Chapter IV. 4334.233 to 4336.172 CRC
Chapter IV. 4334.233 to 4336.172 CRC
This time, Arya had to admit to herself as the UnfetteredMooka left Dromund Kaas– it wasn’t only her father she was going to miss.
The fake smuggler’s sponsor to the privateer rank was an Imperial spy in the Republic who didn’t know anything about whom the girl really was, which meant he was constantly trying to double-cross her in making her work against the Republic without her notice – not that it ever worked, of course, since Arya had a pretty high clearance in the Imperial Intelligence network as a Cipher.
Over the next few months, the UnfetteredMooka traveled to Balmorra, then went to the far side of the galaxy to Hoth, passing by Quesh, seemingly to secure so esoteric technologies and weapons for the Republic, in truth tracking the organization fomenting trouble and trying to restart the war.
Arya and her crew had soon stumbled on the trail of a Sith warrior.
Lord Draahg was a human cyborg, a few years older than Xenloth and in service of Council member Darth Vengean, who’d tasked him with assassinating several high ranked members of the Republic military to restart the war.
It soon became apparent that war wasn’t quite the end-game of Plan Zero – Draahg was, in fact, a spy implanted by Vengean’s previous apprentice, Darth Barras, who coveted his master’s place on the Council.
Still, Barras maybe an evident target for their suspicions – he was too evident.
Then, Arya stumbled on Ketan on Quesh, and immediately realized something was going on.
After all – she hadn’t heard anything about the spy’s restraints being activated by any Sith, yet she could clearly feel the brainwashing, that until now had stayed dormant in the back of his mind.
Since the two Imperial agents got along well enough, and the Zabrak’s current cover was that of a former military having defected from the Empire, it wasn’t too suspicious to invite him aboard for a drink or five.
Once inside the UnfetteredMooka – both Arya and Nyla went to work to help the red-skinned spy, discovering along the way that he’d already been working on his own on freeing himself, though the solution he’d found had been rather dangerous.
It took several days for Ketan to wake up, once more in control of himself. He explained how the brainwashing he hadn’t even been aware of had been activated by a man on the Republic’s side, confirming that there was someone in the shadows with access to both the Empire and the Republic’s resources.
Someone intent on war – and who’d been successful while they were healing Cipher Nine.
Draahg had also killed Vengean for his master, allowing Barras to ascend to the Council – which really wouldn’t have mattered one way or the other if the man hadn't soon after proclaimed himself as the new Voice of the Emperor, gaining massive amounts of power.
Both Arkous and Darth Vowrawn, a pureblood Sith inquisitor heading the Pyramid of Production and Logistics, were the man’s only real opposition, and it made no doubt he’d be trying to take care of said opposition in true Sith fashion.
For now, Vowrawn was the one in the visor of Barras, as he’d been a long-time opponent of the newest Council member, but there was little doubt about the fact that Arkous was the next one on the list. As such, the Unfettered Mooka’s next objective was clear: prevent Barras from killing Vowrawn and find the true Voice of the Emperor.
Meanwhile, Cipher Nine would be the one to take over Arya’s mission of tracking the organization behind the new start of the war, as he already had a pretty good idea about where to start – a member of the Republic cell he’d been sent to spy on which had revealed he knew more than he should, so sure was he of the agent’s brainwashing.
Tracking the Voice hadn’t been easy – but eventually, the Unfettered Mooka landed on Voss, a neutral planet that had been recently rediscovered.
An attempt had been made to invade from the Empire, promptly pushed back by the planet’s population, as, it turned out, the Voss were led by Mystics, the specie’s Force users, who specialized in seeing the future.
Since then, the Voss had maintained their neutrality, more preoccupied with their conflict against the Gormaks, the other sentient specie on the planet, that were quite war-like and despised any Force user. Gaining access to the planet wasn’t easy, as the Mystics didn’t grant authorization to land to just anybody.
The planet was painted in the rich reds, oranges, and yellows of autumn, with one large, easily defensible capital city on the planet’s highest peak — Voss-Ka.
There were some smaller settlements here and there, and Gormaks encampment, but Voss was mostly wild still, with large forests, and steep canyons. There were also ruins visible, that indicated that it wasn’t the first time the Jedi had discovered the planet – though why they’d left, and forgotten it, wasn’t known for now.
¤.¤.¤
But what really hit Arya as they landed, was the sheer feeling of wrongness.
The planet was beautiful, the Voss culture, while rather insular, quite interesting – but there was something really wrong somewhere on the planet, that nearly made her stumble as she set foot on the planet for the first time.
Xenloth was the one to catch her up, and he was looking rather surprised at her reaction.
“There’s something deeply corrupted somewhere on the planet.” she couldn’t help but whisper despite their Voss escort
“This would be the Dark Heart you’re feeling, just like the Three foretold.” the Voss was the one to answer, “Welcome to Voss-Ka, Shadow.”
Arya’s eyes widened – but really, she realized, the Voss were renowned seers after all, so she shouldn’t be that surprised that they’d already seen her for what she truly was.
“The Three would like to see you.” the Voss added, surprising even more her crew – the Three were the absolute leaders of the Voss, elected by the Mystics and rarely deigned getting involved with strangers
They followed the Voss through the Alien Quarter toward the administrative area of the city, where stood the Tower of Prophecy, where most of the Mystics, the Three among them, lived.
It was rather clear that the Mystics were used to be seen as superior to everyone else, as they were considered infallible by the rest of the population – and the Tower, beyond the beautiful art of the Voss, was also set to impress people.
The Three – weren’t trying to impress anyone today, not standing on the large balcony they usually stood in but instead welcoming the crew in smaller, just as beautiful but much more cozy quarters.
This – was a private room, of the kind strangers usually never saw on Voss-Ka.
The current Three were two women, with red-skin and luminous blue eyes, and a man with blue-skin and golden eyes.
“You’ve come from very far.” the first woman said, “All for the love of a mother not yet born.”
Arya wasn’t too surprised by this affirmation – after all, the pendant Magic had gifted her had been dormant ever since she’d taken her first breath in this galaxy.
“You’ll upset our whole society, and bring unwelcome news.” the man added rather harshly, “But this has to happen for the Voss to find their place in the galaxy.”
“You’ll be forgotten and see the galaxy at war once more.” the second woman added, “And as the heart of three, save us from destruction.”
Arya nodded, taking the prophecy gratefully – it wasn’t clear right now, but she was used enough to seer, what with having Luna Lovegood as her oldest friend, to know it would pass when needed.
After their talk, the team had been offered lodgings in a Voss’ own home, Tala-Reh, a widowed Voss commando.
“Alright,” Xenloth had all but exploded in ill-contained curiosity as soon as they were between them, “What the fuck is going on?”
“The Mystics can see beyond this current body.” Nyla was the one to state, rather than ask, eyeing their captain with a speculative stare, before shrugging, “But it doesn’t really change anything, does it?”
“It really doesn’t.” Arya agreed, “I may have more memories than my appearance suggests, and a few more senses than expected, but for the rest I’m mostly normal.”
