CC: Refuge

[Medivh]

9 months ago ...
Empress Teta

Knowing where they were going was one thing - figuring out how to get in was another.  The palace in the center of the city was heavily guarded, security amplified by some of the most sophisticated technology available.  In addition to guards, there were automatic weapons, pressure sensors on the walls, electrical currents running through the ground beneath the walls.  Even with the force on their side, Nevylinn and Mara would need to be not only invisible, but intangible to get into the palace unnoticed.

Even getting the security plans had been a feat unto itself.  But at the very least, it allowed them to work together rather than dwell on their ongoing philosophical disagreements.

"The palace walls are not just high - they extend a good twenty meters into the air.  But they also extend twenty meters below ground."
"plus, we know there is mining activity going on.  THey may have reinforced even deeper to protect whatever the project is."
"They would need to ensure they were able to maintain structural integrity.  The palace can't stand on nothing.  Which means, in all likelihood, their dig would look something like this"

Mara pulled out a holographic drawing, showing the palace at the top, surrounded by its formidable walls.  A relatively narrow shaft extended from the center of the palace, akin to a turbolift, and extending deep, deep, deep below, well past any utility or drainage systems, deep into the ground, until the palace was out of sight, the entering a wider, domed shaped room.

"This was extrapolated from our current intelligence on the facility.  My guess is the only way to get to the dig site is from that shaft.  There's no secret way around it."
"my guess is that shaft is just as heavily guarded and protected as the rest of the palace security.  We go anywhere near it, they will know"
"Then it looks like the only way to get in is to be invited.  We need to be hired to work in the mine project"

Nevylinn's face creased with worry.
"Once we are in, how will we get out?  One way in, one way out.  They won't be happy with new employees leaving"
"We'll have to deal with that once we are inside.  Besides, even if the miners aren't allowed out, whoever is using the chamber needs to be able to come and go as they please.  They must have another way"

The decision was settled.  Mara took the lead in fabricating identities for both of them.  Female miners were not unheard of, but they weren't that common, and the last thing they wanted was to draw attention to themselves.
Mara managed to hack into the mining guild's registry and establish new identities, along with a history of mining qualifications.  She decided they would look more appealing as technicians, who dealt with repairing machinery, than the miners who actually worked with them.

New IDs were created and confirmed.  This of course was a speciality of Mara's - inherent in her original programming was the ability to create and slip into a new identification. 

Now introducing Isabelle Staria and Sara Pane, credentialed mechanics and members of the galactic mining guild.

When they approached the recruitment center, the recruiter glanced back and forth between them.  They had transformed their looks entirely, right down to the soot and grease stains on their clothes and cheeks.
The recruiter grilled them with questions about the mechanical instruments and other terminology.  Mara answered fluidly, pulling on her own personal skillset, and linking to the global network for the rest of the information.  When it was Nevylinn's turn, Mara subtly offered her the needed answers telepathically.  FInally, the recruiter stamped their forms, handing them back.

"Be at the western palace gate tomorrow morning, 0600.  You'll be let inside the perimeter.  Don't be late. Don't bring any tools, or weapons."

The next morning, bright and early, they were at the gate, waiting patiently to be let in, them along with a half dozen men. Mara and Nevylinn ignored their catcalls as they they waited for the gates to open, and when they were, a dozen guards appeared.

"This way"

In they went, passing layer after layer of security.  Mara tensed when they ran a detector across her.  She lifted her leg, showing a long scar down the side "I had a transplant a few years ago"
The guard looked at the leg, the results, then waived her by.  Both were patted down and confirmed to be weapon free.

As they suspected, they were led to the center of the palace, in the deep basement level, where a turbolift awaited, ready to take them down.

Just as the turbolift doors closed and they began their descent, Mara was reminded of the old stories about travelers going down into hell.

Despair all ye who enter here

Mara couldn't help thinking this felt just a little bit too much like that, as they descended into the darkness.

TBC

[Medivh]

7 months ago ...
Empress Teta

The mines beneath the palace of Empress Teta were  a complex maze of passageways, going every which way.  Some passages  slanted up or down, leading to lower levels, others twisted and turned off to the sides.

The turbolift from the palace appeared to be the only one in place, and since their arrival, neither Mara nor Nevylinn had uncovered any other entrance/exit.  That turbolift, as they expected, landed them deep below the surface, in a large domed room that served as the central staging area.  From here, much like a port station, there were tunnel entrances leading in every direction.  Mara and Nevylinn had been assigned to head down one due south.  The path had started straight enough but quickly spiraled further down. Hand rails had been hammered into the rock - no turbolift assistance.  They quickly learned that all equipment, big and small was transported through the same turbolift they arrived in, with the larger pieces being assembled only once in place.

After a series of tunnels, they were assigned to bunks - an alcove in the rocks with tarps and cots and minimal lighting.

Then to the work site itself, ever further, ever deeper.  Harsh lamps contrasting with the darkness that comes with no natural light.

Their first assignments had been fairly conventional - Empress Teta was known for its carbonite mines, and they were mining the liquified gas out of the rock, though they quickly found they were mining a far denser carbonite than was commonly used. It added to the hazards, and other miners found that parts of their bodies suffered from strange frost-bite symptoms, despite the stiffling environment they were in.

Mara and Nevylinn were both frustrated with their lack of progress, both agreeing time was passing with no results.  They spent their off-time thinking about their exit plan and more and more, they were considering leaving without accomplishing their goals.  They were dirty, tired, and beaten.  But about a month after their arrival, they were reassigned to a new task, taking them yes, still deeper, to a part of the mines they had not yet seen.

Here, the heat was unbearable, pockets of gas from the planet's core bursting from geysers.  But that was not what interested them.  Amidst the formidable rock formations were artificial structures - massive columns, originally built millenia ago.  There were actual buildings discerned through the rock.

The overseers explained that these buildings had once been used for some type of religious gathering, but a freak incident long ago had caused the buildings to fill with carbonite that then solidified inexplicably, leaving buildings that were essentially blocks of rock.  The miners were tasked with freeing the carbonite and discovering what was inside the structures.  This was it, the secret project.  A quick scan of the entrance to the largest building showed runes that both Nevylinn and Mara had seen before - runes that matched very much with those on a certain wall back on Naboo ...

