Should've Stayed Home...

[Writer]

Hidden Jedi Temple

Surface of Ilum

Mira’s journey had taken her to various places throughout the Galaxy – and she had avoided the One Sith Patrols, bypassed Mandalorian security protocols and entered restricted areas in order to take shortcuts through their primary trade routes and even ran from a Republic scout ship that was attempting to identify her X-Wing.

The simple mistake she made was engaging in conversation with the pilot – thus negating the stealth features of the XJ-7. A stupid mistake, one which she would not repeat again. She examined the lightsaber before her, a black gloved hand running over the features of the hilt. Considering the age of the lightsaber and the past it had – it was in surprisingly good condition. She had discovered it on Yaga Minor – through a backwater vendor who wanted nearly everything she had. It would have cost her a fortune had she not saved his hide from bounty hunters who were looking for him.

Luckily, Force would have it – she was in the right place at the right time.

It took a lot of convincing but a debt was a debt and he reluctantly gave her the saber and additional information that she sought – the rumor of where the Holocron of Luke Skywalker might be. It took her half-way across the Galaxy it seemed, through One Sith territory to Rakata Prime – more specifically the collapsed Temple of the Ancients. There, in the depths of dark side energies she discovered beings who were scavenging parts off of ships that had crashed centuries prior and even more recent – of course with a perfectly working vessel, not all worked out well for her and she was caught by the scavengers.

During her brief captivity, she discovered the location of the holocron from her captors and how it was buried within the remains of the Temple itself and guarded by an unspeakable evil. Mira of course, wrote it off a spacer superstition and managed to escape the scavengers and make her way to the Temple where she was confronted by the spirit of the Sith Lord Kas’im. She spoke with the Sith Lord, eluding all his questions of her true desires and her Jedi training under her mother, Aaralyn Gyndar. She knew he was no fool and could sense her abilities within the Force and most likely her true intentions as she wasn’t powerful enough to mask such a thing – but alas, luck would be on her side and her astromech arrived at the collapsed temple and provided a distraction that allowed Mira to steal the holocron from the antechamber where the SIth Lord’s spirit dwelled. Mira would escape the Temple – just barely and a rage of darkness and a fit of anger – Kas’im brought the entrance to the Temple of the Ancients down, further locking out adventurers and outsiders from the tomb where Darth Bane left him many millennia ago.

No one knows how the Holocron of Skywalker came to pass in such a place – perhaps an errant Jedi who was working on archives and records during the four-hundred year darkness was carrying it and died there?

Perhaps.

It didn’t matter now, it was in her possession. When she was done studying it, she’d take it to one of the Jedi Academy headmasters – maybe her mother and get it into safekeeping. After all, the knowledge was for all Jedi to share, not just herself. At the moment though, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of greed and perhaps clingy to the artifact, maybe it was because of all that she had endured which brought her to it’s location?

Most likely.

She heard the tales from others about what her mother had done for the Jedi Order and how she hunted down some relics and artifacts – so she couldn’t help but feel some type of pride by following in a similar path to the elder Gyndar female. With the thought of her mother would come thoughts of [member="Aton Gyndar"] and her little brother @Rhyen Gyndar. She hadn’t heard from either of them in a few months – she could only hope that Aton took her words seriously and continued his studies as a Jedi and for once took them seriously.

Then little Rhyen – the weird baby brother she barely knew. Her mother always shielded him and her father, well, he did the same. She felt a bit envious when he was born – probably because the attention shifted from her and Aton to this little bundle of joy. Then he was whisked away somewhere for a while only to return to be even more protected. It was weird, a secret that her mother kept from her and that in itself was unusual. Then there was Falcon – her father. To be honest, Mira hadn’t seen him in a while – a long while. She forgot what it felt like to hear his voice and have the comfort of his hugs. Where was he? She couldn’t remember if her mother told her that he was gone on an expedition or something to do with all the conflicts that the Mandalorians were facing – or what.

There was just so much turmoil. Her family, was again in disarray it seemed.

She’d gently set the lightsaber on her lap, her hands coming together to rub gently – trying to bring warmth back to her skin as she brought herself closer to the fire. She was only going to be here for a little while longer – then she’d stash the holocron in Whistler and the lightsaber. She already had the one from her mother and she wasn’t ready to pick up a second – well, it wouldn’t hurt would it?

No, no. Patience.

She’d have to wait until she returned and consult her mother about that. It was going to be enough to have to explain her departure to those who didn’t know of her journey – which was everyone except Aton and her mother. Well, that was pretty much everyone who would take notice of her leave – right?

For now, it would be rest – she was too close to One Sith space yet again and it would take a lot to get her back through it and on the safe side of the Galaxy.

