Aren
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Posts: 71 
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Orpheus
Oct 16, 2024 20:44:24 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 16, 2024 20:44:24 GMT -8
Principal Authors: Aren
Who can post in this thread? Aren
I want to recieve critical responses? No
I will be using standard Universe Rules here? (eg. Canon Only, Fleet Limits, ect) No
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Orpheus
Kasden closed his eyes, seeking peace in the gentle hum of the ship as it began its descent. Meditation usually came easily, his connection to the Force flowing like a calm river, steadying his mind and body. Today, though, unease gnawed at the edges of his thoughts, an unfamiliar restlessness. He took a slow breath, trying to dispel the discomfort, but it lingered, a shadow that refused to be dispelled.
“This is just another mission,” Kasden reminded himself silently. “A presence sensed in the lower levels. Nothing more.”
Deep down, however, he knew that wasn’t the entire truth. The Council's words had held an edge of uncertainty. They spoke of a child, born with unusual strength, a presence that shouldn't be there. The mission was framed as routine, but Kasden sensed their hesitation, an unspoken fear of something lurking in the depths of Coruscant. He could feel it too, a weight pressing down on his mind, hinting at something vast and unseen. He opened his eyes and watched as the bustling cityscape of the upper levels slowly gave way to the chaotic, dimmer layers below. Coruscant was a planet of levels, an endless stack of life, metal, and secrets. The upper levels glowed with prosperity, while the lower depths held only uncertainty. Kasden was leaving behind the glittering surface for a world he barely understood, the hidden underbelly of the galaxy’s brightest jewel.
The lower levels of Coruscant were a world unto themselves. Stories spoke of the forgotten people who lived in perpetual twilight, surrounded by grime and decay. Law had long since lost its grip here; survival was the only rule. The Jedi spoke of these levels with a sense of detachment, as though they were beyond their concern. Yet, here Kasden was, descending into them, armed only with his training and the Force. The ship approached Level 1306. Kasden peered through the viewport, observing structures that had become increasingly run-down, their neon signs flickering in the darkness. Mechanics, scavengers, figures moved below, people trying to make a living in a forgotten world. Level 1306 wasn't entirely lost; those who worked hard could still carve out a decent life.
The ship landed with a groan. Kasden took a deep breath and rose, feeling the full weight of the task settling on his shoulders. He moved to the exit, pausing before stepping out. The air hit him, heavy, acrid, filled with the scent of oil and decay. A stark contrast to the Temple’s clean air. Each breath carried the story of the place, a reminder of the struggle that defined life in the lower levels.
He stepped onto the platform, his boots echoing dully. The distant clatter of machinery filled the air. He pulled his hood up and whispered, “ There is no emotion, there is peace,” though the words felt hollow, and the weight of the mission pressed on him more than anticipated. Kasden moved forward, leaving the ship behind. Nearby mechanics barely glanced at him, accustomed to strangers coming and going. He continued into the shadows beyond the platform, dim lights barely illuminating the narrow pathways leading deeper into the level.
The streets twisted like a labyrinth, buildings rising on either side. The Force felt different here, thick, almost oppressive. He tried to maintain his connection to the light, but it felt distant, a flickering star in an endless night. He passed a group of children playing in the shadows, their laughter strange against the backdrop of decay. Their clothes were patched, their faces dirty, but their smiles genuine. Kasden felt a pang, pity or regret. These children would grow up in darkness, shaped by survival. The Jedi Order had never reached them, never offered them hope. For a moment, Kasden wondered if the Order had failed them. “Focus,” he whispered to himself. He couldn't afford to let his mind wander. There was a mission to complete, a presence to find. The pathways opened into a wider street lined with market stalls. Vendors called out, their voices blending into a chaotic hum. The air was thick with unfamiliar scents, spices, cooked food, and machinery.
Kasden moved through the crowd, hood drawn low, senses alert. Eyes watched him, curious, suspicious, but no one approached. His robes marked him as different. He kept his hand near his lightsaber, ready but not threatening. The presence was still far below, deeper into Coruscant’s labyrinth. Ahead lay shadows and uncertainty. Kasden once believed the Jedi’s light could pierce any darkness, that their mission was righteous. He reached a wider alley, illuminated by flickering neon signs advertising illicit services. A cantina sat at the corner, its doorway leaking muffled music. Kasden hesitated, watching smugglers and mechanics enter, people the upper levels ignored.
To find the presence, he needed information, and that meant talking to those who lived in shadows. He pulled his hood tighter and stepped inside. Stale air hit him, a mix of sweat, alcohol, and metal. Music pounded through the cramped room, dim lights casting shifting colors across the floor. Kasden scanned the room, feeling curious glances. He approached the bar, nodding to the bartender, a burly human with a mechanical arm. The bartender eyed Kasden warily, his mechanical fingers tapping against the bar’s edge in a rhythmic, almost absentminded way. There was a certain stillness to the cantina’s noise as Kasden approached the bar, eyes turned towards him, curiosity evident. Strangers in heavy cloaks were not uncommon, but something about this stranger was different. His presence unsettled people, and that alone made the bartender take his time before responding.
“Don’t see many like you down here,” the bartender finally said, his voice low, nearly drowned out by the music and conversation. He took a glass from behind the counter, wiping it as he stared at Kasden with a guarded expression. “What’s a guy like you want in a place like this?”
Kasden leaned in slightly, lowering his voice to match the bartender’s. “I need a guide. Someone who knows the lower levels well enough to take me down deeper,” he said, his tone steady, though there was an edge of urgency in it.
The bartender raised an eyebrow, pausing his polishing for a moment. He set the glass down slowly. “A guide, huh?” He looked Kasden up and down, his eyes lingering on the subtle bulge of the lightsaber hidden beneath his cloak. “People looking for guides to the lower levels don’t usually come back up, you know. It’s a long way down, and there’s more than just darkness waiting there.”
Kasden didn’t flinch. “I’m prepared,” he replied simply.
The bartender snorted, shaking his head slightly, but there was something like respect in his eyes. He leaned in, his voice even quieter. “There’s a woman, Sarana. Lives somewhere way down below. She’s made it further down than most people would dare. You want a guide, she’s probably your only choice.”
Kasden nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. He wasn’t expecting a name so quickly, but he had to trust that this lead was genuine. He placed a few credits on the counter. The bartender glanced down at them, hesitating before taking them and tucking them into his apron.
“You might find her here,” the bartender said with a sly smirk, tilting his head towards a shadowy booth at the far end of the cantina. A woman sat there, her dark hair messy, her posture relaxed but alert. Beside her stood an HK unit, its glowing photoreceptors locked onto the room, as if calculating and assessing every movement. Her eyes met Kasden’s for a brief moment, as if she’d already been aware of his arrival long before he approached the bar.
“Thanks,” Kasden said, turning away. He made his way through the cramped, crowded space, weaving between tables until he reached the back of the room. Sarana’s eyes followed him, sharp and untrusting. The HK unit beside her adjusted its stance slightly, its glowing photoreceptors focusing on Kasden as he approached.
“You’re looking for something,” Sarana said before Kasden could speak, her voice carrying over the din of the cantina without effort. It wasn’t a question; her eyes already assessed him, like she knew exactly why he had come.
Kasden nodded, stopping just short of the table. “I need a guide. Someone to take me deeper into the lower levels.”
Sarana looked at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. “A guide,” she repeated, as if testing the word. “Do you even know what you’re asking for, Jedi?”
Kasden didn’t respond to the name, but he saw the way her eyes flicked to the lightsaber beneath his cloak. “I know enough to understand the risks,” he said evenly.
Sarana’s lips curved slightly in a smirk, though there was no humor in it. “If you really knew the risks, you wouldn’t be standing here asking me to take you down there.” She leaned back, crossing her arms. “The lower levels aren’t just a place. They’re a descent into something you can’t imagine. People who go down that far either lose themselves or lose their lives.”
“I have to try,” Kasden said. “There’s someone I need to find….a presence. I need to know if they’re down there.”
Sarana exchanged a glance with the HK unit, which seemed to process Kasden's words silently, its head tilting slightly as if assessing the risk. She turned her gaze back to Kasden, her eyes narrowing. “And what makes you think this presence is even there still? The depths are unforgiving, Jedi. People disappear without a trace. I’ve seen it.”
Kasden didn’t break eye contact. “I need to go. Whether it’s there or not, I need to find out.”
For a moment, silence settled between them, Sarana studying him, trying to gauge the depth of his resolve. Then she sighed, leaning forward again. “Alright. I’ll take you. But it won’t be easy, and I don’t do it for charity. You want me to take you down to the depths, you’re going to owe me.”
Kasden nodded. “I understand.”
Sarana tilted her head, her smirk returning, this time with a hint of amusement. “We’ll see if you do.” She glanced at her HK unit, nodding once, and it adjusted its position, its photoreceptors still focused intently on Kasden. She looked back at him. “You follow my lead, you do what I say. No questions, no arguments. You don’t know what it’s like down there, and that ignorance will get us both killed if you’re not careful.”
“Understood,” Kasden replied.
She rose from her seat, her dark hair falling over her shoulders as she straightened up. “Then let’s go,” she said simply. “You wanted a guide….you’ve got one.”
They moved toward the cantina’s exit, stepping into the cool, damp air of the alley beyond. The city’s sounds were distant here, muffled beneath the layers of Coruscant above them. Sarana led the way, her steps confident, weaving through the labyrinthine pathways, with the HK unit following just a step behind, ever-vigilant. Kasden followed, his senses heightened as the surroundings grew darker and more uncertain. Each step took them deeper, the lights fading, the distant hum of machinery growing louder. Kasden felt the Force stir around him, faint, a whisper in the back of his mind. There was something down here….something waiting. He just had to keep moving forward, one step at a time, trusting in his instincts and his new, reluctant guide. Kasden walked in silence, his senses focused on the darkened streets as Sarana led the way. The hum of machinery and distant shouts echoed faintly, but his thoughts began to drift inward, slipping into the memories of his past.
He remembered Adumar, his home. A planet of proud people, known for their warrior spirit and aerial acrobatics. He had been born a prince, living in the grandeur of the royal palace, surrounded by opulence. His father, the king, was a stern man, ruled by honor and tradition. His older brother had always been destined for the throne, while Kasden’s path had turned out to be something different, unexpected, even for him. He was the first in a century to be born with the Force in his blood. As a child, he didn’t understand why he was different. He remembered how his mother used to comfort him when he struggled to control his strange abilities. Her kind words and gentle touch were his earliest memories of warmth and safety. It was she who had always told him his powers were a gift. But his father had seen things differently, seen the danger that lay beneath the surface.
When he turned nine, his father had made the decision. Kasden would leave the palace, leave Adumar, to join the Jedi Order. He remembered the day vividly, how the towering Jedi had arrived at the palace gates, their serene expressions in stark contrast to the sadness he saw in his mother’s eyes. He didn’t understand then, resented his father for sending him away, and for years, that resentment festered.
Life in the Jedi Temple was nothing like his childhood. He was no longer a prince, no longer a child of privilege. Instead he was one of many, just another youngling learning to harness the Force. The instructors were stern, their teachings strict, and the warmth of family seemed worlds away. At first, he fought against it, clung to the identity he had lost. But slowly, the Jedi way had begun to shape him. He learned discipline, patience, and most importantly, he learned to let go of the anger that burned inside him. The resentment toward his father turned into understanding. He saw, as he grew, that the Force was indeed a powerful thing, both a blessing and a burden. His training taught him to wield it with care, to use it for good, to be a beacon of light in a galaxy that often found itself engulfed in darkness. When he became a Jedi Knight, he swore to uphold the teachings that had been instilled in him, to live by the code that had given his life a new purpose.
Sarana suddenly broke the silence, her voice cutting through the muffled hum of machinery. “So, Jedi boy,” she began, her tone dripping with sarcasm, “what brings one of the Order’s shining knights into a place like this? Feeling adventurous? Or did they just draw straws for who’d get to play hero in the muck?”
Kasden turned his head slightly, studying her silhouette. There was an edge to her voice, a playfulness that was more cynical than cheerful. He could feel something about her, something dark, though it wasn't quite the familiar presence of the dark side. It was more like a shadow that clung to her aura, as if she had been through places most feared to tread.
“It’s not about adventure,” Kasden replied calmly, keeping his voice steady. “There’s something that shouldn’t be down here. A presence the Council sensed, supposedly a child.” He paused for a moment. “You don’t seem surprised.”
Sarana let out a soft chuckle, her boots echoing against the metal ground. “Oh, I’m not surprised. Down here, people have a way of slipping through the cracks….especially those who don’t want to be found.” She glanced at him, her eyes sharp. “A child, you say? With... abilities?” Kasden nodded, watching her expression. She seemed to absorb the information, her lips curving into a faint, knowing smirk.
“Funny thing about kids,” she mused, her voice lowering. “They don’t stay hidden for long. Not down here. Everyone’s always watching, waiting to see if someone’s worth something.” She shot him a sideways glance. “And let me guess, the mighty Jedi decided they couldn’t let something like that slip by without swooping in to save the day?”
Kasden frowned but kept his composure. He knew she was goading him, trying to draw something out. “The Order’s concerned about the potential danger,” he said simply. “It’s our responsibility to ensure that those with such abilities are trained, protected.”
Sarana snorted, shaking her head. “Training. Protection. That’s what you call it, huh?” She looked away, her gaze scanning the dark streets ahead. “You Jedi, always thinking you know what’s best for everyone. What if this kid doesn’t want your ‘protection’?” She put air quotes around the word with her fingers, her sarcasm dripping. “What if they’re better off hiding, surviving on their own?”
Kasden felt the weight of her words settle in, knowing there was truth in them. He had seen firsthand the detachment the Jedi often had toward the galaxy's more marginalized inhabitants. To many on the upper levels, the lower depths of Coruscant were barely even real a forgotten underworld that existed only in stories of crime and danger.
“We don’t force anyone,” Kasden said, though even as the words left his mouth, they felt insufficient. “We offer guidance.”
Sarana smiled, but it wasn’t a kind smile. “Sure you do, Jedi. Just keep telling yourself that.” She paused, her eyes glancing toward a building they passed, its windows broken and its walls covered in graffiti. “I used to think people like you were the answer. That you were the ones keeping the darkness at bay.” She gestured at the dark streets around them, her voice filled with irony. “But down here? The darkness is everywhere. And maybe it doesn’t need keeping at bay, maybe it just needs to be understood.”
