Divergence in Destiny (Star Wars RP)

[Greenbriar]

Alderaan


@folclor @TommyGun15


She never knew how her Master could just know things like that, Avutka reflected idly in her addled mind. The flow of events was coming at her faster than she'd ever expected, and the next thing she knew she was being helped up off the floor and away from - hey! As she was led out of of sign from Atali, she pulled back at Eryal's hand and briefly stuck her head back around the door to glimpse the other padawan's devastated expression. Then she realized what she was doing and was shocked at her own temerity. Master Itak had never led her wrong before - who was she to defy her like this? Cowed and chastened, she allowed the Mirialan woman to lead her away and received her instructions. "Yes Master Itak," she murmured in a quiet and husky voice. "I understand."


That was only half a truth. She understood what she'd been told. She understood what she was expected to do, but how she felt, why she felt that way, what was going on - she understood nothing of that! But she didn't want to say that. She didn't want to get into an extended conversation right now that would keep her Master from finding the evil Sith she desperately hoped was lurking somewhere around the hospital. Most of all, she wanted her Master to leave and she willed it as hard as she could until at last she did and the door closed behind her. Avutka sank to the floor and leaned her head against the door and at last stopped fighting the tears, the Mirialan teenager weeping silently in her little room as the chemicals percolated through her brain. 

 

[Grim Wraithe Stjerna]

Hyperspace/Alderaan Orbit


@folclor @Greenbriar @TommyGun15 @Constantin


The pin pricks of light elongated into white/blue streaks as hyperspace blended and separated from normal space. 


Four Fire Lotus Starfighters popped into existence in quick succession. The view that greeted them was vastly different and more horrifying then when they had left just earlier that morning. 


"What happened?" A voice squelched over the com. Followed by others. 


"Is that a Dreadnaught?"


"Yeah, I think it is! But the treaty?"


"I knew we couldn't trust those blasted Sith!"


Normally that sort of chatter would be silenced, but given the fact they had just arrived to see their home inn the aftermath of an attack, it slid by. 


The four Starfighters flew in close formation, following the lead ship, closer to the wreckage and debris left over from the space battle. Twisted hull plating and fractured bulkheads floated and bumped off each other. Flames and sparks from raging chemical fires and live conduits erupted and belched from the ruined hulls of the imperial dreadnaught, with smaller debris that looked like bodies tumbling out, and a severely damaged republic cruiser. Still in orbit, but just barely, without the efforts of rescue barrages and the tractor beams of its sister ship it would be succumbing to the inevitable pull of gravity and plummet to the surface of Alderaan. 


"Command this is Devil 9, checking in." A slight pause in the transmission. "What in the name of the Force happened?"


"Devil 9, command. Good to hear you, we got sucker punched by a Sith Lord who choose to pick a petty fight." The com pulsed with light static as command continued. "You are to take your flight and recon and clean up the monstrosities left behind."


"Rodger that command. Devil flight 1, mop up. Devil 9 out." The pilot smacked the back of her helmeted head against her seat before calling across her flights freq. "Alright boys we gotta help the pounders clean. Grab your broom


Brooms and give em a clean sweep!" Pulling hard on the stick the fighter banked towards the surface. 


"9's are we really authorised to use line fire?" The comment was from Devil 2, one of the newest pilots. "That's right dueces, we're going in hot. Safeties off and if you get a call or see TIC's give em a close shave." The four craft dove to the planet surface, breaking off into two groups once they cleared the atmosphere and flying in opposite directions. 


The lead pilot, Devil 9, could feel the disturbances the monstrosities have off, they were unnatural things. She wasn't the best at searching things out through the Force but they were like beacons to her. As her and Devil 2 drew closer to the city center and the hospital it was the strongest focal point in the Force. 'Is this what the masters we're talking about, being able to feel individuals?' She shook her head as she dove around a building and fired the quad turbo lasers before she even cleared the corner. The Force guiding her aim, saving a group of civilians as a pair of over tasked peace officers tried to defend them from one the hideous things. 

 

[folclor]

Alderaan


@Constantin


Eryal sighed as she left the room, closing her eyes as she knew the grief she was leaving her padawan to deal with.  Later.  They would have this conversation later.  First she needed to shut down the hospital.  Second, she needed to contact Rin.  So, she went searching until she could find the head of security.  In minutes the hospital was shut down.  No one in or out unless approved by her first.  Next, she went back to Master Chicri's padawan.  The girl was an absolute mess and seemed to shake as she approached.


"I'm not here to chastise you, child.  I simply need your comlink."


Atali looked up, reaching for her holo-transmitter. However, it was only then that she noticed it chirping. How long had it been that way? She wasn't sure, but she answered it, still crying and huddled in a ball as she was.


The image of her master sorted and her heart sank. Now he would know. Now he would throw her out. But... despite feeling these might be her last moments as a Padawan, she decided it was better to speak than run. "M-Master," she greeted.

 

[TommyGun15]

Alderaan 


 


His fun had, Nah-Iblen quietly walked through the halls of the hospital until he reached a small emergency exit, unguarded by Jedi and manned only by normal soldiers.  They informed him that he needed permission from Eryal to pass, but one very pointed argument later, followed by a quick trip to the morgue to hide the bodies and clean his uniform, Nah-Iblen walked out of the hospital with ease.


 


From there, it wasn't difficult to grab an unattended speeder bike, and he began speeding for the edge of the city, in the direction of an imperial settlement.  The Republic couldn't search for him there, it would be tantamount to a formal declaration of war.

 

[HK Fifty]

Hyperspace 


@Grim Wraithe Stjerna @folclor


HK-50-01 felt a small sense of relief following the Gray Jedi's statement. If it was worded ever so differently , perhaps delivered in even a slightly harsher tone , he likely would've had a reaction tending towards more servile timidity (as was common). But as it was delivered , it told him basically what he had wanted to hear (but doubted he would) - he wasn't intruding , his Mistress was still alive , and he definitely would be seeing her again. In Oh-One's world , that was all that really would matter to him - and it was likely failing to ensure Why'nn's safety and survival would break what little strength the droid yet still possessed. 


