Fear Itself

[Aurora Blackwood]

The Puddle-Jumper burst from hyperspace. The streaming lights of hyperspace becoming small pinpricks of distant stars. An asteroid loomed before the small shuttle, the research station on the surface barely visible. Oddly, the lights of the research station still streamed into the cold vacuum of space. A strange eerie silence hung about the ‘abandoned’ station. A mystery that likely would have been better left alone. Sadly, Aurora Blackwood was not given the choice to opt out. The Alliance was rapidly expanding and Trition was ready to be welcomed into the fold, but not without answers. The disappearances surrounding the station were causing trouble for trade. Trouble they wanted solved. Apparently that meant trouble Aurora was going to solve. Aurora and her two intrepid Padawans.

Theo and Val were crammed into the Puddle-Jumper with the Morellian Jedi Master. She was not about to deal with this haunted kriff alone. As the shuttle moved closer to the station the hair on the back her neck stood up. A shiver ran up her spine, and an ice cold hand gripped her heart. Darkness. Aurora was a Jedi with over seven decades of experience. She knew the familiar sense of the Darkside pooling together. She had a bad feeling about this. The galaxy was blanketed in Darkness but this was different. Far far different. This was the Darkside gathering before them.

Aurora locked her mental walls and steeled her heart. The Jedi deftly piloted the shuttle into one of the empty docking bays. The automated system was still working. She used the com to key in the codes and was quickly landing the ship. The Darkness was suffocating here. Aurora could feel it all around them, sucking at their souls. She flicked down the landing ramp before speaking to her student. “Protect your minds and hearts…I don’t know what is in there but it wants to hurt anything.” The silver hilt of her lightsaber sprung into her hand. There was no risk of discovery here, and she was not about to trust a blaster against whatever they faced. Her feat pounded on the landing ramp. “Stay close and stay safe.” By the Force she was not thrilled about this. There were risks worth taking. Aurora was uncertain this was one of those risks. @Bran @Iridescence

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

Theodosia’s heart raced anyways when the Jedi Master spoke about anything about the Galaxy, but when she had mentioned an abandoned station, her heart thumped and she already felt the excitement pooling in her mind. She tried to hide her smirk as she boarded the Puddle Jumper (which made her laugh anyways, but to herself), but she could not hide her grin when the group had exited hyperface. Is it safe to say I laugh in the face of danger if I laugh outwardly at a Jedi Master?

The new girl, although Theo guessed she couldn’t exactly call her new because they were all new really, Valerie seemed nice enough. Theodosia always tried to make everyone feel as comfortable. It wasn’t a large group, so her anxiety was minimal. Just enough to make her awkward, but she should really start embracing it. She had extended her blue hand towards the other Jedi with a slight smile on her face, confidently.

Her light armor was only really a placebo of giving her security and some protection. For more security, Theodosia drew her green hood closer, bunching her hair closer to her face. Her blaster pistol and rifle stood from her hip. She kicked out her feet as they exited hyperspace as a kick of adrenaline. As they shuffled off the ship, Theodosia’s heart was in her ears.

“Okay, mom,” Theodosia said quietly, casting a glance to Aurora. Her humor was often a mask of how scared she truly was.

@Valen Pelora @Bran

 

[Valerie Tagge]

When Aurora had briefed Valerie on the objective of the mission she could not refrain from laughing hysterically. To her it all sounded so ridiculous. The way in which she had phrased it was all too similar to the horror stories she was told as a child to keep her in line. Now that she was here however, she could feel that perhaps there was indeed some truth behind it and that this abandoned station held more than just dusty corridors. After discovering the truth behind her, the force and the jedi, this was hardly the most unbelievable of stories. The ship that they travelled in was not exactly the most spacious transport she had taken and to share the space with a stranger was not an experience that she enjoyed. One would assume that the title of Jedi master accompanied lavish transport but one would be sorely mistaken. I guess this is the price of lying low, Vee concluded.

