???
awaken
Ciaran groaned as she regained consciousness, trying to stretch her limbs only to bump against the confined walls of the escape pod.
Okay, in hindsight this may not have been the best idea I've-
Ciaran's thoughts trailed off as she began to look around with her Force vision and saw nothing but white. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before; not even her time on Nam Chorios had blinded her to this degree. And as she tried to make out anything outside her pod she realized that the Force was incredibly strong here.
Focus. Worry about the Force anomaly after you know you're not going to die.
Ciaran took off her visor so she could see properly. then looked around the pod and patted herself down.
Lightfoil, check. Holdout blaster, check. Comlink, check...though I get the feeling that won't help. Worth trying at least.
She activated the device, but failed to get any signals from it.
Figured as much. Still, this is much more than Grievous gave me when I was training on Kalee so I should be fine. Alright then...time to see what's out there.
Fortunately for her the escape pod's door was still functional, letting her simply open it and walk outside.
...What?
The sight before her seemed like it had come out of a painting, or perhaps a dream. Lush green trees dotted an idyllic landscape with rolling hills that led to picturesque mountains in the distance, and from what Ciaran could see some of the peaks in the distance appeared to be floating. It looked for all the world like it was the definition of a tranquil paradise.
So naturally, Ciaran found it to be incredibly suspicious, especially given how the Force seemed to be literally everywhere. She glanced around with her Force vision and noted that not only was the view in front of her blocked by a field of white but even when she looked up and down there was still no difference.
"What is this place?" Ciaran muttered to herself.
"A realm that you do not belong in, 'Traya.'"
On reflex, Ciaran ignited her lightfoil and pointed it at the ethereal figure in a dark robe that had just appeared who simply laughed mockingly. "Do not bother. As much as I wish I could kill you myself at this point neither of us are capable of harming each other."
Ciaran continued to point her lightfoil at the figure. "And who exactly are you?" she asked, and the figure laughed mockingly in response. "You should show some respect, girl. Your Force abilities, your prominence in the galaxy...all of that came about because of my favor. You would be nothing without me."
She froze at that. "...You're Hego Damask, aren't you?"
"From a certain point of view, yes. However I much prefer my true title." the figure said, throwing off his hood revealing the features of a Muun. "I am Plagueis." He looked down at Ciaran, hatred clearly visible in his eyes. "And had I been given the chance you would be calling me Master at this very moment."
"Well you're dead and incapable of hurting me, so I'll have to decline. Sorry about that," Ciaran sarcastically replied. "So did you come here for a reason or are we just going to stand here and taunt each other until one of us gives up?"
"I am here because I want to see you die and your plans brought to ruin," he snarled. "I have since realized that giving you my favor was a mistake, but it is one that can be rectified-"
"Enough. Step away from her."
As a familiar-sounding voice came from behind Ciaran, Plagueis vanished, though she could still hear him speak. "Do not be afraid, 'Traya.' Your death here is certain, so take comfort in that fact."
Once the Muun's voice had gone silent Ciaran turned around to see Kreia standing there, as impassive as she was the first time they had met on Malachor. "Now then, perhaps I can give you insight into what you have walked into, Traya."
"...That would be good, sure. In no particular order: where am I, why are you and Plagueis here, and why is the Force so strong here?"
"Fortunately for you those questions can all be answered at once." Kreia coolly noted. "This is the realm of Mortis, a conduit for the entirety of the Force as you or I know it. Since the Force is so strong here, those who were strong in the Force in life and who were connected to this realm's visitors in some significant way may appear here, as you can clearly see. Though your presence here in particular is admittedly...confusing."
"...You know, I never thought I'd hear that word from you."
"It is because this realm is far beyond anyone's understanding, let alone my own," Kreia said, gesturing for Ciaran to follow her. "I only became aware that it truly existed after my demise, and even then this is the first time I have walked upon its surface."
"You keep describing it as a 'realm,'" Ciaran noted as she followed Kreia. "What exactly does that mean?"
