philippines ♔ may you find my darkness

[flyingsolo]

WHO || Jaina, Miles, Han, Rey, Poe [closed]
WHAT ||The Knights head to investigate the death of a Jedi Master
WHERE || Kudat, South Asia & Luzon
WHEN || March
HOW || Actionspam

[  Jaina Solo has been searching for more information about the Jedi Order and the Force for years now, certain that she and her family can't be the only ones who fell through from a galaxy far, far away.  It would seem that her search has finally paid off:  a Jedi Master may have been recently seen in Malaysia, taking a boat to the island of Luzon, where she was discovered dead on the slopes of a volcano.

With the fallen Jedi's lightsaber in hand, Jaina has asked her friends and family to help her investigate, and try to recover the lost item that the Jedi was carrying on her person - one that was not left with the body.    They've decided to head to the port first, to see what rumors may be left in her wake.  The beautiful Malaysia port of Kudat looks out over inviting blue waters, a number of ships lined up here of all shapes and sizes.  ]

Comments

[parsecs]

[Han grimaces, because ow.] I'm okay! [Okay enough to keep shooting, anyway, even if he's favoring the side that didn't get hit now. He aims again, hoping she's distracted enough by all the other fighters that she can't deflect this one (atk 25 dmg 13).]

[forcevisions]

[ Distracted by Jaina's shout and the way it contextualizes who has been hit by the deflected blast, it's impossible to stave off the blow of a dark-sider much more powerful and much better trained than the only other she's faced.

It's the first time she's felt the stinging lash of a lightsaber, and it nearly takes her down. The blade lances through muscle and bone across her ribs like it's not even there, and she chokes out a sound of surprise to release sufficient pain so that she might smother the rest.

She looks down at the sizzling burn where it sears her shirt against her flesh just long enough to miss Miles' punch land, but the crack of the mask and looks up to see a beautiful face staring out at them. Not all monsters look like monsters, she reminds herself, thinking of Starkiller Base; maybe by the end, this one will look the part too. ]

You killed her. [ She spits the words out, coming up again with the lightsaber as she shouts, ] Did you think no one would come for you?! [ Luke's blade hums as it cuts through the ozone, jabbing for Vane's side (atk 27, dmg 19 or 22 if penetration counts/works with lightsabers; atk 13). ]

[flyingsolo]

[ she does seem too distracted to deflect the blaster bolt - but she also seems to know instantly when it's coming, easily bending her body away from the red streak before it can strike her. in fact, only working in tandem with jaina flanking her can rey get a single attack in (penetration does work, yes!), one that sears a wound right into her skin, causing her to suck in a pained hiss rather than respond. jaina presses the advantage, bringing her own blade around (atk 28, dmg 8) before bringing her blade down in a powerful, overhead thrust, blade searing into her shoulder ... and going right through, the black and red lightsaber hitting the grass and extinguishing itself... as the arm lands next to it (nat 20, dmg 56).

as the dark sider sinks to one knee, admirably keeping from unleashing a scream as she reaches up with her one arm to clutch at the cauterized wound, panting against the pain, jaina's one hand falls to her side, the tip of the purple blade drooping towards the ground itself as she stares at what she's done. she seems to be processing, a bit shocked by the power of the weapon, by what she's done, and uncertain how to feel about it. ]

[newgenwraith]

[Poe is going to sneak back out, hiding the object in his pockets. He's still unarmed, but he can see that the battle is done with the dark-sider unarmed. Literally. He's still hurting himself, but is going to just push through it to rejoin the group and check in.

Meanwhile, 200 feet away BB-8 has finally made his way down the stairs and is going to just bend over and retrieve that blaster for Poe with his little pincher arm]

[cuivre]

[Romantic nat 20's ftw?

But he did just get a really up close and personal view of Jaina slicing off this woman's arm and that was pretty intense, tbh. His eyes widen ever so slightly, but he doesn't react to shockingly otherwise, so he definitely didn't expect her to be able to use that thing so well.

Maybe it's a Force thing?

He's gonna reach down and pick up the dark sider's weapon, though. He doesn't want to find out if she's ambidextrous the hard way.]

[throughvictory]

[ her head tilts aside slightly, catching the hand picking up her blade out of the corner of her eye, and fixing a baleful stare on the spot. ]

She took what was mine. You would defend a thief.

[parsecs]

[Han has seen enough arms cut off in his day that he really doesn't look phased tbh. He jogs over, looking over Jaina and Rey with a soft frown. But they'll live. They can get fixed up later.]

