Halcyon Price

[Dutch]

Name: Halcyon ‘Halli’ Price
Race:
Near-Human: Humani/ Hapan/ Umbaran/ Korunnai/ Theelin/ Kiffar/ Zeltron/ Ocsin
Age: 24
Height: 5’1”
Weight: 118

Appearance:

Halli isn’t too obviously near-human. Her most outstanding feature is her eyes, completely black, with no difference between iris and pupil, the eyes of her Ocsin grandmother. With their naturally soft shape, they give her doe-like eyes that betray her innocence. Over all one could describe her features as soft and rounded, her expression never harsh. Her hair is a dirty blonde in color, but if one sees it in the right light, hints of pink can be seen in it, homage to her Zeltron and Theelin ancestry. Halli keeps it short, as hassle free as possible. It isn’t uncommon to see it in two large braids that sweep back. One of her most notable features, is the cross shaped scar on the lower part of her left cheek. This is her greatest shame as well, where a creature of true evil left his mark upon her flesh. It is not the only scar on Halli though. From the left side of her navel to her side is a clean scar from where a blaster bolt had grazed her. Every time the girl sees that mark, she fights the urge to smile at the memory associated with it, even if it embarrasses her greatly.

Her build is petite, the woman barely breaks five feet tall. Modest in her frame, Halli is as athletic as any other Jedi Guardian, her body in peak condition as per protocol. Normal wear for the woman around the temple is normally plain Jedi robes, however they are normally spattered in all sorts of paint of varying colors. It isn’t uncommon for her skin and hair to have paint on it too. However when on a job, depending on the situation Halli will either don a simple under-armor weave for added protection and mobility, or a heavier suit of medium armor. The armor isn’t anything fancy, built for being useful and protective over showy. Her twin lightsabers are always at her right hip, in a pair of loops on her belt. The lightsabers themselves are a medium gray metal, highly polished and clean. They may be the only thing that never seems to have paint on them when it comes to Halli.

Personality:

If Halli wasn’t a Jedi, it would be all too easy to tell exactly what the woman is feeling. Despite her greatest effort, she seems to feel every emotion in ten fold, and in her younger years, could barely hold them back. She has learned to put a cap on them, so that they don’t affect her decisions, but she still feels them in intensity. Her master once described Halli as a ball of sunshine and happiness, and despite current events, that bubbly happy-go-lucky Halli still makes an appearance rather often. She always greets people with a great big smile, and always makes eye contact with others. The girl can be a bit shy though at first, more so lately she has begun to revert into her shell, recent years having scarred the girl horribly, both physically and spiritually.

Halli despises causing people any harm in any way, and would rather herself be hurt than others, especially if it would be from her actions. She is always willing to sacrifice herself, long as she felt inadequate in the face of her peers. Just good enough to be considered a Jedi, but her only true talent seems to be in her painting. Pride is not what drives the woman, but satisfaction in her work. Many Jedi revere her works however, as Halli uses her painting as a form of meditation. A good amount of her works was guided by the Force itself, and has only been recently confirmed by the council, that some of her works were even predicting the future. These pieces already hang within several art museums across the galaxy, most notably on Corellia where most of Halli’s time as a Padawan was spent. Halli is quite humble, and actually becomes quite embarrassed whenever others discuss her work.

Outside of her talent though, Halli is a mediocre Jedi at best. At least in her mind she is. On her own, Halli is skilled with the lightsaber, but not quite on par with other Guardians, nearly all of her practice duels end in a tie or loss. A large part of this, is actually from a deep seeded phobia- one of many the woman possesses. As a Padawan, she accidently dismembered one of her closest friends in the Order, and was so traumatized by the event, that she has since struggled to bring her blade to bear on someone. If it weren’t for her training in Center of Being, it would be likely that Halli would be killed on the field of battle, just from not being able to destroy a threat. That is not her greatest fear though. Her greatest shame, and worst fear is the Sith themselves. Halli only encountered one Sith in her life, and he managed to shake her entire world in mere minutes. It isn’t difficult to scare Halli though, the girl jumps at nearly everything, and fears everything from spiders, to rusty nails, to old towels, to odd smelling food. She does what she can to keep a lid on her fear, and staunchly avoids letting it affect her, instead she draws on the Force for strength.

The current state of the galaxy scares her near to death. She keeps herself busy, mostly with her painting, to distract herself from what she knows is happening out there. Death. Destruction. Debasing. Halli has nightmares all the time, which worries her, as along with her predictive paintings, she seems to receive visions of the future quite often through the Force. Often she seeks higher and wiser Jedi Master’s, any that are willing to listen to her to warn them of the darkness that falls on all of them.

And it is all she can do to not cry in terror at what comes.

Birth place: Lower City Slums, Coruscant

Faction: Jedi
Rank: Knight: Peacekeeper, Artisan

Lightsaber: Dual Guard Shoto, Reverie and Ardent
Color: Powder Blue

Practiced Lightsaber forms:

Shii-Cho 5
Makashi
Soresu
Ataru
Shien / Djem So
>>Sub-form Backhanded
Niman
>>Sub-form Jar-kai, or Dual Wield 2
Juyo
Double Bladed Combat
Guard Shotos 4

Force-Sensitive Abilities or practices:

Telekinetic: 2
Telepathic: 7
Body: 6
Sense: 4
Protection: 2
Healing: 0
Destruction: 0

Specialized Skills:

Center of Being

Force Body

Precognition- Uncontrolled

Attributes:

Physical Strength: 4
Intelligence: 5
Speed: 5
Leadership: 5

Unarmed: 3
Melee Weapons: 6
Ranged Weapons: 2

Bio:

See Below

RP Sample:

… Close your eyes… crystallize...

Halli would jump back with the assistance of the Force, a mid-air summersault that propelled her away from the two attacking Sith. Her heart hammered horridly within her chest, like it threatened to burst from her body at any moment. But her breaths were controlled, and her body barely trembled. The girl did her best to clamp down on the fear that screamed through her. RUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUN…. repeated rapidly in her thoughts, her base instincts raged a war with her behavior as a Jedi.

She landed with a thud in the dirt and brought her guard shotos up as she stood. Her arms crossed and both sides of her face her framed by one of her lightsaber blades. They bathed her upper body in a soft blue light, and Halli let her eyes slide close. A deep breath lead her down the familiar path of centering oneself. A soft, gentle voice could almost be heard in the undercurrent of Halli’s thoughts. There is no death… there is only the Force…

The two Sith lunged forward. One a large man, probably an Epicanthix by his eyes and height, he easily had two full feet of height on Halli. The second was a Dug, horrific to behold with large amounts of scars and tattoos. Halcyon Price was never renowned for her lightsaber skills. She could hold her own, but ice cold fear always gripped her stomach and lead to mistakes. Some that could get her killed. Luckily she had the Force as her ally, and through her, it was unstoppable. Halli let it flow into her body, and instead of her body getting tense for the attack, she felt her body relax its muscles.

The Epicanthix would hit first, he brought his lightsaber down hard. Halli stepped to the left almost casually and held her left arm up. The ultrachrome plating of her lightsaber squealed and sparked as the guard part smoothly deflected the larger man’s momentum. With a slight push Halli’s arm would push away the enemy’s red blade before she darted forward. Her lightsaber would hiss into flesh as she impaled him, the tip of her blade just severed his spin and the man collapsed, alive but paralyzed.

Halli’s body would spin just in time to put her guard shoto’s vertical to block an incoming strike from the Dug. Her arms would snap to the other side to block another strike. The Dug was relentless, but Halli always seemed to move her body to perfectly block or deflect the man’s attack. She could sense the man’s anger and frustration grow more and more. But she couldn’t fully feel it, almost as if she was backseat to her own person. It ended faster than it felt. The Dug got sloppy, and the minute he let his guard down, A pair of quick slashed and a boot to the chest rendered the attacker armless and on the ground.

Halli would come out of the meditative state, but too soon for safety. She didn’t even see him. He was just there all of a sudden. She screamed as he backhanded her so powerfully, the tiny blonde rolled head over heels and her lightsabers flew from her hands. Just as fast as he had appeared, he had the girl by her wrist and hoisted into the air. Halli cried out in agony as she felt her tendons and joints twist uncomfortably from her body, which now dangled in the air. She gasped as she recognized the face. Tears stung and fell from her eyes as her bottom lip quivered. Halli would whimper, for she knew what this meant…

***


Halli’s eyes would flutter open and she looked up, her eyes squinted against the sunlight that streamed down. The Jedi Temple. The girl blinked against the confusion that often followed such an intense session. Her eyes would find the painting that had just been finished. The normal pinkish hue of her skin would begin to pale as her doe-like eyes scanned the scene in front of her.

