Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Aug 29, 2018 15:34:37 GMT -8
-Some years before the raid on the Felucian base-
Jair maneuvered his ship towards the docking area, checking his datapad to make sure he was at the right place. Seeing that the numbers on his data pad corresponded with the numbers on one of the landing areas, he nodded to himself.
"Yep. This is the one Valance said I needed to go to."
Jair proceeded to carefully land his ship, and exited with caution. The scent of the smog of Nar Shaddaa assaulted his nostrils as he stepped down onto the landing pad, dressed in everyday civilian clothing. The mammoth skyscrapers that surrounded him reminded him of his old home, Coruscant, but somehow here, the lights on all the towers hardly lit up the shadowy night sky, casting the entire surroundings with an air of uncertainty and unease. But Jair didn't really have the time nor the countenance at the moment to pause and take it all in. He was here on a mission. One very important to him.
Several moments elapsed. It was odd. Jair would have expected to come across someone by now. And this time, unlike usual, Jair was feeling a tad on the impatient side.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2018 16:08:18 GMT -8
Mariah sat at a small cantina she had never frequented. She usually traveled between the Burning Deck or the Orange Lady, seeking work to both give her experience, training, and to keep her flying. However, she had little luck the past few days in the Corellian Sector and needed a change in scenery. As much as she didn't want to admit it, either, she was desperate--desperate to get off this smoggy, busy planet. The moment she had landed here, she questioned her decision. She had made a string of thoughtless decisions since that day...
Seated at the bar, she sipped her rum, keeping to her own self while she kept ears perked for conversations throughout. Someone surely was looking for a smuggler, an assassin, anything; she didn't judge the job, only the destination, and she didn't want to have to kill her rivals to get it. Usually, that wasn't an issue, but with her mind in a constant haze, she knew her limitations had been reached.
With nothing matching the bill, she was left to sip her drink in disappointed disgust. Without even finishing it, she simply wanted to pay and leave. However, something kept her chained to her seat, a sense that told her to wait. She wanted to dismiss it. It was just another unsuccessful night. Yet, she found herself waiting.
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Aug 29, 2018 22:09:49 GMT -8
Jair could not wait around any longer. He headed down the boardwalk leading away from the docking area, being mindful of reckless pilots in their speeders. He eventually tuned out his surroundings as there did not seem to be any threats nearby. That sense of unease was simply something one just felt on this moon.
Something in the Force was drawing him to a particular alley. As he approached it, he noticed there were several clubs and cantinas in a strip. He must have searched the cantinas for hours but he was having no luck until finally, he approached a particular club and something felt... different. Something... someone familiar, yet not. He entered the club and casually approached the bar, scanning his surroundings as he did. He sat in an empty barstool next to a woman who seemed so... familiar. This must be her, he thought. The bartender approached them.
"I'll have something mild and sweet, please."
Jair stated casually to the bartender. If this indeed was the woman Jair was looking for, he knew to be very cautious. He turned his attention to her and simply added with a chuckle,
"Can't stand that bitter stuff, personally."
Inwardly Jair was screaming for answers. He was worried. He needed to know what had happened, but first he had to make sure this was the right person, even though he was almost positive of it, and then, he had to proceed with caution.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2018 17:00:05 GMT -8
Mariah took the last sip of her drink as another sat next to her. With all the areas to sit, he was much too close for comfort. His presence didn't belong here. It was also too different from all the others that gathered in this little off-the-wall cantina. Too bright, which amusingly enough contrasted the screaming, impatient thoughts she could hear so loudly, as though the thoughts were her own. Despite her prodding, she betrayed nothing, setting down her empty glass on the bar before side-eying this newest patron.
"You have the stench of a Jedi," she murmured to him, crimson eyes looking over him briefly.
What more, he carried an oddly familiar presence. That much she betrayed as she raised an eyebrow at him, her glance narrowing in warning.
Turning her attention forward, she flagged down the bartender before he walked way with her newest company's order. "Another rum, neat." She shifted, brushing her cloak back to reveal the silver hilt of a lightsaber, fastened to her belt. Judging by his order, he wasn't here for a casual drink.
"Do tell, what business does one like you have here?"
If this is why she felt an invisible chain this whole night, she was convinced the Force was far crueler than many would admit.
