See The Light

[Marcus Telcontar]

See the Light

<font color=red>Simple Minds - See The Lights


Summer's gone winter's in your eyes
I can feel the thunder storms inside
I wake every morning and the cold winds cover me
All I've got's a ghost of what could be

If you can see the lights shine in front of me
If you can see the lights shout out where you'll be

I'm in a broken dream I stare out into space
You know I called you up cos nothing takes your place
I've got a heart of stone and it's sinking deep inside
I want to tell you love I'm too proud to cry

If you can see the lights shine in front of me
If you can see the lights shout out where you'll be
Summer's gone and I can't tell you lies
Oh forgive me love I'm too proud to cry

If you can see the lights shine in front of me
If you can see the lights shout out where you'll be
Summer's gone and I can't tell you lies
Forgive me love I'm too proud to cry

Too proud to cry

Too proud to cry

Too proud to cry</font>

--

The Light shines in the Darkness, but the Darkness has not understood it – John 1:5

--

It was good to be home again.

It wasn’t exactly his real home planet, half a galaxy away, but this was where he called home now. Years ago, this planet had been a den of evil, a place where the Sith had gathered, before they were expelled by one of their own and the planet almost inexplicably given over to a Jedi Master. That Master had not known what to do with it, so he had lived there. A while later, a great battle had erupted that had destroyed much in the area of the castle that stood on a plateau and much of the castle itself was rubble. There was still livable parts and much still he had not explored, which one day he would love to do. A Jedi Knight had died and in a way, so had a Jedi Master who went insane. But, in this place was also birthed a Jedi Warlord, a servant of The Light. And in the years intervening the incident of the battle, the foliage was returning. Some flowers were already growing in the remains of the garden, the fields were grassed and green. This place, un-named and almost uncharted, was basically deserted, except for the NRSF bases in orbit, a heavy armarda that protected the planet of healing and restoration. No one set foot on the surface except for those wishing rest from their burdens and to allow the Light Side of the Force, unusually powerful here, to begin it’s work.

As he picked up the last of his belongings from where they had been left from the craft that had just taken off, the Jedi Master Marcus Q’Dunn could already feel it’s effects working on him and Force knew, he needed it. He was walking only with some difficulty unaided, he usually resorted to crutches for the sake of his still mending bones. A cowardly ambush had resulted in a nearly fatal accident, one that he was now truly realizing was having life changing consequences. For one, he had met the old Jedi Knight from the Old Republic, Jost Olorin, who had performed some amazing healing in the Force so that Marcus even survived. Plus, he was a goldmine of information, which the Master had absorbed like a sponge during long fireside chats. Jost had taught Marcus some quite eye opening skills that had been thought lost and Marcus in turn had been a willing student. The hunting bow was a parting gift which the Jedi Master was beginning to treasure immensely.

Next, he and Arya were now seeing more eye to eye on where they stood with one another. She still didn’t like it if the truth be known, but she was becoming more accepting. Which was something. Marcus counted the smuggler as a good friend and would have disliked to lose that friendship. She was now on a paid mission to find out something for the Jedi, which she had been willing to do – for a fee of course, but still willing.

There was his own contact with the Force, cleaner and more powerful. Much he had gotten rid of and much he had gained to achieve a level of understanding of The Force that was becoming on level with Jedi Lore Masters of old. He now wore openly the sword Icefist, renamed Auniul ever since to his surprise he found out about a Jedi spell placed on it., while the lightsabre named Athona was on the other. He was now wearing a home spun grey cloak with a leaf clasp over his travel stained and old clothing. He looked far from a Jedi, more like a homeless wanderer or a Ranger from Wild Space. It suited him well, no longer in the uniform of the New Republic’s Special Forces. He had a freedom that he had not had in years.

But more important was Alaina Eldric, the golden haired young woman whom he had met at Jost’s hut. A woman who had Force sensitivity, untrained expect for some very, very basic lessons. She had come along with Marcus and Arya when they had finally left Whitetown, a place near the South Pole of Arcan IV a week ago, traveled with them as Marcus had reclaimed his sword, then came along quietly unti they had been dropped off here. It was a strange place for a Jedi to want to come to, but the fact was, Marcus deemed he needed to be in a place as calm and as beautiful as this so he could get to know his new learner.

The Old Republic had called ones like Alaina Padawans, young men and women who lived with Jedi Masters, learning their skills in the Force, being tutored and taught constantly and closely. Marcus never liked that term himself, he didn’t really like calling Alaina a learner. A student, yes. To teach a new person the Force was along and fdifficult task and one Marcus had never done. Oh, he had overseen powerful students, but they almost always were Sith turned Jedi. Never a brand new person, someone he would have to teach from scratch. The prospect filled him with concern.

What if he made mistakes? What did he really know about teaching a new Jedi student the ways of the Force? How would he answer questions? In some ways, he had been trying to avoid starting. He hadn’t spoken a lot to her, but now…. Now he would change that. He had deliberately given himself peace, quiet and calmness to concentrate fully on the task at hand. He knew beginnings were the most difficult part, begin well and she would be a strong Jedi. Begin badly, she would fall to the Dark Side.

For the next few weeks, Marcus Q’Dunn would simply begin to talk, to live with the young woman. To begin to really know where she was strong and where she was weak. To find out what she knew and what she did not. The least he could say was that it was going to be a few weeks like nothing he had ever known and possibly some of his most difficult. And to be honest Alaina could well be thinking the same he thought. Who knew what she was thinking, being away from home for the first time, away with a Jedi whom she hardly knew the name of.

“Yeah, interesting times all round” he said out loud, picking up the last items o f luggage and slinging them over his shoulder, before walking back slowly toward the front doors of the castle he and now his student called home.

--


OOC : Standard disclaimer. Open, but contact DT first before joining in by AIM or PM

[Alaina Edric]

A sense of awe filled Alaina as she surveyed her new home. Aside from the castle being a towering mark of mankinds achievement in architecture, the whole landscape of the planet was riddled with curious outcrops and interesting landforms. So the surface was specked with rocks much like Alainas mind was with questions.

She knew little about what she had let herself so willingly into. To become a Jedi - that's what it was all about, but exactly what training patterns Marcus would have in plan were a mystery. Not only this, but how long it would take; would she spend the rest of her days under his tutelage, or in mere months would he release her as a certified Jedi?

No doubt in due time all of her questions would be answered, or at least she hoped they would. Her mind was a mish mash of them, and concentrating and meditating on the Force would be impossible in such a fraught state.

"Most interesting," Alaina slipped a small satchel over her shoulder as she walked with Marcus towards the castles main doors.

"This castle is beautiful, I can't wait to get settled in here."

In truth, she missed Jost already, but she knew that in time this would pass.

"Has it always been yours? I bet it has some wonderful tale behind it's coming into existance!"

A childish excitement held her as she stared upwards into the spires and turrets all around the bastion. Much like Marcus, she wore plain clothes now - finery was not something a Jedi craved or needed, so the simple pale robes she donned suited her well. Her hair was untied as it always was, and hung over her shoulders lazily, being caught by the wind on occasion.

"I imagine Kings, Knights and Princes once lived inside," she stepped up to the large double doors and ran her free hand down the surface, her finger tips tracing the grain of the ancient wood.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Alaina joined him in picking up the past of the luggage and they together stepped towards the front double doors. She was firing out questions and almost what could be called prattling. Marcus didn’t mind. It was refreshing to have a fresh and curious mind around. And also quite clearly excited. She kept walking faster than Marcus could right now, then waiting for him as he limped. Much like an overgrown young girl and the analogy made him smile.

"This castle is beautiful, I can't wait to get settled in here. Has it always been yours? I bet it has some wonderful tale behind it's coming into existence! I imagine Kings, Knights and Princes once lived inside," she said, stepped up to the large double doors and ran her free hand down the surface, her finger tips tracing the grain of the ancient wood.

“Yes, a long time ago. But a disaster overcame this planet and they all died. This castle is all that remains truly standing of their works. 27 Kings and their Queens are said to have been here before a great Darkness came. They all died fighting it, but the Darkness itself was vanquished too. Their sacrifice still lingers in the air and the nature of the planet, for the Light Side is strong here. Now, that is all that remains of them, even the name of this planet is forgotten”

Beginning to walk down the long entrance corridor, Marcus continued.

