Private You Can't Run Away [ Asha]

[Darth Carnifex]

The doors parted open uneasily, the mechanisms in the right door having been broken long ago and never repaired. It stopped about a third of the way, metal grinding against stone as it tried in vain to retract into the wall. A hand reached out, gripped the edge of the door, and forcefully shoved it into the wall as it whined in protest. Sparks flew out as whatever mechanisms were intact (hanging on by a thread) were likewise broken, the door would not come back from where it had been moved.

Beyond the margins of the door was darkness, the gloomy interior of a school long abandoned to the neglect of time. Taking a step forward, the hooded individual passed through the threshold and ventured into the school. He passed many empty classrooms, desks overturned and various debris scattered haphazardly across the floor. The corpses of small animals were also present, mostly avians and rodents, but there were some larger remains here and there; but hardly any larger than the others.

It wasn't until the figure reached what had once been the school mess hall did He stop. His hooded gaze swept left, then swept right, slowly taking in the dilapidation of His surroundings. To the untrained eye, it appeared as though the school had remained unoccupied since its abandonment. But that was not true, His eyes could see where others could not. There were faint but tell-tale signs that there was still activity within the ruins, and they had led Him to this room in particular.

Stepping forward so that He was at the center of the room, He called aloud in a commanding voice.

"Come forward, so that I may look upon you. I know that you are here, and I know that you can see and hear me. Tarry long, and I will have to come to you."

Asha Seren ​

 

[Asha Seren]

Kobe hadn't returned from Tython.​

​

How long she'd waited and toiled within the remnants of the Academy, Asha couldn't say for sure. What she did know was that she was running low on what paltry supplies she'd originally been left with, as well as those she'd scavenged from throughout the school. Ancient as they were, some of the shelf stable powders had proven capable of being reconstituted, given a little water. Didn't taste great going down, but needs must.​

​

She'd even taken to stalking the perimeter of the Academy, too afraid that straying too far would cause her to miss the return of her husband, in search of small game to hunt. It had been a long time since she'd ran with the Mandalorians, and developed such survival skills, but some habits were harder to kill than others. The busted in ceiling windows in the cafeteria made for a perfect smoke vent, allowing her to cook the meat over an open flame.​

​

It had become her home in many ways, the mess hall. Central to the structure, with good vantage points through the sets of doors on either side of the room. She'd pulled in some furniture from the other rooms, hefted down a mattress from one of the dormitories, and... well... waited.​

​

Keeping busy was difficult with so few things to do, but as that afternoon passed by she was doing her best to keep from idling all the same. She stood before a broken holotable, various panels removed to expose its inner workings. A set of tools lay sprawled across its surface, and when the sound of grinding gears ricocheted through the hall her arm was half lost within its wires.​

​

By the time that the strange voice called out, she'd just about detangled herself from the device; Asha slunk down behind it, breath caught in her throat. That wasn't Kobe's voice, nor was it Cale... If not them, then who? She'd been assured that this wasn't even a mapped world, that it would be nigh on impossible for someone to find her here.​

​

And yet find her they had.​

​

Approach the stranger, or have him approach her. Those were her options... Not least given that she didn't exactly have a weapon to her name. A spanner perhaps, but what use was that in a world of blasters and plasma swords?​

​

She remained crouched out of sight. Maybe, just maybe, she could fool him into thinking the room was devoid of life.​

​

Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

As the figure moved into a sunbeam cast down through the broken ceiling above, their appearance solidified. They were a tall individual, somewhere north of two meters. Their face was still obscured by the hood drawn over it, the rest of their body draped in a weathered brown-hued robe and tunic. Metal glinted between the folds and tassels of the stranger's robes, a lightsaber handing from a small metal clip at their waist.

