Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Private Enter the (Krayt) Dragon

Wearing: Interceptor Gear

Armed with: Old Mercenary Set, Training Lightsaber (Blue)

Arrived to Ord Antalaha in: Bellhop Freighter

Three days earlier...

Nathan practiced using his electric judgement on training dummies, lowing the intensity of the green bolts, and the rate he released the energy from himself.

He could only access the Light on a Cursory Level, and when he could, it almost always manifested as an offense-based Force Power, such as Electric Judgement.

Many of the other ones were still too difficult to manifest for him, because those higher powers required a degree of selflessness he simply no longer possessed and might never possess again. His very nature seemed at war with itself at times. On good days, he followed the Jedi Code, did his job, kept his head down, brushed aside praise or thoughts of advancement.

And on bad days, he was trying with every fiber of his being to destroy the Cult of the Brain Demon, and escape the endless hell made manifest that was his bond to Syd Celsius Syd Celsius , the woman who, as a Sith, had murdered his wife and annihilated her very spirit. She had done even worse than that to him much later on...and this was after she had killed him the first time...

He knew that his quest for revenge against the Cult was a violation of the Jedi Code to its very fundamentals. But what answer does the code give when everything you were gets erased? When the woman you loved was killed so thoroughly no trace of her survives in the Force? When not one, but two different people, each of whom destroyed your life in separate ways, also corrupts your daughter into something as bad as they are?

For all that the Cult had done to him, he had long ago decided the Code would have no authority in how he dealt with them. They had made it as personal as any sentient could have made it. He doubted any Jedi could look him in the face and tell him they wouldn't have reacted the same if it had been their parents, their wife, their child.

There are just some things, he felt, that the Jedi Code simply does not and should not have the authority to control. In all other things, he would obey it. If it told him to cut off his hand he would cut it off. If it told him to jump, he would ask how high. But he would not respect its counsel at all where the Cult was concerned. It had failed him too many times in that department. As for the Force's Will, it was free to stop him any time it wanted. But he had a feeling it wouldn't have gone to the trouble of letting him get resurrected just to clamp down on him. It wanted him for something. Even if it thought his suffering in the process was necessary.

Realizations like that made him despise The Force. It may not have needed an avatar, a personification, which he still considered nothing but the Ashlan's typically despicable heresy. But even he, at times, thought the case could be made that it was the most callous chess master that ever lived.

He absolutely believed it had a will, and that ultimately, it must be obeyed. But that didn't stop him from sneering at its idea of "Balance".

After all, obedience is not the same thing as respect.

In private, away from watchful eyes like those of Jax Thio Jax Thio , he pursued Moya's advice to refine his personal lightsaber technique and command of some of the more esoteric Force Powers at his command. She wasn't his Master like Jax was but she occasionally offered pointers.

Eventually he got tired and decided to take a break, staring out at below from his window the planet Kytrand , watching as ships went back and forth from the Centurion Class Battle Cruiser his ...fiance... controlled as shop began to tentatively get set up.

He walked himself back over the months, the long while since war with the Maw ended, since his hostile first meeting with Vera, when he had nearly strangled the murderous, sadistic Android to death...what had changed? And how had the situation between them eventually changed so drastically?

From the beginning, perhaps, she had him figured out. Or perhaps he had gotten under her skin. Maybe they had both succeeded against the other, and from there, from there...

She had slowly whittled him down, making no secret of how she was attracted to him. He was still trying to figure out when, exactly, his own perceptions towards her had changed, and realized it had changed the first time she had broken through his armor and gotten an extremely rare laugh out of him.

It was the idea that he could laugh with someone, perhaps, someone who understood...

Most times, what he said to Braze Braze in their duel really was true...he really didn't feel emotion too strongly, either positive OR negative. Even the barebones "friendship" he had developed very slowly over time with Moya and Lynda, Vera's Sister, was still basic, stuttering, hesitant.

The most beastly of the three was somehow the most relatable because much like he had in his era, she fit this era like a glove. Both made to thrive in the most hostile situations possible.

He liked her also because she in no way at all reminded him of his first wife. And while he would always, on some level, love Lysandra Crownwraithe, Vera distracted him from constantly thinking about her.

The deadly organic machine had been correct...marriages were built on less.

He hadn't gone to the surface of the planet itself, he could feel the Nexus around the planet, even from orbit, trying to induce feelings of pacifism and tolerance. Great if you were pure Jedi. Bad if you were Nathan. Even his mental barriers couldn't quite keep the Nexus out. It wouldn't do to go down there until he had no choice.

"This place creates strange sensations in me..."

Nathan turned to the voice of Sera Mina Sera Mina , fashionably dressed, as always.

"It's the Nexus..." He explained.

"Nexus?" Sera asked.

"The Life Force of the planet has been altered. It exudes certain effects. Emotional Passivity, is one of those. You'll have to train yourself to resist it."

"This Force stuff you're into confuses me." she admitted with a shrug, casually walking over to him. "You're seriously giving House Li-Ves this planet?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I am, ultimately, a loose cannon, Sera. A rogue element. And given the things I have witnessed...the things I want to do...the things I have already done...I feel it would be unwise to fully control every aspect of the operation..." he answered, staring out at the planet below.

"I am not worthy of this planet. Not really. I messed up too many times to be. Better it be overseen by people whose focuses are less myopic than mine. Someone not as obsessed with destroying a Sith Cult." he then turned to her.

"Besides...I'm marrying your Mother."

Sera's eyebrow raised.

"So... would this make you my stepfather?"

"You object?"

"No! No, nothing like that...I mean...you've been sort of acting in that capacity since I woke up."

No reaction from Nathan came outwardly, but he realized, in that instant, that Vera had understood just how badly fethed up in the head he actually was.

Vera had been easing him into this moment ever since she had activated Sera in front of him.

Nathan blinked. "So I have..."

They both were staring at the planet now. Sera drew a little closer to him.

"The wedding won't take place for months. Not until we actively settle this place, get an actual populace going. Plenty of refugees will see it as a paradise..." he trailed.