Spoiler

*This is a bit ahead of a current thread, took too long and wanted to expedite alot of stuff and catch up. Some events discussed will be wrote out further in detail in a prior thread.* [member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Milord."

Eyes slowly opened to reveal hard emerald orbs flecked with sulfuric splinters, which seemed to pulsate in annoyance as they slowly moved to shift his gaze onto the man, insignificant as a gnat, who had deigned to wake him from his meditative trance. He was dressed in a simple Imperial garb, the one every officer of his caliber wore, and his cover was pulled tightly over his head to the point of almost covering his eyes, which slightly obscured his face from the Sith's view from above. Perhaps that is why they did it, as not many could hold his piercing gaze for long, and the worm that stood before him squirmed in discomfort at just being near him, the aura of the Dark Side permeated his flesh inside and out, and gave the air the sickly taste of greasy hatred. Still, the man would not have disturbed him if it wasn't for something important, and he would first hear him out before utterly destroying him.

"What is it, Ensign?"

The officer swallowed, "Comm/scan has detected activity in the Ilum system, but we believe it to be an cosmic anomaly and feel it's not worth investiga-" The Ensign's eyes bulged out of his head as a suddenly pressure practically crushed his windpipe, cutting off his words into a sputtering choke as his hands flew to his throat in a futile attempt to alleviate the crushing pressure. The Sith Lord did not even need to raise a hand to enact his telekinetic will on the Ensign, but his anger was palpable in waves as he brutally choked the life out of the young man until his throat eventually caved in from the pressure, instantly killing the officer. As he rose from his kneeling position the body of the now dead officer crumbled to the floor, and without giving the corpse a second glance he walked over it and proceeded to exit the confines of his chamber.

Making his way to the bridge, he was greeted by several communications officers and the Rear-Admiral who acted as his second-in-command, Omarest Croscal. He ignored them all, save for Croscal, and gave him an order in his most authoritative voice: "Admiral, move the fleet out of the system and charter a path to Ilum, cosmic anomaly or not." The Rear-Admiral, dutiful as always, merely saluted and began to bark orders to the bridge crew while a harsh glare by the Sith Lord aimed at the assembled comm-officers quickly stifled any more words, and sent them scurrying back to their posts. The fleet, Black Sword Command, began to break away from their holding positions above Kril'dor and one-by-one zipped away into hyperspace on their way to Ilum.

Meanwhile Darth Vornskr took his place on the black iron throne situated at the center of the bridge, and simply waited while hearkening to the ebbs and flows of the Dark Side.

[member="Mira Gyndar"]

 

[Writer]

Mira continued to pack her belongings up, stuffing the sleeping bag into her bag tightly as she looked around the quiet remains of the Jedi Temple. Her fire dwindled down as she called out to her droid, his beeps and whirls echoing through the cavernous entrance before the Trial Caves. She gently reached out and tapped his dome causing his top to open where she gently placed the lightsaber of the Skywalker lineage within. She'd then set the holocron in a secondary storage compartment and pat the side of her droid before resting back against a block of rock she carved out with her lightsaber.

The cold made her sleepy - she could feel it wearing down upon her as she looked around the entrance once more. She knew she was somewhat safe here - the One Sith were too far away to feel her presence - one could say it was even masked by the various creatures of the dark side roaming about. Even so, if they did find her - Whistler would be long gone and leave her behind without them ever knowing how to find him.

It didn't matter, that wasn't going to happen, right? It wasn't like they were around the corner anyways. With that, Mira would doze off and Whistler would resume duties loading and vessel and keeping it on standby - for now, she would rest before continuing on her journey towards the Core worlds. She had more things to look into before it was said and done.

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The space above Ilum suddenly erupted with activity as a throng of Imperial warships suddenly exploded out of hyperspace to materialize near the planet, each one assuming a specific holding pattern over the system as they begun to tighten a noose around the icy world. From the bridge of the command ship Darth Vornskr's view was dominated by the dirty white marble that hung listlessly in the blackness of the void. The Sith Lord had been in a deep trance ever since the fleet departed for Ilum, and he had heeded the whispers of the Dark Side and knew that his journey would not be for naught. Something called to him, begged him to listen so that a greater understanding could be achieved, and thus the Sith Lord was hungrily curious. Still, the officers of his vessel were insistent that a gaggle of probe droids be sent down to further analyze the surface before Vornskr went down personally, as they still believed that there would be nothing of note to be found.

Oh, the ignorance of the unblessed burrowed under his skin sometimes.

