Private Recollection

[Vaylin]

Onboard The Serran
Private Training Room

They had been at this for hours now, as was routine when it was time for the Master to teach the Apprentice. Vaylin ducked beneath the swing of a sword, curving her own downwards and slamming the practice blade into her apprentice’s left shin. The force of the hit knocked her off balance, and the Zabrak took advantage by spinning around and swinging her blade down against the other woman’s back. Sending her face first into the mat they were standing on.

“You need to be more aware, Apprentice.” Vaylin’s tone gave off nothing, no semblance of disappointment or frustration. Just emotionless and cold. “Not every enemy you’ll face will be wielding a lightsaber. Now what would’ve been a severed leg, then a severed torso notwithstanding, physical weapons all have a weight to them. And can easily knock you off balance upon contact.”

She made no effort to help Safina stand up, instead walking away slightly before turning around to face her. “Back into the first stance,” she commanded, bringing her own practice blade up. There were a few moments of nothing, just tense silence as the two stared at each other. A single blink later and Vaylin lurched forwards and brought her sword up to Safina’s left flank. However, the Zabrak suddenly feigned, stopping on the spot for just a split second. It caused the silver-haired apprentice to pause, allowing for Vaylin to redirect her attack and smack the other woman across the head with the blade.

“Hesitation is death. You cannot allow yourself to hesitate for a moment, else the consequences will be painful.” This time Vaylin did sigh. “Do you remember, Safina? When we first met, what happened?”

-x-​

Some years ago…​

While the recently anointed Elder Valkyrie was stepping away from the frontlines, she was still eager to go out and hunt down Jedi. They had found an isolated Enclave that had been ripe for the picking. A nearby city that had little love for their presence on the planet, allowing for the small Valkyrie force to descend upon them.

Unfortunately, the Jedi had been particularly stubborn. More had sought to fall at their blades than allow themselves to be captured. Only two had survived the attack, one of which was a raven-haired Jedi whose Master had fallen in defence of the enclave. Vaylin had encountered them personally, and there was something about the Padawan that had piqued her interest. Thus, upon hearing of her escape, Vaylin sought to pursue her. And while she was still in command of the Valkyrie’s ships, she utilized its main one.

The Crimson Valkyrie exited hyperspace, appearing in view of their target. Before them was a sizable planet, an aquatic world that had several sizable islands as its only landmass. Although it wasn't the Valkyrie's main target, but rather the derelict ship that was hovering before them. It was a rather old fashioned model, last seen amongst the Rebels that had attempted an assault on the Sith Empire not too long ago. This one in particular was the target of the Elder Valkyries pursuit.

Once they had finally tracked down the vessel, It had become a game of cat and mouse. They would chip away at the Rebel ship, slowly damaging it each time they caught up with it via hyperspace. Until now, when it had finally been crippled and seemingly abandoned.

Vaylin stood on the bridge, watching through the viewport as the Crimson Valkyrie slowly approached the ship.

"What are the scanners picking up?"

"The ship is pretty much dead, no lifesigns and the escape pods were ejected some time ago."

In the Zabrak's mind, that meant her targets had opted to flee towards the planet, hoping to land on one of the islands. That was nothing but good news to Vaylin, she liked a hunt.

"Bring the ship in close so it can dock, I want it scavenged for anything useful." Not that she was expecting anything substantial from that wreck. "I'll be taking a shuttle down to the planet." The raven-haired Padawan had been onboard that ship, she knew it. She could feel it. Someone else was with her, and Vaylin wasn’t sure if they had picked up more since. But even if that was the case, and they outnumbered her...she liked the challenge.

Whoever they were, they'd have a bit more time to prepare as the Zabrak got her armour and weapons.

Safina​

 

[Safina]

Safina had come a long way since she first started training under Vaylin. It had been a few years since the two had met and Safina knew she still had a long way to go before she got to where she wanted to be but she had made improvements and started to find her stride. Though it didn’t feel like it at that moment.

Safina and Vaylin had been practicing for hours. Something that wasn’t new to either of them. Safina found, more often than not, that she liked being able to have long practice hours. She wanted to get better, do better, be better. The dull ache in her shin from the strike of her Master’s practice blade caused the female to let out a hiss. Safina squared her shoulders to keep her balance but found herself too late as the Zabrak took the opening to swing her blade down against her back.

Finding herself face first on the mat, Safina made no noise but instead grit her teeth as she forced herself back up. She didn’t want to give the Zabrak a reason to think she was weak, because they both knew she wasn’t. She took in what Vailyn was saying as she nodded her head, quickly moving back into the first stance.

Safina wasn’t a quitter, and was ready to go once more and would continue to push herself until she was happy with her performance. It was tense for a moment before they got back into it again, but the silver-haired woman found herself hesitating once more, resulting in another strike from Vaylin this time, across the back of her head.

Another grit of her teeth, a hiss, both from pain and frustration, but nothing more would leave her mouth. Vaylin’s question about how they met caught Safina off guard however, as her posture relaxed, jaw unclenching as she stared at the woman for a moment, nodding her head.

“It feels like so long ago now..”

