The Force Wars (IC)

[Angelus]

When Alain opened his eyes again and saw all the parts that were spread in a semi circle around him he could not but let a smile come to his face. Before him were the parts he hoped would make his new lightsaber but he knew that the hardest part was still to come. He wanted to stand and walk to the front of the ship to ask how much longer he had but knew that it would take away precious time that he did not have. Instead he closed his eyes again and concentrated on all the parts before him, imagining in his mind just how they would fit together to make the hilt of his new lightsaber.

He reached out with the force and felt everything before him respond so loudly that he felt his heart soar. All that he wanted was to have everything that he had been foolish enough to throw away and scattered before him was one of the largest steps that he could take. His hand then went over the crystal that his master had given him and instead of feeling the pain, suffering and malice that he could always feel from the crystal in his old lightsaber he could feel the love, peace and beauty and flowed all around him.

As he started to fit his lightsaber together he reached out even further with the force and found the one thing within the ship that was in total opposite to everything else. He could feel the resonance of the dark side he had poured into the crystal that made up his old sith blade. He could feel it calling to him, wanting nothing more than to be by his side again but told himself that he was never going down that path again. He had finally choosen which path he was going to take, even if it killed him.

With that thought foremost in his mind Alain reached back within himself to find the light that now called out to him, the light that told him he had made the right choice. He knew that he had made the wrong choice by turning his back on the order and become a Sith Lord and that it was a choice that would haunt him forever but it was something that he would strive to atone for.

 

[rengadeirishman]

Reyn left the pilots chair to go and see Talan'vor. He silently entered Alain's room and gave thought to cutting him down for his atrocities against Mandalorians.

I mustn't, he is Jedi again

"Talan'vor, turn and face me."

 

[AmenRa]

Tal Varsus swiveled from the nav chair and looked to Lalena Kar.

"I sense a confrontation between Reyn and Alain," he said to her. "This was inevitable. I suggest you let it run its course and consider it one of your apprentice's trials." He smiled a somewhat rogueish grin. "Of course the choice is yours, Master Kar."

He then swiveled back around to face the con board. He tensed, waiting on Lalena to thump him in the back of the head or something for teasing her. She knew he had no bearing on her tutelage of Alain, and so did he. And she also knew that he had deep respect for her, and he would never tell her how to train an apprentice. She was a strong Jedi. She was a stronger Master.

But he couldn't help but to tease her, because he loved her so.

 

[Wolfsister]

Lalena still an urge to bop him upside the head with some difficulty. She knew he teased but she could not help an impish grin to come to her blue tinged face. She did, however, pinch him in the arm through his thick woolen Jedi robes.

"I will let Talan'vor deal with it. A Jedi must deal with difficult challenges effectively as well as surprises. He must feild his abilities and attentions."

She leaned down, "Besides, I think that Reyn and Alain need some time to get accustomed to each other."

 

[Angelus]

Alain slowly raised his head to look at Reyn. He knew that he was wasting precious time on his lightsaber. He also knew that he had to have a talk with Reyn over what had happened in his previous life or there would be friction between them and there was no way that they would be able to work as a team.

"I know what you need to talk to me about. I know what I did while I was a Sith Lord and that nothing I can say will ever strip it away. I hope that I can have your forgiveness though and the belief that I will never go back to that way ever again. All that I want is to be a Jedi Knight so that I can rid the galaxy of the evil I know is out there. Please believe me when I say this."

He looked down at the lightsaber that was still sitting down at a semi circle around him and hoped that he could get back to it without being struck down by Reyn. Alain knew that there was nothing he could or would do to prevent it if Reyn chose to do so but it was the one thing he hope would never happen. Alain knew where that would lead, knew the only path Reyn could travel after that and he hoped that he wouldn't.

Very slowly he lowered his hands back down to the lightsaber and continued to build it.

 

[AmenRa]

The NavCom beeped, signalling a reversion from hyperspace. Tal Varsus watched out the viewport as it cleared to show the star lines. He did not recognize the system, and upon checking the NavCom he learned it was indeed Bespin.

