Jaina Solo Fel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solo_sword) wrote2015-04-03 04:48 pm
solo_sword) wrote2015-04-03 04:48 pm
Upekzar- Friday
Natua gave everyone much the same rundown on their setting as she had in the library a few days ago, and then the Jedi set off to track down Abeloth. Like the last two planets, the place was steeped in the dark side and Luke had sent Ben, Vestara and Natura to explore the lava tunnels rather than expose a newly-reformed Sith teenager to so much dark energy, and then the rest continued on into the city. You know, the one with a dormany volcano that still had a cloud of black smoke billowing out of it.
"Well," said Jaina as they walked through the deserted streets, "I can’t sense Ship specifically. But I’m sure that if even the whole Lost Tribe were gathered in one building raising a toast to Abeloth, I wouldn’t be able to sense them, either."
"None of us could. It would be like trying to pick out a single flower in a field full of them," Luke replied. "Natua didn’t mention anything like this concentration of dark-side energy in her briefing. This... is new for this world."
"I think perhaps Saba had the right of it," Octa Ramis said. "Maybe Ship is here, and he’s stirred something up."
"Somethings."
"Then why haven’t they attacked?" Kyp asked. "If these things are ghosts of Sith past, we’re practically sitting on their doorstep."
"It would make our roles as Jedi easier if the Sith were stupid," Saba replied.
There city seemed normal enough, but the wall surrounding it was covered in faded designs of monsters and terrible things. "Stop at the entrance," Luke instructed. He lifted his hand, and the gate came right up without a problem.
"Oh, I really don't like this," Jaina breathed. This was too easy. This was going to be the worst trap.
"Neither does this one," Saba said, lashing her tail.
"Come on," Luke said, and they followed, if cautiously.
As soon as they had all come through the gate, it crashed back down again. The sky darkened, and thunder rolled in the distance. "Now to wait for the welcoming committee," Jaina said, totally on alert, like she wasn't before.
"Keep your focus, Jedi," Luke said, projecting calmness. "I'm sure it will come, but you must be prepared to meet it. If you are spoiling for a fight, you give it the advantage."
Like the wall, the buildings seemed normal enough, except that they took on the air of a threat when it was apparently needed. "This was not a martial world," Saba said, scanning their surroundings. "Their focus was different."
"The tunnels," Jaina realized. "Their whole culture was centered on those rites conducted in the lava tunnels."
"They focused on the metaphysical, not the material," Luke said, like he was realizing something as he spoke. "They were not warriors focused on conquering and weaponry, Saba, because they didn’t have to be."
Kyp sighed. "Oh, that sounds wonderful."
Luke closed his eyes for a moment in concentration, finally saying, "It's in the center of the city. The underground hangar. And something is definitely there. Activate lightsabers and prepare for battle."
As he said that, the ground trembled beneath their feet, violently. Pieces fell off of a nearby building.
"And whatever it is, it really doesn't want us to find it," Jaina said dryly.
Luke smiled. "We're more than a hundred Jedi. Would you?"
Jaina wished she could be that confident, but smiled back anyway and ignited her lightsaber.
They followed Luke till they finally reached the center of the city, and a large open area. The dark side was much stronger here, like it was trying to make them turn and run, but in the middle of the area was a crack in the ground, much like Ship had caused when Ben first found it. Maybe it was Ship in there, maybe it wasn't, but whatever they were looking for, this was where they needed to be.
"Everyone, get ready," Luke said. "I’m bringing it out." He extended a hand, and while they couldn't hear what he was telling… whatever he was talking to, they could all feel it. And then the ground shook again, cracking beneath and between the Jedi, stones both falling into the new crevices or at the Jedi, who deflected them easily.
And then finally a voice called out from inside the crater, "Help me! Please!" Anyone who peered into it saw a lavender Keshiri woman staring at them, bloodied and bruised and bound.
"It's got to be a trick, Uncle Luke," Jaina said immediately, because Sith, come on.
"A trick, or a test?" he countered. With this many Jedi around in the middle of somewhere where the dark side was this strong, he had to be thinking about everyone here.