"What of the Jedi? They'll look on it as a holy world."

"They'll be free to come here once our control over it is established as indisputable." Nathan said. "We'll have to take measures though..."

"Measures?" Sera asked.

"The hard part won't be colonization, the hard part will be removing all visible traces of my own family's former stewardship over it. The less they have to piece together once they arrive, the harder it will be to make any connections to me, and the less they'll have to justify it as a 'Jedi World', rather than simply a world strong with the light side, which happens all the time. They'll be able to make the case it should be 'studied' but they won't be able to make the case they should have a controlling influence if we do our jobs correctly." he explained.

"But Jedi 'will' come here eventually, right?" Sera asked.

"Yes. But I'm going to be selective about who I introduce to it at first. Someone I know..."

At the moment, Nathan was currently considering either Jax or Elias Edo. Or both But that would occur much later.

"You really think I'm cut out to run a planet? I'm barely getting the hang of running your trillion credit corporation..." Sera admitted. While she loved basking in feth-you money and public approval, running Bacta-Works, scouring it of corruption, was a lot more taxing than it looked.

"Oh, you're bound to make mistakes. But I have every confidence you'll rise to the occasion." he assured her. "Let's go see your Mother... she's about to head to the surface, right?

"Yes..." Sera answered.


A half hour later...


Vera Mina Vera Mina , fashionably dressed as always, stared out onto the horizon of Kytrand from the comfort of a raised platform, seated at a fancy table atop it with Sera and Nathan, eating a light meal.

"It really is quite beautiful..." she admitted. "Could use a splash of blood and gore here and there but that's just me."

Sera rolled her eyes as she sipped her small glass of wine. Mother, in a normal setting, would have gushed about the latest entertainment, fashion trends, anything that would make a noble's eyes glaze over. Not here. Here, she was a little more...honest about what she liked.

"I think this Nexus you described is bullchit, I'm not feeling any different." Vera complained.

"Individual results may vary..." Nathan replied, dressed in a cheap black suit and tie combo with a white shirt, looking more like some overworked trader in stocks than any sort of Jedi, or even the head of a burgeoning, militarized, Jedi aligned PMC. He wasn't eating anything.

"How will we explain this world?" Vera asked.

"Oh, I probably have to play dumb, say I was scouting and accidentally found Bacta-Works here already running things, but that will be pushing it even for me. The better option, now that I think about it...is to probably let some Jedi think it was mostly their discovery, and I just happened to be there. Maybe a whole gang of them..."

Could he get a Jedi to believe all the credit should go to them? He wasn't sure. It would take a lot of work. But he already had in mind certain Jedi. His mind went back to Lossa Aureus Lossa Aureus , and how her position was already getting challenged by Tarrlok. Have her involved...yes, it might shore up her position in the Jakku Enclave rather nicely, but there would somehow have to be almost no imput or prompting on his part. And he would somehow have to make sure she got the info to other choice Jedi...maybe offer to share it after she "discovered" its address or some such.

But he had months to figure this out...

The trio sat quietly, watching shuttles controlled by House Li-Ves arrive from orbit. for the next forty minutes, admiring the beautiful scenery.

"I take it back...this place is too nice looking to turn into one of my dungeons." Vera quipped. "And I never thought I'd say that about ANY place."

"Agreed." Nathan admitted.


Present...

One of the most annoying things about working with other Jedi was that most times, he couldn't afford to use his best equipment. Around Jedi, he could only be seen using the basic gear, and had been very certain to never let any Jedi who had the time for even a moment to pay attention to him to get a good look at the lightsabers he had originally built when he started working for them again. That had been easy at first--there was so much chaos due to the war with the Maw ending that no one had really had the time to observe him, too busy reveling in victory, in providing relief to all the worlds ravaged by the beasts.

But as peacetime had settled in, and the Jedi let their guards down, he had forced himself to start carrying only basic gear around them. That was how he had been winging it in the NJO...the Trade League Jedi had even less watchfulness, especially on wayseekers.

Nathan had been given this assignment to one of the Old Republic's weapon Depot worlds, where a Sith who had been spotted in the heart of the Alliance had murdered a master of great renown, seemingly for nothing but the glory, and had been tracked to this place, a den of thieves and scum in any era, after he had slain a villager for seemingly no reason.

He was meeting another Jedi here, but he hadn't been given forewarning on just who that would be. Not that it would have put him at ease as he stepped off the freighter, greeted by a fat, balding human tech in greasy coveralls with a tool belt wrapped around his waist. The space port was smoggy, loaded down with crates from other ships constantly being offloaded by angry looking people with blasters. He had his simple training Lightsaber concealed up his sleeve, while he carried a vibro spear and shield, the latter of which had a colorful livery. Going to a place like this dressed as a Jedi with their lightsaber on display would have been incredibly foolish.

He took one look at Nathan and snorted.

"Bounty Hunter huh? Picked a bad place to land. Criminals run Ord Antalaha, regardless of what the Alliance thinks." The Spaceport Officer muttered.

"Of course they do." Nathan replied, his grim face making the spaceport official subconsciously take a step back.

"You're here about that Sith, aren't ya?" The Official questioned.

"Am I so obvious?" Nathan questioned back.

The Official spit to the ground on his side.

"Figures."

"You want the Sith to keep killing, or not?" Nathan asked.

"Eh...not one of them spit and polish types." The Official noted, more and more unconsciously disconcerted by his very presence the longer he was around him. "I guess they sent someone who doesn't scare easily."

"What's the docking fee?" Nathan grumbled.

"Seventy Credits."

"Here." Nathan replied, dumping the sticks into his waiting hands and walking out of the spaceport, shield slung over his back.

The town beyond the space sport reminded him of Tattooine but with more scum walking everywhere. They all gave the grim faced "Bounty Hunter" dirty looks but otherwise left him alone. Had he walked in with the robes, the Jedi passivity, he would have set off the alarm of every criminal in the city, and then he would have had as much to be concerned over from them as he would the Sith. You do NOT simply walk into Ord Antalaha Force Blazing, any more than you simply walk into Mordor.

