May The Invisible Hand Be With You - (Star Wars CK2-Style Quest)
- Thread starter Dr. Snark
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
-
- Tags
- 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
Yes, Ciaran and Asajj are handling it.
- Location
- USA
We could try and get the other clan on dathomir help to kill talzin
Actually, I think it's the Interlude after next, but I might be misremembering.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Next one up is "The Great Mother". "Black and White" is the interlude after next
- Location
- At the Edge of Insanity
Also known as: You thought Grievous dropping by in Canon was bad? Now have two pissed off Force Users instead. One of them being Asajj. Who is doing the attacking instead of the running away.
Last edited:
Oh, god if Asaji is attacking and generally being a distraction what the hell is Ciaran going to be doing in the background?
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Trying to meddle in Padmé's & Obi-Wan's respective love lives, of course, where have you been?
More seriously, probably ensuring that future Nightsisters will have a new, Miralukan-looking goddess of death in their pantheon.
Interlude - The Great Mother
Dr. Snark
Exactly As Planned...Probably
- Location
- Right where I want to be
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
The Kell Dragon
En Route To Dathomir
Fortunately for Ciaran, an active assassination attempt on her life made it easy for her to convince Quinlan and Tholme that they had to kill Talzin right now, and despite their visible reservations about working with Asajj they quickly agreed. Tholme even dryly noted that every one of them was likely marked for death by the witch at that point anyway, so what other choice did they have? After quickly sending away the Jedi that had been sent to examine the planet with a situation report that quietly omitted the majority of the conflict with the Noghri as well Tholme and Quinlan's presence, the duo decided to stay on board the Kell Dragon during the trip to Dathomir, and with that the unlikely team left Honoghr behind and made their way into space.
Once the Kell Dragon had entered hyperspace with the Forefather's Charm and Vectivus right behind it Ciaran went through a brief but very tense conversation with Tholme and Quinlan, going over their story and ensuring that she had the facts straight. Once she confirmed it, she sealed herself away in her quarters - though not before telling the two Jedi that their conversation was far from over and would continue after Talzin was dead. Her isolation was ostensibly to help her concentrate on a plan to help deal with Talzin, but in reality it was to let her process what she had just heard:
A Wound in the Force had formed at the Coruscant Jedi Temple.
If ever there was a sentence she never wanted to hear in her life, that was unquestionably it.
Aside from the Wound at Malachor Ciaran really didn't have much concrete information to go on with Wounds; sure there were plenty of recorded instances of them throughout history but from what she could glean from them the traditional solution to them was "keep away from them until they vanish," a solution that would not do in the current situation.
Unfortunately for Ciaran as she poured over various records of Force Wounds in her quarters, she had no idea what to actually do about it.
Just tell the Jedi? Oh sure, it's not like they distrusted her even before the Wound started to affect them and the certainly weren't going to try to use the opportunity to get her thrown in jail at saberpoint or something equally ridiculous at this point. With the Order's increased paranoia, that wasn't really an option.
Get them to leave? Political issues aside (which were bad enough as it was even after the Tarkin scandal), if an active terrorist strike on their home wouldn't get them to leave, nothing would. Fabricating a disaster of some kind was also right out given the increased security, some of which Ciaran herself was responsible for inspiring.
Create some kind of ritual to fix it? Assuming the Jedi would let her do it, (they wouldn't) or that they would trust some outside group to do so (nope), or that they would trust Tholme and Quinlan to do so at this point (unlikely), said ritual didn't exist. Meaning it would have to be created from scratch, tested, and so on, and at this point that would take up time she didn't have.
She'd gone over the information she had for several hours straight, but as far as she could tell the situation with the Wound was every bit as hopeless as Quinlan and Tholme had made it sound.
Shaking her head Ciaran reminded herself that she had a far more immediate problem to deal with, and it was proving to be quite the issue. With no idea of how long it would take for Talzin to try another assassination she had to get to Dathomir now, and that meant that she didn't have time to call in proper reinforcements. Either they were too far away, or they would have to deal with the increased security in that region of space due to Dathomir's relatively close proximity to Mandalore and Taris. Most of her best fighters were also busy with their own critical missions, so there weren't any reinforcements coming. It would be four Force users and Silas (who had no business being in a fight like that to begin with and would be staying in the Forefather's Charm no matter what) against the entirety of the Nightsisters and Talzin. Those were incredibly long odds.
Fortunately, Ciaran had one last ace up her sleeve. And as she felt the Kell Dragon exit hyperspace she knew that getting the Singing Mountain Clan to fight with her was a longshot, but at this point it was the only option she really had left...
-----------
As the sun began to set on Dathomir Ciaran, Asajj, Tholme, and Quinlan made their way towards the eponymous Singing Mountain the air between the quartet was incredibly tense. It only increased further as they caught sight of the Singing Mountain Clan's warriors in clear sight yet conspicuously not attacking them at all, merely watching over them as they made their way to the base of the mountain.
Once they reached its base they were greeted by a much larger crowd of warriors lead by the regal Augwynne Djo standing at the front of them. Ciaran stepped forward, getting a quick read on Djo before she spoke and noted that she seemed pensive but not hostile - though the clan mother seemed to be visibly focusing on her for some reason or other. With that in mind she started to open her mouth-
"I know why you are here," Djo interrupted. "You wish to kill Talzin, and you need our help."
Ciaran looked at her, visibly confused and noticing that she now looked visibly resigned for some reason. "Er...yes...but how did you know?"
"Our elder foresaw that this day was coming. She told us that a pair of Jedi, a...Nightsister-"
"Former Nightsister," Asajj coldly interrupted.
"...At any rate, she told us that your arrival would signal the end of our struggle with the Nightsisters one way or the other," Djo said, and Ciaran noticed that she was quietly omitted from the description of the people arriving...
Before Ciaran could ask the relevant question, Tholme stepped forward. "Forgive me for saying this, but this seems incredibly convenient. From what I understand your clan was merely feuding with the Nightsisters up to this point. And now that we're here you're willing to push it into open war?"
"...He has a point," Ciaran admitted as she mulled it over in her head. "From the sounds of it you're willing to presume that random strangers showing up is a sign of the end times."
"Are you so willing to turn down our aid?" Djo said.
"We're more wondering what's in it for you," Quinlan interjected. "You're taking a big risk here; what makes you think-"
"Enough," Ciaran interrupted. "Quite frankly it doesn't matter what she wants. Skipping the whole 'can you trust me' bit sounds nice, so why don't we just cut to the chase and figure out what needs to be done?"
Asajj grunted in affirmation, and while Quinlan glared at Ciaran he quickly backed down. Tholme shrugged, muttered "At worst we can easily fight our way out" under his breath, then nodded respectfully towards Djo. "My compatriot is right. We should focus more on our common enemy. Shall we?"
Djo nodded. "My sisters will guide you to a suitable meeting place then," she said as she gestured towards a group of clanswomen that were visibly armed. Though as everyone moved to follow them Djo gently put a hand on Ciaran's shoulder. As Ciaran slowly faced Djo, she could tell that she was visibly unnerved - not by her though but...
"Mother Rell wishes to see you, if you would be so kind," Djo said in a tone that indicated she wasn't making a request. "It will take some time for some of the other clans to arrive, and it seems your comrades have things well in hand."
Ciaran glanced over her shoulder to see Asajj looking over her shoulder at her, still following the others but with her hands drifting ever so slightly towards her lightsabers...
"...I suppose that'd be fine, given everything you're doing for us," Ciaran said slowly. Djo nodded coolly before letting go, and as she gestured for Ciaran to follow her Ciaran glanced at Asajj and gave a slight nod. With that Asajj nodded back, turning away and letting her arms relax.
------------
As Ciaran arrived at Rell's dwelling higher on the mountain she noticed that there were a number of Singing Mountain clanswomen just out of sight - while they were hidden visually by both terrain and the darkness of the night Ciaran easily spotted them through her Force vision. Though oddly enough they didn't seem to be preparing to attack, and as she glanced at Djo she could tell that the clan mother didn't seem to be readying herself for a fight...
Once they reached the door to the dwelling Djo called out "Mother Rell. She is here." And from behind the door came a soft and ragged "She may enter, then."
Djo stood to the side, gesturing for Ciaran to enter. Increasingly suspicious but having no reason to argue (yet), she cautiously opened the door, its primitive hinges creaking as she entered to the sight of various charms hanging from the ceiling and walls covered in hand-painted pictures that Ciaran didn't understand the context of. Though what caught her attention was the sight of the old woman within it - or rather her presence in the Force. It was very strong, but it looked...strange to Ciaran, as though it were being pulled in two different directions towards...somewhere. As Rell turned to face Ciaran, she could tell that the Mother was very old, her body nearly skeletal presumably from age.
