Knights Of The Old Republic: Darkness Falls

[JasraLantill]

Jasra's eyes narrowed at Kira. If Kira wanted a fight, then shards or no, she would give it to her.

 

"Then let us end it now," she said, and ignited her sabre.

[ForceFightWMe12]

"You're a fool, Jasra." Kira growled, and called her saber to her hand, where it activated with a hiss and she spun it round, lighting up a circle of blue in the gloom. As it came to rest across her body, Kira fell back into a fighting stance, the faint yellow glow that now came from her blade illuminating her face. Apparently, her namesake crystal was also being effected by the Shards, just as she was.

With out further warning, the Exile jumped at Jasra. She slammed her upper blade down on Jasra's, sweeping the lower around at her feet, causing her to jump.

Jasra took a chance, and went on the offensive, bringing her saber sweeping around at Kira's stomach. Her yellow blade clashed with the Exile's blue, and Kira spun, pushing the yellow blade with hers as she did so. With a final snap of her wrists, Jasra's saber was knocked from her hand, flying across the room and deactivating when it hit one of the bunk supports and falling to the ground.

Kira continued her spin, kneeling down and sweeping at Jasra's knees as she went. However, as she spun, her opponent jumped into the air, using the Force to bring her against the wall, where she sprung off the durasteel and tumbled over to where her saber lay on the ground, picking it up, and standing again.

"Perhaps he taught you more than I thought." Kira murmured, resetting herself as well.

 

~*~*~

"Atton! Come, quickly!"

The Scoundrel spun the captain's seat around, to face a distressed Karda behind him, framed in the doorway.

"What, what is it?" he asked, standing.

"No time, just come on!"

He stood, and rushed out the door with the Jedi, Disciple meeting up with them after a moment.

 

~*~*~

Jasra watched warrily as Kira stood motionless across from her, her saber held at the ready. Her Master's yellow blade swung from side to side as she looked for any slight movement that would alert her to Kira's next move. As of yet, there was none.

Kira sneered. "Well. Shall we continue?"

She ran forward, using the Force to part the air around her and quicken her pace. She held her saber down as if it were a battering ram, and aimed straight for her right shoulder.

Jasra had gotten her saber up just in time, and was able to knock Kira's first saber away to the right. As her saber was moved off track, the Exile stepped out to the right, bringing her left foot spinning round. She swept at Jasra's head with her lower blade as she passed. Her opponent ducked the spinning blade just in time, and her gauntlets raked Kira's arm.

Ignoring the blood that now wetted her robes, the Exile brought her saber down on Jasra's, locking them together in a battle of strength.

"You haven't a chance." she growled. With inhuman speed, Kira brought her boot up, and planted it firmly in Jasra's gut with a sidekick, which sent her crashing to the ground, and skidding across the room.

Proceeding over to her, the Exile kept her blade raised over her head, poised to strike down at Jasra.

"And he obviously didn't teach you enough."

"KIRA, NO!"

Karda came speeding into the room, and grasped the wrist of Kira's saber hand, holding it in place, and his free hand grabbed her shoulder, holding her body in place.

With a sneer and growl of anger, Jasra stood, and raised her saber, but could do nothing as two strong arms threaded under her arms, and pulled up, locking them. "Don't do it, Jasra." Atton's voice said in her ear.

[JasraLantill]

"Kira, no." Karda's voice was soothing as he used the Force to enhance his persuasiveness to calm Kira's anger. "She's not worth it."

 

Not worth it? Hearing Karda's words, Jasra's anger boiled over. She was tired of these people thinking she was scum! She let out a scream of anger, then stomped hard on Atton's foot, hard enough to make him wince, and with him distracted for that split second, she drove herself backwards, slamming Atton hard into the wall behind her. His grip loosened and she twisted out of his grasp. Sabre raised and eyes burning, she lunged at Kira.

 

In the doorway, Tegan looked on with wide-eyed horror as Nyssa screamed. "Kira! Look out!"

 

Having little choice, Karda released Kira, and used a Force Wave on Jasra. But Jasra countered by using her technique of Force Reflection to send the wave straight back at Karda, catching Kira in its wake.

