Aya closed her eyes. "The lives of the men and women on this ship, out weigh the lives of fifty Stormtroopers. I'm sorry, but I'm not willing to risk everyone for the lives of a few good men." She turned her head to Satana, her expression grave.
The ships captain was in agreement. "The commander is right, by the time we would've gotten to them, we would have been surrounded, most likely suffering losses that would have totalled more than the men we were attempting rescue." He finished up.
Aya nodded.
***
Vassisk pushed the heavy plate off of him and stood up. The smashed command centre was smoking and sparks shot fourth from the overhead lighting. He spotted Thrawn amoung the bodies on the floor. A faint red glow was in his eyes. "Thrawn!" He calmbered over towards his special project.
Thrawn turned his head, slowly, as blood trickled from his mouth, he smiled. "They were a missing link, unexpected. You mus...tivate the Em... e, I will s... again-" Thrawns smile faded and his body went limp. The glowing eyes becoming dark.
"Admiral!" As Vassisk rose he heard footsteps behind him, he spun around, suddenly realising that he had a few broken ribs, and a nasty gash on his side. Blood dripped from a cut on his chin. He saw a man dressed in a simple robe, with a scar slashed across his face and a symbolised tatoo on his forehead. Vassisk frowned.
"Greetings Admiral Vassisk, I am Tuar'nak. You will come with me." Tuar smiled. Vassisk reached for his holstered blaster but Tuar waved his hand and Vassisk was thrown into the wall, denting it. "You are now a prisoner. Take him to our involted leader."
"Yes lord Tuar." His soldiers moved forward and picked Vassisk up, hoisting him towards the hole ripped in the wall by the RPE weapon.
Tuar walked over the Thrawns still form. Raising a hand. The Grand Admirals body rose into the air. "Many secrets we may yet learn from you, Thrawn." He smiled.
***
The IA fleet dropped out of hyperspace and jumped through the asteroid field. The ships arrayed themselves around Hoth and waited.
Originally posted by Jedireaper
Yes, he had done well on his own for years, protecting the innocent, but when the first master of the Force, other than Master Jacen Xaun, was a Lady of the Sith, Darth Banis, a beautiful, knowlegeable, intense, mistress of the Dark Side. He was happy to have, finally, someone to follow, someone to learn from, someone he could gain much skill in following. He had been lost previously. Then he was also searching the seer's advice, perhaps some of her knowlege, maybe some of her insight into the path he was taking. He smiled at her and said nothing. 'What you show me shall be your choice.'
"Very well, young one. I will show you the Sith as I know it"
She reached out to grab his hands, held them gently and then leaned back again. She gave out a few deep breaths and with her final breath did the world once again dissolve around the two. However, unlike the other times, the time they spent in darkness was at least double as long. Double as long, and completely silent. Then, suddenly, as always did the surroundings whirl and alter.
* * *
"The Sith are selfish, thinking inwards and always about themselves. They rarely allow themselves to look from the pespective of another, which is for sure my greatest reason to despite them. I told you before that the power of the dark side always comes with a price. In this vision, you are leading the 501st legion, a name I am certain you are familiar with. Your name is Anakin Skywalker although you were just recently knighted Darth Vader by your master. You are told to lead operation Knightfall. Master Sidious has told you that in order to obtain the power of the dark side, the Jedi must be destroyed.
So you march towards the Jedi temple of Coruscant, lightsaber in hand. Behind you, an entire legion of troopers. During the elapsed time of one evening have you razed countless lives along with a building that has stood strong for roughly four thousand years. You stop for nothing. Not even when the Jedi younglings pleaded. You slaughtered them all like animals. You were one of the greatest sword fightsmen of your time and used your skills to slaughter hundreds and hundreds of younglings.
Once every living being in the temple was completely annhiliated, you continued your raid to the Mustafar system where you again slaughtered large groups of defenseless targets. All your actions justified by that you were doing it in order to save Padmé, the love of your life, who died shortly after by nothing less than a broken heart"
* * *
The world dissolved and the two floated in darkness once again. Q'Anilia sighed but nodded towards Daran where he was.
"Anakin Skywalker allowed fear to consume him. The fear eventually turned into hate and the hate he came to use against the very woman he was trying to save. You of course know the life of Darth Vader. Not only did he physically and mentally injure the love of his life, but also came to duel his very son in a battle to the death"
Again, the world around the two altered.
* * *
"Your name is Q'Anilia. You have had a clouded vision that one of the padawans you are custom to is tainted by the dark side. You are young and naive. You are currently on Taris along with the other masters of the covenant. Your apprentice, as well as the apprentices of the other masters are around. All but the apprentice of Lucien Draay, a boy named Zayne Carrik. Zayne is late, but there is no time to spare. You have fear inside you, and in the name of fear you are about to act. Your apprentice Shad Jelavan stands before you, and you and the other masters are asked by the younger ones why you carry lightsabers in a chamber where no weapons are allowed. It will be the last you hear of your apprentice before you make a slash, killing him instantly. The one slash that will haunt you for thousands of years"
* * *
Again, the two appear in darkness. A tear falls down Q'Anilias cheek and she forces a smile on her face. Only shortly after, the two were back in the bathroom.
