Ask Trial of Insight

[Izel Thral]

Croff gave a nod and growl of acknowledgement as Crix spoke, but kept his eyes on the room ahead, searching for their prey. As Crix moved deeper inside and searched for the dark sider, he wouldn't see any sign of him just yet. Likely he would need to either wait until a move was made and react quickly, or say something to draw him out. Avesh certainly didn't come off as a very stable individual.

The voice was quiet as Crix replied to him. And hesitated a good few moments afterwards, considering the Padawan's question. His next response came with a huff of annoyance, as though it was a waste of his time to ask. "I told you I want nothing to do with you Jedi." He insisted angrily. "All that concerns me is my own survival. I wouldn't even be here if I had a choice..." Crix would hear a slight scuffling to his left, closer to one of the altars. But there was still no sign of the man.

"Those Trandoshans you were so eager to make friends with? I have the distinct feeling your Jedi sensibilities wouldn't approve of them if you knew what they really were... And what they've done." There was contempt in his voice that reached beyond the Half-Zabrak. "They threatened my survival, and so I lured them to this place to be rid of them... But you... You come in here and stick your nose in matters you barely understand. Just like the rest of your kind..." Whether he was being truthful or simply trying to deceive the Padawan was hard to tell. But both his fear, and his fury, were very real, burning the air around the Half-Zabrak.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Crix was already dreading this part of the confrontation – Hans had told him a long time ago that, if given the chance, most Dark Siders loved to talk. Sure, Jedi liked to talk to so they were two racers in a pod in that regard but still. The Dark Siders tended to be the kind who loved to make excuses for themselves and their action. Rare was the user of the Dark Side who could actually admit that they weren’t the victim, they weren’t the hero and, in fact, what they were doing wasn’t for some nebulous “greater good”.

Shifting to the left ever so slightly, Crix did his best to reach out with the Force to try and feel where his opponent was. Of course the Force didn’t work like sonar but that hardly mattered – all he needed was to have just a second’s further warning so he could react.

“We all have choices.”

The Padawan shrugged.

“Difference is I can live with mine coming home to roost – sounds like you can’t. So how about this?”

He gripped his lightsaber slightly tighter.

“Here’s another choice; surrender to me and the Master upstairs. We’ll take you away from here and the Trandoshans. You’ll work yourself to the bone and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to find that the other way is the Jedi.” He offered, “Or your choice is to fight. And if you fight… I won’t hold back, understood?”

Crix didn’t like the idea of killing the other man but he knew, in his hearts, that he could do it without issue should he try and fight him.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Avesh couldn't help but let out a humorless chuckle in response to Crix's offer. From where the Padawan stood, there was another Zeffo statue just a little over six feet away to his left. Were a close range attack to come from anywhere that would be it, and with his senses focused, he would be prepared. The voice was clearer to him now, though still echoing all around, likely another trick of the Force to help hide Avesh's true location.

"With your own tongue you make your word useless to me." The dark sider replied to the young Half-Zabrak. "First you promised me as a slave to the lizards, now you promise me my freedom if I join you? How am I supposed to trust you?" Crix would be able to sense the fear growing as his prey became more and more desperate to find a way out. "I have a better idea. Croff is weak and alone, you've already beaten him once. Kill him and walk away. I'll slip out of here once I have the opportunity. Then we never see each other again." The tension in the air was so thick not even a lightsaber could slice through it. Crix would be able to sense Avesh's rising hostility. The man was poised, ready to attack on a moment's notice if he didn't get the answer he was looking for.

"You'd be doing the galaxy a favor..." He said in a softer tone, trying to persuade him. "He and his brethren are slavers. All of them. I've seen their handiwork firsthand. Isn't it your duty to put an end to people like that?" He hesitated, fear mingling with a resolve to fight to the death. "I have only acted in my own self defense Jedi... I will not exchange one captor for another." Silence followed as he awaited an answer.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Crix kept his lightsaber close as he took a deep breath and focused on the Force once again – he was talking shit to the Dark Sider. The Dark Sider figured that out fairly quickly but that didn’t matter because it brought out the temptation of many Dark Siders; a chance to monologue could not be ignored.