"Ah...so here you are...yet you were not here before," Rell said. "The one who is not in the past but who seems to be the one who will decide the future."
Ciaran sighed resignedly. "Please tell me you're not going to be this cryptic the whole time. I've heard it before and..." She frowned as her annoyance faded and she started to parse over Rell's words. "...Wait. What do you mean, 'not in the past'?"
Rell smiled softly. "The Force has gifted me with sight, though it is both of the past and future. Sometimes I see the past. Sometimes the future. Often it is difficult to tell...especially when the past is changed."
That caused Ciaran to tilt her head slightly in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand."
"The past is set in stone," Rell replied. "And for most, their destiny is decided long before it is ever realized. But..."
Ciaran suddenly felt a heavy weight descend upon her as Rell's eyes locked on her.
"You were not here. Until a few nights ago you were never here. Our struggle against the Nightsisters continued. Yet here you are now, and our struggle is reaching its conclusion. And when I was able to see the altered future you were there, but you were also absent. In all my years...I have never seen anything of its like.
Why are you here?"
For a moment it seemed as though Rell's voice was infinitely more commanding, though Ciaran was unfazed. "I am here to kill Talzin. That's it. Aside from that I have no other purpose on this planet nor do I intend to return once my business here is done. There is nothing more for me here."
Rell remained silent.
"Do you have anything else-"
"You do not seem to understand what it is you are doing or what you are," Rell interrupted suddenly.
"Trust me...I'm a lot more aware of what you're implying than you think I am," Ciaran retorted.
Rell continued to stare at Ciaran before nodding slightly. "...Perhaps you are correct. You carry many echoes with you that I cannot hope to comprehend." With that, she slowly sat back down.
"If there's nothing else, then I wanted to ask...that whole thing about the four of us showing up, was that a lie?"
"Oh no. I saw your three companions standing with us. You were...present, yet absent. It was one of the reasons why I wished to speak with you. That is all."
Ciaran nodde, bowed slightly, and left the dwelling without a word. As she got outside, Djo stood before her with her arms crossed.
"I think she likes me," Ciaran said coolly.
"...I do not know what you are," Djo said slowly, "but know that I am only trusting you because those people with you are the same that Mother Rell saw in her visions."
"Good enough for me," Ciaran replied. "By the way, if you were going to try and kill me afterwards you would have needed more fighters."
Djo remained silent for a moment before turning, saying "We should rejoin your people," and heading down the mountain, Ciaran close behind her...
-----------
As the sun started to rise on the day of the battle Ciaran glanced around at the army that was marching alongside her. Hundreds if not thousands of warriors from what seemed to be a dozen different tribes made up the vanguard, and close behind them a line of Rancors stomped forwards, each with a woman saddled on them and holding reins that didn't seem sufficient enough to control such mighty beasts...
Any chance you could teach me how to keep a Rancor under control one of these days? Ciaran asked Asajj telepathically.
I doubt any of them would be willing to part with theirs, Asajj replied.
Though the real surprise for Ciaran was the tribes of Kwi that had arrived to join in the fight - large cobalt-blue lizards that stood on a pair of hind legs, had stubby clawed arms, and from what she saw mouths filled with black teeth that looked like it could tear through anything short of steel.
You know, a part of me wishes that the Kwi weren't somewhat sapient. I want one. Or two. A pack actually.
Ciaran felt a sense of annoyance come from Asajj. Perhaps it is for the best that is the case then.
Killjoy.
Outwardly Asajj was looking straight ahead as the exterior of the Nightsisters' fortress came into view. Beside her Quinlan was actively scanning the horizon to see if anyone was hiding out of sight, while Tholme had taken up the rear guard to help coordinate some of the forces. Djo herself remained on the Singing Mountain, largely to prepare rituals to bolster their forces and counter whatever Talzin or the other Nightsisters would throw at them.
It was a force to be reckoned with and much more than Ciaran had hoped for. Even so as the fortress grew closer it became visibly apparent that the Nightsisters had deployed in force, with an army just as large as their forces and with a large number of Rancor riders in their own right. They didn't seem to be advancing though...
Once the Singing Mountain forces were close enough to make the Nightsisters visibly ready themselves for a fight, they stopped suddenly after a few barked orders were shouted out.
Showtime, Ciaran thought to herself as she and Asajj slowly walked forward.
"We want to parley!" Ciaran shouted out towards the Nightsisters, who were visibly confused by the request.
"You heard her right," Asajj called out in affirmation. "We wish to negotiate and avoid more fighting than is necessary."
"We ask that you send forth a representative so that we can go over terms with them."
There was a considerable amount of grumbling from the Nightsister lines before someone replied "I will go!"
Asajj's eyes widened slightly as she recognized the woman that was stepping forth - Saato, the one-time acolyte of Sora Bulq that she had spared back in the Coruscant Undercity. She resolutely marched forward to where Ciaran and Asajj were standing, though once she arrived her gaze fell squarely on Asajj.
"...So it's true then," she said softly. "You have betrayed us. You've betrayed our Great Mother -"
"Your Great Mother," Asajj interrupted. "I hold no loyalty to her. Not anymore."
Saato was silent, before looking at Ciaran with fury in her eyes. "What did you do to her!?" She hissed out.
"I gave her her life back," Ciaran replied. "If it wasn't for my help she would be dead."
"That, or little more than a madwoman endlessly chasing after revenge," Asajj added quietly before staring Saato straight in the eyes. "There were no tricks. No deceptions. I am standing alongside Ciaran of my own volition, and nothing will ever change that."
"B-but...the Nightsisters..."
"I haven't been on this planet in years, Saato," Asajj explained. "I have no ties to the people in front of me. However, I do not wish to fight this battle unless I have to. We can avoid the fight ahead if you would hand over Talzin."
Saato balked at Asajj's terms. "W-we could never hand over our Great Mother, why-!?"
"She tried to kill me and if left alone would do so again," Ciaran explained. "I'm not leaving this planet until I know she's dead."
Asajj noticed that Saato didn't seem to be surprised by Ciaran's explanation. "You killed her son," she retorted, though her voice betrayed her lack of conviction.
"I killed her son," Asajj declared. "He was little more than a mad beast when I did so; even if his body had lived on his mind was already shattered."
Saato was visibly dumbstruck, giving Ciaran the chance to surreptitiously press a button on her comlink before she could recover. "...I-If that is the case...then Great Mother Talzin will show no mercy to either of you." While the threat was clear, it was obvious to the both of them that her heart wasn't really in it.
"That's fine," Ciaran replied. "Also, thank you."
"...For what?"
"Being an excellent distraction."
Asajj promptly punched Saato square in the face, knocking her unconscious. As the Nightsister army started to react they turned towards the sound of an aircraft getting closer-
Within seconds the Forefather's Charm dove down and began strafing the Nightsister army with a relentless barrage of laser and missile fire, sending warriors flying and panicking any rancors that survived. It sped across the Nightsister lines, continuing its run before breaking off as the Singing Mountain army approached, Silas knowing full well that he would be doing far more harm than good at that point.
"Don't die on me, Ciara..." Silas muttered as he turned the Forefather's Charm towards the Singing Mountain.
Meanwhile on the ground the battle had fully begun in earnest; warriors from both sides were colliding against each other, dueling with swords or trying to pick off opponents with energy bows. Rancor riders charged through the melee, sending people flying as they carved a warpath towards the enemy. Some had even engaged each other, the rancors clawing at each other in a brutal fight to the death.
Ciaran and Asajj were right in the thick of this, back-to-back as they fended off dozens of warriors that had surrounded the duo. Even so it was clear that they held the advantage over the Nightsisters as anyone who was unfortunate enough to get too close was almost immediately cut down, and any arrows fired at them would be effortlessly deflected.
Their concentration was broken by the roar of a rancor that was beginning to charge towards them, though before it could reach them a pack of Kwi launched an attack - some bit down on the rancor's arms and pulled it down while others jumped on its back to keep it from standing back up. Within seconds the rancor was being ripped to shreds by the fearsome lizards.
"See, this is why I want some of them!" Ciaran shouted to Asajj.
"Would you shut up and keep fighting!?" Asajj shot back.
Elsewhere, Quinlan had entered into the combat trance of Vaapad and was slicing through any Nightsister he could see. When he spotted a rancor menacing some Kwi who were being cornered, he charged towards it, sliced off one of its arms in a brutal swing, and dodged under the swipe of the other arm. From there he leapt up onto its back, stabbed its rider through the chest, then stabbed his lightsaber deep into the rancor's skull. With it slain he leapt off of it as it collapsed to the ground and continued his rampage.
At the rear Tholme was concerned; the battle had been going well to be sure and he hadn't had to intervene yet, but this seemed to be going far too well. He knew that the Nightsisters had to have other tricks up their sleeves...
