When Darkness Falls Starwars Jisu/Ko

He fell immediately, eyes wide in surprise, and Vitani screamed in horror and denial.

Rushing to his side, the Sith bit back a curse as she saw the effects of her attack. She had somehow managed to burn both his lungs and mess with the rhythm of his heart. He would live, but only if he immediately went into a deep healing trance, which, due to his sudden lack of consciousness, he couldn't do himself. Vitani knew she could sink Kovu into a proper healing trance with ease, but if she did it, the Temple Healers would know that ‘the Sith’ had assisted their Jedi in surviving. She didn’t want that, but she didn’t want Kovu’s death either.

'Choose, daughter, your heart, the very morals that make you, or knowing that your brother, my son, is safe, even if the Jedi learn that you aren't as Dark as you'd like them and the one you call twin and equal to believe.'

"No! That's not even a choice! Mother," she cried out trying to grasp that elusive feeling of the Great Mother, but knew she couldn't, she hadn't been in commune with the Great Mother since her fall, and that hurt. Yellow and red eyes flickered down to the raggedly breathing form of Kovu, and Vitani knew immediately that her choices now could only lead to an ending she, in all her power, still couldn't make heads or tails of. ((Bahaha, foreshadowing))

With a particularly vicious snarl Vitani shoved her sleeves away from her hands and placed one hand upon his brow and the other upon the wound. Concentrating she threw herself into a deep trance, a trick she had to learn in order to properly suppress her Force presence, and so became almost second nature to her. She reached out and found Kovu’s mind, hugging him to her fiercely in apology before coaxing him into a very deep healing trance with a gentleness that was unbecoming of a Sith. When she reemerged from sinking Kovu into the deep reaches of the Force, she picked up his body and hailed his ship. Never before had she been more glad to see a bacta tank, nor had she been more glad that her Master had instructed her on the use of said bacta tank. Setting the coordinates for Coruscant came easily to her, despite the raging sorrow and self hate she felt for having done to Kovu what she had at the moment.

When she had walked off of Kovu’s ship and watched it set off for it’s destination, the Jedi Temple, Vitani immediately stalked back to the Silver Starling. But before she boarded her ship, a glint of silver caught her eye, and she doubled back. There, laying on the ground was Kovu's saber. Frowning, Vitani realized that when she had stripped the young Knight down to put him in the tank, she had removed a saber in the process. But Kovu hadn't studied in dual lightsaber use.

"What the kriff..."

Keen eyes inspected the saber, it looked hauntingly familiar. It was what Kovu was using in battle, but why then, did he not use the second one, knowing that he could have had an advantage with it? She thumbed the activation switch and watched the blade come to life with it's usual snap hiss. The orange blade hummed, and she frowned. Why did the sight of that blade give her pause?

The Force came up as a small wave and assaulted her memories, dragging up her time as a padawan. Her eyelids fluttered as she relieved scenes of a time long past.

[Flashback]

Jesha smirked at her, an orange blade held in her hands. "I'm going to win this round Vitani!"

She smirked back, and thumbed on her own blade, delighting in the hum of the training saber. "Not if I beat you first!"

The two padawans charged at each other, blades meeting in a shower of sparks. Blows were exchanged but neither could gain any ground with their opponent. They were using identical styles, and knew their foe inside and out, of course it would result in a standstill. At the same exact moment, both landed a hit on the other's arms, and with a curse, the two jumped apart, mirror images as their right arms hung limply at their side.

"Sithing training sabers, I can't feel my arm," the younger Vitani grumbled as she deactivated her training saber and glared pointedly at said arm.

[end flashback]

"A training saber?! Kovu you FOOL," Vitani hissed as she tightly clutched the saber's hilt in her hand. "After all you were able to figure out...and you still..."

She roughly turned towards her ship and set coordinates for her private retreat, instead of setting off on her mission. The Sith Apprentice sank into the bed in her quarters and drew her knees to her chest. She refused to cry, but her entire body shook with tremors. The realization hurt. That he would forgive her and she still fought him...

It had been so easy, and she had almost killed him, without thinking, she had injured one of her loved ones to the point that he would have died, had she left him there. The knowledge of having that kind of power scared her, and it was only now that she was realizing that Kovu could have easily been her mother, or her aunt, or even Jesha.

“What if...what if next time I can’t help? What do I do then,” she quietly asked herself.

No one answered.

The next few days found Jesha recovering in one of the temple bacta tanks. When she finally emerged from her tank, she noticed on odd air about the temple. As she walked the halls, everyone seemed down, almost tormented by something. Her curiosity finally getting the better of her, she caught a passing padawan, pulling him to the side to avoid causing traffic congestion as she questioned the young man.

"What happened, padawan?"

The padawan, pushing past his momentary star-struck state, answered quietly. "It's Knight Kovu. His ship returned after days of being away on a mission tracking the Sith you encountered."

"His ship?" Jesha questioned.

"Well, he was on it but...he was completely comatose. He had a lot of internal organ damage. I heard it was like he'd been struck by lightning." Jesha's expression sank as the padawan continued. "But the catch is, he was put into a healing meditative state. He couldn't have done that on his own after receiving such injuries. Everyone's saying it was the Sith. That she healed him. No one knows what to think."

