Impulses

[Gaja]

[Theme]

A bit of time had passed since he first touched down on this rock and began a new chapter in his life, if somehow his life was a book and not real. A former Jedi Master, Councilor actually, discarding his identity and pursuing a path not many long-time Jedi, or Sith, pursue. A path neither dark nor light, but one of the force as a whole, both light and dark so that he could grow beyond the one sidedness of his existence. Koribban was the new home of Relampago Stark, Sith Acolyte and "student" of the Crusader Vecna. Vecna was an imposing Kushari with white fur and a mean streak that went on forever, so not many questioned his actions, or the blond haired Acolyte, who was sitting on the railing of the academy and simply mused over the energy of this world, so curious and fascinated he was with this world. It was so unlike most other worlds, and he'd been to Dathomir and Dxun.

His time spent on this world and among the Sith was short but with time came the change. Adorning a somewhat standard black Acolyte robe, minus the skirt detail, and going with dark pants, Relampago had a different look about him. His hair was tied in to a pony tail, with the sides buzzed short, while his manly beard stood ever proud. So far he had not made a lot of friends here, but it was not something he dwelled on. He had Vecna as a friend, as much a goliath like Kushari who only wanted to spar until one pretty much dies, or hunt giant snakes, could be a friend. Yeah....

As much as it was a good time and an enlightening experience there were whispers in the academy, he could feel them. The unrest among the Imperials and the Sith. For what reason though, he had no idea nor any particular desire to find out. Instead the former Battle Master simply enjoyed the sunny day and let the energy of this planet run through him so that he could study it...

Perhaps not realizing that he allowed a bit more of his presence to be felt through the force than he intended....

 

[Lucid]

The day was rare in it's brilliance. The warm sun, the cool breeze, the tranquil rage of the Dark Side filling the Force; it was all so intoxicating for a certain young woman...if she could be called that. Twenty-Nine wandered through the Academy, it had been some time since her encounter with Royston but for some reason her mind continued to wander back to that day. Something felt similar.

Without quite understanding why, she began to follow her steps, footfall after footfall landing exactly as they had in the past. Her steps led her to a grand courtyard lined with railings and glowing a brilliant cream in the midday light. It was then that the presence touched her, it was not a Sith presence; there was no burning hatred, no feelings of superiority...nor was it Jedi. There was no light within the feeling, no hope.

It was bleak.

Twenty-Nine's piercing violet gaze swept around the courtyard and landed on a black figure sitting on one of the railings a level above her.

Was it him?

She didn't think it likely, an Acolyte by the look of his uniform could not have such a tempered presence. But there was no one else, nobody even nearby. It must be him.

"You," she said quietly, using the Force to drive her words into his mind, her lust and need to partake of his power heavy behind her words."Who are you..."

 

[Gaja]

Even though his robe had a hood Relampago felt like it would limit him in some way, instead preferring to sense as much of the planet, and the people, as he could. He could feel the heat or the sun, a drop of sweat forming on his forehead and obeying gravity. It slided down his skin but got no attention from the man who sensed the people, fighting... fighting for progress, fighting for growth, prestige, destruction and greed. There were so many emotions in the Valley of the Dark Lords to take in, it was actually quite surprising given the creepy energy that the Tombs themselves gave of.

Not creepy in the way that the Corelian native couldn't bring himself to enter, but more in the direction of it being a place where death was common place... The tombs had become a way to test the members of the Sith Order, and those that entered too soon or unprepared more than likely wouldn't come back out. The Acolyte knew, he had seen one of the tombs, doing a bit of cleaning for another Crusader he met, Jade. Playing the role of new addition Relampago played the grunt role and smashed a few worm-like monsters, and whatever those other things were... It wasn't like it was some massive challenge, but it was an interesting experience for sure. Getting used to the planet's rather unique energy required adjustment on his part, but now that a bit of time has passed he felt at home here pretty much as much as anywhere else. Actually if he were to be completely honest, this was his first home in a long, long, time. Or a place he was starting to consider one...

