Mortis
Ciaran nervously followed behind Obi-Wan and the Daughter as she lead them onward to their destination, the events of the last few hours playing out over and over in Ciaran's mind. All of it let her come to one simple conclusion:
She was so far in over her head it wasn't even funny.
While she managed to restrain herself from laughing hysterically, a part of Ciaran couldn't help but be amazed at just how out of her league she was right now. She was planning on just talking to Anakin about his issues, and now she was embroiled in a conflict between god-like Force users that embodied the Force itself. Clearly fate had a twisted sense of humor.
'Hardly. You are precisely where you want to be even if you do not believe it."
Before Ciaran's train of thought could continue, the trio entered a cavern lit with an eerie green glow, and once the Daughter stopped she and Obi-Wan could see that the light was coming from a massive bottomless chasm that stretched out beneath them, save for a few pillars and floating rocks with an odd triangular altar ringed by green flame at the center.
dagger
As the Daughter led Ciaran and Obi-Wan closer to the altar, the world around Ciaran seemed to lose focus save for the altar.
dagger
Once they reached the edge of the chasm, the Daughter began to say something that Ciaran ignored as leapt onto a floating rock that sunk down to the altar's level. She could make out what appeared to be a hilt hovering in the altar's center.
dagger
Without hesitating, Ciaran walked forward and grabbed the hilt, and as she did a dark blade materialized around it, transforming it into a dagger. From what Ciaran could tell in her trance-like state it was...
death
Before she could process what just happened further, she jolted as she felt a hand on her shoulder and wheeled around to see a concerned Obi-Wan. Shaking her head, she simply nodded as she let her arm fall, though she maintained a tight grip on the dagger.
so long as you possess it you and you alone can decide this realm's fate
As the two of them returned to the Daughter's level, the Daughter looked at Ciaran with worry for a brief moment before sadly nodding and motioning for the two of them to follow her once again.
--------
Ciaran was almost disappointed when it turned out that their destination was a black tower topped by a crystal glowing an eerie green light, surrounded by a blasted wasteland and suffused with the power of the Dark Side. Honestly, it was the single most stereotypical "evil fortress" she had seen in her life, and that was counting the temple on Malachor II!
No no, when I finally get around to building my own personal fortress I'm going to make sure that it doesn't make anyone who takes one look at it go "oh, there's no way the person who owns that could be anything but evil."
"Right then," Ciaran said out loud as her train of thought ended, causing Obi-Wan and the Daughter to turn towards her. "We do have a plan for this, right?"
"I intend to confront my brother and try to reason with him," the Daughter said before her face fell, "though I admit he is unlikely to listen to me. Wh-If he is unwilling to listen, then you will need to subdue him with the Dagger."
"And there it is, the self-righteousness that so often blinds the Jedi and their kind."
"You have seen this thing, right?" Ciaran said as she held it up, the blade materializing around its grip. "This is not a weapon that 'subdues' people. This is a weapon that kills them."
"I know," the Daughter said quietly, "but if words fail the only other language my brother understands is violence. You should be able to convince him to stand down with the Dagger, but if that fails...
...do what is necessary."
"Do not be deceived. She desires victory far more than she appears to."
Obi-Wan glanced at the Daughter worriedly as Ciaran's grip slightly tightened around the Dagger. "I certainly will."
--------
Despite all of Ciaran's instincts screaming at her that this was a trap, the path to the Son's location was not obstructed by anything as the trio made their way into the Son's tower. No deathtraps. No monsters. No anything. Just an eerily calm ascent...and as they got closer and closer to the Son Ciaran's grip on the Dagger's hilt continued to tighten.
skywalker
Eventually, they entered what appeared to be a throne room, only to see the Son idly looking out a window.
"Sister. What a pleasant surprise," he said, turning to face her, Obi-Wan, and Ciaran. "And you have brought friends."
"What have you done, brother?" the Daughter asked, as Ciaran tried to make out what the Son was looking at.
"Done?" the Son mockingly echoed. "I've...done what is right. Or what is wrong, depending on your point of view," he said, sitting down on his throne.