He was proven right as ominous chanting began to fill the air and green mist poured out of the fortress' entrance, quickly flooding the battlefield. As the Singing Mountain army wondered what was going on the Nightsisters visibly backed off slightly, as though waiting for something...
Then the screaming began.
Decaying corpses clawed out of the earth and began to attack the Singing Mountain army - while it was clear from their tattoos and what was left of their clothing that they were once Nightsisters, they were now little more than feral thralls attacking everything that wasn't a Nightsister. They would leap onto warriors and Kwi and begin biting and clawing at them, or if they were faced with a Rancor they would simply begin swarming it, bringing it down through sheer weight of numbers.
"The hell are these things!?" Ciaran shouted as she sliced apart a pair of zombies that were trying to grab her.
"It would seem these are dead Nightsisters brought back through one of their rituals!" Asajj replied, cutting down a trio herself.
"Since when could the Nightsisters create a zombie army!?"
"It is certainly difficult, but far from impossible-"
"Wait, are you implying you can do it too!?"
"Not to this extent-"
"You can create a zombie army of your own!?"
"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY!?" Asajj shouted, punctuating her frustration by pushing away a group of zombies with the Force.
Meanwhile Quinlan was holding his own against the newly risen zombie hordes, wondering when exactly everything had gone mad. Quickly concluding that he needed to rejoin Tholme to figure out a new plan, he began wading his way through the undead Nightsisters towards Tholme, who had now drawn his lightsaber and was actively cutting down anything that got close. As Quinlan arrived Tholme gritted his teeth and faced towards the fortress entrance. "We need to get inside and stop this ritual, or we're going to die from attrition!"
"If we leave the rest of the army behind these undead are going to tear them apart," Quinlan retorted. "We need-"
He stopped as he suddenly felt a sense of empowerment come over him, and as he glanced around he saw that the Singing Mountain army was beginning to rally, forming up in tight groups to better fend off the encroaching undead and remaining Nightsister warriors.
"Battle Meditation...so that's what Djo's counter was," Tholme muttered before turning to face Quinlan. "I'll stay out here and rally the troops for a counterattack. Find Ciaran and Ventress, get inside that fortress, and end this madness. Hurry!"
Quinlan nodded, rushing over to Ciaran and Asajj, who had come to a similar conclusion and were already heading for the fortress entrance themselves. Though before they could get inside they were halted by a massive roar, and from its entrance a titanic rancor covered from head to toe in body paint and tattoos stormed out, hungry for blood.
"Oh good. We're up against the king of all rancors," Ciaran said.
With another roar the rancor charged forwards at a speed far faster than its size would suggest, and began swiping at the three intruders. While they were able to wound it with their lightsabers, it only served to enrage it further as it began to pound the ground with its fists in the hopes of smashing its foes, cracking the earth beneath it. At the same time the situation was rapidly degrading as undead Nightsisters were beginning to move towards them in greater numbers, forcing Quinlan to break away and hold them off.
Ciaran looked at the situation and realized that there was probably only one way out of this. "Asajj, get up on its head and try to calm it down!"
Without a word Asajj dodged to the side of one of its ground pounds before leaping on its head, pressing her palms against it and commanding it to submit. Unfortunately for her it was proving to be quite resistant to her, and it began thrashing around in an attempt to throw off Asajj.
"Uh...Force it down! I'll try to follow your lead!" Ciaran shouted out as she charged towards the rancor, the beast falling to its knees as Asajj put everything she had into ordering it to kneel. Once it did Ciaran pressed her hands against its head and began pushing out, trying to match Asajj's commands to stop struggling, to calm itself...
After a moment Ciaran felt her and Asajj's commands synchronize and amplify themselves, the tandem effort serving to reinforce the commands. Within a few seconds the rancor's eyes dulled slightly and it finally stopped struggling.
Go fight the Nightsister armies, Ciaran and Asajj commanded in unison, and after Asajj jumped down to the ground the rancor stood up, roared once again, and began to charge towards the undead trying to surround Ciaran, Asajj, and Quinlan. With their entry route secured the three of them nodded at each other before sprinting for the entrance...
-------------
As the trio made their way into the fortress they were struck by just how quiet and empty it was - none of them could sense anyone trying to ambush them, and apart from the distant sounds of combat there was nothing to be heard.
Once they arrived at the center they slowed down and stopped, seeing none other than Talzin herself standing before them, clearly waiting for their arrival.
"I knew that each of you would come here to kill me one day," she said as an eerie reverb backed her words before pointing at Quinlan. "You have stood against the Nightsisters in the past, and I will be sure to avenge those you have slain." Then Ciaran. "You were the one who orchestrated the death of my beloved son, and slew his brother." Then Asajj, and her hand shook slightly as her face contorted in fury. "And you. You killed Maul. You betrayed us."
"I struck down a walking corpse," Asajj retorted. "Maul was mad, and by the time I found him he was little more than a vengeful shell of a being."
"HOW DARE YOU!" Talzin screamed out, the walls of the fortress slightly shaking. "You DARED to stop me when I tried to exact my revenge. You betrayed your Mother-"
"YOU TRIED TO KILL MY SISTER!"
As Ciaran heard that she turned toward Asajj, visibly taken back. Quinlan was equally as stunned, wondering why it was that Asajj Ventress was willing to say such a thing about anyone.
"You weren't there when I was left to die. You weren't there when I was lost and uncertain of my place in the galaxy. You weren't the one who helped me realize that my path would have left me blindly obsessed with vengeance like your son was. But she was. I won't-"
Asajj was cut off as Talzin snarled in fury before holding out a hand and launching a beam of lighting at Asajj, who barely managed to hold it back. Ciaran quickly whipped out her blaster pistol and tried to shoot at Talzin, but she held up her other hand and generated a green sphere around her, blocking her shots and Quinlan's attempt to charge in. Before either of them could react Talzin amplified her lightning, causing it to explode in Asajj's face and send her flying towards a nearby wall. It visibly cracked as Asajj's body slammed against it, then Asajj's unconscious body toppled forward onto the ground as Ciaran stared at her, wide-eyed, her blaster falling out of her hand.
"Both of you will die," Talzin snarled, letting her shield drop. "But her death will be slow." With that she drew a line of green smoke followed by a slight curve in the air, and as she finished tracing the shape the smoke expanded into the shape of a sword with a dragon's head hilt, the blade alight with sickly green fire.
Quinlan started to raise his lightsaber before he felt Ciaran's hand tightly clamp down on his shoulder. "Go. I'll deal with her myself." The flat tone of her voice brooked no argument, and as Quinlan looked back he could see the raw fury in her eyes. He nodded, and began to move towards the source of the ritual that had raised the dead. Talzin begin to turn towards him, but she was interrupted as Ciaran moved and locked her saber against her sword.
"Foolish," Talzin boasted as she pushed Ciaran back, bringing her sword down on her - but Ciaran quickly dodged it and sliced at her side, though Talzin was able to easily block the strike. From there, the pair exchanged a brief set of blows before Talzin smirked and raised her barrier again, pushing Ciaran away. "You cannot defeat me." With that she began to charge up another beam of lightning...
Ciaran stood eerily still, though her Moonlight Blade had begun to destabilize, the lightsaber pulsing with uncontrolled energy. Then she slowly held out her free hand to her side, and from beneath her robes the hilt of the Dagger of Mortis floated into it, her fingers tightly closing around it as the blade materialized. As Talzin fired her lightning at Ciaran she quickly dodged to the side before charging at Talzin and slicing straight through her barrier with the Dagger, the sphere disintegrating into smoke as her expression morphed into one of fear. She didn't know what Ciaran had done, but the essence she had put into that barrier had vanished once it had been pierced.
"You know, it's funny," Ciaran said quietly as she slowly stepped towards Talzin, the witch now actively backing away in terror. "When I first got here I was terrified of you. Of how strong you were. Of how you seemed to know so much more about the Force than I did. But then...then I found people willing to teach me. I learned that I had potential not yet realized, gifts that would make me stronger if I could master them. But honestly? None of that matters. After all..." Ciaran pointed the Dagger towards Talzin.
"Why would I be afraid of someone who's already dead?"
Talzin launched herself back, manifesting as many additional swords as she could and telekinetically throwing them at Ciaran, who either dodged or deflected every blade thrown at her. Still, she was slowed down enough for Talzin's final gambit - she reached out and pushed into her mind, searching for what she feared-
Ah. You want to know what I fear most? You seem to be quite sure it will save you from your inevitable death.
Talzin felt something entrap her as Ciaran's mind produced a vision of a world she didn't recognize, one that had sweeping mountains, rolling green hills, and bright blue seas-
Very well, I will humor you. Allow me to show you what I fear more than anything else in this galaxy.