 

But while Karda was pushed back into Nyssa and Tegan in the doorway, Kira was only set momentarily off balance. She deflected Jasra's charging slashes, then went on the offensive again.

 

Their sabres clashed and sparked and grated against each other, as they met one another blow for blow.

 

Atton shook his head to clear it, and seeing the two women still fighting furiously, he pulled out his blaster.

 

"No!" Karda shouted at him. "You'll hit Kira!" And Karda used the Force to send Atton's blaster flying out of his hand and sliding across the floor to the opposite end of the room.

 

Jasra's fury flared again, thinking Karda again valued Kira more than her, and her attack increased. She took a swipe with her gauntlet, not at Kira, but at her sabre, remembering how Brax had disabled her lightsabre at their first encounter. A direct hit, one of Kira's blue/gold blades sparked feebly, then died.

 

Jasra grinned with satisfaction. Now evenly matched with one blade each, she felt she was on equal ground. Again they parried, blow for blow...

 

Until, Jasra felt something sting her in the back of the leg. Her leg went suddenly numb and she stumbled to the floor. Kira swung her blade down. Jasra met it just in time, and the two blades grated and sparked, hovering over Jasra's neck as each woman pressed for dominance.

 

Suddenly the pressure lifted on Kira's blade, as Karda and Disciple both grabbed her and pulled her back. "No, Kira!" Karda said. "No! Leave her!"

 

Jasra started to rise, but once again, Atton came up behind her, kicking the butt of her sabre from her hand, then circling his arms around her in a tight hug, pinning her arms to her side. "That's enough!" he growled softly in her ear. "Enough!"

 

Jasra looked down at her leg. There was syringe sticking out of it. She looked at Disciple, wondering if he had used the Force to send it to its target. As Brax had taught her to counteract the spider's venom, she began to concentrate on burning out the strong sedative from her blood. Even so, it was having some effect on her and she felt herself involuntarily relax.

 

"I'm sorry," she said weakly, her breaths now coming in shuddering gasps as she leaned against Atton's body for support. She met Kira's eyes, still glowing with golden light. "I yield," she said to her. She bowed her head. "I yield."

[Writer]

Crystal appeared in the doorway, crying.

 

"All angry bombardments of thoughts and words," she cried. "No, no! Think to yourself..."

 

A look of intense rage passed over her face, but it passed quickly and she walked away muttering something entirely unintelligible.

[JasraLantill]

Seeing Crystal so upset and sensing her pain, Jasra felt angry tears begin to stream down her face as well. "It's those damn shards!" she said, turning her face into Atton's shoulder, finding his hold on her suddenly comforting and warm. "They're driving us all insane."

[ForceFightWMe12]

Atton faultered as Jasra burried her face in his shoulder, but he wrapped his arms tighter around her, more out of natural instinct than anything else. He felt Kira's eyes on him, and he shifted his arm, slightly uncomfortable. But what was he supposed to do? Push Jasra away?

It didn't matter anyway, because after a moment, Kira left the room, sweeping past them. She hadn't even looked at him as she left.

He sighed, knowing he was probably going to pay for it later.

 

~*~*~

 

Disciple watched after the Exile as she stalked out of the room. He shook his fist subtly at his side as he fought to work up the nerve to follow her. He took a breath, and followed.

He found Kira sitting at the controls of the Ebon Hawk, busily plotting a course for who knows where. He moved across the room, taking a seat in the co-pilot's chair.

After taking a moment to see if Kira would acknowlage him, which she didn't, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"Yavin IV."

He didn't say anything, waiting for her to elaborate. As he figured, she didn't.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine." she answered, perhaps a bit too quickly.

After another few moments of silence, he had worked up as much nerve as he had figured he would at the moment. "I...I know what it's like to be betrayed, and I--"

"I'd rather not talk about that." she said, cutting him off.

Disciple looked up at her. She hadn't looked at him once since he'd entered the room. Seeing as his attempts at conversation were futile, he stood, and proceeded to leave the room. However, at the door, he paused, tapping a finger against his leg.

She's going to need to know she can trust you...How can I trust you when I don't even know your real name?? The Doctor's and Kira's words played through the man's head. He looked at her over his shoulder, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find what to say.

