Ask To Stare into the Abyss

[Kraud]

Kraud stood close to the edge, gazing down in the abyss. He had never seen something like this before. The gigantic crevice seemed bottomless, and yet there were lights everywhere. Every light represented a soul lost, and a wake being held deep within the abyss. Located in the unknown regions, the planet was only known by those who lived in this particular path of the galaxy. Nevertheless, it was visited by thousands upon thousands of pilgrims, monks and those mourning their death. It was a place filled with negative emotions and death itself. Over time, the Dark side had slowly seeped into the abyss, slowly transforming it into a nexus of the Force. A nexus of the Dark side.

He had felt it through the Force. The raw power of the Dark side exerted by the abyss. It was a natural phenomenon, but that didn't make it any less dangerous for those who entered. The Whiphid had known about this place for a long time, but only as of late had he sensed the sudden spike in Dark side energy exerted by the abyss. Realizing that this was not something he could deal with on his own, Kraud had summoned his Padawan, Astra Calloway. Even for just two Jedi, this could prove to be a troublesome endeavor. But there were people down there unaware of the danger and the corruption. Beings that needed saving.

The white-haired Whiphid wasn't the only one who had realized the impending doom the cave would bring. It had not gone unnoticed to him how frequently followers of the Central Isopter entered the abyss. The Knight loathed their cult; worshipers of death and destruction who stood by and watched as those around them died. The fact that they were here confirmed his suspicions; something extremely bad was about to happen.

There was only one way to enter the crevice; the wooden cranes used to carry both people and cargo down into the abyss. He had considered going down there already, but had decided against it. No, he would wait for Astra to join him first.

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[Astra Calloway]

Astra had limited information about the circumstances surrounding their visit but she knew they were people who needed saving and that was a good enough reason for her. She had been with Jey at the time of Kraud summoning her so he was accompanying the pair on their mission but the sound of a death-worshipping cult didn't fill her with hope, it sounded like an opportunity for the Dark side to gain traction and she did not want to bring Jey to that. However, she knew he wouldn't leave even if she asked him to so she could only play with what she had been dealt.

Upon landing, Astra left the ship and began walking over to Kraud in the distance with Jey at her side. "Hey Kraud! I brought a friend!" She called out to her master, unaware that the pair had met previously. "He's uh... almost a Jedi... in a way." She attempted to justify bringing him along because she doubted Kraud would be pleased with her bringing along people who were a liability. "He has a lightsaber." She added to try and cement her case.

As she joined Kraud, she gasped as she peered into the abyss below, in awe of its magnificence but then took a step back as she felt a sudden sense of overwhelming coldness. It was the undeniable presence of the Dark side. Her eyes immediately turned to Jey with a look of concern to see if he felt it and tried to search his feelings, still afraid of her friend's instability. She wanted to turn to Jey and ask him to wait in the ship for them but she knew he wouldn't do that so she reluctantly allowed him to come along.


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[Jeyten Dres]

Jey wasn't opposed on taking a break from the search for his father and aiding Astra in... whatever it was she needed to do, he decided not to eavesdrop on the transmission from her Jedi master, all he knew was that it was dangerous and he refused to let her run into it without him having her back. Jey piloted the Kath Hound to the coordinates he had been given by Astra, the fact that they were headed to the Unknown Regions made him uneasy.

After landing, Jey stood up from the pilot's chair and held his arm out, allowing Scouty to climb up onto him. With his lightsaber, dual blasters and his scout droid in hand, he followed Astra down the docking ramp and to her Jedi master. Although, what was strange was - her master was a familiar-looking Whiphid and as he squinted slightly to make out the white haired Whiphid in the distance, he realised it was none other than Kraud. However, instead of feeling surprise he smiled to himself instead and simply thought "The Force really is a strange one." as Astra 'introduced' the two, Jey stood behind her, folded his arms and smirked at Kraud - finding it amusing that she had know idea the two were already acquainted. The teen would let Kraud reveal their past.

