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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Mission to Corellia (second attempt :))

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction Stories--Classic JC Board (Reply-Only)' started by Frostfyre, Jan 24, 2000.

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  1. Vexx

    Vexx Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2000
    Uppers!! ::clears throat selfconsciously:: I mean, Post or DIE, pathetic mortal!!!
     
  2. Frostfyre

    Frostfyre Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 1999
    Darkness consumed him, threatening to overwhelm him completely. It bound him fast; death was the only release. But even as he struggled toward that dim hope, he saw that it was too late. Even in death the shadows would hold his soul imprisoned.
    He had never felt so helpless.

    ***

    Something's wrong. Sariah thumbed off the comlink. Reason told her there was nothing to worry about; it was Locke's day off, and it was early yet. He could be out.

    Reason however, was not a Jedi's primary tool, and her feelings told her something was amiss.

    She would find no help from the other agents. No one had heard from Locke since he'd left the crime scene the night before. And she couldn't give a satisfactory explanation to any of them, anyway.

    Perhaps his sister would know. She'd gotten the impression before that her partner was very close to his family. It was very likely that he'd gone to see her.

    Sariah hoped to heaven that he had.

    ***

    "He was here earlier," Tanna said apologetically, balancing her two-year-old on her hip. "He stopped by on his way home from Mom's, but he didn't stay long. Said he was going to try and get some sleep."
    "You're sure he said he was going home?" Sariah pushed aside the Force-induced worry and concentrated on sounding only mildly concerned.

    Locke's sister nodded. "But he might have gone out to get some sleeping meds." A faint worry line appeared between her eyebrows. "He's been having terrible nightmares lately. He hates drugs, but he said something to the effect that he'd try anything if he could just get some undisturbed sleep."
    "Does he usually have trouble with nightmares on cases like this?"
    Tanna shook her head, her heavy black hair swinging with the movement. "He's never really had bad dreams. Not even as a kid. I suppose this case is more disturbing than most, but he's had a few almost as bad and hasn't had trouble like this."

    Sariah realized that she was nervously toying with the lock of shorter hair that hung just behind her ear, where her Padawan braid had once been, still too short to pull back with the rest of her hair. She unwound her finger from it and nodded to Tanna. "Thanks. I'll just have to try his apartment again."
    Tanna smiled at her and made overtures of inviting Sariah to dinner someday soon. Any other time, the Jedi would have been pleased and flattered by the invitation, but as she hurried back to her rented cloudcar it faded into insignificance.

    Tanna's comment about the nightmares struck a bell in Sariah's mind. She suddenly recalled Locke asking her about a cure for nightmares, but she'd been busy chasing down a brainstorm and hadn't thought it significant. Now she wished she'd listened.

    She remembered reading somewhere in the Jedi archives about the ability to influence people's dreams. It was closely connected with illusion and other mind-tricks. A very rare talent, it's use was not actively encouraged by the Code, since it tended to blur the line between reality and dreaming if used too much.

    If the killer had that ability, and was using it...

    ***

    The woman who opened the door was haggard, her hair unkempt, pale eyes red and puffy from sleepless nights and unspent grief. Her expression as she eyed Sariah was at once wary and timid. "What do you want?" She evidently recognized her from their first interview, just after her daughter's body had been found.

    "I'm sorry to disturb you again,?ESariah said gently. "But I need to ask you one more question. Did your daughter complain of nightmares before she disappeared?"

    "N-nightmares? I don't...don't remember." Her face tensed. "I can't talk to you about this. Go away!" She started to step back and close the door on Sariah, but the Jedi moved too quickly, taking hold of the woman's arm before she could disappear inside. She struggled ineffectually. "Let me go!"

    Sariah held the other's gaze with her own. "Remember,"she said softly, making a small gesture with her free hand.

    The woman froze, mouth working soundlessly. Her face grew so pale that Sariah worried
     
  3. Jane Jinn

    Jane Jinn Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    Chilling! So this sociopath thinks he can absorb Locke's soul somehow, and perhaps even make himself stronger with it? Brrr!

    I liked the way Sariah helped the mother of the victim remember the nightmares, and the way Sariah went back to Locke's apartment even though she knew he wasn't there. "Human denial of crisis"--so true!

    Excellent work!
     
  4. Frostfyre

    Frostfyre Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 1999
    Armed now with the knowledge that the killer was using dreams to target and control his chosen victims, Sariah accessed the Jedi Temple?s database and began searching through the list of all initiates, Padawans, Knights, and Masters who had left the Order within the last twenty years. Though when compared to the almost ten thousand active members of the Order, the list seemed very small, it still contained several hundred names.