When they entered the building, they saw that the main chamber had already been cleared out, save for a few corners.

They could already feel it here, the pulsing strength of the dark side.  They knew this was it - that whatever it was they were looking for, they would find it here.

"Carbonite is naturally a gas -sometimes a liquid - what could cause it to fill a room and remain a solid indefinitely?"
"Whatever it was, it was intentional.  Somebody tried to bury this building.  Let's hope they don't try again while we are here."

TBC

[Medivh]

Corporate Sector

D'ian: Surface: Gellar Estate


with a flash of smoke, D'Cera found herself in the center of the jedi council chamber.

"Darth Immortus has tried kidnapping the children, not once, but five times now.  Each time, he has been fought back, but by numbers alone.  His use of the dark side appears strong enough to overcome most of our younger jedi - and guarding these children cannot be the priority of the masters."

"Then what are we to do?  The prophesy- if the children fall into his hands, it speaks of disaster..."

It was Master Yoda who called the discussion to an end "So certain, are you?  Rehear the prophesy, we must. In it, the answer lies. Only together are the children a danger, so separate them we must"

"To where?"

The image of the jedi council swished away, and in its stead, a different room in the jedi temple, with a hovering galaxy all around.  Five jedi masters stood looking it over.

"There is a family on Thyferra interested in taking one of the girls.  We will send Melanie there"
"Kimber can be sent to an adoptive family on Corellia"
"Valerie should be taken to the Corporate Sector. There is a family there looking for a girl they can use for leverage"
"Should we be subjecting an infant to that?"
"There is no reason to believe she will be cared for any less than the other children.  The family that wants her is well to do, and have failed to have a child. This will improve the standing of them and her. And it will further separate the children, which is my bigger concern at the moment."
"What about Darryl junior?"
"He is going to be the key.  A number of records have shown that Persephone Winton was pregnant and successfully gave birth.  Despite our efforts, those records remain existent.  Darryl will be sent to an orphanage on Coruscant. He will keep his name, but we will take steps to make sure he is safe there, and that no one finds out he's there.  With luck, he'll disappear into the crowds, and then when he's an adult, he can worry about making  a family of his own."

The other jedi nodded.
"Very well then. Coruscant, Corellia, Thyferra, and Etti IV.  The children will be scattered.  What of the prophesy?"

"The council wants the prophesy itself to be as remote as the children.  We are therefore transferring all knowledge of this prophesy to a jedi prophet, and otherwise erasing it from the archives. No one should ever learn about the children, their descendants, and the risks associating with them"

"Where are we sending the prophet?"
"An outer-rim world, Naboo.  Jedi Olindae will go there to try and mediate between the Naboo and the Gunguns that live there.  Once there, she will stay there, indefinitely"

The image of the room began to fade again, D'Cera watching as it grayed out as if behind a thickening fog.  But instead of disappearing entirely, she found herself alone now, among the constellations, five systems glowing brighter than the rest.

"Now you know the origins - On Thyferra, Melanie Winton married a doctor named Masterton.  Their great great grandchildren included Henrick Masterton, and Celeste Masterton - cousins, without knowing it.
On Corellia, Kimber Winton married a corellian security officer named Patten, and their descendants included Kyrie Patten.
On Etti IV, Valerie Winton, at the age of 16 was noticed at a debutant ball - much like the one you are participating in soon - by a strapping Gellar, heir to a huge fortune and legacy. Their descendants included Rutherford Gellar.
Darryl Winton, sent to an orphanage on Coruscant, turned out to be the most charismatic of the four. He made many friends at that orphanage, individuals who helped him once he was an adult, and helped found the Winton fortune, which would come in to play generations later.  He married for status, as did his children, and his children's children.  By the time his descendant, Alexander Winton was born, the family was well renown, respected, and envied.

Another descendant, though unknown to most, was the Trade Federation Viceroy, Medivh Guldon.  He was the first recorded combination of two of the four.  His mother was a Winton daughter who ran away from home, his father a poor mechanic.  Their match was destined to result in a disaster, a poor, homeless child.  But Medivh had a drive unexpected, a power unrealized, and rose through the ranks quickly, finally taking control - and seeking his own destiny.  The jedi should have known, should have seen the warning signs, but the jedi are foolish, blind.

Which is why it is the fifth of the exiles that is perhaps the most interesting.  Jedi Knight Neade Olindae was poor as a fighter, but was known as a jedi consular, serving as an archivist in the jedi temple - and as a seer.  The jedi council placed a heavy burden on her with this prophesy.  By funneling it into her thoughts, the words of this prophesy haunted Jedi Olindae for years.  Even on Naboo, away from the temple on Coruscant, she still could see it.  And so after completing her mediation tasks, she was left feeling isolated, abandoned by the jedi order.  She became angry, and did everything she could to forget the prophesy.  But the more she tried, the more it would dominate her thoughts.  Olindae would black out for hours at a time, and find that she had formed words of the prophesy - not always in the same order - and carved them into stone or wood, or steel, in hyroglyphs, and other languages.  The only place she found solace, was by breaking her sacred vows, in the arms of a Nubian aristrocrat, Lord Allec Greyson. Together, they had one child, extremely strong in the force, but Olindae spent her entire life suppressing the child's abilities.  The prophesy, and all the words of nonsense associated with it, were locked away in the Greyson line, until generations later, A Greyson wed into the family Winton, triggering those old words again."

The stars around her faded into blackness, and the dim light of the hollow tree returned.

"Now Darth D'Cera, you understand - the family had been dispersed, into four corners of the galaxy.  When brought together, they ignite power.  You are the product of one of the four, and the prophesy keeper.  You and your sisters before you.  The Greyson line was small, and there are no children left of them.  The prophesies of Persephone are therefore now only available to you.  The ultimate reach of the power of the four - is only there for you."

D'Cera nodded her head, smiling at the thought that she really did have a leg up on Gemma and the others.

"But how do you know all this?"

