Marsh Haunts

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Vexen"]

The woman tried making a 'sh' sound as Taheera tried to heal her and as Vexen wandered away. She leaned in closer but couldn't make it out. And then she was gone. Green hands slowly withdrew.

She knew she couldn't save everyone but there was still a profound sense of failure.

A hand stained with the woman's blood lifted and gently closed the woman's eyes. She hadn't been fast enough. Strong enough. Good enough. What was the point of being a Jedi if....

Vexen's warning snapped her out of darker thoughts.

"Be careful!" She whispered and nodded, quickly taking to the small wall space next to the crew doors. Was she going to let Vexen risk anything by herself?

Frex no.

She was going to wait until they passed, then ambush whoever it was from behind. Hand slipped down to her lightsaber, fingers curling around the metallic hilt without switching it on.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"Oh."

Vexen had thought to buy Taheera time to finish treating the woman. But she could feel the last of her essence bleeding out into the Force. Sometimes she wondered what that would be like. Vexen was easily startled and frightened, but death itself had never really been a focus for her. Perhaps because she had been around so much death when she had been young. A lot of homeless children died in the streets.

The three troopers came marching down the hall. One ahead and two trailing. They carried their guns easily.

"They just wanted the last of the survivors gone?"

"That was the call."

"Life form scanner picked up something down here."

"She doesn't bother dealing with them once they're wounded and no longer sport?"

"I guess not."

"Now."

"Huh?"

Vexen darted out of the room. A black shadow moving with speed. She planted both feet on the far bulkhead and reversed her momentum. The furthest trooper from Taheera received a baton right in the visor. The centre on received two very precise blows within a fraction of a second. One disabled the rifle with a flash of blue. The second knocked the comms antenna from his helmet. She wanted one conscious to question.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Vexen"]

Once they're wounded....

She.

Chestnut-brows furrowed together, though her body remained coiled for action. The wraith's shadow blurred to action and so did her own. While Vexen made quick work of two, she took the third. He lagged a step behind, so he had time to draw a blaster and point it toward what he thought was some sort of shadowy-ghost. A blaster bolt shot off before Taheera could bring her golden-blade to life with a snap-hiss.

Good thing Vexen was so hard to see.

The saber knocked his blaster away. She lunged in for his comms array - just like Vexen, only, she didn't expect him to drop a shoulder and suddenly tackle her with his larger bulk. They were in a narrow, ship's corridor and her lightsaber was on a lower level setting. It could cut through his armor, eventually but it would impale him or sever any limbs.

It could also do the same to her.

She yelped as she felt his meaty-arms encircle her smaller-form as he took her down. Lightsaber fell from her hand and powered-off automatically, rolling, somewhere.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Vexen darted back instinctively as a blaster bolt hissed past her. That might drawn some attention or perhaps whoever was still out there would assume soke more crew were being finished off.

Her trooper seemed unperturbed by her speed. He gabe ground and drew a vibroblade from his belt. It was swung in a wide arc as Vexen closed. The clearly professional soldier tried to keep her at bay as he backed off. She saw his plan. He was heading for his downed ally's blaster.

Vexen leapt in with her right baton held wide. He tried to cut inside that weapon and gut her, but she'd pulled the other baton free. As he swung in her baton struck forearm and the knife went free.

Crackle, crackle, crack, those batons went as she struck his arms and legs. He went down writhing and subdued. Ready for questioning.

Taheera was underneath the weight of the third, he was pushing himself back up and trying to get a grip on her head. Vexen desperately tried to help by throwing her weight into his as he arched up. Unfortunately it wasn't very much weight. With long arms wrapped around his should she only to yank him half off the mirialan. In return she was struck by an armoured elbow but she clung on.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Vexen"]

She grimaced as she felt plasteel-gloved hands dig into her hair. But just as quickly, some of the pressure was relieved. She felt Vexen more than saw her. Back arched as she bucked beneath the trooper, kicking her legs at his chest. It was enough to pop him off her with some extra strength from the force flowing through her lower limbs.

Some of her hair was ripped free but she slipped and rolled away, popping to her feet. There was that downed blaster on the floor. It flew to her hand. Finger flipped the stun setting and she popped off several blue rounds at the trooper. Hopefully Vex was cleared.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

The sound of her yelp echoed down the corridor. As she slid back to her feet Vexen's left arm was hanging limp by her side.

"Tha' fething stings," she swore. She saw the concern on Taheera's face and tried to chuckle. Her right paw massaged up and down her shoulder, trying to rub some life back into it. "s'alrigh' just clipped me with the stun ring."

The third trooper was trying to get back to his feet. Vexen left her shoulder alone and picked up her stun baton. She lowered the tip to just beneath his chin and thumbed it on, illuminating his helmet in bright blue.

"We have questions," she growled.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Vexen"]

Whoopsie. "Ohmystars! I'm sosososos sorry Vex!" Green cheeks turned a bit pink. No use hiding the embarrassment. What was done was done. "Thanks for your help."

She turned, seeing Vex approach the other trooper. The awake one. While Vex spoke to him with that stun baton, she knelt by the stunned soldier and wriggled a pair of stun cuffs off his belt. Better to restrain the other two. She did the same with one of the two Vexen had knocked out.