"Unless you are certain about your cause should you take a path and follow a leader. Four thousand years ago, I acted in fear. I acted in fear over reason and I diverted from what I had been taught by the Jedi order. You see, I had sensed the dark side and I killed one very close to me. I did what I thought necessary to save the galaxy from the return of the Sith. All I did was break my own code and acted out the very thing Sith represent. For that, I hated myself.
You see, Darth Sear, I made a misstake. The following years, I learnt about anger, fear and hate. I realised how easily one could slip into the path of the dark side. I understand all whom take the path of the dark side, but I do not approve. It is the easier path to follow, and even though temptation has surrounded me more than once, I have kept my distance. But now I'm drifting away from the point of the latest vision.
I made a misstake. It has haunted me my entire life. In fear, I killed someone I cared about and it can not be undone. Having fear, anger and hate as guidance can lead to terrible things. That is why I am helping you here and now. Unless you are absolutely certain about your choice. About Darth Banis. Unless you are absolutely certain, I advise you against it. For your own good. For your sake. I want you to ask yourself if you really are up to the tasks that wait ahead of you as a Sith. Will you be able to live with yourself?"
Q'Anilia smiles. Her voice is gentle and neutral, but still tears travel down her cheeks and she wipes them of with her hand where she sits.
Darth Sear... Daran... he remained silent. For many long seconds he stared at the shifting water and his mind remained blank. Blank because he wasn't so sure about the choices he had made. Blank because he was afraid of his own conclusion. Blank because his fear could easily turn to anger, which in turn would lead to hate. He had no intention of striking this seer, his own morals would not allow such actions as it would serve no purpose. His eyes glistened as a tear ran down his cheek. He didn't move. Didn't speak. Didn't breath for fear he would try and take this womans life. He feared himself, his decisions. He kept his mind blank. Finally he spoke. "Thank-you." The Sith Apprentis moved away from Q'Anilia.
"You are adapting to my words quicker than expected. I sense that you realise the importance of certainty. You do know now that a single misstake can tear you apart. Perhaps not physically, but the mental status is even more important. I am not trying to tell you that the path you have taken is a wrong path. The path we follow is determined only by ourselves and us as individuals. So I am not telling you that your path is the wrong one, but instead asking you if it is the right one. Is it?"
Q'Anilia grabbed his hand, not permitting him to leave or take distance from her. She would not let him move away from her. She was facing him, but her head was lowered towards the water soon enough. She remained where she was, which was the center of the pool. From there, she kept Daran where he sat.
"Do not flee from uncertainty. Face it. By running, you will only fall deeper into the cloud of confusion than you have encountered before. I will repeat myself. I am not telling you that your path is the wrong one, but instead asking you if it is the right one. Is it?"
At the sudden coming of realisation, he screamed inside to release something. Anger? Hate? Probably. "I don't know." He gritted out as he began shaking slightly. "I... don't know." He carefully cleared his head, trying to relax his body. He couldn't get away. As she said, face it. A tear rolled down his cheek, then another. "I'm sorry."
"Then let us try tackle the problem from a different angle"
Q'Anilia rose, standing up straight in the pool. She dropped his hand and swiped with her own trough the air, ripping Darth Sear out of the water and sent him flying helplessly and spinning trough the room and into a wall. She then lifted his lightsaber up and launched it in his direction, having it land right in front of him. Right by his feet. She then climbed out of the pool, took a couple of steps distance from the edge of the pool and turned in his direction. The smile on her face was gone. If he could not find his true self trough meditation and soul searching, she was going to force it into the open. She was going to force him to find himself. Where she stood, the water dripped from her naked body onto the ground. The only piece of clothing was the bandage wrapped around her head and she clenched her fists.
"The lightsaber lies ahead of you. I am unarmed, I am undressed and I am a Sith hunter. If you do not know what you are, you better make the choice soon. Your soul is tainted by the dark side and I will by default consider you a servant of darkness unless you prove me wrong. I have seen the signs. I have seen the tears. I have seen you. Now see yourself. Act not by thoughts, but impulses"
She lifted her arm and hand, faced him and the lightsaber of his floated into the air. It floated right before his eyes where he sat against the wall. If an object, a weapon could think, the lightsaber was doing nothing less than waiting to be grabbed by its master.
"You stand before the crossroad of fate. Before you floats the key. Take a path and take it quickly, or you will forfeit to the hunter of Sith. Do not hesitate. I will not. Make your choice. WHO ARE YOU?!"
(Ugh! Tough choice! Sorry about slow response, it took a while to think about and write.)
Daran slowly rose from the ground, water dripping from his body. Somewhat shocked by her unexpected attack. He smiled. "You would kill me with-out hesitation, weather I fight you or not, am I right?" He activated the lightsaber as it hung in the air through the Force. The blue white blade shimmered into existance with a musical hum. So deadly was this hum it sent a chill down his spine, and his eyes briefly flared. He looked passed the blade to see the Sith hunters face. "I cannot see who I am, because my thoughts are clouded. I am both a Jedi and a Sith, I am both Daran Trist and Darth Sear." He spoke quietly over the hum of his blade knowing she would hear, she would hear all. He reached out with the Force, and Q'Anilia's saber sailed into the room from where it had been left. It stopped half a meter from her face and floated there. "Your blade." He stared into her. "Exactly how many Sith, and Jedi have you slaughtered with this blade?" He asked. "I have a vision for you, well, a story..." The room didn't swirl into darkness as Q'Anilia had done so. Instead He told the story, one which he knew was true.