As Avesh spoke about hypocrisy and tried to give a bargain of his own, Crix pulled the Force to himself in greater amounts, in deeper concentrations. Focusing it almost entirely into his free, left, hand, Crix felt his fingers begin to vibrate slightly at the barely restrained power within it.

He cut Avesh off mid-sentence.

“I’m bored of this.” He told the Dark Sider bluntly, a cold and detached tone as he eyed the area around him, “You might love hearing the sound of your own voice but I don’t.”

His lightsaber hummed almost eagerly.

“Surrender, die on your feet or be taken by the Trandoshans in pieces – lie in the bed you made.” He demanded with a small hiss, focusing on presenting the illusion that he was becoming angry when, really, he was just a little bit tense if anything, “Pick one before I take your final choice away from you.”

Did Crix want to kill the Dark Sider? No. Crix might not like the Dark Side or it’s users but he didn’t want to kill them – he just also didn’t want to have to listen to them try and pervert logic to try and assert their innocence. Bad things happened to them, he was sure, but he also didn’t see it as the excuse they did. After all, bad things had happened to him, one after the other in a cascade of bad events and he hadn’t crumbled and started down the Dark Path.

He just needed to bait the Sith into making themselves known properly…

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Crix's outburst promptly shut Avesh up. There were a few moments of silence after the Padawan finished issuing his ultimatum. Perhaps the dark sider could sense his conviction to follow through, and could sense the Force pooling in around him. Whatever it was, it broke his will.

"Damn Jedi!" He hissed frantically. Well, Crix had his answer. From behind the statue there was a sudden burst of the Force as Avesh released the energy he had been pooling himself. That dark power impacted against the statue, which cracked and begin to fall forward. If Crix did not stop it or evade, he would be crushed beneath hundreds of pounds of stone.

Surprisingly enough Avesh did not try to attack him further then that. Fear had overtaken his rage. As the moment after releasing the Force wave and knocking the statue towards his enemy, he took off in a full sprint, trying to make his way back to the entrance of the chamber where Croff was still standing guard.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Damn Jedi? Yeah sounded like Crix to him.

Having a statue suddenly start collapsing towards him was less than ideal but Crix liked to think of himself as an adaptable person. Rather than attempting to shatter the statue or move it out of the way, Crix instead relied on his athleticism. Extinguishing his lightsaber, Crix half-rolled and half-fell backward, out of the path of the collapsing statue. Of course doing such a move at his best would be fine but with his lingering wounds it was a painful experience, sending him sprawling.

It was only through sheer force of will that he managed to not lose the grip he had on the Force, even as he clutched his free hand to his now re-bleeding wound again. Pulling himself up onto his knees, he let out a hiss of air before reaching out with the hand that held the Force. As Avesh ran away from him, he wouldn't be able to see it as Crix made a yanking motion, using the Force to grab at one of his ankles and Pull back harshly.

Mid-run, it would cause the man to fall forward at some speed. With how suddenly he was attempting it, Crix was aiming to have the man's face introduced to the stone floor at some speed. Enough to daze him at the very least, hopefully enough to knock him out cold. Either way, he would maintain the grip on the other man's ankle and start to drag him closer to him as he pulled himself to his feet, free hand now holding his lightsaber again as the distance between them would shrink.

He kept his eyes open for the next piece of trickery or desperation as he would start to walk toward Avesh as well.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Crix's Force pull managed to ensnare Avesh's ankle, sending the man into and ugly face plant. The dark sider's head came up again, his nose crooked and blood painting his lip and mouth, eyes bleary. He remained dazed for a few brief moments before shaking his head, that wild desperation gripping him again as he tried to drag himself away from the Padawan.

