I suppose really depends on their personality but given that Ciaran and Asajj are the premier lightsaber combatants of the Abyss Watchers, I would have to say Form 2 and 3 with Jar'Kai?
May The Invisible Hand Be With You - (Star Wars CK2-Style Quest)
- Thread starter Dr. Snark
- Start date
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- star wars canon what canon tsundere dice ck2 quest actions have consequences all the credits all work and no play makes ciaran a dull girl best sister capitalism ho! despairing qm teetotaller society member gotta catch 'em all insanity looting off the rails sage dice approaching spicy sheev tsundere asajj
Barondoctor
The things I chase come to me.
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- The other side of the mirror
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Given the Matukai training? I'd imagine they favor Ataru (IV) and Djem So (V). I know Riphath does anyway, but Riphath's weird for a Walker (given that he became a Jedi).
Adding on the Disciples of Twilight might also add Niman's (VI) relaxed bladework (and Force-in-combat focus; disappearing and reappearing at will seems SO BROKEN for a lightsaber duel). They might even develop their own style around that.
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There's been a couple of Omakes about people reacting to that on chat-threads, but I don't think it's ever been discussed by this thread.
Omegastar
fear the {CENSORED}.
which omakes were those again? wanting to reread them again.
Diomedea
A piece of the continent
- Location
- The interblag
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Honestly, the Abyss Watchers really should be in the process of developing their own light saber style, because the fundamental difference between a jedi/sith and an Abyss Watcher is the Abyss Watchers regularly use tools and guns to complement their fighting style.
Let's look at the current foundational skills of an abyss walker; Blazing Chains, Buried Presence, Matukai Self-Reinforcement, Force Cloak, Shadow Vision, Force Illusion
Matukai would permit the Abyss walker to wield the saber one handed against even opponents using two hands (most of the time), leaving the other hand to hold a tool or blaster through which they can apply their blazing chains ability.
The rest of their force skills are primarily based around subterfuge. Combine that with the existing philosophy of the Walkers (synergy of force and practical effects), they should be doing things like limiting the ability to see with a practical effect, burying their presence to make it hard to pinpoint them and using Force Cloak to make them even harder to see, and then attacking in conjunction with a Force Illusion, before disengaging (and dropping an explosive at their opponent's feet).
The ideal engagement then is quick, and the opponent off-balance if they manage to defend, which they should maximize. If things go south, however, they're likely facing someone more trained in direct lightsaber combat, or a whole bunch of people with blasters.
So, amusingly (given Ciaran's own saber focus), a weird hybrid of Makashi and Soresu makes the most sense as the "standard" form for Walkers to be evolving into. A Makashi-like quickdraw flurry from ambush, than transitions into a one-handed Soresu variant, with a fighting withdraw to give the Abysswalker the time to bring their other tools into play to turn the situation around, disengage, or even hold their opponent in place as another Walker or agent moves to flank.
So...all that to basically say take how Ciaran already fights and refine it enough to make it an official "form."
Let's look at the current foundational skills of an abyss walker; Blazing Chains, Buried Presence, Matukai Self-Reinforcement, Force Cloak, Shadow Vision, Force Illusion
Matukai would permit the Abyss walker to wield the saber one handed against even opponents using two hands (most of the time), leaving the other hand to hold a tool or blaster through which they can apply their blazing chains ability.
The rest of their force skills are primarily based around subterfuge. Combine that with the existing philosophy of the Walkers (synergy of force and practical effects), they should be doing things like limiting the ability to see with a practical effect, burying their presence to make it hard to pinpoint them and using Force Cloak to make them even harder to see, and then attacking in conjunction with a Force Illusion, before disengaging (and dropping an explosive at their opponent's feet).
The ideal engagement then is quick, and the opponent off-balance if they manage to defend, which they should maximize. If things go south, however, they're likely facing someone more trained in direct lightsaber combat, or a whole bunch of people with blasters.
So, amusingly (given Ciaran's own saber focus), a weird hybrid of Makashi and Soresu makes the most sense as the "standard" form for Walkers to be evolving into. A Makashi-like quickdraw flurry from ambush, than transitions into a one-handed Soresu variant, with a fighting withdraw to give the Abysswalker the time to bring their other tools into play to turn the situation around, disengage, or even hold their opponent in place as another Walker or agent moves to flank.
So...all that to basically say take how Ciaran already fights and refine it enough to make it an official "form."
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Skywalker_T-65
Writer with too many ideas.
- Location
- United States
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- Plural/They/He/Her
I imagine that stuff like Niman or even Shii-Cho are the most common forms, if only because their very simplicity is their advantage for versatility. You can take the basics there and add a lot of personal flair to it.
- Location
- Sweden
In the omake Index,they are listed as Wookiepedia chat boards and Generica Online Chat boards.
Varder
Tired Cultist
- Location
- Hell
Liked those. Pity there ain't more. Negaverse somehow always inspires me.
- Location
- Spain
I have been just re-reading the old Clone Wars comics from Dark Horse.
And I have just realized that Aayla Secura, Quinlan´s old padawan (they are incredibly close and they have been like brother and sister since before she became his Padawan) was in Honoghr with her clone platoon trying to recover the data of the Separatist Bioweapon (the Noghri had it stored in an old Ratakan temple) and they would have been totally slaughtered by the locals (like the rest of both republican or separatist forces dumb enough to land there) if it was not for the timely intervention of Quinlan, who was also after the Bioweapon data.
I wonder if we would end up re-enacting that rescue or if Quinlan will try to convince Aayla to join him and Tholme in exile, or how we will convince the Noghri that we are friendly (they are incredibly honorable, but they have a tendency of stabbing first and asking questions later...)
And I have just realized that Aayla Secura, Quinlan´s old padawan (they are incredibly close and they have been like brother and sister since before she became his Padawan) was in Honoghr with her clone platoon trying to recover the data of the Separatist Bioweapon (the Noghri had it stored in an old Ratakan temple) and they would have been totally slaughtered by the locals (like the rest of both republican or separatist forces dumb enough to land there) if it was not for the timely intervention of Quinlan, who was also after the Bioweapon data.
I wonder if we would end up re-enacting that rescue or if Quinlan will try to convince Aayla to join him and Tholme in exile, or how we will convince the Noghri that we are friendly (they are incredibly honorable, but they have a tendency of stabbing first and asking questions later...)
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Interlude - Planet of Death
Dr. Snark
Exactly As Planned...Probably
- Location
- Right where I want to be
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
"...It's funny, now that I think about it. Manipulating shatterpoints for myself gives me the power to change my future. But once I do so everything I see happen is completely unavoidable no matter what I do.
It's almost hilarious in its irony. The power to change fate, at the cost of having that new future be set in stone..."
Honoghr
As the wind blew across the surface of Honoghr, a flower gently waved in the wind before a droplet of dark purple liquid collided with it, and within seconds the flower began to disintegrate, the wind quickly tearing the flower apart as the wildlife around it began to quickly decay from the horrific bioweapon that was ravaging the planet.
As it spread, a man with spiked black hair and a concerned expression looked out over the sight, recording what was happening on his scanner.
"Why here, of all planets...?" he muttered.
"General En?"
Rii'ke shook his head as he turned back to the clone trooper that had volunteered to stay with him on such a dangerous mission. "I'm trying to figure out why this planet was hit. Surely you understand that there's no strategic value here whatsoever..." He shook his head resignedly. "Sorry, you were saying something?"
"The shuttle's sensors have detected some transports coming in. IFF has cleared them as Silver Cross vessels. In addition it's been confirmed that among them was Lady Ciaran's personal cruiser."
Rii'ke's eyes widened briefly before he sighed resignedly. "While I am grateful that they're providing aid, that also means that our mission just got a lot more complicated. Still, our goals aren't contradictory," he said as he made his way towards the ships he saw entering the atmosphere and beginning to land, "so I can't imagine there will be any..."
He trailed off as he felt like he was being watched for a moment, and the trooper with him seemed to feel the same sensation as he raised his rifle and moved to be back-to-back with Rii'ke as they scanned the environment around them, but it seemed like nothing was there...
"We're joining with the relief party," Rii'ke said coolly as his eyes darted to and fro, trying to see if he was missing something as he started to get back on track. "If there's a threat here we need to protect them."
"Sir."
As the two of them reached the now landing relief party and seeing various people running to and fro and setting up equipment, they saw Ciaran walk down the ramp of her personal cruiser, looking around with a noticeable sense of unease before she faced Rii'ke. For a brief instant the Jedi got the unnerving sense that an intense gaze was on him even though the woman in front of him was blind...
"...I didn't know that there would be anyone else here," she said as he and the trooper with him walked over to her. "Are we intruding on a GAR operation, or...?"
"Nothing of the sort, ma'am. We're just here to determine what drove the Separatists to use a bioweapon on this planet in particular," Rii'ke explained, noting that Ciaran seemed visibly uninterested in what he was saying.
