A Desert Hunt

[Maple Harte]

Arriving in: The Silent Erika (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/130646-the-silent-erika-modified-j-type-327-nubian/)

Wearing: Reserve Marksman Suit (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/41261-sasori-explorers-bodysuit/)

Armed with: Outback Rifle (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/119762-wild-space-outback-rifle/)

Maple's Staff: (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/125349-maples-staff-custom-conversion/)

Available in Reserve for [member="Alwine Lechner"] : G-36 Marksman Variant (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/12685-heklerkok-g-36-blaster-series/)

Mark 1 Blaster (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/20759-heklerkok-special-edition-blaster-mark-i/)

Outback Long Gun (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/119852-wild-space-outback-long-gun/)



The Silent Erika came out of hyperspace on a now CIS controlled world of Tattooine, a desert that had promised death to anyone who set foot on it too weak to survive.

Maple hated this world. She had been here four times that she could recall, and they had all been to catch particularly nasty customers across the sands, through tusken territory, and put a bullet in them. Those missions had pushed the limits of her skill. They had never gone as planned, and Maple had always ended up having to do something horrible to win.

But fortunately, she was here on different business.

Before she had picked up Alwine, she had put out a feeler for anything related to Ursula and Tattooine. She had come across mention of a small bank in Tattooine that had been frequented by a woman matching Ursula's description, that of a purple skinned Twi'lek. Knowing from her training that there is no such thing as luck, Maple had made arrangements to get there as soon as she could, and brought Lechner along, both as company and to familiarize the young wolf more with the dangers present in the galaxy, and Tattooine, for all its heat and sand, which got everywhere, as Zombie Anakin Skywalker had frequently complained of when he was not trying to eat her, was a great place to start cutting her teeth on. Alwine's time on Stewjon had done her no favors when it came to knowledge--she had walked its streets anonymously after Alwine's assisted escape--she had been shocked at how ignorant they tried to keep the populace. How they treated their women. Disgusting. Backward.

Alwine had impressed her though--most people who had gone through what she had gone through would be a wreck. But without any training or experience, Alwine had avoided breaking mentally, and even escaped to seek a vendetta...that made the Assassin buried deep within Maple smile under the snow of insanity. Alwine would make for an excellent fighter. It took that will not just to survive, but to pursue your goals no matter the obstacle that seperated wolves from sheep. Skip. Maple was the young Lupine and Alwine was the bounty hunter. Skip. Maple descended through the atmosphere, smoothly guiding the controls through the atmosphere. She'd provided Alwine the notes from that underground library in The Dantooine Enclave, as well as a small selection of relatively simple ranged weapons to choose from. Force Powers and getting your throat torn out by wolf teeth were quite effective, but if someone sniped you from seven hundred yards out none of that would matter. Specialists survive of course, but the Jack-of-all-trades tends to survive longer.

But mainly, Maple was lonely, and needed a friendly face to talk to. Showing someone with that kind of potential some of the ropes was a small bonus

"Alwine? We're here." Maple called out as she set down the craft. The interior of The Silent Erika was a pristine white with red floral patterns and red trim on the white furniture. Siva called it the blood and bandages color scheme.

Maple was wearing her preferred light armor, knowing to go protected in Mos Eisley. Unfortunately, she had nothing in Alwine's measurements. She got up from the cockpit and went to check on her guest, bringing water canteens and other survival equipment in a travel back pack.

"You hungry? I cook a mean steak. After that, I gotta stop by this bank and then I want to show you some shooting techniques. I specialized in slug throwers. They're very effective against lightsabers. And can be silenced, unlike most blasters. You have the right weapon...you can take down anyone who thinks they only need the Force."

 

[Alwine Daye]

Space travel. At least one of her brothers was not a big fan of it, though he accepted the necessity in this strange new life that the Lechner siblings had. Alwine, however, was of an entirely different mind. It was cold in space, almost perfectly suitable for the fur that covered her body when she was in her wolf shape, and in her wolf shape she was for the duration of their travel. Wolf eyes were not as sharp as a human's, but there was magic that the little wolf could see with them, magic in the form of stars twinkling in the distance. She'd spent most of the trip to the planet she had not heard of before, simply sitting in front of the biggest window that Maple's ship had to offer, sometimes with her back straight, sometimes lying on her side, always her tail wagging lazily from side to side as her wolf eyes beheld the beauty that was the galaxy around them.

It had been over a month now since her release from Stewjon, since Maple had wandered into her cell on that terrible planet and offered her the first kernel of kindness that she had received after months of torture. Alwine would have been in her debt regardless of what happened after that, but what had happened after that was that the two met and began to speak, and a certain chemistry could not be denied. Alwine had not accepted Maple's offer merely because she was in debt to her; no. Alwine had accepted the offer because she wanted to go on this journey with Maple and help her. She liked to think that she would have been of the same opinion even had she not known Maple before that meeting on Krant. It seemed thus that the only downside to the woman was her being part of the Mandragora, and with that, Alwine would learn to let go of her hatred towards anything that had to do with the Nighthag.

Alwine had also received some training since the meeting on Krant. Not as much as she wanted to, but learning how to control the Force included a learning curve, and she knew she would have to be patient. Already she could speak and communicate with others via telepathy while she was in wolf form, which in its own right was a wonderful feat; it meant she could choose to shift for more important matters and needs, and not just because she required a two way conversation.

When Maple called her and said they were ready, Alwine had just finished shifting back into her human form, tossing her hair behind her shoulder. The two would be hunting after a lead that Maple had received regarding a creature by the name of Amgalam that was killing Maple's friends. Alwine longed to snap her jaw around the creature's neck, but she knew that kill did not belong to her. Instead, she had decided, she would do all she could to help Maple deliver the killing blow. How positions so quickly shifted, Alwine noted, and smiled, quickly donning her Knight Obsidian armor and boots, assuming in advance that Maple wouldn't have something in advance for her. Even finding her size within the KO had taken a little bit of time; but that's what you got when you had to make sure you stood up straight to hit your full 5"0 in height.

"Food would be lovely," Alwine said with a nod and a smile. At least that oath that she had taken, she had kept. On Stewjon, she had been forced to cook meals and scrub dishes, among other things. She never wanted to do it again. Outside of Stewjon, there were droids with their al... Alg... Algo-somethigs, that could take care of it. Alwine Lechner never had to be in a position of servitude again.

And as for the weapons mentioned, "I have never shot with any weapon. Not blasters, not slugthrowers, not even a bow and arrows." Those things had been forbidden to her as a woman who was not a Shield Maiden. But no longer. "I would be delighted to learn anything you could teach me."