    She was certain, however, that she could narrow the list. First she eliminated the initiates and Padawans. So far, the killer had shown a skill and training level that the apprentices would not have. Knights and Masters were far more likely. This cut the list by over half. Next she removed all females from it. Though she couldn?t rationalize exactly why, she was almost certain the killer was male. Well, it wasn?t as though her hunches would have to stand up in court. It wasn?t likely to ever get that far.

    With the remaining names, she implemented a search through their listed abilities. Cataloguing and documenting an initiate?s talents within their first few years at the Temple was something the Council did faithfully. It allowed them to keep track of which abilities were most common, and which were rare and either required special training or lack thereof. With a talent as rare as dream-controlling, the chances of finding the killer were quite good.

    While she was waiting for the computer to finish sorting, she turned to a second monitor she?d set up on her desk and began her next task. CorSec?s medical files were classified, and without Locke there to get a direct blood sample from, she had to slice into his files. She didn?t try to be too sneaky about it; slicing had never been something she was extremely good at, and at this point she didn?t really care how many alarms she set off. It would tick off the Captain, and she?d probably have to spend a lot of time after this was all over apologizing. It was one of the nice things about being a Jedi, though. You could get away with an awful lot on a simple apology and assertion that you had to. Sariah permitted herself a small smile. If her master had heard that he?d have nailed her hide to a wall.

    She located her partner?s medical file and extracted his blood profile from it. It took a few minutes to calibrate the system to look for midichlorians, so she occupied herself with reading the rest of the file.

    He was allergic to cats. Early childhood records were unavailable. According to the computer, his parents- both xeno-anthropologists, now retired- had spent his first five years traveling in the Outer Rim. Which is why he was never tested, she thought. I wonder if they did that deliberately. It had been known to happen before. I wonder why people feel a need to do that. It?s not as if the Temple doesn?t take ?no? for an answer.

    The machine indicated that it was ready, and she ran the test. Even though she had been expecting it, she still felt a small shock as her partner?s midichlorian count appeared on the screen. It was well above average. If Locke Holt had been found and tested, he would have become quite a powerful Jedi.

    Sariah felt like an idiot for not noticing before that he was Force-sensitive. The answer to the whole mission had been staring her in the face the entire time, and she?d been to blind or too arrogant to see it. She wasn?t sure which it was, and was afraid that it was both.

    The other computer beeped softly at her. It had found a match. One Marryn Teladon, a Knight who had left the order five years before, shortly after taking the trials. His former Master would be devastated.

    ?What in all the systems do you think you?re doing?!? Captain Orrdu?s quiet, controlled voice came from behind her. ?You?re setting off system alarms from here to Central!?

    She spun her chair around to face him. ?I hacked into CorSec?s medfiles,? she said calmly.

    ?Yes, I can see that. Why?? His tone was deceptively pleasant.

    ?I needed a blood sample, and unfortunately, the owner isn?t availab
     
  5. Lilith Demodae

    Lilith Demodae Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    Wow!! Two whole posts and I missed the first one!! How could that have happened?!? Frosty, this is soo coool. That psycho gives me the chills. You've done a superb job describing him. <eg> And no Sariah has to go save Locke's backside!! Hehehehee.
     
  6. R2RUOK

    R2RUOK Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    Hey?! Where's the story?
     
  7. Vexx

    Vexx Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2000
    POST OR DIE!!!!!
     
  8. Frostfyre

    Frostfyre Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 1999
    He awoke to pain, half-welcoming it. It meant he was still alive, and the agony significantly less than he remembered. He was still strapped to the chair, though. That was irritating, especially when he considered the amount of exertion it would require to begin working his way free. He would just as soon not move at all.

    But that would mean that black-souled demon would win. Ignoring the agonized protest of his muscles, he began testing the limits of his bonds. He hadn't paid much attention to them before, only acknowledging their existence. They were not the straps he had originally though them, but tightly woven rope. Locke suddenly remembered the rope burns on the bodies, and felt a chill.

    He twisted his wrists, hoping that he might be able to work his hands free that way. The only thing he succeeded in doing was rubbing them sore. Brute strength wasn't going to work.

    Taking a deep breath, Locke forced himself to relax. Focus. He needed to focus. On what, precisely, he wasn't entirely sure. It was as though there were something else out there, waiting to guide him if he would only surrender. He'd always been afraid to before, but caught now between fear of it and fear of a slow death at the hands of that lunatic, he chose fear of the unknown. He surrendered.