Jey felt a sudden bite of cold hit him, it wasn't some regular cold either... it felt as if it was chilling his very bones. His attention was drawn back to reality when Astra gasped, he followed her gaze and stared into the deep abyss below them. As he stared in a trance-like state, only then did he realise this was the source of the coldness he was feeling... it was the Dark side, and a nexus at that. He felt the temptation for a moment, temptation to let it, in but he closed his eyes and shook the feeling away, burying it deep down... maybe coming here was a bad idea...

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[Alana Calloway]

Alana had tried to get a grip on herself, so she had come here to be with the monks, hoping to find peace within herself and put an end to the storm raging within her. But once again, just when things seemed to be going well someone- rather something- had screwed it all up. She had felt the darkness on the world, knew the call that wormed around in her skull, and felt night terrors overtake her in her time of rest. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the creatures that were crawling up from under the earth, creatures that had killed her fellow monks, driven them away from their traditional meditation grounds, and now the damn creatures had lured the one group of people she was hoping to avoid; her family.

She knew they would recognize her immediately, Astra most of all would sense her almost immediately due to their bond. At the same time, she couldn't allow them to proceed into the chasm under risk of death and not try to aid them. So, shortly after they touched down, Alana would approach the group. Her usually attire had been discarded, as she wore hand stitched robes with a cowl obscuring half of her face, her rifle was hanging across her back making her back look hunched over, and in her hands she held an old wooden staff that she used to stab at the earth as she moved forward. "If you three are looking to depart, I reckon I might be able to help." Alana spoke, as she drew back the cowl, all but confirming her identity to probably everyone but Jey. A smile came to her face, as she would embrace her twin in a hug, though there was another reason Alana was here; she needed to confront the darkness here. "I'm glad someone showed up, because let me tell ya, these little bastards are persistent. We kept killing them but they keep on coming." She commented, nodding to Jey, before going in to hug her father. They hadn't spoken in some time, but that didnt stop her from missing him. "Hey daddy, it's nice to see you again."


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[Kraud]

Kraud turned around the moment he felt his Padawan's presence. And not just his Padawan; the dark-haired teen going by the name Jey was accompanying her. The questions that raced through his mind could be summarized in just one sentence; Why did she bring him along? Granted, he had given her little information about their mission, but this wasn't some regular 'stop a heist' type of task. No, this was dangerous on an entirely different level.

Kraud silently judged his Padawan for her statement. "That lightsaber is not going to help him Astra." he commented, glaring at Astra. When his Padawan walked over to the abyss to take a look, he turned to Jey. "You're not ready for this Jey." he began, skipping the greetings and small talk. "This is not a matter that can be resolved by blasters and lightsabers. It is the Dark side itself that we must oppose here." he explained, hoping that Jey would understand what was needed here. Not physical prowess, but the mindset of a Light side practitioner. "The Dark side of the Force has this place in its grasp, and the thousands of monks are too stubborn to leave. I fear that, within less than a month, all of them will have perished." the Knight continued, finally shedding some light on his rather cryptic message.

There was much more he wanted to add, but the Knight was interrupted by the arrival of third familiar face. His second adopted daughter; Alana. Kraud's brow furrowed the moment he laid eyes on her. She was wearing... hand-stitched robes? "Alana.." he didn't want to probe his daughter's mind, but the could tell that something was amiss. From her sheer presence, the Whiphid could deduce that the Dark side pulled at her. She had clearly been here too long. There was so much he wanted to ask her. A part of him wanted to hug her, another wanted to teasingly ridicule her appearance, but he did neither. Instead, as usual, the Whiphid found himself unable to move and unable to properly express himself. Even his expression remained stoic, as he spoke up. "How far has the corruption spread? Do these attacks happen regularly?" he asked her instead, knowing full well that he neglected his own feelings. What he needed right now, was information.

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[Astra Calloway]

Kraud didn't need to say anything for Astra to know he was displeased with her bringing Jey with her but really she didn't have much choice, it would've taken her a lot longer to get there if it hadn't been for Jey's help and despite the dangers they would face, he could prove himself to be helpful and maybe this would help to convince him to follow the path of the Jedi so she stood by her decision.

