The First Day... (Open)

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae approached the Silver Temple with small and quiet steps, much like a child leaving home alone for the first time. She had only arrived on Voss a few days prior, and was just starting to explore the setting for the training she would soon begin. This morning had found Valae coming out of the grips of grief, but still feeling the lingering effects. Never before had she been away from Tatooine for such a period, and never before did she have to face the fact that her father would no longer be there waiting. The young woman jumped slightly as an automated hologram came to life in front of her. Though her heart was now beating fast, she smiled at the image of the Grandmaster and listened to his greeting.

Valae was feeling very fortunate that she had met the man in person, she would always be grateful for the kindness that he had shown her on the night of her father’s passing. She also had Thurion to thank for bringing her to Voss and offering to guide her through this new and uncharted territory; she only hoped that one day she would be able to repay him. “Here, we are all family. Treat it as you would your own and you shall receive the same." Said the hologram, and Valae felt a warmth wash over her. Perhaps this was just what she needed now, as she had been forced to face the fact that she was growing lonely.

The brunette tried to tame the wild mass of wavy hair and straightened out her clothing. The training uniform felt a bit uncomfortable at first, mostly because it was vastly different from the warm weather clothing she wore in the desert. The new padawan felt a bit lost, and she felt a bit out of place in this serene temple. Her dark gaze shifted about, looking hopefully upon those that passed her by. Valae moved along once the hologram’s message had concluded and the light that brought it to life had vanished. After a moment or two of wandering, she found herself standing outside the entrance to the temple.

She stood waiting for the next person to enter or exit, figuring that she may as well try to make some friends.

 

[Audren Sykes]

Let's see...lightsaber, knife, blaster - check. Comlink, emergency rations, and other basic necessities...check. A change of clothes in his bag, as well as his armor - freshly repaired and polished after the fights he'd been in. He wasn't expecting any fights on this trip, but then again he hadn't expected Thyferra to be ambushed by One Sith either. Precautions needed to be taken. It would be optimal to have two sets of the armor, one on his ship and one elsewhere, but these suits were expensive and technically not available to Coalition members. He was lucky enough to be on good terms with the Galactic Alliance's New Jedi Order and have snagged this one.

The Knight was just steps outside of the main entrance on his way to the spaceport when his senses caught up with him. There was a girl outside wearing a training uniform, but just standing there. She was a few years younger than him unless he missed his guess, human or near enough, and shorter than he by about a third of a meter. But it was the hopeful glint in her eyes that told him she wasn't simply waiting for a particular person, she was waiting for someone to acknowledge her. He wasn't the most people-friendly Sephi around, but might as well give it a shot. He turned around, reversing the few steps he'd taken past her.

"Did you need any help, miss? I'm Audren."



[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae looked towards the door again at the sign of movement and watched as a tall man strode out. She was not a wordly person by any means, she couldn’t help but stare a little bit at this long blonde hair, and her head turned as he went past. It was not her intention to be rude, but she may have been caught up by the momentary glance at this blue eyes. Upon her quick assessment of him, the padawan could not place where he may be from, but she noted that he was much taller than she, and that there was a swift confidence that moved with his every step. When he suddenly turned around and moved back towards her, Valae flushed just slightly, hoping that he hadn’t noticed she was watching him.

“Oh!” Her face lit up with a friendly smile. “I’m just… just looking around, I’m new here.”

Her hands attempted to smooth down her hair again, and she was suddenly found herself hoping that she looked presentable enough, as she reflected upon his pulled together appearance. Valae extended her hand to him in a gesture of greeting.

“My name’s Valae. It’s nice to meet you.”

[member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

Surprised as she was, her face lit up with a smile upon realizing that he was talking to her. It was a safe bet that she was a friendly person and not a grump then, their faces tended to become even grumpier when someone they didn't know walked up to them. She was new, and so it made sense that she was looking around the place. Heck, he'd spent what little spare time he'd had doing the same thing during the first few weeks. And he still didn't know whether or not he'd stumbled across everything there was to see. That was the thing about hidden wonders.

Nervous hands attempted to smooth her hair before extending one. Valae, she was called. He took the offered handshake, his own casual and easygoing, and returned the smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Valae. And welcome to Voss. Are you here as a Jedi or for another position?"

