The Ancients Speak

[Dax Perl]

Location: Coruscant​

The Rogue kicked up a cloud of dust as his boots hit the hard packed earth, the broken temple sprawling before him. The ancient temple of the Jedi, sacked by the Sith, taken by the Galactic Empire at its birth. Once a glorious homage to the knowledge and wisdom of the Order, now but a dusty relic. The man knew the Galactic Empire had confiscated the ancient knowledge and artifacts when it had first taken the temple. But those had been lost to time. The Force had a way of making things return where they belonged. Something called. The Rogue intended to answer.

Dax pushed through the rubble of the old temple, stone columns obstructing his path. Leaping over them he landed on the dust caked floor of the temple interior. Red stone floors, wide pathways connecting the spires of the palatial building. Where to?

[member="Bella Eirson"]

 

[Bella Eirson]

Coruscant​

​

Bella had finally escaped Nar Shaddaa after her so called trip. It turned out she would never get a day of rest. With that happening though, she decided to not just waste the time she had taken off and decided to redirect it to Coruscant. She would explore the old temples and Jedi relics. One in particular called to her though. This Temple had gone through lot over the years. It had been taken by Sith and practically destroyed. Bella heard something though and sensed something.. someone else was here in the Temple with her.. but who?

Continuing walking forward, there was an opening which revealed that there had actually been two paths. Peeking around a column as if she was a little apprentice playing a game in the temple, she saw a man kicking a stone while he walked down his path, moving past long fallen columns and small stones. Then she looked closer at him.. she knew who he was. He was the guy that she fought next to trying to escape the ship that had been hijacked. Small universe it seemed.

Not necessarily wanting to be seen right away, she moved on, knowing he would eventually find her. Bella couldn't just leave him though.. she had to talk to him as something was telling her she should. With a curious nature, Bella turned around and went back to find the man. When she found him and he saw her, she would appear in the same outfit she had on the ship and her dark hair done nicely. Knowing he wouldn't exactly see her right away, Bella moved a large column out of the way for him through the force and then she smiled.

~ [member="Dax Fyre"] ~​

 

[Dax Perl]

Dax could soon feel someone else in the Force. Not malevolent by any means. Even the slightest bit familiar. Suddenly, the crashing of the column startled Dax, and his saber flew from his belt and into his hand, the orange blade screaming to life as he turned to face the threat. "Hold on...I know you...you were there during that whole Nar Shaddaa debacle right?" The man's eyes squinted (even more than usual) as he scrutinized the young woman before him as his saber hissed off, the blade retreating within the hilt. "What the kark are you doing here?" he asked, deciding since she helped save his skin before, she couldn't be all that bad.

The man clipped his saber back to his belt and straightened his back, readjusting his leather jacket as he did so. He was wearing his usual apparel, tan cargo pants, black boots, a black and grey shirt with a hood and his jacket. Of course, his sabers hung from his belt, the leather and bone and metal softly clinking with every movement.

[member="Bella Eirson"]

 

[Bella Eirson]

Forgetting that moving an enormous column through the force could scare someone, she jumped backwards and growled while her eyes glowed as he quickly ignited his lightsaber, preparing to attack. The glowing and growling went away though once he put his saber down. As he recognized her, Bella smiled slightly, her wolf teeth still showing a little bit as she then heard what he had to say. She nodded hearing the first question as she then proceeded to respond to both.

"Yes, I was. That crew messed with the wrong people."

she responded. The 16 year old princess put her hands on her hips as they watched each other. When he finally sheathed his blade, he asked her what she was doing in the Temple. It was truly not that long of a story, but it was god enough to tell. Bella looked at him again after kicking a small stone and slightly shrugged her shoulders before starting.

"Well, since my trip was rerouted, it was best not to just waste a trip, so I figured I'd explore what I've been wanting to see more than anything. I've been to Coruscant, but I never got the chance to see any of the old temples here before."

Bella said as she turned around to see a statue before looking back to the man. Looking closer at him she realized like herself, he had two lightsabers. Bella stayed right where she was letting him come to her.