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Jair Crawford
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Affiliation: Jedi
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Post by Jair Crawford on Aug 30, 2018 18:01:35 GMT -8
Jair blinked. "The stench of a Jedi"? Yup. This is definitely the woman he was looking for. Well, technically not. He was actually looking for her sister, who was nowhere to be found, which is why Jair sought this one out. Her signature in the Force dominated the room as her eyes narrowed towards him. Obviously, she did not like Jedi. And obviously she had caught onto the fact that Jair was one, so, at this point, he decided the best thing was to just be honest, yet proceed with caution. He took a deep sigh, and quieted those burning questions in his head for the time being. He could sense that the words he chose and vibe he gave off were very important when speaking to this woman, so he had to focus on that for the time being. He let his guard down a bit, and met her narrowed penetrating gaze, but she would find no trickery nor judgement in his eyes; but rather a sense of genuine concern.
"Alright, you got me. You are astute and strong in the Force. But you have nothing to worry about from me."
Jair held up a datapad he had brought with him, and showed her the screen containing a graphical code on it that only she and one other would recognize: Valance.
"See, a mutual friend sent me"
Those burning questions began to bubble back into the forefront of his mind, but he kept his cool, somehow. To express how deeply concerned the Jedi really was would be almost impossible to describe. It would practically be oozing out of his signature in the Force at this point.
"I'm here because I am worried. Valance is as well. I ... I no longer feel a connection, one that I have had for a long time, with Aria. I simply woke up one morning and... I couldn't feel it any more. I went to Valance right away and he told me how to find you. I'm really worried."
Jairs voice shook audibly at this point...
"We have to find her..."
The Jedi had absolutely no idea that the woman knew the fate of her sister, and if she were to probe his mind again, that much would be obvious. The look in his eyes gave away a sense of desperation in his last words. A desperation that, despite their differences, he hoped that the surely common cause that he and this woman had would enable them to work together to find Aria. If anything had happened to her... No. Jair could not afford to think like that. Not right now.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2018 7:35:04 GMT -8
Seconds felt like minutes; minutes felt like hours. As Mariah waited for the bartender to fix up her drink, the Jedi continued on with this sense of caution. With his careful choice of words and emotions, her lips flickered in the slightest of dry smiles; however, she allowed her presence ooze with the bitter sense of amusement she found with him tiptoeing around her. Whether or not he himself was as 'astute in the Force' to sense it mattered not.
Finally, the bartender slid the glass towards her, also serving her momentary companion some strange, frilly concoction. She took a sip before turning to look at which 'mutual friend' had sent this Jedi. At first, she thought it was just some code name, but when her eyes met the graphical code written on the data pad, her crimson eyes flickered with a livid fire. Valance.
She sighed, a growling sound resonating in her throat. She swung back the glass filled the rum as if it was water and she had spent days on Tatooine without enough resources. She wouldn't have been able to enjoy it now anyway.
Clearly the Jedi was here on a mission, because with her clear disgust to this conversation, he continued. In her silence, her anger brewed, resonating around her aura like a ticking time bomb about to set off an explosion. Setting her glass back on the bar, her slender fingers brushed restlessly against the glass. Every now and again, her hand would tense as she white knuckled the glass.
Her jaw locked. 'We have to find her'.
A powerful release of the Force created a screaming vibration within the glass, causing it to shatter violently. Pieces flung clear across the bar in all direction, the woman closing her empty, bloodied hand into a fist. The wound didn't seem to bother her in the slightest, though. Not in comparison to this unwanted conversation.
"If you don't cease your insanity now, Jedi, that will be your skull." Her eyes locked straight forward. The woman couldn't have cared less about the angry bartender, the disgusted patrons who may have unfortunately been in the way of the glass daggers, and most importantly the opinions or emotions of the Jedi who sought her out. "There is no 'finding her'. There's a reason you don't feel her presence anymore. She lowered her voice, as if she muttered to herself, "I would've thought the Jedi were smarter than this..."