“I don’t know how long it was before a Sith Lord by the name of Brahma came and took possession. But other followed him, including the Lady Mara Jade, whom was the leader of the Dark Ones for a time. They laid out their plans and purposes until there was an internal rebellion. Brahma cast the other Sith out, then he surrendered the planet to a Jedi Master named Turbogeek. For a few years he lived here, before the Lady Mara Jade, she became his student in the Light Side. I have to admit, I was perplexed when I heard of that and even more concerned. I even set the forces you saw as we came into orbit to watch them and him more especially”

He shook his head, his words lingering and echoing up and down the length of the darkened hall.

“I was right in the end. Jade died in a war that erupted that did the damage to this castle and also laid waste the gardens and forest. Turbogeek went insane. I was forced to kill him, but not before I found out many more disturbing things. Even before he went insane, he had wandered from the path of the Light Side and I have no doubt would have slipped into Darkness. I have been rectifying many mistakes since then.

I have also claimed this place for my own in his place. I have laboured to right some of the damage, and I do live here, I think for 2 years now. I find peace here and a calmness I know nowhere else like it. No one lives here, so I have been able to meditate on many things alone. In a time I needed to hide, it was my haven. The castle is far to large for me, but still…. It is my home now. And yours while you stay my student, longer if you wish to stay beyond that”

“How long will that be?”

“I don’t know Alaina, I don’t know. If you were to learn all there is in The Force, you would have lived many life cycles. I am a Jedi Master, yet Jost taught me much in the bare few weeks. I hope one day he may be able to travel here as well, for he has much more still I wish to hear and learn from him”

He stopped abruptly, Alaina almost bumping into him. “I will tell you this Alaina. You are my learner and that is not a commitment I take lightly. It will be many years to learn and even after you are ready to be a Jedi Knight, there is a bond between the Master and Learner that can not be broken and nor should it.”

[Alaina Edric]

The tales of the castle brought curiousity once more in Alaina - the many monarchs, the troubled Darth Turbogeek, Marcus' bravery through it all. It was all very fairytale like, though she knew it was much more serious than that. Still though, it reminded her very much of the fantasy stories she had heard as a child - the only difference was she now played a role in the unfolding tale.

"I understand the commitment I have made,"

Alaina spoke with a soft nod as they neared the end of the monsterous hallway. She had only just noticed the lack of decorum on its halls. The suits of armour and banners of war which probably once decked the walls had long since been stripped from the stone and wood - no doubt stolen or torn away in disrespect. Maybe Marcus just didn't approve of such trophies? Perhaps he thought it against his philosophies to claim trinkets as marks of your achievements.

"... and intend to hold it until you say otherwise," she said in a much lighter tone, smiling a little as she pushed one of the tall doors that led out of the hallway open.

She stood against the paneling to allow Marcus to pass through before turning to follow him in. This room, she imagined, was the central access point to many of the lower level rooms. It's ceiling was high, and walls littered with doors and entrances to corridors. As well as this, the backwall was home to an awesome staircase, which slopped both up to the left and right onto a third floor, as well as leading into the concourse of the second floor.

"Oh my ... I think it's going to take a while to get used to living in such a large place!"

It was certainly a large change from the tiny cottage in Whitetown. Alaina didn't doubted for a second that at some time a servant had haplessly wandered into the depths of the castle and found himself totally lost, never to return, stuck in the labyrinth of catacombs that the rooms resembled.

"Where am I to stay?"

She spoke, then added nervously, "Hopefully close to you - I think I'll be needing some help finding my way around for a little while."

[Marcus Telcontar]

“Oh yes, most definantly Alaina. Where I usually live when I am here is a small sub-complex of it’s own on the third floor, where there are many rooms and also a good kitchen and living area. I think the rooms which I use were the old Queen’s chambers and her servants quarters. I have there a datacard of what I have been able to explore so far”

“Do I get one of servants rooms?”

“No, you can have the Queen’s chambers if you want! Although I doubt you would like them. It is too big and too empty to be really pleasant. I have two rooms that look out over the forest and the cliffs, which are likely to be the smaller ones and even then, they are quite oversized”

“Where are they?”

“Third floor, down the end of a long corridor, which is in effect level 6. Each floor has two levels, which is why the floor appear to be so large in height, although in some areas the levels merge and do form one huge floor. There is on the second floor the grandest ballroom you will ever see that I use as a training area. You will like that …” The Jedi Master paused as he got to the foot of the staircase, before looking up at the many, many stairs that lead upwards “… Now how am I going to mange this with my leg as it is?”

“I can help…” Alaina began, then noticed Marcus placed down his luggage, took one step and with his good leg pushed off and Leapt . In a blur of motion, he scythed upwards, his cloak ripping as he flew upwards, one hand a second later touching the stone banister and in a neat flip, landed on his good leg on the balcony. He turned, looked over the edge where his luggage had been left, pointed and called on the Force to raise the bundles. A moment later, they were at his feet as well. Marcus once again leaned over the rail, wondering where Alaina was…

Wait up, She wouldn’t know how I did that! I’ve probably just surprised her quite greatly, taking off like some sort of bird….

There she was, he realised, still in the same spot, with a look of shock? Horror? Fear? on her face.

And therein is the problem I will have. I will have to keep remembering that things I take for granted and as a fact of life, she will be learning and seeing for the first time.

This, he concluded, was not going to be easy

[Alaina Edric]

She stared up the staircase at Marcus for a second in disbelief. How in the world had he done that? She'd never seen anything like it! It must have been some trick of the Force - if that's what it was, it was very impressive! Her shocked expression turned quickly into a smile as she laughed and picked up the last small amounts of luggage, starting off on jogging up the stairs.

"Wow! That was impressive! You're going to have to teach me that one!"

She bounded from step to step energetically before eventually reaching Marcus. In a sweeping glance she took in the room from the higher level - it was even more spectacular from above; especially the windows. The high topped panes of glass looked out onto the surrounding area like windows into Eden, showing landscapes of great beauty that held Alaina's attention and caused a growth in his smile.

She lapsed into a moment of thought, then spoke, "I don't think I'd like the Queen's chambers at all ... I've never been comfortable in large rooms."

A pause, "... for sleeping that is. Too much space, and no use for it. A nice small room is also more cosy and comfy too."

She giggled to herself. She could have lied and said she'd liked the Queen's chambers, they would have made for some entertainment - but of course living as a Queen was not what she needed to be doing. Humble, that's how things needed to be.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Even if training her might be difficult, it was hard not to get caught up in her delighted surprise and enthusiasm. He was grinning like a big kid too.

“Well come on then, at least it’s not too far”

He picked up the baggage once again and limped down the hall and a minute or two later, stopping in front of an ordinary looking wooden double door. There was a simple bio-lock that blinked and beeped as Marcus placed his fingertips on the sensor pad the lock had. The lock clicked and allowed the doors to be swung open into a dark room, where a few green and red dots of lights seemed to be floating in the air in the darkness.

“Lights!”

In response to the verbal command, the glow globes came to life, lighting the large room up in a soft silvery light – and revealing the floating lights were the control boards of a number of pieces of very high tech equipment – terminals, holo-corders, screens and others. It was like the command deck of a destroyer and indeed, that’s what it was – a command room, decked out in all the latest equipment. In one corner, there was a simple bed, in another a refrigeration unit. The walls (when they were exposed) were bare, except for a sliding panel that lead to a balcony outside, covered by a curtain that hung off a rail. An open door lead to a kitchen / dining area and there was another two doors that were closed, on the right, the other on the left. All in all, quite different to the ancient magnificence of the rest of the castle.

“Take the door on the left – the room in there is empty except for some furnishings, like a very nice bed. It has two doors, one that leads into the kitchen, another to a private refresher that has everything you would need. There’s a few windows too, which look out over the forests”. The Jedi himself placed his baggage onto the floor near his bed and began to take off his sword, to hang it up. “Dinner is in few hours and I want to get off my leg for a while…. Why don’t you explore? Have a look up and down the hallway, there’s enough rooms and such to have a look through. Just do not go past the ends of the hallway for now. If you wander off further, it will be difficult to find you again”. He sat down on his bed, looked back up at Alaina.

“Sound good to you?”

