Ask Coruscant Connected Fates

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith hadn't been on Coruscant since childhood, and did not enjoy the feeling of coming back to it. There was a reason she did though. The Force called to her. It brought her here and she knew she needed to follow through with it. There were things that plagued her mind since Naboo, and it was time to act on them.

She wouldn't need to get that close to where the idiot Jedi was being held, and being in civilian clothing she was simply part of the ebb and flow of the planet. After awhile, she could sense his presence in the Force, as the fool hadn't hidden it. Lilith sighed and then found a hotel room close enough to the compound that she could still sense the man.

After she arrived in her room, she went out on the deck so there was one less wall between them. She closed her eyes and reached out, further and further until she was able to touch his mind. The Force swirled around her as she made a telepathic connection, projecting an image—an illusion— of herself standing before him into his mind, should he not resist it. She did not want any doubt in his mind that it was her contacting him.

"Is this truly the path you want to take?" she asked, her voice cold as when they first met. "Look at where you are and why. You tried to help me by way of your foolish Jedi doctrine, and you were rewarded by having cuffs slapped on you," she added.

Lilith paused for a handful of heartbeats but would cut him off if he spoke before she continued, "You help a young girl, and the law here—the one you're choosing to abide by—turns against you. If you had stood there and allowed her to be abused and murdered..." she stopped, implying a better outcome for him. "How flawed must the galaxy be for you to start questioning it?"

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

First it was the Jedi that came to speak to him, then it was the Rangers, and kriff he had even heard rumors that the Hutts had interest in his current predicament. Who would have thought some nobody kid would turn out to be such a particularly valuable piece that the force was shuffling around. Oren had grown use to and accepted his fate, he was to serve two years in prison for his crimes against the thugs that nearly violated a woman--you could argue the semantics of it, if he was right or wrong, he didn't do much to question it.

Though one thing stuck out to him, in his isolation. The force, the light and the dark, living and death. Why did they have these powers and why did millions die when the light and the dark clashed? These were questions that the Master would need to seek out when he was released, but for now he could do nothing, but serve his time in the prison cell.

But, it seemed that one last party was interested in the aging Master. Slowly the image of a girl would appear in the cell beside him. He could recognize the half-mask and the cold voice. He sat on his solitary bed, legs crossed, hands in his lap, a neutral expression on his face as she spoke of his path, how he tried to help others, and this was where he was.

It was ironic, he would admit, he had lost his hand trying to save people, his left hand was burnt and scorched saving a young padawan who nearly died, his face burned and charred when he attempted to save her, and lastly he was serving two years of prison for saving a woman that very well may have been dead if he did nothing.

"You're right," he would say in calm expression, "I tried to save people and it's destroyed my body, and has left me within these walls." His hands would raise around them, "But, our actions have consequences, I saved one girl, but how many people's lives did I affect?" He'd ask, with a raised brow, "Those men I dismembered, maybe they go home and beat their children, and their child grows to continue the cycle of hatred...or maybe I save that girl on the lower levels..and she goes on to save countless lives, brings reform?"

"How do you balance your actions against the galaxy? Each time we ignite a blade, we speak to one another, it causes threads to be spun throughout the galaxy, our echos are a ripple that affect each and everything, and often in ways we don't expect." He would close his eyes, no anger in his words.

tag: @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

On the lower half of her face, where the mask did not cover, a smile appeared. A toothy, darker smile laced with confidence that could no doubt make her counterpart question the perception he had of her from Naboo. Both her illusions arms extended, and to them snapped a copy of each of her blades.

One red blade, one blue blade hissed to life and she gave him his answer, "By looking towards the future, what you claimed the Jedi do not do." Lilith, no, the Rain stepped forward, but in a curling fog of ink black she vanished then appeared much closer to the Jedi Master than before.

"By doing what will make the greatest impact on the galaxy possible," she continued, looking down at him. He'd be able to see her eyes even if the mask covered them—they were an inky yellow, but burned bright in the dimness of the prison cell. "By returning power to the hands of the people who can do the greatest amount good. By raining justice where corruption reigns supreme."

