Proverbs of the Masters [invite only]

[Ashla Aneem]

Ashla stood behind the pilot's control panel as their transport began it's final dissent onto the earthy world of Subterrel, her eyes fixed on the brown atmosphere of the planet as they drew nearer. Little was known of Subterrel or is vast caverns that housed little else but darkness. Ashla nor the rest of the taskforce, nor the pilot, nor the assisting droid in the cargobay, nor the metal of the sleek ship as it glided through the invisible waves of the space around it, was anymore protected by the Republic. Here, everything was fair game. As the Togruta looked solemnly to each of her counterparts she knew in her heart that they were each on their own, as was she. They traveled to this mysterious landmass as a team but would depart on it with individuality. But she was reassured: all Jedi were chosen because of their respective talents that had been proven in the years the Jedi Order had bestowed upon them. Whatever they would face here, Ashla believed that these Jedi were ready, and a formidable assembly of Jedi, indeed!

Kieran carefully maneuvered the shuttle through the thick, heavy atmosphere. She clasped a reassuring hand on his shoulder, still staring with absent eyes at the dark brown world. The Togruta returned the hand to clasp the other behind her back, and she stood once again behind the cockpit, motionless like a statue. Ashla's eyes flickered over the back of the human Jedi's head before her. During the trip she had observed him replacing the crystal to his lightsaber. Such a weapon was the heart of the Jedi, she had been well informed. But the Togruta was not so sure. Ashla was not afraid to admit, and would be the first to say, she placed her faith in her personal skills with the Unifying Force as opposed to a lightsaber. She had found that the Force seldom failed her as often as the shiny battle instrument. Any weapon could be enhanced by the Force. Yes, a lightsaber, but also a blaster, staff, whathaveyou. It was beyond the Grand Master as to why exactly the basis of the Jedi Order's armory had been comprised of mainly lightsabers over the millennium. Anyone could use it. Ashla had met several bounty hunters, of course many Dark Jedi, and she had even been acquainted with a Senator who carried such a weapon during her time. It took a true Jedi to master the Force. That, she found, was a true gift. But Ashla knew the phrase "to each his own" very well. The Corellian before her was an exceptional swordsmaster- one of the Order's finest. He held his vocation with valor. Ashla recognized this, and praised him for it. But Ashla had observed that his particular lightsaber was more sentimental than most Jedi's. As a Togruta, it was natural for her to observe the emotions and feelings of beings around her. The Force only enhanced this.

"Kieran, he would be honored if he could see you today. You have achieved great honor for yourself and your Master."


The shuttle had begun to enter the atmosphere and Ashla quietly drifted back to the cargobay where Aaron An'mar and the other Jedi sat; some in deep meditation. Her movements were uncumbered by her usual traditional Shili robes of tans and brown fabrics. For this occasion the Grand Master wore more freeflow garb.

In a hushed voice, she broke the silence: "We're about to land."

[projectsunfire]

"We're about to land." Came the softenned voice of the Grandmaster in Araon's ear. His eyes openned and he exhaled softly. He had been meditating upon his death. Through Aay'han, Araon had seen much death and destruction in relation to this mission. Araon wanted to be ready.

As for the strange lifeform within his lightsaber Araon had not heard her liquidous musings since they had departed Coruscant. This bothered him greatly. He could sense her there within his lightsaber, her conciousness stirring silently. How the other Jedi could miss this, he could not know. Perhaps he was loseing his mind.

The death of his Padawan had been almost a year past. Perhaps he was still greiving. He shook his head silently. It had been long enough that symptoms would have surfaced. Strange ramblings and inner monolgue's...

Araon clapped a hand over his face and he chuckled. A Jedi should'nt think too much.

Araon rose to his feet and he removed his lightsaber. Casually he checked its power output. Which, since he altered its inner workings to Aay'han's specifications, was at capacity. A fleeting thought crossed Araon's mind, of the Jedi he had left back at Coruscant. Even those he had lost forever. Tichi, Master Faan, both of them long gone. He remembered them fondly. With a discipline born of service to the Order, Araon snapped his focus back to the present.

He removed his robes, and replaced them with a black two piece suit made of fiber mesh. It quietted his movements considerably, and clung to his body, leaving just enough room for comfort. Over the waste of the pants, he strapped his belt tight. On it he slung small pouches of vitamin suppliments, a bottle of water, his lightsaber, and a small cylinder containing several marble sized explosives.

Over that he slipped into his Dark Brown Jedi Robe. He took a deep breath and stretched. He let just a little bit of the force to flow through him. It gave him some energy and he bounced on his toes. He focussed on his most recent studies. He had approached the caste of Sentinels within the temple before he left. He was to focus on silence this mission.

There were many ways to be silent. What one wears, the way one moves, even the way one thinks. Araon was to focus on quietting his mind above all things this trip.

Once his body felt calm again Araon closed his eyes while standing and focussed on quietting his mind. Making himself empty.

[Ashla Aneem]

((Give us time to land and begin to embark, then it's all fair game.))


"Precisely, Master Eitan." Ashla reminded somberly. "Dead out there. Perhaps that is what awaits us. For that is the dark side. Death, despair, and malice. But we will confront this danger nonetheless. The Force will show us the way. Have faith."

The Togruta calmly seated herself cross legged on the floor of the cargo hangar and closed her eyes. She inhaled and then exhaled deeply for a few moments, trying to clear her mind. Her thoughts remained on the mission at hand.

"Subterrel has no allegiance to the Republic for two reasons: It holds no intelligent sentient life that is on record. Also, it is too far out of the way of the major trade lines that navigate the Galaxy. The closest, being the Kessel Run, is hundreds of parsects away. This, along with the planet's geography, makes it an ideal place for the Sith or other darkside sects to gather. I need not remind any of you that Tuk'ata have been proven to inhabit here. They originated on Korriban, centuries ago to guard the tombs of past Sith Lords. Why have they now appeared so far away from their motherland? If they are not guarding something, then why else are they here? If they are, then what is so important that the vile hounds must be recruited to guard it? These are questions we must all consider. These beasts are untamed by the light side of the Force. Unharmed. On the contrary, they feed from it. Do not try to hide your presence; it will only harm your chances at victory. Be prepared, be vigilant."

