The Witch and the Widow (Open)

[Green Ranger]

Sarina Lightell. The name had served as a rallying call for many, but the person was known to few. The Ospion started with her. And yet now...she was so far aloof and removed from the dealings of those that had followed her into exile, to call her one of them was an empty title at best.

After gaining Republic support for her own kind, she had fallen into myth, all but vanishing from the galaxy to recede into the books of history. Or so many had thought.

'So much still left undone...' she murmured, her long dark her cascading around her shoulders. She looked calm, all signs of weary and worry fading from her features, so that the semblance of the Jedi Master she once was had returned. For the first time in many long months, she could look into the mirror and recognize herself.

She rested on a rail overlooking the city of Cinnagar, expanding in all directions to the very horizon, though in stark contrast to Coruscant's cobbled together appearance, the entirety carried a light airiness, a precious elegance replicated nowhere in th galaxy. The sound of fountains and wildbirds in the distance provided a soothing background to her thoughts, giving her mind much-needed clarity, and the scents of various wildflowers in the plaza behind her took her away in part from the wearies of the galaxy, and back to simpler times. A childhood she never really had, a simplistic innocence that had been denied to her. And for the longest moment, she reveled in that blissful escapism. But all such moments of perfection are forever too brief and often interrupted. Such was the case this time.

Her senses came back all to soon to reality, and her force-attuned thoughts told her of the arrival of her guest. Others would come also, no doubt. Strange peoples attracted strange company. And few could be considered more a curiousity then the Tae. Sarina turned around and smiled softly.

'Please, take off your cloak,' she said, her hands opening out wide in diplomatic welcome as she adressed the guest. 'You have travelled far and are no doubt weary. Please, make yourself comfortable.'

The nod of acknowledgement from beneath the shimmering cloak was followed by the slender woman that wore it slowly taking the strange garment off, hanging it carefully on a nearby stone bench, as if it were worth a thousand worlds. Purple eyes looked up from beneath dark hair to meet Sarina's own blue ones, and the faintest hint of a smile could be gathered. The woman wore a short sword at her belt, and was garbed in a dark tunic - simple and unrevealing, and oddly reminiscent of the garb of the Jedi.

'Indigo, is it? At long last, we meet face to face. We have much to discuss...'

 

[Green Ranger]

Indigo was, in all honestly, wary of this meeting. Over the last few months the two had talked often, but never met. Furthermore, her past experiences with the galaxy had left her distrustful of non-Tae to the point that she had even ceased diplomatic talks with the Alsakans. Still, this Lightell woman seemed to have no malicious intent, or at the least no reason to harbour such intents. That and a touch of curiousity had fuelled her to meet with this woman.

'Perhaps,' she replied calmly, 'perhaps not. I'm not even sure why we're here, to be honest. I know you're curious about my kind...but that's not reason enough. Not for a woman like you. You're looking for something else, aren't you?'

The hint of a smile on Sarina's face betrayed her. There was something else...but she was keeping her cards close to her chest at this point. Indigo silently cursed herself. She had walked right into the woman's plans. And something told her that the meeting was going to be as private as she had originally believed.

 

[Green Ranger]

'I don't know what you're talking about,' Sarina said dismissively, her curious smile fading, 'though I do find it almost flattering you'd think me capable of such underhandedness. Perhaps the reputation of my Ospion is not as flawless as I would like it to be...

'Anyway,' she explained,' the real reason I called you here is, well...I want to see this...this Art of yours, first hand. It is a curious thing, and I would like to try and understand it. It seems, from at least my perspective, nearly impossible. Yet your entire race performs such miracles on a daily basis?'

Indigo sighed. She was too wary of outsiders. Of course one who used the Art in a different manner would be curious as to how the Tae used it themselves.

