freedomliveson

Looking for Ciri [Witcher] [shamelessly looking again]

Bump

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Gave you a chance to have Ari/Cheriss interact with them before, you know, the outer rim implodes xD

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

The arguing threatened to break out into all out conflict, but thankfully his wife was able to calm the tensions with a very probably scenario that made all too much sense. What was Manus doing right at this moment? Cackling at their inability to pull together? Self righteously patting himself on the back as he continued to wreak havoc on the continuity of the Force by stealing younglings away from a promising future? In any of those scenarios, Manus was the one who was gaining the upper hand. Just like Bracknell, Manus was the true threat, yet was able to cause ideological division among those who wanted to stop him. Maybe Manus learned a trick or two from the deceased Sith Lord...or maybe that's why Soto was retrieved from Coruscant, to help the former Jedi coordinate warfare on every front, including psychological.

These revelations more than likely crossed the minds of the Council members, including the most stubborn of the group. His acquiescence was a victory, but tensions needed to be ironed out before Yerbol could feel any sort of happiness about saving Kartan and his group.
"Integration is a wise choice, Voldon. One that we all would have agreed upon." The icy tone in the Master's voice was strange given their relationship, but Matthew wasn't averse to giving his objections, even to a friend he fought with side by side.
"Good to know." Voldon retorted angrily, bile rising in his throat before quickly swallowing and motioning to the Champions.
"Kira, Aliel, take them down to meet the new trainers." He rose vehemently, storming out of the room to their right with a kind of thunderous indignation that couldn't be forged. Matt cleared his throat in an attempt to clear any residual tension from the room(in vain perhaps) as he looked to Kartan with a half hearted smile.
"We'll get this taken care of. Talk to Malu and I about your needs while we walk over to the settlement." When the other Masters disappeared, it left only the Champions, Kira, Aliel and Cheriss, the second of the group sighing loudly.
"That shouldn't have happened. I'll talk to him."
"Can you share anything about what happened between those two, Kira?" The Elder in training(based on her more frequent appearances with Voldon) placed a thoughtful hand on her chin, which jutted out for a few moments before she spoke:
"I won't say too much, but Voldon went through a lot with Manus before the Emperor, before we even were married." A swallow.
"He ah...well, might as well come out into the open with this if you guys didn't know already, but Manus was one of the few people who helped coordinate a rescue mission for us when the Emperor had us hostage. Master Orgus, according to Voldon, was the one who broke him out of the Emperor's hold, but Manus was the person that led the physical effort to get us off that floating death trap. His face was the first one I saw after..." She trailed off, shuddering. Another silence settled on the room for an indefinite amount of time. Kira broke the silence, albeit at a more quiet decibel level:
"Voldon, me, Doc, Rusk, even T7...we owe him our lives. And that's probably what drives Voldon crazy. The fact that his friend, the one who saved his friends AND his woman could turn on him like this." Yerbol couldn't help but ponder:
"I didn't think Voldon was prone to that kind of...emotion." Kira shook her head with a sad chortle.
"He was a robot when we met back on Coruscant four years ago. It took some charm from yours truly for him to open up and when he did...well, let's say that he's got a side of himself that he wants no one to see...and I've probably said too much already." She looked to Cheriss as she spoke to the Champions:
"Thanks to this 'too old for politics' Elder, we have some new trainers. You ought to meet them. I think they could become something special." The endorsement from Kira was intriguing enough to distract Yerbol from the pressing matters of the day to see the potential help.
"It'll be nice to have some help in the classroom."

___

The three instructors had been put to work right away in a general Force techniques session in the same garden that Yerbol and Aria had gotten married in, which made the scene all the more ironic considering that instead of matrimony and happiness there was a lot of grunting, shouting and the levitating of Novices who were "volunteering" to get thrown around by the trio in front. There was a Chiss female who, if one looked in a passing sort of way, almost resembled Illesia in facial structure, but her form was much more slight and graceful. A Cathar male helped a novice off the ground, a toothy grin and swishing tail indicative of the fun he apparently was having. To cap off the display was a human male, his yellowed eyes and scarred arms telling a story that Aria might be familiar with.
"No, no, child, you can't just push anyone on a whim...not yet, anyway." The Cathar's almost musical accent jingled jovially, giving the once fallen novice a wink before shooing him over to a group of students who were practicing push and pull techniques on a pumpkin. As the group of Elders and Champions passed said pumpkin practice, the Chiss waved them over, her crimson eyes much warmer than the last pair Yerbol had stared into. Although she wasn't HER, being around her made the Champion feel slightly unnerved.
"The Champions that the Qyaari are so proud of." The Cathar said with a broad smile, extending a furry hand to the duo.
"Kinso or Kin for short." The Chiss came alongside and patted the broad shouldered alien on the back as she added:
"Always the first one to introduce yourself."
"Why not? It makes things less awkward when you come by." She snorted a laugh that was a bit too high pitched for a Chiss before she cleared her throat, extending a hand herself:
"Don't mind him, he's odd, but lovable all the same. Paix Ingala, former Sith Inquisitor and happy Qyaari trainer now." Her Imperial accent wasn't as strong as it probably was a couple of years ago, but it still shone through just the same.
"We are all happy to be here...even if the sourpuss over there isn't acting like it." The scarred man with yellowed eyes glared at the Cathar before hesitantly moving to the group.
"Not all of us have to be enthusiastic."
"This is-"
"I'll introduce my bloody self, thank you." The obvious former Sith nodded to the Champions.
"Waylon. And your youngsters need help. Desperately."
"Which is why we're here, Waylon." The Sith grunted at the light reprimand by Paix, the former walking to the pumpkin circle while the latter asked Cheriss:
"So Cheriss, how do you think we're doing? Raising the Champions of tomorrow?"