Valerie's eyes studied the pantoran woman across from her thoroughly. The two of them shared a similar height and black hair colour yet besides those two features there was little to nothing else in common. Theodasia was it? She remembered, funky name. She was relatively pretty and her strikingly blue skin was something that Vee found intriguing and added the the aesthetics of her appearance yet she didn't think much of it. Good looks don't help in a fight, she reasoned. Nevertheless she greeted the woman with a friendly smile and wave of the hand. "Yo." She came to the conclusion that this woman was another of Aurora's pupils and a part of her was interested in if she had gone through the same things that she herself had gone through. At least I'm not in this alone, she thought thankfully. Aurora spoke again as the arrived at their destination.

"Don't worry about me, I'm notoriously good at protecting my heart." Valerie said with a weak smile. It was true though, she had never even had a boyfriend during her entire nineteen years of existence. She had never felt the need for one though, there seemed to be a weird correlation between those that got too close to her and getting a blaster bolt in the legs. It was probably some weird coincidence though. Her eyes darted to the metal tube in Aurora's hand. She was still trying to get over the whole Jedi thing and the lightsaber was one of the things that sparked her interest the most. The force was cool n' all but there was something about a lasersword that really spoke to her on a deeper level. If there was a silver lining to this creepy mission, it would be that she could witness Aurora in real combat for the first time. "I'll be sure to stick super close." She said in reply to the Jedi master's instructions. Her mind thought back to Kashyyyk and how the two had been separated so easily, she would rather not experience that again.

@Valen Pelora
@Iridescence

 

[The Storyteller]

.

Darkness swept all around them, the silence of the docking bays along with equipment that seemingly still operated even though no individuals to properly care for it should have sent suspicions through the mind of the Jedi Master. Why was it that the Force called to them? So vile and tempting but at the same time, a thrill that only came with the most dangerous of accomplishments. As the trio exited their starship, they would find the loading docks were a warded off room onto itself. Blood stains were crusted but still visible on the walls, even the ceilings which were clearly far too tall for any humanoid to reach.

Doors exiting the docks would open smoothly but soon after the next corridor would be filled with dim lighting and a foul stench of decomposed corpses. In fact, if they looked closely, the mangled remains of individuals were scattered in no particular pattern but rather laid out with sporadically as if something or someone went on a feeding frenzy. The room would open into two large hallways, allowing the Jedi Master to make a decision on which way she would go. While there was nothing specific luring her into one direction or not, there was something however calling to the Jedi in her. An essence, strong and corrupted in the darkside, the very force that she had committed to fight was growing stronger with each subsequent step Aurora took.

Grumbles echoed through distant chambers, two twin doors to the left of the trio would swing open and out came a flurry of rabid Loth-Bats. The creatures' roars screeched through the entire lobby they were gathered in, carrying with them the wails of death as they converged into a singular force and swept towards the Jedis. They seemed real enough, but an aura of unnatural fear and horror would begin to creep over our heros, only those with the strongest of wills would be able to resist.

"Jedi..." A sinister and nefarious voice would call to Aurora, the master being the only that could hear it. "Come to me..."

@Valen Pelora @Bran @Iridescence

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora rolled her eyes at her students. “You’re both hilarious…I’ll make sure to tell that to the monster before it eats us.” She sensed some of the apprehension in Theo and Val. Aurora shoved confidence into the Force. They needed to be strong. Unfortunately, the scene they descended upon in the hangar was gruesome. Blood stained the walls where no body could reach. The signs of true horror littered the abandoned area. Aurora tighten her mental walls even further. She could feel the Darkness growing, almost as if it was inviting them forward. The Darkside hung around them like a tight fitting cloak. Each step made it worse.

Eventually, the doors swung open and the Jedi were treated to a fresh horror. The smell, the sight, and the Darkness all met them. Aurora knew which way they would go. She tried to ignore the signs of death, continuing to push calm and confidence in the Force. She would not allow Theo or Val to break. Her feet carried her towards the hallway on the right. Which way they went didn’t particularly matter, they were in the lair of the beast now. Her eyes titled upward as the horrible screech filled the air. Aurora’s mental defenses were tightened. The false visions appeared to her just as that. False. The bats were a trick. Although, she knew they might not appear as such to her students. “Focus! Fight your fear, they are nothing but a manifestation of that fright.”

