Heart of Darkness (Otter,Sparrow,Hotel)

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((Otter, Sparrow, and Hotel. Sorry for this craptacular starter.))

"This is where we must part. Each of you knows what must be done. Be cautious, our enemies wait within. Do not be careless with your lives. We shall all meet again soon, of this I am certain. May the Force be with you."

She had nodded to Master Jace and turned toward the several tunnels splayed before them. They were all foreboding, and she didn’t relish the thought of entering them alone having an idea of what might lay within them. Steeling herself, she decided that the only thing she could to was trust in the force and its will. She had nothing left to lose after all…her dreams seemed shattered at this point and all she could do was move on and believe that the force would see her though whatever trials might await her in that thick gloom and darkness. That was when the radiant light that was Master Mon’vuuem came up near by. Blue eyes watched the play of color that swirled through the woman’s aura and found herself slightly heartened by it.

“I believe we should go this way, I should very much like your company, Master Ki’Ang, and would certainly enjoy yours as well, Knight Talau”

Threads of silver and purple wove their way into the blue of those slightly widened eyes at the request. She honestly had been expecting it and the offer left her momentarily baffled. Well of course it made sense…better to travel in a group, she supposed, than split up in the face of an unknown number of enemies. The fear emanating from Mon’vuuem’s hood had her tilting her head, however, before she replied. So that was where her padawan was nestled. Brushing the thought aside for now, the young Rilan smiled slightly and nodded to the tall master.

Of course, Master. It would be more wise than going out alone at this point. Thank you for the offer.

With that she followed the tall jedi, jogging a few paces to catch up. The sound of soft repetition of the code reached her ears and she smiled. What a mission to go on for such a young feeling padawan…poor thing must have been close to terrified.

Don’t worry little one, you have more than just your master’s eyes watching out for you now. Be strong.

With a wave of reassurance, Talau slipped further out into the darkness ahead of them, eyes constantly following the shimmering threads of the force that had come unraveled from their owners and were shimmering about her, coalescing before her into a larger mass. The young shadow seemed to be nothing more than a silent wave of air as she jogged along away from the others, but still keeping them within her senses. She preferred it this way…scouting ahead with the others at a distance behind her…it gave her time to think and watch and listen. The gloom around them was persistent, attempting to bury itself within her mind and make her waver, but she would never waver…not to this darkness. As they moved, she began to see the shining outlines of beings and turned to jog back to the others.

Masters, there are quite a few beings before us, and not friendly ones I believe. The threads of them have entwined showing that they’re bound together in some way and from what I saw and felt of their auras…my best guess would be dark jedi or sith, but…I didn’t get close enough to ask questions. Considering there were so many of them, however, I doubt they're strong or well trained at this point...

I would be more wary if it were merely one or two rather than four or five.

[sparrow]

Making his way through the tunnels of Subterrel, Ki'ang Hsun missed paved streets. He wasn't quite the rugged man of adventure that he used to be. For the past three decades he had lived a relatively easy life. Sure, he still trained and did various tasks for the Jedi Order, but for most intents and purposed he had been retired.

But a looming galactic war wasn't something that he could just sit out on. Retired or not, he was a Jedi Master. He had responsibilities. So here he was.

His staff helped him maintain stable footing on the rocky and uneven ground. He did not move very fast, each step solid and deliberate. But any enemy who saw him and assumed that he was just a fat old Nikto would be in for a nasty surprise. That staff could quickly go from a walking stick to a powerful weapon, swung fast enough to crack heads. And even at his advanced age, Ki'ang could still create some of the most powerful Force barriers in the Order.

As the young knight Tal sped ahead, Ki'ang concentrated, feeling his way through the Force, trying to sense what enemies and traps would lay ahead. The entire planet was filled with the Dark Side, obscuring everything. It was like staring into a mud puddle and trying to see the bottom.

Tal spoke, warning them of approaching enemies. Ah yes, he could sense them as well, in distance, getting closer. But there was something else too. Something just as a dark, but more wild, less human. He wasn't sure what it was, though he could make a few guesses, none of them pleasant. "I don't think dark jedi are the only things we have to worry about in these tunnels."