Still, he was not in the mood to needlessly slaughter, so he would let them have it their way for now, but should this whole debacle turn out to be all for nothing he would see their heads roll across the durasteel floor of the bridge by his hand. And after a moment of silence after the fleet initially arrived a grouping of a probe droids were launched from the dorsal hanger of the command ship, each one careening down towards the planet's surface before crashing down into the snow with a thunderous boom. From the smoldering craters the Imperial probe droids arose, and after sending an encrypted code back up to the fleet to announce their safe arrival, they began to scour the frozen wastes for intelligent life.

Should they find anything, they would relay a single code back to the fleet which would pave the way for Vornskr's own landing.

[member="Mira Gyndar"]

 

[Writer]

The sound of thunderous explosions in rapid succession - both near and far caused Mira to jolt awake suddenly. The sound of whistling and warbling of Whistler filled the noise in between as the cavernous interior of the Jedi Temple trembled to such an extent - small particles of ice caked the air before her. She'd slowly rise and take a look around, grabbing her black coat and pulling it about herself, zipping it up tightly and pulling the furred hood over her head.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." She whispered softly to Whistler. "Go prep the ship...if I'm not back within ten minutes, take off without me and head back home - get ahold of Mom." She spoke to her droid as she passed him and touched his dome. Whistler burst out with a sudden objection only to have Mira snap back. "It's important! Just do it! Ok!? Just give me ten minutes!?" She wouldn't wait for a reply before moving towards the entrance of the Jedi Temple and out into the cold of Ilum.

It wasn't long before she found herself pulling the black mask up and over her mouth - to keep the frostbite from settling in on her facial features and the protective goggles down over her eyes as she ventured out beyond the protection of the hidden Temple - shortly after the departure of her droid, the Temple gates seemed to start closing, as if they were protecting themselves from something sinister in the Force...something colder than the air on Ilum. She'd feel it - stirring in the depths of her soul.

A hand came up to touch the comlink on her ear, speaking directly to her droid as she hear the link get established. "Prepare the ship for take off, now - I think we have company." It was in that moment - that she saw something, large and bulbous appear in the distance and close in fast on her location - Was that a speeder? No, too big to be a speeder.

The noise it was making, she heard that before. But where?

It wasn't long before the distance was closed between it and her and before she knew it - red bolts of plasma shot out from the probe droid at her being, causing her to dive to the left to avoid being hit. She cried out through her comlink "Whistler, we have a problem!" The sound of the droid replying was drown out by the sound of additional blaster fire. "Just take off - I'm headed back your way!" Somewhere in the midst of that sentence - her comlink went offline or was jammed as the sound of engines roaring to life and the sight of a black starfighter taking flight and disappearing into the Ilum skyline caught her attention - making her lay back against the snowbank in disbelief.

"He didn't just leave..." Her hand would come to her face with a hard slap and a groan. "I swear, I'm going to kill that droid." The sound of the blasterfire would continue - but Mira was ready. She'd unsnap her lightsaber from her belt and ignite it with a snap-hiss, the blue blade coming to life behind the bank of snow that was somehow absorbing the impacts of the blaster fire. Must've been more dense than she thought. She'd quickly jump out right before the droid fired again - bringing her blade up in an arc, that caused the bolt to hit perfectly off her blade and deflect it wide right. Her right hand would grip the top of the hilt, while the left closer to the pommel. She'd twist her wrist to the left as a second bolt came in, arcing the blade down and to left - causing the bolt to direct itself back at the probe droid with a direct hit.

The droid itself, like most droids would explode in a fiery ball of metal and electronics before it's debris collapsed to the ground. Mira would quickly disengage her saber and breath heavily - touching her comlink again, trying to reach Whistler. "Whistler, are you there?" Little did she know - the droid was long gone. Hopefully, he did as she originally instructed - hopefully. The modified Stealth-X was capable and no doubt had already made it passed the forces of [member="Darth Vornskr"] - hopefully he was enroute to Yavin IV - hopefully. Then again, he did just bail on her in the middle of nowhere now didn't he?

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Milord! We've received a signal from the planet's surface." Bellowed one of the many communications officers dressed in the gray overalls of a crewman, his cap haphazardly thrust upon his head as he quickly swiveled around to address the hulking Sith Lord at the center of the bridge. With slow purposeful steps Vornskr approached the officer, and pushed him aside with his right arm as if he were opened a door, practically shoving the smaller man into the hard durasteel floor as he moved to get a closer look. Reading the mess of data scrawling across the screen was easy for Vornskr, he'd done similar analysis during his tenure as an Imperial Agent, and later Minister of Intelligence, in the Old Empire and thus needed no aid in deciphering such readouts. Once finished, the Sith Lord turned and made a bee-line for the bridge's exit, leaving behind a bewildered officer that hurried to pick himself up after the Sith Lord departed.