[member="Maple Harte"]

 

[Maple Harte]

Maple smiled. "In that case, Alwine..." she trailed heading into her bedroom and opening one of the lockers that served as her armory, pulling out her Mark One Pistol and her Outback Long Gun, and returned with them both to the young wolf.

"We'll start you off with relatively simple to use weapons. One because these are easy to repair and because its best to use simple weapons in a desert environment, because Sand is coarse and rough and it gets everywhere. Two, something simple but with high stopping is always a good choice for the dangers around here. This long gun for example is seven point six-two millimeter. Its a manstopper, but you need to learn to control recoil when you fire, 'cause this caliber always has a kick to it. The pistol is a blaster, fires a bolt of coherent light. If your organs take a direct hit they'll usually flash fry on impact and you'll die almost instantly usually. You can survive a bolt to the arm or the leg but its often extreme, almost incapacitating pain as a result. Certain armors will protect you but they make different blasters to fire stronger bolts to punch through armor. In this case, your pistol is a heavy blaster able to punch through medium armor. Grip it with both hands, because one handed is only for those suave debonair rogue-types that seduce princesses...or for those with enough experience." she explained. "Get a feel for them. I'll make breakfast."

Maple headed into the kitchen and began getting out her food supplies, taking out a steak from her fridge which she had let thaw in anticipation and soon the kitchen was sizzling with meat and oil smells. She added a dash of pepper and salt.

"Lightsabers are a pain in the ass. They deflect most energy projectiles with the notable exceptions of particle beam blasters, sonics, slug throwers, and maser weaponry. Particle beams are distinct from regular pistols in that their bolts tend to explode on impact. Maser beams cannot be deflected, and have additional kinetic impact. Sonic bolts are composed of concentrated sound waves and bend around a lightsaber on impact, and can severely distort their equalibrium, which interferes with their use of the Force. Slugs turn molten usually upon impacting against a lightsaber's blade, potentially splashing onto the target." she continued to explain as she cooked, delighted to share her knowledge with such an eager mind as she cooked. She almost wanted to whistle, but that would have been morbid, given the subject.

"Oh, and how do you like your steak?" she asked as she began boiling water for coffee, setting up a plate and utensils for [member="Alwine Lechner"], cracking some eggs also. A lot of protein was good, especially for such a stressful environment.

 

[Alwine Daye]

A gun and a pistol. They were both big in Alwine's eyes, and it was strange to touch them. No one on Stewjon used either of these sort of weapons; bows and arrows were preferred for sport hunting, whereas the Warriors used swords and spears. Once, she had seen something someone had referred to as a musket.

Maple provided a rush of information, and Alwine stared at her, doing her best to follow each and every word, and especially those about not getting shot. She'd never been shot before, but she'd been tortured, though by Maple's description, getting shot would hurt more.

Carefully, almost delicately, she gripped the weapons with both hands. It went without saying that the inside of a ship was not the place to test them out.

Alwine followed Maple to the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear as Maple pulled the food supplies out. On Stewjon, it had always been Alwine's job to prepare the food ever since she was old enough to light the fire and use a knife, even though her mother was there as well. She couldn't recall her mother ever cooking for her children once the daughter was old enough. Alwine had vowed after Stewjon to never cook again, and it was a relief to know that Maple was taking it upon herself. Explanations about slugs and lightsabers followed, and Alwine nodded, slowly starting to get a grip on the barrage of new words for her to know and understand.

"Slightly warm, but otherwise uncooked," she answered with a wolfish grin when she was asked how she liked her steak. Her brothers preferred to cook them when they were in their human shape. She had trained her stomach to bear the same food her wolf ate, though she was more careful with keeping the food clean when she was a human. "Is it through your work as a bounty and hunter and a Shadow that you came to learn all these things?" Alwine asked, "it seems like a lifetime of learning, to gather all this information."

[member="Maple Harte"]

 

[Maple Harte]

Maple grinned at Alwine's answer and did exactly as she asked with her steak, and set her up with eggs and coffee as well. It was telling that Maple cooked her steak only slightly longer than she did Alwine's.

"Oh, I acquired all my knowledge as a Shadow. The bounty hunting came later, after I quit the Jedi Order. I mostly take non-lethal bounties except when I go on those CIS military actions. Then its weapons blazing. Old habits die very, very hard, it seems." Maple remarked, setting the plate and coffee on the table for Alwine, setting her own down a few seconds later.

"I didn't have much of a life when I was just a pure assassin. If you'd met me back then, I don't think you'd have liked what you saw. There was something...missing in me. Humanity, some call it."

Maple cut into her own steak, delicately dividing it into cubes.

"It was my own fault, of course...Ursula, my teacher, simply molded me as she had been molded. The result was hardly surprising, in retrospect." the bounty hunter added, taking a bite, chewing, thinking, swallowing.

"Battle calls to some people. It calls to both of us, clearly, and there's not much we can do about that save walk away from the battlefield altogether. Most people die in this sort of business eventually, and oftentimes only after a heavy toll on their soul for the life they embraced. But neither one of us, I think, could really be satisfied with a mundane life at this point. We'd rot in the margins, doing the same menial work ninety nine percent of the populace gets by on, galactically speaking. Its perfectly safe--perfectly legitimate...but itd still rot us both eventually."

Maple had tried to retire...it was peaceful, but hollow. She had no outlet. She had lived far away from society, in the woods, living simply. She didn't know how to re-integrate, in truth. And there was hardly any civilian she could truly relate to.

"You'll watch your friends die though. That'll be the hard part. And they do die, Alwine. Oh, they will die..." she uttered, taking a bite of steak and egg, letting the taste run together in her mouth. "I don't tell you all this to frighten you...merely prepare you. There are so many dangers just on Tattooine alone. The tusken raiders that inhabit the deep deserts, away from the 'civilized' areas are strong, ruthless, and know its sands like the back of their hand. They'll always have the advantage over the tourists. They use cycler rifles, primitive slugthrowers, but built to take all the desert can throw. The 'tourists' are everyone that tries to settle Tattooine that ain't Tusken. Mostly criminals, slaves, settlers trying to forget their past. Mercenaries come here all the time in pursuit of bounties..." Maple took a sip of her coffee. "Planet has two suns so it can get hot here. That's why we'll both be bringing extra water. You don't want to run out of water here, trust me...its more valuable than Aurodium in the right circumstance."

Maple took another bite of her steak, chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed.

