Private With a Burning Heart

[Katarine Ryiah]

In the darkest night rising like a spire​

Tags: Connel Vanagor

The talk turned to tactics and Katarine pondered for a moment. Everything about this trip was dangerous so there was really no way to minimize the harms way she was placing him in. She also didn't know how many cultist there would be at the temple she saw in her vision. This would require stealth and precision.

"I think our best bet is to make this a snatch and grab. Get in and neutralize as many that stand in our way, and then let me grab Dax. We get in quiet, hopefully we get out quiet. If that doesn't work we might need a diversion so I can grab him."

 

[Connel Vanagor]

... just about to burst
Odessen
Kat’s Ship

Michael, Gabriel, Azrael, Sariel, Raphael, Jeremiel, Connel, Raguel
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]

He didn’t agree with a word of her plan, but it was just the initial stages of this, and who says it will be what they set on? Besides, this is HER show, HER situation. He was here to help, and support her however he could. He trusted her judgment and knew that her perspective might evolve as the situation unfolded. For now, his role was to provide support and guidance, ensuring they stayed aligned while respecting her leadership.

I get it. Looking over at his gear bag, Connel was glad he had several weapons with him. They would come necessary in the future. They needed to be better prepared for what is ahead, logistics wise. I smash, you grab?

He knew she would glare at him for this so he smirked.

You grab, I smash? he smirked again. I assault, you liberate? He laughed at this point, waving his hands saying he would stop .

TAGS • Katarine Ryiah
Personal Effects - Omega Squad Loadouts - Shadow Sanctuary - Enterprise​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

In the burning heart, the unmistakable fire​

Tags: Connel Vanagor

Katarine did indeed glare at him, but she couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth turn upward as he laughed while teasing her.

“I’m listening if you have a better idea? For example you could stay with Buster while I smash and grab?” She grinned, knowing it was his turn to glare at her.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

... just about to burst
Odessen
Kat’s Ship

Michael, Gabriel, Azrael, Sariel, Raphael, Jeremiel, Connel, Raguel
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]

Now it was time to get serious. They were well on their way and this hyperdrive was a fast one. So he calmed down and his visual demeanor changed with it.

Okay. Pulling his gearbag to him, Connel looked down at it. Okay, if this is okay with you, I was thinking about how you are certain that this is a trap. I don’t doubt or discount it, I think we take advantage of it.

Letting those words hang for a minute, Connel kept going.

They are prepared for your coming. They’re ready for you, and if you are a part of their prophecy… admittedly I am only theorizing… he smirked again. ... that means they might be thinking that you would do this alone. He waved his hand.

The moment we drop out of hyperspace… I cloak myself in the Force as well as alter their visual environment? I’ll stay close enough to you so you are not seeing the effects, and might even be cloaked as well… but it will require a lot of focus from me to do both at the same time… so … then… at the right moment… I drop everything and we do what we do? The ship can be programmed to fly overhead so all we have to do is get to a spot where it could fly by and pick us up.

TAGS • Katarine Ryiah
Personal Effects - Omega Squad Loadouts - Shadow Sanctuary - Enterprise​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

In the burning heart​

Tags: Connel Vanagor

"That could work. They will be expecting me but you are right.. I doubt they will count on me bringing in someone else."

The reality of the situation was that Katarine preferred to do most things alone. Or maybe it wasn't a preference but just a self-imposed exile. The truth was Katarine often battled uncertainty and self-confidence issues. It was just so much easier to work by herself with how much she got into her own head at times. She worried about letting people down, and also she worried about attachments. Even now, after admitting that she had some type of feelings for Connel she was feeling the need to disappear into the galaxy. Why? When would the cycle break?


"Alright it's a solid plan. Stick close and don't reveal yourself until you have to. You can be the secret weapon."

 

[Connel Vanagor]

... just about to burst
Odessen
Kat’s Ship

Michael, Gabriel, Azrael, Sariel, Raphael, Jeremiel, Connel, Raguel
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]

She was clearly worried about what was about to happen? The questions are “why?” and “for who?” Was she worried for herself? Her brother? Or Connel? The Shadow lived a lonely, closed off existence prior to meeting her, he had his “brothers” in Omega Squad, his mother, and Buster, that was it. Now she was entering his life. She seemed worried. It was understandable.