As he left he was suddenly flanked by two black armored Crownsguard both wielding wicked looking vibro-halberds that thudded against the floor with each step they took. They did not need to be informed of their Lord's ambitions, they'd followed him anywhere even when uninformed, as was their only directive in life, and they remained absolutely silent as they shadowed Vornskr. Meanwhile Vornskr was just as silent as them, his brow furrowed in concentration as they entered the hangerbay, where the Sith Lord's shuttle was already primed and ready for departure, and the pilots were only awaiting the command of Vornskr before leaving. Thus once he and his guards were aboard the shuttle, the pilots took control of the vessel, and it thundered away from the Star Destroyer's hangerbay and began to descend to the planet's surface.

They would be triangulating the last known position of the probe droid who broadcasted the code, who had gone silent only a few minutes ago which determined that whatever it had detected had destroyed it. Only Vornskr and his two guards would be leaving the shuttle, and that should be enough for any threat they encountered. The shuttle would swoop in low over the snow-swept tundra, and would begin to land near the location, scanners active to pick up any nearby activity.

[member="Mira Gyndar"]

 

[Writer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qWGLgrD6MM

Mira could feel the darkness begin to consume the light surrounding her as she disengaged her lightsaber - an agonizing feeling that drenched her soul as she slumped down against the mounds of snow, she held the saber for a brief moment and then looked down at the Jedi Symbol emblazed on the ground before her. She'd manipulate the Force and and a whirl of snow and ice across the ground - concealing the features of snow across the massive stone, covering the symbol itself up before she fell back against the banks. Despair would fill her heart as she pulled a small holopicture from her jacket pocket - it'd flicker to life and show an image of various members of the Brat Pack.

The Talith siblings, [member="Aela Talith"], [member="Micah Talith"] and [member="Kaili Talith"] - all in their own postures of course. [member="Hylocereus"], was amusingly close to Micah and making a weird face and then there was [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] up in the front with [member="Ibaris Varanin-Jacobs"] and her barkspawn, Adas. [member="Laura Na'Varro"] and [member="Daria Cavill"] close by each other making their own faces or maybe it was towards [member="John Hunt"] but close to the rear and not paying attention was [member="Liam Quez "]and herself, lost somewhere in the sands of time. Gloved hands would come down to touch the image of her friends, especially that of Liam before she gently dropped it on the ground before her and smashed it with her boot roughly and repeatedly - until the image faded and became nothing more than a memory.

She'd slump down further against the banks of the snow until her bottom touched the ground as she pulled the holo from another pocket - one of her and [member="Aton Gyndar"]. She'd talk to it, as if he could hear her from across the many stars that stood between them. "I'm sorry, I should have listened to you..." it too would drop to the ground and get smashed by a blunt object - this time her lightsaber hilt. She'd sigh heavily as fear began to take hold of her mind and heart - fear of the massive influx of darkness - knowing full well it was a being with immense power and ability, knowing it was a Sith that she wouldn't be able to take on, not alone anyways.

The sense of despair caused tears to well up in her garnet eyes as she drew a deep breath and ignited her blue lightsaber with a snap-hiss, bringing the hilt close to her face as she focused on the Force. She'd try to draw the Light to her, whispering incantations of old, focusing on her teachings and her training. She'd touch her comlink, hoping she'd be able to send a burst transmission one last time before all communications were cut off - she just hoped that he was listening on the other end.

"I'm sorry for not telling you where I was going, but it's too late Liam - take care of the others and take care of Aton for me. Try to understand Ibaris means well..." That was all she could out before the sound of squelching and squawking filled her ears which caused her to bite her lip hard and the tears to flow even harder. She knew that was it, and this would be the moment.

Survival or not, things wouldn't be the same.

The One Sith had found their prey.

 

[Liam Quez]

The day had been going quite normal, I had fought with Ibaris for a total of 4 times, I think it was a new record. Shrugging, I stayed at my place in the kitchenette and made the hot chocolate for both of us. She was upset with me and I felt this was the only way to make her at least look at me again. Over on the other side of the small sink was a tray of fresh made marshmallows, my mother taught me every thing she knew about cooking and baking. It helped too that I worked in a cantina when I was younger so I picked up a few good recipes in there. “She can’t be mad at me after this.” Dropping the marshmallow into the mugs I smiled and blew on both cups cooling them down enough so she didn’t burn her tongue and we have arguement number 5.