The blue blade in her right hand started to slowly change. The top of the blades color warped and darkened, twisting it to red all the way down to the very bottom of the blade. In her hands were now two red blades, one formally blue. She held the newly red blade out, knelled and dropped it on his lap.

"That's how," she ended, despite knowing what she'd said would not make the greatest amount of sense to the Jedi she wanted him to react, or question her. She wanted to see and understand him and so much more she couldn't put into words.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

None of this was real, the conversation they were having was, but the movement, the blades, none of it was happening in reality, it was a battle of minds and wit. Oren would watch as a wicked smiled formed on the only visible portion of the girl's face, as he felt a cold rush run through the room.

His lone eye shifted towards the red and then blue, light and dark, saying nothing as she vanished and appeared before him, the blue blade slowly bleeding away into a harsh crimson. He could feel the blade fall into his lap, though the Master wouldn't say anything for sometime.

It represented the frailty of life, how it was so easy to fall into a pit of darkness if one allowed themselves to wallow in their pain, their fear, and their anxiety. He would pick up the blade, taking partial control of the shared illusion. His hand would slowly wrap around the hilt, it felt strange, he could feel the Kyber calling out in pain.

Matching her own, he would slowly center himself around her wrath, as a small lightly slowly radiated up the red blade with white hot passion, the red would slowly blind into a white light. Just like one could fall, they could easily find the light. He would hold out the white blade in his hand, listening to the gentle hum. "All I've seen from you and your master is killing, not leading. What change does that provide? Who takes their place?"

He would deactivate the blade, holding it out for the girl to take, considering her words, "I'm sorry that your life turned out the way it did. The torment and the pain you felt, it's okay to be scared, to feel afraid..But, it doesn't define you.." He'd open his lone eye to directly peer towards her own golden pupils, "How can you know what's best for the galaxy...when you don't even know yourself?"

tag: @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

She watched him "purify" the blade, an illusion of it anyway. Her yellow eyes faded back to her natural ones as she lost focus. If she had had the ability to prevent the expression on her face and the surprise that would ripple through the force, she would've. But he had truly caught her off guard and there was no getting out of that. She hadn't actually seen someone do that to a blade before, let alone know it was possible. What she'd been able to read in the Sith archives hadn't mentioned it, nor had her master.

Despite everything she'd managed to accomplish thus far, despite the ripples she'd sent through the galaxy, she was still new to this life. Everything she'd done had been one thing after another, in such a short span of time.

Though his words made her frown and catch herself. Not because he shook any of the iron confidence, and not because she didn't expect something stupid out of his mouth, she just didn't like the answer, "Who takes their place? Those who aren't corrupt. Who will do better for the galaxy." She thought this was a simple concept but apparently not.

And what did she not know about herself? What did that even mean? She replied quickly with, "Then tell me who I am," in an irritated voice, though she had to remember she wanted this. Wanted whatever reaction he'd give, wanted him to question her.

She stood up after, but once again her eyes fell on the blade. Maybe it upset her because it may have given away something about her, or maybe she just didn't like being pulled out of her stride by surprise. Either way, she waved a hand and forced both blades to vanish then waited for his answer.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

He would watch as her eyes slowly shifted back from from their glow, taking on the hidden eyes that he saw on Naboo. Was she hesitating at the sight of the purified blade? Oren couldn't be exact, but he could sense something in her had changed. It reminded him of his time on Naboo, the tears and then the burning sensation that he still feels within his own right cheek. Her emotions screamed like a storm to him, quick, sudden and powerful.

He would contemplate her answer for a moment, "Everything the galaxy knows about you and your master states you don't stick around to see what happens..so how can you be so sure that you're not just letting someone worse take their place?" He'd raise his brow, he understood the idea of trying to make the galaxy a better place, but he was one man, one that didn't have the right to conquer or force himself onto others.

He could sense the irritation building up in her voice as she spoke, the person comments seemed to draw into her, and he wasn't sure exactly why. He would rest his burnt hand against his chin as he analyzed the girl, attempting to imagine what hid under the top side of that mask.