Her feet kept carrying her forward. Aurora scowled as that insidious thought touched her mind. It would feel no fear from the Jedi Master. She reached back across that connection, speaking clearly to whatever beast called this home. “Careful what you wish for big boy.” Aurora was a Jedi Master, trained in the Force for over seventy years. Her strength and power in the Lightside was considerable. In that moment, she brought all that power to bear. The Force roared through her, a burning fire in a pit of blackness. Aurora suspected they dealt with a myth. An abomination forgotten by the Sith on this station, a creature like that would be unable to resist the power she flaunted. @Bran @Faded Truth @Iridescence

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

The response Val gave was simple. Theodosia appreciated it. She nodded her head in silent respect. These two could get along.

As for heading in, her heart was pounding. Her mind was scattered. But her conscious remained calm. So, there was that. One foot in the other. She felt the emotions shared by Aurora through the Force infiltrate the aura around her. She tried to stay close to the Jedi Master.

The iron tang of blood along with the overwhelming stench of rot filled the air. Theodosia felt her mouth begin to salivate as vomit threatened to peak. She exhaled, her nostrils stinging, and her eyes watering. Another breath from inside of her top. She closed her eyes and forced herself to fight it. Her amber eyes scanned the corridor.

Limbs, corpses, a head or two. These and torsos dotted the area around them. The Pantoran’s mind began to swim, a cool fog covering her brain, preventing any function. Nausea was now gone. Her throat became dry. The everso familiar memory of seeing her family and friends massacred vividly began to appear. Breathing was now harder. Tears threatened to make their way down her painted cheeks.

No. No. A shaky breath escaped from her lips. This is different. Between her mental state and the Darkness engulfing her, Theodosia wanted to run and never come back. She paused, her toes itching to turn away. As she was about to…

The bats swarmed around them. All you could hear was their screeching and the batting of the wings. A scream rose in her throat. Instead Theodosia gasped and ducked, her eyes screwed shut. All she could think about was the Force. Not the Darkside. If death and fear was the Darkside, she could not, would not, be apart of it. The Light seemed to seep out of her skin, drying her tears for her, a feeling of confidence and protection. A final sob bubbled up in her throat but Theodosia stopped it. Rising, she was shaking, but she was okay. Her feet began forward once more, but she couldn’t suppress the “holy kriff” that came out of her mouth.

@Bran @Valen Pelora @Faded Truth

 

[The Storyteller]

.

The Jedi Master was a smart one, selecting the proper door and being able to see through the bats as nothing but conjured illusions from the beast. As the duo advanced through the halls, there would be wails of tortured voices echoing through chambers along with a sudden drop in the temperature. The station grew exceedingly colder, likely causing microhairs on the skin of both women to rise in response. The hallway would open spontaneously, wails growing louder with each successive step the jedi would take; the previous stench of rotten flesh luckily seemed to dissipate and at least made this portion of the journey more bearable.

The hallway expanded into a large lobby, two elevated platforms rested on top of the walkway where the Jedi would find themselves. A loud screech could be heard as the lights began to flicker and the room itself slowly contorted on its axis. The disturbing conjuring would slither a thick layer of smoke through the walkway and eventually settle on what appeared as two shrouded figures. The entities were massive in stature, nearly seven feet tall and grabbed in only the darkest of robes. Their faces perpetually missing, save for minor highlights of features hidden underneath a shadow silhouette of vile evil.

Two crimson lightsabers ignited in their hands, Sith Wraiths began their natural approach upon the Jedi. The abomination relished in its ability to manifest these horrors; while the Jedi Master would see the two Sith advance upon her, a slew of nightmarish visions would haunt her young Padawan. Thoughts echoing from her childhood and those that she loved but with the faces of demons. One such entity, a Pantoran himself would stalk near her, but reveal a set of razor teeth as the creature grew closer and turned into what appeared as a walking undead. Grotesque and slimy, stench of death as it slobbered what appeared as toxic saliva on the ground and attempted to tackle Theodosia.