The leather of my boots shifted as I took the mugs from the counter top and went searching for the blonde ball buster and her dog. I passed the cockpit and saw a blinking light, it was a transmission and for some reason I decided to check it than ignore it. Putting the mugs down one one of the dead consoles that I needed to repair, I pushed the button to accept it. Frowning, I listened to the static - which only meant that it was far and was a struggle to get to us. I almost turned it off thinking it was something that we accidentally intercepted. A voice came through finally and I instantly recognized it. I turned the volume up and pulled on the headphones to get a clearer listen. I could tell in her voice that she was struggling. I could instantly feel my heart race - I shouldn’t have let her go or I should have followed or something! The transmission finished and I hit the red button which I understood to be record. It collected the data left with the transmission and then started to spit it out. I grabbed the datapad and pulled it up.

Only problem was, well I can’t read. I could read some parts because Mira had been showing me, but nothing complicated at what I was looking at the moment. “Tell me where she is. Tell me something.” I gripped the edges of the data pad so tightly my knuckles started to turn white. My face was red and I could feel every fiber in my body tensing. Why was I so stupid? Why couldn’t I just figure out where she was. I needed to get to her, I had to figure something out. I stared at the words hoping that something would just click in my brain. This was the first time I ever prayed to anything. I prayed so hard that I would be blessed with the ability to figure this out, nothing happened and my anger started to raise. “Why are you so karking stupid Liam!? WHY!?” I was a raging bull in a china shop. Raising a hand, I slammed the hot chocolate off where they stood and the burning sensation in my hand and arm made me yell out. All I saw was red, what was going on? The data pad remained in my hand, I needed to find [member="Ibaris Varanin-Jacobs"] - I had to try and convince her to help me.

To help Mira, she was one of us. She was part of the Brat Pack, we had to save her - we had to find her.

I couldn’t live if I knew something terrible happened to her. I ran to where Ibaris was hiding and slid the data pad in front of her. Pain surged through my legs as I hit the ground on my knees. “Ibaris. Help me please. Mira...something’s bad happen and I can’t...I can’t -- I’m so stupid help me find her.”



[member="Mira Gyndar"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The shuttle banked to the right, and moved into a hovering position above a relatively flat and stable patch of snow and rock, the thrusters from the shuttle sending a burst of snow in every direction as it lowered itself onto the ground with a dull thud of metal upon stone. With a hiss of compressed air the boarding ramp began to lower with a pitched whine as the hydraulics lowered the tell trapezoid shaped piece of metal down onto the earth. From the darkness of the hold came forth the thundering of boots upon ground, and soon enough the towering form of Darth Vornskr and his pair of minions descended the ramp to stand triumphantly against the gale that swept across the never-ending tundra, his cloak billowing behind him wildly as the wind did to it what it willed. While many would shake uncontrollably against the chill that cut through to the bone, the Sith Lord seemed absolutely unperturbed by the wind, the only sign of it having any affect against him was the chill that snaked out from his mouth and nose with every breath.

Vornskr scanned the horizon, until his senses pulled him towards the east, where the faint glow of cerulean reflected on the stark white hills. Unsheathing his own weapon, he activated the crimson blade to bathe the snow in it's bloody light, and began to stalk his way across the snow and rock until he was within eyesight and earshot of the young woman who knelt alone in the snow. His eyes looked over her in the same fashion that a butcher would look at a piece of meat, ripe for the carving, and his mouth split into the foul sneer of a murderer. His voice, dark and brutal (yet sophisticated), swept over the freezing tundra with a chill that surpassed the biting climate of Illum.

"How strange. A lamb with no shepherd face-to-face with the wolf... I wonder what you'll do. Beg? Fight? Flee? Or will you do nothing? Interesting pathways we must contemplate, so don't keep me waiting any longer. The anticipation will kill me before you or the cold does."

[member="Mira Gyndar"]
[member="Liam Quez"]

 

[Writer]

Despite the bone chilling effect of the Ilum weather and the darkness that attempted to snuff the very light from her soul – Mira Gyndar, stood firm against the predator before her. She was a tiny beacon of Light against the masses of darkness and bitter energies that engulfed her tiny frame in the energies of the Force. Despite the tears of desperation, and maybe even fear – she stood there before him with conviction and faith in her heart, conviction within the Light of the Force. Her breathing had become paced, slow and steady as she squared off before [member="Darth Vornskr"]. Her garnet colored eyes locked into that murderous gaze of his.
There was no fear – only belief that she would survive this – somehow. Somehow, portions of audio would break through to the blocked lines, perhaps it was fate or maybe it was planned. Somewhere though, Liam wouldn't be the only one receiving the message.

Her voice held confidence, perhaps even defiance as she spoke over the howling winds and his sophisticated, booming voice – showing no relenting to his attempts to get her to falter or sway.
“I have no fear of the darkness, I have faith in the Light – the Force is my ally and my strength. I will not beg you nor flee as you would just send your minions after me – I will face you as my mother would or even my grandfather, Ember Rekali!” She exclaimed.