"Just like your mask, the top of you is cold and alien, but the bottom reveals the flesh of the mortal self. I believe you don't truly know who you are, you never got the chance to live your life, everything had been imposed on you. You come to me today, claiming that you are bringing greatness to the galaxy, yet that night you cried and revealed those emotions you had, the turmoil. You begged me to kill you then."

tag: @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

He was right about someone potentially worse stepping in. In fact, she had said that exact concern to Talak. They were working towards fixing that little... flaw. It was a flaw in the Sith Eternal itself, wasn't it? Not just with the plans Talak first purposed.

His question didn't upset her because of what was already set in motion, so she ignored it. Unfortunately, that may have turned out to be somewhat of a mistake. Spinning some bull shit for awhile would've been better than hearing this Jedi's little evaluation of her. He'd be able to sense her continued irritation with him, however she didn't lash out. He wasn't wrong about everything, but he wasn't informed about anything that transpired after the Naboo incident either.

She turned her back to him when he stopped talking and took some steps away. "It doesn't matter what was or wasn't forced on me, or that you stupidly missed your chance to kill me. My master has given me a reason to live now," she answered, her illusion not moving but her hands on her real body gripping into fists, digging into the palm of her hands. Deep down she knew a reason to live didn't mean the sorrow wasn't still there, but she continued, "And my loyalty is to him, and will remain that until the day I leave this cursed galaxy."

Was this it? Was this all she needed from the Jedi? It felt like it. "Don't die in jail," she said abruptly before she started to withdraw from his mind. Unless he asserted control over the illusion again, hers would fade until there was nothing and he was simply alone in his cell again.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

Oren watched as she turned her back from his direction. She went on about how he had the chance to kill him, how her master had given her a reason to live now. He didn't know much about her, he didn't even know her name, something about her drew him to her, not out of a desire for companionship, but empathy.

Something still existed inside of her, she was strong in the force, but so was he. The master would pull himself to his feet, sensing the connection between the two of them fading. He would reach out, attempting to place a hand on the girls fading shoulder, if she would accept it, he would channel his own energy to keep the channel going.

"Maybe did miss my chance to kill, or maybe the force has a different plan for you and I?" He would say in a quiet voice, "There is still good in you, otherwise, why would you bother saving me?" His face would slightly twitch, as he felt the craters on his face burn, "You could have killed me then too, but you didn't..You and your master want to make a difference in the galaxy..work with me, work with these people..accept responsibility for your actions, and we can look at making a difference the right way. Not through senseless killing or violence...and I'm not saying you become a Jedi, but the path you're going down is not sustainable."

tag: @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

It was hard for her not to fight back against him when he started to stabilize the connection between them. How could she accept someone...someone who actually seemed to care about her? But against her better judgement she allowed it. She knew it was a bad choice. She knew she'd allowed a small piece of her to connect to him, to accept something that she'd never accepted about anyone before.

Her illusion began to regain it's shape, until she was standing before him again. "I..." she started, clenching her hands in both realities. Her irritation towards him growing because she hated accepting what she was accepting. "I believe you." Lilith turned around, facing him but not looking into his eyes. "I believe you're a good man, Oren, and maybe that's why I can't bring myself to kill you." She knew—or at least believed—that he wouldn't understand how hard that'd be for her to admit or accept, but it was near impossible to ignore the voice inside her that screamed it.

She leaned against him as she had before, resting her head on his chest should he not struggle against it. It mimicked the scene on Naboo, but she didn't feel the same as she did there. "But Oren, I can't come to you either. I can't because you're asking me to give up my brand of justice for yours, while you rot in here for saving a girl. Do you understand? I can't." Her hands gripped into him, and maybe he'd even be able to feel them as her pain, her fusteration came to a boil.

"You... you stupid, stupid Jedi! You need to let go of me!" she screamed at him as she looked up, bringing her hand back, curling it into a fist and hitting him in the chest with the side of it. "You need to give up on me! If not for anything but your own good!"