Turning their head towards where Asha was hiding, the voice again called. "I mean thee no harm, I come as a friend." Their voice had softened significantly, calming but also beguiling, velvety as a whisper. With both hands they grasped the hem of their hood and drew it back, revealing their face to the light. It was quite humanoid, with mauve-colored skin run through with silver tattoos. Their silver hair was cut short and faded on either side. They were also clean-shaven, although some stubble was beginning to return.

"I've come from Tython. I was told by a Mandalorian named Tracyn that you were waiting for him here. He apologizes that he could've keep his promise, but the Sith attacked Tython during his absence from you and he was wounded. We've only recently been able to spare any of us to come and find you." The man's words certainly seemed like an answer, but in Asha's isolation she could not verify any of the events that he spoke of. Still, he did not appear as an enemy, every aspect of his appearance down to his body language gave off the impression of a friend.

"I apologize if I startled you, the war has me on edge and weary."

Asha Seren ​

 

[Asha Seren]

Peeking out from around the holotable, Asha watched as the figure revealed themselves. Purplish skin, silvery hair and tattoos, robes which bore the earthy hues of the Jedi of old... It wasn't someone she knew, but he didn't seem as though he was here with ill intent either. His lightsaber hilt was visible on his belt, hands empty, and he tried to assure her that he was friendly.​

​

Well, anyone could claim to be friendly she knew. It wasn't enough to bring her out of her hiding spot.​

​

Mention of Tython, and indeed Tracyn, however did. Her head lifted ever so slightly, so that her eyes were visible from behind the device. Her heart willed what he said to be true in some capacity, that Kobe had sent for her. Injured... Concern was wrought on her expression, and soon she was on her feet. The table remained between them, as did the vastness of the hall.​

​

"Is he okay?" she whispered, "Is Kobe okay?"​

​

Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He smiled warmly, the faintest glimmer of teeth behind dark purple lips, and he turned to face Asha as she partially revealed herself. But, he did not move towards her, she was obviously wary in his presence and he didn't want to elicit any alarm or scare her off. He did, however, kneel down on one leg, so that he may appear closer to her eye-level and more approachable.

"Tracyn's injuries were traumatic. He's been stabilized but he's unconscious. It was fortuitous that he'd managed to relay his promise to us before he'd slipped into a deep sleep. The Force willed it so, and the Force has brought me to you."

Again, the man spoke with an earnest voice. All of her senses would lead her to believe that this man, this stranger, was truly there to help her. Cut off from the Force as she was, she could not even begin to investigate what lay beneath the warm and caring façade. If she had, she might have known to run.

"There are ample accommodations on my ship. If you come with me, I will take you to Tracyn's side."

He reached out with an extended hand, offering it to her.

Asha Seren ​

 

[Asha Seren]

Traumatic. Nothing more needed to be said for Asha to lose any and all sense of caution. It had been among the reasons she'd initially avoided seeking out any from her past, Tracyn, Thurion, Josh... It didn't seem worth the risk. She knew how readily she would come undone if they were lost in whatever crossfire was formed of her emergence.​

​

Only this hadn't been her doing. She hadn't even wanted him to leave for Tython, though she understood how dire the situation had been. Maybe that only worsened her need to see him, set down her carefully constructed guard. There was no paranoia to be had because it didn't remotely seem like something the Vornskr had a hand in. It couldn't be a trap...​

​

"Bring me to him..." she breathed, eyes wide and frantic though the rest of her seemed to tone it down. "Please..."​

​

Holotable fast forgotten, the safety of this unmapped world forsaken, she stepped around the barrier which lay between them and took two steps toward the man. She glanced at his hand, then lifted her gaze to his eyes. Her inability to connect with the Force kept her from seeing anything that lay beyond the surface, and even her gut wasn't throwing off any alarms.​

​

So she settled her hand in his. "Thank you" she said with full sincerity. How long would she have been stuck here waiting if this stranger hadn't sought her out?​

​

Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He placed his other hand over hers, cradling it gently. His smile was warm and sympathetic, understanding. "It is our duty to protect life, to safeguard it. My ship lies beyond the academy, it will take us to where Tracyn resides." With equally gentle motions, the 'Jedi' began to lead Asha out of the academy, moving only at the pace that she was comfortable with. Before long, they had passed through the broken entrance and were out on the yard, which had grown wild with weeds and grass. Some sections had been visibly cleared away, seared off by a lightsaber.