'It's...well, it's difficult to explain. The problem is your kind and my kind see the Art - what you call the Force - in fundamentally different ways. You see light and dark, good and evil in different manifestations, correct?'
Sarina nodded silently.
'We Tae see the unpredictable chaos that is life and death as one, a wild energy that both nurtures and destroys. It is without a will of it's own, as life is chaos. All life is connected by the Art, and the Art is but a tool that allows the existance of life. There is no good, nor evil, in the Art. Such things are concepts of sentient thoughts. We create good and evil, and by applying a moral code to our usage of the Art, we in turn alter it to have a moral code of it's own. Do you understand?'

Sarina paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts, before replying.
'So, you believe that the Force - what you call the Art - is simple energy, a catalyst required for the existance of life, and that we sentients alter it's fundamental workings through applying morality to what we do with it?'

Indigo nodded. 'Those are the basic teachings. All others require understanding of our fundamental concepts of the Art before proceeding. Without understanding our perception of the Art we manipulate, there is great risk to both the practitioner and everyone around them. Our Art is, by it's very nature, a little more volatile and unpredictable than yours.'

***

Elsewhere in Cinnagar, a pre-recorded message wormed it's way out of a personal console. Originating deep within the diplomatic sector, it spread outwards like a virtual supernova to all connected consoles. Not of a malicious nor viral design, the message merely appeared on every console connected to it as a recieved message, then proceeded to all consoles connected to the primary recipients. In this way, within the span of little under a minute, the message had made its way to every console in the entire city. It was simple enough for the sender's purposes - attracting attention to the so-called private meeting.

'Alsakan sympathizer and renegade Ospion Knight. Secret meeting, Plaza IR-4283, Tourist Sector. Armed, dangerous and Force Sensitive. Disregard or heed at own discretion.'

 

[Ares]

Veren Lorollo, Equine Jedi Knight, had been sent by the Council to Cinnigar for one purpose- to find a droid that had the access codes to get through the Ossus defence fleet. It had been taken by sneaky pirate- who was dead now, thanks to the marvelous work of other criminals. Now Veren had tracked the maintenance droid to the city of Cinnigar, where an influential criminal had bought it.

Every city had its dark secrets.

The Faun-like Jedi wore a brown leather shirt with metal shoulder armor, gauntlets, nd chest armor, with a gold-colored sash. He looked like a bounty hunter. He had even bought a slug-thrower. Veren's lightsaber was tucked under one chest plate, and he happened to be walking past a man with an old-style audio contact device. He heard a voice mentioning a rogue Ospion Guardian, and he started. If he could capture or convert this Ospion, the Jedi Order could be closer to breaking the stalemate, because most Ospion knew all the hidden bases and fortresses.

The faun-like Jedi reached out with his mind, searching for the Ospion Guardian...

 

[Lavi]

She didn't really like it: traveling with Indigo to Cinnagar. The Tae did not have much else to do other than sit tight at a cantina and wait for Indigo to finish her business.

A call of alarm caught the attention of the Tae, Alcyone, directed towards the bartender. The outcry was difficult to distinguish at this distance, but the Tae was able to pick out key words: Alsakan sympathizer, Ospion, dangerous. The location was reiterated several times, allowing Alcyone to pick out the details: Plaza IR-4283.

Alcyone memorized the figures, and took her leave from the cantina. Pulling her beige cloak close to her lithe body, the Tae quickly made her way towards the mentioned location. She might not like Indigo, but it's rarely a good sign when someone purposefully leaked the location of individuals considered to be enemies of the Republic.

Taking a backalley, Alcyone muttered an indistinguishable phrase, flicking her fingers around in a pattern, and jumped. She cleared the tall building beside her with ease, and started running on the rooftops. Not many would bother looking up: only those looking down from a more elevated position would see a female human-like figure heading in the direction of the plaza just given through public terminals.

 

[Ares]

Then he heard the announcements. Veren dashed as fast as possible, pushing pedestrians and droids alike away so he could get through. He was the one person headed for the plaza, as everyone else was fleeing. He clopped up escalators, jumped small garden walls, and finally arrived at the plaza. His lightsaber hilt was in his hand, and he squinted, searching the deserted plaza with his mind, as well as his eyes. These two were good...