    Seconds ticked by. Almost without his realizing it, the ropes binding his wrists began to loosen fractionally. To Locke, it was as though an unseen hand were guiding him. When his arms, suddenly mobile, slid forward on the chair's armrests, it startled him. He reflexively stared down in their general direction, forgetting that it was still pitch black.

    He wasn't imagining it. His hands were free. Hastily suppressing a surge of triumph, he fumbled blindly at the knots holding his legs. He couldn't sense the other's presence, but he wasn't going make the mistake of assuming he wasn't around. His fingers slipped on the tight knots, but he gritted his teeth and kept at it. Minutes crawled by like years, every one bringing him that much closer to discovery.

    Just when he was ready to give up in despair, first one, then both knots gave way. He hastily pulled the ropes off and got carefully to his feet. It was still pitch black. Next time, he thought wryly, I'm going to go to bed in my uniform. Or start wearing a utility belt on my pajamas. I would give a lot right now for a light source.

    He took a few tentative steps into the void, and stopped. He had absolutely no idea where the door was. If there even was a door. A wall. He needed to find a wall. Once he did that, finding a door shouldn't be too difficult. He started moving again, extending his hands out to encounter any solid surfaces before his nose did.

    Time slowed again to a crawl, and it seemed like an eternity to him before his hand came into contact with a cool, hard surface. He breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't be sure if it was a wall or not, but it was infinitely better than groping blindly around in empty space.

    Locke's chest hurt. The cuts made by his adversary's fingernails throbbed in the cold air. He tried not to think about the infections he could get- a sick as that man was, cleaning his fingernails on a regular basis probably wasn't a very high priority. There was also a tender ache behind his left ear, and a careful probe with his fingers revealed a lump he hadn't noticed before. Probably where they'd hit him before bringing him here.

    Well, at least the pain told him he wasn't dreaming. He began to move again, sliding his hands over the slick surface. It felt like plastisteel. He hoped sincerely it was a wall, and not a crate.

    He guessed that he had gone close to a hundred yards before he found a corner. It was definitely a wall- crates did not turn inward- and he grinned into the darkness. Moving more confidently now, he found an indention a few minutes later. Carefully running his fingers over it, he found a crack, and another expanse of flat surface on the other side. He'd found the door. Giddy with the prospect
     
  9. Lilith Demodae

    Lilith Demodae Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    Frosty's back!!!!!!!

    Ouch! Locke's not gonna like that. Mister dark jedi, sir, you are gonna be in deep kim-chee when he finally gets his hands on you!!
     
  10. Frostfyre

    Frostfyre Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 1999
    The pain was like nothing the young CorSec officer had ever felt. The blade burned through flesh and bone, and entered the floor beneath. The cloth on his pants caught fire, but the killer put them out with an almost negligent gesture, and shut down his saber. Then he closed his eyes to draw in his captive?s pain

    Locke, determined not to pass out this time, felt the sociopath tugging at his mind, trying to feed off him. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the waves of blackness that swept over him, he gathered in his will and shoved. With a startled oath, the dark man staggered back. The lightsaber flew from his hand.

    ?I?ve had enough of you,? Locke growled, tossing his hair out of his face. Sweat rolled down his body as he fought the terrible need to pass out. ?Stay. Out. Of. My. Head.? He gathered his good leg under him, intending to get to his feet. He had a half-formed plan to get his hands on that lightsaber.

    But even as he began to rise- no easy task on only one leg- his enemy recovered, and, in a movement swifter than Locke could react to, crossed the space between them and grabbed the young man by the throat, shoving him back against a nearby crate. ?I will destroy your other leg,? he promised. ?And then I will peel off your skin inch by inch.?

    ?Yeah?? Locke rasped, trying to get enough air. ?Why don?t you then?? He was close enough now to see the killer?s face. Even twisted with hatred, it was almost inhumanly beautiful. A pretty shell, Locke thought grimly, to cover a black soul.

    The other?s bearded lips curled into a sneer. ?Oh, I will,? he snarled. ?All in good time.? Then he drove his fist into the charred wound in Locke?s leg.

    Locke began to give serious thought to fainting.

    The sound of shattering glass caught both their attentions. A figure broke through the skylight on the warehouse?s ceiling and dropped the hundred or so feet to land lightly in a crouch on the floor.

    ?Let him go, Teladon,? Sariah said, rising to her feet. Her hair was straggling loose from it?s tail, and in one hand she held a two-foot cylindrical stick.