Nathan's grim face and mechanical walk did more to clear others out of his path than any lightsaber could have. The Sith had chosen a good place to flee to if nothing else...this was the sort of place he would have fled to in order to escape Darth Phyre, had he been given the opportunity.

You could never have abided the injustice around you he heard Phyre's watered down self, Syd Celsius Syd Celsius , say in his skull. Because of his own mistakes in saving her life on Korriban so he could use her for his own purposes, he now had a hellish, possibly permanent Force bond to the thing that had murdered his wife. A shared bond that was also a wound...

Be silent, fiend, he snapped back mentally, instantly shutting her down before she could strike up a conversation. He shut her down every time she tried to talk to him now beyond her obeying him for the sake of killing the Cult they now BOTH despised. Syd was under the illusion she could atone. Nathan would never permit it, even if it was sincere.

The journey for Syd, after what she had done to him, was only going to end one way for her. She knew it too. He didn't have to say it out loud. She saw his blood covered perception of her, that only saw a monster that needed to be felled...eventually.

Nathan clamped down on his emotions to her, and instantly shut down almost all his emotions as per the conditioning he had been given as a child in order to focus on the mission.

He would obey the Jedi Order until the time came where he simply couldn't in order to get what he really wanted.

Nathan headed to what intel had stated passed for a machine shop in order to wait for whoever the NJO had sent to assist him.


Braze Braze
 
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TAGS:
Nathan Bloodscrawl Nathan Bloodscrawl
Gear: Anti-Toxin Face Mask | Tactical Knife | Saberbreaker Gauntlets | Space Wizard Pattern Boots | Sunfire Signet Ring | GAB-34 Fang | [Pair of Eshan Charms] x3 | Training lightsaber
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Braze arrived in his newly painted boldly colored Delta-8 Aethersprite-class Star Fighter. He was wearing conspicuously brightattire, his presence a vibrant splash in the dull surroundings. Adorned with Kandi bracelets clinking softly, each bead a burst of neon color - electric blues, hot pinks, and glaring greens - he embodied a walking kaleidoscope. Beneath this riotal rainbow of color, he wore a typical black base, practical yet faded, wrapped snugly around his lean frame. A plush headset crowned his head, piping in electric tunes that mirrored his upbeat vibe, the rhythm a pulsing heartbeat in the otherwise monotonous environment.

This was a serious affair, and Braze had a crucial rendezvous. His choice of dress was strategic, a deliberate psychological play. In his eye-catching ensemble, he appeared non-threatening, almost ludicrous. His theory was simple: dress so flamboyantly that he became an eyesore, the kind of person people instinctively overlook or choose to ignore, a master of hiding in plain sight. Perhaps he might even come off as some one who often partook in substances that altered perceptions in psychoactive ways. Yet, as he navigated the throngs, his mind was a whir of anticipation. This was after all a big missive to take on all things considered. How would his contact react to this garish garb? Braze couldn't help but let a small, sly grin play on his lips as he spotted Nathan Bloodscrawl Nathan Bloodscrawl at the randomize point. This would be interesting. He padded over and slipped his hands in to his puffer vest and strut right up to him and said. " Hey~" He chirped a greeting before moving to blow a bubble on the gum he was very loudly chewing.

 
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Nathan blinked as he saw Braze Braze walk up to him in the most garish stuff possible. A walking eyesore.

In this environment, with so many who would happily kill both of them.

This was the single most hilarious thing he had ever seen, yet he refused to crack so much as a smile.

"Braze..." Nathan trailed calmly, artificial green eyes unblinking. "I see you have chosen an opposite method of infiltration. Very well then..."

Nathan gestured for him to follow. Nathan looked like he actually belonged among these types...they all avoided him as he led Braze through the crowd.

"Our destination is a village far from the city. That's where the killing took place. Stick close to me and don't provoke anyone. They'll gut you if you give them trouble." He told Braze, being utterly serious. They were deeply outnumbered here.

Then there was a cry for help in the distance.

You know you have to help. No true Jedi can stand by and watch or listen to the suffering of the innocent. Syd spoke in his head.

QUIET was the reply.

Nathan tracked the sound down to a nearby alley. He saw a thug holding a spaceport clerk at knife point, trying to drive it into his throat.

"Excuse me." Nathan said to Braze, setting aside his spear and shield and teleported behind the thug with the Force.

Nathan stretched out his hand, and the thug was enveloped in a purple stasis field, paralyzed.

Nathan looked at the young human clerk, gesturing for him silently to leave, and then calmly walked out of the alley and retrieved his weapons.

"Let's go before that wears off." he said to Braze Braze , walking away quickly .
 




Braze followed Nathan closely, his steps light and agile. He had always excelled at guarding the flank, a role he embraced with pride, especially during those rare occasions when he was assigned to protect Jasper Kai'el Jasper Kai'el 's back. His keen sense of responsibility and alertness in battle made him an invaluable asset.

"I can try, but I'm not making any promises," Braze responded with a chirpy tone, his voice carrying a mix of eagerness and caution.

"I revel in finding the right way to do the wrong things. Kind of like a game with how—"
Braze's words trailed off as a sudden cry pierced the air. He instinctively fell into step behind Nathan, respecting his leadership and ready to support him.

As they moved, Braze observed Nathan's actions with awe. He was thoroughly mystified. When Nathan teleported, Braze's eyes widened in surprise. He blinked twice, rubbing his eyes as if to confirm the reality of what he had just witnessed. Once Nathan reappeared and set off again, Braze was quick to follow, his excitement barely contained.

"Wow! That was graphic nova major! I didn't know you could do such a neat trick. Is it difficult? It must be. I bet it takes a whole lot out of you," Braze exclaimed, his words tumbling out in a rapid stream of admiration. His tone was reminiscent of an enthusiastic younger sibling boasting about an older brother's prowess. And it was oddly genuine praise and awe.