[Alaina Edric]

Alaina gave a nod and smile before peeking into her room. It looked very comfortable, for a start. The bed that held itself as the center piece was gigantic and looked as if it would swallow an unsuspecting sleeper up in its thick coverings. The view, too, was superb. Just as the windows in the entrance rooms had, the window here looked out onto a great panning expanse. Just looking at the landscape made Alaina feel tired!

"Just call when you need me,"

She slipped out back into the hallway. She almost started off on a sprint to get to the first room, but restrained herself and instead walking calmly. It would be better to take in and savour the sights slowly, the way true beauty should be beheld.

After walking down the corridor that her room was on for a little while, Alaina eventually found a room that she really felt drawn too. The door was much like the others on the particular hallway, except from one small detail. The handle was crafted from what appeared to be silver; it was a thin cylinder with an intricate design of veins and leaves draped around it.

The door eased open very slowly, yet smoothly. The first thing that she saw of the room was the floor - a very earthly shade of green, so soft under foot that treading on it left a momentary imprint. A seemingly natural glow illuminated the room in shades of pale blue and white. Murials painted, in what looked like watercolour, graced the walls in thin brush strokes, depicting majestic buds and intertwining vines. The flora stretched out and became three dimensional as it developed into wood sculpting and crept up onto the tresses of the roof.

Inbetween the snaking plant life small golden lanterns hung, swaying gently. Within them incense burned, perfuming the whole room with the gentle scent of the outdoors; a fragrant mixture of wild flowers.

Alaina inhaled deeply and took a few more steps into the room, allowing the door to ease closed behind her. Simply standing amidst the scenery in the room calmed her and left all thoughts of anything else slipping away into nothing. She knelt down, closed her eyes, and ran her hands slowly through the fibres of the carpet. With eyes closed, it felt as though she was touching grass.

It felt as though within this one room, the outdoors had been brought inside.

[Marcus Telcontar]

What a delight it was to have someone else in this huge and lonely place, Marcus thought. Much like it had been when he and Jina had been hiding here a year ago, the far younger little girl livening up the castle with her laughter and chatter. For such a silent and brooding youngster as Jina had been, it was like a spell had been cast to change her.

Come to think about it, Marcus had been changed then too. He had at first refused to take part in her games, before relenting reluctantly…. Until the point he and Jina had played a game of hide and seek that lasted a full day.

I wonder what she is doing now? He thought. Most likely living where he had left her, with his possessions and cat on the huge Super Cruiser Defender, in orbit of Arcan IV. When he was ready, he would call Morgan or Nathan West up and get her sent here. But not now, he would need all his attention for training of Alaina. He took his boots off, sighing when feeling the coolish air waft between his sweating toes. A towel was used to wipe them clear, before he grabbed the soft skin boots, turning them inside out with one motion. Unfortunately, he bought one too close to his nose.

“Aw phew!! What crawled in there and died?!?!”

He hastily pushed the boots under his bed. The Jedi made a mental note to hit those things with deodoriser before he wore them again, before bringing his feet up and then lying out on the bed. A sigh of relief sounded out as his head touched the pillow, eyes closing.

He was home again. Maybe much had changed, maybe he was here to physically heal himself, but for once in his life, his mind and spirit were right. He was genuinely at peace, with himself and the galaxy. A few deep breaths and he slipped into the healing trance, thoughts dissolving into nothingness as he dropped into unconscious….

… Almost exactly four hours later he reawoke, feeling refreshed and alert. While the leg and ribs were still taking longer to heal than he liked, they were now in far better shape, nearly ready for some real exercise. And the itching was lessened too. The Jedi stretched, before making a grab for his boots – remembering the deodoriser, which he called to has hand via The Force. Looking about, it was evident Alaina wasn’t about yet, so he decided to grab a quick shower. Minutes later, he was towelling his hair off, dressed in grey and dark clothes, glad to be out of the travelling garments. He was much better groomed now too, not nearly as well as he would do when he wore disguises and different faces, but at least he wasn’t looking like a homeless bum.

While he had been in the trance, darkness had crept over the land. Stars shone outside the kitchen window, before they fled with the lights turned on. Marcus moved over to the pantry and cooling units, wondering what had been left here. The statis box had a few perfectly kept blades of meat, there was some vegetables and cheeses.

“Steak…. Yeah I could really go one of those. Now what would Alaina eat…?’

He pondered as he kept looking about, taking a few saucepans and a frying pan (undented) plus a simmering pot. Clanking about, he began to set things out and then begin to prepare the meal. Half an hour later, with cooking smells filling the kitchen and the other connected rooms, he was getting close to finished when he heard the outer door open and footsteps.

“Hope your hungry” he called out to the unseen Alaina. “Make yourself ready, dinner is almost served”

[Alaina Edric]

It was amazing that she could sit so still for so long. Alaina didn't that she'd ever stayed in the same place for as long as she had remained in this room. The tranquility was something she had never felt before in her whole life, and she doubted she would ever feel it again, infact. The room itself had a bubble around it, that concealed it from the outside world, keeping out the troubles and chaos that life brought.

Serene, yet quite eerie at the same time.

Her body moved without command, hands trailing soft circles on the floor. With head bowed and eyes closed, it appeared she was entranced by the sensations that washed over her. But the peace would not last long. Marcus' voice resounded through rooms of the ancient castle clear as day, forcefully whipping Alaina out of her dream state.

"Coming..."

She mumbled to herself, then stood up slowly. She shook off some daze then put on a smile and walked to the door. She eased it open and stepped out into the hallway, setting it closed once more. Physically, she could feel that the some amount of stress that had once held her had slipped away. Quickly, she returned to Marcus. She could smell something delicious had been cooking, and she was famished.

[Marcus Telcontar]

"Ahhh, there you are" said Marcus, putting out the dishes and setting the food on the table "I was wondering where you had gotten to. Hope you liked what I've cooked up"

Seeing her eyes light up at what was set forth was the only answer needed. For next few minutes, the only sounds were that of eating and the clink of cutlery.

"Alaina, I was thinkking while I was preparing this, I wasn't sure exactly what type of Jedi you wanted to be. While there are plenty of things that all Jedi must have do, there are strengths that mark while a Jedi should be best at. There is the scholar Jedi, the study and advancement of knowledge in the Force. They are not fighters, but are teachers of lore, they are the ones who devote themselves to studying the Force and all it's facets. It's theoretical in nature, not practical"

"Then there is the normal Jedi. Peacekeeper, scholar, defender. This is what the Jedi are best known in form and in this is the tenants of the Jedi built on. They are nomads, goign form place to place where their skills can be best used"

"Of the specialised ones, the Healers are of great renown. Dedicated to healing all diseases and injuries, Jedi like this often will run healing covents, offering their power to all who need the Healer's hands. A rare gift, even if Jedi are accomplised healers to the main. The true Healers however are amazing and only death is probably beyond them to heal. Some Healers are rumoured to be able to reform limbs! I have not seen anything like that, but I believe it can be done. I owe my life to a Jedi Healer, Mirax. She was able to piece together my spine after a blaster shot hit me"

"And last, there are the rarest Jedi type, of while I have Mastered to a degree to the point where I am the third Warlord to arise from the Jedi ever. It is the Jedi Warrior. A disciple that requires control and an awareness of what the Dark Side is, as a Warrior is more susecptible to the Dark Side unless extreme control is learned. A Warrior is a Jedi whom believes attack is allowed and evil is to be attacked with all the means a Jedi is allowed. It is a dangerous life, because I am one whom puts myself in the path of evil and defies it directly. That always makes you a target and I have known some fine Jedi Warriors killed. Now, which way would you think your training should go?"

The was another option he didnt speak of, but he knew of. For want of a better word, a Jedi who could practice Arts. Not magic, but something different. Magic intself was evil as it disrupted the natural order and was abhorrent. He knew of The Arts and in some way knew Jost knew them too. A way of using.... ahhh who was he kidding. Jost had some sort of power even he was struggling to understand. No, the old man hadn't shown it, but Marcus knew he had it. And Alaina... he suspected she was capable too.

[Alaina Edric]

Alaina sat at the table, fork and knife still in hand, chewing on some food as she thought on Marcus' question. What type of Jedi did she want to be? In all honesty, she didn't realise that there was more than one - she thought they were all the wandering scholastic types. At first, this seemed the way to go, but what about healing? What of becoming a warrior Jedi?

