The Dark Academy on Korriban

“The witch must suffer… look… at… me,” he hisses.

“All I have is rage… it is all that sustains me.”

"What'd she do to you, exactly? I'm guessing the official story is bullshit."

“I… remember the pain she ripped me apart took everything I was… left behind this. I thought she said I would die… this is NOT DEATH,” he says with anger.

"I don't know. I've talked to 3 ghosts since coming here. You could be the 4th. Then again, I have it on good authority you're neither dead nor alive. But something else. What that something else is, I don't know."

She looked at him, like she was studying him. "I don't really know anything about these things. I have no idea how to fix you. But I'm guessing you're more interested in revenge anyway."

Lord Oshin appears and says, “He is a wound in the force. There were Jedi techniques to deal with such… anomalies.”

"Okay wait. What sort of techniques?"

She just asked the question, assuming that Gerry could see Oshin as well.

Lord Oshin says, “He is no ghost, and he is not alive he is more a spirit now a thing that exists within the force. The Jedi have longed sought immortality through a path of oneness with the Force, this is just a more forceful method.”

“He could be aided but it is not a dark side technique it will require contemplation on the Light and his acceptance of his fate. I once served as a student to a Bar’senthor, it was an illuminating experience.”

"Well Gerry, you hear that? Looks like you're going to have to choose between taking your revenge, or putting an end to whatever it is you're suffering."

Frankly, she didn't really care either way. Assuming she could profit off it either way, that was.

“I just want this to end,” Gerald hisses.

"Before we get to that," she said, holding up a hand. "Let's talk about compensation. I didn't come out here just to leave empty handed, Gerry."

Lord Oshin chides, “The Light side asks for nothing, it cannot be bound by petty dealings. I should I know I was a Master, flesh of my flesh. If you choose the path of redemption of this Wound you do so properly or not at all.”

"What?" she frowned. "Isn't that just for him?"

“You have to enact the ritual, you must do so with purity or not at all,” he says.

"So? Why are you telling me this then? I thought you opposed the light side?"

“I thought it might be helpful,” he says with a shrug.

“I have yet to find my beloved Hania… perhaps she waits for me in the beyond. Maybe I seek finality.”

"Shit!"

She kicked up a bunch of sand.

"Okay, level with me here. Both options. Benefits? Drawbacks?"

“You could direct his fury towards the one that wronged him he would live a wretched and agonizing existence and probably be driven insane if he is not already or you can end that suffering,” he says honestly.

“I am not sure there is a tangible benefit.”

"Shit," she kicked up some more sand. "I don't think he can take out Zash."

And it's not like I really care about her as an enemy anyway.

It sucked. She was out here to get herself a crystal or something else of value. Instead she had to choose between on the one hand inflicting unreasonable and possibly eternal suffering on someone for no benefit other than to make a completely futile attack on someone who isn't even on her radar. And on the other hand, setting aside her hatred for this weak moron and be all... nice and stuff. Also, for no benefit.

"Shit, shit... alright. Here's what we'll do. Gerry. Tell me everything you remember. Then after that, I'll end it for you."

In the absence of an obvious choice either way, it seemed only reasonable to do it this way. Ending it.

Gerald is erratic in his explanation be he explains the ritual, the holocron he helped repair the sacrifice made by Zash and the fact that in his final moments he could see her for what she truly was and the toll that the dark side was taking on her.

Getting all this out returned him to some kind of normalcy and he was calm and looking more himself but still wispy.

“I seek release, hatred… no… there is a better way,” he says gritting his teeth… or something like that.

OOC: Roll Force can only use Light then Discipline roll at Hard with 2 Boost die from Oshin guiding her. Layne will have three attempts before Gerald loses his mind and becomes a vengeful shade.

She sighed as the tale finished. Then she knelt down, and closed her eyes; following Oshin's guidance to help put Gerald at ease. Layne couldn't believe she was actually helping this tool; and part of her worried that this would irredeemably turn her into some weak-willed peace-loving idiot. Maybe that's why the ritual didn't work straight away. So she cleared her mind of distractions...

...and helped bring peace to Gerald's tortured existence.



Force Roll: 1eF 2 Light Side


Discipline/Willpower + Oshin's boost dice: 3eA+2eB+2eD 0 successes, 1 advantage


Discipline/Willpower + Oshin's boost dice, attempt#2: 3eA+2eB+2eD 1 success


(+2 strain from using lightside? -1 strain from advantage? 11 strain total? And probably a tonne of conflict)

Layne chanels the light and feels peace… connected to all things at once she finds Gerald and draws out his pain… his suffering until all that is left is just the young man he was. He smiles and then fades from sight… she is alone now.

Lord Oshin is gone as well, perhaps forever. Curiously his dark robes remain sitting in front of her.

His voice is distant now, “You are my legacy, flesh of my flesh. Find your destiny.”

OOC: Gain 10 conflict, gain Lord Oshin's Armored Robes (Soak 2, Defense 1, Hard Points 2, Encumbrance 5)

She stayed there for a little while longer, eyes closed. At peace. When she opened her eyes again, she felt a little sad as she considered the possibility of never talking to Oshin again. He was the closest thing she had to family, after all. Not counting 'Veers'. Then her attention was drawn to the robes.

Well well, looks like it wasn't all for nothing after all...

It was no crystal, but perhaps this was better still. And there was always the expedition later that day. Who knew what she'd find there?

She grabbed a handfull of sand, letting it shift through her fingers before standing up, grabbing the armor, and heading back to her speeder.

Cool to reduce strain: 1eA+1eP 2 successes, 2 advantage


(4 strain healed? /scene?)