"Mical."

Kira stopped what she was doing, her fingers freezing in the process of entering cooridinates. She turned to him, a questioning looking her eyes. "What?"

"That's...that's my real name. Mical."

She smiled sweetly at him. "Thanks."

He nodded, and left, a new feeling of accomplishment coming over him.

[JasraLantill]

Karda let out a painfully long sigh as Kira left the room, then turned his attention to Atton and Jasra. "Can you hold her there for a moment?" he asked the scoundrel.

 

Atton nodded. "Sure," he said, rather uncomfortably but confident enough to satisfy the Jedi.

 

"Good," said Karda, using the Force to call Jasra’s lightsabre to his hand. "I'll be right back." He motioned for Nyssa and Tegan to follow him out of the room.

 

Atton frowned with concern as he held Jasra, keeping her from totally sinking to the floor. He was uncomfortable at being this close to her, especially given the look Kira had shot him before she had left the room.

 

But in a moment, Karda was back. “You grab one arm, I’ll grab the other,” he said to Atton, and between the two of them, they hauled Jasra out of the room.

 

“Where are we taking her?” Atton asked Karda.

 

“The brig.”

 

“The brig? But we don’t have a brig.”

 

“We do now.” Coming through the main hold, Karda nodded at the storage area near the corridor to the cockpit. Bao-Dur and T3 were making the finishing touches on the new force field that filled the doorway.

 

Karda guided them into the room, where he deposited Jasra unceremoniously on the floor. He and Atton stepped out, and Karda nodded to Bao-Dur.

 

The force shield shimmered in electric-blue light as it covered the entrance. “There,” Karda said to Jasra. “That should hold you.”

 

“Don’t leave me in here all alone,” Jasra pleaded, as she struggled with the effects of the narcotic and tried unsuccessfully to stand. “I said I was sorry.”

 

“Well, sorry just isn’t enough, now, is it?” Karda said brusquely to her. “Maybe after having some time to think about the choices you’ve made, you’ll understand that.”

 

Jasra hung her head, then backed herself against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest.

 

Karda sighed. “You’ve fallen to the Dark Side,” he said, kneeling to her level. “But you’re not unredeemable. You can still come back to the Light.”

 

Jasra shook her head in disbelief. “I’m not evil,” she said quietly.

 

“No, you’re not,” Karda agreed. “But you have fallen.” He stood. “We’ll talk again later. After you’ve had time to think about where your true allegiances lie.”

 

Karda nodded to Bao-Dur and Atton that it was time to leave her alone. Bao-Dur, T3 departed for the garage, Karda for his own ship, still coupled with the Ebon Hawk, leaving Atton standing dumbfounded in the main hold.

[Writer]

Crystal approached the storage area where Jasra had been dropped and sat down there, just outside the door, in plain view of Jasra. Without saying a word, she sat there, staring through the force field at Jasra. For a long while, they sat there in silence, neither one saying a word. Finally, Crystal cleared her throat.

 

"You... you..." she murmured. "Anger, sadness, twisting together, confusion, dominating glassy-goldens..."

 

She shook her head sadly and in what seemed to be perhaps a more sensible moment, she said, "We were fools, all of us. Kira for touching the first shard, me for touching it second, you for trying to help me, the others for being near us."

 

All sense then abandoned her and she reached forward to touch the force field. Drawing her hand rapidly away from it, she murmured, "Ugly biting piece of techstuff..."

[JasraLantill]

Jasra slowly looked up with watery eyes at Crystal. "Karda's right, isn't he?" she asked Crystal quietly, as to not alert anyone else. "I've fallen, haven't I?"

 

She let out a long, sad sigh.

 

"I didn't even feel it coming. I thought I would, you know? Feel it? Know I was on the edge enough to at least step back from it?"

 

She shook her head slowly. "But I didn't." She laid her head back on her knees.

 

"All I wanted to do was help Kira find the shards. And I've failed miserably."

[Writer]

"That's the hardest thing about something you don't want," Crystal said quietly. "You never see it coming."

[JasraLantill]

"What should I do, Crystal?" With pleading eyes, Jasra looked up at the woman who looked so much like her old Jedi master, Kelva. "Please tell me what I should do?"