The (mostly) Ebony-Colored droid didn't stop shaking , however , largely due to being inspected. As he tended to do during an inspection - by anyone , save for his newest Mistress - he turned his gaze sharply downward with the express purpose to avoid a breach of proper etiquette. His metallic voice wasn't quite as shaky as it had previously been , but it was clear he would show someone with as much power as Delrick a high degree of Servility - which , as it always had been , was accompanied with a higher degree of articulate language when not stemming from terror. "Gratitude : Th-thank you Sir , I-I don't ever me-mean to Dis-displease you. I.. I was merely worried I had fa-failed her. I-I'm aware I was still following or-orders , but I've failed d-doing exactly that before. I-is there anything you Req-require my s-services to accomplish , Sir?" 


—––—––—––—––—––—––—––—


Alderaan


@folclor @TommyGun15 @Greenbriar @Constantin


Alashar Beschatten had heard what she thought was the end to her four-month long quest not much longer than an hour prior , in , oddly enough , the form of a report from war-stricken Alderaan. The padawan who sent it likely didn't know who she had seen engaged in - and likely the cause of - the pitched battle now winding down on the surface of the planet , but the Jedi Council had and informed her almost immediately. The pair of murders weren't there anymore , of course - even the death-mongering Assassin Droid wasn't quite evil enough to stay and spread more of it's corruption - but their dark handiwork was practically oozing from the decimated remains of the landing pad. All the forms around the Miraluka woman appeared as dull grey , lifeless shapes - though every so often she blue-tinged aid workers rushing about. 


Overall , she felt disgust (not pity or a longing to help - that wasn't what the Council trained her to do) at the surrounding carnage. 'That droid's an abomination! Half of this is it's own handiwork , most likely at the order of it's Dark Master! It's no wonder they killed a council member , all they seek is to destabalize the Galaxy!' Ever-devoted to the will of the Council and her mission , Alashar rushed off into the hospital in hopes of finding someone who had some idea of where they had gone - even she couldn't sense a being she had never met through the infinite reaches of space. It may not get her closer to completing her mission , but it was a better course of action than returning to her ship. 

 

[Grim Wraithe Stjerna]

Hyperspace


@HK Fifty


Delrick frowned slightly at the way the assassin droid held himself. While he could appreciate the attitude that had kept him in the service of a dark council member, it would not do any good outside of that context. "01 I do not require any service from you at this time, but you needn't worry about displeasing me by following orders." He stood before the droid, and casually held across his chest. "You have not failed her, but if you cannot stand tall and hold yourself with pride then you are just a protocol droid and not the protector I left to guard my daughter." His words were not spoken with anger or malice, they were not even spoken in a raised tone. This was simply not the 01 he knew.


One hand moved to the droid shoulder, careful to not move quickly, or seem as if he were striking him. Instead it was a gesture that Delrick had used in the past when taking with the droid. "I need you to be combat and training ready by the time we meet up with Why'nn." He tilted his head a little to the side to regard the droid. "Can you do that? Is there anything I can do to help with that?"


--------------


Alderaan Air Space


@folclor @Constantin @Greenbriar @TommyGun15


Devil 9 and 2 completed a few more fly overs of their sector of the city, which seemed to have either been cleared or was missed by most of the monstrosities. Her wingman was able to clear out a street that had been over run with Sith troopers and the abominations. 


"Dueces, circle to the city limits and we'll do a sweep inwards." Devil 9 began banking around a large tower, climbing to clear the smaller buildings.


"Rodger." The junior pilot rose and followed his leader. 


Meanwhile the other pilots in the flight were supporting a group of troops on the outskirts in one the larger forests. Here they were able to conduct proper bombing runs combined with concussion missile strikes, since there weren't any civilians or buildings to worry over. 


Devil 9 was just clearing the last of buildings when her wingman alerted her to something odd. "Nines the city and most of the planet is on lock down right?"


"Yeah, that's why we're getting live fire training. Why?" Her flight leveled out, she started scanning, visually and through the Force, something was nagging at her. 


"Then why is that speeder bike accelerating out of the city at full velocity?" A brief pause in the transmission as the junior pilot got a bearing. "Heading south, low four."


Devil 9 rolled to get a visual on the speeder bike. 'It's heading to the Imp settlement. Bingo, you're a target now.' Pulling back on the stick, in what would have made the Starfighter go up, she dove to the speeding target. "Dueces, no one in or out. Let's get some moving straffing practice. Take the first pass." The senior pilot leveled out and slowed her velocity to let the junior pilot take the lead. It would be several hours before the speeder bike reached the Imperial settlement, so why not use out for training?


Devil 2 rolled over, mimicking his leader and lined up for a gun run coming up behind the spider bike. Because the target was so small, the targeting system could not lock into it. So he lived up the shot manually and squeezed off several bursts from the quad turbo lasers. The energy streaking through the air, a few shots peppering the area behind Nah-iblen. Some hitting the ground on either side, sending sprays of rock and debris. And a few more passing over his head to crater up the ground before the speeder bike. Had he been on a wheeled transport it might have been an end for him. 


Devil 2 passed over head and rose to take up a position next to the lead pilot. "Blast it. The computer can't lock onto to something that small!" The frustration clear in his voice. 


"Haha! Take it easy Dueces, that why we're training." Devil maneuvered for run of her own. "You can't always trust the computers."

 

[TommyGun15]

Korriban


On the planet Korriban, near, but not within, the Sith Academy, a Zabrak teen crouch in an alleyway, beating a still struggling rat against a bloodied stone.


Smack!  Smack!  Smack!


Across the street, a pair of eyes glared at him out of another alleyway, a scavenging beast hoping to steal the rat from him.  The teen, Dargas, flicked his eyes over to the scavenger and hissed at it.  The scavenger growled back at him, and Dargas backed further into his alley.  The scavenger advanced, and Dargas leapt up towards the roof of the buildings, jumping a good ten feet before his hands caught the ledge, and he hauled himself up.  The scavenger growled below him, settling for licking the blood from the stone as Dargas bit into the rat.  The vermin tasted foul, but Dargas had been living like this long enough that the taste didn't bother him.


When you're at rock bottom, you don't have the luxury of letting small things bother you.


Alderaan


@Grim Wraithe Stjerna  @Greenbriar @folclor @Constantin


Nah-Iblen cursed as the ships began to rain fire on him, weaving his speeder in a serpantine pattern of movement to throw offf their aim.  He briefly weight the option of trying to knock the ship out of the sky like the police cruisers, but that would only draw the Jedi's attention.  Instead, he'd improvise.


He pulled the soldier's sidearm from his belt and took aim, trying to pepper the windows and propulsion systems with blaster fire.  While he didn't really expect to do much damage, it was worth trying.  He still despised blasters though.