"Is that right? Well given what we're doing here odds are the scanners and the like should pick something up sooner or later," she said disinterestedly, not even bothering to pretend to make eye contact with Rii'ke as she looked around the quickly forming base camp.
Rii'ke couldn't help but be concerned; everything he'd heard about the...controversial Lady Ciaran was that she was a woman who seemed to enjoy getting under people's skin, always wanted to get the last word in a conversation, and...the woman in front of him wasn't acting like that at all, for some reason.
"...Pardon me for asking, but...is something wrong, Lady Ciaran? You seem...preoccupied with something."
Her head quickly turned back to Rii'ke and the Jedi suddenly felt like he was being analyzed by her for some perceived quality before she sighed and shook her head. "I think you've noticed that I haven't been getting too much sleep lately is all," she said as she made her way out towards the camp-
Suddenly the sounds of screaming began to echo through the air.
"So it's time, then," Ciaran muttered before dashing off towards the source of the screaming, and without a word Rii'ke and the clone trooper with him started to follow her. As they arrived on the scene they were greeted with the sight of grey-skinned humanoids throwing spears towards a group of panicking aid workers, many of them managing to strike them in the chest or head as others began to charge in wielding knives. Without hesitating, Rii'ke ignited his lightsaber and charged into the fray, trying to draw the alien attackers' attention as the relief team quickly began to evacuate the area. While he managed to hold his own against the increasing numbers of enemies, a part of him was dimly aware of the distinct sound of a spear piercing through armor followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. As he continued to fight a part of him knew that he would not be leaving this planet alive, but he pressed on-
His concentration was soon broken by the sight of Lady Ciaran slicing through a group of the attacking aliens with a lightfoil, though to his worry he noticed that she was beginning to pant heavily and lose her tempo the more the fight went on. Suddenly she yelled out in pain even though she was not visibly wounded and staggered briefly, though she managed to catch herself and stab an unfortunate alien in the chest as he tried to impale her with a spear. While Rii'ke tried to break through to her it was too late; before he could get close she fell to the ground and began to writhe in agony. At that point one of the aliens struck her directly in the face, shattering her visor and knocking her unconscious. They quickly moved to grab her and haul her away, and with that the rest of the aliens broke away from the fight, leaving Rii'ke alone on the corpse-filled battlefield. Quickly determining that a rescue attempt would likely get them both killed, he began to sprint back towards his ship as fast as his legs could carry him.
By the time Rii'ke made it back to his ship he had already rehearsed his distress call a dozen times in his mind before he noticed that there was an incoming call on it from an unknown frequency. Confused, he activated it, seeing the image of a man he didn't recognize appear. "This is Jedi Knight Rii'ke En, who-"
"I am Master Tholme," and as he spoke Rii'ke ship's computer confirmed that he was using an Order cipher. "and that is all you need to know right now. What is the situation on Honoghr?"
"Not good. A Silver Cross team led by Lady Ciaran arrived here just a few minutes ago, but they were ambushed and she was captured-"
He heard muffled shouting on the other end as Tholme glanced to his side. "We will be there momentarily. Hold position, do not do anything rash, and do not inform anyone else about this under any circumstances. Once I arrive we will work together to recover Ciaran."
"Don't inform-!? Master, what are you-!?"
"I will explain after I arrive, but you must trust me. Tholme out."
-------------
Ciaran forced her eyes open, her vision blurry as she tried to make out where she was and where the...the...was it Noghri? Everything seemed so...hazy...
As she tried to look up she saw a haze of green smoke appear in front of her, slowly resolving itself into the appearance of a viciously smirking Talzin. As she appeared, enough adrenaline began to course through Ciaran's system to help her remember...
She had charged towards the Noghri, igniting her lightfoil and beginning to strike down anyone who got close to her. While she was being overwhelmed she was prepared to use Shatterpoint on the ground beneath her to destabilize it, disorienting the Noghri and giving her a chance to escape. She had seen this fight play out in her visions-
Suddenly she felt her legs start to give out as though the strength had been suddenly sapped from them, and as she struggled to stay upright she felt the sudden weakness spread throughout her body. The pain eventually caused her to topple over onto the ground as she began to writhe in agony from the sudden pain that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The last thing she remembered was the clenched fist of a Noghri impacting her and shattering her visor-
"Talzin, you..." Ciaran was cut off as a wave of pain went through her body with a gesture from the witch.
"Do not think that you have any power anymore. This is punishment for your betrayal."
"...My betrayal!?" Ciaran growled out as she focused a hateful glare on Talzin. "You were the one who betrayed me. I-" She gritted her teeth as she felt another wave of pain. "You somehow drove the forces that attacked Mandalore insane-"
She screamed out as she felt a sharp pain in her chest as Talzin viciously sneered at her. "Foolish. All you had to do was grant Maul his wish for revenge and I would have no reason to kill you."
Ciaran was silent for a moment before she began to chuckle darkly. "...If you really mean that...then we were destined to be enemies from the day we met." Talzin didn't reply, so Ciaran continued. "Since we're being so honest with each other I'm going to be nice and warn you about something: No matter what happens next, Asajj will kill you."
"She would never betray her Mother."
"You'd be surprised-" Before Ciaran could get another word out she felt something hit her back, and as Talzin's image dissolved she looked up to the sight of what was undeniably a Rakatan temple.
She'd seen the temple in her shatterpoint visions before, but even so a part of her couldn't help but admit that if she had to die here, she could do far worse than having a temple of the Infinite Empire as a mausoleum.
As the Noghri dragged her inside she also noticed the shapes of what appeared to be deactivated droids leaning against some of the walls - it seemed that the Noghri didn't realize that the temple's defenders still slept here, waiting for an order that would likely never come...
Ciaran's thoughts were cut off as the Noghri threw her onto the ground in front of what appeared to be thirteen elders of the species, dressed in ornate robes and commanding clear authority over the others presence. She tried to force herself to stand, but Talzin's curse had weakened her too badly and she flopped to the ground with a groan of agony. With a grunt in a language she didn't understand from the lead elder she felt the arms of a pair of Noghri wrap around her own and drag her to her feet, bringing her face-to-face with the thirteen elders. As her vision started to blur again the lead elder spoke.
"You stand accused of the greatest of crimes against our people."
The rest of the Noghri chanted a word Ciaran didn't understand - though she guessed it was something along the lines of "murderer" or "guilty." As the chanting subsided, she used every ounce of strength left in her body to force herself to make eye contact with the Noghri. "You...you speak Basic?"
"The language of the sky gods is a strange one but known to us, though I am the most familiar with it," the elder replied. "As Dynast of Clan Khim'bar, I have been given the privilege of sentencing you to death for the destruction you have wrought against our people."
"...Why me?"
"You are dressed as a leader. The robes you wear are far more grand than those of a mere soldier."
"I..." Ciaran winced as she felt another wave of pain go through her. "That...may be true, but...I don't understand...what "crimes" are you referring to? My people came here to help-"
"Your people brought this devastation to our world!" the Dynast roared out, his words quickly followed by the enraged chanting of Noghri.
"That...that's insane, they were here to give aid..."
Ciaran trailed off as she suddenly noticed a glint of steel illuminated by the dim lights of the temple, and as she focused on it she could tell that it appeared to be a fragment of a warhead of some kind. It had shown up in her visions but it had been too blurry to make out at the time...
"...What is that?" Ciaran said, throwing her energy into jerking her head towards the warhead piece. With another barked order a pair of Noghri picked up the piece and brought it close enough to Ciaran for her to make out what was undeniably the symbol of the Silver Cross emblazoned on it.
A part of Ciaran wanted to laugh hysterically at the sight. This kind of false flag operation was one of the oldest tricks in the book, one easily disprovable under normal circumstances...but to a primitive species that had little to no contact with the outside galaxy and were looking for someone to blame for the bioweapon ravaging their planet...it may as well have been the undeniable word of their gods she was up against.
Even if the curse ravaging her body hadn't been a factor she had to admit that she still would have been captured by the Noghri and blamed for what was happening. Despite the pain throwing her thought process off she managed to put together Palpatine's plan: with the Noghri killing off a significant amount of the Silver Cross response team and a clone trooper, Honoghr would have been locked down by the Republic while they figured out what happened. The response team would have "somehow" found the warhead piece along with other evidence that was likely present elsewhere and concluded that somehow she had provided the Separatists with the bioweapon destroying Honoghr. Granted it was a PR fight she could win, but it would be a significant drain on her resources while she was fighting it and it would only serve to incite further conflict as details about the attack were presented to the galaxy. And of course, there's the off-chance that she would just get killed - a longshot, but one with little to no consequences for failure.
Talzin choosing to strike now was simply a stroke of incredibly good fortune for him.
