Target Practice Eclipses All Else

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Dahgee​

Lori drew back the string of her bow , a normal arrow knocked in place. Her line of sight followed along the length of the arrow, her cheek resting ever so lightly on her hand. The target in question? One of a half dozen that she had erected earlier in the afternoon. Each bore the upper torso of her enemies: One being Darth Prazutis , another being Ingrid L'lerim , another being QEMD-15 Echo , another being Subject 73 Red , another being Eskk Jannik and the last being Avolich Erasare . Each individual was selected for various reasons, most of which had to do with her missions against the Eternal Empire. They needed to be stopped. Already they had emboldened like-minded governments to arise; much like the New Imperial Order and the rebirth of the First Order. And it did little to decrease the power base of the Sith Empire.

And that was what it had all boiled down to. The Sith Empire had ruined everything that her family had stood for. It had destroyed everything that they had loved, just as Kainan Wolfe and his Eternal Empire had done so for her Mom. The late Emperor had been killed in some explosion, a murder the so called 'investigation' had called it, with herself, her brother Caedyn Arenais and the Eclipse Rebellion to blame, even though they had nothing to do with it. But that was fine. Let them get others to believe that she was a lot more capable of killing a tyrant Sith Emperor than she really was. Maybe in the future she'd be able to kill Prazutis too.

Arrest warrants had been put out for her anywhere within Eternal Empire space, and so if there was anywhere that Lori could spare a moment to breathe, it was well outside of it. The Mid-Rim was as good a place as any. Especially Dahgee. This was where she had cultivated her lightsaber crystal, giving it a unique blade with a jagged tip. That lightsaber was stolen and corrupted by Eskk after he had arrested her. She vowed to get it back from him some day. Yet it wasn't so much the crystal that she had coveted, but the hilt itself, created from pieces of her Dad's Star Destroyer, as well as other bits from her homeworld of Commenor. It was a memento of where she came from.

A few weeks ago Caedyn had informed her of their parents' will, which included some family secrets. Lori didn't want to share them with anyone yet, including with her fiance Curtis Learchin . She just wasn't ready yet to take on the responsibility. Her actions or inactions moving forward could have devastating consequences and Lori wasn't quite ready for that yet. She needed to get out her grief, clear her head and prepare herself for the dangerous road ahead.

That was what her target practice was for. In this day and age, who would be on the lookout for an arrow zipping through the air? They didn't quite catch the same attention that a blaster did. And best of all, they were silent.

Releasing her breath, Lori focused on the target with Eskk's face. She imagined him standing right there in front of her, gloating about how he had corrupted her lightsaber and that it now belonged to him. Instead screaming out her frustrations at having lost the most precious item that she owned; Lori instead released the arrow.

​

She watched it fly through the air at great speed and hit the target right at Essk's left cheek. He'd be lucky if she had ever struck him with a normal arrow, as opposed to one of her explosive ones. Revenge at times could be sweet, and she was looking forward to their next encounter.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Being a rebel wasn't something he'd been planning. Well, neither was being a rebel. Or.. Anything he'd ended up becoming. How could he expect it? He was supposed to of been Sith and bring honor to his families name. Instead he spat in their face. Though not literally of course. All of them could probably snap him in half before he'd expect it.

He had no idea where he was walking, just that he was. The planet was.. Interesting. Full of life. Light. He'd gotten lost at some point, just letting the Force guide him where he went. The thwip of an arrow impacting close by caught his attention immediately. With a blink Kahlil glanced over to see a target of something far more familiar than he'd like. Eskk Jannik. A crazed man who brought war to the streets of Zakuul all to try and devour the Jedi's mind. He'd heard from R6 that the droid saved him from such a fate.

A frown. Then he glanced over to who might of shot the arrow. Oh. Loreena Arenais-Valhoun . He raised a hand somewhat in greeting before flashing a smile. "Hey. Bad ex?" He opted for a bit of humor before glancing back to the picture. "He doesn't seem your type."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori took out another arrow from her quiver, running her fingers along the feathered fletching as Kahlil Noble approached. She smirked at his humorous comment and she figured right away that he was trying to lighten up the moment. Kahlil was there at her rescue, helping both herself and Darlyn Excron escape the Eternal Empire compound that had once held her. Lori knew that her days would be numbered in prison. With all of the trouble that she had been causing, it was only a matter of time before they decided that creating a martyr out of her was well worth the risk.

