Ask Lothal No One's Ever Really Gone

[Maxims Tionson]

Max had two people with him on this, his first trip to Lothal.

He had heard of the place and read about it before in the holocrons of the Jedi but he had never actually visited it before until now. The lush farmlands and the rolling hills had a light, peaceful, quality to them that he could very well see the appeal of. Though he was enough of a city-dweller himself to admit that he would likely find himself bored to tears within the first week or so of living there.

A nice retirement spot for some but not for him it would seem.

He had brought two allies with him to the Lothal Jedi Temple. Nashyr and Ezekiel had come with him because they needed something that they were missing. Nashyr was with him because this was the first step in her training and one of the few ways that a Jedi could gain a kyber crystal through the sheer will of the Force. His other ally was a Jedi Knight like himself but there was something missing from him.

Max refused to even entertain the idea that he was ready to be a Jedi Master and so he refused to believe that he could be more accomplished than Ezekiel, enough to notice deficits that the cathar didn't see himself. But as soon as he had seen the cathar man through the Force, Max could tell that he was searching for something beyond anything physical and it was something he had not yet found in his travels.

The Temple, however, had been destroyed by the Empire some years ago.

All that remained now were the underground ruins that they would be entering. Arriving at what would once have been the entrance to the Temple, Max sat himself down in a meditative position.

"Sit, you two." he urged them as he reached out into the Force, "Let the Force into your mind... just relax and let it enter... do you feel the ruins below us? How they yet speak? We will make them speak to us yet."

@Insalius @Killa Ree

 

[Ezekiel Nier]

Ezekiel had at first been excited to go to Lothal, especially when it came to working on an expedition to try to find access to a destroyed Jedi Temple. Something about archaeology of this kind just drove the young man’s thirst for knowledge, which he had hoped would have fueled other desires of his. In moderation, of course, he had been taught that anything to excess could be a door to the Dark Side, after all. Even with the temperance, though, he still had trouble with what he really wanted recently: Making friends and closer connections with other, something that his heart was aching for. Yet, when the other feline and Max had appeared so they could travel to Lothal, his anxiety had reared its head to make the Cathar silent for the entire trip up until now.

A bit sullen at his own fear of speaking to others or even interacting with them, Ez nodded at Max’s words as he settled down to do some meditation. That had been another issue that he had been having, fully accepting the mystical parts of the Force in his academic mind. There were some parts of the process of using the intangible power that just didn’t mesh well with his scientific mind, the young man contemplating on just how it could work in an existence otherwise governed by physics and other necessary forces. He hadn’t made much headway at this yet, which a part of him was quite frustrated with. There had to be an answer, a link, SOMETHING he could use to set his mind at ease. Despite having been with the Jedi for a while now, he still had much to learn and develop.

Ez closed his eyes, trying to meditate as he had been taught. It took some time to get through his thoughts to find momentary clarity, though it was like he could hear angry shouting from far away from the back of his mind. He tried to reach out with the Force, looking for anything that could bring him down to the buried ruins, feel what was inside of them and learn what he could from all of this. Even simple things like this was awe-inspiring for the simple scholar, though he hoped he would be able to refine himself better as he practiced. It had all been painstakingly slow so far, for him.

@Killa Ree @Nefieslab

 

[Nashyr Ris]

It was a surprise to Nashyr to have met another Cathar, but one of a different pattern of her kind. He, too, was Jedi... but she was all-too-keenly aware she was definitely the untrained one here. The other Cathar of their group intruiged her; he was much younger, and very shy... but it wasn't the first time she was around a shy guy either. She often made sure to smile to the fellow Cathar whenever their paths crossed, but... no reaction.

Yet.

The last time she had ever been to a place like Lothal was... well... she wasn't entirely certain herself. It sparked distant memories of her and her litter-mates some time ago... and it made her all too aware that she had been in the gritty underbelly of Nar Shaddaa for far too long. While Max and Ez certainly seemed more at ease, she had yet to relax the tense line of her shoulders since she left with Max. She was so far out of her element that it was disconcerting, and despite the calmness of their surroundings, she couldn't help a twinge of unease.