And so he sat there, training in his own way you could say, soaking in the sun, the wind, the force and channeling it through his body and mind, letting it show its shades and threads as it empowered his spirit... He could stay like this for hours, a high of his own, alone with his thoughts and impressions... But it wasn't going to be today, it seemed.

For he heard someone speak, and he felt like she addressed him. Hating that he would have to open his eyes and abandon this fun little pass-time of his the man lazily turned his head to the side and opened his eyes, blue orbs revealing themselves to Koribban's light as they peered in to the direction of the dark haired woman. It was then that the man realized that he was no longer alone and would have to go back and play the role of Acolyte, but in that second, as the image of a exquisite female sharpened in his eyes the man followed his instinct and decided that despite his limited prestige in the Order he didn't feel like it, instead simply observing her with a bit of a smile. An enigma himself, he was older, quite a bit actually, from your average Acolyte but wore their robes but his presence in the force was nothing like it.

Solid, confident and intense the man smiled gently before turning away and looking at the Valley of Dark Lords that Koribban presented to him, and her. "Mmmm. I am just a man who seeks something that he will never achieve. Yet will never stop chasing, it seems..." Staring of in to the distance the man for many years went by the name Guhoo Armstrong smiled, finding enjoyment in his move to this planet. While he wasn't as angry as some of the Sith inhabiting this academy, the man found validation in some of his theories about the force. Strength of character was respected in all corners of the galaxy, as well as motivation of all kinds driving people in life. Whether it was personal growth, monetary gain, power or the other sex, or the same sex... everyone, without exception had something, deep inside that dictated their actions.

He was proud, seeking growth both in the force as well as more battle, Relampago's ambition was perfection, a dream he would never truly achieve, but with every day got closer to. Even now as her purple eyes looked in his direction he could feel her gaze upon him, yet he sat there and smiled. "I'm Relampago, and you?" His accent wasn't Imperial, that much was certain...

 

[Lucid]

Twenty-Nine had surprised the man, she smiled inwardly as she rode his Force Presence deeper as he drew himself inward. She was a parasite in the world of the Force, using no effort of her own to feel out what she wanted, she simply rode the waves that another created in the deep sea of the Force. At least, that's what she normally did. This man...

This man...he was strong in the Force; as strong as Twenty-Nine herself, preventing her from any more than fleeting impressions of emotions. She listened as he spoke his few words in an accent that reminded Twenty-Nine of places outside Imperial space. Her presence continued to mingle with his, with the world around them, camouflaged in that deep, dark sea that was the Dark Side. She was a master of subtly and a master of men...he would, in the end, giver her what she wanted. They all did.

As he began to speak he drew further within himself, too far for Twenty-Nine to follow unnoticed but it was enough for her to feel, for a split second, walls of steel snap into place around his mind. This man....oh, how the thought thrilled Twenty-Nine; filled her with a sense of elation, this man was something special. To be an Acolyte and to be able to guard himself so well, the twisted young woman had never felt so giddy.

It would be an exquisite challenge to break him.

A graceful step took her soaring through the air to land on the railing beside him. "I am Twenty-Nine," she cooed, her hand falling lightly to the old Acolyte's shoulder. "And I asked who you were, not who you choose to be."



OOC: Gaja, I know this turn might seem a little bit much, but if you trust me just roll with it. I have something in mind that I think you'll find very interesting. If you're REALLY opposed to it, I'll edit. Just let me know.

 

[Gaja]

Koribban was an intense planet, it's energy a motivator for aspiring Sith if they so choose. He'd seen people who used the dark side to build their power and character, and then there were others. People who already had strong characters, and whom the dark side only pushed forward, people with true potential. Those were the people who had the power to bring about change and shape the galaxy to their imagination...

Allowing oneself to be completely open, so that the planet could endow him with its energy and spirit, Relampago was in a remarkably vulnerable position, his presence in the force seeping out unhindered in order and mixing with the dark energies of this place, but more importantly out there to be felt by anyone with senses keen enough. Especially someone such as Twenty-Nine, with acute sensory abilities, would have little trouble noticing the meditation of the man given how he put no effort in to hiding it, or very little at best. Some might claim that such a move inside the Sith Temple, in the middle of Koribban, was nothing short of suicide but Relampago didn't share that sentiment.