[Writer]

Crystal teleported past the barrier and gave Jasra a big hug. "The biggest mostest important step has already been made," she said happily. "You don't want to be angry. Good, good. Let it go."

[RobQel-Droma]

Karda took a sip of Juma inside the comfort of his ship. The situation was lovely; Kira turned into a dark side monster, and Jasra picking fights and being taught under some creature, falling to the dark side. If she would just listen...

 

Hopefully, Jasra would calm down inside the makeshift brig, and they'd be able to work this whole mess out. And hopefully, he could blast that Shard into oblivion, next chance he got. As long as Kira didn't kill him for it, as connected to the object she seemed to now be.

 

He took a large sip, grimaced, then swallowed it and looked at his cup. Since when did I start drinking Juma? "Atton." He got up and moved to the other ship. "Where's Kira?"

[ForceFightWMe12]

"In the cockpit," Disciple said, joining the two other men. "She's planning a course fo--"

At that exact moment, the engines whinned louder and the ship jolted forward, forcing Atton to fall back against a pannel and the Disciple against the doorframe. "For Yavin IV." the man finished.

"Thanks for the heads-up." Atton growled.

[JasraLantill]

((OOC: Like the Doc asked, I'm keeping his charrys going while he's away.))

 

Standing just within hearing range of the guys, Nyssa frowned and looked at Tegan. “Yavin IV?” She grabbed Tegan by the arm. “C’mon. We’ve got research to do.”

 

Inside the TARDIS, Nyssa called up data for the planet called Yavin IV.

 

“A jungle moon that orbits the gas planet Yavin in the…"

 

“Great. Another jungle,” Tegan moaned.

 

“…Uh-oh,” Nyssa said, then paused.

 

“What is it?” Tegan asked.

 

“It appears that Yavin IV used to be a stronghold for the Sith Empire.”

 

“That’s bad, isn’t it?” Tegan said, more of a statement than a question.

 

“Yes. Very bad.” Nyssa cleared her throat. “It says here that Exar Kun, who was a fallen Jedi that became a Sith Lord and eventually elevated himself to the stature of a god, had slaves build temples for him on Yavin IV. And the complex of massive temples were then used for Ancient Sith Alchemy and ceremonies that focused on the Dark Side.” She turned to look at Tegan directly. “And it’s said to be haunted by Exar Kun’s ghost.”

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

Jasra closed her eyes, feeling comforted by Crystal's closeness to her. It reminded her of how Master Kelva used to soothe her during times when she felt afraid. That seemed like so long ago, but in reality it was only six or seven years ago.

 

But when she heard the Disciple say, "...Yavin IV," her eyes suddenly popped open.

 

"Yavin IV!" she said outloud. "Yavin IV?" She broke free of Crystal's hold, and struggled to stand upright. "We can't go to Yavin IV," she said to Atton. "Not now. It's an evil place. A Sith place," she added. "If Kira goes there she'll...." Jasra looked down at the floor, unable to finish her sentence. "You have to stop her, Atton. Let her rest for a while before going there. Please," she added quietly.

[ForceFightWMe12]

"There's no convincing her." Atton said, shaking his head solemnly. "I know, I've tried. Once she has her mind set on something, anyone who thinks any different can go to hell, for all she cares."

"But she'll listen to you," Disciple pointed out, "You two do have your...connection, as it is."

Atton heard the slight tint of bitterness in his voice, but ignored it, staring down into his drink.

With a sigh, he put it down. "If I get my head bitten off, I'm blaming you." and with that, he headed to the cockpit.

 

"Kira?" he asked tentatively. She didn't answer. He came up behind the pilot's chair, looking over at her. "Answer me."

She continued to ignore him.

"Hey," he said, and spun the chair around.

"What?" she asked.

"Are you alright?"

"Never been better." she tried to swivle forward again, but the Scoundrel held tight to the armrest, holding her there. She sighed, her expression slightly ticked off. "Atton, what do you want?"

"I'm worried about you." he said, kneeling so he could meet her eyes.

"Join the club, we've got jackets." she said sarcastically, and tried to turn again without success.