"I...gah...don't suppose you'd believe me if I...ghhk...I told you that was forged specifically to frame me?"
"What reason would we have to believe your lies?" the Dynast coldly replied.
"Hah...because I...I came here to...to heal your planet. T-that is what that symbol truly means. It is a sign of healing and-" Ciaran trailed off as she felt her vision start to swim.
"...You are ill," the Dynast said quietly.
"Did...did you not notice up until now!?" Ciaran snapped, her vision briefly clearing up as rage-induced adrenaline went through her system. "If I wasn't being cursed right now a lot more of your people would have died trying to capture me," she spat out, briefly managing to ignore the pain and refocus through sheer anger towards her captors and frustration at her current state.
"Hmph...it matters-"
The Dynast was cut off as another Noghri shouted something towards him, and the two of them quickly had an exchange before the Dynast focused back on Ciaran. "It would seem that there is another who may prove your claims true."
Once again Ciaran had a feeling that something would arrive to save her through her visions but she had no idea what. "Wha..." Her vision started to blur again. "What are you...talking about..."
"Three more intruders have arrived. One bears the same scent as you."
"I...I don't..."
"Our people can smell the blood that ties family together."
Ciaran tried to get out a retort, to scream something out, but before she could her the world around her started to go black.
Just before she fell unconscious she heard-
"CIARA!"
As Silas tried to charge towards the altar he was restrained by the Noghri around him, and he continued to spit relentless curses at them as they dragged him up towards the Dynasts. Meanwhile Tholme and Quinlan were forced into the room at spear-point by other Noghri, both men's eyes widening as they saw what was happening.
"YOU LET ME GO OR I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU BASTARDS!" Silas screamed out as he tried to wrestle out of the grips of his captors to reach his unconscious granddaughter, whose body had now visibly gone pale. As the Dynast that had spoke to Ciaran approached him, Silas tried to break free again only for the Noghri to tighten their grips. Even so the glare that Silas was giving the Noghri was fierce enough to give the Dynast pause before he spoke again.
"Your child stands before us accused of-"
"I don't give a damn about what you're accusing her of," Silas said in a low growl. "Either you let her go right now or I swear that I will do whatever it takes to make sure every last one of you bastards dies."
The Dynast blinked. "You care for her that much," he said quietly.
Silas didn't say a word, only continuing to viciously glare at the Noghri in front of him as Tholme and Quinlan slowly began to reach for their lightsabers...
Suddenly the Dynast barked out an order that prompted an argument among him and the other twelve Dynasts present that went on for a long moment before the first Dynast turned to face Silas again. "I suggest you focus on healing your child instead of fighting pointlessly."
With those words the Noghri let go of Silas and Ciaran both, Ciaran starting to drop to the floor before Silas managed to catch her. He gave her a once-over before turning to face the Dynast.
"I do not know what afflicts her," he said, answering the unspoken question, "but it is no disease any of us have seen."
"If I may," Tholme said from the back, causing everyone in the room to focus on him, "I am a healer by trade. If you would be willing to give my apprentice and I a room where we can treat her..."
The Dynasts quickly debated among themselves for a moment. "That is acceptable. You will be escorted to a chamber where you can perform your healing - but you will not be allowed to leave until she has been healed and you and her are judged by us." Having said his piece, the Dynast shouted out a command to the rest of the Noghri, who quickly formed a corridor for their captives to move through.
A pair of Noghri started to move to pick up Ciaran, but respectfully moved away as Silas gave both of them a vicious glare. With a grunt of pain he lifted her unconscious body up and moved to join Tholme and Quinlan. Once grouped together the three of them were escorted into a nearly empty room save for a circular slab in the middle of it. As Silas moved to gently lay Ciaran down on it and Tholme and Quinlan cautiously followed him in, the Noghri behind them grunted, then visibly moved to either side of the door - out of sight, but clearly still present.
Once he had set her down, Silas placed the back of his hand against Ciaran's head, his eyes widening at how cold her body felt. "Wha-"
"Master Cata, I need you to get out of our way," Tholme brusquely said as he pushed Silas to the side, placing his hands on Ciaran's body as Quinlan looked at her intensely.
"This...I've felt this energy somewhere before..." he muttered.
"What the hell are you talking about!?" Silas shouted.
"Someone is using the Force to try and kill her," Tholme coolly said as he prepared to channel the Force into Ciaran though pointedly looking at Quinlan. "You said you felt something like this before. Where, and who?"
"Dathomir. This feels like Nightsister magic." As Quinlan said that he noticed Silas' eyes go wide. "Got something you wanna tell us, old man?"
Silas cursed internally as he realized he let something slip in his panic. "That's-"
Before he could respond, the sounds of Noghri shouting something at each other came from outside, to the visible concern of everyone in the room. As Silas and Quinlan tried to go outside they were blocked by a cross of spears, and despite both of their best efforts they couldn't see what was going on. Before long though the spears parted and Silas nearly choked on his spit as Asajj was escorted into the room much like the rest of them had been. Quinlan stared at her in confusion for a few moments before his eyes widened in recognition and he started to reach for his lightsaber-
"Don't. I'm not here to kill either of you," Asajj coldly said, brushing past the visibly stunned Silas and Quinan, looking over Ciaran's unconscious body and Tholme intensely focusing on Ciaran, though his eyes briefly darted to Asajj before he focused back on his work. "...It would seem this is just as I feared."
"What is happening to her?" Silas questioned, his voice shaking.
"A curse from the Great Mother herself. Healing her will only delay it, if it is allowed to progress further she will die no matter what any of us do," Asajj explained. "The only way to stop it is to destroy whatever Talzin is using as a physical anchor for it."
"Meaning...?" Quinlan said nervously.
"Ideally we would go to Dathomir, destroy it, and kill Talzin," Asajj coldly explained. "Right now we do not have that luxury. However..." She looked at Tholme, then back at Quinlan and Silas. "Do not interrupt us."
Without waiting for a reply Asajj closed her eyes and began to reach out across her Bond with Ciaran...
Asajj?
I leave your side for one moment and you're already half dead.
How did you know...?
...I could sense what was happening to you.
Hah...right...so is my number up? I-
Don't you dare finish that thought.
...You have a plan then?
One that is unlikely to work.
My favorite kind. What do you need me to do?
I can guide you to the source of this curse. But you will have to destroy its source yourself - it will take everything I have to get you there.
.......Alright.
Asajj reached out with the Force, feeling Ciaran's presence weakly following her as she sought out Talzin. She slid deeper and deeper into a trance as she saw a trail of green smoke in her mind's eye, and she followed it as it left Honoghr's atmosphere and trailed through space. After what seemed like an eternity she saw it reach Dathomir, and she followed it down to its surface, into the caverns the Nightsisters called home, and finally into a dark chamber where Talzin was holding a stone figurine resembling Ciaran above a cauldron filled with green liquid. As Asajj reached that point she felt Talzin's eyes upon her, though after a moment they widened in slight surprise.
"...Why are you here, Asajj?" she said quietly.
"This is why," and she felt Ciaran use the last of her strength to reach out towards the cauldron, cracks already beginning to appear on its surface.
"So she was-"
Talzin was cut off as the cauldron exploded, sending Asajj flying backwards and slamming against the wall of the room to the confusion of everyone in it. Their attention quickly shifted back to Ciaran as she started to cough violently before suddenly waking up, pitching over on her side, and vomiting up a steam of green smoke. As it dispersed everyone stared at her as she gasped for breath, and after a brief moment she turned to face Asajj with a ragged grin.
"No offense, but your mother-"
"The only reason I'm not hitting you right now is because it might kill you," Asajj retorted.
Ciaran started to reply but before she could she felt Silas' arms wrap around her, and she couldn't help but let out a slight "eek" of surprise as he started to crush her in a bear hug. "G-grandpa, need to breathe..."
Silas let go, though as he stepped back Ciaran could see his visibly teary face. "...Y-you have to stop scaring me like this, Ciara. I don't know if I can keep taking this."
With a groan, Ciaran unsteadily got to her feet before taking a deep breath and feeling the pleasant sensation of her muscles being strengthened by the Force, letting her recover in a matter of minutes as opposed to hours or days. "In my defense-" She trailed off when she noticed the two other people in the room, one of whom she immediately recognized as Quinlan Vos. She looked at them, then back to Asajj, then back to them, then back to Asajj...
"...There is no way this looks good for me, is there?"
"No," Quinlan coldly replied as Tholme nodded wordlessly in agreement, his eyes now locked on Asajj.
Before Ciaran could begin forming her usual set of lies and excuses she heard the Noghri guards shouting something. There was silence for a brief moment before a large group of Noghri came into the room, pointing their spears at the group and herding them together before they were marched back towards the altar...