The ship was just a few yards further, parked in spot where the grass was sparser and the land more even. It looked like a Jedi craft, the hull a creamy white with gold trimming. The boarding ramp lowered at their approach, the sloped ramp morphing into steady stairs once they got close enough to it. At the top of the stairs was a small spherical droid, which trilled musically to them. The 'Jedi 'laughed softly as he helped Asha up into the ship, the interior of which was the same cream color as the exterior and was sparsely furbished owing in part to the ascetic discipline of the Jedi Order.

Once Asha was all settled in, the 'Jedi' moved to the cockpit and began the flight sequences. The ship purred and rumbled as it lifted up into the air, the vibrations stopping only after they passed through the atmosphere and entered open space. Then they transitioned into hyperspace, and all was a kaleidoscope of colors beyond the viewports.

The 'Jedi' rose from the pilot's seat and walked over to Asha. "It will take some time before we arrive, would you like something to eat or drink? I'm afraid my craft has little in the ways of entertainment, I usually meditate on long journeys."

Asha Seren ​

 

[Asha Seren]

Before she could be led away, Asha fumbled to a halt and turned her head back toward the holotable. "I... I need to leave Cale a message" she mumbled. It took her a moment to realize that she had a commlink now, and Gunderson's frequency. She shook her head, and then focused back on the Jedi. Once they were safe aboard his ship, she could shoot him a message. What was more important right now was finding Tracyn.​

​

Following him out of the Academy, she became increasingly more nervous with each step they took away from its safety. It didn't take long to find the ship though, and from the outside looking in it certainly seemed to match the man. Her guard lowered all the more once they were safely inside, the ascetic interior brought her untold ease. Reminded her of a simpler time.​

​

When the Jedi disappeared Asha found a seat to perch upon and pulled out her commlink. She didn't use it right away, truth be told she didn't even know what to tell Cale. She knew... well... nothing. Settling down the commlink, she rose up and headed toward the cockpit just in time to feel the ship take off. By the time she reached it they were face to face, as the Jedi was exiting.​

​

He offered her refreshments, but Asha shook her head gently. "Where are we headed?" she asked, walking back with him toward the dinette. There she sat down, and stared at the commlink again. "I'm sorry, but what's your name? How rude of me..." She should have asked sooner. Hearing such dire news regarding Tracyn left her feeling frantic and not quite herself.​

​

Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"I've charted a course to the Alliance medical station where Tracyn is being treated. Tython was too dangerous to keep him, the Sith unleashed a great many horrors. So him, and many others, were transported to various medical facilities in protected space." The Jedi flashed a warm and disarming smile, his cool and calm demeanor helping to smooth out her worries. Yet, still, every so often he would glance at her strangely. It didn't last for more than a heartbeat, but it was there nonetheless.

It was a knowing look, like this wasn't the first time they'd met. But that was impossible, she'd know that she'd never seen this man before in her life. She might chalk it up to being part of an overactive imagination brought on by her anxieties for Tracyn, but then again it could be more than that. The mystery of this nameless Jedi who had come out of nowhere only to scoop her up and take her away from her sanctuary. Was there anything more to it than what he told her?

Or was it all in her head?

His smile widened slightly, the faint glimmer of teeth shining between dark purple lips. "My name is Roqu, Roqu Gaim. I served alongside the Galactic Alliance Defense Force's 741st Mobile Infantry for many years. I was on Tython when the Sith attacked, the 741st fought valiantly but many were lost to the darkness." Truly, Tython had been devastating to many of the Alliance's forces that had participated. Much havoc was wrought, and the entire world was scarred from the fighting.