They were well into the Outer Rim now, and Hoth was only another few hours on sublight engines. They would pass Anoat on the way.

Tal Varsus took Lalena's hand in his. "Not far now," he said to her, "and we will know what this Force presence is all about."

He was quiet, listening through the Force, pushing aside the thoughts of uncertainity and regard from the two other Jedi in the rear of the transport. Tal reached ahead and touched Hoth, felt its coldness, felt the life force of the tauntauns that moved around in herds on its surface. He touched the primitive minds of the wampa that lived within its caves. And he felt others..sentient beings and sense of adventure and curiosity.

"Lalena," Tal said quietly with his eyes closed, "reach out a feel Hoth in the Force. Do you sense others there ahead of us?"

He accessed the ship's library computer, hoping to pull up an old schematic of Echo Base.

 

[Wolfsister]

Lalena flicked her mind towards the back of the ship, taking note of what Tal was saying but far more concerned about the interaction between her new student and Reyn. She knew the Jedi was just that, a Jedi. But that didn't stop her feeling the animosity towards the former Sith. She sighed.

Closing her eyes, she opened her mind further, reaching out with her inner self to mould with the Force she could feel flowing though everything. It was like music to her ears. The Force, to her, had a unique rhythm, a beat that she could follow with her body and her heart. She could literally dance with the Force singularily guiding her.

But there was no time for that. The beat, the rhythm was strange. It pulsed with something old. Something considerably darker. There were strums of life she could follow on the distant world of Hoth. She knew the planet instantly from its unique beat.

Lalena listened carefully and got a sense of entities that weren't animal or indigenous to the planet itself. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what was happening but she knew that they were headed towards the old Echo base. She opened her eyes and saw the schematic Tal had pulled up and tilted her head to the side.

"About a mile away to the south, there are some people. I can't get their measure but I don't see anything good in the future..." she trailed off, silently wondering at the fact that he had actually asked her to look. His skills with the Force were as good, if not better than hers, though she could refine Sight better. She blinked and gave him her secret smile again.

 

[rengadeirishman]

"Count yourself fortunate Talan'vor, that i am a jedi as well as a mandalorian. But hear me now, for i will not repeat it, should you ever return to your old ways, mine will be the first -and last- blade you feel." He turned quickly, his cape flying out behind him, and returned to the cockpit.

 

[AmenRa]

Tal Varsus looked at Lalena with a look of puzzlement.

"There shouldn't be anyone on Hoth to my knowledge," he said. He checked the sensors, which showed humanoid and alien lifeforms near the remains of Echo Base.

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

 

[Angelus]

Alain watched as Reyn walked back to the cockpit of the ship and forced himself not to smile. He knew what Reyn had said was true, that if he betrayed them and went back to his old ways that he would die by Reyn's hand but he told himself that would not happen. He looked down at the parts of his unfinished new lightsaber that sat on the floor around him and hoped that it would be finished in time. He hoped that he would have had more time than this to make it but knew that he had to finish it, no matter what it took.

He slowly closed his eyes and let the force flow from him to wrap around each individual piece of the lightsaber. He knew that he did not want to force this or rush it but he wanted it to work; it was one of the things he needed more than anything. He could no longer carry the lightsaber that was still calling out to him. He could no longer be one with the dark side of the force. He wanted to redeem himself and he knew the lightsaber he held in his hands would be a giant step forward.

He knew though that he could not get frustrated by how it was going as his frustration had led him to go to the dark side the first time. He knew that he could never go back to that, that he was now a Jedi and would always be one. He looked down at the lightsaber through the force and felt every part come together as though they were meant to; as though they were always meant to be together to form what he most needed.

He felt it slowly begin to take shape in his hands and then reached forward for the crystal his brother had given him. As soon as he touched it he felt the warmth and love that flowed from it. It was as if the crystal knew that it was home. He asked himself though if he could finally feel the love that flowed from him. If he could then he was taking another step forward to becoming a Jedi, he was starting to heal.