He did note that he was joined by someone with a rather potent presence in the force, an odd one actually. He could feel her as well, having opened himself to the planet, but in a way she was... a shadow. When he looked at her he had no problems judging how far away she was, but as he closed his eyes once more the man actually had a bit of trouble noticing her presence in the force, and only then did he realize that he didn't notice her the first time she walked by... The realization was what turned his attention towards her, through the force he sought her out, and only upon focusing a bit more upon her did he notice how smooth she blended in with the force of this world and the subtle difference between them. Like a chameleon she was difficult to spot, unless you were looking for her and that was what drew Stark's attention towards her.

Performing a very decent jump she joined the blond haired man up on the railing and gently touched his shoulder. By now realizing that the woman was also a potent user Relampago instinctively braced himself, for he was joined by a true Sith. One who didn't seem at all interested in courtesy or talk, rather she seemed to have other things on her mind. Realizing that this would be more than just a friendly greeting the muscular Corellian once again opened his eyes and again turned towards the woman, blue eyes meeting purple. A piercing gaze hid behind the soft smile and the rugged features, the shaved sides of his head and the dark attire.

"Pleasure..." Looking a bit deeper in to her eyes the man seemed oddly calm, distant in that he seemed disinterested in her. Or at least not at interested as he seemed to be in the planet itself. "I'm not sure what to tell you. I am many things, and none... who I will become... not even I know."

 

[Lucid]

"It was a simple enough question," said Twenty-Nine, her eyes still on Relampago. He was very skilled, to be able to perceive her, more skilled than any Acolyte had any right to be. It began to dawn on the slender woman why she had allowed herself to be drawn to this place; there was knowledge to be gained here. She just had to reach out and take it.

"I asked who you are, Acolyte." She said, putting sarcastic emphasis on his title as violet fire seemed to dance in her eyes. "You have lived a long time, far too long to have no sense of self. You are not a boy anymore, you bear the scars of battle both on your body and on your mind, yet you are sure enough of yourself to allow for a little carelessness."

As she spoke her power bloomed, casting out around them, mimicking the way he had felt when she happened upon him. The same sense of curiosity, the bafflement, the fascination with the cold sting of the Dark Side were plain as day, so was the bleak confusion and sense of loss. Twenty-Nine's smile widened as she let a little contempt taint the Force around them -- these were not the things that someone just learning to touch the Force meditated on when they began to learn of its depth.

"I think, perhaps, I should ask a different question," she said suddenly, letting her imitation of Relampago fade away. "I managed to find myself...I was created by some bastard fallen Jedi who wished to recreate himself. I found myself despite being given no identity at birth. What gives you the right to test the Force so? What gives you the right to remake yourself?" As she spoke, her tone changed from a quiet, silky coo to a cold and jarring demand. "You will tell me what I wish to know, or I will take it from you."

 

[Gaja]

And so they exchanged words, seemingly alone and separated from all the other busy Sith and Imperials, their stares binding them. She stood, he sat. She spoke, he listened.​

The man sitting down on the railing, seemingly relaxed and confident had seen quite a bit in his life. Relampago Stark was his name, but it was not his first name. He was born Guhoo Armstrong, Corellian, and twin brother to Juno Armstrong, son to Jedi Knights Ethan and Layla... but that was in his past and he had little desire to share it with the woman who just shared a bit about her. Relampago had always been a man with a heightened awareness and understanding of people. He understood and related to emotions, both his own and those of other people and for a moment he felt anger, deep anger, radiating from the woman. Looking in to her eyes he saw the proverbial fire in them as the force swirled around her like a pet seeking the attention of its master, she had potential, it was plain as day...

But that was not all she had, directing a bit of that anger towards the blond haired Acolyte, she also displayed authority and a mouth many would consider, well, rude. Guhoo however perceived it the way it was intended. Looking at her his smile had faded with her words, looking up at her she could see the change clearly. The Acolyte could feel the subtle changes around them, her full attention was directed towards him and it would serve no purpose for him to hide what she already suspected.