-------------
"So, you still live," the Dynast said as he looked over the now much healthier Ciaran standing in between Silas and Asajj. Among the crowd of Noghri Tholme and Quinlan looked at the proceedings nervously, occasionally glancing around at the rest of the Noghri.
"I'm stubborn-" She winced as Asajj jabbed her in the side, "-and more importantly I had good help."
"I see," the Dynast coolly replied, seeming uncaring about Asajj's actions. "In any case, do you know why all three of you are standing here and being judged as one?"
"Not really." "Nope." "No."
"To our people blood and loyalty is everything. We could smell that you three shared that blood, though her scent is much weaker," the Dynast said as he gestured toward Asajj. "Your elder's desire to protect you and his fearlessness in doing so was worthy of praise, so we were willing to grant him the opportunity to let you be healed. That being said all three of you shall be judged-"
"I'm going to stop you right there," Ciaran said, pointedly ignoring how many of the Noghri began to grumble at her interruption. "As I was trying to say while I was busy nearly dying, that symbol you saw is a sign of healing, relief, and charity in the rest of the galaxy. That weapon was not built by me. I despise those kinds of things."
"She does," Asajj said. "It is quite annoying to hear her enraged screaming about the matter."
Ciaran looked at Asajj as though she had just stabbed her in the back while Silas pointedly averted his gaze from Ciaran and tried to whistle nonchalantly when Ciaran looked at him for affirmation.
"Mere words," the Dynast retorted. "We desire proof."
"She is telling the truth," Tholme called out from within the crowd of Noghri, all of them turning to face the Jedi Master. "Lady Ciaran is a respected philanthropist and renowned humanitarian. She would never-"
"Once again, there is no proof of your words," the Dynast shouted back, ignoring the glare Quinlan was shooting at him. "If there is no way you can provide that proof, we will have no choice but to find you guilty."
Ciaran racked her brain for an out for this situation, drawing a blank at first before part of her mind that had to have been influenced by Grievous gave her an idea.
"Would I be wrong in assuming your people take pride in strength and prowess through combat?"
The Dynast's eyes narrowed as Asajj facepalmed, Silas looked at Ciaran with a look that screamed "what are you thinking," and Quinlan and Tholme looked at Ciaran with barely hidden shock on their faces.
"...You are not wrong," the Dynast said slowly, weighing Ciaran's words.
For various reasons everyone held prisoner by the Noghri had the same thought at the same time: I can't believe this might work.
"I suppose if you wish to prove your words through combat it would be acceptable to us. Very well!" The Dynast shouted in Honoghran that set off a wave of chants, eventually leading to a particularly tall and muscular Noghri stepping forth from the crowd and onto the altar. Getting the message, Asajj and Silas backed off to a respectable distance; the former visibly resigned to what was about to happen while the latter was visibly concerned at what his granddaughter was trying to do.
After an exchange between the warrior and Dynast, the both of them turned to face Ciaran "This is Hrak'vokh, one of the finest warriors of Clan Bakh'tor. He will be the judge of your skills and intent."
Hrak'vokh's gaze was intense as he stared down Ciaran, though she was unfazed after seeing many similar looks from the Kaleesh.
"Since this is a trial of combat, you will be allowed to use one of our weapons," the Dynast explained as a quartet of Noghri walked up to the altar, accompanied by the chanting of the Noghri around them. One of them moved to hand an ornate spear to Hrak'vokh while the other three moved towards Ciaran, each of them holding out a weapon: a spear, a knife, and a steel blade respectively. With a slight smirk on her face Ciaran picked up the blade and gave it a few experimental swings, nodding to the Dynast once she was pleased with her choice.
As the weapon-bearing Noghri departed the chanting from the rest of the crowd slightly diminished while Hrak'vokh and Ciaran squared off against each other. Ciaran centered herself, strengthening her muscles and giving herself clarity-
Which quickly proved vital as she dodged a swift jab from Hrak'vokh followed by him closing the distance to Ciaran's slight surprise. She was undeterred however as she shifted into Form II, and while the added weight of the blade was throwing her off slightly she quickly took the advantage, dancing through Hrak'vokh's attacks and getting in a few slices. While the damage didn't seem to affect his fighting abilities, it was clear that he was actively surprised by Ciaran's skill. Evidently the rest of the Noghri felt the same as their chanting had died down in favor of shock at the fact that this outsider was gaining the advantage against one of Honoghr's finest warriors.
Hrak'vokh was far from finished though, as Ciaran realized once he threw his spear past her and shifted into pure melee combat. To her shock he was able to regain the advantage against her, laying into her with a series of brutal punches and kicks - though once again to Hrak'vokh's visible surprise Ciaran was able to take the punishment he was inflicting on her. At this point the fight began to shift towards more of a stalemate - Ciaran's swordsmanship was able to keep Hrak'vokh at bay to some extent and she was still able to get a few slices in, but Hrak'vokh was agile enough to dodge many of Ciaran's attacks and get in a few hits of her own.
At this point the only question would be who would go down first - though internally Ciaran was fairly certain it would be Hrak'vokh one way or another. Ciaran had assumed that she could simply outlast her Noghri opponent, but his own skill and tenacity would likely force her to kill him - and she wasn't particularly looking forward to the reaction of the Noghri if she killed their designated champion.
She got an opportunity when Hrak'vokh broke away, visibly cut up and clearly trying to reevaluate the situation. Doing her best to shift her body language to seem as neutral as possible, Ciaran slowly lowered her sword, noticing a curious look from Hrak'vokh but no reaction yet. Afterwards she tentatively walked towards him and held out a hand, and after a moment of hesitation, Hrak'vokh firmly grasped it to the audible shock of the crowd, not to mention the stunned expressions of Quinlan and Tholme. As Hrak'vokh turned to speak with the Dynasts, Silas rushed over to Ciaran.
"Ciara, what did I say about not giving me a heart attack?" he said with a mixture of anger and concern in his voice.
"In my-"
"No. No excuses. Stop doing that to me."
"For what it is worth, her response, while...unusual was probably the right one," Asajj commented as she glanced between Ciaran and the conversing Noghri. "I would hope you've been around the Kaleesh enough to recognize a society that respects martial strength."
"I get that, but you shouldn't have done that after you nearly died!" Silas said as he rounded on Ciaran again, who simply sighed in resignation knowing full well that arguing with her grandfather at that point was completely pointless.
Though before Ciaran could say anything more she heard the voices of the Dynasts rise in intensity as they conversed with the stoic Hrak'vokh before turning to confer among themselves in hushed tones.
"Don't get too confident, but that looks like the kind of argument where we don't all die horribly," Ciaran said quietly to Asajj and Silas, who both nodded in agreement.
After another moment the Dynast that had been speaking to Ciaran stepped forth as Hrak'vokh cast an unreadable look in her direction. "Hrak'vokh has testified in your favor. It would seem that you managed to earn his respect, outsider."
Ciaran looked at the Noghri warrior, who continued to remain stoic as the Dynast spoke, though once he finished Hrak'vokh spoke for the first time since he had arrived.
"Warrior. Not criminal."
Ciaran glanced back at the Dynast.
"Hrak'vokh knows some of this "Basic." though only some words," the Dynast explained. "What matters is that he has chosen to recognize you as a fellow warrior worthy of being heard out. As such, we would be willing to place more trust in your words."
"I see," Ciaran said, politely bowing slightly towards Hrak'vokh before turning back to face the Dynast again. "If that's the case, let me start over from the beginning..."
She went on to explain how their world had been attacked as part of a strategy to spread fear and hatred to the rest of the galaxy, how she had been framed in the hopes of tarnishing her name, and how the Silver Cross had come to try and mitigate the damage the bioweapon had caused. As she spoke the Dynast quickly translated for the convenience of the rest of the Noghri, who started muttering and nodding amongst themselves as Ciaran finished her explanation.
"It would seem there is much we do not understand, but at the same time it cannot be denied that your tale is far too...grandiose, I believe is the right word, for it to be a lie. It is so far-reaching and yet stays consistent in its logic. As such, we have agreed to trust you in this matter. You will be free to go, and your people will be allowed to help us heal our world so long as they are willing to be watched over by us while they are doing so."
Ciaran nodded affirmatively. "Reasonable enough. On other thing, the two men there," she said as she gestured towards Quinlan and Tholme, "are also with me. I ask that they be given the same protection as the others."
The Dynast nodded. "Very well. Since there is nothing more to be said, you may go," he said as he and the rest of the Dynasts turned to leave, and the crowd of Noghri began to break apart as well. Though before she could leave she felt a hand tightly grip her shoulder, and on reflex she spun and prepared to punch her assailant - only for her hand to be caught by a stern-looking Hrak'vokh.
"Weak. Could be stronger."
Ciaran didn't detect an insult in his words, so... "I think you mean that I'm unskilled. I have to admit that you'd probably be better in a fistfight than I would be right now."