 

[Grim Wraithe Stjerna]

Alderaan Air Space - Outskirts


@TommyGun15 @folclor @Constantin @Greenbriar


Devil 9 lined up her first volley of shots, easily tracking the jukes and dives the bike was making, it could only move so much in either direction. The first few shots went much like Devil 2's did. Missing directly, but sending up plenty of debris. 


She rolled 90°s and lined up her run on an alternate axis. It was then the shots fired from the blaster pistol struck the starboard side of fuselage instead of the cockpit. While the shots managed to blacken the paint it could not penetrate armor designed for much heavier weapons. "Oh you're so a target now." Feeling the Force guide her aim and steady her flight. She depressed the fire controls and sent a series of four blasts flying at the speeder bike.


The first quad shoots were aimed just ahead of the bike so it could only drive into them. The second quad were aimed just behind those to impact the front off the bike. The third quad would strike the control areas of the bike. And the fourth quad would impact the rear portion of the speeder bike, finding the power house of the bike. That last quad blast would no doubt result in an explosion of some type. 


If the rider somehow managed to evade the shots, by jumping from the bike, the vehicle would not survive the onslaught. The pilot pulled up and away to come around for second pass. "Dueces, we're gonna see how you do with a bombing run."


Devil 2 shook his head slowly after watching the Starfighter fly in a way he hadn't known possible. "Roger that Nines."

 

[Proletariat]

Alderaan


@Constantin


Eryal sighed as she left the room, closing her eyes as she knew the grief she was leaving her padawan to deal with.  Later.  They would have this conversation later.  First she needed to shut down the hospital.  Second, she needed to contact Rin.  So, she went searching until she could find the head of security.  In minutes the hospital was shut down.  No one in or out unless approved by her first.  Next, she went back to Master Chicri's padawan.  The girl was an absolute mess and seemed to shake as she approached.


"I'm not here to chastise you, child.  I simply need your comlink."


Atali looked up, reaching for her holo-transmitter. However, it was only then that she noticed it chirping. How long had it been that way? She wasn't sure, but she answered it, still crying and huddled in a ball as she was.


The image of her master sorted and her heart sank. Now he would know. Now he would throw her out. But... despite feeling these might be her last moments as a Padawan, she decided it was better to speak than run. "M-Master," she greeted.

Alderaan


Rin's transport was on the descent for the landing pad when his Padawan projected out of the transmitter. He was urgent, not even noticing how timid she was, "Atali, I'm almost there. The Sith Lord Nah Iblen was just in the hospital, he may still be there, don't trust anyone there, you hear me? Master Itak is the only one you can trust until I get there. Remember Iblen is an illusionist, he loves playing tricks on those weaker than him, if you feel something strange and unwarranted, don't trust that either. We're landing now, I'll be there soon, Atali, stay safe, wait for me." As suddenly as she appeared she also disappeared. He dove out of the transport and bolted for the hospital, saber in hand. He dashed through the locked doors, past the grumbling guards and hospital workers. He felt Atali's mind through the Force and arrived at her room as quickly as he could, his saber hummed quietly. When he spotted Master Itak in the room, he extinguished his blade and holstered it. His eyes glanced briefly at his curiously distraught looking student, before he entered the room and closed the door behind him.


"Master Itak, when I left the city Nah Iblen was in this hospital, he must have been disguised as an injured Republic soldier. I am unsure of whether or not he is still here. I need you to check with hospital staff, find out who recently arrived here and what room they're in. Iblen is an expert at subterfuge, don't waste your time interrogating the soldiers, first look for an empty room. It's unlikely he would stick around here, he probably just came here to shake me off of the trail. If there is an empty room you can assume that Iblen has escaped, or he is in the process of escaping, check security systems, maintenance exits, anything that isn't guarded as tightly as the front door. Time is of the essence."


It was clear that the Nautolan was not asking Master Itak to do this, it was a demand. There was no time for pleasantry, not when they were this close to finding the Sith Lord. Rin's excitement and anxiety were apparent in his tone and his erratic breathing, he hadn't stopped running and ordering since he discovered Iblen's location.


@folclor @Greenbriar

 

[folclor]

Alderaan


@Constantin @Greenbriar


Atali glanced up, a bit fearfully, at the Mirialan Master.  Her master was basically here?


Eryal sighed as Rin whirled into the room.  "Yes.  I'm aware.  He attacked our padawans, it seems.  You apparently blew past the security at the front entrance.  We have a squad searching, room by room, and I was searching but the padawans have been effected by something.  When I came in they were in the beginnings of a romantic encounter.  My own padawan is in a separate room."


((Sorry for the short post. gonna be gone the rest of the night))

 

[Greenbriar]

Alderaan


Alone in her room, Avutka tried to make sense of what had just happened. This was the first time she'd felt anything like that since beginning puberty, and a large part of her was convinced it must have been the Sith, even absent any evidence. Hadn't her teachers always said to trust in her feelings? She just... she couldn't have felt so powerfully drawn to somebody she'd only just met, not unless there was someone outside of her meddling with her emotions. Could she? But then her feelings also told her that that... the intimacy she'd shared with Atali was right, and that the human girl was a part of her now. So what was she to think?


Dragging herself to her feet, she remembered her Master's instructions and dragged a cupboard over across the doorway with a combination of the force and her own upper body strength. Then she added a utility desk to the blockage, and several large chemical containers she found on the shelves. Still... with the emotions surging inside her she didn't feel safe yet, and after casting a wild glance around the room she climbed up the shelving and disappeared into the ceiling ducts. These were tighter than on the ship, and she ended up dropping her overrobe before she managed to pull herself out of sight but the metal pressing close around her brought with it a feeling of sanctuary she welcomed right now.


Reaching out in the Force, she gently pulled the vent cover back into place.

< >   < >   < >   < >   < >
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​

Dromund Kaas


The spaceport on Dromund Kaas was deep set into the jungle, with high walls surrounded and constantly attacked by the jungle outside. There were automated laser turrets mounted atop the building to discourage aerial attack, but they were periodically used to sear back the vegetation lest its arboreal fury undermine even these strong walls and threaten the landing pads. By the looks of things it was about time for this to happen again, but Makri wouldn't complain about the vantage point afforded by the swaying, slender branch overlooking the spaceport. She couldn't say why exactly she felt this required a covert approach, but she'd trusted her feelings before and they usually led her on the best path. There were two ships on the ground at the moment that looked as though they may suit her purposes; small, fast, and likely advanced enough to have their own autopilot in the ship's computer.