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

It has, thank you! Things are better now that we've done a lot of the more tedious things(cleaning carpets, dishes, etc.). Now it's just a matter of moving stuff around.

Post is incoming later tonight your time! Introducing a couple of new faces for later down the line in the form of...well, you can read for yourself ;)

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Oh yeah, I think we talked about incorporating them into the story somehow, didn't we? Then they just kinda disappeared while we moved on xD

Let's try to work them in somehow...I'll play around with the idea next post. I'm hoping to get to it today, but my wife and I just moved into our new home, so I'm exhausted. So, today or tomorrow xD

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Well this is going to be a heated discussion...again xD

Also, have you heard Starset's new album? It's AMAZING and could totally apply to almost every moment in the story. Link is below:

youtube.com/watch?v=CCu5cigP51E&t=1791s

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Their exchange wasn't long, but Yerbol could feel the blind rage and anxiety that the girl was emanating. One didn't need a connection to the Force to realize that she was indoctrinated, ideas implanted in her head that have roots going deep into her mind that might be too strong to pull out. A strong sense of duty washed over him as they resumed their place in the cockpit, responding to his wife's comments about Manus:
"You remember when you were doubting whether or not we were making an impact on the galaxy?" He retrieved his miniature holo unit from within one of his pockets and pulled up a small projection of Janika, Manso and two other Qyaari who had become full fledged Knights.
"Those were scared, wide-eyed kids who had no idea what they were going to do with themselves. In the span of a year, they're confident Force users who have a bright future." He nodded in affirmation as he continued:
"Manus might have hypnotized those children and scarred them beyond comprehension, but we can help heal them in whatever way possible. It's our duty, our privilege as the Qyaari. We save, not destroy." He felt a trickle of emotion from the girl behind them. What that emotion was would be a mystery, but his words had some kind of register on her.

It was a start.

"Hiding something?" He asked almost incredulously at his partner's question, following up:
"I don't know if they're hiding anything. Voldon and the rest of the Council looked like they were all going to burst with opinions, rants and diatribes, but instead held their peace until we arrived back on world. If anything, I think a lot of sentiment is going to pour out into the open today." Leaning back into his chair, he rolled his eyes as they began their initial descent.
"Just ONCE would I like for things to go smoothly and not have secret ramifications that lead us into more danger. JUST. ONCE."

Taral snorted.

___

"Do I look too rosy cheeked? I mean, they probably won't notice, but still." Yerbol moved his jaw down, extended his cheeks and contorting his face at other angles to ensure that the minute shade of pink from his cheeks would disappear. The mirror showed some result, but the Champion knew it would take a while before the flush fully disappeared.
"Not to say that I'm disappointed at what we got to do." He shot his partner a wink from his position in their once steam filled bathroom, his clothes partially on his body due to his rosy distraction. Yerbol wouldn't have normally been so concerned about this, but there were a couple of times where he and his wife disappeared for "Academy reasons" before he arrived at a meeting or briefing session where his flushed countenance and excuse of being away led many to connect the dots. Again, not that he was disappointed or ashamed, but the Council REALLY didn't need to know about-

A violating chirp from their holoterminal indicated a new message, which played automatically. The words were read by the same sultry voice that Manso programmed:
"The Council anticipates your arrival. Please be prompt. Dan-Ardou." Dan-Ardou Malaka was a Selkath who was responsible for sending out Council communiques on their behalf. She arrived a few months ago and was very prompt about sending out messages, but she was also...well, terse was an understatement.
"Promise me that we're going to lay around after this meeting. Just...lay around. And not move for a long, long time."