"Now, obviously, being a Force Sensitive and a shapeshifter to a limited degree, you have multiple built in advantages in terms of stealth...the trick is learning how to use those advantages. You'll be able to sense danger before it happens, but a great deal of using the Force depends on knowing where the greatest threat is and being able to see it. I'd wager that roughly seventy percent of kills by Force Adepts are conducted at close range, often with melee weapons. The other thirty percent are related to their use of telekinesis, magic, or telepathy related abilities. Just how much have you learned so far, in regards to the Force, by the way, I want to know so I can pace you correctly while we are out there..."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Coffee! How she had envied her brothers on Stewjon for having the freedom to drink it. She had smelled the delicious scent of it in the manors she had served, but whenever Alwine had wanted a sip, she’d have to steal it and make sure no one saw. She was madly in love with the thick taste of it, and the moment she’d been freed of Stewjon’s clutches, she had tried every variety she could get her hands on, eventually realizing that she preferred the simplest one the best – black coffee, just like Gerwald’s.

Her hands hugged the mug that would soon bring the taste of freedom into her mouth as she listened to Maple. Maple claimed that Alwine might not have liked what she’d seen if she’d met her earlier, lacking humanity. “What is humanity?” she petite asked with a careless shrug, “you are, at core, still who you were. I have met people great and small whom I had though had it, only to learn later that they were entirely void of it, and any form of decency.”

Eventually though, Alwine merely shook her head.

“Sooner or later, we all die, Maple,” she responded, “be it on the battlefield or claimed by age. We are not immortal. Death is not a stranger to those who come from Stewjon. And still, I would rather my friends died in battle, fighting for what they believe in. I would rather I myself die like that, and not be claimed of age, my body so feeble that I require aid with the most basic of things. You are a Warrior, as am I, though you are better trained. You will fight many more battles, both for yourself and for others. And I could think of no greater way to spend the time we have to be alive.”

At last, Alwine bit into her steak. The juices exploded in her mouth and she relished on the flavor of it against her tongue. It was good meat, though she could not identify its source. There were so many meats that could be eaten, and now that she was not on Stewjon, her palate was expanding. It was almost a shame she was not in her wolf form right now, devouring the slab as if it were a stick of cucumber. Such meat deserved high praise.

A list of dangers on Tatooine came, and she listened intently. The main thing that concerned her was the heat. Most of her time was spent on Geonosis, where the air was hot and arid. Still, she understood the warnings. More water. Even more if she’d be in her wolf shape, though she didn’t voice that out loud. She’d have to see how she could best help Maple on this. Once, she would have said only in her wolf shape. But now that she’d had some decent training… Which Maple was asking about.

“I have learned to use the Force to enhance my movement, to know when attacks are coming in,” she listed, “to communicate with telepathy, to move things with my mind, and to Force Push.” It was such a small list, but Alwine beamed as she mentioned each and every thing on it. She had worked hard to be good at all of these, and she was still regularly practicing, even when Caid wasn’t around. Some of these abilities, like telekinesis, were almost second nature to her by now. Others, such as telepathy, she was still needing to consciously work at. But she was improving by the day. “I have also swapped my use of a greatsword for a vibrosword; I am a fierce swordswoman,” she added.

[member="Maple Harte"]

 

[Maple Harte]

"Good, you have a grasp of core Force abilities. Focus on honing your danger sense...it'll save your life potentially. But there are enemies capable of hiding their presence in the Force, giving you next to no warning before the danger of them striking comes. Fortunately, they cannot turn invisible while hiding their presence unless they are also using a cloacking device...then you have a serious problem and may have to end up relying on natural senses...not that you'll have a problem in that category..." she said with a distinct grin, noting the previous response she had given on living and dying as a warrior. No doubt now...she was of the proper mindset. But youth brought with it enthusiasm. Maple continued being a warrior out of necessity... it was all she knew at this point. Much of her enthusiasm for it had long since faded.

Upon hearing of her proficiency with Vibroswords, Maple nodded in approval. "Good. Nearly silent. Properly upgraded they can be nearly as deadly as a lightsaber...but they have one very serious weakness...most of them, if exposed to electricity, like, say, from Force Lightning? The vibrocell will take the electricity and detonate in your hand. No more hand, and often no more you should it occur."

Maple, took another sip of coffee, and got up and brought a flower pot to the table.

"Here's a useful little trick...its called Consitor Sato. Its pretty much a fancy way of saying 'Plant Surge' but these ancient Jedi could get so pretentious in their naming...so don't use 'Consitor Sato' unless you wanna sound like a nerd...like I just made myself sound." she joked.

She focused on the pot filled with soil, stretched out with her spirit, to feel the small seed underneath.

She closed her eyes, hand hovering over the soil.

The seed, given a surge of the Force from her body, began to sprout in seconds as a little green stem that slowly but surely got taller.

"You figure out how to do that, you'll be able to make plants grow so thick you'll be able to use them to climb surfaces...or ensnare someone. Here, try it. Just...connect your life to the plant. Open yourself to the Force..." she said to [member="Alwine Lechner"].

This was a gift close to her heart. Influencing life was an unfathomably potent gift, not the twisted things the Sith made. Plant Surge was one of the great privileges of Maple's life to know. She thought higher of it than any other Force Power.

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine nodded to the warning about capable enemies against whom the Force itself would not help. Caid had explained as much to her as well, and in a corner of her heart, she hoped that she would not have to face them. At least, not anytime soon. She was still training, still learning, still… Still new at this whole thing, t this freedom of being permitted to grow into who she was supposed to become had her home planet not tried to snuff it out of her. Certainly, her Lupine senses were a blessing, but… But they themselves were not enough either. Death could spring at anyone from any corner. All she could do was train to be the best she could be. The rest was not in her hands.

“I did not know of this weakness with vibroswords,” she admitted, glancing the thoughts over, “so should I find myself in an area of lightning, would my best option be to just drop the sword?” A genuine, if perhaps naïve, question. Alwine knew little about the mechanics of what made a vibrosword work, but from Maple’s words, it sounded like there were instances in which it would be best to keep the sword as far away from her as possible.

And then came the subject of a new ability. Something called Consitor Sato. Alwine blinked, putting her utensils down. Some things were more important than food. Chocolate brown eyes widened with wonder and amazement at the growing sprout and any thoughts of food were now entirely absent from the petite’s mind.