Exhaling in a long sigh the man wished he didn't have to do this, but it seemed there was no way around it. "So troublesome..." Pushing against the solid concrete surface with his hand the man slowly pushed himself of his ass and in to a standing position. A sleeping giant awakening, previously freed from his chains, Twenty-Nine would get her wish it seemed. A muscular human with a piercing stare looked down in to her eyes, his stare a cold one, piercing in a way that only true killers and strong people could produce.

"I seek greatness, far beyond of what I am now. For that purpose I will break myself and reforge myself as many times as it takes. My rank is of no consequence to that purpose..." Pride was in his words as he spoke, looking nowhere but in to her very eyes. A sense of darkness seeping from his body as he spoke, passion, pride and desire... hunger... powerful emotions adorned his aura in way that most beings would find intimidating. Relampago Stark was a different man than most.

"I dislike fighting women, it's true. But let me ask you something..." She sought his attention, and now she had it. His heart beat picking up and his eyes looking upon her. "Have you ever seen a wild animal you were sure would never bite?"

 

[Lucid]

"Stop."

The woman's voice cut clearly through the chaotic Force tides around them as she laid a hand gently on the man's chest, completely unintimidated by his posturing. She had felt it, the way his resolve weakened when his thoughts lingered on the distant past. He still clung to his old identity, his old pride in his accomplishments. Flickers of light shone through the malevolence he cast about himself when he allowed himself to drift in memory and Twenty-Nine hated every last shimmering speck of warmth she could feel. He was the same as that cruel man who had given her this cursed life.

For years she had wrestled alone in the dark, in the deep dark, that she had been 'born' into. She had become a cursed existence, twisted and bent, but she was finally whole in the deep dark. Her struggle had ended.

"You wish to walk the path of darkness?" Her voice was cold and steely. "You are not prepared."

 

[Gaja]

As suddenly as the situation between the two Sith tensed up, it subsided in much the same way. Emotions and personalities clashed briefly. A gentle touch and a word however, that was what it took to change the course of the possible collision. It wasn't that the tension was fully gone, on both sides, but on Relampago's part he felt curiosity after hearing her words. She didn't do anything, like attempt to persuade him through the force, he was aware of that but rather she stated her opinion and it made Relampago curious in return.

Leaning forward he raised a curious eyebrow at the statement. "Oh? And how do you figure?" Having a rather high opinion of himself the man knew himself. He was ready to dedicate the time and effort to learn the arts, but his other goals were vague and rarely achieved and even he wasn't quite sure how to achieve them. After all not many sought to learn both the light and dark side of the force, and grow beyond them...

Relampago was a different breed, yes, but as he asked the question he remembered something. He was not perfect, and maybe he was missing the open mindedness required to truly embrace this path. But he wasn't really seeking to forsake all his knowledge and skills either... And above it all this enigmatic woman before him was someone he didn't quite trust either, and her motives were unclear. But be that as it may the blond man's attention was directed at her, seeking to hear her thoughts on why he wasn't ready...

 

[Lucid]

"Hope."

The woman's reply was a simple as it was disturbing. With every fiber of her being, Twenty-Nine wished upon this man the horrors that she had endured in her early life. She could, and would, tear his mind asunder, ruin him, leave him walking alone in that naked darkness to struggle and die. She hated him, hated everything that he had once stood for and found his self-confidence laughable.

"You still have hope," she continued. "Hope that you will learn what you want to, that you will grow and succeed. As long as you have any flicker of hope within your body you cannot stand against me."

Without warning, her vile presence exploded, finally unmasked. Her desire to ruin this man naked for all to perceive. She lived for it, she needed others to experience what had happened to her. It was her only way of being close to someone; that moment where she stood within their mind and shredded their sense of self was pure ecstasy. Her lust for ruin now her entire reason for being, Twenty-Nine fell deep into the ocean of the Force.