Ashla opened her eyes. She opened a red palm and beckoned the metal cylinder through the Force. Naturally, the hilt heeded the call and slipped from the leather restraints to float like a feather into her open hand. Ashla silently played with the instrument, tossing the hilt into the air and touching each small nob and button. She stood and with a quick swish, the blade ignited. It's color was that of a fresh tangerine, fresh from the foothills of her homeworld. It was unusually thin for a blade, but extended a few inches father than normal. This gave, in careful sync with the Force, a far more elegant, precise movement. Satisfied with it's trial, Ashla deactivated the weapon and returned it to it's holster.

[Jenno]

There is a saying among miners on Tatooine that goes, "No gem is worth a Del'nak's tongue."

The saying itself refers directly to the Del'nak, a spider-like creature with a nasty tendency to dig trapdoors in the sand near mineral deposits. A lash from a Del'nak's tongue is usually deadly and always painful, making avoiding them a good reason.

With the near extinction of the Del'nak a hundred years ago, the saying has come to take on a new meaning. Today it means simply that nothing is worth walking into an obvious trap, whether it be a gem or otherwise.

For this band of Jedi, it was no gem they sought, but rather it was truth they were looking for. They sought the truth of what had transpired here weeks ago, and the truth of what lay beneath the surface. But little did they know that all of Subterrel was a trap, and what lay in wait was far deadlier than any Del'nak.

Something in the shadows above moved. Meanwhile, something in the shadows below moved. One who was paying attention might have noticed that all the shadows of Subterrel were shifting and pulsating, the gaping maw of some terrible beast.

From the shadows in several directions emerged the haunched forms of the Tuk'ata who had been waiting for the Jedi for some time. For a brief moment they were visible, until the power to this section was cut off from a control box much further away. In the darkness, the Sith Hounds circled in silence.

And then the silence was broken as the Tuk'ata fell upon them from all directions. They were all teeth and claws, tearing at everything, from the Jedi to the ship's hull, with deadly force. the Jedi might not be able to see in the dark, but The Hounds of Everos needed no such illumination.

(Basically, no matter where you are, you're facing about 50+ of these bad boys. Have fun, and feel free to NPC them.)

[projectsunfire]

((I am going to Mod a "write up" here. I know it may generate debate, but I percieve an opportunity. I see this as an excellent out for us all, and a good way of furthering the story line. This will be very long as a lot is about to happen. Please in your next post feel free to interject things into this from your character. As everything is about to happen so fast that people won't really have time to react, in an in depth manner.))

The ship flew low over the barren landscape of Subterrel, its engines roaring at a Murky, empty sky. It's firey descent seemed, to its occupants, to pass quickly. Though to the creatures below, it was a Squall to the Hounds.

The ship ran abreast of the small outcroppings of rock and poor soil as Araon An'mar watched Master Eiten choose a large fissure in the rock face to land the craft. The ship slowed to a standstill as it lost forward momentum. Then slowly it descended vertically into the large openning in the rock. The murky clouds dissapeared from view, replaced by the dark stone wall that rushed upward in front of the forward viewport. Slowly, the light faded.

Araon eyed the Battlemaster at the ship controls as he flawlessly avoided rock formations by centimers. Not waiting for confirmation or orders Araon flipped the switches that turned on the flood lights. Which illumnated the stone in front of them.

With a deep woosh of air the ship descended into a large cavern beneath the cracking crust of Subterrel. Araon looked over his shoulder at a viewscreen that was monitoring their depth below the surface. - 0.615k and descending it read. He turned his head back to the floodlight controls and he maneuvered the lights about to get a better view of the cavern they were in. All about them the barren walls of rock and moisture peered back at them.

In the blackness, the light passed over something that moved, and then retreated back into the blackness. As quickly as he could Araon turned the light back to see if it was still there. Nothing remained. Not a moved stone, or bit of displaced moss. Just a coldness that seemed to sit in Araon's gutt. It was so strong that Araon drew his cloak closer about his shoulders.

"I sense something Dark here Master Aneem." Araon said his eyes shifting to the console in front of him. He punched up the sensor system and took a low level sweep of the Area. "I've never felt a Darkside energy so strong. Not even when I was on Roon. Or in the presence of the Sith Holocron I destroyed." Araon recalled, his voice laiden with a heavy seriousness. "How could the Jedi Master and their Padawan not feel this?" Araon watched as the feedback on the lifeform scan came back negative. Cautiously he took a readout of the instrument to find that the minerals in the rock were playing Dajaraak with the instruments. "The local minerals are confusing the sensors." Araon mumbled as he switched frequencies a couple times to attempt a posative response.

"No feedback from the sensors. Our guide is the force." Araon took a deep breath, and exhaled in an attempt to calm himself. He focussed on his mind, his thoughts and quietting them.

The ship came to rest in the center of the vast cavern, spreading dust before it. Master Eiten switched off the secondary busses, which cut off all non-essential power. Engines and Reactor both would require a warm up period before they'd be able to lift off again. It seems they would be here for some time. Araon took one final scan. "It looks like no ones here to greet-"

*CRASH*

Araon's sentence was cut off as a huge beast smashed into the viewport cracking the Transparisteel. It's huge weight actually caused the ship to shift on its landing gears. Dozens more hits landed elsewhere on the ship, and the sound of tearing hull seemed to echo through the cavern.

All the Jedi in the pilots cabin evacuated and sealed the door as another Sith Hound pelted against the viewport. Araon drew his lightsaber, along with the other Jedi. Not wasteing time he used it to weld shut the door. "Well I guess that answers the first question of the mission." Araon said, a hint of struggled sarcasm in his voice. His arm elegantly withdrew the tip of his saber from the metal and the Jedi moved to the Cargo bay. "There have to be more than ten of those things out there. It would take a lot to shake a ship this size. We need to get out of here before they destroy the-" A loud noise was heard from the port side of the ship as one of the engine manifolds was torn free. "Engines." Araon said his voice sinking slightly.