He slowly put the crystals into their proper places inside the lightsaber and started to put the finishing pieces in place. He knew that he had built a lightsaber far faster than he was meant to and hoped more than anything that it would not fail him. He hoped more than anything though that it would not blow up in his hand. As he reached for the power cell he hoped that he had made the lightsaber the right way. He knew that this would be the major test though and began to put it into place. As soon as he felt the power begin to flow slowly through the lightsaber he knew that he had made it correctly and opened his eyes.

Alain then looked around. He knew that the last test for his lightsaber would be to charge it for the first time. As he found a power port he hope that it would work and started to recharge his lightsaber. He let a small smile come to his face when it didn't blow up.

He knew that he had his new lightsaber and could not help but let his happiness flow from him into the force.

 

[Wolfsister]

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

Lalena placed a comforting hand onto Tal's shoulder. "We are Jedi. There is nothing to worry about," she knew that she couldn't manipulate his mind, he was far too well trained, but she threaded some of the Force with her statement, knowing he would feel it and that he would know why she did it. She gave him her secret little smile for reasurance and then reached forward to bring up the schematics for Echo Base again.

"I suggest we land here then. It seems that the others don't expect company. Until we know more of them, I suppose that we should keep our ship safe."

It was slightly deceitful a suggestion. But... there was nothing wrong with slight of hand, was there?

 

[AmenRa]

Lalena's hand was soothing upon his shoulder. Tal Varsus nodded his head and reached to pull his hood up.

He knew Reyn would guide the transport safely.

Tal Varsus was about to speak to his beloved when the tidal pull of the Force opened up to him. He closed his eyes and let the vision come.

He saw himself standing on the snow. He saw the ruins of a large ion cannon that jutted from the side of what was once Echo Base. His back was to this ruined cannon, and in the distance he saw a mountain chain. There was a pull there, towards the mountains, towards where he would find the source of the Jedi that was lost.

He opened his eyes and traced his finger along the scrolling topo map of the planet shown on the nav display.

"This is where we need to go," he said as he touched the mountain chain near the base. "The Force has told me."

 

[Wolfsister]

Lalena smiled and accepted the information Tal had just given her. She made room for Reyn, so that he could safely pilot the ship into a landing that would not be noticed. She informed the mandalorian of the other entities on Hoth and the plan that Tal and herself had come up with.

Then, gripping Tal's shoulder briefly once again in comfort, she went to check on her newest 'padawan'. When she got to him, she was surprised to find that he had finished his lightsaber construction. She was silently impressed, though she reserved judgement before she could inspect it herself.

"May I?" she asked, simply to be polite.

 

[Angelus]

As he sat there and looked over at his new lightsaber Alain could feel that they were about to land on Hoth. He was quietly glad that they had made it there as he actually had a lightsaber now. It was then that he sensed his new master coming into the rear of the ship, he more importantly felt the sith blade that she carried calling out to him. He closed his eyes and shut it out, shut out the voice that told him to take it then opened them to look at her.

It was that that he noticed her looking at his new lightsaber with a slight look of surprise in her eyes. He watched as she walked closer to it then turned to look at him. When she asked him if she could pick it up and test it he was more than happy to do so and smiled at her.

"Please. I would like nothing better than for my new master to test my new lightsaber. Can you please tell me what you think of it after you have used it please?"

 

[Wolfsister]

Lalena took the newly formed lightsaber into her hand and was surprised at how light it was. She in no way intended to actually use it for the first time, that honor was left to the jedi that created it, but she could examine it externally though and that was just what she was doing.

She looked at it from end to end, examining how the parts were meshed togeher to form the unit. It was hard not to compare it to the sithsaber that swung loosely from her belt. For its twisted structure, the light saber boasted a simple, almost elegant design. It was nothing more or nothing less than what it was.

"Remember," she murmured to her pupil, "A light saber is simply a tool. A jedi's tool and a personal one, yes, but a tool nonetheless. A Light Saber is nothing without the Jedi using it."