"Oh er... I know, I just mean... He can handle himself." She tried to correct herself but it was too late, she had said what she said and Kraud knew what she meant but she took it in her stride nonetheless. Both had different philosophies on the use of a lightsaber and although Astra tried to follow Kraud's philosophy when he was around for the sake of keeping the peace, she knew that once she was a knight then she wouldn't have to answer to him.

Astra turned back to the group, blissfully unaware of the conversation that had happened between Kraud and Jey behind her. She was aware that Jey could be volatile but he said he was committed to vanquishing the darkness within him and she believed him and wanted to do all she could to help him achieve that. Although being here was certainly dangerous for him, as it was for all of them, he would have both her and Kraud to guide him.

It only took her a moment to realise Alana's presence and wandered back over to Kraud and Jey as they were approached by a hooded figure. "Alana!" Astra practically threw herself into a hug with her sister. Since the pair didn't see each other every day like they used to, any time apart from Alana was too long. Although initially she was happy to see her sister, the happiness soon morphed into concern. While she believed that Jey had the strength and courage to destroy the darkness within him, she couldn't say she believed the same for Alana.




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[Jeyten Dres]

It was obvious Kraud wasn't happy that he tagged along with Astra, but that was low on his list of priorities right now. Today, his main priority was making sure Astra was safe in her endeavour. While the blonde Jedi had trailed off to get a better look at the abyss, him and Kraud were alone - "Hey, old man. Long time no see." he greeted in a lighthearted attempt at breaking the ice, but being the type of man he was, Kraud was straight to the point.

The teen's face turned serious as he listened to the Whiphid explain the issue currently, when he was done Jey would quickly respond "Fair enough, but I'm here because I don't want Astra getting hurt." in a hushed tone, Astra was capable of defending herself of course but she had saved his hide so many times that it was time he returned the favour. However, he didn't dispute what the Whiphid had informed him of either, face still serious "I'll be careful then, if I go all Dark side-y blink twice." he said, ending it with a slight joke. He knew Kraud wouldn't be impressed but the mood was so dark that it needed a little bit of humour, besides, the Force-sensitive teen was confident he could keep himself in check.

Jey was probably the last person to sense Alana's presence, but he sensed it nonetheless. She was... in a different attire that he was used to seeing her in, to say the least, okay, she looked pretty ridiculous and he wanted to joke so bad but even he knew now wasn't the time and so, he simply nodded back to her in response. He raised an eyebrow however when Alana called the white haired Whiphid 'daddy'... and then it all clicked - not only was Kraud Astra's Jedi master, but he was also their adoptive father... the one that Alana had mentioned on Ryloth all those months ago. Some family reunion this was about to be...

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[Alana Calloway]

It felt good to see her sister once again, as the two embraced, Alana could feel the bond between them strengthen again. Pulling away, Alana grinned and looked to Jey, before whispering into her sisters ear. "I see you brought your boyfriend along as well." She grinned, knowing she was going to get a rise outta her sister. "It's nice to see you Ast." Alana commented, clasping onto her sister's shoulders, before turning towards Kraud. She was a tad saddened that he didn't embrace her, rather putting up that deflector shield of emotion, asking her questions about the mission. She stepped away from the embrace and let out a sigh, shrugged her shoulders. Seeing that she was still wearing the robes of her monk friends, she tugged down around the sown section below her chest, tearing the fabric away as she now wore something more befitting of a poncho with her more familiar attire underneath. "There, that outta do it." Alana muttered, having felt several eyes checking out her badly sown robes.