"Smart dogs..." He said as his eyes shifted to the plinking and scratching sound they heard over their heads as multiple talonned paws dug and scratched at the hull plateing of the ship.

Each Jedi moved with a purpose. Their movements were quick as they knew if they tarried, they would likely be dead.

Just as they entered the Carho bay, the doors seemed to be peeled away with a sharp metallic ripping sound. The Tuk'ata burst into the Cargo bay like blood from a gushing wound.

The other Jedi began to retreat emmediately into the main connecting hall of the ship. All accept for Master Eitan. Who remained firm his saber ready. Araon could'nt believe what he was seeing. Was he insane!

"MASTER EITAN! THERE ARE TOO MANY!" Araon bellowed.

"GO. I'll draw them away! Complete the mission!" He responded with a calmness that seemed to almost match the expressionlessness of the hounds faces as they stared hungrilly at the Jedi in front of them.

Araon watched as Master Eitan adopted a Juyo openning stance and took a wide swing at the nearest Sith Hound, cleaving its head clear of its shoulders. The rest lunged forward at him and he effortlessly switched forms to Ataru, and leapt over them useing the force to boost his height.

Eitan had reached the hole in the cargo bay and drew most of the hounds with him, when a hand grabbed Araon from behind and hauled him forcibly through the door which shut with a hiss. One of the Jedi used their saber in the same fassion Araon had to weld it shut just as the bodies of two Sith hounds began to pound against it with a dull metalic thumping sound.

"Starboard hatch was clear." Araon said drawing himself up.

The Jedi Knight Hesh spoke up. "There was a convenient hole in the wall I thought I saw near the starboard hatch that should lead us to the Jedi temple. We should hurry"

<<<<>>>>



Master Eitan ducked and dove. His body reaching its physical limits. Many Sith Hounds lunged forward only to be met by his Saber. Some managed to come at him from behind, Yet even then he managed to dodge, barely. There were so many. It seemed they filled his every sense. Everywhere he looked hungry merciless eyes stared at him, and bared fangs grinned. Somewhere within the force, Eitan found comfort.

A Tuk'ata leapt forward roaring, as Eitan used the force to alter its flight path, that lead it careening into a large rock. They seemed to continue to stack up. Do you blasted things never end. The Corellian thought frustrated.

He gave ground again and again as they overwhelmed his defenses. Somewhere behind him Master Eitan sensed a large openning. He took a precious moment, and glanced behind to see a large gapeing hole. Somewhere inside him, he knew it was the only way.

As the bulk of the Sith Hounds lunged forward at the battle master, Eitan used the force to pull the Tuk'ata with him. He leapt backward into the gaping maw of the pit. His gutts seemed to flip over as he descended into the blackness, the howling of about a dozen Sith hounds falling with him...

[Ashla Aneem]

((Very well written! Epic! ;D))



The spacecraft was enveloped in somber silence as it drifted hastily through Subterrel's thin atmosphere. Ashla sat quietly on the floor of the cargobay in meditation but opened her eyes to see Aaron leave the holding room. Probably to help Myn navigate, she guessed. They were very close to initiating the landing sequence now. Ashla decided to join the two in the cockpit and got to her feet. She slowly followed Aaron's fading footsteps on the durasteel that plated the narrow connecting hall. Soon enough she came upon the control centre and eased her way into the tight room. Dark eyes once more locked onto the looming landscape of Subterrel. It was dark, budding with shadow. The contrast between this wasteland and Coruscant was stark. Her heart was heavy here. When Aaron stated that he felt the darkness, Ashla was quick to agree.

"I would be extremely worried if you didn't feel that, Aaron. It is clear as night and day that something is very, very wrong here. As for why the Jedi had failed to sense this before, I cannot answer. The Unifying Force has many uses, unfortunately. I can only guess that those poor Jedi did not even see this under their very noses. It rocks me with unease, Master An'mar. It is with heavy heart that I continue this mission for I feel I am reluctant to discover what else the Republic, and the Jedi, have yet not uncovered. Not just here, but Galaxy-wide."

The Grand Master turned her attention to the controls. It seemed that Subterrel's mysteries had already taken hold of their shuttle and as the two pilots began to struggle with the navigation equipment, Ashla knew something was amiss now with their ship. "The Force will guide us like a spearhead through this darkness." Ashla said confidently. She relied on the Force far more than on any machinery. Her former statement was proven true when the shuttle landed safely on the terraform. Or so it appeared. If there was one thing Ashla knew, it was that there was never a shroud of shadow without someone or something using it as cover. Therefore it did not surprise her when a creature launched itself at the viewport with such a force to crack it. Inside her heart began to quicken each beat. That crash was like the gunshot; signaling he start of a podrace for the ship had begun to take heavy physical blows from the intruding Tu'kata. The mighty shuttle groaned as a beast cleverly destroyed the engine systems. With the minds of Sith in their own right, these dogs were none to be underestimated.

"Aaron, with great regret, I am sorry to inform you that you were wrong. The welcoming party has just only arrived."

The trio began to retreat backwards into the ship, towards the cargobay. They knew that the cockpit was overtaken before two more hounds viciously smashed they way through the thick transparasteel. Aaron and Kieran had managed in haste to shrink back into the ship. Ashla backed into hallway not before a tu'kata lunged forward at her. The steel door would not slide shut in time. Within a second's time the Grand Master had acted. The shadowdog had gained enough distance with it's pounce to reach the doorway before it's leap was halted. With a flick of her wrist Ashla hurled the abomination of the Force backwards which granted enough time for the steel door to slide shut. The other Jedi had drawn their sabers except for her. As a Force Warrior it was unnatural to be so quick to resort to weaponry. She would use her own body as her assault method until it was absolutely necessary to take up the hilt of her lightsaber.