___

When they arrived, the Council members were gravely silent, their eyes engaged with a Twi'lek seated in the center of the room who turned around with an almost relieved smile.
"Champions. Good to see some friendly faces in this sea of malcontent." Voldon grumbled something inaudible under his breath as the Champions took their normal seats. For a few moments no one spoke, as if to steady themselves for the torrent that was to come. Then, Matthew started:
"Our arrangement is to house your people, Kartan. We agreed to that happily. Now I feel like you're taking advantage of us, Champions included." Yerbol cocked a brow as Voldon added:
"He's right. We gladly house your people, but if you hadn't noticed when you landed, we are a Qyaari homeworld. We won't open our doors to just anyone who wants a piece of land." Kartan quickly fumed:
"JUST ANYONE?! You people SAY you want to protect Force users, but then spit right in our face when we need help the most! It's sickening!"
"How can we be sure that the other outposts you want rescued won't turn on us as agents of these Faceless? They're a radical, dangerous group. Manus might have even planned it for you to come here so that you could plant this idea in our midst."
"I had no idea that Manus would turn to such evil, Voldon, I assure you. If I had known-"
"But you didn't. And that burden falls on your shoulders, not ours." Voldon icily replied.
"Ignorance is something that happens, Voldon. Don't discount the power of being in the dark." Malu chimed in, her blindfolded eyes seeming to bore into the former Battlemaster's skull.
"I agree with Malu. Kartan is a noble man and if we are to start building trust with his people, we must be willing to extend ourselves."
"And have the security of our planet compromised?" He pointed at the panoramic glass windows behind him as he continued:
"Don't you remember what happened with Bracknell? He caught us unaware and nearly pulverized our forces into NOTHING, he-"
"We were there, dear. You don't need to remind us of what we lost and had to give up that day." Malu nearly hissed, silencing him instantly, which then granted her the ability to speak:
"Kartan, you've worked with me for a while now. You know what..well, what most of us want for your people."
"Assimilation." Kartan said with a sarcastic smirk.
"No. Integration. We want to protect all Force users from the carnage that Bracknell brought to us. It is their choice to stay or leave, but we will not turn down Force users a chance to reach their truest potential." A deep exhale from the presiding Elder came before he told Cheriss:
"Speak your mind. I know you've wanted to say a lot ever since Kartan walked in here, but held your peace. Now's your chance."

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Did you see Logan? For some reason, your description of the Faceless made me think of the girl in the film. Untamed rage without anyone to guide her...which makes me think it might be interesting to make her a recurring character. Allow me to toy with the idea?

I'll do some fleshing out of Yerbols thoughts then get us to the Council meeting, which from the looks of it, is going to be very interesting

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Feel free to skip to Zinuthra, but I thought it might be interesting to have the girl wake up and talk with the pair for a bit.

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Yerbol quickly made an executive decision to tackle one of the armored thugs and the Faceless boy standing next to him, Kartan joining in on the fracas alongside. The Hutt gangster attempted to keep his distance while firing potshots from a few meters away with a blaster rifle, which made things much more difficult than they had to be. The Faceless boy was just like all the others: raw, inexperienced and chock full of unbalanced rage that permeated his movements. While dodging the bolts as best they could, both former Master and Padawan dispatched of the Faceless easily before turning their attention to the heavily armored would-be assailant. A wide eyed stare of panic would be the last expressing he wore, Yerbol throwing his saber at just the right angle to where it twirled through the air, one hilt slicing the Sun's head clean off. Once the saber returned, it didn't take very long to clean up the rest of the field, including throwing a chunk of rubble in the way of one departing Faceless who thought it would be better to run away from the situation.

Kids.

When the girl stood up and refused to speak, Aria made a good point. It took heavy coercion(borderline torture) to make their first Faceless captive talk. Manus had them either trained very well or scared so much that they would rather die or get captured at the hands of their anointed enemies rather than get into Manus' clutches again. With the philosophy of "living weaponry" that Manus purported, it made sense that he would see any who didn't achieve his purpose as "defective" and dispose of them as such. That thought was what spurred him to tell his partner:
I don't know if trust is something that she'll be able to muster right this second. I say we try to pry the information out of her for a couple minutes more, but then take her captive and keep moving for the well-being of all the others.

When Aria mentioned protection, the girl shook her head violently, eyes narrowing.
"Please! 'Protection'? None of you can protect me or yourselves from what's coming. My Master will destroy everything he chooses like the living extension of the Force he is." Said like a true believer.
"I don't know what Manus has told you about the Qyaari, but we're very good at thwarting any kind of threat on the galaxy, 'living weapons' included. You come with us and we'll show you that." She cautiously took a step back.
"No. No, I won't go with you. I'll make sure that the Force that flows me through takes down as many of you before I die!" Lightning crackled from her fingertips, but her electrical act was short-lived as Kartan thrust his right arm forward, palm towards her face. A moment later, she crumpled to the ground, the only indication of survival that of her chest gently rising and falling.
"What was...?" Yerbol's jaw hung open slightly as he turned to face the former Master, who said with a mischievous smirk:
"Remember? A lot more."