War.

A tapestry of death had been lain down upon the canvas before her. People carved apart others, violent splashes of lightsabers clashing everywhere. Soldiers from both sides fought as well, and piles of their dead dotted the field, clearly more died than the Sith or Jedi. Tears began to fall from her eyes, but she could not look away. Some of the faces almost looked familiar to her, and her heart would suddenly skip several beats at the center of the painting. There a man held a small blond woman up by her left arm one-handed. His other hand casually held a lightsaber, and the blade was pierced straight through the woman’s torso. Her torso.

Her hands would clasp to her mouth as a scream let itself out, a wail of utter terror. Halli collapsed to the ground on her knees, and could do nothing as tears flooded down her face. Jedi from around the gardens she was in would suddenly run to her side, but Halli could barely notice them. Only one thing dominated her thoughts. His name.

Eurachis…

[Dutch]

Bio:

Welcome to the World: Youngling

Coruscant.

To the rest of the galaxy it is a shining metropolis that envelopes the entirety of the planet, a place where senators argue for their planets, and Jedi commune to train hopefuls and protect the galaxy. A vast landscape of duracrete and steel, where speeders constantly lay down stark lines in the sky. A place where cultures from across the known universe commune. The capital of the Republic. There is one part of the massive city that doesn’t ever really reach the holos or press.

The slums.

Despite there being the largest concentration of Jedi in the galaxy, there still exists places where the law doesn’t exist, where instead of a police force, Regulators from various gangs patrol the skies and streets, keeping their territory in check. The story of Halcyon Price begins with one such Regulator. Her name was Marea Penta Baosa deFe. The daughter of a Humani wanderer and a Kiffar Jedi, Marea never made the Jedi’s radar, she wasn’t connected enough to the Force to warrant bringing her in. Marea’s connection however, aided her greatly in defending the streets of her part of town. The Regulator had the gift of precognition, and with it quickly became her boss’ right hand woman.

Halton Price was an odd sight even for Coruscant. Like many people born of the slums, his blood was a muddle of several different near-human species. The result was a man with off-pink skin, and shockingly red hair and mustache to match. The only thing more shocking than his hair color, was the brutality of his practices. Things went how Halton wanted them to, and if they didn’t dire consequences were enacted. To this day, there’s still a saying in the underground world of Coruscant: “If you want to deal, be prepared to pay The Price.” Yet through the man’s cruelty, good was had from it. Halton’s territory was arguably the safest part of the slums on Coruscant. It was through this good, that Marea overlooked the man’s cruelty. She had hoped that she could curb the man’s wrath, and though they never married or even exclusively saw one another, the woman came to love the man.

A few years into their relationship, Marea was with child. Halton had her move into his personal townhome in the center of his territory. He knew if anyone discovered that Marea now carried his child, attempts would be made to use Marea and her baby against him. It was Marea’s dearest desire for the baby to help calm Halton down more. They baby was born bright pink with little blonde ringlets of hair, healthy and beautiful. Marea named the baby Halcyon, hoping that the little rosebud she held could bring about a time of peace for her and Halton. In the first few weeks, Marea talked to her little ‘Halli’ constantly, nothing special, just blab away. She was endlessly entertained by the traits her baby had inherited, all black eyes paired with the shape of Marea’s, gave the baby the biggest, kindest looking eyes she had ever seen.

After Halli’s first year, life turned worse for Marea. Halton began to abuse spice and other drugs. Along with it came crueler acts and intentions. He began to beat and rape Marea nightly, who despite her abilities rarely could outmuscle the much larger Halton. She tried to shield Halli from it as often as she could, but more often than not, the little girl was forced to hid in the closet to scream and cry until it stopped. For years the mother and her child would cradle one another and cry themselves to sleep. Only one man ever tried to step in when witnessed, Iric Nanso- one of Halton’s most trusted bodyguards. Halton personally burned him alive in the street for all to see. After that night, no one else ever tried to save Halli or Marea.

Until Marea tried to.

Blood spattered across the wall. Spattered across Halli, age five. She stared up as Halton lowered the slug-thrower. Marea was slumped against the wall as tears fell and blood poured freely from her abdomen. Halli held her mother’s hand as Marea died. Her last memory of her mother being Marea mouthing I love you baby… What would life have been like for Halli had things progressed from there? Trained early to become a Regulator like her mother? Become just as ruthless, truly her father’s daughter? A veneer of beauty and innocence that would hide cruelty and desire? It will never be known, as the Force had a different direction for Halli Price that day. Its conduit appeared in the form of Jedi Shadow Jace Beleren.

The Jedi had been following a lead that lead into Halton’s territory, and felt Marea and Halli in the Force as Halton murdered Marea. He arrived too late to save Marea, too late to stop Halton- though the man did lose an arm to Jace before escaping. But he did arrive just in time to save Halli, and set her future on the right path. The path of the Jedi. Halli’s midichlorian count was well over the marks for her to be accepted into the Order. For the first year as a youngling, Halli was shy at first and rarely talked. Still traumatized by what happened with her parents, only counseling with a kindly old Jedi Master and time would lead to the true Halli developing. The first three friends she made, were also her oldest. Her very first friend was a female Bothan named Pitel. Pitel was competitive, but never mean to Halli. The girl’s other two friends wouldn’t truly recognize the irony of them being Miraluka until later in Halli’s life. Bellinda and Karon perhaps more tolerated Halli at first than accepted her. The more comfortable the girl became with her new settings, the more bubbly and talkative the tiny blonde got.

That’s not to say she only had those three friends. Pitel, Karon and Bellinda were her closest friends, but it was a common joke amongst the youngling instructors to ask ‘Who ISN’T friends with Halli?’. Many of the instructors were endlessly entertained by the way Halli, despite being the smallest youngling in her clan, was constantly dragging other younglings around by their hands to show them something amazing she found. Halli was well loved in the Temple, her antics often on the lips of other Jedi. Whether it was accidently knocking Vreem Took over when on the hunt for Bellinda, or leaving tiny hand prints of paint in various colors on the legs of Teer Ka, it was hard not to run into Halli, as she seemed to be everywhere all the time.

Halli seemed rather average in many aspects when it came to talents as a Force sensitive. Besides a natural affinity for telepathy- which did not surprise the Jedi given her known bloodline, she did not really excel at anything in relation to molding the Force outside herself. Halli did prove to be quite speedy in spars, her small size being more of a benefit than anything else. Still not near the same skill as a large portion of other younglings, but Halli could hold her own it seemed. In those traditional regards, Halli was as basic as it got. Likely slotted to learn under a Sentinel, her future seemed certain until Halli was around eleven. For weeks at a time, the girl would have sleeping and waking dreams and nightmares. Several of her instructors took note of what Halli said she had experienced, and in the months that followed, it began to get whispered that Halli Price had the gift of precognition- like her mother. Even more curious to the Jedi, was how Halli chose to portray the visions that came to her: She painted them. Dramatic and elegant vistas, emotional scenes of darkness, heroism and hope, all sorts of panels were painted. Many included recognizable members of society, both within and outside the Order, people the girl had never seen before.

Bellinda and Karon both ended up being picked by Masters before Halli. It was difficult for Halli, Bellinda had become her dearest confidant, and though Halli would never admit it, was quite infatuated with the increasingly handsome Karon. Halli would be chosen by a Master though. Not just any though, Kayl Torek was a Korun- and a distant uncle of Halli’s. Tall, wiry and muscular, Kayl was a mahogany skinned man with a well groomed handle-bar mustache and corn rows and also arguably the most talented sculptor and Jedi Artisan in the Order. Lauded for his role as Peacekeeper on Corellia, as well as his many works that sat in galleries across the galaxy, Kayl was a generous man in both kindness and wealth. Any sculptures of his that were sold, the funds would be channeled to museums across the galaxy. When he finally met Halli in person, a great big smile broke out across his face. The two bonded almost instantly, and became easily recognizable together, the barely four foot tall Halli with the nearly seven foot tall Kayl.

And so began the renaissance of Halcyon Price.