"I can tell you if he's lying," she said quietly. The empath part of a healer was handy sometimes, though annoying most.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

The trooper looked up the length of the helmet. Vexen could only imagine the way he would be looking at her now. She decided she didn't want to imagine it. Staring at those blank eyepieces didn't reveal anything. It occured to her that this must be what it was like for others. She was just a silhouette with goggles, not so far removed from a trooper's helm.

She reached down, unclipped it and chucked the helmet across the deck. It rolled back down the slope away from them. There was nothing remarkable about the man beneath it.

"Who are you working for?"

No reply was forthcoming. She wasn't proud of it, but she gave him a sharp jab in the ribs. There was a jolt of electricity that made him spasm.

"Fetching stop that," he growled.

"Who are you with? Who is she?"

He spat at her. Vexen chuckled and gave him another few sharp jolts into the ribs. Wouldn't do any damage, but she imagined it was very annoying.

"Go to the bridge and you can meet her! Or stay here and wait for the charges to go off." His eyes kept moving between Vexen and Taheera. He was trying to work out what kind of people they were.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Vexen"]

Teeth grit as the man was given some shock therapy. It was a light sentence considering what these people had just done to the crew, that woman. Still, she felt weary. That same weight hovering on her shoulders.

"Good enough," she whispered. Blaster moved to the back of the man's head and she shot a stun ring at almost point-blank range. Fingers tingled slightly. Hopefully Vex was done questioning.

"I didn't want him to hear our planning discussion," she explained a bit sheepishly, bolstering the blaster as his form slumped on the muddy-floor. "Should we split up? One of us look for the charges and the other...," voice trailed off. Face whatever was on the bridge. It had to be a force user and it made her nervous. At least it wasn't that same sith pureblood from before, that lobster-looking one.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Vexen jumped when the blaster when off. For a fraction of a second she'd thought the mirialan had executed him. True, she didn't feel good about giving him a few prods but it was hardly torture. Relief washed over her when her brain put events together.

Vexen considered the suggestion. "I know some charges," she said. In fact she'd used them to blow up a One Sith star destroyer in one of the pivotal battles of the war. "But not all can be stopped. If they're still here...Maybe we should try and get survivors off. Or go to the bridge and try and stop it all."

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Vexen"]

The empath caught Vexen's emotions like she could read them on the shadowy face. "Hey. I wasn't going to kill him!" Green-cheeks flushed a little red. She cleared her throat. "I'm a healer and an empath. I can feel....everything. Killing doesn't sit right with me."

Although, that got her in trouble with that pure blood. If she saw a Sith injured again...she probably wouldn't try to save their life. Lesson learned. She would do all in her power not to kill but she DID realize...that sometimes a choice had to be made.

"As for survivors," she frowned and stretched her senses forward. "I can't sense anyone but...there might be some on the bridge." There was a dark presence there. Vexen probably already sensed it. She didn't want to mention it. "I say we go there." Fingers gripped the blaster just a bit tighter.

"And try not to get killed."

 

[Vexen]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"Okay, good," Vexen replied. She didn't smile, but managed to convey that she was content with the explanation with her eyes alone. Expressions took time. Micah had always been closely bonded to her emotions so inflection of tone and what she did with her ears and eyes didn't always matter.

When you were a faint black outline, smiling was just revealing teeth really.

She turned towards the direction the men had come from. She heard a blaster shot in the distance and her ears flattened down. More wounded being put down perhaps? She couldn't sense any nearby survivors either.

"Bridge it is." They could have fled and made it someone else's problem and no one would have complained. But they couldn't walk away from this. Even if she wanted to more than a little. "Let's stick together." There was one positive at least. Even if there were definitely more soliders between them and their destination.

"How well do you fight in the dark?"

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Vexen"]

A relieved nod at Vex's suggestion to stick together. She holstered the blaster. Lightsaber hilt slipped to her palm, instead. Shoulders shrugged.

"Probably not well. I've never done it before. Not pitch dark, anyway." Sure, she'd fought at night but there'd always been some light somewhere. Made her think of Val and the pirates.

She heard of enhancing your vision with the force. Perhaps she could try that, here?

The ship shuddered beneath them as it slid a few more centimeters into the swamp. "We should hurry," she began, cautiously toward the bridge and toward their foe. And trouble, toward lots and lots of trouble.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

They moved through the bowels of the ship, scuffing their feet and even crawling at one point to deal with the buckled hull that left walkways at all kinds of angles. Vexen didn't fancy their chances of a turbo lift, so followed a sign towards stairs. Lots of decks between them and the bridge.

However there were four more men at the entrance. And a very long, well lit corridor between them and the junction Vexen and Taheera found themselves at.

"I'll keep them lit up," Vexen said, with no further explanation. A moment later there was a pop. The first bank of lights went out. The soldiers bristled. Vexen started to walk forwards, eyes closed in concentration. The next bank popped, then the next. Darkness slowly encroached on the troopers.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Vexen"]

She was pretty much...covered in mud from all that crawling and maneuvering in a sinking ship. Why was the darksider, she assumed it was a darksider, on this doomed ship at all? Why not take what they wanted and go? It was obvious that the swamp was slowly taking this vessel over.