Brow furrowed, Jesha thanked the padawan before hurrying off down the hall. As she had hoped, she found Luke in his chamber, deep in meditation. Upon seeing his condition, she turned to leave but was pulled back by his voice.

"Jesha," Luke said, coming out of the state and turning to look at her.

"Master," Jesha said with a respectful bow.

"Feeling better?"

"Physically or emotionally?"

"Both."

Jesha smiled. "Yes. To both, thank you."

"I'm glad to hear it. So Tatooine did a number on you, but I guess it all worked out."

Jesha nodded. "I spoke to Vitani."

Luke's brow sank. "How," he asked skeptically.

"I don't know. And it didn't appear to be a force ghost either. It honestly looked like her. We talked, and she helped me remember who I am, what I am. She helped me re-find my center."

Luke sincerely doubted Jesha's claim. He had seen the state she was in upon her return to the temple and would have put money on her having hallucinated. But he wasn't about to tell her that. She had finally healed - that's what mattered.

"Actually," she said, moving away from the subject, "I was coming to ask for clearance to go after the Sith again." Luke opened his mouth to protest but Jesha forged ahead. "Master, I know what happened to Kovu." Luke's expression sank. "I've fought her before. I know her style, her temperament. Let me go. Don't send anyone else and risk them ending up like Kovu. Plus," she added after a moment, "she seems to like me. I don't know why but...it's almost as if she enjoys testing me. I'm the logical choice, Master."

Luke shook his head despite the fact he knew her argument had weight. "You just got out of the tank, Jesha. Are you sure you're up for this?"

"That's what the tank is for, Master Skywalker. To ensure I am ready."

With a heavy sigh, Luke conceded. "Very well. Be careful, Jesha."

"I will. Thank you, Master." And with that, she turned and made her way again to the docking bay. Soon she had embarked and was in rout to the Sith's last known location.

After having spent what she thought was more than enough time sulking and generally acting like a child, Vitani, the Sith Apprentice, growled to herself. Questioning her road would get her nowhere, Master Chi’kai had often said so. She had to clear her mind and focus on the task at hand, which was a mission to carry out so that her Master’s power base wasn’t questioned. Again she donned the heavy black mantle and pulled up the deep hood to obscure her face.

Hours later, would find her slumped in her captain’s chair, head cradled in her hands as she fought off an immense headache. Killing that corrupt senator had brought her no joy, the chaos she caused hadn’t elicited a smile. Her master would be disappointed in her, she was loosing her touch. Fight off a platoon of Rogue Stormtroopers, she could do with a smile. Eliminate a family of Rancoor that threatened the safety of her Kybuck heard, she could happily execute. Blackmail a senator to vote in their favor, cheerily so. But face the disappointment of her Master? Just the thought of it made her feel like a weak child. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, allow him to be dissatisfied with her performance. With a vicious snarl of anger Vitani threw herself deep into the Dark Side of the Force and allowed it to scream around her, whipping up her hair and clothes, searing through her soul as it whispered poisonous justification for her actions and tore open wounds not only on her body, but in her heart, giving her more reason to hate the light.

As she emerged from her impromptu Dark Side bath, Vitani sported a malicious smirk. Perhaps it was time to enact her plans. She gracefully swept over to her communications hub and quickly entered the required codes to contact her master.

“Ah, my dear Vitani, I trust your mission went well?” The small holo-vid figure of her master still managed to make her smile, despite it’s lack of color save blue and the hollow tone the long distance transmitters gave it.

“Of course my Master...” She responded with a graceful bow, smiling at the image that now looked at her.

“Very good, though I feel that you didn’t call me simply to tell me that you have carried out what I have asked you... What troubles you my young apprentice?” Though most of the emotion was lost in the transmission, Vitani knew that he was voicing his concern, and she couldn’t help but feel immensely grateful for it.

“I would like to start the next phase of my introduction to the galaxy, My master, if I may be so bold as to ask for your permission to begin immediately...”

Chi’kai was silent for a few moments, a pensive look crossing his middle aged face, and Vitani feared that he would call her back to Coruscant for more training. She had to prove to her master that she was ready to face the Jedi, if only so that she could start moving about with more freedom.

“Yes, I believe that the time has come. You shall, of course, continue to contact me regularly and provide fully detailed reports of your progress,” he finally acquiesced with the concession added towards the end.

“Of course my Master, I shall do as you command. I will not let you down Master.”

“No, I imagine you shall bring me great pride, my dear Vitani. Go now, you must have much to prepare.”

“Yes, thank you again master!”

Vitani happily turned off the console and merrily skipped back to her quarters. “Finally Mirr! Finally we can show our true strength,” she giggled in an almost hysterical fashion to her protocol droid, M1R4.

“Very good mistress, shall I set the coordinates you have pre programmed for this occaision?”

“Not just yet Mirr,” the Sith apprentice said with a shake of her head, “I’ll have to contact our little Knight first, before anything...After all, one cannot have a ball, without the guest of honor. How else will I present my gift to her?” She trailed off with a rather insane chuckle, and sat down to reach into the Force. Focusing on a very familiar Force signature, she homed in on it and gave it a harsh tug, knowing that that would get her target’s attention.