“I guess there was always going to be something off about you.” Xenloth sighed, Lyn’Me amicably patting his arm – he gestured toward Blanche and Padfoot, who after having hit their full-size, as tall as a man, were now able to shape-shift to a smaller size, “I mean those two were a big enough of a hint!”
And that was it, something Arya was incredibly thankful for, as it was a clear proof of the trust between her strange crew’s members.
The team took their time before starting to look for the Voice of the Emperor, as Arya was needing hours of daily meditation to be able to even leave Voss-Ka – heading into the Nightmare Lands, from where the corruption was coming, and, according to all hints, their quarry was hidden, would take some time for her to achieve.
So instead, the crew wandered the merchant area, the only where both Imperials and Republicans could meet, and also the place where the largest cantina could be found.
It was there that they stumbled on Kira Carsen, a Jedi shadow who was apparently there in pursuit of Sith Lord Fulminiss.
All four Force users could easily feel something strange in the Jedi – not the least of which was that Xenloth had easily recognized the young woman as a former Sith acolyte he remembered from his days on Korriban. And clearly – the Jedi too had recognized him.
Since it was easy enough to prove Arya’s – or rather Dasha’s – identity as a Privateer for the Republic, Kira hadn’t needed much convincing to believe that just like her, Xenloth had a crisis of faith and left the Empire and the Sith behind.
As such, she hadn’t needed much prompting to explain how she’d found herself lost on Nar Shaddaa for a few years; somehow surviving until she met her Jedi Master, who took her in, brought her to Tython, and completed her education as a Jedi rather than a Sith. Given her early years on Korriban, she was never going to be a regular Jedi, and had faced much suspicion from many of them – but she’d eventually found her vocation as a shadow, knowing better than most how to navigate the delicate balance between Dark and Light side.
She’d also easily realized that the whole crew was Force sensitive, as Nyla never hid herself, and Arya was having some trouble keeping herself hidden with how out-of-balance she was because of the dark pit of corruption she could feel constantly battering at the edges of her mind – so Arya and Lyn’Me had both shared about their own years in Korriban.
By the end of their first week on Voss, Arya had unlocked both the Vosslanguage and cultureproficiency, earning Kira’s curiosity as she noticed how the Voss addressed her, not to mention the fact they seemed far less protective about their ways with her than the rest of the strangers.
¤.¤.¤
When they left Voss-Ka for the first time, it was with Kira, who’d been the one to suggest heading toward the Halls of Healing, as the Voss Mystics were rather famous for their ability to heal just about anything – maybe they would be able to help Arya cope better with the corruption that was so disturbing her.
They chose to travel as the local pilgrims did, by foot, through the savage lands – which meant, without much surprise, that they soon encountered their first Gormaks.
“Oh.”
Arya blushed as she realized her rather quiet realization had caught the attention of all the people around her.
“Shadow?” Tala-Reh asked deferentially
“There is nearly no difference in the feeling of the soul of the Gormaks and the Voss.”
“And there is a difference between other species?” Nyla asked earnestly as Kira was silently mouthing ‘feeling of the soul’ with a puzzled expression
“There is.” Arya agreed, “Sentient and non-sentient, long-lived or short-lived, plant-based, avian, or mammals… there are always differences. But once you delve into a specie’s subgroup, the difference all but disappears. Lethan or Rutian, Iridonian or Dathomirian… No matter the differences in appearance, biology or instincts… They are all the same when it comes down to the soul.” she mused, more for herself than them, as she eyed intently the green-skinned being she’d just killed
There really hadn’t been any choice – they may share the same feeling when it came to their soul, the Gormaks were clearly quite different from the Voss, far more war-like and violent, and there had been no hesitation in the man’s intent to kill.
Tala-Reh’s eyes were wide as she listened to the explanation, before slowly asking, “Are you saying… The Gormaks and the Voss are the same?”
“The same people, clearly not.” Arya said, “But the same specie…” a shrug, “Well, probably, once upon a time.”
The red-skinned woman sighed deeply.
“The Three did say you’d reveal something unpleasant.” the commando reminded them, “The idea of any ties between the Voss and the Gormaks is rather unpleasant.”
“I’m sorry.” Arya winced, “Still, I’m not about to proclaim anything about ties between your two people without any proof.” she reassured the woman
Tala-Reh nodded her thanks, and they went back on their way to the Temple of Healing. It was only as they were nearing the Temple that Kira got out of her thoughts, asking, “You can… feel souls?”
“I can.” Arya agreed, not seeing the point in denying something she’d already admitted to
The Jedi shadow nodded thoughtfully, then asked, “Is there… a difference?”
“Between Light and Dark side, you mean?” Arya easily guessed, able to feel with her Soul Art what was weighting on her mind, “Yes and no.”
She could see even her crew was interested in the answer, so she took the time to weight her words before elaborating, “I can feel someone’s feelings, be they positive or negative. A Jedi is just as able to feel anger as a Sith is able to feel joy… But the Force is the Force.”
She could see no surprise in her crew’s eyes – more in Kira’s own, “It can shine brighter in some places, cast larger shadows in others, but in the end, the Force itself isn’t what makes people. It’s their choices and intentions.” her hands gestured around them, “Tell me, is healing a Light or Dark side ability?”
“Light.” the Jedi answered without any hesitation
“And if I were to heal you to keep you alive, then torture you?” Xenloth was the one to ask – this time, she hesitated
“Nothing is really clear-cut.” Arya forged on, “And in my senses, it’s just the same. But sometimes… Sometimes there is something more than Light or Dark.” she didn’t realize her eyes had bled in golden tomoes, watching through the imposing building, toward the Nightmare Lands and the Dark Heart, “Sometimes there is corruption, and it can come for anyone, Light or Dark. It’s pernicious, far more dangerous than Light or Dark, as there can be no balance found with it.”
She eyed Kira intently, “Hasn’t your work as a shadow demonstrated multiple time, that Light alone isn’t enough?”
“It has.” she immediately agreed, “It’s just…”
“Some people never understand.” Arya completed, making the Jedi nod, before laughing, “It’s rather funny, isn’t it?” a smile, “That it’s by becoming a Jedi that you broke your chains, vanquished the brainwashing inflicted on you and became your own person!”
Light-brown eyes widened, and soon, Kira was laughing too, “I never thought about it like this.” she admitted once she’d managed to stop laughing
There was something lighter in the woman’s whole demeanor after that talk – Arya’s musing having helped her come to terms better with the fact she would always be a bit different from the rest of the Jedi, grayer than most, yet still far more anchored in her beliefs than many Jedi.
After that, each of them had been sent toward a different room – none of them really knew why, but neither did they protest, all of them either respectful or curious enough about the Voss people to want to see what would happen to them.
¤.¤.¤
Xenloth came out of the Healing Temple without a breathing apparatus – though he’d kept his scar.
Lyn’Me didn’t look changed physically – but Arya knew her sister quite well, and there was a secretive smile on her lips, while she sent speculative glances toward the not-quite Sith they traveled with.
Nyla, it was rather clear, felt rejuvenated, but had mostly spent time studying some of the Temple’s vitalicrons.