She took a deep breath in, settling into the ground. She knew Max wasn't too keen on being her mentor, or being seen as such, but he helped her to practice achieving the mental state she had only previously achieved through dancing or late nights working out; meditation. As green-gold eyes watched Ezekiel naturally fold into a seated position, she slowly did so herself, mindful not to sit on a plant or anything.

She settled in, at first only noting her breath, the pulse of her heart. But after a few moments of focus, she began to feel...

It was odd. Like an Otherness around them... something that might've always been there, but hadn't been noticed. She unconsciously frowned, exploring deeper. A wave of calmness began to smooth down her shoulders, causing the stiffness to ease. She took another deep breath, and kept focusing outwards... and though it was odd...

She could almost sense the life around her, not as keen as sight, but there... like a voice waiting to be heard.

Or a presence, waiting to be seen. What was so precious about the temple below them?

@Nefieslab @Insalius

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max could feel something just waiting and when all three of them sat there and waited, it began to uncoil like a snake. It felt sluggish, as though it were being awakened after a long and fitful sleep.

It felt alive in a way that went beyond a pulse or something similar.

Slowly it began to feel closer and closer. He smiled even through his meditation as he felt it approaching them from deep within the soil beneath them. From the ruins of the Jedi Temple and the connection it had once held to something even greater than a Jedi Temple. Something greater that he could never be able to explain.

"Do you feel it? Rising to greet us?"

It was magical.

It was... not like a snake at all.

It was suddenly much larger, much grander, than he had expected it to be at all. No this power was not a simple snake but rather a sea serpent large enough to encompass the planet several times over. With suddenly panic and surprise, Max tried to break himself off from the Force, to tear himself and the others away from it's awareness but it was swifter still.

Blinding pain lanced through him as it reached into him through the Force, piercing him violently with it's power as it rushed inwards. It hurt, like being overfilled with burning, molten, metal and he could do nothing as it began.

The Force designed tests all it's own.

@Killa Ree @Insalius

 

[The Storyteller]

Nashyr and Ezekiel would find themselves kneeling in their meditative positions still, having physically not moved but having been transported none the less.

Instead of kneeling upon the smooth stone of Lothal's surface, they were instead kneeling within the entrance chamber of the Lothal Jedi Temple. The entrance chamber that had been destroyed by the Empire years before either of them had actually been born. Not merely some underground ruin either but the entrance chamber as it had been at the height of the Jedi Order.

It's smooth stone walls held scant comfort for the two Cathar and all exits were barred by smooth, unyielding, stone.

There was no escape.

There was no way forward.

But behind them knelt a man in the robes of a Jedi Master, his lower face hidden from sight by a wrap of cloth and his upper face obscured by a mask, a blindfold, with markings etched onto it.

Spoiler: Jedi Master

"The way is shut."

His voice was soft, quiet and had a raspy quality that spoke of it being unused for perhaps decades. The Jedi Master knelt behind the two Cathar, his lightsaber on the stone in front of him as he waited for them to gather themselves.

In the distance, through layers of stone and darkness, screams of pain echoed through the Temple.

Familiar screams.

"The way is shut and the one known as Tionson is in pain."

The Master tilted his head to the side slightly.

"Do you wish to aid him?"

@Insalius @Killa Ree

 

[Ezekiel Nier]

Ezekiel didn't know what to do, despite all the knowledge he had absorbed over his years. This was impossible, or so the rational and scientific part of his mind screamed to him. This had been a far stronger response to the meditation than he had ever experienced before, already shaking him to the core, and the teleportation and pain of Max just pushed him even further. He was on the edge of panic, looking around for anything that would make sense, some kind of normalcy to ground him back to where he felt safe. He would find none, especially when the other man started to speak.