“Little Knight, oh little Knight, I have an invitation for you little knight!”
Her mental voice was somewhat disturbing, riding that fine line between elated and just completely mental. “You have questions that I want to answer...hehehe....but I can’t...not yet. You’ll have to earn them you see...by solving my puzzle.. For the first piece of the puzzle, you’ll have to come to Kamino, I’ll be waiting for you Little Knight!” She thought about ending it there, but something made her pause to quietly add another thought.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him, you know....please take care of him.”

Since speed was little less than a necessity on this mission, Jesha had been granted permission to use one of the new one man ships. These small craft were based off the small, agile Jedi fighters used during the time of the Clone Wars and even came with an astromech droid.

Jesha had just touched down at the last known location of the sith when she felt a sudden, harsh tug through the force, then a lyrical, taunting voice in her mind. Almost before the engines had completely shut down, Jesha booted them back up, quickly plotting a course for Kamino. The astromech droid gave a chirp of confusion, the sounds being translated and displayed on a side console in the cockpit.

“I’m honestly not sure,” Jesha answered. “I know all about Kamino’s history – it’s relevance to the Clone Wars, the formation of the Galactic Empire. But I have no idea why the sith wants to meet me there. Do me a favor and send a message to the Jedi temple about where I’m headed. Otherwise Master Skywalker will likely have my head.” The droid gave an affirmative whistle.

After a briefer than normal trip through hyperspace, the small ship had made it’s descent into Kamino’s almost constantly rainy atmosphere. Jesha navigated through the rain sheer, following the tug she still felt to a small, remote landing platform. As she set the ship down, she immediately noticed a cloaked, hooded figure already waiting for her. Jesha felt a sudden wave of anger pass over her but this time she quickly smothered the emotion, taking a deep breath and centering herself before drawing her own brown hood up over her head as she exited her craft.

“It is time to give you your first piece of the puzzle, little Knight,” the Sith apprentice called from her position across the landing platform. The rain pelted against her thick hood, but she stayed dry due to the make of the material.

She then held out her hand, raising one finger to the sky, “But first, you must answer a question. If you fail to answer correctly, I shall have to leave you without the puzzle piece, and you will have to figure out the answer to meet with me again...And we shall repeat this process, until you’ve answered correctly, or you could save yourself the effort, and just answer right the first time.”

Withdrawing her hands back into her mantle, she made a motion, and it was clear that she had crossed her arms beneath the heavy mantle. “My question then, little Jedi, is this. Have you let her go? Don't be so quick to answer either. I shall know if you are lying, so it would be in your best interest to be as truthful as you can.”

For a fraction of a second Jesha's blood boiled at the question, the insinuation, and the person it was coming from. The emotions played across her face in that instance and in the next were gone, hidden behind a serine, collected mask. For several more seconds she stared intently at the sith trying to fathom her intentions as she took several cautious steps toward her, out from the overhang of her ship and into the pouring rain, her own hood shielding her from the water, but not as well as the sith's. Soon the Knight's hair was wet and several strands had broken free of her heirloom hair piece to cling to the sides of her face and neck.

"Yes," she said firmly. "I have let her go. But I have not forgotten her, nor has she forgotten me. She is one with the Force now. Her essence flows through me just as the Force does. Every time I call on the Force, use it's power, I know she is with me. Helping me. Giving me her strength. And she will give me the strength to defeat you. Not for my sake or for her's. But for the balance of the Force."

The Apprentice clapped her hands, "Very good! Very good indeed little Knight, you speak the truth and you speak the correct answer! Such ties to a trifle little thing like that would have gotten you killed through my tests." As she spoke that last phrase, she giggled shortly. It was a high, off kilter thing that rubbed at a soul the wrong way. The very sound of it was telling in it's nature. There was something wrong with this woman. Something very wrong.

Again she moved, only this time it was to secure a clip at her left shoulder, a clip that was clearly meant to keep the mantle on despite movements. "Now it is time to win the piece of the puzzle. Show me how far you have come, how far you have grown, win or lose, but trust me I cannot lose this battle, you will walk away from this with something...dear to you...So come at me little Knight, and show me what you have learned. Show me if you have truly resolved the darkness in your heart, because you will be my greatest measure."

With her words spoken, the Apprentice slid into a ready stance, pushing back her mantle so that it resembled more of a cape as it rest upon her shoulders to cascade down her back, revealing the black and silver tasset, her flowing detached sleeves, now water logged from a scant few seconds of exposure to the pouring rain, and the fact that she had two ornate sabers, shockingly familiar, in her hands. The silvery outer casing of the saber had been intricately and painstakingly inscribed with flowing designs that not only added to aesthetic value, but to help with grip as well. The apprentice flipped one in her hand, letting the light glint off of it's decorated surface before thumbing it on. The activated blade was a deep hue of indigo, and when it's twin joined it, the resulting hum was almost melodic in their resonating hum. They were familiar and comforting. These were Her blades.

"And at once, the worlds will give pause, for the start of the end shall make itself known in a song most harmonic," she said to herself, softly. Knowing that this was where there was no turning back. Jesha would now be forced to shoulder a great burden. Even if she didn't realize it. Soon, within the next six standard galactic months, she would be shown. And Vitani's greatest betrayal would be made known to the universe, just as she had planned it.

~~~~

Jedi Temple

~~~~

Kovu stirred from his coma, but did not wake. In the bacta tank his body moved slightly, as though trying to warn the woman that was now facing a Sith Apprentice. His thoughts, trapped in his mind as his body recovered, raced. 'Alende, please don't! Jesha run...run away....' but no one was there to hear him, no one could tell what had caused the small spike in adrenaline within his blood, no one could decipher why the recuperating Knight seemed to be so distraught.