 

[Green Ranger]

The pair looked over to the newcomer, Indigo immediately turning back to face the Ospion Knight.Initially, she was surprised at the stranger's appearance - he was, for the most part, human in appearance, though the horns atop his head and his legs were most definately not. She hands clenched into fists as a faint violet aura surrounded them, glaring at Sarina, her eyes like small stars with mingled outrage and surprise.

'I believe you've got some explaining to do, Ma'am,' she said through clenched teeth. Things were quickly spiralling into the unknown, and she didn't like it in the least.

Sarina returned the Taen's fiery gaze with a mysterious half smile. Admittedly, she herself was unsure about what was going to happen, but not knowing was half the fun.

 

[Lavi]

A moment after the equine arrived, Alcyone made it to the scene. She leaped down from her perch. "It's time to go: this meeting has been leaked."

Bounty hunters will be arriving at any moment, and the Taens cannot waste any more time than absolutely necessary. With the other person arriving just moments before, she was tense: ready to utter an arcane syllable to catch him off guard long enough for Indigo and herself to flee.

She had a staff hidden on her bodice in the case that things turned from bad to worst, but Alcyone hoped to not have to reveal its hiding spot. She had little to no idea what Indigo was talking about to this woman, but discussing anything here will be more of a hassle than informational.

 

[Ares]

Veren's blue blade flew out of his hilt, and he held it in a defensive posture. "Halt!" he shouted. "Which of you is the Ospion Guardian? I have been sent to speak with you," the Jedi Knight said. He felt a bit edgy, though- he was outnumbered.

 

[Lavi]

The hiss of the lightsaber igniting visibly startled Alcyone: she almost forgotten such weapons existed. It took every ounce of willpower in order to keep herself from instinctively using the Art to blast the other away; Alcyone's fingers were in mid-motion and the murmur of words upon her lips when she realized what she was doing and ordered herself to stop.

The fool: here is not the best time to have a conversation about anything. If the Tae had to hazard a guess, it would be a minute, at most, before the first bounty hunter arrives at the scene. Most likely less, taking into account how speedy the equine and herself made it to the plaza.

"Indigo, time is no ally," Alcyone reiterated her warning.

 

[Ares]

Veren rurned his gaze to Alcyone. "I do not wish a fight. Back down."

((OOC/ Veren is outnumbered, so he's bluffing. =3))

 

[Green Ranger]

'I am she, ' Sarina said quietly, though her gaze remained fixated on her Tae guest. In her mind, through the Force, she was like a bright light...but different to a Jedi. She was not a constant - her imprint in the force was like a river, the seasonal changes captured in an instant. She was flowing, her banks full ready to flood one moment, and then it was like a trickle the next. She used the Force so differently...It was almost entrancing to behold. Her hand sat on the hilt of her blade - crafted with the now outdated Jedi Forge technique, it would easily be able to defend her against the blade of a lightsaber. But she had a feeling that it would not protect her from the strange chaotic powers the Tae had at their disposal.

***

Indigo hated it when Alcyone was right. Despite technically being her inferior amidst Taen hierarchy, Alcyone seemed to constantly be telling Indigo what to do. She was something of a voice of reason. And frankly, it tended to be quite annoying.

'I know, Alcyone,' she growled, 'but something tells me if we leave now we won't find rest. The way the situation seems to be coming apart...I think our only option is to ensure things don't get any more out of control than they already are.'

 

[Ares]

The Faun-like Jedi Knight lifted his left eyebrow, never moving his blue eyes from the two women. He lowered his saber to a slightly less threatening position, and spoke.

"Alright... I know one of you is Ospion, but I must say that this is all rather... suspicious. Some person with access to the mainframe of the city just decides to help turn you in? For no reason, with no credit to himself? I believe a trap is at hand, for all of us."

He lowered his lightsaber to a position where he could defend himself, but it did not look agressive or suspicious. "I have yet to hear any of you, even among yourselves, even curse this being who tried to turn you in..."