***
"You are Mace Windu, second seat of the Jedi Order. Well respected and revered. You are one of the greatest Jedi to have lived in the past decade, and you are fighting Darth Sidious, a powerfull Sith Lord. You are using the saber technique known as vaapad, which is a technique you invented. It is a channel for darkness, and darkness flows both ways. You know this fact, and you use it. As Darth Sidious's rage and power skirts around you. As you see your violet blade spark in a blur against red. You draw the darkness into your innermost centre-
And let it fountain out again.
You reflect the Sith Lords fury back upon him, upon its source, like a burning blaster bolt redirected by a lightsaber.
There had been a time when you, as Mace Windu, feared the power of the dark; you had at one time feared the darkness in yourself. But the tainted battles of the Clone Wars have given youba gift of understanding as you look down on Sidieous's cowering form the smashed oval window. You gain this understanding on a world known as Haruun Kal, there you had faced your darkness that resided within you and you have learned that the power of darkness is not to be feared.
You learned that day, that it was fear that gave darkness its power, and as you look down on Sidieous's form, you are not afraid. The darkness has no power over you. You are simply channeling it. You hear yourself saying: "He is too dangerous to be left alive!" You are saying this to Anakin Skywalker, a familiar name perhaps, you have head the stories of him before, in another vision, one you showed me.
You are Mace Windu, and you are sure of the action you are about to take. You do it for the slain Jedi the chancellor had killed earlier... and for the greater good of the Republic. You cast not ever the slightest thought of Anakin standing beside you as you move to strike the final blow to the Sith Lord. Then as you move, a sudden arc of blue shears through your wrist, and you watch your hand fall into the oblivion below.
The the dark lighting hits you, and you fall from the office window. Your fatal mistake; not seeing Anakin... The dark side had clouded your mind, you had been played by Sidieous as if you were in a scripted holo-vid. Anakin had seen what the Dark Lord had wanted. Now Anakin believed the Jedi to be evil..."
***
"...do you know why I would show/tell you this?" He asked darkly, looking questioningly at Q'Anilia.
gren turned towards the large front viewport of the aldons bridge. he had moved there hours ago while in waiting. he stood from his chair and walked to the comm officers station, just next to the viewport. the channel opened between their ship and ((i'm confused about what ships are their at the moment so i'll just say the one that was in charge.)). "greetings fellow imperial alliance vessels. welcome back to hoth, your current home away from home. don't forget to wipe your feet on the way in," chuckles from the few organics on the bridge," and make yourselves at home." he turned and walked towards the turbolift, connecting the bridge to the crews quarters.
"You are wrong. About more than one thing. Firstly, I would not have fought you unless you wanted it. Secondly, this blade has killed some Jedi but no Sith. You hear words as they suit you, perhaps to justify your actions. Just because I am a hunter, does not mean I am a killer. I do not hunt with blade, but mind. You have already been hunted, caught and released. What you decided to do with your given freedom is clear now.
About your story, perhaps do you compare yourself to Mace, or compared me?"
"The dark side can cloud us all, that is what I draw. What I sense in you is clear, but not important. What is, is what you sense and how you decide to deal with it. If battle is your choice, then I will fight you, but I will not make the first move. I did not come here to fight, but to help. But if no other option remains, then battle itself will be your teacher"
She grabbed her blade gently and it ignited. She had no desire to fight the boy, but would do so if battle was all he truelly understood.
Aya half turned from the swirl of hyperspace beyond the viewport. She rose a hand. "What is it?" She asked, although she could sense it too, she didn't let on.
***
(still a tough choice)
He grabbed his weapon and took a few steps forward. Then deactivated it. "Thank-you." He bowed as gracefully as he could in his naked condition and turned towards the seat where he has placed his clothes. "This has been most insightfull."
Q'Anilia stood silent, following him with her head where he walked. She deactivated her blade and threw it to the ground. She raised her head then again, turning to where he had placed his clothes.
"Has it? Has it really? You are not a Sith by nature, how can you not see this? I am blind, yet I can still see it in your eyes. You are no murderer. You are no illdoer. You are but Daran, a fallen Jedi in search for the light, or your place in the galaxy. Answer me, Daran. Why are you walking away?"
She kept her head low and sighed. The blade returned to her hand and she crossed then her arms. A smile appeared on her face and she shook her head.
"Why did you share your tale with me, Darth Sear? What is the true reason? And how come you apologized to me earlier, when in truth it is to yourself you should say your sorry. I am no part of your life. Open your eyes. Your actions says one thing, but means another. Your tears speak the words you dare not. For once, Daran Trist, listen to yourself. You are a better teacher to yourself than I will ever be, if you would only learn to listen"