Hexaflexagon

Tokoshie no Ansoku

I had no idea green hair had such an intoxicating effect on the populace. That's the secret that they don't tell you. Green means go.

@Fabricant451

You know what they say, traffic lights don't lie.

@KoL


@Vee
Hey a person! I'll get around to looking over your CS in just a little bit!

Falling Skies: 7th Mobile Armor Suit Team

Post should be up soonish.

Star Wars: Left Behind [Hex & Gowi]

She could feel it on her face now. A warm breeze coming from ahead of them trickling in from some unseen exit ahead. The warm air thick with the smell of rot and grim that persisted in the undercity drifted by to no real response. Charuri's feet moved forward slowly like a child's old wind up toy. Glazed over eyes framed an unfocused face that stared blankly a million away in the distance somewhere far beyond the tunnel. Her body still reeked of her own vomit. The minutes melted away into a strange feeling as each slow and forced footstep wemt by at the pace of an eternity, body aging, falling apart and dying before being reborn again step after painful step. Her hands were clutched tightly around two cylindrical objects, one of them felt almost like an extension of her own being and the other was foreign and strange. Once they might have given her comfort, now all they were pulsars of death. She looked up ahead at Naat who was leading them still ever forward down the tunnel. They hadn't spoken since then, what was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to say to her? Nothing.

Her own memory drifted back to the first time she had killed someone. Growing up in the Funack'r Kajidic, she was no stranger to death. Death permeated the air everyday, she could still remembering hearing the screams and cries of mercy as those that displeased Zulo were taken out back to be dealt with another corpse to fill the gutter of Nar Shaddaa. Zulo himself fed his own greed by being a merchant of death during the Huk War and it was these deaths that would eventually lead to the Jedi coming to take him in. And before Charuri could be spirited away to a new place to set out to become something better than what her destiny had planned for her more death had to follow. Her mother, her friends, everyone she knew. Now she knew of the terrible crimes that they committed but back then? Zulo wasn't a crime lord he was Uncle Zulo the one that took care of her and her mother, he was the one that didn't t punish her when she was caught in the hallways of his compound after her curfew, he was the one that made sure that she was smuggled extra snacks after dinner, he was her friend. But it wasn't until after she became a Jedi that she actually brought death upon another being.

It was one of her first missions with Feemor, they were dealing with a disagreement between two trade companies on Axum that had gone decidedly violent falling into full blown open corporate warfare that threatened to throw the whole planet into chaos. This was something that the Republic couldn't afford as Axum was one of the core industrial centers of the core worlds. The peace negotiations that they were supposed to oversee between the two companies went sour quickly and before they knew it they were getting shot by mercs on both sides. During their heated escape from the compound, Master and Padawan were separated and Charuri was ambushed by a brute with a vibroblade. He had lunged first at her but it was Charuri's blade that had found it's way home under his arm and into the body. He was a Duro, his big red eyes frantically searched about in his last moments, mouth gasping for air over and over again. For the next few weeks the nightmare followed plaguing her mind and every thought as she tried to move. Eventually Feemor deduced what was bothering her and he asked why she hadn't brought it up earlier and his young's padawan's response made him laugh. Charuri explained that she did'nt want to seem weak for feeling bad about killing someone that had been presently trying to kill her. But Feemor then postulated that those feelings were essential to being a good Jedi, that even if the Force wills an action it doesn't mean that a Jedi has to feel good about the actions that had to be done.

What would Feemor think of her now? She had betrayed the ideals of the Code. Jenner was dead because of her own hand, she had killed another Padawan and for what? Because he asked her to? Where the teachings that had become ingrained in her so weak and fragile that when pressure was placed upon her that the ideals that were placed upon her could shatter so easily? At the current moment she did'nt want to think about any of it, she just wanted to find a nice hole to crawl inside of and wither away in for the rest of her short existence, she did'nt deserve to live. But at the current moment she couldn't. A Jedi did'nt let the past weigh them down, a Jedi was concerned with the present. But was she still a Jedi? Where their going to even be any more Jedi by the time the night was done? She took a deep breath and pushed onward listing in the darkness.

Eventually the tunnel they continued down came to an end, reaching out with the Force Charuri could feel the heavy presence of life beyond the door. It was a sharp and almost jarring contrast with the feeling in the Temple as it had gone silent, a place of death in the middle of a center of life. She brushed past the side of Naat to the left hand side of the door where a control panel dimly lit up the darkness from the under lighting on its buttons. She entered the code that she still remembered into the panel and got no response, frantically she typed in another code and once again no response followed, five more times she tried and five more items nothing happened. The codes weren't working, they were stuck, they were going to die in the tunnels, Feemor, Jenner and all the others died for nothing. No, a blast door wasn't going to stop them. Hands shaking she ignited her light saber and with a yell slammed it into the door ahead of them. At first the door did not give but soon the blade began to sink into the metal and with tremendous effort the young padawan slowly began cutting a path through the blast door. As she did she turned back to Naat speaking to her for the first time since the incident her face a mask of concentration.

"Can I get a little help here?"

Tokoshie no Ansoku

@Otaku95
Honesty I didn't say that males were outright unallowed because it sometimes makes people feel weird or whatever. Sometimes people just have to a penis I guess. xD Basically from a story perspective I would very very very very much prefer a female character. You can make a male it's just then you would make me a very very very very sad person and that you will also be very very lame. And I would be judging your CS to my standards in Advance where I've been known to make people cry over how much I bash into them.