-x-​

Out of everything Safina had expected to happen, she certainly hadn’t expected being hunted down, leading her to being stranded on a remote island, everyone dead around her dead but her and a fellow Jedi. The death of her Master weighed heavily on her mind, but she didn’t have the time to mourn, instead she pushed it to the back of her mind, promising she’d take the time later, when her life wasn’t in danger. Safina also wasn’t expecting the headache that came along with her fellow Jedi arguing about certain fixes needing to be made on the ship - which if they asked her, and they hadn’t, she would have told them that it was useless. The ship was done for.

The game of cat and mouse had been played between them and the Crimson Valkyrie, and the Jedi’s ship was simply just not equipped enough to handle that many hits. Using an escape pod Safina had landed near the shore.

She had gone off to collect anything that could be useful, both because they had needed to, and because she wanted an excuse to escape the bickering for a bit.

But now she stood between them, trying to get the arguments to stop, especially as the Crimson Valkyrie was entering the atmosphere.

“We need to move..now!”

That seemed to have gotten their attention, Safina’s hands making sure she had her blaster and lightsaber on her person before they started moving into the coverage of the trees.

Safina was only hoping it would buy them a little more time before the combat would begin.

Vaylin​

 

[Vaylin]

It had taken Vaylin no time to get changed into her armour, snap her lightsabers to her belt and be on a shuttle in quick succession. These days it was practically second nature to her, only she had to remind herself she wasn't going to be stepping into a warzone. Part of her missed that, but she was already getting used to not throwing herself into the thick of battle.

Hunts like these were much more personal, and thrilling.

"Where do you want me to land this thing? 'cause like, there's no way of telling where they fell. They could've sunk into the ocean."

Vaylin rolled her eyes, standing just behind the pilot in the cockpit. "You don't have the Force to guide you, just fly the shuttle down to the islands, I'll find them."

While the Crimson Valkyrie looming high above the planet, a much smaller vessel was descending to the planet's surface. They were running off a general vicinity of the escape pods trajectory. A smart move of her Jedi prey, ejecting all the escape pods in order to cover their descent. Unfortunately for them, Vaylin could practically taste the darker emotions felt from one of the Jedi.

The Zabrak closed her eyes as she focused, stretching out with the Force in search of those feelings. Ironic that such a thing would betray the Jedi, given their focus on stifling them from a young age.

Where are you? She reached out for that familiar presence again, until she finally felt it accidentally brush against her. Light, but with Darkness seeping out from the cracks.

Found you.

"Found them, take me down to that island." She said, pointing towards a specific landmass just north-east of their current location. "Make sure to take off after I've dropped, we can't be giving these Jedi any hope of escape."

The shuttle stopped into a hover just over the beach, kicking up sand everywhere. A small ramp barely slid out before Vaylin pushed the door open and simply jumped down onto the island. She glanced back for a moment, watching as the pilot lifted back up. Vaylin grinned, setting her attention to the jungle before her.

Safina​

 

[Safina]

Branches scratched at her skin, leaving trails of angry red along her cheeks and her arms but Safina couldn’t find it in herself to care. Her brain was screaming to run, to put as much space between them and the Zabrak hunting them as much as possible.

Safina’s hope was that the cover of the trees, the dense forests of the jungle where barely any light filtered through the tall trees would be enough to give them enough of a lead and figure out a way out of this.

She felt the pull of the darkness webbing at the back of her mind, calling out to her, telling her to turn around. It taunted her, creeping along her inner thoughts, compelling her that it would be okay to give in. It would be easier to give in. But she couldn’t, wouldn’t.

This can’t be happening.

Don’t give in.

Overcome it.

Give in.

No!

A thud pulled her from her thoughts, followed by a grunt from the Jedi running along with her. Safina caught her fellow Jedi as they tripped over a fallen tree branch. She caught them in just enough time, keeping them from slamming their face into the ground. Safina was thankful for the distraction pulling her from her thoughts. She needed to focus if there was any chance they’d make it out of this alive. The two hadn’t uttered a word, afraid that if they spoke too loudly they’d be found out sooner. Instead the two communicated through shared looks in which direction to go and what to do. The two kept running, as the darkness started to roll in closer, a thickness to the air making it harder to breathe.

She was getting closer.

Vaylin​

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin let out a content sigh as she walked through the jungle. It had been far too long since she had been surrounding in such familiar terrain. Years ago it would've probably scarred her, a reminder of the five years she had spent trapped within Dxun's jungles. But she had learned to turn those bad memories, that fear, into making her stronger.

She practically strolled forwards, hands casually brushing the local flora aside as she walked.

No doubt the Jedi were fleeing still, adrenaline coursing through their veins not giving a care for how badly they got nicked or cut by the plants around them. Oh, she sure did hope nothing on this island was poisonous...

The Valkyrie smiled as she could feel the stirring emotions, churling in turmoil as her target began to doubt. Feeling some more enticing behind her, even though her Jedi training was urging her to continue making distance. But Vaylin wasn't concerned, and remained at a casual pace as she followed them. They were like beacons in the darkness, their emotions betraying them with every step further away.

That's right, keep running into the darkness. Let the shadows of the jungle consume you...

As Safina and her Jedi friend entered the darker parts of the jungle, Vaylin began to reach out with the Force. Her presence within it stretched from her body until it split off and disappeared further into the trees. To Safina it would feel like her pursuer had suddenly picked up speed, being far behind one second then right up close the next.

To a point she'd feel as though the Sith was suddenly standing before her, forcing her into a different direction.

Away from her friend...