Kasden was silent for a moment, her words echoing in his mind. He had been taught to see the world in clear terms, light and dark, good and evil.
“What about you?” Kasden asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. “You speak like you know a lot about the Order. About what it means to try and protect people.”
Sarana didn’t answer right away. Instead, she stared ahead, her eyes distant, as if looking at something only she could see. “I’ve been through enough to know that not everything fits into your neat little categories, Jedi. The light and the dark. Some of us, we just exist somewhere in between.” She looked at him then, her eyes meeting his, filled with something he couldn’t quite name. Kasden held her gaze, seeing a mixture of pain and defiance there. The Force whispered to him, brushing against the edges of his mind, and for a moment, he glimpsed the shadows that hung over Sarana’s past….ghosts she carried with her, lurking in the spaces between her words.
The HK unit, ever silent, moved ahead of them, scanning the path. Its metal frame glided effortlessly over the uneven ground, its sensors occasionally whirring to life as it calculated the safest route. Sarana moved like she belonged here, each step sure and purposeful. It was clear she had lived in this darkness for far longer than Kasden could even imagine. They moved deeper into the level, away from the flickering lights of the cantina, down a narrow passage that twisted and turned until it opened into a dimly lit plaza. Rusted support beams loomed above them, holding together structures that looked one strong gust away from collapsing. People huddled near barrels filled with burning debris, their faces gaunt, their eyes hollow with exhaustion.
The sight gave Kasden pause. He had seen suffering before, he had been to war-torn planets, had witnessed firsthand the devastation the Sith left in their wake but this was different. This wasn’t the aftermath of a battle; it was an enduring reality for these people. Forgotten. Left behind. Sarana noticed him falter and gave him a sideways glance. “Hard to look at, isn’t it?” she said quietly. “The real Coruscant. Not the shining beacon of civilization the upper levels like to pretend it is.”
Kasden nodded slowly. “I knew it was bad, but...” He trailed off, unable to put the scene into words. There were children here, not unlike the ones he had passed earlier, their eyes wide and watchful as they clung to the edges of the shadows.
Sarana turned to face him fully, her voice softer now, almost sad. “You can’t fix this, Jedi. The Force might be strong with you, but it won’t feed those kids. It won’t protect them from the people who take advantage of the weak down here.” She gestured around them, her eyes haunted. “This place is like a pit. You get stuck in it, and you spend your life trying to climb out, even when you know there’s no way up.”
Kasden’s heart sank. He knew she was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept. His whole life had been dedicated to helping others, to making the galaxy a safer place. But how did you fight something like this, something that wasn’t an enemy you could see, or a threat you could extinguish? After what felt like hours of walking, they reached an ancient-looking lift. The metal was rusted, the control panel cracked and barely functional. Sarana stopped in front of it, her HK unit taking a scanning position beside her, its sensors sweeping the surroundings.
“This is it,” Sarana said, her eyes meeting Kasden’s. “This lift will take us to Level 1999. I keep a stash of food & equipment down there. It’s the last reliable point before things get really unpredictable. Beyond this, we’ll be on foot, and I can’t promise it will be safe.”
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 16, 2024 22:06:09 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 16, 2024 22:06:09 GMT -8
"And Orpheus descended, guided by the echoes of a promise, into the depths where light feared to tread. He who dared traverse the underworld sought not light nor glory, but a whisper, a specter that called from beyond the veil of shadow. To descend was to risk all, knowing that those who gaze too deeply into darkness might find themselves consumed."
The Chronicles of Orpheus, Fragment 12, Page 213
The lift descended with a shuddering groan, each vibration echoing through the cramped metal chamber. Kasden felt the weight of their descent, the air growing colder and thicker as they approached Level 1999. He exchanged a brief glance with Sarana, her expression remained unreadable, her eyes forward. The HK unit stood motionless, its sensors whirring faintly. The doors finally slid open with a reluctant screech. Kasden took in the sights as they began to walk, his senses heightened. People moving between the makeshift stalls that lined the street, bartering with each other for scraps of food, parts, and other goods. Homes were cobbled together from rusted metal sheets and broken starship panels, built into the skeletal remains of forgotten structures. The glow of neon signs was muted, the lights flickering as if on the verge of giving out. This level felt claustrophobic, like the very walls were closing in around them, pressing down with the weight of the world above.
Sarana moved with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where they were going, her HK unit trailing behind her, scanning their surroundings with cold precision. Kasden followed, his eyes lingering on the people they passed, children playing in the shadows, their laughter quickly silenced by watchful parents, and older residents who sat huddled around barrel fires, their faces gaunt and tired. He could hear snippets of conversation, a mix of weariness, muted hope, and resentment.
Vendors called out to potential customers, their voices rough from the heavy, polluted air. Mechanics worked beneath dilapidated speeders, their hands grimy, using salvaged tools to keep the old vehicles running. The market was bustling, but it was clear that life here was about getting by, not thriving. Sarana didn’t slow down, and Kasden quickened his steps to keep pace. She seemed to know exactly where she was headed, weaving through the maze of stalls and pathways with a sense of purpose. “This way,”
Sarana said, her voice low but confident. She led them down a series of twists and turns, each path more secluded than the last. The alleys seemed to get narrower as they went, until finally, she stopped in front of a rusted metal door, almost indistinguishable from the wall it was built into. Sarana glanced back at Kasden, her eyes catching the faint light from above. “This is it. Don’t expect luxury,” she said, her tone sharp.
She pressed her palm against a panel on the door, which emitted a soft beep before sliding open with a creak. She stepped inside, gesturing for Kasden to follow. Kasden stepped inside, the door sliding closed behind him with a final, hollow thud. The room was dimly lit by a single flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling, its light casting irregular shadows across the cluttered interior. Shelves lined one side of the room, stocked with supplie, food rations, medical kits, makeshift weapons. Sarana moved through the space confidently, setting down her pack and unrolling a map on the dented metal table in the center of the room.
“Make yourself useful and grab that lantern,” she said, nodding toward a shelf to her left. Kasden found it, a small lantern with a worn handle, and turned it on, adding a warm, albeit weak, glow to the room. He placed it on the table beside the map, watching as Sarana traced her fingers over the intricate lines and symbols etched across its surface. “This is where we are,” she said, pointing to a small dot on the map. “Level 1999. It’s the last point before things really start to go sideways. Further down, the lifts are useless, and most of the infrastructure has been picked clean by scavengers. We’ll be walking from here on out.”
Kasden leaned over the table, studying the map. It was detailed, more so than anything he’d seen in the Jedi Archives—a true depiction of the lower levels, drawn not from official schematics but from firsthand experience. He could see the areas marked with warning signs, the paths that twisted and turned, disappearing into darkened zones labeled only with question marks.
“You’ve been down this far before?” Kasden asked, his gaze shifting to Sarana.
She looked up, her expression unreadable. “Not this far. Close, though. Close enough to know what we’re dealing with. These areas…” She pointed to the sections marked with question marks. “No one really knows what’s down there anymore. People talk about strange things—lights that move, sounds that have no source. Could be anything.”
Kasden nodded, absorbing her words. The Jedi had often spoken of Coruscant’s lower levels as a place of lawlessness, but this was different. This was more than just crime or poverty. There was an air of the unknown, a sense that the deeper you went, the further you strayed from anything resembling civilization. He moved toward the cot in the corner, sitting down to gather his thoughts. The room was small, yet it felt almost safe—an illusion, he knew, but one he allowed himself for just a moment. He watched as Sarana rummaged through her supplies, the HK unit standing near the door, ever-vigilant, its sensors whirring softly.
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 18, 2024 20:53:54 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 18, 2024 20:53:54 GMT -8
Sarana leaned against the table, her eyes studying Kasden thoughtfully. She seemed to take in everything about him, his demeanor, his exhaustion, and perhaps even his doubts. The lantern’s weak glow flickered slightly, casting long, distorted shadows across the room.
“So, Jedi,” she began, her tone casual, though her eyes were sharp, “tell me, what are you really expecting to find down there? A lost child in the middle of a hellhole like this?” She paused, raising an eyebrow. “You’re either brave or foolish.”
Kasden frowned slightly, his gaze dropping to the map, the lines and symbols blurring as his thoughts turned inward. “The Council sensed a presence,” he said, his voice steady but quiet. “They believe it’s a child. And if that’s true, then I can’t ignore it.” He looked up, meeting her eyes, a hint of conviction there. “It’s my duty.”
Sarana let out a breath that might have been a laugh, her expression amused, though there was something darker beneath the surface. “Duty,” she echoed, almost to herself. She pushed away from the table, pacing slowly across the room. “It’s funny, you know. Everyone down here… they’re just trying to survive. And you talk about duty, about a mission.” She shook her head. “You’re chasing a ghost, Jedi. A presence, a whisper. And you think your duty will keep you safe?”
“It’s not about safety,” Kasden replied, his voice firmer now. “It’s about doing what’s right.”
Sarana stopped, her eyes locking onto his, her expression unreadable. For a long moment, silence hung in the air between them, broken only by the soft hum of the HK unit’s sensors. Then she tilted her head, her lips curving into a small, almost sad smile.
“Right,” she said softly. “You’ll find that ‘right’ is a lot harder to hold onto the deeper we go.” She turned away, moving to the shelves and pulling down a small pack. He lay back on the cot, staring up at the ceiling, his mind churning with thoughts. The flickering lantern cast shifting shadows across the walls, and in the dim light, the room seemed to shrink around him. Kasden watched her for a moment longer before speaking up.
“What about you?” he asked, his voice curious but cautious. “Why are you helping me? You seem to know these levels well enough… but I get the feeling there’s more to it.”
Sarana paused, her back still turned to him. For a moment, it seemed like she wouldn’t answer. Then she let out a sigh, turning back around, her eyes meeting his with a guarded intensity.
“You really want to know?” she said, her voice carrying a hint of resignation. “It’s because you’re a Jedi. I’ve taken hundreds down over the years. Smugglers, scavengers, bounty hunters. People desperate enough or stupid enough to want to go deeper. But I’ve never taken a Jedi.” She crossed her arms, her gaze steady on his. “I knew what you were the moment you walked in. That lightsaber of yours, it’s hard to miss, even when you try to hide it. You lot don’t usually come down this far. You stay up there, in your Temple, where it’s safe. Where there's Light. So i couldn't pass up a Jedi, I figured… why not? Maybe it’s curiosity.."
Kasden studied her, sensing the walls she kept up, the reluctance to share more. “And what do you expect to find? Since you were so quick to accept,” he asked, his voice calm.
Sarana’s eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment, Kasden thought she might snap at him. But instead, she smiled. A cold, bitter smile. “Maybe I just want to see if a Jedi can handle what’s down there. Maybe I want to see if your ‘duty’ can survive the darkness.” She turned away, securing her pack with swift, practiced movements. “Get some rest, Jedi,” she said, her tone almost dismissive. “Or meditate. Whatever it is you do. We leave at first light, and trust me... you’re going to need all the strength you can get.” Kasden watched her for a moment longer before nodding. He lay back on the cot, staring up at the ceiling, his mind churning with thoughts. Soon, he drifted off to sleep.
{ The silence was heavy, a presence in itself. It filled the vast, empty space, pressing down on everything like a shroud. Darkness stretched in every direction, unending and oppressive, but also strangely tranquil. It felt as though this place had existed for eternity, untouched, forgotten. The air seemed thick, as if even breathing here was a reminder of the weight of ages past. There was no sound, not at first, only a hollow emptiness that carried the weight of forgotten echoes.
A faint, almost imperceptible light trickled down from somewhere far above, a feeble reminder of something long lost. It barely touched the void, creating a dim outline that suggested, but never fully revealed, the vastness of this place. The light didn't illuminate it only served to accentuate the darkness, its edges softened by the surrounding void that swallowed everything, reducing it to nothingness. There was no ground, no sky, no up or down, only the vastness, stretching infinitely. The light flickered, wavering, as if it was struggling against the darkness that sought to extinguish it. As it flickered, shadows moved in the periphery….subtle, fleeting, almost like memories that drifted just out of reach, refusing to be remembered. The emptiness felt alive. It was a presence that wasn't immediately threatening, but there was a distinct awareness. The darkness wasn't just an absence; it was sentient, a consciousness that was patient and waiting. It was a presence that breathed, slow and rhythmic, like the pulse of a sleeping giant that couldn't be seen but could be sensed.
Whispers began, faint and distant, like the echoes of thoughts that had never fully formed. They didn't have words, only impressions, hints of meaning that vanished before they could be grasped. The whispers merged with the pulse of the darkness, creating a rhythm that was both comforting and unsettling, a reminder that there was something here, something that existed beyond the edge of perception. A movement. Not sudden, not startling, just a subtle shift, something stirring beyond the reach of the fading light. It moved slowly, with purpose, like something testing the boundaries of its confinement. The sense of awareness grew stronger. It wasn't threatening, not yet. Instead, it felt like it was observing, waiting to see if the light would endure or if it would finally surrender.
The air grew colder, the stillness giving way to a subtle tension that made the silence hum. The darkness pressed closer, wrapping itself around the faint glimmers of light that struggled to hold their ground. The presence was not hostile, but its patience was endless. It knew no urgency, only certainty, as though it had all the time in the world, and it was merely waiting for everything else to catch up to that inevitability. The darkness seemed to speak, not in words but in sensations….a deep, almost melodic groaning, like the shifting of ancient, unseen structures under unimaginable weight. It was the sound of eternity. A reminder that this place existed outside of time, where the past, present, and future merged into a single endless moment. The sound resonated, a vibration that seemed to come from within the bones of the void itself, like a distant echo of something that had long since ceased to be.
Light flickered again, dimming as if it were being slowly suffocated, each pulse weaker than the last. The whispers grew louder, still without words, merging with the rhythmic groaning of the darkness, a lullaby that felt almost tender. The air thickened further, as though it was encouraging surrender and gentle, insistent pressure that offered comfort in letting go. There was beauty here, a haunting elegance that spoke of something ancient and powerful. The darkness wasn't malevolent. It was vast, all-encompassing. It offered a kind of solace, a promise that there was no need for struggle, no need for fear, only acceptance. There was no light that could reach this place, no warmth to break the chill, but that absence felt natural, inevitable, even right.