He listened to the screams, knowing Max was in pain from whatever was happening. Ez wanted to run away, to make sense of everything, yet something within him, though weak, made him stay. He could only nod his head to the other man, unable to summon words that came from a mind that refused to accept what was happening. He had always taken solace in his knowledge, yet now it was the thing holding him back the most. He didn't know what to do, but he had to do something. As bad as he was feeling in that moment, Max was feeling worse, and that wasn't right. That was the only rationalization he could give to not trying to run away, knowing that he'd be scorned and yelled at for his cowardice. He questioned if he was even cut out to be a Jedi if he couldn't live up to their image and legend.

@Killa Ree @Nefieslab

 

[Nashyr Ris]

She could feel that presence rising towards them... but there was something off. Like a sour note in an orchestra, a drop of rain during a sunny day. And then...

She leapt to her feet the moment the warmed stone beneath them became cold, smooth, and glanced about wildly. "Wha…" she gaped, pulse pounding in her throat. Her companion, Ezekiel, seemed just as rattled as she felt, and she wasn't certain if that was a good thing. She took in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

What was it Max was telling her before?

Calm... she needed to be calm, clear-headed. But then she heard the yelling, and whipped her head towards where the sounds were coming from.

"Max!"

No other response. She swallowed hard... and could feel her hands shaking. She took another breath, then slowly turned towards the voice that greeted them.

This was completely out of her comfort zone... but from the looks of things, there was no going back. She had to keep calm, she had to get her thoughts together. She focused on the stranger's face, but it was like... he was there, but not there. She glanced at Ez... and she could almost feel the panic welling in the other Cathar. So at least she wasn't alone in this panic.

They needed to be calm.

She stepped closer, putting her hand on his shoulder. Just feeling someone solid was enough to lower her pulse, and bring clarity back to her scattered thoughts. She gave him a small, very faint smile... and nodded, before gazing at the Being before them, squaring her shoulders and exhaling slowly.

"What can we do to aid him?"

She had to keep her cool, and her control... because this was so beyond her usual rational that she had no idea what they were up against. Her grandparents' and great-grandparents' stories were grand... but this was on another level beyond any stories she ever heard.

@Nefieslab @Insalius

 

[The Storyteller]

The man who may not have been real stared at them as they went through their initial reactions. Was it real? Did it actually matter if it was?

He observed silently.

He watched as the two Jedi Padawans accepted that they were not in a position they would have liked but they would need to move forwards regardless. It was good then that they decided to aid their Master.

The Temple of Lothal was almost cruel in it's tests. If the Padawan did not succeed in their test then the Master would die. This was not something Max had considered and nothing that either of the Padawans would know.

They might learn should their efforts be wasteful.

The blind Jedi Master nodded to them before gesturing ahead of himself behind them. To the door that had been so surely closed before but was now a wide-open doorway of darkness and stars in the distance along with a thin stone pathway.

On the floor before the door rested a pair of training sabers.

"Take up arms against the Darkness."

As the two padawans would turn to the doorway the blind master would disappear, as though he had never been there at all. In his place was an ominous, rasping, breathing coming from the darkness within the passageway.

The passageway.

The way forwards.

@Insalius @Killa Ree

 

[Ezekiel Nier]

Really? It had to be combat? For being a supposedly peace-loving group, the Jedi found themselves in these kinds of situations far more than an ordinary person would. With a shaking hand he grabbed the saber, though didn't turn it on. Even his own, which he'd already made, was something he refused to touch. It could even be said that he hated the thing. He really didn't want to have to turn this one on either, yet his choice was made for him. At least, despite his cowardice, he didn't consider leaving Max to die so he could live. Baby steps.

He waited for Nashyr to grab hers before stepping into the hallway, the only place for them to go. Words could not describe how much he resented being forced down this path, yet if he had to follow it then he'd do so to the best of his ability. Somehow, people were relying on him. That just sounded dangerous, he didn't rely on himself for anything, he knew how worthless he was outside the fields of theoretical internal debate. Even now, he couldn't even say a word to the young woman. He would have her back, but if he was expected to be a leader, they were already doomed.

@Nefieslab @Killa Ree

 

[Nashyr Ris]

She glanced at the training sabers before them... and the darkness ahead. The dark did not disturb her; what did was what lurked beyond. Whatever was causing Max such pain made this real... and if this was a test of some kind, she was determined to pass it, and rescue her Master.