Clear as day she could see the man's mind. She could feel the conflict within him, feel his hops and desires, taste his regrets. It sickened her. With a violent twist of her power she wrapped her mind around his like a carnivorous plant capturing a fly. Caught completely within her mind his barriers began to crack. She used those cracks, sending a string of her own memories deep within his psyche. She forced into his mind the way her body shook when she ran as a toddler from the tank in which she had been created. She gave him the fear that drove her tiny legs forward, not knowing how she was moving but knowing that she had to hide.

She gave him the revulsion she had felt when she found out that she was a pawn in a greater plan, no chance to truly ever be her own woman. She was tied forever to that bastard Jedi who had wanted to live again through another body so she gave the weak man before her her hatred for what Jedi could become. She gave him her hatred for him as he stood before her, a confused and conflicted man. She made him see how he looked to her eyes.

Her will became his reality.

 

[Gaja]

Leaning in closer wasn't enough to give the man a clear indication of what the woman was going to do, he considered the possibility that in doing so he gave her an opening to pounce at him but he didn't quite expect what was coming. An ominous shadow fell over her eyes and in a violent explosion of emotions and the force Twenty-Nine reacted. Visibly surprised the man pulled his head back but it wasn't so much what the body did, or the distance that was between them, so much as what happened through the force...

Drawn in to her force energy Relampago felt himself enveloped in darkness. Through the force, in to his mind, she tried to break in, a light blue barrier of perfect form was under attack. Rather he felt her in his mind, swirling around him as if she was the wind, or a hungry predator seeking an opening to pounce again. But patience or subtly weren't her methods of choice, rather a violent and relentless attack, like waves of water hitting him and trying to find an opening Relampago, no Guhoo, felt her. With such anger she clashed against his barriers... but it wasn't just that.

Hope...​

He wondered, as he felt wave after wave come his way, was it despair that drove her to this? His walls standing strong he once more felt solitude in his force presence, in a way he related to her, having no one himself. His parents were dead, his foster father, his master, his friends too, his sister missing... He saw the world he grew up in ravaged... did she think she could introduce despair in to his heart? He had seen it...

He would never be quite sure, but as he stood there, deep inside his mind, she sneaked inside. Whether she did it on her own, or he let her sneak in he would never know, but inside the massive room water seeped in and started filling up the space. The former Jedi and now Sith turned around to look and feel, as water touched his feet and flashes or memories took over. Somewhere in his mind a small crack led to this...

Fear​

Seeing a young, a very young, child crawl Relampago was merely a spectator as her memories poured in to his mind. Realizing that this was the woman with the purple eyes the man observed, not moving or even trying to move, regardless whether or not he could... He saw something that he didn't like, one bit, he experienced her fear the way she did back then. Though it wasn't hindered, it was a child's fear, pure and utterly horrifying to watch, the cries and screams of the little girl echoing deep from within her soul, he could both hear and feel them. What was she trying to say, and do? Was she trying to break in to his mind this way? Or simply break his mind? Make him the same as she was? Or was she screaming out for help, trying to escape the solitude of her mind and past?

He didn't know...

Revulsion​

Anger and loathing, that's what came next. Equally powerful and potent memory flashes of a younger Twenty-Nine were shown to the man. Finding out that she was only bred for someone else's desires and plans, feeling hate in a very personal way he looked at her. Intense feelings, pent up for a long time, surfaced before him... He saw tears run down her face, whether that was what really happened was uncertain but he saw them and a deep sadness enveloped his heart. He knew that those feelings were genuine, he could feel it, but even so he knew himself.

Washing away his doubts the woman shared herself in the most open way possible, showing what she went through and introducing herself in nothing but honesty. Brutal honesty that most would shy away from...

Bit by bit, his defenses fell as he stood there, allowing her access, past the first barrier and in to a sea of grind and pain... If she really wanted in she would be faced with memories as well. Memories of loss...

In front of her a woman with long white hair and a young blond haired man sparred, the woman dominating yet both smiled. Across from her stood the Acolyte she saw on the railing. Suddenly with each clash the two individuals aged, and suddenly what was deep friendship and trust was betrayed for something else, sadness and sorrow. But it wasn't because of the fact that they were 'enemies', no. It came in a series of flashes, tomb stones and unmarked graves with the blond haired man standing above them, looking on with sadness and sorrow at the loss he experienced, time and time again.