Separating between the two might have been odd, at least in the manner it was spoken, but to be fair they were standing at the door to the Temple. The Sanctum had a lot of people involved, most of them not Jedi. Rangers, businessmen, general soldiers, fleeters, and even students were a part of the Coalition and were invaluable to it. It wasn't even uncommon for non-Jedi to come to the outside of the Temple to view it. Few were allowed in, true, but at the same time most just wanted a tour and didn't actually have business there.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

“I’m to beginning training as a Jedi.” Valae said with a nod. “The Grandmaster brought me to Voss a few days ago, and he will be taking me on as his padawan.”

The young woman’s thoughts started to wander to the night when she’d first met Thurion, and for a moment the image of her father invaded her thoughts. The wound left by his loss was still new, and the pangs of sadness very deep and painful. She felt her eyes growing misty, and turned away slightly to try and compose herself. She should have expected this reaction, but it still caught her off guard. When she was certain that the tears were held at bay, she looked up again, feeling like a hot mess.

“I apologize; I lost my father before coming here...” Valae fanned herself with her hand. A slight sigh escaped her; she had just met someone new, and now felt that she’d made the situation terribly awkward. “Please, change the subject.” Valae said in a lighter tone of voice, the smile reappeared on her face, as she tried to find her usual pep and cheerfulness. It was worth a try to salvage the conversation with her new acquaintance.

[member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Zak Dymo]

The life of a Jedi Youngling was not for the faint of heart.

The young Nautolan crept through the shadows of the Silver Temple. In his mind's eye, this was no Jedi Temple however, but an Imperial base on a world deep inside Remnant territory. The green-skinned boy was not more than eight or nine years old. Not quite into the awkwardness of "tweens" but still cast into the wonder and imagination of childhood. Having captured the plans to the super top secret Starkiller super weapon -- which very closely resembled a cafeteria menu -- the boy was making his way toward the entrance to the temple...

...er, that is, the exit of the secret Imperial base!

Coming up to the end of the hallway, the green amphibian dropped into a low crouch as a pair of Antarian Rangers came down the hall.

...in the child's imaginative play, these were Imperial stormtroopers.

The boy waited until the Rangers stormtroopers had passed before making his break for the door. Secret plans in hands. It went without saying that he was wearing some kind of sheet or towel as a cape. Because youngling.

Barreling out the door, the boy saw a shadow suddenly leap out at him, realizing too late that there was someone or someones standing near the door. Trying to stop, the child instead went sliding across the floor to collide with something.

Or someone.

He wasn't really sure just what the case may have been.

When he'd opened his eyes, he realized there were two adult type people there. "Hi!" the boy offered cheerfully.

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Audren Sykes"]​

 

[Audren Sykes]

Another Jedi added to the ranks. Excellent news. And it was most certainly impressive that Grandmaster Thurion had brought her to Voss personally and would be taking her as his Padawan learner. With some people, himself included at times, he would have taken the statement as a brag, but for whatever reason her tone seemed to lack that element. With the mention of Thurion though, her gaze unfocused slightly and he had the mental impression of memories. Even with his training in psychometry unfinished - he'd been pulled away early - Audren might have been able to travel those roads with her. He chose to leave them be though, people had little enough privacy left when it came to Force users.

Whatever the memories, there was something in them that led to a wellspring of sadness. He hadn't felt emotion quite as deep as that before, and it caught him off guard. In combat, he could react without thinking, turn on a decicred. Witnessing the emotion though, he froze. He watched her face, noticed her eyes get slightly watery and turn away for a moment. When she returned to the present, there was barely a hint of the tears that had been present. She had the courtesy to explain the cause, at least in part. Losing a parent...he'd not had to deal with that yet, and barring a particularly nasty mishap wouldn't have to for several hundred standard years. If what he'd just seen and felt was the result of that happening, he really wasn't missing out.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Without warning, and before he had time to even think about another subject as she'd requested, something hit him. With an oof he dropped the bag he held and was pushed back several steps. A glance down showed a youngster, a Nautolan if he remembered right, back where he'd been standing. Said child had a piece of fabric - maybe a towel given the size - draped across his back like a cape and carried what looked suspiciously like a cafeteria menu. Normally Audren would have sensed something like the boy approaching, but apparently throw a pretty lady into the mix and his better instincts went all wonky.

You must be Zak."

The Sephi's voice combined elements of amusement and exacerbation. Oh yes, he knew of the kid. They'd never been introduced, only had tangential dealings here and there really. But people talked, and Jedi weren't the stuffy monks everyone seemed to think them to be. Padawans, especially the younger ones, were often subjects of discussion. Most of the people his own age had been Knights long before he, but they'd occasionally allowed him in on the conversations, and those few Zak's age were occasionally brought up. Only one of them that was mentioned had been a Nautolan though.