Jesha's heart skipped a beat or perhaps two as she saw and heard the purple sabers hum to life. She recognized them immediately as her sister's. The intricate silver hilts, the unique deep purple color, the almost melodic hum that resonated from them, it was all too painfully familiar.

"How dare you," Jesha whispered, her face contorting in confused anger. "How. How did you get those? Those were Vitani's, the jedi you murdered! They are not yours!" Jesha said as she drew her own sabers and soon two blue blades were humming in harmony with the purple pair.

Again, her lilting laugh filled the air. "I admit, I was in the wrong time at the wrong place when my Master called me to that city above the clouds, but you seem to be forgetting one detail, little Knight, my Master liberated these sabers while he fought with that Jedi, and seeing as how she couldn't even use that power she was gifted, he decided to let her potential live on in me. My Master was thoughtful like that, you should be proud, for you see, now she can utilize that potential."

If she had meant her last statement to be so blatant, she didn't show it. The tone of her voice and her previous statements left the statement ambiguous. There was no declaration of death, but no assurance of life either. "Ready yourself Je...di."

No more words were said as she assumed her opening Vaapad stance. She would win this, to prove to herself that no matter what happens, she was justified in her path. Strength came from passion, and passion was fueled by the dark side.

Jesha closed her eyes and took a deep breath, drawing the Force through her just as much as the air. When she opened them again, there was no rage or anger. An though slight confusion lingered, the main expression was of calm determination.

She too assumed her fighting position, the same one she had always used, ever since her first sparring lesson. Her sabers were held before her in a defensive position typical of Jedi saber fighting. She spun her right saber around her hand in anticipation, the swirl of the blue and the whir of the blade in motion triggering an adrenaline rush as they signaled the beginning of a fight. But still, as much as her muscles begged for motion and she yearned to plunge her sabers into the sith's heart, she retained an external composure of calm and waited for her opponent to make the first move. Never attack, only defend. That was the Jedi way. Vitani had been right. Now more than ever, Jesha needed to cling to her ideals.

As with most practitioners (not that there were many still living who even knew of the nearly dead form) of Vaapad could tell you, the very style itself lent a certain mindset to it's user, an agressive and explosive and unpredictable style that allowed it's user to be just as agressive, just as unpredictable as the form itself. It helped that the Sith apprentice herself was usually the agressor in a fight, so when she rushed forward it was with the intent to engage the Knight.

Her first blow, was high, but the second blow was a feint aiming for the mid-section in an upwards slash that was pulled back to allow a backwards flip with the second saber leading it. The single flip turned into a series of one handed cartwheels as she put distance between her and her opponent.

This was the Knight she wanted to fight. This was where her bar was at. And if everything went according to plan, that bar was going to constantly be raised as the two of them fought and trained to become better than the other. A constant and unending race to the non-existant top. This was the best way she could protect what was hers while at the same time helping her Master. Yes. This is what she was aiming for. And Jesha would help her, unwittingly but at the same time willingly, ever hunting her down and always keeping her on her toes.

Jesha dodged, blocked, and parried every movement of the Sith, throwing in an attack of her own whenever she saw an opening. At first, the Sith's style caught Jesha off guard, and there were several near hits. But as the fight continued, the young Jedi became as familiar as was possible with the style and began adapting her own form to successfully combat the Sith, gradually growing more aggressive as she gained confidence.

Now, instead of simply blocking an oncoming saber swing, she would parry it then thrust her own saber forward, into the opening she had created. However, said opening never lasted long enough for her attacks to get through as the Sith was adapting as fast as she was. In most every way they were equally matched. In fact, though she had never truly fought the Sith before, Jesha couldn't keep the nagging thought out of her mint that her movements felt familiar somehow. Not all of them, but just certain instances. The way the Sith spun form a feint into an attack. The positioning of her feet as she blocked one of Jesha's swings. The movement of her arms as she darted from one attack to the next.

Forcefully, Jesha brushed the thoughts from her mind. She couldn't afford to entertain such distractions in the middle of such a battle. Instead she concentrated on each movement of the Sith, trying to commit her stances and motions to memory. She suspected this would not be the last of their encounters.

As the battle continued and it appeared neither was gaining any significant ground, Jesha turned to her knowledge of the Force. This time, after she parried one of the Sith's blows, she extended her arm, sending a powerful wave of the Force pushing forward, toward the Sith.

The Sith Apprentice laughed quietly as she flowed into the push, just as she had done with Kovu's and allowed her body to fly with the kinetic energy, letting it carry her bodily before flipping and landing lightly on her feet with the faintest sound. Master Chi'kai's training had taught her how to take the concussive force of as Force Push and ride it instead of bearing the brunt of the blow. Sure, it felt like someone was putting a tonne of pressure on her ribcage as she rode it, but it was better than said ribs snapping. Looking up towards her opponent the Apprentice smirked. If she wanted to turn it up a notch then she'd gladly play along. She hadn't used the Force at all during this spar, wanting to test her own limits, to see how far she had come without depending upon anything else but herself.