"Yeah, he's got something of mine and I want it back. They've all taken something from me. Each and every one of them." She pointed to each one of her targets with her arrow, before knocking it onto the string once again. "What brings you to Dahgee?" Lori raised her bow and pulled back the string, aiming the arrow once again at the target of Eskk Jannik . Within a second she released it. The arrow zipped through the air, silent as ever and hit him in the forehead. Direct hit. Right into the brain.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Ah? That's no good. What'd he take?" That rescue had been half assed and rushed, but it did work out. Thankfully it worked out. Kahlil didn't know all of the details, but with how often the Arenais had been wanted and imprisoned he knew Loreena Arenais-Valhoun was in quite a bit of trouble. Now he was wanted. By another Empire. His gaze turned to the targets as they were pointed out. He didn't know them very well, but he certainly recognized his great uncle. His grimace grew.

"You've got quite the odds against you.." He muttered under his breath before shaking the sour thoughts from his mind. She'd escaped. He wasn't killed. Darlyn Excron had healed. "Looking for you, actually. I'm not sure what I got myself mixed up into, so I was hoping you might be able to explain."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori took out another arrow quickly, wanting to test her speed and accuracy. She knocked it on the string, pulled back, aimed and fired. THe arrow flew through the air and hit her target. However her accuracy wasn't quite there and it hit just off of Eskk's shoulder. Well that sucked. "He took my lightsaber. And I want it back."

She walked over to her target and began pulling out the arrows, replacing them into her quiver as she responded to Kahlil Noble 's comments. "I'm an Arenais. Of course the odds are stacked against me." Lori smirked a little. She didn't really feel as though she was her usual goofball self, at least not with so many things weighing her down. "You're getting yourself mixed into a war. And it's okay if you back out. This isn't your fight. In truth it wasn't even mine to start off with. But it is now. I can't quit. If I do, the Eternal Empire wins."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Your lightsaber?" Kahlil tilted his head, trying to think back. Eskk did have to when they fought. So which was Loreena Arenais-Valhoun ? He glanced around for somewhere to sit, eventually just plopping down on a stump nearby. A shame he didn't win that fight, or he might of been able to get her saber back for her. A chuckle formed as she confirmed what he'd been thinking. Her family certainly always found themselves in trouble in one way or another.

"Ahh just a war? Well that makes it easier." Another chuckle as he shook his head. "Why, though. Why does the Empire need to be stopped?"

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

She loved that lightsaber. Yes, Lori barely used the thing, preferring to use a blaster than anything Force-wise, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't use it at some point.

Lori walked back to Kahlil Noble where he sat, setting the end of her bow onto the ground, she held into it like a walking stick. "Why wouldn't it? They are Imperial, oppressive and aren't afraid of using brutal force to get their way. They slaughter innocents as punishment, just like the Empires of the past. I've seen their atrocities first hand and that was what had gotten me into this to begin with. I was there at Bakura and barely got out of there with what little people that I could save."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Well, I mean. When you put it like that." Yeah, that sounded like the bread and butter of many Empires. Though, Bakura? He didn't know all the details, but he knew enough. "Alright, I'll help you." Yep, it was that easy. Kahlil stood up and stretched his arms overhead. "You gotten any better at what I showed you before all this? Throwing those rocks? I can teach you how to better use the Force. If you want to stop them," he nodded to Eskk and Praz's pictures. "You're gonna need to learn how to better use the Force. Your bow won't work as well as you think."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori gave Kahlil Noble an appreciative smile when he said that he'd help. But at the same time it wasn't entirely genuine. He was already in enough trouble with his family and here he was, diving into even more trouble. She wasn't lying when she said that he could back away. It's not like she'd hate him for it. She'd understand.

At the mention of using the Force, Lori lowered her head ever so slightly. "Maybe a little? Mostly I just use the Force to make my balls of Light. Uncle Darlyn seemed kind of scared when he saw them. He must be too used to sitting in dark rooms that bright lights just hurt his eyes." She had no clue that her Force Light could be used as a viable weapon against Darksiders. All of that would have come up if she had stayed at the Jedi Academy instead of running off so that she could follow her own rules.

Lori was never the type to do what was expected of her.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

If he was ever going to stop his family, he'd need to start somewhere. Ironically, by helping Loreena Arenais-Valhoun he'd be helping to at least remove an ally of the Sith Empire, right? That was part of his justification. Though really he just wanted to help Lori. It was the least he could do after everything that'd happened to her and her family because of his own.