Okay. Strapping up his armor, he kept her eyes. We’re about to go into a Rancor’s Den, I’m sure, so get as much rest and relaxation as you can. I need to get into my normal mindset.

The words were not to dismiss her, not at all. He simply wanted her burdens to be lifted.

No matter what happens, once I drop my guard… worry about your brother. he said, checking tech and putting them into pockets, as well as checking his Lightcarbine before deciding against it. Making up for that with more Throwing Lightknives.. We’re going to get through this, in and out, safe and sound. He waved his hand.

You can do this… probably better than I can…

TAGS • Katarine Ryiah
Personal Effects - Omega Squad Loadouts - Shadow Sanctuary - Enterprise​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

In the warriors code there's no surrender​

Tags: Connel Vanagor


She knew he was just trying to steady her nerves, to keep her spirits from sinking beneath the weight of what lay ahead, and she appreciated it more than she could say. When he mentioned needing to get his game face on, she understood perfectly. She probably needed to do the same.

"Do what you gotta do."

You've got this… probably better than I ever could…

She actually huffed at that, disbelieving, almost amused. Her? When she thought of the great Jedi of the galaxy, names like Hawk Hinata, Romi Jade, Caltin Vanagor, even Valery Noble came to mind… but never Katarine Ryiah. History, if it bothered to remember her at all, would likely scribble her in the margins. She wasn't a Yoda in the grand saga. She was just… Kat.

And yet, here she was, about to step into the fire anyway.

She clapped him lightly on the shoulder, offering a crooked half-smile before giving him room to prepare. She needed to prepare too and for Kat, that meant retreating inward. Meditation.

In her quarters, she dropped into the lotus position, closed her deep green eyes, and reached out through the Force. Almost immediately, the dyad she shared with Dax ignited, faint, flickering, but unmistakably there. Weak… but alive.

She focused, letting the bond pull her deeper until, after several long, aching moments, she heard him.

"…Tag…"

Her breath caught at how thin his voice felt across the bond...frail, frayed with exhaustion and fear.

"Ready or not," she murmured, eyes opening, steady now. "Here I come."

She rose calmer, centered. Ready to walk into the lion's den… and drag the lion out, kicking and screaming if she had to.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

... just about to burst
Odessen
Kat’s Ship

Michael, Gabriel, Azrael, Sariel, Raphael, Jeremiel, Connel, Raguel
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]

When she left, he continued to put his gear on. Buster was sound asleep on some pillows, fat and happy, having just ate. So he was good. With that, the Shadow closed his eyes as he set his mask before him.

Breathe. The world narrows to heartbeat and silence.

Fear has sound. I do not.
Anger burns. I freeze it, shape it, make it mine.
They see the mask and think I vanish behind it. But I do not vanish—
I become what remains when everything else has burned away.

I am not here for glory. I am not here for revenge.
I am here because someone must stand where others fall.
I am the weight in the balance, the blade in the dark, the stillness in the storm.

The shadows are not my prison. They are my weapon.
The light is not my weakness. It is my reason.

Those who follow me will walk in silence, not fear.
Those who face me will hear nothing—until it is too late.

I am Ariel.
I am the echo that follows justice.
And I do not miss.

TAGS • Katarine Ryiah
Personal Effects - Omega Squad Loadouts - Shadow Sanctuary - Enterprise​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Though his body says "stop!", his spirit cries "never!"​

Tags: Connel Vanagor

As they split off to prepare, the ship surged onward, the hyperdrive propelling them through the star-streaked void. Outside, the galaxy blurred into ribbons of light; inside, quiet purpose settled over each Jedi. Connel steeled his mind. Katarine sought her center. And somewhere between them, the young pup dozed peacefully, untouched by the gravity of what awaited.

Hyperspace ended almost as quickly as it had begun. With a shudder and a streak of returning stars, they dropped back into realspace and began their descent.


