Pawns of War

[Jairdain]

Having made a home on Iridonia, Jairdain knew when its king died and actually let out a sigh of relief. However, something within her craved for closure. So as time passed since his death, she learned some new skills. Both light and dark, she continued to walk the fine line between the two of them. Not ever feeling she could be the Jedi she once was nor the Sith he had wanted her to be, she followed her own path.

One skill she set out to learn was a very dark one indeed. To bring the dead back to life. Having learned the different options and abilities on how to do it, Jairdain laid her plans. The route she was going to take could entirely backfire on her and she end up dead. However, she was confident in her skill and went about her course.

Gathering up what was needed, she waited until she had mastered what she was going to use and bring Krest back. The only thing she lacked was Krest himself. Knowing that as royalty, his corpse would be guarded, she further insured she wouldn't be seen and finished mastering some of the skills the Sith had taught her.

If she had stayed Sith, she would have made an ideal assassin. Still she lacked full combat training, but was working on that. Sneaking around was no longer an issue and while the skill was mastered, even it had weaknesses. When the time was right though, she struck out and made her trip to where his body was.

Day and night meant nothing to the blind woman, but she knew when to do this. It was under the cover of darkness that she approached where he lay. Setting up the artifacts she had secured and knowing the words along with having the skill to do this, Jairdain started on the ritual to bring her enemy back.

[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Darkness. Eternal, unyielding. Death held no comfort, no peace. In a void rested the once prod king, consumed by the hate he had used as his strength for such a long time. It had been such a long time, he wasn't sure just how long in this timeless place. Yet the darkness did not last for ever. A new light entered his tomb, a familiar one. [member="Jairdain"] , she who would be a true master of Dread, come to find him.

Slowly his consciousness reached out from the pit of death, to ask a single question of she who would try to bring him back. "You've come. Why?"

 

[Jairdain]

Slowly the spell worked and life returned to the zabrak that had helped make her who she was today. When he spoke, his voice came from the shadows and he didn't move yet. It was a simple question.

"To finish what was started."

And the answer was simple and truthful. The interpretation could be taken a couple of different ways.

"I will never go away easily. Same as you, Lord Krest."

There was no hostility in her tone or in her attitude. However if the Force returned with him, he would know she was no longer the Jedi she had been or the sith that had been there when they last parted. ​

A piece of her still clung to the dark even if she didn't want to admit it. Maybe that is why she was here tonight.

[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"You do know what you're about to unleash. My return will make a shift in the Force, the dark you use will corrupt you. You best be sure." His words became clearer as the ritual progressed, and he felt his body begin to move. The pain of death began to fade, his still muscles loosened. And with it darkness, pure and cold, flooded the room. Light began to dim and the oppressive sensation of Death began to take over.

"This is your last chance [member="Jairdain"] ."

 

[Jairdain]

There was no light in Jairdain's world. Not in the physical sense so as the light faded around her, she did not notice it. The darkness moved to surround her and his voice came from the recesses again.

What he stated was only partially true. Having been touched by corruption before, she knew what she could or could not do. Jairdain had found a fine balance between the two and followed the path of her people once again. The difference between the Jedi he had captured and the woman that sat in his tomb now wasn't much. However, she could never truly be a Jedi again.

Cold came out from his recess and almost seemed to brush her hair away. Condensation filled the air as she breathed out and he said she still had a chance to end the ceremony. Shaking her head, she continued.

"It is too late for that."

[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Indeed it is." Slowly the once dead lords eyes began to open as vision slowly returned. The faintest smile formed on the elder Zabraks lips as he slowly pushed himself up. Blood coursed through his body once again, and soon enough he was up, sitting across from [member="Jairdain"] . "I thank you." As soon as he finished speaking the Force around him swelled, and an overwhelming crushing sensation would form around her throat.