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

The Jedi Master felt his body froze slightly as she turned into his tough, leaning her head against his orange jumpsuit as her slender hands gripped against the fabric of his chest in frustration and a mix of emotions. A soft chill ran down his spine, as images of the rain and storms of Naboo came back to him. His right cheek, with all of its pits and craters, tingled and burned as the reminders of such a last encounter washed over him.

He would take a deep breath, he would pull his hands back around her, as he held her in a friendly embrace. She confessed to him that he was a good man, he could hear the struggle in her voice, and with it he knew that he had to continue to try for her sake. "I'm not a good man, there are things I'm still dealing with, fighting with." He'd say in a low whisper, "When I was boy, I grew up a slave child with little interaction. I didn't know how to interact with others, to process my emotions. But, my master never gave up on me. He saw something in me that I refused to believe."

His mind shifted to his late master, "I had just become a Knight, and my master had fallen deathly ill. The rumors of his tumors and twisted body scared me, so I refused to visit him on his deathbed...because I didn't want my last memories of him to be twisted by decay." He'd take a deep breath, "And to make it worse I took it out on a boy, my first student, by accusing him of falling to the darkside...it destroyed our relationship and he's never spoken to me again." He wasn't sure why he was telling her all this, opening himself up to her, but it felt right.

"I had nearly been removed from the Order, and thus I made the decision to live my life in repentance for my own continuation of this cycle of hatred and injustice." He felt her hand hit against him, as she begged for him to give up on her, but he couldn't, it wasn't the Jedi way. "Everyone is capable of forgiveness, and I will be there, to stand against the cycle of hatred, to stop you if I must, but I will never stop believing that you are capable of redemption, as long as you live, you have the opportunity." He would pull away, letting her vanish if she chose to.

tag: @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith listened to his words. It was hard not to hear the messages in them, the things he was likely trying to get across. That even a man who seemed good struggled. That maybe she was refusing to believe something. But it was also hard not to pick at things, at points and compare experiences.

She frowned and stiffened as he said he wouldn't give up on her. Maybe he'd chipped away at the shell around her in some ways, but it still seemed like a dangerous path for him to travel if they ever encountered each other again in person.

The young Sith remained quiet for a handful of heartbeats after he pulled away. "So we are both haunted," she said simply as she broke the unsettling quietness. "I live on Nar Shaddaa's streets every day, over and over again the first time I killed a man for trying to... hurt me. I can still smell him as he leaned over me, still hear him, still feel the grip of his cold hands"

She didn't look away this time, she just stood there staring at him but not staring at him. "The same way I live on Endor every day." Her hands came up in front of her finally breaking that stare, and they appeared to shake against her will. "I live in so many haunts, over and over and over and over again." A single tear rolled down her cheek and she pointed at the wound she'd afflicted on the Jedi. "Do you live there too?"

But she wouldn't wait for an answer. She'd begin to withdraw again, much faster than before and squashing her signature at the same time so that he wouldn't be able to reestablish their connection no matter what. She spoke one more time, though the words would sound distant as they rang off just before she vanished, "Don't come after me."

Lilith—herself, not her illusion—stood up from the crossed-legged position she'd put herself in while she'd been connected to Oren. It was probably best to stay in the hotel for the rest of the night, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She simply turned around, went inside, grabbed her things and left. This distraction was over and she had a lot of work to do. There were much bigger things in motion.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

Oren listened to the fading images words, her revelations about her own haunting memories and how they lingered in her mind and tortured her daily. Oren had felt that way for a long time, his own memories had been buried deep within himself and were kept down through constant work or teaching. It wasn't until Ifrane and the dark side cave that he was forced to confront his own past and his problems head on.

It had been a struggle, one that drained him mentally and physically, but he came out stronger and better for it. He understood his failures and could now take the steps that he needed to rectify his actions. Prison was honestly one of those very things. He would lower his head as he felt the sorrow linger through the air as she slightly faded away--leaving him alone in his room.

Opening his eyes, he would leave his cross legged position on his cot, with a heavy breath. It seemed the connection between him and this girl were only growing stronger and stronger. But, how it would end was yet to be seen. He wasn't going to give up on her now, not yet.

/END THREAD

tag: @Dread