@TheWindel@Fabricant451
What monster have I unleashed. You people can even make eating vegetables sound suggestive.lol

Tokoshie no Ansoku

And the next post is up. At this point everyone can feel free to basically either talk among themselves to get some of that sweet sweet character interaction in or turn it in for the night. Either way next story post is going to be the one that throws to the team together officially and really gets the ball rolling so yay!

@Little_ninja
That's okay! The first act is structured in such a way that you can kind of fade in and out without really being lost. It'll be very easy for Nazumi to jump right back into things when you are done acing that test!

On an unrelated note, I don't know if The Director deserves all this, but I can't help but imagine him as something more or less like this:

@KoL

Well I was thinking more along the lines of 'Scientist' Genghis Khan in appearance but whatever floats your boat works I guess. xD

And nickname well.... I don't want to be the one to break the ice or anything. _{And no I'm not sorry for my bad puns} But truthfully I'm just really bad at nicknames

@Fabricant451
Well somebody had to say something to her! xD And while none of you currently now the personalities or heck even jobs of most of the staff at current moment. You will soon enough though, he would of probably been the one to give the best cryptic yet inspiring words of wisdom.

Tokoshie no Ansoku

'Broccoli Head'

As the rest of the Children were busy making a decision which would define the rest of their lives, the girl whose decision was made for her long ago stood to the side, her head continued to throb. Trying to focus on the far wall across the room she dug her fingers into her palms trying to clear her hand and make the shaking her hands seems less apparent. As she breathed she dug her fingers deeper into the palms feeling blood begin to come forth but she remained focused on the sport on the wall breathing in and out. For some the pain as if her skull was being ripped open slowly made them double over by this point, but Nozomi remained tall and seemingly unaffected in outward appearances. She was all too aware of the many pairs of eyes that were starring at her after her performance against the golem, judging her and examining her. She couldn't appear weak in front of them, that would not serve the purpose of the mission, that wouldn't do. So she remained stoic and impassive taking a deep breath in and letting another one out managing the pain.

As she stood there the women in the lab coat quickly rushed over to her, a small black bag that she had placed next to her seat in her hand. Nozomi fought her own desire to recede and flee away from the woman, she did'nt want the attention, she did'nt need to be watched over like some fragile little doll. But in her current environment their was no way to escape. As the woman stopped in front of her and produced a flashlight from her bag and shined it into one of the girls deep green eyes before switching over to the other after a few moments making a sound of disapproval under her breath. The doctor did'nt need to speak, Nozomi and her seemed to be following a well rehearsed procedure that they both could walk through without even thinking about. The doctor proceeded to check her pulse, temperature and took a blood sample over the next couple of moments seemingly concerned with every result that she received. She sighed as she looked at the green haired girl looking up at her with her stereotypical bored expression seemingly unconcerned about anything.

"You can't continue to push yourself like this Nozomi. We could of gotten somebody else to do the demonstration." She whispered to the girl as she continued her examination. As she spoke she could feel Nozomi tensed up and wonder if the girl would run away again, refuse to have this worn old conversation again and again. But she wouldn't at least not know in front of all these eyes starring back at her.

"Why? Is it because I'm a liability now doctor? Because your favorite experiment isn't living up to your expectations anymore?" Nozomi replied her voice curt and bitter eyes a dark and stormy green in color. She could feel the doctor visibly flinch back from the remarks. She knew she was being unfair, she knew that she actually cared about her and her well being. But she needed something, anything to vent her frustrations outwards against. It didn't matter who it was or if they actually deserved it or not. She was mad at herself, if it was two years ago she could of finished that Golem with much more ease, it was so easy back then. Now? Now every fight felt like she was pushing herself to the limit.

"Nozomi, I know your frustrated but you need to take your health into account. The degradation is already occurring at triple the normal rate for the rest of the girls and your not helping us control it by throwing yourself at every challenge you meet head on. You need to wait until we can find a solution." The woman replied with a warm tone as she rested a hand on the green haired girl shoulder who quickly pulled away from it.

"Find a solution? What solution? Another round of drug tests that don't work? Another failed experiment that makes me sick for the next month? I can't be wasting my time with experiments that might work. Every minute I waste more people die and they die because I'm not doing my job." Nozomi replied sternly her voice rising into a louder whisper. The Doctor sighed pulling her away into a corner around the edge of the dais and away from the others in the room.

"And what exactly going to happen to you? Are you just going to run yourself into the ground because you refuse to stop fighting?" The doctor asked her voice tired and almost resigned as she already knew where the conversation was going by this point.

"Fighting is all I know how to do doctor. I'm not like the rest of those kids out there. They had lives before all of us, they have families and friends to back to. All I know to do is fight. If I can't fight then... I don't have purpose anymore! So can we please just stop having this stupid conversation everyday and can you give me the shot already before my head explodes!" Her voice was bitter and anger filled with resentment. Though the doctor was unsure of where the anger was directed towards the infallibility of her condition, towards her and her colleagues which put her in her condition or at herself for her own 'weakness'. The doctor looked at the angry girl with pity in her eyes before she reached into the black bag and produced a small metal case. Opening the clasp the case opened to revel about ten syringes filled with a bright orange liquid. Reluctantly the doctor produced one of the syringes and handed it over to the green haired girl. Nozomi looked down at the object seemingly contemplating her actions for a moment before taking the syringe and slamming it into the base of her neck.

She felt the effects of the drug almost immediately her senses flared and the pain that plagued her became terribly intense as if she had been dunked in a bath of molten copper but then a moment later everything became very numb, the pain began to vanish and the tremors in her hands slowed before vanish altogether. Nozomi released a breath she hadn't even realized that she was holding as her head became clear and the world came back into sharp focus around her. She looked at the doctor whose disapproving face was still starring at her.