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 1, 2018 16:26:32 GMT -8
A shard of glass grazed the Jedi's arm. A small trickle of crimson blood rolled down his arm, slowly. He would be lying if he didn't admit that the woman's sudden outburst didn't take him a little bit by surprise. Still, he did not feel the glass cut him. His mind was too preoccupied to feel it. But something was amiss. For her to become so angry and threaten him meant something was off, and he didn't even want to entertain what could in fact, possibly be amiss. His mind simply refused to go there. But it was what she said next that made his heart skip a beat. "There is no 'finding her'". What did she mean? Did she already know Aria was missing? Surely it wouldn't be out of the question to look- "There's a reason you don't feel her presence anymore." Those last words seemed to echo in his head for hours, even though only seconds had elapsed. He didn't even hear what the woman muttered afterword. Just those words... those same words...
No. It couldn't be. That simply wasn't possible. The Jedi turned visibly pale. A piercing anguish flashed across his eyes before quickly glossing over into a slightly spaced out look of utter denial. The trickle of blood on his forearm finally dropped onto a tiny bead on the bar counter. He opened his mouth to speak, but for what yet again felt like hours it was as though he could only manage to desperately inhale, and find the strength to even speak. When he finally managed to speak, it was a barely audible whisper.
"N-no..."
The Jedi's breathing became very heavy and labored at this point. He shook visibly. He could no longer feel the seat underneath him, although he was still very much seated.
"Th-that's not... that's... that can't be..."
Jair grimaced and took a sharp breath as his gut cramped painfully. He stared at the woman, the room out of focus apart from her figure and her penetrating gaze.
"Please... please tell me... you're not saying..."
Aria couldn't be gone. Not after everything she had been through. Not after everything she had accomplished. And certainly not before everything that she had yet to achieve. She had a son! Waiting to see her after so long back at the Jedi Base. And Jair... Jair couldn't even bear to truly comprehend this. He had never felt for someone, ever, as he felt for Aria. He didn't even know how the Force connection happened in the first place. He could not explain it. But he still loved her.
The glum lighting in the bar glowed ever so softly off of that single crimson red bead of blood that settled upon the bar counter, lonely; reflecting all of the events that transpired in that room. One drop of blood among many that night on the Smugglers Moon, from one sentient out of trillions in a bustling galaxy.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2018 10:18:19 GMT -8
In the Jedi's silenced shock, Mariah eyed the cantina, finding at least three patrons ready to move on the recklessness she displayed. On top of it, the bartender showed his emotions with a scowl on his face. Biting her lip, Mariah glanced around one last time to find another two delayed patrons who would join the others. In any other circumstance, she would've welcomed the brawl. She had sized them up upon her entrance; she wouldn't even need her weapons to deal with them. However, Jair continued on with his stuttered jabbering, his despair radiating from his aura much too strong. She had expected a bit more emotional control from one of the Jedi.
"She's dead, Jedi." Her words cut like a knife, clearing up the remnants of doubt that still lingered in his mind. "Lying to yourself will not bring her back." Aria's death was still a fresh wound for Mariah, but at least she had coped better than others--like this one.
By this point, the patrons had shifted from their seats. Setting down enough chips to cover her drinks and a modest tip for the bartender's trouble, Mariah bolstered herself up from her seat. There would be at least one who could meet her before she made it to the door. Hopefully, if she made a lesson out of him, she could leave with just that minor altercation.
With the Jedi as the least of her issues, she turned to make her leave. Either he would stew in his shock and sorrow, alone, or he would follow her for more answers he already knew but refused to believe. She hoped for the former but expected the latter. Either way, the Rodian who was the first to make his way from his table was her primary concern now.
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Serenity Sage
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Post by Serenity Sage on Sept 2, 2018 12:53:52 GMT -8
Red tilted her head to one side when Rawkill stepped back and seemed to be sizing her up for something. One eyebrow arched upwards when he produced a bead. What would he do with that? She was about to ask what would do nicely in regards to the bead when he took her long hair by multiple strands and began to deftly braid them in a practiced, almost ritual manner. Something in the back of her mind clicked then, but it did not become fully realized until the bead was locked at the end of the braid and she glanced with her peripherals to see it. And just like that, she realized, she had been made a Padawan. Not the most official circumstance, certainly without the appropriate witnesses or even some of the more conventional tests that went with such a rise in rank. Yet, she supposed, in spirit, she was given the rank, and it would be recognized, if nothing else, by the merits of an esteemed Jedi Master like Rawkill himself.
Awed at the realization, Red nearly blurted out all sorts of thanks and blubbering words of gratefulness, but it was all locked away for another time with a few simple words by the Ewok, reminding her of everything they were here to deal with. And as such, she put aside the matter, nodded once, and followed behind him, her weapons and tools in hands. She would need all of her wits, and what little knowledge of both the Force and her collective experiences, to survive was came next.