Safina​

 

[Safina]

Safina swore quietly under her breath as it got harder to see. Keeping a careful eye on her friend while also trying not to trip and fall over any fallen branches in her path, or random divots in the ground, the darkness was still pulling at her mind.

She was trained her whole life to keep the darkness subdued, to overcome it and use her abilities with the Force for good. Safina’s parents who she liked to describe as morally righteous had drilled it into her head day in and day out what a gift the Force was for her, and that she must do good, be good. Safina never knew if her parents knew about the darkness that haunted her mind, but she had to assume that they did with how insistent they were with her using her gift for good. Despite her resentment that she had begun to feel towards her parents as she had gotten older, she still found herself going down the Jedi path, not toying with the idea of the darkness that dwelled within, despite its looming presence in the back of her mind.

Keep going.

Push harder.

Run.

Stop.

Safina found herself faltering in her pace when the darkness fully encased her and her counterpart. She knew her friend was still close by and tried to stay in pace with them.

The feeling of the darkness following her continued to chase her, quicker and quicker in speed, causing Safina’s breath to catch as her heart rate picked up in speed, until it was so close it felt as though it was in front of her. It caused her to come to a stop completely. Her breaths came out shaky as she stood there for a moment, and her brain registered that her friend was getting further away as the moments passed, not having noticed that she had stopped.

The call to her was stronger now that it felt so close. Consuming her slowly and compelling her to turn around, to follow it - away from her friend.

As much as she tried to stop it, her feet seemed to move of their own accord as she was drawn into the feeling, moving towards it.

Vaylin​

 

[Vaylin]

The Zabrak grinned when she felt her target suddenly veer from her intending path, separating from her friend. A darkness lingering within the woman, anchored deep within her very being. Attempts to smother it were apparent, left unattended to take a stronger root. The fools; her parents, loved ones, whomever it was in her life that had never tried to uproot that seething darkness. Now she was here, away from that protection her earlier years provided. Feeling the same darkness that had haunted her for years, now something tangible and in front of her.

She was running right into the lion's den.

Vaylin shifted her presence through the darkness, leading Safina on a merry chase, going in circles. Right at this moment the Zabrak wasn't directly after the woman. No, she wanted to lure her out, present her with a quandary that would make her second guess everything.

So instead, the Zabrak went after the other Jedi who were still fleeing. Too lost in her own fear, and flight for survival that she hadn't thought to try and stop to find Safina had gone. Unfortunately, as she seemed to find a glimmer of light from the otherside of the jungle, the Jedi was met with an arm slamming into her chest. She looked up to see Vaylin staring down at her, but before she could yell out, the Zabrak punched her, knocking her out.

What seemed to have been near eight minutes of aimless chasing after the dark feeling, Safina felt the presence isolate and remain in one location. Following it, she'd find herself leaving the darker stretches of the jungle and towards a beach. Whether it was the same one she and her friend had crashed onto, was unknown.

However, what was known is the scream of pain that came from her friend. Running out onto the beach she'd find her fellow Jedi on her knees, wrists bound together behind her back, with a red lightsaber carefully pressed against her shoulder.

"Ah, Safina. I'm glad to see you've finally come to join us."

Safina​

 

[Safina]

The dark feeling she was following was washing over her in waves and leaving Safina feeling as though she were in a daze.

Somewhere in her mind, Safina felt she was walking in circles, though there was no way to really tell with just how dark and dense the jungle was surrounding her. But a part of her brain wouldn’t drop the feeling she was being played. A game she had no control in.

It was a constant battle between the two sides of her though the darkness was slowly winning over, the appeal keeping her walking without full control of her body.

Was she going crazy? Probably.

At that moment, her Jedi friend popped into her mind and Safina found herself finding her footing and stopping. Worry consumed her - realizing just how far from her friend she really was. Safina hoped she was okay, and could help but think about what her friend would say if she saw what Safina was doing at this moment.

Idiot. We have to get out of here!

Turning her head left and right, Safina tried to tell which way to go as she felt the darkness ebbing at her again.

All she had to guide her was the darkness, as much as she wanted to fight against it, not follow it. With a resolve Safina followed the darkness once more.

As Safina continued to follow along where the darkness was leading her, she noted that the darkness surrounding her was lifting, light shifting between the trees with the sound of waves crashing against the shore sounding in the distance. She knew very well she could be walking into a trap, but she had no other choice.

A scream of pain from her friend cut through the air, settling in her bones and leaving a chill across her skin. Safina’s heartbeat quickened as fear took hold, quickening her pace as she ran towards the sound.

Safina found herself on a beach, a sight laid out in front of her that made her blood run cold.

The Zabrak woman had her lightsaber to her friend's shoulder, keeping her in place with her hands being bound behind her back.

Safina knew then, that the darkness that was calling to her, beckoning her to give in was from the woman before her. Bravely she stepped forward, feet sinking into the sand with each step as she moved closer.

She moved carefully with her steps, slow and steady watching the Zabrak’s movements as she moved forward until there were about 20 or so feet between them. Her eyes connected with her friends before looking back at the other woman.

“Your business is with me, let her go.”

Vaylin ​

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin looked blatantly open in her stance, showing no concern for a potential attack by either Jedi. One she had on the ground, the other a good distance away. Any attempt of an attack would've been easily anticipated, if Safina was foolish enough to try and make a move.