She’d focus on the Force that surrounded her, regardless of dark or light – it was there. Absorbing it, welcoming it and seeking its spark and tendrils of energy to run through her body and empower her against an enemy that outmatched her beyond her years. She’d watch for a moment – and then go on the defensive. Her right hand would grip the saber tightly in the center of the hilt while her left conjured up an influx of energy from the Force, swirling up a mass of ice and snow particles as she brought them before her and in a quick gesture – she’d unleash the torrent before herself and Vornskr, attempting to conceal her movements for a brief moment and throw him off guard.

And in that moment of distraction – she’d use what energy she could muster behind her next move and she’d leap forward in an attack that brought her closer to Vornskr, than she’d probably ever want to be. She’d come down with her saber in tow, slicing down in a straight, vertical slash aimed at his left shoulder. A basic move – but she was nothing more than a Padawan, well trained but not on the caliber as the Sith Lord she faced.

[member="Liam Quez"] | [member="Darth Vornskr"] | [member="Shule Windspeaker"].

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He watched silently as she proclaimed her faith, his grin splitting wider as a menacing chuckle bubbled forth past his lips, the air freezing on his breath. He took a step forward, with his right foot, and leveled the blade of his lightsaber towards her, the crimson glow mingling with the cerulean to create a violet backdrop against the white snow. His body seemed even the more insurmountable in the close proximity, a giant standing roughly six foot nine inches and brimming with a muscularity built upon by decades of training and combat. He was a warrior in every sense of the word, yet behind his frame lurked the flames of magic, and they hungered to be fed by the souls of the righteous and the faithful, and Vornskr planned to feed the heretic within.

"Bah, the Rekalis are children, swaggering around, dabbling in arts they only pretend to comprehend." He retorted with an audible snarl, the Force swirling around the both of them until Mira made the first move, and hurled a wave of snow and ice directly at the monolithic Sith Lord who merely raised his left hand with his palm facing outward and his fingers straightened flat. As the gale of snow threatened to envelope him, it suddenly crashed against the shores of an invisible barrier manifested through the Force, and was diverted to either side of Vornskr through his will. Then she came, cleverly using the snow as a distraction so she could flank the Sith Lord and attack from his left, sapphire blade coming in fast and hot towards his shoulder. Vornskr countered with a horizontal block against her vertical strike, their blades clashing with a massive clang followed by a shower of violet sparks as red and blue collided.

He pushed against her mid-saberlock, and his mouth once again split into a cruel sneer. "Your efforts are worth nothing." He then drew back his left arm, clenching his hand into a fist before sending it forward to try and gut punch Mira. "Your faith? Even less." He'd then let forth a billowing cone of pure kinetic Force energy from his now unclenched fist to try and throw her away from him by a significant degree.

[member="Mira Gyndar"] | [member="Liam Quez"] | [member="Shule Windspeaker"]

 

[Writer]

Mira locked gazes with the very embodiment of darkness before her in the form of [member="Darth Vornskr"] – she stood firm in her convicitions as the Light enveloped her form, rejecting the notion of becoming consumed, but alas she wasn’t strong enough or atleast she wasn’t battle tested enough. She felt the swirl of kinetic energy but before she could react with the Tutaminis she was taught by her mother – a literal gut wrenching blow encased her lower body, causing her to break the saber lock and buckle inwards.

Before a cry of pain could escape her mouth, along with the rush of air from her lungs – stars overcame her vision, as did the world that she tumbled across. His Force push threw her across meters of snow and ice like a rag doll tossed by a tempered child, sending spurts of blood from various points of skin on her face and from the maw of her open mouth. Her lightsaber would disengage and tumble across the icy tundra with relative ease, leaving its Master in a heap on her stomach – struggling to recover.

The world around her was in chaos, and like a child straining to lift its head for the first time…Mira struggled to lift her head. She’d been crying – there was no question, the pain was unthinkable. Her insides felt like they were on fire and the icy burn against her cuts, were like her face was being pressed against a furnance. Her heart raced as she watched the now multiple versions of Vornskr meld into one being across the distance, as she wept – struggling to regain control of her bodily functions.

Somewhere within her, rage burned and anger flared – she felt it like dark fire uncontrolled and begging her to unleash it. No, this is something she couldn’t do. She had to steel herself.

Faith!

Her mind screamed as she struggled to get to a knee – reaching out through the Force – feeling for the essence of the crystal within her lightsaber. She’d call to it, beg for it to come to her aide. And so it would be. The metal of the hilt would jiggle a bit, as if it fought against her and then it would fly from meters away and into her hand – igniting in a blaze of blue fury. This time, she didn’t attack – she didn’t have it in her – she felt weak.