Now that she did like the sound of. Marcus himself was an awesomely powerful Jedi, and he was of the Warrior Jedi variety. What better way to go with her training than in this path; she would have the best in the land tutoring her in their ways.

"I would like to become a Warrior Jedi, Marcus. I understand that there will be risks in undertaking the training, but I am willing to take these risks to achieve the end goal."

[Marcus Telcontar]

"I would like to become a Warrior Jedi, Marcus. I understand that there will be risks in undertaking the training, but I am willing to take these risks to achieve the end goal."

Marcus nodded. “So be it then”. He was still going to try and find out what this other potential power Alaina had however. He could sense it, he could feel something different that made him wonder just what exactly she would be capable of in a few years. “We’ll start tomorrow. Practice room that I pointed out earlier. Make sure you dress in something suitable, a lightweight jumpsuit is best. Soft soled shoes too, before breakfast. Okay?”

--

It was barely after dawn and Marcus had been up for over an hour already. Dressed in the cargo pants and tight black shirt he preferred when he was Hunter, with the sole difference of a set of what was more like slippers than shoes. He was at present warming up, limbering up. There were no weapons in sight, in fact the only thing that was in the room for now was a device that played music in the center of the floor. A noise drew his attention and he saw Alaina coming into the room.

“Good morning. Sleep well? I’ll guarantee you will tonight. What we are going to first is…. Learn to dance”

He would bet that was about the last thing she was expecting.

“The reason we start with this is that fighting is an art of timing. If you look closely, a true fighting Master is dancing to a beat, to a time. His or her moves are choreographed, you see how the balance and footwork is developed from a beat and a pulse”

“Dancing is also about energy flows. You direct your energy into a specific pace and your body follows, not the other way around. Your energy can be heading off in a totally different direction, but your body should follow and if you do it right, it will. It will flow, it will look like your not using any energy at all, it will look effortless. It will seem so slow, but it will be totally deceptive, because you will be moving fast. Your strikes will be more powerful with the right timing and energy directions, a punch by itself is nothing. A punch with your entire weight and power from all of your body will break steel. Footwork and timing is so important and this is what dancing will teach you. Understand?”

[Alaina Edric]

Alaina had arrived as instructed, bright and early in the morning wearing a loose two-piece jump suit. Her hair was pulled back into a tight braid revealing the distinguishing pointed-tip of her ears. She smiled warmly to Marcus, and listened as he explained exactly what the lesson would be today.

“Good morning. Sleep well? I’ll guarantee you will tonight. What we are going to first is… Learn to dance."

The corners of her lips tugged upwards further. She expected some sort of basic combat class this morning, and instead she was going to learn how to waltz? It sounded odd at first but then again Marcus knew best, and after he had put across fully why they would be dancing it seemed even more plausable.

"Yes,"

She cupped her hands together at her waist rising them into the air as she stretched them with a click. Then, mimicking her previous action, loosened up her legs a little, jumping up and down on the spot.

[Marcus Telcontar]

“Excellent. First thing we do will be the Waltz”. The Jedi Master gave Alaina a bemused look as she seemed ready to burst out into giggles, but he didn’t comment on that. Instead, he turned the music on and the sound of a classical string set began to come out of the player.

“First in all of this is finding the right beat or timing. Once you have that, the steps will seem to flow and it becomes less of a mental effort to remember what to do next. Now if you just watch me for a moment…



2 weeks later…



“No…. no. It’s left, slide close slide then right. Again!”

It was a hot day and the training room was stifling, even with an air circulator going. It was hot enough that Marcus was beginning to be decidedly warm. Alaina, from a cold place was wilting and probably not having a fun time at all. He picked up a towel while he watched Alaina complete the step, this time correctly, before tossing the towel at her. She accepted it gratefully. He walked over to where another cooling unit held some water, the grav plate tile he walked on outlined dimly in blue. A proximity device on his wrist was set to make each plate he was on increase their pull rate in accordance to his preference. The outlining was to warn his learner in the change of grav rates, so she did not inadvertedly step on a high grav section. While he felt more comfortable in high-g, it also had the added effect it slowed him down and made him only able to move, leap and step at the rate of a normal human. It took away one of his natural advantages, but more importantly put him on an equal footing with Alaina.

He took out a water bottle, without looking tossed it over his head for her to catch. Marcus took out a second, uncapping and drinking in a fair few mouthfuls. And reflecting. He had to admit, she was a able student but even so beginnings were difficult. Not just for her, but for him.. Unfortunantly, he was not a truly experienced teacher and in some ways he was making things up as he went along. That was not good. He wasn’t really patient. That wasn’t good either. In some ways, he was learning more about his own failings and also learning a lot himself. All in all, it was proving to be quite an experience. “It’s getting too hot. We’ll break and get into someplace cool. There’s a rock pool down at the bottom of the gorge that would be good to practice meditation at. How does that sound?”

[Alaina Edric]

After weeks of dancing, Alaina had become quite the Waltzer. Her footing had now risen to a level that looked nigh-on professional, though the pace and settings for the training tired her still. The heat that was generated in the room even after just an hours work caused her to feel faint, though she blocked this feeling and carried on.

A water bottle landed in her hand.

"It’s getting too hot. We’ll break and get into someplace cool. There’s a rock pool down at the bottom of the gorge that would be good to practice meditation at. How does that sound?"

Rock pool. A relieved sigh passed her lips at the thought of a ice cool reserve to dip into.

"That sounds excellent," she wheezed, the after affects of the training passing over her.

[Marcus Telcontar]

“Excellent. First things first – get changed into something else and bring something you can swim in. See you in five minutes at the side door”

She bowed slightly as he had taught her as a mark of acknowledging instruction, then left the room, decidedly in a hurry. Marcus had to grin a bit – even for him, born on a hell hole of a planet, a cool dip was sounding good. As well as a change out of his training jumpsuit, for he was sweating and frankly, he was getting on the nose. He also went out of the room, transversed the hallway and up the stairwell (Which he cheated on – he leaped up the three flights using The Force) to his room. A quick change and even faster shower had him refreshed and dressed in his old traveling clothing. Leaving his sword and saber behind, he picked up his bow and arrow quiver, thinking to hunt something for dinner on their way back. One of the many smallish grazers that were a lot like the rebbits of home would be perfect if he could get one, they were very, very good eating. But very fast and hard to shoot.

A moment later, he was down at the side door, where Alaina was already waiting.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville slowly awakened, her eyes bleary. She rubbed them a little, feeling a little bit of crust in the corners, where tears seemed to have leaked out onto her face. She lifted her head, and cried out as pain hammered into her skull, like a thousand deranged Gungans with bongo drums.

Lifting a shaky hand to her head, De'Ville forced her body up, and sat on the edge of...her bed? She was on her ship, the Infiltrator Revenge. It was not as highly modified as My Vengence had been, but her old ship had been destroyed on Vjun.

She was alone, her highly attuned senses told her that much. How...? Lilaena whimpered as she moved to her feet, drawing on the Force to keep from collapsing back into the bunk. The last thing she remembered was...

...Walls were crumbling still, and the lift shook mightily, threatening to buck her off. With a feral yell, Lilaena ignited her lightsaber and was about to cut her way out of the shaft when the building ...fell.

There was an incredible, creaky groan as the building collapsed on itself, raining firey debris inside its former walls. De'Ville threw up a Force shield, hastily constructed, but solid enough. She rode the building down, not daring to think about how far down she might end up.

And if her body would ever be found.

She drew heavily on anger at the Lady Vader, and fueled her shield with it as she tucked herself into a ball. A large chunk of duracrete seemed to fall slowly, like a feather towards her. She pushed it with the Force, directing it away from her almost helpless body.

Ten minutes later it was all over....

<a href=http://www.swforums.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12829>Vader</a> had been there...had tried to kill her. Tried. Did not succeed. Lilaena's thoughts were disjointed as she tested her limbs, rising to her feet, and taking an unsteady step.

But how had she gotten on her ship?

There was a vague memory, the demon Sith, Draclau...he had found her. She was saving her strength to extract herself, but he had saved her the trouble. She must have made it to her ship, and ...