Contemplate: Padawan

Halli left Coruscant for the first time on her twelfth birthday. She went with Kayl to Corellia, Coronet City where Master Torek worked as Peacekeeper for the museum district. Halli was even more excited to arrive at the spaceport to find her friend Pitel who had left weeks ago to destinies unknown. Pitel stood there smiling as Halli ran at the Bothan to tackle her, Kayl and Pitel’s Master laughed and shook hands. Pitel trained under the head Jedi Investigator of Corellia now, and worked closely with the Peacekeepers of the city. It took Halli months to get used to the rhythm of her life, but once she fell into stride she couldn’t have been happier. She messaged with Bellinda and Karon constantly, many late night calls had between the three. Halli saw Pitel often as well, the girls spending their free time either sparring or talking. The girls sparred as often as they could, both wanted to be strong to help protect Corellia, and to make their Master’s proud of them.

Master Torek was quite proud of Halli indeed. The local CORSEC officers adored the little blonde, who often came by their offices to drop of sweets. She loved to sit on the desk of an officer and nibble on candy as they would trade stories and joke with one another. Halli always felt welcomed by them, and near worshipped their Chief, a Codru-Ji woman that Halli thought was as brave as she was pretty. And though Chief Airi would never admit it, couldn’t help but grin at the positivity the little Jedi brought to her men and women.

Patrons that frequented the district began to recognize the bouncing blonde that patrolled the streets and museums, always a bright smile and a greeting given to everyone equally. It seemed nothing could sour her spirits, even when Master Torek and her had to arrest a vandal or pickpocket she did it with a smile. CORSEC officers often couldn’t help but crack up as little Halli scolded criminals as she dragged them into their speeders. Karon, Bellinda and Pitel often fell out of their seats laughing at the stories Halli and her Master told them, one of their favorites to tease her with was when the Zeltron streaker went running through the Coronet Museum of Fine Art, and Halli spent near an hour chasing the man down. Mostly from Master Torek hardly able to move from laughing at how red Halli was the entire time.

Halli would never brag about it, but she always felt humble pride whenever she showed Master Torek anything she painted. He would always take the piece in his massive hands. Hold it at arm’s length for a moment before he would sigh pleasantly and remark on what he liked about it. The man was always so specific in his thoughts, and Halli took every word of his to her heart. Kayl was indeed the father figure Halli deserved in her life, and she was ever so grateful for him. She had no idea that he had secretly been showing off her works to various art collectors he knew, as well as the Jedi Artisans. It took only a year for Halli to become a staple of the Museum District, and much to her surprise, to become featured in a museum. Her favorite one, the Coronet Museum of Fine Art, worked with Kayl to hold a charity event that featured the works of Master and Padawan. All of those funds wound up going to the local CORSEC unit, bereavement funds were set up and an annual outdoor feast and parade was founded that year. ‘Blondie Day’ would forever be an important event for the men and women of that CORSEC unit, named after their nickname for Halli.

Not to say her training wasn’t difficult. Halli’s life was beautiful, and she loved everything about it. Kayl Torek was a kind, good man, but also a strict instructor. For many hours the pair would train. Halli began to learn how to use guard shotos, given a set of ultrachrome training hilts to use first. Kayl explained that they were perfect for a Peacekeeper, for they were not warriors, they were protectors. With the guard shotos, Halli could protect herself and disable anyone she needed too without risking their life. And if lethal force was needed, that was what the lightsaber part was for. Halli picked up on the style well enough. She was quite good at dodging and blocking, but had difficulty attacking- as it went against her very nature. Kayl took this as a blessing, and prayed that it would not become a curse. Her real downfall though, was her small size. Peacekeepers often needed to apply force, and he truly felt that Halli was meant for the role. The realization struck him like lightning, a way for Halli to be able to keep up with even the strongest and faster Peacekeeper.

Syrio Stark would go to Corellia.

An odd man with an odd accent, Master Stark was one of the most talented users of Force Body in the Order. He was short, barely 5’4, stocky and pot-bellied, Halli had to stare at him for a moment, and curse that she was still shorter than even him. Halli at first doubted what the man spoke of, having a hard time believing when the man claimed to be able to lift a speeder. And then he walked to a parked speeder and lifted it over his head with a warm smile the whole time. Halli hung onto his every word from that day forward. She learned his whole purpose in the order was to teach this technique to other Jedi that requested it. ‘Any Jeedai can learn this’ He often bragged. From Squib to Feeorin. Halli would struggle to learn to keep still, for it would require much concentration at first. Eventually though, Syrio promised she would one day be able to call upon it at will. And that by the end of the year, she would be able to lift a swoop bike.

The end of her first year on Corellia would be marked by her lifting Kayl’s swoop over her head. Halli giggled the entire time too, which only made Syrio and Kayl join in laughter. In her work she began to apply the technique, for practice and for amusement. Halli often would try to see how high she could jump before she would use the Force to guide herself back to the ground daintily. In her morning runs with Master Torek, the two always raced down the main drag of the District. After she began to learn Force Body, she never lost to him again.

What Torek never told her, was that he too could apply Force Body.

Later in life Halli would bump into Syrio, and after much hugging and laughing explained that Kayl had known Force Body, and told her that Syrio personally had wanted to teach Halli. Syrio Stark was really Syrio Stark Baosa deFe- Halli’s grandfather. He had just wanted her to know after she had already been knighted. But that is a story for another day.
One thing that Syrio taught, was that life had a balance to it. One of the secrets of Force Body, was finding that inner balance in the Force, and through it move the world around you. But that balance had to be achieved first. Such was the lesson in life too, which the Humani man also preached. For all the positivity and good will that had been a part of Halli, so too must disaster fall.

The disaster would take place in a very familiar scene. Pitel and Halli in the middle of a park. Other citizens formed a safely-distanced circle to watch the two young Jedi spar, their displays brilliant and elegant. Syrio had come to watch and supervise. Children’s laugher wafted on the winds. Halli and Pitel’s sabers would clash and spark in a brilliant display. Both girls would grin competitively at one another. Halli dodged and brought her weapon up in what she thought would be an easy to block swipe.

It wasn’t blocked.

Pitel gasped and fell to the ground as her severed ear and arm flopped to the ground. Halli stared in shock at the sight and would back up as Syrio ran to Pitel’s aid. Halli fell to her knees and whispered apologies repeatedly until Syrio would turn on her in control.

“Medcenter down-street! Run Halcyon, show us the meaning of haste!”

Those words are still remembered by her to this day, the feeling of her tears stinging in the wind as the Force propelled her down the street to get help. The medcenter held Halli there for emotional trauma, the girl could not fight back as panic set in at what happened. They would sedate the young Jedi and contact Kayl. Halli would never see Pitel again. Her friend lived, but refused to even mention Halli ever again. Halli was crushed by the event, and for the first few days could never be alone. Bellinda and Karon even helped by being on holo calls with their friend so Syrio and Kayl could sleep. Halli began to develop panic attacks at the mere site of lightsabers, even if she really did want to go back to her duties. After nearly a month, Halli finally held her training sabers again. However it was obvious by her performance that the girl was simply unable to bring her weapons to bear. Anytime the sparring would get too heated, the girl would panic and drop her weapons. Had it not been a spar, she would have been killed time and again.

Syrio had to leave on other duties, no matter how badly he did not want to leave. But Jedi were not allowed to act upon emotion, and Syrio was a dutiful Knight. It would be many years before Halli would see Syrio again. She cried for a whole day straight, her other surrogate father now torn from her life, as well as one of her best friends. Kayl was there for his Padawan, and consoled her often. He had an idea to help her steady her nerves, as well as be competent and confidant in combat. It was also something he himself had relied on for many years to steady his own nerves.

Center of Being wasn’t so much an ability that was applied as much as it was opening oneself to the universe. Much like the balance used with Force Body, Center of Being relied on centering oneself. Which Halli was already quite familiar with. Kayl devised a brilliant way to teach Halli how to use it. His master had taught him to use it by teaching him to let the Force itself carve the medium he was using. Halli began to go into the meditative state as instructed, and let go. She was taught to let the Force guide her arms and brush, with eyes closed and mind open. The wonder that touched Halli’s face the first time she looked at a piece done during one of the sessions, would be one of Master Torek’s fondest memories. He wouldn’t force Halli’s recovery. There was no time limit on one’s time as a Padawan, and it was more important for her to recover as a Jedi before performing as one. Time would pass, and Halli would let the fear and anxiety of the situation flow through and away from herself as the Force flowed in. The feeling eventually took on almost the comfort of a friend, and was a warm and familiar sensation for the young Jedi.