"Lady D'Cera, is it not clear?  I am Darth Immortus - I am the jedi Imri who created the legacy gene. I spent my life seeking out the children.  I found the prophesy keeper on Naboo, and in her weakened state, was able to convince her to seek out the comfort of Lord Greyson, guaranteeing the prophesy would not die.  And now I have succeeded.  All you need to do is combine the genes together, and make yourself immortal, a goddess among the insects that fill this galaxy."

5 months ago ...
Empress Teta

Mara and Nevylinn both tired of the grueling mining they did as cover for their real task - uncovering the secrets that lay hidden here, secrets that may answer the next phase of their quest.  More like a treasure hunt, one clue leading to the next to the next.  How long had they been away from the galaxy at large?

No longer could they play along.  Nevylinn tapped into the force and quickly ascertained that the source of the dark side energy came from a chamber due south of the entrance, slanting downward, and twisting to where it was blocked, sealed by the frozen carbonite.  Mara convinced the foreman to let the two of them work alone in that area.  Apparently, it wasn't that difficult - everyone else who worked there felt as if this corridor was haunted.  Several had gone mad.  The foreman let them work alone, wondering why they wanted to, but not caring enough to ask.

Here, they could feel the dark side pressing down on them as they looked at the carbonite sealing the chamber.

"Who wanted to seal this chamber?"
Nevylinn looked to Mara
"What do you mean?"

"We assume Adubell and her allies are behind the effort to dig out this chamber.  But we don't know who sealed it in the first place.  Or why?"

"Maybe the jedi ..."
Mara shook her head
"Even in their scattered, weakened state, the jedi would have recorded this in their efforts on Empress Teta, long ago.  You would have known about it.  And if not you, one of the other jedi.  No, this was something outside the purview of the jedi"

The solid carbonite was virtually impenetrable, but the miners learned that by warming the carbonite, even though it - unnaturally - remained solid, it was softer, easier to break.  Mara and Nevylinn set to work, each day bringing down a bit of rock until finally, one day, they successfully burst through into the chamber.

The solid carbonite that blocked the entrance was about five meters thick, no easy feat.  As they broke through the last centimeters, all of a sudden, liquid carbonite burst out.  Apparently, the inner area, though filled with carbonite, had not solidified as much as the outer chamber.

Mara and Nevylinn stood aside as the liquid pored out the hole they had mined, watching as it disappeared, seeping into the ground fissures around them.  Glancing behind them to ensure they were not being watched, they then finished opening the hole to enter the room.

Flashing a light through the chamber, the first, most obvious thing they could see was residual gas/liquid carbonite, forming a fog in the room.  Nevylinn lifted her arm, channeling the force and pushing the remnants to the side as Mara stepped in further.  Gaseous carbonite was a useful product, but hazardous to breathe in.

Flashlights activated, they found yet another corridor, this one leading to a wide open domed room.  There in the center of the room, stood a statue.  A young woman, carved in stone - but not just any stone.  The statue female was split vertically down the middle.  One side was carved out of a black, onyx like stone; the other side was carved in white opal.  The woman's hand was outstretched toward the ceiling, the split in color extending up to her hand.
The woman's statue stood on a rectangular base; near her feet, four hands shot out of the base - two matching the light colored stone, two the dark.  The base stone itself was not two colors, but four: black stone, white stone, a dark coal gray color, and a brighter bluish gray.
The front of the base, facing the entrance had a name chiseled near the top: Persephone 
At the bottom, three words: Bound by Blood.

A closer look at the floor revealed a much longer poem, instantly recognizable:

"Bound by blood, their destiny
Offspring of young Persephone
Found has been a power old
Never 'fore the secret told
Discovered by a jedi shunned
The ripples now have just begunned
FOUR won't see their mother's face
Separated by stars and space
FOUR names will be their own to take
and separate paths they each will make
The eldest boy shall keep the name
And  ruthlessly will rule the game
Daughter one will heal and save
And guard the light as one so brave
Daughter two will lack in trust
be strong and fierce with power lust
Daughter three, idealist dear
Will grow from love yet also fear.
These FOUR will span the galaxy
Till brought again to destiny
When Empire will burn to ground
The FOUR will be their tightest bound
Two of light and two of dark
the contrasts forever stark
Amidst betrayal, lies and death
Their names whispered on every breath
And whence the FOUR all die in vain
This truth will hold yet again:
Master of darkness, rules beside
Daughter of darkness, his deadly bride
Eternity theirs, with one exception
A child born of light's conception
Yet in their blood, there lies a key
to break free of this destiny
And darkness will consume the light
Defeat the enemies of night
Body's weakness, mortality
Will vanish with brutality
The light can end in triumph too
By breaking up the darkest two
And blotting out the evil name
So only memory recalls the same
Until one wins, the dark or light
Repeat, repeat eternal fight
Will shape the course of galaxy
A FOURsome they will always be
Bound by blood, their destiny
Offspring of young Persephone"

The presence of the statue and the poem captured their attention for some time before they decided to further examine the walls.  Mara moved to the left of the statute to find another statue on the wall - or rather, a series of statues.  A further glance showed the walls were lined with figures.  None quite so dramatic as Persephone in the center, but all figures central to the prophesy.  Beneath each, their name carved out:

Empress Cysandria Keto
The Jedi Imri - Darth Immortus
Darryl Winton, the eldest son of Persephone
The Jedi Neade Olindae, who carried the prophesy to Naboo

Alexander Winton
Monica Greyson
Medivh Guldon
Dementat
Celeste Masterson
Rutherford Gellar

Mara looked up at the faces, mostly familiar to her, circling the wall with the feeling of a heavy weight on her, something catching in her throat.  On the back wall, behind the Persephone statue, the statues continued.