"You're right," she said, lifting her lightsaber from the other Jedi, allowing her to crumble forwards into the sand. The angle revealed she was being restrained with a pair of Force suppressing cuffs. "Unfortunately, she's a part of this just as much as you are right now."

She reached down, grabbing the back of the woman's tunic and forced her back up onto her knees. Vaylin spared a glance towards Safina, before she slid her lightsaber against her friend's shoulder again. A painful scream tore from the woman's throat, Vaylin looked back at the dark-haired Jedi waiting for her to either shorten the distance, shout or both. The moment she did, the Zabrak pulled her lightsaber away again.

"Get out of here Saf, just run!"

Vaylin smacked her across the back of the head, sending her face first into the sand. "And where exactly would she go, hmm? Unless she's going to swim miles for the next island." She looked over at Safina, grinning at her. "Come closer dear, I won't bite." Vaylin knew the darkness was enticing to Safina. Something that had been restained within her for years, never attended too. Luck and chance having kept her from a moment like this, where it wanted to lurch out from the depths and embrace.

"Don't listen to her..." The Jedi slowly pushed herself up, spitting a bit of sand out. She continued to rise until she was upright on her knees. "She's a Sith, all they do is lie and decieve."

Safina​

 

[Safina]

Safina watched her Jedi friend fall forward and did her best to keep her face as blank as possible - not giving away what she was thinking, feeling though she knew it was pointless. The woman before her could feel what she was feeling, what she was fighting - the darkness rolling off of her, taunting her to succumb. Safina figured anyone attuned enough with the dark side could tell the girl was struggling.

Keeping her face blank made her feel slightly more in control of the situation however.

So badly, Safina wanted to push forward, stop the woman from rough handling her friend and causing her harm but she knew that any sudden movements or plans of attack would be both useless and could lead to her friend’s death.

While she remained physically calm on the outside, her mental state was anything but. A battle between light and dark, vying for the top spot. A part of Safina knew, if she wasn’t constantly trying to suppress it, the darkness would have taken over years ago. While she didn’t have the best relationship with her parents she had still tried to keep her mind from succumbing to the part of her that her parents disliked the most. A futile attempt of making them proud of her.

She had always been trouble for her parents, even at a young age. She figured the reason they had fought so hard to constantly tell her that the Force was a gift, something she needed to use for good was because they were afraid of their own daughter. Of who she might become.

Her friends plea for her to run rang in her ears. Her eyes cut to meet her friends, the look on her face sharpening her features, speaking volumes. She wouldn’t abandon her.

I’m not leaving you here.

Before she could voice those exact words, Vaylin beat her to it, speaking up about just where she would be able to go, after violently striking the Jedi in the back of the head.

She had a point.

Vaylin beckoned her closer and Safina complied. What else was she to do at that moment? She closed the space between the three of them, a mere 8 feet between them by the time she came to a halt.

Blue eyes shifting to her friend once more, a smile pulled at her lips - not a full smile, it conveyed sadness as she tried to reassure her friend.

“I’ll be okay, but I can’t leave you here.”

Vaylin ​

 

[Vaylin]

"Oh, I don't disagree with you Jedi. We do lie and decieve, but..." Vaylin walked up to the other woman, standing just in front of her, slight off to her left. She stared at Safina for a few moments, before turning around to face her friend. The Zabrak had blatantly turned her back to a potential threat, someone who should try to capitalize on it, but Vaylin knew she wouldn't. Safina had seen how outmatched she would be from how the Valkyrie fought in the enclave attack. Plus, she was a very real source to help her understand the darkness that was lingering within.

The Zabrak knelt down, and began whispering to the other Jedi. "Deceptive as I may be, you cannot deny the fact that dear Safina over there isn't all that she seems." She watched the woman squirm, a knowing look in her eyes she tried to conceal. "Yes, you've seen it. Even during the brief time she was there at the enclave. There's a darkness within her, firmly rooted but never nourished." Vaylin had to stop herself from grinning wide, as she continued to layer the doubt within the woman. "I mean, how else do you think we found your little enclave? We followed her..."

It was an outright lie, but it was often that doubt overrode sense in one's mind. They had attacked not long after Safina and her master had arrived at the enclave. All of which had been purely coincidental, not planned. She hadn't even known of the girl's existence until she had crossed paths with them during the attack.

Vaylin stood up and turned to face Safina again, this time approaching her. However, she stopped half way, an equal distance between both Jedi. The Zabrak reached to the back of her belt, and drew a blaster. She looked between both women, before placing it down onto the sand.

"You Safina, are going to walk up to this blaster and kill her with it." Vaylin knew she wasn't going to do it. For as tempting as learning about the darkness was, she still hadn't been broken yet. She hadn't felt the sting of betrayal, faced the cold truth when all the cards were on the table. The Zabrak stepped back several times, until she was a fair distance away and couldn't scoop up the blaster easily. She folded her arms behind her back, and looked at Safina expectantly.

Discreetly though, she used the Force to unlock the cuffs around her friend's wrists. Who showed nor said anything to Safina about suddenly being free. Instead she just looked at the dark-haired Jedi, and the blaster between them.

Safina​

 

[Safina]

The winds picked up, waves crashing against the shore, an ominous atmosphere settling around the three people standing along the beach. Words whispered by Vaylin to Safina’s friend were drowned out by the noises of the waves as well as the wind rustling through the dense trees of the jungle.