@Valen Pelora @Iridescence

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora Blackwood was seventy-five years old. She had walked the galaxy as a Jedi for nearly all of that life. Her years were filled with hiding who she was, and witnessing the horrors of the Sith. Aurora had seen terrible awful inexplicable things. She was a hard woman, who never believed her soul could falter. She’d seen it all. Nothing would shake the spirit of Master Blackwood. This was unlike anything she could ever imagine. Eldritch horrors followed Theo and Aurora as they made their way through the station. The smell was nothing compared to the voices. The farther they walked, the louder the voices became. Aurora’s mental walls were strong, but not impenetrable. Voices swirled around the outside of that walls, hammering her mind.

Aurora fought to remain strong. She would not be broken, the voices would not get in, they would not take root. Still, they were an ocean crashing against a lighthouse. The Jedi eventually made their way into a large room with platforms on either side. Aurora would be unable to see whatever was cascading through Theo’s mind. Her own thoughts were consumed with what appeared before them. The Morellian Jedi Master was powerful, but not invincible. Her mind was slowly cracking. Fog filled the room as two impossibly large figures appeared. They were only hood figures wielding ruby red Lightsabers advancing towards the Jedi.

A small part of Aurora’s mind whispered they weren’t real. She had searched the station for life upon arrival, there had been put one pulsating darkness. There was no other life on the station outside the abomination. That part of her mind wasn’t loud enough. All she saw was the Sith charging, and fear for Theo spiked in the Force. Aurora steeled her heart. No fear. She was the Jedi and she would handle the Sith. Her lightsaber sprang to life in her hand, the brilliant orange blade flashed in the fog. She immediately began building the Force in her left hand as the Sith advance. Pulsating bright light began to radiate from her left hand. She would not falter in the face of the Sith. @Iridescence @Faded Truth

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

She fought the urge to scream. Loudly. Out of both frustration and fear. Theodosia was so confused as to why she was asked on this mission. She couldn’t protect herself or help protect the two there. Theo tried to focus on the frustration instead of the fear that was threatening to engulf the Padawan.

And it truly was. In the corridor, Aurora was there, a few meters ahead. Wasn’t she just right in front of her? Theodosia could have sworn she made sure they were almost attached at the hip. Did the breakdown really put that much distance between them?

Theodosia was tempted to call out to her, but she knew it would disturb much more. She didn’t open her mouth until the Master was approaching her, her lightsaber lit. The illuminant orange blade was poised to swing. “What..what are you doing?” Theodosia called out, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She was unknown to that the real Jedi Master was right beside her. “Jedi Master Aurora! What are you doing?!” She cried out again as the lightsaber was raised to swing in Theo’s direction. The Pantoran felt herself instinctively step back. “What is going on?” The fear instilled in her was true, she had already mastered the previous fear but never would she have imagined that the Master would attack her.

@Valen Pelora @Faded Truth

 

[The Storyteller]

.

Dual sith apparitions suddenly charged towards the Jedi Master but her purity and the blinding light she manifested from the palm quickly melted away their figures. The illusions distorting into nothingness as they came within melee range of the Pantoran, revealing that in fact they had been a conjuration of her own mind. Darkness swept through the room as the light fixtures in the entire hallways and corridors suddenly blackened, plunging both of the Jedi into eternal abyss. The vivid horrors that Theodosia would face, of her own Master betraying her continued their assault on the young padawan's mind. Force Horror bombarding her will and attempting to shatter it with fear, agony, and despair.

Ground rumbled around them as small cracks within the stone floor soon erupted and grew exponentially in size; until of course, the single catalyst as a large explosion of rubble and dirt spewed out twenty meters away from the duo. It wasn't fire or any elemental damage but rather a fountain of blood that splattered crimson fluid all over the vicinity, likely tainting the Jedi with it as well. The fluid possessed no stench but rather a vile and corrosive acidic feel as it began to burn upon the flesh of its victims.