The air suddenly went still, the seas dried up, the grass turned into dust, and the water evaporated. Before Talzin could react she felt a [---------] appear behind her, and as she turned to face it she saw a figure in black robes wearing a bone-white mask. She lashed out at it with her sword, managing to crack its mask-
And for a brief instant she saw Ciaran's face beneath it.
Then [---------] surrounded her. She saw [---------], she felt [---------], she-
She screamed in terror as she charged forward in desperation, abandoning any pretense of skill or finesse as she sliced wildly at the monster in front of her in the hopes of cutting her down. While Ciaran was able to counter her easily, she wasn't able to get an opening for the finishing blow-
Suddenly she heard her blaster pistol go off and saw a bolt fly towards Talzin out of the corner of her eye. On reflex she started to redirect it and felt that same resonance from her bond with Asajj as earlier, the bolt quickly darting around Talzin's frenzied swings before hitting her in the hand, forcing her to drop the sword. With that Ciaran rushed in and plunged the Dagger into Talzin's chest.
Her scream shook the fortress once again as her body began to dissolve into mist - slowly at first, then faster and faster, more and more of her vanishing-
And then the fortress was empty, as though Talzin was never there to begin with.
Ciaran didn't bother taking in the kill, though, immediately running over to the now barely conscious Asajj, who was trying and failing to push herself off of the ground. Ciaran reached out a hand towards Asajj, who didn't hesitate in grabbing it. Ciaran hauled her up and leaned Asajj against her for support as she looked around, sensing that the ritual had been ended and that the battle outside had come to a close. Sure enough Quinlan arrived, glancing over the pair. He moved to help Asajj, but she weakly pushed him away as she and Ciaran slowly made their way outside alongside him, looking out and seeing that the battlefield was rapidly emptying. After a moment Tholme made his way over to the trio, slightly worse for wear but still standing.
"Well it would seem that you managed to win this battle for us," Tholme said coolly. "The Singing Mountain forces have already started to gather prisoners and head back to the mountain. I doubt they'll mind if we-"
He trailed off as he noticed Quinlan, Ciaran, and Asajj staring into the distance, and as he followed their gazes he saw what seemed to be a bound Nightsister being held at sword-point by a pair of Singing Mountain warriors. Once they got close enough Asajj and Ciaran could recognize that the Nightsister in question was Saato, looking downcast as she approached. Once they reached the quartet the warrior on the left spoke. "She surrendered immediately after regaining consciousness, but requested the chance to speak with you," pointing towards Asajj.
"...Why?" Asajj asked, trying to force herself as upright as she could.
Saato was silent for a long moment before she kneeled and bowed her head towards Asajj. "Great Mother."
Asajj frowned. "I am no Nightsister. And the clan is as good as dead now-" She winced slightly.
"...You saved my life, twice over even."
"I knocked you unconscious."
"Honestly I didn't do anything myself because I thought it-" Ciaran was cut off as Asajj glared at her.
"More than that though...I helped kill Talzin," Asajj said quietly. "Don't you hate me for that?"
Saato fell silent for a long moment. "I...know I should but..." She trailed off. "...Great Mother Talzin couldn't believe it when she learned that you were the one who killed Maul at first. She refused to believe that you had betrayed us...but I still had a few sources from my time with Bulq and his acolytes. I learned about what he tried to do. Found out how obsessed he was with revenge and destruction. When I approached her the Great Mother said his revenge was justified but...look at what Talzin's desire for revenge did to us."
Asajj closed her eyes. "And then someone showed you that there was another way." They snapped open again as she pulled herself up straighter and faced the Singing Mountain warriors. "I want her to be in my custody."
"You heard the woman," Ciaran said, nodding in affirmation. "Surely Mother Djo wouldn't mind if we took her with us?"
The two warriors glanced between each other before nodding. "Very well. We have no use for her anyway." With that, they left, leaving the five of them alone on the now empty battlefield.
Not going to lie, I had a feeling you'd willing to speak up for her, Ciaran said to Asajj over their bond.
...I appreciate your support, Asajj replied.
She's entirely loyal to you and is already trained as an operative. Saato here will make for an excellent Walker.
"Since you know how to pilot a ship, you'll be taking Asajj's back to where it came from as your first test since she's not really in a state to pilot it," Ciaran explained, gently setting down Asajj before slicing through Saato's bonds. "Shouldn't be too hard, but I do need proof that I can trust you."
Saato bowed lightly. "I trust it is back at the Singing Mountain?"
"Mhm. It's the one that isn't the shiniest, but is better looking than the piece of junk that's also there. You'll know it when you see it." Ciaran waved her hand vaguely. "Go on then, get going."
As Saato sprinted into the distance Ciaran looked over her shoulder at Quinlan and Tholme. "You two are riding with Silas, and that's final."
"Well, where are we going then?" Quinlan asked. "Now that Talzin's dead, we need to talk."
Ciaran sighed resignedly. "We do. But there's someone else that needs to be involved in the conversation now." She activated her comlink, bringing up a holoimage of Silas. "Hey. We're done."
"Right. So...you're still sure about this?"
Ciaran nodded affirmatively. "Quinlan and Tholme are going with you again just so you know."
Silas sighed in resignation "...Alright then. See you soon."
As Ciaran shut off the comlink she turned to face Quinlan and Tholme, Asajj leaning up slightly.
"Gentlemen, our next stop is Mandalore. I think it only makes sense to inform Master Kenobi of what's happening. Wouldn't you agree?"
AN: FINALLY
Writer's block hit me hard for the start of this, then I got my drafts eaten twice. But this finally came together, and I hope the wait was worth it.
So, comments: First, while I initially used the prophecy thing as a bit of a shortcut I did have fun exploring the implications of what Fracture Manipulation does to seers. It's gotta be a hell of a trip when your vision of the future suddenly changes from "decades-spanning feud" to "the final battle between light and dark is happening tomorrow."
Second: Did you know that the Kwi are basically super raptors? Because they're basically super raptors. Dathomir is an amazing planet.
Third, as it turns out Asajj can in fact raise the dead. Look it up, I was honestly as surprised as Ciaran was. I doubt it will ever get brought up again since it's honestly pretty situational, but hey. Neat detail, right?
Fourth, everything Talzin did is canonical, believe it or not. Yes, she can shoot beams of lightning. Yes, she can manifest flaming swords that can block lightsabers out of thin air. Because yes. She does seem to be a bit of a glass cannon since her crazy powers come straight from her lifeforce though.
Fifth, no I was not expecting Saato to actually become a recurring character. She's got a few sentences worth of description on Wookiepedia that boil down to "generic mid-boss." But then I expanded her backstory, and it made sense for her to be on Dathomir for the final battle, and now I've given much more depth to a one-note character than they probably deserved. Again. (Speaking of which I really need to find a way to write another scene with Seti in it now that I think about it...)
Aside from that once the ball got rolling this was really fun to write (I'm fairly sure you can tell what my favorite part was), so I hope you enjoyed it!
En Route To Dathomir
Fortunately for Ciaran, an active assassination attempt on her life made it easy for her to convince Quinlan and Tholme that they had to kill Talzin right now, and despite their visible reservations about working with Asajj they quickly agreed. Tholme even dryly noted that every one of them was likely marked for death by the witch at that point anyway, so what other choice did they have? After quickly sending away the Jedi that had been sent to examine the planet with a situation report that quietly omitted the majority of the conflict with the Noghri as well Tholme and Quinlan's presence, the duo decided to stay on board the Kell Dragon during the trip to Dathomir, and with that the unlikely team left Honoghr behind and made their way into space.
Once the Kell Dragon had entered hyperspace with the Forefather's Charm and Vectivus right behind it Ciaran went through a brief but very tense conversation with Tholme and Quinlan, going over their story and ensuring that she had the facts straight. Once she confirmed it, she sealed herself away in her quarters - though not before telling the two Jedi that their conversation was far from over and would continue after Talzin was dead. Her isolation was ostensibly to help her concentrate on a plan to help deal with Talzin, but in reality it was to let her process what she had just heard:
A Wound in the Force had formed at the Coruscant Jedi Temple.
If ever there was a sentence she never wanted to hear in her life, that was unquestionably it.
Aside from the Wound at Malachor Ciaran really didn't have much concrete information to go on with Wounds; sure there were plenty of recorded instances of them throughout history but from what she could glean from them the traditional solution to them was "keep away from them until they vanish," a solution that would not do in the current situation.
Unfortunately for Ciaran as she poured over various records of Force Wounds in her quarters, she had no idea what to actually do about it.
Just tell the Jedi? Oh sure, it's not like they distrusted her even before the Wound started to affect them and the certainly weren't going to try to use the opportunity to get her thrown in jail at saberpoint or something equally ridiculous at this point. With the Order's increased paranoia, that wasn't really an option.
