Hoth: Blood and Ice

Mood Music

A figure, face obscured by the hood of her black robes, walked through the base in the early morning hour when most people were only just barely beginning to wake, and then instead of clacking on metal flooring, her boots sank into snow as her path took her outside and some distance away from the base. There was a sense of purpose to each step she stook. She sought him out; with that purpose, a task that by itself should be easy enough with these confined quarters they all shared.

Yesterday had been a day of guilt and pain; one playing off the other. The guilt of betraying and hurting others; her friends and family especially; it was pleading with her to not go down this road. But the pain that resulted only made it all the easier to do just that. And all the harder to say no. She knew all that going into this. The struggle she would have to go through. The suffering. The impossible choices. And she knew it was far from over. The guilt and pain would return, later today, *certainly*. And she knew that perhaps, it was never to leave thereafter.

But in this moment, rejuvenated by rest and not yet made to suffer through those things today, she had steeled her resolve against them. If there was but one doubt playing through her mind right now, it was to do with the fact that 'now' had come rather awfully quick. She had good reasons to do this, righteous ones borne from the Light even...

...but even so; and even with her history and understanding; she was surprised at how quick and easy it had been for her to go back down this path. Or at least, decide to lock herself into it. A day, a day and a half. That was all.

The thought was pushed aside when she found her way over to where she was sure her old master could be found. No doubt there were guards; but if they should deign to delay her even for a second, she would simply glare at them, and they *would* cower. Practice, as it were, to get back into form.

Once past any such guards, she would walk further past them, until she would find Baras himself. Just where he no doubt would've wanted to be found. At that point, she would lower her hood.



"Peace is a lie," she began, "There is only Passion. Through Passion, I gain Strength. Through Strength, I gain Power. Through Power, I gain Victory. Through Victory, my chains are Broken. The Force shall free me."

She imagined he was likely to quietly mock her, while praising her openly. Or the other way around. Or perhaps he would simply mock her openly, *and* quietly. Laughing at her for going to all this trouble, burning down her house, for whatever stupid reason she'd concocted for herself, not realizing what it would truly cost her.

But she knew all too well. Even if part of her still hoped that she could turn it all back around, after accomplishing what needed to be accomplished. And he, of course, would revel in the opportunity to rob her of that delusion.

Still...It had to be done.

Or.. she had to *believe* that to be the case, at least.

Lord Draahg stood in the cold air, he waited near the shuttle but close enough to intervene if needed.

Darth Baras listened as he looked to the horizon, allowing time to stretch out before he turned and said, “But do you truly believe that Apprentice. We have done this dance before. Your emotions are conflicted, your resolve found wanting.”

“What is your purpose in this moment.”

"You're right," she said, her voice cold as the wind around them, "They are conflicted. As you well know they should be in this moment."

She too allowed time to stretch for a bit, before continuing.

"I focused all my anger and hate into a knife's edge once. Keeping it from cutting those around me, so that it might instead stab at the one true threat greater than any other. It was to be my redemption. And when that threat lay defeated, I allowed it all to dissipate, worthy of the peace I desired. And I grew calm, and *complacent*. And then... the Force showed me that my biggest triumph... was nothing more than another failure. And so, peace turned out to be a lie, after all."

Her words were true; at least from the perspective she was currently seeing from. And they sounded so very different from the apprentice that he once had. All *that* apprentice had been, was anger and hate, but without purpose.

She'd been a lot less refined with her words back then too, of course.

"I had no purpose anymore. But the Force provided the faintest hope of finding one again, to find some means of standing against what's coming. And the Force is cruel, for it seems to be telling me that I must walk in the Darkest of places to do so. And even if I'm conflicted, I will embrace the Dark if I must, for the sake of seeing that the Light, at least in others, won't be snuffed out."

She straightened her back.

"I'm sure you think that's terribly pathetic."

"Spare me the martyr complex, Apprentice. This is not some noble sacrifice, this is you returning to your true nature," he responded.

"The Jedi have been holding you back."

"Perhaps it is both," she said.

He knew just how to point right at the core of self-doubt around which all her current conflicts revolved.

"I sacrifice myself for them, for the Light I deny in the process. And I can do it so easily, because this has always been a part of me."

"A true Sith sacrifices nothing for anyone," he responded.

"You know as well as I that one has to have a *reason* to walk into darkness. It is a road, and rather than starting at the destination, you must travel it first. And I'm sure you know as well, that the greatest of falls can only come when one reaches the loftiest heights first."

She hated that she understood this.

"I choose to self-sacrifice for others. Knowing full-well the Dark Side is cruel, and will likely make a mockery of that sacrifice. In the end I may achieve what I set out to do, only to be made to realize my sacrifice was pointless all along. And that will be my darkest moment."

