Illyiss
Knight Commander
Force Alignment: -491
Posts: 946
There are shadows darker still...
|
|
« Reply #23 on: February 24, 2018, 07:49:32 AM » |
|
And so, now, something more...
Chapter 5
**********************************************************************************************
Twelve excited figures, seated in a semi-circle around Master Deelin, who was explaining to the hopeful Padawans before him, exactly how the choosing would go, his breaths forming puffs in the air, as the heated moisture from his lungs condensed in the freezing cold air of the empty Temple on Illum. Before him, as they drank in every word, most of the students were shivering slightly, rubbing arms or legs now and then to stay warm. Most of them, but not two. The two Suomi humans, both from a world with long, icy winter seasons, and short, barely temperate summers, while bundled well against the cold, were genetically more conditioned to the low temperatures, and sat still, in a semi-meditative state as they listened carefully to the Master's words.
They would be let into the crystal caves at dawn, when the rising light would melt the ice covering the entrance, and would have one planetary rotation, sixty six standard hours, to find their crystal, and make it back out before the ice flow reformed, blocking the cave's entrance. Little was told to the initiates, only that they would know their crystal when they discovered it, that it would call to them, but not a clue how to find it, or what manner this calling would take. Var'jo, alone among them thought he had an idea of what such a call might feel like, as he felt the warm, slow pulse of the Corusca gem, as it had been identified as by one of the Masters specializing in geology. Suppressing a grin, as the crystal with him allowed him to feel more confident, perhaps it even resonated in such a way as to increase such a sense within him. All any of the Masters had discovered for certain was that the gem seemed to pulse in the force, and when within proximity for Var'jo, such emanations synchronized with his own natural rhythms.
As one, the class of eager young seekers gasped in awe as the morning light hit the wall of ice before them, refracting from both it, and the crystalline structures within the rock behind and showering the large chamber in interlacing prisms of rainbow effect, before the glowing star rose higher in the sky, the angle gone, and the ice sheet melting away, in a rush that seemed a little too fast, not that any of the already running students noticed.
**********************************************************************************************************************
Var'jo and La'ulu teamed up, to no one's great surprise, the pair trotting off silently into the depth of the maze-like caves, the larger, older boy following the lead of confident female, trailing some sensation he couldn't sense with the certainty of a bounty hunter chasing a tracking beacon. Without word between them, La'ulu made last second turns, her speed ever increasing as her urgency, her boundless enthusiasm spurred her onward toward what just HAD to be her crystal.
Behind her, the Var'jo followed her as he would his own shadow with the light behind him, her signature in the Force nearly as familiar to him as his own, all the while his senses extended, open to any indication of a call from his eventual lightsaber crystal. He was starting to think the caves were playing tricks on him, as it seemed that the call to him surrounded him, and so he decided he would follow and support his little sister, interpreting the Force as wanting him on that path.
And so it was that he very nearly plowed into her back, rounding a tight left handed turn in the narrow cave, finding her dead stopped before a large cavern, crystals glittering and glinting all about in the light of their glow rods. He could feel the disbelief and fear coiling about her, her eyes wide, staring at something, but nothing he could see. Pulling his will about him like armor, he shifted to a defensive stance, ready to fight to the death for her, and his strong voice, already deepening with puberty, called to her.
"'Ulu, what is it, what do you see?" and while confident, concern tinged the edges of his words.
There, looming before her, Ch'rianna and Tucree, but, fully grown, blazing red bladed sabers in their hands, deep thrumming static filling her ears from them, and they were laughing at her, sneering.
"What's the matter, little baby, can't find your toy?" the adult Ch'rianna mocked her, while her companion pointed and laughed.
The fear, which she hadn't felt from them in years now washed through her like ice, her skin seeming to tighten, her mouth suddenly dry and her head swam. But... this wasn't right... they weren't grown yet... Was... was this a vision from the Force? Of the future? Or was it just part of her trial?
She saw it glowing behind them, pulsing, first a light, white glow, and slowly deepening through shades of blue until it was a strong, deep blue, the color of the sky just before it went gray in a storm. She could FEEL it calling to her, pleading for rescue, as though the two who had made her childhood so painful, and now seemed fully grown Sith had taken it hostage.
Var'jo felt the change in her, the determination swirling into her as through a whirlwind formed about her, and her stance shifted slowly, deliberately, face twisting into a mask of will and focus. He wasn't sure at all what she was experiencing, but somehow he knew it was her task to complete, and so remained at the ready, but steeled himself to allow her to accomplish it.