"You know, you handled that really well. I remember this one time back on Coruscant, I accidentally started a turf war," he said nonchalantly, as if initiating a turf war was an everyday occurrence.

"You know, I always thought you were a cranky old man, but what you did back there was kind. You didn't have to help that man, but you did it anyway—even without knowing what was going on. I learned to find out what's happening first before intervening, from the aftermath of that turf war," Braze said, trailing along after Nathan energetically. His demeanor was akin to a small, yappy lap dog, full of vigor and curiosity.

It might have been around this time that Nathan could start to suspect that being assigned Braze as a mission partner was some kind of unusual punishment. Braze's relentless energy and chatter, though well-intentioned, could be perceived as a test of patience for someone more reserved and severe like Nathan.
 
Nathan wanted to facepalm as Braze Braze started to spout off about how cool Nathan's tricks were.

"Braze..." Nathan said quietly, "You'll draw attention to us if your voice stays that loud."

"And now is not the time for questions." Nathan replied, knowing from the disaster he had caused with Thelma Goth Thelma Goth , that Braze would not keep his mouth shut.

"Application of force must be proportional to the situation." Nathan said to Braze's other comments.

Nathan went forward through the crowd, stopped when he saw a gang member in the distance approach a Cantina with a bottle containing fuel and a lit rag stuffed into it.

The gang member threw it...and it vanished, reappearing in Nathan's waiting hand, extinguished, which he then tossed into a nearby garbage bin.

"But that doesn't mean chaos should be abided..." Nathan added as he didn't stop walking, not even pausing to observe the extreme confusion of the gang member who started scratching his head.

Circumstances, however, had revealed the answer to Braze's question, and one he hadn't even asked.

It was very easy for Nathan to do, and he didn't even seem winded.

The answer to the question Braze had NOT asked was that Nathan could teleport more than just himself, and at considerable distance.
 




"I'm not loud..." Braze trailed off, seemingly dissatisfied with the very real and true criticism. His voice came in a more subdued, demure delivery, accompanied by a frown crossing his features.

As they navigated the crime-ridden streets of Ord Antalaha, the dimly lit alleys and the distant echoes of hushed conversations painted a vivid backdrop to their journey. The air was thick with the scent of desperation and decay, a stark picture of the planet's struggles.

Braze didn't pry into others' thoughts, so he couldn't comment on or defend himself against any perceived accusations Nathan had regarding the whole Thelma Goth melodrama, in which he was made both victim and scapegoat.

Fortunately for the youth, he was a sponge for information, especially the kind that involved combat, strategy, or the Force. He was an exceptional visual and kinesthetic learner with immense talent. However, this was often counterbalanced by a lack of focus on things that disinterested him, leading to problems with life, work, and relationships. This unfortunate combination often left him marked as a pest and overlooked as a prodigy, very often leaving him underestimated, and lacking what he needed to flourish.

These issues were merely the surface of a deeper array of challenges that had branded Braze as the problem child. Jasper Kai'el Jasper Kai'el , however, had the insight and patience to truly comprehend and manage Braze's behavioral outbursts. He had successfully reined in the spirited young hellion, using a blend of genuine love and thoughtful care.

None of that, however, mattered here. What mattered was finding out useful information to ensure other members of their order didn't suffer the same fate as the murdered jedi. Although Nathan's continued display of interesting and captivating skill using the Force continued, Braze remained silent, figuring Nathan didn't want to hear him talk too much as it drew attention—despite Nathan having performed such fantastical feats openly. Perhaps he was attempting to be quick enough to be unnoticed.

Regardless, the somber, gentle approach at asking Braze to politely shut up seemed to work in hushing the energetic Pomeranian that was Braze, who continued to pad after Nathan.

He didn't stop his somber jade green eyes from wandering about, taking in sights and sounds as they traveled, really absorbing all the atmosphere had to offer. He didn't stay silent for long as he offered his observations in a more subdued manner, trying to share his thoughts openly with Nathan.

"It's heartbreaking to see how poverty and crime feed into each other. It's like the only thing that seems to offer relief is something that gives them a moment of escape or makes them feel better in the short term, even if it's harmful to themselves and others around them."


 
Nathan looked around with a visible sneer at his surroundings.

"I've been in places ten times worse than this where not so much as a handbag got stolen. Crime is a choice, Braze. Most of the scum you see around you are about as rich as minor nobles off purely predatory behavior, and they're far more to the point about getting their wealth. Reserve your sympathy for the ones who live here yet choose to not hurt or steal from others."

Nathan had been forced to clear out hives like this before. They were never easy. Especially if he was trying to take everyone alive. Sometimes people wrote their own ticket to hell, and he just happened to be the one who punched it that day.

Thankfully no more immediately obvious stuff happened and they were at last able to reach the limits of the city. No one stopped them as they went on the trail to the outer grasslands, the landscape of which was as smog covered from the runoff pollution in the city. Less patrols out here.

Nathan still didn't let down his guard as he walked the plains, coming across rows of ancient weapon storage bunkers dotting the plains in the process. Some had been cracked open long ago, others as yet remained sealed.

But one bunker caught his eye, given that it was surrounded by dead bodies. He gestured for Braze Braze to follow and examined what looked like a massacre as he got closer, the bodies having pentagrams somehow etched into their skin.

Nathan seemed extremely familiar with what happened, given his immediate exclamation: "The fools! The absolute fools!"

He was immediately on guard with his shield in front, and his spear positioned in front above the shield as he approached slowly.

"Get your lightsaber out, but don't do anything unless I do it first. Put it on high frequency." Nathan instructed quietly as he got closer to the entrance of the bunker.

He peeked in quickly, saw a burnt looking skeleton, in a meditative position, surrounded by a larger, pentagram burned into the duracrete floor in the middle of the interior lobby to the rest of what was obviously an underground depot, and ducked back out, gesturing for Braze to stay silent and went inside spear pointed at the burnt skeleton. A human female's.