((OOC/ This is all I can really make him do, other than just keep bluffing. Sorry if this is cheesy or weird))

 

[Lavi]

Indigo's statement is a classic example why Alcyone never really liked the other. The equine's remarks were merely bursts of air before the Tae, as she looked about the immediate area. A slight movement caught her eye, as well as a glint of metal.

With a target in sight, she muttered an arcane phrase in the ancient tongue. Her fingers formed a sort of hand sign, consisting of her index and middle finger pressed together and extending towards the sky, her thumb reached to touch both extending appendages and the rest of her fingers curled down.

She made a thrusting gesture with it, towards the source of the metal. The end result, a shout of surprise from the hidden being as a portion of the roof was blown away from Alcyone's telekinetic technique.

The Taen did not pause to see the end-result of her handiwork, turning her attention towards the other rooftops, expecting others to be hiding up there.

 

[Lavi]

((*whistles innocently*))

 

[Johnnysaurus Rex]

A whistle echoed above the rooftops and some steady applause. The Shade Master Belyael Oderyn had observed the show and was now extremely curious of the female, Alcolyne, he was looking at and what her intentions were. Stepping off his higher rooftop he descended down to her level and to a building adjacent of her location. His dark red coat slowly fell behind him as his downward motion halted and the silver haired man turned to look at the stranger. His hands did not go to his lightsaber nor his pistols.

"Now I've been 'round this galaxy loads of times and never have I seen something of that sort. Plan on giving a thorough explanation or do I need to make small talk first?"

 

[Lavi]

"I don't intend to talk," Alcyone said, eying this newcomer wearily.

Time is being wasted here. Indigo is technically higher in the Taen hierarchy, though their rank are the same: if Alcyone returned without Indigo, she will be reprimanded. A part of her wanted to just leave right there: the other wanted her to just grab her companion and run.

 

[Ares]

Veren looked around suspiciously. These two women- and the man on the roof- were much too powerful to be scared by a lightsaber. In fact, it was more than likely that all present possessed one.

((OOC/ X_X Come on, people! I'm dying of boredom here!))

 

[Raider]

((ooc/ x_x come on, people! I'm dying of boredom here!))

OOC: Never fear, Doom is here!

*He wasn't sure why he'd been drawn to this planet. The dark side continued to beckon him onward, that he'd understand why he was here soon. He paused, breathing in slowly and with that breath came all the power at his command. It twisted and swiraled around him as he reached outward. Searching for the reason he was here.*

*Yes. He could feel them now. That luminous, transparent being who's aura shone with like sunlight in the Force. He lips slide into a sly smile, yellow eyes flashing with cruel delight. Jedi. The word echoed outward through the Force and it were as if someone were leaning in from behind and whispering softly into one's ear. There was another, not so bright, but not truely dark. A mixture. He had encountered this kind once before, they had promise, but most were to weak to realize it.*

*He could feel others as well, Force users as well, but they were strange. One's aura was shifting and changing, as if it moving through all the seasons of the Force. The last two were unlike anything he'd felt before, undescribable in fact. This would be interesting indeed. He ceased to shield his presense and it was akin to suddenly being dropped into the very depths of an ocean; crushing in it's cold intensity, calm unwavering darkness washing over the area threatening to suffocate those caught in it's path. The Jedi and the other were a few minutes away from him. He started walking. He be there soon.*

 

[Sen Udo Dai]

Mezgut was near, he had heard the ignition of the Saber that was happening behind him. He sat put as he over heard the Jedi speak to the other member's as well as feeling the tension that was there, the Jedi knew that he was out numbered, But with Mezgut there he had some one to back him up. The Two may not have known each other but despite that Mezgut was one to support any Jedi, Big or Small. The fact is the Jedi stood for everything he did, and with his skills as a swords man, combat was no issue, the Force thing on the other hand was a large one. Mezgut stood from his stool, not making it obvious as he's hand reached into his jacket, where he found the holster of his Blaster pistol in which he rested his hand upon, Please don't Sense this.. he thought to himself as his yellow eyes peered back at the group, and the mans blue saber, 'Don't do anything stupid Jedi.' he thought to himself as he awaited to see if he may become of use.