787. Raezyr and the Bored Room - Raezyr

The Jet Razor settled into it's berth in the crowded Nar Shaddaa space port. It had been a few years since the ship and it's pilot had blasted it's way free and escaped into hyperspace, and as the Sith Warrior expected, they had long ago forgotten about a single incident. Not that they would be able to tie this ship to it anyway, at least not by transponder. Trychon had long ago altered the transponder frequency. He'd done it many times, in fact. Still, the ship was the same one and it was unique enough that if they cared compared hull silhouettes, they'd probably find a correlating match.  But as he suspected, they didn't bother. Too many ships in and out of the system and even the Hutts themselves didn't want their own people digging too deeply into the identity of ships. It's one of the reasons that Nar Shaddaa carried the nickname of "Smuggler's Moon."

Raezyr slipped his helm over his head, checked to make sure the rest of his midnight blue armor was in place and activated the loading ramp. He began to descend before it touched the ground, his boots clicking on the durasteel plating. Once on the ground, he walked around to where the cargo bay doors were opening and the gun metal gray droid designated as HK-51 was unloading a small, unremarkable open air speeder. Raezyr climbed into the pilot's seat as the the ramp closed and locked behind them.

A Klatooinian male dressed in a spaceport authority uniform walked over to the speeder holding a datapad out. "Need your berthing and refueling fee. Sign here," he said, indicating a spot on the screen.

Raezyr waved his gauntleted hand in a careless gesture. "You don't need to collect a fee from me."
A glazed look passed over the official's face. "I don't need to collect a fee from you," he repeated almost absently.

"I'm not going to be here long enough to refuel anyway."

"You're not going to be here long enough to refuel anyway."

"You have other business to attend to now."

"I have other business to attend to now."

The Klatooinian turned to his data pad and began going over docking and departures schedules as he wandered toward another berth, the being with the dark blue helm already forgotten amongst his other duties.

Raezyr started the speeder's engine and eased away from the landing bay with Aitchkay sitting in seat next to him. He didn't like to over use Force persuasion techniques as they didn't always work in the first place and they rarely worked a second time on the same being. Usually it dawned on them that some sort of trickery was happening. Besides, it wasn't really his specialty. His brother Trychon was much better at it then he was. Still, he was attempting to be less than obvious on this mission.

Once he was clear of the spaceport, he picked up speed and joined the chaos of traffic on the city moon. On Coruscant, the traffic was orderly and organized. Here, everyone did pretty much as they pleased, and Raezyr did the same. He tapped into the city's public information network, looked up the coordinates for the Dubach Banquet Hall and made straight for it as best he could.

"Statement: Master, the probability of you finding the information for which you are searching is quite low," Aitchkay stated, his staticky voice crackling as he spoke. Despite HK units secondary function as protocol droids, they really weren't built for talking, and their second rate vocabulators showed it.

"I don't care, Huck," Raezyr replied. "Despite Diana Kingsdoom wiping the memory cores of the Omicron Delta Facility, Trych was still able to reconstruct some of the data. It showed a business transaction between her and someone who sits on the InnoCom Corporation Board of Directors. I don't know when that exchange took place, but it's the best lead I've had since the last time I saw her. I have to follow it."

At first, when he had gotten the information, it had seemed useless. He had no way of knowing exactly who on the Board of Directors had been in contact with Di and tracking them all down one by one had seemed folly. If, after visiting the first couple board members he wasn't successful, surely security would be increased on the rest of them, and walking in on them in board meeting in broad daylight seemed like it would logically end in disaster as well, with every security person in the sector probably being called.

Raezyr had been about to give up on the idea as useless when he got lucky. Trychon had sliced into the InnoCom Corp networks to poke around for more information when he came upon a memo regarding an end of the business year banquet. He wasn't naive enough to think that there'd be no security at the banquet. The difference was that it was at night and in a location where there wasn't going to be an entire corporate building filled with security to get passed. At most, he suspected a few body guards. That was something he could handle discreetly enough.