Seeing and feeling an entire planet get destroyed, the overwhelming sense of life seizing to exist was shared with the woman, a scar that he would never truly be able to forget... Guhoo stood in front of her, the smile he once had gone as he looked at her. Would she continue to push further inside? He had seen her will, and in turn she saw a glimpse of his...

"You wanted to know..." He looked on, hating that time, hating that he allowed it to break him but knowing that all that wasn't enough to kill him. He hated that even though he never lost a battle, he lost the war... That was part of the reason he hated teams, he liked doing things on his own and if he lost that was on him... A lone wolf looked in to the eyes of another...

 

[Lucid]

His one mistake was letting Twenty-Nine in.

Did this man truly think that he could sway her? Did he think that she was unprepared for the horrors within another's mind? Did he think that she would be as foolish as he and wander into something without calculation? Everything she had shown him, everything she had taken from him or given to him had been with purpose. All she wanted was ruin and she had it.

Fool. Her voice cut cruelly through their minds. With practiced ruthlessness she raked her talons across his thoughts, digging roughly through his secrets and throwing them brazenly into view. Did you think you could break me in return? Break me with my own power?! I am not unprepared to walk the path of despair to greater understand the Force.

She found it then, memories of his former life. His dear sister, Juno. His pride at ascension to Jedi Master and being named to the Council. His many triumphs in battle after battle. He had been a pillar of strength that supported and upheld a galactic order. Twenty-Nine, incapable of true empathy though she was, almost felt sorry for him. It must have been so humiliating for him to open himself to another only to have them trample over everything he had hoped for and held near his heart.

He had been strong, so strong.

Now he was a feeble wreck of a man, the fine thread of his sanity now held in the hands of another. How pathetic. Twenty-Nine could never have pillaged his mind had he not chosen to 'seek greater understanding'; yet here she was having her way with him and savoring every second she spent mocking his pathetic existence.

Maybe the vestiges of light that still swirled around the core of his being were stronger than they appeared, but as Twenty-Nine thrashed his thoughts and memories she decided to do him one service...if he could survive.

Why are you letting me do this? It was a very blunt question. I have seen who you were, I have lived the battles you lived as I tore them from your mind, I have seen what you have seen. I should be nothing to you, yet you have let me become everything.

With her mental hand she grabbed the memories of his sister, of all he had accomplished and held them before him.

It would be nothing to me now, to strip these from your mind leaving you with nothing. She was pulling at them, making them fade away. Why do you not take them back? You have walked the path of light to its summit, but you cannot walk my path, the path of the deep dark while you cling to such memories. You must make a choice. Reclaim what you once were and find your path from there or lose everything and rebuild. You must make that choice now.

Master Armstrong.

 

[Gaja]

Two minds shared a bond, intertwined through threads of the force and their very beings, they needed not speak in here. They could never express themselves as clearly with words anyway, their thoughts and feelings were their method of communication... No lies existed here. Their wills clashed and their energies meshed, light and dark, emotions erupting... Both could feel it as they stared each other down.

"I want to understand you."​

His voice answered as he looked away in to the distance. Honesty. Vibrations in his mind rattled everything for a moment as the man that was before the purple eyed woman vanished. A whisper in her ear revealed him leaning in from behind. His energy was somehow different from before, more alive and potent was perhaps the best way to describe it as he looked ahead of them, where another, light-blue in color, sphere levitated. As big as a basketball it radiated brightly. "What is it that you're trying to hold there?" He didn't look away from the sphere in front of them, their energies meshed in to one seamlessly, but it remained untouched. All the while they exchanged words inside his mind. Twenty-Nine was clinging to him, his energy, she was unlike anyone he ever met before and in a way he was enamored with her ability... but also saddened. Even so she was right about certain things...

Are you sure I am the careless one?​

Behind them, all around them, tall thick walls, the color of the sea enveloped them, the same transparent walls the woman breached previously now once again closed in. Perhaps she thought it impossible, but she was the one who sought access in to his mind, and here, he reigned supreme. She would not be able to escape as she felt a warmth radiating from him. "You are right, in a way. I shouldn't dabble in the darkness. It is clear now." His confusion was the plague, his indecisiveness a weakness.