The ship guided itself down, nestling into the shadow of jagged stone outcroppings. Beyond the ridge, the ancient temple rose silent, weathered, watching.

Katarine stood, drawing in a long breath. The air felt heavier now.
It was time.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

... just about to burst
Odessen
Kat’s Ship

Michael, Gabriel, Azrael, Sariel, Raphael, Jeremiel, Connel, Raguel
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]

The moment that he felt the ship drop out of hyperspace, Connel whispered three simple words.

Love you, buddy.

Finally opening his eyes, he began to focus on what he was planning to do through the Force. Slowly, his aura was diminishing and he was focusing on simply being “invisible” to eyes not his. As he clipped his mask, Connel slowly stood and checked his gear. This was not going to be something of an easy mission and he knew it. He would not let Kat fall into fear, anxiety or depression, but would be delusional to act like this was going to be fun.

It would not. With a deep breath that was it.

Game time.

TAGS • Katarine Ryiah
Personal Effects - Omega Squad Loadouts - Shadow Sanctuary - Enterprise​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Deep in our soul a quiet ember knows it's you against you​

Tags: Connel Vanagor


The wind over Malachor howled like a wounded beast, heavy with ash and storm-light. Far beyond the jagged horizon, forks of lightning split the sky, casting fleeting silver over the shattered plains. At her flank, Connel knelt in perfect stillness, aura folded into silence. Even to Katarine's finely tuned senses, he was nearly indistinguishable from the stone, a living weapon held in reserve. His role was clear: remain unseen. Strike only when the blade of fate demanded it. Katarine exhaled, soft and steady. Daxium. Her twin's name drifted through her mind like a ripple in the Force, distant, muted. She would not leave this world without him.

Without another word, she slipped forward.

The entrance to the dark temple was a yawning maw, carved with jagged runes that pulsed faintly with malevolent crimson. The air reeked of cold iron and charred incense. Katarine pressed her palm to the stone, closing her eyes. Through the ancient walls she felt heartbeat-like tremors of ritual, voices chanting, minds sharpened by fanatic purpose. She moved with ghostlike precision, gliding between columns and fractured statuary. Her lightsaber remained dormant at her belt. In this den of cultists, light was as loud as thunder. Tonight, she would be silent.

Rounding a bend in the corridor, she froze.

Three cult acolytes knelt before a brazier, masked faces tilted up in prayer, their crimson robes slick with ritual oil. Their words were an invocation to shadow that dripped like poison through the air. They noticed her a heartbeat too late.

Katarine struck. She flowed into Teras Käsi, the ancient hand-to-hand art she had mastered long ago. The art was a brutal dance of precision and dominance. She surged forward in a blur. A heel strike shattered the first acolyte's throat before he could cry out. A sweeping palm snapped the second's elbow backward with a sickening crack. The third lunged with a vibroblade but she pivoted, caught his wrist, and drove her knee into his ribs. Bone crunched. He collapsed, silent.

Not one scream. Not one spark of light. The cult's prayer fire guttered, flickering as if in fear.

Katarine stood over the fallen, chest rising only slightly. Her eyes turned deeper into the corridor, to where she felt the faintest echo of a heartbeat she had known since the cradle. Behind her, somewhere in the labyrinth's dark, she knew Connel waited, veiled and lethal.

The storm outside groaned across the horizon. The storm within was only beginning.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

... just about to burst
Odessen
Kat’s Ship

Michael, Gabriel, Azrael, Sariel, Raphael, Jeremiel, Connel, Raguel
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]

Connel was close by, taking in the surroundings, checking each entry point, each exit, counting the steps, the turns. He was prepared to fight, but this was not the time. Kat was still in need of springing the trap set for them, her brother needed to be found.

He would be.

~You’re doing exactly what they want you to… good… you got this.~

Speaking to her through the Force once the last in the room fell, he let the words hang. She was smooth in her target transitions, but she clearly was not used to this sort of environment. There was nothing wrong with this at all, no mistake to be made, but right now, she could probably use the encouragement more than anything. Everything was real now, and they needed to focus on the mission. Kat's instincts were sharp, but the stakes were higher than ever. Connel knew they had to stay one step ahead, trusting their training and each other to outmaneuver their adversaries and secure their objective.