"Our Father is dying because of you," she fired back.
"Don't be so cold Sister. He has been so selfish and was taking too long to die, so I simply decided to move things along," he said with obviously fake pity. "Now, why are you here?"
"It is almost enlightening to see someone so selfish attempt to mask their actions as righteous, is it not?"
"I won't let you leave this planet."
"You are not strong enough to keep me here," he responded with an arrogant sneer on his face.
Ciaran's blood started to run cold, searching for the obvious trap but not seeing it...
"Not alone, she isn't." Obi-Wan coldly replied.
"Are you referring to your friend, the Chosen One?" he said mockingly as he crossed back over to the window he was looking out earlier. "You may want to check up on him, he's a little preoccupied at the moment."
Unbeknownst to anyone else, Ciaran's mind had gone into overdrive. It was obvious that this was a setup, but now that she had an idea of what to look for she could barely make out Anakin's presence as well as something empowered by the Son just outside. This was an obvious ploy to get them separated, to force them apart so the Son could fight the Daughter without any interference-
skywalker
Ciaran took in an almost silent breath. She came here because of Anakin, because something was going to happen to him here, and more than anything else she knew she needed to stay focused on that. With that in mind, she started sprinting at full speed towards the tower's courtyard, with Obi-Wan right behind her.
As the two of them arrived she took in the sight of Anakin fighting off Ahsoka, a worrying enough sight on its own. It was only compounded by the fact that from what Ciaran could make out from her distance the young Togruta had been corrupted by Dark Side energy, and as they closed in Ciaran could see that her face had gone pale and her irises had taken on an amber sheen.
As Ciaran started to move towards the fight, she felt Obi-Wan's hand yank her back. "Lady Ciaran, stay out of this, Ahsoka is-"
Before he could finish, Ciaran quickly brushed off his hand before drawing her lightfoil and igniting it. "Like I said before, I can handle myself." Without waiting for a reply, she quickly ran forward to Anakin's position as he created a gap between himself and Ahsoka.
As she looked over Anakin, Ciaran, and Obi-Wan who had ignited his lightsaber and joined them, an uncharacteristic sneer appeared on her face. "Well, well, well. Two Jedi and an interfering pest who thinks she knows how to use a lightsaber." She shifted into a fighting position, both her lightsabers ignited and at the ready. "I know the Jedi will be a challenge, but you're out of your league here, Lady Ciaran. None of your minions can save you now."
Ciaran smiled. "Honestly, Ahsoka. All of those lessons from Thrawn...didn't he ever teach you to never underestimate your opponent?" As she spoke her left had slowly drifted towards her waist, and she quietly switched her holdout blaster to "stun."
Ahsoka gritted her teeth. "I hate him," she spat out. "He always looked down on me, always lorded his superiority over me and deluded me into believing that I was being educated instead of being ridiculed." Suddenly, a grin that was far too wide appeared on her face. "But he did teach me one important thing-"
As Ciaran stepped back slightly, she launched forward, quickly forcing apart Anakin and Obi-Wan as they tried to block her and moving in for the kill. "Go for the weakest link first!"
Ahsoka moved closer and closer, readying her blades for a lethal strike-
And Ciaran had a look of what could only be described as disappointment on her face.
"How predictable."
Ahsoka was only barely able to block Ciaran's incoming attack as she suddenly darted forward, interrupting what should have been a killing strike. From there, Ahsoka was suddenly on the defensive as Ciaran pressed the opening she had created, constantly striking to keep her off-balance before Ciaran managed to lock one of her sabers in place, flinging it off to the side with a flourish of her own lightfoil.
"It's true that I might be the weakest link," Ciaran said as she quickly grabbed Ahsoka's dropped lightsaber with the Force and pulled it into the grasp of her free hand, "but in this context 'weakest' is a very relative term my dear." With a smirk on her face, she let Ahsoka's lightsaber fall to her feet as the rest as not only Ahsoka, but Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at the Miraluka with various looks of surprise on their faces. "Now then," Ciaran said as she settled into a clear fighting stance, "if you want this back," she taunted as she pinned Ahsoka's lightsaber under her foot, "why don't you try and get it?"