Hrak'vokh nodded, seeming to understand Ciaran's words. "Need teacher."
"Are you offering?"
He nodded slightly. "Curious. Have potential. ...Unexpected."
With that Hrak'vokh walked away.
"You seem to have a way with the warrior types," Silas muttered.
"Of course she would," Asajj replied. "Weren't you paying attention?"
Ciaran blinked owlishly. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm surprised you didn't notice. You had a smirk on your face for most of the fight."
Before Ciaran could say anything else she saw Tholme and Quinlan stride up to her with equally matching expressions of suspicion.
"I think you owe us both an explanation," Tholme said as Quinlan briefly but pointedly focused on Asajj.
"I could say the same," Ciaran retorted. "How-"
"I brought 'em here," Silas interrupted. "They were asking for asylum and were talking about a wound in the Force forming at the Jedi Temple."
Ciaran's face paled dramatically. "...What!?"
AN: And scene. We're at over 6k words now so I figure it's called for. And also all of that happened.
Aside from that the only real comment I have to make is that if it seemed like Hrak'vokh was using a particular fighting style he was - there weren't any detailed descriptions of what the martial art style the Noghri used so I ended up basing it off of Bajiquan if you want to look up more details on that.
Aside from that any other comments I would have would have would spoil the rest of the arc. Rest assured that I'll be covering the loose ends next time around.
It will also have Ciaran and Asajj's Excellent Witch Hunt, so look forward to that!
Edit: Edited this extensively to address some (valid) complaints people had about the chapter. Hopefully that fixes things!
It's almost hilarious in its irony. The power to change fate, at the cost of having that new future be set in stone..."
Honoghr
As the wind blew across the surface of Honoghr, a flower gently waved in the wind before a droplet of dark purple liquid collided with it, and within seconds the flower began to disintegrate, the wind quickly tearing the flower apart as the wildlife around it began to quickly decay from the horrific bioweapon that was ravaging the planet.
As it spread, a man with spiked black hair and a concerned expression looked out over the sight, recording what was happening on his scanner.
"Why here, of all planets...?" he muttered.
"General En?"
Rii'ke shook his head as he turned back to the clone trooper that had volunteered to stay with him on such a dangerous mission. "I'm trying to figure out why this planet was hit. Surely you understand that there's no strategic value here whatsoever..." He shook his head resignedly. "Sorry, you were saying something?"
"The shuttle's sensors have detected some transports coming in. IFF has cleared them as Silver Cross vessels. In addition it's been confirmed that among them was Lady Ciaran's personal cruiser."
Rii'ke's eyes widened briefly before he sighed resignedly. "While I am grateful that they're providing aid, that also means that our mission just got a lot more complicated. Still, our goals aren't contradictory," he said as he made his way towards the ships he saw entering the atmosphere and beginning to land, "so I can't imagine there will be any..."
He trailed off as he felt like he was being watched for a moment, and the trooper with him seemed to feel the same sensation as he raised his rifle and moved to be back-to-back with Rii'ke as they scanned the environment around them, but it seemed like nothing was there...
"We're joining with the relief party," Rii'ke said coolly as his eyes darted to and fro, trying to see if he was missing something as he started to get back on track. "If there's a threat here we need to protect them."
"Sir."
As the two of them reached the now landing relief party and seeing various people running to and fro and setting up equipment, they saw Ciaran walk down the ramp of her personal cruiser, looking around with a noticeable sense of unease before she faced Rii'ke. For a brief instant the Jedi got the unnerving sense that an intense gaze was on him even though the woman in front of him was blind...
"...I didn't know that there would be anyone else here," she said as he and the trooper with him walked over to her. "Are we intruding on a GAR operation, or...?"
"Nothing of the sort, ma'am. We're just here to determine what drove the Separatists to use a bioweapon on this planet in particular," Rii'ke explained, noting that Ciaran seemed visibly uninterested in what he was saying.
"Is that right? Well given what we're doing here odds are the scanners and the like should pick something up sooner or later," she said disinterestedly, not even bothering to pretend to make eye contact with Rii'ke as she looked around the quickly forming base camp.
Rii'ke couldn't help but be concerned; everything he'd heard about the...controversial Lady Ciaran was that she was a woman who seemed to enjoy getting under people's skin, always wanted to get the last word in a conversation, and...the woman in front of him wasn't acting like that at all, for some reason.
"...Pardon me for asking, but...is something wrong, Lady Ciaran? You seem...preoccupied with something."
Her head quickly turned back to Rii'ke and the Jedi suddenly felt like he was being analyzed by her for some perceived quality before she sighed and shook her head. "I think you've noticed that I haven't been getting too much sleep lately is all," she said as she made her way out towards the camp-
Suddenly the sounds of screaming began to echo through the air.
"So it's time, then," Ciaran muttered before dashing off towards the source of the screaming, and without a word Rii'ke and the clone trooper with him started to follow her. As they arrived on the scene they were greeted with the sight of grey-skinned humanoids throwing spears towards a group of panicking aid workers, many of them managing to strike them in the chest or head as others began to charge in wielding knives. Without hesitating, Rii'ke ignited his lightsaber and charged into the fray, trying to draw the alien attackers' attention as the relief team quickly began to evacuate the area. While he managed to hold his own against the increasing numbers of enemies, a part of him was dimly aware of the distinct sound of a spear piercing through armor followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. As he continued to fight a part of him knew that he would not be leaving this planet alive, but he pressed on-
His concentration was soon broken by the sight of Lady Ciaran slicing through a group of the attacking aliens with a lightfoil, though to his worry he noticed that she was beginning to pant heavily and lose her tempo the more the fight went on. Suddenly she yelled out in pain even though she was not visibly wounded and staggered briefly, though she managed to catch herself and stab an unfortunate alien in the chest as he tried to impale her with a spear. While Rii'ke tried to break through to her it was too late; before he could get close she fell to the ground and began to writhe in agony. At that point one of the aliens struck her directly in the face, shattering her visor and knocking her unconscious. They quickly moved to grab her and haul her away, and with that the rest of the aliens broke away from the fight, leaving Rii'ke alone on the corpse-filled battlefield. Quickly determining that a rescue attempt would likely get them both killed, he began to sprint back towards his ship as fast as his legs could carry him.
By the time Rii'ke made it back to his ship he had already rehearsed his distress call a dozen times in his mind before he noticed that there was an incoming call on it from an unknown frequency. Confused, he activated it, seeing the image of a man he didn't recognize appear. "This is Jedi Knight Rii'ke En, who-"
"I am Master Tholme," and as he spoke Rii'ke ship's computer confirmed that he was using an Order cipher. "and that is all you need to know right now. What is the situation on Honoghr?"
"Not good. A Silver Cross team led by Lady Ciaran arrived here just a few minutes ago, but they were ambushed and she was captured-"
He heard muffled shouting on the other end as Tholme glanced to his side. "We will be there momentarily. Hold position, do not do anything rash, and do not inform anyone else about this under any circumstances. Once I arrive we will work together to recover Ciaran."
"Don't inform-!? Master, what are you-!?"
"I will explain after I arrive, but you must trust me. Tholme out."
-------------
Ciaran forced her eyes open, her vision blurry as she tried to make out where she was and where the...the...was it Noghri? Everything seemed so...hazy...
As she tried to look up she saw a haze of green smoke appear in front of her, slowly resolving itself into the appearance of a viciously smirking Talzin. As she appeared, enough adrenaline began to course through Ciaran's system to help her remember...
She had charged towards the Noghri, igniting her lightfoil and beginning to strike down anyone who got close to her. While she was being overwhelmed she was prepared to use Shatterpoint on the ground beneath her to destabilize it, disorienting the Noghri and giving her a chance to escape. She had seen this fight play out in her visions-
Suddenly she felt her legs start to give out as though the strength had been suddenly sapped from them, and as she struggled to stay upright she felt the sudden weakness spread throughout her body. The pain eventually caused her to topple over onto the ground as she began to writhe in agony from the sudden pain that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The last thing she remembered was the clenched fist of a Noghri impacting her and shattering her visor-
"Talzin, you..." Ciaran was cut off as a wave of pain went through her body with a gesture from the witch.
"Do not think that you have any power anymore. This is punishment for your betrayal."
"...My betrayal!?" Ciaran growled out as she focused a hateful glare on Talzin. "You were the one who betrayed me. I-" She gritted her teeth as she felt another wave of pain. "You somehow drove the forces that attacked Mandalore insane-"
She screamed out as she felt a sharp pain in her chest as Talzin viciously sneered at her. "Foolish. All you had to do was grant Maul his wish for revenge and I would have no reason to kill you."
Ciaran was silent for a moment before she began to chuckle darkly. "...If you really mean that...then we were destined to be enemies from the day we met." Talzin didn't reply, so Ciaran continued. "Since we're being so honest with each other I'm going to be nice and warn you about something: No matter what happens next, Asajj will kill you."