~ [member="Dax Fyre"]~​

 

[Dax Perl]

The Rogue's eyes flitted from her sabers to her youthful face and then specifically to her eyes. He hadn't failed to notice the glowing that shown itself only moments before. And maybe he was hallucinating, but very prominent canines had revealed themselves as well? That last detail remained foggy...

"Where's you master?" he inquired, making no moves towards her. The girl was obviously a Jedi. Too young to be a Knight, he hadn't even become a Knight at her age and he was one of, if not the youngest Force master he'd heard of. "While I'm sure you're fully capable of taking care of yourself, these ruins aren't exactly the beacons of light they once were." Darkness enjoyed to home where light once lived...if one listened carefully they could hear its keen in every shadow, from the pitted stone to the statues of masters, long dead.

[member="Bella Eirson"]

 

[Bella Eirson]

What he had seen wasn't hallucinating. He was truly seeing glowing eyes and canine teeth. It wasn't exactly something she could control that often, but she was getting better with it. At least this time she had partially controlled it. Bella would have to tell him later most likely, as the look on his face called for a story time at some point, but it would all come in good time. Then other questions came. He asked where her master was. Bella honestly didn't know if she had ever had a master. She remembered one at one point, but he died.

"I don't have one.. he died a long time ago.."

she responded. He didn't move towards her at all. She couldn't blame him with what he would have seen moments before now. Most after seeing what she could do, avoided her. It was sad for her to see people do that, but she mainly did it to her enemies and in acts of fear, defense and if her emotions got out of wack. Hearing what he said next almost gave her no choice but to tell him about her capability.

"I know about the light an the dark. I had to train myself once my master left me. I was left with a whole kingdom to rule on my own and a life to take control of. I have powers that control me more than I'm able to control them. I've had my own battle with the dark and the light."

Bella said turning to look at the halls of the temple slightly. She had just revealed that she was royalty.. shoot.. partially her cover had been blown. Either way, she lived through a battle on a cruiser that was supposed to be her vacation and turned for the worst. Her past haunted her every night, but she woke up and lived her life as a normal human being and chose not to show the wear and tear that happened to her.

She had to keep a good face and not let the people see what her personal feelings were. What happened behind the scenes of her break dowsn were not needed to be seen by the public.

~ [member="Dax Fyre"] ~​

 

[Dax Perl]

"I'm sorry about your master. I'm certain he was a good man. And a good warrior."

Her master had died. That was a story he was all too familiar. Dax's own master, the closest thing he'd ever had to a father had died as well. Hunting Sith was a dangerous business, and it had gotten him killed. And nearly Dax too if that blaster hadn't been nearby. Thinking back on it, the moment of his master's death was the moment Dax had fallen from the Light. So be it.

What surprised Dax even more was that she had trained herself. He was beginning to see much of himself in the young girl. Struggles with Darkness, dead master, and a member of royalty. It was as if he were reading his own resume...well...technically his claim to nobility was due to conquering a planet...but that was semantics. At the end of the day, the girl was competent. Useful even.

"Well, in that case, come along. As long as you don't get yourself, or me, killed, we may as well search the ruins together. Who knows, maybe you'll learn a thing or two." Dax said as he gestured for her to follow. He could always use another partner after all.

[member="Bella Eirson"]

 

[Bella Eirson]

"He was. He did his best in training me.. unfortunately when he found out about my extra powers, he died before we could get too far in learning to control them.. He was an amazing warrior and fought valiantly though."

She responded. This story would be familiar to few, but hers hurt the most. One thing she wouldn't reveal was that he was murdered right in front of her and she was given a scar to remember it. Bella had already lost her father by the time she ha met her master and her mother was on the death bed at the time, so he had been the only person for her to look upon for wisdom and the like. In a way, he had as well become a father figure. He was the only one there Bella had ever had other than an elderly woman that looked after the young girl.

Bella didn't have much of a choice other than to train herself. She had snuck into libraries about the Jedi of old and she would read book upon book, slowly but greatly learning how to become a Jedi and use the force correctly. She had even taken some holocrons just for the fact of learning how to fight. Along the line, she became an amazing fighter and a wonderful princess to her kingdom. Bella would have a coronation at some point, she just was unsure of when it would happen. She was 16 after all..