Kira didn’t look any different – but for Arya’s senses, it was obvious that something had healed in her mind, the scars left behind by the powerful Force brainwashing she’d broken through now healed.
As for Arya herself – she'd gone through the upper levels, the chambers of Trial that young Mystics-in-training would go through to prove their faith and sense of duty to be accepted among the elite of the Voss. There, she found herself dragged to the Spirit World – except, instead of finding the trials the Voss would, she was called further and deeper in.
Toward the heart of the planet, and the being hiding itself in the heart of it.
A young godling, all but smothered by the well of corruption that had been preying on him for centuries, looking for all intent and purpose like a young Voss child, yet with the coloring of a Gormak – green skin and orange eyes.
But small, thin and emaciated.
“I’m so tired.”
“I know you are.” Arya agreed, easily feeling as much, especially here in the Spirit World, where her godly senses were so much stronger, hugging him gently, “It’ll take some time before things gets better.”
“I know.” the godling agreed in turn, “But with your help, it’ll get better eventually.” a small smile, “And maybe I can help you too in return.”
There was a familiar feeling in Arya’s soul – and colors swirled around her, and she came back to the more constraining reality of the Mortal Realm, she realized there was no more soul hidden away within her own.
And a tiny reddish inferno-vulptilla pup in her arms.
[Familiar unlocked!
KAGETSU – LV 10
Familiar Main Stats
(familiar stats are out of 10)
(gain: 1 per lifeday, 1 per 10 levels)
Body: 3
Mind: 4
Heart: 3
Familiar Skills
(familiar skills are out of 10)
(gain: 1 per lifeday and every 5 levels for each category except the Unique one)
Body Skills
Fight: 2
Defend:1
Mind Skills
Force: 2
Heart Skills
Survival: 2
Synergy: 1
UniqueSkills
Shadow Affinity: 2
Light Affinity: 4
Fire Affinity: 6
Holy Affinity: 2
Familiar Abilities
(familiar abilities are out of 10)
(gain: 1 per lifeday and every 5 levels)
Powerful Strike(Fight): 1
Body Enhancement(Force): 2
Fire Storm(Force): 4
Fire Walk(Force): 3
Familiar Perks
Reforged Soul: grants +10 to Mind Defense
Light and Shadow: adds light affinity score to all Defense and shadow affinity score to all Damages]
[Achievements unlocked!
New Force Bond(Kagetsu): +40 XP
New Familiar(Kagetsu): +20 XP
Familiar New Skill(9): +90 XP
Familiar New Ability(4): +160 XP
Familiar New Perk(2): +200 XP]
[FIRST STEP unlocked!]
[System Log updated!
The levellimit has been upped from LEVEL10 to LEVEL50.
A newperk to be chosen has been unlocked.]
[New Perk unlocked!
Body Step: +2 LUCK, +10 LR
or
Mind Step: +2 LUCK, +10 FR
or
Heart Step: +2 LUCK, +10 Critic Chance]
[Level up! Arya Lunika is now LV 11!
+1 SP]
¤.¤.¤
Needless to say – Xenloth had burst out laughing when Arya had come out of the Temple of Healing with a new fury partner. Lyn’Me’s reaction had been more of a happy squeal which Kira had echoed before blushing, while Nyla and Tala-Reh were smiling serenely.
The next day, Kira and the UnfetteredMooka found an unexpected drinking partner – a tall, broad shouldered pureblood Sith Arya had never seen but Kira immediately recognized.
“Darth Scourge.” she seethed
“And you are the Emperor’s child.” he greeted rather genially, in stark contrast to the Jedi’s enmity
“I am not!” she protested heatedly – clearly, this was a touchy subject
“Not anymore.” he agreed, “Which is precisely why I’ve come.” he raised an eyebrow, eyeing the Unfettered Mooka’s crew, “Though I didn’t expect to see you in such company.” he admitted – and knowing pureblood Siths like she did, it was pretty clear to Arya that he was quite amused, “A Darth, the favorite pet project of a Council Member, an escaped slave and a living fossil.”
“How rude.” Nyla protested mildly at the last part – a pause, “Though he’s not really wrong, is he?”
“Doesn’t mean he has to be rude about it.”
“I though being annoying was just unique to your master,” Arya added toward Xenloth, “but it may well be a trait shared by all pureblood Siths.”
“There’s no way you’re a Darth.” Kira couldn’t help but protest, eyeing the human Sith dubiously
“Yeah, I didn’t quite believe it myself when they promoted me.” the man agreed with an amused smile, before bowing in a grandiloquent way, “Darth Storme, for your pleasure.” a thud and, he turned an accusing glare at Lyn’Me, that had sent a nearby pillow flying toward his head, “Stop ruining my introduction!”
The poor Jedi was feeling quite off-kilter. Taking pity on her obvious confusion, Arya patted her hand gently, “Not everyone decides to leave the Empire when they realize they aren’t quite as dark and Sithly as they though.” she told her, “Some simply decide to work within the system.”
Kira eyed them – everything she’d been told as a Jedi urged her not to trust them. But she’d been born in the Empire, just like them – she knew that things weren’t quite as black and white as some liked to paint them.
She took a deep breath – a deep swig of the drink she was nurturing, and nodded toward the red-skinned man, “Well, why don’t you take a seat and tell us why you’re here, given that it’s not to kill me… Or any of my friends?”
Scourge nodded elegantly, dragging a chair to their table with a Force pull before seating, and stating.
“I’m here to help you kill the Emperor.”
“Wow, wow, wow!” Xenloth protested loudly, “Are you sure you should say something like this in front of us?”
“You don’t have any loyalty to the Emperor nor the Empire, do you?” the pureblood Sith contradicted, his question clearly rhetorical
“Well… No,” the other Darth agreed, “but still! We’re here to free his Voice, aren’t those two missions like… Completely in opposition?”
“They aren’t.” Scourge disagreed, “Freeing the Voice is paramount, as they are the one who’ll lead us to the Emperor’s hidden fortress.”
“Alright…. So… Why do you want to kill the guy?”
“Because I’ve seen what he is capable of.” Scourge told them somberly, “I’ve seen what he’s done to his own birth planet, and what he intends to do to the rest of the galaxy.”
The discussion quickly grew less light-hearted as the man, who’d been the Emperor’s Wrath, an honorific title that meant he was a direct agent and the main executor of said Emperor, explained how he’d discovered, over three hundred years ago, the truth about the Emperor’s immortality.
About the young pureblood Sith Tenebrae, an illegitimate child of Lord Dramath of Medriaas, about how he’d killed both his mother and adoptive father at six years old, then went on conquering Medriaas’ northern continent over the next four years before finally killing his biological father, thus becoming Lord Vitiate of Medriaas.
He’d promptly renamed the planet Nathema, and, a century later, convinced thousands of Siths to join him in a terrifyingly powerful Sith ritual on the planet.
When the dust settled, the Force itself had been stripped from Nathema, killing every living thing on the planet, and Vitiate had become immortal, and went on establishing the new Sith Empire as they currently knew it.
Scourge had visited Nathema, and been horrified by the empty hole in the Force the dead planet was – he’d understood that Vitiate couldn’t be allowed to live, as someone so obsessed with power wouldn’t stop there.