Through the large crack however, something more nefarious and sinister would arrive. Flying through almost without notice and largely unseen due to the lack of any illumination in the room. It was massive in stature, nearly 3.5 meters in height with piercing red eyes that cast deathly gazes upon the young women. Wings snapped outwards, configuring a span of close to twenty feet as the entire creature came crashing upon the ground only 10 meters away from Theodosia. While the young padawan was still struggling to combat the force horrors, a massive backhand came towards her face, hoping to smack her silly and pummel her viciously towards the side. Pure evil was wrapped around it, as the abomination slowly curled the force around its colossal figure and prepare to feast on these overzealous fools.

"JEDI!!!"

@Iridescence @Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

The Lightside burned away the Darkness. Aurora’s strength in the Force was undeniable, and her connection to the Lightside was stronger than ever before. The apparitions melted before the orange of her blade and heat of the Force in her left hand. Hot, white light burning through the illusions. As they faded, Aurora’s mind was freed from the fear. She quickly recomposes herself. Her mental walls slammed sky high. They would not fail her again. Aurora’s screaming quickly filled her ears. Whatever the Pantoran saw was eating away her sanity. Wait, was she screaming at Aurora? The Morellian Jedi quickly reached for her student’s mind. “Banish your fear, Theo. It’s not me…it’s the Darkness…focus.” Only last thought she flung. “I can’t do this alone.”

That much was true, and she suddenly knew it overwhelmingly. The room was shifting as it plunged into Darkness. Aurora never let the Light fade from her hand. She kept her Lightsaber lit. Aurora let the Light fade from her hand as she extended it upward. She didn’t know what was going on around them, but she kriffing knew she did not want it falling on their head. The Force extended like a shield from her hand, covering her head and extending to Theo as the blood rained down. She could barely see the smoke rising as it fell. Oh yes, that was nothing she wanted touching her body. Even still, some splattered about her feet. Her robes did not escape unharmed.

Aurora was on edge as the room devolved into a literal incarnation of the Darkside. She heard the whooshing through the room. She was tense when the thud sounded. Aurora quickly rounded to see the beast. She wasted no time in lashing out. Not one second. That creature was pure nightmare and she would give no quarter. The shield above her head became a battering ram. A battering ram that hammered towards the beast. She flung it at the creature before it started the swing, she aimed to hit it square in the chest before it could ever touch Theo. Her mind rang with the creatures words. She spoke back. “I am stronger than you.” And she was. @Faded Truth @Iridescence

 

[The Storyteller]

.

The abomination planted its feet on the ground prior to launching its backswing towards Theo's face, however as it did so, the trajectory of its hit was intercepted as a force push smashed into its own chest. The force of the blow skirting it backwards 7 meters but feet dug back into the ground as wings spread to their fullest. The face appeared distorted and mutated, as if it was the victim of science's cruelty far too long. Saliva dripped from its rows of canine teeth as it stared into the smaller figure of the Jedi Master. Piercing red eyes cast a terrifying glare, almost as if they were burning a hole straight into Aurora's soul. It spoke no words in retaliation of Aurora's confident statement but merely growled with a deep and archaic rumble. Suddenly, its darkness shot forwards in the form of a Force Horror upon the Jedi's will. Twisting, wrecking, and agonizing emotions would flood at her, in attempts of breaking down her constitution and plunging her into despair.

As it unleashed the Force horror, it grabbed a sharpened shard of metal, likely left over from the decaying space station. Wielding it as a spear, the nightmare creature hurled it towards Aurora hoping that her distraction at fighting against its Force horror would open the Jedi's vulnerability against a physical attack.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora was not afraid. Theo was safe, well as safe as she could be. The beast was singularly focused on the Jedi Master. That was exactly what she wanted. Aurora knew the creature now. It was a nightmare creature from another time. A time when the Sith used abominations freely. The beast prayed upon the stench of fear. It survived on the pain of those it killed. Aurora has been taught about the horrors of the abominations as a child. Those lessons were burned into her mind. She needed them now. Her eyes never left the thing as it skidded backward from her Force attack. The beast of the Darkside, and powerful, but not nearly as strong as the Jedi Master.