Why blow it up?

So many questions and not enough time. The mirialan just knew, after this, that she and Vexen totally deserved some hot baths. Separately, of course. "Lit up?" She whispered the question as Vexen ghosted forward. But the lights were doing the opposite of 'lit up.' Purple-lips tugged into a frown. Hand remained on her blaster.

Senses stretched forward. She relied on the force for her sight and for a moment, Vexen's signature blazed in her vision like she'd never seen before. This force-sight was definitely....interesting. The troopers already had their weapons drawn. They dropped into an aggressive formation. They would fire soon and Vexen didn't have any cover.

Stepping forward in the semi-darkness, her palm pressed forward, as she sent a very well directed force push past the wraith and into the cluster of troopers. Hopefully it would act like a domino effect, taking one out and into the others.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Fear was an ally. The soldiers stumbled away, falling over each other. The lights above them remained on. Yet one by one the corridor's lights went out.

The closest soldier pushed himself back to his feet and raised his blaster. His hands shook and he swore loudly.

Vexen didn't draw on the darkside, didn't use her fears or emotions. But she had no qualms about using it as a tool. Dear gripped the squad.

He flicked on his torch and raised his rifle. To light up the silhouette of some ferocious beast. He cried out and panned across, looking for the source of the shadow. He heard a snarl, a latter of feet and then everything went dark after a sudden flash.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Vexen"]

Ohhhh. Ohohohoh. Keep the soldiers lit up. Thank the stars! Keeping up the force sight with everything else would be draining. The Mirialan no longer needed to. Dipping into the river of the force, she suddenly became ten times as fast as she normally was.

Green-form surged down the dark corridor in a blur. A blue-bolt came from the dark and buried itself into the exposed neck of a second trooper, falling over the one Vexen just took care of. The third soldier would suddenly find himself lifted and just as quickly dropped back down onto the muddy-corridor. He groaned but before he could get up, a blaster was at his neck, blue-stun bolt burying itself into his skin.

There was only one trooper left now.

"Hey Vex," voice drifted from the darkness. "I'm just glad you're on my side."

 

[Vexen]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

The last soldier turned towards the sound of the voice. He tried to correct his mistake as soon as he saw the dark shadow dart for the entrance to the stairs behind him. Two shots put scorch marks on the deck and narrowly missed the shape. The soldier was certain he’d been on target. He’d heard stories of ghosts that powerful sith like the woman on the bridge could summon, were his bolts passing right through the shape.

The stun baton that connected with his rifle seemed solid enough. Another red bolt lashed the ceiling above. He let out a series of grunts as the batons struck his knee, elbow and shoulder in remarkably quick succession. At least he wasn’t about to die. A final thought struck him right before the baton to the temple. If Nascin set off the charges and sunk the ship into the swamp would he never wake again?

Vexen had to use both hands to drag the sliding door open. The noise didn’t really matter after the skirmish. She peeked her head in to see the stairs spiralling up away from them, bathed in a foreboding red glow of emergency lighting.

“Up I suppose.”

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Vexen"]

She ducked as that soldier shot his final red bolt. The heat singed off a bit of her chestnut hair. Myrtle-ellipses widened in the semi-dark and flickering red lights. She found herself fan-girling a bit over Vex. Mouth closed from a jaw that had been hinged slightly open.

Head shook as Vexen spoke. Took her a minute to stop staring at that shifting shadow. She nodded. "Up," she finally managed. Great, now she was acting like an idiot. Good thing Trextan wasn't here.

Golden-lightsaber flicked off once more and she jogged lightly up the stairs, the red, flickering light casting an odd glow to her green skin. The sense of foreboding grew as they drew closer and closer to the bridge. It was clear a very powerful Sith was on-board.

Steps slowed as the stairs ended. There weren't any more soldiers to the doors of the bridge. Sith were notoriously cocky.

"Vex," she whispered. "I...," the doors swished open and a very tall, hooded female zabrak looked at them from within the room.

"Ahhh, guests. Do come in," just as quickly, she and Vexen would feel a crushing pressure around them as the dark side went to lift them up and pull/slam them inside. Of course, Taheera didn't know how well the Sith could or couldn't see Vexen.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Vexen's armour, forged by Micah, did an exceptional job of scattering her Force presence. However, back on the marshes she had deliberately reached out to help Taheera keep track of her as they moved through the darkness.

Such was her undoing now as she was dragged across the floor. Claws scratched against the elephant tread pattern on the durasteel deck, but did nothing to halt her momentum.

She was pulled into the centre of the bridge before feeling a build up in the Force. Taheera was sent one way and Vexen another as they went crashing into different sides. Vexen braced and yelped as she hit a console. A telekentic weight kept her pinned in place.

"And what now?" The zabrak adked, pulling her hood back. A bright pink scar ran from neck to temple, contrasting with her red and black stripes.

"You tell us your secret plan before we escape?" Vexen offered.

The sith actually laughed. "No. No, this is the part where you answer all my questions."