And as the last glimmers of light were swallowed whole, the whispers fell silent, leaving only the deep, rhythmic pulse of the void. Steady, patient, unyielding. The darkness wrapped itself around the emptiness, and in that moment, there was a finality. It wasn't just a place, it was a presence, alive, breathing, waiting. And it would wait forever, if it had to. }
Kasden woke up suddenly, his breath catching in his throat. He blinked rapidly, disoriented, his heart pounding in his chest. The dim room around him slowly came into focus, the lantern’s weak light still flickering in the corner. He took a deep breath, trying to shake off the remnants of the dream, the suffocating darkness that still seemed to cling to him. Sarana was already awake, sitting on the edge of the other cot, her eyes fixed on him as she chewed on a protein bar. She watched him without a word, her gaze piercing, as if she could see the turmoil still lingering within him. After a long moment, she spoke.
“Rough night?” she asked, her voice casual, though there was a hint of something deeper there, curiosity, perhaps. Before Kasden could respond, she tossed a protein bar in his direction. He caught it instinctively, his reflexes still sharp despite the lingering fog of sleep.
“Eat up,” she said, standing and stretching her arms above her head. “We leave soon. The deeper we go, the less time we’ll have for luxuries like breakfast.”
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 20, 2024 7:54:30 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 20, 2024 7:54:30 GMT -8
Chapter II
Level 2033 was a place where the past and present clashed, a reminder of an era when the sky could still be seen here. The wide streets hinted at a time when this was a surface level, long before Coruscant’s never-ending expansion buried it beneath more than two thousand stories of concrete and metal. The ceiling above, Level 2010, loomed heavy and oppressive, dim lights casting everything in a pale, eerie glow.
Sarana led Kasden through the expanse with a practiced ease, her familiarity evident in the way she navigated the maze of pathways and old structures. The buildings were tall, ancient, their facades weathered but still imposing, symbols and banners of old cults and factions painted across them, remnants of a forgotten time. The streets weren’t crowded, but they were populated enough, each faction occupying its own claimed territory, some makeshift communities thriving despite the darkness. As they moved through the level, Sarana guided Kasden through winding streets, her familiarity with the area evident. The dim lights barely penetrated the heavy atmosphere, making the shadows seem deeper, more sinister. Kasden could feel the unease around them, the eyes watching from windows, alleyways, and doorways.
The path twisted between old structures, some bearing faded symbols of old cults and factions. Kasden could sense it, a growing pressure, a presence trailing behind them. He glanced over his shoulder, catching sight of a few figures lingering in the distance, their shapes indistinct in the dim lighting.
He leaned closer to Sarana. “We’re being followed.”
“I know,” she replied quietly, her eyes never straying from the path ahead. “Keep moving.”
The HK unit walked beside them, its photoreceptors glowing as it scanned their surroundings. It suddenly turned its head slightly, its robotic voice cutting through the silence, “Observation: multiple hostiles are approaching from behind.”
Sarana’s steps didn’t falter, but her gaze sharpened, flicking from side to side. Kasden could feel it too, more figures emerging from the shadows, stepping into the street behind them, their footsteps barely audible over the hum of the city.
“Just….stay calm,” Sarana murmured. “They’re trying to see if we’ll panic. We need to find a way out of this, and fast.”
Kasden’s eyes swept the street, noting the way others had begun to subtly move in front of them, blocking the path forward. He felt his heartbeat quicken, his senses flaring as he reached out through the Force. The figures behind them were closing in, the intent clear, a trap, slowly tightening around them.
“Statement: We are surrounded,” HK added, its photoreceptors locking onto the figures ahead, the tension in its stance evident. The droids' servos clicked faintly as it adjusted its stance. “Suggestion: Prepare for engagement.”
Sarana turned her head just enough to meet Kasden’s gaze. There was no fear in her eyes, only a steely determination. “Whatever happens, don’t let them separate us,” she whispered. Her hand moved slowly towards her side, fingers brushing the hilt of a concealed blade. Kasden nodded, his fingers brushing the edge of his cloak, feeling the familiar weight of his lightsaber. The crowd around them had stopped moving, their eyes cold, calculating, as they formed a loose circle. The air grew heavy, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.
A figure stepped forward from the crowd, their face obscured by a hood. They paused a few feet away, their gaze fixed on Sarana. “You shouldn’t have come back here,” the figure said, their voice low, echoing slightly in the stillness.
Sarana lifted her chin, her eyes narrowing. “Funny, I don’t remember asking for your permission,” she shot back, her tone sharp. Kasden could feel the tension snapping like a taut wire. He took a step forward, closing his eyes for a brief moment, reaching deep into the Force. The oppressive atmosphere of Level 2033 faded to the background as he focused on the energy around him, the currents of life and fear flowing through the beings encircling them. Without warning, Kasden extended both arms, palms facing outwards, and unleashed a powerful burst of energy. The Force exploded in all directions, a shockwave that rippled outward, knocking the approaching attackers off their feet. The dozen figures surrounding them stumbled, some crashing into walls, others sprawling onto the ground.
Before the dust could settle, Kasden ignited his lightsaber, the blue blade humming to life, its edge glowing with authority. He took a step forward, pointing the tip at the one who had spoken, now struggling to rise from the ground.
“Keep your lives,” Kasden said, his voice steady, cold. “But keep out of our way.”
The hooded figure stared up at him, the light of the blade reflecting off their eyes, a mixture of fear and disbelief flickering across their expression. The others, still scrambling to recover from the shockwave, looked to their leader for guidance, their confidence shattered. Sarana, standing beside Kasden, remained silent, her blaster held loosely at her side, ready but not raised. HK, its photoreceptors glowing faintly, tilted its head slightly as if awaiting orders.
The hooded figure lowered their gaze, their hands raised in a gesture of surrender. “Fine,” they muttered, their voice strained. “We’ll stay out of your way… Jedi.”
Kasden kept his blade ignited for a moment longer, his gaze sweeping over the group, ensuring they understood. Slowly, he deactivated it, the hum fading into silence as the blue light disappeared. He took a step back, nodding towards Sarana.
“Let’s go,” he said, his voice still carrying the weight of authority.
Sarana gave him a small, approving smirk, then turned on her heel, leading the way down the path they had originally been taking. HK followed, its sensors sweeping over the fallen figures one last time before moving on. Kasden turned his back on the group, his senses still attuned, ready for any sign of betrayal. But the figures remained on the ground, watching silently as the trio disappeared into the shadows, their chance to attack lost.
As they moved away, Sarana glanced at Kasden, her eyes glinting with something akin to amusement. “Not bad, Jedi,” she said, her tone light, almost teasing. “I was ready to shoot, but I guess your way worked just as well.”
Kasden gave her a sidelong look, his expression unreadable. “We don’t need to kill if we don’t have to.”
Sarana chuckled. “Maybe not. But down here, mercy is often mistaken for weakness.”
Sarana walked in silence for a while, her gaze flicking from one shadow to another as they made their way through the dim streets of Level 2033. The tension from the ambush lingered, a heaviness that seemed to press down on them as they moved through the labyrinthine pathways.
“The cult I used to run with is still here,” Sarana finally spoke, her voice low, almost as if she were speaking to herself. “They call themselves the Ashen Hand. They’re not like the others down here. They don’t just want to survive, they have bigger goals. They think the darkness here is a gift, a source of power that the rest of Coruscant is too afraid to embrace.”
Kasden listened, sensing the weight of her words. There was something personal in the way she spoke of them, a mix of resentment and something else—maybe regret. He looked at her, studying her profile as she led the way. “And you used to believe that?” he asked.
Sarana didn’t answer immediately, her eyes fixed on the path ahead. The buildings around them were changing, the makeshift homes and stalls giving way to structures that were more ominous, marked with symbols that seemed almost ritualistic. “Once,” she said finally. “A long time ago. The Ashen Hand was my family, in a way. We all had nothing, and they gave us a purpose.” She paused, glancing at him. “But that purpose became twisted. I left before it consumed me.”
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 20, 2024 11:13:47 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 20, 2024 11:13:47 GMT -8
As they approached the enclave of the Ashen Hand, Sarana came to an abrupt stop. She stood still for a moment, staring at the entrance….a gaping archway carved into the side of a support column. It was covered in overgrown moss and grime, its symbols faint beneath the crawling vines. The flickering of the dim neon lights nearby cast a sickly glow on the structure, highlighting its worn, almost ancient look. Sarana’s face was unreadable, but Kasden could sense something beneath her steely exterior, a tremor in the Force, a hesitation. Her eyes, usually sharp and defiant, seemed momentarily unfocused as she stared at the darkened entryway. She swallowed, almost imperceptibly, her breathing slowing. The tension radiating from her wasn't something Kasden had sensed before. There was a vulnerability here, buried under her layers of bravado.
"This place," she began, her voice barely above a whisper, "is where I first understood what fear truly meant." She let out a breath, her gaze still fixed on the dark entrance. “The Ashen Hand… they don’t just embrace the darkness; they believe it speaks to them, that there’s a power here that they can tap into.” She paused, her eyes narrowing. “I once thought the same, but something down there changed me.”
Kasden frowned, his gaze shifting from Sarana to the looming structure before them. He could feel it too, a presence, something deeper than just an eerie atmosphere. It felt alive, like the shadows themselves were watching, waiting for them to come closer. Sarana turned to Kasden, her eyes regaining their usual focus, though a hint of unease lingered. “Listen to me carefully, Jedi,” she said, her voice low but firm. “The Shadows' Choir…the council to the Ashen, there are nine. They are not like anything you’ve faced before. They don’t care about light or dark in the same way you do. To them, it’s all just power. They see no boundaries, and that makes them dangerous. The three heads, the witches, they’re of one mind, and their words are designed to twist, to manipulate. Whatever you think you know, it won’t matter here.”
Kasden nodded, his eyes searching hers. “You’re afraid of them,” he said, his voice soft.
Sarana’s jaw clenched, her gaze hardening. “I’m cautious. They are not something to take lightly. I know what they’re capable of, and I know how easy it is to be swallowed by what they offer." Sarana’s steps were slow, her eyes lingering on the darkness before her. Kasden could see the tension in her posture, the way her fingers tightened around the strap of her pack. She hesitated, her gaze flicking back towards the archway as if trying to make herself press forward. But she paused again, and this time, she spoke, her voice distant.
“They called it my trial,” she said, her words almost lost in the murmur of the city above them. “They left me out beyond Level 3000, alone, without food or water. It was supposed to prove my worth, my devotion.” She let out a bitter laugh, her eyes narrowing as she stared into the dark. “They said I couldn’t return until I’d found something…something that gave me purpose in the abyss." Kasden remained silent, watching her as she struggled to put the past into words. He could feel the fear in her, a shadow that clung to her spirit, dark and heavy. She took a deep breath, shaking her head slightly. “I stayed down there for days. Weeks. I lost track of time. The darkness…it doesn’t just surround you, it gets inside you. It whispers, it promises things.” Her eyes met Kasden’s, and he saw something raw there….vulnerability. “And I listened. Until I found something in it. A purpose.”
She trailed off, her voice fading, leaving the rest unsaid. There was a silence between them, thick with the weight of her memories. Kasden studied her for a long moment, sensing the battle she was fighting, against the memories, against the fear. Kasden remained silent as they approached the front of the archway. He could sense the turmoil within Sarana, the memories she seemed to be battling. He didn't have to ask about her purpose, he could feel the answer taking shape, lingering on her mind, ready to be spoken. Sarana’s eyes were lost in deep thought, almost as if she were talking more to herself than to him. “And it spoke to me,” she murmured, her voice soft, filled with a haunted reverence. “Said, ‘Sarana, my herald of shadows…’ it promised me a place, a purpose. Power beyond anything I had imagined.”
She blinked, snapping herself out of the memory, her jaw tightening. There was something vulnerable there, a crack in her usually guarded demeanor. Kasden studied her quietly, letting the weight of her words sink in. She blinked, snapping herself out of the memory, her jaw tightening. She hesitated for a moment, her eyes clouded. “But sometimes…I wonder if it was me thinking that, out of delusion.” she said, her voice strained, “or something else whispering in my mind.”
Almost without thinking, Sarana stepped through the archway, her gaze focused ahead. Kasden followed close behind, feeling the cool, stagnant air as they moved further inside. The HK unit trailed them, its mechanical steps steady and echoing through the hollow space. The main area of the enclave opened up before them, a vast, dimly lit chamber with high ceilings. The walls were lined with carved symbols, some glowing faintly with a dark energy. Flickering lanterns provided scattered illumination, casting deep shadows that seemed to dance across the stone floor. The space was filled with people, members of the Ashen Hand, dressed in lightweight, draping black robes that allowed them to blend almost seamlessly with the darkness around them. Some stood in clusters, whispering in low voices, while others performed rituals at altars scattered throughout the room.
The murmurs of conversation slowly died down as the members noticed Sarana. A few pairs of eyes lingered on her, the HK unit standing protectively at her side, and then flicked to Kasden. There was recognition in some of those gazes, a mix of curiosity, suspicion, and perhaps even respect. The crowd parted slightly as they continued further in, whispering in hushed tones as they passed. Sarana kept her eyes ahead, her posture rigid, her face a mask of determination. She didn’t acknowledge the people around her, though her eyes moved warily over the room, taking in every detail. Kasden could feel the tension between them and the cult members, a silent unease in the air. The Force felt thick here, heavy, as though the shadows were alive and reaching out to them. Suddenly, a woman stepped forward from the shadows, a witch, her robe blending so seamlessly that she seemed to emerge out of the darkness itself. Her gaze swept over Sarana before resting on Kasden. She gave a faint, enigmatic smile. "Sarana," she said adressing the former member but looking at Kasden', her voice soft but carrying authority. "The Shadows' Choir is expecting you."
Sarana turned her head just enough to meet Kasden’s eyes for a brief moment, her expression a mixture of frustration and unease. She didn’t like the idea of them being expected, the control slipping out of her hands the moment they entered. Kasden could sense her discomfort, this was not part of any plan she had shared with him.
“Lead us then,” Sarana finally replied, her voice even, masking her discomfort behind a tone of authority. The witch nodded, her eyes never leaving Kasden. She turned, motioning for them to follow her deeper into the enclave, her robes almost gliding across the stone floor.