She leaned forward, looking closely at it. It smelled true; so not an illusion. Maple had a woman’s gift; a gift to create and grow life. A gift that Alwine now wanted as well, greedily drinking down any kernel of information Maple had to give her. If she could grow plants like that…

In an almost child-like movement, Alwine placed her hand on the pot as well. The sprout had come out so what was left was to let it continue to grow. Maple had said to open herself to the Force, which was something that thanks to her training with Caid, Alwine knew how to do. But then what? She knew nothing of biology, of the mechanics that permitted plants to grow in the first place. She didn’t know how to encourage or speed the process up. She didn’t… No, she did. She did need more information.

“What do I do once I am open to the Force?” she asked, her gaze moving to Maple, “and what effects does this have of the plants? Will they die faster because I made them grow?”


[member="Maple Harte"]

 

[Maple Harte]

"When you are open to the Force..." Maple spoke softly, "You let it flow through you and the plant. You reach out to the plant. Feel its potential...encourage that potential in a direction you want. Me...I just encouraged it to grow taller. To tell the plant to do what you want you must be one with it...know it intimately through the Force. Know what it wants...what it needs, and providing it with your own influence."

Maple chewed a piece of steak and swallowed. "What you encourage it to do is up to you. Some plants die from the sudden acceleration of growth, most will probably die after you leave due to being unable to sustain their new form's requirements for sustainance. That's why this is a gift that should best be used in an emergency. Nature is to be respected...unless you really, really need a rope or a quick trap or something to climb. As for vibroswords, their good for most common threats, but I'd personally would never bring one against a heavy caster of Dark powers. All it takes is one errant rope of lightning...so, yeah, in an electricity heavy area, its best to use a different weapon. Even a dead blade--one that has no vibrotech in it--would be better in that situation. It might be a lightning rod, but at least it won't be a grenade. If you want to block or grind lightning, you'll need either an electrical capacitance system, which comes in belt form, a lightsaber, or preferably both."

Maple was actually surprised at how well she was taking to the role of teacher. Then again, [member="Alwine Lechner"] was an eager student whose upbringing on Stewjon had borne one benefit, besides an ability to discern who her friends were: a mind just how much more aware and appreciative of knowledge gained and its value once having done so.

Maple thumbed the Quixoni crystal in her pocket. She thought she had been buying it for Sawa, but as she stared at Alwine, she knew who it had really been purchased for suddenly.

But, baby steps. One thing at a time for Lechner. Don't rush it. Certainly don't be Ursula.

The name brought up pain within the Ex-Shadow. But then wasn't there always pain? Wasn't there always the pain of being betrayed by the closest thing to a pseudo-parent you had?

It had all turned toxic in the end. Maple vowed to be a better instructor than Ursula had ever been, despite her admitted effectiveness at molding Maple into the killer she was.

She rested her chin on her hands, watching Alwine concentrate. She remembered when she had still possessed some of the Little Wolf's bouncyness at that age. Yet another loss from within that she mourned. Her bright green eyes watched Alwine, looking for that moment of understanding that would lead to success. It was fun playing mentor.

 

[Alwine Daye]

Encouraging. Feeling potential. Directing the growth. Influence… From how Maple described it, it sounded a lot like talking to her brothers. Well, not exactly like it, there was a more complicated hue to it, as this was a plant and not a person she could actually speak to, but… Not that different.

Next came a small explanation about respecting nature, and the wolf blinked again. What sort of emergencies required the growth of flowers? Certainly, wouldn’t it be better during emergencies to be faster, be stronger, remove the enemy or run away from it as quickly as possible? Alwine was not certain she was properly following the philosophy suggested.

And blades. Alwine just nodded to that.

She noticed the brief pain that flashed through Maple’s eyes, but as Maple then moved forward, her body language indicating that she wished for Alwine to try to make the plant grow, she understood; now was not the time to question her personal hurt.

Carefully, Alwine placed her tiny hand atop of the plant, and closed her eyes. She almost laughed to herself, knowing that it wasn’t until too long ago that she would have asked what the freck becoming one with the Force even meant. But she was learning, and her dedication to working hard was only rivaled by her anger at this point in her life. She could do it, given enough time, and a sufficient amount of attempts.

She sensed down into spouts, careful not to mush them with her hand. Coming from seed to sprout was not something that she would do now, as Maple had done so a mere few minutes ago. What she had to do was make it grow a little bit more.

Potential. She could sense it. The potential of the pot. She did not know this plant, did not know many types of flora if she had to admit it, but she could sense this one wanting to grow, needing to grow. Growing was all the purpose it had at present.

Direct the growth. Influence. This was one trickier. How did you influence something when it already wanted to do what it was supposed to do? Ah. Speed. Caid had shown her how he sometimes gave her a thimble of his energies, when she was otherwise too wiped out to resume training. Perhaps… If she could give this plant a thimble of her own, and then shape it into speed…

Eyes still closed, the little wolf concentrated. She knew she would feel it on her skin when she succeeded.

It was almost twenty minutes later, the sweat pouring down her face, that the tingle happened.

Alwine jumped backwards and down, coming back to the table only high enough so that chocolate eyes showed from behind it, linking as she stared at the quickly growing plant. It was growing fast enough to see it with the naked eye.

And for once in a very long time, Alwine had no words, but merely kept staring.


[member="Maple Harte"]

 

[Maple Harte]

As Alwine concentrated, Maple felt the wolf's spirit reach out to the plant, hesitant, uncertain. So it had been with her, once.

Skip.


The fourteen year old padawan Uri Udinia, clad in brown and white training gear, fended off a fast Form One diagonal slash with her yellow bladed lightsaber as she dueled in the wilderness of Alderaan with a Training Droid. The sunlight beamed through the trees, casting golden rays everywhere as she and the white-bronze humanoid shaped droid sparred, its single blue photoreceptor focused on finding a way past her agile Ataru defense, as she ducked or twirled out of its strikes as they got faster and faster, sinking into and trusting in the Force as she cartwheeled and jumped away from it with the aid of the Force as it advanced. There was nothing but her and her opponent, and as her yellow blade danced to meet its white training blade, she was totally commited to her aggressive strategy, attacking as quickly as she retreated, attacking even while retreated, or just plain attacking. The droid relied on speed and brute strength with form one to counter, or at least try to.

Her dark brown hair was tied in a ponytail that whipped about her face as she backflipped out of a strike to her arms, landing and blocking another strike that rattled the bones in her arms, forcing her to cartwheel out of the saber lock and strike immediately at the neck, which it blocked and then tried to slash at her legs, but she had already Force-Jumped and sliced off its head. As she landed, with it toppling behind her, winded and exhausted, she spotted a figure in the distance under a heavy, hooded brown cloak, watching from under the shade of a large tree. She couldn't see the face as the figure walked off into a deeper, darker portion of the woods.