The Sith warrior landed the speeder about a block from the Dubach Banquet Hall, and after grabbing a small pack, he and the droid approached on foot. As suspected, there were several private events all being catered on the same evening, and guests of all shapes and sizes and manners of dress were entering and exiting the building.

They observed the activity from the nearby alleyway for a few minutes and finally Raezyr pulled a black cloak from the pack with ornate trim. He slung it over his shoulders and pulled up the hood, hoping his entry would be less suspicious than necessary.

"Huck, do you still have that slicer program Trych gave you?" Raezyr asked.

"Response: Of course, Master. After all, I am a droid. The program is downloaded into my memory banks. It is not like I can misplace it," the droid responded. If the Sith didn't know better, it almost sounded as if  Huck's feelings were hurt.

"Good. Go first and secure the entry."

A moment later the gray HK-51 was walking through the front entryway. Immediately he was greeted by a protocol droid of some unfamiliar make. "Good evening. Might I be of some service to you?"

HK extended a limb forward. In his hand was a device which suddenly emitted an ion burst. Electrical waves wrapped around the droid in crackling blue waves for a moment before all it's systems shut down and it collapsed to the floor. Kneeling beside it, the assasin droid placed a small patch on it's metal hull. He stood up and gave the all-clear signal to the cloaked figure waiting just outside.

As Raezyr swept in he looked at the droid on the floor. The patch was sizzling as it released the acid inside. He watched for just a moment to make sure it was going to eat through the data banks of the protocol droid, ensuring there was no record of their entry, before continuing on past.

The banquet hall was a big building with several events all taking place at the same time, but he already knew which room he was looking for. The two took a small hallway off the main corridor and it lead them to a more private place where the InnoCom executives would be celebrating.

As they rounded a corner, they saw two armed security guards standing by the only door at the end of the hallway. They began to tense as the black cloaked figure drew near.

One of the guards held up his hand, palm out, intending for the stranger to stop. "This is a private party sir-" he began to say.

Raezyr made a slight gesture with his right hand and instantly both guards dropped to their knees, pulling at their collars as they struggled to breath. He stood there watching them writhe on the floor, faces turning first red, then blue as the oxygen in their system was slowly used up. At the last second, one of the men tried to reach for the weapon at his side, but Raezyr stepped on his hand, hearing he bones crunch under his boots.

The Sith just shook his head in disgust. He was hoping this might be at least a challenge, but if this was to be the most resistance he was going to get, it would be a dull mission, indeed. Hopefully he'd be able to learn something of Dianna's whereabouts and the night wouldn't be a complete waste.

He turned to the droid. "Plug in out here, Huck. Jam all communications both into and out of this room, and when I'm done, wipe out the data banks and erase all electronic evidence of our presence."

"Acknowledgement: Yes, Master."

786. Once Upon a Tyr - Raezyr

Jedi apprentice Tyr Solumi strode side by side with his Jedi Master and grandfather, Tanner Solumi, down the gleaming white duracrete skyways of the galactic capital city-planet. Tyr had been studying at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for the last couple of years with the occasional mission here and there. They were mostly diplomatic in nature, settling treaty disputes or finalizing peace talks. In each case there was the potential for an escalation to violence, but the realistic chances were minute. The young man suspected the Jedi High Council still didn't fully trust him because of his past.

And how could he blame them? He had murdered a Jedi, his very own father, helped take down another Jedi during her trials here on Coruscant and had lead other Jedi tasked to chase him down on a path of wanton destruction that included sabotage of a Republic Navy star ship. Yet since his grandfather had redeemed him and brought him back to the light several years ago, he had done nothing but do his best to serve the Jedi and the Republic in any way they sought fit. Thankfully the High Council had decided he could best serve in the ranks of the Jedi rather than stand trial for his crimes.