"I'm serious, Kira. You haven't been sleeping, you barely eat-"

"You know what," she said, standing and struting past him, "Go find someone else to worry about, like maybe your girlfriend in the 'brig', because I'm sure she'd appreciate it more than I do."

The pilot stared after her for a few seconds, utterly bewildered at her last lash. With a grunt, he stood, and went after her.

"Kira!" he said, jogging past the others as he followed Kira through the main hold and into one of the side corridors. "Listen to me!"

"Go away, Atton." she said, not turning to face him. Her longer strides kept her slightly ahead of the man, but he wasn't about to give up.

She reached the dormitory before he did, and was about to key the door shut when he came launching in, grabbing her by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall.

"Kira..." he said, saying her name for the fourth time in as many minutes. Even at this proximity, her expression didn't change. He ran his fingers along her cheekbone, and she didn't tremble. The Jedi simply looked back at him, his eyes cold and indifferent, her face set in stone.

"I really am worried about you." he said, his voice low.

"I'm sure you ar--"

Her voice was cut off as his lips closed over hers. Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment, before sliding closed and giving herself into the kiss and the man's arms. She slid her hands around his shoulders, joining them together at the back of his neck as he braced himself against the wall with one hand, the other wrapped tightly around her waist.

After several moments, he pulled his face away from hers, both gasping for air. "And I love you, Kira," his fingers once again danced across the skin of her reddened cheek, "You have to believe me."

[Writer]

Crystal remained seated when Jasra moved to speak with Atton and Disciple.

 

"Can't stop time," she murmured. "Keeps spinning and knitting and twisting together. Sky darkens as day grows old... lightning strikes best in darkness... most visible."

 

She wrinkled her nose and complained, "I don't know what I'm saying... I never know what I'm saying!"

 

Tears began to fill her eyes and she drew her knees up to her chest, securing them there with her arms.

[JasraLantill]

Feeling Crystal's pain and confusion through their link, Jasra knelt down beside her.

 

"Let me help you," she said quietly, and she softly laid her hand on Crystal's forehead.

 

"Jasra, what are you doing?" Karda asked, stepping closer to the force field that barricaded her inside the storage room to see what she was up to.

 

Jasra ignored him. She closed her eyes and began to search through Crystal's mind, seeking out the golden threads that the shard had created, that were tangled and interwoven in Crystal's essence. Latching on to a golden strand, she began to untangle it from the rest.

 

This time, Jasra made up her mind that she wasn't going to stop until most of the gold strands were gone--no matter how tangled she got herself.

 

"Jasra?" Karda frowned, as his finger hovered over the switch that deactivated the force field. Getting no response again, he concentrated, seeking out Jasra's mind through the Force. "Jasra!"

 

Suddenly, Jasra felt herself being tugged away from Crystal. "Karda, no! I'm not finished!" Tangled in the golden strands, Jasra felt as if she was being choked. Then darkness enveloped her...

 

When she opened her eyes, Karda was standing over her. He looked concerned.

 

"I'm sorry, Jasra," he said to her. "I had to pull you away." He paused a beat. "What were you doing?"

 

"I was trying to heal Crystal," Jasra said, rising slowly. Her eyes scanned for her friend. Crystal was lying beside her, her eyes open, but looking a bit confused. Jasra's heart sank, thinking that she had been unsuccessful in her attempt to heal her. "Crystal?"

[Writer]

Crystal's hair was a slightly duller blonde and a little straighter than it had been. Her eyes remained dark blue. Slowly, she turned her head to look at Jasra.

 

"Differences of mind," she murmured. "Changes, yours more twisted, mine less so. I..." She closed her eyes and sat up.

 

"Head-burning," she whispered, getting to her feet and lurching off somewhere. "Drunk without drinking... ugh... need water..."

[3yks]

"What does it mean to fall?" The words echoed through the small brig, Karda, Jasra, and Crystal hearing them in their heads, but somehow outside of it as well. And then Brax apeared, there was an odd quality about him, kind of like a hologram. But more solid looking.