"You're trying to use a band aide to treat a bullet wound." She explained gesturing to the used syringe her voice still concerned but by this point Nozomi was already pushing her way past her back around the corner and back into the public. Her feet ,moving with a newfound strength as she moved back towards the director. As she did she noticed a girl with white hair talking to the Director while occasionally throwing the cold glance in her direction. At least mildly curious Nozomi approached the pair as she picked up the tail end of the conversation.

"This Broccoli Head is really your best? If so you have to seriously reconsider your CQC training. Or, is she really someone that was chosen just because she's expendable, like all of us, so her potential death on the stage could weed those who don't have the guts to face what's to come?"

"Well---" The Director began but was quickly interrupted as Nozomi herself stepped in and responded to the claims against her own state of being. At this distance it was more easy to make out some more of the details about the girl beside the unusual color of her hair. She was clothed in a similar grey jumpsuit to the rest of the girls but where they had a number sequence of ten digits tarting with five emblazoned on their right pocket as identification, Nozomi's was made up of only three numbers, 0-04. Beside that she looked normal maybe a little more on the thin side and her skin starkly pale but nothing that would draw immediate concern. She spoke Japaneses with little difficulty but from the way the words came forth it was obvious that it wasn't the language that she grew up with.

"I was politely asked to make a show out of it. If I actually went in with the intent to kill the fight would of been done in under a minute. That would cast.... untruthful messages about the danger involved in our circumstance. If I made it look too easy than more of the cowards and fools would stay thinking they could fight the monsters, thinking they had a chance. It would be a waste of all of our time. But that pardons the question. Which type are you I wonder? Coward, fool, or just plain arrogant?" Nozomi replied her voice was blunt but it held no apparent outward malice to it, it was still filled with its stereotypical outward tone of boredom as if the girl was just unsure of what to make of the girl with the white hair.

"Yes... well thanks for for clearing this little situation up. Now could you direct your new.... friend to her seat?"

"She's full of herself not blind Director. I think she can find her way to her own seat."

---

"I can't do that. Fighting. Not in my skill set."

“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” A voice sounded out warm and rough in it's tone from behind Dizzy. Seemingly having appeared out of nowhere was the man in the wheelchair that had been at the bottom of the lecture hall only a few minutes ago. He peered at Dizzy from behind old and worn glasses covered by grit and finer pints, his face heavily wrinkled and his reaming tufts of white hair protruding from his skull at a random angles. At this close of a distance he seemed very old and very very tiny as if a strong wind could scatter him across the earth.

"Not all battles are fought with brute force girl." He explained as he peered up at her as if he was starring through her flesh and bone and into the very foundation of her soul. He seemed to like what he saw as he smiled and began to snort in an odd raspy tone his whole body and the wheelchair beneath him shaking. "You have a gift girl. I can see it in your eyes. It would be a shame if you wasted your potential because you let your own emotions get in the way of destiny. A life directed by fear is no life at all"

With that the old man give Dizzy a wink before he wheeled himself away at a slow but steady pace vanishing into the crowd that moved and swelled about him.

---

Slowly as the line of children that stepped out began to vanish the lecture hall became almost sparse in comparison to the numbers that once filled it. About half of the children that had entered the room remained. The Director himself was pleasantly surprised at the turnout it was actually a larger number than the other groups before, the first few groups they had barely even gotten a quarter f them to stay. Of course it truly did'nt really matter in the end as most of them wouldn't make it through the training but at least it showed something about the persistence in this new batch. Slowly the children that remained filter their way towards the front of the lecture hall taking their seats and looking upwards intently. Some faces were framed with determination and excitement, others with fear as if they were concerned about the seemingly suicidal decision they had just made.

"You who still stand before me have made a heroic decision. A decision to put the betterment of humanity before the concerns for yourself. For that I thank you. From this point onward you are the members of Limiter Class 5. Let me be the first and foremost to welcome you to your new home." The Director explained as the scientist behind him politely clapped in congratulations. "From this point forward we will be teaching you how to properly control your powers and train you to fight the moonmen. You are the first and last defense against the monsters that threaten to devour us all. You are the hope which we fling into the future. But I warn you the path ahead is dangerous and filled with potential horrors. Many of you will not make it to the end of the training and many more will die after the fact. But you will die for a cause worth fighting for." The Director explained his voice crescendo in passion. The man himself released this field of charisma about him that just drew you into his voice as if reality itself bent about him and he could make you believe anything he could say.

"From this point forward you are dead to world. Your history, your past, your friends and family are all things to be forgotten. We will make sure that your loved ones are properly compensated for any trauma of your "unfortunate demise" may have caused, and in time you too will forgot about them. Your life starts anew today and it's in your hands what you do to shape it" The Director spoke slamming a fist into the podium before continuing. "Tomorrow placement training begins as we gauge all of your prospective skills. As for tonight, I suggest you sleep well."

And just like that the Director walked away off the stage and through the door which he came in followed slowly by the silent procession of scientist and other staff that sat behind him. Once they all departed the soldiers rearranged the students into their lines and marched them out off of the auditorium. They sneaked back through the halls of the large Tower going up and down seemingly endless flights of stairs before they came into the small gymnasium that they had been deposited in before. Slowly the Children found their beds and began to sit down at them, some talked among themselves while others curled up on their beds trying to block away the world. The lights lowered to a dim as the conversations slowly filtered in and out as many of the children passed out from exhaustion of the whole affair.