"She would never betray her Mother."
"You'd be surprised-" Before Ciaran could get another word out she felt something hit her back, and as Talzin's image dissolved she looked up to the sight of what was undeniably a Rakatan temple.
She'd seen the temple in her shatterpoint visions before, but even so a part of her couldn't help but admit that if she had to die here, she could do far worse than having a temple of the Infinite Empire as a mausoleum.
As the Noghri dragged her inside she also noticed the shapes of what appeared to be deactivated droids leaning against some of the walls - it seemed that the Noghri didn't realize that the temple's defenders still slept here, waiting for an order that would likely never come...
Ciaran's thoughts were cut off as the Noghri threw her onto the ground in front of what appeared to be thirteen elders of the species, dressed in ornate robes and commanding clear authority over the others presence. She tried to force herself to stand, but Talzin's curse had weakened her too badly and she flopped to the ground with a groan of agony. With a grunt in a language she didn't understand from the lead elder she felt the arms of a pair of Noghri wrap around her own and drag her to her feet, bringing her face-to-face with the thirteen elders. As her vision started to blur again the lead elder spoke.
"You stand accused of the greatest of crimes against our people."
The rest of the Noghri chanted a word Ciaran didn't understand - though she guessed it was something along the lines of "murderer" or "guilty." As the chanting subsided, she used every ounce of strength left in her body to force herself to make eye contact with the Noghri. "You...you speak Basic?"
"The language of the sky gods is a strange one but known to us, though I am the most familiar with it," the elder replied. "As Dynast of Clan Khim'bar, I have been given the privilege of sentencing you to death for the destruction you have wrought against our people."
"...Why me?"
"You are dressed as a leader. The robes you wear are far more grand than those of a mere soldier."
"I..." Ciaran winced as she felt another wave of pain go through her. "That...may be true, but...I don't understand...what "crimes" are you referring to? My people came here to help-"
"Your people brought this devastation to our world!" the Dynast roared out, his words quickly followed by the enraged chanting of Noghri.
"That...that's insane, they were here to give aid..."
Ciaran trailed off as she suddenly noticed a glint of steel illuminated by the dim lights of the temple, and as she focused on it she could tell that it appeared to be a fragment of a warhead of some kind. It had shown up in her visions but it had been too blurry to make out at the time...
"...What is that?" Ciaran said, throwing her energy into jerking her head towards the warhead piece. With another barked order a pair of Noghri picked up the piece and brought it close enough to Ciaran for her to make out what was undeniably the symbol of the Silver Cross emblazoned on it.
A part of Ciaran wanted to laugh hysterically at the sight. This kind of false flag operation was one of the oldest tricks in the book, one easily disprovable under normal circumstances...but to a primitive species that had little to no contact with the outside galaxy and were looking for someone to blame for the bioweapon ravaging their planet...it may as well have been the undeniable word of their gods she was up against.
Even if the curse ravaging her body hadn't been a factor she had to admit that she still would have been captured by the Noghri and blamed for what was happening. Despite the pain throwing her thought process off she managed to put together Palpatine's plan: with the Noghri killing off a significant amount of the Silver Cross response team and a clone trooper, Honoghr would have been locked down by the Republic while they figured out what happened. The response team would have "somehow" found the warhead piece along with other evidence that was likely present elsewhere and concluded that somehow she had provided the Separatists with the bioweapon destroying Honoghr. Granted it was a PR fight she could win, but it would be a significant drain on her resources while she was fighting it and it would only serve to incite further conflict as details about the attack were presented to the galaxy. And of course, there's the off-chance that she would just get killed - a longshot, but one with little to no consequences for failure.
Talzin choosing to strike now was simply a stroke of incredibly good fortune for him.
"I...gah...don't suppose you'd believe me if I...ghhk...I told you that was forged specifically to frame me?"
"What reason would we have to believe your lies?" the Dynast coldly replied.
"Hah...because I...I came here to...to heal your planet. T-that is what that symbol truly means. It is a sign of healing and-" Ciaran trailed off as she felt her vision start to swim.
"...You are ill," the Dynast said quietly.
"Did...did you not notice up until now!?" Ciaran snapped, her vision briefly clearing up as rage-induced adrenaline went through her system. "If I wasn't being cursed right now a lot more of your people would have died trying to capture me," she spat out, briefly managing to ignore the pain and refocus through sheer anger towards her captors and frustration at her current state.
"Hmph...it matters-"
The Dynast was cut off as another Noghri shouted something towards him, and the two of them quickly had an exchange before the Dynast focused back on Ciaran. "It would seem that there is another who may prove your claims true."
Once again Ciaran had a feeling that something would arrive to save her through her visions but she had no idea what. "Wha..." Her vision started to blur again. "What are you...talking about..."
"Three more intruders have arrived. One bears the same scent as you."
"I...I don't..."
"Our people can smell the blood that ties family together."
Ciaran tried to get out a retort, to scream something out, but before she could her the world around her started to go black.
Just before she fell unconscious she heard-
"CIARA!"
As Silas tried to charge towards the altar he was restrained by the Noghri around him, and he continued to spit relentless curses at them as they dragged him up towards the Dynasts. Meanwhile Tholme and Quinlan were forced into the room at spear-point by other Noghri, both men's eyes widening as they saw what was happening.
"YOU LET ME GO OR I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU BASTARDS!" Silas screamed out as he tried to wrestle out of the grips of his captors to reach his unconscious granddaughter, whose body had now visibly gone pale. As the Dynast that had spoke to Ciaran approached him, Silas tried to break free again only for the Noghri to tighten their grips. Even so the glare that Silas was giving the Noghri was fierce enough to give the Dynast pause before he spoke again.
"Your child stands before us accused of-"
"I don't give a damn about what you're accusing her of," Silas said in a low growl. "Either you let her go right now or I swear that I will do whatever it takes to make sure every last one of you bastards dies."
The Dynast blinked. "You care for her that much," he said quietly.
Silas didn't say a word, only continuing to viciously glare at the Noghri in front of him as Tholme and Quinlan slowly began to reach for their lightsabers...
Suddenly the Dynast barked out an order that prompted an argument among him and the other twelve Dynasts present that went on for a long moment before the first Dynast turned to face Silas again. "I suggest you focus on healing your child instead of fighting pointlessly."
With those words the Noghri let go of Silas and Ciaran both, Ciaran starting to drop to the floor before Silas managed to catch her. He gave her a once-over before turning to face the Dynast.
"I do not know what afflicts her," he said, answering the unspoken question, "but it is no disease any of us have seen."
"If I may," Tholme said from the back, causing everyone in the room to focus on him, "I am a healer by trade. If you would be willing to give my apprentice and I a room where we can treat her..."
The Dynasts quickly debated among themselves for a moment. "That is acceptable. You will be escorted to a chamber where you can perform your healing - but you will not be allowed to leave until she has been healed and you and her are judged by us." Having said his piece, the Dynast shouted out a command to the rest of the Noghri, who quickly formed a corridor for their captives to move through.
A pair of Noghri started to move to pick up Ciaran, but respectfully moved away as Silas gave both of them a vicious glare. With a grunt of pain he lifted her unconscious body up and moved to join Tholme and Quinlan. Once grouped together the three of them were escorted into a nearly empty room save for a circular slab in the middle of it. As Silas moved to gently lay Ciaran down on it and Tholme and Quinlan cautiously followed him in, the Noghri behind them grunted, then visibly moved to either side of the door - out of sight, but clearly still present.
Once he had set her down, Silas placed the back of his hand against Ciaran's head, his eyes widening at how cold her body felt. "Wha-"
"Master Cata, I need you to get out of our way," Tholme brusquely said as he pushed Silas to the side, placing his hands on Ciaran's body as Quinlan looked at her intensely.
"This...I've felt this energy somewhere before..." he muttered.
"What the hell are you talking about!?" Silas shouted.
"Someone is using the Force to try and kill her," Tholme coolly said as he prepared to channel the Force into Ciaran though pointedly looking at Quinlan. "You said you felt something like this before. Where, and who?"
"Dathomir. This feels like Nightsister magic." As Quinlan said that he noticed Silas' eyes go wide. "Got something you wanna tell us, old man?"
Silas cursed internally as he realized he let something slip in his panic. "That's-"
Before he could respond, the sounds of Noghri shouting something at each other came from outside, to the visible concern of everyone in the room. As Silas and Quinlan tried to go outside they were blocked by a cross of spears, and despite both of their best efforts they couldn't see what was going on. Before long though the spears parted and Silas nearly choked on his spit as Asajj was escorted into the room much like the rest of them had been. Quinlan stared at her in confusion for a few moments before his eyes widened in recognition and he started to reach for his lightsaber-
"Don't. I'm not here to kill either of you," Asajj coldly said, brushing past the visibly stunned Silas and Quinan, looking over Ciaran's unconscious body and Tholme intensely focusing on Ciaran, though his eyes briefly darted to Asajj before he focused back on his work. "...It would seem this is just as I feared."