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 20, 2024 13:18:56 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 20, 2024 13:18:56 GMT -8
As they were guided deeper into the enclave, Sarana’s unease grew. The air seemed to thicken around them, the weight of unseen eyes pressing down on her shoulders. Kasden remained calm at her side, but she could sense his alertness, the tension coiled within him like a tightly wound spring. Their escort led them to a large chamber, where the Shadows' Choir awaited. The room was vast and dark, the only light coming from small flickering candles placed strategically around the space. The nine members of the Choir were arranged in a semi-circle, their robes dark and featureless, their faces partially obscured by hoods. They seemed to move as one, their heads turning in unison to acknowledge the newcomers.
But what caught Sarana's attention most was the tenth figure, a witch dressed in the unmistakable red robes of the Nightsisters. Sarana’s eyes widened in surprise, her heart skipping a beat. The Nightsisters & the Ashen Hand were natural enemies, rivals in the dark arts. To see one standing here, among the Choir, was unsettling. It was a symbol of something much more dangerous than she had anticipated. The Nightsister stood with her back to them, her voice soft but commanding as she spoke to the three witches at the center of the Choir. Her tone was melodic yet dark, carrying an authority that demanded attention. As Sarana and Kasden were guided in, the members of the Choir turned their attention towards them, their eyes hidden beneath their hoods, but their focus palpable.
Slowly, the Nightsister turned her head, her movements almost inhumanly graceful. Her face came into view. A stark pale complexion contrasting sharply against the darkened room, and eyes as black as obsidian, empty and cold. The sight of her sent a shiver down Sarana's spine. There was something inherently wrong in her gaze, something that twisted the very fabric of the atmosphere around them.
"Welcome, Sarana," one of the three witches spoke, their voice carrying an eerie harmony, as if all three spoke at once, completing each other's sentences. "You have brought a Jedi with you, and we see a purpose behind this."
Sarana swallowed, her throat dry, but she maintained her composure. She glanced at Kasden, whose calm presence was a small comfort, even in a place like this. The tension between them and the Choir, especially with the unexpected presence of the Nightsister, was palpable. Whatever they had walked into, it was far more complex and dangerous than she had anticipated. Kasden sensed Sarana's hesitation, and he took a step forward, the weight of the room pressing down on him. “I am here on a mission, sent by the Jedi Council,” he began, his voice steady, though the strange energy of the room buzzed in his ears. “I have questions that need answers, concerning—”
One of the three witches interrupted him, their voices overlapping as they spoke in an unnerving rhythm, almost in unison. “Questions indeed, but you are more than just any Jedi… so much more.” They moved, almost gliding around him, encircling him in a manner that made the space feel even tighter. The words they spoke were cryptic, slipping between one another's voices seamlessly. “His blood… it shines in the darkness, a light from the unseen… royal blood.”
Kasden frowned, confusion flickering across his features, but before he could respond, Sarana stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. “What are you talking about?” she demanded, her voice sharp. “He’s from the Temple. He’s not royalty. He’s—”
Kasden’s gaze shifted sharply to Sarana, his surprise evident. He doesn't share his past with anyone. The mention of royalty was a secret of a life he had chosen to let go of. Yet here, these witches spoke of it as though it were plain for them to see.
The three witches continued, ignoring Sarana’s protest, their voices blending into an almost melodic whisper. “Royal blood… from a place of light above, brought low into the shadows, where even light bows to the dark.”
Kasden felt a chill settle over him, the words echoing in his mind as if the darkness of the room had wrapped itself around his thoughts. He glanced at Sarana, and in her eyes, he saw not just confusion, but concern….concern for what lay ahead, and for what these witches seemed to know that even he did not fully understand. The three witches fell silent, the tension hanging in the air between them, Kasden, and Sarana. The one in the center tilted her head slightly, as if considering something deeply, before her dark eyes returned to Kasden. She gave a slight, enigmatic nod, her lips curling in a hint of a smile.
“So you seek a presence… something that the Jedi have sensed from above,” she said, her voice almost a purr. “But what you seek… it does not belong to us to simply give away.” Her gaze remained on him, unwavering. “You must find it, as it must find you.”
The other two witches moved closer, their dark robes whispering across the stone floor. “It waits in the depths, beyond what you yet see,” one continued, her voice slipping seamlessly into that of the other. “A presence… perhaps a child, perhaps something more. Your goal is your own, but the path has already chosen you, long ago.”
Kasden frowned, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. He felt the vagueness of their answers twist like a knot in his chest. “Where do I begin to look?” he asked, his tone clipped, trying to mask his irritation.
The witches only smiled, their expressions filled with something akin to amusement. The one who had spoken first took a step back, folding her hands in front of her. “You will know when you are close. It is not in our nature to tell you where… only to tell you that you will find it, in due time.”
Kasden felt his jaw clench at their words. Their cryptic responses left him with more questions than answers, yet the certainty with which they spoke made it clear there was little else he could get from them.
Sarana, standing beside him, seemed almost lost in thought, her eyes distant, as if trying to make sense of what she was hearing. Her gaze kept flicking to Kasden, an unspoken question in her eyes, as though she was trying to reconcile the idea of him being more than just the Jedi she had agreed to help. Kasden took a deep breath, his frustration ebbing slightly. He looked at Sarana, noticing her distant expression. There was a storm of thoughts behind her eyes, as if she was struggling to reconcile everything the witches had said. The cryptic reference to "royalty" had clearly unsettled her, and Kasden realized he needed to address it, but not here, not in the presence of the witches.
The lead witch tilted her head, her gaze shifting from Kasden to Sarana. "There is more at play than you know," she whispered, her voice dripping with something sinister. “Go now, Jedi. And take with you the shadows that are yours to claim.”
The three of them seemed to lose interest as quickly as they had gained it. They turned their attention elsewhere, their bodies flowing in unison like the dark tides of the abyss. The two other witches, positioned to either side, whispered among themselves, leaving the air thick with an ominous undertone. Sarana, still lost in thought, hesitated as they were gestured to leave. Kasden stepped closer, gently taking her elbow and guiding her out of the chamber. They moved silently, HK trailing behind with its mechanical precision, the heavy door of the enclave creaking shut behind them.
As they made their way out of the enclave, the oppressive darkness of the Ashen Hand’s domain seemed to weigh less heavily on Kasden. He looked over at Sarana, who still wore an unreadable expression. Her brow was furrowed, her eyes staring blankly at the path ahead.
“They spoke of a child," she finally murmured, almost as if talking to herself. "And they said... your blood shines in the darkness." She turned to Kasden, her eyes searching his. "If i had known.." She pauses. " I didn't expect…."
Kasden stopped walking, looking at her steadily. “It’s my past, yes, but the life I chose was to become a Jedi. Whatever they mean, it doesn’t change why I’m here.”
Sarana shook her head slightly, her gaze dropping to the ground. “No, it doesn’t… but it might mean you’re caught in something bigger than you realize. This… this is something else entirely."
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 22, 2024 8:50:27 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 22, 2024 8:50:27 GMT -8
The mechanical hum of long-forgotten generators echoed, blending with the rhythmic clanking of HK's steady steps. They encountered obstacles, collapsed corridors, unstable bridges over black pits, and remnants of once-grand halls, now barely holding together. Sarana navigated these challenges with a stubborn determination, though her fatigue was evident.
Kasden helped her climb a crumbling structure, offering his hand as they moved cautiously over a narrow beam that bridged two buildings. "You okay?" he asked, glancing at her.
"Don't worry about me," she replied, her voice carrying a hint of defiance. She paused to catch her breath before continuing, "This isn't the worst I've dealt with." Her eyes locked on the dark path ahead.
"Yeah?" Kasden gave a faint smile, "I'd like to hear more about that sometime." He tried to lighten the mood, sensing her exhaustion, wanting to keep her spirits from sinking further.
They crossed into an old industrial area, giant gears towering above, some rusted to a halt while others moved with a slow, creaking persistence. Shadows flickered across the ancient machinery, the faint glow of emergency lights creating a surreal, almost dreamlike atmosphere. Sarana gestured toward a gap between two massive pieces of machinery, and they squeezed through, their backs scraping against cold metal. As they emerged, she looked at him with a raised brow. "You've got to learn how to make yourself smaller if you want to make it down here."
Kasden smirked. "You think the Jedi taught us how to squeeze through old gears?"
She shook her head, a hint of amusement in her gaze. "No, I suppose not." She hesitated, her expression softening for a moment. "But being small sometimes means surviving. You can't always rely on power and skill alone."
Kasden nodded, sensing the personal nature of her comment. He remained silent, letting her lead the way through the labyrinthine passages. There was an understanding beginning to form between them, one that went beyond the mission, one that touched on the realities of survival and the choices they had made. Eventually, they came to a precarious bridge extending over an endless pit. The edge of the walkway was crumbling, parts missing and others barely holding. Kasden peered into the darkness below; the void seemed infinite, as if it swallowed any notion of depth.
"Careful," Sarana warned, her voice quiet, yet serious. "This place doesn’t forgive mistakes."
Kasden took the first step, testing the ground with his boot, then moved slowly, his senses sharpened. Sarana followed, and for a while, neither spoke, their focus purely on crossing the treacherous path. HK moved behind them, its mechanical whirring breaking the silence as it calculated the most stable spots.
After finally making it across, Kasden turned to Sarana, offering a hand again to help her step down. She took it this time, her grip firm, and looked at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. "Thanks," she said quietly, almost begrudgingly.
They found themselves in a large open space at the edge of an abandoned spaceport. The ceiling above was jagged, exposing beams and wiring that seemed to hang precariously. The remnants of a long-abandoned Hammerhead cruiser lay off to the side, its hull stripped of anything valuable, rust marking its once-proud exterior. There were signs of activity, remains of old fires, makeshift shelters built against the cruiser’s frame.
Sarana paused, her eyes flickering towards the cruiser. “We should stop here for now,” she suggested, her voice betraying her exhaustion. "Rest, regain our strength before we go any further." She was careful not to let her gaze drift toward the massive pit nearby, the entrance to Level 3000, but Kasden noticed the way her eyes avoided it, the unease that lingered in her voice.
“Inside the ship?” Kasden asked, noting her tone, how she seemed eager to have the metal walls of the old cruiser around them.
She nodded. “Yeah, it’s… it’s sheltered enough.” Her gaze locked onto his for a moment, as if silently challenging him to question her decision. Kasden just nodded, offering no argument.
As they approached the Hammerhead cruiser, Kasden noticed the subtle relief in Sarana's posture, as if stepping into the shadow of the ship gave her some sense of security. They made their way inside, finding a compartment that was mostly intact. Kasden could see Sarana's shoulders relax slightly as they settled into the dim, enclosed space.
He glanced at her as he sat down on a makeshift bench, his eyes softening. "You’re not just tired, are you?" he asked, his voice low, not wanting to push her but wanting her to know he noticed. Sarana hesitated for a moment longer before finally speaking, her voice quieter than usual, as though she was sharing a deeply buried truth.
A silence settled between them, heavy but not uncomfortable. Sarana hesitated, then leaned back against the rusted wall, her gaze distant. "It’s not just exhaustion," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "There’s something about this place… about what’s below. Memories I’d rather not deal with." She paused, as if struggling to put her thoughts into words, before shaking her head slightly. "Look, you wouldn't get it, Jedi. It’s different for people like me. The darkness, it… changes you."
Kasden studied her, the weight of her words hanging in the air between them. He could see the guarded vulnerability there, Sarana was used to being strong, to relying on herself alone, but something about this journey was pushing her limits. He reached into his cloak, pulling out a small pack and tossing it over to her. She caught it, her eyes narrowing in curiosity as she looked at him.
"What's this?" she asked, examining the pack.
"Credits," Kasden replied, his voice calm. "More than what we agreed on."
Sarana frowned, confused. "Why now?"
Kasden leaned forward, his eyes meeting hers. "If you want out, you can go. You’ve taken me further than I could’ve gone alone, and I appreciate that. I can take it from here."
Sarana looked at him for a long moment, her expression hardening. She turned the pack over in her hand, her fingers brushing against the credits. Sarana's lips curled into a faint smile, her eyes softening just slightly. "I appreciate it, Jedi," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
She didn't give him an answer, didn't say whether she'd stay or leave. Instead, she rolled over on her side, her back to him, settling into a more comfortable position. Kasden could tell she wasn’t sleeping; her breathing wasn’t even, her body not fully relaxed. She was lost in thought, her gaze fixed on something only she could see. Kasden watched her for a moment longer, then turned his attention to the viewport. Beyond it lay the massive drop, the seemingly endless void that led down to Level 3000. It loomed over them like a shadow, a reminder of what awaited. He took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared into the darkness below. The weight of the journey ahead pressed on him, and yet, there was something in the depth of the dark that called to him.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the Force flow around him, trying to ground himself, to gather strength. Whatever lay down there, they would face it together, whether Sarana liked it or not, they were bound by this journey, their fates tied in the uncertain depths of Coruscant. In the silence of the derelict ship, Kasden allowed himself to feel the fear, the uncertainty, but he also held onto the hope….the hope that even in the deepest shadows, there was something worth finding. And with that thought, he leaned back, preparing himself for whatever would come when they continued their descent into the unknown.
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 22, 2024 12:00:44 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 22, 2024 12:00:44 GMT -8
A voice, soft yet insidious, whispered through the depths of Kasden's mind, speaking of light with scornful dismissal. "A crown of lies, built on the suffering at the core… the light, nothing but a veil, an illusion to blind the weak," it murmured, each word woven with elegant disdain, reverberating in his ears like a dark, rhythmic heartbeat.
Slowly, Kasden awoke, the words still echoing. His eyes opened to dim light, disorientation clouding his senses. He blinked, his heart pounding, realizing Sarana and HK were nowhere to be seen. The voice continued, its call like a beckoning pulse, drawing his gaze towards the edge of the abyss. There, he saw a dark figure, a small outline standing too close to the edge. He blinked again, trying to focus. Sarana? No. It was too small, a child. The shape was cloaked in shadows, unmoving, facing away from him. With caution, Kasden rose, exiting the derelict ship and approaching slowly. His instincts told him to be wary, but his concern overrode the unease.
"Hey…." he called softly, his voice echoing slightly in the silence. He reached out a hand. "Step away from the edge… it's not safe."