 

[Jairdain]

She may have been blind, but Jairdain was not stupid. Before even starting the ritual and learning it, she had done research on it. While Krest was himself, there was now a bond between the two of them and with her having brought him back to life, she had some form of control over him and his actions.

Her eyes almost appeared to glow for a moment and he would feel she controlled the dark within herself as much as she controlled the light. A glance at him through the Force and that pressure was on him. In a way reflected back at him. Jairdain was the one in control, not him.

"You are quite welcome. Now once you are done choking yourself we can talk. Perhaps a cup of tea in a setting more comfortable?"

​Knowing he would eventually come to his senses, she hoped the offering of tea would go over well as well as a change of location.

[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest blinked slow as the pressure that crushed around his throat, and he couldn't help but laugh as his own power was turned against him. With a simple sigh he released it, coughing as he rubbed his soar throat. "Hmm.. You've gotten stronger and wiser. How unfortunate for me, huh?" He laughed again as he stood, rolling his shoulders in the process. "Will you tell me the nature of this bond? Or am I stuck not knowing?"

 

[Jairdain]

"Just slightly, my dear."

While ​the amount of her control was fully unknown to her. Jairdain had a very good idea of exactly how much she did have over him. He did ask for the nature of the bond and she smiled just slightly as she stood up and also stretched with him.

"The nature of control is one way only...however we are bonded so if something happens to me, you will know of it."

It gave him the basics and only that. Time would give clarification to the both of them. Distance and location didn't matter in this bond. Another thing that came with it was a connection that was just as deep as the one she had with Lykos. Not yet wanting to tell him this, but their souls shared a bond. She had to allow his soul to pass over hers when bringing him back to life. In that passing, the connection happened.

"Let's get out of here before we draw attention to your tomb."

She used no overt power of their connection, but it would be clear she didn't want to stick around.

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Interesting." He mused with an oddly joyful smile on his face. The Lord only shrugged waved his arm wide, motioning for her to lead. For the moment he would keep quiet, casually testing the limit of their bond. So far, everything she said was true. With a content sigh he folded his arms across his chest. "You'll have to explain to me why you brought me back. I was content with death. Now I have to struggle again. You've put me in a rather poor position."

 

[Jairdain]

She picked up on his joy, though his words indicated he had been content in death. Somehow Jairdain doubted this, but remained silent as they walked out of the tomb together.

Feeling him test the bond to the extent of what he could do, she thought about showing him what she could do. Her previous example was one of the simple ones. In time, they would both know just what she could or could not do with it.

He said she would have to explain further exactly why she brought him back and she wore a slightly smirky smile. There was no ego involved though even if it should have been there.

"I will, but not until we are away from here."

What she had done was in​ secret, only the two of them knew and for now she wanted it kept that way.

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"so secretive. You know, if I was only younger and not recently dead. Perhaps you may have been the one to steal my heart. Alas, that right was taken by my old master and my once wife. You see, Iridonians have two hearts after all." He laughed. And laughed. And stopped. His sudden stop from his laughter was off putting to most, though he doubted [member="Jairdain"] wouldn't be bothered. "Are we far enough away yet?"

 

[Jairdain]

She did find the humor in his words and chuckled just a little. Not as much as Krest did, of course.

"I've spent enough time here to know this, Krest."

As he thought, his laugh did not upset her at all and she just kept walking. Anything visual was lost on her and the grand tombs of previous kings was beyond her notice. Making her way out of the cemetery, she would walk over to the waiting speeder. Through the Force, she could pilot, fly and drive fine. Making a motion for him to get on, she put the items away she had brought with her for the ceremony she had just done.

"Soon."

It was all she said and ​once he was on board, she would take off and return to her home on the planet. Once there, she parked and lead him inside. Quick work was done and tea was made for them.

"You see, you have unfinished work. Projects you started that never came to fruition. Things you started and never finished. You're now given the chance to complete them."