He allied with Jedi, eventually managing to confront the Emperor. But even with the help of Metra Sutrik and Revan themselves, the fight wasn’t going well. He had a vision then – and knew that the Jedi he had allied with wouldn’t be able to vanquish the man. So he’d turned against his allies, sworn loyalty to the Emperor, and bidden his time – sacrificing his own senses as a sentient being along the way, something which explained why he felt so strange to Arya’s Soul sense; as his Soul hadn’t been cut, but damaged.
Then he finally saw the Jedi of his vision.
Of course, said Jedi had still been a young girl then, and on Korriban – then Kira had left the Empire, became a Jedi…
And now, she’d even broken the Emperor’s conditioning on herself.
So, knowing the time had come, Scourge took advantage of the fact the Emperor’s Voice was kept busy with Barras’ scheming to track Kira down.
By following Kira’s trail, he’d realized the woman had stumbled on her own on the Emperor’s scheme – Fulminiss was here on Voss to free the Emperor Voice… but also to enact a toned-down version of the ritual of Nathema, sacrificing all of Voss’ Mystics to Vitiate.
¤.¤.¤
A plan had been formulated – the crew of the UnfetteredMooka plus Kira and Scourge would head into the Nightmare Lands, deal with Fulminiss before he could enact his ritual. Then they’d take care of the Voice, and try to find some proofs of Barras involvement in the situation – or if needed, plant them to reduce the Sith’s power-base.
After all – even if they somehow managed to kill the Emperor, it didn’t mean the Empire itself would disappear just like that, so taking care of the newest Council member was still important.
Then, they would split – Kira and Scourge heading back to the Jedi, while Arya and her crew would contact her father and Arkous.
The Jedi wouldn’t be given the identity of the UnfetteredMooka’s crew, all had agreed – while Kira herself was open-minded, she rather doubted the Jedi Council would be quite as believing about the team of Force users who worked for the Empire yet weren’t Siths.
The strange team moved toward the Shad-Ka outpost, just outside the Nightmare Lands, where they followed the guidance of the Mystics to gain access to them – as while from afar, Arya had been the only one to feel the disturbing feeling of the corrupted area, now that they were closer, all could feel it, and understand why Arya had been so disturbed by it.
Kira had frowned a bit about the Mystics’ way of protecting themselves from the influence of the Nightmare Lands – as it included crafting a charm that had to be bathed in a mixture containing the blood of corrupted creatures and their own – but still did it; and soon, the team was heading into the Nightmare Lands, their mission all the more urgent now that they’d received news that Fulminiss had tortured and killed several Mystic, gaining some knowledge about their Force healing method and twisting them for his use.
While the dense forest wasn’t that big, progressing in it was rather slow as there were numerous creatures, all of them rendered more dangerous by the corruption’s influence.
It took them several days, each of them weighting heavier on the team’s mood, to find the crumbling entrance to a complex far older than any other ruin on the planet – the core of the corruption spreading around the area.
“The Dark Heart.” Tala-Reh was the one to identify
The feeling of wrongness was even stronger in the area, and the Dark Side nearly as strong as on Korriban or Dromund Kaas. As they trudged in the ruins, they couldn’t help but notice the numerous sealed rooms from which ominous noises emanated – or maybe worse, the room that looked to have breached been out of, leaving behind only silence.
Arya herself could feel that the deeper they headed in the area, the more they left the Mortal Realm behind to wander in the Spirit World, as the Mystic called the local Dream Realm.
Finally, they reached a room, deep in the complex, where a human Sith was facing a male Voss bearing the signs of heavy corruption, visibly kept prisoner in a vortex of violet and pale green, sickly power.
There was another Voss, who must have been thrown violently to the side as he laid on the ground like a disjointed puppet – Tala-Reh immediately recognized him, “Valen-Da! He’s one of the missing Mystic’s from Fulminiss’ attack on the Temple of Healing!”
The Mystic was barely conscious, but Arya immediately noticed that his powers were still at work, swirling around and holding back a furious Fulminiss.
Valen-Da – had managed to delay the Sith sorcerer’s work until their arrival.
Kira and Scourge immediately went to attack Fulminiss – Nyla going to heal the Mystic, and Lyn’Me covering her, while Xenloth and Arya stepped toward the possessed Voss.
“Darth Storme.” the blue-skinned man greeted, his voice echoing as if countless beings were speaking at the same time
Arya barely withheld a shudder as she felt the power of the man who was possessing the Voss, countless worlds away.
What Scourge hadn’t told them – couldn’t have known – was that Vitiate had ascended when he’d drained his planet’s life and Force.
Deep golden eyes turned toward them, unbridled curiosity shinning in them, “And Darth Arkous’ little run-away apprentice.”
She wasn’t even surprised he knew – not now that she knew the man was a god, and a rather powerful one at that. But at least – he hadn’t realized more than that, too hampered by his own feeling of self-importance to ever nurture the thought that he could be but one powerful being among others…
“We’ve allied with the Jedi to free you.” Arya immediately fibbed, adapting quickly to the unexpected situation, “When Darth Barras has proclaimed himself your Voice, Darth Arkous immediately suspected foul-play and sent us to you.”
“Yes, Arkous wouldn’t be fooled that easily.” Vitiate agreed, making Arya wonder just how much he knew of the daily affairs of the Empire, for someone who hadn’t been seen in the flesh in centuries
His smile was knowing, and the goddess’ Soul Art told her that while the man wasn’t stupid enough to believe them true allies, he still needed them right now, and knew when to bid his time.
“Barras bargained with the entity that was born from Voss’ darkness to trap this body here, and my consciousness with it, letting it feed on my power in exchange for keeping me out of the way.” the Sith Emperor explained, fury easy to hear in his strange voice, “You’re going to have to kill this body to free my spirit.”
Quickly, Arya wondered if keeping the dangerous god trapped wouldn’t be a better idea – soon coming to the conclusion that it wasn’t a good idea, as if the corruption on the planet had grown enough to become self-aware, it was well on its way to become just as dangerous as the Emperor.
As such, she nodded her head, Xenloth sending a surge of power toward the ethereal prison.
The next moment, the corrupted Voss was stumbling, now free – and any coherent thoughts had left his eyes as his rushed to attack them, the Force responding to his slightest prompt.
The following fight – all but made Jadus seem like a mere novice.
Thankfully, none among the UnfetteredMooka’s crew had spent the year resting on the laurel of their barely earned victory – and this time, they weren’t quite in the Mortal Realm.
Letting her T-181 fall back in her Inventory, it wasn’t FuurinKiba nor KageShin that she took out – but the slanted hilt of a familiar lightsaber.
¤.¤.¤
From the pillar against which he’d been projected, Xenloth couldn’t help but roll his eyes and snark, “Did you know that gifting a weapon is a marriage proposal among pureblood Siths?”
Arya spared him a wink – and rushed ahead, pushing against the limitation of her current mortal body.
She felt the instant something shifted in the Force.
[Past Life System unlocked
First Life Aura(Godly): unlocks skills, proficiencies, and abilities from Harriet Potter’s life, +25% to all Main Stats, upkeep 50 FR per minute, cool-down 1 month]
[Achievement unlocked!