    ?Nice entrance,? Teladon sneered.

    ?One does try,? she said modestly. ?Now let him go. If you want to fight, fight with me.?

    The killer looked at Locke as if to say ?I told you so,? and abruptly released him. Locke?s weight fell on his bad leg, and with a grunt he collapsed in a heap. Through the haze of pain, he felt a surge of betrayal. She?d lied to him! And to make matters worse, used him as bait for this maniac. He?d heard tales that Jedi were ruthless, but this was downright cruel. Then, because he really didn?t have anything better to do, he
    blacked out.

    ?I wasn?t expecting a woman,? the dark man said. He extended his hand, and his lightsaber flew to it.

    Sariah, shrugging out of her jacket, decided not to reply to that. Moving into a ready position, she flipped her lightsaber on. The blue-white blades on either end cast strange shadows across the crates.

    ?Impressive design,? he said contemptuously, igniting his own ?saber and pushing back his hood. He wasn?t much taller than Sariah, and his black hair was shoulder length, pulled back into a tightly bound tail. He wore a short beard, and his features were angelically beautiful, but his eyes, black as his soul, were cruel and more than a little mad.

    She ignored that, merely raised an eyebrow and waited for him to make the first move. By forcing him to attack, she could gauge his fighting abilities while still keeping hers in reserve. And if she was any judge of personality, he would attack first.

    Teladon did not disappoint her. With a snarl, he spun toward her, bringing his blade around in a wide arc aimed for the left side of her torso. Sariah stepped into the blow, bringing the near end of her lightsaber up in a parry, then swinging the other end around and up to catch his follow-up strike. They separated, eyeing
    each other warily.

    He was quick, Sariah noted, and well trained. He had not let his lightsaber skills slip after leaving the Order. She reverse
     
  11. Lilith Demodae

    Lilith Demodae Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    Heheheheeee!!! A CorSec Force-user!!! Won't that just make the criminals happy?

    Oh, and I'm just a little put out that I didn't get to proof your fight scene for you, not that it needs help mind you, but I would have loved to be able to say I helped with it.
     
  12. Jane Jinn

    Jane Jinn Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    I have only one word. GREAT!
     
  13. Lilith Demodae

    Lilith Demodae Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    Hey, Frosty, does this mean we'll be seeing a little more of you in Caldera in the next couple of days or so, or are you still up to your eyeballs in work and school?
     
  14. Frostfyre

    Frostfyre Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 1999



    Ummm...not until Saturday. I'm still smack in the middle o' finals, and sick to boot (following my two year tradition ), so...I'm sure you understand. And I can still only get to my email once a week.

    Oh- I'm not likely to be able to make it up to your area in time for the Con. Can't afford it. But I'll probably be up late July, early August, before school starts.
     
  15. Lilith Demodae

    Lilith Demodae Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    Cool beans! I look forward to sicking my cats on you.
     
  16. Lilith Demodae

    Lilith Demodae Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    Hmmm, much more of this and I'll have posted here as many or more times than you have, Frosty.
     
  17. Frostfyre

    Frostfyre Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 1999


    Okay, here's the deal. I am THIS CLOSE to being done, but I forgot my disk at home. (I'm at school finishing a final project.) SO...the final post will be seen, same bat-time, same bat-channel, right here, on Saturday. Thank you, thank you very much.

    ::dancing insanely:: no more school! no more school! no more tuition! no more books! no more obscenely expensive art supplies! (Well, okay, not until August, anyway.)
     
  18. Lilith Demodae

    Lilith Demodae Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    Froooooooossty? Wheeeeeeerrrreee arrrrrrrrrreeeee yoouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu??
     
  19. Lilith Demodae

    Lilith Demodae Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    Frosty? Page four? Don't you have any respect for your poor lonely thread?
     
  20. Frostfyre

    Frostfyre Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 1999

    I told you it wouldn't be until Saturday (allright, so technically, it's sunday. It's almost 2am, but still...)

    And now, the final post of Mission to Correllia. (Though I came up with a better title halfway through: Dark Enigma.)

    Here you go:


    Coruscant seemed very different. She hadn?t really been gone all that long- not quite a month- and yet?it didn?t feel the same anymore. Perhaps I?ve grown, she thought. I?m not a Padawan anymore, or even a Knight on her first mission. Perhaps it isn?t Coruscant at all. Perhaps it?s me. Sariah shivered and pulled her robes tighter around her.