Six months into her practice of Force guided paintings, Halli began to notice a trend with them. Two steel eagles with claws clashing and wings wide. Over and over she would paint the same thing. What did it mean? What did the eagles symbolize? Where had she seen this before? Halli would consult her Master as well as Bellinda and Karon for hours about the subject, the little blonde obsessed. Even her visits to the CORSEC precinct were filled with her obsession for the Steel Eagles. Or Steagles as she kept calling them, much to the face-palming of everyone around her. She began to go on sanctioned visits to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, to both do research into what she kept seeing… and to see Bellinda and even Karon sometimes, despite his heroics across the galaxy. Her time mainly with Bellinda was good for her, and the blonde was delighted to be able to brush Bells’ hair again and blab at her endlessly again. Kayl firmly thought that this time would be good for Halli, with the recent loss of both Syrio and Pitel, Bellinda was a pillar for Halli to lean on.

Once again it was a common sight in the temple to see Halli and Bells in the Temple gardens. It made Halli happy, Bellinda had always been a dear friend to her, but when nights came around that Halli woke up crying from a vision, when she would feel Bellinda crawl into her bed and rub Halli’s back until she fell asleep again, that was when Halli truly came to love her surrogate sister. Halli was rarely grateful that Bellinda couldn’t see like she could, for there were days were Halli would finish a painting, and look around to see paint spattered everywhere. If Halli was lucky, Bellinda would return long after the paint dried, and her room would get a little more colorful. When she wasn’t lucky, Bellinda’s robes got a touch of color to them too. Halli was sad to leave Coruscant the day she concluded that she had done all the research she could in the Temple. She squeezed Bellinda into a tight embrace. Halli still remembers the site of Bellinda waving goodbye to her as she walked away, and somehow, deep inside of her, Halli was convinced that this was the last she’d see Bellinda for some time.

Halli continued to attack the puzzle with the same ferocity as when on Coruscant. If not more so to ignore the nagging worry that ate at her stomach. Months of research led Halli to the last spot she thought to look: The Coronet Museum of Fine Art. The lower level, west wing, the Adelaar exhibit. His famous metal sculpture: What Eagles Revere. The two steel eagles hung from the wall, behind the velvet rope. With fear making her little heart beat rapidly, she stepped over it to approach the eagles. With closed eyes she let the Force take her to one of the panels that made up the eagles, and pressed it. To her surprise the eagles parted, and a door opened to reveal a small room.

She entered the dark chamber to find a single glass exhibit case. Halli peered into the display to see white velvet interior that cradled two stunningly radiant crystals. Lightsaber crystals. Little display cards sat next to each crystal. Reverie, Ardent. Halli knew that these were meant to find her. What she really wanted to know though, was who left these two precious gems behind. There was no evidence though, just a now empty display, and a satisfied Padawan. She immediately ran to show her Master, who upon hearing the tale and seeing the crystals, opened a surprisingly heavy chest to reveal two solid metal bricks. Ultrachrome, from Korun. From the same original bar that was used to create his own lightsabers. Over the next few months, Kayl showed Halli how to work with metal, practice done on durasteel. When they both felt she was ready, Halli spent seven weeks to hand craft each individual piece that would make up her lightsabers. After the shining metallic guard shotos were assembled and finished, Halli etched in a single letter into each. Reverie, a B. Ardent, a K. She continued to call them after the names of the crystals.

She messaged Bells and Karon that night to show off her lightsabers. Bellinda didn’t answer, but Karon did and she was happy he approved of them, as the real sculptor out of them. Halli would get a message in response long after she fell asleep. The girl woke up to a message from Bellinda.

"I've left, tell Karon I'm sorry. I just can't be there anymore. Be safe you guys."

In a haze of confusion and sleepiness, Halli contacted the Jedi temple, only to find out that Bellinda had stormed out of the Temple. She never reported back. Halli immediately contacted Karon, in a near panic. Karon’s reaction scared her even more though, and after he bellowed something about finding Bellinda Halli immediately found Kayl, told him what happened, and asked if she could go retrieve Bellinda and talk some sense into her. Sensing that this was needed for the girl, he consented. He wanted to follow, but his duties as Peacekeeper tied him there for now. Plus, at this point, Halli was eighteen, and had grown from spunky child to reliable and good hearted young lady.

Halli was able to get to Coruscant quicker than Karon, and was at the spaceport waiting for him when she felt his presence enter the system. She had to take three steps to everyone one of his as he immediately stormed off into the city. Halli tried to talk to him, but his answers were short. He said he knew where she’d be, he knew where to find her. Halli trusted him implicitly, and tried not to show how much she blushed when he showed such confidence. She would follow him anywhere he asked.

The Force indeed works in mysterious ways. Their search ended up in the slums of Coruscant. Not just any slum though. As the sun set on their first day of searching, Halli returned to the neighborhood she had grown up in. Halton Price’s domain. As the pair walked down the streets, Halli would often stop the procession to stare at a particular bench, or graffiti. Or house. Karon asked around for clues, unafraid to drop their names for further coercion. Halli panicked at that, her surname sure to cause a stir in the area. She warned Karon that the neighborhood wasn’t a good one for them to stay in, which he certainly would have wished he had heeded after Halton got word that his daughter had returned to him. Over the years, Halton only gathered more followers, more power, and more cruelty.

When he heard that he could get his hands on his Jedi daughter, his bannermen were called across the underworld. Mercenaries from all walks of life were gathered to Price’s lair. A massive bounty was given for Halli alive, a bonus if her friend was brought alive too. Karon and Halli were far from ready for the tide of war that was brought to bear down on them. All across the slums hundreds and hundreds of bloodthirsty mercs patrolled the streets and walks for the two Jedi. The pair had to move as stealthily as possible, and that led to much closeness and hushed whisperings. Halli’s head felt foggy for nearly the next few days. A blur of pounding fear, giddy adrenaline, and inner conflict roiled through her being. One thought kept repeating in her head, and it confused, excited, and scared her near to death all at the same time. The thought: We’re about to die, why not just kiss him? Which of course the second she thought that, the guilt, embarrassment and doubt surely crushed it and made Halli turn bright red. But as sure as the sun rose and fall over the slums of Coruscant, so did the thoughts, over and over.

Several times the two young Jedi had to clash with Halton’s forces. Halli was sure that if it wasn’t for her, Karon would have given into aggression against the mercs. Over and over she had to pull Karon away, be it by pleading or using Force Body to pull him. At one point Halli took a blaster shot to her stomach, a simple graze but still scared Halli near to death. She had never blushed more furiously than when Karon took the time to apply first aid to the wound himself. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.

After a few days of feeding off scraps they found to survive, Karon finally suggested a plan to end the chase once and for all: Get Halton Price. It wasn’t hard to find where he now lived, it was the most heavily guarded place. Using their lightsabers to cut into the place in the alley, Halton Price woke up to a surprise, Karon’s lightsaber at his throat and Halli using her father’s communicator to call the Peacekeepers of Coruscant to come collect Halton, who Karon convinced to have him call his mercs off. But he spat and swore and cursed and insulted. He called Halli things she had never even heard of, and tried her hardest not to show that he was getting her. It was only when he began to go into detail about raping her that Karon silenced him with a blow from his hilt. As soon as Halton was out Halli collapsed in tears onto Karon, and just let him hold her as she shook and wept.

He reminded her of something as he cradled Halli. This was the real first time she had seen action since the accident. She had used her lightsabers, didn’t kill a single person, and saved Karon’s own life a few times. Halli realized he was correct, and not only that but her friend also showed that she continued to show what an amazing Jedi she was. Confronted by her father, and did not let it get in the way of her duties as a Jedi. The girl hugged Karon tightly, and whispered a thank you in his ear. As the Jedi reinforcements arrived, Halli clung to Karon’s hand and pleaded for him to go back to the Temple with her. As much as they loved Bellinda, they had to keep their oaths to the Jedi. If they continued, it was likely they would be marked as deserters.

Karon listened.

