How I would have ended Ashara's companion story

[zaldar]

So in general I love this game especially the story which is why I play. Ashara's companion story has bothered me for a long time though. On the surface it is great especially if you are a "good" sith but if you are an evil one and string her along only when she talks about teaching your children the ways of the jedi to say no it still seems to have it end with her not realizing you have been stringing her along. This bugs me greatly so I rewrote the story end. What follows is how I would have ended the Ashara storyline for an evil sith. Shout out to my guild (the esoteric order I need to update my tag) who gave advice on the story and especially Arti_bywind who gave a lot of advice. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think!

 

Day'al could feel the hate and anger as soon as his shuttle jumped into the system. It brought a smile to his face that only widened as he realized how overpowering it must be to any Sith on the planet. If his little project hadn't been well known he had no doubt several Sith would have come to investigate by now. As his shuttle landed, he shook his head at how long it had taken to draw her anger out. The humans had a saying, love had no eyes or something like that - who could keep up with all the silly human sayings? But there was a difference between having no eyes and no perception at all! Walking out of the shuttle and into his ship he considered activating his lightsaber decided not to. Let the foolish alien believe she had the element of surprise it would make what came later so much more delicious. Acting as if nothing was wrong he placed his light saber on one of the many shelves in the bridge and walked towered the console.

 

As he walked over to the console he saw her flying through the air long before she arrived but only rolled out of the way at the last minute. YOU KILLED THEM! Ashara screamed as her light saber came down onto the console where Day'al had been just a moment before. Day'al let confusion show on his face as he rolled out of the way. Smirking Ashara continued, "did you think by taking a shuttle I would not know where you were going?"

 

Smirking in turn and shaking his head Day'al replied "you misunderstand so much. I would hope you could track me otherwise your Jedi training would truly have been for naught." Shrugging his shoulders as he circled around Ashara Day'al continued "I am Sith. I kill many people. Who are we talking about?" Andronakis Revel came into the ship at this point and made to draw his blaster until after a look from Day'al he shrugged his shoulders and leaned up against a bulkhead instead. Khem Val and Xalek had appeared almost as soon as Day'al walked into the ship. Smirking Day'al wondered if Xalek had considered bringing popcorn. Oblivious to what was going on around her, Ashara screamed "THE JEDI!" as she swung her lightsaber at Day'al's feet. Easily, almost lazily, jumping over the light saber Day'al repeated himself. "I am Sith." "Killing Jedi is what I do. Who are we talking about?" Screaming "I AM JEDI" Ashara swung her light saber at Day'als head. "Funny" Day'al said smoothly ducking under Ashara's blow to his head. "How long have you been on my ship?" Day'al asked as he fluidly back flipped out of the way of a blow to his midsection. "and how many 'Jedi' have you helped me kill?" Ashara's eyes narrowed as she growled "they came in peace". "There is no peace only passion" Day'al replied and then after a moments pause "and yours right now is making you more beautiful than ever." Ashara paused at Day'al's first words almost as if a memory was trying to climb out of a part of her soul, a part that, though she thought otherwise, she had not listened to in many months. Day'al's second sentence then cut through her consciousness like a knife as memories of dinners leading to pleasure she had never before never imagined filled her head. Holding her lightsaber in both hands and lifting it above her head she ran toward Day'al growling "I AM JEDI". Her advance of course left her open to killing blows from any number of directions, Day'al counted them in his head as he watched her advance. His purpose here of course was not to kill. As his anger at time wasted teaching Ashara light saber combat peaked he sidestepped Ashara's advance and force pushed her into a bulkhead. "Are you?" He whispered as Ashara slammed into the bulkhead to his right.

 

Almost as if she didn’t hear Day’al Ashara jumped into the air summersaulting across the ship toward Day’al as she spoke “You rigged the communicators rather than Grenades on Balmora killing innocent civilians, children”. Day’al only smiled standing stock still using the force at the last minute to push Ashara away. Flailing Ashara landed on her back in the middle of the bridge, slightly stunned. Walking over to her with a smile on his face Day’l replied “Yes and I still listen to the recorded screams as the children died. Did I tell you I went to some of the funerals for them later? I had considered bringing you. I had to use the force to hide myself so my laughter could not be heard”

 

Screaming Ashara force lifted a shelf from behind Day’al and aimed it at his head as he continued to speak. “I couldn’t have planted them in the –“ sensing the shelf coming for him even before Ashara had begun to lift it Day’al ducked just enough so that it cleared his head and continued “- best places without your help.” As the shelf broke the bridges viewport glass and sailed out into the hanger Day’al leaned down and placed a kiss on Ashara’s lips. “You were beautiful then, but you are even more beautiful now”.

 

Dazed first from the fall, angered by Day’als effortless dodge, and then distracted by the uncontrollable urge to return Day’als kiss, Ashara fell silent except for heavy breathing as the kiss lengthened. Then brought back to reality by the stomp of heavy boots on the ships gangplank as Andronakis left the ship she brought her feet over her head flipping back onto them. Expecting Day’als dodge and removal of his head from her face she followed up with a sweep kick.