Her trained eye judged the spaceport layout - a frequent enough locale that she knew it well - and the position of the vessels, then she sprang down to successively lower branches. It looked as though her Puppy hadn't had an easy time of it; tied to one of the roots, when she saw him he was backing away from a vine cat and making his adorable little mewing growl that never intimidated anyone. The vine cat had already clawed at him, though his tough dark fur had managed to keep his injury down to a small bleed; a bleed that instantly spurred Makri to heedless action. "Stay away from my puppy!" she yelled, and leapt forward with twin blades stabbing downwards. The 'cat reared back and bellowed at this strange noisy interloper with her shining blades - it was territorial, but no predator could survive long on Dromund Kaas for long without becoming wary of small creatures bearing painful light. When Makri took another step closer, the 'cat turned and fled. "Baby... my poor baby," Makri crooned, extinguishing both blades and restoring them to her hips. She sealed the leaking wound with one prolonged bolt of force lightning, while Puppy gave a high happy yip of excitement and rolled over in the dirt; making her laugh at his antics. "Silly Puppy," she crooned, leaned over and hauled him up for a quick cuddle before letting him drop back down to all fours. His hindquarters were still a little too high and she frowned as she briefly considered helping to even him out but decided against it. Time was pressing after all, and she led him around to the front of the spaceport. 


What the guards there thought when they saw the robed Sith approach with a mutilated Imperial Trooper crawling on a rope lead was likely unprintable, but it definitely kept them from questioning where exactly she was going with such confidence. The Sergeant groaned out, "...help... me..." but Makri only chucked him under the chin and gave him a warm smile of approval. The other spaceport guards looked away uncomfortably and she strolled on through, following the signs for pad Cresh-27. The security pad at that door was more of a challenge than the guards, as it refused to recognize her natural authority and irritatingly insisted on a security code she had no way of knowing. Puppy threatened to become rambunctious again, barking at passers-by until she zapped his behind again and chastened him. That gave her an idea, and the security succumbed to electricity just as easily and admitted her to the landing pad beyond. From there it was a simple matter of pulling her struggling pet in through the hatch and sealing it to her palm-print, then heading to the cockpit to tap in her destination. Fortunately this was one the ship had already been to many, many times and it obediently began to power up in preparation for the journey back to Korriban.

 

[folclor]

Alderaan


@Constantin @Greenbriar


Atali watched, waiting for her master to say something. A Sith did this to her? She wasn't entirely sure she believed that. After all, Sith were evil. They didn't exist to give people the best feelings if their lives. The girl bit her lip, looking pointedly downward.


When she thought of Avutka the feelings intensified once more. No, it wasn't some Sith trick... This was something good, something to fuel her connection to the good of the galaxy! Whether her master liked it or not, Avutka was irrevocably part of her now.


The teen took a deep breath, sat up, squared her shoulders, and looked to the two masters. "You're wrong. It's not something a Sith did. This is... This is something I feel for her, and she feels for me. This is something... something you can't take away from us."


Korriban


@shadowstrikr25 @TommyGun15


Kaen walked, apprentice in tow, into the Dreshdae settlement. The acolytes at the academy bored her and she'd had enough of testing her apprentice against the others. Things had slowed down since the disappearance of Darth Nah-Iblen and the death of Darth Manara. Supposedly the Sith responsible for the latter was to be about, but Kaen had seen nothing from the man. Typical human. His claim was likely illegitimate since he hid his face.


The usual urchins scurried about and she had half a mind to send Ceth after them in order to watch a bit of a sporting event. But, no, the weaklings would be as nothing to her precious pet and the task would further bore him. She'd hoped Darth Manara's daughter would be returned to the academy as the girl was rumored to be a prodigy in fighting. Kaen was curious how her pet would play out against a half-Sith child. A bit predictably, nothing so fortuitous happened and she was left, mired in the nothing that was Korriban at the moment.


The Sith woman let out a sigh of disappointment. "Ceth," she drawled, "find me an appropriate plaything. We'll be leaving for Dromund Kaas in a couple days and I want something to occupy me."

 

[TommyGun15]

Alderaan


@Grim Wraithe Stjerna  @Greenbriar @folclor @Constantin


Nah-Iblen frowned as he leapt off the speeder bike that exploded behind him, rolling as he landed before taking off at a run, dropping his suppression of his prescence and taking offorever at a force bolstered sprint that was almost as fast as the speeder bike.  Actually, it might've been a bit faster.


Regardless, as the bomber passed overhead, and he heard the initial detonation behind him, Nah-Iblen reached back as he ran and grabbed hold of the bombs that would've landed near him before they landed, pointing at the crafts overhead and sending a few explosives hurtling towards each.


Korriban


@folclor @shadowstrikr25


Dargas watched in silence as a Mistress and her... slave?  No, he was too well dressed...  Toy?  No, he appeared too strong...  What was it the ones in the school were called?  Apprentices?  Perhaps.  Regardless, the apprentice wasn't paying attention, and that meant he'd be easy.


Suddenly, a blur passed in front of the two, there and gone in an instant.  Ceth may or may not have seen anything, but Kaen would've.  She'd have seen that a boy, a young Zabrak who couldn't have been older than 13, had leapt down from a building and gone sprinting by so fast that someone without the force might not have seen him at all.  He'd run right in front of her apprentice, reached out his hand, and Ceth's bag had, seemingly on it's own, torn itself from Ceth's belt and leapt into the boy's hand.  Then he'd sprinted into an alleyway, and leapt a good fifteen feet to the ledge of the opposite building before pulling himself up.  The whole thing had taken place in the space of about a second.


His prize in hand, Dargas grinned as he pawed through the stolen pouch, finding a few credits, and more importantly, a bag of dried meat!  With salt!  He grinned as he began to happily nibble on the tasty treat.

 

[HK Fifty]

Hyperspace


@Grim Wraithe Stjerna


HK-50-01 kept his gaze firmly locked onto the deck , waiting to be dismissed after being told he wasn't required further. He didn't notice the frown or the crossed arms , fortunately (as those he had always associated with impending torture) , but the following words proved to cut him to the core regardless. All too easily it conjured memories of his former Mistress , and her many destructive rants about how utterly and completely useless he was - a 'useless , sniveling protocol Droid!' , as she had always said. A small , almost inaudable whimper trailed the statement , clearly indicating that while the words didn't frighten him (as they would have if delivered in a measure of displeasure) , it had still proved to wound him. Indeed , the only thing keeping the ebony Droid from falling into a kneel was the hand being gently placed on his shoulder. 