The Force Horror roared at her, but she knew the assault for what it was. Her mind was shielded by the Force, and she knew precisely what they faced. The fear, pain, and anger that gripped her chest was false. The horror of the Darkside washed over her. Aurora stood firm. Throughout the abominations Force attack she had been building the Force in her left hand. As it had skidded backwards, and as the Darkside attack was waged, she had been building the Force.

When the abomination threw the metal pike Aurora was ready. The Force burst from her left hand. It hammered into the pike. Her goal was simple. To throw it back directly at the abomination with terrible strength. She used every ounce of her abilities as a Jedi Master. A whirlwind pushed on the pike, aiming to send it like a lance at the abomination. She held nothing back. The moment her working of the Ford was over, Aurora would contains to watch the creature and again build the Force in her left hand. This time a blinding Light would begin to form. @Faded Truth

 

[The Storyteller]

.

It seemed that the Jedi Master had a few tricks up her sleeve as well; had the abomination possessed a greater sentient mind than even perhaps it would have acknowledged the Pantoran's craftiness. But instead, it remained a monster full of vile and hatred; Snarling as its force horror and nightmares had little effect on the Jedi, it abandoned the attack mid way through the launch of the metal pike. With a full wing span, the creature watched its opponent carefully and as the force burst came in retaliation against is previous attack, the abomination moved sharply in response. Shooting towards its right side, the beast avoid the pike as a lethal hit and instead allowed the weapon to graze its left shoulder. Unleashing its inherent force powers, the creature sent out a wave of Force energy rippling through the ground that cascaded through the narrow walls towards Aurora. As the force culminated towards her, it would gather a swirling array of electronics and metal shards. Complete with electric current and physical components, the swirling tornado would sweep towards her, attempting to shred her tiny body asunder.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

The creature was more agile than Aurora could have guessed. She would not have expected such a lumbering figure to dance with such alacrity. Abominations belonged in the past for a reason. Even the Sith had eventually realized the true dangers of such horrible beasts. Abominations could be controlled by only the most powerful sorcerers. Too often they broke free from their masters and became this eldritch horror. The galaxy was better off free of these creatures. She watched as the abomination moved sideways to avoid the metal pole.

Aurora didn’t wait for the next Force wave to come. She had been building the Force in her left hand since throwing the spear back. The white light in her hand was a brilliant shinning sun. As the creature let out the burst of the Force, Aurora let out her own. The light in her hand was the Force in balance. The Lightside. The room was bathed in light as it burst forth from Aurora, streaming towards the beast. Abominations were purely of the Darkside, perverted uses of the Force. This was the opposite, the Force as it was meant to be. The Light should burn away the creature, shattered its very existence. Aurora threw every single ounce of her strength behind the assault. She aimed to end this fight.

All of her power in the Force was set into that light in her hand. There would be no escaping as the Light filled the room. Aurora still had to contend with the blast of the Force roaring towards her. There was truly no dodging it. Instead she rooted her feet to the ground to withstand the blast. Her Lightsaber slashed through the air, cutting and slicing through any electronics that might harm her. Of course, her method was not perfect. Her robes were torn to shreds, several small cuts sprung up on her body, and one larger laceration on her side. It wasn’t enough to worry Aurora but kriff it did hurt. If her use of the Force did not end the creature or severely weaken it, Aurora would start building the Force in her left hand again and begin to walk forward. @Faded Truth

 

[The Storyteller]

.

Light had been void ever since Andraste led her vile Empire in a crusade to exterminate the Jedi. This pocket in the far reaches of space where a station that bore no importance, had suffered the same fate. However, it was on this day, that the light spoke against the tyranny of darkness. As the abomination unleashed its force attack upon the Jedi Master, it had no feasible defense against the purity wielded by its adversary. The shining beam engulfed the abomination and every corner of the room; every tendril of dark side that radiated out from the beast immediately shrieked against the holiness. Her attack swept over the field of Evil, slowing time in its wake; it may have drained every inch of Aurora's power but in the end, Good had prevailed.

As every strand of its flesh was disintegrated, the beast's essence vanished from the Force and the rippling effect from its destruction sent chills to any who opposed the light.

The Jedi had returned.

// End thread