No sooner had they reentered the cargo hold was the steel plating torn simply from it's welds, revealing a rather large hole which a number of tu'kata were quick to fill. In response to the ravaging of the room, the Jedi once again retreated into the connecting hall. But one was missing. From over An'mar's shoulder Ashla saw Eitan, taking on a number of tu'kata at once. She held her breath but did not move. His decision was rash, but also valiant. Soon after he was safely pulled inside and this door was too welded shut. It was only an annoying barrier that the hounds would soon tear effortlessly through. When the decision was made to go through the hole near the starboard hatch, Ashla led the way. Once more the group was ambushed as they left the wreckage of their ship. They struggled forward, managing to hold off the pack of savage creatures for time. Ashla ran and her feet barely touched the ground. With speed that only a Jedi could posses, and guided by the Force, they hurried forward. The Sanctum was not far away. From the rocky ridge above three tu'kata lept, landing directly in front of Ashla and the team while a small pack of seven others caught up from behind. They were encircled.

Without further warning the beasts engaged battle. The three hounds before Ashla all lept at once into the air, lunging forward in a craze to catch their pray. Everything began to slow for the Grand Master as her mind worked at inhuman paces to process all aspects of the battle. The Togruta crouched down, taking the Teräs Käsi stance. Teräs Käsi was an ancient form of martial arts utilizing the Force that belonged to the user as opposed to the Unifying Force around it. As a Force Warrior, Ashla was adept to this kind of vigorous battle technique and specialized in many other forms. The tu'kata hurled forward in air and she lept herself, straight up. Her body spun with inhuman speed in circles. Two hounds recklessly collided, howling with rage. The most unfortunate landed directly below the Grand Master, and she brought herself down now, curving her body into an elegant dive. She thrust her hand forward into the thick, dark hide of the hound. Under the sheer force of the blow, it screamed in fits of pain, and it's legs buckled and broke with crunches that echoed throughout the cavern. Unable to move, it squirmed and rolled helplessly off of the cliff side, into the abyss below. The other two beats were quick to recover and avenge their brother. But Ashla was quicker. By this time her entire being began to glow. The other's lightsabers were not the only thing lighting their skirmish. The Force radiated off of Ashla, illuminating the entire cavern in a dim, somber light.

A hound swiped at her side, but missed by inches. She lunged herself to the side to avoid another blow, but had to change course milliseconds before being swiped by another blood-craving talon. Ashla was close enough to the beasts now to use another ability. She lept forward, pulling herself over one tu'kata by it's grizzled mane. She held onto it's furry backside, like the Rancor Rodeos that took place at Coruscanti festivals. It bucked and twisted around to snap at her. In the struggle the other hound slashed at it's brother's sides, having missed Ashla's agile body. She managed to place a palm as close to the ridden beast's eye as possible and released a powerful ray of light that bathed the cavern in light before eventually dying off. Ashla lept off the beast and rolled onto the cold stone floor with elegance. With a mighty heave, she thrust her arms forward, using the Force to push the flailing beast off of the cliff, to join it's brethren she had previously dispatched.

The last tu'kata readied itself and crouched low. It emitted hissing cries at the Grand Master, but the intimidation did nothing to waver her own readiness. She made a fist with her hand, delving deeper into the Force. The ground under the tu'kata crumbled, but the beast lept into the air before it could do any good. As it pounced at Ashla, claws outstretched and ready for the kill, an invisible force pulled it back; much like Ashla had done to one in the cockpit of their shuttle. It was like a vacuum. Ashla witnessed four other of the beats soar backwards. A few clawed helplessly at the stone in vain. The Togruta glimpsed a familiar face fall into the darkened depths and she held her breath. All was quiet now for the first time since their arrival. The team slowly gathered together at the edge of the cliff. Sweat beaded each of their faces. Ashla looked at her team. The Ongree Knight, Hesh, had a large gash in his shoulder but seemed unphased by it. Master Qu, a stout Lannik Jedi Master limped toward them, and Aaron was staring into the darkness below.

"Kieran Eitan was a valiant Jedi. He served his part in this, and we must honor it. We must move for the Temple now that this onslaught has ceased for the time being."

[Jenno]

For a brief moment, silence returned to the planet. The silence, as it was, of peace. But there could be no such peace between the Jedi and what lay beneath them.

From the depths of the planet came a whisper of a sound. If one were listening very accutely, they might have heard a laugh. Others might have heard a sob. The sound echoed around them for several short moments before fading back into the stone. The main shaft, the only direct route between the surface and the Temple Nebgra'dall, loomed in the distance, as more and more whispering sounds bounced around the walls. A bark, a howl, the agonizing cry of a tortured beast.

The Tuk'ata were coming up through the shaft. Claw on stone, like metal on metal was heard as dozens more poured out of the small opening like thick black fluid. The pack raced and encircled the group of jedi, leaving only a single opening: the shaft itself.

And, strangely enough, the Silence returned for another brief moment.

(Man, I can't wait until you guys go down the shaft to Nebgra'dall... I'm sick of playing sith hounds.)

[projectsunfire]

((I was intending on writing this up before CG posted. However as he posted I'm just going to have to post it here.))

They travelled as quickly and quietly as their injuries allowed. They had originally attempted to confront the packs of Tuk'ata they encountered. Though it seemed that with each encounter they only succeeded in drawing more of the Sith Abominations to them.

They had begun to utilize stealth more often in their hard trudge through the underground terrain of subterrel. Old mine shafts without light, seemed to stretch onward as they moved their way forward.

Their physical conditions had gotten worse. All but Grand Master Aneem. Apart from a slightly torn robe, she was pristine. Perhaps slightly tired physically, however her understanding of the force likely prevented much fatigue.