"Padawan Udinia?"

Uri turned and saw a Consular, a Rodian named Ke Banog in blue robes, standing with his hands folded behind his back.

"Yes, Master Banog?" Udinia asked quietly, her stare a piercing, wet green. She stood straight, despite being exhausted after she bowed.

You have been called to a meeting with a few of the masters. Make yourself presentable and meet in the local chapter house."

Uri bowed and excused herself heading back to her quarters in the temple, where she cleaned up and changed into simple, dark brown robes, her yellow bladed lightsaber, a hilt of silver with the Jedi Code enscribed on the side with a polished black emitter hanging from her belt as the padawan headed out of the temple walking along tall quiet grasslands, the rays from the sunlight gradually growing more obscured as she went deeper into the forests pathway, until very little sunlight was getting past the leaves as she finally reached the chapter house, an igloo design raised by two stories in height with a white tile pattern that bore repeating images of the Jedi Temple at Coruscant. There were circular windows near the top of the dome.

For the briefest of instants, just before she stepped up to the front door and knocked, she got the strangest sense of foreboding, like she should run away. Far away...and never look back.

To her credit, she 'did' hesitate.

She knocked on the door, and the biggest mistake of her life started...

The chapterhouse was filled with old murals of the Jedi's history, stylized, semi-circular shelves of books, all around a circular table with twelve chairs--

--and the figure from the trees, at a seat directly facing the door. She could tell the figure was female.

"Greetings, Padawan Udinia. Do you know who I am?" asked the calm, accented feminine tone. It was a very quiet voice.

Uri sensed the woman's prescence. It radiated power and light.

"No, Master. I am at a loss."

"Don't fret, we'll get to that eventually. Do you know why you are here?"

"No, Master."

The hooded figure held up a mini-projector. "I've been looking up the temple records...you have an impressive score at the range. Ninety-nine percent accuracy with assault blasters and carbines. And you've already seen combat. You crippled a Sith master with a staff."

"I survived that only by the will of the Force."

"Don't sell yourself short." the hooded woman responded casually. "The Force can favor you all it likes, but it takes genuine talent to carry out its will effectively."

Udinia didn't move. She grew nervous by the scrutiny, but hid it, keeping her hands clasped behind her back.

"I'm told you went all action-hero to stop the Sith in question. Stormed his floating stronghold on Mustafar to rescue your fellow Jedi...most impressive..."

"They were dead if I didn't act." Udinia answered humbly.

"I'm not criticizing. Far from it."

"If there had been a less violent option I'd have taken it."

"There was. You could have chosen to walk away. All of those people would be dead. You did the right thing by acting...all while showing patience, determination...cunning...you are an excellent candidate."

Udinia's eyebrow raised.

"Candidate?"

"Uri, I am a Jedi Shadow. Once in a while, I happen across talented Jedi who stand out from their peers. I'm the leader of a highly specialized faction of Jedi Shadows that rely on long range training. You have already chosen the path of The Sentinel. Being a Shadow would only be a logical extension of your capabilities.

Udinia was stunned. She didn't even know that story had spread...she certainly hadn't advertised it.

"What's your factions name called?" Uri asked, very little light getting into the building.

"We're called The Marksmen, Padawan Udinia. And my name..." the figure rose, pulling down her hood and revealing a purple skinned Twi'lek woman with a youthful face and sharp blue eyes. She wore a black headdress with a red diamond in the middle.

"...is Ursula Sandraven."

Udinia bowed. "I am uncertain of how to regard this honor you consider me for."

Ursula's eyebrow raised only slightly. "Why so?"

"Jedi Shadows are known for...controversial ideas when it comes to fighting the Dark Side."

"No more controversial than storming a floating fortress by yourself. You could have died a hundred ways, Uri. But you didn't stop...you kept fighting...and you didn't stop until that Fortress's ruler was in a repulsorlift chair."

"I did all that without being a Shadow..."

"But you barely survived. With the right training, you could do much more than just wing it. I see in you the potential for the very best of Shadows. Your rifleman capabilities already make you an anomaly. Your fear responses are two times lower than average for a human being. Exceptional melee combatant. Reflexes three times faster than average...without Force enhancement. I very rarely run into someone with your level of potential."

"Is that why you have four stealthed targets, two on the upper floor, two directly behind me after I walked in?" Uri asked, stepping forward.

Ursula gave a small smile. "I selected them for their Force-Dead nature. What gave them away?"

When I stepped in, I heard the creak of their shifting motion on the floor, the ones on the roof are directly in front of a window and the camouflage field is distorting the window frame."

Ursula's smile widened a bit. "Well done, Padawan. Will you not consider my invitation? I believe you would be a considerable asset to The Marksmen. It would be a misuse of Talent to place you in another occupation."

Udinia thought about it a moment, remembering her sense of foreboding as the stealthed men and women decloaked.

"I will need a day to think, Master Sandraven." Uri answered hesitantly.

Ursula nodded politely. "As you wish, Padawan. I will be here tomorrow, to test you further, should you wish..."

Udinia bowed and slowly turned, heading back outside to get back into the sunlight and meditate...

Skip.

Maple was pulled back into the present, grinning in delight as [member="Alwine Lechner"] succeeded in growing the plant some more.

"Well done, Lechner!" Maple praised sincerely, watching her reaction in fascination. She would hopefully develop a healthy respect for such power.

"Amazing isn't it? Watching how the Force can guide and direct life? I never knew what true power was until the first time I did that. I never looked at a seed the same way again." she admitted. "We've given our little friend here a good start. Lets give it a break..."

Maple gently watered the plant after she picked it up. She stroked the tall green stem before heading back to the table.

"Still want to finish your food, or did that give you enough of a jolt?" Maple joked, still thinking about Alwine's reaction as she finished her coffee, eating another large piece of steak.

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine had been completely oblivious to the memories that ran through Maple's mind while the wolf tried to make a plant grow rather than just stomp it out. And now, the wolf was still peeking from behind the table, only her eyes showing.

Plant Surge had not been the first power with the Force that the wolf had been taught. Yet to learn something so… So… She did not know what an appropriate word was. All her training had been focused on physical fights and a little bit of telepathy, but this specific power had nothing to do with it. This was a power of life, in more than one way.

"Can… Can this be done with people?" she asked, slowly regaining her composure, "would I be able to place my hands on a child and turn it into an adult with this ability?" Already her mind reeled. There were so many possibilities, especially if she combined it with the contents of a certain package she had received…

Yes. Maple was correct with her words. This was amazing! And now Alwine hungered for more.