"Alright then.. honestly. I run my own kingdom. I think you and I both will be alright. Plus if anything bad is about to happen, I should be able to sense them early on."

she responded. She saw as he gestured for her to follow him and she did. He may have had ideas to use her, but that wouldn't happen too easily. Bella could sense danger, fear and when she was being betrayed and used. It wouldn't go too easily for him.

~ [member="Dax Fyre"] ~​

 

[Dax Perl]

The man drew his slugthrower from its holster and held it, relaxed. He honestly doubted if they found anything in the temple that meant them harm, the slugthrower wouldn't be much use...but hey, maybe some tomb raider may stumble across them and try to blast holes in their bodies, you never knew.

Sifting through his vague memories of even vaguer blueprints of the temple, Dax paused a moment at a large four way intersection in an attempt to discern where the central spire was. If he recalled correctly, the holocron vault was there...and if there was a holocron vault, that meant there were holocrons in there, of both light and dark origin. Just what Dax wanted.

Finally the man decided a direction and started to walk again. "I swear I know where I'm going." he said to the girl sarcastically...he had no clue where he was going...

[member="Bella Eirson"]

 

[Bella Eirson]

Bella watched as he pulled out his blaster and held it calmly. He had a sense of confidence in his eyes from what she could see. She hoped he knew what he was doing because she had a gut feeling that he didn't. He may have doubted that there would be anyone in here to harm them, but Bella never doubted the fact that there was. There was so much hiding space in this place that a whole Imperial Navy could be hiding in these very walls that the two walked past.

She saw as he seemed to be thinking for quite a while after they reached a four way intersection to the path. Bella knew he was force sensitive, why couldn't he just use that? Had he forgotten or something? Maybe he had just decided to leave that part of him behind.. who knew? Bella know though that the best way to get around a Jedi Temple though, was to use the force and she felt it's great pull down one of the halls. When he said that he swore he knew where he was going, she knew that was a lie. It was easy for her to detect. Bella cocked a hip, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at him.

"It's better to use the force and let it guide you rather than trying to remember a path."

she responded. She sensed that he had lead them down the wrong path, but either way she would follow him until they would probably end up getting captured because they went down a path that had a trap set up for anyone who wanted to go down that path. Bella had just sensed that they would probably be in danger. She just wanted to be there to see if she was actually sensing things correct and why he should have followed the force instead of his intuition.

~ [member="Dax Fyre"] ~​

 

[Dax Perl]

"One thing I've learned, my friend." the Master said, "Is that for all the Force's omnipotence, it can't always be relied on." The Force had failed him before, just as it did now. Unbeknownst to Dax the girl could feel a pull from the Force. He on the otherhand, felt something far different. The growing sense that they weren't necessarily alone.

"But please, don't let my cynicism stop you. If you think you know the way, lead on. I'll watch your six." the Rogue said, gesturing with his slugthrower ahead of himself.

[member="Bella Eirson"]

 

[Bella Eirson]

Bella had no idea what the man was talking about. Maybe it worked differently for other people.. she didn't know, but she knew that if she sensed something through the force, she should follow that feeling. Especially in an old Jedi temple.. it may have been overrun by Sith, but the light still remained. He may have not been feeling the holocrons calling to him as she did, but one thing was definite between both of them.. someone else was there in the Temple spying on them..

"I'd be watching closely.. I think there should be another path in here that will lead to the other one that kept calling to me.. if we turn back I fear there will be trouble. So. We have to go forward to go back.."

She responded so only he could hear. Bella then went past him as she followed her senses down the hall. She saw ancient carvings on the wall and felt like she recognized the Temple.. had she seen it in a dream before? She was pretty sure she had. Instinctively for some reason her hands went towards her lightsabers. Keeping them in her hands now, she continued walking and then remembered she hadn't introduced herself yet.

"By the way, I'm Bella Eirson.."

~ [member="Dax Fyre"] ~​

 

[Dax Perl]

"Well...ya know what they say. All roads lead to Coruscant."