Get them to leave? Political issues aside (which were bad enough as it was even after the Tarkin scandal), if an active terrorist strike on their home wouldn't get them to leave, nothing would. Fabricating a disaster of some kind was also right out given the increased security, some of which Ciaran herself was responsible for inspiring.
Create some kind of ritual to fix it? Assuming the Jedi would let her do it, (they wouldn't) or that they would trust some outside group to do so (nope), or that they would trust Tholme and Quinlan to do so at this point (unlikely), said ritual didn't exist. Meaning it would have to be created from scratch, tested, and so on, and at this point that would take up time she didn't have.
She'd gone over the information she had for several hours straight, but as far as she could tell the situation with the Wound was every bit as hopeless as Quinlan and Tholme had made it sound.
Shaking her head Ciaran reminded herself that she had a far more immediate problem to deal with, and it was proving to be quite the issue. With no idea of how long it would take for Talzin to try another assassination she had to get to Dathomir now, and that meant that she didn't have time to call in proper reinforcements. Either they were too far away, or they would have to deal with the increased security in that region of space due to Dathomir's relatively close proximity to Mandalore and Taris. Most of her best fighters were also busy with their own critical missions, so there weren't any reinforcements coming. It would be four Force users and Silas (who had no business being in a fight like that to begin with and would be staying in the Forefather's Charm no matter what) against the entirety of the Nightsisters and Talzin. Those were incredibly long odds.
Fortunately, Ciaran had one last ace up her sleeve. And as she felt the Kell Dragon exit hyperspace she knew that getting the Singing Mountain Clan to fight with her was a longshot, but at this point it was the only option she really had left...
-----------
As the sun began to set on Dathomir Ciaran, Asajj, Tholme, and Quinlan made their way towards the eponymous Singing Mountain the air between the quartet was incredibly tense. It only increased further as they caught sight of the Singing Mountain Clan's warriors in clear sight yet conspicuously not attacking them at all, merely watching over them as they made their way to the base of the mountain.
Once they reached its base they were greeted by a much larger crowd of warriors lead by the regal Augwynne Djo standing at the front of them. Ciaran stepped forward, getting a quick read on Djo before she spoke and noted that she seemed pensive but not hostile - though the clan mother seemed to be visibly focusing on her for some reason or other. With that in mind she started to open her mouth-
"I know why you are here," Djo interrupted. "You wish to kill Talzin, and you need our help."
Ciaran looked at her, visibly confused and noticing that she now looked visibly resigned for some reason. "Er...yes...but how did you know?"
"Our elder foresaw that this day was coming. She told us that a pair of Jedi, a...Nightsister-"
"Former Nightsister," Asajj coldly interrupted.
"...At any rate, she told us that your arrival would signal the end of our struggle with the Nightsisters one way or the other," Djo said, and Ciaran noticed that she was quietly omitted from the description of the people arriving...
Before Ciaran could ask the relevant question, Tholme stepped forward. "Forgive me for saying this, but this seems incredibly convenient. From what I understand your clan was merely feuding with the Nightsisters up to this point. And now that we're here you're willing to push it into open war?"
"...He has a point," Ciaran admitted as she mulled it over in her head. "From the sounds of it you're willing to presume that random strangers showing up is a sign of the end times."
"Are you so willing to turn down our aid?" Djo said.
"We're more wondering what's in it for you," Quinlan interjected. "You're taking a big risk here; what makes you think-"
"Enough," Ciaran interrupted. "Quite frankly it doesn't matter what she wants. Skipping the whole 'can you trust me' bit sounds nice, so why don't we just cut to the chase and figure out what needs to be done?"
Asajj grunted in affirmation, and while Quinlan glared at Ciaran he quickly backed down. Tholme shrugged, muttered "At worst we can easily fight our way out" under his breath, then nodded respectfully towards Djo. "My compatriot is right. We should focus more on our common enemy. Shall we?"
Djo nodded. "My sisters will guide you to a suitable meeting place then," she said as she gestured towards a group of clanswomen that were visibly armed. Though as everyone moved to follow them Djo gently put a hand on Ciaran's shoulder. As Ciaran slowly faced Djo, she could tell that she was visibly unnerved - not by her though but...
"Mother Rell wishes to see you, if you would be so kind," Djo said in a tone that indicated she wasn't making a request. "It will take some time for some of the other clans to arrive, and it seems your comrades have things well in hand."
Ciaran glanced over her shoulder to see Asajj looking over her shoulder at her, still following the others but with her hands drifting ever so slightly towards her lightsabers...
"...I suppose that'd be fine, given everything you're doing for us," Ciaran said slowly. Djo nodded coolly before letting go, and as she gestured for Ciaran to follow her Ciaran glanced at Asajj and gave a slight nod. With that Asajj nodded back, turning away and letting her arms relax.
------------
As Ciaran arrived at Rell's dwelling higher on the mountain she noticed that there were a number of Singing Mountain clanswomen just out of sight - while they were hidden visually by both terrain and the darkness of the night Ciaran easily spotted them through her Force vision. Though oddly enough they didn't seem to be preparing to attack, and as she glanced at Djo she could tell that the clan mother didn't seem to be readying herself for a fight...
Once they reached the door to the dwelling Djo called out "Mother Rell. She is here." And from behind the door came a soft and ragged "She may enter, then."
Djo stood to the side, gesturing for Ciaran to enter. Increasingly suspicious but having no reason to argue (yet), she cautiously opened the door, its primitive hinges creaking as she entered to the sight of various charms hanging from the ceiling and walls covered in hand-painted pictures that Ciaran didn't understand the context of. Though what caught her attention was the sight of the old woman within it - or rather her presence in the Force. It was very strong, but it looked...strange to Ciaran, as though it were being pulled in two different directions towards...somewhere. As Rell turned to face Ciaran, she could tell that the Mother was very old, her body nearly skeletal presumably from age.
"Ah...so here you are...yet you were not here before," Rell said. "The one who is not in the past but who seems to be the one who will decide the future."
Ciaran sighed resignedly. "Please tell me you're not going to be this cryptic the whole time. I've heard it before and..." She frowned as her annoyance faded and she started to parse over Rell's words. "...Wait. What do you mean, 'not in the past'?"
Rell smiled softly. "The Force has gifted me with sight, though it is both of the past and future. Sometimes I see the past. Sometimes the future. Often it is difficult to tell...especially when the past is changed."
That caused Ciaran to tilt her head slightly in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand."
"The past is set in stone," Rell replied. "And for most, their destiny is decided long before it is ever realized. But..."
Ciaran suddenly felt a heavy weight descend upon her as Rell's eyes locked on her.
"You were not here. Until a few nights ago you were never here. Our struggle against the Nightsisters continued. Yet here you are now, and our struggle is reaching its conclusion. And when I was able to see the altered future you were there, but you were also absent. In all my years...I have never seen anything of its like.
Why are you here?"
For a moment it seemed as though Rell's voice was infinitely more commanding, though Ciaran was unfazed. "I am here to kill Talzin. That's it. Aside from that I have no other purpose on this planet nor do I intend to return once my business here is done. There is nothing more for me here."
Rell remained silent.
"Do you have anything else-"
"You do not seem to understand what it is you are doing or what you are," Rell interrupted suddenly.
"Trust me...I'm a lot more aware of what you're implying than you think I am," Ciaran retorted.
Rell continued to stare at Ciaran before nodding slightly. "...Perhaps you are correct. You carry many echoes with you that I cannot hope to comprehend." With that, she slowly sat back down.
"If there's nothing else, then I wanted to ask...that whole thing about the four of us showing up, was that a lie?"
"Oh no. I saw your three companions standing with us. You were...present, yet absent. It was one of the reasons why I wished to speak with you. That is all."
Ciaran nodde, bowed slightly, and left the dwelling without a word. As she got outside, Djo stood before her with her arms crossed.
"I think she likes me," Ciaran said coolly.
"...I do not know what you are," Djo said slowly, "but know that I am only trusting you because those people with you are the same that Mother Rell saw in her visions."
"Good enough for me," Ciaran replied. "By the way, if you were going to try and kill me afterwards you would have needed more fighters."
Djo remained silent for a moment before turning, saying "We should rejoin your people," and heading down the mountain, Ciaran close behind her...
-----------
As the sun started to rise on the day of the battle Ciaran glanced around at the army that was marching alongside her. Hundreds if not thousands of warriors from what seemed to be a dozen different tribes made up the vanguard, and close behind them a line of Rancors stomped forwards, each with a woman saddled on them and holding reins that didn't seem sufficient enough to control such mighty beasts...
Any chance you could teach me how to keep a Rancor under control one of these days? Ciaran asked Asajj telepathically.
