Knights Of The Old Republic: Darkness Falls

[JasraLantill]

Jasra's brow wrinkled. Was Karda saying that he had been a Padawan, too? That he had been sent away at the same time she and her Master had been?

 

"But you're... you couldn't have been... I mean, you're a lot older than...." She stopped, and took a breath. "You had to have been at least 20 when they sent all the Padawans away. Surely you had completed your trials before then?"

[RobQel-Droma]

"No, I hadn't." Karda said slowly. "I was too brash and emotion-filled for a long time, even through the Jedi Purge. I almost came close to the dark side, in fact. But after the Jedi found me, I was knighted."

[JasraLantill]

Jasra let out a snort of disbelief. Karda had been one of the Padawans sent away? She wondered if this was some sort of a trick to get her to trust him. Her eyes narrowed as she considered for a moment. She didn't sense that he was lying, but...

 

"Okay, so maybe we have something in common," she reluctantly conceded. "But that still doesn't mean I trust you." She considered him more carefully. "You were nearly of age to take your trials when the Purge came. Even without a Master at your side, you still had enough skills and knowledge to keep to the Light. Unlike me. I still had a lot to learn then. And I still do now." She turned and began to walk towards the Republic base. "Although I think it's too late for me to learn anything from the Jedi. They wouldn't want me back. Not after what I've...." She paused, and turned to him. "Well? Are you coming with me to the Republic base or not?"

[RobQel-Droma]

"I'm coming, don't rush." Karda walked over beside Jasra and they headed over to base. "The Jedi would, or at least some would. Even though you were only a padawan, Kelva must have taught you this philosophy: Nobody is without hope of Redemption, no matter what they have done. The Jedi wouldn't reject you if you came willingly. Just like they didn't reject Yuthura Bann, or Revan."

[JasraLantill]

Jasra didn’t respond to Karda right away, as her thoughts began to waver between the Jedi on one hand and Brax and his offer to teach her on the other.

 

She felt guilt for some of the things she had done in the past, and redemption would take that guilt away. But Brax seemed willing to teach her without any redemption on her part. He accepted her the way she was now.

 

Master Kelva had been wise, kind, and gentle. Brax was cunning, intimidating, and powerful.

 

Brax had said her emotions were necessary. The Jedi frowned upon strong emotions—emotions that through lack of practice, she had difficulty suppressing now.

 

Both options had their good points, and their bad points. Balance…Brax had spoke of balance. Was it truly the way, or was it a temptation to be avoided? She couldn’t decide.

 

“Perhaps the Jedi Order might be willing to take me back,” she finally said to Karda, just as the entrance to the Republic base came into view. “But I’m not certain if I’m willing to return. Or trust them yet.” She paused. “And who’s Yuthura Bann, anyway?”*

 

*((OOC: Jasra was trained at the Jedi Temple at Coruscant, not at the enclave on Dantooine. She would have only been about 7 yrs old at the time Yuthura returned to Dantooine before its destruction by Malak. Of course, she would have heard tales of Revan, as he was a legend in his own time, but Yuthura would be less well known.))

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kira wavered at the helm of the sub, its sides rocking precariously as she nearly passed out. New images were coming, more impulses...The Shard...

"The Shard's calling me again," she murmured, peering out through half-focused eyes.

Flashes of an undersea compound, machinery humming and blowing out thousands of bubbles of exhaust...then a path...a brigde...and an ancient device...Star Map...

On instinct, Kira veered to the right, then gunned the ship forward. "It's here somewhere..."

Sure enough, in moments, the Republic research station on the edge of the Harakart Rift came into view. "Bingo."

[Dylan Klay]

OOC: Afraid my job's keeping me away from keeping up with the amount of posts...I'm sorry. I hearby drop from the RP I think you all are magnificent story tellers, hopefully I can RP with you all again, but my work's keeping me away.

[arvik]

can i join? I'm sorry if this is a waste of post

[ForceFightWMe12]

((OOC: I'm not sure...DarthSion hasn't been paying much attention to this thread or else I would tell you to ask him...))

[Writer]

Crystal nodded. "The nearer we come, the weaker I feel," she murmured. "I... I think it would kill me to touch it in any way."

