June KMT: A Journey of a Thousand Miles… - KP Coranel
Dusk was approaching the city of Juraas-Kur as the
purple-orange hued light given off by the star, Odin, struck off the glass
panes of the wondrous spires that created the unique city, reflecting their
shapes onto the walkway below. Many of the native Saraii
who walked along the streets below found their glances being caught by the
shadows and colors reflected onto them—but not all of them.
Down one such walkway, a shadow
drifted in between the Saraii making its way down towards a nearby alleyway. If
this shadow had eyes, one would have been able to see the tepid glance it gave
to the sinking sun just over the horizon. As the shadow stepped into the
alleyway, darkness enfolded the shadow, making it invisible against the darkness.
Had anyone walked down the alley just then, they would have heard a small
chuckle emanating from the darkness; not the chuckle of a humanoid, full of
mirth and glee. This chuckle, if it could even be named such, sounded like a
half-snarl, full of an unknown emotion behind the sound.
The shadow continued down further
into the darkness, contemplating the strange thought that had just occurred to
him. Fear is such a wile emotion. Once, the thought of even considering
stalking the streets while any sunlight existed would have terrified it beyond
belief; these days, it merely caused its heart to race and its steps to move
with a bit more speed.
As darkness enveloped the city
completely, the shadow moved from the alleyway, walking down the side streets towards
his destination. As it walked, it contemplated what had brought it here to Sif,
to the Phare system. Its life had once held more meaning. It had once been a
part of the Emperor’s Hammer that this planet belonged to; it had once been a
member of the group of Dark Jedi that served it. In Clan Taldryan, it had
served proudly as both a member of the Krath and the Sith orders, rising in
rank and power until it attained the rank of Sith Warrior. Basking in the glow
of the recent promotion, it had been approached by the Proconsul of the Clan.
The Brotherhood was splitting and many of its clan-mates were leaving the
Emperor’s Hammer.
This act enraged the shadow, on many
levels. It fled to the depths of Sif, forsaking both the Brotherhood that now
stood strong on its own and the fledgling Brotherhood now reforming within the
Emperor’s Hammer territories. Though courted by both groups, it elected to
remain on its own—it was still annoyed at a basic level that those in charge
had allowed politics to disrupt what had been a striving Order, and had
forgiven no one.
Drifting down the walkway, silent as
death, the shadow contemplated the Order. It did miss it at times; belonging to
a group that was in accord with the Force as the Brotherhood had been was a
wonderful thing indeed, and it found itself missing it at times. The shadow had
contemplated returning to the Brotherhood that existed within the Hammer’s
territory, but had yet to find a place to call his own within its ranks. Clan
Taldryan no longer existed in the youthful Order, and the shadow was hesitant
to call a new Clan his home.
The fact remained, however, was that
very line of thought was what brought the shadow out into the darkness on this
night. A recent message had reached him from an old companion from his days in
the Brotherhood, one Delak Krennel. Delak had stayed on with the Brotherhood,
doing his best to help it flourish. The message contained a request to meet
with him on Juraas-Kur at a location familiar to the shadow. It contemplated
what its old friend had to say as he made its way through the shadows of the
walkway.
I
know what he will ask of me. He will ask me to come back to the Brotherhood, as
those who approached me before asked of me. I should say no. I don’t have any
desire to return; and yet.
The shadow snarled at itself, at the
conflicting feelings on the matter, startling a young couple that it was
approaching. They turned quickly, but saw nothing in the darkness behind them.
They turned around quickly, walking slightly faster then before. The shadow
continued walking ahead as the looming image of the starport appeared on the
horizon. As his steady pace brought him closer, his eyes sought the familiar
image of an Imperial shuttle; standing next to it, dwarfed by the large vessel,
stood a cloaked figure, its face obscured by the cowl of the cloak.
As the shadow approached, it snarled
a faint growl at the figure. At the noise, the figure turned in his direction.
Lowering its hood, the Obelisk Battlemaster smiled.
“Greetings, Coranel. It has been a
long time.” The shadow—Coranel—snarled in greeting.
“I imagine you can guess why I have
come here?” queried the human. He looked down at Coranel as if expecting a
reply. When none was forthcoming, he continued. “We have been comrades a long time,
my friend. We never served in a Clan together, but we have seen eye-to-eye on
many issues. I’ve come seeking a favor from you.”
“What is it you desire of me?” asked
Coranel in broken Basic, his red eyes glowing in the faint light.
“Get in. Board the shuttle. I won’t
insult your intelligence by pretending that you have no idea what I have come
here to ask of you. The Brotherhood is beginning to thrive once more. My Clan,
Arcona, is beginning to assert itself as the dominant Clan in the Brotherhood. We
have need of talented Jedi; you were a strong warrior in Taldryan, and assisted
your old Sith House in becoming the First Sith House of the Brotherhood in a
previous vendetta, securing a victory for Archanis. You assisted Taldryan in
winning a Great Jedi War. We can use every talented Jedi that we can find. So,
my friend, get in. Board this shuttle with me, and return to the Brotherhood
that you forsook in your anger. Come back with me, my friend.”
Coranel contemplated his options,
and his fate. He had known exactly what Delak had come to ask of him the moment
he received the message, and yet he had come anyway. Whether out of curiosity,
or a change of heart, he was unsure. His Clan was no more, and yet the Force
still called out to him. Living as a shadow in the alleys these past few years,
he had felt its pull many times as he scraped together a paltry existence.
The
Brotherhood is calling out to me, Coranel realized. All I need to reclaim what I have lost is to
take a single step. It will be a long journey, but one step is all that is
required.
Coranel stepped forward.
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