 

"Something else I can teach you Jasra, projections. I'm not really here, but I wanted to talk to you three, and The Doctor ... but you three will do." He nodded sloly, and looked Karda up and down, Jasra felt him more fimrly than the others, words whispering in her ear. I am using you as a focus Jasra, I hope you don't mind, it is a great distance to where you are in Hyperspace.

 

He ran his hands through his hair slowly, pacing back and forth through the chamber a few moments.

 

"I understand your Anger Karda, more than you do I believe, you think that what I did was wrong, that Killing 'the great revan' was some horrible deed. That I am a monster, and animal. I almost wish I was, if I was what all of you Jedi call 'fallen' if Jasra was, then this would all be a lot simpler, I'd just rampage around killing whatever happened to get in my way."

 

He closed his eyes, and was silent a few seconds, but not long enough for any of them to take up the conversation. "I killed Revan because my he was a murderer, many years ago, after your mandalorian war, when the Jedi and the Sith fought, Revan was looking for somethign near y planet. A forge or something, I do not know what this was ... all I know is that the leader of my people was outint he galaxy, and that Revan found him, and his partner ... and Revan killed our leader's partner, and corrupet him ... turned him to what you call the darkside, taught him to use his emotions only for evil deeds."

 

"Karda, the flaw in the Jedi is not that they abhor evil, it is that they abhor good as well. Inaction is not the way of the galaxy, protection and defense will never win out, not in the long run. And hidin your emotions makes you no better than the droids that serve you. Why not just make machines that can use the force, would they not be more effecient than all you little Jedi drones?" He paused now, letting a responce come.

[Writer]

Crystal nodded slowly, her quest for water abandoned for the moment. Sounding surprisingly sane for recently, she said, "It makes sense, your motives... but you seem to have ignored the fact that people can change. Had it occurred to you that..." She wrinkled her nose suddenly and sneezed abruptly. And that ended her scolding speech.

 

"Tricksy," she murmured, again picking up her quest for water and leaving the room. "Tricksy mind..."

[ForceFightWMe12]

Moments after Crystal had turned, a double-bladed blue lightsaber, its blades active and humming, sailed through the air and through Brax's 'chest'. As its blade plunged into the wall, the others turned to see a distressed Kira standing in the corridor, tears pouring from her eyes.

As soon as she had sensed Brax's presence, she had come running out into the corridors. Standing in the shadows for several moments, her chest heaving as sobs racked her body, the Exile eyed Brax with hate flowing from every pore in her body.

"Revan was not a murderer!" she cried.

[3yks]

"Revan was a murderer, Exile. I'm sorry that you lost him, but our fight was honorable, wether you want to believe it or not. I called him out, and he met my challenge. He did not back down, he knew that his fate was in the hands of the force." Brax turned looking at the saber in the wall, then looked back at Kira. "I do not want to be your enemy Kira, YOU make me your enemy. My only fight was with Revan, and he met me in my challenge."

[ForceFightWMe12]

"You...you think it's so easy, to forgive and forget." she said, her voice wavering as she stared down 'Brax'. "It's not. Revan might not have remembered me, but I sure as hell remembered him." she blinked hard, trying to shake away the tears. "I loved him." she said quietly, "I loved him, damn it!!"

She called her saber back to her hand, but did not deactivate the blades. "I could have made him remember...I would have...but you destroyed my hope. You took him away from me, and that is unforgivable."

 

~*~*~

 

Atton stood a bit further down the corridor, staring surprised at Kira. So she did love him. he thought, his eyes drifting to the durasteel floor. Would she ever fight for him one day, like she was fighting for Revan now? Did she care enough to?

Probably not... he thought despairingly. He had known since they had first met on Peragus that he had nothing to offer a woman such as her. Revan on the other hand...hell, he was the saviour of the galaxy! How could he even hope to measure up to that?

[3yks]

"You have no idea what I think, or what I feel, or anything about me. You are upset because the man you loved is dead." Grey eyes flared with anger, staring at Kira. ["Well I was upset when Revan killed the man I love, so if revenge is what you want, come and find me. I took out the man who was supposedly the best fighter your people had to offer, and now you think you can take me? Well, then Atton can continue to wonder how much you really love him."

 

He frowned darkly. "I will see you at Yavin IV." And with that he was gone.