...where am I going?! De'Ville moved slowly towards the cockpit of the Revenge, hands on the bulkheads for support. Her feet seemed to be dragging, but she gritted her teeth and continued on until she was able to collapse into the pilot seat.

Her apprentice was not with her. Why?

De'Ville shoved that question into the back of her mind, and brought her attention to the console in front of her. There were coordinates plugged into the nav computer, and she was obviously traveling through hyperspace. Her hands shook as they went over the console, trying to get a planet name...something!

The ETA indicator beeped, and she felt the pull of real space as the ship reverted out of hyperspace. A glittering planet lay before her, and she stared at it. Long range sensors pulled up two skyhooks in orbit, both chattering with NR code. She pulled on the yoke instinctively, then realised they hadn't seen her. Yet.

She pushed the pain in her body to the back of her mind, managing to gather her wits enough to squash it with the Force. Her yank on the yoke of the Infiltrator did wonders as the ship pulled up and over, sublights sending it spinning in a roughly downward loop. De'Ville straightened out, smashing her feet on the rudders, and killed the sublights, letting the ship sit dead in space.

Scanning, she saw a large sensor gap appear on the planet. The two skyhooks were not much in the way of defense. Why do I want to be here? It seemed urgent. But...where did she get the coordinates?

Lilaena's neck and back were badly wrenched from her fall inside the 'scraper, and she pulled up her shirt, seeing the black and purple bruises on her rib cage. Her breaths were shallow, and painful. De'Ville could see the light tracing of scars over her body from the explosion on Corellia..when the Palace of the Order had been destroyed, with her inside.

Dagger had saved her then, still just a knight in the Force, and his bacta tanks on board the Dominator had revived her. She had not stayed in long enough for full healing, and would always bear the spidery pink scars on her body. Her skin was once more lacerated with various wounds, but they were clotted and already scabbing up.

She sighed, and directed the Revenge into the sensor gap, heading for the planet's surface. Perhaps once planetside, she would begin to unravel this mystery.

[Alaina Edric]

She smiled as she spotted Marcus coming. Much like him she'd just pulled on some travelling clothes, nothing fancy; a body suit that wouldn't hinder her during their swim. Whilst looking over Marcus his bow caught her eye, and she canted her head to look at it more closely for a moment.

"Alright, I'm all ready,"

She said, looking back up to Marcus. Spinning on her heel, the learner looked out towards the horizon through the doorway. The planet was rich in scenery, and thus there was an abundance of places they could have been going.

[Marcus Telcontar]

It was a wonderous day for a walk. Marcus lead out, following a path that went through the forest that had been damaged in a spectacular fight that had ended the life of Jedi Knight Lady Mara Jade, sent Darth Turbogeek into madness – and has indirectly set the feet of Marcus onto his path to where he was today. There was so what if involved on that fateful day, two years ago that it really could only be the Force setting his path out. Many times he had come out here, to think and to reflect. Turbogeek’s death at his hands was the start of so much, that it was hard to contemplate. His footfalls were quiet, as was Alaina’s as they continued on – until a few minutes later they came to a clearing. Nearby was the cliff that they were going to be climbing down via a path Marcus had found once, but in this clearing there was scattered debris and there was hardly any plant life other than soft green grass – and roughly in the centre where there was a small memorial. A simple sapling was growing there, already showing signs of being strong and tall when it finished growing, hundreds of years in the future. The Master paused, then pointed to convey the wish they were to visit the memorial. In a few steps, they were there. On the stone, there was a simple inscription –

<center><font color=red>Here marks the spot
Where the Jedi Knight
Lady Mara Jade
Was cut down by
The Dark Lord Venom

Much loved mother to Jina
May she be
One with The Force</center></font>

And also on it was the insignia of the Greater Jedi Order, along with the names of the Jedi Council at the time. The Master paused and squatted down, touching the words with his hand.

“Apparently Jade was a Jedi of much promise. I knew her only as a Sith Lord, times before she found Light. Darth Turbogeek however, he knew her in other ways”

Alaina seemed puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“See the reference to the daughter? I don’t know when or how, but Jina is the daughter of Turbogeek, or so it seems. I believe Mara Jade tried to entrap Turbogeek, but instead fell herself. I do know that Turbogeek and Jade lived here for a time alone, so there is much I can suppose from that. I know from the reports of the battle here, Jade proclaimed her love for him. It was shortly after that, Turbogeek began a decent into insanity, I believed triggered by his emotional attachments. He is ash scattered on Yavin 4, not far from where I caught him”

“And so ended the most misguided and foolish thing I ever did” he added, very very quietly.

Alaina was quiet for a moment, before asking a question. “What happened to the daughter?”

“I became her guardian. We went on the run for a while, before Venom found us. Pretty long story, but Venom tried to get me to kill a whole string of beings and bring Jina to him. As you can imagine, a daughter of a Jedi Knight and Jedi Master, one orphaned was a hot commodity. Ran into Eileen Cross, discovered she was a particularly troublesome Imperial by the name of Fire Blade, she killed Venom and we went on the run for a while. That was about the time I began to drift back to the Jedi and…. Well here I am. Strange how the ways of The Force work. Very strange indeed”

Both of them stayed there without word for another minutes, before Marcus stood up. “Lets go”

They recommenced walking, until they got to the cliff. Until that point, it hadn’t been clear that there was a path downwards, but there was – a narrow and twisting path, leading down to the valley floor, about 150 meters below.

“Just watch your step, some places do get a bit steep. If you do begin to fall, grab hold of me, okay?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville peered at the viewscreen, a weather system along the equator shaking the Revenge. She gritted her teeth, and plunged through the clouds, glad that the inertial compensators gave her a smooth ride, at least. Sensors scanned ahead, and she steered towards a likely landing area.

Sensors showed a settlement, or perhaps just a large building, to the north. De'Ville flew through the cloud bank, and activated the replusors, settling the Infiltrator in an open meadow. She powered down the engines, checking the transmissions from the sky hooks high above in orbit.

Nothing seemed urgent, from what she could slice out of the code (which wasn't much...what with the old slicing program on the Infiltrator), so she figured they hadn't spotted her. Yet.

De'Ville pushed to her feet, locking down the onboard systems, and pulling her cloak towards her. She held it in her hand, the weight of the heavy wool actually straining her arm. She let it drop to the floor, and walked to the ramp, which was already extending.

Without bothering with trying to drape a camosheet over the ship, she headed into the brush, walking almost blindly, the ramp closing up behind her. De'Ville'd headache returned with a vengence, and her body protested, but she gave it no quarter, pushing to the limits of her endurance.

She never knew when to quit. And this time, she didn't know what she was heading for.

Lilaena stood stock still, and listened. Voices. She turned her head slightly, and saw a rock pool, complete with picturesque waterfall to her right. Her view was partially obscured by brush and trees, but she could hear voices....coming closer.

She did not move, but watched the blonde woman and the dark haired man enter her field of vision. They - they are familiar to me?

The man... her vision... With a rush, she recalled her waking dream from Coruscant, and her eyes fixed on the man.

The man from the dream. The man who she knew too well. WHo knew her too well.

And he was the Jedi who on more than on occasion had sworn he would destroy her. In her weakened state, she was no match for him. De'Ville stayed where she was, not daring to move for the moment, allowing her thoughts to gather together, so she could determine her next course of action.

[Marcus Telcontar]

The path down the cliff was fairly difficult, but Marcus himself was quite at home on it and sure footed. Occasionally, he would also lend a hand to Alaina, who clearly wasn’t used to paths like this. She did the occasional misstep on loose stones, but in the end, they both stood on floor of the valley – a cooler place than the cliff walk was, for it was now fully exposed to the unrelenting sun. And the canopy of trees was extensive here, an upper and lower level of vegetation that shaded the forest floor nicely. The path itself continued on, a touch narrow for the Jedi Master, whose shoulders kept on brushing the soft ferns that lined the path. Occasionally a small mammal could be seen or heard scuttling away as the two approached.

From the foot of the cliff, the pool was about ten minutes walk. Even with walking in the cool of the foliage, Marcus himself was sweating. Who knows how Alaina would be tracking…. Probably looking forward to the pool! The waters itself was about 12 meters wide and 30 long, a water fall at one end and a narrowing to a rapid spill over some rocks on the other. On each side was a great deal of foliage, and the pool itself was about 1 meter below the ground level. It was mostly waist height, although it did drop into a deep base under the water fall. It was to here that Marcus went, dropping his bow and pack, stripping off to a jumpsuit (modesty sake. Skinny dipping probably wasn’t advised with Alaina about!) that fit his body well.