When Oh-One turned to look the Grey Jedi in the eyes once more , a lilac hue had overtaken his photoreceptors. In truth , he wasn't exactly sure how he could be combat ready or , really , what was meant by being 'training ready'. He wasn't exactly sure what to say in response , either - not only was his mind focused elsewhere from the query , he sorely didn't want to spurn the offer and perhaps Displease his Mistress' father , or even worse , fail her. But if he did require assistance , that made him a weak and useless protocol Droid , didn't it? Certainly that was failing his Mistress as well.. "Apprehensive Answer : N-No Sir , I-I'm fu-fully combat ready as you require.. I-I , of-of course wouldn't ref-refuse your offer , b-but I just need a Sw-sword and I can do wh-whatever you wish o-of me. O-of c-course I can! I-I'm your ev.. ever-willing as-Assassin Droid , Sir.." The shaky words seemed to trail off , accompanied by sharply turning his lilac gaze back towards the deck. The Class-four Droid - what he was built as , if nothing else - wanted to say more , address the statement about his being merely a protocol Droid , but it seemed oh so inviting of displeasure to do so. The last time he had dare to speak out of turn about anything in relation to himself.. well , it wasn't exactly something he wanted to reminisce on , to say the least. 

 

[shadowstrikr25]

KORRIBAN


@folclor @TommyGun15


Ceth walked the streets of Dreshdae in predictable boredom as he occasionally glanced up from a tablet. His return to the Academy to 'test him' was nothing more than a waste of time. The only thing it truly accomplished was reminding the acolytes of their place, and reminding them of his nickname. One of them thought his nickname was a joke. One very swift fight later, and they didn't walk out of the ring. The entire fight was over in less than a minute and Ceth wasn't even trying. Back in the present, he yawned for a good few seconds.


On the tablet, he was reading about what was happening on Alderaan. Trakus had decided to show his mask there and stir up an entire planet for some stupid goal. There were some choice words that would be exchanged, most insulting the supposed 'brilliant commander' and the intelligence he actually possessed. He kept following his master, looking up to make sure he was still following. He didn't need another lesson in discipline from her. And then some Zabrak runt decided to steal from him, absconding to a nearby roof.


Ceth calmly put his tablet back in his pocket and scratched at his neck. "Gimme a sec." A Zabrak runt should prove an appropriate plaything for his master, plus the runt needed to learn. Ceth ran up the side of the building, calmly stepping onto the roof, looking at Dargas, bored. He ran forward to try to grab hold of Dargas and break his right leg with a well-placed, Force enhanced kick. The runt shouldn't prove a problem for him, so he was going to finish this quickly.

 

[Grim Wraithe Stjerna]

Alderaan


@TommyGun15 @folclor @Constantin @Greenbriar


Watching the explosion and crash of the speeder bike, Devil 2 was certain the rider was dead. But out of the smoke and dust cloud something was running fast, way too fast. "What in the.... Nines I think this guy is Sith..." Once Devil 9 was clear the junior pilot accelerated and dropped two unguided bombs, hoping to get close to the target. 


Pulling away Devil 9 felt the sudden, strong dark presence. It sent a chill shiver along her spine, and if she hadn't been in her flight suit her fur would have stood on end. "Dueces, you're not wrong." She had just gotten back in line for her own bombing run when she saw and felt it. "DUECES! BREAK OFF! SCRAM!" She watched, almost like in slow motion as the second bomb seemed to retrace its course and wanted to rejoin the Starfighter.


Painstakingly slow she watched the other pilot bank left, she stretched out with the Force pushing the Starfighter ity of the way, the bomb scraping along the starboard fuselage. 


Then time suddenly snapped back to normal. Devil 2 quickly banked away from the bomb as gravity decided now was a good time to get off its break and guide the bomb back to the ground. Where it detonated harmlessly far from the Sith and pilots. 


Devil 2 came along side his lead pilot and looked over at her. "I'm pretty sure the ground crew have a sense of humor." She could see his eyes were wide, and was certain his hands would be shaking later. 


"Why's that?"


"C-cause there was an arrow pointing and words that said 'This end towards the enemy' in bright red paint!" He started laughing. 


The tension broke and Devil 9 smiled and laughed with him. "We'll talk to them later." Looking back down at the fast moving Sith running away from the city proper. "Right now we're done playing and done training. Dueces you're the Danchaf." The other pilot nodded and took the lead. 


Danchaf were vicious tree ambush predators from Garban, that would attack from above on their prey. 


Devil 2 lined up on the running Sith and started firing short bursts of quad lasers, peppering the ground to the right, left, ahead and behind Nah-iblen. Once he got close enough, Devil 2 went into a step vertical climb. Just before Devil 2 started climbing, Devil 9 started firing. It would seem to be a continuous stream of turbo laser fire coming in at the running Sith. And much like her first pass, the shots were much more accurate; both due to her flying skill and the Force aiding her shots. Once Devil 2 had climbed just high enough, he yanked back on the stick and started a near vertical dive aiming at the man on foot. At just a few hundred meters he fired two concussion missiles and began firing his quad turbo lasers to encircle the running Nah-iblen. At the same time Devil 9 fired two concussion missiles as well. But instead on continuing to fire lasers, she focused on guiding the four missiles to strike the target area unerringly. Not overriding the guidance so much as enhancing it. 


All four missiles, two from above and two from behind, came streaking in faster then the man could run. This maneuver was very effective in space and aerial combat against seasoned pilots. It would be unlikely a single man, even a Sith, could dodge or survive this tactic. 


-----------


Hyperspace


@HK Fifty


"A sword? That will not be a problem, I might have a war brand or a vibrosword around, though I'm fresh out of Sith Tremor swords." Delrick could see the droid was trying to be a good pleasing servile droid, but the way he held his head made Delrick think he had more to say. "You are an assassin droid, and you were the peak of combat and deadly arts last I saw you. Not a stammering protocol droid. I want to help you reclaim that glory." The last part he said with a slight smile, and gently patted the droid on the shoulder before moving both hands to rest in his belt by hooking his thumbs through it. "From now on I need you to offer advice and speak your mind when you think it's needed." The Gray Jedi moved to lean against the nav counsel, trying as much as one could, to make the droid feel at ease and show he was not in danger. 