I doubt any of them would be willing to part with theirs, Asajj replied.
Though the real surprise for Ciaran was the tribes of Kwi that had arrived to join in the fight - large cobalt-blue lizards that stood on a pair of hind legs, had stubby clawed arms, and from what she saw mouths filled with black teeth that looked like it could tear through anything short of steel.
You know, a part of me wishes that the Kwi weren't somewhat sapient. I want one. Or two. A pack actually.
Ciaran felt a sense of annoyance come from Asajj. Perhaps it is for the best that is the case then.
Killjoy.
Outwardly Asajj was looking straight ahead as the exterior of the Nightsisters' fortress came into view. Beside her Quinlan was actively scanning the horizon to see if anyone was hiding out of sight, while Tholme had taken up the rear guard to help coordinate some of the forces. Djo herself remained on the Singing Mountain, largely to prepare rituals to bolster their forces and counter whatever Talzin or the other Nightsisters would throw at them.
It was a force to be reckoned with and much more than Ciaran had hoped for. Even so as the fortress grew closer it became visibly apparent that the Nightsisters had deployed in force, with an army just as large as their forces and with a large number of Rancor riders in their own right. They didn't seem to be advancing though...
Once the Singing Mountain forces were close enough to make the Nightsisters visibly ready themselves for a fight, they stopped suddenly after a few barked orders were shouted out.
Showtime, Ciaran thought to herself as she and Asajj slowly walked forward.
"We want to parley!" Ciaran shouted out towards the Nightsisters, who were visibly confused by the request.
"You heard her right," Asajj called out in affirmation. "We wish to negotiate and avoid more fighting than is necessary."
"We ask that you send forth a representative so that we can go over terms with them."
There was a considerable amount of grumbling from the Nightsister lines before someone replied "I will go!"
Asajj's eyes widened slightly as she recognized the woman that was stepping forth - Saato, the one-time acolyte of Sora Bulq that she had spared back in the Coruscant Undercity. She resolutely marched forward to where Ciaran and Asajj were standing, though once she arrived her gaze fell squarely on Asajj.
"...So it's true then," she said softly. "You have betrayed us. You've betrayed our Great Mother -"
"Your Great Mother," Asajj interrupted. "I hold no loyalty to her. Not anymore."
Saato was silent, before looking at Ciaran with fury in her eyes. "What did you do to her!?" She hissed out.
"I gave her her life back," Ciaran replied. "If it wasn't for my help she would be dead."
"That, or little more than a madwoman endlessly chasing after revenge," Asajj added quietly before staring Saato straight in the eyes. "There were no tricks. No deceptions. I am standing alongside Ciaran of my own volition, and nothing will ever change that."
"B-but...the Nightsisters..."
"I haven't been on this planet in years, Saato," Asajj explained. "I have no ties to the people in front of me. However, I do not wish to fight this battle unless I have to. We can avoid the fight ahead if you would hand over Talzin."
Saato balked at Asajj's terms. "W-we could never hand over our Great Mother, why-!?"
"She tried to kill me and if left alone would do so again," Ciaran explained. "I'm not leaving this planet until I know she's dead."
Asajj noticed that Saato didn't seem to be surprised by Ciaran's explanation. "You killed her son," she retorted, though her voice betrayed her lack of conviction.
"I killed her son," Asajj declared. "He was little more than a mad beast when I did so; even if his body had lived on his mind was already shattered."
Saato was visibly dumbstruck, giving Ciaran the chance to surreptitiously press a button on her comlink before she could recover. "...I-If that is the case...then Great Mother Talzin will show no mercy to either of you." While the threat was clear, it was obvious to the both of them that her heart wasn't really in it.
"That's fine," Ciaran replied. "Also, thank you."
"...For what?"
"Being an excellent distraction."
Asajj promptly punched Saato square in the face, knocking her unconscious. As the Nightsister army started to react they turned towards the sound of an aircraft getting closer-
Within seconds the Forefather's Charm dove down and began strafing the Nightsister army with a relentless barrage of laser and missile fire, sending warriors flying and panicking any rancors that survived. It sped across the Nightsister lines, continuing its run before breaking off as the Singing Mountain army approached, Silas knowing full well that he would be doing far more harm than good at that point.
"Don't die on me, Ciara..." Silas muttered as he turned the Forefather's Charm towards the Singing Mountain.
Meanwhile on the ground the battle had fully begun in earnest; warriors from both sides were colliding against each other, dueling with swords or trying to pick off opponents with energy bows. Rancor riders charged through the melee, sending people flying as they carved a warpath towards the enemy. Some had even engaged each other, the rancors clawing at each other in a brutal fight to the death.
Ciaran and Asajj were right in the thick of this, back-to-back as they fended off dozens of warriors that had surrounded the duo. Even so it was clear that they held the advantage over the Nightsisters as anyone who was unfortunate enough to get too close was almost immediately cut down, and any arrows fired at them would be effortlessly deflected.
Their concentration was broken by the roar of a rancor that was beginning to charge towards them, though before it could reach them a pack of Kwi launched an attack - some bit down on the rancor's arms and pulled it down while others jumped on its back to keep it from standing back up. Within seconds the rancor was being ripped to shreds by the fearsome lizards.
"See, this is why I want some of them!" Ciaran shouted to Asajj.
"Would you shut up and keep fighting!?" Asajj shot back.
Elsewhere, Quinlan had entered into the combat trance of Vaapad and was slicing through any Nightsister he could see. When he spotted a rancor menacing some Kwi who were being cornered, he charged towards it, sliced off one of its arms in a brutal swing, and dodged under the swipe of the other arm. From there he leapt up onto its back, stabbed its rider through the chest, then stabbed his lightsaber deep into the rancor's skull. With it slain he leapt off of it as it collapsed to the ground and continued his rampage.
At the rear Tholme was concerned; the battle had been going well to be sure and he hadn't had to intervene yet, but this seemed to be going far too well. He knew that the Nightsisters had to have other tricks up their sleeves...
He was proven right as ominous chanting began to fill the air and green mist poured out of the fortress' entrance, quickly flooding the battlefield. As the Singing Mountain army wondered what was going on the Nightsisters visibly backed off slightly, as though waiting for something...
Then the screaming began.
Decaying corpses clawed out of the earth and began to attack the Singing Mountain army - while it was clear from their tattoos and what was left of their clothing that they were once Nightsisters, they were now little more than feral thralls attacking everything that wasn't a Nightsister. They would leap onto warriors and Kwi and begin biting and clawing at them, or if they were faced with a Rancor they would simply begin swarming it, bringing it down through sheer weight of numbers.
"The hell are these things!?" Ciaran shouted as she sliced apart a pair of zombies that were trying to grab her.
"It would seem these are dead Nightsisters brought back through one of their rituals!" Asajj replied, cutting down a trio herself.
"Since when could the Nightsisters create a zombie army!?"
"It is certainly difficult, but far from impossible-"
"Wait, are you implying you can do it too!?"
"Not to this extent-"
"You can create a zombie army of your own!?"
"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY!?" Asajj shouted, punctuating her frustration by pushing away a group of zombies with the Force.
Meanwhile Quinlan was holding his own against the newly risen zombie hordes, wondering when exactly everything had gone mad. Quickly concluding that he needed to rejoin Tholme to figure out a new plan, he began wading his way through the undead Nightsisters towards Tholme, who had now drawn his lightsaber and was actively cutting down anything that got close. As Quinlan arrived Tholme gritted his teeth and faced towards the fortress entrance. "We need to get inside and stop this ritual, or we're going to die from attrition!"
"If we leave the rest of the army behind these undead are going to tear them apart," Quinlan retorted. "We need-"
He stopped as he suddenly felt a sense of empowerment come over him, and as he glanced around he saw that the Singing Mountain army was beginning to rally, forming up in tight groups to better fend off the encroaching undead and remaining Nightsister warriors.
"Battle Meditation...so that's what Djo's counter was," Tholme muttered before turning to face Quinlan. "I'll stay out here and rally the troops for a counterattack. Find Ciaran and Ventress, get inside that fortress, and end this madness. Hurry!"
Quinlan nodded, rushing over to Ciaran and Asajj, who had come to a similar conclusion and were already heading for the fortress entrance themselves. Though before they could get inside they were halted by a massive roar, and from its entrance a titanic rancor covered from head to toe in body paint and tattoos stormed out, hungry for blood.
"Oh good. We're up against the king of all rancors," Ciaran said.
With another roar the rancor charged forwards at a speed far faster than its size would suggest, and began swiping at the three intruders. While they were able to wound it with their lightsabers, it only served to enrage it further as it began to pound the ground with its fists in the hopes of smashing its foes, cracking the earth beneath it. At the same time the situation was rapidly degrading as undead Nightsisters were beginning to move towards them in greater numbers, forcing Quinlan to break away and hold them off.