Blair Gellar
Valerie Gellar
Melanie Masterson
Kimber Patten
Alexia Winton
Karen Winton - Darth Kyja

Mara stopped in front of the statue of Karen, noting that the label included her sith name as well as her birth name.
If anyone had ever truly been Mara's friend, it had been Karen, the socialite, and seeing her face, even in stone after so many years brought back emotions Mara hadn't had in a long time.  
"I miss you, friend"
She back-tracked quietly, back to Kimber's smiling expression.
"I've done the best I could with him, Kimber.  Riley's grown up so fast, but I've tried hard to keep him safe"
Mara wasn't entirely sure that was true, wasn't even sure if Riley was safe now, and she brushed a hand over the stone face before moving back to stand between the statues of Valerie and Blair.
"I'm sorry I haven't done better"

"Mara, come look at this"

While Mara had gone left, Nevylinn had gone right and was now shining a light on the right side wall of the room.  Here, there were no statues, no images of individuals, but there were empty spaces where statues were meant to go.

And they were labeled.
Dane Gellar
Gemma Masterton
Riley Patten - The Fourth
Dahlia Winton - Darth D'Cera

"Darth D'Cera ... Dahlia has a sith name"

TBC

[Medivh]

5 months ago ...
Empress Teta

"We don't know ... " Mara started, but Nevylinn didn't let her finish.
"We don't know?  really?  After everything we've seen?  It's proof right in front of us!"
"Nevylinn, Dahlia was declared dead"
"Declared. You know who else was 'declared' dead?  Her father.  But Alexander, as it turned out, was not dead. He was running things behind the scenes.
You know who else has been declared dead, but wasn't?  PHAGE.  And for that matter, you."

Mara glared at Nevylinn but remained silent.  There was a tension there, palpable, and Nevylinn had been fighting with that harshness more and more often.

"Do the jedi not believe in redemption, Nevylinn?"
"It was Yoda who would say that once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny"
"As the story goes, Yoda was proven wrong.  Darth Vader was redeemed"
"Yes - and his redemption was inexplicably linked to his death.  He also let Palpatine torture and manipulate his own son and murder millions for years leading up to that.  So your proof isn't very convincing"
"Maybe - but Darth Vader still was the one who defeated the sith"
"by killing them.  THEM.  Both of them. Palpatine was one.  He was the other.  Once a sith, always a sith."

"it's true ...  the darkness is too strong.  That is why the sith always remain powerful"

Mara and Nevylinn turned abruptly at the new voice in the room, a dark-skinned monster they had both come to recognize.  It was a Voss Ra

"We thank you for your asssssistance"  The creature drew a bit closer, a slight hiss extending the 's' sound of his words "We have ssspent a great deal of time and effort trying to bring back the power of our shrine, here on Empresssss Teta.  It was the daughter's father who destroyed it - ssssealed it away to make sure none would come after him.  We thank you for that as well. for dessstroying the false one, Alexander Winton.  He was too foolish to realize that we prophesssied the new generation.  We ssssaw their names before they were even born.

Masterton
Geller
Patten
and her royal highnessss, Darth D'Cera, The heiress of the Winton legacy"

Mara and Nevylinn were watching the Voss-Ra warily, glancing around.  It was one creature. Either he wasn't really alone, or he thought his skills against them were greater than they should be against two force-users.

Mara, meanwhile, wanted him to keep talking.

"But Dahlia is dead"
"Is she really?"  The creature laughed. "Have you ever known a Winton - or a sith - to die sssso easily?  No, no.  Darth D'Cera lives.  She will certainly outlive you, and your ward"

"Riley ..."  Mara felt the anxiety grow.  She knew he was alive, but now, she worried for how long.

Nevylinn meanwhile began approaching the creature.
"I'm afraid we will need to be going now"
"I think not."

On cue, out of the shadows, a dozen other Voss Ra appeared.  And unlike the first one, they were armed - vibro blades and a few blaster rifles.

"I think this will be your tomb, jedi and the one not alive.  As for ussss, we have come to retrieve an important item for our queen ..."

The first creature raised his arm up to the statute of Persephone.  The statue began to rumble and shake, and suddenly, from Persephone's hand, an orb of light shone bright.  A crystaline object flew from the statue into the hand of the Voss Ra, who began to make his way toward the exit, even as the others closed in.

"Desstroy them"

"Mara, now!"

Mara closed her eyes, focusing on the force and reaching out to the nearest Voss Ra and its vibro-blade.  The blade flung from the creature's hand into Mara's and Mara opened her eyes, taking the blade ... and slicing into her arm, lengthwise.

She ignored the pain and the blood and yanked out to cylindrical objects.  Weapons had been forbidden for all coming in to the mines, but Mara and Nevylinn had early on decided being weaponless was not an option.  Mara tossed the blue-bladed lightsaber to Nevylinn as the Voss Ra opened fire, then ignited her unique weapon, it's yellow blade casting a ghoulish glow on the figures now attacking them.

"We need to find out what that crystal was!"
"We need to get out of here first!"

Blaster fire grew intense, as Mara and Nevylinn shifted positions, circling around the statue in the center for some cover before using their blades to parry-back against the onslaught.  THe number of Voss Ra that had appeared seemed to be growing, but the creature with the crystal had vanished.

Mara lept up through the air, over the enemies and toward the entrance, circling around and cutting down several of the creatures, while Nevylinn pushed the air with her free hand, using the force to send the front-most enemies to the ground.

"There's too many of them!"
"It's time to go.  Nevylinn, come on"

Nevylinn looked around, seeing just how out-numbered they were then nodded, taking a quick leap, blocking a dozen blaster bolts, and landing next to Mara.  The two now stood between the Voss Ra and the main entrance and with a few additional blocks, they turned and ran back up the passage to the outer corridor, hoping to catch the Voss Ra with the crystal before he escaped.

Just as they reached the entrance chamber of the shrine, they saw the Voss Ra, handing the crystal to another being - a shadowy creature in cloak.

"Stop right there!"
Nevylinn wasn't certain what shouting out would do, but she had to react.  Nevylinn and Mara ran across the chamber, stopping as the cloaked figure turned toward them.

"Sorry I can't stay ... sister"
Adubell laughed as she placed the crystal-like object inside her cloak.
"But I'm afraid I have an errand to attend to."