Still, he had served faithfully as his grandfather's Padawan, and he had learned much of the Force, or at least the light side of it, anyway, and for the last year or so he had felt that it was time he undertake the trials. Deep down he knew he was ready. He knew he had the skills. Yet Master Solumi skirted the question whenever it arose, or chided him to be patient.

"Grandfather, where is it we're going today?" Tyr asked, hoping it would be something interesting, or at least offer him an opportunity to learn something.

"We'll be spending some time with the kids at the Memorial Orphanage and Adoption Center over in Xylune Sector," Tanner replied.

"Really?" Tyr replied, trying his best not to sound disappointed, but failing miserably. "I was hoping to be able to learn something today."

"And you think that's not possible?"

"Oh, I have no problem entertaining a bunch of kids. I understand the necessity for the Jedi to give to the community and spread goodwill and all that, but I just think my time might be better spent learning and preparing for the Trials," Tyr offered. "I know I'm ready for them, and I can't imagine what else I need to know. I'm anxious to start making up for my past in my own way."

"Ready for the trials?" Tanner asked skeptically. "The Council will decide when you are ready, although I suspect they'll lean heavily on my recommendation."

"And just when will that be?"

"Patience, Tyr," the older Jedi admonished. "Don't be so quick to rush into things. It's one of the things that sent you down the path of the Dark Side in the first place."

Tyr sighed and hung his head. He was about to apologize, when Master Solumi spoke. "Ah, here we are."

They walked entered the building and met with the director for several minutes. The man gave them a tour of the facility and introduced Tyr and Tanner to most of the staff members who were present. They exchanged pleasantries and took time to talk with the staff for a while. Eventually the director took them to a large room filled with various games and activities. They stood outside and looked through the window in the door, watching for a moment. Younglings of many different species ran about doing various activities, although the majority were human children. Many of the older ones were engaged in some sort of ball game outside while others were reading while many of the younger ones were playing with blocks or dolls or other toys and still others were outside playing on swings and other playground equipment. The director explained that during the regular days, the children were in school, but that today was one of their scheduled free days and were allowed to play as they chose.

"Thank you very much for the tour, Director," Tanner said. "I have some other engagements for now, but my apprentice Tyr will be happy to spend a couple hours with the children."

Tyr's jaw nearly dropped. He had expected his grandfather to stay, and was a bit dismayed to find out that he was about to be abandoned. Neither Mastor Solumi nor the director seemed to notice Tyr's astonishment.

"That's most gracious of you, Master Tyr," the director said to him with a bow.

Tyr watched the receding form of his grandfather as the elder Jedi walked away. "You can just call me Tyr."

"Very well. If you'll follow me in. The children have been most excited at the prospect of meeting a real Jedi," the director informed him. He took Tyr into the room and immediately the younger children rushed over, recognizing the garb of a Jedi and  began bombarding him with questions. The director hung around for a while, but then soon dismissed himself as well, leaving Tyr alone in a sea of little hands and faces.

After a while, the excitement level of the kids began to wear down after they figured out he wasn't going to do anything more with his lightsaber besides show them the metallic cylinder, and Tyr found time to play games with the kids throughout the morning while answering all the questions he could. Eventually he noticed that while some of the older kids had come over to talk, not all of them had. They seemed a bit begrudging of his presence, although they eventually let him play hoop ball with them. In the end, they were all laughing and having a good time. Even Tyr found himself enjoying the time spent with the kids.

Tanner Solumi returned by mid-afternoon and found Tyr and some of the older kids lounging in the shade taking a break between games of hoop ball. He spoke as he approached. "I see you're getting along pretty well. The director told me everyone seemed to be having a great time."

Tyr and the kids jumped up to their feet at the arrival of the older Jedi. "Yeah, they're pretty great kids," Tyr said, ruffling the hair of one of the boys standing near him.

Tanner turned his attention to the children for a moment. "Did any of you get a chance to tell Tyr your stories? Let him know why you're here?" Silence followed as the kids shook their heads no. Tanner put his hand on one human boy's shoulder. "Would you mind sharing?"