But food first. It would not do to continue training or arrive on Tatooine with an empty belly, especially when she did not know how long they would exactly be there and how much hard work they would have to do.

Alwine sat herself down again, and looked at Maple Harte.

"Thank you, Maple," she said sincerely, "I did not know that such things were possible. What things I had done before I knew what the Force was were all destructive. What things I have been taught since we left Stewjon have all been battle-focused. This is the first time that I… create."


[member="Maple Harte"]

 

[Maple Harte]

"Uh...Plant Surge is powerful, but its not capable of affecting meat normally, unless growing through or around it...though I have noticed an odd little work around...burying something dead underneath something you want to grow sometimes fertillizes and boosts its growth. Now, if you try that with Plant Surge in the mix? The plant will feed on the dead matter while you apply the force, causing it to grow slightly bigger and faster than it would otherwise. But if you want to affect meat, specifically? That's Sith Alchemy territory, and Sith Alchemy can go violently wrong if you don't know what you are doing. The practice can twist your soul to evil with each use, and its light side equivalent is arguably just as dangerous...but all Force Powers can be dangerous..." she clarified.

Alwine then sat back down, thanking her. Maple nodded humbly.

"You're welcome. You're a quick learner." Maple said to her, eating the rest of her steak.

"The Force is always nicer when its used to create...most of the time, barring the odd horror from some Sith ritual chamber. Just remember though...the plant is a living thing, and what you do to one with the Force is not what it was meant to do. I don't know if plants have a mind or soul, but ideally, its a power only employed as necessary, and should always be used with definite, concrete goals, as a plant is the definition of innocent."

Maple then grew curious. What else had [member="Alwine Lechner"] learned?

"Alwine, do you know how to heal with The Force?" Maple asked the young wolf, piercing green eyes almost glittering in the lighting of the mess area. "Its an ability aligned with the light. I know a little of it...here.

Maple held out her arm, scratched it with a knife from the kitchen drawers. And then she held her hand over the small wound struggling to focus. The lies of her brain dragged her through a million falsehoods, each lasting thousands of years from her perspective, but only a second or two from Alwine's. But eventually, with great effort, she managed to make the wound quickly seal up, though she exhaled as if she had been drowning from the exertion.

"Not..as...good...at it...as I used to be...my...alignment to it is a shadow of what it was...heh...fitting..." she joked darkly to the Lupine, making sure she could see the wound close.

"Healing effect is stronger the more aligned to the Light you are...so if you wanna stay in 'Badass Anti-Hero' status, you probably won't be as strong with it as possible. But even knowing a little of it is better than nothing at all...questions?"

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine's ears perked at the mention of Sith Alchemy. She did exactly know what it entailed, but the package she had received prior to leaving for Tatooine had made mention that she would need it for some of her plans. But these plans were a good two to three years away. There was time to discover if she really did need it, or if she could do it herself, or maybe if even a better solution would present itself in that time. The danger, she did not mind. Everything was dangerous. It was mostly a matter of building your skills properly, and then training extensively, and being mindful, in order to avert most of the dangers.

She continued to listen intently as the explanation about plants being living thing came along. At that point though, it was clear that Maple's and the wolf's point of view differed. Alwine saw no problem in using living things, providing that it served a purpose. She would not go around killing or using plants senselessly. But the warning as heard and received.

And then… Healing? Yes, Caid had shown has a few things, but she hadn't outright learned it yet. Instead he had dunked her in a bacta tank and she'd had to ask him to send word to her brothers to keep them from worrying when she did not return home. She hadn't actually considered being able to do so herself.

Chocolate brown eyes stared widely at the healing of Maple's arm, paused only briefly as Maple mentioned something about alignment. But Maple provided the explanation without Alwine needing to ask about it, drawing a silent nod from the Lupine before she continued to gaze at the arm with wonder.

"How?" was the main question Alwine had. But it was not enough, did not detail enough. "How do you know what your alignment is? Do you just choose and decide for yourself? Are you born into it? Does it change as one's moods do?" And then, "and how do you do the healing? Do you simply will the healing to occur through the Force and it does? What of deeper injuries?" She had to know. She had to know everything.


[member="Maple Harte"]

 

[Maple Harte]

"It...it's sort of instinct. As for how you know what your alignment is...it depends on how you act. If you are the type who believes in not being a total fething jerk to everyone you come across, occasionally helping someone out of the goodness of your heart, you're probably nuetral or a lightsider. If you enjoy kicking people while they are down, utterly selfish, face pale, eyes yellow, you're likely using the Dark Side. The Light is mostly defensive, sugary sweet, and perhaps overly trusting civilians. The Dark is mostly pure offence, blood curses, and kicked slaves. You always have a choice about what you want to be. The more selflessly you decide to act, and the more frequently you act that way, the stronger your connection to the light becomes. Act opposite, act with great hatred, malice and selfishness and you align with the Dark..."

Maple watched as the wound sealed fully, her wet green eyes going somewhere else for a second before she was drawn back to the moment.

Healing is one of the real advantages of the Light. A great gift. The stronger you become in the light, the more effective your abilities at healing get. For me I can only heal relatively minor wounds. For, say...a temple healer? They can not only heal wounds like this, but much greater ones, such as organ damage, broken bones, poison, disease...The Dark can't do that except through tearing the life force out of others...but that becomes addictive after a while and eventually they need to do it just to survive. Some have the ability to hold a broken, dying body together through sheer hatred, but the cost is constant agony. Others just cheat and use the Dark to steal the bodies of others, driving the previous owners spirit into the torment of eternal chaos, the madness beyond death. But Light Healing is inexorably superior to those techniques...but as I said, the cost to achieving such mastery is acting as selflessly as possible and long, arduous study of the body...something you may have no time to do nor inclination to be..." she added "as for how you do the healing its not exactly 'you' who does it. Not really. You have to let the Force flow through your body. You have to calm yourself and focus, and submit to the Force and yet be one with it at the same time...and it just sort of happens as you think about your wound slowly closing..."

Maple gave herself another, smaller nick with the blade.

"Would you like to give it a shot?" she asked, gesturing to her own cut at [member="Alwine Lechner"].

 

[Alwine Daye]

An instinct. Alwine listened. She usually prided herself for having pristine instincts other than that time she had set the village food stores on fire because she was so angry, which ultimately led to her being imprisoned as a Witch because she’d used the Force to do it, but other than that… And a few more incidents… Her instincts were usually pristine. And still, the more Maple explained it, the less she felt as though she understood.