Nozomi was among those still awake, she sat on the edge of her bed her feet dangling over the edge as she looked up at the ceiling whee above her beyond the roof she figured the night sky shined down above. She had one more chance to do it right, she had more chance to prove that she could still do it. She had to do it this time, she had to do it this time. She absently looked around at the other children scattered about her in the dim room and wondered absentmindedly how many of them would end up as corpses before to soon. Sighing she slumped backwards into the bed realizing very quickly that she was getting no sleep at all tonight.

Star Wars: Left Behind [Hex & Gowi]

@Gowi

Star Wars: Left Behind [Hex & Gowi]

A collab between Gowi and Hex

Badump

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The frantic beating of Charuri’s heart continued. Adrenaline coursed through her body, eyes dilated and senses heightened every nerve ending upon edge Not for the first time did she look behind her shoulder past her companions and into the darkness stretching before her. They had no light themselves but her own lowlight vision provided enough to peer into the unsettling silence. They had been lucky so far, since their first encounter with the clone squad, they had not been spotted since. Though if they reached out into the force, they could feel more and more bodies slowly filtering into the tunnels. They were caught in the middle of a net that was slowly drawing closed around them.

If Charuri had been alone she would not of been sure of her ability to make it of the chaos, but at the current moment at least the faint breathing behind her reminded she was not alone. Sure Jenner and Naat were both only padawans like herself, but they were both highly skilled and she wouldn't of been surprised if either of them had been promoted to knighthood. But.... now as the bombs fell above them and the smell of smoke and burning flesh slowly found its way through the vents and into the tunnels it would seem that their would not be any knighting ceremonies for awhile, maybe even forever. It was funny, one of the first lessons Feemor taught Charuri once the young Cathar had come under the venerable Jedi Master’s wing was the importance of change. As a practitioner of the Living Force it only made sense. She remembered his old sayings with melancholy know as she heard his voice in her head. As the seasons change so must you my young padawan.

Though this certainly could not be the change that Feemor had told her about. He had described something powerful and galaxy altering but at the same time gentle and warm— providing a cathartic release for the living. This, this felt nothing like that. This was angry and filled with hate, it was accented by the sounds of the dying and the shaking tremors in the force as hundreds of lives were silenced all across the galaxy. It felt less like a rebirth and more like an ending, a final denouement for the Jedi before a hand wrote The End on the page and would forever end their tale in the galaxy.

Trying to release the emotions from her body, to prevent the pessimistic thoughts from getting to her head, Charuri looked around. She remembered traveling through this service tunnels in her younger years and dominating them, knowing the passageways and the shortcuts like the back of her hand. Now it was several years later and in the chaos of the moment, caught in the dark her memory was starting to fail her. The featureless walls all were starting to look the same and the longer they pushed the less they seemed to move forward in time. Her worst fears came to light as they came across a familiar intersection as five separate tunnels stretched out around her she cursed under her breath and slammed a hand into the nearby wall. The gravity of the situation and her own panicking having caused more obvious cracks in her composure.

“Chaos take me...... I just lead us in another karking circle. Nice job, Charuri present a brilliant escape plan to live another day and you can’t even make it out of the tunnels. Why do you even try sometimes? ” She voiced out loud to her companion's, voice accented with a slight tremor, her back turned to them as she hammered her fist into the wall once again, clearly frustrated and still rather frazzled by the circumstances in front of her.

As Charuri lamented over the feeling of being lost, Naat didn’t seem to share in her frustration even though she very well knew that danger could have been very well approaching them. Her first Jedi Master had taught her to think on her feet and aggressively get to the bottom of a situation, a fact that recalled as she stood there as Charuri continued with her self-depreciative complaints. A smirk rose on the blonde-haired girl’s lips as she recalled something in the back of her mind about the teachings of Master Shen-Jon. That thought took her back, albeit briefly, to a situation she had been in with her master and the words he told her: ”Waiting afraid of the wrong answer will only lead to defeat. There is a time for contemplation but this is a time of action. Let us not dwaddle as enemies are at our heels.”

“Well, I’m not going to flop on my back and let blaster fire take us. My master said something to me once: there is a time for contemplation but this is a time of action. We pick one and move before this whole place comes down upon us. I will not meet ghosts so soon.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one that is going to get us killed if you pick the wrong tunnel.” Charuri responded with a soft but noticeable tone of bitterness to her voice. But what was she supposed to suspect from Naat? She spent her days more focused on swinging her lightsaber. Faced all her problems with brute force.

“We go this way.” Naat replied bluntly as she pushed past her friend and fellow Jedi, taking the decision out of her hands.

"You sure about that? We don't have time for any more wrong turns." Charuri called after Naat nervously as she lead the group onward into the darkness. Slowly though the nervousness began to subside as she began to notice things, the air gradually became cooler and beyond the rumblings of the bombardments and the blaster fire above, they could hear a different kind of roar the roar of masses of life slowly coming through the force. And final clarification came in the form of an age old sign on the tunnel wall, rusted from the constant condensation in the tunnel but still barely readable.

Exit.

“Guess we're almost out of here. Hope one of you has a plan once we get out though. The undercity isn't the nicest place in the world.” She muttered, as she looked at the sign for a moment trying her best yet obviously failing to hide her signs of relief.

Naat nodded before she called back to the Cathar, “How familiar are you with Coruscant’s undercity?”

“Enough to not get us killed. But not much beyond that.” It was true enough. Feemor and her had done a few missions in the undercity, mostly to secure some ceasefires between the gangs that had ran rampant down there for years. The Republic had enough to worry about with the war going on, they didn't need to worry about a gang war starting.