This was her show, and he was her ace in the hole.

TAGS • Katarine Ryiah
Personal Effects - Omega Squad Loadouts - Shadow Sanctuary - Enterprise​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

It's the paradox that drives us on​

Tags: Connel Vanagor

~You're doing exactly what they want you to… good… you got this.~

Katarine felt steadier with Connel at her shoulder. His quiet presence, a murmur of support rather than words that kept the edges of her fear from fraying as they threaded deeper into the temple. With each shadowed corridor she reached for the Force, searching for Daxium. His presence was a thin thread: weak, wavering, but still there. A cold worry settled in her chest. They should have met more resistance by now.

They came to a fork. Katarine hesitated; her body began to turn right when a faint whisper brushed her mind.

Colder

She smirked and went left. The stairs dropped away underfoot into a torchlit chamber. At its center sat the frozen block from her vision, a jagged monument of ice, and inside it the blurred silhouette of her twin. A bank of consoles ringed the slab, needles twitching and small lights glittering on old machinery. For the moment, the chamber was empty.

Katarine moved forward, studying the apparatus. The controls were unfamiliar but not impenetrable. She eased the nearest dial, then another, listening to the machine come alive: a long, low hum that vibrated up through stone and bone. Frost beaded and sighed. The ice changed, thinning, yielding.

She reached for him, not with fingers but with the soft thread of the Force. Olly-olly-oxen-free, she said, almost to herself.

The ice gave. Daxium's body slumped free and fell forward. Katarine lunged, catching him before he struck the cold floor. He trembled in her arms, a violent, animal shiver, and she fumbled in her jumpsuit for the gloves she kept for him. Even with his hands shaking, he obeyed; he let her pull the protective fabric over his skin the way he always had to since birth.

He coughed, hacking and spluttering, collapsing to his knees. His eyes were unfocused; the aftershock of being frozen. The carbonite sickness blurred his vision. Katarine worried about the erosion of his strength: how much had been drained, and would he even be able to move once the sickness passed?

Before she could voice the question aloud, he drew back like a man surfacing from deep water and, with a sudden, raw motion, punched her full in the mouth. The force of it knocked the breath out of her; she tasted blood, felt her lip swell. She spat it onto the stone and laughed, bitter and breathless.

"I guess I deserved that," she said.

Daxium rasped a word between retches. "You… deserve… worse."

His body shook as he forced the sentence out, but his arms and knees held him; he was still surviving by stubborn will, not strength.

Katarine hauled him up by the shoulders, grinning through the sting. "Then come on. Let's get out of here so you can kick my ass properly."

He barked a laugh, wet, low and surprised, and let her pull him upright. For the first time in centuries, they were together, but the delight was short lived when an alarm pierced the air.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

... just about to burst
Odessen
Kat’s Ship

Michael, Gabriel, Azrael, Sariel, Raphael, Jeremiel, Connel, Raguel
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]

Connel was quiet, but suspicious.

There was something about this that was entirely too easy.

Yes, he knew this was a trap, they both did. Yes, they both were entering this situation knowing that, but on top of that, there was something more to all of this that neither of them were understanding. This was not the typical “Vanagor/Always on your guard” paranoia. No, there was something to what was going on that was eating at him. This was her twin they were going after, and even if he was not directly involved, what if he was compromised?

This trip was too simple.

When the floor gave way, Connel was able to see it and prepare himself. This allowed him to watch silently as Kat released her brother from his icy prison. When he witnessed the physical assault, the Jedi almost reacted, but there was a bigger picture here. He did not even help her carry the man out. Then he simply told her through the Force.

~”He’s lucky that he’s your brother. I almost reacted.”~

Especially now that the alarms went off. When members of the cult could be heard, he waited, and prepared mentally.