She turned, unclipped the sithsaber from its resting place and placed both of them side by side onto a nearby counter. "The same should also be true for a dark blade."

Then she left him... to make the decision on his own.

 

[Angelus]

Alain watched as his teacher left the compartment of the ship, leaving him alone with his new lightsaber and the blade he had always carried. He stood there and looked at the two of them, feeling them pull at both sides of him. He could feel the raw power of the sith lightsaber that still called out to him, the blade that he had made for himself when he thought that he could do anything in this world. He also felt the peace, love and purity from the other blade, the blade he had made for himself when he told himself that he still had alot to learn.

Very slowly he walked forward and looked at each of them. He knew that each of them was a part of him but the sith blade was a part of him that he wanted nothing more than to forget. It was a part of him that would always be there, would always dictate what he thought of things and how he did things but it was no longer a part of him. He looked at the jedi blade that he had just made and knew that it was there where his future belonged. He picked the jedi lightsaber up off the bench, looked at it and with a push of his thumb looked at the new orange blade that came to life before him.

He stood there looking at it.

"My name is Alain Talan'vor and I am a Jedi Knight. This is the path that I have choosen and the path that I will always take."

As soon as he deactivated the blade he clipped it to his belt and looked down at the sith lightsaber that still sat there. He picked it up slowly, wanting nothing more than to leave it behind but he knew that it was such a powerful object of evil that he couldn't and reluctantly clipped it to his other side. He then walked to the front of the ship and as soon as the door opened walked straight towards his teacher. He unclipped his new lightsaber and looked at her, "This is the path that I have choosen. I am a Jedi and will remain so for the rest of my life."

 

[Wolfsister]

"This is the path that I have choosen. I am a Jedi and will remain so for the rest of my life."

Master Lalena Kar simply looked at the light saber in his hands and then at the sith blade at his side. She knew that he wouldn't have left it behind, it was simply too dangerous, but she was also glad that she did not have to carry it herself any longer. For the brief time she had though, it had felt invasive into her normally calm inner mind.

"Very well." She said curtly towards her student and then turned towards the other two Jedi. "So, are we ready?" she arched an eyebrow in question, the light of inner pride shining clearly in her eyes as well as approval.

 

[rengadeirishman]

Reyn gave Alain a look of pure venom, but said nothing. "Yes Mistress Kar, we may depart the shuttle at anytime."

 

[AmenRa]

Tal Varsus looked at each of the others in turn. He then glanced out the viewport, seeing the falling snow of Hoth. He tried to pull his cloak even tighter around him.

He touched the sensor to unlock and open the door.

"May fortune favor the bold," he said as he stepped into the frigid air.

 

[Angelus]

Alain gave a quick glance to Reyn and knew that there was nothing he could do that would change his mind, given what he had done in his past life. He watched as Tal Varsus walked out onto the surface of Hoth before he pulled his hood up over his head. He knew that it was going to be cold out there by the way the wind wiped the snow through the air but he also knew that there was no way he was going to stay on the ship while the others risked their necks to find whatever was on this planet.

He dropped his hand down to the hilt of his new lightsaber then looked once more into the interior of the ship before he walked out into the snow. At once the cold and wind hit him like a hammer, forcing him to take a few steps back. He pulled the hood of his cloak further down, hoping that it would stop the cold from freezing it too much then turned to Tal Varsus.

"Where are we to go Master Varsus. I see nothing here but ice and snow."

 

[AmenRa]

"Where are we to go Master Varsus. I see nothing here but ice and snow."

"Stretch out with your feelings, Jedi," Tal Varsus said to Alain. "The Force is all around you. Your eyes can deceive you. You can't always trust them. The Force is everywhere, between you, me, the ship, and...." the Jedi Master closed his eyes and felt the Force's pull, "those mountains to our left".

Tal pointed to the mountain chain not too far distant. "That is our destination," he told them all, "and within the mountain we will find what we seek."

Varsus tucked his arms within his robe and began walking through the snow.