First Life Aura(Harriet Potter): +25 LR, +250 XP]
[Level up! Arya Lunika is now LV 12!
+1 SP]
It wasn’t as powerful as usual – far from it – but the boost was enough that Arya could feel her body improve noticeably, and rushed toward the Voss, now able to give back hit for hit – and while the magical abilities she had had once upon a time weren’t very useful in her current situation, it still helped by making her more in tune with the Force.
She could feel, in the outer limits of her perception, that Kira and Scourge had managed to vanquish Fulminiss – not that she was really surprised, with how old and powerful the pureblood Sith felt to her, not to mention the undeniable talent of the Jedi.
Nyla had managed to help Valen-Da enough that he was looking far better, and by now, the rest of her crew was keeping afar, the fight between the possessed Voss and her far too fast-paced for anyone to barge into it – for fear of hampering her.
Something was possessing the Voss alright – but it wasn't Vitiate anymore.
This, she realized – was the corrupting influence that she’d felt ever since she’d first stepped on the planet.
This, was Sel-Makor, the Dark Heart of Voss.
Once more, the fight changed rhythm – and first Xenloth, then Kira jumped back in the fray, the three of them learning on-the-go how to work together, and pushing the corrupted being step-by-step.
The fight had lasted several more long moments. But eventually, the trio did triumph, and the Voss crumbled to the ground, eyes finally clear again – himself once more for the first time in years, Arya could feel.
As the Voss started to fade with a thankful smile, all Force users could feel Sel-Makor try to possess anyone else among them – unsuccessfully, thanks in part to the Mystics’ charm they’d crafted before heading to the Nightmare Lands and their strength of mind.
Tala-Reh, who was less protected than the rest of them as the only non-Force-sensitive among the group, was far more susceptible to the corrupted being’s influence – but they were still a foot in the Mortal Realm and one in the Spirit World. For Arya, battling the being’s influence away was rather easy – the lightsaber in her hands went off and was replaced by KageShin.
The elegant, dusky blade slipped seamlessly in the formless being.
With one last, unearthly shriek, the Dark Heart died.
There was still an unmistakable Dark slant to the Force on the planet – but it wasn’t the same disturbing feeling as it had been but seconds earlier, and already, Arya could feel that in time, the Force would become more balanced on the planet, as Voss were quite grey when it came to their ways with the Force – while Gormaks didn’t use it at all.
[Achievement unlocked!
Dark Vergeance(Voss): +50 FR, +500 XP]
[Level up! Arya Lunika is now LV 12!
+1 SP]
The mismatched team was received by the Three once they were back to Voss-Ka.
Valen-Da, the Mystic they’d saved, had with him holo-records and scans of the Dark Heart’s ruins which clearly proved what Arya had already felt: that the Voss were merely Gormaks who’d evolved once they’d started to learn the ways of the Force, centuries ago, when Siths and Jedi had first discovered the planet.
Things would change on the planet, as the Voss wouldn’t ignore this new knowledge, no matter how inconvenient it was for their specie. It was time, they felt, to try to end their age-old war –and aim for peace.
It would usually have been quite impossible, given the war-like society of the Gormaks – but it just so happened that the Gormaks' current king was one of the very few Gormaks that was Force-sensitive. It would take time – but for the first time, a future where Gormaks and Voss peacefully cohabited was conceivable.
¤.¤.¤
Scourge had given thoughtful glances at Arya – since the Dark Heart, where the old pureblood Sith, the only one among them apart from Nyla, able to feel just how different the girl was – then even more once they met with the Three and the former Wrath of the Emperor noticed just how respectful the supreme leaders of the Voss were toward the girl.
It was only once they were back to their lodgings in Tala-Reh’s house that the red-skinned man mused, “Darth Storme was right, you know.”
There were some disgruntled mumbles from Xenloth at the title, but the pureblood Sith ignored him, instead repeating, “Gifting a weapon, especially a personal one, is a marriage proposal in our culture.”
Arya stretched against her seat, “I know.” she agreed, “But it’s not quite that simple.”
“It’s to do with what you told us earlier, isn’t it?” Lyn’Me realized
“It is.” Arya agreed, glancing toward Kira and Scourge and promptly deciding that they were trustworthy enough, “Like I told you, I’ve more memories than my current body age would suggest. Life-times more.”
“Life-times?” Lyn’Me repeated, “You’re not the youngest sister, are you?” she laughed
“Not quite.” the goddess answered honestly, “While I’ve got memories of being older, the biological age of my body does have its effect on me.” a wry smile, “Which means I’ve gone through puberty seven times, counting this life.”
Lyn’Me let out an exaggerated shudder of disgust, and Kira let out a strangled ‘Seven?!’. Scourge was merely looking politely intrigued.
“I’ve had enough lovers that I won’t count them, been married four times and have had nine biological children.” at that, her eyes strayed toward the still flat stomach of her sister, who was all but squealing in excitement at the recounting
“And that prevents you from answering a proposal?” Scourge asked – Arya was rather surprised to see genuine curiosity in the man whose feelings, she knew, had become quite distant because of the ritual Vitiate had used to make extend his life
“It doesn’t prevent it.”Arya contradicted, “It only makes things more complicated in that pureblood Sith culture is quite exclusive and possessive in romantic relationship, and I’m really not.” a wry smile, “Though my four weddings were with the same man.”
“Through several lives? How romantic!”
“Stubborn.” she couldn’t help but correct with a fond smile
“You still love him.”
“Of course.” Arya easily agreed, “Light is my partner in many ways, though we’ve both fallen in love with other people.” a sigh, “Of course, I won’t be wedding him in this life.”
“What?” Lyn’Me heatedly protested, “Why?”
“Because he didn’t follow me in this life.” a fond smile, “He was younger than I was in our last life, and I died early…”
“You are afraid of his reaction if you marry someone else?” Xenloth wondered
“Not afraid.” Arya contradicted, “Just…” a sigh, as she realized that no matter how much she’d tried not to let her thoughts weight too much on the situation, she had indeed given it much thought
She’d understood immediately when she’d found the lightsaber on her bed when they’d left Dromund Kass months earlier – she had, after all, studied enough about Sith culture to know about this.
But between the fact that Arkous was half of War’s soul, their Force bond and rather complex past –and, like she’d told her friends and family, her own complex past, it wasn’t a proposal she could easily answer.
For the first time, she focused on the few months she’d spent on Dromund Kaas, healing from the grievous wound Jadus had inflicted her.
“He’s… asked me about all of this.” she realized, eyes widening, “He knows about Light, or my other relationships.”
“A proposal isn’t made lightly.” Scourge agreed, “I still remember my first love, the color of her eyes, or the way the wind flew in her hair…” he eyed her thoughtfully, “I could have accepted even the idea of her loving someone else, as long as she loved me too.”
Arya’s eyes widened.
Who knew that all she had needed – was the advice of an old pureblood Sith!
She nodded at the man with a thankful smile, nodding, “I may have been thinking too much about it.” she mused, “Arkous isn’t one for uniformed decisions.”