With a laugh the Apprentice twirled her left saber in her hand and threw the right one as one would a disk, augmenting her throw with the Force to allow the blade to spin faster and travel through the air truer. It was a distraction of course, one that would allow her to close the distance the Knight's push had created between the two. She knew that long ranged fighting wasn't her forte. She didn't have the stamina of her Master to hold a sustained and controlled blast of Force Lightning through her body yet. Not without singeing a few vital organs in the process, and a trip back home in a bacta tank due to her own over enthusiasm to show off to the Knight that was her rival was not her idea of enjoyable. Flowing from Vaapad into Makishi while waiting for her errant saber to complete it's ovoid flight path, the Apprentice pressed on, using her newly master form to keep the Little Knight from gaining an upper hand while she had only one saber to the Knight's two.

In truth, Jesha was impressed by the way the Sith absorbed her push, flying with it instead of the instinctive response of fighting it. However, she was not allowed to dwell on the thought for very long as the Sith, after recovering from her graceful landing, launched one of her sabers toward the young Knight.

For a moment, the flying saber served it's purpose. Jesha's eye was drawn to it as she made to counter the projectile, but even as she sent another Force push toward the saber, knocking it far enough off course to not be a threat to her, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

With a burst of speed from the Force, she pivoted just in time to bring one of her sabers up and block the Sith's as it slammed down toward her. The force of the attack brought the saber dangerously close to Jesha's face so the purple light reflected in her brown eyes ((she does have brown eyes...right? Now I feel like a bad creator....)) and she could clearly hear the signature hum of her sister's saber in her ear.

"That is not your saber!" he hissed through clenched teeth as she shoved the Sith back away from her. Jesha noticed the still flying saber was almost back to the Sith who had casually extended a hand to catch it. She dashed forward, intent on taking advantage of the short lived moment. With a small flick of the wrist, she hurled the returning saber faster than it had been going, forcing the Sith to dodge the suddenly speeding hazard. And as she dodged, Jesha lunged with a generous boost from the Force, head first toward the recovering Sith. Both her sabers out in front of her, seeking the Sith's chest.

But, as fate would have it, the Sith dodged again at the last possible second, not fully avoiding the Jedi's offensive, but causing Jesha's sabers to miss their mark. Instead, the two blue sabers seared into the top of the Sith's right arm, burning identical semi-circular holes in her bicep. Remembering her training, Jesha quickly followed up with yet another Force push that, this time, caught the wounded Sith off guard, knocking her back several feet.

Jesha paused, breathing heavily, calming herself, stifling the blood rage that threatened to wash over her. Tempering her raging desire to slaughter the Sith that very moment.

The Apprentice hissed, that was going to scar if she didn't end this soon and get some bacta over it. Probably would have to slip into a healing trance too. Kriff, and that shove HURT. Frag it all, was that a cracked rib?! She was lucky that she had managed to turn the tail end of the push into a tuck roll or else she was pretty sure she'd be sporting broken wrists and ulnas, maybe even fractured radii.

"Futhark," she hissed as she dug sharp nails into the wounds, forcing it to bleed so that her body didn't accept the burnt area as healed, as bodies are won't to do when a burn doesn't fester.

Rising to her feet, her eyes blazed with a fervor of a heated battle, though you couldn't see it for the hood obscuring her face. Her sabers returned to her hands as she held them out, for they had flown away from her after she had been pushed, flying with a speed some would find scary, and painful if they had tried to catch them. They came back to life with a sharp snap hiss, their hums resonating with the other, creating harmony once again. The mantle turned cloak hung heavily at her back and shoulders, clothes cold and soaked by the unceasing rainfall, she may not appear outwardly at all intimidating, mostly in part to her petite stature, but the Force Presence she was putting out was more than enough to make up for that lack of physical presence.

It swirled around her, curling in upon itself to caress her heavy cloak into billowing just enough to be noticeable. The air visually warped and danced around her as it was rapidly heated and cooled at random intervals, but the most telling sign was the light violet lightning dancing up her arms and at her fingers as they curled around the outer casing of her sabers, crackling as it went jumping out at the droplets of water that weren't evaporated within three inches of her arms. She listened gleefully to the thrall of the call of battle and Darkness, and laughed her lilting laugh once again.

"Finally, you play seriously!"

When the Apprentice motioned to start again she suddenly moved with speed nearly untraceable as she augmented her body with the Force. The gloves were off now, and there was no holding back. A slash here, counter to a high swipe there. The crashing, crackling sounds of lightsaber against lightsaber were suddenly coming in increasingly fast installments, with hardly any pauses at all. Her feet never stopped, never halted, they were constantly bringing her to her next move, next twist, next flip, next pirouette or dodge. Though Vaapad used a wide range of movements, her arms were never far from her body, all motions were made with the most efficient, short, swift movements possible. If a blow was parried, she would bring back her arm to fend off the incoming thrust or slash and return the favor with her second blade. She was in truth, using a perfected version of Makishi with two blades. It is said that Asajj Ventress tried to do something of the same effect, but since she hadn't the discipline to truly master the demanding form, was only as good as a single blade practitioner whom had mastered Makishi in all it's difficulty.

Yes, Vaapad was more ideal for her, as it very much suited her personality, especially when dealing with opponents such as her little Knight rival and her fury, but at the same time, she very much enjoyed the aerial focus of Ataru and the discipline of Makishi.