He scanned the ground, spotting faint circles of runes on the floor and pointed them to Braze, silently mouthing the words "DON'T STEP ON THEM."

He got closer. No movement from the skeleton. In the distance there was a glass case containing a shimmering green gown with long sleeves.

Nathan slowly backed away, not taking his eyes or the spear directly off the skeleton, letting Braze head back out the way he came before he himself exited...and closed the bunker door...

Nathan took a few moments to start breathing again.

"Idiots found a Force Spawn's tomb..." Nathan said quietly. "My guess is they triggered the booby-traps near the entrance and bit it. That...thing..." he trailed with noticeable revulsion in his words. "It's still alive. Thankfully they didn't trigger it's revival process. Never, Braze Braze , never ever go near tombs like this if you don't have to. You do not want the hassle of trying to kill one of these freaks."

He looked around. "This place is so messed up...but this isn't our problem...not right now anyway..."

Nathan used his vibro spear like a painter's brush, carving the words DANGER! FORCE SPAWN INSIDE! DO NOT ENTER!

"Ain't even into our actual assignment and we're running into crap like that..." he muttered. "I'm betting even the Sith we're after knew to stay away from that abomination..." he grumbled as he walked.
 
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Braze blinked, his eyes widening at the sight of the mass of decaying bodies. Quickly, he reached inside the interior lining of his puffer jacket, pulling out a mask and a small vial of peppermint concentrate. With practiced movements, he dabbed the concentrate across the mask, a familiar ritual to stave off the overwhelming scent of rot. Securing the mask over his face, he followed Nathan, drawing his blade with a deft flick of his wrist.

As they moved through the grim landscape, Braze's attention was divided between Nathan's cautious steps and the eerie surroundings. The flooring beneath them seemed to whisper secrets of the past occurrences, and his brows quirked under the mask, a silent question forming in his mind.

"What even is a... 'force spawn'?" Braze asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty and curiosity. The term was unfamiliar, and the strange, unsettling scene they had just witnessed only added to his intrigue.

He padded after him but didn't stow his blade just yet frowning under his mask. "None of this is anything I've encountered before... perhaps you can enlighten me?"



 
"Extremely deadly Force Sorceresses. Shapeshifters..." Nathan explained. "Their flesh is volatile due to being saturated with the Force..." Nathan said without looking at Braze Braze as he walked.

"Almost exclusively female due to certain...chemical differences that makes it difficult for Males to turn into one. They use Shi'ido bodies as a template to inhabit. But that's not the only thing that makes them dangerous." he elaborated "They have basically weaponized Split Personality Disorder. Their particular study allows them to absorb the essences of female Force Users...or simply other Force Spawn, and replicate their appearance, personality, *and abilities to some extent..."

Nathan gripped the spear tightly, reflexively.

"For every personality absorbed, the power of their prime personality grows in power by a very small percentage."

Nathan spotted a lake nearby and diverted to it, he knelt at the edge, dipped his finger in the water, pulled it out, and wiped it on his jacket.

"Safe to drink..." he noted more to himself than to Braze, his ability to sense poison confirming it internally.

Whether Braze would stop to have a sip or not, Nathan laid his spear and shield down and cupped some water and had a sip himself before standing up.

"There are weaknessess. They can't instantly switch between personas. It takes a moment. That's when you strike. And if they are one personality other than their own too long they tend to get...stuck...at least for a long while."

Nathan started walking again after picking up his weapons, artificial green eyes scanning the hills ahead...He spotted signs of a fresh speeder wreckage and went to investigate it.

"When taking on another personality, they exchange their normal strengths and weaknesses for the one they channel. Some are not as powerful as others, and thus used for only certain difficult tasks or opponents." he added as he finally approached the wreckage, strewn across the grass. "Most can't use telekinesis unless they're exceptionally powerful, leaving them with elemental abilities and sorcery only on their primary form, unless they have absorbed a persona that could use it."

He circled the wreck. Burned severely in certain parts.

"Lightsaber damage..." he noted on the side of the wrecked hull, switching topics. "Hit a coupling, damaged a regulator. Instant fire hazard. Pilot bailed. Or someone took the body."

Nathan followed the trail of wreckage deeper into the grass land, eventually coming across a damaged speeder bike lying on its side. It's mounted on rucksack was still intact and Nathan went to examine it's contents, putting on a pair of rubber gloves before doing so and the first item he found was a sheathed knife.

"Rodian Death Blade..." Nathan said pulling it out from it's sheath and identifying it by its cruelly serrated edge, carefully putting it back in.

He then dug in the sack some more, and removed an honest to goodness pair of Sith Power Gauntlets, bulky and menacing, with cruel, clawed fingers.

"This is it. It's him." Nathan muttered, putting them back in.

"Don't touch those." he told Braze before he went to examine the damage to the bike itself.

"Twelve Guage. Incendiary. Probably why there's no blood..."

Nathan turned to him. "They had a fight during their chase. The one in the land speeder was ambushed, but retaliated with shotgun fire carrying a military grade chemical incendiary payload. The crash stunned the Sith, allowing the first driver to get just far enough to buy some time..."
 




Braze maintained a quiet demeanor as he trailed behind Nathan, observing but not engaging with the surroundings. "You sure do know a lot, about dark side force using evil women." he remarked with a hint of admiration and something more. He kept his focus on Nathan, finding himself in a role of observation and following, a position that seemed to be becoming a pattern in their current endeavor.

"This place sure does seem to have a lot going on; It's just one problem after another. " Braze mused aloud, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic landscape. "It could be hard to find answers to what we're looking for in a place like this."

When Nathan revealed the power gauntlets, Braze's interest piqued, and he tilted his head curiously. The sight of such a significant clue seemed to momentarily shift his focus from the broader picture to the specifics of their mission. " Well how about that? Looks like we found some head way in our investigation eh?" Braze asked before smirking and adding, "You're kinda bossy, huh, Nathan?" Braze queried, a light tone in his voice. His observation wasn't meant as a criticism but more as a playful jab.