 

[Proletariat]

Alderaan


@Constantin @Greenbriar


Atali watched, waiting for her master to say something. A Sith did this to her? She wasn't entirely sure she believed that. After all, Sith were evil. They didn't exist to give people the best feelings if their lives. The girl bit her lip, looking pointedly downward.


When she thought of Avutka the feelings intensified once more. No, it wasn't some Sith trick... This was something good, something to fuel her connection to the good of the galaxy! Whether her master liked it or not, Avutka was irrevocably part of her now.


The teen took a deep breath, sat up, squared her shoulders, and looked to the two masters. "You're wrong. It's not something a Sith did. This is... This is something I feel for her, and she feels for me. This is something... something you can't take away from us."


Korriban


@shadowstrikr25 @TommyGun15


Kaen walked, apprentice in tow, into the Dreshdae settlement. The acolytes at the academy bored her and she'd had enough of testing her apprentice against the others. Things had slowed down since the disappearance of Darth Nah-Iblen and the death of Darth Manara. Supposedly the Sith responsible for the latter was to be about, but Kaen had seen nothing from the man. Typical human. His claim was likely illegitimate since he hid his face.


The usual urchins scurried about and she had half a mind to send Ceth after them in order to watch a bit of a sporting event. But, no, the weaklings would be as nothing to her precious pet and the task would further bore him. She'd hoped Darth Manara's daughter would be returned to the academy as the girl was rumored to be a prodigy in fighting. Kaen was curious how her pet would play out against a half-Sith child. A bit predictably, nothing so fortuitous happened and she was left, mired in the nothing that was Korriban at the moment.


The Sith woman let out a sigh of disappointment. "Ceth," she drawled, "find me an appropriate plaything. We'll be leaving for Dromund Kaas in a couple days and I want something to occupy me."

Alderaan


Rin's face mimed surprise for a moment before he resumed his normal disgruntled detective look. Iblen was now dangerous, deranged, and perverse. Just what he needed. "He could still be here, but chances are he isn't. I doubt he would go manipulating the minds of our Padawans if we were present, I'd feel his Force presence if that were the case. No one has left through the front, only entered, he must have used an emergency exit. Have the soldiers keep searching the place, keep it locked down, but check the emergency exits. If you find one suspiciously unguarded, you'll know what happened and we will know which direction to search."


The Nautolan proceeded to brush past Master Itak, he pulled up a chair and looked his Padawan in the eyes. It was clear that he was in an immensely stressful situation, the last thing he needed was defiance from his padawan. How to tell her the truth, that her emotions and brain lied to her, while also being supportive? There wasn't time to be supportive, he knew that, so instead he was just going to have to lay the facts on her and let her deal with them until things settled down on Alderaan, hopefully as a result of one delinquent Sith Lord being apprehended. Or killed, at this point Zerek's initial plan of murdering Nah-Iblen didn't seem so bad, but he knew that was just his emotional response based on the protectiveness he had for his Padawan. It wasn't necessarily because of any connection he had to her, but instead because Nah-Iblen had repeatedly taken advantage of a weak, innocent person in order to get to Rin, and that wasn't going over well in his mind.


"Atali, I am going to tell you what happened to you based on inference, which you may confirm or deny, but I have a very good idea of exactly what happened while I was away. I am going to suppose that you met Master Itak's Padawan and knew her only from this meeting. You spent very little time together, and the only real impression you had time to make was that she was a young padawan somewhat like you. Both of you are going through the struggle of learning and growing, so you could relate to one another."


Rin paused and ran his thumb along his cheek bone, was his Padawan really so lost that she couldn't infer that her sudden attraction and 'love' for Itak's Padawan was founded in an external force? She was young, he supposed, her personality did seem prone to valuing her emotional inclinations over rational thought and intuition... he really did need to be by her side from now on.


"Then, suddenly, almost perfectly, both of you started to feel something strange toward one another. You started to notice things about her you didn't before, it was as if she became an ideal beauty in a matter of seconds. The only things you could feel about her were positivity, happiness, and attraction. She felt identical feelings, just as spontaneously. These feelings are driven by the release of certain chemicals in your brain. Attraction, intimacy, a 'crush' if you will, all of these are attributed to chemical release in the brain which typically happens in healthy, moderate amounts. Nah Iblen used the force to flood both of you with these chemicals and neither of you realized it, both of you thought that the signals sent by your body had to be pure and true, that there was no way for your own brain and body to lie to you. Well... you were unfortunately wrong. We 'feel' things because the events that happen to us alter the chemical composition of our brains, which in turn feeds us emotions, feelings. These are biological functions which can be altered by the Force, as it was done here, with you. An experienced Jedi would have recognized immediately that something was wrong, but it seems Nah Iblen doesn't like dealing with Jedi, he likes dealing with people who aren't fully developed and don't have a complete understanding of the force, yet, and I will make him pay for that."


Rin was certain this new information would not go over well with Atali, but he didn't have time to rationalize everything to her. She needed to meditate by herself and reflect on the occurrences like a real Jedi would. It was something he would have expected her to know by now, through the teachings of the academy. Rin waited for the tears and the confusion to come, his eyes fixated on Atali's.


@folclor

 

[TommyGun15]

Alderaan


@Grim Wraithe Stjerna  @Greenbriar @folclor @Constantin


Nah-Iblen growled in frustration as the pilots refused to die.  Once of them had the force, he could sense it.  Well, if that was the case, there was no need to play this fair.  He shot a large, powerful wave of kinetic force at the missles, the impact causing them to detonate before they could reach him.  Then he turned his attention towards the aircraft.


The one that was shooting at him didn't seem all that special, aside from a bit of skill in flying.  But the other one, that was the one that had the force.  Well then, let's see what matters more to them.  Killing him, or saving their allies.


Nah-Iblen reached out with the force, and gave the wing of Devil 2's aircraft a nice hard twist, causing the wing to bend and send it careening wildly away from it's intended target.  This had the added benefit of taking the blaster fire off of him, and so Nah-Iblen capitolized on that by splitting into about a dozen copies that seperated in a forked formation, spreading out so that any attempts to attack one, with bombs, lasers, orr missles, would leave the others unharmed.  Since Nah-Iblen's force presence was in all of the copies, it would be impossible to use the force to determine which one was real.


Korriban


@folclor @shadowstrikr25


Dargas hadn't been paying much attention, and therefore was caught off-guard when the apprentice leap onto the roof of the building.  Thus, he wasn't able to put up much resistance to being grabbed and having his leg broken.  He screamed in pain, almost sounding more like a wild animal than a sentient being.  The Dargas did what all wild animals do when injured and backed into a corner.