 

[Angelus]

Alain looked all around him then at the mountains to the left but could feel nothing through the force. All that he could feel was the creatures that seemed to call this place home but nothing else. It was then that he felt the pain that seemed to permeate this place. He knew there had been a battle here but now he could feel every person that was injured or killed as if it was happening right then and there.

He wanted nothing more than to leave this place as soon as possible and he knew that the only way he could would be to help Tal Varsus, his master and Reyn find whatever they had come to this planet for. He watched as the Jedi Master walked slowly towards the mountains, pulled the hood of his cloak further down his face and wrapped his arms around himself. All that he wanted was to get out of this ice and snow and somewhere that was nice and warm. He just hoped that he would be able to find it before he either died of cold or something killed him.

 

[AmenRa]

The distance to the mountains was not as far as it seemed. They made it there within a short while, not hindered by the snow or ice flow upon which they walked.

There was a vertical, sheer rock face, into which was a cave mouth. Tal Varsus entered, and found it was large enough to accomodate several persons side by side. It was a tunnel, and appeared to be natural, as there were no tell-tale signs of blaster or lightsaber work here. A large lifeforce could be felt in the Force ahead. It didn't seem malicious, or sentient at all, just a random gathering of beings. The Jedi Master began to count pace, counting each time his left foot struck the ground. He made it to 100 when the tunnel suddenly opened up into a very large, very expansive cavern, large enough in fact to house several Lambda class shuttles, a few YT-1300 stock light frieghters, and probably a few X-Wings in.

The floor was covered in the spongy, green moss that grew in parts of Hoth's calmer areas. Herds of the indigenous tauntauns grazed lazily on the plant.

"Well," Varsus said, "looks like we made it in time for dinner."

 

[Wolfsister]

Lalena stepped out into the cold, keeping an aware eye on the Mandalorian and her newest pupil. There was animosity there and she wasn't sure just how much the older Jedi could hold himself back for. She herself felt rather angry towards the former Sith. She knew what Darth Victus had done, she was well aware of Alain's past. But more than anything, she felt a great sadness overwhelm her when she thought about the battles that lay ahead for her padawan. Both mental and physical. All she could do was teach him to use the tools of a Jedi and to calm his inner soul.

Pulling her cloak closer to her, her lekku twisted in the cold air. Unlike most Jedi, Lalena did not have a hooded cloak, preffering to keep her lekku in plain sight, if only to keep her main communicators in view, even if nobody actually understood her slight movements as an extension of her communication with the world around her.

She was light on her feet as she padded alongside Tal Varsus, keeping Alain Talan'vor to her left. She felt the flow of the Force as it moved inside her, beating to the rhythm that it seemed only she could understand. Unconsciously, she found herself moving in time with that beat. A graceful dancer's walk, bringing a reminder of her heritage.

They reached the base of the mountains, Tauntauns grazing peacefully in little herds. She looked up at Master Varsus an inquired with a delicate arching of an eyebrow. It was he that could feel this presence far stronger than any other, for reasons that would remain, she was sure, unknown.

Edges of an erractic beat, a pulse that did not belong alerted her something not being right with the Force.

"Tal..." she murmured, not having to explain, knowing that he felt it as well.

 

[AmenRa]

Tal Varsus stopped still and closed his eyes. He reached out, projecting his Force presence beyond the cavern of tauntauns. He saw another tunnel on the other side of the cavern that traveled for a few hundred meters. His Force presence smelled a musky odor, stronger than that of the tauntauns in this tunnel. He detected the scent of death. He realized a wampa snow creature used this tunnel, and was possibly nesting around any of the bends.

But the primal, animal presence of the wampa in the far tunnel wasn't what Lalena had felt.

It wasn't what he felt, either.

There was a disturbance in the Force. A tremor, a pulse of....

Something.

Tal looked at Lalena and saw her lekku coiled in alert and wariness. He repressed a smile. She was so beautiful.

"Danger? Something in the future?" he said aloud to no one in particular.