Halli stayed on Coruscant just long enough to get her abdomen checked over. She would return months later after returning to life as normal with Kayl on Corellia. The return would not be a happy one. A small ceremony for Bellinda, declared dead by the Order was held. Halli held Karon’s hand the whole time, her knuckles white and her nose pink from crying so much. During those months her and Karon had begun to talk more than ever, the pair leaned heavily on one another to help alleviate the pain of their lost companion. The funeral was the first chance the pair had gotten to see one another since their adventure, and Halli was quite convinced that Karon’s jaw had gotten stronger since she last saw him. A jaw like an anvil, and Halli was quite taken by him now. It wasn’t unnoticed by Kayl. On their trip back to Corellia, the Master had a long talk with his Padawan, and only after she assured him that they were only friends did he stop. He would continue to watch her though, as Halli was a terrible liar. She always turned a brilliant cranberry whenever she lied.

Over the next couple years life took on a new pace for the girl. Kayl trusted her more and more to riskier patrols and missions. CORSEC sometimes would even contact Halli directly to help, which at first frightened her to be on her own, but the more she relied on the Force to support and guide her, the more confident the young woman became with herself and her abilities. Karon and Kayl were always a constant support, and Halli loved sitting around and trading stories over holocalls with her friend. Where Halli always seemed to tell tales filled with humor, Karon told epic stories of his and his Master’s heroics. Halli would never admit how much she would swoon sometimes over his antics. She never did admit it to anyone, not even Bellinda. Halli had sensed their bond for many years now, and despite herself was often jealous of it. Halli never gave exact names, but talked with Kayl about the subject often. He assured her that to feel emotions was more than fine, but to not act upon them was the way of the Jedi. Halli could never see her doing anything about the situation, fear always kept it in check. Fear of rejection, fear of expulsion.

Battle Scars: Trials

Around the time she would turn twenty-one Kayl and her began to discuss whether she was ready to be knighted. She had studied under the man for nearly ten years, rather standard for a Padawan. Halli had become quite the amazing young woman in his eyes. He knew she suffered from constant phobias, and yet in the entire time he had known her, Halli had never once shown any signs of succumbing to her emotions. She always relied on the Force and her teachings to deal with her issues, and Kayl was quite proud of that. He gave the girl his own test first though. The man left Halli in charge of their duties to go to Coruscant for a time. Kayl sought out the counsel of current Jedi Grandmaster Eris. Though he thought that Halli was ready to face the trials, many of his peers had spoken otherwise. For one week he stayed on Coruscant and let Halli work. Though a constant nagging fear of disappointing her master ate at her, the girl performed admirably. No rise in crime, and the peace was kept. Halli was pleased upon her Master’s arrival. At first she was just excited to show him how well she had done. But when the man told her that she was to undergo the trials soon, Halli literally fainted in excitement.

Halli and Kayl would go to Coruscant together, Halli’s heart aflutter the entire trip to the Temple. She was pleasantly surprised to find Karon there, freshly Knighted himself. He had heard through his Master that Halli was to undergo her trials. The girl’s trial of skill was slotted soon. The administrator of the trial? None other than Aeia Fu, renowned Jedi and known to be quite talented at the blade. Halli had never met the woman before, but had heard tales of her adventures. It daunted her to meet such a lauded member of the Order, even more so as Aiea was seen highly in the eyes of Artisans and Peacekeepers the galaxy over. The woman represented everything Halli wanted to become in a Jedi. Strong, faithful, dutiful.

When she first met Aeia, she was surprised at how elegant the woman looked. Not only that, but her sheer presence both within and out of the Force made her jaw drop. Her Masters were both wise and powerful Jedi, but there were some that were just more in tune. The tiny blonde would face down the much taller, more experienced Aeia. Halli could not take her eyes off the burning sun of energy that swirled within the Artisan’s weapon, and when the woman pushed her attack, Halli stumbled. At first. After a few lucky blocks and dodges, Halli knew that she would not be able to conquer this trial on her own.

With the stance in place, Halli let herself go into the Force. Aeia did not falter when the young Jedi closed her eyes. An eerie silence fell among the Jedi that would stand witness to the trial. A mixture of judges and spectators, many were shocked to see the smaller, less experienced blonde move like an expert swordsman. Especially after the meager display she had just shone. Halli blocked. Halli parried. Aeia was relentless, but the Force itself guided the girl. After several moments, Aeia relented finally. She nodded her satisfaction to the Jedi. Halli would snap out of the trance and smile giddily as several Jedi applauded her performance. After the duo bowed in respect, Aeia congratulated Halli for her success, even before the Judges deemed it so. Halli took a small amount in pride how the raven-haired woman had been so sure of her success, a truly validating moment for the blonde: A true and proven Jedi, one she idolized, had approved of her trial.

That night Halli slept deeper than ever. Not necessarily soundly, as the girl was plagued by strange and disturbing dreams. A land of perpetual twilight, eerie moonlight soft over alien trees, and the area was filled with twisted trunks. Halli felt something deep, something primal in the dream. Like a long lost voice calling her home. It wasn’t friendly, it wasn’t warm, but the voice was familiar. Two beings cloaked in shadow with arms raised towards her. They beckoned and they begged for Halli to come closer to them. And just when she was about to see their faces, she awoke with a start drenched in sweat. She blinked a few times at the note she had scribbled right onto the nightstand. Two words: Grove, Umbara. Apparently at some point she had written that, but had no memory of doing so.

She had approached her Master to tell him of the dream, and her desire to go to Umbara to follow the vision. He was hesitant, long had Umbara been a planet not all too friendly with the Jedi. However he accepted that it was important to Halli, and insisted he go with. She denied him; with her head held high she declared that this was something she needed to do. She was meant to go to this ‘Grove’, in her dream she was alone. So shall be her true venture into it. After Halli left the Temple, Kayl communed with the other Jedi, and all agreed that the event may be her trial of Spirit come already. Halli meditated more on the vision on the trip to Umbara, and it truly felt like that the closer she got to the planet of shadow, the more vivid the vision became.

It didn’t take her long to find the name of her destination. Adanval National Park, specifically an area known as The Haunted Grove would be the location of her vision. Holonet searches showed familiar looks trees. Supposedly only found in the Grove, their trunks were abnormally twisted and curled. Like great serpents that rose to the sky and branched out into smaller snakes they formed a perfect circle in the middle of otherwise normal temperate forests. Halli set out on foot after she took a shuttle to the ranger station. With nothing but her lightsabers and the robes on her back, Halli walked the woods in wonder. The scenery wasn’t beautiful, but it held its own majesty. The deeper she walked though, the more sinister everything came to look. It was odd, the air felt increasingly dark feeling and with it came an almost fuzzy warmth. Halli could feel herself becoming more confused, more lost. She also began to care less. That was the most odd.

Halli didn’t even question it when she bumped into Bellinda. Her red-haired friend stood there with crimson blindfold and a single hand on an ash-white tree. She didn’t even question that the tree had an unmoving face that wept tears of blue sap. Halli approached Bellinda with a smile and the two girls hugged. Bellinda smiled at Halli, her teeth blue for some odd reason. When Halli inquired about them, Bellinda said nothing. Instead the girl began to walk around Halli and the tree. She began to ask Halli how she felt. Halli truthfully answered that she was scared. That made Bellinda laugh, but her usual lilt was muddled with a deep growl, something ethereal from another realm. Halli’s heart began to race, and her eyes didn’t take themselves off Bellinda as her circling became more and more tight. The young Jedi began to feel more and more frightened of the situation, her rational self told her that it wasn’t real, but her senses spoke otherwise.

Except her smell. Bellinda didn’t smell like she did normally, the scent of musty tomes and perfume. Halli confronted Bellinda with this, and in response Bellinda asked why she hadn’t just killed herself yet. Why she kept going on. Two of her friends were dead, she could never follow through with her feelings for Karon, she was scared of everything. Even her trial of Skill had to be supervised. Halli kept her head high as tears began to fall. Bellinda continued to taunt the girl and circle more. She only stopped when Halli turned to face her nose to nose. With a solid nod Halli stated that she went on for many reasons. For Karon’s sake. For her duty as a Jedi. For her desire to get more aware of art. For her to just live and serve. Bellinda offered her relief from all of that. All Halli had to do, was let Bellinda eat her. Halli stared at Bellinda as her grin grew more wicked, and she ripped off her bandana to not reveal the vestigial eye sockets of a Miraluka, but a massive, toothy, gaping maw with three tongues that lashed out hungrily. The creature lunged at Halli with a bellow and Halli stumbled away before a burst of the Force led her sprinting full-tilt through the trees. She ignored any branches that whipped her skin, and fought the panic that raged within her.