"Surely they must still be around if they left their belongings here, right?"




 
"If I am bossy, it's because I'm trying to keep our heads from getting cut off." Nathan explained to Braze Braze patiently. "And yes, they're very close...very, very close..."

Nathan took off the rubber gloves, marked this area on the map he had brought and putting it back in his jacket.

"And yeah... I've had run ins with those freaks...they don't all use the Dark Side, but that's even worse on occasion. Because their idea of the Light Side can sometimes be different from that of a Jedi." he mentioned finally, remembering Braze's earlier comment as he headed back to the road.

The way the otherwise clinical Nathan said the word Freaks with clear revulsion was only a fraction of of a fraction of the innate disgust and horror he felt at being bonded to his wife's killer. Or his shame at being the catalyst for the creation of the monster that had seduced his daughter fully to the Dark Side...

He switched topics immediately, knowing Braze's head was churning with questions.

"Now...be ready for anything. Things were spaced the moment we got here, and it's only gotten uglier. Things are bad when destroying one of those tombs isn't even a primary objective..."

Fifteen minutes later.

Nathan finally reached the edge of the village...and heard nothing. The moisture vaporators were untended. No sign of flames, but he saw evidence of lightsaber damage near smaller houses.

"Great, just great...curious we didn't sense it though. Not as messy as a usual Sith rampage. Very little damage, but lots of tracks..."

Nathan carefully examined the foot tracks he could make out in the dirt.

One set of tracks in particular caught his interest.

"Lightweight. fast...precise..." Natha spoke, observing the movement and impact pattern of the tracks. "This one was jumping alot..."

A shattered bottle alerted him and he sensed the Dark SIde immediately, drawing his blade, as a lanky, male zabrak with yellow and black tattoos stumbled out, hiccupping, holding his rusted, single bladed lightsaber in an inverted fashion.

"Ughh...nothing good to drink here either..." the Drunk Sith said in slightly slurred speech. "You think these guys on a crime planet would have some good booze, but noooooo...that piece of crap cantina in the fething city was awful too."

The Drunk Sith stumbled about, but Nathan didn't take his guard down, not even when the Sith openly vomited for a number of seconds, before wiping his mouth away before scowling.

"Fething Jedi, always here to spoil a man's fun..."

"Where are the people of this village?" Nathan demanded, spear and shield in front of him.

"I could tell you, but you'd feth that up for me." The Drunk Sith replied in a more noticeable slurring of speech.

This statement was followed by another hiccup, a burp, and a long, ever so loud fart whose sound carried quite a distance.

"I seek the greatest of Liquor...Spirit Liquor...and these...hapless fools...(HIC)...are gonna help me get it..."

"You've had a lot, buddy. How about you surrender quietly, and after you spend a long time in the Drunk Tank, you tell us where all the people you kidnapped are."

"Why..." The Drunk Sith trailed, staggering to them a bit. "Why the feth would I surrender to a...nerd?"

He dropped to the ground, having falling asleep in front of them (Yet, somehow, still managed to scratch his butt) before he shot awake and scrambled back to his feet, gait still unsteady.

"I HAVE RETURNED!" he cried. "Get me a sandwich, one of you...oh wait, you're both still here. Feth my life. I thought you'd be gone when I woke up!" he said, going cross-eyed...

"Why'd you wait all these hours for me to wake?" he asked shaking his head.

"Bruh, you were barely asleep fifteen seconds..." Nathan said, annoyed.

"(HIC)...oh, it's still early! Let's go to the cantina! Happy hour's on me! Oh wait! Gotta make me some Spirit Drink...something something with the Dark Side...(Hic)..."

The Sith violently projectile vomited the next five seconds and then farted again before his red lightsaber activated, and he held it in a reverse grip.

"Fifteensh Shecondsss.." The Drunk Sith slurred severely. "Thatsh...all the timesh...I havsh...tuh play with yoush..."

He swayed backward, tipping the pommel to his lips like he was taking a drink...and with one floppy, clumsy looking force assisted jump, his boot crumpled Nathan's shield, sending him flying backward into the wall of a house, which he crashed through.

The Drunk Sith, still, in a drunken manner, whipped his blade around for Braze's neck with a silly, cross eyed look on his face.
 





Braze's expression turned into a frown as he absorbed Nathan's remarks about being bossy. Questions swirled in his mind, eager for answers, but he sensed that bombarding Nathan with inquiries and playing 20 questions,right now wasn't the wisest choice. There would be time for that later.

As they arrived at the village, Braze's curiosity took over. He darted around, his eyes wide as he took in the eerie stillness. "I don't think anyone is left..." he murmured, his voice trailing off. The village was deserted, a ghost town that whispered tales of abrupt departures.


But then, that's when his absolute ~Eloquence~ arrived.

Braze watched, his frown deepening, as the man stumbled about, engaging in a heated argument with Nathan. The situation escalated quickly, and Braze's concern spiked as he witnessed the intense force used to send Nathan flying.

Instinctively, Braze stepped back, adopting the Soresu stance, a defensive parry at the ready. He was prepared to maintain distance, to protect both himself and Nathan, if he was still drawing breath.

"I can see you're no slave to form nor predictability," Braze commented, recalling a lesson that had been repeatedly emphasized to him. His primary concern now was Nathan's well-being.

Facing an unpredictable opponent, Braze realized he didn't have the luxury of time to analyze his adversary's fighting style. His attention was divided, torn between the confrontation and ensuring Nathan was safe.

Amidst the tension, a peculiar sensation enveloped the village. It was as if the very air was charged with electricity, sending tingles that would wash over the body and up the spine. The winds began to shift, growing in intensity, and above, the clouds converged into a dense, ominous mass. The atmosphere was transforming, almost as if nature itself was responding to the unfolding events. Braze tried to make his way to where Nathan was sent.
 
Crashing through the wall had broken a rib and his sword arm. The shield was totaled and his spear wasn't much use with one arm. It was severe pain he felt, but he managed to stagger up, getting his training lightsaber out. The blue blade flashed on and he stepped out, only for the Drunk Sith to jump and land between him and Braze Braze , farting severely as he landed.