The figure didn’t move, only spoke, her voice hauntingly soft, like a whisper carried on the wind. "She’s down there… lost… in the dark." The child’s words were cryptic, unsettling, the tone almost melancholic. Kasden frowned, stepping closer, trying to sense her presence in the Force. Nothing. It was as if she wasn’t even there. Was this the one he was searching for? Was this the presence the Jedi Council had sensed? His heart skipped a beat, a growing dread building in his chest.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice barely audible, reaching forward.
The figure turned slightly, just as her feet slipped off the edge. With a gasp, Kasden lunged forward, his hands grasping at empty air. He stretched out with the Force, desperate to catch her, to stop her fall, but… nothing. He felt nothing, no grip, no hold. Just the emptiness of the void. He watched helplessly as the child fell, swallowed by the shadows below.
Kasden's heart pounded as his eyes shot open, the remnants of the nightmare clinging to him like a cold shroud. He tried to sit up, but a hand quickly covered his mouth. His eyes darted to Sarana, crouched beside him, her expression tense. She held a finger to her lips, urging silence, before pointing towards the cruiser’s entrance. He took a steadying breath, nodding as she slowly removed her hand. He noticed a faint energy lingering around her fingers, a whisper of power, something dark, but controlled. She nodded towards HK, who stood near the doorway, his back against the wall, blasters ready in his mechanical hands. Kasden cautiously moved to peer outside, his senses sharp. He saw them, two figures, their forms cloaked in darkness, murmuring to each other. A chill ran down his spine as he felt it, a distinct, unmistakable presence of the dark side. The two figures seemed oblivious to their presence, but their proximity to the cruiser set Kasden’s instincts on high alert.
~
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 28, 2024 16:05:14 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 28, 2024 16:05:14 GMT -8
The heavy silence of the cruiser hung thick in the air, broken only by the faint mechanical hum of HK’s systems and the barely perceptible shift of Sarana’s breathing beside him. Kasden took a slow, steadying breath, his senses primed, feeling the echo of the strange child’s voice reverberate in his thoughts. He could sense them, those figures just outside, dark shapes, unpredictable in their presence. He glanced at Sarana, catching the silent intensity in her eyes, a shared understanding passing between them. They would have to move together, as one if they were going to face whatever lurked outside.
A flash of movement.
Without hesitation, Kasden sprang into action, his lightsaber igniting with a fierce, blazing blue as he surged forward, the blade a streak of light in the dim surroundings. He moved quickly, charging toward the source of the movement, ready to confront the unknown. Sarana and HK followed behind, their blasters already firing in quick succession, the bolts flashing past Kasden as he rushed into the fray. Two cloaked figures emerged from the shadows, their movements fluid. Lightsabers snapped to life in an instant, one a brilliant blue, the other a vivid purple. They moved with disconcerting precision, their blades twirling and deflecting the blaster fire coming at them, the redirected energy sizzling as it hit the walls and floor around them. They advanced without hesitation, closing the distance between themselves and the cruiser, their sabers humming in a haunting harmony. Kasden stepped in between Sarana and the attackers, his own blue lightsaber meeting the attackers blue Saber with a fierce crack that echoed through the corridor. He swung his blade in a powerful arc, forcing one of the attackers back. The figure wielding the purple saber twisted aside, stepping to the left to avoid Sarana's and HK's relentless fire, their blade spinning with an effortless grace as they redirected the bolts harmlessly into the walls.
HK continued firing, his mechanical limbs operating with cold, precise efficiency, his photoreceptors fixed on the attackers. Sarana darted forward, her blaster aimed low as she fired calculated shots, her face set with grim determination. The two attackers moved in sync, their sabers a blur of color as they batted away each bolt, their forms shifting like shadows across the confined space. One of the attackers, the one wielding the blue blade, suddenly spun sharply, angling their saber to catch a blaster bolt and send it back with deadly precision.
The redirected shot struck true, smashing into HK's head with a sizzling hiss. Sparks flew, and smoke curled from the droid’s cracked photoreceptor. HK staggered, his systems sputtering, the hum of servos faltering as he struggled to remain operational. " HK! " Sarana yelled, her voice a mix of frustration and shock. She fired again, her aim now erratic, her focus split between covering Kasden and protecting what was left of HK.
Kasden felt a surge of adrenaline, his senses narrowing to the two opponents before him. He shifted his stance, bringing his saber up defensively as the attackers advanced again, their strikes relentless, their movements almost predatory. He intercepted the blue saber’s strike with a deft parry, his blade flashing in response, the glow illuminating his face as he pushed back, refusing to yield an inch of ground. The purple-bladed attacker saw an opening, angling their saber for a downward strike aimed at Kasden’s flank. Kasden twisted his body, bringing his saber around in a swift arc to intercept, the blades colliding with a burst of energy that sent vibrations up his arm. He gritted his teeth, the tension of the clash grounding him, the hum of the sabers merging into a resonant chorus.
The two figures moved with an eerie unity, their sabers cutting through the dim light, pressing Kasden further, their strikes calculated to push him off balance. HK staggered, its servos clicking loudly, its movements jerking erratically as it struggled to recalibrate. The damage to its target acquisition systems had rendered its responses unpredictable, blaster fire occasionally streaking wildly in futile arcs across the dimly lit cruiser. Kasden swung his saber defensively, his focus split between the two figures before him. One attacker lunged forward, and before he could counter, the figure flicked their wrist, sending a quick snap of lightning directly into Kasden's chest. The energy sizzled as it connected, arcing across his torso. Kasden's body jerked in pain, his muscles locking for an instant as the stun coursed through him. His lightsaber wavered, its glow flickering as he staggered backward. The other attacker, the one wielding the purple saber, didn't miss the opportunity. With a sharp gesture, they thrust their hand forward, the Force striking Kasden like a sledgehammer, knocking him back across the chamber. His body slammed into the wall of the cruiser, his saber clattering to the floor beside him, its hum fading momentarily as it rolled out of his grasp. He gasped for breath, his mind reeling, vision momentarily blurring from the impact.
Sarana, seeing Kasden go down, felt panic bubble up within her. She backed away, her blaster raised, firing shot after shot. Each bolt was swatted aside effortlessly by the blue-bladed figure, who advanced towards her with slow, menacing steps, the tip of the saber angled threateningly. Her shots were useless, each blast met with a flick of the wrist, a lazy deflection that only seemed to taunt her. She took another step back, her heel hitting the edge of a collapsed beam, her heart pounding as she realized she was running out of room. The figure approached, their intent unmistakable. They raised their lightsaber high, preparing for a final, decisive strike. Sarana’s eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat, her blaster aimed in a desperate, last attempt to fight back.
Suddenly, a mechanical arm shot out, catching the attacker's wrist mid-swing. HK, despite the damage and malfunctioning systems, had managed to close the distance in a split second. The droid’s grip tightened with a mechanical whirr, servos grinding as its fingers dug into flesh, crushing the attacker’s wrist. A strangled cry escaped the cloaked figure's lips, the lightsaber slipping from their grasp, the glowing blade deactivating as it clattered to the floor. HK's other arm moved swiftly, the servos hissing as the mechanical hand formed a solid fist. With a powerful thrust, it drove forward, striking the side of attacker's face. The force of the blow was brutal….bone snapped audibly, the attacker’s head jerking to an unnatural angle as their body went limp, crumpling to the floor in a heap. HK’s photoreceptor flickered, smoke still curling from its damaged head, but the droid remained upright, unwavering.
Kasden, recovering from the Force push, shook his head, his senses returning. He reached out with the Force, pulling his saber back into his grip, the blade reigniting with a hiss of energy. He rose to his feet, his gaze locking onto the remaining attacker, the one wielding the purple blade who had turned towards him, clearly ready to finish what had begun. The figure moved in quickly, their saber raised, but something had changed within Kasden. A calm fury simmered beneath his otherwise composed exterior, a determination more visceral than before. He lifted his saber defensively, stepping into the attacker’s advance. For a moment, the blades clashed, their energy vibrating violently, a shower of sparks illuminating the space between them. The attacker feinted left, then lunged in, their saber coming in low, aiming to catch Kasden off balance. But Kasden was ready, he had already sensed the movement, his instincts heightened, his resolve sharpened to a deadly edge. He deflected the attack effortlessly, the blades grinding together for a moment before he pushed the attacker back, his own blade slicing upwards in a rapid countermove.
The attacker stumbled, and in that moment of vulnerability, Kasden saw his opening. Without hesitation, he lowered his saber and reached out with his free hand, the Force flowing through him like a surging tide. His fingers curled into a fist, and he felt the invisible energy snap around the attacker’s throat, constricting with unrelenting pressure. The figure’s eyes widened in shock, their movements faltering, the purple lightsaber slipping from their grasp as their hands went to their throat, clawing helplessly. Kasden’s gaze hardened, his eyes locking onto the attacker’s as he tightened his grip, lifting them off their feet, his arm rising steadily. The sound of strained, gasping breaths filled the space, the attacker’s boots kicking against the air, their cloak fluttering as they were raised higher. Kasden's face was expressionless, but beneath the surface, a storm churned. The fury that had been simmering, held back for so long….now found release, and with it came a terrible sense of clarity. He no longer saw the attacker as a faceless opponent but as a threat that needed to be eliminated, a barrier standing in the way of his mission. His hand remained raised, his grip tightening, the Force coiling like a serpent around the attacker’s windpipe. Kasden heard Sarana gasp behind him, but the sound was distant, almost drowned out by the blood rushing in his ears. He could feel the attacker’s struggle, could sense their fear, their desperation, but none of it registered beyond a cold detachment, a certainty that this was what needed to be done.
He heard a loud mechanical whirr and then silence. Kasden's eyes flicked briefly to the side, just in time to see HK’s photoreceptor flicker one last time before it went completely dark. The droid’s frame slumped, collapsing with a heavy clatter, smoke still curling from the damage. Sarana’s face was twisted, her gaze darting between Kasden and HK’s motionless form
—an abrupt return to awareness, Kasden shifted the figure over the abyss, releasing pressure from his neck. He stood at the edge studying the figure, exposed & helpless. Kasden's breath slowed, his focus narrowing on the moment. He could let them go….one flick of his wrist and the attacker would fall, vanishing into the depths.
He could end it here. But a whisper in his mind, softer than the others, pushed through, a whisper of restraint, a reminder of why he was here, why he had come this far. The mission, the purpose, the child, the presence he was meant to find. His gaze hardened, and with a sharp, controlled movement, he drew the attacker back from the edge, slamming them down onto the metal floor beside the abyss. They lay there, coughing, their body trembling, the fear of the void still written in their wide eyes. Kasden loomed over them, his saber still ignited, the light casting shadows across their terrified face.
“ You have one chance, ” Kasden said, his voice low, each word deliberate. “ Tell me what I need to know. Who sent you? Why are you here? ” The intensity of his gaze was unwavering, a promise of what would happen if he didn’t get his answers.
The attacker gasped, their breath still coming in ragged bursts. Slowly, they raised their eyes to meet his, a flicker of recognition there, something shifting behind their fear, perhaps understanding the line they had crossed, and the line Kasden was walking. He waited, his patience hanging by a thread, the tension in the chamber thick enough to cut. Sarana, standing a few steps behind, watched with wide eyes, her blaster lowered, her breath caught somewhere between fear and hope. The moment stretched out, the silence punctuated by the attacker’s struggling breaths and the steady hum of Kasden’s saber.
“Speak,” Kasden commanded, his voice a final warning, the abyss still lingering at their side, waiting.
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 28, 2024 18:01:12 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 28, 2024 18:01:12 GMT -8
He struggled to speak, each word seeming to fight its way out of his throat, his eyes darting between Kasden and the void beside him.
“There... was... a tremor...” he gasped, his voice broken, disjointed. “A calling... something in the dark... it drew us here...” He coughed again, his face twisting in pain as he spoke, the words coming in fragments, as if his thoughts themselves were fractured. “It... it feels like... it knows... it calls...”
His eyes were wild, unfocused, as if he was seeing something far beyond the physical world around them, something only he could perceive.Kasden’s patience began to wear thin. He leaned in, his gaze narrowing, his hand lifting once more. The Force answered his command, pressing down on the attacker’s body, the invisible grip pushing him closer to the edge, the metal groaning beneath the shifting weight. The man’s breath caught, his eyes widening as he felt his body slipping, the yawning abyss below seeming to pull at him with an unnatural hunger.
“Enough of this nonsense,” Kasden growled, his voice edged with a cold fury. “ Who sent you? ” His words cut through the attacker’s disjointed ramblings, the intensity behind his gaze demanding answers, demanding clarity.
The attacker gasped, his hands scrabbling at the floor, trying to find something to hold onto, his voice cracking under the weight of fear and pressure. “I... I am from... the Temple...” he choked out, his eyes darting to Kasden's, pleading. “A Jedi… but also… something much more….something changed me here in the darkness,” His voice trailed off, his eyes losing focus again, as if whatever had corrupted him was reaching out, pulling him back into its grasp. “I tried to resist... but it... it’s in my mind...”
Kasden felt a surge of frustration, his grip tightening further, the Force responding to his emotion, the pressure increasing as the attacker’s body edged even closer to the precipice. “What corrupted you?” Kasden demanded, his voice barely above a whisper, each word cutting like ice. “What have you seen?”
Before the man could answer, Sarana moved forward, her steps almost silent, her face set with grim determination. She knelt beside the attacker, her eyes narrowing, the darkness of the abyss reflected in her gaze. Without warning, she pressed her hand against the man's forehead, her fingers splaying across his skin, her eyes closing in concentration. Kasden hesitated, his grip momentarily loosening, his gaze shifting to Sarana.
“What are you—” he began, but then he heard it: a whisper, faint, trailing from Sarana’s lips, like an echo in the dark. It was not just her voice, there was something else, something deeper, a resonance that seemed to come from the shadows themselves. The sound was low, almost melodic, but twisted, carrying a dark edge that seemed to seep into the very air around them.
Sarana's eyes fluttered, her expression growing distant, her voice a low chant that seemed to rise and fall, the cadence strange and unsettling. The dark magic wove itself through the air, invisible tendrils reaching out, wrapping around the attacker’s mind. Kasden could feel it, an intrusion, something pushing through the veil, forcing its way into the man’s thoughts. The attacker’s eyes rolled back, his body shuddering as the dark energy seized onto his mind, twisting around his memories, digging into the places where the corruption lay hidden.
