Wolf Cry

[Kyrinov]

Inon should have been perched on his throne in his usual fashion. One arm resting against the arm of his pitch black throne within the Manor of the Epoch Sanctum, the other resting on top of a bended knee as his left leg slumped over the opposite abyssal ledge on the chair. He should have been surrounded by servants that he often kept in his company when he did not demand his own privacy outside of his chamber.

Vernon and [member="Khaori"] should have been on his left and right sides. The former speaking to his Master about any topic which he knew would interest his Lord and the latter would be quiet unless she was called upon, though she was encouraged to speak freely within the Sanctum's walls. He should have been content, instead of being doused in a maelstorm of negative emotions that, in most circumstances, did not fit into his little expansive puzzle of pleasure, desire, and delight in some shape or fashion.

Instead, Lust paced within his own throne room. His casual wedged dress shoes clicking against the smooth, grey stone beneath a dais that held his throne in loving reverence. His face twisted in disgust as he thought the situation through in his tormented mind, attempting to watch the entire scene unfold before him as if he held time itself to rewind and watch repeatedly like a HoloNet feed until his mind could wrap itself around the very idea and accept the fate that befell his beloved estate.

It should not have happened. His sentinels should be alive, his residential students breathing and reporting to him about this horrific incident. The Pavilion should not have been in shambles with shingles hanging and columns threatening to buckle and collapse the entire main area. Blood should not have bathed and whitewashed the stone in the Courtyard a sickly shade of red.

Khaori should not have been taken from him in such a manner, she shouldn't be gone at all. She should be by hi--

But, a loud crash sound interrupted his pacing and self loathing. It was close. Far too close to the Sanctum for comfort. The trees rustled outside and the sharp sound of breaking wood echoed throughout the landscape. Sin below, did the creature that assaulted his home return so soon? He hoped out. But, still he ran out and searched the jungle surrounding the southern portion of the estate. The search itself was short lived. The one man shuttle jutted out in a clearing only large enough to conceal half of the vessel. Inon approached with an air of confidence and underlying caution, left hand prepped to reach across his waistline and draw Ardor from its holster.

There was no need to draw and ignite his weapon. Not a single living being emerged from the ship. That meant that either the pilot was severely injured and incapable of movement or the pilot was dead. Both outcomes worked for him. If they were injured, they would succumb to their wounds eventually. If they were dead, they were just that. Dead. Either way, the location and privacy of his Sanctum were uncompromised. Upon reaching the exposed cockpit, he could see that the person - the Jedi - was obviously dead. Blood covered the woman's body and her head seemed to have received the most damage. Well, at least it had been a near instantaneous death. No pain involved whatsoever for the young Jedi.

Inon sighed and returned to his Sanctum at a leisurely pace, walking slowly with his hands in his coat pockets. If she hadn't reported back to either a Republic or Order, they'd send someone to look for the now deceased woman. Lovely, just what he needed, more people near his private residence. But, he reasoned as he walked up to the Pavilion's wooden gate, if they did not come too close to his property he had no problem with their exploration of the dense vegetation that ensnared the structure he called an abode.

He glanced once more at the engraved craving on the gate, running milky white fingers over the grooves. The saying of 'SIS, KIAN, SEKLETI PASUO SALINI' could not have rang more true than it did in that moment. The irony of the statement itself was astounding and resonating. But, after all, this was the very reason he'd personally carved the phrase into the doors. That was the wonderful thing about men; they never became so discouraged or disgusted that they give up doing it all over again because he knows very well that it is important and worth the doing. So, he would rebuild soon. Very soon.

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

'Here the darkness reigns eternal. There is no sun, no dawn; just the perpetual gloom of night. The only illumination comes from jagged forks of lightning, carving a wicked path through angry clouds.

In their savage wake thunder shreds the sky, unleashing a torrent of hard, cold rain.'

It was the stuff of horror stories. Or perhaps tall tales told to mischievous Younglings to keep them on the path towards the Light.

But it was no fairy tale – it was real. A world perceived so dangerous that for centuries, Jedi were forbidden to explore its mysteries. It took on a personality of mythical proportions. But Dromund Kaas was real. Darkly, frighteningly, dangerously real, and she was about to land on it.

Lilla re-checked the coordinates of the distress call – or more accurately the lack of communication – which amounted to the same thing. A seasoned Jedi Knight had communicated that she’d heard a rumour and was following it up – here. That was all she shared. And she had gone radio silent ever since – beyond the acceptable tolerances for a check-in schedule.

Lilla saw the shuttle. It looked inoperative – but as to why and how? Lilla could not guess. She looked around for a landing spot in the jungle that would no doubt claim the crashed ship in a matter of weeks. She found somewhere, finally, about half a kilometre away and put her light freighter down. She’d named it The Negotiator due to her time as a Jedi Warden in Wild Space. It was the name of the first ship she’d served on. And the first she’d crashed on and seen destroyed – over half of the crew not surviving the landing. A bad omen? Lilla did not believe in superstition – or luck.