Ciaran looked at the situation and realized that there was probably only one way out of this. "Asajj, get up on its head and try to calm it down!"
Without a word Asajj dodged to the side of one of its ground pounds before leaping on its head, pressing her palms against it and commanding it to submit. Unfortunately for her it was proving to be quite resistant to her, and it began thrashing around in an attempt to throw off Asajj.
"Uh...Force it down! I'll try to follow your lead!" Ciaran shouted out as she charged towards the rancor, the beast falling to its knees as Asajj put everything she had into ordering it to kneel. Once it did Ciaran pressed her hands against its head and began pushing out, trying to match Asajj's commands to stop struggling, to calm itself...
After a moment Ciaran felt her and Asajj's commands synchronize and amplify themselves, the tandem effort serving to reinforce the commands. Within a few seconds the rancor's eyes dulled slightly and it finally stopped struggling.
Go fight the Nightsister armies, Ciaran and Asajj commanded in unison, and after Asajj jumped down to the ground the rancor stood up, roared once again, and began to charge towards the undead trying to surround Ciaran, Asajj, and Quinlan. With their entry route secured the three of them nodded at each other before sprinting for the entrance...
-------------
As the trio made their way into the fortress they were struck by just how quiet and empty it was - none of them could sense anyone trying to ambush them, and apart from the distant sounds of combat there was nothing to be heard.
Once they arrived at the center they slowed down and stopped, seeing none other than Talzin herself standing before them, clearly waiting for their arrival.
"I knew that each of you would come here to kill me one day," she said as an eerie reverb backed her words before pointing at Quinlan. "You have stood against the Nightsisters in the past, and I will be sure to avenge those you have slain." Then Ciaran. "You were the one who orchestrated the death of my beloved son, and slew his brother." Then Asajj, and her hand shook slightly as her face contorted in fury. "And you. You killed Maul. You betrayed us."
"I struck down a walking corpse," Asajj retorted. "Maul was mad, and by the time I found him he was little more than a vengeful shell of a being."
"HOW DARE YOU!" Talzin screamed out, the walls of the fortress slightly shaking. "You DARED to stop me when I tried to exact my revenge. You betrayed your Mother-"
"YOU TRIED TO KILL MY SISTER!"
As Ciaran heard that she turned toward Asajj, visibly taken back. Quinlan was equally as stunned, wondering why it was that Asajj Ventress was willing to say such a thing about anyone.
"You weren't there when I was left to die. You weren't there when I was lost and uncertain of my place in the galaxy. You weren't the one who helped me realize that my path would have left me blindly obsessed with vengeance like your son was. But she was. I won't-"
Asajj was cut off as Talzin snarled in fury before holding out a hand and launching a beam of lighting at Asajj, who barely managed to hold it back. Ciaran quickly whipped out her blaster pistol and tried to shoot at Talzin, but she held up her other hand and generated a green sphere around her, blocking her shots and Quinlan's attempt to charge in. Before either of them could react Talzin amplified her lightning, causing it to explode in Asajj's face and send her flying towards a nearby wall. It visibly cracked as Asajj's body slammed against it, then Asajj's unconscious body toppled forward onto the ground as Ciaran stared at her, wide-eyed, her blaster falling out of her hand.
"Both of you will die," Talzin snarled, letting her shield drop. "But her death will be slow." With that she drew a line of green smoke followed by a slight curve in the air, and as she finished tracing the shape the smoke expanded into the shape of a sword with a dragon's head hilt, the blade alight with sickly green fire.
Quinlan started to raise his lightsaber before he felt Ciaran's hand tightly clamp down on his shoulder. "Go. I'll deal with her myself." The flat tone of her voice brooked no argument, and as Quinlan looked back he could see the raw fury in her eyes. He nodded, and began to move towards the source of the ritual that had raised the dead. Talzin begin to turn towards him, but she was interrupted as Ciaran moved and locked her saber against her sword.
"Foolish," Talzin boasted as she pushed Ciaran back, bringing her sword down on her - but Ciaran quickly dodged it and sliced at her side, though Talzin was able to easily block the strike. From there, the pair exchanged a brief set of blows before Talzin smirked and raised her barrier again, pushing Ciaran away. "You cannot defeat me." With that she began to charge up another beam of lightning...
Ciaran stood eerily still, though her Moonlight Blade had begun to destabilize, the lightsaber pulsing with uncontrolled energy. Then she slowly held out her free hand to her side, and from beneath her robes the hilt of the Dagger of Mortis floated into it, her fingers tightly closing around it as the blade materialized. As Talzin fired her lightning at Ciaran she quickly dodged to the side before charging at Talzin and slicing straight through her barrier with the Dagger, the sphere disintegrating into smoke as her expression morphed into one of fear. She didn't know what Ciaran had done, but the essence she had put into that barrier had vanished once it had been pierced.
"You know, it's funny," Ciaran said quietly as she slowly stepped towards Talzin, the witch now actively backing away in terror. "When I first got here I was terrified of you. Of how strong you were. Of how you seemed to know so much more about the Force than I did. But then...then I found people willing to teach me. I learned that I had potential not yet realized, gifts that would make me stronger if I could master them. But honestly? None of that matters. After all..." Ciaran pointed the Dagger towards Talzin.
"Why would I be afraid of someone who's already dead?"
Talzin launched herself back, manifesting as many additional swords as she could and telekinetically throwing them at Ciaran, who either dodged or deflected every blade thrown at her. Still, she was slowed down enough for Talzin's final gambit - she reached out and pushed into her mind, searching for what she feared-
Ah. You want to know what I fear most? You seem to be quite sure it will save you from your inevitable death.
Talzin felt something entrap her as Ciaran's mind produced a vision of a world she didn't recognize, one that had sweeping mountains, rolling green hills, and bright blue seas-
Very well, I will humor you. Allow me to show you what I fear more than anything else in this galaxy.
The air suddenly went still, the seas dried up, the grass turned into dust, and the water evaporated. Before Talzin could react she felt a [---------] appear behind her, and as she turned to face it she saw a figure in black robes wearing a bone-white mask. She lashed out at it with her sword, managing to crack its mask-
And for a brief instant she saw Ciaran's face beneath it.
Then [---------] surrounded her. She saw [---------], she felt [---------], she-
She screamed in terror as she charged forward in desperation, abandoning any pretense of skill or finesse as she sliced wildly at the monster in front of her in the hopes of cutting her down. While Ciaran was able to counter her easily, she wasn't able to get an opening for the finishing blow-
Suddenly she heard her blaster pistol go off and saw a bolt fly towards Talzin out of the corner of her eye. On reflex she started to redirect it and felt that same resonance from her bond with Asajj as earlier, the bolt quickly darting around Talzin's frenzied swings before hitting her in the hand, forcing her to drop the sword. With that Ciaran rushed in and plunged the Dagger into Talzin's chest.
Her scream shook the fortress once again as her body began to dissolve into mist - slowly at first, then faster and faster, more and more of her vanishing-
And then the fortress was empty, as though Talzin was never there to begin with.
Ciaran didn't bother taking in the kill, though, immediately running over to the now barely conscious Asajj, who was trying and failing to push herself off of the ground. Ciaran reached out a hand towards Asajj, who didn't hesitate in grabbing it. Ciaran hauled her up and leaned Asajj against her for support as she looked around, sensing that the ritual had been ended and that the battle outside had come to a close. Sure enough Quinlan arrived, glancing over the pair. He moved to help Asajj, but she weakly pushed him away as she and Ciaran slowly made their way outside alongside him, looking out and seeing that the battlefield was rapidly emptying. After a moment Tholme made his way over to the trio, slightly worse for wear but still standing.
"Well it would seem that you managed to win this battle for us," Tholme said coolly. "The Singing Mountain forces have already started to gather prisoners and head back to the mountain. I doubt they'll mind if we-"
He trailed off as he noticed Quinlan, Ciaran, and Asajj staring into the distance, and as he followed their gazes he saw what seemed to be a bound Nightsister being held at sword-point by a pair of Singing Mountain warriors. Once they got close enough Asajj and Ciaran could recognize that the Nightsister in question was Saato, looking downcast as she approached. Once they reached the quartet the warrior on the left spoke. "She surrendered immediately after regaining consciousness, but requested the chance to speak with you," pointing towards Asajj.
"...Why?" Asajj asked, trying to force herself as upright as she could.
Saato was silent for a long moment before she kneeled and bowed her head towards Asajj. "Great Mother."
Asajj frowned. "I am no Nightsister. And the clan is as good as dead now-" She winced slightly.
"...You saved my life, twice over even."
"I knocked you unconscious."