He nearly laughed though at her explanation of Force Light. She really had no idea the power it had? "Darlyn was scared of it because it hurts those who use the Dark. Force Light purges all traces of the Darkside, from items to people. You could really hurt him if you're not careful." He stood up, holding out a hand. In it, a similar light formed in his palm. "It is a power that only the truest of light can use. It's unwieldy, and exhausting. But there is no stronger power against the Sith and those like them. If you want to stop Eskk, it'd be good to learn how to effectively use this."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori's brows rose as Kahlil Noble explained what her little balls of Force Light could do. The last thing that she had wanted would be to hurt her Uncle. "And here I was just using it as a source of light, or as a distraction to temporarily blind people while myself and some others escaped..."

What felt like forever ago, Lori had witnessed her Dad conjure up Force Light himself, though he didn't use it in any way. It was more like a threat or as a shield in case something bad had happened. And it was against Sith. Was he really going to use it to purge the Dark from their enemies? Here she thought he'd be using it to just blind them like she always did. There was a lot more to the Force than she realized.

"How do I use it? Throw it at him?" She could often get her little balls of Light to travel wherever she needed them to. She'd been doing that since she was very young, while exploring underground caves on Commenor with her brother. Controlling the balls of Light had become entirely natural to her.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Well it certainly does that too." There was a nod from Kahlil, and a smirk. That made a bit more sense. Her not realizing what the power did and being caught so easily by a darksider like Eskk. Hopefully, with some training, it'd give her the edge she'd need to get her saber back. If he didn't stop Eskk himself. "I'm not too sure on that. How I use it is very different." As if to show what he meant, Kahlil pulled out his own saber and ignited the blue blade. After a moment though, the blue turned white, and the weapon was thrumming with energy.

"When I strike, it explodes outwards and purges the dark from whatever it was I hit. Or at least, usually. As I said, it's not an easy power to use. And if you let your emotions take over, it likely won't do more than brighten the room." And given the frustration he felt earlier, that could be the case. "I know you didn't want to be a Jedi, but it might be best for you to learn how to become one. I'm not saying join an order, but I can teach you."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"You power your lightsaber with it? Would it work with my arrows too? Might make the bow more effective than you think." Kahlil Noble didn't know about her other arrows, the ones designed to go through durasteel and duracrete. They can even explode. Right now all that he saw were her training arrows, which were just normal.

At the mention of training to be a Jedi, Lori paused in thought. Wasn't she in enough trouble already? And here Kahlil wanted her to follow in the footsteps of her Dad and her brother. And yet she was already being forced to follow in the footsteps of her Mom. Lori had enjoyed her brief stint at following her own path. But that was all over now.

And if her lack of emotional control was keeping her from using her balls of Light in the way that it was intended, then maybe it was best for her to suck up her pride and at least try. "Okay I'll try. But please keep it between us, okay? I don't need the Empire to find out and they have spies pretty much everywhere."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I don't see why it can't be. I imagine that'd be incredibly useful, especially at a range." He rubbed at his chin a bit in thought. It made sense, and it'd make those normal arrows pack quite a bit of punch to those seeped in the Dark Side. But that wasn't his real focus. His gaze lingered on Loreena Arenais-Valhoun as he awaited her answer. Teaching her to be a Jedi would change a lot for her life. He knew all too well how much she wanted to follow her own path free of her families choices.

After all, he felt the same.

"Er.. Do or do not, or.. There's a Jedi thing about trying but I'm not entirely sure how it goes." He laughed, his smile back on his face. Kahlil nodded to the ground before taking a seat himself across from the spot. "It's a secret that won't last long, if it works. The moment you use your power is the moment you announce your training. If of course the training works and you stick through it. We'll start with a simple lesson." He closed his eyes, taking a long, calming breath.

"To be a Jedi is to act above emotion. At least, from what I've seen. It's not to be heartless or to remove your emotions. But to know the difference between acting in your self interests and what is right. Figuring out what is right is it's own thing, but for now. Focus. On your breathing. On the air. How the ground feels below you. The wind in the trees."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori liked having secrets. Yet it was tough with having the Eternal Empire spying on her all the time. The very idea that her using the Force would be like some sort of beacon announcing herself to other Force Users didn't exactly make her comfortable.