Nathan was a genuine loss for words as the Sith flopped down on the ground, holding up his head with one arm as a rest and using the other to pretend to drink, inverted lightsaber still active in it

"Hey...HEEEYYYYY...whatsh you twosh doingsh (HIC) up theresh?" He asked while farting again.

"By the Force, what'd you eat?" Nathan asked, nose crunching, nostrils burning as the smell drifted over.

"BEAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSS...(HIC)..." The Drunk Sith answered, going cross eyed as he farted again...

Nathan jumped forward with a one handed medium style and the Drunk Sith reacted and intercepted the blade , parrying it and leaned back like he was taking a drink to avoid the follow up swing, kicking Nathan hard in the face and staggering him backward, while the Drunk Sith staggered back and vomited and farted.

"Hey! YOU TWOOSH...(HIC)...ARE VEWY MEANSH!" The Drunk Sith protested before farting a few more seconds and going cross-eyed, stumbling about, Light saber scorching a nearby mailbox. "I'm just a simple guysh... trying...(HIC)...to get some decent boozsh...(HIC)..."

Nathan was disoriented from the heavy blow, finding it difficult to use the Force, and the Drunk Sith went on the offensive.

"AWWWW I can't stay mad at you guysh.... you're the bestest. Gimme a hush...I mean hugsh...(HIC)..."

The Drunk Sith bounded towards him and Nathan spent the next few seconds swiping at him, only for the Sith to lean back, , flop away, make unexpected parries with his red blade while farting and pretending to Drink, and managed to scorch his side with the tip of his blade before Force Pushing Nathan brutally into the house. This time, Nathan was out cold, and the Drunk Sith was blocking the way to him...while farting...

The Drunk Sith fixed his cross eyed gaze on Braze (Hey, I made a rhyme!) and vomited in front of him.

"It's just...yoush...and meesh...and thish timesh...it's...it's..."

The Drunk Sith stopped...

"What the feth was I gonna saysh? Something...(HIC) Dramatic...and such..." The Drunk Sith said, pretending to take a drink with his inverted blade.

"Oh....feth it....I suck at monologuesh..."

The Drunk Sith whirled around with unexpected speed to fart in Braze's direction (while he puked in the other direction) and then executed a backwards somersault that sped his red blade towards Braze's chest.

"FARRRTYTIMMMMEEEEE!!!!"
 




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TAGS:
Nathan Bloodscrawl Nathan Bloodscrawl
Gear: Anti-Toxin Face Mask | Tactical Knife | Saberbreaker Gauntlets | Space Wizard Pattern Boots | Sunfire Signet Ring | GAB-34 Fang | [Pair of Eshan Charms] x3 | Training lightsaber
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Braze, grateful for the Anti-Toxin Face Mask he was wearing provided by Jasper Kai'el Jasper Kai'el , tried to focus through the chaos unfolding before him. The mask thankfully filtered out the worst of the odors, but it did little to clarify the bizarre situation. The Sith's slurred speech was hard to decipher, and Braze couldn't help but wonder if there was some confusion between the spirits one drinks and the spirits of souls. Or perhaps, in this drunken state, the Sith really did intend to consume souls. The ambiguity of it all made it difficult for Braze to determine his next move.​

As the Sith rambled on, Braze found himself caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty. His instincts told him to engage, but the erratic behavior of his adversary left him second-guessing. Each moment of hesitation diminished his chances of gaining the upper hand. The Sith's unpredictable movements, coupled with his inebriated state, made him a surprisingly challenging opponent.


He tried to use a wind assisted force push initially to try and keep some distance between the two of them choosing to not engage the man in conversation.

Braze attempted to engage, his Celadon Teal colored lightsaber humming as he cautiously stepped forward. However, the Drunk Sith's unconventional fighting style, marked by unexpected parries, lean-backs, and erratic movements, threw Braze off balance. Every time Braze thought he had an opening, the Sith would counter with a bizarre move, combining his lightsaber skills with his drunken antics.

Braze was outmatched. The Drunk Sith's unconventional methods, while seemingly haphazard, were effective in their own right. Braze's training was proving insufficient against such an erratic and unorthodox opponent.

 
Nathan! Nathan wake up!

Nathan didn't move.

WAKE. THE FETH. UP. Syd shouted in his head.

Nathan stirred. Everything hurt.

He struggled up amidst the debris, shards of wood buried in his right thigh now. He could barely breathe.

In spite of the absurdity of his opponent, Nathan had come to understand how extremely dangerous he was regardless of his absurdity, or perhaps because of it.

So that's how that Jedi Master died. he thought.

How can he control the Force in such an inebriated state? Nathan wondered as he struggled out of the now wrecked house, watching the Drunk Sith gradually whittle down the defense of Braze Braze .

He's going to kill him if I don't do something! Nathan realized.

Fueled in no small part by a desire to redeem himself for ultimately failing to protect his own child, Nathan summoned all his strength for both him and Braze, and cast out his teleportation ability.

He would teleport them back to the Lake, the last location he had connected to here. It was the only play he had left to save them.

He (and hopefully Braze) would find themselves tumbling to the lake they stopped by, far away from the Sith.

But Nathan would be unconscious as he hit the water.
 




Battered, bruised, and singed, Braze found himself plunging unexpectedly into the lake's murky depths. Gasping for air, he surfaced, coughing violently, his senses reeling from the sudden fall. Panic surged through him as he spotted Nathan's body beginning to sink beneath the water's surface. Driven by urgency, Braze fought through the water, his muscles screaming in protest, to reach Nathan.

With a desperate strength, he hauled Nathan's limp form to the shore. Laying him down, Braze quickly assessed the situation – Nathan was unconscious, his breathing shallow. Without hesitation, Braze began performing CPR, his hands working methodically to clear Nathan's airways and ensure he was breathing normally.