They were well into the warehouse when what could be nothing other than the expected Sith that had been kidnapping all the Younglings made herself known. She spoke with taunting words, playing words, savouring an easy meal, so to speak. If she had been alone, Red was certain she would die. But with Rawkill, she didn't have confidence, but she had...faith. That things would work out. Perhaps it was foolish optimism, or just desperation, but the crimson-skinned girl was wary, and ready to act. She wondered idly if the woman really was alone, or if she had an army, or worse, a Sith Acolyte of her own. She wasn't sure of her odds if the latter was true. Bean, her jetpack translator droid, was watching and recording everything, but in his own state of panic, kept quiet.
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 4, 2018 17:07:19 GMT -8
Some Years before the raid on the Felucian Jedi Base
The word struck him like white hot plasma, melting away what was left of what he could feel for the moment and sending him into a momentary state of emotional shock. The Jedi remained numb to the woman getting up and leaving and also unaware of the patrons that looked as though they were going to start trouble at a moments notice.
Dead
It was as if everything stopped around him. It was as though time ceased. He did not want to think. He did not want to feel. How long had he been sitting there? His mind still seemingly in a perpetual blank, after what felt like days, something, perhaps the Force itself, willed Jair to get up and follow the woman from a distance. He had completely lost track of time. He had no concept that hardly any actual time had elapsed at all. But that was irrelevant to him. For now, all he really knew was, he was following her.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2018 16:10:45 GMT -8
In the time span that it took Jair to pull himself out of his misery, Mariah had shifted her focus to whole a new problem -- and dealt with it accordingly.
The Rodian approached her, and with her presence feeling out her opponent, she knew he wouldn't waste time with words. With confident steps, she continued to make her way to the door, knowing all too well that this one would meet her before she could leave. Her eyes only flickered in his direction the last moment she needed, allowing him to have the false sense of the upper hand.
He was only armed with a blaster kept next to his right side, his main side. The way he approached her then stopped, the way his body shifted, his feet spreading slightly, twisting backwards just enough to give his main hand momentum. A right hook to her left side. Her main hand. His mistake.
With gliding footwork, Mariah lifted her offhand to deflect the punch, spinning under and around the Rodian with her back to him. His fist hitting nothing but air, she was able to use his off-centered balance to finish her graceful, twirling motion with a swift heel to the back of his knee. The Rodian's knee giving out appropriately, Mariah glanced up and approximated she had five seconds before the second would arrive to the brawl. She needed to move quickly.
With her free hand -- her main hand -- she picked the blaster out of his holster, and with her offhand still in control of his main hand, there was little he could do about it now. Pointing the blaster at the newest arrival, she looked up and stared a silent warning to him. He might not have had enough wisdom to keep to himself, but he had enough wisdom to stop in his tracks.
She bitterly laughed inwardly. She knew they wouldn't have expected for a woman her size and stature. Always with the underestimations, and she would always use that to her own advantage.
She had three choices: either attempt to disengage and risk them coming after her, use the blaster lethally to make a lesson out of them, or...
The Jedi stood from his seat. Of course he would follow her.
With a sigh, her third option was decided for her. With a scowl, Mariah pulled the trigger, sending a blaster bolt through the second party's left thigh. He cried out in agony, dropping to the floor just as Mariah pulled the trigger a second time, the hopefully final bolt screaming into the Rodian's foot. She released him, letting him, too, fall to the floor in his agonizing but minor wound.
Tossing the pistol to land a few feet next to the Rodian, she turned to make her leave final. Jair would have to follow her by wading through the mess she made, but she supposed if he wanted to follow her that badly, she would tolerate his company for at least a short while longer.
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 7, 2018 20:18:46 GMT -8
The sounds of the ensuing fight as the Jedi arose from his seat to follow the woman snapped him out of his daze, momentarily. Jair saw three more angry patrons coming towards the woman, and therefore towards him as well. Without thinking really, acting out of instinct mixed with pent up frustration, a fairly powerful Force Wave emanated from the Jedi, knocking the oncoming patrons well out of the way, along with several tables and other objects within the room. He winced slightly, knowing that he had probably gone too far with that. Regardless, he had no time for this reckless childishness from the other patrons. He still needed to talk to this woman.