Mara and Nevylinn began running again, but Adubell lifted her arm, clenching her first, and bringing it down, the ceiling of the chamber crumbling and falling between them (and incidentally, crushing the Voss Ra that had handed the object to Adubell).
"Goodbye sister; Mara.  Always a pleasure."
As Adubell ran, the stones continued to fall, until the entrance was blocked.  Mara and Nevylinn tried cutting through the rocks with their sabers, but now, they heard the sounds of footsteps growing behind them, as the remaining Voss Ra caught up with them.

The two turned, their sabers lighting the darkness as they prepared to face a hoard of murderous, monstrous zealots.  All while the answer they were seeking was now in the hands of the enemy, getting further and further away.

"You know, I really, really don't like your sister"


TBC

[Medivh]

5 months ago ...
Empress Teta

The battle that ensued was heavy, a struggle fighting against creatures they could barely see in the dim lighting; the blue and yellow lightsabers effectively the only remaining light.

The Voss Ra were fierce fighters and not so easily defeated by the force users they now assaulted, especially in their greater numbers.

Mara and Nevylinn were hard pressed as the fight grew in earnest.

"We need to find a way out of here"
"That was the only exit"
"That we know of.  What if there is one in the shrine itself?"

It seemed ludicrous, the idea of getting around the horde of attackers to go right back where they came from, the shrine that was even deeper than the entrance chamber they were in now.  On the other hand, their options were diminishing by the second.

"I'll cover you"

This time, Mara took the rear, reaching out with the force and brushing her hand horizontally, knocking the Voss Ra attackers away from one side of the chamber, and giving Nevylinn the opportunity to hurry around.

As Nevylinn reached the passage entrance again, she somersaulted , reigniting her cyber and slashing down two Voss Ra that were standing in her way before putting out her own hand and bringing it out, and clenching her first.  One of the spears from a fallen foe lifted in the air, swirled horizontally, and then flung out, knocking a few more of the beings back, Mara now following behind. 

Down they ran, a path that too quickly became too familiar to them both, and they found themselves again standing in front of the shrine of Persephone.

"We don't have much time"
"What if we moved the statue itself?"

Nevylinn nodded her head, extinguishing her saber and closing her eyes.  Both hands reaching out toward the statue, as she reached it with the Force.

The air seemed to swirl with electricity, and Nevylinn began to shake.
"There's ... a lot of dark side energy in here.  A lot ... it was ... built into the shrine"

Nevylinn was sweating now, and yet the statue did not seem to move.
Mara glanced back at the entrance, then extinguished her own blade, reaching out.  She felt it too, the deep, dark power that swirled through the room, grabbing the statue as if holding it in place.

But Mara was no jedi, and her power was not in the same direct conflict that Nevylinn's was.  Mara focused not on the calmness of the room, but of the danger that was coming to them, to Riley.

She would never let them hurt him again.  Never. ever. ever.

With a grunt, Mara swung her arms around, and the statue of Persephone came hurtling  from its base, careening through the air toward the entrance.  Almost immediately, the air in the room began to swirl, as if a vacuum had been unplugged.

Both Mara and Nevylinn opened their eyes and could see, where the statue had been, a hole, leading down beneath the chamber.

"And so we go deeper and deeper into this hellscape."
  With a last glance at the statue of Persephone, partially blocking the Voss Ra from coming, Nevylinn and Mara quickly jumped into the hole, not knowing where it would lead them.



TBC

[Medivh]

Empress Teta

They ran through the darkness for what seemed like forever, at first hearing the scrambling sounds of pursuit, but that slowly faded away.  Still, they did not relent.  They needed to reach safety.
They also needed to reach a place where the air was not so stale, foul, and hot.  The caves were hot enough as it was, and the deeper they went, the worse it got.  There was no question they were lost, and these caverns still pulsed with the dark side energy.

Still, at some point, even they had to let up, and they slowed, walking forward through the tunnel, lit only by their lightsabers.  It was then that Nevylinn turned to Mara.

"Mara ... the way you moved the statute"
"Yes?"
"That ... that was dark energy"

Mara let out a sigh
"It was.  You know this about me Nevylinn.  I don't consider myself to be a jedi.  Or a sith. I don't see things black and white"

Nevylinn was silent for a few minutes as they continued walking.

"Ever since I joined the jedi, I learned the dangers of the dark side. It's easy, quick, powerful, butit dominates you. It takes over.  There is no good use of dark side energy"

"What if you are wrong?"
"If I am wrong, then my whole life has been a lie. I have to believe there is a clear distinction between good and evil, or else I will be lost"
"Well, we are lost Nevylinn"
Nevylinn actually offered a thin smile at the offered humor.
"I try to follow my moral compass.  There is so much reason to hate in this world, so much reason to be angry.  But if we devolve into our lesser demons, than we are no better than those we fight.  We have to be able to say 'this is right, this is wrong' or else we are no better than they are."

It was Mara's turn to be silent before responding.
"I was created to be a murderer.  It was in my programming.  A spy, an infiltrator, an assassin.  PHAGE didn't even know that I had the ability to use the force.  I was just a servant.  Back then, loyalty to my master was the most important thing to me.  Loyalty is an honorable trait. Do you agree?"
Nevylinn nodded her head, "yes, loyality is ... admirable"

"But my loyalty was to a villain.  a creation who literally wanted to destroy the human population of entire worlds.  When I was finally able to break free of my programming ... it was then I realized that loyalty can be good or bad.  ANGER can be good or bad. I can be angry at the galaxy, for no good reason, fume and hate. But I can also be angry at injustice.  The power of the dark side.  It is more easily corrupted, I'll give you that. But using emotion to channel the force may be the key to beating the sith.  It's part of why I believe in redemption"

Nevylinn waived her blue saber ahead, slowing to a halt as the path split in several directions.

"I used to think as you did.  Growing up.  My sister and I - were were orphaned at a young age, raised by healers on Thyferra.  I barely remember my mother.  Adubell is the closest thing I have to family.  But ... as we grew up, we grew apart.  She rebelled against the healers. She wanted to do bad things.  I had hoped that when I became a jedi, I could reason with her, change her path.  You know the masters, they said we came from an illustrious heritage, that the force was a long legacy in our family.  I never knew what that meant, but I wanted to share that legacy with Adubell.  But she was too far gone.  Now she's one of our biggest threats.  I don't think she can be redeemed"

"maybe not ... but if we are going to beat her, we cannot limit ourselves to black and white.  We may need some gray"

"or some yellow"  Nevylinn smiled as she let her blue saber tap against Mara's yellow blade.