 

The last of Day’als tension left him as Ashara returned his kiss and he knew all his plans were going to come to fruition. Ashara was now in touch with her passion. Anger and hate come so easily from love. Something his fellow Sith don’t seem to understand. Soon when he walked into the dark council with Ashara by his side how their thoughts would change.

 

Noting the change in Ashara’s body movements he quickly moved his head out of the way as her feet swished through the air where his head had been, then jumping into the air even before Ashara’s feet had touched the ground he easily avoided her sweep kick. “Hmm a flip recovery followed by a sweep kick, perhaps you were the best duelist in your class after all. Come let us see what passes for the best dueling in the Jedi today.”

 

Screaming Ashara jumped and almost flew backwards from the bridge into the center of the ship. As she flew through the doorway she force jerked a cabinet from Dayal’s left into his path as he walked into the bowels of the ship.

 

Waiting until it was about to hit him, Dayal redirected the cabinet so that it flew through the doorway and toward Ashara. Seeing the cabinet flying toward her Ashara’s rage only intensified. “The Voss helped you, they cured you, and what did you do? YOU KILLED THEM” Ashara screamed as she sliced her lightsaber through the cabinet breaking it in half and causing metal shavings to fill the air. Her lightsaber held in one hand and the other extended to deflect any incoming attack Ashara advanced through the metal snow. As it covered her skin the metal began to reflect the green glow of her lightsaber outlining her in a ghostly sheen. “I am Jedi and I shall KILL YOU” She screamed as she advanced.

 

Smirking Dayal silently stepped to the side as she entered the bridge sticking his foot out in front of her as she entered and then making sure to leave his hand on her back long enough so that she could not but feel it pushed her to the ground. “Really? You seem to be doing a poor job of it” he said as he watched her fall to the ground. Noticing that her fall had caused the back of her Nar Shadda Slave Dancers Skirt to fall to the side he continued “but the view is worth the annoyance I suppose. I know I told you I had you wear that rather than armor to improve your defensive light saber skills, but really the way it moves when you fight was the real reason. I expect you knew this though. At least on Voss I couldn’t have killed the dreamers without the distraction your overly acrobatic combat provided. I swear they almost seemed to smile as they died. Perhaps it had been centauries since they had seen a woman who knows”

 

Xalek caught Day’als eye as he turned from Ashara’s amazing, posterior. Holding Day’als eye for a moment he then slowly nodded and turned to walk down the gangplank. Andornokais had left earlier it seemed. “Pity”, Day’al thought as he watched him go. “Our arguments had become an enjoyable routine and it would have been entertaining to watch him attempt to kill Ashara and fail. Oh well, alternative lessons can always be arranged.”

 

Oblivious to the movement of others on the ship Ashara’s rage overcame her embarrassment and she threw her lightsaber at Day’al. Day’al smoothly ducked allowing the lightsaber to fly over his head, jumped to avoid it as it turned and flew at his feet before going back to Ashara’s hand. As he jumped he ducked to the side avoiding the second lightsaber as it flew from the shelf at his head and into Ashara’s hand. Concentrating on the two lightsabers he missed the cabinet as it flew into his head causing him to sprawl onto the floor.

 

“The republic soldier helped you on Belesavis to find the slicers and how did you repay him?” “With death. Now I shall repay you the same.” Day’al smiled as he heard the ice dripping from Ashara’s almost whispered words. “Just a little more and you are mine he thought”. The green and yellow light from Ashara’s mismatched lightsabers combined as it reflected off the metal still stuck to her skin giving her an almost sickly yellow green glow as she prepared to skewer Day’al. “One lucky strike against an unarmed foe and you think you can do what seven Jedi masters were unable to do working in Tandem” Day’al replied unperturbed as he force pulled his double bladed lightsaber into his hand and activated it. Seeing Ashara’s confusion he continued, “yes the Jedi you had meet with me to discuss peace were all Masters did you not know?” Laughing Day’al continued “well I guess it doesn’t matter now as they are all dead” cleanly catching both of Ashara’s lightsabers on his Day’al looked into her eyes and almost whispered “and of course I couldn’t have gotten them to meet all in one place an lower their defenses without you”.

 

Once Day'al saw Ashara's eyes glow red he knew he had her and he whispered "now let me show you true passion, true anger. Anger at having an apprentice who doesn't know what she is, who can't remember the very basics of light saber training and can’t even kill an unarmed opponent. If I had wanted to kill you, you would have been dead 200 times already. Anger at having my success thrown back into my face as if they are failures by one instrumental in making so many of them possible."

 

Shifting from defense to offense Day'al launched himself into the air, but rather than bringing his lightsaber down in an overhead chop he brought it in from the side. Shifting stances with a speed she did not have only moments before Ashara blocked a blow that would have split her torso in half. Then the battle was truly joined. The computer console, broken when Ashara had first attacked, was soon joined by scorched bulkheads, broken screens, beds sliced in half by light sabers or broken into kindling as the force slammed them into bulkheads. Anyone watching, even if they could have followed the flashing lightsabers, could be forgiven for thinking two wild animals battled throughout the ship. Even Khem Val, witness to countless lightsaber duels before his time with Day’al and after found himself with a new respect for his master as he left the ship removing himself from danger.