The whispers grew louder, trailing from Sarana’s words, echoing in Kasden’s ears, a cold shiver running down his spine. He could feel the weight of it, the dark presence that seemed to pulse with every word, as if the shadows were alive, breathing, watching. The man’s face twisted in pain, his lips parting as if to scream, but no sound came out….only the muffled, broken gasps as Sarana’s magic worked its way deeper, unraveling the threads of his mind, seeking the truth buried within.
Kasden watched, his lightsaber still held at his side, the blade casting a wavering light across the scene. He could almost sense it now. The darkness that had infected the man, the twisted presence that clung to his thoughts, something ancient, something that defied the dark and the light of the Force. The whispers continued, wrapping around Sarana’s voice, a chorus of unseen specters that seemed to reach out from the depths of the abyss, pulling Kasden’s attention down, into the shadows.
Sarana’s eyes snapped open, her gaze filled with something dark, something that seemed almost otherworldly. She spoke, her voice low, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts. “It’s deep…far, whatever it is, it’s embedded itself in his mind, corrupted his thoughts.”
She glanced at Kasden, her expression strained, as if she was struggling against whatever she had seen. “It’s not just a calling... it’s a lure, something... ancient, something powerful. It’s using him, using them... to find something…." Sarana's voice trailed off, her breath shuddering as she tried to push deeper into the man's corrupted mind. Her eyes fluttered closed once more, her concentration intensifying. The whispers around them grew louder, twisting, a chorus of dark promises and echoing laughter, as if the abyss itself had come alive. She reached out further, her fingers trembling against the man's forehead, her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, drowning out everything else.
And then she saw it.
A vision….sharp, searing. A shape rising from the darkness, a silhouette against an ocean of shadows. It was darkness embodied, a form that seemed to breathe & pulse with the very essence of the void. Behind it, the outline of a massive pyramid loomed, its edges glowing with an ominous red hue, the darkness clinging to it, emanating an ancient power that sent a cold spike of terror through her veins. Sarana gasped, her eyes snapping open, her pupils blown wide in shock. She stumbled backward, the vision lingering in her mind, seared into her consciousness. The whispers rose in pitch, echoing around her, deafening, and she could hear the sound of her own breath, ragged, frantic. Her body trembled, fear twisting through her like a blade. She knew this presence. She had felt it before. She couldn’t place where, but the familiarity was undeniable, gnawing at the edges of her mind.
Kasden turned his attention fully to Sarana, sensing the spike of fear that radiated from her, her pulse racing, the sudden and unmistakable dread in her eyes. His own gaze narrowed, the blue glow of his saber casting flickering light across her pale features. The former Jedi on the floor let out a hoarse, rattling laugh. It started as a low chuckle, then grew louder, manic, echoing around the chamber with a twisted kind of glee. His head lolled to the side, his eyes finding Sarana’s. He stared at her, his gaze unblinking, the madness clear in his expression. “You’ve seen it too,” he whispered, his voice rasping, filled with dark satisfaction. “You’ve heard its whispers… felt its call...”
Sarana’s eyes widened, her breath catching, and her entire body seemed to tense. The laughter grew louder, echoing through the metal walls, the sound reverberating, feeding into the fear that gripped her. It was mocking, taunting, a twisted pleasure in knowing that she had glimpsed what he had seen, that she too was now marked by it. The noise, the fear, the vision….it was too much. Something snapped inside Sarana, her fear morphing into something darker, a rage that surged through her veins like wildfire. Without thinking, she extended her hand, her fingers curling as dark energy erupted from within her, a current of magic that crackled like a storm. The air around her seemed to darken, the whispers growing into a scream as the energy wrapped around the former Jedi, dragging him across the floor, his laughter turning into a choked gasp.
Kasden’s eyes widened, shock breaking across his usually controlled demeanor. “ Sarana, no! ” he started, but his voice was drowned out by the rising crescendo of energy, the chorus of unseen specters that had filled the space now seeming to cry out in approval, their whispers feeding her rage. The man’s body skidded across the metal floor, his laughter replaced by a scream as he was pulled to the edge. Sarana’s face twisted with fury, her eyes locking onto his, unblinking, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts. The dark magic coiled around him, lifting him from the ground, the abyss yawning beneath him, the shadows seeming to reach up, as if eager to swallow him whole.
The former Jedi’s eyes met hers, a flicker of recognition there….a moment of fear, then understanding, and then acceptance. His lips curled into a final, twisted smile. “The darkness… will find you…” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the crackling energy.
Sarana’s hand trembled, her gaze cold, her expression hardened. She tilted her hand slightly, her fingers uncurling, releasing the dark energy. The former Jedi fell, his body dropping into the void, his scream cut off abruptly as he vanished into the darkness, the echoes of his laughter trailing after him until they were swallowed by the silence of the abyss. The chamber fell silent, the oppressive weight of what had just happened settling over them like a suffocating shroud. Sarana stood at the edge, her hand still raised, her breath ragged, her eyes staring down into the blackness below, as if she could still see him falling, still hear his laughter echoing in her ears.
Kasden approached her, his saber still ignited, the blue glow casting long shadows across the walls. He stopped a few paces away, his expression guarded, a mix of shock, concern, and something else, something darker that he kept buried beneath his otherwise composed exterior. He could sense the turmoil within her, the storm of emotions that had driven her to act, the fear, the rage, the dark power that had slipped free.
“Sarana,” he said, his voice low, cautious, as if trying not to startle her. “What... did you see?”
Sarana didn’t respond at first, her eyes still fixed on the abyss, her breath coming in short bursts. Slowly, she lowered her hand, her fingers flexing as if she was trying to shake off the feeling of what she had just done. She turned to Kasden, her eyes haunted, the fear still there, but now mixed with something else, determination.
“It wasn’t just him,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “There’s something down there, Kasden. Something waiting. It called to him, and now...”
Kasden’s gaze held hers, the weight of her words settling heavily between them. He nodded slowly, he could see the strain, the exhaustion, but also the diminishing resolve. They had come too far, seen too much. Whatever was in the depths, whatever was calling, it was waiting for them. He stepped closer to Sarana, placing a hand on her shoulder, his eyes meeting hers. “Then we find it,” he said, his voice steady, a promise. "We end this." Sarana’s eyes flicked down to Kasden’s hand on her shoulder, her expression hardening. She took a step back, shrugging his hand off, her gaze growing cold once more. Whatever fleeting connection they had forged in the chaos evaporated, replaced by a barrier that felt almost insurmountable. Her lips curled into a bitter, almost mocking smile.
“ You'll never get it. ” she said, her voice edged with venom. “Always so damn sure of yourselves. Always thinking you can just walk into the darkness and end it. Like it’s that simple.” She shook her head, her eyes narrowing as she stared at him, her breath still coming in short, angry bursts. “You and your Jedi arrogance.”
Kasden frowned, his brow furrowing at the sudden shift in her demeanor. “Sarana, I’m not—” he began, his voice steady, attempting to bridge the growing chasm between them.
But she cut him off, her voice rising, her anger bubbling to the surface. “No. Don’t try to rationalize this,” she snapped, her eyes flashing. “You think your precious code, your ‘light,’ means anything down here?” She gestured angrily toward the abyss, her hand trembling slightly, the fear still lurking beneath her rage. “ I just saw a Jedi, a supposed protector of the light, twisted, corrupted by something down here, and you want to act like you’re different? Like you can just ‘end this’ with some grand gesture?”
Kasden’s jaw clenched, her words cutting deeper than he expected. He could sense the fear, the anger, but there was something more, a betrayal that went beyond just the darkness of the lower levels, a bitterness that had long been festering. He took a breath, choosing his words carefully. “Sarana, I know what we’re facing is more than I fully understand. But this is not the way-”
“This is exactly the way,” she spat, stepping closer, her voice barely above a whisper but laced with a fury that seemed almost palpable. “You Jedi… you talk about balance, about peace. But look at what’s become of your own. You think you can save everyone, but you can’t. You couldn’t save him. You couldn’t even save your own, and now… now I’m supposed to believe you can save me?
Sarana’s voice cracked, the last words escaping her lips almost as a helpless plea. Her eyes met Kasden’s for a fleeting moment, and in them, he saw something beyond the anger, something exposed. The fury that had fueled her words faltered, leaving behind the fragile truth of what she was really feeling. Fear. Not just for what lay ahead, but fear of trusting someone, of hoping for something better, of letting herself believe that he could protect her. Her gaze dropped, her face softening for just a heartbeat. Her lips parted, as if she might say something more, but then the vulnerability cut her like a knife after realizing what she had just said. Sarana clenched her jaw, her eyes hardening once more, and she quickly turned away from him, her body stiffening, as if putting up a shield to mask what she had revealed. He extinguished his lightsaber, the blade disappearing into the hilt, leaving them in the dim, uncertain light of the abyss. He stepped forward, standing beside Sarana, though still a respectful distance away. He could feel the divide between them.
“Let’s go,” Sarana finally said, her voice rough, emotion still hiding just beneath the surface. She started walking, her steps brisk, her eyes fixed on the uncertain shadows ahead.
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 28, 2024 20:32:05 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 28, 2024 20:32:05 GMT -8
Chapter III
' And its gaze, a weight of infinite darkness, fell upon him. Not a lightless void, but a presence. A hunger that saw everything, that pulled at the frayed edges of his flickering soul, whispering of all the things forgotten in the shadows. He knew then, that to descend was not merely to journey downward, but to be unraveled, thread by fragile thread. '
The Chronicles of Orpheus, Fragment 19, Page 247
Sarana and Kasden moved with a relentless pace, the world around them slowly shifting from the remnants of forgotten industrial zones into something even older, something forgotten by time itself. The levels blurred together, the numbers on the broken terminals and half-destroyed signs losing meaning. They had long since stopped trying to count how far they had come, how long they had been traveling. Level after level, further into the depths of Coruscant’s labyrinthine heart.
It was only when they came upon the entrance to the next level, a colossal tunnel that seemed to consume the very space around it, that they finally paused. The tunnel was immense, a gaping hole surrounded by layers of rusted metal, the skeletal remains of piping and wiring reaching out like the twisted limbs of something dead, something long forgotten. The edges of the tunnel were ringed with old structural supports, their surfaces scorched and battered. The opening spanned upwards, vanishing into the dark, its sheer height almost overwhelming, a reminder of just how deep they had descended. Kasden stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the sight before him. His gaze trailed upwards, the tunnel stretching endlessly into the shadows above, the faint light from the distant ceiling barely illuminating the network of pipes and metal beams that crisscrossed the massive opening. Fifty levels stacked above them, each one marking the relentless descent into the underbelly of the city.
He let out a breath, his gaze dropping back to the darkness ahead. Sarana stood beside him, her eyes fixed on the tunnel, her face unreadable, though there was something almost reverent in her gaze, a deep unease that spoke of familiarity, of memories tied to this place.
“This is it,” she said finally, her voice quiet, her eyes never leaving the gaping darkness before them. “The old cargo passage.”
Kasden turned to look at her, his brow furrowing slightly. “Cargo?” he asked, his voice breaking the silence that had settled between them.
Sarana nodded, her gaze still distant. “A long time ago, this tunnel was used to move shipments. Massive cargo ships used to navigate through the structure, carrying goods from one sector to another. It was efficient…quick, but dangerous." She gestured towards the darkness ahead, her hand trembling slightly as she spoke. “Now it’s just… this. An entrance into the lower abyss. An open wound in the city’s body, left to fester.” Her voice lowered, almost to a whisper, her eyes narrowing. Kasden looked back at the tunnel, the shadows within seeming to shift and move, as if something was breathing just beyond the reach of the light. The air was cold, the distant hum of the city above barely audible, replaced by an eerie silence that seemed to press in on them, a weight that grew heavier with each breath.
From the shadows of a rusted grate, a pair of rodent eyes peered out, their beady gaze fixated on the figures of Sarana and Kasden as they moved cautiously through the passage. Their silhouettes were blurred, backlit by the weak lanterns they carried, their movements deliberate, as if every step was a negotiation with the shadows that surrounded them. They appeared almost ghostly, their forms obscured by the dim light and the layers of steam that hissed from cracked pipes above. The tunnel was vast, the kind of place that swallowed anything in its wake. The rodents watched as Kasden led the way, his shoulders square, his lightsaber clutched in his grip, a subtle glow emanating from the hilt. Behind him, Sarana followed, her head turning from side to side, her eyes scanning the darkness. From this vantage point, the two figures looked small, dwarfed by the immense scale of the passage. The walls stretched endlessly, curving upwards, where broken sections allowed glimpses of the mechanical entrails of Coruscant itself, wires that ran in tangled veins, the pulsing lights of power conduits flickering weakly, like a dying heartbeat.
Their footsteps echoed softly, a rhythmic beat that resonated through the hollow space. They were the only moving things in the vast expanse, two fragile beings, surrounded by the immensity of metal and machinery, by the ghosts of a forgotten past. From the vantage points of these creatures, the light that Sarana and Kasden carried seemed fragile, a small flickering barrier against the consuming darkness that stretched endlessly around them. The tunnel was empty, yet it felt alive, the air thrumming with an energy that was palpable, a feeling that something was watching, something far more sinister than rodents in the vents, and thats when they heard it… Kasden and Sarana froze, their steps halting mid-stride as a vibration ran through the ground beneath them. It started as a faint shudder, a subtle disturbance that seemed to come from deep within the structure. Kasden’s brow furrowed, his hand tightening on his lightsaber, his senses flaring, trying to discern the source of the disturbance. But it wasn’t in the Force, it was something else, something physical, resonating through the layers of metal & rusted supports around them.
The vibration grew, the tremors becoming more pronounced, rippling through the tunnel. Kasden and Sarana exchanged a glance, their expressions mirroring the unspoken question in the air.
What was that?
The sound began to grow, low at first, a distant rumble, almost like the growl of some colossal beast reverberating through the old walls. The dust above them shook, tiny particles falling from the beams overhead, the clattering echo swallowed by the growing sound.
Sarana’s eyes widened, her gaze snapping to the darkness ahead, her pulse quickening. The ground beneath their feet began to vibrate with a strange consistency, rhythmic, like something trampling in unison….a distant thunder that grew louder with each passing second. Kasden looked around, his instincts screaming at him that something was wrong, his heart pounding as the air seemed to grow colder. The noise continued to swell, accompanied now by a strange screeching, an eerie, guttural wail that carried through the hollow tunnel, amplifying in the cold, metallic space. It was the sound of something alive, something many, many times over. The rodents in the vents suddenly came alive, their tiny claws scratching against metal, their panicked squeals echoing as they rushed in a frenzy, fleeing the direction of the sound. The small creatures scattered, scrambling through the vents, their bodies moving in a wave away from whatever was approaching. It was as if they were trying to escape a predator, something that stirred a primal fear, something that did not belong in the natural world.