She looked back to her father, a bit of disappointment in her voice as she set the staff aside and drew out her rifle. "It's been pretty frequent, every now and then there is a day or two break period, but it's been getting worse." Alana began inspecting her rifle, checking the energy cells she had loaded into it. "As for how bad the corruption has gotten, I think it's still local, though I could sense it more than twelve clicks away from here. And that was before these things started to come crawling out of the depths." Alana replied to his question, feeling that once again she was just the family disappointment. Having loaded up her rifle, Alana took several steps in the direction of the chasm, Astra would sense that there was a emotional wound tearing at her sister. The darkness here was just a little more tempting now for the wayward bounty huntress, but more than that were the voices that struggled to push to the surface. 'This is your chance Alana' 'Yes, this is what you've been waiting for.' She didn't try and silence the voices now, though she merely let them talk. Her time her had let her know the darkness that lived within her, and her only choices were to fight it to a stalemate, or open herself up and embrace it. Once this whole business was done, she knew exactly what she was going to do. She was never going to be viewed as an equal by her family, nor her friends. She needed to reinvent herself, because clearly she wasn't good enough. She had pity from her sister, and disappointment from her father, and the rest of her friends...it felt like half the time she was just there. "Unless there is anything else, I think we better get on down there. The cycle is going to start all over again." Alana commented, turning back to the trio and forcing a smile. 'Close the circle' 'Cut the ties'. This day was going to extract a hefty toll once it was over.

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[Kraud]

Kraud's eyes narrowed, his gaze shifting between Astra and Jey. "Fine. But don't go wandering off on your own. Stick together at all costs and tell me when it's too much." he stated. It wasn't some field trip, and the rules had to be clear. With a slight nod to Alana, the Whiphid announced that he was ready.

With every step he took in the direction of the elevator, Kraud felt the cold, depressing presence of the Dark side increase. While it was obviously not the first time he felt it, it was by far the strongest. Once the others would join him on the wooden platform that served as the elevator, Kraud summoned the Force. With a slight gesture, Kraud pulled the lever with his telekinetic grip, starting their descend into the crevice.

They were still far from the first tombs and monuments, when the nexus actively started to oppose the presence of the Light side that the Jedi brought with them. He sensed how it called for him; pulled at him and begged the Whiphid to give in. Kraud clenched his fists as the mental assault tried to penetrate his defenses. "Kraud..." the familiar voice made the Whiphid grit his teeth. It was a voice he hadn't heard in decades. "Just give in, you are worthless as you are now..." the voice continued. It was swiftly followed by a second, feminine voice. "You are a poor master" Astra's voice would whisper. "And you're even worse as a father.", Alana's continued.

The Whiphid closed his eyes and focused on his breath. None of it was real. It was merely an illusion, one that would have no affect on him. "You cannot save your allies, Kraud." the first voice continued. A low growl escaped his lips at the mention of his his daughters and Jey. The voice alone was enough to frustrate the Whiphid. It sounded exactly like his brother, Sarnu. A perfect choice considering the goal of the nexus was to torment the Whiphid. Kraud glanced at the others on the wooden platform. Did the Force Nexus torment them in a similar manner?

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[Astra Calloway]

Astra shot a look at Alana after hearing her comment and nudged her sister in the side with her elbow, knowing that she didn't have to say anything to get her message across but did so anyway. "I would say the same to you if it weren't for that comment." She whispered in Alana's ear in good jest, knowing her sister would understand. Although she was glad to see her sister, Astra wished Alana was somewhere safer. This was not the time to decide to embrace her force sensitivity, she was already emotional and therefore vulnerable.

As Kraud shifted his gaze between the friends, Astra did the same between Kraud and Jey. "What?" She asked, wondering if there had been an exchange of words while she had been gone but she expected them to be dismissive about it. Astra could feel the unsettling pull of the Dark side and Alana's emotional pain as they approached the edge of the chasm and prepared to descend into it.

The deeper in they got, the louder the whispers became and the more recognisable the voices got. "You are a disappointment." She heard Kraud's voice say but didn't react. She had seen and heard enough Dark side manifestations that day but knew that they would only cause her harm if they allowed her to but it became apparent that ignoring them wasn't all that easy. "You're going to let me die." Alana's voice whispered, causing Astra to shift uncomfortably.

