Ask Let It Go

[Dash Pavan]

KRO VAR
0715 hours local time​

The landing ramp began to open and Dash was immediately hit by the heat of Kro Var. Striding down, he looked up uncertainly, breathing in the hot, acrid air. The familiar volcano towering above them had livened up from his last visit, breathing fire on the summit and spitting molten rock into the sky.

This place seemed the most unlikely imaginable to feed his powers, but his mentor had been clear. The nexus lay deep below the mountain, slumbering for centuries since her fall. If Dash could reach it, she had promised him that everything would change.

He shifted uneasily in his armour, already too much in the heat. He had worn little more than shorts and boots last time he was here, but he dismissed the memory. Dash had come to Kro Var to get away from his troubles and focus instead on the only other thing that mattered him; the truth of his unique powers. Reaching his goal would be dangerous and the armour was a necessity.

The Winter Casket was safe in his pack slung across his back and the Rhinnalian's lightsaber hung at his hip. Dash hoped not to need his weapon. He had seen neither man or beast on his last trip, aside from the golem Jadis had left to guard her legacy. She had assured him he was strong enough in the Force to overcome any remaining wards and, in any event, he had not come alone.

Jadis had insisted he meditate for much of the journey, marshalling his strength. Dash had therefore needed another, someone with the skill and grit to pilot the ship and help him deal with any obstacles. Discretion too was key. He could not trust another Jedi, given the risks in what he planned; he could already hear what Hera and the others would say.

But Dash had always been creative. He knew a pirate after all, one with martial skill and only too willing to help a young Jedi Knight with a deeply personal venture.

"You ready Michael?"

@Black Noise

 

[The Storyteller]

Micheal Harda stepped out of the small starfighter he flew to Kro Var with a strange look on his face. Of course, the look would be hidden by the visor of his helmet. Dressed in Deucalian armor, the 'former' pirate appeared nearly unreadable. In all honesty, he wasn't quite sure why he was here. Lance Vane was a business partner, yes, but technically he neither worked for nor with him in any capacity. He was an investor in the shipyards he ran, a proxy company now for the Jedi Order.

So why had he come? Why had he jumped so quickly to the beck and call of this much younger man? His heart fluttered at the thought and that alone caused his strange look to contort even more. He was attracted to the young man, of course, Lance was just his type. But attraction alone was not enough to fly to the base of a volcano and follow a man into hellfire. No, something deeper stirred in the long cold heart of the pirate, something more meaningful.

Shaking himself and grabbing up an E-11 blaster rifle, he nodded to Lance and responded, "Of course, where ya needin' me, I'll be goin'." Why had he said that? He didn't mean it, surely, or did he? Shaking his head once more, Micheal decided it would be best to just focus on the mission. As much as he could, anyway.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash smiled warmly at his big armoured companion, not missing how he shifted uneasily in his heavy plate. The Rhinnalian did not know Harda well - the man still called him by his alias after all - but he knew his type well enough. All brawn and bravado on the outside, but a marshmallow underneath. He had seen the look in Deucalian's eyes that time they had drank together and heard his suggestive tone.

Harda wanted Dash. He probably had a thing for younger guys all round. Dash had come across many with that tendency in his theatre days and he was more comfortable with it than most. Besides, it did not feel all that bad to be wanted by someone right now.

"There's a basin beyond that ridge" he explained, gesturing in the rough direction of the pool he had found last time. "There's an entrance to a passage that goes right under the mountain - to the chamber we need to get to". He had told Harda little of his plans, not being entirely sure where they led himself. All the mercenary knew was that there was something important hidden down there, something Dash needed to reach safely.

The young Jedi started forwards, careful to keep his footing on the uneven ground.

Suddenly his legs went from under him. Dash collapsed, gasping in pain and surprise. He barely caught himself, feeble hands grazing the rocks as his strength seemed to drain away. What was this?!

His stomach lurched, as if yanked by an invisible rope, both deeper inside him and out across the stars. A wave of hollow grief washed over him, a sense of loss and betrayal so intense it made him wretch. Dash felt his mind detach, his vision blurring as part of his consciousness was dragged down that cord, closer to the maelstrom that anchored it.

Ezra (@Sreeya ). Ezra was hurting. Another wave assaulted Dash, as poisonous as the last but this time laced with fear. This was his boyfriend's trauma, he was sure of it. It was real and it was happening right now. Ez had lost something, everything, more than he could bear. And he was afraid.

Dash had never seen Ezra look afraid. Now he not only saw it, but felt it, the Thorne's anxiety and panic pounding in his own chest. Something terrible had happened. Something even Ezra was not strong enough to withstand.

The Rhinnalian tried to reach out, grasping for Ez instinctively. Whatever had happened, it did not matter, not in the face of this. But Dash had no idea what he was doing. He clawed mentally at the flashing images, straining with his mind to see and understand. But it was useless. Another echo of distress overwhelmed him, sending him down into the dust.

"Ez!". Dash's cry bore a thousand emotions, not least panic, pain and regret. He stretched out weakly, trying to find any way to be there, to help, to protect. But his fingers found only blackened earth. He could feel his boyfriend running now, running deeper inside himself than ever before. It was like watching the heart of a star go out, its beauty and brilliance driven to extinction.

Dash coughed and spluttered, smoke and sulphur forcing him back to reality. He rolled over slowly, thick with sweat and his chest heaving. He stared up at the stars for a moment, vaguely conscious of his Nalphone beeping in his pocket. Harda would have no clue how much had just happened, how much how changed. But Dash was in no doubt.

He had to go back.

@Black Noise