crunched into his chest, and a kick to the knee-cap which gave a nice crack. Next, the man beside him was her target and she clawed his face and threw him down. The woman shouting was next, as the people started to scatter and armed guards rose their weapons.

Joon span to Taeli. ”I will not stop. Ever!”

She was a woman possessed - acting like a wild animal out of control using her hate for Taeli, the Jedi, and even Ayra to vent this violence from her system as the erattic DNA of the spliced Jedi/Sith gene started to react to the hostile stress she was putting herself under.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

"Enough," Taeli said, as the girl rushed forward and started attacking her workers. A shimmering barrier of Force energy enveloped her, Taeli having raised her hand and channeled the Force to surround the girl. She wouldn't allow her to harm her workers, and even now, security was moving everyone out of the area. The barrier would remain around her, but now Taeli was curious about something. The girl almost felt unstable, like she couldn't help the ferocity.

Soon they were the only ones left in the courtyard, well those that could be seen. Security had likely deployed snipers nearby if the situation called for them... but Taeli wasn't under threat, the girl wasn't a problem. That wasn't arrogance talking either, it was just plain fact. It was clear that Alicia had not done nearly enough training on her apprentice. The barrier would fade out around her now, leaving her free to move again.

"You're out of your league," Taeli said simply. "You can try and rage and attack me all you want, but all you will accomplish is further injury and embarrassment to yourself. Save yourself some dignity... otherwise I will have to take you down."

 

[Connor Harrison]

The Apprentice pushed against the Force barrier around her, grunting as she saw those hurry away under guard of the security, and she felt like her insides were going to explode with this wild aggression and adrenalin pumping around her body, fuelled by corrupt DNA and a Dark Side embrace.

Her brow was a sweaty, and her face was full of colour and her body was trembling. She stared out to Taeli who was totally in control, and what did she really expect? Joon knew she was nothing to this Jedi, but she also knew she wasn’t going to die today.

Although maybe it would be an easy way out.

Then, the barrier faded and Joon felt she was free again. Her breathing was slightly calmer now, but her body still rose with that rage.

”I have nowhere else to go and no one left to turn to. Let me hurt you. You can take me down easily.”

Joon cracked her neck and pulled the short sleeves of her black shirt a little tighter, her ensemble peppered with light dirt from the otherwise immaculate ground beneath her.

”You know what pain feels like. You dispensed it also to my Master. You aren’t untouchable.”

And then her teeth clenched and she threw her arms out, imagining her hands were throttling the Jedi Master with the Force wrapping around that delicate windpipe. She’d seen this technique used before and had done it once – she didn’t expect anything to come of it, but she was wanting to use everything she could just to hurt and knock the Jedi off her pedestal.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

"I know pain all too well, yes," Taeli replied, her eyes more curious now than anything else. The girl's skin was flushed, the dark side swirling around her. There was something very... odd about it. She was unstable, almost... oh... that was interesting if what she was starting to suspect was true. The girl was reaching out with the Force, hoping to throttle Taeli into submission. Taeli merely countered by using her own command of the Force to block the Force Choke, reinforcing her windpipe against the squeeze of the girl.

She could tell the girl wasn't really trained in the technique, it felt... almost untrained. What had Alicia even taught the girl?

"Well clearly your Master didn't impart much to you," Taeli said, flippantly waving her hand dismissively. "Did she even teach you the Sith Code?" With that said, Taeli flicked her hand out and a bolt emerald lightning left her fingertips to fly at the girl.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Nothing seemed to happen, and Joon stopped pressing forward with her attack and her hands dropped, eyes looking for the next way to attack. However Taeli’s words made her falter a little, slow a fraction and think what HAD she learnt – and just as the Sith Code came to her mind, the Jedi retaliated.

The emerald green tendrils seemed to leap from nowhere with a resounding crack, and before Joon knew what hit her, she was convulsing on the spot, rigid but shaking at the same time as the Force power whipped through and around her.

It seemed to last for minutes, but was no longer than seconds, and the young Apprentice wasn’t prepared for an attack such as that, and it took everything out of her as her legs gave way and she crumpled forward to the floor with an exhausted and angry groan of pain.

Her body tingled, and hurt. She wanted to claw her way back up, but was too weak. Craning her head to the Jedi, her eyes narrowed and she wanted to speak, but couldn’t.