 

Forcing Day’al to dodge force pulled objects from five different directions and slash two more with his lightsaber Ashara pinned him in a corner of the now all but destroyed ship and pinned his lightsaber to the ground with one of hers. “Now I have you Sith” she gloated as she prepared to deliver the killing blow with her second lightsaber. Smiling Day’al replied “You fought well, but did you really think I had shown you all my tricks before this?” As he spoke Day’al pushed a switch on his light saber and his double bladed lightsaber split into two and Day’al easily blocked Ashara’s second blade with now a second blade of his own and pushed her back into the wall. So the battle continued. The top of the spacecraft was breached in several places and electricity flowed freely from the broken viewport into the hanger causing what was left of the slaves below to flee for their lives. The holocommunicator in the center of the ship was now a wreak of glass, electronics and leaking chemicals. Looking around him and frowning Day’al thought to himself “I suppose I should end this, though I have not had this much fun since killing that foolish human who thought herself my master. As if any human could master a true sith!” Mistaking his frown Ashara redoubled her efforts in attacking. Giving himself a last few moments of enjoyment and his ship a last few scares Day’al gave ground until with a mighty force show he pushed Ashara across the entire length of the ship, through a bulkhead and into the bridge.

 

Jumping through the air and flying through the remnants of the bulkhead almost right behind Ashara, Day’al almost thoughtlessly pushed the metal shavings away from him and toward Ashara a burst of electricity shooting from his hands flowing through the metal remains of the bulkhead into Ashara and pinning her to the ships main console and then spreading into the console and causing it to burst into shards of glass electronic parts and chemicals. If any slaves had been left they would have died as the chemicals exploded over them. Day'al screamed as he slammed one of his lightsabers into the handgrip of Ashara's. Pinned against the ships main console Ashara had thrown both her lightsabers at Day'al now it lay useless at her feet as electricity coursed through her body. Electricity she could hardly feel as her anger flooded her.

 

Day'al asked again "what are you?" and added this time with a growl as he brought his light saber to her neck "and who am I?" Her eyes burning with hate Ashara answered as the electricity coursed through her, "I am Sith, and you are my master." Then collecting herself as the electricity stopped flowing she stood and looked Day'al in the eye as she stated " and one day I will kill you". Smirking Day'al replied "I do not doubt you will try and one day you may succeed, but for now you have much to learn" Then extinguishing his light saber he pulled Ashara to her feet and planted his lips on hers. At first Ashara resisted but then she began to kiss Day'al back allowing her passion to guide her movements. Picking her up as she wrapped her arms around him he walked into his quarters which had stayed untouched by the battle and force closed the door behind him.

 

Sometime later Andronokais walked back into the ship and stood outside Day'al's door a quizzical look on his face as he listened to the sounds coming from inside. Turning to Xalek who had reentered the ship much earlier he asked "are they still fighting or have they made peace" furrowing his brow as he nodded toward the door "I can't tell". Xalek responded "there is no peace only passion". Andronokais looked from Xalek to the door and then back to Xalek a few times before throwing up his hands and muttering "Sith" under his breath. Xalek and Khem Val only smiled as they saw him walk off to the cockpit, a smile that turned into laughter as Andronokais, surveying what was left of the cockpit, cursed first in basic but moved quickly to mandalorian and then what sounded oddly like wookie.

[CrutchCricket]

If you'd like discussion on this I suggest a summary or tl:dr. As far as the content, you seemed to have the right idea but there was too much emphasis on the actual fight and the inquisitor himself. Both should really only be facilitators of Ashara's actual realization. And on that note, said realization should be more about her having more agency and being faced with the consequences of what she's done. The true tragedy of a dark side fall is that often, the victim really did it to themselves.

 

The confrontation can start out with Ashara mad at the inquisitor about some outcome and lobbing accusation after accusation on how evil he is and how he made her do it and to each one the inquisitor can merely raise an eyebrow and point how what was done was only possible because of her or better yet that she did it all on her own. Cue her falling into despair as she has a "what have I become moment". Then the inquisitor guides her to switching to anger/hate to drive her instead and her journey to the dark side is complete.

 

I picture her trying to straddle the line between light and dark (she already admits pure light is lacking), perhaps trying to take Revan as an example (something my inquisitor would encourage knowing she'd fail). Her stubborn insistence that she's still a Jedi would blind her to the truth and her desire to use her powers for good combined with her misdirection would steadily push her into Well Intentioned Extremist territory as she'd use the greater good as justification for increasingly bad actions while also being disgusted at how people who aren't willing to do what she does are failing the light. Eventually she's frying people left and right and justifying torture. When the bottom finally drops the realization kicks in. And on the other side of it she embraces the darkness still convinced that only she with her understanding can bring about the best state and that certain people and freedoms need to be sacrificed to make that happen.