"What is happening to her?" Silas questioned, his voice shaking.
"A curse from the Great Mother herself. Healing her will only delay it, if it is allowed to progress further she will die no matter what any of us do," Asajj explained. "The only way to stop it is to destroy whatever Talzin is using as a physical anchor for it."
"Meaning...?" Quinlan said nervously.
"Ideally we would go to Dathomir, destroy it, and kill Talzin," Asajj coldly explained. "Right now we do not have that luxury. However..." She looked at Tholme, then back at Quinlan and Silas. "Do not interrupt us."
Without waiting for a reply Asajj closed her eyes and began to reach out across her Bond with Ciaran...
Asajj?
I leave your side for one moment and you're already half dead.
How did you know...?
...I could sense what was happening to you.
Hah...right...so is my number up? I-
Don't you dare finish that thought.
...You have a plan then?
One that is unlikely to work.
My favorite kind. What do you need me to do?
I can guide you to the source of this curse. But you will have to destroy its source yourself - it will take everything I have to get you there.
.......Alright.
Asajj reached out with the Force, feeling Ciaran's presence weakly following her as she sought out Talzin. She slid deeper and deeper into a trance as she saw a trail of green smoke in her mind's eye, and she followed it as it left Honoghr's atmosphere and trailed through space. After what seemed like an eternity she saw it reach Dathomir, and she followed it down to its surface, into the caverns the Nightsisters called home, and finally into a dark chamber where Talzin was holding a stone figurine resembling Ciaran above a cauldron filled with green liquid. As Asajj reached that point she felt Talzin's eyes upon her, though after a moment they widened in slight surprise.
"...Why are you here, Asajj?" she said quietly.
"This is why," and she felt Ciaran use the last of her strength to reach out towards the cauldron, cracks already beginning to appear on its surface.
"So she was-"
Talzin was cut off as the cauldron exploded, sending Asajj flying backwards and slamming against the wall of the room to the confusion of everyone in it. Their attention quickly shifted back to Ciaran as she started to cough violently before suddenly waking up, pitching over on her side, and vomiting up a steam of green smoke. As it dispersed everyone stared at her as she gasped for breath, and after a brief moment she turned to face Asajj with a ragged grin.
"No offense, but your mother-"
"The only reason I'm not hitting you right now is because it might kill you," Asajj retorted.
Ciaran started to reply but before she could she felt Silas' arms wrap around her, and she couldn't help but let out a slight "eek" of surprise as he started to crush her in a bear hug. "G-grandpa, need to breathe..."
Silas let go, though as he stepped back Ciaran could see his visibly teary face. "...Y-you have to stop scaring me like this, Ciara. I don't know if I can keep taking this."
With a groan, Ciaran unsteadily got to her feet before taking a deep breath and feeling the pleasant sensation of her muscles being strengthened by the Force, letting her recover in a matter of minutes as opposed to hours or days. "In my defense-" She trailed off when she noticed the two other people in the room, one of whom she immediately recognized as Quinlan Vos. She looked at them, then back to Asajj, then back to them, then back to Asajj...
"...There is no way this looks good for me, is there?"
"No," Quinlan coldly replied as Tholme nodded wordlessly in agreement, his eyes now locked on Asajj.
Before Ciaran could begin forming her usual set of lies and excuses she heard the Noghri guards shouting something. There was silence for a brief moment before a large group of Noghri came into the room, pointing their spears at the group and herding them together before they were marched back towards the altar...
-------------
"So, you still live," the Dynast said as he looked over the now much healthier Ciaran standing in between Silas and Asajj. Among the crowd of Noghri Tholme and Quinlan looked at the proceedings nervously, occasionally glancing around at the rest of the Noghri.
"I'm stubborn-" She winced as Asajj jabbed her in the side, "-and more importantly I had good help."
"I see," the Dynast coolly replied, seeming uncaring about Asajj's actions. "In any case, do you know why all three of you are standing here and being judged as one?"
"Not really." "Nope." "No."
"To our people blood and loyalty is everything. We could smell that you three shared that blood, though her scent is much weaker," the Dynast said as he gestured toward Asajj. "Your elder's desire to protect you and his fearlessness in doing so was worthy of praise, so we were willing to grant him the opportunity to let you be healed. That being said all three of you shall be judged-"
"I'm going to stop you right there," Ciaran said, pointedly ignoring how many of the Noghri began to grumble at her interruption. "As I was trying to say while I was busy nearly dying, that symbol you saw is a sign of healing, relief, and charity in the rest of the galaxy. That weapon was not built by me. I despise those kinds of things."
"She does," Asajj said. "It is quite annoying to hear her enraged screaming about the matter."
Ciaran looked at Asajj as though she had just stabbed her in the back while Silas pointedly averted his gaze from Ciaran and tried to whistle nonchalantly when Ciaran looked at him for affirmation.
"Mere words," the Dynast retorted. "We desire proof."
"She is telling the truth," Tholme called out from within the crowd of Noghri, all of them turning to face the Jedi Master. "Lady Ciaran is a respected philanthropist and renowned humanitarian. She would never-"
"Once again, there is no proof of your words," the Dynast shouted back, ignoring the glare Quinlan was shooting at him. "If there is no way you can provide that proof, we will have no choice but to find you guilty."
Ciaran racked her brain for an out for this situation, drawing a blank at first before part of her mind that had to have been influenced by Grievous gave her an idea.
"Would I be wrong in assuming your people take pride in strength and prowess through combat?"
The Dynast's eyes narrowed as Asajj facepalmed, Silas looked at Ciaran with a look that screamed "what are you thinking," and Quinlan and Tholme looked at Ciaran with barely hidden shock on their faces.
"...You are not wrong," the Dynast said slowly, weighing Ciaran's words.
For various reasons everyone held prisoner by the Noghri had the same thought at the same time: I can't believe this might work.
"I suppose if you wish to prove your words through combat it would be acceptable to us. Very well!" The Dynast shouted in Honoghran that set off a wave of chants, eventually leading to a particularly tall and muscular Noghri stepping forth from the crowd and onto the altar. Getting the message, Asajj and Silas backed off to a respectable distance; the former visibly resigned to what was about to happen while the latter was visibly concerned at what his granddaughter was trying to do.
After an exchange between the warrior and Dynast, the both of them turned to face Ciaran "This is Hrak'vokh, one of the finest warriors of Clan Bakh'tor. He will be the judge of your skills and intent."
Hrak'vokh's gaze was intense as he stared down Ciaran, though she was unfazed after seeing many similar looks from the Kaleesh.
"Since this is a trial of combat, you will be allowed to use one of our weapons," the Dynast explained as a quartet of Noghri walked up to the altar, accompanied by the chanting of the Noghri around them. One of them moved to hand an ornate spear to Hrak'vokh while the other three moved towards Ciaran, each of them holding out a weapon: a spear, a knife, and a steel blade respectively. With a slight smirk on her face Ciaran picked up the blade and gave it a few experimental swings, nodding to the Dynast once she was pleased with her choice.
As the weapon-bearing Noghri departed the chanting from the rest of the crowd slightly diminished while Hrak'vokh and Ciaran squared off against each other. Ciaran centered herself, strengthening her muscles and giving herself clarity-
Which quickly proved vital as she dodged a swift jab from Hrak'vokh followed by him closing the distance to Ciaran's slight surprise. She was undeterred however as she shifted into Form II, and while the added weight of the blade was throwing her off slightly she quickly took the advantage, dancing through Hrak'vokh's attacks and getting in a few slices. While the damage didn't seem to affect his fighting abilities, it was clear that he was actively surprised by Ciaran's skill. Evidently the rest of the Noghri felt the same as their chanting had died down in favor of shock at the fact that this outsider was gaining the advantage against one of Honoghr's finest warriors.
Hrak'vokh was far from finished though, as Ciaran realized once he threw his spear past her and shifted into pure melee combat. To her shock he was able to regain the advantage against her, laying into her with a series of brutal punches and kicks - though once again to Hrak'vokh's visible surprise Ciaran was able to take the punishment he was inflicting on her. At this point the fight began to shift towards more of a stalemate - Ciaran's swordsmanship was able to keep Hrak'vokh at bay to some extent and she was still able to get a few slices in, but Hrak'vokh was agile enough to dodge many of Ciaran's attacks and get in a few hits of her own.
At this point the only question would be who would go down first - though internally Ciaran was fairly certain it would be Hrak'vokh one way or another. Ciaran had assumed that she could simply outlast her Noghri opponent, but his own skill and tenacity would likely force her to kill him - and she wasn't particularly looking forward to the reaction of the Noghri if she killed their designated champion.