Naat nodded, “With your familiarity I suppose you should take point again, then?”

“You sure you don’t want to remain upfront Ms. Battlefield Commander? You're obviously much better suited to a leadership position than me.” Charuri responded obivously not wanting leadership thrust upon her again, she casted a look towards Jenner who only shrugged in response obviously wanting to stay out of it.

“We can share, if you’d like.” Naat shook her head, nearly chuckling at the retort.

“....That would be ideal. I’ll make sure we don’t get lost and you do your fancy stuff with your lightsaber to make sure we don't get killed. Deal?” Charuri responded with something that almost resembled a grin, as somehow even despite all the prior events the mood began to lighten.

They pushed forward until they came to another intersection. This one was simple their tunnel continued forward towards the perceived exit and a large horizontal cross path disected it. As soon as they entered the intersection, Charuri felt it. Something off and something wrong and then suddenly life burst through the force. The sounds of footsteps in the darkness, she ignited her lightsaber looking left then right frantically. Dread filled her body once more as faceless white forms filled in the three tunnels around them. Of course the clones would have plans of the temple, of course they would know of simple exits like the supply tunnels, of course they would set up traps for any survivors. They had fallen right into the center of the net. But Charuri would not go easily, not without a fight. She could not die yet. As the clones surrounded them and moved in for the kill she reacted like a spring uncoiling. Reaching her hand out in front of her at the lead trooper she reached out into the force and pushed hard with her mind. For a second nothing happened but then she felt it happen, a sudden push as the lead clone was thrown backwards off his feet as if he just got punched in the chest. He tumbled backwards into his companions with a cry. They were preoccupied for a moment. A moment was all they needed.

“RUN!!”

Naat’s brows narrowed, in a sense of fight or flight… survive or die. Had she had not to worry about Jenner or Charuri perhaps she would have acted differently. Air left her lips as Charuri’s cry to run came out like thunder and Naat frowned as the situation’s intensity seemed to increase exponentially by the second. Her lightsaber had drawn and the flash of blue hued at the intersection as the shadows of the overcity made it seem like it was as dark as the night. Her eyes looked to Jenner who had choked in the stress of the situation. She was sure Charuri saw Jenner’s fear take him and if they were jedi they would not leave a comrade behind. Naat sent out a push of force with her free hand to give additional impact on their former comrades in arms… their current enemies. Eight. That was the number of the troopers around Naat Reath. But it didn’t really seem to affect her— she had dealt with worse odds and situations during her time serving as a Jedi Commander; she would not be afraid even in the shadow of death.

The world seemed to slow down around them as instincts began to take over. Seeing Jenner freeze up, without even Charuri thought reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his brown robe dragging him forward. She slashed out widely with her other hand her movements traced by a flash of brilliant green to keep the clones away. Ploughing her shoulder into one of the troopers she knocked him to the side as she dragged herself and Jenner forward. The other padawan's feet moving listlessly behind him.

A flash and a cry. Suddenly she felt her arm connected to Jenner begin to be pulled downwards. The pair stumbled to the ground as Charuri hit the floor with a thud. Rolling over she saw that a blaster shot had torn straight through Jenner’s calf ripping and sundering through flesh and bone. Frantically Charuri moved to her feet trying to pull Jenner up but now failing as the larger and heavier boy could not help her support his weight as his leg hang limp under him. She looked back desperately at Naat who was still deep in the fray.

“Charuri this is never going to work.” Jenner spoke as Charuri continued to try every method to be able to get him to his feet. She knew that he was right but she wasn't going to stop. She refused to try and stop, they were Jedi, they saved people that was what they did. Too many had died today, too many had died and Jenner would not be added to the list. Shaking her head she continued trying to pull him up only for his body to fall down. She was too weak and he was too injured to help. She felt as his hands grasped her shoulders stopping her motions as she began to try another attempt to lift him.

“Listen Charuri. You gotta go help Naat. They are all focused on her and even as good as she is. She can’t escape from that alone. She and you still have a chance. My leg is gone, not even bacta would save it now. You have to let go.” Jenner explained meeting her eyes. It was strange what was once filled with fear moments ago was now replaced with an almost ethereal calm as if he knew what the will of force know was. As if everyone suddenly made sense with a blindy clarity that one can only have moments before the end. But he was right the clones at least for the moment had forgotten about the pair.

“Jenner... I can’t. We are Jedi, we are supposed to preserve life. I can’t leave you to be killed by them.” Charuri pleaded her voice desperate and pleading as she fought back tears as she continued to try and get him back to his feet but at this point it was pretty much a fight that had already been lost.

“But sometimes the best way to honor a life is to let it go. Or at least that’s what Master Fora always told me.... And right now the best way you can help me is by helping me let go.” He responded to her trying to keep a straight face through the pain as he dragged her hand still clutching her now unignited lightsaber to the center of his chest. “I don’t want to give them the satisfaction of killing me. I want to die with my honor and dignity in tact. I don’t want to be put down like some sort of dog.” Charuri continued to shake her head even as in the back of her head and far away she could hear Naat talking.

“Why are you doing this? This is genocide.” Naat questioned as her blue eyes looked upon the troopers before her as the hue of her lightsaber guarded her form. The jedi padawan couldn’t understand the actions that caused such a camaraderie to turn into treachery. Sure, she had read the texts and read of several Jedi who fell to the darkness of the force but this was different. She had fought with troopers on Sarapin, Tatooine, Krant, and Malastare. A rumbling of force energy left Naat as she asked her question; her longing for an answer reaching out to the minds of the clone troopers before them.