She gripped the blade in her hands (though it was really just her glow rod, in her mind's eye, it was a saber), and shifted into an offensive stance, resolve filling her mind, and flooding her essence. Like a wildcat, she sprang, blade arcing through the air, blocking the strong blow from Ch'rianna, sliding before the dark bully could lock her, ducking under, and side stepping just in time to parry a viscous strike from Tucree, his dark rimmed, red glowing eyes tracking her movements in anger, hate.
Before she could riposte to the annoying lapdog, she was forced to dance a circle back and to her right as Ch'rianna hammered blindingly fast strikes down at her from her taller vantage. Just when La'ulu thought she couldn't hold this defense much longer, the realization blazed in her mind. She was much shorter, and Ch'rianna was hammering her strikes from above.
With a sudden grin, the smaller girl let fall her block, and ducked forward, shoved the approaching Tucree away with a blast in the Force, and dropped into a sliding kick, knocking Ch'rianna off balance, as the white blade sliced the insides of the Sith's thighs, and she spun up, stabbing through up from behind, dispatching the bully.
Almost too late, she turned to parry the wild swing from her other tormentor, as he screamed rage at her, and she could feel the dark pressing all about her. His attacks were powerful, buffeting her about even as she blocked them, but he was enraged, clumsy, and she started timing his attacks.
From the edge of the cavern, Var'jo watched, stunned, and perhaps a little amused, as the girl jumped and dashed about, fighting what looked to him like imaginary monsters. He knew he probably shouldn't feel so casual about it, but she DID look sort of silly fighting nothing out there. At the same time, he was growing more and more frustrated with his own attempts to sense his crystal, as though the "call" he was looking for was bouncing all about him.
"There. Three, two, one, and GO!" she thought to herself as she stepped back from Tucree's next swing instead of blocking it, then jumped up and forward, boosting her action with the Force, vaulting over and behind him, as she twisted about, and finished him with a well placed lunge to the heart.
Breathing heavily, she padded over to the crystal, and lifted it gently, triumphant, sweat pouring down her face, her clothed beneath her coat soaked, and she realized, there were no bodies, and she held, other than the glowing, vibrating crystal, a simple glow rod, now bearing indentations where she had gripped it so tightly.
************************************************************************************************************
He was starting to get really frustrated now. They had been searching for hours and hours. They were exhausted, pulling on the Force as much as they dared to keep going, and certain that outside the caves, the rest of the initiates had already gathered, crystals in hand, and that Master Deelin would be starting to wonder. Still the pull of his crystal ALWAYS seemed to come from all around him, no matter where they were.
The whole frelling planet couldn't be his crystal. In a huff, he kicked a rock in front of him and sat down, head in hands. He felt her gentle hand on his face, her skin on his, she had taken her glove off, again, and she lifted his chin to look him in the eyes. She gave him a soft, accepting, endearing look, not speaking for long moments, and he almost felt the heat rise in his cheeks, but pushed that down quickly. What it did accomplish, however, was to fill him with purpose, resolve, as well as center him, somehow.
With several deep breaths, he dropped quickly into a light meditation, as La'ulu smiled and giggled, backing away to give him space, she pulled out her own crystal, again, turning it over and over in her hand, her own honey brown eyes, almost the color of copper, reflecting the deep blue in her hand.
His eyes opened wide, and he stood quickly, yanking his glove from his right hand, and reached into his inner pocket. As he pulled out the stone he had found under the temple, he ushered her closer with his other hand.
Putting her own crystal back in her pouch, she padded over to him, tilting her head in curiosity. He had shown her the stone several times, when he found it, but not so much since they left Coruscant.
"Here, take this, and go around the corner, I have an idea!" his excited voice echoed down the passage, and she took the gem from him, uncertain.
"Okay." She tried to sound encouraging, but was confused. She headed off, with his prize, which was warm.
"This sure is a strange crystal." she thought, and his idea hit her, so she ran a little faster.
Behind her, she could hear his shout joyous celebration and he came running full tilt after her, unexpectedly lifting her up, and twirling her around, laughing aloud.
"I already had it, the whole time it was in my pocket!" he shouted, joy and triumph filling the very Force around him, his eyes staring deeply into hers.
She laughed with him, caught up in the moment, and for just a second, almost felt like she wanted to kiss him. Shaking her head, she dismissed THAT notion, and looked at her chronograph.
"We've got to hurry back, there's not much time!" she exclaimed, breaking the moment, though she could have sworn she saw something in his eyes.
And so, hand in hand, the two ran full speed back to the entrance, only stopping just before the exit to let go one another's hand, and walk confidently out into the Temple room, ten shivering initiates, and a Jedi Master with raised eyebrow...
|