"STOP MOCKING ME!" Ahsoka yelled out in a voice not entirely her own before she charged forward, forcing Ciaran back as she went on a brutal offensive, slashing at Ciaran in a berserk fury.
"Honestly, I would have figured you learned one thing at this point," Ciaran managed to get out as she was pushed back by Ahsoka, as Anakin and Obi-Wan moved to the sides and looked for a chance to attack Ahsoka without injuring her.
"WHAT!?" she screamed as she managed to force Ciaran into a blade lock, pressing her lightsaber closer and closer to the Miraluka. Before she could try and move in for the kill, Ciaran grabbed her holdout blaster, pressed it against Ahsoka's midsection, and squeezed the trigger. The point-blank stun round caused Ahsoka to convulse in pain for a moment before she toppled over, clearly unconscious.
"There's no such thing as 'fighting fairly'," Ciaran said with a satsified smirk on her face as she holstered her blaster and switched off her lightfoil. Anakin and Obi-Wan both moved forward cautiously, both wanting to make sure Ahsoka was staying down and concerned at Ciaran's sudden display of combat ability.
"So, would you like to explain where you managed to learn how to fight with a lightsaber so effectively?" Obi-Wan said, folding his arms. In response Ciaran shrugged indifferently. "I had a good teacher, though sadly we don't really get along these days. Pity that. On a more relevant note," she said as she glanced over Ahsoka with her Force vision, noting that her body was still infused with the Son's energy, "from what I can tell if she woke up right this second she'd still try to kill us."
"We have to do something, then," Anakin said, a look of concern plainly visible on his face. "Is there any way we can free her?"
Obi-Wan glanced at the Dagger hanging on Ciaran's waist. "Maybe-"
Before he could finish his thought, a burst of Force energy sent the Son and the Daughter flying through the window of the Son's throne room, and as the two Ones staggered to their feet the Father landed in front of them, resonating with power.
"So glad you could make it to our little party, Father!" the Son yelled out as he hurled lightning from his hand at the Father, who managed to block it. "You will stop this."
"You are too weak for me, old man," the Son retorted as he started throwing lightning from both of his hands. "You mean nothing to me anymore!" Proving his words true, the Son's lightning manged to break through the Father's defense, sending him flying. Without remorse, the Son followed him, continuing to throw lightning from his hands at the Father, now unable to defend himself.
As the scene played out, the world around Ciaran seemed to slow down as she reached for the Dagger.
"You have a choice, Traya, and it is one only you alone can make. If you do not act, the Son will kill the Father and the Daughter, and escape. If you strike down the Son now, you will save their lives and the rest of the galaxy at the cost of unbalancing the Force in the favor of the Light, which will have consequences far beyond the war being fought as we speak.
There is, however...another option.
You could act to ensure the balance remains in place. The Father and Daughter have been weakened by the Son, and at this point they will not be able to muster the strength to stand against you.
The choice is yours, Traya. You have free will."
Ciaran's eyes shot between the Son issuing lightning from his hands, the exhausted Daughter trying to prop herself upright, and the Father as he was being electrocuted by his Son's lightning. Obi-Wan was saying something, but it sounded distant to her in that moment.
there is another way - one where no one has to die
Gripping the Dagger as the blade materialized, Ciaran charged towards the Son-
-and held the Dagger at the front of his neck. Without a word the lightning from his hands stopped as he looked down at it with visible fear on his face.
"Enough. If he dies, so do you."
"You showed them the Altar!?" the Father said to the Daughter as he unsteadily rose to his feet.
"I am sorry Father," she quietly said as Obi-Wan helped her stand. "...I didn't know what else could stop him."
For a long moment, no one said anything; Anakin and Obi-Wan stood with their lightsabers at the ready, Ciaran continued to hold the Dagger to the Son's neck, and the Daughter and Father stared down the Son, as if trying to figure out a way this could be resolved.