“There must be more to it than that,” she said after a short silence, “I know of Sith who saved specie without demanding anything in return, and I know of those you would call neutrals who would ruin and steal lives. Yet the latter does not release that sense of Darkness that is shared among all the Sith I have known, and the Sith I have mentioned does, yet I have reasons to believe that she does not kick people while they are down. I know of another Sith as well, yet neither of their eyes are orange. Quite another color, in fact.” Emerald green for her, silver-green for him, yet both were Sith. There had to be more to it than that.

And then Maple connected it to the healing. Alwine could not quite comprehend why Light or Dark had to do with the abilities to heal. Were both of them not of the Force, where the healing came from? Could the same not be said for other related abilities? It was clear to her though that whatever either she or Maple believed, the ability to do so was still present. She would not have to choose now. But was it even a choice?

But now would not be the time to dwell on it. Maple had given her the option of trying again and Alwine nodded quietly, still not entirely sure whether or not she would be able to perform this feat, but not planning on giving up without trying.

She stared at the nick Maple had given herself, chocolate brown eyes curious at the slow swell of the blood. The wolf in her knew the scent, salivated at the thought of prey nearby. But Alwine shoved it down. Maple was not prey, and she had just eaten a steak anyway. Food could wait at least until tomorrow.

Small fingers hovered over the wound, trying to feel it through the Force without touching it. She could feel the warmth off Maple’s skin, could sense the low and steady rhythm of her heart. But was it really through the Force that she was sensing this, or were these her Lupine abilities at work? She was not certain.

Alwine sighed, closing her eyes. It was easier to tap into the Force when your eyes were closed. There. Now she was sure of it; she was sensing the cut through the Force. Eyes would show that the skin still touched where the blade had parted it, but through the Force she could sense the delicate layers of the skin having separated from each other.

So that was the beginning. Now she had to figure out a way to knit them together. It was a small cut, and time would heal it well enough on its own without her help, which was why Maple had ensured it would not be something that would actually endanger her. But could Alwine do it? Could she reverse the cut before it began to do so on its own?

Slowly, ever so slowly, Alwine did what she had been taught as a servant woman on Stewjon. She began to sew. But whereas on Stewjon she would have to use a needle and thread, here it was the Force that she used, slowly, almost painfully slowly, knitting the wound back together. She knew that it was working as she could feel the skin coming back to touch each other through the Force, but was it enough? Was she merely closing the wound, or actually healing it?

When Alwine opened her eyes, she could see that the wound had closed. Where a small cut had been a moment ago, was now a bright red line, suggesting that the wound was merely a scratch.

“Is that healed?” she asked, looking at Maple with a questioning look, “I mean, is it properly healed, or just closed? I know there is a difference between the two.”


[member="Maple Harte"]

 

[Maple Harte]

"Most of what I said concerning light and dark is the general rule of thumb. Certainly there are exceptions of course. You'll meet that occasional lightsider or nuetral whose neck you'll want to tear out. The kind of person you will wonder how it is they aren't Sith with how they acted. And you will meet that Darksider now and then whose humanity isn't totally dead...our very own Darth Metus, who runs the Confederacy is an example. The Dark Sider who does what you pointed out, that makes you wonder 'How the hell is it THIS guy is dark?!' You'll genuinely wonder how they have managed it. Such exceptions are usually people who have demonstrated exceptional strength of will and character, along with intelligence. But make no mistake, Alwine...the power they use practically requires them to be heinous a good portion of the time to maintain their control over it. And the Lightsiders and neutrals who act unworthy of it are either starting on the dark path themselves...or, you may have simply caught them on a bad day, just as it is possible to catch a Sith in an occasionally charitable mood. True...exceptions...are rare. But you are fortunate to have met such people...lets you know the galaxy is not neat and tidy when it comes to morality..."

Maple watched as Alwine focused, staring with a small, happy smile as Lechner focused her power. The wound nitted together slowly. At least she didn't have to do it again. Using the light took a lot out of her.

Alwine had asked good questions though, questions Maple had genuinely struggled to answer.

She looked at the wound.

"You got it Alwine. Its healed..."

As she pondered the difference between hero and villain more deeply she spoke further.

"I started to wonder what the difference between me and any other Assassin was, especially after my fifteen-hundredth kill. They were all bad. They all had to be stopped...but in the process of stopping them, I think I'd forgotten the danger of becoming them. It's a mistake I regret to this day. One I'll always regret. Particularly because I remember all their faces..."

She paused, the death of her former friends on Mimban catching up to her. Geran Dort, killed by a piece of glass to his juggular, Pricilla Zen, her skull crushed by a fatal blow from a rock brought down on her by Maple. Casy Brandon, impaled through the face by her saber cane. The list went on. She saw them all in her sleep. What they had looked like in death.

"But, enough thinking about old screwups...lets get to that bank...good job, Lechner."

Maple got up from the table and got her gun and her staff., hitting open the hatch to her ship, feeling hot desert wind hit her face. The Mos Eisley spaceport. One would never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy...except these days, that was no longer quite true was it? She could name ten places off the top of her head worse then this. The two suns shined brightly, making her eyes water.

Maple stepped off the vessel, heading to the bank and Ursula's secrets...

 

[Alwine Daye]

For the moment, Alwine let the matter of Lightsider and Darksider drop. She had nothing left to contribute to that conversation, and she even lacked the tools to delve deeper into the matter. But she knew she would bring it up again; if Maple would meet with her again in the future, Alwine would be better equip to share her own insights of what she had learned. Until then, however, this would simply have to wait.

After the matter with healing the cut though, Alwine once more seemed to be beaming in her spot. She had done it! She could grow plants and heal wounds. Yes, she did not think that she was very advanced with either of them, but the important thing was that she had gotten the basics of it, had done it. The rest would be training and repetition until she could do it at an instinctual level. “Another step forward,” she nodded firmly, her lips curling into a smile, “another step to see where this path leads.”

Quietly, Alwine listened to Maple’s out loud thoughts. Where Maple spoke of regret though, Alwine could not follow. She had killed by now; more than once. Her emotions never flared at it, not for good and not for bad. This within itself unnerved the Lupine. Was she not supposed to feel something when she took a life? Regret, joy, anything? It was another subject that she chose not to tackle now.

Fully armed, she followed Maple outside, forcing down the choke that was threatening to form in her lungs and throat. This was Tatooine? Why was it so… Hot? She sun was unforgivingly harsh, and it seemed she was breathing in sand.