And so the pair proceeded down through the hall way further. No more paths to choose. Well, none that were left open. The huge pillars now toppled, blocking the old hallways, leading to various rooms and quiet places of meditation. Their path was lorded over by some of the left over statues of Jedi, which had not yet fallen. Their cloaked forms, once alight by the temple lights now stood ominously over the two's heads, like ghostly sentinels...was whoever was watching them one of the staties come alive? Or something else? Dax couldn't tell.

[member="Bella Eirson"]

 

[Bella Eirson]

Bella giggled slightly hearing the man's remark about how all roads led to Coruscant. In a way, that was true. Her pah had led her here and now she was exploring it's grounds. She had to say though, she wouldn't show it, but she was slightly freaked out by the statues that loomed over top of the two force users. They had almost seemed to lose their light to her, but there was still a little bit left. Over the years they had been used by the Sith after they had taken over the temple. Could these statues be the ones watching them or was it something else? Something dangerous that they should be ready for..

Walking down the path, Bella had been walking as quietly as possible, just to make sure problems weren't going to be made. Though she help that something was going to happen. Going through the tunnel, all the paths that should have been open leading to other paths were all blocked off. They'd have to keep going forward until they came to another split in the road. All of a sudden, as if a pin had hit the ground, the sound of a column being moved nearly shook Bella out of her own skin. Turning and looking to the man, she had a rather fearful look on her face, due to being startled.

"Please tell me you did that.."

She said. But before he could respond, Bella heard someone drop to the ground behind her and she turned and punched his chest with her palm, sending ice to his heart, freezing him almost immediately. To add on, he was no ordinary man either. He was dressed like a Sith and the hilt of their cult hung from his belt.

"Come on.. He won't last for long and there are probably more, we need to keep moving quickly."

Bella said as she ran past the man she just froze and after making sure the man she had met was still with her, Bella ran through the Temple following her senses.

~ [member="Dax Fyre"] ~​

 

[Dax Perl]

Before Dax could even respond to the young woman she span around and flash froze some man. Well...that was a neat trick. And before he knew it she was already running in the other direction. Quickly, the Rogue used the Force a slammed the frozen figure against one of the toppled columns, his solid form shattering into thousands of pieces of very macabre looking glass. But he hadn't been quite quick enough. The girl had already disappeared into the labyrinth of the temple. 'Ah feth it...'' the man would think as he barreled after her, hoping his twisting and turning would lead him towards her.

[member="Bella Eirson"]

 

[Bella Eirson]

Bella's reflexes were much quicker than she was.. which is also why she was grateful the man she had frozen was a Sith instead of and ally of some sorts. Which was also another reason why they'd have to move quickly. Running forward, she heard the smashing of what sounded to be glass and turned real quick to see that it was the man that had smashed her sculpture. With that, she continued moving further into the Temple.. there had to be another entrance around here somewhere.

She kept running for a while as it started getting darker and darker in the Temple. Bella's eyes then all of a sudden started glowing on their own, lighting the way of where to go. Turning around feeling that the threat was for now not able to be felt, she looked for the man, realizing that he was no where to be found.. at all.. With him not saying his name yet, it was tough for her to call out to him so with his recent sculpture smashing, she had a good name for him for now..

"Smasher where are you?"

She yelled out. It was corny, but it was the only thing she could think of at that time.. she just hoped that he'd hear and respond to her.

~ [member="Dax Fyre"] ~​

 

[Dax Perl]

[member="Bella Eirson"]'s voice was lost among the crumbling stones that covered the landscape. Echoing and reflecting off the hard surfaces the only thing that reached Dax's ear was the low growl of some predator eyeing the young man as its next tasty meal. Dax stopped dead in his tracks and listened carefully as it circled him. From atop a pillar, it leapt at the man, catching him on the shoulder and pinning him to the ground. Holding the beast by its neck, trying to keep its snapping incisors from his own neck, Dax struggled with it briefly. Attempting to grab a hold of the beast's muzzle, it instead latched onto his arm, biting down into his flesh. Cursing the Rogue reached to his belt and drew a black knife and drove it into the predator's neck. More cursing followed as Dax pushed the limp carcass off his body and stood, blood dripping down his arm. Muttering to himself he began to walk, as he attempted to find something on his person to bind the wound with, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.