The boy appeared to be about 10 standard years of age with sandy brown hair and freckles across his nose. The easy smile that had been on his face most of the day was gone without a trace now, but he spoke anyway. "My mom and dad went out on a date and got killed by some bad guys."

"Can you tell us a little more?" Tanner prompted. Tyr looked at him suspiciously, wondering why this was apparently so important.

"Well, it was when I was about four, and they dropped me off at a babysitter, and they went to a club to go dancing and these Sith showed up and killed a Jedi and my parents were outside and got killed," the boy said, a pained look spreading on his face.

Tanner looked over at Tyr strangely... realization dawned on Tyr. Several years ago he, Anya, Trychon and Raezyr had killed their first Jedi outside a nightclub here on Coruscant. Thinking back he couldn't recall any bystanders getting in the way, but then again, he remembered not caring about bystanders at all.

More realization flooded over Tyr. This place was named the "Memorial" orphanage. Tyr came back to the present as the next child, a Togruta female, told her tale. Her parents had been riding a light-rail train when four Sith had entered, slaughtering everyone aboard.

The next child told how her father had been a guard working at the Galactic Senate Building and had been killed trying to protect some Representatives. Her mother, in grief had committed suicide a day later.

One story bled into the next, and Tyr listened, but it was all a blur. The awareness of just how far-reaching his actions had been came crashing in on him, and it was more than he could handle. He excused himself and rushed out side, emptying his stomach over the railing and into the vast darkness a kilometer below.

Tyr wiped his mouth and stood staring into the black depths of the bowels of Coruscant, trying to recover, trying to process everything as his thoughts raced to his other deeds around the galaxy, people he'd murdered and ships he had destroyed. As he struggled, he stared over the edge of the skyway and the dark void below threatened to swallow him.

He was suddenly aware of his grandfather's presence. "How can I reconcile all of this, grandfather? How can I come to terms with the deeds I've done and lives I've destroyed? How can the Jedi accept me after all of this?"

Tanner put his hand on his grandson's shoulder. "Darth Tyrazzapon committed those deeds years ago, but the Jedi Tyr Solumi waged a war against that Sith Acolyte and destroyed him. Now Tyr must go forth and do the work of the Jedi Order and try to serve those whom that Sith of years ago attempted to dominate and destroy."

Together the Jedi Master and his apprentice walked toward the Jedi Temple in silence. Each thinking their own thoughts, ever aware of those around them, but alone in their minds. Finally Tyr spoke. "Grandfather, if when we have some more free time, may I go back and help out at the orphanage?"

"I think that can be arranged, Tyr." Tanner Solumi replied.

They walked on in silence for a few more steps and this time it was Tanner's turn to break it. "I have sneaking suspicion that the High Council will call on you to take the Trials for Knighthood very shortly."

785. No Place Like Home 8 - Trychon

Trychon screamed again and the room crackled with dark energy that flowed through him.  In a way, the room felt as though it was alive for the first time in a millennium.

He pulled the Holocron to him and squeezed it in his hands, as though he wanted to juice out the essence of it's inhabitant, or crush the crystal itself.  "What did you do to her?!" He yelled as he held the crystal inches from his own face.

"I did nothing.  You did this to her, as you should have." The voice of the Holocron rang out from behind him.
Trychon spun to face the Sith Master.  "Tell me what you did to her!"

"Again, this was your doing.  Your mistake was simply not understanding.  She was a tool.  She was to get you this far, and she has."

Trychon wanted to assault the dark being, but even in his distraught state, he knew that was pointless.  He let the Holocron continue.  "She did make a mistake though, in translating the ritual as 'Sacrament'.  It's true that the connotation is there, but the true meaning in this use was 'Sacrifice.'"

"It's done then!  Help me get her back, or so help me..."