"that too. It's the one vulnerability we know she has.  She is a machine.  As long as she's a machine, this will work on her"

And with that, they turned down the path and continued their journey.

TBC

[Medivh]

Empress Teta

How long they had been running was hard to measure.  The days and weeks  in the mines had been scrambled enough as it was, and that was when they had a routine.  Now ...

Mara could run forever, or almost forever. Uninjured, her power supply lasted long enough that it was not a limitation.  Nevylinn was another story.  Even drawing on the force, she was tiring, growing weaker without food, water, or rest.

"I'm not sure how much longer I can go on, Mara.  We need to find a way out"
The tunnels had been endless, winding, splitting this way and that.  In truth, even if they turned back, they would be hard pressed to find their way back the way they came.

"I think it's time we use a different tactic"
Mara sat down, deactivating her lightsaber, and Nevylinn followed suit, leaving them in a thick, pitch blackness.  There was a silence that was deafening as well.  No one was in pursuit, nothing moved or stirred.  Mara could hear Nevylinn's shallow breathing, but that alone did not fill the silence.

Mara took a deep, artificial breath, drawing on the force to fill her, letting it wash over her, hoping it would help point her way.  It was strong here.  The very earth permeated with the power of the dark side, coursing through the tunnel like blood pumping through veins.  Nevylinn could not channel that energy, could not break through the cloud, her own, light-side energy focused internally on healing and strengthening.  But Mara was no jedi, and she let it in, let in the hot, fiery power of the darkside, knowing it was the key to the strength she needed.

FLASH
Visions had been a key part of Mara finding out she had the force inside her, but it had been long since she had one, and she was almost startled when it hit so forcefully.

There she was running ... not an unfamiliar theme, she thought dryly as she watched ... but it was no space station this time - the sun was shining hot on a grassy plane, and she was moving as fast as she could, her yellow-bladed lightsaber ignited in her hand as she moved.

Ahead, she saw a dark, gray figure standing, a red-bladed saber raised high. Over a fallen man, dressed in Corellian blue.
The gray figure turned, Adubell, smirking as Mara tried to close the distance.
"Infiltrator.  Only good at one thing. Only one job to do.  And you failed"
Adubell turned, swinging down her saber.
Mara screaming, "nooo" as she threw the yellow blade straight at her target, closer and closer until


FLASH

Another image of Adubell, this time, hovering in the air, blue electricity coursing through her as she laughed gleefully.
"I AM THE FOUR"

Then suddenly, the electricity stopped and she lifted her head, lowering to the ground. Peering forward into the emptiness.  It almost felt like she was looking directly at Mara.

"They are still alive"

A Voss Ra appeared by Adubell's feet.

"They are in the caves. You will not rest until they are dead - bring me their heads"

FLASH
Mara could see Empress Teta as if from orbit, the planet rotating on its axis, her vision then zooming in, flying over the city, the central palace ... but not stopping there, flying several kilometers southward, to what looked like the remains of a city destroyed in a volcanic eruption, the ground covered in now-cooled, black magma.  then to the foot of the dormant mountain where she saw what she was looking for - a large, circular doorway made of a silver metal, covered in sith inscriptions.  Her image zoomed forward, crashing through the door and she found herself making a long descent down into the underground tunnels, twisting and turning, , flying over a lake of molten lava before plunging through the caves, until she could see herself and Nevylinn sitting there.

FLASH
Mara's eyes opened, a soft purplish glow emanating from them, akin to a black-light.
"I know the way out.  And we have to move now"

Nevylinn opened her eyes, taking in another deep breath.  She had recovered some of her strength, though she still seemed exhausted.  With a tired nod, she rose.  Mara helped Nevylinn to her feet, then quickly began moving, with purpose forward.

"I think we are running out of time"

With a new sense of direction, Mara headed down the path, leading Nevylinn through a hundred twists and turns, the air growing even more stifling hot then it had been before.

Finally, a glow up ahead, flickering against the stone and Mara slowed.  Ahead, the cave opened into a massive chamber.  Beneath them, a hundred meters down, a lake of lava bubbled and slithered, casting noxious fumes into the air, casting yellow-red-orange light on the chamber walls and ceiling.  A single narrow stone bridge crossed the lake near the top where they stood.

Taking Nevylinn's hand, Mara led her across, steadying her balance when Nevylinn nearly fainted.
It was a slow, careful walk, but when they were about two-thirds across, Mara and Nevylinn were greeted with an unpleasant sight: where the cavern opened back into a cave, a group of Voss Ra was streaming out, armed with knives and blasters.

Mara let go of Nevylinn's hand, turning her body forward as she ignited her lightsaber.

"More behind us, Mara"
Nevylinn had reignited her blue blade as well, watching as the path they came from also now had enemies.

"how'd they know?"

"When I was meditating, I saw Adubell.  I think she sensed me, found us, and sent them after us"
"Great, just when I thought we would die of starvation, it turns out, we'll be shot down by gross monsters or disintegrated in a vat of lava"
"I always admire your optimism, Nevylinn"

Mara continued forward, blocking the shots from the front as Nevylinn, walking backward, blocking shots fired from the rear, keeping close together.

Suddenly though, the Voss Ra weren't aiming at them - but at the narrow rock bridge on which they stood, firing repeated shots and weakening the rock.

"Out of time again"
Mara shot ahead, trying to reach the edge of the rock surface.  She reached into her body, channeling the force and filling with it, thinking about all of the hurt Adubell and her followers would cause if she wasn't stopped.  Mara could feel the thrum of the darkside as it resonated around the chamber and into her, giving her strength.  Her free hand shot out and with a cry, the Voss Ra at the front were pushed back against the cave wall, away from the bridge.  Mara leapt in the air, flipping around as she landed safely, just as the bridge began to shake.