Joon curled up a little and rolled onto her back, wincing at the sensation and finding the strength inside to get up and fight.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

Taeli didn't move from where she was standing, just watching the girl try and recover from the blast of Electric Judgment Taeli had sent at her. It had been only a very short and not very powerful burst, but clearly she needed to work on those reflexes. While the girl began to recover and rolled onto her back, Taeli retreated her presence into herself, utilizing Art of the Small. She wanted to observe this girl close because something about it was just making her curious.

Sensing and observing something at the molecular level, her eyes widened as she sensed the girl's individual cells. They were twisted, haphazard even, the DNA a mishmash of light and dark. What was this girl? She pulled out of Art of the Small even more intrigued by what she had just observed.

"I can see why Alicia took an initial interest in you," Taeli said quietly. "But... I suspect she always intended for you to be a simple weapon to throw at her enemies. You're too unstable and uncontrolled emotionally. You let your anger and hate control you, instead of the other way around. That is just sloppy and leads to a self-destructive route... such as now."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Pushing back the choppy hair from her brow, Joon knelt up and inhaled some of that fresh air. It felt good on her skin, and in her lungs. It felt empowering, and re-energising. It helped calm her as she took three slow inhales.

As Taeli began to analyse her, Joon listened and looked up, knowing right now she wasn’t going to get close to the Jedi using the raging method she had applied. She rested her palms on her knees and nodded

”I am a weapon.” Her tone was still sharp. ”That’s all I have been and all I will be, and the Dark Side of this Force is allowing me to enhance what the Republic tried to take away. I will be more powerful than you one day when I am ready. We all have to learn and develop. This is MY time.”

She didn’t break eye contact with Taeli. Even just looking at her was annoying; maybe it was this feeling of envy she often had about others who looked and acted more powerful and in control without little effort. All she had ever known was her Imperial brothers and sisters, and then the liar Asemir, and then Ayra who saved her.

Supposedly. Where was she?

The flicker of doubt and isolation in Joon’s mind wouldn’t be hard to miss for one such as Jedi Raaf.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

"A weapon is no true successor to a Sith," Taeli laughed. She didn't need to read the girl's mind to know she was feeling some doubt about her chosen path so far. It was all in her body language, and that was easy to read for a Lorrdian-raised woman. "Why do you think Alicia Drey didn't truly teach you much in the time she has been your master? You're simply a placeholder for her while she looks for a better apprentice... if she even survived her injuries on Coruscant."

She was trying to chip away at Joon's resolve, weaken her dedication to Alicia's cause. It was almost Sith-like how she was doing it, but she had never been able to give up everything from then completely. This was one such case.

"If this is what the Dark Side has offered you thus far, then times must have changed since I was a Sith," Taeli said, throwing that last line out there for Joon to be rocked by.

 

[Connor Harrison]

The first part of Taeli's gloating was mostly ignored by Joon. Well, she made it LOOK like she was ignoring, but both knew it was going in. Joon always felt Ayra didn't want her as the Apprentice, and she always made her feel worthless. Going away time and time again, not taking her on the journeys. Never supporting her. Never encouraging her.

Joon's knuckles clenched and pushed into her thighs.

However, the next part made her head instantly look up at Taeli and a curious frown formed.

”You were a Sith?”

The knuckles relaxed. Eyes were a little wider.

”What happened to you? Why are you not a Sith now? You can help me - teach me! Do what Ayra can't! You're powerful - ” she stood up, hope in her voice, ” - and you know things! Please?”

From someone who had nothing, Joon was desperate for something.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

"I realized that there were other avenues of knowledge I could seek out," Taeli replied, amused at the girl's sudden switch in demeanor. "So many different philosophies and techniques exist in the Force that neither of the major sects use or know about." There was no reason to tell this girl that Taeli had also left the Sith to be closer to her sister or about other things that had happened recently. Her next words would be laced with sarcasm as she said, "More doors open for a Jedi than Sith, oddly enough. For some strange reason, most Force sects don't really like Sith coming to them."

Still, the idea did have merit in turning Alicia's own apprentice against her... for whenever she resurfaced. Still, this girl hadn't really shown she was... worthy she guess was a good term for it to actually be taught by Taeli. She didn't exactly have the temperament she liked to see in a student.

"And why would I consider teaching you anything?" Taeli finally asked, that amused expression still on her face. "You tried to attack me, you injured some of my employees, you are a Sith apprentice and have no remorse in being one or in the horrible acts you've committed. You even said you enjoyed the killings and injuries you have inflicted. Even if I were a Sith still, I would be highly skeptical of you as a student. So, give me a reason why I should consider it instead of knocking you out and taking you to Sullust?"