Despite this, judging by her friend's face, Safina knew exactly what was being said.

Safina knew the doubt and worry her fellow Padawan, as well as others under her Master’s training, felt towards her. They could all sense the darkness within her, despite how desperate she was to hide it, subdue it and let the light overcome. Harsh words of doubt and trepidation were whispered and found their way to her ears. Whether they didn’t know she could hear them, or could and simply did not care was lost on her. Safina was always too caught up in trying to hide that part of her, ashamed of it - not daring to let it consume her.

The look on her friend's face said all she needed to know. It seemed clear that what Vaylin was saying to her was affecting her, pulling those doubts and worries about Safina to the surface.

It felt as if a lump was in her throat as Safina swallowed, eyes meeting Vaylin’s once again. She watched carefully as the Zabrak approached her, stopping half way before she pulled a blaster and Safina felt her heart stop before starting again at a faster rate.

Before she could worry about the woman’s intentions, she spoke again, saying the one thing Safina had a feeling would be said but didn’t want it to be true. Desperately so.

It was a means of drawing that darkness out of her, letting her finally give in and reaching the potential Vaylin saw within her. She couldn’t, wouldn’t. Despite the looks of doubt on her friends face, she couldn’t kill her.

“I.. I can’t.”

The battle within was lit once more, eyes watering as she realized what was going to happen, what could play out within the next few minutes. Watching her friend, the lump was back in her throat, watching as her eyes shifted between her and the blaster.

It was safe to guess that the doubts her friend had were pushing her to grab the blaster.

It was kill or be killed.

A pause, the air still for a moment, the only thing Safina could hear was the pounding of her heart and her unsteady breaths.

Then her friend moved.

Vaylin​

 

[Vaylin]

Despite the refusal on Safina's part, the Zabrak didn't look displeased. She simply maintained her stance and stared at the woman. A knowing look settled in Vaylin's eyes as she didn't even need to look to know what was about to happen.

"...I'm sorry."

The other Jedi suddenly lurched forwards, revealing her now unbound arms. Not even thinking to try and use the Force or something, she just outright ran towards the blaster and snatched it up. There was the slightest bit of hesitation as she drew the weapon up, aiming it at Safina. With it slightly shaking in her hand, the woman pushed her finger down against the trigger.

But nothing happened.

One would expect some form of physical reaction from the Jedi, but she didn't budge. The reason didn't click immediately, until the panic began to settle in her eyes.

"Tsk tsk..." Vaylin tuttered as she walked up to them, one hand outstretched as she held the Jedi in Force Stasis. "Unfortunately, my dear. I have almost ze- no, absolutely zero interest in you." She walked up without care for if Safina would make an attack on her person. Figuring the woman was more than likely frozen in place herself, although more out of a shock. "Lesson one, hesitation will lead to defeat. Never let your guard down when facing a foe, or even a potential one." Vaylin looked at Safina, indicating who those words were for.

She reached forwards with her free hand, prying the blaster out from the Jedi's hands, leaving them affixed in the air. Vaylin chuckled quietly, throwing the weapon away.

"Now, my dear Safina..." She approached the raven-haired Jedi, drawing closer to a probably uncomfortable degree for the woman. She glided along her side, walking behind her and to the opposite side. "As I said before, you're going to walk up to your friend...and kill her." Again, Vaylin leaned until she was whispering into the Jedi's ear. "You might've seen this coming, but you cannot deny it either. For all the Jedi worth and teachings, it still comes down to basic nature when one's life is on the line. Now you tell me, was that a very 'Jedi' thing your friend just did? Someone who has had a much deeper education within their dogma?"

Safina​

 

[Safina]

Safina’s heart jumped into her throat and time seemed to speed up as her friend lurched forward. The woman’s hands wrapped around the blaster and despite the small shake in her hand and the bit of hesitation, she still pulled the trigger.

With wide eyes, Safina stared at the woman she had considered one of her closest friends. Willing herself to not close her eyes, Safina still couldn’t help the small flinch that took hold of her as the trigger was pulled.

She expected pain, searing and hot, setting every nerve in her body on fire. She expected the whirring of the bolt flying towards her, its sights set on Safina with the intent to kill, but it never came.

In its place was a click. A telltale sign of an empty blaster and Safina let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

Safina should have anticipated Vaylin’s intentions, but the worry and anxiety of the situation had gotten the best of her. She felt frozen in her place, piercing blue eyes staring at her friend before shifting to Vaylin.

The Zabrak woman approached her though Safina made no move to protect herself. She knew the darkness within her called to Vaylin, piquing her interest in the Jedi and while that didn’t guarantee her survival, Safina figured her odds were pretty good.

Goosebumps arose on her skin as Vaylin circled her, leaning in close to whisper the truth Safina had been denying for so long. The truth of who she was, the differences between her and her friend - her and all Jedi she had associated herself with. Despite the differences, the truth rang in Vaylin’s words for Safina’s Jedi friend as well.

She considered her life to be on the line, she considered Safina to be a danger to herself and would do what she could to protect herself.

Her voice came out as a low hum, speaking to Vaylin though her eyes wandered back to her friend.

“She was attempting to protect herself.. I understand her intentions. It’s as you said, basic nature when one's life is on the line.”