“I...I can’t. That’s against the code Jenner, that’s against everything we stood for, everything we still stand for. The force decides who lives or dies, we don’t, we are not executioners. You don’t kill unless in self defense!” She protested even as his hands found hers and lead them over to the button which would ignite the saber. She was openly crying at this point, her body shaking as she continued to shake her head.

”Charuri please...”

As Charuri and Jenner found themselves distracted, back at the intersection a response came from one of the clone trooper’s that had turned their attention on Naat Reath… and an answer that just seemed to open more questions for the padawan. “Just following orders.”

Naat felt disgust at the answer as the troopers regained most of their composure; at least the one’s who were not aiming down at Jenner and Charuri, anyway. Naat’s eyes seemed to go ‘dead’ as she took in their answer; analyzing her enemies in seconds. Five of them were aiming down at the other two jedi while three were preparing to blast her like they were so eager to comply with. Naat was angry and she would not let this be the end. The padawan's thoughts went back to Master Windu and the way she held her lightsaber’s hilt shifted to a change in form. She would have to rely on a style that was fast but more importantly… unforgiving. But it would be the first time she would use such a thing in combat.

“I’m sorry.” Naat whispered before she moved— the force pushing her body forward with vicious speed.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There was more blaster fire and screams… but none of them were Naat’s. The sound of bodies hitting the metal floor… and then a scream of frustration, a click as two pairs of hands moved together, a snap hiss, a gasp and then nothing. Charuri looked down at her hands as she pulled the lightsaber out of Jenner’s chest. There was a smile on his face. Legs shaking... no her entire body shaking, the sensation of wanting to vomit building in her stomach. She looked back down the tunnel where Naat stood alone, a silent figure of tranquil fury. She connected eyes with her. She tried to speak, she tried to say anything but as soon as she did she buckled over and emptied the contents of her stomach.

As silence overtook the intersection, Naat frowned as the hum of her lightsaber went dead as it whisped back into the tool. She said no words as she attempted to re-center herself as she began to walk away from the bodies before her, reaching down and grabbing one of the trooper carbine weapons from the floor. Naat could feel the darkness growing… looming; she wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“May the force forgive us both.”

Star Wars: Left Behind [Hex & Gowi]

Jedi Padawan Charuri Rol

Name: Charuri Rol
Age: 16
Species: Cathar
Force Abilities:

• Core Abilities
• Comprehend Speech
• Hibernation trance
• Malacia

Non-Force Abilities:

• Form I - Shii-Cho
• Form III - Soresu*
• Sleight of Hand
• Street Smarts
• Knowledgeable on a vast spectrum of Galactic History, Culture and Politics due to her Master
• Persuasive

Personality/Motivation:

In the short time Charuri has resided in the galaxy, she has seen some of the worst and best that it has to offer. Bearing witness to this dichotomy at a young age has given her an outlook on life different than most would have. At the crossroads presented to her she choose to embrace life instead of rejecting it for what it had done. She acknowledges that terrible things happen to good people for no good reason, that the good guys never seem to win and that life seems to have no inherent meaning. Though because of that she believes it was up to the people to find their own meaning and if that was the case why can't their meaning and actions be good for once before they all die? The teachings of her master helped influence and shape this idea into a path that could be followed with her showing great respect towards all forms of life and the values of taking and learning from these varied cultures. Despite this though with Cathar blood running through her veins she still has problems with her temper at times wanting to swing when she should speak and taunt when she should calm. These lapses in anger are troubling as they show the temptation of the darkside but through her master's unorthodox teachings she had learned ways to at least try and keep them in check.

The idea of the future is really what drives her forward. To her it was one of the most important ideas that anybody could have because it inspired hope and with it allowed one to distance himself from the darkside. She wants to take things in stride always looking at the road ahead and the ground at her feet as opposed to the mistakes behind her. She wants to appear strong to those that need her to be strong and willing to help those that need a hand. Really I guess she just wants to live up the teachings and ideals that she was brought up with and taught, to be able to look past the darkness to show that all those that died for her to live did not die in vain and their ways of life would live on.

Biography:

Charuri was born in 35 BBY on Nar Shaddaa, the smuggler's moon. Her mother Xasyhi was one of the prized dancers (read as slave) of Zulo Funack'r Elra, a Hutt Crime Lord and leader of the Funack'r Kajidic. Her father Hasu was one of Zulo's most trusted bodyguards. The two fell in love and began a relationship that could've easily gotten them killed for going behind Zulo's back. Everything was going fine and peachy until Xasyhi accidentally became pregnant when contraceptives failed. The pair tried to hide the pregnancy for as long as possible but eventually the physical changes on Xashyi were too obvious not to notice. Outraged by the betrayal, Zulo ended up having Hasu executed out back in a dirty alleyway and his body dumped in a trash heap. But for Xasyhi, Zulo needed to set an example for the rest of his property. Once Xasyhi came to term, Zulo had all but one of her litter killed leaving her only with the runt sickly and small which would probably die in a week. But the little girl did not die and her mother would name her Charuri after her own grandmother, a great warrior and matriarch to her clan.