Nevylinn ran after, letting her saber block the strikes from the far side as she tried to clear the distance.  Then the bridge shook and Nevylinn stumbled, hitting the bridge hard, her saber leaving her hand, falling into the molten heat below.

"Get up Nevylinn, NOW"
Mara's voice had a powerful undertone to it, and when Nevylinn looked up, Mara was hovering in the air over the Voss Ra she had incapacitated, her eyes glowing brightly, her saber at the ready.

Nevylinn drew what strength she could, scrambling up and making her way across, as the bridge at the far end broke free of the cave, the entire rock beginning to sway and crumble.  With a desperate cry, Nevylinn ran, jumping just as the bridge beneath her gave way, hoping to reach the end, but realizing that she was short, hands flailing as she tried to grasp the cliffside as she fell down.

Just as she was certain her life was ended, Nevylinn found herself hovering in midair, then slowly rising until she was standing on the cliffside, Mara herself landing on her feet and making her way to the cave entrance.

Nevylinn glanced around, to see that all of the Voss Ra who had been here were now dead, slaughtered with saber marks across their necks.

"Mara"
"It's not the time, Nevylinn.  Adubell knows we are here"
"But Mara"
"WHAT?!?"
Mara's eyes were still glowing as she turned to Nevylinn. Nevylinn was taken aback by the image,the darkness coming from Mara, but she stood firm, despite her weakened state.

"This was not right"

The glow in Mara's eyes began to fade, and she looked exasperated, but before she could speak, Nevylinn's eyes went wide and she let out a gasp. A shot fired from the Voss Ra on the other side of the chasm had struck Nevylinn in her side, and a moment later, the jedi collapsed to the ground.

"No!"

Mara swung her arm wide, pushing the force hard to disable the distant combatants, then deactivated her lightsaber and lifted Nevylinn into her arms, before turning and running back into the darkness.

TBC

[Medivh]

Empress Teta

Running.

Always running.  It seemed like that was Mara's lot in life - to run.
She thought of how she ran from the Corellian Confederation
How she ran to protect Riley.
How she ran halfway across the galaxy, and back.
And forth
and back
And forth.

And that flash of prophesy she had seen in the caves?  Running again.

Even if she never tired, she grew weary of running.

As her fleet planted on the stone path, she glanced down in her arms as Nevylinn drifted in and out of consciousness.
Cant. Stop. Now.

The force had told her the path to their escape these hellish tunnels, but she still had to follow the route to get out.
OUT.
Spurred by frustration and urgency, she increased her speed, certainly faster than a human could endure for very long. As it was, Mara could only go so fast, and still be careful with Nevylinn.
Cant. Stop. Now.

When she finally reached the door, she half expected a battalion of the Voss Ra to be there to stop her, but apparently, they had fled, or she had already killed them back by the bridge.  Mara knew Nevylinn had objected - she had used the dark side of the force, let her anger take hold, allowing her the strength to quickly dispatch her enemies.
"You'd better live so I can prove I was right - again."
She only whispered the comment, but was also praying that at least the first part was true.  Mara wasn't just feeling rushed - she felt guilty.  Would Nevylinn have been injured if she had been more... careful?

There was the inside of the doorway, it's spherical shape gleaming and Mara could hear the whispers of the ancient sith power that lay in them.

"Hang on Nevylinn."
She had to stop now, placing Nevylinn down so she could try to push the door open.
No luck.
She kicked, punched, banged, pushed - nothing budged the door.
The sith spirits were laughing at her.
To have come so far only to be held back by a stupid door!

Mara looked to Nevylinn, lying there beside her.
No.  Mara knew what she had to do.  There was her intuition, her gut.
There was her anger.

Mara's eyes began to glow black again, focusing on her friend. Focusing on how THEY had hurt her.
How THEY kept hurting the ones she loved
How THEY kept destroying everything she had built and worked for
How selfish THEY were - the sith, the voss ra, Adubell.
Mara could feel the power welling up inside her.  If Mara could have saved her sister. Valerie. Kimber.
How could Adubell want to hurt Nevylinn so...
Mara's body shook as she reached out, her frustration a catalyst for the power coursing through her.
The door didn't burst open, though that would have certainly felt more satisfying.  It just RESPONDED to her, opening without a sound to reveal the first sunlight Mara or Nevylinn had seen in months.

Mara moved back to Nevylinn, lifting her up and carrying her through the doorway, where they found themselves alone on the mountain, far from the city they had entered through.

Mara was still angry and she reached down to touch Nevylinn's wound.  She felt that dark power coursing through her, but Nevylinn placed her hand over Mara's shaking her head weakly.

"The dark side can't heal, Mara ... it won't save me ... or you ...or Riley"
"I can't let you die"
Nevylinn opened her eyes a sliver.
"You have a power, Mara. A strength within you.  You can choose how to use that power. Don't let it make that choice for you"
Nevylinn's eyes closed, and Mara could feel her weight as she was losing consciousness.
"It's not your time, Nevylinn. It's not your time."

Mara fell to her knees, carefully placing Nevylinn's body down in front of her.  That black glow faded from her eyes, and she wished she could weap.

Instead, she closed her eyes.
"i'm no jedi ..."
She thought of the lessons she had learned. From Karen. From Nevylinn.  Jedi. Sith.
The jedi believed in serenity, connection; the sith in emotion and power.
Mara lacked a bit of both, but maybe ...

She thought of Riley.  Not of Riley in danger; Riley as a baby, as a boy.
The one time in her existence that she WASN'T running.  Ambassador to the Trade Federation, and Aunt.
Mara benefited from memory banks that could still see Riley at his most innocent, before the galaxy tried to tear into him.
And she smiled.
He was who she lived for.  He gave her purpose, strength.
Serenity and connection.

Mara tried tapping into that peaceful happiness as she reached down to touch Nevylinn again.
It wasn't the same, hot power coursing through her, but it was something, a soft, slow trickle of energy weaving through her and spreading into Nevylinn's wound.