"Valae, meet the bundle of energy known as Zak Dymo, one of the other Padawans here. Zak, this is Valae."

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Zak Dymo"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

As if right on cue, Valae watched as a young boy collided with Audren’s legs, providing them with a distraction. When the youngling offered them a simple greeting, she couldn’t help but laugh. Valae listened as Audren introduced the young one as Zak, and judging by his tone of voice, it seemed that he had quite the reputation around the Silver Temple. In this moment, Valae realized that this was the first time she'd felt cheerful in days, and she silently basked in the feeling of lightness. This was certainly a gentle reminder that life would go on. The young woman knelt down so that she was on Zak’s level, and she admired his makeshift cape.

“Hi, Zak!” She said, keeping her tone upbeat. “What’s that you’ve got there?” She pointed to the cafeteria menu.

Valae liked to be around children, and Zak's lively spirit was especially refreshing. As the world of the Jedi was so unfamiliar to her, she’d been imagining most of the students being around her own age. Now she was starting to see that perhaps she was a bit behind the curve. It was amazing to her that young children like Zak were already immersed in the ways of the Jedi, but she knew that learning likely came very easy for them.

“You know, I’m new here.” She said, looking to the boy. “So, I’ll probably need your help. That goes for both of you.” Valae added with a smile, and glanced up at Audren.

[member="Audren Sykes"], [member="Zak Dymo"]

 

[Zak Dymo]

You must be Zak.

Not even a Jedi Knight and the Nautolan was already a famous Guardian! Everywhere he went, people knew who he was.

...and usually quickly moved anything breakable to the top shelf.

Nodding, the boy's head-tails bounced as he answered, "Uh huh." The man who'd recognized him was very funny looking for a human. For starters, he was really tall. Second of all, his ears kinda stck out from his head. Zak was no expert on ears though. Nautolans didn't even have any!

The Valae lady person seemed nice. As Zak was introduced to the woman, the boy looked over at her with the large, abyssal eyes. "Stolen Imperial plans!" the boy announced, in a voice that was decidedly not suited to indoor conversations. Or conversations in general in which the other participants were within arm's reach. Of course, what he was holding was absolutely not stolen Imperial plans, but what many around the temple had come to refer to as the 'daily disappointment.' A flimsiplast flyer that listed the available options from the cafeteria.

The special today was baked dru'un slices in fish sauce.

Feth being a space wizard. What did a 9 year old Jedi imagine being? A secret agent! "I built a tree fort in the hanging garden," the boy noted, pointing out beyond the courtyard to the winding paths around the jungle temple. "It's the Rebel Base."

The news of the Valae lady person being new perked the boy up. He could help with that! "Oh, I can show you where the rooms an' stuff are," the boy offered brightly.

They could go undercover. Super secret espionage stuff! Putting Jedi Shadow Valae into position within the evil and diabolical and more evil Imperial headquarters!

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Audren Sykes"]​

 

[Rayliav'enci]

Raylia took a turn that she was sure lead her to the archives, but it was not to be. She knew the temple was not this complicated but she kept her face in a datapad so much as she moved through her day, she was never really paying attention to where she was going. For instance, today she had been enraptured in an account of the fall of the Kwa and should have taken the left hallway that she had wandered past two hallways ago.

Instead she found herself outside, and slightly bewildered about where she was and how she missed what should have been an easy turn. She also had bumped right into some people who were standing in a small group talking outside the doors, causing her to drop her datapad and look horribly awkward.

Way to make a first impression, Raylia.

She apologized profusely as she bent down to scoop up her datapad, her cheeks turning a demure shade of purple from the blood rushing to her face.

"My deepest apologies. One day I will learn to watch where I'm going so I don't get lost and bowl people over unnecessarily."

[member="Zak Dymo"] [member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The Temple on Voss was so full of positive energy. It was so...different. Krux could actually walk around and not have to look gloomy to match the rest of the scenery. Of course, with everything that's happened lately, it was hard for Krux to not be gloomy. That was another reason he decided to wear his mask around. A combination of how vulnerable he felt here, his lack of self-confidence, and how he didn't want to ruin the good vibes going around here. The positivitey was a pleasant change, but it would take more than that for Krux to find serenity.