After a minute of sprinting Halli ran full speed into someone and knocked them right to the ground and sent Halli tumbling. Once her world started to slow on its spin, she accepted the strong hand that helped her to her unsteady feet. Halli blinked in surprise to see Karon beaming down at her, and she instantly squealed and brought him into a tight embrace. The girl immediately began to babble everything that happened. The visions, the tree, the monster, everything, she spilled her guts and cried into his strong embrace. He spoke words of comfort, and Halli cuddled against his shoulder as she shuddered with anxiety. Karon patiently held Halli and talked with her until her body would finally let the tension out. Halli thanked him and immediately began to blush when she tried to move away, and he held her close.

He would pull her closer and nuzzle his face into the side of her head before he settled it down against her neck. Halli’s breath would get more ragged and her heart raced. She would whisper his name shakily, a muddled mixture of fear, excitement and shame spilled from her lips. He would just shush her gently, and Halli let herself close her eyes and just enjoy the embrace. She thought maybe he just was worried about her. Halli would sigh happily as his hands would rub her back, the sensation pleasant and comforting. She barely even noticed as his hands drifted lower and lower with each stroke. Halli jumped in surprise and her eyes flew open when his hands suddenly found her rear and took in hungry handfuls with both hands. Her face burned fiercely with heat and her body paralyzed in shock. She could barely stutter his name as he kneaded her body and pulled her tiny form tighter against his. His lips began to play over her neck and Halli’s breathing would stutter uncontrollably. It was then that she noticed what was right behind Karon. An ash-white tree. An unmoving face that smiled gluttonously at her as drool of blue sap dripped down from the corners of its mouth. Halli screamed in shock, but it instantly was cut short when a sudden odd sensation was felt. Something near Karon’s nether regions began to feel different. Deep fear gripped her stomach at the realization at what it was and Halli began to flail and scream to get away from Karon.

She used the Force to propel herself away, but not as Karon ripped at the collar of her robes. Halli landed and began to stumble away from Karon as he screamed and ripped off his own blindfold. Once again the tri-tongued gash of red screamed and gnashed blue teeth. Halli stood to her feet and drew Ardent, one of her lightsabers. She felt the groove on the handle where the K was etched. The real Karon would never try to do such a thing to her, and neither would the real Bellinda. These creatures were not of the living world. Halli had heard of them from the real Bellinda before. Apparitions created by dark energies of the Force. The Darkside. They were to be defeated by the Lightside, by the true Force. Halli took up her stance and waited for the creature to attack. But the specter was gone as suddenly as he appeared. Nothing remained but the silent taunts of the drooling tree.

Halli left the Grove as fast as she could, and vowed never to return to Umbara again unless ordered to. But given that the Jedi never purposefully put their members in harm’s way, it was likely that she would never see the midnight world again.

And she was more than happy with that.

She returned to Coruscant, and after a good hot shower and a change into fresh robes, went before her Master and the Jedi judges and told her story. Halli tried not to focus too hard on how harshly she flushed when she got to the part with Karon. But she spoke the truth, and told every detail honestly. Her mind raced as she was asked to wait outside the chamber as the senior Jedi talked. She sketched a tiny bird on the window frame which she looked out of as she waited, its wings spread wide and its head tilted high, ready to take to a thermal and soar. After a couple hours, she was finally beckoned back in. After much debate and meditation, it was determined that Halli had indeed faced an incarnation of the Force itself. A dark one that she faced with stoicism and control. Yes, she had felt fear, yes she had panicked. But not once did she show any signs of falling. With a great big smile, Kayl informed Halli that she had officially passed the trial of Spirit.

Halli felt that she needed a break after her trial of spirit. A few months to recover, Master Kayl commended the little blonde’s patience. Many young Jedi couldn’t wait to end their trials, and eagerly rushed into them. Halli on the other hand didn’t feel the desire too extremely. She already felt like she was a true Jedi, and though she recognized the necessity of the trials, was in no rush to complete them. The girl painted quite a lot in this time. Occaisonally she would paint something that could be considered predictive if it the characters were familiar. A fierce, handsome looking man with black and blue hair, A hooded woman, scarred and defiant looking. A green Twi’lek with a wicked grin. And Bellinda. Over and over, Bellinda. It disturbed Halli greatly to paint her deceased friend so often. It was only after one morning after she looked over the paintings for a while, did she realize that she had painted a series of events.

Bellinda broken and bleeding on the ground, several paintings of Bellinda with a handsome, darker skinned man, Bellinda carried by a tall man with vibrant green eyes. Halli eventually came to a single realization: Bellinda was most likely alive. Every ‘predictive’ painting she had ever done had been of living people. Why would those of Bellinda be any different? She nearly dialed Karon the day she realized this, but one thought stopped her. Halli knew that if Karon had heard of Bellinda possibly being alive, there would not be enough Jedi in the Galaxy to stop him from pursuing her. Halli feared of what he might do to reclaim his Bellinda. Halli didn’t want the attention she received from him now to lessen, and the girl felt great guilt about this. The girl was so torn on the matter. But in the end decided it would be best if he thought she was dead still, best for everyone. She could still watch her friend and her adventures through her visions.

If only Halli knew what Bellinda was really into.

A few months passed, and Halli decided she was ready to continue with the trials. This was timed well, as Kayl had just been assigned with a couple other Jedi to complete a mission to the Outer Rim to investigate some strange rumors. Halli requested to go with, Kayl had suggested that a mission to the less fortunate places in the galaxy would be good to help remind her of their cause. He didn’t want to admit that it was also one of the easier ways for a Jedi to pass the trial of Flesh. The man figured that if Halli was to sustain a physical injury, he’d rather it be with him nearby. What Kayl did not realize, was that there were great terrors that moved in the foreign nights of the Outer Rim. There were things the Jedi thought long gone. Things that did more than bump in the night.

Halli’s Trial of Flesh would be administered mid-mission. On pursuit of a smuggler on foot, the winding tunnels of a large space station would be home to the administrator of the trial. Little did the Jedi know, but the smuggler was the employee of someone quite powerful, and greatly feared what his master would do to him if the Jedi caught him before he did. In the steam filled walkway of the life support level, they would finally catch up to the smuggler. One of her Jedi comrades had leaped ahead to tackle the man, only to suddenly be cleaved into several pieces by sweeps of glowing red. The smuggler was impaled next before another Jedi was suddenly pulled of her feet into an awaiting hand. That hand snapped her neck before the owners stepped forward to suddenly remove Kayl’s legs. Her master fell with a scream only for his arms to follow suit. The attacker had been so thorough, so unstoppable, Halli could do nothing but stare in fear paralysis as he approached. Through the red haze of lightsaber glow and steam, the man’s visage would leer down at her. Casually, like he had just bumped into an acquaintance and promptly ended their world.

With a sigh that could almost have been boredom, he deactivated his lightsaber before his free hand backhanded Halli into the nearby wall. She gasped in shock at the sheer force behind the blow, and didn’t even notice that she had dropped her saber. The man moved on her again to tear off her armor, with his bare hands. He beat her until sour purples and blacks covered her normally fair skin. When she could physically no longer cover herself in shame, she laid there limply only for him to place a massive hand on her head. His fingers spread across her small skull like a cold predatory spider. And then the pain started. Halli’s shriek of agony would reach an octave that anyone who heard it, could hardly believe the sound came from a young woman. It was unlike anything the little Jedi had ever experienced, all she could think about was her fears and shames, and with them came legions of angry stabbing wasps that bit and clawed into her very nerves.

Every shame she had ever felt roiled out into the Force. Her insecurities as a Jedi, her selfish feelings for Karon, even the shame of her lying naked as a stranger tortured her compiled more into the technique. Halli had been warned of Torture by Chagrin, and feared it more than any other ability. She was assured that it was near impossible for her to ever meet someone capable of it, let alone experience it. Halli Price as she was known would never be the same after that day.

Time meant nothing to Halli as the man worked the Force and his presence into her. He was mildly amused by her performance, and seemed completely unaffected by Master Kayl’s screams of agony and for mercy on Halli’s sake. He was only answered once by a shake of the attacker’s head and a statement of “No”. The man would begin to speak to her in the Force, at first his words nothing more than cruel freezing daggers that twisted into her heart and stomach. Until he slapped her again with such force that it would split her lips and eyebrow. Halli would pay attention better after that as his words used into her mind. One word. One name, over and over. Eurachis.