"I've lost too many friends, Nevylinn ... I can't lose another one today.  Live, and I'll let you say 'I told you so'"

TBC

[Medivh]

Empress Teta

Nevylinn didn't die. Not yet at least.
Mara's efforts had, apparently, healed the wound, but Nevylinn still hadn't recovered, merely fading in and out of consciousness for minutes, then hours and later days.

Mara knew they couldn't stay on the mountainside - the Voss Ra would eventually catch up to them, and if that happened, Mara was certain Nevylinn would not survive the encounter.

So, even with Nevylinn still out of commission, Mara triggered the beacon on her ship, remotely powering it up and flying it to their location.

Whatever secrets still lay here on Empress Teta, they would have to wait for another time.  Now, it was time to leave; long since time to return home.

Home, of course, had a complicated meaning for Mara. It had been Corellia, at one time; or Chandaar, or the Wheel, or somewhere else in the galaxy.  But really, home for Mara was not a place.  It was a person. Riley.
How long had it been since she'd seen him last? She left him on Corellia... two years ago now?  Riley had been in the care of CorSec, training for a life of service in the footsteps of his father.  Now though, he was probably a man.

Mara thought back to her vision in the caves. A man in danger.  What Adubell and the Voss Ra wanted with Riley was still ambiguous; All Mara knew was it had something to do with 'the four', and the prophesy.  Was Riley destined to the same fate as Kimber?  For that matter, Mara wondered her own role in the prophesy.

Adubell knew something she didn't - there was some key to ending the cycle, the victor would be the one who knew it.  Maybe Adubell was trying to end the cycle with her on top; of course, Adubell wasn't one of 'the four' so how that made sense ...

When Mara's ship arrived, she was able to carry Nevylinn on board, placing her on a bed as she moved to the cockpit.  For all the danger they had faced, their exit from the planet was uneventful, and soon enough, they were in hyperspace again.

Mara spent the better part of the trip sitting beside Nevylinn, trying to use her own abilities to coax her back to health.

It was in those quiet moments that Mara realized her family was not just Riley.  Nevylinn too was a part of her family.  
Some people were family merely by blood - 'bound by blood' Mara heard herself recite the line from the prophesy.
But Mara did not have that.  Mara's family was as artificial as her, and yet, connected to her by something much deeper.

TBC

[Medivh]

((HAPPY STAR WARS DAY!!))

"Jedi and Sith wield the Ashla and Bogan. The light and the dark. I'm the one in the middle. The Bendu."―Bendu

Corellian Sector

Drall

Surface: Undisclosed

Gemma was limping, wincing with each sore step - but her wounds had finally, slowly, healed.  She was still undergoing bacta treatments, but they were shorter in duration, and she was now growing restless, sensing that the inevitable storm was drawing closer and ready to go out and face it.
She found herself walking down a stone corridor, reaching a wider chamber with a single figure sitting in the center.

Nevylinn.

The jedi had her eyes closed, sitting cross legged as she was breathing in and out slowly.  Gemma, with a frown began to turn, before Nevylinn spoke

"Don't go"

Gemma paused and turned back to face Nevylinn who was opening her eyes.

"how are you feeling?"

Gemma nodded her head
"Better - that fight was ... unexpected.  I can't believe that bitch betrayed us"

Nevylinn sighed
"You think I betrayed you too"

"You did.  You and Atrii and the entire Jedi order!  You kept your secrets and you left us for dead.  How is that not betrayal?"

Nevylinn shrugged as she stood, taking another slow breath as she rose.  Her own injuries had healed as well, but her recovery was slow.  And Gemma had a way of  ... well ...

"I was never really meant to be a 'master' of the jedi council.  At least, I never felt that way, that I deserved it.  When Melanie and I were training in the ways of the jedi, I always felt insignificant, insufficient.  I never had enough knowledge or skill.  I never blamed my teachers or the masters. I always blamed myself, my youth and inexperience.  The truth is, the only reason Master Atrii gave me the rank of master, made me a member of the council ... is because the rest of them were all murdered. I was promoted by default.  But I still feel that insufficiency.  I don't have that confidence that you have - that arrogance."

Gemma scoffed.  What was this, another lecture.  She was already rolling her eyes, getting ready to go when Nevylinn reach out an arm.

"You misunderstand me, Gemma.  I've clung to the jedi, the old traditions, not because they give me power.  I don't care about the power.  I cling to those beliefs because they give me comfort, solace.  They help me understand and live in a world that villifies those with our abilities.  I can't hate them, the way Adubell or Dahlia does.  Or the way you do.  It's not in my nature.  But that darkness that fills them, that risks swallowing the entire galaxy.  I feel that darkness radiating off of you.  And I've spent so much time trying to shield you from it.  To keep it from consuming you.  I've tried saving you from that darkness"

"I don't need saving, Nevylinn."

"That's what Mara keeps telling me.  That there is a place for that dark energy, even in good people.  I've struggled with that idea, Gemma. It goes against everything I've ever believed.  And yet ... if not for the dark side, Mara would not have been able to heal me.  She saved me with its power."

Gemma shook her head

"I don't understand what you are saying.  Are you admitting you were wrong?"

Nevylinn let out a thin smile.
"Oh come on, Gemma.  The jedi are never wrong, and we certainly don't admit it.  What I'm saying is that maybe Mara is right. Not about me - but about you.  Maybe cornering you into the category of jedi doesn't make sense.  Maybe you can use your power the way you see to be just, and I don't need to worry about it consuming you.  If you are careful."

Gemma was not amused by Nevylinn's words.  They were confusing and contradictory and everything wrong with the jedi order.
"Are you kicking me out of the jedi?"

"I'm saying there is more to the Force then the jedi and the sith.  I am a jedi; my sister is a sith.  But people like Mara, people like you.  Maybe there is a third option."

Mara reached into her robes and pulled out a datapad, handing it over to Nevylinn.  On the screen, the words "gray jedi" were illuminated, followed by a history of this side-sect (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Gray_Jedi#Gray_Jedi).

"We have a war coming, Gemma.  And you and I cannot afford to be on opposite sides.  We need to fight the darkness in our own way.  And my way doesn't need to be yours"

TBC