"Oh, it's not done yet.  Nothing is done yet but preparations.  She was the prerequisite.  The ritual calls only for knowledge, and she was your tool of knowledge.  Now you must make a sacrifice, that the Dark Side can recognize your willingness to do anything to achieve your goals.  That nothing else matters.  That you will use your power and reign down destruction for the pursuit of more power."

Trychon repeated his demand.  "What about Cordelia? You said we could save her, you piece of..." 
"I said you would need to finish the ritual.  You haven't finished yet.  For what it's worth though, your tool is with me."

Cordelia appeared in front of him, as a miniature version of herself in the glistening blue form of a Holocron Master.  She was doubled up on the floor in pain, screaming in ethereal pain.

"This is her state, and how she'll remain until you satisfy what is required of you."

-------------------

Trychon walked slowly down the path to the town that raised him.  He had some small semblance of family there... even if they only raised him in turns, and only some were fair to him.  As a teen he couldn't wait to get away.  As an adult he'd put off returning for too long, only to find that there was a treasure there waiting for him.

Now he found himself returning one last time, and there was a sense of urgency as well as continued hesitance.  He went with dual purposes.  One he had held for a long time - continued mastery and power over the dark side of the Force.  The other was much more recent - a chance to save a woman he loved.
She had forgiven or overlooked the violence in his past, when he told her of its sometimes random nature and targets, not always with a real purpose.

If he succeeded in saving her, could she forgive him for violence with a true purpose?  If he destroyed everything she ever knew, would she then finally hate him for the monster he had become?
He knew he was a monster by most definitions, and that the path he had been seeking would only make it more true.  He had tried to temper the monster and to him it was not who he was, but rather a tool that he used.

To satisfy the darkness, would he have to finally become the monster?  What level of depravity and violence was proper sacrifice to prove his devotion to this path, and save Cordelia?
His only real option was to leave no doubt.  The time for internal debate was over, as he reached the edge of the village.  He paused for a moment to stare into the clear skies above, as the stars began to fade along with night time.  Everyone would just now be rising from their beds for their daily chores.

Perfect.

He let every ounce of hate he had for this place, his childhood, Thad and his buddies bubble to the surface of his consciousness.  He added to it every experience he could draw from since he'd left.   Every trick he knew to amplify his power came into play, and he could feel it pulsing from him as he paced to the center of the town.

"Shaan?  Thank the skies, it is you!  We were worried you had disappeared again, and we haven't found Cordelia!  What happened?"

"You worried about the fate of Cordelia and Shaan?"  Trychon laughed mockingly.  "That's sweet."

He looked up from the ground, and Pon recoiled at the sight of electricity coursing from his eyes.  "But I am the Sith Lord Trychon, and Cordelia will be safe soon enough."

He unleashed a blast of Force Lightning unlike any he'd ever controlled.  Pon's body went limp immediately as it flew backwards into the village meeting center, causing it to catch ablaze.

The confusion and screaming followed predictably.  Everyone was running out of their modest homes, in search of answers for the cause of the destruction.  They were too altruistic or too stupid to seek shelter away from the chaos, and instead found themselves lining up like nerfs to the slaughter.

One by one, he ended their pointless lives as they ran around like animals.  He could easily destroy them by the handful, but he gave them each an individual moment of his rage.  Some he blasted like he had done Pon, others he lifted into midair and snapped their necks or squeezed the life out of their beating heart.  Others he crushed with flying debris, as even the structures around them did not deserve his mercy.

Finally, it seemed to dawn on some of the few that were left that it was insanity to stay or confront him and they began to flee.

Without understanding his own words, Trychon began reciting a spell he did not know.  The syllables flowed from his mouth as though from a stranger.  Yet, he somehow knew that nobody would be able to get beyond the invisible barrier he had conjured.

Their cries of pain and suffering did nothing but fuel his power, as he pulled them back to him one by one and finished their fates.