Any meaningful attempts to help Alana with her addiction had not worked and Astra felt guilty that now her inaction could have been perpetuating her sister's problem to the point where Alana could very well end up dead as a result of her addiction while Astra did nothing. The thought troubled Astra, now and always, so she reached out to hold Alana's hand to reassure her sister who she knew would be experiencing the tormenting too but also to reassure herself that she would fight for and with her sister.



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[Jeyten Dres]

Giving off a lazy salute in Kraud's direction, he acknowledged what the Whiphid had to say "Yes sir, sir." he responded lightheartedly following the group to the elevator - however, his confident and lighthearted mood slowly began to chip away as the strong effects of the Dark side crept into his mind, body and soul. Though, the internal conflict was there, the teen still put on a confident face as to not worry Kraud, Astra or Alana.

After Kraud had pulled the lever and they had all began their descent into the crevice. It only got worse. He could feel the sea of blackness overwhelming him, as if it was tugging and pulling at his very soul and slowly smothering the Light inside of him. Then he began to hear it... the voices "You're a coward." the voice of his father echoed through his ears, Jey violently shook his head to rid himself of this gnawing voice in his ear, he knew what the voice was referring to - instead of embracing who he was, he tried to destroy it with alcohol, clubbing and death sticks.

Hearing another voice "You're just my pet project, I never cared about you." Astra's voice called out to him coldly, as Jey grew closer to the blonde Jedi, he began deeply fearing if this was a genuine friendship or if she was only interested in him because of his Force-sensitivity and his past, because he was like Alana... maybe she was living out her fantasies of saving Alana through him. Maybe she was using him. Jey hovered his gloved hand over his ear, ready to shut out whatever came next.

"A boy who thinks himself a man." he heard as the voice of his Jedi ancestor sniped at him, "Shut your karkin' mouth." Jey whispered harshly to the void they were descending into. A sense of dread washed over the teen as he realised what this was, he had just been through a similar experience on Corstris and was still recovering from it - however, this Dark side nexus was much, much more powerful. Fear overcame dread as the teen worried if he would be able to handle this... if he would botch this whole thing and get Astra hurt, or worse, killed...

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[Alana Calloway]

Alana snickered at her sister's reaction, flashing her a grin. "Jey's a good guy sis, but he's not my type. That's all for you." She teased, as she took the elbow strike with glee. All that amusement and joy didn't last long however, as Alana took several steps towards the rift, it was calling to her, perhaps gesturing for her to embrace it. "You're a joke." She heard Jey mutter, causing her to turn her head back towards the man, but didn't see the indication that he had said anything. Alana shook her head, pushing the thought from her mind, only for another one to take it's place. "I'm ashamed to even call you my daughter." Kruad lectured, the unmistakable voice of her father slammed into her like a turbolaser battery.

Her head dropped as it frankly destroyed her very being, hearing something she suspected the truth, be it deception or not, cut rather close to home. Alana was used to voices in her head, but something like this? It didn't help that Alana had her own handful of insecurities, and whatever was speaking to her seemed to know exactly what to say. Was everyone else hearing this? Hopefully not. "You're no sister of mine, you're just a drug addled schutta." Astra's words tore at her rather fiercely, as the huntress felt a small tear at her chest, as the fear of losing her sister had weighed heavy at the back of her mind. Thinking it was one thing, but hearing it was something else entirely. Alana's steps had halted, as the young woman clutched at the rifle in her hand. She just needed to push past the voices, just because they were getting more numerous didn't mean she would just cave. She felt someone reach out to her, clasping their hand around her own, and to Alana's surprise, Astra was keeping hold of her. The tear she felt in her chest sealed almost instantly, as Alana squeezed her sister's hand, giving her twin a small smile, as whatever was tormenting them would be dealt with together. She could feel their bond strengthen at the contact, as both seemed reaffirmed at what needed to be done. With her family around her, Alana would start the descent into this chasm, ready to kick the feth out of whoever was responsible for the head games.