Better a thief than a murderer. [Says the guy who's done both, honestly. Oops. This isn't about him.]

What'd she take, then? Who was she? And you?

[forcevisions]

[ Shock flares through Rey's expression when she watches Jaina disarm her—literally—but she quells it quickly, steeling herself against the awesome might of the weapons they hold. One thumb hovers over the button on hers, hesitates, but eventually presses down to dispel the beam of blue light with a hum. ]

Why is that cube so important?

[throughvictory]

She was a fallen member of the Jedi Order. [ scorn rides high in her tone at the words ] And that cube as you call it was to be my own redemption.

Redemption she tore from my hands. [ her eyes flick to her shoulder, squeezing shut a moment as she no doubt realizes that she now only has... one of said hands ] As you no doubt intend to now.

Take my life, and end this. Complete the black journey she began. There is nothing left for me now.

[newgenwraith]

[His hand went to touch the cube in his pocket to reassure himself he had it, but he wasn't about to say so - not with this woman nearby. However, he narrowed his eyes and looked over at Jaina and Rey.]

Kinda being a little melodramatic, you know. You could still find redemption. Probably start by stop choking people to start with.

[cuivre]

Don't be ridiculous. We're not going to kill you if we don't have to. That's not how we do things.

[He looks at Jaina, tries to catch her gaze before he holds out the enemy's lightsaber to her.]

Here.

1/2

[flyingsolo]

[ jaina takes the lightsaber, meeting miles' eyes for a second, her own hard now as she looks back to the woman. ]

You said she was a fallen Jedi. But you didn't say what you were.

[throughvictory]

The only name that I remember was nothing but a title. One bestowed on me by he who raised me, who trained me.

Who turned me into what I am.

Darth Vane.

[forcevisions]

If that's all you remember, why'd you go after the Jedi? Why kill her for that cube? How was it supposed to redeem you?

[ And if she really doesn't remember anything else, then why does she believe she needs redemption? ]

[throughvictory]

I said it is the only name I remember, not the extent of my memories.

I came to this world with that Holocron, the lost teachings of a Sith who found her way to the Light. This Jedi of yours believed the only good Sith was a dead one, wanted the item destroyed in an attempt to stamp out the very notion that we were redeemable. She wanted to exterminate anyone who had ever touched the Dark Side, and her hatred consumed her, turned her into the very thing she fought against.

[parsecs]

Sounds like a real charmer.

[Han hasn't put his gun away, but he does look... kind of sympathetic. Luke and Leia's dad was Darth Vader, and if you can believe Luke, he turned away from the Dark Side in the end. Luke is way too wholesome to lie about something like that.]

Y'know, if you're trying to a Jedi, getting a different colored lightsaber would probably be a good start.

[forcevisions]

[ Rey has her doubts, tries to study the Sith's face for clues as to whether or not that's legit (sense motive 18). Then, she turns to Han. ]

What's a Sith?

[parsecs]

Dark side Force user. Like Vader or the old Emperor.

[newgenwraith]

You know, I don't know a lot about this whole Jedi and Sith thing, but you know, I think redemption doesn't come in a cube anymore than a bottle. You want to be redeemed, that's up to you and forget anyone else's opinion.

[throughvictory]

The Dark Side's grip is firmer than you know, boy. [ she directs to poe, venom in her eyes at the implication. but rey gets the feeling that she's telling the truth, at least. ]

[cuivre]

[Miles drags a hand over his hair.]

I dunno. [He looks around at the others.] Maybe we should have her come back with us. Talk to Wynn.

[It's not like they can just...let her go. And taking her to regular cops won't do jack shit, either.]

[forcevisions]

[ She's seen dark siders offered chances before. It's an unwelcome memory, one she quickly shakes away in the wake of Miles' suggestion. A part of her, a larger part than she is willing to admit, wants to argue, but ... she does seem to be genuine in her desire.

She wonders if Han believed Kylo Ren was genuine too.

With that in mind, Rey turns to him. ] Has that ever happened before? A Sith, returned to the Light? Is it even possible?

[parsecs]

Sure, I mean who hasn't had their brush with the Dark Side once or twice? [Han shrugs.] But yeah. Vader was about as dark as they get and he came around in the end.

[Who can say if it would have stuck if he hadn't died, but he did end up a hero.]

[forcevisions]

Darth Vader came back to the Light?

[ NOT TO DERAIL EVERYTHING WITH THIS HISTORY LESSON but also yeah derailing it because this is contextualizing things. ]

[throughvictory]

[ there's no recognition in the woman's eyes at the name, but she's watching them closely at least, as they discuss this. ]