He found himself near the entrance to the Temple. Unlike other new students here, this wasn't the first thing he had seen when he set foot on Voss. He wound up in the medical bay after suffering mortal injuries in his recent battle against his old Sith master. Physically, it broke him, but that wasn't half as much as the trauma suffered at the hands of the witch who broke him emotionally. He entered the room and saw a gathering of people, presumably Jedi. A small nautolan child which made him think of Darth Pyrrhus and his hordes of nautolan guards that lurked around the Sith Academy on Glee Anselm all of the time. They were always unsettling, and it was hard to see another nautolan so...happy and full of energy. It was a relief, though. Mullarus couldn't help but smile slightly beneath his mask.

Of course, when he entered the room, the other Jedi would probably feel the presence of a Sith. It had not been long since Krux decided to turn away from the Dark Side and begin walking the Path of the Jedi. Even the Dark Side corruption on his face was still present. It would take time before it would fade away, and with time, so would the darkness in his aura. For now, other Jedi could easily still mistake him for a Sith. Especially the light-haired man, [member="Audren Sykes"], of whom he remembered battling on Thyferra only weeks prior to today. Mullarus tried to stay back and avoid anyone getting a good look at him, lest they recognize him. He did wear a mask, but he couldn't hide the darkness in his aura. Not yet. That would take more time to fix.

The other Jedi looked to be happy, something the ex-Sith didn't really expect. All of his life, he was told Jedi were all just emotionless robots who clung to how benevolent their ascetic ways were. It sickened Krux before as he ascended through the ranks of the Sith. He hated Jedi then. As he battled more and more Jedi, however, and started to get a good look at them all, he questioned what the Sith had drilled into his head about them. He supposed it was only a matter of time before he would find himself among them.

Silently, he watched them, taking in the positive energy. Hopefully, his presence would not alarm anyone, but he had a feeling he was dealing with the devil on that note...

[member="Valae Kitra"] / [member="Audren Sykes"] / [member="Zak Dymo"] / [member="Rayliav'enci"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

The smile was back. Much better than the tears had been. And judging by how she reacted to Zak, she'd worked with younger kids before. Certainly more than he, given how she reacted to his menu - no, sorry, his stolen Imperial plans. Audren would never have guessed to ask that, he probably would have asked something more along the lines of what the kid was doing with a menu from the cafeteria. The food wasn't that good after all. Though hearing that the kid had built a tree fort in the hanging garden was a bit of a surprise. In retrospect it shouldn't be, but hindsight and perfect vision, et cetera.

Hearing that Valae was new seemed to make the boy even more excited, if that were even possible. Showing her where the rooms were...that was an interesting turn of phrase. Not where 'her' rooms were, but where 'the' rooms were. He was opening his mouth to add a comment - possibly a bad idea, his off-the-cuff comments could get him into trouble - when another person walked right into the middle of the group. This one was blue and had head-tails very similar to Zak's. A Twi'lek. Not only did she bump into Audren as well - try to do one nice thing and it snowballs - the bump caused her to drop her datapad as she did. As she picked up the datapad, she blushed - at least that's what he thought it was - and said something about watching where she was going. And apologies, at least she was polite about it.

Another instance of him opening his mouth to make a comment, and another instance of him closing it without a sound. Only this time, he wore a frown. There was something else, some other element present. One person bumping into him was a coincidence, two meant he was just not keeping a situational awareness. So he'd consciously re-established his mental awareness, which was when he'd sensed it. Darkness, but familiar. There were others present in the area obviously, the four of them weren't the only people at the Temple and none of the other three were it. A few wore masks. Given that his forte was not detection through the Force but precognition and fighting, he couldn't really narrow it down much.

Still, the feeling persisted: that which should not be here was.

Conscious of the others around, the Sephi chose not to pull his pistol. That would be extraordinary cause for alarm. A lightsaber hilt though...those were around all the time. His detached itself from his belt and moved the spare centimeters to the hand at his right side. There it remained, unlit, as he slowly pivoted, eyeing each of the more distant beings in turn, attempting to determine who it was that he sensed.

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Zak Dymo"] | [member=Rayliav'enci] | [member="Krux Mullarus"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

“Wow, a rebel base? That sounds amazing!” She said in a tone of voice that nearly matched Zak’s enthusiasm, but lacked the volume. Oh, to be young. It was always fun to see how children made the world around them truly their own; it never ceased to surprise her. When the young boy announced that he could help show her the rooms and stuff, Valae couldn’t help but laugh again. She reached out and placed her hand on Zak’s shoulder briefly, giving a gentle squeeze. “Thank you! I would really like that.”