Araon himself was focussing his poor knowledge of healing on a nasty gash in his left arm. If only to staunch the flow of blood and hinder the Tuk'ata's progress. He could almost feel the wound knitting together. Though it would not heal fast enough for his likeing. In the dark each Jedi used their abilities in the force to sense one another. Araon even let his empathic abilities free reign in the darkness they trod through. He focussed on bolstering his companions with feelings of comfort, and calm.

They followed the darkenned mine shaft for what felt like hours, in truth Araon dared to take a short glimpse at the chrono on his belt, and saw their travel had only lasted about thirty minutes. He silently slid the device back into it's belt pouch and focussed with effort to sense the bacterium in the moisture on the walls.

Jedi Knight Hesh's wound was bleeding again, and he was grunting softly from the physical condition he was in. Araon couldn't see, yet could sense the darkness within the wound.

Hesh Stop! Master Aneem. Araon thought as clearly as he could. Following his thoughts he tried to envision the wound through the force. It was tainted with something evil.

Araon's lip twisted into a grimace, and he suppressed his frustration at their situation. Focussing on the calm that he let flow through him, he took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. He approached Hesh's back and touched the wound.

Araon spoke in hushed tones and whispers. "Master Aneem. This is beyond my skill. I can barely heal my own arm. The Tuk'ata have some sort of infectious saliva. I'm going to push ahead to the temple. I'll see what I can dig up and get back here as quickly as possible." Araon knew that there was no time to waste. Their situation was not getting any better and he would need to hurry. Without wasting any more breath he strummed his lightsaber once and pushed onward toward the Jedi Temple.

>>>><<<<



Up ahead the Jedi Temple beaneath the surface of subterrel loomed like an ancient stone husk. It carried with it, no life. In Fact life seemed to have abandonned the mining world of Subterrel. Yet, Araon could smell the stink of the Tuk'ata, and rot. The Temple would have housed Miners, and colonists as well as the Jedi that were watching over Subterrel. Araon saw nothing moveing. He could sense them though.

He focussed on quietting his mind. Like an old friend Araon could sense the force at his back. Watching over him. Guideing him. Within his Lightsaber he sensed Aay'han stir.

I'm afraid Araon. came the rippling, liquidous, voice in his head. There is much death here.

Araon peered out from behind a stone at the Temple structure. The Colonists that had been comissioned by the Jedi Order to build this structure had built in supports to hold up the ceiling as they had scooped out a large horizontal structure to house the many rooms needed for the temple.

A large light illuminated the structure off to the left. This confused the Jedi. He squinted in the direction of the source, and he saw a shadow pass in front of the light. A large Tuk'ata loped forward carrying something in its jaws.

Araon drew back behind the rock he hid behind in horror at the realization that it was a peice of... someone. Or Something. From where he hid, he saw several more shadows pass in front of the light. He could hear them growling, and fighting over the morsel. He could smell their foul stench, even sense their Darkside aura.

Araon felt the slightest of pity for the poor beasts, as they had once likely been dogs of some sort before the Sith had... Altered them.

He dared another peek around the rock and saw that the pack had moved into the temple. Slowly Araon crept over the rock and crouched low into its shadow. From the shadow he observed the long run before him that lead up to the main doors of the temple. They had once been sealed he could see. Though some force had ripped them open. No scortch, or claw marks marred its surface. It seemed to have just been torn open.

He bit his lower lip in thought and made up his mind.

Araon focussed his thoughts forward. Everything was forward. Araon ran from the shadow of the stone, his feet clapped softly against the stone floor he ran upon. Within the temple he heard a growl, and several barks. When he was within meters of the front door he leapt as far vertically as possible. His hands catching hold of one of the outcropping buttresses that addorned the wall.



There he hung, his fingers struggling slightly against his own weight as he looked down at the now investigating Sith hounds. Their noses twitched and their ears twisted at odd angles in an attempt to sense his location.

Araon gritted his teeth and held his focus. His arms were beginning to feel the strain, yet he waited. It took several minutes before whatever it was they were eating drew them back into the Temple. Araon pulled himself up as quietly as he could. With the aid of the force it was not entirely difficult, though his arms throbbed from the strain regardless. Silently he crept through an open window.

He crept carefully along the second floor balcony inside the main Foyay. His cloak trailed along the floor silently, as he curled his feet to silence their soft souls against the stone. Ever quietly he slipped to the edge of the balcony and looked down at the Tuk'ata.

In the middle of the foyay lay a massive bone pile. Not consisting entirely of bones just yet. Araon now understood the stink. They had made the old temple their den for the time being. Foul creatures. Araon thought to himself.

Get away, hurry, now! Aay'han's normally melodic voice seemed to shiver, within his saber, and Araon saw all the Tuk'ata suddenly look up at him. Araon felt the color drain from his face, and he cursed aloud.

"Sithspit!"

Araon didn't dawdle. His feet carried him at a break neck speed down the balcony toward the Jedi Quarters, as he heard the Tuk'ata scramble up the stone steps behind to catch their new quarry.

As he ran, his thoughts raced.

No Miners, no Colonists. Loads of Sith Hounds and the force knows what else! He slid beneath a half closed blast door and ignited his lightsaber. With a well guided fling he sent his weapon sailing toward the hydrolic cabling that held it in place. It severed the two lines with a gush of fluid, and the door began to fall.

The Saber flew back to his hand and Araon turned just in time to see the door fall right onto the back of the front most Tuk'ata that had been hot on his heels. It's body broke in half with a sickenning crunch. On the other side of the door he heard the other's clawwing at the floor and the door. Yet inside he felt the slightest of self satisfactions.

He turned his back on the door and set a quickenned pace for the Jedi Masters Quarters.

>>>><<<<

He had been breifed on the floor plan, and the security he would encounter. It would not likely be a problem. Yet it might come in handy, just in case. Araon turned in through the doorway and discovered the body of a Jedi laying quite still in the middle of the floor. His throat had been ripped out, and old blood lay in a congealed pool on the floor.

He knealt down and inspected the body. His eyes looked over the corpse, and discovered the passed Jedi's lightsaber, still clipped to his belt. It was a Padawan Saber. Araon sighed softly. "What a waste."