He leapt onto Ceth, hands tipped with long, sharp nails reaching for his face, clawing at his eyes.  Assuming he was well trained enough, Ceth would feel the force radiating off of Dargas, wild and unrefined, as he felt something wrap around his head and try to drag him into the nails, practically claws, that seemed intent on gouging out his eyes.

 

[folclor]

Alderaan


@Constantin @Greenbriar


Eryal knew Master Chicri was a bit gruff, but she took umbrage with being ordered around as an inferior.  Still, this wasn't the time to let her emotions get the better of her.  Later, she would meditate.  For now she left the Nautolan and his padawan, heading out into the halls and directing soldiers to start checking the emergency exits.  It was entirely plausible that Nah-Iblen had escaped.  She commanded the soldiers to report to Master Chicri and went to find her padawan.


As she returned to the examination room she found it barricaded.  Good.  Avutka still listened to her.  She knocked on the door.  "Avutka?  Let me in.  You and I need to talk."


---


Atali stared at her master, ignoring the Mirialan's departure.  He spoke, his tone as it always was, impersonal and stern.  His word passed over her, but she did not absorb them.  He spoke against what she knew to be true.  If she couldn't trust herself, how could she trust anyone else?  But she didn't cry.  For several long minutes she remained silent, trying to figure out an argument to put back against him.  However, he was right about a few things, so she finally said the only thing she could think of.


"Master.  Even if this was all a Sith trick, it doesn't change what happened between myself and Avutka.  It doesn't change that she's part of my life in a big way now.  Yes, I would say I love her.  I know that's forbidden by the Council, but I can't help it.  You say emotions are driven by chemicals, but then why are we supposed to trust them if that's the case?  You make it sound like it'd be better if we were all droids."


Well, there was one good thing to come out of this, at least.  Her master was finally paying attention to her, something she desperately needed.  Having gotten all of her tears out of the way, there was no need, at all, to subject him to her sobbing.  Besides, that'd be undignified.  At least she wasn't getting kicked out...  It seemed like her master responded best to logic and she had quite a lot of questions.  Maybe, finally, he would answer them?


"I know you have a Sith to track down.  You can't spend your time with me right now."  'Not like you would if you had the option, anyway.'  "I won't leave unless Master Itak says it's for the best or you direct me via message.  I may be young, but I'm not exactly that stupid."

 

[shadowstrikr25]

KORRIBAN


@folclor @TommyGun15


Ceth was very disappointed that the runt clearly wasn't going to be a challenge. As the runt scrambled away with a broken leg, he looked at the dropped pouch and the meat on the roof. The sight saddened him a little, it was such a waste of rations. And then the runt decided it would be a great idea to leap at him. Ceth sidestepped the runt, letting him fall to the ground. He'd fought enough wild beasts to know what was happening. He didn't really care about the sensation of his head being attracted to the claws, placing his foot on the now prone Dargas' back and applying a little pressure to keep him down. Ceth was still very bored.

 

[Proletariat]

Alderaan


@Constantin @Greenbriar


Eryal knew Master Chicri was a bit gruff, but she took umbrage with being ordered around as an inferior.  Still, this wasn't the time to let her emotions get the better of her.  Later, she would meditate.  For now she left the Nautolan and his padawan, heading out into the halls and directing soldiers to start checking the emergency exits.  It was entirely plausible that Nah-Iblen had escaped.  She commanded the soldiers to report to Master Chicri and went to find her padawan.


As she returned to the examination room she found it barricaded.  Good.  Avutka still listened to her.  She knocked on the door.  "Avutka?  Let me in.  You and I need to talk."


---


Atali stared at her master, ignoring the Mirialan's departure.  He spoke, his tone as it always was, impersonal and stern.  His word passed over her, but she did not absorb them.  He spoke against what she knew to be true.  If she couldn't trust herself, how could she trust anyone else?  But she didn't cry.  For several long minutes she remained silent, trying to figure out an argument to put back against him.  However, he was right about a few things, so she finally said the only thing she could think of.


"Master.  Even if this was all a Sith trick, it doesn't change what happened between myself and Avutka.  It doesn't change that she's part of my life in a big way now.  Yes, I would say I love her.  I know that's forbidden by the Council, but I can't help it.  You say emotions are driven by chemicals, but then why are we supposed to trust them if that's the case?  You make it sound like it'd be better if we were all droids."


Well, there was one good thing to come out of this, at least.  Her master was finally paying attention to her, something she desperately needed.  Having gotten all of her tears out of the way, there was no need, at all, to subject him to her sobbing.  Besides, that'd be undignified.  At least she wasn't getting kicked out...  It seemed like her master responded best to logic and she had quite a lot of questions.  Maybe, finally, he would answer them?


"I know you have a Sith to track down.  You can't spend your time with me right now."  'Not like you would if you had the option, anyway.'  "I won't leave unless Master Itak says it's for the best or you direct me via message.  I may be young, but I'm not exactly that stupid."

Alderaan


Rin sighed, she had so much to learn. "Having a Force manipulated intimate moment doesn't make someone a big part of your li-" He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. His lekku were soaking in her overcharged pheromones and he needed to focus on his work, that was one thing she was absolutely right about. "We will most certainly continue this discussion when I return, hopefully with a Sith Lord in my custody. For now it would be a good idea to stay away from... Avutka, you clearly still don't understand completely what I've told you. You need to meditate, I suggest you do that."


With that, the Jedi rose to his feet and gave his Padawan one last look of.. was it concern, or criticism, they seemed to be the same thing to Master Chicri. Which meant that he must have been very concerned about his Padawan. Just as he turned to leave, a lieutenant came running up to the room door, he knocked urgently before entering and giving the Master a curt bow.


"Master Chicri, important news, a starfighter squadron led by a jedi has been engaging a ground target for some time only miles to the West. It could be a lead on Nah Iblen."


Rin squinted at the lieutenant, had he ever seen him before? He waved his hand in front of him. "You are a duck and your baseless character is the punch line of many jokes made by your superiors."


The lieutenant responded, without blinking, "I am a duck and my baseless character is the punch line of many jokes made by my superiors."


Rin nodded, "Very well, lieutenant, I'll inform Master Itak and grab a speeder bike to investigate the conflict, your information has been invaluable."