"This place is...separate from the rest of the galaxy," the old woman noted. "It is difficult to describe, however I can say that it is impossible for anyone to come here normally..." she turned to look at Ciaran, "even if they deliberately tried to do so. Only those who are...invited can be here."
Ciaran nervously laughed at that. "Are you sure? I'm only here because I flung myself at a monolith that Anakin..." she trailed off as she digested the implications of her comment. "I'm not alone here, am I?"
"Those who were also drawn here are present as well, however the masters of this realm are more important. They-" Kreia suddenly froze in place, then vanished. "Hide."
Without bothering to ask, Ciaran looked around, then quickly scrambled up one of the trees surrounding her and hid herself in its branches. She waited for a second, five, ten, wondering why-
And then she saw it through her Force vision. While uniform white had covered her vision before she was now able to see a presence moving towards her location that she couldn't properly make out. She could only tell that what was coming was very strong in the dark side.
And then it arrived. Despite the fact that from what she could tell it appeared to be a normal-looking man with pale skin and red markings, Ciaran knew that the being that had arrived was unlike any living creature in the galaxy. It was far stronger in the Force than anyone she had ever met, and radiated with the power of the Dark Side of the Force.
Doing everything she could to ensure that Buried Presence would hide her (and getting the feeling that using the technique was easier somehow), she nervously watched as the figure scanned the area, clearly searching for her. As seconds passed he visibly began to grow more and more annoyed, when suddenly the world around Ciaran began to shake as the figure began to radiate immeasurable power before it suddenly cut off as the figure looked towards the distance. Suddenly, it shifted into the form of a gargoyle and flew away towards the direction it was facing before.
Ciaran waited for a few moments before dropping down to the ground on her hands and knees and trying desperately to breathe, terrified by whatever that entity that she had just seen was.
"You did well to hide from him," came Kreia's voice as Ciaran whipped her head upwards. "What was that thing!?" she yelled out, unable to contain her terror.
"One of this realm's three inhabitants known as the Son...the very embodiment of the Dark Side of the Force itself. I do not know why he sought you out specifically, but you were right to hide from him."
As Ciaran staggered to her feet, she began to laugh with a tinge of hysteria noticeable in it. "T-that's insane. That's absolutely insane. The Force is this all-encompassing presence, there's no way even part of it could be embodied in one singular...thing."
"I admit that I find it difficult to believe myself, yet here we are," Kreia flatly replied. "Now then, I admit that you are going to find my next suggestion to be unpleasant."
"You want me to follow it!?"
"Do you have any other plans aside from wandering around blindly? This realm is almost constantly shifting, even if you were to gain some idea of where you were now that knowledge would likely be useless tomorrow."
Ciaran considered this information for a moment, swore profusely, then reluctantly started to move in the direction that the Son had went as Kreia vanished, though Ciaran could sense that she was still around. "You said that the Son was the embodiment of the Dark Side and that there are two other beings here besides him. Does that mean one of them embodies the Light Side?"
"Correct, she is known as the Daughter."
"Then what does the third being represent?"
"The Father represents Balance."
Ciaran scanned the horizon as she went over the details in her mind. "I think I see where this is going: the Son and the Daughter fight a lot, and it's the Father's job to keep them in line?"
"From my understanding, that is indeed the case."
"So let me get this straight-" Ciaran grunted as she started to climb up a steep hill. "These blindingly powerful beings who have resided in this place beyond the galaxy itself suddenly decide to send out a 2000-year old Jedi distress signal and use it to drag Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka here-"
"And you."
"I came here because it was my choice."
"This realm only allows those it chooses to enter it."
"Well if you're right then that makes even less sense," Ciaran said as she reached the top of the hill and scanned the horizon. "I'm still trying to figure out why they would send the signal to begin with and why they chose those three Jedi in particular. Again, assuming you're right, why would these beings specifically choose me to come here?"
"You will have to determine that on your own."
Ciaran groaned. "Thanks for the help..." she sarcastically said as she noticed a relatively intact Jedi shuttle in the distance. "Well then, maybe it would help to have some friends around..."
AN: Seemed like a good cutoff point. I know what this update rate looks like but don't expect daily updates, no matter what my muse has to say on the matter.