"Please,” said the woman, beginning to cry. "She took away my powers. She left me here to die…"
"Who are you?" Luke demanded.
"Tola Annax," the woman said. "I served under Gavar Khai. I got his command when he died, but Abeloth decided she didn’t need me anymore.”
"Where is she?"
"I don’t know! Please …" But a sliver of darkness was appearing in her skin, widening and revealing more darkness.
"Retreat!" Luke yelled, sending a shock of urgency through the Force.
Everyone responded immediately, racing back towards the gate, and Jaina knew what was happening. The Keshiri woman had maybe existed once, and now Abeloth had made her into something of a dark side bomb. If they'd attacked, they would have been in the middle of it. She could hear something like laughter in the air as they ran, and the ground shook again, with Force lightning striking the ground after them. Buildings crumbled. At one point the ground opened right in front of Saba and she and everyone behind her had to Force leap over it. It was all very dramatic.
An explosion sent everyone flying. Jaina hit the ground hard, but she was so used to that it barely registered. When she looked back to see what had happened, she saw that the volcano had begun to erupt. Toxic ash was spewing out of it, along with fast-moving lava and unbearable heat. They had masks that would protect against the ash, at least? Luke used the Force to create a sort of barrier around them, and then they had to keep running, even faster now. The slower Jedi wouldn't make it, and there was nothing that could be done to help them.
Saba reached the gate first, and used the Force to blow it open so that everyone could just run through. They'd had some Jedi in the air just in case, who were already landing vessels to take on the Jedi that had escaped, while those who had StealthXs went for them.
Only when the canopy of her StealthX was down and she knew her oxygen was running did Jaina dare to take a breath. This was something she never wanted to do again.
And then she heard Luke over the comm. "Raynar! Can you take on more passengers?"
"Yes, Master Luke, where do you want me to go?" came Raynar's voice.
"Go to the entrance of the caves. Get Ben, Vestara, and Natua. Right now!"
And while Jaina had sort of assumed Ben would be fine, not being where they were, she hadn't considered that he was in the lava tunnels where they'd realized all the dark energy had been focused.
It wasn't till after she'd gotten off the planet safely that she learned that Ben and Vestara had made it back fine. Natua didn't.
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. Taken from Ascension by Christie Golden, and it's on to the VERY LAST BOOK.]
"Well," said Jaina as they walked through the deserted streets, "I can’t sense Ship specifically. But I’m sure that if even the whole Lost Tribe were gathered in one building raising a toast to Abeloth, I wouldn’t be able to sense them, either."
"None of us could. It would be like trying to pick out a single flower in a field full of them," Luke replied. "Natua didn’t mention anything like this concentration of dark-side energy in her briefing. This... is new for this world."
"I think perhaps Saba had the right of it," Octa Ramis said. "Maybe Ship is here, and he’s stirred something up."
"Somethings."
"Then why haven’t they attacked?" Kyp asked. "If these things are ghosts of Sith past, we’re practically sitting on their doorstep."
"It would make our roles as Jedi easier if the Sith were stupid," Saba replied.
There city seemed normal enough, but the wall surrounding it was covered in faded designs of monsters and terrible things. "Stop at the entrance," Luke instructed. He lifted his hand, and the gate came right up without a problem.
"Oh, I really don't like this," Jaina breathed. This was too easy. This was going to be the worst trap.
"Neither does this one," Saba said, lashing her tail.
"Come on," Luke said, and they followed, if cautiously.
As soon as they had all come through the gate, it crashed back down again. The sky darkened, and thunder rolled in the distance. "Now to wait for the welcoming committee," Jaina said, totally on alert, like she wasn't before.
"Keep your focus, Jedi," Luke said, projecting calmness. "I'm sure it will come, but you must be prepared to meet it. If you are spoiling for a fight, you give it the advantage."
Like the wall, the buildings seemed normal enough, except that they took on the air of a threat when it was apparently needed. "This was not a martial world," Saba said, scanning their surroundings. "Their focus was different."