He really wasn’t, Arya couldn’t help but muse once more as she realized just how much he’d learned – about Light, but also Inari’s father, or her escapades with Hades, Dionysus or Loki, and so on. No, thinking that because he came from a very exclusive and monogamous culture, he wouldn’t understand her own polyamorous ways wasn’t giving the cunning man enough credit.
The real question was – what did she feel?
The answer – was far easier than she’d expected.
Arkous was infuriating. Undeniably attractive, she wasn’t blind – and while many would have found his rather feral ways off-putting, she had been a canine daiyoukai long enough that it wasn’t a point against but rather for him.
The main problem remained that he’d been the one to capture her and sent her to Korriban – but Arkous had never done so in a slaver’s state-of-mind – he merely wanted to prompt her to reveal her potential. Which she’d done, in an entirely different way than what he’d expected.
She’d been afraid that the man’s obsession with her was only because of their shared status as gods, even if he didn’t have the word to put on it – but truth be told, it was only doing Arkous’ intelligence and feelings a disservice.
¤.¤.¤
When the UnfetteredMooka’s crew left Kira and Scourge – the latter headed toward Tython, the former toward Dromund Kaas. She felt that the hardest challenge in front of her wasn’t convincing her father’s of the merit of helping the Jedi and former Wrath, but seeing Arkous again, now that she understood more about the pureblood Sith’s feelings – and her own.
Naturally, with a war going on, things didn’t happen as expected.
By the time the UnfetteredMooka was about to land on the capital planet of the Empire, they received a holo-transmission from the Intelligence Headquarters, informing them that their department had been dismantled by the Dark Council, the Sith suddenly fearing the reach of their spies’ arm.
Of course, they weren’t really wrong – but the fact that it came at the very same time as Cipher Nine had managed to put a name on the people who’d been conspiring to reigniting the war, was a bit too much of a coincidence.
The Star Cabal – that was the name Ketan had found – was powerful enough that it had managed to destroy their whole home to prevent themselves from being unmasked.
The Unfettered Mooka landed just long enough for Arya to disembark, and Deaknal to embark before they left once more – in normal times, Xenloth would have stayed with Arya, but the woman prevented him from doing so.
After all – the Darth would soon have a child of his own to raise.
The human had been far too surprised at the news – Lyn’Me’s pregnancy was easily felt through the Force by now, after all – but the argument had been enough for him to leave her behind.
Deaknal would be taking up his identity as Davin Ellan once more – as for Arya, she was quickly escorted to Arkous’ penthouse.
“This is a mess.”
The pureblood was looking rather harried, Arya noticed with some worry.
“It is.” she agreed, “Even more than you suspect.” she added, thinking about her latest adventures on Voss
A retelling later – the red-skinned man was sighed, and repeating, looking even more somber, “This is a mess. Stripping whole planets from the Force?” he let out a visible shudder, “Scourge was right. This man must be dealt with.”
And dealt with, he would be.
The UnfetteredMooka, minus Arya, headed to Corellia, where they would be keeping Darth Vowrawn alive.
Arya and Arkous were staying on Dromund Kaas, from where they were helping Ketan Seva trace the Star Cabal and deal with them.
Things went very quickly in the following months.
Arya had been naturally protected from the upheaval thanks to her well-known status as Arkous’ protégée, but it hadn’t been as easy for Ketan, or the rest of their ministry, who’d been rolled back in the Military Ministry.
They’d gained an unexpected ally in Keeper, their former Minder, who’d managed to recover from a horrible Mind Trap, that had put her out-of-service for months – but the genius human woman had recovered enough to sent coordinates to Ketan, who went there with only Arya, since his own crew had been forcibly disbanded by the newest Sith Intelligence Service.
There, the two Ciphers spied on a meeting of the Star Cabal – an organization that was centuries old, and whose only aim was to destroy both Siths and Jedi, as they regarded the two large Force factions as the cause of all the wars in the galaxy.
Which was, of course, both understandable and quite hypocritical – indeed, most of the past few millennia’s wars had been started by Force users… but the Star Cabal had also started its own fair share of conflict in their quest to end Siths and Jedi.
Arya and Ketan Seva dealt with the Star Cabal rather discreetly, uncovering along the way the fact that while it was sentient beings who’d been passing the torch across decades and generations – the organization’s main thinking head was a droid.
A very advanced, unique, sentient droid.
SCORPIO, the droid they’d found, was a very advanced, very self-aware entity, who’d accidentally found herself under Ketan’s command thanks to some codes he’d found sometime along his investigation.
It was rather disturbing to Arya’ senses, who could feel the droid’s true awakening as a sentient being, but also its rather pathological lack of emotions and powerful self-serving philosophy, which made SCORPIO all the more dangerous in her mind.
Now that he had some control over SCORPIO and her abilities, it didn’t take much for Cipher Nine to convince the droid to erase not only his, but also the UnfetteredMooka’s crew presence on any of the Empire’s radars.
Ketan Seva had dropped Arya back on Dromund Kaas and left – not without leaving her an encrypted line of communication, as the Zabrak had, rather understandably, decided to start to work outside both the Empire and Republic’s influence.
By the time she arrived, the UnfetteredMooka had escorted Vowrawn safely back to the planet to dethrone Barras, and along the way, Xenloth had somehow found himself declared the new Wrath of the Emperor by his Hands, the twelve pureblood Siths that made things move behind the scenes in the Empire – and whose actions often were far more important and far-reaching than those of the Dark Council.
Needless to say – Arkous’ former apprentice was quite leery about this promotion, but didn’t really have any choice but to take it. Who knew – it might even help them locate the hidden stronghold of Vitiate…
With Barras dealt with, things had taken a turn back for the better for the Intelligence Ministry, who’d been re-established, though still under Sith management.
Arkous had managed to wrangle the post – and while he’d been sorely tempted to stay as a full-time smuggler and keep freeing slaves, Deaknal had accepted his offer and took back his post as Minister, knowing he could do bigger things there.
It would take months of Arkous and Deaknal working together to undo all the damages Barras had done during his short stint in power – months during which Arya spent most of her time away with the UnfetteredMooka, doing the leg-work for them.
Before leaving Dromund Kaas once more, Arya had managed to grab some ore – after all, Arkous had gone the traditional way when gifting her his lightsaber, she might as well return the courtesy.
It was only Lyn’Me ruthless pinching that prevented her husband from laughing when he realized what she was doing – as the two were now officially a couple, having gone the way of the Amavikkan, disappearing for a few hours and coming back calling each other husband and wife.
¤.¤.¤
Still, no matter how much he enjoyed teasing Arya – the Force user in truth rather approved the path she’d taken, and could spend hours with her in the starship’s workshop, keeping her company as she re-learned a skill from a previous life.
Tinkering around quickly led Arya to unlock the CraftingSkill, quickly followed by the Weapon and ArmorForgingProficiencies. But while those came rather quick to her, she soon realized that it wouldn’t work with what she had in mind.
A gift of a weapon was to be answered by that of armor – a pledge between two partners to fight together, and defend each other.