Kasden's heart raced as he turned to Sarana, his voice urgent. “ We need to move. Now. ”
They broke into a sprint, rushing along the edge of the colossal tunnel, their eyes darting around for a place to hide. The noise was growing louder, closer, a cacophony of trampling feet and guttural screeches that seemed to shake the very air, echoing and overlapping, bouncing off the rusted walls. They approached a point where the tunnel intersected with another vast opening that seemed even darker, even more forbidding. Sarana gestured frantically towards a collapsed section off to the side, a pile of rubble that formed a small alcove, just enough to conceal them if they crouched low. They darted towards it, scrambling behind the debris, pressing themselves against the cold metal, Kasden extinguishing his lightsaber to minimize their presence. The air was filled with the sound of their hurried breaths, the rumble beneath them growing into a roar, the echoes becoming almost deafening. Kasden peeked around the corner, his eyes narrowing as the darkness before them began to take shape.
At first, it was just shadows, shifting, moving in a way that seemed almost unnatural. Then, the first of them emerged from the gloom, creatures, hunched and grotesque, their eyes glowing faintly, their limbs long & twisted. They moved in a frenzied rush, their bodies covered in tattered remnants of flesh, their mouths open in an endless snarl, exposing rows of sharp, uneven teeth.
Rakghouls.
Kasden's breath caught in his throat, the sight of the creatures sending a chill down his spine. He had heard of them, horrors of the lower levels, beings transformed by a terrible plague, twisted into monstrous forms, driven only by hunger and rage.
He glanced back at Sarana, her eyes wide, her face pale as she stared at the scene unfolding before them. The Rakghouls moved as a swarm, hundreds of them pouring through the massive tunnel, their feet pounding against the metal floor, kicking up dust and debris. The sound was deafening, their guttural hissing and screeches blending into a dissonant, terrifying chorus that filled the entire space, echoing and amplifying in the vast hollow of the passage. They moved with a terrible speed, their limbs jerking and twitching, their movements almost insect-like, as if driven by a single, relentless purpose. Kasden and Sarana pressed themselves tighter against the rubble, trying to make themselves as small as possible, the terror palpable between them. Kasden could feel Sarana’s breath, ragged and shallow, her eyes locked on the swarm as it rushed past, their silhouettes barely visible in the dim light.
The creatures paid them no mind, focused entirely on their path ahead, driven by something unseen, something calling them deeper into the abyss. Dust filled the air, thick and choking, stirred by the movement of hundreds of bodies, their claws scraping against metal, their snarls reverberating through the darkness. Kasden could barely see, his vision blurred by the cloud of debris, his ears ringing from the sheer volume of the creatures' cries. He forced himself to stay still, every instinct screaming at him to move, to run, but knowing that even the slightest movement could draw the attention of the monstrous horde. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, the swarm of Rakghouls flowing through the intersection like a river of nightmares, their shadows dancing across the walls, flickering in the dim, failing lights of the tunnel. Kasden felt the seconds drag on, each one marked by the pounding of his own heartbeat, the air so thick with dust and fear that it felt as though he could barely breathe. The screeches and trampling grew louder, the sheer force of the sound making the ground beneath them shudder, as if the very city itself was trembling.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the swarm started to fade, the mass of creatures thinning, the noise receding, the echoes becoming more distant. The last of the Rakghouls passed through the intersection, their guttural cries fading into the darkness, leaving behind a silence that seemed almost deafening in contrast to the chaos that had come before. Kasden let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, his shoulders sagging slightly as he looked at Sarana. Quietly, cautiously, they emerged from their hiding place, stepping back into the tunnel, the air still thick with dust, the ground littered with the marks of claws and feet, a testament to the swarm that had passed.
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 30, 2024 1:23:36 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 30, 2024 1:23:36 GMT -8
Sarana leaned against the cold rubble, her breaths coming in short, ragged bursts. Her face was streaked with grime, her eyes wide as the adrenaline slowly began to ebb from her veins. She looked over at Kasden, her expression one of disbelief and exhaustion.
“I knew we’d find danger down here,” she whispered, her voice shaky, her eyes drifting to the darkness ahead of them. “But that… I’ve never seen anything like that. Not like this.”
Kasden nodded, still catching his breath, his eyes scanning the vast, empty passage around them. He could still feel the echoes of the swarm, the air thick with the sense of something malevolent, something deeply wrong. The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, the silence that had settled over them almost more unnerving than the chaos that had come before. He opened his mouth to speak, to say something to break the tension, when he felt it, another shift in the air, a vibration that seemed to ripple through the metal beneath their feet.He turned sharply, his gaze snapping towards the darkness, and he saw it. Far off, deep within the tunnel, the shadows seemed to writhe, a new crescendo of noise beginning to build, a guttural roar that started as a low rumble but was quickly growing louder.
Sarana’s head snapped around, her eyes widening in horror as she saw the movement. “No,” she breathed, her voice trembling, and then, louder, she shouted, “Kasden! Run!”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and bolted, her feet pounding against the ground as she sprinted across the vast expanse of the tunnel intersection. Kasden didn’t hesitate, his instincts kicking in, pushing his body into motion as he raced after her. They ran, their footsteps echoing through the empty space, the tunnel around them yawning wide, the darkness seeming to swallow their forms as they moved. Kasden glanced over his shoulder, his heart pounding in his chest, and his blood ran cold. From the far end of the tunnel, a flood of Rakghouls poured around the corner, their bodies surging forward, limbs thrashing, their glowing eyes locked onto the two figures fleeing across the intersection. It was as if the entire tunnel had come alive, a living wave of teeth and claws, barreling towards them with a vicious speed that seemed almost impossible.
The screeching of the Rakghouls grew louder, their snarls and hisses blending into a terrible cacophony that reverberated through the hollow metal, the sound chasing them like a storm. Kasden pushed himself harder, his legs burning as he struggled to keep pace with Sarana, who was sprinting with everything she had, her eyes fixed on the far side of the tunnel, her breath ragged.
“Keep going!” Sarana shouted over her shoulder, her voice almost lost in the roar behind them. “Don’t stop!”
Kasden could feel the ground trembling beneath them, the vibration of hundreds of claws striking the metal floor, the pounding echoing in his ears, drowning out everything else. The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, the darkness ahead of them unending, the exit nowhere in sight. His lungs burned, his heart pounding in his chest, every muscle in his body screaming for him to stop, to rest, but he knew that to stop was to die. Sarana glanced back, her eyes catching sight of the Rakghouls, their twisted forms illuminated in the flickering lights of the tunnel, their snarls filling the air, growing closer with each passing second. She pushed herself harder, her legs aching, her vision narrowing, her focus on nothing but the dark passage ahead.
They reached a smaller side passage, a narrow opening barely visible in the dim light, and Sarana skidded to a stop, her hand reaching out, grabbing Kasden’s arm, yanking him towards the opening. “In here!” she shouted, her voice raw with panic. Kasden turned, following her lead, the two of them diving into the narrow side tunnel just as the Rakghouls barreled into the intersection, their bodies surging past, a relentless flood of monstrous forms.
Sarana pulled Kasden deeper into the passage, several Rakghouls had broken away from the main horde and now pursued them down the narrow corridor. Their glowing eyes pierced the darkness, twisted, skeletal forms lurching towards them, claws raking the walls. They ran, their feet slamming against the metal flooring, the sound swallowed almost instantly by the hungry growls behind them. The walls closed in around them, the passageway tightening as if it sought to trap them, their lanterns throwing frantic shadows against the rusted metal. The Rakghouls were gaining on them. Kasden could hear their claws scraping closer, the guttural hisses echoing, reverberating in the narrow space. He could practically feel their rancid breath on the back of his neck, the oppressive stink of decay enveloping him.
The fear pushed them both harder, sprinting faster than they thought possible, yet the darkness seemed to press against them, an endless sea of terror. And then it happened. Kasden heard the sound a moment before he felt it, the groan of metal, the high-pitched whine of bolts straining, and then the sharp crack of something breaking loose. His feet slipped on suddenly shifting ground, a split-second realization flickering through his mind. He reached for Sarana instinctively, but there was nothing he could do. The old metal panel beneath them, corroded by centuries of neglect, gave way entirely. Kasden's stomach dropped as he felt the floor crumble, and then they were falling, tumbling through darkness. The metal collapsed around them, rusted beams snapping, twisted pieces cascading in a deadly, chaotic symphony. Kasden lost sight of Sarana almost instantly, his hands flailing in a desperate attempt to grab onto something, anything, but there was only empty air. He fell, twisting, the narrow beam of his lantern spiraling in the air beside him, illuminating flashes of rusted, broken walls before clattering into the darkness.
Kasden hit something hard, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs, the force sending him tumbling once again. He crashed through layers of twisted beams and ancient debris, his body striking against sharp edges that tore at his clothes and scraped his skin. He grunted in pain, the shock of each collision sending waves of dizziness through his head. Finally, with a sickening jolt, he slammed into the ground, the weight of the fallen rubble cascading around him, bits of metal and stone settling with a clatter. He lay still, gasping for breath, his vision spinning, darkening.
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Oct 30, 2024 6:40:36 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Oct 30, 2024 6:40:36 GMT -8
Kasden's senses slowly returned to him, swimming up from the darkness of unconsciousness as if through thick, murky water. Pain throbbed in every joint, every muscle, each pulse a reminder of the fall, the crushing weight of the metal and rubble that had brought them to this dark, forgotten place. His eyes fluttered open, his vision a disorienting blur of orange and shadow, shapes that seemed to move and twist with a flicker. Flames? Kasden blinked, the image wavering as he tried to bring it into focus. There was warmth, a dancing light that licked at the edges of his blurred vision, and as the haze in his head began to clear, he realized he was lying on his back, staring upwards. Shadows danced across the rusted ceiling of whatever hollow they had ended up in, thrown by a fire that crackled somewhere nearby, its warmth radiating against his aching skin. But through the flames, through the heat and the smoky glow, there was something else. A face. A face that seemed familiar, and yet wholly out of place in this ruined underbelly of Coruscant.
Kasden squinted, his head spinning, the firelight stinging his eyes, until the image finally coalesced. A stark, pale face, framed by shadows, eyes dark as night, eyes that seemed to pierce through the smoke, through the flames, and see into something far deeper. He recognized her almost instantly, the Nightsister they had seen at the Ashen Temple. Her gaze was cold, a dispassionate curiosity lingering there, her presence like a dark echo reverberating through his disoriented thoughts.
Kasden struggled to sit up, a groan escaping his lips as his muscles protested, his limbs trembling beneath the strain. The vision of the Nightsister seemed to linger, her outline shimmering in the wavering light of the fire, her dark eyes locked onto his, as if she were waiting for something, for him to speak, to act, to realize. " Sarana " He spoke.
To his left, just outside the reach of the fire’s glow, he spotted Sarana, her body sprawled out on a makeshift bed of what looked like old fabric and discarded padding. She was unconscious, her face slack, her breathing steady. Relief washed over him at the sight of her alive, even if she looked worse for wear, bruises marring her face, dirt streaked across her cheeks. But she was here, and she was breathing. Then his gaze moved to the other side of the fire, and the relief soured into a chill that ran down his spine. Sitting there, her posture calm, almost regal, was the Nightsister. Her eyes were already on him, the firelight making them seem even darker, like pools of ink that swallowed the flame and reflected nothing back. She said nothing, her gaze cold, her face unreadable. Kasden tried to sit up again, his muscles trembling, his body protesting each movement. He managed to push himself up, leaning heavily on his hands, his heart pounding with a mix of confusion and fear. The Nightsister made no move to stop him, her eyes following his every motion, her expression a mask of indifference, as though she were merely waiting for him to gather himself.
Kasden swallowed hard, his eyes narrowing as he focused on her. "Where... where are we?" he managed to ask, his voice hoarse, breaking the silence that seemed almost tangible in the oppressive darkness.
The Nightsister tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into a faint smile, though there was no warmth in it, only a hint of amusement, as if she found his confusion entertaining. She gestured vaguely around them, her slender fingers moving through the smoky air, her dark eyes never leaving his.
"Somewhere between the world above and the one you seek," she replied, her voice soft, almost melodic, carrying an eerie resonance that seemed to linger in the space between them. "You fell, Jedi. And I caught you."
Kasden frowned, his eyes flicking towards Sarana, his thoughts racing. "You... saved us?" He struggled to keep the skepticism out of his voice. The Nightsisters were known for their power, their mastery of dark magics, but they were not known for acts of mercy. The idea that she had intervened out of compassion was something he could hardly believe.
The Nightsister's smile widened slightly, her dark eyes glinting in the firelight, something predatory lurking behind them. "Saved you? Perhaps." She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Or perhaps I simply delayed what is to come, what is inevitable. The darkness has already taken hold here. It is calling, and you are being drawn into it, step by step."
Kasden's eyes remained fixed on the Nightsister, his mind grappling with her words. He could sense the game she was playing, the way her words danced on the edge of truth and illusion, never fully revealing her intentions. He gritted his teeth, swallowing his fear. “Why are you here?” he pressed, his voice steadier now, his gaze unwavering. “What do you gain from this, from keeping us alive?”
The Nightsister’s smile faded, her gaze growing colder, the amusement draining from her expression. “Why, indeed…” she murmured, her eyes drifting away from him, her fingers tracing idle patterns in the dust beside her. She seemed almost lost in thought for a moment, her focus shifting from Kasden to the flickering flames, her expression darkening.
Kasden shifted, trying to ignore the throbbing pain that pulsed through his body with each movement. He could feel her words sinking into him, planting seeds of doubt, seeds of fear. He could feel the darkness she spoke of, the way it pressed in on them, palpable in the very air they breathed. He forced himself to speak, his voice cutting through the oppressive silence. “We’re not like you. Whatever it is that waits in the depths, it won’t claim us.”
The Nightsister’s head snapped back towards him, her eyes narrowing. There was a flash of something there, anger, perhaps, or something else entirely, something far deeper. She regarded him for a long moment, her gaze piercing, her lips pressing into a thin line. “So sure, aren’t you, Jedi?” she said quietly, her voice carrying an edge of disdain. “Always so sure of the light. So certain its guiding you.”