Valae straightened up just in time to see yet another person bump into Audren. She blinked a few times when she saw that it was an exotic woman that was a lovely shade of blue. As an awkward silence filled the space between the four, Valae offered the other woman a small nod, and a friendly smile. Back home, Valae had been teased about something of a klutz, known for tripping, dropping things and generally being clumsy. She could certainly sympathize with the woman; she’d been in her shoes before.

Then, there was something that made her pause. She had the distinct feeling that someone was watching, and she looked around briefly but saw no one. The sensation was fleeting, falling upon her untrained senses and then sinking away. It was another one of those situations that she would simply write off as an odd feeling that she couldn’t explain. Valae did notice that Audren looked a bit preoccupied, he’d shifted away slightly and she watched his blue gaze moving about. She reached out and touched his arm gently.

“Is everything alright?” She asked, her voice dropping to a quiet tone.

Valae then looked to Zak and the Twi’lek woman, trying to tell if something amiss.

[member="Audren Sykes"], [member="Zak Dymo"], [member="Rayliav'enci"], [member="Krux Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Blast it all. The white haired man must have already picked up on his aura. Knew I should've stayed away...then again, this is inevitable. Krux thought it best to confront him head on, but he couldn't muster the confidence. He was unarmed and defenseless. Would all Jedi truely respect that?

Maybe he would ignore him. Krux leaned against a statue nearby and turned away, trying not to look like he was watching them. His arms crossed over his broad chest and his masked face dipped down, the Voss sun's shadow concealing everything under his white hood.

[member="Audren Sykes"] / [member="Valae Kitra"] / [member="Zak Dymo"] / [member="Rayliav'enci"]

 

[Zak Dymo]

The Valae lady person was excited about the rebel base?

Astral! Maybe this was the Jedi Shadow Secret Agent he'd been waiting for. Together, they could take down the evil Imperial overlord, Darth Baddus ([member="Thurion Heavenshield"]) and take back the Jewel of Nine Stars (which may have looked suspiciously like a glasteel paperweight on the Grand Master's desk).

Also, the slingshot that had been illegally confiscated from his person, in blatant disregard for his civil rights, civil liberties, the rule of law, or due process. And which he believed may also be in the Grand Master's office. Along with the water blaster from the week before.

As the boy was focused on Valae, someone had bumped into the tall, funny-ear, human brah. Maybe he should wear protective padding, like professional Grav-Ball players did. He seemed to attract a lot of people bumping into him.

As he was closer to the ground, the boy knelt down to retrieve the fallen datapad, passing it to the lady master person. "Here you go," the child said.

“Is everything alright?”​

The boy's head tails bounced from side to side, his head whipping around to gaze up as he overheard the question.

Was anything not alright?

He realized that she wasn't talking to him, but was confused as to what that had been about.

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Krux Mullarus"] | [member="Audren Sykes"] | [member="Rayliav'enci"]​

 

[Rayliav'enci]

Raylia thought for half a moment that the sudden alarm on the faces of the small group were a little much for a clumsy Twi'lek but in following their gaze, she noticed a hood figure standing a little ways over from them. She could feel conflict, but not aggression. Whoever was beneath the hood seemed lost, in many ways. That was something she could acutely understand.

She smiled quickly at the young Nautolan with a wink, and deftly, Raylia sidestepped around Audren and descended down to where the figure stood. From his build and his clothing, he seemed to be a young man. Raylia stopped in front of him, a respectable distance between them as not to frighten him as he gave off an air of skittishness.

The deep blue skinned Twi'lek clad in teal and silver smiled softly, her demeanor warm and polite as she spoke gently to the hooded one.

"Friend, you seem unsure of yourself. Can I help you with something?"

[member="Zak Dymo"] [member="Krux Mullarus"] [member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The group seemed disturbed. Was his presence that intoxicating? They almost seemed...afraid. They couldn't see it, but a sympathetic expression crept onto Mullarus' face beneath his mask. Sympathetic, as well as stressed. It would take so many hours of study, meditation, and guidance from his new master in order to be felt as another normal Jedi.

No. You're never going to be a normal Jedi. Normal Jedi weren't raised to be Sith.

Eyes finally pierced him. The blue-skinned twi'lek saw him. Before he could do anything more, she was already on her way in his direction, her gaze fixed upon him, seeming to study his form and demeanor. It was like a compassionate master approaching a stray animal in the street. Did she think he would run in fear? Sure, he wasn't exactly confident, but he wasn't a wuss.

"Friend"

The first word spoken to him from another Jedi here in Voss that wasn't one he had met before as a Sith, and already, she calls him friend? Are all Jedi this...trusting?