She got an opportunity when Hrak'vokh broke away, visibly cut up and clearly trying to reevaluate the situation. Doing her best to shift her body language to seem as neutral as possible, Ciaran slowly lowered her sword, noticing a curious look from Hrak'vokh but no reaction yet. Afterwards she tentatively walked towards him and held out a hand, and after a moment of hesitation, Hrak'vokh firmly grasped it to the audible shock of the crowd, not to mention the stunned expressions of Quinlan and Tholme. As Hrak'vokh turned to speak with the Dynasts, Silas rushed over to Ciaran.
"Ciara, what did I say about not giving me a heart attack?" he said with a mixture of anger and concern in his voice.
"In my-"
"No. No excuses. Stop doing that to me."
"For what it is worth, her response, while...unusual was probably the right one," Asajj commented as she glanced between Ciaran and the conversing Noghri. "I would hope you've been around the Kaleesh enough to recognize a society that respects martial strength."
"I get that, but you shouldn't have done that after you nearly died!" Silas said as he rounded on Ciaran again, who simply sighed in resignation knowing full well that arguing with her grandfather at that point was completely pointless.
Though before Ciaran could say anything more she heard the voices of the Dynasts rise in intensity as they conversed with the stoic Hrak'vokh before turning to confer among themselves in hushed tones.
"Don't get too confident, but that looks like the kind of argument where we don't all die horribly," Ciaran said quietly to Asajj and Silas, who both nodded in agreement.
After another moment the Dynast that had been speaking to Ciaran stepped forth as Hrak'vokh cast an unreadable look in her direction. "Hrak'vokh has testified in your favor. It would seem that you managed to earn his respect, outsider."
Ciaran looked at the Noghri warrior, who continued to remain stoic as the Dynast spoke, though once he finished Hrak'vokh spoke for the first time since he had arrived.
"Warrior. Not criminal."
Ciaran glanced back at the Dynast.
"Hrak'vokh knows some of this "Basic." though only some words," the Dynast explained. "What matters is that he has chosen to recognize you as a fellow warrior worthy of being heard out. As such, we would be willing to place more trust in your words."
"I see," Ciaran said, politely bowing slightly towards Hrak'vokh before turning back to face the Dynast again. "If that's the case, let me start over from the beginning..."
She went on to explain how their world had been attacked as part of a strategy to spread fear and hatred to the rest of the galaxy, how she had been framed in the hopes of tarnishing her name, and how the Silver Cross had come to try and mitigate the damage the bioweapon had caused. As she spoke the Dynast quickly translated for the convenience of the rest of the Noghri, who started muttering and nodding amongst themselves as Ciaran finished her explanation.
"It would seem there is much we do not understand, but at the same time it cannot be denied that your tale is far too...grandiose, I believe is the right word, for it to be a lie. It is so far-reaching and yet stays consistent in its logic. As such, we have agreed to trust you in this matter. You will be free to go, and your people will be allowed to help us heal our world so long as they are willing to be watched over by us while they are doing so."
Ciaran nodded affirmatively. "Reasonable enough. On other thing, the two men there," she said as she gestured towards Quinlan and Tholme, "are also with me. I ask that they be given the same protection as the others."
The Dynast nodded. "Very well. Since there is nothing more to be said, you may go," he said as he and the rest of the Dynasts turned to leave, and the crowd of Noghri began to break apart as well. Though before she could leave she felt a hand tightly grip her shoulder, and on reflex she spun and prepared to punch her assailant - only for her hand to be caught by a stern-looking Hrak'vokh.
"Weak. Could be stronger."
Ciaran didn't detect an insult in his words, so... "I think you mean that I'm unskilled. I have to admit that you'd probably be better in a fistfight than I would be right now."
Hrak'vokh nodded, seeming to understand Ciaran's words. "Need teacher."
"Are you offering?"
He nodded slightly. "Curious. Have potential. ...Unexpected."
With that Hrak'vokh walked away.
"You seem to have a way with the warrior types," Silas muttered.
"Of course she would," Asajj replied. "Weren't you paying attention?"
Ciaran blinked owlishly. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm surprised you didn't notice. You had a smirk on your face for most of the fight."
Before Ciaran could say anything else she saw Tholme and Quinlan stride up to her with equally matching expressions of suspicion.
"I think you owe us both an explanation," Tholme said as Quinlan briefly but pointedly focused on Asajj.
"I could say the same," Ciaran retorted. "How-"
"I brought 'em here," Silas interrupted. "They were asking for asylum and were talking about a wound in the Force forming at the Jedi Temple."
Ciaran's face paled dramatically. "...What!?"
AN: And scene. We're at over 6k words now so I figure it's called for. And also all of that happened.
It will also have Ciaran and Asajj's Excellent Witch Hunt, so look forward to that!
Edit: Edited this extensively to address some (valid) complaints people had about the chapter. Hopefully that fixes things!
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No mother likes loosing a child, even if they are insane. Whelp time to test how the Dagger of Mortis works.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well that was extremely exciting.
I was a little vexed that Ciaran was getting kidnapped so easily-Noghri or not, she's still Darth Traya.
Then I saw that Talzin was interfering, and that made more sense
I found it a little hilarious how Asajj has been gone from the public spotlight since her "death" that Quinlan actually had to take time to recognize her in both appearance and the Force.
I was a little vexed that Ciaran was getting kidnapped so easily-Noghri or not, she's still Darth Traya.
Then I saw that Talzin was interfering, and that made more sense
I found it a little hilarious how Asajj has been gone from the public spotlight since her "death" that Quinlan actually had to take time to recognize her in both appearance and the Force.
HymnOfRagnarok
Let's Rock
Whelp, the sisters' quest for retribution is on. I only wish we had a more epic roll for it, but it's definitely the interlude I am looking forward to most.
Also, Ciaran got Nightsister powers from Asajj in theory, but maybe she picked up something from getting metaphysically wrecked across the galaxy by a master.
Also, Ciaran got Nightsister powers from Asajj in theory, but maybe she picked up something from getting metaphysically wrecked across the galaxy by a master.
No we weren't, Ciaran isn't stupid enough for that.
She grew out her hair and went to therapy. Honestly, the biggest reason he did recognize her is probably just that Nightsisters have a very distinctive skin tone and there's very few of them running around the galaxy.
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Ardion Prosili
An (im)Perfect Cell
So once again, Ciaran is (possibly) increasing her ability to fist if the warrior follows Ciaran to teach her to cast fist? Wow she really is the punching force class isnt she lol
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HymnOfRagnarok
Let's Rock
Actually...
This was a pretty hilarious part of the update. Good thing he wasn't that good in his assessment of Ciaran's character.
This was a pretty hilarious part of the update. Good thing he wasn't that good in his assessment of Ciaran's character.
Unseelie
(Verified True Fae)
- Location
- Tír fo Thuinn
Evaunit02mark1
S-s-smell the Prey, S-s-start the Hunt.
Too evil for her own good. It's a sad sad day when it happens, but sometimes the old birds just huff a little bit of the cauldron fumes one too many times and get loopy.
I'd recommend putting her in a home, but I'm pretty sure she'd burn it down within the hour while screaming about how the lunch staff betrayed her by denying her an extra pudding cup.
The Sandman
So Zetta Slowpoke
- Location
- Wherever I am, which isn't where I'm not
Maybe fairer to say "not war criminal."
And now to try and figure out how to convince the Jedi that the Coruscant Temple is rapidly turning into a no-go zone for anyone not explicitly there to heal the corruption of the local Force Nexus, assuming it's even possible. Especially when most of the leadership isn't there, can't recognize the Dark Side worth a damn, or is Mace Windu and won't be able to differentiate the external darkness from the internal darkness that his entire combat style is already about controlling.
Not to mention that even if we do convince the Jedi, actually removing everything of value from the Temple and evacuating everyone from it will be a logistical and political nightmare.
And now to try and figure out how to convince the Jedi that the Coruscant Temple is rapidly turning into a no-go zone for anyone not explicitly there to heal the corruption of the local Force Nexus, assuming it's even possible. Especially when most of the leadership isn't there, can't recognize the Dark Side worth a damn, or is Mace Windu and won't be able to differentiate the external darkness from the internal darkness that his entire combat style is already about controlling.
Not to mention that even if we do convince the Jedi, actually removing everything of value from the Temple and evacuating everyone from it will be a logistical and political nightmare.
HymnOfRagnarok
Let's Rock
...A thought occurs.
Break into the temple with the intent of planting a fake Sith artifact or bomb or some kind of sabotage, in order to drive them out of the insanity wound driving them insane. Discover evidence of the actual Sith artifact under the temple.
Then just roll with it and use that to galvanize the Jedi into action. Or justify clearing stuff out, discreetly at least, and making an intense, careful search.