 

With that, she pulled her 'thought bubble' in so it only surrounded her. It made her feel a little better, but she still wasn't sure she'd be able to be of much help.

[ForceFightWMe12]

Back in control again, Kira slowed the vehicle as she came in to dock. Once they were secure in the docking bay, the Exile took a deep breath.

"Something tells me that our welcome is going to be a bit more interesting than I thought..." she murmured.

[The Doctor]

The Doctor ignored Brax. He fell over, Nyssa and Tegan barely catching him in time.

"Doctor, what's wrong?"

*I... I'm not sure...* he said. *I feel... weak, suddenly...* he gasped in pain. *It's Crystal.* he said after a moment. *I can sense her... she's growing weak... she's in danger...* he was silent for a moment. *Oh... bloody hell...*

"What is it?" asked Tegan.

*She and... Kira. They've gone after the shard.*

[3yks]

Brax was led out of the chamber, and into the court. He stood there watching the Judges, and just showed them his paperwork. There was some grumbeling about the doctor's saying he was an omwati, but brax assured them that he didn't even know what an Omwati was. And that infact, as The Doctor was the prime suspect in the case, and wasn't even willing to give his true name. Wasn't that a bit off?

 

And so Brax was released, they led him back to get his possesions, and he waved to the others in the cells. And took his things, linking his datapad up right he found out where Jsra was, grumbled to himself that the Jedi was with her, and went off to keep tabs on her.

[ForceFightWMe12]

"She's done WHAT???" Atton shouted, still nursing his hand.

"Where are they?" Disciple asked, slightly calmer. His clear, blue eyes reflected his worry all too clearly.

[The Doctor]

*I can't be sure...* said the Doctor, recovering, ignoring Brax as he returned to collect his things. *I can't sense Crystals thoughts, per se... more like her emotions...* he shook his head.

"Well then what is she feeling?" asked Nyssa.

*Fear, mostly. Of what, I cannot be certain. She's weakening, as well. I can feel it. They're close to the Shard - I'm sure of it.*

[JasraLantill]

Just before entering the Republic base, Jasra paused. "Erm...Karda? Maybe you better ask if they've seen Kira," she said hesitantly. "I'm not on too good of terms with the Republic at the moment." She turned to Karda, feeling his eyes upon her. "And, before you even say it, yes, I know I said I was on the Republic ship Moon Shadow when I first contacted you. But I never said I was with the Republic. Only that the ship was," she added quietly, looking sheepishly down at the ground.

[RobQel-Droma]

"Yeah, I probably should. And Yuthura was a Sith Master who was turned back to the light side by Revan, and was welcomed back to Dantooine." Karda went into the base and headed toward the Republic leader.

[JasraLantill]

Jasra scowled at Karda as they were leaving the Republic base on Manaan. “Okay, was it really necessary to refer to me as your ‘Padawan’ in front of Ambassador Wann?” Jasra complained to Karda as they were leaving the base. “I mean, I know I said I wasn’t on good terms with the Republic, and, yes, it definitely lessened their suspicion of me thinking I was a Jedi like you, but… ‘Padawan?’” She snorted. “Couldn’t you have thought of something better? Like companion? Or scout? Or…I don’t know… anything but ‘Padawan’?”

 

Karda just grinned with amusement.

 

“Oh. Ha ha. Very funny,” she said dryly. “Just… just don’t do that again. It… it makes me feel…, well,… uncomfortable.” She sighed. “So… we know that two strange women, which we can safely assume were Kira and Crystal, suddenly appeared in the sub bay and stole one of the submersibles. And we know that they were last tracked on route to the research station near the Hrakert Rift, and that something down there is causing the Republic’s tracking systems to fail, which we can also assume has something to do with the shard. But since Ambassador Wann doesn’t want to risk the loss of another submersible, we can’t go down there to find them.” She frowned slightly. “But…maybe the Doctor’s blue box can. I think we should pay him a visit in jail. See if he has any ideas on how to get them released.”

[Writer]

"Kira..." Crystal said faintly. "I... I don't think it'll be wise for me to get out of the submersible here... the closer we get... to the shard, the worse I feel."