And then the Son chuckled mockingly. "You do have a plan for this, right? Or are you just going to stand here for the rest of eternity holding the Dagger to my throat?" he said sarcastically as he glanced over his shoulder at Ciaran.
"While I am loath to admit it he is correct. This is only a delaying measure, as he will-"
Kreia? Just this once, shut. The hell. Up.
Despite herself she had to admit Kreia had a point; her mind had been going into overdrive trying to figure out a solution that didn't involve killing the Son, trying to figure out anything that could give her an out...
there is another - even speaking of her invites danger - however there is no other way
"Honestly this is getting rather boring," the Son commented with a sneer on his face. "Either get it over with or just let me go. Preferably the latter as I have far better things I could be doing right now," he said as the Daughter and the Father glared at him.
Mother
"Honestly," Ciaran retorted. "I can only imagine what your Mother would-"
Ciaran never finished her sentence as several things happened at once:
The Son screamed in terror and blasted away Ciaran with an instinctive Force repulse before quickly shifting into his gargoyle form and flying away as fast as he could-
The Daughter staggered and was only barely held upright by a confused Obi-Wan, her breathing rapid and her eyes wide-
And the Father was struck silent for a moment, before grabbing Ciaran with the Force and holding her right in front of his face.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME!?"
The Son's tower shuddered as the ground beneath it quaked from the sheer force of the Father's words as he held Ciaran in front of her, the woman trying desperately to breathe as the Father's power continued to intensify-
"FATHER!"
Upon hearing his Daughter's voice, the Father let Ciaran drop to the ground as she caught her breath. Anakin and Obi-Wan nervously looked at the remaining Ones with mixed expressions of shock and fear as everything played out, unwilling to antagonize them after the Father's reaction.
"I will ask you again: How do you know that name?"
Ciaran was earnestly confused. "W-What name? A-all I did was joke about his-"
"BE SILENT!" the Father shouted, before managing to calm himself again. "I do not know why you are claiming ignorance at this point, but you just spoke the name - or at least one of the names - of a being my children and I have sealed away for the greater good of all." His eyes narrowed. "It was no idle mention either; when you spoke her name it resonated with us. You meant to use her name just now." He leaned forward slightly, his eyes boring into Ciaran's. "And yet...I sense you are not lying to me. You truly were never aware of her name before that instant," he said. "At least...not consciously." Nodding to himself, he stood up. "You are coming with me back to the monastery," he said without room for discussion.
Despite everything, Ciaran barely managed to keep herself composed as she slowly stood up as well. "As a prisoner?" she asked with only a slight bit of worry in her voice.
"If you were able to learn the name of the being we have sealed away unconsciously there is a risk that you could be corrupted by her further despite her seal," the Father explained as he walked back towards the Daughter, Anakin, and Obi-Wan. "For everyone's sake we must determine how you did so and how you can keep yourself from developing any further connection."
"Wait!" Anakin shouted out, as everyone's heads whipped towards him. "Ahsoka, she-she's been-"
"My brother attempted to corrupt her as part of his plot," the Daughter said, gesturing towards Ahsoka's unconscious body.
Nodding to his Daughter the Father walked over to her, bent down and touched her on the forehead, his finger briefly glowing. Suddenly color came back to Ahsoka's face as she muttered something incoherently.
"She will not remember what has just occurred, but I have cleansed her of the Dark Side," he said as Anakin moved to pick her up.
"Since it sounds like it may take some time, what should we do while you're...examining Lady Ciaran for lack of a better term?" Obi-Wan asked.
"You may do as you wish. Should you desire it my home is yours to take shelter in until we are finished."
"...That examination's or whatever is going to be done quickly, right?" Ciaran asked, suddenly more concerned.
"I cannot give an exact amount of time it will take at this moment," the Father replied, "but I am confident it should only take a day at the most. Come," he said, gesturing for everyone to follow him and only stopping briefly to pick up the discarded Dagger, the tension from before not quite gone as they fell in behind him...
AN: Updated, finally. I hope it was worth the wait, but if nothing else now we are officially Off The RailsTM. Enjoy~