She lowered her head slightly. "I know this is a possible outcome. Perhaps even the probable one. I still decided to come here. Knowing that, would you still claim I lack resolve?"

"Yes."

"But that is for you to sort out, you came here for a reason, Apprentice. I accept no half-measures. You can have no other masters. My will is your will, that is the pact," he said.

"It is customary to kneel in the presence one's Master, Apprentice."

"The others will seek to stop me..." she said, not kneeling. At least not just yet.

Perhaps even now, she had to show some measure of defiance like she always needed to in the old days...

...No. That wasn't it. She had avoided them to prevent them from going back into the vergence and finding what she'd need to find there. But then, afterwards, she could come back to them, couldn't she? Yes, she'd resolved herself to say things to them today, to keep them from following her; but those would just be words.

They would forgive her.

Wouldn't they?

It was the way of the Jedi.

But would they still be able to after what Baras was asking of her now? Or after whatever he'd ask of her afterwards? There *were* lines, that when crossed, she could not come back from. Daz had said as much, hadn't he? Kneeling and calling him master would be one such line, would it not? Yet, she still hoped that even then, even after whatever she'd made to do...

...they would *still* choose to forgive her.

It was the way of the Jedi, after all.

Or it should be, anyway. But then, as she'd told him. Whatever her conflicts and hopes... she was walking down this path knowing it might all turn out to be a lie.

"...It will cause strife. It might unbalance the situation here. Affect our mutual survival. Are you sure that it is alright to invite that in like this?"

She was just delaying having to make the choice for a few more moments.

"I don't see Lord Draahg running to tell anyone," he responded. "You are hesitating, the Dark Side has no use for hesitation."

People would find out regardless, of course. But well... there was little she could say to him to further drag it out. It had to be done. Right?

She took a step forward, hand on her saber; Draagh no doubt responding in kind...

...and then she knelt down.

"As you say, Master"

They *would* save her, wouldn't they?

"Draahg, our gift," he said.

Draahg walked towards them dragging a person with a dark bag on their head, and binders around the hands and feet. He threw them at Layne’s feet and then removed the bag revealing a Republic solder. Drahhg said, “This worm tried to spy on our Master, he has given you the privilege to exact his mercy upon them.”

The woman soldier cried, “Master Layne… the Sith, there are too many what are we going to do? You must help me!”

Oh no.

She knew it would be something like this. A test of her newfound devotion. Of loyalty. The metaphorical cutting of one chain to replace it with another. This was the true test. Up till now, all she'd done could be forgiven. Even Daz losing his hand. It had not happened with that intent in mind, after all. But this?

She might be able to tell herself that the soldier would die regardless. And it would even be the truth, no doubt. She would never be allowed to leave here alive. But it *mattered* whether she died by Layne's hand, or another's. She *knew* it would be something like this, yes. She *knew* she would be called to do things like this. And it had been easy to accept that inevitability when it was still just theoretical.

But it wasn't theoretical anymore. Now she had to decide, once and for all, if she was truly willing to sacrifice herself; and others too, it seemed; to protect the Light.

The seconds ticked away, the wind howling around them as she worked her way to a decision.

Her hand unclipped the darksaber and lit it in one swift motion...

...before striking down the soldier. A quick, clean, cut.

And two people may have died in that moment, though some people; as she now well knew; still lingered in the world after death. And the dead don't cry, but tears still came, and soon turned to ice.



"It is done, then," she said.

Perhaps the yellow in her eyes that had flared up as the dark side grasped its way around her heart would fade as hope and life might worm its way back into her form. But for now, they would offer Baras all the proof he would need of her resolve.

"Welcome back, Apprentice," he said as he returned to the shuttle.

OOC: Layne is now a Dark Side user once more and suffers another 10 conflict.

"What happens now?" She asked, as she walked beside him.

(Do the eyes stay? Not sure what her exact morality level is now she is dark side again)

"Patience, apprentice, patience," he said. "The time will come when we make your allegiance known, for now you serve best as a troubled Jedi."

"I have already agreed to meet with them, later today. I thought they were owed that much, at least."

She still thought as much. Or well, she would in a few hours again, once the warmth eased up on the chill she was feeling right now.

"They must already suspect some of what I am attempting. I would give them some clarity as to why. They are unlikely to keep me involved either way, but it will at least sell the angle of a troubled Jedi."

All it would require was telling the truth, wrapped in a lie, wrapped in truth.

"See that you are convincing," he commanded. He then took his place as the shuttle took to the skies.

OOC: Morality will probably be adjusted at Session end, but for now Eyes are normal.

/scene?

"You know me, master, I lack your skill at deceiving others. But they are who they are, they will wish to *hope*."

And that of course, was exactly what Layne herself was hoping for.

/scene