She gave a nod to her companion, and a small, comforting smile, grasping her own lightsaber lightly. She... never held one of these before, aside from Max's own...

...She wasn't sure she liked it either. But perhaps... it was more useful as a tool, rather than simply as a weapon. Something to bring Light to the Darkness... though she chuckled wryly to herself. She was already thinking like a Jedi, and wasn't that a damn sight more amusing than anything.

She activated hers; the hiss and shade of cool blue that greeted her eyes was a surprise, and she blinked a couple times, holding it out before her. As Ez would make his way to the door, so would she. And down into the deep dark they would go, it seemed... there was no way but forwards. She hoped to be there in time.

In time for what, though, she hadn't the slightest idea. But she had a bad feeling about this Temple.

"Let's go," her tone was calm, and she continued. She had to keep calm, to keep her head together. Max's life was probably at stake.

@Nefieslab @Insalius

 

[The Storyteller]

FALLEN​

The darkness took form as they approached, the smooth stone of the walls and floor changing as they moved further into the dark, further away from the guarding light of the blind master and the entrance hall. Stone gave way to black, darkened, metal grated floors and solid durasteel walls devoid of features, expression or warmth.

A chill came upon the two Jedi in training that cut straight through their fur and right to their core. An unnatural chill that came not from a sudden drop in temperature but in the realization that something lurked within that was so far from the pale, so far removed from the warmth and comfort of the Light that it infested the area and threatened to infect them as well.

At the end of the corridor they now walk down is the end of this dungeon, a simple door with an activation switch to one side.

"So you come to retrieve that which you have lost."

The figure that appears, forming from the darkness itself, is a spectre from a time long since past. An Imperial Inquisitor stands between the two Padawans and the door that leads to the Jedi Knight they are so desperate to rescue.

"Are you afraid?" the mocking voice of the Inquisitor wonders, an undercurrent of menace running through her tone on such a level that it is almost palpable that the person they are addressing has killed hundreds, "You, Ezekiel, are you afraid to try? If you do not try, you cannot fail as you so often have in the past after all. And you... Nashyr Ris... are you going to try and become something more than some petty little club owner?"

The Inquisitor holds her lightsaber out away from her body but does not ignite it.

"Please try. Please. There is nothing I savor more than watching the hope shine bright in the eyes of Jedi right up until the dread sets in as their hopes are dashed. Show me, Padawans, how you try."

@Killa Ree @Insalius

 

[Ezekiel Nier]

Who was this woman? Why was she being so malicious? This was again becoming too much, threatening to push him over the edge of panic. What she said wasn't helping either. He had no self-esteem, in fact hated himself quite a lot, so he agreed with her words. He did fail, again and again, and was completely worthless. He couldn't even speak a response, either in support of his companion or to tell her off. He wanted to run, he wanted to make sure Nashyr had a chance instead of him being there to bumble things up and end up getting them hurt or killed.

The sound of Max screaming went through his head, which stopped him from going forward with those thoughts. He lightly gripped the saber's handle, a strange sort of self-deprecating determination starting to fill him. If he left now, it would make the chances of saving Max slightly worse than him staying. That wast he only reason he was standing his ground, as it wasn't fair for Max to suffer for his worthlessness. He thumbed the activator for the training saber, watching the blade extend with almost hatred. He hated these things, yet now he had to use one. He'd do what he could. There was no hope in his eyes for her to watch fade. He hadn't had that since he first started learning with the Jedi. He was lost internally, yet for this, it wasn't his fight. It was Max's fight, and for that he would push through his demons.

@Nefieslab @Killa Ree

 

[Nashyr Ris]

She flinched at the sudden chill within, then shuddered. The lightsaber shuddered too within her grasp, and she huffed a breath, squaring her shoulders. A frisson of fear tremored down her spine at the change... and she inhaled sharply at the dark figure rising. Instinctively, she moved to be closer and guarding Ezekiel, lips pulling into a frown.