Despite the words that were coming out of her mouth, her hand had subconsciously shifted to her lightsaber, lithe fingers twitching over the handle.

The darkness was slowly consuming her and it was only a matter of time before it took over as her defenses began to fall away piece by piece.

Vaylin​

 

[Vaylin]

“But that’s exactly my point, Safina. The Jedi want you to stifle such emotion, the very basic nature that makes you, you. They want you to become blank slates that follow their code. No attachments, only the Jedi Order.” Vaylin stepped away from Safina again, circling around her slightly until she was standing just before her, but off to the side.

“Even now, the words you’re speaking are nothing but diatribe. You might speak them truthfully, but you do not believe in them. Do not lie to yourself, you know it to be the truth.”

The Zabrak didn’t bother whispering anymore, hiding anything from Safina’s friend. Vaylin was confident she had her hooks in the raven-haired Jedi. The darkness was swirling within her like a tornado, gradually growing more intense.

She gazed down at Safina’s hand, watching as the woman absentmindedly brushed her fingers over her lightsaber.

“Do it. Take your hilt in hand, and strike your friend down.” Vaylin walked forwards, placing a hand on Safina’s shoulder. The darkness within the Zabrak flowed out and into the Jedi.

A small taste.

“This is your moment, Safina. Something you’ve been waiting so many years for.” Vaylin was making an assumption, based on how the Dark Side was within her. The way it lingered in the depths indicated it had been around even before Safina had become a Jedi. And there was a reason it was never fully eradicated during her training.

It was who she was meant to be.

“Don’t allow something like hesitation to stop your hand.”

Safina​

 

[Safina]

Vaylin’s words cut through every defense Safina had put up. One by one it shifted from chipping away slowly to crashing down at a rapid pace as each word slipped past the Zabrak's lips.

The darkness that had always been a slight humming in the back of her brain, became more pronounced. It clawed away at her, visceral and demanding as it destroyed her from within. Emotion rose quickly, fingertips tingling as the sensation built up quickly within her - clashing with the war going on inside her and Safina knew she could only take so much before she gave in completely.

All it took was a touch from Vaylin, her giving Safina a small taste of the darkness, the power the silver haired girl could have before she was coming completely undone.

Tears welled up in her eyes, overcome with everything she was feeling, but despite this her fingers fully wrapped around the hilt of her lightsaber. Safina’s eyes connected with Vaylin’s and despite the tears in her eyes, there was a resolve within them. A small nod of her head, Safina felt she didn’t need to say anything. She had won and the silver haired woman was at the mercy of Vaylin and the darkness that consumed her.

A step forward, grip around her lightsaber becoming tighter as she pulled it in front of her, a buzz echoing through the air around them seemed louder than the wind that had started to pick up. It whipped around them, Safina’s hair flying behind her with pieces falling across her face as she stared at her friend.

Safina was doing her best to keep it together, but it was apparent that everything she was feeling, experiencing at full capacity had her overwhelmed. Her hands shook slightly as she adjusted her grip on her lightsaber, a blue glow catching in her peripheral vision, her eyes focused mostly on her friend.

They were communicating through their eyes. Her friend knew this was coming, that it was only a matter of time, it was apparent by the resigned look on her face. There was also a hint of disappointment behind the woman’s eyes, a look Safina knew too well.

A deep breath, lungs breathing in the salty air, before two words left her lips - carrying through the wind, soft in nature as the tears that had built up in her eyes streamed freely down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry.”

Her hands moved then, swift in nature, Vaylin’s words about hesitation ringing in her head as the blade of the saber came down onto her friend’s neck. A short cry of pain from the impact came from her friend that mixed with a yell that slipped past Safina’s lips.

Then, there was silence.

Vaylin​

 

[Vaylin]

The Zabrak watched closely, not hiding the fact she was enraptured by what she was witnessing. Even after all these years, it was still intoxicating to watch as a potential Sith took their first steps towards the Dark Side. Often enough, Vaylin would deal with breaking them in an interrogation room, but these moments were special. A much more personal occasion as the other struck down something that chained them.

In the very last moment as Safina brought her lightsaber down, Vaylin released her grip on the other Jedi, allowing her one last strangled cry before the blade made contact. The very air around them seemed to still as raven-haired Jedi stepped over the edge.

Silence hovered everywhere around them, with the only sounds being the crashing waves and the hum of a lightsaber. But even the latter wasn’t going to last, as something began to shift, both physically and through the Force.

The blade began to flicker, until there was sharp crack and the blade violently disappeared. Safina would feel a similar sensation in the Force, to the crystal that had now shattered. The very same crystal she had chosen as hers, under the guidance of her master.

Broken.

Just as the Lightside was within her.

“Very good, Safina.” The Zabrak walked up to the woman, placing a hand on her shoulder again. Now, Vaylin could feel the darkness shifting more beneath the surface. The cloak of the Light that had been trying to conceal the Dark, had been torn to pieces. “You’ve taken the first step towards becoming who you’ve always meant to be.” Vaylin walked in front of Safina, noting the young woman was still staring down at her deceased friend. The Zabrak looked into the raven-haired woman’s eyes, and could see the slightest flicker of a different colour.

One day, they would shine a beautiful amber.