"Enough! ... Enough..."
Jair shouted very firmly to the troublemakers, whom were all sprawled out on the floor groaning, regardless. He then continued to follow her outside.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2018 7:26:12 GMT -8
Mariah had made her clean exit from the cantina. She didn't bother to look back to see if the Jedi followed, but she was sure that none of the patrons would dare come after her after her display. Just as she had expected, though, she could still sense the light sider approaching her, but there was something else she sensed that surprised her. A sudden blast of the Force. The aftermath winds brushed against her cloak, forcing it to dance around her ankles. She hummed thoughtfully; perhaps this one was not as useless as she had judged.
She had made it off the alley and onto one of the main streets of this bustling, smoggy city. The Jedi was but a few quick steps behind her while he rushed to catch up to her. "You have the answers you sought, Jedi. What more could you seek from me?" Despite her disdainful tones, however, she had stopped and allowed Jair that brief moment to catch up.
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Jair Crawford
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Affiliation: Jedi
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 10, 2018 9:56:10 GMT -8
Jair did not have all the answers he sought. His head was swimming with more questions now than before so much so that it was hard for him to even narrow down the specific questions he wanted to ask. He was still reeling from the emotional blow and wrestling with denial, even though he knew the truth. But there was something more to all this... something off. He had to pause for a moment, and try to quiet his mind from all the panic and pain that was grasping him. Perhaps it was only through the guidance of the Force that he was even able to do such a thing. And through this guidance a new urgency began to manifest itself.
"I should... I should still be able to sense her presence though. Her signature would have just... changed... A Jedi with proper training... I should still be able to sense her in some way."
It pained him greatly to even have to say such things, but this newfound urgency was quickly taking over now. He eyed Mariah directly, his eyes were very bloodshot from grief, but in the very center his pupil pulsated a bit, with an odd determination.
"I know that with the training she had, she would have ... learned to transcend. Yet I don't feel..."
And so it was that the young yet experienced Jedi looked to Mariah again with yet another determined yet urgent question. And once again, any implications of his own question, he pushed out of his mind. One might wonder if this night would be a night of repetitions on the Smugglers Moon.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2018 16:14:29 GMT -8
The moment the Jedi had closed the gap between he and the Shadows, Mariah continued her aimless wandering down the streets. At first, her steps were steady as she listened on to whatever else this one had to ask. In her own suffering and loss, the crimson haired woman had grown colder. The world around her was black and white. Aria had passed. That should have been the end of it for the Jedi and any other friends Aria had associated with.
These Jedi, though, and their noble beliefs, their training -- Aria's 'training'. Mariah's steps suddenly stopped.
That reminder of those times -- all those lost years, all those failed attempts to bring her sister home from the Jedi's brainwashing -- set an inferno of livid hate through the woman. As if with her passing, that she would 'transcend' to the place of all the Jedi. As if a few misplaced years among the Jedi could counter the whole of their training, the entirety of who they were. Usually calm and composed, her signature drawn inward to be hardly a presence at all, her aura unleashed a hellish fury. If there was something more sinister than the dark side of the Force, it enveloped her, and its sheer concentration of chaos could shake the resolve of any Force sensitive.
"She was no Jedi..."
Her voice growled in such low, menacing tones, but it was if the Force carried it to echo a thousand times within Jair's mind before the sinister sound dissipated.
Slowly, she turned her head to face the Jedi who sought her out, and from within the shroud of her hood, Jair would be able to make out those narrowed crimson eyes staring back at him. However this time, the violent hue of her irises had bled into the whites of her eyes, the stare like that of a demon commanding his silence. As if she herself was a conduit to the Chaos, the darkness continued to grow, shredding away whatever mortal part of her presence was left.
She was all but gone, ready to silence this Jedi and his madness once and for all, when a voice cried out. The sweetness of her tone resounded in a straining struggle to be heard, and while weak, it felt as though she stood so close. To both of them.
It was Aria.
She heard her name called, that familiar presence urging her to quiet her soul. Mariah exhaled, the chaos which surrounded her slowly fading, until it was as though nothing had happened, as if nothing but a nightmare. And with it, Aria's presence, too, faded. Mariah turned her gaze away from Jair and began her aimless wandering once again down the Smuggler's Moon streets. However, she managed to call back to him, her words calculating, as if she did nothing more than point out his error.