__

Yaim and a few of the others bound their Faceless captive as tightly as they could with polymer based rope, stripping her of her armor and replacing it with plain clothes(the young ladies in the group did this in private, of course. Modesty had to be upheld, even in captivity.) Without her armor and saber, she would hopefully be motivated enough to not try and make a run for it the moment she woke up from Kartan's Force martial arts strike. While the youngsters bound their new captive, Kartan, Vaerth, Viqi and the Champions stood in a tent near the landing pad. They surrounded a rusty circular pedestal that served as an ancient but working holo communicator, salvaged apparently by Viqi and Yaim in the derelict palace of a Hutt.
"Before we get into any kind of posturing, politicking or angry staring contests, let me extend my thanks to you both, Champions. Without your help, I'm sure that we wouldn't have had the kind of success we did today." Yerbol looked from Kartan to his two followers before telling the trio:
"This is the kind of cooperation we want to give you. You don't have to operate on your own any longer." Viqi visibly tensed slightly with no reaction from Vaerth.
"I'd normally object to your optimism, but the events of today have given me pause about who we're placing our trust in."
"Kartan, you can't be serious..." A glare was issued by the former Master, which made the Zabrack nearly stand at attention. When the glare was over, Kartan's gaze returned to the Champions.
"Your story seems to match up with what happened today, but I won't make any rushed judgments after the heat of battle. What I will insist on rushing is my decision on what to do with our people here. They're young, inexperienced and have been out on Tattoine for too long. We need to relocate somewhere that Manus wouldn't dare touch or know about. The latter is probably impossible, so the former would work just as well."
"He was willing to blow up the Shadowlands, so I don't know about his willingness to lay off any location except...well..." He thought about the benefits of sharing this information without Council approval, but decided that the situation called for this revelation.
"We've expanded our outpost on Zinuthra by a lot with the Alliance's help. It's practically a small city now. Your settlement would fit perfectly with what we have." Kartan's lekku vibrated with thought.
"As bold as Manus has been lately, you know him as a tactician, right? He wouldn't risk open war on the Qyaari homeworld. There you at least would have some kind of stability for the youngsters to enjoy." Another vibration, this time more vehement.
"Patch me to your Council. Then leave the tent. I'll have Vaerth retrieve you."

It took an hour before Vaerth retrieved them from their brief repose, the duo entering the tent to find the seated projections of the Council staring intently at Kartan. Voldon's gaze snapped to the Champions as they took their place alongside the former Master.
"It's been negotiated that we will take Kartan's group into our settlement. Accompany them to the planet, then report back to the Council chambers." As sudden as his commands were, so went the projection.
"Kartan, wha-"
"A lot of things needed to be said. They were and now we're past them. Hopefully." Whatever discourse occurred between he and the Council would apparently be classified until they could find out further. Curiosity would have to give way to preparations.
"We're ready to carry out the Council's orders. Show us what you need to do."
"With pleasure."

___

Several hours of lifting, packing, reassuring and mumbled swearing at how hot it was, supplies were packed into airtight canisters and loaded onto four shuttles. Two of them were older tinny looking vessels that had seen better days seemingly centuries ago, but Viqi and Yaim assured them that they would be able to make the trip and keep up with the two scoured from Coruscant. It was decided that the Champions would take the Faceless captive, who was given a sedative by Yaim in order to make sure she was incapacitated for some of the journey before being put on the shuttle Yerbol and Aria would pilot. It was a smart idea to put her on their shuttle, seeing as if she did try to put up a fight, she'd be in a shuttle with two Sith hounds and two Champions. If that wasn't deterrence enough, then she was either extremely confident in her ability or just stupid.

Once the flight plan was set and the base completely checked for any remaining parts, the shuttles careened into space, making the jump smoothly on accounts from the other shuttles. They were going to occupy the same space for a longer duration than their trip from Coruscant, so Yerbol kicked his boots off, planting his feet on the dashboard above the instrument panel.
"There was sand in my boots...and sand, I think, on my socks?" To confirm the theory, he shook his right foot, grains flicking onto the dashboard.
"I'm taking a shower when we get back home, Council summons or not." A look of playfulness danced across his eyes as he told his wife quietly:
"Wouldn't mind if you joined." A very annoyed grunt came from Chwuq, who placed her skull on Yerbol's armrest.
"Fine, fine, I won't any more." He added under his breath:
"Not while you're around anyway." Yerbol was about to ask his partner how she was doing when his eye caught the still form of the Faceless girl. Pity welled up inside of him, asking his partner:
"You think these kids are ever going to have a shot at thinking normally again?"