A duck to avoid a furious cleave and suddenly the Apprentice laughed. "Time to end this, little Knight, or you may loose your mind to battle."

Jesha paused momentarily at the Sith's words. "What the hell does that mean?" she asked angrily as she took another swing at the cackling Sith before her. The swing was deflected but the Sith made no attempt to counter, instead, bounding and backflipping several paces away.

The rain continued to pelt as the battle took a momentary pause. Jesha's robes were soaked through, and her hair was a dripping, tangled mess that clung to her face and neck. Her sabers hissed with each rain drop that landed on them.

After sucking in several lung fulls of air, Jesha darted forward again, determined to finish the battle this time, despite how the rain and her exertion were beginning to wear her down.

Red and yellow eyes narrowed in glee, her opponent was tiring, her movements were slowing, though to a casual observer it would be so infinitesimal that they wouldn't be able to tell, the Apprentice knew that those nanoseconds meant the difference between survival and death, victory and loss. Not many could keep up with her at this pace for very long and she knew it. One last push and she would be standing victorious, she could already see how the little Knight struggled to fend off each blow, to execute each swing with the precision she had at the beginning of this fight.

A single opening was all she needed. To get inside her opponent's guard, in order to deliver a finishing blow. Black painted lips widened in a smile, she could wait, she would wait. That opening was all she needed, and she could play all out without much worry until then.

Perhaps? Yes.

Every blow now, she didn't bother to return, let the Jedi think that she was on the defensive, let her grow at ease, let her assume she had the upper hand. Slash, dodge, duck, weave, block, flip. It was like watching a dance, she- THERE! A stance too wide to allow proper compensation or footing to jump when she used a horizontal slash, it would force the little Knight to lean backwards, and when she did, she was waiting for her.

A roundhouse kick to send her further into the platform, and liberal application of the Force to Push her upwards guaranteed that the Knight would be airborne long enough for the Apprentice to get under her and start a physical combo of kicks and punches aimed towards the torso to soften the little Knight. At the apex of her flight, she paused, allowed her momentum to peak, then Pushed downwards at Jesha, watching with malicious satisfaction as her body hit once, bounced up a little, and finally skidded to a halt.

"Told ya so," she giggled to the air.

Jesha landed with a dull thump as her body skidded to a halt, the wet landing platform sending her farther than normal terrain. For a second she was acutely aware of the amount of damage her body had just sustained and the sharp and dull pains that were shooting through her body, but quickly that pain overwhelmed her and she passed into unconsciousness as the rain continued to beat on her.

Her sabers were split, one having fallen near her body while the other had been flung from her hand at the beginning of the Sith's vicious assault and now lay closer to the Sith.

The Apprentice smirked, her black painted lips twisting into a feral and malicious expression. Gracefully she bent and picked up the blade nearest to her, having clipped her own blades back to their normal resting places at her hip. The steady beat of the rain and her sharp footfalls against the metal of the platform were the only sounds, and then, the Apprentice put her hands to her hood, hesitating there, before pulling back, revealing a woman with tricolored hair resembling the colors of fire, that, had it been dry, would be curling and wild, but now hung at her back, weighted down by the fierce downpour.

Red markings adorned her cheeks, mimicking tear tracks as they ran from the inside of her eyes to the side of her jaw, branching out sharply thrice. Upon her brow was another silver, almost tiara like, marking shaped like wings and a sun done in gold. Her eyes were the color of a sickly yellow, ringed with rust red, but for a second, as she gazed down at the fallen Knight, the red seemed to brighten and expand, chasing away almost half of the yellow.

"I am sorry my sister, but this is the only way you can grow strong enough to protect the others...I know now that I cannot rely upon Skywalker to do so. But you, with my careful guidance, have touched the dark enough to know, and you will stay in the light, because you know. You will strive to best me, to avenge me....and Kovu....and this will cause us both to grow stronger," as she spoke she knelt and reached out to draw the hair from her sister's face, fixing it to stay behind that clip again, and there, her hand lingered upon the earring. Here the red almost completely took over, now shining the brilliant ruby that they had been once before, when she had once held the mantle of Jedi Knight.

"We were fated, from the moment we met, to be twins. One in Light, one in Darkness. But you are not yet ready to know the truth. I fear the day when you will be...when you have numbed yourself enough to know....when I have faded from your heart enough to let you know...when I can be sure that you will not follow me through the Darkness, and for that, I am truly sorry, sister mine."

No longer was her voice lilting and spoke of insanity, now it was somber, truly saddened and even apologetic. Gently, the Apprentice lifted the one she called sister, and took her back to the ship she had arrived in. With a casual wave of her hand, the Astromech droid's camera no longer worked, and she, with gentleness born of love for her sister, strapped the Knight in, but not before tucking the saber she had picked up into her holster, and leaving one, ornately decorated saber cradled in Jesha's hands.

"Be strong Jesha-alenien, you must...."

And with a swirl of her cloak she disappeared into the gloom of the rain not even watching as the autopilot took control and maneuvered the small craft out of the atmosphere. The coming chaos would be enough, and slowly, the yellow crept back into her eyes, and a lilting giggle bubbled from her throat as she boarded her own ship.

"Fare well little Knight, until we meet again!"