She raised the hood of her cloak as she stepped off the landing ramp, an inadequate shield against the wind and pelting rain. She knew storms were common here on Dromund Kaas; dark clouds perpetually blocking out the sun, rendering terms like day and night meaningless. The only natural illumination came from the frequent bursts of lightning arcing across the sky.

She understood that the powerful electrical storms were a physical manifestation of the dark side power that engulfed the entire planet — a power that had brought the Sith back here over a millennium before, when their very survival had been in doubt.

Another burst of lightning split the sky, momentarily illuminating some building in the distance. It did not appear on the maps – but the Jedi were not necessarily up to date when charting planets like this. In truth, allowing one Jedi here was foolish. Sending Lilla to find out what happened was more than foolhardy. Which is why she wasn’t sent. She was in a nearby system, saw the report and decided to act.

Like her predecessor, she left a brief message explaining her whereabouts and promising to check in regularly. And she sent the message on a delayed feed. It would be sent in a standard hour – long after anyone would be in a position to order her to stop and turn back.

[member="Inon"]

 

[Kyrinov]

A creamy palm pressed against large wooden door, rounded fingertips brushing against the engraved red colored phrase as he exerted just enough force to push the door open and away from his figure. He walked forward a few places, keeping his eyes down to avoid looking at the destruction around him. He paused there in the middle of the Courtyard, slowly raising his eyes to see the few scratched and shattered columns that remained to support the structure.

He glanced around with a heavy sigh. It shouldn’t have happened. His Khaori shouldn’t have been taken from him. Those words and phrases echoed in his mind, screaming louder than the disembodied voices that continually gave him a reminder of who – whose – he was. He let it drown out his conscious thoughts, let it burden his shoulders and press him towards the ground until his forehead touched the tile.

He took in a shaky breath as he sat up, leaning back on his heels before he made a move to stand up. He felt a hand touch his shoulder and in an instant, Ardor was in his left hand, alive and casting a brilliant violet hue against his attacker. But, the man who stood before him was not an intruder, far from one in fact. The hum of the lightsaber died as he lowered it and holstered it once more. But, he missed the hold and it dropped with a clank! to the floor.

Inon smiled and embraced Vernon in a death grip hug, laughing hysterically. He was alive! That thought alone filled with an unusual abundance of joy and delight. Lust could have likely collapsed with joy if he hadn't been holding on the man that was like a son to him. His green eyes opened abruptly, his arms swung out to hold his decoy at arm's length. "What happened to Khaori? Did you see what happened? Were you here?"

Vernon only smiled softly and led Inon into his personal chamber across the hall. The man sat Inon down on his bed and then moved to sit beside him. He recounted the tragedy in horrific detail. How the Sanctum was destroyed, how the wolf-beast ravaged the inhabitants he found, how he killed another one of Inon's decoys, and how he walked Khaori away while she carried the body of her "Master". Inon's face twisted into disgust as he listened to the account. His features relaxed when Vernon finally finished speaking through his own torrent of violent emotions.

So, there they sat. Master and servant, "father" and "son", original and decoy, embracing each other in a tight hug. Both were glad to see the other, yet... it wasn't the same. She was missing. The glue that held them together, the logic that reasoned with them was gone. But, it was within that moment that they both knew that they would bring her home at the first chance they got.

Until then, there was still the possible Jedi investigation of the missing Jedi woman who'd crashed only a few miles from their estate.

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla was learning – as any Jedi worth her salt would. But more recently, that development was experiential as opposed to theoretical. Some things, it seemed, could not be learned from a book. Such as operating as a Jedi in a place as inhospitable as this. And that did not mean the flora and potential fauna, or even the weather, but rather the oppressive and cloying sensation the planet exerted on her.

The dark side felt as though it wanted to permeate her very bones – and whereas the light was welcome and when she was at one with it, it filled her body, heart and mind with feelings of calmness and strength, this was almost the mirror opposite. Lilla felt weak and invaded and stressed at the constant attention the dark side seemed to be pressing on her.

She paused and breathed deeply, filtering the light from the dark. For the former was there, but was harder to find. It was as if she had to isolate the light – feeling as though weeds were choking the flowers she so readily embraced.

And the analogy did not end there. Not only did she find it hard to see the flowers for the weeds, she found the overgrowth obscuring everything around her – so much so that she felt she would miss other things she took for granted. Her senses were muted at best – even to the most obvious of signs.

So she progressed more slowly than she would normally. Not only might a dark-sider be hidden from her view, but also more mundane, but dangerous creatures. Lilla knew why she would not have been encouraged to visit the site – and if the roles were reversed, she would dissuade another Jedi from treading the steps she was currently embarking on.

With a rueful shake of her head, she pressed on. Being a Jedi was about service, not being selective about the mission she might choose. And she trusted in the Force. Despite the challenge presented by the dark aura that enveloped her, she knew – more than ever – that she would need to light side to prevail.

[member="Inon"]