"She is a Shadows."
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Jair Crawford
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 12, 2018 9:52:12 GMT -8
When he had finished speaking, something happened. Something was off. When she stopped moving, a deep darkness enveloped her entire being. Before the Jedi had time to react, the darkness radiated from her figure and enveloped the Jedi. He nearly went for his lightsaber in instinct, at the sudden onslaught of this darkness, but he caught himself. The woman's voice echoed in his mind in an emotion that felt beyond anger.
"She was no Jedi." Jair had to grab hold of his head for a minute to gather his thoughts. The response should have been expected. Valance had told him that Aria had been delving into the dark arts, but that was all that he knew. He didn't know if that was nearly enough to undo what she had learned as a Jedi. But her sister, undoubtedly, would see things differently. But while her response was to be expected, this reaction was something... different. What type of sorcery was this?
When the woman turned to face him, and her piercing red eyes met his, it was as if a sudden icy grip seized his spine. He immediately turned even more pale... a different kind of pale... Was that his breath he could see misting before him? Their very surroundings seemed to dim in darkness. Nothing about this was natural. It was difficult to move, and with all the shock of recent revelations, his mind was not nearly as adept to react to such a situation than usual. He wanted to yell out "What are you doing?" but all that came out of his mouth was a blast of misty cold air.
Then he heard a voice. ''Twas an oh so sweet, familiar voice. But it sounded so distant, and urgent. And just like that, the darkness faded. The Jedi fell on his knees as things zipped back to reality just as quickly as everything had gone so awry. He heard the woman call back to him as she turned around to walk away, and say "She is a Shadows". Any sane Jedi would have headed back to their respective temple and informed them of some new and dangerous threat at that moment. But clearly, Jair was not a sane Jedi. As soon as he could get back up on his feet, he ran to catch up to her.
"Wait! Come back!"
Jair finally caught up with her, understandably out of breath after everything that had just transpired. But he wasn't concerned about the weird darkness she had exuded moments before. That would be addressed later. Right now only one thing was truly concerning him.
"That voice. I heard a voice. I recognized it... it sounded like her! Where did that come from? I could only sense it for a brief second."
Jair had recognized the voice as Arias, and felt her presence for a brief moment as well, but Aria's presence felt very different than it ever had before. He did not know the implications of this yet. Had the woman been toying with him? Was Aria still somehow alive? The most recent display made him wonder, but, no. As much as he would have loved and been relieved to believe that, that couldn't be the case. It made no sense. This was something very different, and he needed to find out what it was. He needed to find Aria again, even if it was merely her presence in the Force.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2018 15:30:02 GMT -8
Azshara had sensed the Jedi's arrival even as they were still flying through the air on their approach. It was hard to miss two such beacons of light on Nar Shaddaa. It was for that reason, that she'd focused upon them as they had landed. Testing them both to see if they would fail. And while one had remained bright, the second had faltered for a moment. Causing a vicious smile to cross her lips.
It was only a few moments later, before the pair of Jedi entered the warehouse. Standing proud and ready for a fight. Azshara had to hold back a laugh at the sight of a Ewok leading a red skinned girl. Had she not gotten a good read on their Force signatures, she might have thought it some lame joke. An insult to her skill, that the Jedi would send such a pair to fight her.
She leapt down from the cat walks then, landing in the middle of the warehouse just opposite the Jedi. Her lightsaber held unlit within her right hand as she got a better look at the two challengers that had come to face her"Welcome Jedi... Out taking your Padawan for a little stroll were you, Master Jedi?" |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2018 9:25:13 GMT -8
Mariah continued to move forward as if she didn't even hear the Jedi's pleas for her to stop. There were more important things on her mind now, such as the recklessness she just displayed. She had never allowed herself the risk of losing control, but this Jedi and his maddening search for nothing twisted her already chaotic emotions -- a new experience for the crimson haired woman, a new trial she was failing. With all his questions, he was delving too deep into matters that didn't concern him, and now, she had given him too much ammo to continue further down the rabbit hole. She was now at a loss, and with nothing more to lose with this Jedi following her desperately, Mariah lifted the cloak she kept over her signature. While she reigned in the sinister aura, there was still a lingering darkness similar to that which consumed her moments earlier. However, this was a more controllable concentration, or at least, it felt like she had some sense of control over this chaotic nature in comparison to her earlier display.