Growing up in the heart of a Hutt Kajidic is what one might call a somewhat different upbringing than most. Since her mother had to tend to her duties as they were as soon as the girl could walk on her own, Charuri would spent most of her time wandering the Hutt's compound on her own. Besides the rooms beyond the "Big Door" which lead down to Zulo's offices were business was conducted, Charuri had more or less free reign of the rest of the compound. During this years she was mostly obviously to what actually happened at the compound and she would realize it until much later by the time she had already been spirited away. The child's positive and adorable demeanor got her a long way with most of Zulo's staff and they would "educate" her on many topics that most children don't learn about like how to break a man's arm in one motion or what drugs when mixed together are the most lethal and other useful tidbits of information, it takes a village as they say. Though her favorite of these friends had to be the son of Zulo's head chef, a corellian boy by the name of Gren two years older than her. The two would get into many misadventures with one another sneaking around the compound at times they weren't supposed to and such.

This came to an end when Charuri was six years old in 29 BBY. The Galactic Republic after much work and joint efforts between Jedi Peacekeeper and the Judicial Forces had been able to build up a case against Zulo and the Funack'r Kajidic to bring down his criminal empire primarily for his role in helping arm the Kaleesh aggressors during the Huk War. This culminated in a raid on Zulo's compound after he refused to turn himself in peacefully. The raid was spearheaded by a Klatooinian Jedi by the name of Raonk. Since the compound was made up of many tight corridors with little large spaces beside the audience chamber, the fighting was fierce and the Republic forces had to take it room by room. Eventually though they succeeded and Zulo himself was killed in the fighting as well as Charuri's mother who had been used as a human shield and was unfortunately caught in the crossfire. Amidst this carnage and destruction was a scared, crying and very unhappy Charuri and Raonk the Jedi who had been primarily responsible for all of it, took pity on the girl and took her back with him to the Jedi Temple.

At the temple she was tested and found to be force sensitive and a good candidate to be a Jedi. Despite some fears that her upbring may lead her to temptation more easily and the fact of her advanced age she was accepted as a youngling. This readjustment period was hard for Charuri as she immediately became an outsider as most of the younglings she was with had been together since birth practically. Because of this and the fears about her past she had much more to prove and maybe because of that pushed harder all because of it. Her combat skills were fairly good as she adapted some of the tricks that she had learned on Nar Shaddaa which give her an edge. But in terms of control over the Force there was much to be desired, though her favorite classes were those by Master Yoda on the nature of the force itself which she found to be intriguing and would help shape her own beliefs. She would eventually graduate from youngling to Padawan at the age of 12 in 23 BBY when after being deemed ready by the council and after gaining the interest of Jedi Investigator and part time diplomat Feemor.

Feemor was a well respected Jedi Diplomat under the Council of Reconciliation and notable for being the first Padawan under the famous Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn whose teachings had rubbed off on him some in his own teaching styles. They said that his wisdom and compassion was some of his greatests assets and that he could end entire conflicts with one speech. The two were paired together with the intent of Feemor's teachings and ideals to help smooth out Charuri's rougher past and the Cathar tendency to strike first and ask question later. While Feemor did teach her more with lightsaber techniques and force powers later on at first he taught her things like history, culture and philosophy of species around the world mostly focused on the planet they happened to be on at the time. While at first Charuri found this tiresome she soon learned that in many ways these teaching were two fold teaching her important lessons about those subjects but also about the Jedi Code and the proper way to live life and so she began to pay closer attention to them.

The start of the Clone Wars, one year later would bring in an entirely different perspective for Charuri. While most padawans, knights and masters saw mostly of combat and fighting against the Separatists forces Feemor's position as a diplomat made her see a different side of the war. They spent their time in tight games of political intrigue and doubt in games to seal trade contracts and support before the Separatists could. During this time Feemor's more unorthodox teachings came out with his tendency to "bend" a few rules to get the job done and do good things and his more shrewd ways. During this time Feemor taught her the importance of learning and living and doing what was right no matter the consequences. He also began to teach her some more oddities in the ways of the Force including comprehend speech and Malachi to show her that conflict could be resolved without ever using your lightsaber, a memorable occasion being when he used Malachi to make a separatist diplomate throw up all over a prospective trade partner that the Republic and Separatist were dealing with and utterly destroying his chances at sealing a deal with them securing Republic Support.

In more recent years, her progress from the start of her teaching under Feemor made her look like an almost entirely different person, more centered and sure of herself and at peace with the world like a true Jedi. Feemor himself even said that someday she would make a great Diplomat if she choose to be so. Though those dreams have now seem will never come to fruition as recalled from active duty for some well earned rest back at the Temple at Coruscant they got caught in the middle of Operation Knightfall. Feemor would die defending the temple and protecting Charuri's life. The temple is burning and her world is coming tumbling down.

Secrets:
Chance Encounter with Gren:

Little did Charuri know that Gren, the son of Zulo's head chef had ended up surviving the attack on the Compound and was orphaned as well. Unlike Charuri though he was never discovered by the Republic and left under a pile of rubble. He clawed his way out of the rubble and swore revenge on the Republic that had destroyed his life. Charuri would met him years later when Charuri fifteen and he was seventeen now working as a bounty hunter for the Separatists acting as a sort of Assassin. They were on a mission on Rodia to help secure a trade deal when Gren struck killing the Rodian official. Charuri and Feemor were then tasked with hunting this Assassin and bringing him in. They tracked Gren into the dense rainforests and Feemor and Charuri were separated when the edge of a cliff underneath Charuri give way and sent her tumbling into a strong river, throwing her far downstream.

She would find Gren when she was trying to regroup with Master Feemor and the two would engage in combat. The young padawan managed to just barely defeat her old friend, but she found herself unable to bring him in when the time came. She just left him defeated laying in the muddy dirt and looking up angrily as she ran to regroup with her master. She would never tell Feemor what happened and after another day of searching they decided to give up on the chase as he was deemed long gone and anyway they had a deal to finish. So Gren escaped, horrified to find out his old friend had become a Jedi working for the Republic he hated so much.