Her words cut... deeply.

Her hand trembled on the hilt of the blade. It hummed with the movement, and she could feel the panic welling in her chest.

But. The Inquisitor before them made one mistake, and she and her oily, sickening Darkness were going to fall. The panic ebbed, and in its' place was determination. Her voice was hard, calm, and steady as she faced the dark stranger in a defensive stance.

"...You're wrong."

She clenched her jaw, balancing her stance and staring down at their opposition. "I am more; I am a Jedi. Ezekiel and I don't hope; we know. So..."

She tensed, then bared her a savage grin of fangs.

"Shut. Up."

She tried to remember what Max told her; she had to will it, to feel it. And it was there... buried deep, but it was there. Like a warm hand on her heart, chasing the chill. The Force wills it, she exhaled. But though her skills were limited... she had to succeed. For Max was not only her Master... he was one of the few friends she had in this world, and she would not leave him in such a dark place. The Darkness here would not win. After all, he could have abandoned her any time, but he didn't. He believed in her. So she had to believe in him... and trust in the Force.

She was determined to succeed, and seeing Ezekiel stay to face this darkness with her proved one thing.

They would prevail. They had to.

@Insalius @Nefieslab

 

[The Storyteller]

The unmistakable sound of a lightsaber's ignited sounded twice, in sync, as the Inquisitor staring down the two Padawans ignited both blades of her lightsaber at the same time.

"Outstanding."

Ignoring all the tricks that the Inquisitor's lightsaber could actually do, the dark side user stalked forwards instead. The Force screamed as the Dark Side began to build and build within the short distance between the user and the Padawans. With one hand the Inquisitor swung it's blade for Nashyr's eyes.

While it's other hand shot up, launching streams of lightning from it's fingertips towards Ezekiel.

"You cannot kill me, young Padawans! What would your Master say knowing that you could not kill me?"

@Insalius @Killa Ree

 

[Ezekiel Nier]

The attack itself was easy to block, thanks to knowledge learned more than actual instinct or experience. He'd learned in lessons that certain Force powers could be blocked by a lightsaber, one of the most famous of them being the insidious Force Lightning the likes that Emperor Palpatine had used at the Battle of Exegol. So, Ezekiel raised his training saber to an angle he thought would best catch the lightning, using some of that science and math that he was very good at. Horrible social skills, but able to apply theoretics and mathematics to practical use far faster than most other beings could even hope to attain.

As for the question, though, he frowned at the woman's words. He'd only known Max for a very short time, but in that time he'd never seen a violent or malicious bone in the man's body. He couldn't speak, still, but his eyes conveyed his response. He wouldn't think ill of the two of them at all, in fact, he would prefer they DIDN'T kill. That wasn't the Jedi way, and it wasn't how the two of them felt, either. If possible, the best solution would be to find a way forward where they all put down their weapons and walked away unscathed. Even in his despair and near panic, where he didn't believe in himself at all, he believed in Max and his ideals. He refused to be goaded by this person into thinking the Jedi was something that he was not.

@Nefieslab @Killa Ree

 

[Nashyr Ris]

It hadn't been that long ago on Nar Shaddaa that she stood with a blaster in her hand, toying with the idea of killing a couple gangsters in revenge for her own loss and grief. She didn't have to look at Ez to know the younger Cathar felt the same; her eyes narrowed in focus as the dark sider stalked their way, double-blades humming.

She didn't think, she just reacted.

As the lightsaber stabbed towards her eyes in a thrust, she parried swiftly with her lightsaber in her left hand in a grunt, locking her opposition's blade to the outside as her right hand lifted, palm extended to a Force Push aimed towards the Inquisitor's head.

She wasn't going to allow this infection to spread any further than what was right here already. There was darkness enough, and she knew exactly how Maxims would have reacted.

"He'd be proud." Her fangs were bared, but... there was the faintest hint of a smile on her lips. He would be... and she had to push through to help. Both for Ez, and the man that was one of the few she genuinely trusted in the galaxy. There was almost nothing she wouldn't do to bring him, or Ez, back to safety.