"You heard correctly," she snarled. "Her presence still lingers within the Force, but no longer in a way that you Jedi can torture her already remorseful spirit." That was the only explanation she would offer him, no matter how enigmatic and wounding she chose to make it. "You would learn well to accept this and turn back."
She hoped he had some sense left and would do as she commanded. She had revealed too much in her emotional torment, and her soul begged to strike him down so that she could simply move on as though this whole torturous encounter had never happened. If she snuffed out his presence, though, how many more of his friends would seek her out, to end her, and how many of them would be those who 'trained' Aria? With that thought, her aura flared with that menacing shadow all over again before fading away -- another silent warning to the Jedi.
"Return to your Temple."
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Jair Crawford
Databank Operations
Posts: 359
Affiliation: Jedi
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Jair Crawford on Sept 13, 2018 16:41:38 GMT -8
Jair's pupils flared slightly in anger at her latest words. He had so much he wanted to say at this point, to vent even, perhaps. She wasn't there! The Jedi never tortured Aria. His eyes flaired again at such an offensive statement. He remembered a time when Aria did get tortured. And because his Force bond with her was growing at that time, he felt every electrical zap she received, on top of the emotional pain of knowing that someone he cared about so much was being hurt. And it was done not at the hands of any Jedi, but a Sith. And despite all that Jair still tried to go rescue her! So this woman had some nerve to... no. No this was not right. This would not help anything. This would not get him any closer in the here and now in finding Aria's presence.
He felt the Force signature of the woman fluctuate again. The air grew cold and heavy with dread as it happened, only to zip right back to normal as the darkness faded yet again. But this time, Jair's priorities were set. He just heard Arias voice for the first time in what felt like ages. He heard the woman's words to go back to his temple. Doing so was obviously the furthest thing from his mind right now. He sighed heavily, his features softening. But as he gazed at her now there was an almost pleading look his eyes.
"How? ... How can I just... go back? After hearing..."
Jair paused. Something clicked in his mind. Something connected. He dwelt back on that Sith he and Aria had encountered... that same Sith met his demise, sending Jair to the Netherworld. It was something that was hard to remember in detail, but it did happen. And now...
"I know where she is..."
He said, with a strange mixture of urgency and hope resounding in his voice.
"I know where she is because I've been there before... only..."
Jairs eyes widened with horror and a sense of panic overcame the Jedi. He only heard Aria's voice through the darkness this woman so heavily exuded. When he was there, in the Netherworld, he was in harmony. There was no darkness there. None at all. Which could only mean...
"She's not in harmony... oh... no no no no no no no! We can't... I can't... she... she's not at peace..."
The Jedi's expression exuded panic, horror, and such desperation that could not be hidden or denied. But his pupil now flickered with yet another new determination, and speaking half to the woman and half to himself, he declared as if it were a mere fact of the universe;
"I have to go back... and Find her..."
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2018 17:29:28 GMT -8
Mariah’s tormented soul couldn’t handle anymore of this Jedi’s panicked state, his misplaced nobility in finding Aria -- in saving Aria. Instead of allowing the Force within her continue to ebb and flow, sending a shivering void throughout the world around her, the crimson haired woman just… continued forward. She had already deemed this one far past the point of sanity. She had exuded too much of her true signature in trying to chase him away, and in the process, only gave him that much more resilience to continue his search. Even piecing everything together on his own as to her true whereabouts in the afterlife, he still wanted to find her, save her, make her soul ‘at peace’. She had never met a Jedi with such an insane obsession over one single soul.
She couldn’t help but wonder.
A wicked thought crossed the woman’s mind, and it was that alone that forced her to pause in her tracks.
“You would risk your soul to delve into Chaos, Jedi, for that chance to save her?”
With Mariah’s back facing Jair, there weren’t any clues as to the nature of her question. Even now, the darkness of her aura began its slithering journey inward and away from the eyes of the Force sensitives. Her emotions demanded that she try to scare him away all this time, but her soul finally quieted itself long enough to realize, all she needed to use his own naivety against him.
"If you have the willpower, I will help you find a way to see her again."
It would be a true treat for the Void to feast upon the soul of a light-sider for once.
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