The Point Of No Return

[Nima Tann]

She was still shocked for seeing them fall like that. Master Heavenshield used his Force to make their falling speed slower but it could hurt very much with even that speed. A big fear have taken her control, she kept to see if they were alright. Normally she didn't care, after all she lived but something in her heart, was making her all shaky. Then she saw Master Heavenshield, coming towards her. She was in pain, standing up was making her wounds open a little. But she had to see them. She had to know what happened, so she asked him, as he picked her up, she slowly put her arm around his shoulder. "Are they okay? Did you... did you save them?" Her fear could be read from her face. "Why do I care so much about him?" she thought. "After all he have done to me... why?"

One step, two steps... Time wasn't flowing as it should. Seconds later, they were finally downstairs, and they could clearly see the two bodies, lying on the ground like corpses. No movements... As Master Heavenshield slowly dropped her to the ground, she felt she was falling away, she regained her balance a few seconds later hardly, it was hard to stay standing up with all that wounds. She felt like her strength was fading away, her vision was getting all blurry. The whole planet was turning around her, like she was drunk. She was all tired and needed to sit down and relax a bit, and broken bones wasn't helping her as well.

Thoughts flying towards her mind again, she took a few steps towards them, looking to the Knight, hoping that he is well. "Let's see if they're okay or not." she told him, then continued moving towards Knight Harrison. Seeing him like that, she felt both worried and happy at the same time. On one side she was happy because she kind of got her revenge from him, but on the other side she was worried and scared about him. She sat near to him, examining him slowly. His eyes were all up, he was unconscious, maybe shocked from the fall, but his breathing was calm and normal and it was a good sign. She put her two fingers to his wrists, trying to check his pulses. But... the silence was weird, and it disturbed Nima a little bit.

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Coci Sinopi"] [member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

It wasn't death that was cold, it was the ice water in his veins and lungs.

It was like an alien body was inside him, eating him from the centre outwards and paralysing him.

Connor could SEE everything, but couldn't FEEL anything. It was painful, but numbing at the same time and quite relaxing not to feel anything anymore.

The medics had him strapped down on the table, invading his personal space to run checks on him; injections and bacta creams and all sorts of other treatment to bring him back from the brink of death, and with hypothermia setting in, Connors life was just a series of beeps and holo-readings.


As Nima knelt by him and touched his wrist, Connor's eyes opened immediately, gasping for breath and wracked with pain and a feeling of nausea like no other. He was also delirious and breaking into a sweat. He flinched, eyes darting to the crimson Twi'lek beside him. Instinct taking over, he pushed up onto her and fell on top of her, straddling her, hands locked around her throat and squeezing.

"Who......YOU BETRAYED ME - WEAK! I will destroy...SITH!"

His eyes bore into hers, wide and full of fear and a flicker of rage and dark power. Connor pushed her head back into the rock, trying to break her neck in a wild, savage and delirious attack, but his strength was fading as his heart-beat began to slow.

"DEATH WAITS...RET'URCYE MHI! You...didn't...save...."

With a feeble last effort, Connors eyes flickered closed and his body shut down, falling sideways off Nima and onto the ground with a crunch of stone and glass.


[member="Nima Tann"] [member="Coci Sinopi"] [member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Nima Tann"] [member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

She allowed the kiss to happen. A total antithesis of a kiss, no love or caring, just sheer hatred and brutality. The essence of Kot entered her. Coci, had spent most of her life with her mind shut off of everything, closing it to others and remaining cold .. she had to in order to succeed in her work, even before joining the Jedi, she had accomplished this talent. A defense mechanism both personally and professionally. One by one she shut off the rooms of her mind, the doors slamming closed and would not allow Kot to enter there. But she allow some rooms open in order to accommodate the Taung.

This is what Coci is trained for, hours upon hours of self training in order to fight the darkness in all it's forms. A Shadow of the Order, never steps back from it, and never allows it to win, even if that means an end to their own lives.

Then, she felt the invisible hand wrap around her body, it is familiar and kind. Her body floated gentle on the air .. a touch that she had felt on more then one occasion. Thurion's touch. This is what she would cling to, the memory of him hands, the feeling of his love for her and that would save her from the cancerous Taung. His love will be her salvation.

Her body felt the ground under her and she immediately moved to sit. They would take care of Connor, she had to left them do it. She sensed him not far from her, alive.

The Taung warrior began to rage a battle of wills within her .. Coci felt her building rage as she could not penetrate into the depths of her mind, a smile formed on Coci's lips.

"I got you, you Bi*ch!". She spat the words in her mind.

A primeval scream echoed through the cavern of her mind, the source of it coming form centuries of hatred and anger, a lust of destruction and death.. and now fear.

As Coci remained seated, she began a deep meditative trance, it would be the only way to remain and not allow the Taung to enter her further.

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

Having put Nima back down on the ground, she stumbled over to Connor's side to make sure he was okay. He was rambling, torn between two identities still. Eventually his body gave in to exhaustion and he passed out before her eyes. All of this happened in the corner of his eyes as Thurion hurried over to Coci. She appeared unharmed, but she was... shut off. Non-responsive to his voice and touch. "Coci, it's me...!" he pleaded to no avail, grabbing her with both hands. When she did not move or say anything, he began searching her mind and soul; within she was closed off, having put up mental barriers around what he assumed to be the Taung presence, and he soon came to realise she'd planned to trap the spirit inside her mind. By all accounts, she had succeeded.

He solemnly put his arms around her for a loving embrace, even though he knew she would not return it. He felt her steady breath against his neck as he held her close, wanting nothing else than to keep her warm and safe while she battled the demon now inside her. Never had he felt so utterly useless, unable to do anything to really help those he loves. "Everything will be alright, my love", he said before kissing her forehead. "You'll be just fine. I'm here for you." His voice was trembling somewhat, for he knew not for sure that everything would be alright. What if the spirit inside would cause any side-effects? There was no way of knowing right now, and so he would hope and pray for a happy outcome.

Thurion rose to his feet with his beloved in his arms and walked over to Nima sat by Connor's side. The mission was successful; they'd defeated the Taung and rescued both Connor and Nima, but at the cost of Coci's consciousness. He looked down at the padawan lacking any emotion in his eyes, and then just turned to carry the woman in his arms onto the shuttle. He placed her as comfortably as was possible aboard the ship and then returned to pick up Connor's body and throw him over his shoulder before bringing him aboard as well. "Come on, let's go, Padawan", he said to her as he returned a second time to help her up the ramp. Once all four of them were safely aboard he requested the auto-pilot to set course for Voss.

It was all he could muster as he finally slumped down to the floor in exhaustion, both mentally and physically, and was sat leaning against the wall. His hands cupped his face as he began weeping quietly at what had brought them to this moment. The ramp raised itself and the engines activated moments before they left Shri-Tal behind. He vowed never to set foot on the planet again.

[member="Coci Sinopi"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Nima Tann"]

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