"Honestly I didn't do anything myself because I thought it-" Ciaran was cut off as Asajj glared at her.
"More than that though...I helped kill Talzin," Asajj said quietly. "Don't you hate me for that?"
Saato fell silent for a long moment. "I...know I should but..." She trailed off. "...Great Mother Talzin couldn't believe it when she learned that you were the one who killed Maul at first. She refused to believe that you had betrayed us...but I still had a few sources from my time with Bulq and his acolytes. I learned about what he tried to do. Found out how obsessed he was with revenge and destruction. When I approached her the Great Mother said his revenge was justified but...look at what Talzin's desire for revenge did to us."
Asajj closed her eyes. "And then someone showed you that there was another way." They snapped open again as she pulled herself up straighter and faced the Singing Mountain warriors. "I want her to be in my custody."
"You heard the woman," Ciaran said, nodding in affirmation. "Surely Mother Djo wouldn't mind if we took her with us?"
The two warriors glanced between each other before nodding. "Very well. We have no use for her anyway." With that, they left, leaving the five of them alone on the now empty battlefield.
Not going to lie, I had a feeling you'd willing to speak up for her, Ciaran said to Asajj over their bond.
...I appreciate your support, Asajj replied.
She's entirely loyal to you and is already trained as an operative. Saato here will make for an excellent Walker.
"Since you know how to pilot a ship, you'll be taking Asajj's back to where it came from as your first test since she's not really in a state to pilot it," Ciaran explained, gently setting down Asajj before slicing through Saato's bonds. "Shouldn't be too hard, but I do need proof that I can trust you."
Saato bowed lightly. "I trust it is back at the Singing Mountain?"
"Mhm. It's the one that isn't the shiniest, but is better looking than the piece of junk that's also there. You'll know it when you see it." Ciaran waved her hand vaguely. "Go on then, get going."
As Saato sprinted into the distance Ciaran looked over her shoulder at Quinlan and Tholme. "You two are riding with Silas, and that's final."
"Well, where are we going then?" Quinlan asked. "Now that Talzin's dead, we need to talk."
Ciaran sighed resignedly. "We do. But there's someone else that needs to be involved in the conversation now." She activated her comlink, bringing up a holoimage of Silas. "Hey. We're done."
"Right. So...you're still sure about this?"
Ciaran nodded affirmatively. "Quinlan and Tholme are going with you again just so you know."
Silas sighed in resignation "...Alright then. See you soon."
As Ciaran shut off the comlink she turned to face Quinlan and Tholme, Asajj leaning up slightly.
"Gentlemen, our next stop is Mandalore. I think it only makes sense to inform Master Kenobi of what's happening. Wouldn't you agree?"
AN: FINALLY
Writer's block hit me hard for the start of this, then I got my drafts eaten twice. But this finally came together, and I hope the wait was worth it.
So, comments: First, while I initially used the prophecy thing as a bit of a shortcut I did have fun exploring the implications of what Fracture Manipulation does to seers. It's gotta be a hell of a trip when your vision of the future suddenly changes from "decades-spanning feud" to "the final battle between light and dark is happening tomorrow."
Second: Did you know that the Kwi are basically super raptors? Because they're basically super raptors. Dathomir is an amazing planet.
Third, as it turns out Asajj can in fact raise the dead. Look it up, I was honestly as surprised as Ciaran was. I doubt it will ever get brought up again since it's honestly pretty situational, but hey. Neat detail, right?
Fourth, everything Talzin did is canonical, believe it or not. Yes, she can shoot beams of lightning. Yes, she can manifest flaming swords that can block lightsabers out of thin air. Because yes. She does seem to be a bit of a glass cannon since her crazy powers come straight from her lifeforce though.
Fifth, no I was not expecting Saato to actually become a recurring character. She's got a few sentences worth of description on Wookiepedia that boil down to "generic mid-boss." But then I expanded her backstory, and it made sense for her to be on Dathomir for the final battle, and now I've given much more depth to a one-note character than they probably deserved. Again. (Speaking of which I really need to find a way to write another scene with Seti in it now that I think about it...)
Aside from that once the ball got rolling this was really fun to write (I'm fairly sure you can tell what my favorite part was), so I hope you enjoyed it!
Last edited:
Earlier this evening I was wondering whether to check this thread and ask if you had any updates for us. I decided to wait until tomorrow evening.
Thirty minutes later...
Dang that was an update. Great fight scene, especially throwing in the 'Rancor King' and having Ciaran learn 'animal friendship' (lousy name, awesome power) on the fly. I know that Saato will be reappearing as one of our Abyss Walkers, but is the same true for our new Big Friendly Rage Monster? We do have that new megafauna museum on Kalee, so we'd certainly have a place to keep it.
Also nice to see the Dagger of Mortis make a reappearance. I'm intrigued by your description that it caused Mother Talzin's 'essence' to disappear rather than dissipate (and return to her for re-use). It makes sense, given how the Dagger is the physical manifestation of Death, but it makes me wonder just how dangerous it is just to carry it around.
Thirty minutes later...
Dang that was an update. Great fight scene, especially throwing in the 'Rancor King' and having Ciaran learn 'animal friendship' (lousy name, awesome power) on the fly. I know that Saato will be reappearing as one of our Abyss Walkers, but is the same true for our new Big Friendly Rage Monster? We do have that new megafauna museum on Kalee, so we'd certainly have a place to keep it.
Also nice to see the Dagger of Mortis make a reappearance. I'm intrigued by your description that it caused Mother Talzin's 'essence' to disappear rather than dissipate (and return to her for re-use). It makes sense, given how the Dagger is the physical manifestation of Death, but it makes me wonder just how dangerous it is just to carry it around.
- Location
- Home
Not sure I like the whole "you changed things" talk, felt odd to me. Like it was a Force Seer talking to a Self Insert.
- Location
- Maybe?
I've been wondering. We can see the probability of success against Palpatine, but can Palpy see it too? If so, as the weight shifts, he might become more desperate and more willing to take risks.
Can we exploit this? For instance, if we line up a bunch of people who could help us, but only take advantage of them if a d100 rolls a critical, then the probability of success on an attack should stay quite low on most days. Then we can just wait for a 100 to attack, and since it's not our choice, it shouldn't show up in medium-term force predictions until we're actually set off. So Palps should foresee a gradually rising chance of failure, which one day actually turns out to be a sharp spike that hopefully catches him by surprise.
Can we exploit this? For instance, if we line up a bunch of people who could help us, but only take advantage of them if a d100 rolls a critical, then the probability of success on an attack should stay quite low on most days. Then we can just wait for a 100 to attack, and since it's not our choice, it shouldn't show up in medium-term force predictions until we're actually set off. So Palps should foresee a gradually rising chance of failure, which one day actually turns out to be a sharp spike that hopefully catches him by surprise.
Last edited:
- Location
- Home
Is Plagueis still alive or did he die before any of this started? Sorry, I'm not intimately familiar with this stuff.
- Location
- Sweden
He's dead. We met his ghost when we were on Mortis, in fact. He was alive early in the quest though.
Palpatine will not be eliminated in a single dice roll, as far as I understand QM's foreshadowing.
- Location
- Home
- Location
- USA
And now we go talk to our old friend, though that force wound... we really need to find a way to deal with it.
- Location
- Maybe?
I don't mean us rolling a dice, I mean Ciaran rolling a d100 in-story. Or some other source of randomness. The point is, as long as our roll is sufficiently random, ie. quantum noise, even the Force (and hence, Palpy) shouldn't be able to predict the day.
Hell, if we really wanna mess with Sidious, hook it to something innocuous like the Coruscant perishable foods index. Good luck working that one out, Palpy.
Last edited:
Sinsystems
Patron Librarian
Personally the part I loved the most was when Ciaran pulled out the Dagger and Talzin freaked out due to how it was able to completely no-sell her defenses.
Oh boy...
See this line ? I think she sees us.
- Location
- lurking
Great update. Mechanically this should give quite a number of new assets, and in story terms it was just epic. I really like the way the character arcs were advanced here and am looking forward to all the shenanigans the new assets enable.
On a different note, I like the way you wrote Talzin. She's definitely a villain and 110% mad, but she also seemed awesome. It's always a treat when villains get to shine in their own way
On a different note, I like the way you wrote Talzin. She's definitely a villain and 110% mad, but she also seemed awesome. It's always a treat when villains get to shine in their own way
- Location
- Home
Could you explain?
Ciaran's defeatism at the problem of the Force Wound is a little obnoxious, considering the problems she's already faced and overcome, but other than that this is a pretty solid update. The pacing was decent, the character interaction was solid, the fight was good, and I'm glad you didn't just throw Asajj under the bus with the first hit, though I would have appreciated a little more involvement from her.