Such idle conversation would continue as it would for the length of their journey, until at last the Jedi's ship exited hyperspace on the edge of a trinary star system. The system was mostly empty save for a habited world at its farthest edge, which their ship was now approaching. Orbiting above the world was a space station, not exceptionally large but not small either. It was just sizable enough for its purpose, which was a medical waystation between larger facilities within Alliance space.

Strangely, there were no other vessels in sight, no Alliance squadrons or support craft near the station or the planet itself. Nonetheless, the Jedi ship approached and maneuvered into the nearest landing bay. Settling down, the ship came to a rest with a hiss of hydraulic air. The Jedi arose at this point, the boarding ramp lowering with a mechanical wheeze.

"Here we are, we'll get checked in and I'll help direct you to Tracyn."

But, as they exited the starship and started walking, Asha would notice that there were no one else around them. No maintenance crew, no technicians, not even droids. It was eerily quiet, only their footsteps and the quiet woosh of the air recyclers breaking the intermittent silence. Leaving the hanger would yield even less, for the hallways that one would expect to be bustling with staff were completely devoid of life. All the lights still worked, and the station seemed to be at full operational capacity, but there wasn't anyone there.

And the shadow beneath the Jedi grew longer, and the dark sensation nibbling at the back of her neck became impossible to ignore.

Asha Seren ​

 

[Asha Seren]

He gave her answers plainly enough, didn't seem to stall for time to think. Nor did he over embellish, delve into too much detail as though he was infodumping, just enough to seem viable. Reliable even.​

​

"Well, Master Gaim, I thank you for your service, and I'm most sorry for those you have lost. That they gave their lives for Tython's is no small feat, they should be well memorialized for their part in keeping that sacred world in tact."​

​

Tython was a world whose significance she could not ever overlook or forget. The origin of their people, their various splintered faiths, a real live Nexus that was seemingly alive. The thought of not being able to visit the ruins of Akar Kesh, or look upon the moons Ashla and Bogan, was unsettling. With any luck when the Force Storms cleared and the world was able to refind its balance there'd still be some of the Tho Yor remaining.​

​

Perhaps a pilgrimage was on the cards. It had been so very long, after all.​

​

The lack of ships out there in the system did give her a moment of pause. She wrinkled her nose slightly as the view greeted them, definitely a station but already something felt a little off. "Is it always so... quiet?"​

​

Continuing to descend, they soon docked. Again, empty.​

​

"I... I have a bad feeling, Master Gaim," she stated, even without her connection to the Force her gut twisted uncomfortably. "Might I school caution?" The accompanying Jedi did not seem at all fazed by it though. Was she wrong? Couldn't he feel it..? "It's as though no one has been here for... a long time. Are you sure this is where he was brought?"​

​

At this point she thought that perhaps they'd given him the wrong coordinates. Then they stepped into the empty hallways and she found herself reaching for her lightsaber.​

​

Only... She didn't have it, did she? She hadn't had a lightsaber in so very long. Held one, sure, Tracyn's when they'd last seen one another, but her own? No other weapon on her person either.​

​

Then she realized, with a sinking heart, that she'd forgotten her commlink too. It sat upon the table in the lounge.​

​

Asha stalled to a halt, and then slowly began to back up.​

​

"What is this?" she asked, eyes narrowing into the back of his head, "What's going on?"​

​

Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

What Asha couldn't have possibly know was that Jedi Master Roqu Gaim had perished on Tython, along with the entirety of the 741st Mobile Infantry. He'd gone missing after the bulk of the fighting had concluded, disappeared along with the guard regiment of an entire Alliance garrison. Nothing had been left behind to indicate where they had gone or what fate had befallen them, and Master Roqu Gaim was briefly mourned but faded from thought and memory as the war with the Maw continued to grind on.