((Damn you and your ability to make EPIC sappy posts! I almost cried! Then again I am PMSing...so that might have contributed. XDDD))

Jesha nodded awake just in time to see her shuttle drop out of hyperspace into the Coruscant system. For the first several moments of consciousness, Jesha was utterly confused. Then several realizations hit her at once. First and foremost was the excruciating amount of pain she was in, followed almost immediately by the fact that she was no longer on Kamino and that there was a lightsaber in her hand. Without properly looking at the saber, she automatically clipped it onto the free slot on her belt, wincing as she unthinkingly put pressure on her abdomen.

That was when she remembered the brutal beating she had taken. But that was the last thing she remembered. She was left clueless as to how she ended up back on her ship with both her sabers, and descending into Coruscant's atmosphere. It was only then that she looked down and realized, they weren't her sabers. Not both of them, anyways. One was hers. But the saber that had been resting in her hands when she came to was one of Vitani's. A surge of emotions washed over her. Shock, sadness, rage, confusion, love, fear. How had the saber gotten there? Had the Sith been that close to her? Why would she have swapped the sabers? Was she the one who took Jesha back to her shuttle and engaged the autopilot? WHY?

As the shuttle touched down in the docking bay of the Jedi Temple, Jesha's mind was still racing. The astromech droid opened the door and extended the ramp, allowing the small assembled medical crew to board the shuttle.

Suddenly, the cramped cockpit was even more cramped as medical personnel, droids, and healers crowded around the young Knight. They asked her questions about both her physical condition and the mission while carefully unbuckling her, removing her from the pilot's chair, placing her on a floating gurney, and transporting her to the medical bay.

On her way there, Jesha drifted in and out of consciousness several times, once waking to Master Skywalker hovering over her, a very concerned look on his face. She could see his lips moving and heard vague, speech-like sounds coming from his mouth but soon she lost consciousness again, and, after the various medics checked her physical condition, confirming her injuries were nothing requiring serious or immediate medical attention, she was placed in a bacta tank to heal.

Aquaris was a beautiful planet, blue skies with deep blue seas, there were no landmasses on the planet, making for a spectacular sight when coming out of atmospheric entry, with the sun shining upon the shimmering and ever moving liquid surface, throwing reflections of the craft's silver underbelly up to meet the apprentice's eyes. All the cities, she knew, were below the surface of the water, and to access them you had to land upon a platform. Unlike Kamino, with their regal and spiraling cities above water and their elaborate landing platforms, the platforms here were simple, transparisteel bubbles that rose to the surface and enclosed a set space, large enough to land a small star craft like the White Starling, that would then descend back to the underwater cities and bases. Most of these were interconnected by long tubes of transparisteel, allowing the inhabitants to feel like they were a part of the aquatic world. As the ship docked in one of the bays to allow for an easy resupply through a cargo bay, Vitani smiled to herself.

There was no small coincidence between the similarities of this world's name and the name of her own home city. This would be where the start of her influence would spread. Aquaris was well known for being one of the trading planets, easily accessible and rather peaceful with mostly passive inhabitants, but there was a reason Vitani came here. The Aquaris Freeholders were based here, and they were one of the more successful smuggling rings around that didn't require her to dirty her hands with Hutts, Duggs, or anything from Nar Shadda or Nal Hutta or whatever other disgustingly dirty planets were out there. Here, things looked clean, the cities didn't stink of crime and the decay of corruption. Yes, it was from here that she'd begin building her reputation, not as one who dealt only in death and insanity, but as one who dealt in business. No one had want for another Tyrant, not so soon after the fall of Palpatine, nor did she want to become a tyrant either. "Come Mirr, we must meet with the leader of the Aquaris Freeholders. We wouldn't want to be late for our appointment."

"As you wish mistress.." M1-R4 trailed behind her, silvery casing casting and catching the watery reflections of the sun that managed to make it this deep.

She may not be as Sith Lady yet, but even Palpatine and Vader had to start somewhere, for Vader it was the murder of children and Jedi in the Temple, for Palpatine, the murder of his master... But Vitani didn't like needless death, and she was rather partial to her Master, so her start would be here, beneath the beautiful waters of Aquaris. It was fitting.

There was a soft song in the air, and the workers of the hanger looked around warily. It was harmonious, but they knew well enough that anything pretty on Nar Shadaa was dangerous, even songs.

"You walk a lonely road, oh how far you are from home," the lyrics floated on the artificial breeze, muffled by the pollution, but not tainted, because the words themselves were already dark in nature.

The source of the singing was a petite female that gracefully walked through the space between herself and her ship. Her boots were in one hand, allowing her to leave bloody footprints on the otherwise clean durasteel flooring. A few drops of the slowly coagulating life blood dripped from her blades that hung freely at her hip. They were not transparisteel like her last set, infact they were a bright and ironically shining platinum of high grade durasteel, the highly reflective surface though was marred by violent red and black of the blood from her victims. They weren't stealthy, and they weren't /hers/ but they would have to do for now, until her order for the new blades were complete.

"Hmmm, I do wonder if the little Knight will be offended by my style?" She locked gazes with a hapless mechanic and smiled sweetly, a gesture that sent a cold wash of terror through his gut. "When the Knight called Antilles arrives, tell her that she was too late, will you? And tell her, 'A promise lives, within you now,'" the last part was sung, with her sweet voice, and the poor man couldn't be blamed when he fell to his knees, trembling. He knew full well that he had just barely escaped with his life.

"You'll do that for me won't you?"