She sat down across from Kahlil Noble , placing her bow beside her before she got herself comfortable. "But I use my powers to make my balls of Light and at times throw things. But that doesn't announce any Jedi-ness or training to anyone...Maybe I'll be lucky and people won't care. It's not like Force users are hard to come by.." They were a dime a dozen, weren't they?

"I just use my instincts and think later. Sometimes there's no time to think and only to react." Trying to not react with her emotions wasn't going to be easy for her at all. It went against what was fully natural to her.

Lori took in a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried to focus on theground and the air. But it was tough. All that she could imagine was her enemies taking advantage of her sitting on the ground with her eyes closed.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"True, provided you don't actually get stronger there won't be any change. But, if you want to stop them, you'll have to get stronger. And they will notice that." He paused before reaching under his shirt. Kahlil pulled off his Taozin Amulet, a gift from a close friend who helped him to escape the Sith, and held it out to Loreena Arenais-Valhoun . "This will hide you, somewhat. If you use the Force, it won't. But until then no one will know you by your presence in the Force." The man watched in silence as she tried, in vain, to keep calm. It wasn't too surprising.

"Instinct is good. The Force guides us. Where a Sith would see the Force as a tool and strive to control it, letting yourself surrender to it and trust that it will keep you safe is what makes a Jedi. Let go of your fear. Trust in the Force. It will keep you safe."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori looked to the amulet that Kahlil Noble presented her, but shook her head. "No, I can't take it. I already lost my lightsaber, and with how many times the Empire and it's goons have captured me, it'll just get taken by them. I can't risk having much of anything, really." It wasn't that she had no use of it or didn't appreciate it; but moreso that she'd feel too guilty in having it taken away by the Empire.

She didn't like the idea of surrendering. The Empire has forced her into it a few times; and before that the Sith tried to get her to when they attacked Commenor. Surrendering wasn't a good thing. And the Force didn't keep her parents safe. Not even her Dad and he was one of the Jedi's greatest.

Lori chided herself for not being able to focus. She forced out another deep breath, and then another before just letting herself feel the breeze moving her hair.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil nodded once before putting the amulet away. "If you're sure." It might of been able to help hide Loreena Arenais-Valhoun in the Force, but yeah. She was pretty obvious on who she was. Not the worst thing, well, at least it wouldn't of been if not for the fact she was a rebel. He watched in silence, simply observing how she handled this sort of task. Turned out that it was pretty obvious.

Surrendering wasn't in her nature.

"Don't try and force yourself to relax. There is a lot in your life that has your attention, I imagine. Your parents. Commenor. The Empires. But they're not here. It's just you, me, and the Force. Let go. Let the Force flow through you as it wants to. Feel it's flow. Hear the birds in the trees. The insects in the grass. The Force flows through all these things."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori was quite sure that she couldn't take the amulet, knowing that it wouldn't be in her possession for long. Hiding it in her ship wasn't much of an option either, for it was only a matter of time before it was searched by the Empire.

There was a lot of weight on her shoulders and Kahlil Noble was quick to pick up on that. Her mind was everywhere at once and there was so much to worry about, so many plans to work on and accomplish. At the very idea of none of it being around her at the moment, Lori couldn't quite fathom it. To imagine herself isolated from her enemies was also hard to imagine. Already she could picture Ingrid L'lerim and others under her employ, pointing out the fact that she was even here, trying to accomplish what came so easily to her Dad and brother.

Once again Lori chided herself for not being able to relax and let go. She took in another deep breath and let it out in a huff, imagining herself to be alone, with no one around her but the animals and nature. It was a far cry from being alone locked in a cell. This was much better. Finally the relaxation started to hit her, yet so did the tears. So much penned up grief inside over the years. Everyone has a tipping point. And she needed to let it go.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil kept a patient smile as he watched Loreena Arenais-Valhoun try and calm herself. It wasn't an easy thing to let go. Force knows he had the hardest time trying to let himself surrender to the Force. He'd grown up knowing against this. Being taught to be free was to control everything around him. Though, he hadn't expected her to start crying. He watched awkwardly for a moment, then got up to sit beside her. He certainly didn't blame her for being upset. Her life was a hard one.

He opted for the awkward shoulder pat, trying to be supportive, but not really knowing the best way to do so. He just let out a sigh after a moment before offering a smile. "It's alright."