Once he seemed satisfied with his job he pulled his lightsaber. Halli was actually grateful to see it, but still cried as she realized she would never see Bellinda or Karon again. She screamed his name both audibly and in the Force as the man reached down to literally choke her silent. With one hand he lifted Halli off her feet and against the wall she had just collided with. He brought the lightsaber to make two quick cuts of her face. The smell of cooked flesh followed a shower of sparks across her bare face and body. A cross placed upon her left cheek.

“There. Now when you’re old enough to be worth killing, I’ll know you on the battle field.”

He drawled with satisfaction, as if planting the promise of a future murder. Halli cried, but in silence as she felt her consciousness slip away. Once knocked out, Eurachis let the girl drop and went on his way. Halli would not hear Kayl’s screams of her name, nor would she be aware of Karon as he arrived. The Force had lead the man there, but too late. He arrived to find dead and dying friends. Kayl begged for him to get Halli to safety, if any of the scum aboard the space station caught wind of a young, virgin Jedi helpless and nearby, Kayl feared for her safety even more. But could do nothing now, all his limbs severed. Halli briefly awoke to find herself wrapped up in Karon’s cloak and cradled in his strong arms as he ran to his ship.

En route to Coruscant Karon sent a message for aid for the remaining Jedi. Kayl would be the only one brought alive, and even then the man would never be the same. Halli would sleep the entire trip home, and even slept for a couple more days in the Halls of Healing. Master Kayl told the entire story to the High Council, and spared no detail. Except for the thoughts ripped from Halli into the Force, he let those be, the girl had suffered enough. The next Halli would see Kayl, he would be fitted with temporary prosthetics. He would retire from the Peacekeepers to stay on as an Instructor now. For weeks Halli would not say a word to anyone. All the girl could do was stare blankly out her room’s window as speeders drifted by. It wouldn’t be until one Jedi intervened that Halli would even react to anyone.

[Dutch]

No Mercy: Knight

Halli would not have guessed exactly what Master Roq was when the Jedi Healer in charge of her explained he would be helping. It was clear that unadulterated fear now gripped the girl, she already felt emotions so strongly to begin with, but when faced with hate and negativity of that magnitude, her fragile little mind could handle the trauma of his disregard for her. The first time Halli would ever see Roq didn’t quite go as many expected. When she opened her eyes he piped in with a chipper greeting, and Halli responded with flailing, screaming, and tossing of fruit-flavored gelatin at the man. Graarl were a fierce looking people indeed, but Halli would later realize how silly she was that day once she learned what a gentle soul the man really was. After a mixture of Karon and Roq pleads for her to calm down, Halli would. But insisted that Karon sit between her and Roq for the entirety of their first meeting.

For the entire first day with Roq, Halli sat with her knees drawn up to her chin and listened as Roq just… talked. Nothing with any purpose it seemed, just chit chat. He asked Halli about her work so far, and turned out that he even knew Syrio Stark. For hours the two told Karon stories of the odd little man, Halli for once telling Karon of her adventures instead of his. Not to say he didn’t share his part, Karon always did have the best stories. Master Roq certainly gave the young man a run for his money though, the much longer lived man had much more material. Plus, after the initial fear began to subside, Halli became rather charmed by the Graarl. Not just the way he talked, but even his aura in the Force was warm and welcoming, which belied what the scaled beast appeared. After the first day, Halli would feel more comfortable talking with Roq, and happily accepted his offer to come visit.

Every other day like clockwork Roq would arrive with his typical peppy good mornings. At first it was the same sight for the man, he would enter to find Halli as she hugged her knees to herself and stared out the window. But she would greet him every time with a warm smile. She enjoyed these days. Idle conversation with Roq, Halli loved to show him some of her drawings and doodles she did. Roq learned all there was about Halli through the stories she told him about each bit. Important events like the occurrence with her parents, the first time she held a lightsaber, the only time Bellinda ever let Halli see her face without the blindfold, being carried by Karon to safetly mere weeks ago. Everything. The girl had no problem opening up to Roq, he never had anything wrong to say and every piece she showed to him he showed genuine interest in. It made Halli so happy to show her art off again, as with Karon being busy with his duties, she felt awfully lonely in that room alone.

Karon did come to visit as often as he could though, each one a surprise. He had taken to bringing Halli different types of candy he discovered around the galaxy, as she infamously had a sweet tooth. It made Halli smile, and she always split it with him. And she always saved a piece for Roq to try too. It always made her giggle to see his reaction to something he didn’t care for, and she never did nail down exactly what flavors Graarl preferred. It was still fun for her to try to guess. She was surprised by the amount of visitors she had, there always seemed to be at least one visitor an hour. Jedi of all sorts came, and even the High Chancellor once, who happened to actually own one of Halli’s pieces that had been auctioned off. The most exciting visitor she had though was none other than Jace Beleren and Aeia Fu together. Halli had never really had a chance to sit and talk with Jace, despite near worshipping the man who saved her life. His presence just comforted her, like a calm fatherly tone that wrapped Halli in a warm blanket.

Halli truly was surprised to see Aeia, but when they two began to discuss the artistic and interpretative connotations did Halli become talking to the woman. She found it funny how lost Jace seemed to get when the two began talking about an illustrious Hutt sculptor that died millennia ago. It was a nice visit, and Halli smiled greatly when both promised to visit her again soon. What really surprised her though was the amount of Jedi she had never met before that came to see her. Many just admirers of her works, those were her favorites, and also a surprising amount of other Shadows and Investigators. Halli remembers one in particular, because the woman had the brightest purple hair and lovely matching spots that she had ever seen. The woman seemed quite charmed by the little blonde, and after she left the girl seriously considered dying her hair shockingly purple sometime.

Roq began to discuss more serious topics more and more as the weeks rolled on. They talked about the event, and the man. It made Halli shake and tear up, but she would withstand as much of the anxiety as she could. It was all she felt like she could do to help anymore. He would remind the girl the importance of her roll, and used all her visitors as evidence that she was not alone. All she had to do was open her hand, and help would be delivered. It wasn’t long before much of their time together was spent with Halli huddled up against Roq as they talked. Halli never thought in a million years that someone like Roq would become such a dear companion. Much to Roq’s pleasure, the girl seemed to gain more and more composure, and showed progress towards healing. When he felt she was ready, he introduced her to a friend of his: Master Rannafin Rackir, the Warden of the Outer Rim. Halli was quite taken aback by the man she was introduced to. She had heard the name before, ‘Fin’ Rackir and heard many stories of his heroics.

What she wasn’t expecting was the dark blue Mon Calamari man that confidently strode into her room. Never before had she seen a Mon Cal so muscular nor so polished looking. It was as if the man was carved out of dark blue marble, with vibrant gold eyes that entranced her. He spoke in a sharp, crisp tone that left nothing to discussion and commanded attention. Fin wasn’t aggressive per se, but Halli simply felt compelled to listen to him. Fin explained that several Jedi had spoken on Halli’s behalf, including himself, Roq, Jace, Aeia and Vreem Took to name a few names, and it was decided by the High Council that after her encounter with Eurachis and subsequent recovery, that she had passed the Trial of Flesh.

Halcyon Price was knighted and declared Jedi Peacekeeper, and even more importantly to her: Jedi Artisan. Never before had Halli felt so honored to be among the few deemed worthy of the title. She kept the braid after its removal, but instead of keeping it for herself, had it sent to Karon. It made her smile to think of his reaction when he received the braid with no forewarning except the recording with the braid. The recording was a giddy sounding Halli that only said three simple words: I did it. Halli could not help but well up in tears and give every High Council member a tight hug to thank them after they knighted her. She promised to continue to serve and do everything she could to make them all proud. Halli had never been more excited, like the events a few months ago had never happened. She still had nightmares about the event, and others that involved the man but never had happened. But after much time talking the matter out with Roq, she truly did feel that she was ready to return to duty. Even more so when she heard that Master Fin had personally requested that Halli be assigned to his unit in the Outer Rim.