 

She let her head fall back against the seat, breathing heavily. "Do you... do you think you'll be... able to... resist touching the... shard? On your own?"

[The Doctor]

((JasraLanitll has given me permission to control Jasra a bit. So if she says anything in my post, don't go crazy on me ))

 

The Doctor gasped for air. *They are... getting closer. Crystal is not able to... prevent herself from... oh, what's the word... transmitting. She's weak. very weak. If we could get to the TARDIS, we could help them, but... as it is..."

At that moment, four Selkath walked in flanking none other than Jasra and Karda.

"Jasra!" said Tegan. "I never thought I'd be happy to see you."

"Yeah, well, don't make it a habit." she said. "Doctor," she whispered. "We think that Kira and Crystal have gone down to the Hrakert Rift to-"

*Yes, I agree. I can feel Crystal growing weaker as she approaches the shard,* said the Doctor quietly. *If we could get to the TARDIS, we could help them, but... there isn't much I can do to pilot her from here.*

"Maybe we can get you out of here." she suggested. "The Cantina keeps security recordings. We could get a copy of them. That would prove your alibi."

*Yes, but unfortunately, that would leave Atton and Disciple here. They weren't in the Cantina at the time.*

"We can come back for them in the TARDIS," said Nyssa. "I don't think they'll be going anywhere."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Jasra. "How about it, Doc?"

*Yes, I suppose that will have to do,* said the Doctor. *Alright, if you go retrieve the tape, we can get out of here and get to Kira and Crystal.*

"Alright. We'll be back," she said.

[ForceFightWMe12]

"I can try." Kira said quietly. With that, she popped the seals of the cockpit's 'bubble', and climbed out.

"Halt!"

The Exile rolled her eyes. Here we go.

A Republic soldier approached her, his blaster ready in his arms. "Who are you?"

Think on your toes, Kira. "I'm a Jedi." she said simply. Great alias, very inventive.

"And what would your buisness be here? The Embassy at Ahto never sent us a message declaring the arrival of a Jedi."

"Er...yes. I'm...I'm a historian. I've come to Manaan in search of the Star Map, the same one Revan found. It's for a document I'm working on, and its unofficial. Therefore, you would have recieved no word."

The guard looked at her suspiciously, but she held his gaze confidently. She waved her hand slightly, and said, "You'll let me through, won't you?"

"Yeah, I guess you check out. Go on through."

"Thank you."

She stepped through the door, every moment feeling more and more strength and confidence as she drew closer to the Shard.

After drawing looks from several scientists and soldiers, she finally reached the far end of the complex, and a set of airlocks. 'Borrowing' an enviornmental suit, she quickly slid it on, undid the lock, and stepped out onto the Manaan sea floor.

 

~*~*~

 

"Leave us here." Atton said quickly, "Whatever it takes to get to Kira faster."

As Karda and Jasra left to retrieve the tapes, the Scoundrel punched the wall. "She so stupid sometimes..."

[JasraLantill]

Jasra walked quietly with Karda from the jail to the Swoop Cantina. She really wasn’t sure what to make of him, now that she knew a bit more about his background. He was obviously a servant of the Light now—the feeling she got from his Force Aura told her that much. But she wondered what he had meant when he had mentioned that he had ‘almost’ fell to the Dark Side. Perhaps she would ask him about that later.

 

And she was also thinking about Brax. She hadn’t seen him in the jail, and the Doctor hadn’t mentioned him. Had he been released? If so, then where was he? Her mind was so cluttered with all that had been happening that it was hard for her to detect if he was nearby or not. She wanted to meet with him, but so far, she had not been alone for long enough to have the opportunity. But she had a feeling that she was going to need some instruction from him soon if she wanted to be of any help to Kira and Crystal if, rather when, they found the shard. Perhaps she could find a way to distract Karda at the Cantina.

 

And there was something else that was bothering her. Togo had mentioned 'others' that were interested in acquiring the completed Gayat crystal? Was Brax one of them? Or was there someone else? Someone decidedly…darker. After all, there were still Sith out there. A powerful crystal like this ‘Key to the Galaxy’ would no doubt be a very tempting possession for a Sith Master. Even more tempting, for a Sith Lord.