It is almost necessary to walk the path of despair in order to gain a clear understanding of the force, he thought and he knew she would hear it too as he looked forward. And if one wished to grow past many, almost all the people, then one had to possess the will and character that could withstand anything. Perhaps that was why he allowed her in, to get to know the dark side, perhaps he wanted to see her for what she was.

She was like a virus, or a parasite she attached herself to him and rode his energies. An ordinary man would have been crushed by such a technique, but Guhoo Armstrong couldn't allow himself to be ordinary.

- A pulse -​

A warm pulse moved everything, Guhoo's essence and will shinning through brightly as he remained behind the woman. "Thank you for existing Siha. I needed this... to rid myself of these chains that bind my soul..."

Ripples of energy pulsed, again and again from his body, his very soul burning with a passion it had not burned with in a long time. He needed this, this conflict, to regain what he had lost and continue to grow. He would not be denied, he would not be stopped here... Putting his hand gently on her shoulder there was intensity between the two, but he was thankful to her... the threads in her hands long vanished in to mist as she felt a tear drop hit her shoulder.

"Thank you."​

Genuine and honest words pierced her... A man reborn smiled gently.

 

[Lucid]

Build too strong a flame and you burn yourself.

Twenty-Nine had heard that saying, once, a long time ago and now she finally understood it. She had stoked smoldering ashes for far too long in this man; awakened him once again. Why? Twenty-Nine had no idea and she had no time left to ponder why she hadn't just left him a barren husk of a man, why she had told him to stand and fight. Anyone who had drawn deeply on the reservoir of the Force knew that it was alive. It had a will of its own. Perhaps that was why.

In the end, she was just a pawn, trapped by a greater power.

She had been born hating Jedi and would die still hating them, but she would carry with her her revulsion for herself. She had been the instrument of a Jedi's reincarnation. She had set out to ruin but had instead created. Black threads ran through the light, staining it with hair-fine seams.

You should not be thanking me, she hissed. Through me you have touched something that is opposite to what you are. You will forever be a marked man.

If you waver at all you will be torn asunder.

Her presence was fading away, returning to the abyss that had created her. But it did not vanish completely; part of it remained, burned into the depths of the man's mind. One day, when the time was right, her will and lust for ruin would return.

It was the final curse of Twenty-Nine.

 

[Gaja]

And just like that they returned to "reality" as Koriban's sun shared its warmth with him. There was a sadness in his mind as the darkness dissolved. His sense of time was a bit distorted, as he wasn't sure if this experience took one second from them or an hour. Or maybe even more? He could feel the sweat trickling down his face, when it had not when he saw her for the first time. They left the confines of his mind together, and their encounter would be their secret. Gently opening his eyes Guhoo found himself standing on the edge of the balcony, his hands wrapped around the body of the young woman and supporting her from falling.

He said nothing, feeling that she didn't support herself one bit. Holding her there the man remained motionless as the experience replayed in his mind. Originally he came here to learn about the other side of the force, to grow past his limitations and himself. He sought to see and face the dark side, and in this experience he did just that. He was faced with it, in all of its power, but the outcome had left him with a bitter after-taste. He didn't wish to call it victory, because it wasn't that in his opinion. He felt sadness for the loss of life, as he could feel that Twenty-Nine's heart had stopped beating...

Holding her he felt sad that she had no one to share her feelings with, that she lived with so much sadness and loneliness in her heart. He felt her sadness in his heart as well. It was comforting to know that she at least shared herself with someone before she vanished and became one with the Force, Guhoo would have loved to travel with her and get to know her better. Her passion and determination were not lost, at least he thought so, even if malice ruled her at her final moments.

Guhoo did not want his energies to have that kind of an effect on her, he really did not. He couldn't quite express it, but with a tear and a long quiet hug.

Gently putting her down on the ground Guhoo looked at her... Such a shame and waste of life... He knew it in his heart, this fighting needed to stop, but there would be time. She deserved at least a minute, at least that much...