TAGS • Katarine Ryiah
Personal Effects - Omega Squad Loadouts - Shadow Sanctuary - Enterprise​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Tags: Connel Vanagor

~"He's lucky that he's your brother. I almost reacted."~

Katarine felt the corner of her mouth tug upwards into an unsteady grin at this. The truth was Daxium had done much worse to her. Their relationship was volatile and confusing but she couldn't just let him rot in this place. For better or for worse he was family and she supposed that meant something.

She pulled her twin forward, her ears splitting from the loud alarms. She could hear footfalls around them and knew something was coming. Daxium seemed to know too because his feet, which were at one point dragging, were now trying to bare is own weight. Unfortunately they weren't doing a great job with it.

His head snapped up suddenly and he narrowed his eyes. "Did you come alone?" She ignored him, choosing instead to pull him forward rather more roughly than strictly necessary. He growled at her, his yellowing eyes narrowed suspiciously. Rescue or no rescue Katarine wasn't stupid enough to trust her twin. It had already occurred to her that he might be the one springing the trap. Unfortunately she was enough of a sap that it was worth the risk.

Her concern about double crossing was somewhat abated when he suddenly grabbed her waist and pulled her sideways, just in time to miss a volley of blasterfire. He fell sideways, hitting his knees and coughing. Katarine half reached for him, half looked around to see where the attack came from. Then the Force screamed another warning. She spun around and with a snaphiss her white blade sprang to life, quickly deflecting the blaster bolts now littering the air.

The cult was upon them.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

... just about to burst
Malachor V
Cult home

Michael, Gabriel, Azrael, Sariel, Raphael, Jeremiel, Connel, Raguel
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]

He heard Daxium.

Heard him loud and clear.

Connel stayed quiet, but he could feel it. The double-cross was happening, but he had to remain quiet until Kat was ready for him to drop the veils. The confirmation of what was about to happen was the yellowing of the man’s eyes. It was only a matter of time now, and it didn’t matter anymore.

Once the cult members were in sight, Connel was busy preparing his fight plan. Who he would attack first, where he would go next, what weapons he would use on who and so on. One thing Connel was not going to do was keep that brother of hers unguarded as well. They all wanted her here, and until proven different, that included Daxium.

She was getting out of here safely.

Even if she was the only “Ryiah” who does.

TAGS • Katarine Ryiah
Personal Effects - Omega Squad Loadouts - Shadow Sanctuary - Enterprise​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Tags: Connel Vanagor

"Stay down."

She spoke to her twin, taking her place in front of him. Her light and speedy frame danced and twirled, sending blaster bolts hurling back at their shooters. Several cult members fell, but more were advancing. They didn't seem to want to get too close to the twins, like they were waiting for some sign. She didn't like that at all.

Katarine felt her twin summon the Force and pull, a few rocks from the ceiling escaping and falling on the cult members. "I told you to stay down!"

"You were taking too long."

Katarine rolled her eyes. Bickering was a normal part of any sibling relationship. The next moment she reached out her hand and sent more rocks toppling onto the cult members. The chamber filled with dust and she coughed, silent hopping Connel was alright. She heard shifting behind the rock as cult members started to dig their way out.

She deactivated her blade and pulled Daxium up, then started dragging him down the hallway. He was still shaking but his feet were carrying his weight better than she would have imagined.

"They are going to follow." He gasped and Katarine actually glanced sideways, worried he was going to pass out.

"I've got that covered."

Or rather she hopped Connel did.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

... just about to burst
Odessen
Kat’s Ship

Michael, Gabriel, Azrael, Sariel, Raphael, Jeremiel, Connel, Raguel
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]

He was fine.

He was simply waiting for her to give him the cue (or the need to come for it on its own).

Connel stayed quiet, but he was busy altering what the cult members would see. They would see a scared Katarine, unable to cope with what was going on, running in fear and in circles. They would see a Daxium weaker than he really was, but destroying their Temple wildly.

They would see a lot of chaos.

They would hear bickering, but they would hear the twins going in directions they weren’t.

TAGS • Katarine Ryiah
Personal Effects - Omega Squad Loadouts - Shadow Sanctuary - Enterprise​