"The tunnels," Jaina realized. "Their whole culture was centered on those rites conducted in the lava tunnels."
"They focused on the metaphysical, not the material," Luke said, like he was realizing something as he spoke. "They were not warriors focused on conquering and weaponry, Saba, because they didn’t have to be."
Kyp sighed. "Oh, that sounds wonderful."
Luke closed his eyes for a moment in concentration, finally saying, "It's in the center of the city. The underground hangar. And something is definitely there. Activate lightsabers and prepare for battle."
As he said that, the ground trembled beneath their feet, violently. Pieces fell off of a nearby building.
"And whatever it is, it really doesn't want us to find it," Jaina said dryly.
Luke smiled. "We're more than a hundred Jedi. Would you?"
Jaina wished she could be that confident, but smiled back anyway and ignited her lightsaber.
They followed Luke till they finally reached the center of the city, and a large open area. The dark side was much stronger here, like it was trying to make them turn and run, but in the middle of the area was a crack in the ground, much like Ship had caused when Ben first found it. Maybe it was Ship in there, maybe it wasn't, but whatever they were looking for, this was where they needed to be.
"Everyone, get ready," Luke said. "I’m bringing it out." He extended a hand, and while they couldn't hear what he was telling… whatever he was talking to, they could all feel it. And then the ground shook again, cracking beneath and between the Jedi, stones both falling into the new crevices or at the Jedi, who deflected them easily.
And then finally a voice called out from inside the crater, "Help me! Please!" Anyone who peered into it saw a lavender Keshiri woman staring at them, bloodied and bruised and bound.
"It's got to be a trick, Uncle Luke," Jaina said immediately, because Sith, come on.
"A trick, or a test?" he countered. With this many Jedi around in the middle of somewhere where the dark side was this strong, he had to be thinking about everyone here.
"Please,” said the woman, beginning to cry. "She took away my powers. She left me here to die…"
"Who are you?" Luke demanded.
"Tola Annax," the woman said. "I served under Gavar Khai. I got his command when he died, but Abeloth decided she didn’t need me anymore.”
"Where is she?"
"I don’t know! Please …" But a sliver of darkness was appearing in her skin, widening and revealing more darkness.
"Retreat!" Luke yelled, sending a shock of urgency through the Force.
Everyone responded immediately, racing back towards the gate, and Jaina knew what was happening. The Keshiri woman had maybe existed once, and now Abeloth had made her into something of a dark side bomb. If they'd attacked, they would have been in the middle of it. She could hear something like laughter in the air as they ran, and the ground shook again, with Force lightning striking the ground after them. Buildings crumbled. At one point the ground opened right in front of Saba and she and everyone behind her had to Force leap over it. It was all very dramatic.
An explosion sent everyone flying. Jaina hit the ground hard, but she was so used to that it barely registered. When she looked back to see what had happened, she saw that the volcano had begun to erupt. Toxic ash was spewing out of it, along with fast-moving lava and unbearable heat. They had masks that would protect against the ash, at least? Luke used the Force to create a sort of barrier around them, and then they had to keep running, even faster now. The slower Jedi wouldn't make it, and there was nothing that could be done to help them.
Saba reached the gate first, and used the Force to blow it open so that everyone could just run through. They'd had some Jedi in the air just in case, who were already landing vessels to take on the Jedi that had escaped, while those who had StealthXs went for them.
Only when the canopy of her StealthX was down and she knew her oxygen was running did Jaina dare to take a breath. This was something she never wanted to do again.
And then she heard Luke over the comm. "Raynar! Can you take on more passengers?"
"Yes, Master Luke, where do you want me to go?" came Raynar's voice.
"Go to the entrance of the caves. Get Ben, Vestara, and Natua. Right now!"
And while Jaina had sort of assumed Ben would be fine, not being where they were, she hadn't considered that he was in the lava tunnels where they'd realized all the dark energy had been focused.
It wasn't till after she'd gotten off the planet safely that she learned that Ben and Vestara had made it back fine. Natua didn't.
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. Taken from Ascension by Christie Golden, and it's on to the VERY LAST BOOK.]