 

She shivered at the thought. No, she was definitely going to need Brax’s help. She gave a quick look at Karda. And if Karda offered any ‘combat tips’ she would listen to him, too. After all, Kira had taught her some things. So had Crystal. And she’d been told that Revan had had many Masters. There was no reason why she couldn’t have a few as well. Now if she could just find someway to meet with Brax alone….

 

Reaching the cantina entrance, Jasra suddenly remembered her swoop race ticket in her pocket.

 

“You know, Karda, you’re probably much better at mind control than I am,” she began. “And definitely better at diplomacy. I think you should be the one to ask the Selkath behind the bar about obtaining the security tapes for the Doctor. Besides, I need to check on the race results to see if Queedle won his second and third heats.” She waved the betting ticket in her hands. “I have a feeling that we might need the credits if we’re going to be travelling all over the Galaxy looking for shards.”

[ForceFightWMe12]

The excess carbon dioxcide bubbled out of the processor at the back of her suit, creating a whirl of bubbles around Kira every few minutes. She moved her arms and legs, getting a feel for the suit.

I've always hated these things, she thought, flexing her arm, They're so restricting and clumsy.

After a moment, she began to tread across the sandy floor, faintly hearing the clack of metal against metal every few steps. She gazed around quickly, taking in her surroundings. On one side of her was the research station. On the other was a console and a great, large machine. That must have been the Kolto harvester.

She continued on, feeling the pulsating presence of the Shard. As she continued, the drive to have it was stronger and stronger. Before she knew it, the Exile was running across the bridge...to the small, excavated spot that housed the Star Map. This is it!!! This is it!!! Her eyes danced with excitement and anticipation as she reached for the Star Map, activating the ancient machine, and watching the map unfold and glow before her. But that wasn't what had interested her.

When the map opened, a bright light issued from the center of it. And, what would be in the light but...

"The Shard!" she said. She reached forward, carefully cupping the small sliver of amber in the bulky hand of the environmental suit. "Finally!"

[RobQel-Droma]

"Er, yeah, maybe you're right." Karda said. He added quietly, "And just a note, if you lost, I can always persuade the race manager too." He headed over to the cantina manager, smiling.

 

Once at the bar, he ordered some kind of Selkath drink. "Hey, you." The bartender turned. "You don't happen to have some security video tapes from a little while ago that I could borrow, do you?"

 

The Selkath shook his head. "No, not for you." He said in his language, shaking his head. "Why do you want them?"

 

"Because a couple of friends of mine are in jail, suspected for murder. I, along with a few others, know the real person, but we can't exactly prove it right now. But those tapes will prove my friend's innocence." Karda showed a few credits. "I'll pay you for your time, of course."

 

Bad idea. The Selkath looked disgusted - at least that is what Karda could make of his expression - and turned away. Karda put his credits away. "You want to give me the tapes." The Selkath repeated, "I want to give you the tapes."

 

Karda left a few moments later with the tapes in hand.

[JasraLantill]

While Karda was at the bar getting the security vids, Jasra slinked off to the swoop lounge in the back, to check her race ticket.

 

The lounge wasn't very full, just a few swoop jockeys and a couple of groupies. She went to one of the race terminals that was the furthest away from anyone, and inserted her ticket.

 

She raised her eyebrows, then grinned. Queedle had indeed won all three of his heats. She had won 400 credits. She inserted her datapad and transferred the credits to her account. At least now her balance was close to what it was before she took this nightmare job.

 

She looked around the room. No sign of Brax, but she knew he was close by. She went to check on Karda. The Selkath was giving him something. The security holovids, no doubt. She'd have to go with him. Getting to Kira & Crystal was the priority now. Brax would have to wait.

 

She rejoined Karda just outside the Cantina.

 

"That was impressive," she said to him, eyeing the vid discs in his hands. "You were almost quicker doing that than I was in checking my ticket." They headed back towards the holding cells. "Oh, and by the way, I won. Four hundred credits. Legit, too," she felt compelled to tell him. "Although, I don't know why I just felt I had to tell you that." She looked at him askance. "You're not messing with my head, are you?"