“Discard that lightsaber, it is of no use to you now.” She turned her back to Safina, letting her throw away her old weapon. Be it into the jungle, or into the ocean itself. By the time Safina turned to face the Vaylin again, the Zabrak was holding her friend’s lightsaber. She used the Force to dissemble the hilt, carelessly tossing the components away, leaving only one thing. “Take this, and keep it on your person.” She handed Safina the crystal. “Every night, from this night onwards. I want you to clutch that in your hand and remember this moment.” The first lesson, and a cryptic one at that. As Vaylin said nothing more about it, and walked past Safina.

“Come, Apprentice. There is much training in your near future.”

The Zabrak pulled out her commlink, signalling for the shuttle pilot to return back to the beach.

Safina​

 

[Safina]

The silence engulfed Safina, a heaviness that wrapped around her, rooting her in place. Her eyes were trained on the still body before her, as though she expected her now dead friend to suddenly come back to life.

The flicker of her lightsaber pulled her attention away from the body laid before her and to her side, watching as the light continued to flicker until there was a sharp crack, the blade disappearing completely. With it, came a shift in the Force and a sharp feeling - leaving a part of her shattered and broken happened all at once. Safina realized it was her attachment to the crystal she had chosen, gone and leaving an emptiness in her.

But with that emptiness came a feeling of freedom.

A freedom she had longed for, for so long, had finally been set free within her. The cloak of the lightside no longer weighed her down and allowed her to feel parts of her that she hadn’t felt in so long, she had forgotten they were a part of her.

Her true self.

Vaylin’s words finally reached Safina’s ears and the girl looked up, eyes meeting hers. She wasn’t aware of it, but her eyes had the slightest flicker of a different color - a stark contrast to her icy blues.

“Discard that lightsaber, it is of no use to you now.”

Vaylin’s words rang true. The lightsaber was of no use to her now and it was the last thing connecting her to the lightside she had allowed to suffocate her for years. However, her now deceased friend’s crystal sat heavy in her palm. Cryptic words from Vaylin settled into her brain, sparking something within her though she couldn’t quite identify what it was.

“I will, Master.”

With a nod of her head, she worked her way to the edge of the shore, staring at the lightsaber a beat too long before she threw it. It landed in the water with a splash, quickly sinking beneath the waves and disappearing from Safina’s sight.

She turned, an air of confidence starting to seep out from within as Safina quickly caught up to the Zabrak. A pause settled between them as Vaylin signaled for the shuttle pilot, Safina debating whether she wanted to speak up or not, ultimately deciding to.

“Thank you.”

Two words Safina had uttered often in her past, though her tone in this moment was grateful, more grateful than she had been in a long time. Safina owed so much to the woman before her and she swore she wouldn’t let her down.

Vaylin​

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin said nothing in response, as the two boarded the shuttle. She was tempted to warn the young woman she’d probably not be thanking her in the future, if she manages to survive until that point. Instead, the Zabrak opted to let Safina stew in the silence, allowing for the recent events to fully settle in her mind.

This was the end of one chapter for her, the doors came to a close only for a new pair to be opened. Only this time, Safina would be walking out of the frying pan, and into an inferno.

-x-​

Present Day​

“You have improved immensely since that day, taking to your lessons without issue.” Oh, Vaylin knew that wasn’t entirely true. Safina had her complaints in the past, but she had never voiced them. At least her knowledge anyway. Her apprentice had taken her trials and obstacles in stride, finding ways to overcome them, knocking aside or outright eliminating the competition.

But there would always be flaws somewhere. While Safina had the determination, she lacked it when it came to physical combat.

Vaylin had suspected it early on. Despite Safina’s eagerness to learn, she wasn’t going to become a Marauder, not like the Zabrak. She had trained the now silver-haired Sith in all manner of physical fitness. Building up muscle but keeping the body lean, flexible. But there had been signs dotted around during their early training, that Safina’s arsenal was needing to be expanded beyond lightsabers.

But Vaylin was yet to give up on her original goals.

“You have the forms down, Apprentice. But you lack the conviction behind the swings.” Vaylin slipped into a stance again, signalling Safina to do the same. A moment later the Zabrak surged forwards and into the attack. Swinging at her apprentice with precise strikes, forcing her to be defensive.

Left, right. Right, right, left.

Then with a swift break from the sequence, Vaylin slashed hard against Safina’s chest. She blocked it, but the sheer force of the blow sent her skidding backwards along the mat.

“You have the determination, but you lack the strength. It needs to be consistent, call upon emotions like anger, hatred.” Something Vaylin suspected her apprentice utterly lacked when it came to her. Unable to summon anything negative towards her Master, someone who had lifted her out from the suffocating Light.

But then an idea crossed Vaylin’s mind.

“Myria. You remember her, don’t you?”

-x-​

Years Ago…
Mygeeto - Valkyrie Fortress​

Immediately after finding and turning Safina, Vaylin had taken her new apprentice straight to the Valkyrie Headquarters. Typically, new recruits had to go to the mountainside fort before they could be allowed any further. But when a Valkyrie Elder took on an apprentice, they overruled such measures.

Trust was already established that the newcomer wouldn’t reveal the location of their home. But that wasn't the only thing, as it also meant the apprentice was elevated through the preliminary lessons. No one directly under Vaylin’s tutelage was going to go through that stuff, and she made that abundantly clear.

She painted a target on Safina’s back, day one of her education.