She’d look up towards Vornskr – trying to hide her pain and fear. Despite the tears that muddled the blood across her face, she managed a sneer in his direction. Despite her fear, she had a burning rage within her that seemed to lick at the edges of her soul. It was what drove her. She would keep fighting.

“That…all you got?”

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Enough of your false bravado, little lamb. It will not help you." spoke the Tyrant as he stomped across the snow-caked earth, his boots crunching with each step alongside the small smatterings of blood left behind in the wake of her flight. The wind wailed against him as if in protest to his harm of the child, but he merely shrugged away it's biting sting and finally stopped mere meters from her crumpled form, his eyes gazing upon her blood-streaked face. "Your rage, however; just might. I can practically smell it..." the Sith Lord said with a breathy voice, breathing in deeply afterwards to fill his lungs with the frigidness of the air and the repugnant scent of festering anger causing him to smile like a giddy madman. "Yet you smother the fire, or attempt to at best. But I can feel your control slipping, the chains wrapped around your heart rusting away to nothing. I am intrigued now, little lamb, I have half a mind to see how much pressure you can take before all of those little restrictions you and others have placed on you shatter like glass."

The Sith Lord brandished his lightsaber before her, angling the blade towards her in a similar fashion to how he did when their bout originally began, but the crimson glow of his weapon seemed all the more oppressive in conjunction with his menacing stance and tone of voice. His mouth was forever split in a cruel sneer, his teeth bared like fangs, and his eyes seemed to blaze like hellish coals as the cool emerald was all but consumed by the hateful sulfur of the dark side. The Force flowed freely through his body like a raging river, turbulent and consuming it ate at the foundations of his patience, hungering to be let free in a glorious flood of gore that would see the girl before him butchered like meat. But he was strong in will, he was no mere carver of flesh hacking haphazardly at the slab, no no no! He was an artist, and each cut of the knife was a brushstroke, and even now his mind was overflowing with wondrous ideas and visions for her nubile flesh.

Oh the wonders he could shape.

But that was neither here nor there, and his half-a-moment of daydreaming was swept away for a later date. His smile seemed to widen; "Oh, but I wonder. What will break first? Your resolve, or your sickly soft body?" And with that the towering Lord burst forth in an effort of nightmarish speed off of the ground, lunging like a force of nature towards [member="Mira Gyndar"] with his blade coming in high and fast to cleave a mighty rend in whatever was caught in it's path.

 

[Writer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWt0Aa5YxsQ

There was fear.

There was anger.

But the chains of control kept them in-check and allowed her to focus on her sole purpose - survive. She'd stand with just enough time to position herself in haphazard defensive position before the form of [member="Darth Vornskr"] came down upon her in an fury of dark energy and mass. Out of instinct, her right arm would rise up to block the incoming blow - her lightsaber coming infront of her face in a horizontal guard to try and shield herself from the release of sparks and energy the impact would create. Mira couldn't recall the impact of the massive being that was Kaine Zambrano hitting her with such a force it caused the ice wall behind them to crack and send large shards ice tumbling down the cliff face to the ground below with a thunderous boom. She could smell the material of her jacket burning as the plasma blade easily cleaved through the material and was stopped cold against the pink besk'ar beneath.

She hit the ground hard, the air rushing from her lungs with an audible noise causing her to briefly lose pressure in her saber and gauntlet lock. The lightsaber of Darth Vornskr came across an electrical component of her gauntlet, one that controlled the Big Shock component within her hand and upon the gauntlet losing control of this feature - the component itself and it's feature malfunctioned. The ensuring malfunction caused a tiny explosion of metal and sparks to fly into both the face of Vornskr and Mira - causing her to scream in pain as her right eye took the brunt of the blast. The Big Shock glove itself generated an electrical field from her hand and when the electrical field expanded, it caused Mira to attempt to latch onto the closest thing to her - the lightsaber hilt of Darth Vornskr.

But that wasn't it - this is when hell broke loose, this is when she lost control of herself.

She unleashed the chains of control within her and in doing so, she let go a torrent of Force energy from her being - all that she was concentrating on - everything in a furious wave around herself. A protective measure one could say, her body being wracked with the pain on the right side of her face and her right arm being electrocuted.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He stared deeply into her face as they collided with a thunderous boom, snow being blown back by the sheer impact of their meeting and the two auras of alignment melding in the transparent realm of the Force like some vile concoction. Then his whole world became bright as the sun as the mechanical component's in Mira's gear malfunctioned and detonated right in close proximity to both of their respective faces, the shrapnel cutting deep canyons in the pallid flesh while the fire and sparks seared some areas black as coal. Then came the reactive burst from the child, which knocked the already wobbly Sith Lord off of his feet and back into the nearest snow bank where he sunk several inches into the piled up snow. The cold slush felt wonderful on his burnt face, but he did not care for momentary relief and instead instinctively harnessed the pain that spasmed throughout his flesh to fuel the dark furnace that burned at his core.