“Just be a sec… I’m going to dive off the top of the waterfall first”

Even if he came from a planet where standing water was only in three great oceans, Marcus had a love of swimming. So different from the hell and dry sand of his birthplace. Bare hands and feet moved as he clambered up the rock face, next to the cascading water – he had done this before. It was true that hoe could have jumped the 5 meters, but that would have been cheating him out of the experience. You had to climb first. He knew the handholds and ledges well which meant he didn’t take long.

Up top, he took a few steps back… then launched himself off the edge. A twist in the air, a curl and he did a neat precision pin dive, his landing marked by a small splosh and bubbles. A few seconds later, Marcus was back on the surface, treading water and shaking wet hair from away from his eyes. A whoop, then he swam back to the place he climbed, to climb and a minute later, drop down with a tarzan yell and a mighty BANG![i] as this time he bombed. Twice more he repeated the climb and jump, before deciding to actually swim for a bit. Okay, so he was acting more like a kid, but who could blame him? This place had a freeing effect on all who came here, so connected and powerful in the Light Side. Much life there was on this planet, only peace and life and healing….

Being on this planet was such an experience for any lightsider. Here he felt connected to the Force like he never did anywhere else, liberated and free. His mind dipped into that wonderful pool of light, refreshing itself.

[i] I wish sometimes that I could just stay here and not know of the troubles of the universe. Here I could have everlasting peace and calm and forget about Callista or the evil of the Sith. I could have Helenias side….

His wife. How he missed her. Now he knew she lived, sometimes he wanted her to be by his side all the time. Except, he had his duty to the Jedi and to his Padawan. A quick dive under the surface broke that thought and he came back up, spitting clear spring water from his mouth. Pure, just like this planet. From nearby, there was a splash that signified Alaina was also swimming about. Marcus turned over and floated on his back, clearing his mind.

What could possibly go wrong in a place and time like this?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville watched the man dive into the water, and felt him reaching out to the Light side. She shuddered violently, feeling the taint of this planet seeping around her, as if it were trying to reach into her.

She pulled the Force into herself, feeding off her anger of the man in the pool, and then let it go with a gasp of pain. It was too hard... De'Ville grasped at the Force again, allowing it to build up. Her head pounded.

Lilaena turned her head again to look at the pool, and her vision swam. Where...

Where am I? She looked around, and then she reached out her hand towards the pool, even as her body gave up and fell backwards. De'Ville crumpled silently into the tall grasses, her body hidden where it lay.

Her outstretched hand grasped at the tips of the grasses, and then fell to the side, her fingers twitching a little. As she mercifully slipped into unconsciousness, the Dark side remained inside her, like a dark stain on the surface of the planet.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Another dive under the water and Marcus came up near the far bank from where Alaina was. Wading, the Master blinked as the sun shone of the ripples, making a dazzling effect that temporarily blinded him. Closing his eyes, he instead stretched out with The Force, feeling where he was as he swam very slowly. More he stretched out, feeling the plants, the trees, the animails, the Lilaena Deville..

WHAT??????

So startled, he took in a mouthfull of water. Spluttering and coughing, he got as fast as he could to a place where he could stand - spitting out water and hacking for air.

Deville?? What the frell? That had to be wrong!

As he regained his breath, Marcus focused to were he had felt the presence of the Dark Jedi. It was no mistake, she was hiding behind some bushes, out of sight...

How....? This is not possible, is it? How could she be here???

"ALAINA! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" he yelled. With the Force, he reached out and retrived the bow, notching an arrow as he ran out of the water. Know ing she mut know he was there, he smashed through the undergrouwth, hoping to take her with the speed of his rush and surprise with the weapon that was not what she would expect. The bow was bent as he broke through the last bushes, taking aim at the evil one....

And seeing the woman was in fact unconcious and very, very badly injuired.

I could finishh her off now.... be it over with...

But instead, the tension on the bow was gently released as he came forward, concern and compassion written on his bearded and wet face.

"ALAINA!! GET HERE NOW!!! WE HAVE SOMEONE HURT!"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena moaned a little, her head lolling to one side as the Jedi bent over her. She was not conscious of his presence, but was buried inside herself...fighting.

A detatched thought surfaced amidst the struggle with the power writhing inside her, but it was almost incoherent. Always...I fight.... so easy to just give up....

She slipped deeper into the void. De'Ville did not move on the grass, her hand still outstreched towards the pool. Her fingers twitched again, as if she was trying to do something, but nothing happened. Other than that, she appeared to be dead.

Inside, she didn't know if she was in a Force induced trance, or slipping into a coma. She only knew that giving up would be a sweet surrender, and she fell deeper...

...deeper...

...deepest...

[Marcus Telcontar]

The cliff walk had been the worst. The Jedi had slipped twice, the second time nearly dropping the Dark Jedi off the ledge as he slid to his knees. Only skill in The Force and superb reaction tile had saved them both from the plummet – for him a minor problem, for her in her comatose state, deadly. Still, he had managed, with some help from Alaina, to carry De’ville to the castle and then to a rudimentary medical area. It was now well and truly dark outside and Alaina had been sent to bed. Marcus himself sat in a dimly lit corner, observing the Dark One and thinking what to do. Her injuries had been seen to, a antibiotic solution was in her veins and bandages over the worst cuts. The skin had been wiped over with disinfectant as well, Marcus was now quite sure she would be quite okay when she awoke again – one staggering headache and a lot of aches and pains, a few days rest….

But that was no the problem he faced. It was one thing to give medical aid to a Dark Sider. It was another to simply let one go. One just did not do that. The problem was now weighting heavily on his mind, so much so he needed to speak to someone about it…

Xazor…

The Life Bond he and the Jedi Knight Xazor Leo Dawnstrider-Magus shared had proven it’s usefulness in the past. They both were linked at a level in the Force that was both profound and troubling. The young Knight could know his mind and he, hers They shared an agreement not to pry or eavesdrop on each other, possible even over the enormous distances of the Galaxy for them both. It was immeasurable light years between where Marcus was now and where Xazor was last known to be, on Arcan IV training her many students, but he could still ‘talk’ to her. A great measure of comfort it was to have someone you could rely on to reflect ideas and discuss happenings with. Xazor didn’t have the ability – yet – to make the connection over the distance, but Marcus could.

Xazor….

He felt her presence, so far away…. From the feel of it, she was doing a Force class, which he knew she was now apologizing to and making her way to somewhere a bit more private. The Master waited for the Jedi Knight, patient and ready when she responded about 30 seconds later.

Marcus! Is something wrong?

I have a situation here. Have you ever sensed my thoughts dwell on a Lilaena De’ville?

Yes…. Once before I was married. You encountered her at the Bar and Grill, correct?

That I did. Not the first time we have crossed paths and always has been…. Interesting to do so. She is here in the castle.

On your planet? How??

I don’t know she came here…. I found her unconscious and badly injured. She’ll live, I’ve given her medical care. What I do need help with is what to do with her. I can’t just let her go… and I can’t go and kill her either. I have long sensed that it is possible to turn her and I have always sought the right trigger.

I don’t know. Can you keep her locked up?

Right now she is restrained, but locking her up will only estrange her to the Jedi. I have no wish for that. And there’s something else… I will not mistreat a Padawan’s wife.

There was confusion and surprise that he could feel, muted by the vast distances this mind link was occurring. Only two beings, with minds fully attuned to each other could think of doing this – and even then it took the full power of a Jedi Master to achieve it.

But Marcus… she’s a Dark Jedi. Who could possibly…… oh. Oh my. I think I’m the wrong person to talk to. I’ll get Helenias.

I’ll be at a communicator in 1 hour. Be there too

The mind link dissolved as Marcus relaxed and allowed his mind to refocus on the here and now. Pierce Tondry was a learner with Master Yogurt and if anything, he should be involved.

Marcus sighed. And of course there was the matter of the baby. There was so much he could use as leverage, so many mind games he could play – he held all the cards and they were all skifters. The Jedi truly had De’ville caught.