Seeing that this wasn't working, he would quickly turn over on his back and attack again. With a strained grunt he thrust one hand forward and then the other. In quick succession two large urns that were close to him lifted off of the ground and hurled themselves directly towards Crix.

In the meantime Croff had heard the commotion and was starting to approach, his weapon up and ready to fire. It would take him a few moments to get close enough to be in range though, so the Half-Zabrak would need to continue to hold Avesh in place at the least if he wanted to prevent his escape.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Desperation was a powerful motivator and Crix was seeing that in play here today – Avesh should, logically, know that he was defeated but the man was so desperate for it not to be true that he was throwing, quite literally, everything he had at Crix in a last attempt to undo it all. To reverse the fate that the two of them had marched toward of their own free will.

As much as Avesh’s actions had led him to this point, so too had Crix’s own actions. He had pushed himself to be the best, to be a Jedi who would not stand idly by. Not when there were people counting on him, people who needed to be protected.

Lightsaber igniting, Crix threw himself forward in a charge. Ducking underneath the first of the urns sent flying his way, he swung his saber, shattering the second and pelting himself with shards even as he ignored the pain and the dust to follow through with the swipe of his saber. With the same motion that sliced through the second urn, he would aim to slice through Avesh’s legs at the knees.

It would have been a simple flick of his wrist to reposition the blade, to cut through the man’s torso rather than his legs. But despite being willing to kill to protect, Crix knew that it was not always the best option, that incapacitating the enemy was often enough. In this case, he really hoped that it was but he was… prepared to do what he must, even if he did not relish the thought.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Avesh, though empowered by the dark side of the Force, was clearly no match for a trained Jedi on the brink of Knighthood. As the dust cleared Crix would hear a pained scream, and see his opponent curled on the floor, whimpering as he delicately grasped at the glowing stumps where his legs had previously been.

Croff continued forward, though as he caught sight of the scene, he lowered his weapon and grinned cruelly at the dark sider's expense. "Ssserve's him right for trying to trick usss." He said before giving the man a good kick to the head to end his crying. "Nice work Jedi." He added as he observed the unconscious man. After a few moments however he would frown, growling slightly in annoyance.

"He'sss not worth much to usss now though. No one paysss for a crippled ssslave." He observed with disappointment. "Probably better to jussst put him down." As he let those words hang in the air, he brought a comlink to his face and spoke a few words in his native tongue, most likely alerting his comrades that their target had been caught.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Cutting through a man’s legs brought Crix no joy, even if the person he had cut through was a user of the Dark Side who had been willing to use the darker powers to benefit only himself. From their conversation, Crix had an understanding of the young man and it was with a mixture of pity and resignation that he made his cut.

When someone was so desperately clutching at every straw to prove that they were right, that they were justified? There was no talking that person down with words alone. Action needed to be taken and he had taken the action required. When his Trandoshan ally arrived, Crix extinguished his lightsaber and hissed lightly in pain as the wound from before played up a little bit.

“Hmm.” He looked down at the now unconscious young man for a moment before nodding ever so slightly, “Then let it be a mercy.”

As the Trandoshan split his attention, Crix made a decision. Killing an unarmed, unconscious, man was not something Crix could see himself doing but the Trandoshan didn’t need to know that. Layering an illusion on himself and Avesh, he moved his lightsaber and ignited it two inches to the right of the poor man’s skull, the blade burning a hole straight through the stone.

To the Trandoshan however, it would appear that Crix had ignited the blade straight through Avesh’s forehead into the stone below. Leaving the illusion on Avesh was relatively simple – all he was doing was making it appear that there was a hole in Avesh’s skull and he was no longer breathing. Crix stood and clipped his lightsaber to his belt.

“Shall we?” he asked the Trandoshan with a small grin, “My Master is asking questions, you see.”