"...you seem unsure of yourself. Can I help you with something?"

Charitable. Compassionate. Everything the galaxy said they were. But unsure? Mullarus felt a scoff escape his nostrils upon hearing the question. At last, he spoke, his voice deep and metallic behind the mask he concealed his face, so scarred and tainted, behind.

"Unsure of myself? No. I know who I am. I know what I am now. What concerns me is what the rest of the Jedi will think I am. I can smell the fear and confusion from here. Yet, none from you. Do you not feel the Dark Side still dripping from me like freshly-shed blood?"

[member="Rayliav'enci"] / [member="Audren Sykes"] / [member="Zak Dymo"] / [member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Rayliav'enci]

"I'm quite sure you know who and what you are. The uncertainty I referred to was your presence here."

She glanced back at the three standing behind her a bit and nodded a little, her tchun draping over her shoulder. The slight whitish markings on them gave her skin the look of being shiny on the curve of her headtails.

"They are young and they will learn in time that if we fear and hate the darkness, we are no better than the darkling throng from which you claim to have come from. Did you expect we would meet you with blades? Make you pass tests or trials to purge the darkness from your mind?"

She shook her head sadly, but reached out a hand to him, her palm open.

"I am Raylia. There are a great many things I pick up from your attire, your posture, and your behavior. I cannot feel your crimes, but I can see you feel guilt. What's your name?"

[member="Krux Mullarus"] [member="Zak Dymo"] [member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

"I'm no fool to what the Jedi stand for. I wouldn't have expected a violent response so quickly, but I would have expected something more...philosophical." he said, standing up straight from the statue he leaned against and facing her. His own eyes began to study her, an intense radiation of light resonating off of her. As she extended a hand and introduced herself, he felt a bit of the anxiety he previously felt fade slightly.

I can always count on the Jedi being such big softies and pushovers.

He extended his own hand and shook hers gently, "Krux." Yet, as he shook her hand, his eyes still studied her hand and did not meet her gaze. He knew it was impolite, but he couldn't help it. He really didn't feel comfortable acting confident at all with anything anymore. He felt his existence had become less important after recent changes in his life, and felt no more important than a crippled womp rat living in a hole on Tatooine. He'd die one day and nobody would bat an eye.

All the more reasons as to why Krux sought to center himself by following the Jedi now, instead of the Sith who had broken and forsaken him.

[member="Rayliav'enci"] / [member="Zak Dymo"] / [member="Valae Kitra"] / [member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

The touch on his arm registered slightly, as did the quiet inquiry into everything being alright. While he answered, he didn't break from his search.

"No. There's a Sith here."

His voice wasn't loud, but he wasn't focused on keeping it quiet either. He'd have thought, since this was a stronghold of the Light, that the stain of a Sith would be simple to detect. Maybe it was, and that was why he'd sensed it. But he should have been able to narrow it down without examining each person individually. Most of those in view were in groups much like this one, either formed spur-of-the-moment or intentionally come together for whatever reasons, but there were still a few people by themselves. Some sat, obviously meditating. Others stood alone, maybe waiting for something. But there was only one signature that carried the feel of Sith.

Without a word to the group, the Twi'lek stepped around the Sephi and headed for one of those standing alone. He didn't think much of it at first, assuming that she'd been on her way to meet the person in the first place and just gotten sidetracked by bumping into him. Once his attention returned though and he got to examine them side by side, he could see the stark differences. The cables that made up her Force presence were light...his were not. Certainly, there were individual cables snaking through, but it wasn't enough. That was the Sith he was sensing. His caution and the confusion he'd felt collapsed down into a determined resolve; the man wouldn't harm anyone here.

And yet he wouldn't be the first to attack. The woman standing there was a Jedi, there was no doubting that, which meant she could presumably take care of herself. Nevertheless, Audren gathered the Force to himself, preparing to respond instantly should the situation call for it. Whether it involved yanking the Twi'lek to safety, sending the Sith hurtling through the statue he stood before, or forming a shield to protect Valae and Zak.

Pulling the Force to himself brought back recent memories of Thyferra, where he'd done the same thing during a three-way fight between Alliance members and One Sith. That was why he recognized the sense of the man...he'd been the Sith that Audren had fought. A dangerous opponent. His focus threatened to devolve into anger and a desire for retribution, but he held that at bay. Time enough to sort through such useless things later, there was a Sith present now.

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Zak Dymo"] | [member=Rayliav'enci] | [member="Krux Mullarus"]