Finally, he sensed Thad.  He must have known what had been going on and had cowered in his home.  There was nobody else left, but the quivering essence of his very first enemy.

With a thought, he lifted the hovel from around the scum and called to him.  "Aren't you going to stop me, Thad?  Don't you want to fight me anymore?"

He had to pull Thad to him in the air as he had so many of the other cowards.  He set him down in front of him and let him cry.

He slowly let his draw on the Dark Side slide away.  "Now's your chance.  Show me what a strong man you've become."

Thad yelled as he stood, and threw a haymaker at Trychon's head.  Trychon didn't stop it, instead allowing the punch to jerk his head back, while holding his ground.

Several more times, he allowed Thad's fists to connect with his face and even cause him to bleed.  Still, the rest of his body would not budge.

"You're a freak!"  Thad screamed.  "You've always been a freak, and we had always wished you'd never shown up!  Leave!  Go away!  You never could take the beatings you deserved, and you've become something unnatural.  You freak!"

"If anyone here could take claim on what I have become today, Thad... it would be you.  Whether you understand it or not, your part in this universe, as my life... is insignificant.  I am what I am because it was destined.  You won't get the chance to come to terms with the meaning of this, but Cordelia will."

With that, Trychon began responding to the blows.  He blocked them, shoved them aside and returned them in kind.  What little strength Thad had left from the ordeal faded quickly as strike after strike found their place on his body and his face.

He did not call on the Force to strengthen his attack, or give him foresight into Thad's thoughts.  He simply beat him, and beat him until he laid bloodied on the ground beneath him.

With one last brutal strike to the face, Trychon felt something give and Thad stopped breathing with a quiet gurgling noise.

Trychon stood up and walked away out of the rubble that had been a town, admiring again the clear skies above him, now much brighter and seemingly not bothered at all by the storm of rage he'd unleashed.

He allowed himself only a few moments of reflection on what he'd done.  The people he'd killed; friend and foe alike, all helpless before him... slaughtered.  In those brief moments thinking back, he finally realized that he hadn't hated the place as much as he'd remembered.  He knew he'd destroyed all of the good with whatever amount of bad there had been.

His sudden insight into his own mind made him realize something else.  He doubted that his 'Master' was telling the truth about saving Cordelia.  At least not the truth in entirety... he never did.  He was sure that he had passed the Sith's rite of passage.  He'd felt it.

He was nearly as sure that there was broken promises waiting for him back at the Sith Temple.  He felt that now too.

"Goodbye."  He mumbled without regret.

He continued on, staring once more at the ground as he returned to pack up his camp and hopefully reclaim his loved one.

784. No Place Like Home 7 - Trychon

Trychon and Cordelia spent the next two weeks secluded in the knowledge alcove of the small temple, which seemed more of a repository of knowledge than most that seemed to serve as places to learn.  Many of the rituals and spells they read through required more room to prepare than the temple itself would offer even if they could tear the walls down.

They took turns sleeping, in their own unique way.  It wasn't quite the sleeping arrangements either had envisioned themselves getting into, but Trychon couldn't pull Cordelia away from her new studies.  He was actually quite concerned for her, as it seemed that the holocron had done more to her than give her knowledge. She was obsessed with the tomes to the extent that Trychon had referred to her as infected several times.  She never responded.

So he did the only thing he could, which was work as hard as he could to find what they were looking for, in the hopes that she would return to normal when he did.  She had helped him learn to translate a few of the more common symbols to ones he was more familiar with.  Every thirty hours or so, he would meditate rather than sleep, and he would redirect as much as he could towards Cordelia to keep her from collapsing.  She took a three hour nap once every three or four days.

The only bright side was that once they had been through enough of the spells, they found a pattern.  They all mentioned some sort of prerequisite or another, most of which were other spells or Force enchantments done by an already skilled Sith Sorcerer.  Unfortunately, the tomes and their contents were in no particular order, so they still had to go through every enchantment, every ritual, every page.