Such disappearances had been endemic since the war's start, but much of it had flown under the radar or pushed to the bottom of priorities because the Brotherhood was such a greater issue at hand. The Shadow that moved through the core of the galaxy continued to do so, willingly neglected by those who would be its most ardent adversaries.

So now as the Jedi Master turned back to face Asha, it was with the face of a dead man. Eyes, sullen and lifeless, seemed to stare off into distant space rather than focus down at her. The mouth hung agape, teeth brittle and broken, a cavernous emptiness stretching into utter blackness. When they spoke, their jaw no longer moved in accordance with their words.

"So we've come to it at last. Though the game served its purpose, it has long outlived its time."

From within the open mouth peered an eye, a crimson halo suspended in the endless void. It glared down at Asha Seren, brimming with hatred and malice, before the darkness again swallowed it up. But the emptiness was soon to be filled, for gloved digits reached out from within the Jedi's throat and tightly grasped the upper lip and nose. Mirroring digits followed shortly, grasping the lower lip and jaw. Then the Jedi spasmed, the head wrenched back up towards the sky as the most horrendous scene unfolded.

Their body began to be pulled apart from the mouth down, ash spewing out where there should have been blood. Within the span of a heartbeat, what was once Jedi Master Roqu Gaim was eviscerated into a cloud of dust. In their wake stood a towering individual, their head nearly scraping the corridor's ceiling. Though partially obscured by the remains of the Jedi Master, there was no mistaking just who exactly it was that stood before Asha Seren.

In the gloomy darkness, Darth Carnifex loomed menacingly.

"Hello, Asha. I've missed you."

Asha Seren ​

 

[Asha Seren]

"No."​

​

Asha took a small step back as the Jedi Master's face twisted into a grim mask of death. All at once her heart stilled, and a sickness stirred within her stomach. ​

​

"No, no, no..."​

​

An idiot, that's what she was. Asha Seren, absolute idiot. She'd been swindled, pulled out of the safety she'd formed for herself and tossed back into the flaming pits of Chaos.​

​

When its dead face began to fold out on itself, hands pulling the head apart from the jaw out, she stumbled back further until her back stuck the wall and her head span. She knew who it was before his hulking form made itself known, there was only one person it could be after all. The Vornskr who lurked ever in her shadow, glaring out at her. For a moment, just a moment, she'd thought herself paranoid.​

​

But now she knew better. It was as she'd feared.​

​

"Kaine..." Her tanned skin paled significantly, and she shook her head still in a state of disbelief. "Please, don't... Please. I can't return there. I won't."​

​

No weapon. No Force to draw upon. She clenched her fists, and shifted into a teras kasi defensive stance.​

​

"I'm not going with you, Kaine."​

​

Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He was just as she remembered Him, draped in the terrible majesty of the Black Iron Tyrant. The glow of His piercing eyes cut through the rapidly encroaching darkness, the corridor lights dimming before fading away entirely. His very presence dredged up all of her memories; the years bound in solitude within the dark confines of His monstrous lair, the indignities He forced upon her day after day, and her many deaths at His hand only to be torn back into the world of the living.

How many times had He killed her?

Uncountable.

Then, without explanation or warning, He released her from captivity. She was thrown to the wilds, left alone to fend for herself on a foreign world in a galaxy that had long since become unfamiliar. What she suspected, but could never truly know, was that the Dark Lord had been watching her every move since that day. Even her reunion was Tracyn Ordo was known to him, as was her hiding place. It wasn't chance or rigorous search that led Him to her, but preordained knowledge.

"Shh, shh, shh." Nothing the Dark Lord said could be in any sense of the word comforting, so even this ordinarily benign hushing was like nails upon chalk. His footfalls echoed like toiling thunder with each step He took towards Asha, who had backed up until the cold metal corridor wall prevented her from retreating further. "That time has passed, your penance has been served. Your reward was this brief idyllic interim, but that time has also come to pass. Now you shall return to me, and I shall show you the Dark Side."