"Y-y-y-u... Yes Lady Sith..."

"Good boy," she purred before boarding her ship and setting off to her next 'appointment'.

Jesha was just beginning to recover to the point where she could hobble around faster than before and had almost her full range of motion back. She was, by no means, ready to return to the field. However, when word reached her of another attack by the apprentice, she made a bee-line for the hangar and, before Master Skywalker had the chance to prevent her, she was on her way to Nar Shadaa...again.

She knew it was beyond stupid to rush back in like she was, but she was fairly certain that, by the time she arrived on the dark planet, the apprentice would be long gone. Either that or she was flying straight into a trap. Only one way to find out.

She landed in the hanger bay near were the attack had been reported. Jesha was surprised that the port authority had so readily let a Jedi vessel dock in their hanger; in fact, they all but specifically asked her to dock where she did.

Her confusion continued when she lowered the ramp and made to hobble out of the craft to begin her investigation and was met with a lone mechanic standing nervously at the bottom of the ramp.

"Hello," Jesha said with an uncertain smile.

The mechanic nodded his head in reply. "Ma'am - er - I mean - Jedi Knight. I mean - I'm assuming you're a knight and not a master; I know you're not a padawan cause you've got no braid, but I guess you could be a master and that means I just disrespected you and I -"

"Be calm, man," Jesha said, trying to contain her amusement. "You had it the first time. I am Jedi Knight Jesha Antilles."

"Antilles! So it is you!" Jesha looked clearly puzzled so the mechanic continued. "She said you'd come. The Sith. And she said, when you came, to tell you....uhm...." he cleared his throat,"that you were too late and that...and she sort of sang this part...that a promise lives within you now." He paused, waiting for the knight to react. To show some sort of understanding and maybe turn in a flurry of cloak and dart back into her ship, suddenly knowing what she must do...but nothing happened beyond the continuation of Jesha's confused expression.

"What the Hutt's is that supposed to mean!?" she yelled after several seconds.

"H-Hutts, Jedi?" the mechanic seemed shocked that such a name should usher from a Jedi's mouth.

Rubbing her brow in frustration Jesha nodded her head. "Surely you've heard of them. Big slugs. Crime family. Runs the underworld. You live on Nar Shadaa, how have you not -"

"I've heard of them," the man interrupted. "I just...well...you're a Jedi..." he trailed off as if that alone were explanation.

Jesha sighed. This man's ignorance on top of the mysterious message from the apprentice and her lingering injuries were rapidly adding up to equal a significant head ache. "Yes. Jedi come from all planets and all walks of life. I swear to the Hutts. Congratulations, you learned something today." She sighed again, shaking her head and turning back into her ship, raising the ramp as soon as possible. She was so not looking forward to dealing with Master Skywalker upon her return.

The sith apprentice sat at the console of her ship, tapping her sharp, almost claw like, fingernails upon the thin metal casing of her navigation board in a steady beat, almost like a metronome. Her poison yellow eyes half lidded as she watched stars streak by her as brilliant lines of light, black painted lips pulled down into a slight frown, with her head leaning heavily upon the hand not currently tapping rhythmically against the metal.

"I have to be careful with the delivery of this next one," she muttered to herself. It had been two months, and while she had been causing a good deal of chaos and manipulating a good deal of people publically, her true dealings were in shadow. The deals that mattered the most were conducted in the homes of those doing the dealing, disguised as cordial meetings between two business partners, or a fond luncheon with a far off friend come to visit. Yes, Vitani knew subtlety was the key to building a firm power base and a reliable network of contacts, so while the Galaxy was quickly learning of the Sith Apprentice she was, the underworld was quickly realizing that she was not just some trifle thing. But that came at a heavy price, and she was forced to ground herself, lest she loose what little grasp on her sanity she had left. So her anchor was chosen, and an easy choice it was. But that meant making her anchor keep her in the back of her mind, keep that little pinpoint of light in a dark soul.

She was silent for a time before she smirked. "It's time to test her power...no clues this time."

Closing her eyes, she once again dove into her mind and sought out that bond between herself and Jesha, shielded as it was, and longed to reach out and caress it, but could not, so instead she sought out Jesha's mind, without the use of the bond, and gave a harsh tug. Little Knight, oh little Knight, I want to play again little Knight, will you play with me?? I'll be waiting little Knight, on a very quaint little planet, I think you've heard of it? Naboo, I do believe it's called... I'll be waiting little Knight, if you decide to play with me, I'll be there for the next two weeks..

Jesha's heart rate jumped as she felt the harsh tug on her thoughts and heard the words of the apprentice drip into her mind like acid. Despite the earful she had received from Master Skywalker upon her return from Nar Shadaa, and despite the fact that she still wasn't /quite/ 100%, she /knew/ she had to respond to the Sith's "invitation". She wasn't sure how many more time she could manage to take off in a shuttle without Master Skywalker knowing before he restricted her to her room or put some sort of security device on the hangar bay doors, but she knew she had to try at least this one more time.

This time, at least, she had the thought to sneak out at night time. She crept down the halls, feeling like she was betraying Master Skywalker more than ever. But she pushed the thoughts from her mind as she reached the hanger, climbed into the cockpit of a starfighter, and sped out of orbit, plotting a hyperspace jump to Naboo into the computer before closing her eyes in meditation.