Outside of the 'infection' of his partner, the thing that worried Trychon the most was the fact that two weeks of barely taking a break from reading had only put a dent in the plethora of work in front of them.  Even with his meditations, he didn't think they would survive going through the whole room.

He was in the middle of trying to coax the holocron into being useful during his meditation when he noticed Cordelia get up and sit down cross-legged in front of him.

"You need a shower."  She said, as she noticed for the first time the growing odor that had contaminated the alcove.  "I know..."  She held off his inevitable quip about her own stench, which she obviously noticed as she wrinkled her nose.

"I found it."  She continued.  "I don't have the whole thing translated yet, but there are no prior spells required.  The name, close as I can translate it, is 'Sacrament'."

They spent several hours excitedly reviewing everything they could understand about the ritual.  When they felt they finally had a good understanding of everything they were going to, Trychon set the tome down.  "We need to rest."

Cordelia protested heavily.  She insisted that they were too close to take a break now, and when that didn't persuade him, she begged him to simply meditate to get them the rest they needed.  She eventually gave in, and they headed out of the temple for the first time since setting foot inside.  Given how exhausted they both were, they were surprised to find that it was actually midday on the surface.

After they had everything set up and had both quickly used the porti-refresher, Cordelia laid down in the bed and gestured for Trychon to join her.  He leaned down and kissed her briefly on the lips only to pull away to give her a teasing smile.

When he did, she began to snore.

---------------------

They woke up in darkness and shared a brief bit of leisure time together before heading back down, though it included the best breakfast they had ever shared, despite the fact that it was pitch black outside.

They reviewed all of their discussion on the reading from the morning with renewed vigor and clarity.  They made a few slight changes to their plan before setting it in motion.

Trychon sat in the middle of the repository, with his legs crossed in a standard meditation pose.  The rite didn't require any additional props or preparations other than the rite itself, so they were ready to begin.  Cordelia backed away to the corner of the room and stood anxiously awaiting the fruit of their labor.

Trychon fell into himself and allowed the Force, the Dark Side, and the unintelligible words he'd memorized so recently flow through him.  In his mind's eye he concentrated on the Tome that he learned the incantation from, and everything else began to slip away.  He could feel the darkness filling him and giving him power, while also promising him new, untold abilities.  The Dark Side itself, already his master, was now enticing him to go further... teasing him to lure him on.  It was as though the Force itself thought he needed a reason beyond the power itself.  Even the Dark side seemed to underestimate him.

Then, something else tugged at him unexpectedly.  He opened his eyes in time to see Cordelia collapse.  He jumped to his feet immediately to rush to her aid, but found the Holocron hovering in his way.  Not his mercurial master... but the crystal itself.

He heard his master's voice as though it was being amplified by the now glowing Holocron.  "If you want to help her, you'll need to finish the rite.  I can help you save her after."

Trychon let out a guttural yell of frustration and fell back into his meditation as quick as he could.  He had a feeling that he did not have time for a debate on the issue.  In his admittedly limited experience, he'd never seen a crystal act like this.

Only a handful of syllables were uttered from his mouth when he heard Cordelia scream.  Only, it wasn't exactly a scream.  It emanated from her body as well as her Life Force, and it was all around the worst thing Trychon had ever experienced.  It was also as scared as he'd ever been, for entirely different reasons.

It took more power of will than the Force had ever provided him, to simply stay his course.  Yet he did, quite simply because he had no idea what else to do.  What he was doing could in fact kill his love he had so recently been reunited with... yet as little as he trusted the Holocron, it seemed possible if not probable that stopping now would be worse for her.

It wasn't much longer until his recitation, the ritual, and the screaming all ended.

Trychon opened his eyes again, and this time he rushed towards Cordelia, with no regard for the Holocron's wishes or demands.  He ducked past it and slid to a stop in the corner of the room.

Cordelia was gone.  There was a slight red mist where her body had collapsed, but nothing else remained.