Softly he removed the Padawan's weapon and clipped it to his own belt. Then, quietly removed his own robe and laid it out over the body. He bowed his head for a brief moment and walked over to the data console in the room. He turned it on. It hummed to life with a gentle whir and a small bit of startup data streamed across its surface.

Araon qued up some of the personal Data logs, and started one, beginning with the date that they last had contact from Subterrel.

<<"Maitinence officer Tresland, Personal Log, 00157
I went down to the Mines this afternoon with the foreman. He's a pompous man, and he doesn't treat his workers very well. It was odd though. I've been here almost half a year, and he was acting totally different than he usually does. How long do you need to be around somone before you can really 'know' them?

Oh yeah, the blasted communcations tower has gone offline again. I swear that thing needs a new something everyday. We'll pop off word to Coruscant when we get it up and running again.">>

Araons fingers skipped ahead a few weeks, and he chose a new entry. The voice of the Maitinence worker came back from the Data Console.

<<"Maitinence officer Tresland, Personal Log, 00180
Really weird things have been happenning down in the mines. All the workers have dissapeared, and the Jedi Master has dissapeared with them. He was down there last night. They were observing the new digging into what has been described to me as a large subterainian cavern. They suspect it may contain gasses or other minerals. I'll make another log once I learn more.

Its creepy though, I keep hearing strange sounds from down the main tunnel that leads to the dig site. I mean it could just be machinery, but the miners all use plasma cutters, and other hard dig tools that cut through the stone here. They are usually quiet. Maybe they dragged one of the large bores from the surface to punch through a vein of Cortosis. Then again, maybe that's just wishful thinking.">>

Araon moved on to the next entry to discover a weaker maitinence worker. His breath sounded labored, and his voice seemed pained.

<<"Maintinence officer Tresland, Personal Log, 00181
This will likely be my final entry. I went down the shaft today looking for the Jedi Master with his Padawan. We never found him. Though the Padawan began to act strangely the closer we got to the new dig site. He kepy mumbling about the darkside, and something about the Sith. There were some sort of dogs there swarming over the camp. They were big, with horny protrusions in a crest over their bulky frames.

One of them bit me, and my arm burns horribly. I thinkit may be infected. The Jedi Padawan carried me back here, and told me to make a log as quickly as I could. I don't know what good that'd do. We'll be dead soon. I just wish I could have finished work on the Communications Array. It doesnt matter anymore anyway. The Padawan said he was intending to take me off planet. He should be back from the Hangar soon. He said that he was prepping a shuttle for our departure.

*Shuffling sounds*

That must be him now. I- by the force-">>

Araon controlled the fear within him fighting against his chest. Screaming at him to flee. Araon knew that the answers lay at the bottom of the shaft. He'd have to hurry back to the team.

Araon heard a shuffling sound behind him as he pulled the data disk containing the logs. The Alpha Tuk'ata was crouched into a spring. Without waiting, Araon threw out his arm and flung the beast backward with a strong push in the force and dove for the open window.

>>>><<<<

((Araon will not be with the team of Jedi when the Tuk'ata surround them.))

[Ashla Aneem]

The taskforce moved on. They gaited down the dreary pathway with legs powered by the Force. It drove them forward, each Jedi, far past the point of exhaustion for a normal being. The cave was filled with the scurrying of the vile creatures from all directions. Their claws scratched at the bedrock stone but the Knights still had the lead. The chase seemed to go on for hours with the blanket of reality in each Jedi's mind that it was only a matter of minutes. But something was amiss. From behind Ashla heard her name and she stopped to see a worrying look from Aaron and his eyes were targeted on Master Hesh. The Ongree had a concentrated expression. He had blocked out all other interferences from the mission. Including injury. As the team stopped, Ashla noticed something else that was even more disturbing. Her montrals detected nothing but the four Jedi within range.

"They've stopped following us." The Togruta stated.

She walked back behind the heaving Jedi to examine the wound. Aaron was correct in his worry. This was much more than a flesh wound: the cut was deep and the blood that oozed from it sparkled with poison. The gaping slice was barely exposed from the thin tunic layers, which were frayed and torn at the site. "We must continue on, Aaron. I will make it." The gruff voice of Hesh blurted, though his words were slurred in pain. Ashla cast him a sympathetic look and shook her head. "This is also beyond my skill. I have not followed the orthodox practices of the Healing Guilds. Master Qu though...." Her eyes met the worried gaze of the small Lannik Master stood at her feet and gazed at the bloodied hunch of his Ongree colleague. "Lenno, you are a skilled healer. To my knowledge, you were once a member of the Corps, yes? Perhaps you could help him. Taw-jeb, sit. Lenno can mend your shoulder." She turned to Aaron at his suggestion that he move ahead. "I did not want us to part, but do what you must. Keep your senses forward. Do not trust this darkness. We will try to progress forward and meet you at the site. May the Force be with you." She watched as Aaron's form vanished into the darkness and out of site. Soon his essence was gone from her senses as well. She turned to the two Masters: Hesh was sitting on the cold stone, his shoulder now the perfect height for stout Lenno Qu to reach. The Lannik worked quickly, running nimble fingers across the gash that glowed with a bright blue hue.

Her senses showed no sign of the foul beings that haunted the caves. With a small sigh of comfort, she body lost tenseness. This moment of relaxation was brief though. Before it came into view, Ashla sensed it. Or them rather. Dozens of tu'kata lurched out from the shadows. Countless pairs of yellow eyes. Many clicked and hissed at eachother- a manner of speaking that Ashla identified only as the Sith language. These were no clueless animals. She considered them Sith in their own right. Master Qu had finished his patchwork on Jaw-jeb's shoulder and both were standing, ready for the inevitable onslaught. Ashla stood quite calmly in the center of the circle. She closed her eyes with deep concentration. The Force was alive in her, and she brought it's full power into her hands. Abruptly, the Grand Master drew her arms apart, only to bring them together again in a powerful clap. This connection caused a surge of Force power to erupt from her body. Like a stone thrown into water, it rippled silently across the cavern floor. The maelstrom forced everything backward, except Qu and Hesh who were immune to it's effects. The hounds hissed angerly as they watched several of their comrades hurled off of the cliff. Many collided into eachother, and clawed to regain balance. This effort was in vain as another wave rippled from Ashla's lithe body, followed by another and another. The weakening waves sent the beasts backwards for a ways but they regained ground. All launched into the air, teeth bare. The battle was on.