He'd cornered her, and she knew that she could do little to stop Him from doing whatever He wanted.

Asha Seren ​

 

[Asha Seren]

His shushes and prowling steps were more horrifying than any threats or actions he might have sent her way. She shook her head, the repetitious 'No' dwindling into silent words mouthed instead of uttered. Maybe this was Hell. Maybe Chaos had grasped at her when she'd first fallen by his hand, and the rest was just the bed made for her in the Netherworld. A constant terror, never ending misery. She was dead, she had to be dead.​

​

This couldn't be real.​

​

And yet as she pressed further into the corner of the corridor she could feel him there, his presence was unavoidable.​

​

"Stay back" she warned, as she scanned her peripheral for something, anything, which might be used as a weapon. Alas her surroundings were as empty as the station itself. "I'm not... I won't..." The Darkside? She'd flirted with it once in her youth, knew of the horrors and corruption which lay within such a path. "No."​

​

She stepped forward then, not back, and brought the palm of her left hand up to strike the center of his chest. Weapons be damned, she'd trained with the Mandalorians, married one, she could fight with just her body. She would fight, or she would fall.​

​

Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

One so big should not have been able to move that fast, but He did.

Even before the crux of her arm had straightened out to deliver the blow, the Dark Lord's hand moved in to snatch it by the wrist. With such a hold, He could've crushed her carpal bones to dust, torn her limb clean off, or any number of horrific and violent acts. But He did none of those things, His grip was firm but not painful, and He only kept the hand from striking Him. In this close intimacy, they each could look one another in the eyes without the distortion of distance.

"No weapon fashioned against me, either of steel or of flesh, will prosper. You cannot succeed against destiny, struggle yes, but there is no victory against the inevitable. Since that day in the grove on Panatha, when our lips briefly touched, you have been set down a path that only had one conclusion." If able, He would reach out with His other hand and gently rub the base of His thumb against her lips, mirroring actions He had taken over fifty years ago.

"You will always be mine, Asha."

Asha Seren ​

 

[Asha Seren]

He was fast, and she was woefully out of practice. When he caught her wrist and held her firm she made to sweep one foot from under him but the strange proximity they shared and the glare of his gaze on hers left her frozen in place before the swipe could land. Her eyes widened to his words, and his touch, and when her foot settled against his ankle all of the momentum had been lost.​

​

"Why?" she asked; it wasn't even a question she'd thought to pose him before now. "Why are you doing this?"​

​

Asha did her best to pull her wrist back, the touch of his thumb on her lip a haunting reminder of their history together, of all he'd torn away from her, and all he'd done.​

​

"I died for you... to end this... Wasn't that enough?"​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"That penance was paid."

He slowly released His grip on Asha's wrist, now that they were close enough to almost be touching bodies. He towered over her, a monolith of honed muscle and sinuous fibers. The Dark Side was strong in His presence, almost intoxicating, and all light in the corridor beyond their small corner had all but evaporated into darkness. Only the light at her back illuminated them, half-casting the Dark Lord's face in shadow. But His eyes yet pierced the gloom, glowing bright no matter the darkness.

"I freed you from your captivity and let you roam, as reward. You ran to Tracyn Ordo, and he left you. He left you alone on that world with nobody else, no one to protect you, no one to guide you. Your powers have all but slipped from your fingers, the Force eludes you." He reached down to cup Asha's chin, making sure that her head was tilted up towards Him. "No one came back for you, Asha, not even those you call your children. But I did, I came back for you."

He released His gentle hold on her chin, returning freedom of movement.

"And I want you to come back with me, not as a prisoner, but as my student. I will show you the Force once again."