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[Kraud]

The Whiphid was the first to break the silence. “I don’t think it’s necessary for me to say this out loud… But these voices are not real. They do not speak the truth but try to use your deepest and darkest fears against you. It’s just the nexus trying to ward us off.” He explained, giving the others and himself something else to focus on. For a fact, he knew that Alana heard voices like this quite often. But every attempt he had made to help her had been either refused or was ‘join the Jedi Order’. It made him realize once again that, of his two adopted daughters, Alana was by far the most difficult to deal with.

After a painfully long descend, the elevator finally reached the first levels of the monastery-like graveyard. It was lit by hundreds of candles, the chasm stretching as far as the eye could see. The stone walls were decorated with murals, many engravings and statues in all shapes and sizes, meant to honour the dead and protect their tombs. Some had multiple statues surrounding a single entrance, possibly indicating that the tomb belonged to an entire family. But what truly unnerved the Whiphid, was the amount of monks, priests and visitors still present. Their skins were pale, some were visibly sweating while others trembled and prayed to their long-dead ancestors. And amid it all, stood a group of about a dozen masked individuals, whom Kraud recognized as the monks of the Central Isopter. They just stood there… in awe of the death that had those around them in its grasp.

“Come on…” the Whiphid muttered, as he took his eyes off the eerie sight. “We’ve got a job to do.”

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[Astra Calloway]

The affirmation of holding hands seemed to bring peace to the twins to an extent, although Astra was aware than Alana was always troubled which was the reason for most of her unhealthy habits. Rarely did words need to be exchanged between the pair for them to understand each other as they had a Force bond which Astra recognised in them not long into her Jedi training. She returned a smile to Alana, knowing that her sister needed the reassurance more than she did herself.

Astra was less worried about the impact it would have on Jey now after both had experienced similar manifestations not long before and both had gone through them without anything worse than feeling shaken, or so she thought. She couldn't sense how he was feeling through the Force as the Dark side clouded their presence but she turned to offer him a reassuring smile all the same. As Kraud reaffirmed what the group knew, Astra couldn't help but wonder what his deepest and darkest fears were, after all he hadn't been entirely transparent about his former life.

Upon reaching the first levels of the graveyard, Astra looked around in awe. Although she was aware that the situation was far from idyllic, the chasm was certainly a sight to behold. She followed beside Kraud or behind him when it was too narrow to do so, choosing to keep focused on the mission and her duties despite her sister and friend accompanying them, though she was doubtful that the pair would be the best company for each other given the situation.


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[Jeyten Dres]

Jey was relieved to hear he was not the only one to hear these voices when Kraud informed the group it was the nexus trying to get into their heads, to chip away at their spirits. When Astra turned to him and smiled, he felt both reassured and a rush of butterflies in his stomach - he couldn't explain why. As he watched the twins closer, he noticed the two holding hands... probably as a way to comfort each other, it did bring a smile to his face however. The bond the twins had seemed unbreakable and to Jey, the thought of having someone you could always depend on no matter what seemed like a gift, he envied them slightly.

Now touching ground on the first level, Jey was able to get a hand on keeping these annoying voices at bay. The Force-sensitive teen gazed at candle lit graveyard - the colossal nature of the chasm caused Jey to involuntarily utter "Wizard..." as it echoed slightly throughout the chasm. Taking a closer look, he saw a bunch of creepy looking pale people that seemed like they were praying and being watched over by individuals with unsettling masks - when his eyes settled on them, the bone chilling cold returned to him again... but he wasn't sure if it was his own fear, or if it was the Dark side gnawing at him.

His attention was then returned to the task at hand when Kraud's deep voice filled the chasm, beckoning the group to follow him - the Whiphid didn't have to tell him twice, he was ready to get far, far away from this planet. Jey trailed behind Kraud and Astra slightly, allowing the more experienced Jedi to take the lead - when Alana was in ear shot of him, he whispered to her "You alright?" knowing that the two of them would be feeling the full brunt of this nexus right about now as opposed to the Light attuned Jedi.

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