As he worked, Braze's mind raced. They had been teleported unexpectedly, but this place, at least, was familiar to him. It was a small comfort in the midst of chaos. Once he was satisfied that Nathan's breathing had stabilized, Braze turned his attention to his equipment.

He shook his saber, water pouring out from its interior with a disheartening gurgle. A frown etched itself on his face – the saber, like him, had seen better days. Braze stripped off his colorful beads and puffer vest, revealing the secret pockets hidden beneath. From these, he extracted his gear, swiftly donning his hidden utility belt and equipping himself for whatever lay ahead.

The wet vest, now redundant, found a new purpose as he folded it carefully, using it as a makeshift pillow to prop up Nathan's head.


 
Nathan lay unconscious, barely breathing on the shore.

To have your entire secret campaign of retribution nearly stopped in it's tracks by a Drunkard... he heard Syd say distantly in his mind. How Anti-Climactic it would have been...a second chance completely wasted on you...

QUIET. was the only reply she received as Nathan shot up, flinching as he clutched his side and gritted his teeth. He looked at the shore of the lake. It had worked. Braze Braze was alive.

He pulled himself up. Looked for his lightsaber. He had instinctively managed to hold onto it. But it had been damaged from the earlier fight...The Drunk Sith's Force Push had crumpled one side of it on the bottom.

He still had wood shrapnel in his leg. It would make things more difficult going ahead.

He scrambled for a new plan.

"Thanks for the save..." he said to Braze, pulling out the larger pieces of shrapnel very carefully, and using his Pyrokinesis to cauterize the wounds properly, so he could stand and at least walk (But running was out of the question for the moment).

"Well..." he thought out loud, staring out across the lake. "Way I see it, we got two options. One, we run back with our tail between our legs, call any Jedi in the vicinity for reinforcement...but by the time they arrive the Sith will likely have already killed everyone in that village...somehow...or...we take another risk..."

He turned to Braze. "Option Two...our weapons are compromised...and the only place where we almost certainly find proper repair parts or replacements...is in that Force Spawn's tomb...we go there, get what we need, get the hell out, and then go back to that village and hunt that Drunk down before he can slaughter those people. What do you think?"
 






Braze's expression shifted into a deep frown as he observed Nathan cauterizing his wounds. The sight clearly unsettled him, and his concern was evident in his voice. "You should have sterilized those first!" he exclaimed, the distress clear in his tone." Do you W A N T to get infections
!?"


Braze's voice carried a note of determination as he weighed their options. "I think I have other methods of attack that can be utilized," he said thoughtfully. "I can give you my knife and one of my gauntlets to use – it's saber-proof. I'm not keen on the idea of tampering with something you've advised against."

He paused for a moment, considering their tactical situation. "I can create a significant disturbance, but I'll need a bit of time and some distance to make it effective. If you think it's worth the risk, we can go back and try to repair your saber. But we have other weapons at our disposal too."

Braze's confidence grew as he outlined their arsenal. "We also have a stun gun, and my saber, which is equipped with a Bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse. It's waterproof",

His eyes scanned the area, already strategizing their next move. "We need to play this smart. Our approach should be strategic, using what we have to our best advantage. Let's think this through and decide the best course of action."

Braze pondered for a moment, then a new idea seemed to light up his face. "You know, there might be a more cunning strategy we could use," he suggested thoughtfully. "What if we tell him we know where to find the best booze? We could lure him into that tomb and then lock him in. Let the Force handle it from there."

His suggestion carried a hint of tactical shrewdness, a plan that relied more on deception and cunning than direct confrontation. It was a plan that could potentially neutralize the threat without engaging in a dangerous battle.

"It's a bit of a gamble, but it might just work. It plays on what we know about him, and it keeps us out of a direct fight, which could be risky given his unpredictable nature. It's all about outsmarting him, using his weaknesses against him. What do you think?"
 
"We ain't takin' this guy with a stun gun and training blades." Nathan emphasized. "He's too good for that. We go back at him with anything other than full effort...we'll suffer the same results..."

He considered the other options mentioned by Braze Braze .

"There's no way he didn't know about that tomb...and he avoided it...and when he says Booze, I, for some reason don't think he's talking about alcohol. At least, not just alcohol...We'd have to really try to lure him back there...and even if we did, We'd be locking him in a tomb with something that is at risk of regeneration if disturbed improperly. You think it's bad now, we could accidentally give that Spawn a charge up by essentially providing a free battery...and we do not want that thing awake..." Nathan emphasized.

But then he stopped, Braze's line of thinking on luring him there might actually be sound.

"Unless...unless that place was being saved for later by him like it was for us. No real Sith would pass up a chance to tear apart a tomb for secrets. It might even be connected somehow with the disappearance of the village in a way we can't see yet...but in order for your luring idea to work, we still actively need to take the risk of going and investigating ourselves to see what, exactly, we could use there to lure him with..."

He took a few steps, testing himself.

"I know I said we shouldn't go back, but we would have had to eventually anyway if we had successfully dealt with the Sith on the first go.

Nathan forced himself to stand up. He could worry about the infection risk later, as he had no sterilization chemical on him.

"The one bright spot is I have been in those tombs before. I've been forced to survive them. I know what to look for. But...are you willing to trust me on this?" he asked Braze.
 
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Braze's frown deepened as he listened to Nathan's painful words. He knew that time was of the essence, and they needed to act quickly. "I will follow your lead; Now hold still." he said firmly. He reached out a hand, and it began to glow with a bright pastel green hue, a manifestation of his Radiant Restoration ability. Gently, he moved his hand closer to Nathan's wounds, focusing on offering him what relief he could. This was the first time he had ever implemented his healing powers on anyone else.

As he worked to ease Nathan's suffering, Braze couldn't help but feel a growing sense of urgency. The vile creature they faced posed a significant threat, and they needed a plan to deal with it effectively. "What can you tell me about how we can get rid of such a vile creature?" Braze asked, his voice filled with uncertainty. He looked to Nathan for guidance, hoping to gain insight into their next steps and how to confront the looming danger.

 

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