[projectsunfire]

((I think that was a plot hook to get us to go down to Everos Temple...))

[Ashla Aneem]

O.o What?

[Jenno]

(Whoah, whoah, whoah... don't go controllin' my hounds! I may not get to play Everos, but I get to play his dogs But seriously, that is a plot hook. I need you guys to follow the dogs and go down into the CORE)

[projectsunfire]

((sorry boss, we'll play nice ))

[projectsunfire]

Araon fell. He had trusted in the force though and it seemed odd it led him astray. The sparse view he'd gotten of the poorly lit drop below the window showed what appeared to be an empty pit. Not unlike the one he'd seen Master Eitan leap into.

He felt the cloth of his gee rippling as his velocity seemed to increase. He felt his stomache do little summer saults in his belly as he dropped. The wind ripped at his eyes and he realized he'd be a corellian flatcake if he so much as bumped into an outcropping of rock.

[glow=teal,2,300]Trust in the force, Padawan...[/glow]

Araon almost felt the gentle words, more than hear them in his head. It was not Aay'han who spoke, but the familiar voice of Master Faan. Araon's former master.

He shut his eyes and felt out with the force. He augmented his senses ever so slightly hopeing to catch glimpse of anything. Then he sensed it as he hurtled downward. A large piece of rock was stretched across the cavern he fell in.

As quickly as he could manage Araon drew the fiber cord and grapple from his belt. His eyes shut tight against the rushing air, he flung the device outward into the darkness that surrounded him. He could not hear if it caught, but felt the tug on the rope hard as it latched into the stone. At the same time he flexed as hard as possible to divert the kinetic energy of his fall. It was not enough...

"GOW!!!" Araon howled as his arm dislocated from its socket. The pain clouded everything. The force, the darkness. Even the jolt of hitting the wall of the cavern headlong then swinging away back into the pit, a dangling bit of tired flesh on a string.

He swung their slowly until his senses faded. The pain numbed, and he passed out.

>>>>><<<<<

Araon's hand flew out, of its own will, his lightsaber gripped firmly within. In one fluid motion, his arm extended and he pressed the ignition stud of his lightsaber. The blade of the Djem So Saber crack-hissed into life. Its brilliant blue blade illuminated the ground he stood on. With an elegance born of the years of disciplined combat. His body seemed to almost slide into a perfect openning Juyo stance. His saber hummed over head, its rubber grip sticky in his right hand. Araon's left hand fell to his knee, in a flexed position. His legs were parted perfectly, and his body slack. Inside, Araon felt such peace. He felt as if he were one with everything, yet nothing. His mind seemed detached, and he was only vaguely aware of when his arm moved to block his enemies strike. It all seemed to happen somewhere else, almost like he was watching from inside.

Araon! Came Aay'han's familiar rippling voice in Araon's head. The pain rushed back into his mind clawwing at his senses. It's strength culminating in his shoulder. He grunted. The sound of which echoed softly off the walls. His free hand could not move smoothly from the pain, but he managed to grip his lightsaber. He felt a wetness on his chin from his own drool. No doubt caused by his intense pain. He sucked up as much as he could in his mouth and spat. The flavor of which was salty. He then realized that had used the injured arm to throw the grapple. He had not had time to think when it happened.

Now he could tell the wound on his arm had ripped open, and was bleeding. It was uselessly strung up to the grappling hooks fiber cord. His head lolled by his slack neck as he attempted to maneuver it around.

Somewhere below him he could smell moisture, and hear water. Let go, his instincts told him. Perhaps the force. Either way he had no way of climbing the fiber-cord. He grit his teeth, and drew his lightsaber. With a fumbling thumb he ignited the weapon and his eyes hurried to focus against the blinding light it gave off.

When his eyes had grown accustom to the light he looked up at his mangled arm. Its flesh seemed tattered, and ravaged. It hung there almost like it was no longer part of him. Araon felt a single tear push its way down his cheek, and he swung upward at the fibercord, which severed smoothly.

Again he fell. Not far this time. His stomache barely had time to rush upward into his diaphram before he landed in a sub-terranian lake with a loud splash. The light from his saber went out. He dragged his body to the surface, his limp left arm dangling loosely. He broke surface and breathed in a great gulp of air and swam for where he felt the shore lay.

After a brief struggle in the water, Araon lay splayed out on a beach composed of clay, and sharp rocks. It did not matter though, he could breath and his body was more or less whole. He gasped against the pain, and strain of his descent.

Biteing his lip against the pain he rolled onto his belly and drew himself into a sitting position. His arm was laying awkwardly to one side and he delicately pulled it forward to lay in his lap. He clipped his lightsaber. Every movement seemed like a laborous torture, yet his goal was close.

He knew he had to heal his arm, or he'd be useless for the rest of this mission. purposefully he un-buttonned a long pouch on his belt and pulled out a glow rod, which he cracked. It gave off a soft green glow, and illuminated the shore he now rested.

>><<

Slowly, Araon calmed his breathing, and relaxed his muscles. The pain was still excrutiating, yet he found he could contain it's overwhelming power. Araon's thoughts raced through his head, until he pushed them to the back of his conciousness. He had to heal, to focus.

He meditated. His calm, only interrupted by the sudden flare of pain, as he gainned and lost control. Ultimately he slipped into a healing trance. He was gratefull for the small mercy. In this state, his mind explored the caverns of subterrel. He could percieve the stone walls, and the darkness that lurked within them. Indeed the darkside was strong here, he felt a numbing cold from somewhere deep inside. A dark tomb meant to contain something evil.