But Arkous, for all that he was born from War’s powers, wasn’t one for traditional armor contrarily to Xenloth – so Arya found herself falling back toward some more unexpected memories. Of hours spent having tea and mead, laughing and working as she learned from the multitude of Celt Goddesses. The Weaving and SewingProficiency were soon unlocked after she grabbed some basic material from Rishi, and Arya knew she was on the right track.
Lyn’Me had found herself getting involved too, since it was rather traditional for Twi’lek mothers to weave clothes or covers for their children – Xenloth, having watched Arya enough, was keeping up with the forging, crafting cutlery and small weapons that made the goddess just know her sister’s children were going to learn to fight nearly from the cradle.
Nyla started to become involved once Arya started to try to use the Force in her weaving, just like she’d learned to use magic and godly powers in her previous life. The Kashi Mer had heard about a mystical order of Force users so ancient they were already mere legends in her time – the Mist-Weavers.
The Mist-Weavers worshiped the Luminous Mist, in other words, the Force, and were able to use it in a way none ever understood, creating everlasting glowing characters and abstract paintings. Nyla had been lucky enough to witness one of those paintings once, she explained – but it was now, watching what Arya was trying to do, that she finally understood just why the Mist-Weavers creations were so unique…
Because they weaved the very Force in them while creating them, instead of imbuing it later on.
Of course, Arya’s current creations weren’t on par with the Mist-Weavers of old’s own masterpieces – she was but beginning in the craft, and progressing surprisingly quickly with it now that she’d unlocked both the Mist-Weaver Force Proficiency and Force Weaving Ability.
Life went on aboard the Unfettered Mooka, and while all were feeling the weight of the ongoing war, they were rarely directly involved with it, as their missions didn’t take them toward the battlefield as much as beyond the scenes, working with or against those that controlled the war.
More than half a year went by before they heard about Kira and Scourge again.
Without much surprise, it hadn’t been easy for the duo to convince the Jedi Council about the former Wrath of the Empire’s truthfulness, and it had taken several missions, and lengthy interrogations for them to finally come to terms with what the pureblood Sith was telling them.
The duo was now on the move once more, and finally had found a serious lead on Vitiate’s current residence – a secret stronghold in the heart of the Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas, where none bar the First Servant ever stepped.
Finding a way to get access to the place was going to take some time – even with Ketan and SCORPIO’s help, as the UnfetteredMooka’s crew was still in regular contact with the former Cipher Nine.
Finally, at the beginning of the sixth month, Jela’Me was born.
The little boy had a skin just as red as his mother, and it was already evident that he was rather strong in the Force – from his human father, he’d inherited his eyes, that were the same startling blue as Xenloth’s own were when he dipped in the Light Side from time to time, mostly when he was using the healing abilities taught by Nyla.
While Arya had offered the couple to drop there somewhere safe to raise their child, both had pointed out that with the war, there weren’t many safe places left – and Arya, who still remembered fondly her own first years on the FluffyMooka, hadn’t insisted.
Padfoot, Blanche and Kagetsu had soon become babysitters, guardians and even playmates to the baby, and life went on.
It was a few days before Arya’s twenty-first birthday that Kira and Scourge commed them, announcing that they’d managed to hi-jack the shuttle of one of the Hand members on Corellia, and that they would soon arrive on Dromund Kaas.
After over a year away, the UnfetteredMooka landed in the Empire’s capital world once more. Both Arkous and Deaknal were waiting for them – both of them ready for battle.
The UnfetteredMooka took off once more, this time toward the secret landing pad, where Kira and Scourge were waiting for them in the mountain range that overlooked the Dark Temple.
Xenloth couldn’t help but smirk as he saw the impossibly smug smile on Arkous’ face after he stepped out of Arya’s cabin. The wide strip of woven fabric wrapped around his waist didn’t conflict any with the rather ornate but tasteful robes the man wore.
Still, for anyone giving it a glance, it was clear the belt was hand-made, the pattern an intricate mix of Sith symbols, with Amavikkan symbols hidden among the design. But for a Force user – it was far more, the strength imbued in the clothing thanks to the Force-Weaving impossible to miss.
¤.¤.¤
There was a chatty astromech droid with Kira and Scourge. Given the amused smirk on her father’s lips, and the nearly murderous look on the old pureblood Sith’s face, Arya regretted not having picked up binary-language over the years.
The duo greeted them quickly, not having expected Arkous nor Deaknal’s presence, but not protesting additional help given the fight they were headed toward.
The stronghold was populated with many droids – protocol droids, torture droids, guard droids, all of them able to fight and rather powerful. They couldn’t really say how long it took them to make their way to the large throne room, where Vitiate had clearly been waiting for them, his twelve most loyal servants arrayed around him.
Deaknal kept in the back, covering the area with his sniper. Nyla was with him, having borrowed Lyn’Me’s blaster-cannon, as someone had to stay behind with Jela’Me.
Blanche, Padfoot and Kagetsu were wreaking havoc through waves after waves of battle droids, while Scourge and Arkous had fallen in an easy rhythm, the two pureblood Sith keeping busy all twelve Hands all by themselves, proving just how fearsome each of them was.
Kira, Xenloth and Arya were against Vitiate himself.
The ascended Sith was a force of nature, using lightning liberally, but also multiple solid illusions, and just as good with a blade as with his more esoteric powers.
“Why fight against the inevitable?” the man, with his pale white skin and deep red asked
It was pernicious, Arya mused – just how sympathetic the man managed to sound despite the shroud of sheer darkness around him.
“You are my daughter,” he went on telling toward Kira, “just come back to me and take your place by my side. Cease your futile revolt.”
“I’d rather die.”
“Then I’ll make it so.”
Once more, Force clone appeared around them, pushing all three of them apart, the entities all but impossible to tell apart from the real one.
Arya, Kira and Xenloth were tiring, and she feared that sooner or later, one of them would slip.
But the Emperor was more treacherous, and it was nearly too late that she realized that there were more clones than they’d realized. Padfoot let out a yelp of pain as he was thrown toward Deaknal, both of them violently pushed against a wall. Arya felt her worry spike for her father, who, trapped between the heavy and spiky mass of the tuk’ata and the solid wall, had clearly taken some damage – but she wasn’t given the time to check on him, as there were now three ethereal silhouettes fighting against her.
She managed to wrench Xenloth out of the way of a lethal blow from Vitiate’s blade, but had been a fraction of a second too late – with a leg nearly severed, the man wouldn’t be of any more use in the fight, and was now trying to focus all that he’d learned from Nyla to keep himself in one piece while the Kashi Mer healed the critical wounds Deaknal had sustained.
Seeing that Xenloth had fallen, Scourge and Arkous shared a glance – and the older pureblood Sith was now fighting alone against the Hand, whose number had nearly been halved, while Arkous stepped up to replace his apprentice.
Padfoot, Blanche and Kagetsu’s own part in the fighting was slowly becoming easier as the supply of droids wasn’t unending – just as well, as Padfoot was still reeling from the Emperor’s attack, while a bolt of lightning from one of the Hand had nearly disabled Blanche’s mechanical limb, and Kagetsu himself had received numerous wounds and scratches from the dangerous droids.