If he could get them all on the move, he wouldn’t need to keep the illusion up after all.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

The Trandoshan seemed surprised by Crix's 'execution' of Avesh, but not at all displeased. Instead a toothy smile painted his reptilian features. "You Jedi are much more ruthlesss than the ssstoriesss sssay huh?" He asked with a chuckle as he slung his blaster over his shoulder. "Good to know." As the Padawan urged them to leave, Croff would consider for a moment, frowning as he briefly as he inspected the chamber around them. "I sssuppose if you're certain there'sss nothing of value here... What a waste..." Without giving it another thought the lizard turned his back to Crix and started walking. The other Trandoshans would join them in the tunnels beyond the chamber, and together they would begin making their way back towards the entrance.

Above Izel remained with the monks, who were still busy going about their ritual. Her antennae twitched as she started to feel the hostility below subside. The conflict had been resolved, and while she could still sense a faint darkness within, she could feel that Crix was alive and... relatively well. With his trial over and her identity revealed, she wouldn't need to hesitate in healing any injuries he sustained if he requested as much. With a relieved sigh the Vratix clipped her lightsaber to her belt and sat down again at the tunnel entrance, patiently awaiting the return of the Padawan, and whatever stories he brought with him.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Crix kept his breathing under control only through the combination of the Force and his own control of himself. Croff didn't seem to catch on so Crix was happy enough to leave with the Trandoshan without issue. He gave a small smirk at the first comment before shrugging ever so slightly.

"People often underestimate what Jedi can do."

It was true but he wasn't going to outright say that executing unarmed prisoners was something that Jedi did. Keeping the illusion up so that it covered by the movement of Avesh's chest and the sounds of his breathing until they were already on their way, too far to hear it again, he allowed himself to relax ever so slightly.

Walking with the Trandoshans up to the top again, he held up a hand in greeting to the Master and the Monks. It was both in greeting an as a placating gesture since he was, quite obviously, injured even if it wasn't gushing blood as it had been before.

"Master." he greeted them with a small smile, "My friends here are heading off - a Sith tried to deceive them but we managed to make sure they weren't an issue any longer."

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel immediately stood as she caught sight of the shifty looking Trandoshans, but Crix's words put her at ease. She was surprised and somewhat distressed to hear there was a Sith present, even if they had been defeated. What in the galaxy were they doing here? "I see..." She finally replied, somewhat bemused. The monks paused in their ritual, looking at the Trandoshans with a hint of fear. Izel was quick to maneuver herself between them, but Croff just laughed.

"Easssy Jedi." He assured her. "We want no trouble with you. Your ssstudent isss ssstrong." The lizards brushed past the Jedi master, making their way towards the exit. One of the others made a false lunge at Hun, drawing a frightened yelp from the Bardottan. The aliens laughed, and their leader looked back to Crix. "Thanksss for the hand. If you need transport, our ship isss jussst over the next ridge." And with that he turned to depart.

Izel watched them go warily, then quickly moved forward to inspect the Padawan's wounds. "You're hurt." She observed. "Let me heal you." If the Half-Zabrak made no protest she would raise her hands and begin the process of healing his wounds more thoroughly through the Force. As she worked, she would continue to speak. "I'm very impressed, especially if you say you defeated a Sith. I wonder if they were an apprentice themselves or something more..." She clicked her mandibles a bit as she thought, then looked the Padawan in the eyes. "You say that you 'made sure they're not an issue'. Are they dead then?" She would have preferred his answer been 'no', but she understood necessity. If Crix had truly faced a dark sider, he likely would have been in great personal risk.

But she was getting ahead of herself. After her bout of questions the Vratix would step back and clear her throat. She then stood up straight and folded her hands neatly behind her back. "Forgive me, I suppose I should properly introduce myself." She said with a slight bow of her head. "I am Jedi Master Izel Thral. And it has been my pleasure to see your abilities in action Crix Aran."

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Crix didn't physically hold his breath while the Trandoshans said their goodbyes but he was doing so in the Force. Izel would be able to feel the way he was tensed without actually, physically, being tense. He was doing everything he could to appear calm, cool and collected. Doing a good job of it to those blind to the Force too.