But….

Even in a situation like this, there was always a but. Getting up, he used a tranquiliser shot to make sure she stayed under for another two hours. He had much to think about.

A hour later, the image of his wife, Helenias Q’Dunn came up on the communicator. Beautiful in her normal flowing green dress, hair tied back but loose and flowing atht e back, she was a blessing in his life. And quite pleasing to look at too.

“Marcus! Xazor tells me you have a visitor”


No real greeting – just pure business. There was no need for pleasantries between the husband and the wife, they were both direct and straightforward beings. “Yes. She was found hurt and alone. I have no idea as yet how or why she is here. Ideas?”

“I’ve been thinking ever since Xazor informed me. We have both talked as well. One thing we have both agreed on is that no one else should know for now, especially not Pierce. I would also say that you don’t tell her Jax is here”

Both of them talked and discussed, but at the end of 10 minutes, there was no real progress.

“… but that is forcing her Helenias. I would not do that and that is not the first step a Jedi should take”

“Maybe you can do something for free. Something selfless”

“Like let her recuperate and send her on her way? I have considered that, I feel it is not right”

“I was thinking of a problem she may not be aware of. She has a nanite infestation…”

“A … what?” asked Marcus “I have never heard of such a thing”

“Nanites – microscopic machines in her blood stream”

“What do they do?”

“Keep her under control I believe. I don’t know how”

The Jedi sat back, puzzling this new bit of information out. “Whatever way I choose to go, I’ll have to deal with that. Is there any way to remove them?”

Helenias smiled. “Ever since I found out about them, I have been thinking of that….”

--

20 minutes later, he was back alongside where the Dark Jedi lay. The restraints were off and she lay with a simple sheet covering her body. He had made his mind up what to do now – and the first step was to firstly deal with these micro-machines. Marcus already understood and knew how to manipulate matter right down to the molecule level… this would be something similar. A small bowl was near one of her hands as he sat down and picked up her other hand with his rough and calloused one. He closed his eyes, reached out with The Force… and began to focus on Deville’s arm.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville was sleeping peacefully, the drugs in her system overpowering her dangerous hold on the Force. Something was disturbing her. There was something probing deep within her body, violating her...she could feel the Jedi's touch on her arm. In her arm.

Her finger twitched, and then spasmed again.

She turned around, and saw Tondry standing in front of her, holding a child. Jax? He was close to a year old by now, and looking up at his father happily. Yet there was a shadow on his face, casting the child's features into darkness.

Tondry looked at her. Looked deep within her. And he turned away from her, taking her child with him.

She stared at his back, and then looked behind her to see a swirling vortex of power -

The finger twitched again, and De'Ville appeared about to fight her way out of the drug induced sleep.

[Marcus Telcontar]

“Oh no you don’t… your staying out” he muttered… and immediately cancelled the thought. He had a better idea. The Jedi stretched out his hand, eyes still closed and summoned a hypo to his hand. Still not looking, but deeply into the Force, he placed at the inside of her elbow, then depressed the trigger. A faint hiss could be heard as the antidote for the knockout drugs entered Lilaena’s blood stream. Maybe this was a stupid move to allow her to awaken, but it just felt….right. It would take some time for her to come awake, so he kept focus on what he was doing.

Finding one of these micro-machines.

It wasn’t that hard, everything was connected in the Force. It was a matter of being able to focus small enough. For someone who could focus down to atoms, a cell wasn’t too much a problem. He could see in his mind skin layers, the pores, the individual parts that made up the outer of a human. He allowed his focus to drift further in, finding a capillary wall. And further in to see a white cell float past. A bacterium was under attack by the body’s natural defenses, whilst a symbiont virus was ignored. Red blood cells rushed past, older platelets worn and ready to disintegrate, younger ones vibrant and energetic, all within the water flow…

What was that?

Something unnatural passed his focus. Something that was silently meged in with the body’s system – but with the Force he could feel just how wrongit was. Out of place. He tried to track it, but it escaped but in a few seconds it was replaced by another. This time he managed to keep it in view for long enough to get a good look.

Clever. Very clever. I wonder who thought these little things up?

Marcus reached out with a tendril of the Force halting the tiny device, holding it in place. What an abdomation of a real cell. Even while holing it in place, he stretched his mind out, looking for more of these things – his heart seemed ot fsll to his feet as he realized just how many there were. Millions. How had she gotten infected with so many? Maybe they replicated, like a virus? If that was the case, there could be none left behind.

Let me think…. Mainly in the blood stream. That means most would pass by one of the main arteries at some point. I cant let them escape outwards, so they have to be trapped

He kept one hand holding Lilaena’s, the other came up and with a small slap, a syringe came into his palm. With a quick motion, he leaned over and pierced her jugular with it’s sharp tip. A small moan of complaint came out of her lips.

“Shh. Quiet. Lie still. I’m not going to hurt you. If I wanted to, you would already be dead” he said quietly and gently. “Just relax and help me if your capable. Watch what I am doing”

At the point where the needle intruded into the vein, he laid out his focus. Imagined a net. Blood cells seemed to twist and turn around the net which was not intended for them. A nanite however stopped.. and moved into the direction of the needle tip, entered. Another. Then more as the net was widened. It was not a fast process and there were many missed, in fact it would take many hours. There were more nanites in cells that would have to be pushed into the blood stream and then strained out. There would be cell damage to be repaired afterwards – some infected cells would be destroyed, most would naturally reform. Keeping one part of his focus on the net, he envisioned a magnet of sorts. One attuned not to metal, but to these micro machines. A magnet of the Force, designed to move the nanites in one direction. It couldn’t be large, not with the size of the machines themselves, but large enough to attract dozens at a time, and place them into the blood system. Allow the net to remove them when they eventually passed. It all had to appear natural, so that he didn’t trigger something unexpected.

Long he stayed there, while the body of the syringe slowly filled with a black substance

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville's fury from her dream rose as she came back into consciousness, but slipped away almost instantly. Where am I? Something pricked her in the neck and she mumbled in protest.

“Shh. Quiet. Lie still. I’m not going to hurt you. If I wanted to, you would already be dead. Just relax, and help me if you're capable. Watch what I am doing”

De'Ville recognized the voice. She knew who it was holding onto her arm and probing into her body. Uninvited.

As he silently worked inside her, she drew on her feelings until she tingled with the Dark side. De'Ville focused inwards and took stock of her injuries....and found that she was well. He healed me? Why? Could it be for Tondry?

She felt a pang of something. Perhaps it was pain. [i]Pierce./i] She didn't even wear the ring anymore, but had it tucked away in a safe place on her ship. The ship she'd almost crashed into this planet. It had been so long since she'd seen him.

And Jax...the babe with the red birthmark on his shoulder. He had been four months old the last time she'd seen him, now he was ten months old and probably trying to stand up.

She trembled, and Marcus felt a shock running down her arm. He let go of her, seeing sparks at her fingertips. But just as quickly as they had appeared, De'Ville controlled the outburst and the sparks disappeared.

Eyes still closed, she traced the touch of the light side in her body and found what the Jedi had found. She had already worked on the nanites herself, but had not been successful in removing more than a few hundred. The smoke that she had inhaled from Prent's cigarra had riddled her bloodstream with over a million of the tiny poison-filled nanites.

Voice activated, with a trigger sentance, the nantites were programmed to flood her system with a highly potent nerve toxin. Within seconds she would be dead.

But whoever had ordered Prent to hit her, had not yet come forward to claim her death. Not yet.

De'Ville pulled on one of the nantites, identified through markers her own body had placed there, identifying something that didn't belong. She dragged on it, casting the Dark side around it, gripping it with the Force and forcing it up through the bloodstream.

A bead of sweat formed on her forehead.

[Marcus Telcontar]

How many hours he stayed bent over the dark Jedi, he didn't know. What he did know was that his back was aching by the time he finally, finally sensed the difference in Deville. The rightness. The syringe still in her neck was now nearly filled with a black-red fluid. a poison that he could see had been well concieved and if it was not for the Force, could not be removed or cured. He allowed his mind to relax and the 'net' and funnel began to drift into nothingness. The last nanite was now trapped in the syringe, which he reached over and pulled gently out of De'ville's neck. A drop of red blood came out of the wound, before a gauze and a anti septic wipe was applied.