Relations:
Feemor: Charuri's master, an aging human male and one time Padawan of Qui-Gon Jinn. He followed in the traditions of his master before him placing great value on the life of all things and the importance that understanding cultures allowed for peace. He helped instil these views into the next generation to follow in his footsteps including Charui. With his keen mind and willingness to learn and intermingle with new culture and peoples he was given the duty of a Jedi Investigator attached to the Diplomatic Corps. He like his master before him had the tendency to "bend" some rules in the sake of doing good but even still he was much more rooted and where his master was ostracized, yet revered by those that knew him. Feemor managed to be well respected and keep to his own code knowing when to fold his hand where his master did not.

Naat Reath: The two are at least aware of one another and their reputations. Both having been at the temple on leave for some time chance encounters cannot be avoided. Though as of now they seem to be on two entirely different spectrums.

Gren: The boy from her childhood turned assassin for hire by the separatists. Hates Jedi and Hates the Republic.

Raonk: The Jedi Peacekeeper that lead the raid to bring down the Hutt and in the process ended up rescuing her. Believed to have been killed in the aftermath of Order 66.

Star Wars: Left Behind [Hex & Gowi]

_{"Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and stare at the ceiling and wonder if it might all have been a dream. A horrible, empty dream, where hope faded like a slow-dying star."}

---

Feemor and I had the pleasure of meeting Emperor Palpatine once. He wasn't an Emperor back then still only the Supreme Chancellor of a Republic which he dismantled piece by piece. He wanted to talk to Feemor about handling a very special negotiation for him, a senator from Corellia had been kidnapped by pirates while on a mission to secure an Alliance in the midrim before the Separatist could. Feemor and by extension me were supposed to make sure that he was released from captivity in a quick and efficient manner. His office in the Senate Building was almost Spartan in comparison to the grandeur of the rest of the so called heart of the republic. Their were no portraits or fine pieces of art lining the walls instead only two statues of indeterminate origin in the antechamber, a simple desk void of clutter placed in front of large holoprojector ceiling to floor that displayed a a live view from the top of the Senate Building rotunda. a few low back chairs and a small holoprojector in the center of the room constantly relaying updates from battlefields across the Galaxy.

Feemor on my inquiry had told me more of what he knew about Palpatine. A statesmen from Naboo born into a wealthy and noble family. A young man when he came into office after the assassination of Senator Vidar Kim, this quiet man became the representative of the Chommell sector. Palpatine did not make any waves at least at first, he's ascent was a slow and measured one not taking to anger those who held the power, but slowly he made friend and allies. And before any one knew what had happened he was elected Supreme Chancellor. Still soften spoken and moderate he was a popular choice among the senate as a symbol of a good man trying to do good things for us all. In short he had fooled us all.

When he came into the room to meet us, I was disappointed. He walked in slowly flanked by two of his personal guard clothed in their characteristic red robes, one of the chancellors more unpopular moves. In the holos he had always seemed so big and powerful. In person he wasn't much taller than me, a pale skinned man face showing the signs of age from the wrinkles upon his face to his receding white hair. His blue eyes were lined with dark restless circles and he didn't much walk as his frail body seemed to glide across the cool metallic floor. He and Feemor made small talk as was the polite thing to do. Despite his duties Feemor never truly liked politicians. He would always tell me they were a necessary evil. Though I think Feemor may have liked the man, they shared similar interests in history and art. He was a so called man of 'culture' Feemor was oblivious as the rest of us, he could of never thought. How could he have ever thought.

I didn't think of that meeting again till after the Republic fell. Now it's one of the only things I think about.

In my dreams, I kill him. I drive my blade through his chest in the .5 seconds it takes for his guards to put me down. And just like that it's all different, everything changes. The temple does not fall, The Republic does not fade away to be replaced by the overwhelming shadow of a new Empire, and the deaths never occur everybody lives. The halls of a place that became my home does not turn into a battleground, they are not lined with the corpses of those I would call my friends. In my dreams, I do it and the world is saved. Look at me a Jedi feeling despair over not killing somebody. But a lot has changed in the years after, and I've seen things that the carnage and horror in the Clone Wars could never even attempt to surmount. It's a pain and suffering you only need to reach out into the force to feel, a great empty pit of nothingness stretching on past the borders of infinity. But in my dreams I always end it there, I end it with a swift stroke of my blade.

It's not the nightmares that plagued me anymore, it's the world I awake to.

---

The year is 19BBY. The Jedi once protectors of the Republic had been betrayed by a man that they once called their friend. The Jedi Temple, a place of learning and place of peace lay in ruins the souls that once called it home now lay on the ground their blood and corpses littering the halls they called home. Across the galaxy the same scene repeats itself over and over again as the Grand Army of the Republic begins to turn inward on itself. The dark shadow that had been looming over the galaxy for years had finally moved and threatens to consume all of the galaxy. Those Jedi that remain scatter across the known reaches of space: broken, shattered and lost trying to live out what small lives they can.

Our story focus in on two survivors of Operation Knightfall. Two Jedi padawans who escaped the carnage of the temple by slipping in the mass array of tunnels and systems beneath the Temple complex. Padawans without Masters, Children barely reaching into the first steps of adulthood. Together they flee from the carnage and into the Undercity to find safe passage of Coruscant. They have one goal in mind at the current moment. Endure and Survive.