Not all Peacekeepers were necessarily assigned to a single planet, and that was the case with the men and women that served under Master Fin. A group of about thirty different Jedi in fifteen different pairs, they were always split up between a Master and a Protégé. When the Master retired from the Peacekeepers, their Protégé took over for them, and would select a new partner of their own. Halli accepted his proposal, so long as she was still allowed to pursue her painting. Fin laughed at the girl’s question. Halli didn’t understand at the time, but would come to understand why later on. It turned out one reason for Fin’s popularity was his investment into each member of his group. He actually encouraged extracurricular activities for those under him, and expected to hear and see of their free time promptly. Fin was an odd man to her, but it did not take long at all for him to become a welcome sight.

Halli at first had difficulty with the Outer Rim patrols, not quite used to the more hardened criminals found out in the galaxy, but after some time became more and more comfortable. Master Fin definitely helped, the man easily the most talented saber user she had ever seen. With a sturdy lightpike he liked to use as much as a bow-staff as a lightsaber, the man reigned down justice with a bellow of ‘I AM THE LAW’ during heated confrontations. It quickly became an inside joke for little Halli to bellow it in front of the rest of their unit whenever Fin wasn’t around. She eventually fell into the rhythm of working alongside Fin. Life in the Outer Rim definitely was harder, and Halli felt good about the work her and her fellow Peacekeepers did to aid and assist any law enforcement that they could. Which more often than not meant working for private security firms and mercenary armies but Halli learned that just because someone wasn’t Republic affiliated, didn’t mean that they weren’t good people. Just like her mother back on Coruscant, just because the law didn’t reach somewhere, didn’t mean people couldn’t protect one another. It pleased her to think that she was following in Marea’s footsteps, a Warden, just like Fin.

She never slowed down with her artistic pursuits. Halli spent as much time doing painting for fun as she did Force-affected pieces. The girl didn’t like the trend she began to see in her meditative works, and started to send every one she made back to the Jedi on Coruscant. Scenes of large scale battles, over and over. Force user vs Force user, Mandalorians, Republic soldiers. It scared her greatly, as some planets were easily recognizable, especially Rhen Var. Halli never heard anything back about her works, and with her work rarely was able to put too much thought into it. She was always busy, but never over worked it felt like. Fin seemed as good at budgeting time and resources as he was with his lightsaber. Halli understood exactly why he was such an asset to the Republic. However they did make a special errand to run a particular piece to the Jedi, but too late.

The night before, Halli had finished a painting that made her immediately contact Fin. Moonlight that shone in from outside onto three forms. What was clearly Jace and Vreem on a balcony, their heads and bodies turned in shock to see the third form, a pile of robes that was Grandmaster Eris. After she saw this, the pair left straight away to show the painting to the High Council. They arrived to discover they were too late in their warnings, Eris had fallen into a coma, and the Jedi had to find a replacement. With the war now beginning to be on the whispers of Jedi across the galaxy, attention began to grow over Halli’s paintings after they showed the scene to Vreem and Jace, who both confirmed how accurate Halli was. This shook Halli to her core, as the memory of all the paintings she had sent to the Jedi began to surface. So many scenes of mass murder and ruin, it took much willpower for Halli to not succumb to panic attacks. The Force supported her greatly in this time, and she did her best to not let the images in her mind affect her work.

Halli was ecstatic to learn that Jace had been voted to be the next Grandmaster, and made sure to send him a hand-made card congratulating him. Like many, Halli was torn as word of the ‘Blades’ began to spread, even more so when the rumors said that none other than Vreem Took had begun to rally Jedi to the cause of supporting the Republic. Halli was utterly loyal to her people, but when she imagined the scenes that she had painted, paired with her desire to do as little harm as possible to others, she ultimately sided with the Jedi that did not support going to war. This especially came as a blow to Fin, who had officially thrown his saber into the cause for the Blades. He asked for people to join him, many did, but Halli was with others that did not. One of the more senior members of their unit took over Fin’s duties, as Halli was not quite ready for that level of command. It broke her heart to see the Mon Cal leave, but made him promise to keep in contact.

Panic would grip the girl more and more as reports began to flood in from across the galaxy. She recognized more and more, and was able to piece event after event with things she had painted. Jedi from Coruscant began to contact her for regular reports on what she painted, the same handful of Jedi. Not all fully put too much faith into the works of a girl so young. Sages that had decades of study under their belt were rarely so accurate in their predictions, but Halli truly believed that she had received a gift similar to her mothers. However she did not want to believe it when she painted a scene most terrifying, as if she truly did paint the future, their Grandmaster was in danger.

Jace Beleren, stripped down to nothing chained up and helpless. His body obviously severely beaten with colorful bruises and still bleeding cuts, a lightsaber was held at his neck as several obscured figured encircled him. Halli had contacted Coruscant as soon as she finished that work, and though it seemed like they listened, Jace had been quite active of late, and was hard to get ahold of. He would have been reached too late, and Halli bawled the entire night that it was announced that Jace was declared MIA. Halli returned to Coruscant after that, she felt that for now it would be best. Twice now had she predicted terrible things, and twice now she had been too late to save them. And when it was announced that Roq would ascend to the roll of Grandmaster, Halli simply had to do what she could to protect him.

Halli received approval of her decision after she arrived on Coruscant, more and more Halli had begun to show signs of reverting back to her previous state of reclusion. By Roq’s own recommendation, Halli would focus much time on meditation and painting. It saddened her to see the state of the Galaxy, and the reports of refugees, revolts and war. Panic struck her every time she heard of a skirmish in a system where Karon had last reported in from. Fear began to sit more and more within her, and if it wasn’t for the Force to keep her steady and the support of her fellow Jedi and friends, she was certain she’d feint from it. Prophets often would observe Halli during her meditative paint sessions. She didn’t mind that they watched, as the state blocked out all else around her. That didn’t stop her from feeling anxious at their critique of her works. More often than not the Prophets would immediately begin to ask her questions about what the piece meant, and the girl would sheepishly admit that she did not know, she could merely see the event, not understand it.

Only once did she know immediately what she had seen. In a quiet gardens of the Jedi Temple, Halli would enjoy the sun’s pleasant rays as she let herself go into her trance. For hours she painted and woke up covered in angry splashes of red, greys and others. A great mural of war had been painted and revealed before her. The scene alone disturbed her, but Halli’s entire world would come crashing down to witness the centerpiece of the painting: Her own death at the hands of Eurachis. Everything would feel numbed as sheer dread gripped her world. Everything she saw in her life clicked and lined up in her mind’s eye. Every event of her life, it all lead to one moment. The moment that now loomed above her as she screamed in pure gut wrenching fear, the moment of her death revealed.

Halli could not remember how exactly she made it back to her room, the very same she had shared with Bellinda so long ago. She locked herself in, and for weeks now has not exited. All the joy had been sapped from the girl, and despite multiple attempts by multiple Jedi to reach her, none had been able. Halli rarely sleeps, she barely ate. By some Healer’s guesses, she had already begun to approach dangerous levels of weight, and many worried for her state. She painted constantly, but each one would be immediately set aside and she would begin anew. Over and over the same subjects would get painted, some propped up to be seen, the ones that were most hard to understand. However the same subjects were repeated. Karon, Bellinda, and Eurachis. Whenever Halli would not paint, usually out of sheer exhaustion, the girl would sit and just stare blankly at the field of paintings propped and stacked up all around the room.

None have yet been able to reach her, and few believe that Halli Price as they knew her would ever be the same. Not all have lost hope on her though, it took them some time to organize, but together a pair of Jedi felt they could reach Halli: Karon and Roq. They would be her last hope.

[Moonfire]

Well, is it alright if I just declare this the greatest Jedi bio I've ever had the pleasure of reading? Great job on making a truly sensitive, sweet character, with a sad past doesn't make you want to vomit. Great job Dutchy.

APPROVED

Jan 4, 2013 0:44:07 GMT -5 Dutch said:

Practiced Lightsaber forms:

Shii-Cho 5
Makashi
Soresu
Ataru
Shien / Djem So
>>Sub-form Backhanded
Niman
>>Sub-form Jar-kai, or Dual Wield 2
Juyo
Double Bladed Combat
Guard Shotos 4

Force-Sensitive Abilities or practices:

Telekinetic: 2
Telepathic: 7
Body: 6
Sense: 4
Protection: 2
Healing: 0
Destruction: 0

Specialized Skills:

Center of Being

Force Body

Precognition- Uncontrolled

Attributes:

Physical Strength: 4
Intelligence: 5
Speed: 5
Leadership: 5

Unarmed: 3
Melee Weapons: 6
Ranged Weapons: 2

[Dutch]

Moved to Inactive