"Don't try to move. You had a lot of injuries and your system needs a lot of time to recover. And don't worry, I'm not going to anything. If I wanted to do so, I would have already. Relax, your safe." Turnong away without wating for an answer, he called his sabre to his hand, from it's resting place. There wasn't an incincerator that was hot enough to safely dispose of this needle of death - so he lit his sabre and dropped the syringe point first into the beam. The super hot plasma vapourised the medical object without a trace - all in it destroyed right down to component molecules in an instant. The toxins, the nanites were gone for good. The blade shut down, replaced at the Jedi's side while he returned his attention to the Dark Jedi.

"You probably have some questions, which I'll answer. But for the obvious ones, your in Tirith, the Tower of Guard, a castle on the surface of a rather out of the way planet that I call Numenor. A reminder of my real home. Would you want something to eat or drink Lilaena?"

She would probably expect some sort of a trick, which Marcus guessed he couldnt blame her for thinking.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

ooc: not sure why this didn't continue...but here I am again!!/ic:

"I am starving." Lilaena felt like a trapped animal. "Why are you doing this?"

She struggled to sit up, feeling her strength returning after resting for so long. "Where is my ship?" De'Ville slumped against the pillows again, and cast about with her senses for her lightsaber. She could not sense it. Perhaps she had left it on the ship. "How did I get here? The last thing I remember is...flying..."

Her voice trailed off, and she looked confused.

[Marcus Telcontar]

"Food, I will arrange. Your ship I think is 5 km west and was one godawful surprise to us here.... we dont get visitors. Must be from the time that this place was inhabited by the Sith Empire. Thankfully their stain is gone... and Trilith grows as it once did, green and beautiful, strong in the Light Side of The Force. How you got here, I could not imagine as the system doesnt exist on most star charts. You must have lost your way"

He turned around, placing a few bits of medical equipment on the table, beore speaking again.

"And as for why.... I really dont know. It would be a Jedi knid of thing to do, but since when would that stop me from killing you and making sure no trace of you was ever found again? Maybe.... maybe I just know what it's like to be alone. 11 years. Maybe I dont want Pierce to have the same thing I did. Maybe. I dont know." Turning around to face Lilaena, he continued in the same soft a quiet voice... "But for now, lets forget hostilities or reasons - allow me to really introduce myself. Marcus Q'Dunn, from the planet Arda, Numenorian of the House of Elessar. This as I said is Castle Trilith and I welcome you to my home"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She just stared at him, eyes a little blank. "What?" He opened his mouth again, and she waved him back into silence, "Never mind." De'Ville slid her legs off the side of the medical bed she had been resting on, and looked for her boots.

"I am at a loss as to what to say." She hopped down a little unsteadily, and grabbed the edge of the bed, drawing on the Dark side to strengthen her muscles. It came readily to her, as if the planet was full of it. She put out her hand, drawing a boot to it with the Force, and then carefully put it on. "I can feel the Dark side here. It is strong here, no matter what you say."

She smiled, "Of course, the Dark side is always there, the shadow of the Light, I suppose. You cannot have one, without the other." De'Ville inhaled deeply, closing her eyes slightly, but keeping a close guard up in case her benefactor tried anything stupid.

[Marcus Telcontar]

For the Force, doesnt she let up?!?!

"I'm not here to have a debate Mrs Tondry and I have no interest in one. Is that clear?" There was more than a touch of annoyance in his voice, because he was being geniune. "Im not interested in the philisophical dribble of the Dark and the Light Side anymore... I've had a century of it.... dont you think I just want to .... I dont know, sit on the roof and just stare at the stars for a while? Light Side Dark Side, this is better, that is better, stronger or faster.... I dont bloody care!" He paused mid rant then sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I really dont want to argue or fight or have a debate. I'm tired Lilaena. I'm tired of the jerk-offs in their towers sprouting nonsense I dont believe in, I'm tired of Dark Siders running around thinking they are the Force's gift to the galaxy, I'm tired of Jedi sitting around campfires sprouting meaningless words and rules.... well anyway, if you want to know, your probably in the spot where the Dark Side hasn't been fully removed This used to be a torture cell I believe. I think right under your feet is the tomb of a TSE COuncil member who was killed. If you walked about 200 meters east, you would get a nasty headache if you tried to use the Dark Side.... in some ways this planet is the opposite of Byss. Well, be that as it may, your free to wander around the castle till dinnertime. Dont go too far tho, you still need to rest. The dining hall is two stairs cases up, third corridor, eigth door"

He grinned boyishly, which seemed to bring a light of youth and freshness to his features.

"Dont be surprised if it takes you a while to get there... Triltith is huge Quite a few times the size of Bast, but with a good deal better weather"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville was about to take her leave of this insane Jedi Master and find her ship, but the opportunity to explore the former headquarters of the Sith Empire was too great. He was spouting some nonsense about there being no Dark side on the planet, but he was wrong. He just refused to touch it.

The Force bound everything together, it was in all things.. in her, in him, in the stones of the wall, and the grass and animals outside of the building. The Force itself was neither bad nor good, it was only its users who twisted it for evil, or used it for good.

"Perhaps I will look around, but I will not linger long here. I do not even know why I came here. I have never heard of this planet before." She eyed him dangerously, "As to the size compared to Bast, it is only males who care about size, or did you not know that?" De'Ville located and laced up her other boot.

[Marcus Telcontar]

"Maybe I care if you get lost and starve to death in some passage down there!" he snapped back. "I've been here for years and I still have not mapped out every passage. Dinner is in one hour"

He turned neatly on one hell and walked out, closing the door behind him..... and as he walked away from thr fromer torture chamber, he could feel his headache begin to recede. What in the name of the Force had made Turbogeek set up a medical bay right there? Soon as De'ville was gone on a few days, he was going to move it.

Yeah, and that's just what I need... an ungrateful ***** stomping around in my halls for a few days. Well, whatever. I promised dinner, so I better go cook something up

It was no like it was some distance to the dining hall - a hall that could have sat 300 or more easily in the days when the castle held the seat of governemt on the planet. Those days were long gone, but the reminders were everywhere - paintings and tapestries, armour standing on pillars. Statues. It was a truly grand place of greaty age and beauty. Truly impressive it would have been in the height of it's magesty, but now, it was only a reminder. And there was only one Jedi whose home it was.

The dining room was on the third levl - each level was a good 10 meters tall, vast archways and in eack level, three possible floors in places. The dining hall was the full level in height, a huge expanse. As he opened the wooden double doors, he reflected on one of his favoured tapestries - the image of a King, riding into battle. Whom it was was long lost in time, but the image reached out to Marcus and struck a chord. It reminded him of.....

...no. Best not think of that. Best to go to the kitchen and prepare something eat.

--

An hour later, he turned the power off on the electric grill, satisfied the meat was cooked to perfection. Chops from Ukio, a side dish of vegetables, some pasta. Plenty to eat and smelt damn good too. A Carafe of wine as well. He came back into the dining hall, noted the sun was setting..... and as much as he was sure De'ville would be good company and he should play host, the desire to look out over the forests and fields of the surrounding area. There was a stairway that led upwards 50 odd meters to a turret.....

Yeah. Why not. Why eat inside when one of the most beautiful sights could be beheld outside? Thence, he grabbed a data pad, wrote Upstairs on it and placed it on the table. He took plates, cutlery, glasses and the food with him up the stairs, to end up on the top of the turret, looking out over the expanses below and as well the setting sun.

The sheer beauty and peacefulness was aweinspiring. He sat down on te cold stone and began to eat, relaxing and meditating, experiencing the tranquility the place had to offer. And watching the birds, whom were flying about.... a falcon dived and landed neatly next to the Jedi, looking at him expectantly.

"Had a good hunt?" he asked.

The bird turned it;s head, regarding the Jedi. Marcus grinned, then using the power he had to communiate with animals, repeated the question in a form the bird could understand

Much good hunting

Where?

Into the sun, much small food. Hatchings feed well.

Marcus loved speaking to birds. They were so unpretentious, honest and forthright. Their songs were filled with the joy of flying - of life and of death. of the breeze and the air up high. The Jedi picked up some of his dinner and threw it gently to the bird, who caught it and ate it in one snap.