Arya, Kira and Arkous fell in a rhythm, the Light and Dark Sides users balancing each other rather naturally around her.
Step by step, Vitiate was starting to lose ground, yet he still sported a confident facial expression.
“You are but a pebble on my way.” he told them, not even bothering to wipe the blood flowing from a deep wound on his arm, “I hold the patience of stone and the will of stars. I’ll rise again long after you’re gone.”
Had he been facing mortals, he wouldn’t have been wrong, Arya knew – and while the Sith may not have put the word ‘god’ on what he was, he still felt how different he’d become since he’d cannibalized Nathema’s very essence.
The most frustrating thing was – she knew how to take care of him, it was her job to do so as Chaos’ sister, but in her current body, she couldn’t.
Her powers were far too constrained by her current incarnation to be used right now – she was going to have to settle for simply pushing back the man.
[Past Life System updated!
Second Life Aura(Godly): unlocks skills, proficiencies and abilities from Sawada Kazami’s life, +40% to all Main Stats, upkeep 45 FR per minute, cool-down 6 weeks]
[Achievement unlocked!
Second Life Aura(Sawada Kazami): +25 LR, +250 XP]
Fiery petals of deadly powers materialized around her as she rushed forward – faster, stronger and far more lethal than the moment before.
Arkous and Kira reacted immediately, pushing forward right by her side.
At the last second, the red lightsaber she’d been using was replaced by KageShin’s unmistakable silhouette, and the smile on Vitiate’s lips faltered.
He’d been there, after all, when she’d killed Sel-Makor with the weapon.
Arya pushed her powers as far as she dared, the red flower-shower of the Hitohira no Senka replaced by the more wild and primal aura of Death and Chaos, stopping only when she heard Blanche howl her a warning.
Vitiate’s body crumbled to the ground, and the soul she could feel fleeing had been diminished, and would need some time to heal from the damages she’d inflicted.
Wisps swirled around the empty body, the Dark Side surging around them – and the stronghold started to collapse around them.
4316.165.9 CRC – birth of Arya Lunika on Benduday (5th day of the week) of the 6th week of the 1st month of the year 4316 while in Hyperspace (3661 BBY / -7 ATC)
4320.412.0 CRC – Fluffy Mooka boarded, death of Sayah and Leelai Lunika, Arya Lunika registered to the Korriban Academy as “Jen’Nwit” (Little Shadow) by Darth Arkous (3657 BBY / -3 ATC)
4322.742 CRC –Arya saves Lyn’Me, they become sisters (3655 BBY / -1 ATC)
4323.273 CRC – Arya Lunika escapes the Korriban Academy and is recruited by Cipher Eleven (3654 BBY / 0 ATC)
4325.323.0 CRC – Deaknal (Born from the Wind) Raheth (Sandwalker) adopts Arya Lunika (3652 BBY / 2 ATC)
4328.444 CRC – Return to the Empire, Deaknal promoted (3649 BBY / 5 ATC)
4330.974 CRC – Lyn’Me escapes Korriban (3647 BBY / 7 ATC)
4331.165.0 CRC – re-birth of Padfoot, Arya leaves Dromund Kaas on her first solo mission (3646 BBY / 8 ATC)
4331.721 CRC – finding of the vergeance and re-birth of Blanche on Lothal (3646 BBY / 8 ATC)
4332.211 CRC– finding the vergeance of Ossus (3645 BBY / 9 ATC)
4332.231 CRC– return on Dromund Kaas (3645 BBY / 9 ATC)
4332.315 CRC– mission on Nal Hutta starts (3645 BBY / 9 ATC)
4333.164 CRC– arrival of Ketan Seva on Nal Hutta (3644 BBY / 10 ATC)
4333.333 CRC– Arya becomes Cipher Seven (3644 BBY / 10 ATC)
4333.923 CRC– Darth Arkous becomes a member of the Dark Council, Deaknal is promoted from Keeper to Minister (3644 BBY / 10 ATC)
4334.233 CRC– Dash.a Ellan becomes a Privateer for the Republic (3643 BBY / 11 ATC)
4334.762 CRC– War starts again (3643 BBY / 11 ATC)
4334.943 CRC– re-birth of Kagetsu (3643 BBY / 11 ATC)
4334.954 CRC– death of Sel-Makor (3643 BBY / 11 ATC)
4335.625 CRC– birth of Jela’Me, son of Lyn’Me and Xenloth Nor
4336.172 CRC– death of Vitiate’s Voice in the Empire (3643 BBY / 11 ATC)
Fluffy Mooka – Defender Class light corvette, lime green paint job (Sayah and Leelai Lunika’s starship)
? – Praetor Class frigate (Exchange slave cargo)
Ember – Fury Class light corvette (Darth Arkous’ starship)
? –X-70B-Phatom (Cipher 11’ starship)
Unfettered Mooka – XS Stock Class light freighter, lime line around the hull (Davin and Dash.a Ellan’s starship)
- Repository (enhancement): unlocks the Repository System
Kitsune Weave(clothe, leveling, LV14):+14 Physical Defense
FuurinKiba (weapon, leveling, LV14): +1 AG, +16 Cutting Damages
- Saya(enhancement): +10 Force Reservoir
KageShin (weapon, leveling, LV14): +1 WIS, +18 Shadow Damages
ShiroInu Tessen (weapon, leveling, LV14): +1 LUCK, +14 Cutting Damages
Trill-181 prototype (weapon, leveling, LV14, adaptable: blaster gun/carbine/rifle): +14/16/18 Energy Damages
Arkous’ Shoto Saber (weapon, leveling, LV14): +1 AG, +16 Force Damages
[Arkous’ Shadow Weave(clothe, leveling): + x Physical Defense)]
(XP)New Skill: Crafting
(bXP)New Proficiency: Sniper / Voss language / Voss culture / Weapon Forging / Armor Forging / Weaving / Sewing / Mist-Weaver Force
(XP)New Ability: Force Weaving
(bXP)New Perk: Heart Perk
4XP)New Familiar: Kagetsu
(2XP)New Familiar Skill: Fight / Defense / Force / Survival / Synergy
(2bXP)New Familiar Ability: Powerful Strike / Body Enhancement / Fire Storm / Fire Walk
(2bXP)New Familiar Perk: ReforgedSoul / Light and Shadow
(4bXP)New Force Bond: Kagetsu
(4XP)New Title:
(2XP)LV MAX Skill:
(2bXP)LV MAX Proficiency: Hacker / Fallanassi Force
(2XP)LV MAX Ability: Force Deflection
(bXP FR, 10bXP)Vergeance: Voss
(XP LR, 10XP)Past Life Aura: First Life(Harriet Potter) / Second Life(Sawada Kazami)
current XP: 4010
current LV: 14
XP to next level: 240
ARYA LUNIKA AGE 21 LV 14
BODY: Agility (14/1:15) / Strength (6/1:7) / Endurance (6/1:7)
MIND: Intelligence (8/2:10) / Willpower (11/1:12) / Wisdom (9/3/12)
Heart: Presence (6/2:8) / Instinct (10/3:13)
UNIQUE: Luck (5) / Element (17) / Godly (26)