Araon pulled back away, and focussed on himself. The wound in his arm, being cheif on his mind. He could almost feel the flesh knitting itself together. It was working, but how long would it take? Would he be able to make it back?

>><<

What seemed like hours passed, and Araon roused himself from his meditation. He openned his eyes and took in his surroundings more fully. The wound on his arm now, nothing more than a freshly healed scar. He rubbed the flesh gently to test its condition. Studying the arts of healing had paid off. He now braced himself for the next step in his process of healing. It would be breifly painfull, but he had to pop his arm back into its socket. Fortunately the healing trance had reduced the inflamation of such a wound, and kept things loose.

The glow rod on the floor of the cavern had begun to dim, but it was enough light to see. Slowly he stood, and found a large boulder upon which to prop himself up on. Araon shut his eyes and bolstered his resolve. With a swift shove his shoulder made a deep popping sound of cartilage, and bone as his humerous slipped back into its socket.

The pain was almost as bad as when it had happenned initially, but he was ready this time. Araon leaned against the rock as the stiffness in his arm began to lessen. Now he could begin to devise a way out.

[projectsunfire]

It had taken Araon the better part of an hour to climb his way up the cavernous wall. Though the force illuminated his way, he still found himself slipping on occasion upon the occasional Rock. Somewhere halfway back up the way he came he found the long jutting out cropping bit of rock that his grapple had gotten caught on. After carefully climbing up he discovered the outcropping to be a loading platform for mining equipment.

As well as a small shuttle.

It felt strange to him that he had not sensed it's true purpose before. He had climbed aboard cautiously, maintaining his quietted mind within the force. The ship was fuelled and ready for lift off. He could not understand why no one had used it to escape. Unless there had been no one left. The ship had up to date maps of the mine shafts ahead and below. As well as a record of the latest miners logs. Silently he punched up one of the recordings and listenned contemplatively.

"Foremans log 512-24 We've punched through into a large sub-terranian cavern here in the deepest part of the mine. Alot of the boys were worried it might contain noxious gases, so we sent a probe in. It never made its way back out. We're assembling a team to head in this afternoon to assess what happenned to the probe. It's funny, though. Those probes have never failed us yet."

Araon switched off the log and depositted the information he'd found in the temple. This would make quite a debriefing back on Coruscant. Assuming they made it back. He contemplated trying to send a signal out but, assuming the local rock was the same as where they landed, such an act would be useless. Casually he exited the shuttle and closed the ramp behind him.

Into the dark, he pushed onward. In a way the force had truly not mislead him. He had only need to trust it more. Beleive it.

Though life told Araon not to trust blindly, the force had a will of its own. It was something many Jedi would grapple with on a day to day basis. Would the will of the force be to end their physical beings, and bring them into its boosom once more. Death. Araon vageuly remembered the sayings of the many grand mastrers. Some felt it was a Jedi's first meditation before all things. The concept of being one with he force, in death.

Araon's hand gripped the smooth stone of the wall and he felt himself cross a boundry. It was almost as if he'd walked into a meat locker, or a temperature controlled room. Araon reached out in the force and knew the feeling well. He had crossed into the domain of something twisted in the darkside of the force. With slight effort he pushed himself into going on. Deeper and deeper.

I hope the rest are fairing better than I.

((Que others... AKA please post.))

[projectsunfire]

((Post not occured since the last Edit in March, Initiating emergency write up Procedure.))

Araon An'mar came upon the Grand Master kneeling before what appeared to be a tall man wrapped in tattered black robes. His red lightsaber was lit and raised. The Grand Master appeared bloodied and broken. Araon knew only one thing to do. He drew Aay'han from his belt and charged, igniting the saber en route.

All thought vanished from his mind, and all he could hear was the force.

<<<>>>

The tunnels were dark, and the way was difficult. Araon's burden felt heavy across his shoulders. The Grand Master had always appeared light. Now though her dead weight seemed to sap him of all his strength. The force seemed to be the only thing that sustained him.

He had barely managed to cut off the main route back to the shuttle he'd prepped for flight on his way out. The Sith Hounds were likely digging their way out at the behest of their master.

"Everos" He spoke the name and a chill swept down his spine. The pit in his stomache seemed to make him feel empty. Though he could still feel at least one thing. Greif, and guilt. He'd studied the Jedi histories at great length and found it painful and difficult that he could not simply cast his life away in an effort to stop the darkside. Was he afraid to die. Or perhaps it just wasn't his time yet. Perhaps a greater destiny awaited him somewhere.

A tear trailed it's way down his cheek as a muffled explosion of rock and debri echoed down the cavern. They'd be at his heels soon. Tearing him to bits. A ray of hope filled him when he saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The shuttles running lights were on and waiting. He climbed aboard panting with the effort and laid the Grand Master to rest on one of the bench seats.

Suddenly the shuttle rocked from sudden impact. Araon ran to the cockpit and started up the shields. The Sith Hounds were attempting to tear apart the shuttle. With as much swiftness as possible Araon gripped the controls and fired up the ships engines. The Engines roared as he aimed for the openning above.

With a hard push on the thrust the ship launched itself up through the atmosphere and out into orbit.

Araon laid back in his seat and set the auto-pilot for jump when the ship reached the mass shadow of the planet. Destination Coruscant. With a weary way he walked back to the bench seat in which he'd left the grandmaster. Though all he found were a set of tattered robes. It was as if he had missed it. Though when he remembered he could. The grand master had become one with the force. Araon gripped them in his hands and held them to his face. Though scortched and torn, they felt so soft. He touched the cloth to his face and remembered when he was a Padawan. A time when he was small and he touched his face to her robes in a gentle hug. She had always been such a benevolent Master. Though she had not been his, he had always found her advice wise. With exhaustion overtaking his body, Araon fell asleep, clutching the grandmasters robes.