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"You were one of those projects you know. Are you telling me to finish what I started with you?" As they walked his stiff body began to loosen. Soon enough his somewhat robotic movement became fluid. A curious brow was given to [member="Jairdain"] as he sat across from her, gently lifting up the tea cup. "I have no problem doing so of course. I'm just surprised you would go out of your way to revive your tormentor. Did you enjoy your time in that room?"

 

[Jairdain]

"Possibly..."

It was a simple and very broad answer to his first question. Noticing he was moving easier, Jairdain nodded as she appreciated the amount of skill she had gained since they last met.
​
At that time, she had been a teenager. One that was untested, but strong and stubborn. A girl that was new to the Jedi and barely battle tested. Now a few years older, she was even stronger.

Krest asked if she enjoyed her time locked up and she shook her head as she took a drink of the tea that she had made.

"Not my time in the room. That was rather boring and lonely. Most of my time there, I was alone and blind. No contact except when you came to visit me. You know what though? I resisted. When I did break and you filled my mind with your lies, I eventually saw through them. Why did you go through that for me? I was a simple Jedi, Krest. You never told me why."

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Why? Because I found it interesting. You had power that I wanted to work for me, or alongside me depending on how bad your mind may have been shattered. So young, so strong. Now you're bringing folk back from the dead. You may not have become the Sith I hoped for, but even I recognize this power you've obtained. You've grown into a powerful force user. A powerful woman." He smiled as he spoke between sips of his tea, his now stained red eyes gazing over [member="Jairdain"] . He was looking for the changes, the subtle differences in her posture now compared to before, the facial twitches. How she even drank her tea.

"Why live on Iridonia?"

 

[Jairdain]

His words were accurate from everything Jairdain could tell. As he spoke and she listened, she wondered for just a moment his intentions. In a way she had been an apprentice of his, but had broken the chains he had put on her. It brought back memories of her time with the sith and attempting to follow that code.

"No, Krest, you didn't fail with me. You did enlighten me and now after following the code you attempted to indoctrinate within me, I have broken the chains that bound me."

Of course this was false​, even if Jairdain couldn't admit it to herself. That past she actually clung to.

"Ah Iridonia, it was pointed out to me that here it was most natural. The strong dominate the weak and the circle of strife between the light and the dark is at its most primal. I come here to be reminded sometimes of just how strong I actually am."

The one that pointed this out had been Lykos. Krest did not need to know this though. There was another tidbit he may notice. On her clothing she wore there were feathers. A name he and Lykos had given her was Zirial which meant sparrow in High Zabrak.

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Strong indeed. To control me, why. That's impressive." He smiled wide as he took a final sip. leaning back in his chair. "You've really taken to Zirial huh? The feathers seem fitting." It wasn't something Krest had overlooked. [member="Jairdain"] was his prisoner for many months, and seeing her embrace the name so casually caused a curious sensation to fill his mind. How much truly stuck with her? "I must thank you for bringing me back. To think that the one who did that would treat me to tea."

 

[Jairdain]

Listening to what Krest was saying, his compliment on the fact she had grown stronger and then his mention that it was she that treated him to tea made her chuckle just a little. As he mentioned the name he and Lykos had called her, one of her hands travelled up to touch one of the feathers on her shirt. Having lived on Iridonia, she had learned some of the language and knew what zirial meant.

"It reminds me of some of what happened to me in past and keep me from repeating it."

That was her reasoning at least, but it showed Jairdain couldn't fully let go.

"As for giving you tea...you did the same for me. Call it pay back if you want, Krest. What are you planning on doing with this new chance I gave you?"

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Honestly? I haven't the faintest idea. All I know is that I can feel my power, all of it, returning. Skills I thought lost now back in my mind as if they were always there. I'm stronger, perhaps far more then I was in my prime. Perhaps I am in my prime." He mused with a faint smile, his gaze turning to stare at the place [member="Jairdain"] called home. It was a nice place at least. "Where did you learn how to bring me back anyway?"