Asha Seren ​

 

[Asha Seren]

"Penance..." she practically spat the word, though oddly her voice remained quiet. Meek. She felt as though she was floating high above her body, rather than being attached to it. Disconnected. "What penance? What did I ever do to you?"​

​

He released her wrist, but even so she found herself stuck before him. Trapped like some rodent. Whether he restrained her or not, she wasn't going anywhere. Even for an Epicanthix he was towering, a giant among men. And this was his domain... Not hers. There was no light here, no peace to draw upon, just a crawling darkness which seeped ever closer.​

​

She tried to look away from him as he spoke on her abandonment, tears of shame stinging her eyes. "They didn't leave me" she whispered, as her chin was lifted and her gaze was forced to lock with his once more. "They just... There was just..." She swallowed, and her expression crumpled. "Tython... T-They had to save Tython."​

​

But how long had it been since then?​

​

How long had she been stuck there, on that rock, waiting... For Tracyn, for Cale... For anyone, really.​

​

No one had returned. None save the black shadow before her.​

​

"Why?" she asked again, and this time her voice cracked slightly. He promised her The Force, that which she had been without for so long now, and in response she shrunk even further in on herself. "I can't..."​

​

Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"It is your destiny."

Surprisingly, the Dark Lord knelt down to look her in the face on an even level. Though nothing in His expression changed, there was something distinctly different about Him. Not that He had changed from who He was, that was entirely immutable. But there was something else, just beneath the surface, that couldn't quite be quantified. A longing sadness deep behind those baleful eyes, of keen loss and unremittent grief. The hate still remained, perhaps even stronger than before, but it did not stand alone.

"Our world is gone."

There was only world He could be referring to, the one of their shared birth. Panatha.

Gone?

Perhaps now she could see why He'd come back for her, pushing aside whatever justifications He'd laid before her. Their world was gone, Panatha was no more, and they were bereft of a heartland, their mother's cradle. Would it surprise her to see such sorrow reflected, however dimly, in this monster's eyes? Would she know just how deeply He cared for the world whose air first filled His lungs so long ago? The grass beneath His feet, the water on His lips, the smells, the sights, the heartbeat that ran parallel with His own?

Maybe, and maybe that was enough.

"Come with me."

Asha Seren ​

 

[Asha Seren]

Destiny.​

​

It was a word too often thrown around, usually without any real foundation to support the claims. Some believed that all was as it should be, set in stone regardless of which path you chose to take, and others believed the future was ever in motion, altered by even the simplest of acts.​

​

Asha did not know which side of the scale she fell upon. She had always trusted in the Force, though she was not blindly led by it as some were.​

​

Destiny... It wasn't a satisfying answer, was it?​

​

When he took to his knee confusion washed over her. She could more readily look him in the eye now, and without the sharp angle she could read him more clearly. The emotions were oddly raw, sadness, loss, grief, the likes of which she'd never thought such a beast could possess. When he spoke next the same was reflected back.​

​

"No..."​

​

Panatha was gone..? Her heart ached, and her knees felt weak. There was so much about her home she'd never learned, so much about her father and his family that she didn't know and now likely never would. A whole world gone...​

​

"Our people?" she whispered, "How did...How did this happen?" Her brows furrowed. "Why didn't they stop it? Did they even try?" It would have been easy to assume she was still speaking about the Panathan people, but a slight tremor shook through her and she shook her head firmly. "They can save Tython, but what... Panatha doesn't matter? A world filled with people... Did they even try to save them?"​

​

Our people.​

​

In a way weren't they really Kaine's people? He had led them, ruled over them... ​

​

"I'm sorry" she breathed, "I'm so sorry..."​

​

They'd left her to rot, and they'd forsaken Panatha. How many lives had been lost? She could feel the Force beginning to swirl through her, toxic and nauseating she reached a hand out to support herself on the wall. Distress coursed through her.​

​

He asked her to go with him. There was a sincere air about him that she'd never noticed before, not since they'd first met in that grove. A fleeting, stolen kiss. Confusion from the start.​

​

Go with him. What else could she do? "You're not going to stop, are you?" She slumped back against the wall, and sank to the floor. "This isn't going to end..."​

​

Darth Carnifex ​