The little nugget of information was immediately inserted within the social system of Valkyrie students, a simple little rumour. It was known that Safina was the newest apprentice of Lady Moirai, and you’d think that would instil fear in others. Not with Sith, many saw it as a challenge.

Some saw an opportunity to get close to the Valkyrie Elder, trying to form a connection with the new apprentice. It made it difficult to find friends for Safina, but there was a little room for it as a Sith. Though there were times where having others at your back provided a greater benefit.

It hadn’t taken very long at all, before Safina had her first true adversary.

Myria. A red-skinned Twi’lek who had taken immediate offence to her presence. If Safina hadn’t worked out the situation she was in, Myria had certainly made it clear. The Twi’lek didn’t hesitate to get in the woman’s face, vocalizing her thoughts on the woman skipping all the early lessons that every Noviciate had to go through.

You just got lucky…

...Didn’t earn your place here like the rest of us…​

...You’ll fail.​

It was fueled by obvious jealousy, and Safina had capitalized on it. Her short temper led her to snapping at the Twi’lek, but in turn embarrassed her too. She had pointed out the fact she was questioning Lady Moirai, that if she hadn’t earned her place, she was questioning the Elder Valkyrie’s decisions.

That had shut her up, red on red as Myria’s cheeks burned. She had been summarily cowed, but it was merely the beginning. A hatred-fueled rivalry began, with the two trading and spitting barbs whenever they could. Going at each other extra hard when it was time for the students to spar.

And then several months later, it all came to a head. When Myria and two of her cronies cornered Safina before she could reach her dorm…

Safina​

 

[Safina]

Safina was frustrated.

She felt as though she was letting Vaylin down and in return, letting herself down too. She pushed herself to her limits in everything she did, but Safina continued to just fall short when it came to physical combat.

Irritation bubbled up under her skin, frustration fueling her as she defended herself against the swings coming at her from Vaylin, forcing her to defend herself.

A cry of frustration slipped past her lips as she swung, left hook landing on the Zabrak but was immediately throwing her arm up to block the hit aimed at her chest and while she was successful in blocking it, her feet skidded back against the floor.

Jaw set, Safina let out a breath of air in a huff, before rolling her shoulders and going back into starting formation. She wouldn’t, couldn’t give up.

Just as she was preparing herself in anticipation for Vaylin’s next move, she was caught off guard for the name that slipped past the Zabrak’s lips.

Myria.

What was irritation that originally bubbled up under her skin was set ablaze, an intense fire consuming her very being. It started from the tips of her toes and fingers, rapidly crawling along her arms and legs, licking at her skin and leaving a trail of heat in its wake before it met in the middle, a fire in her core that shone bright behind her eyes.

Safina didn’t notice, but her jaw had set hard - teeth clenching as she kept herself from spitting words at her Master that she might regret. Pausing for a moment, she chose her words carefully before continuing.

“How could I forget?”

-x-
​

Years ago…
Mygeeto - Valkyrie Fortress​

When Safina was taken to the Valkyrie Headquarters, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Everything was new to her, but she knew that she was getting a bit of an advantage because of just who took her on as an apprentice. She was able to skip the preliminary lessons that were generally expected of new apprentices based solely on just who had taken her on.

The target that was painted on her back was apparent from day one, even before she truly spoke to anyone. The looks she had received, the words spoken in hushed voices and loud and brash were all enough to let Safina know exactly what people thought.

The thought of close relationships like friends was nearly impossible as most who did try to get close with her made it all too apparent with questions circulating about her Master in what they thought were subtle but were anything but, was the real reason they were talking to her.

Safina supposed it was better that way - less of a distraction and allowed her more room to focus on doing her very best with her lessons.

Nothing was ever that easy for the young woman though.

Myria had made herself known rather quickly and did her best at making sure Safina would never forget who she was. The words the Twi’lek spoke didn’t burn. No, they cut through her like ice - a resemblance to the harsh words she had experienced as a child growing up from those around her.

But instead of making her weak like Myria had hoped, like she had expected - it sparked a fire within Safina. Years of harsh words thrown at her had made the woman stronger - and her patience much much thinner.

It wasn’t her fault that the Valkyrie Elder chose her as an apprentice and not the Twi’lek. Bitterness and jealousy could only get someone so far and Safina was sure to always remind her of it when she had a chance.

An eyebrow raised, the words dripped off Safina’s tongue like acid as she wasted no time in knocking the woman down a few pegs.

“Careful Myria, if I didn’t know any better I would believe you were so openly questioning Lady Moirai. I may have not had to go through the preliminary lessons like you, but it’s clear Lady Moirai saw something within me that you could only ever hope to achieve. Green doesn’t look good on you, sweetheart.”

Safina had turned on her heels and walked away, not missing the way Myria had reacted with embarrassment - as a crowd had started to form around the duo.

It continued on like this for a few months - harsh words thrown back and forth between the two women, sparring going even harder. Both women often left sparring sessions covered in bruises.

It wasn’t until Myria had cornered her with two of her cronies who followed her around and did her bidding in clear hopes to stay on the Twi’leks good side and possibly earn her favor.

Ice blue eyes closed for a moment, Safina taking in a deep breath before she turned to fully confront the three in front of her.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were obsessed with me Myria. Always following me around, like you are. Truly, I’m flattered.”

Vaylin ​