Kasden opened his mouth to respond, but she held up a hand, silencing him. “You think this is a battle between light and dark. You think your purpose is clear, that you can simply cut through the shadows with your glowing blade and make them vanish.” She leaned forward, her eyes locking onto his, her voice lowering to a whisper. “But the darkness here is ancient. It doesn’t simply vanish. It consumes, it envelops, and it has been waiting. For you, for her, for all that shine with that wretched dark.”
Kasden’s brow furrowed, confusion evident in his gaze. “What are you talking about?” he demanded, the frustration creeping into his voice. “What do you mean, waiting for us?”
The Nightsister’s gaze did not waver. Instead, she turned her eyes back to the fire, her expression unreadable, her voice dropping to a low murmur, as if she were speaking more to herself than to him. “A prophecy… a whisper carried through the dark. Blood that shines, even in the deepest shadow.” Her fingers curled slightly, her eyes darkening as she stared into the flames. “A light that is meant to descend, to find its truth in the darkness. It is not simply fate, Jedi. It is a calling, one that cannot be denied.”
He looked at her, his voice barely above a whisper. “You think... that’s us?”
The Nightsister’s eyes flicked back to him, her expression softening slightly, almost as if she pitied him. “Think?” she echoed, her lips curling into a faint, joyless smile. “I know it, Jedi. I feel it. It is why I am here. It is why I linger in this forgotten tomb of a city. Because your fate, your light, is tied to this darkness.”
She paused, her gaze moving to Sarana, still unconscious, her form bathed in the soft glow of the firelight. “And her…” The Nightsister’s eyes narrowed, her voice growing colder, more distant. “There is something within her as well. A piece of this darkness. A piece that knows its way, that is drawn to what lies below. You may think you protect her, but in truth, she leads you deeper. She is your guide to what waits.”
Kasden shook his head, his jaw clenching. “No,” he said, his voice filled with determination. “Sarana is here because she chose to be, she's stronger then you know.”
The Nightsister’s laughter cut through the air, sharp and mocking. She looked at him, her dark eyes filled with something almost akin to pity. “We shall see, Jedi,” she murmured, her voice soft, almost a whisper. “We shall see.”
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Nov 10, 2024 0:24:13 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Nov 10, 2024 0:24:13 GMT -8
The firelight flickering with unnatural intensity. Kasden’s heart was pounding, but not from the exertion of his earlier efforts, no, this was something deeper, a chill that crawled under his skin, wrapping around his bones like tendrils of darkness. The Nightsister's smile had faded, her face an unreadable mask once more, but her eyes—those dark eyes—seemed to burn with a fire of their own. The silence stretched, suffocating and thick, as though the very room was holding its breath. Kasden could hear his own pulse in his ears, the only sound in a place that felt as if time itself had forgotten to pass.
"You think you know what is to come," she said softly, her voice carrying an ancient weight, as if each word were steeped in centuries of forgotten knowledge. Her voice had changed, no longer the mocking tone from before, but one that spoke with the gravity of prophecy. "You, a Jedi, with your simple notions of light and dark. How quaint."
Kasden’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched. “I’m not here for riddles,” he spat, his voice hoarse but unwavering.
The Nightsister tilted her head, her smile returning, but it was not kind it was a smile that held no warmth, only the cold knowledge of a force beyond Kasden’s understanding. "I do not seek to save you, Jedi." She moved closer, her footsteps soundless on the cracked floor, like a shadow herself. "I only offer a truth. Whether you accept it, or reject it, is of no consequence to me."
Her dark eyes bore into his, and Kasden felt the weight of her gaze, as if she were peeling away the layers of his soul, exposing him for all to see. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. Then she spoke again, her words laced with an eerie calm.
“You believe in the light because it is familiar to you. The stars that guided your ancestors, the glow of your saber—it comforts you, as it should. But it is not the only path, Jedi. There are other roads, roads untread, roads that stretch beneath your feet even now.”
Kasden’s pulse quickened. He had been traveling with Sarana for days now, a woman he knew little about, but the silence between them and the shared hardships they’d endured in the last ten days made their bond deeper than simple strangers. But that didn’t mean he was ready to buy into any dark prophecies. “What are you saying?”
The Nightsister took another step forward, her form bathed in the fire’s glow. "You walk on the edge of something ancient. Something that has been waiting for you. You cannot outrun it. Not for long." Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible over the crackling fire. "You see the shadows and think them evil. But darkness... darkness is neither good nor bad, it simply is."
She paused, her eyes glinting with something almost like amusement. "Your world is built on lies, Jedi. On false dichotomies. You have been taught that there is a clear line between the light and the dark. But I—" She raised a hand, as if to silence him before he could speak. "I see the truth, hidden beneath all of this."
Kasden’s heart thudded painfully in his chest. He tried to steady himself, to push against the suffocating weight of her presence, but something about her words struck deep—too deep. She wasn’t just speaking about philosophy, not just theory. She was speaking of something primal, something that resonated within him, something he didn’t want to acknowledge. "The darkness you fear," she continued, her gaze now shifting to Sarana, still lying unconscious beside them, "is not just in the world. It is in you. In her. In all of us. You are all bound to it, whether you will it or not."
Kasden felt a jolt at her words. He didn’t know Sarana well, not beyond the shared meals and the long stretches of tense silence between them as they traveled. Ten days since the cantina, and he still didn’t know what drove her, what weighed her down. She was no stranger to hardship, but darkness? He couldn't begin to understand the depths she might be hiding.
He clenched his jaw, fighting the discomfort that stirred within him. “ What are you talking about? ”
The Nightsister’s lips twitched into a smile, but there was no warmth in it. "You think it’s that simple? That there is nothing more to the path you’re walking than your Jedi lightsaber and your simple beliefs in the light?" She let the words sink in before continuing, each syllable sharp and deliberate. “It’s already in her, Jedi. This ‘Sarana’—she holds more than you understand.”
Kasden stepped forward, frustration rising in his chest. “I don’t know her. She’s just... trying to survive, like me.”
The Nightsister’s smile deepened, but there was something colder in her eyes. "You do not see it because you cannot. She has chosen a path, just as you have chosen yours. And the darkness will reach her, just as it will reach you. It is part of you both. It always has been."
Kasden swallowed, his throat dry. He had seen Sarana fight, seen her take on challenges without hesitation. But darkness? He couldn’t see it. He wanted to believe the Nightsister was playing tricks with his mind, trying to sow division, but the words gnawed at him, tugging at something he didn’t want to face.
“I don’t know her,” he muttered, more to himself than to the Nightsister. “I barely know myself anymore. But I’m not going to believe that."
Sarana’s eyelids fluttered, the world around her hazy and unfocused. The firelight seemed distant, flickering like a fading memory. Her mind struggled to clear the fog that clung to her thoughts. It took her a moment to realize she was lying on the cold floor, a weight pressing down on her chest, pulling her from sleep. She blinked, her senses gradually returning to her, as her surroundings sharpened. The room was dim, shadows stretching across cracked walls and scattered debris. The fire crackled nearby, casting long, twisting shapes into the corners. Her breath hitched, and her muscles tensed as she instinctively shifted to sit up, her head throbbing in protest. Kasden’s form was just within reach, standing at the edge of her vision. His back was to her, tense and still, as if caught in the grip of something he couldn’t shake. It wasn’t until she caught sight of the figure standing nearby that everything seemed to come back in a rush.
The Nightsister. Sarana’s heart skipped a beat, her breath catching in her throat. The sight of the woman was enough to send a jolt of fear through her. She had seen her before, the same presence, the same icy demeanour that chilled the very air around her.
"Syrliss," Sarana’s voice was sharp, almost a whisper, her body instinctively tensing as the woman’s dark eyes turned to meet hers. Sarana pushed herself to her feet, legs unsteady at first, but she found her balance quickly, her hand hovering near the hilt of the weapon strapped to her side. "Why are you here?" Sarana’s voice cracked with tension. Syrliss tilted her head, her eyes glittering in the dim light as she studied Sarana.
"You remember me, then," she said, her tone calm, even amused. "Good. Though I did not expect your memories to come so easily."
Sarana’s fingers curled into fists, ready to strike if necessary. “I remember enough,” she said, her voice steadying.
Kasden stepped forward, his voice low but carrying a steady intensity. “You speak of prophecy and shadows, but none of that tells us what this presence actually is. The Jedi spoke of it as… something almost alive, a dark current flowing beneath everything. They’ve been feeling it more and more, whispering of shifts in the Force, in the galaxy itself. They say something is coming, something that’s been waiting for centuries, hidden until now. So what is it?”
Syrliss’s gaze shifted to him, the faintest glimmer of amusement flickering in her eyes, but it was tempered by a grim understanding. “Ah, the Jedi, always dancing around the edges of the truth,” she murmured, her tone laced with a mocking reverence. “They see the tides shifting, and they feel the pull of what lies beneath, yet they cannot name it, nor do they dare to. The presence you sense—it is neither a single being nor a force that can be destroyed. It is the shadow cast by all things, fed by every wound, every loss, every act of betrayal that has ever stained the galaxy.”
Kasden’s brow furrowed, his hand unconsciously tightening on the hilt of his saber. “If it’s as vast as you say, then how does it have a… presence, something that can be felt? How could it possibly be affected by the actions of any one person?” His words were skeptical, probing, but there was something else in his tone, a growing unease that matched the weight of her words.
Syrliss looked between them, her gaze settling on Sarana before returning to Kasden. “You feel it because it is bound to every one of you, whether you know it or not. The darkness is like a sleeping creature, dreaming in the spaces between stars, lying dormant until the moment it is called awake. It is not 'evil', people are evil. For centuries, your kind has ignored it, deflected it with talk of balance and light.” Her mouth twisted into a sardonic smile. “But balance is only temporary, a feeble stalling of the inevitable. The galaxy shifts because its shadows are awakening.”
Sarana shivered, the words stirring an ancient dread in her, a memory that lay just out of reach. “So you’re saying… there’s no stopping it?”
“Not as you would imagine.” Syrliss’s voice softened, but there was no comfort in it. “You can only choose how you will face it. You are part of the pattern, Sarana, and every step you take, every choice you make, brings you closer to that truth. The question is not if it will come, but what you will be when it does.”
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Aren
Member
Posts: 71
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Orpheus
Nov 10, 2024 16:52:37 GMT -8
Post by Aren on Nov 10, 2024 16:52:37 GMT -8
An hour had passed since the Nightsister vanished into the shadows, leaving Kasden and Sarana alone in the vast, oppressive silence of Coruscant’s lower depths. The space around them was immense, the walls sprawling outwards into darkness, as though they’d stumbled into the hollowed-out ribcage of some ancient beast. Once, perhaps, this had been part of a bustling undercity, but now it was only a ghost of what had been, the skeletal remains of a forgotten age.
The area stretched out in every direction, a cavernous expanse whose edges were swallowed by shadow. Massive columns rose at intervals, towering pillars whose tops were lost in the obscurity above, disappearing into a void where even Kasden’s keen eyes couldn’t see. Rusted remnants of old machinery lay scattered across the ground, large metal constructs of unknown purpose, twisted and decayed. Broken walkways hung precariously above them, chains and cables swinging like the bones of long-dead creatures, their rusted lengths groaning with each shift of the air. Patches of light filtered down from cracks high above, casting faint beams that fought to illuminate the gloom. It was a cold, sterile light, hardly bright enough to banish the darkness but just enough to create shadows that seemed to breathe. In these shadows, strange, creeping plants had begun to reclaim the old metal and stone, twisted roots snaking over surfaces like veins on a decaying corpse. A thin layer of mist clung to the ground, shifting as they walked, curling around their feet and drifting up to catch in the low beams of light.
The silence was nearly complete, broken only by the sound of their footsteps echoing in the vast emptiness. Every step felt amplified, a reminder of their isolation down here. Sarana moved ahead, her pace steady but cautious, her gaze sweeping over the vast space as if expecting something to emerge from the shadows at any moment. Kasden followed a few paces behind, his hand resting on the hilt of his saber, the weight of Syrliss’s words still hanging heavy on his mind. Kasden glanced around, absorbing the desolation with a wary eye. The deeper they descended, the more alien the city became, its industrial skeleton twisting into strange shapes, its remnants swallowed by the endless layers of metal and stone.
Ahead, Sarana paused, lifting her gaze to the shattered remnants of a sign hanging from a rusted frame. Whatever it had once displayed was now little more than chipped paint, though the faded outline of a symbol hinted at some long-forgotten purpose. Sarana’s hand traced the air beneath it, fingers brushing against nothing, but the look in her eyes suggested memories had risen, perhaps unbidden.
“You look like you know this place,” Kasden murmured, stepping closer.
Sarana’s expression hardened, and she shook her head, forcing herself to look away from the sign. “Not this place, specifically,” she replied, her tone clipped. “But it’s all the same down here. The broken places, the ones no one thinks about… It’s familiar.”
Kasden noted the way her voice softened, though she hid it quickly. He wasn’t certain if he should press her—he still didn’t know her well, not enough to understand the depths that lay behind her guarded exterior. And yet, something about her drew him in, a quiet strength wrapped in a bitterness he couldn't quite place. They continued walking, their footsteps echoing across the empty space. They weaved between the hulking remnants of machinery, through narrow passages that opened into cavernous halls, every turn revealing more shadows that seemed to shift as they passed. It was as if the ruins were watching them, old memories stirring, their presence an intrusion in this graveyard of forgotten things.
Sarana spoke again, breaking the silence. “My mother used to say that places like this… they have a memory. That they remember everyone who’s ever walked through them, even if no one else does.”
Kasden looked at her, surprised by the hint of vulnerability in her voice. “And do you believe that?”
A faint, bitter smile curved her lips. “I believe that the dead leave marks. On places. On people. Some memories… don’t just disappear. They stay, like scars.”
Her words lingered between them, a quiet echo swallowed by the darkness. Kasden had no reply; he wasn’t certain if she expected one. For a moment, they simply walked, side by side in the silence, two travelers bound by a shared path but carrying very different shadows. Kasden and Sarana moved through the atrium in silence, their footsteps slow and cautious. The stagnant pools and hanging vines gave way to a new landscape, as if they’d crossed into another forgotten level of the undercity, each layer bearing its own secrets.
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