@Nefieslab @Insalius

 

[The Storyteller]

Pride.

Certainty.

The Inquisitor backed away from the two Padawans for a beat, for a second and allowed itself to be pushed backwards by the Force Push of Nashyr. It skidded backwards along the stone flooring as though it was not really interacting with the ground at all, as though it was nothing but a ghost passing over something physical.

There was a moment where there was nothing but silence before the Inquisitor reached up with the free hand to remove the helmet. Pulling the helmet away carefully, it slowly revealed itself to the two Padawans. Long dead, the skull of the Inquisitor was all that remained barring a few clumps of rotten flesh.

"Are you afraid?" It challenged them ominously as the Force began to heaped itself down upon their shoulders, weighing them down, "Do you worry for your friend, your Master? For yourselves?"

It never moved.

It 'spoke' but the skull's jaw remained solidly closed, merely tilting slightly to one side as it grilled the Padawans before acting. Thrusting it's hand outwards, it slammed a Force Push at Nashyr before pulling that same hand back, using a Force Pull on Ezekiel to pull him forwards into a waiting slash of it's blade.

@Insalius @Killa Ree

 

[Ezekiel Nier]

Ezekiel, at this point, had gotten just about as afraid as he was going to, now locked behind that silently growing sense of sacrifice to help Max in any way he could at the sake of his own self. Something about that thought bolstered him, even as far down as he was, and his nervousness was being replaced with a sad kind of determination. He had to be of use to Max, he had to be worth at least enough to not be a burden, and if that meant defeating this...thing, then he would. So, as he was pulled towards the Inquisitor, his scientific and mathematical mind combined to calculate how much force he would have to apply and how much to move to keep upright despite the Force Pull. This let him skid towards the apparition on his feet, not tumble over at her complete mercy, and meet her lightsaber with his.

As their blades locked, he would reach out with his other hand and make a beckoning gesture towards her head. He would use Telekinesis to pull her head forward and down towards his. If there was only skull there, then to try to knock it out was the only idea coming to Ezekiel. He lunged forward as she came towards him, his surprise aggression hopefully catching her off guard and allowing him to headbutt her hard enough to throw her off. Hopefully it would make an opening for Nash to do something, or at least get free of whatever she had been thrown into. To be honest, Ez was running more on instinct than anything, his subconscious calculating everything he was seeing and doing and making his body act accordingly. That was the best kind of offense and prepared defense he could muster.

@Killa Ree @Nefieslab

 

[Nashyr Ris]

She grunted as she was pushed back, skidding on the stone beneath her. She gritted her teeth, springing forward to attack from the slight right, where the Inquisitor's side was open right where Ez had started blocking their opponent's strike on the opposite, in an attempt to catch her in the side.

She wasn't going to give herself room for worry. The grace or luxury for fear. Those that she cared for, that represented the Light, were here, and they were in danger. She wasn't going to let Darkness drag her down. The time for action was now, not words.

And words weren't going to stop her.

@Nefieslab @Insalius

 

[The Storyteller]

The Inquisitor had not considered that Ezekiel actually had the brass ones to mount any kind of counter offensive. For the exact same reason it had been pressuring him the most with the Dark Side; he was not in a good head space right now. Of course a bare skull taking a headbutt at force put the Inquisitor in something of a bad head space too.

As in it's skull came free from it's neck with the strength of the blow and suddenly it was flying backwards away into the darkness, disappearing before it could touch the ground.

Now headless, the Inquisitor seemed to shudder in place, leaving itself wide open for the attack from Nashyr which tore through what little remained of the Inquisitor, banishing the specter in a plume of black ash that clung to both of the Cathar. The oppressive atmosphere of the Temple Ruins gave way as the Dark Side specter disappeared.

In it's place there were two glowing kyber crystals hovering in the air.

As with kyber crystals in the past, they seemed entirely clear but once they were taken by the padawans it would become clear to their wielders just what color resided within. The air hummed with the Force but nothing would happen until they took the crystals as their own, as their just reward.

@Insalius @Killa Ree