He slowly rose from where he had fallen, like a corpse rising from its tomb as macabre was his movements (rigid and awkward), and while his face was burnt and blood seeping from wounds that criss-crossed his cheeks and forehead he could still see through the tundra. He flexed the fingers of his right hand, and was somewhat surprised to learn that his lightsaber had slipped from his grip during the explosion, but whether by a sudden spastic lack of grip or through other means he could not rightfully discern yet. Still, even bereft of a weapon as useful as a lightsaber he did not need it to fight and to kill. Hell, truth be told he didn't really need the Force either, but he used whatever tools he had at his disposal.

"Give up the ghost, little lamb." His haunting voice snaked out from cracked and bloodied lips, "You only prolong the inevitable."

[member="Mira Gyndar"]

 

[Writer]

https://youtu.be/fhA4_vHFEi8

What happened?

Why did her face feel like it had melted off and the muscle and bone were exposed?

She remembered the collision between her and Vornskr, she remembered the overwhelming stench but then there was an explosion. It was like the heavens above had opened up and someone brought down the heavenly judgement upon them. That couldn’t have been what had happened – they wouldn’t have survived. It was too simple, no, her equipment had malfunctioned. That explained why she could no longer see out of her right eye – the gauntlet was protecting a majority of her face and when it exploded – the shrapnel took out her vision or the blinding light did. The pain was immense and nauseating, her head was swimming in such a manner that any movement caused darkness to threaten her.

When her senses finally came to, atleast to a point where she could move, she noticed [member="Darth Vornskr"] moving in on her position. The ringing filled her ears, so she was unable to hear his words as she rolled over onto her stomach with a groan, sobbing loudly as the pain jarred her when her right arm came down to stop her roll. Her face lay in the cold snow, biting away at the searing pain – she could feel it, she knew it was just her eye but she had wounds from skipping across the ice like a rock across the lake. She saw the crimson stains of her own blood marking up the crisp, white landscape all around her.

Her head raised briefly to gaze ahead of her a few meters, her lightsaber lay buried in the snow – could she reach it? Could she defend herself against a foe who wielded such power? Yes, she had to try! She’d begin crawling and with each movement, more pain and the threat of darkness overwhelming. The seconds felt like hours and by the time she was within reach of her saber – only her fingertips would get to touch the pommel. Desperation took hold, panic in her mind as she managed to ensnare it but it slipped away and rolled further from her grasp.

With a heavy heart and a sigh, she collapsed fully onto the snow. There would be no miracles this day, she was alone. No Jedi to the rescue, no Sword falling from the sky to destroy the evil that encroached on this young and weak Padawan. Nothing but the young Mira Gyndar – who was foolish not to leave when she had the chance. Her vision would catch the sun near the grey horizon of Ilum – but only for a moment before the shadow of Vornskr eclipsed it. It’s warmth comforted her, only to have his dark shadow snuff it out.

With that, day would turn into night for her and darkness would come on swift wings and take her into a land where her own thoughts would be her friend. A land of unconsciousness. The broken form of Mira would lay before the wounded form of Darth Vornskr – a fallen piece of the Sword of the Jedi’s legacy.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The darkness swallowed the planet utterly, the light snuffed out in the final hour as the burning sun crested over the horizon to cast gloomful shadows across the land. The Sith Lord stood, triumphant, over the limp body of the Sword's child, broken and beaten to the point of near-death by their skirmish. He looked down at what Mira was reaching for, and with a amused grunt he reached out and brought the weapon to his grip with a mere flick of his wrist. He activated the weapon, bringing forth the sapphire blade to life with a humming thrum of power, and he weighed the weapon around in his hand, letting the blade slash back and forth across the empty expanse before him. He then deactivated it, and dropped it back into the blood-flecked snow. He then reached out to seek his own saber which had fallen from his grasp during the explosion to land nearby, and with some movement of snow it sprang forth from the ground to land in his outstretched palm.

"Fight's over, little lamb. You gambled it all away, and now you're mine."

His guards came and plucked the ruined child up from the snow, and dragged her back tot he ship that had remained so dutifully parked a short distance away. And then they left the world of Ilum behind.

For now.

[member="Mira Gyndar"]