He raised a hand slightly to the Trandoshans leaving.

"May the Scorekeeper see your worth, Croff."

He'd heard about it being something of a traditional parting between Trandoshans and it sounded like it would work. Once they had left, however, he held up the hand to Izel to ask for silence. Waiting until the Trandoshans were well and truly out of sight and hearing, he relaxed and the hand came down.

"No, thank you, Master you'll need your strength." he refused the healing as graciously as he could, "The Dark Sider is downstairs - they lured the Trandoshans here to try and gain Zeffo secrets and we fought. I disabled him but I used an illusion to make it appear that I killed him, only so the Trandoshans wouldn't take him as a slave. No one deserves that."

The difference between a Sith and a Dark Sider, as far as Crix was concerned, was that a Sith had done things that were FAR harder to walk back from. But the Dark Sider down below? He didn't even have a lightsaber, didn't seem to be an acolyte at all. He could walk back from the edge.

Letting out a breath, he allowed himself a tired smile.

"Nice to meet you Master Thral, it was good knowing I had someone at my back." he admitted before sitting down heavily on the floor, "I don't fail the trial for wanting to collapse now, right?"

He was exhausted in so many different ways he wasn't even sure he could get back up if she pushed him to. Well, no, he absolutely would but his body would definitely protest.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

It was fairly easy for Izel to see that Crix was in a troubled state, both mentally and physically. She thought it somewhat foolish to deny healing when it was offered but didn't force the issue, at least not for the time being. His wounds were not so severe as to necessitate healing. "I assure you I have plenty of strength to spare Padawan," She still told him. "You shouldn't be so quick to turn down help when it's offered." She would instead turn to rifle through her bags and hand him some bandages and bacta, but left it at that.

The Vratix listened and nodded along with Crix's explanation of what happened, satisfied with the resolution. So he had managed to save their life after all. That was good. She was glad to see there were still Jedi, especially young Jedi, willing to go out of their way to show mercy to their enemies.

"I would have preferred to be at your side." Izel responded to the apprentice's words with a sigh. "Perhaps we could have avoided your injury." She chittered a bit at his lighthearted joke. It was easy to tell how exhausted he was. "Not at all. Please get some rest. You've earned it. And don't worry about your trial. You've displayed great insight, wisdom, and discretion. Not only did you accomplish the goal I had set out for you, you were also able to incapacitate an enemy and a dark sider without killing them." She put a hand on his shoulder. "You have passed this test Padawan. I offer you my congratulations." The master bowed her head to him before standing up straight and looking down the passageway. Flicking her antennae, she could still sense the faint darkness within. Something would need to be done about this dark sider. It wouldn't do to just leave them here.

"I will go and recover this Sith of yours." She explained to the Half-Zabrak. "It should not take long. Use the time to regain your strength. In a few hours the monks will be finished with their ritual and we can return home." She would wait to see if the Padawan had anything more to say. If he did not, she would enter the tunnels to find their unexpected guest.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

If he had a chance to do it all again? He absolutely would have preferred the method that resulted in him not being stabbed but he wasn't going to hold his breath for that to have actually been an option. They needed to split up or else risk the safety of the monks and Crix wasn't about to say his stab wound was enough of a reason for him to wish ill onto the monks rather than himself - he could take the pain and they didn't have to.

That was good enough for him.

He did relax slightly, leaning his head back against a column as he did so and letting out a long breath. It had felt like forever since he had just sat down and relaxed but it all felt worth it as he smiled back up at Izel. This was it - only one last Trial with his Master Hannibal and he would be considered a Jedi Knight.

So much work all coming to a head.

"Thanks Master Thral." he replied quietly with a widening smile, "Here's hoping my last Trial goes this well."

What was the bet it didn't? Oh well, that was future-Crix's problem.

/End Thread?

@Reyn