Rin patted his shoulder and headed for the hall. The lieutenant rubbed his head and looked confused, as if he forgot why he even came into the room. He cast an embarrassed look to Atali, "Um, sorry to disturb you miss." He left the room with haste. Rin new that Iblen would either hesitate, or fail to provide a true mimic response to the force suggestion like a normal person would. He would have felt his suggestion deflecting off of the natural protection that surrounds the mind of those well versed in Force connection.


The amphibian enforcer saw Master Itak down the hall and hurried over to her, "There is a possible lead on Nah Iblen that I will be investigating immediately, he could be engaged in a battle with a jedi fighter pilot miles to the West, I will leave you to decide whether or not coming with me is your best option." As per usual, he cared little for social norms of politeness. As soon as she knew what she needed to in order to make an informed decision, Rin made for the nearest exit.


@folclor

 

[TommyGun15]

Korriban


@folclor @shadowstrikr25


Though he couldn't get away, Dargas continued to thrash and pull, trying to escape from Ceth.  He clawed at the ground and began trying to drag himself forward.  Suddenly, there was a push that forced Ceth's foot off of Dargas's back, and the Zabrak tumbled over the edge of the building, landing a few feet away from Kaen.  He'd landed hard on his broken leg, and could only muster the strength to try and crawl for safety in the shadows of a nearby alley.  Assuming Kaen didn’t stop him, which she had plenty of time to do if she felt so inclined. 

 

[Grim Wraithe Stjerna]

Alderaan


@TommyGun15 @folclor @Constantin @Greenbriar


Devil 9 watched as the two missiles she had fired detonate far too early to have hit the target. She could see the flames lick the wall of air and the Force holding it in place flicker. But the reason for firing four missiles, two from different directions, and a continuous barrage of quad turbo laser fire was to deal with shields on other Starfighters. So she switched her focus to guiding the remaining two missiles down into ground at Nah-iblen's feet. As Devil 2 continued his dive the laser fire would become more consecrated. 


"What the...?!" Devil 2 called out as one of the wings was ripped off by the Force. "I'm hit! Lost my port wing!" After a brief struggle he regained control of the Starfighter. Devil 9 looked up and over at her wingman, he sounded more surprised then scared. But since these fighters were designed to operate in space the loss of the wing, while it would cut his firepower by half, would not be a detriment to his flight capabilities.


"Dueces! You ok?" Devil 9 pulled back on the stick to climb away from the crater and flying debris and flames that had been where the missile had impacted on target. Even if the Sith some how managed to not be struck directly, the blast radius was enough to encompass a city block. 


"Yeah, yeah! I'm good. Nothing serious. What the blast was that!?" He could feel the drag differential on the new aerodynamics. He had to use a stronger hand to control it but it was still flyable. 


"Alright, we'll make one more pass on our way back to the barn." She ran a quick inventory of what was left to her. Two missiles of the four she started with. Two bombs and the energy cells for her quad turbo lasers was about half. "Give it everything you got left and fly light and fast." Getting a thumbs up from her wingman she called Grace Command. "Command, Devil 9 My wingman and I just engaged a speeder bike that was making a break for the imp settlement." Glancing at Devil 2. "Devil 2 took a hit, the target we engaged had to be a Sith of some power."


"Roger that Devil 9, are you able to RTB?"


"Affirm. We'll make a final pass, dunno our luggage and RTB."


"Good plan and may the Force be with you."


"Command, I'm requesting heavy ground and air support."


There was a pause, static filling the air while the command operator was discussing something. "Negative Devil 9. We can't task any units to you, but I'm patching you through to a Jedi Master Chicri, he's looking for a Sith. Standby Devil 9." The operator kept the line active, but remained silent. "Devil 9, your Intel has been passed onto Matter Chicri, keep eyes on the target and support as needed."


"Roger that command." Devil 9 looked over at her wingman and shook her head. "Dueces, looks like I'm gonna hang back and keep eyes on the Sith. Head back to the barn and get patched up." 


"No way I'm leaving you alone!" Rolling to the side and waving at his ruined wing. "Did you miss what happened to my wing?"


She smiled and shook her head. "No, I didn't, but that's why you need to head back. That's an order. I'll be fine, a Jedi Master is on his way."


Devil 2 shook his head, not liking leaving his wingman alone, but knowing she was right. "Fine. But drinks are on you."


She laughed and nodded. "Fine. I'll buy, now you fly." Devil 2 waved and rolled out and away, pushing the throttle to max to compensate for the loss of aerodynamics. 


By this point both Starfighters were flying level high over the Sith, making sure to keep him in sight. 

 

[TommyGun15]

Alderaan


@Grim Wraithe Stjerna  @Greenbriar @folclor @Constantin


As the two remainjng missiles hustled towards Nah-Iblen, they were suddenly struck from the sky by turbo laser fire.  The blast destroyed a few of Nah-Iblen's copies, but the sith himself was largely unharmed aside from some minor bruising due to the shockwaves.  A squadron of about two dozen Imperial fighters swooped in fromy the west.  Devils 2 and 9 both received the same message.


"Attention Republic vessels!  You have made unauthorized entry into Imperial airspace.  Turn back now or this will be treated as an act of agression, and we will respond with lethal force."


Nah-Iblen grinned as he ripped the Republic uniform away, putting his hands in the air and kneeling on the ground as two ships landed and the imperial soldiers arrested him.  While being led aboard an imperial ship at gunpoint wasn't ideal, it beat getting arrested by the Republic.  Or the damn jedi, who'd have him executed on principal alone.

 

[Greenbriar]

Alderaan


@folclor 


There was a long pause. Avutka could hear her voice, and she recognized it... but what if it wasn't her Master? What if it was the creepy Sith man? Maybe she should just hide and hope he went away. Maybe it would be better if she just went away until it was all over. But - what if it was Master Itak? It did sound like her, and she hadn't burst into the room like she imagined the Sith would do. She hadn't even seen him, so maybe he was invisible but if he could sense her from far away then why would he knock? No, it must be her Master. 


From the other side of the door Eryal's keen senses could likely pick up a metallic clang, a light thud and then the sound of heavy furniture being dragged aside. Finally the door swung open, although there was no sign of her padawan until she stepped fully inside to see her hiding behind the door with lightsaber hilt in hand. "Master Itak... what was I doing at the Temple when you came to tell me I'd been chosen as your padawan?" She was sure it was Eryal. Mostly sure. But if it wasn't, the spooked young Mirialan was going to at least go down fighting.