    She turned at the sound of the door opening. Her former master entered and paused by the entrance, hands tucked into his grey sleeves. He looked the same as he always had- a stocky, middle-aged man of medium height, with greying brown hair and beard, and friendly brown eyes that seemed to encourage confidence and trust. ?Master,? she said, bowing.

    ?I think we can move past that, now,? he said with a gentle smile. ?I?m not your master anymore, and you?ve more than proven yourself worthy of the title of a Jedi Knight.?

    She sighed and turned back to the window. ?I?m having a hard time agreeing with the Council on that, Kalad. I botched up an awful lot of that mission, and caused pain that could have been avoided if I hadn?t been so blind.?

    He crossed the room to stand beside her. ?We are none of us perfect, Sariah. But if we learn from our mistakes, then we become better people, better servants for it. I think that?s why we aren?t given second chances at life- what good would it do us if we didn?t screw up sometimes?? He put a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. ?For a new-made Knight on a solo-mission as high-pressure as that, you did quite well.?

    ?But what if-?

    ?Please don?t start in on the ?what-ifs?,? he said with a pained look. ?You drove me to distraction with it when you were a Padawan. Don?t start doing it to yourself, and second-guessing your decisions. What?s done is done, and nothing can change that. Marryn Teladon is dead, and can hurt no others with his insanity. I understand that the CorSec officer who was wounded will make a full recovery. The families of those victims can finally make their peace with the dead.?

    For a moment, it seemed that she would continue pressing her argument, but as his kind gaze held hers, her shoulders relaxed, and she smiled a little. ?I suppose all I can do is vow to do better next time.?

    He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a half-hug. ?That?s all any of us can do, my Padawan. That, and learn from our mistakes.?

    They stood comfortably for some time, watching the stream of traffic that was Coruscant?s lifeblood. The sun was going down on their side of the planet, and as they watched, the great buildings began to light up.

    Finally Sariah spoke. ?Did the Council say anything to you about my next assignment??

    ?No. I?m not your master anymore,? he replied. ?They did give the data to me, to pass on to you, however.? He handed her a datapad.

    She took it from him and flipped it on, scanning the information that scrolled onto the screen. As she read, a small sound of surprise escaped her.

    ?What is it??

    ?They?re sending me back to Correllia, as a liaison to the 57th.? She looked up at Kalad, a slightly startled expression on her face. ?I don?t understand. They usually only assign Correllian Jedi on a semi-permanent basis.?

    He smiled at her. ?You must have made an impression.?

    Sariah snorted indelicately. ?I stepped on toes all the way down. I didn?t think they?d want me back.?

    ?Yeah, well, I told them that I really didn?t want anybody else as a partner,? a new voice said from the doorway.

    The two Jedi both jumped, turning to stare at the newcomer. Locke Holt stood, a little uncomfortably, in the doorway of Sariah?s quarters. He was leaning on a cane, and he still looked a little haggard. His black hair was sticking straight up in spots, and he looked as though he hadn?t shaved in a couple of days.

    ?Wha
     
  21. Jane Jinn

    Jane Jinn Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    Excellent ending, though I'm sad the story's over. I feel satisfied, however, knowing that both Locke and Sariah are in good hands and that Locke will have the opportunity to learn to use the Force. I think they make a great team, too, whether or not they are arguing! All in all, a paramount story, with good characters, good interaction between them, a healthy dose of humour, good action, great suspense, and a strong ending. I'm looking forward to your next work, Frostfyre!
     
  22. Lilith Demodae

    Lilith Demodae Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    Frosty, I almost missed this!! You really ought to let me know when you post, so that I can check.

    Okay, so when's the next one coming out? Oh, and we definitely need to see more of Locke's sister and Sariah's master.
     
  23. Master Lurker

    Master Lurker Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    May 14, 2000
    I just want to say that this is a great story and I'm sorry I didn't say so sooner.
     
  24. R2RUOK

    R2RUOK Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    UP! Why? Because it's a good story and you should read it!
     
  25. Frostfyre

    Frostfyre Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 25, 1999
    *sniff* Thank you all! As for the sequel...well, I have to come up with a plot first. But believe me, you will certainly see more not only of Tanna and Kalad, but also of Kalad's six kids (three of whom are Padawans, complete with respective masters.) We might also get to see Locke use a bit of his musical talent in the line of duty. (No, this is not going to be a musical. Geeze! )
    Right now, however, I am going to finish up my Sherlock Holmes meets up with our two favorite Jedi crossover, and hopefully my Eddings-inspired Jedi in King Arthur's Court first. Heheheh. So, don't wander off too far!!!
     
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