“How does life even survive in a place such as this?” she asked the former Shadow, the look of confusion all too easy to read on her face.


[member="Maple Harte"]

 

[Maple Harte]

"By being stubborn and clever, Alwine. Moisture vaporators to draw water out of the air. Herds of banthas, other desert creatures, survival techniques. All of which you will have a chance to be familiarized with..." Maple answered as she headed of the ramp of her ship onto the landing pad, grimacing as the smell of all of Mos Eisley reached her nose. She got off the landing pad, paid the landing fee to the ithorian dock officer and stepped through the crowd, past the moisture farmers bartering in their markets, past the smells of the local delis, the stone of igloo-like homes bleached white by the sun, streets cramped with life and people. Maple wondered how Alwine's lupine nose received all the scents in comparison to her own...did they have enhanced senses in human form? She spotted guns for sale, but ignored them.

She was deeply curious about what Ursula had left her. Ursula had always tried to teach a doctrine of self reliance, encouraging Maple to think on her feet and solve her own problems. As a rule, she generally did not give anyone anything they could not get themselves. Maple had acquired most of her weapons on her own based on her own needs, with the only imput from Ursula being on picking the one best suited to what she had been taught for the type of situation at hand. Gift wasn't in Ursula's nature.

The bank was igloo shaped like many of buildings, with the main dome surrounded by metal fastening strips. There were no windows. The Hutts who operated Mos Eisley didn't like windows in their banks. Decreased the likelihood of break-ins.

Maple took a deep breath and entered then bank, greeted by a gigantic chamber set deep into the earth, the furniture, the vaults carved from stone, inlaid with simple mosaics in alternating patterns of green and white jasper, She saw the pig-like Gammoreans serving as guards in the main lobby, whose floor was a golden marble with black lattice patterns. She headed up to the front desk.

The man behind the counter, wearing a charcoal black business suit was bald with pale skin and a blue left eye, the other covered by a sword guard.

"I'm Maple Harte. I was told you are holding something for me on behalf of a client." Maple said. Skip. There were only twenty jedi left in the whole universe. She wasn't one of them. Skip. Back to the bank.

"So...you finally showed. A lot of us were starting to think it would never happen." The Receptionist said. "One of our longest outstanding occupants in the safe-deposit vault. Four years in the running so far. Package so large we had it in the specialty section."

"Do you know what's inside it?" Maple asked.

"No. We never ask that sort of thing. Not at a bank like this. We pride ourselves on descretion."

"Take me to it."

The Receptionist signaled for her to follow and they walked past the various wrought iron tellers counters, the teardrop shaped peach colored lights hanging over head. The vault to the Deposit Boxes was already open.

"The Box is reflec coated. Impervious to scanners normally..." the Receptionist explained. "Our client left it here with explicit instructions not to open it for anyone except you. She referred to you by both your current alias, and your birth name, Uri Udinia. She...looked very ill..."

"She knew I wasn't dead..." Maple said to herself. Had she fooled anyone faking her death?

"Wait..." Maple asked the man. "Ill how?"

"Couldn't say. But she looked at death's door."

They stopped at the large box itself. The Receptionist handed her the lock code.

Maple stared at the number, 0451, and hesitated, taking a deep breath and opening the the large case by typing in the code to disable the mag locks. The case swung open and she stood back in pure surprise...

(Zelda Acquisition Theme plays)

Acquired: Zealot's Eye (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/132440-zealots-eye/)


"No. She wouldn't...she...she just wouldn't...Maple said in shock, as she hesitantly approached the rifle in the case.

"She left me the Zealot..." Maple spoke, face twisted in borderline horror. This was not at all like the Ursula she knew.

"She wouldn't have left me this. She wouldn't have left anyone this. Not unless...unless...

Maple spied a holodisc in the bottom of the case along with a microprojector. She pulled it out and played it.

The blue projection ghost of Ursula shimmered abd flickered. She was in her white combat suit, but her normally purple skin was pale white splotches in some spots on a face that looked slowly melting. Maple stood stock still at the resigned expression on Ursula's face.

"Not long...now..." Ursula said wearily, though she tried to maintain some dignity by standing straight as possible, arms folded behind her back.

"I was never good this. At saying goodbyes. But it seems I've no choice but to learn." The recording began. Maple was completely silent, eyes fixated on the blue ghost.

"I was angry at you. When you left...very angry. Maybe that accelerated it, I don't know. But...I understand, Uri. I understand why you left. I had truly hoped not to involve you. I had hoped to find a solution to my own dilemma...but I am almost out of time. It is...too late for me. And now I turn to the one I drove away. For that, I am truly sorry..." Ursula said, eyeing the camera with sadness.

"When I am gone. There will be nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing except a final request. I have one more assignment for you...one last mission...a mission I feel you have no choice but to accept..."

Ursula's projection ghost leaned forward, hopeless eyes staring into Maple's wet ones.

"You must kill the person I failed to kill. You must kill The Amalgam at all costs. And so I give you The Zealot's Eye to aid you. You are my greatest student. If anyone deserved my weapon...its you. She is heavy, deadly, and reliable. Use her well. Show The Amalgam no mercy, Uri. A creature such as her does not deserve to remain in this world."

Ursula looked crestfallen.

"There is so much we never talked about. So much I would have apologized for. And now we will never get to do it. But we have both become painfully aware of my flaws. There is no use in recounting old sins. None. I can't ask you to forgive me. I'm not sure I'd even deserve it. But if you survive...I hope you'll keep the rifle, when all is said and done."

Ursula looked away from the camera, winced in pain, shuddering.

"Goodbye, Uri. You know what you must do. Kill The Amalgam. Before she takes it all from you..."

The recording ended. Maple sat down on a nearby seat with a simple table next to it for examining valuables, shaking.

[member="Alwine Lechner"].

 

[Alwine Daye]

By being stubborn and clever. Alwine thought on it as Maple explained, still not understanding what the point of it was. The heat was almost too intense, and she could not comprehend why civilization would wish to remain in a place where moisture had to be farmed when there were so many planets that offered actual clean water in the form of rivers and lakes. Tatooine seemed to her like a place one threw people on to ensure they suffered for the rest of their lives, not somewhere anyone would actually want to live.

The two walked through the market and Alwine's brown eyes remained wide open with the shock of it all. The noise did not bother her much despite her sensitive hearing; she knew what markets were. But the smells… Nothing on Stewjon had ever so reeked! Her Lupine senses provided her with a meta-sense of smell, and while it was mostly fine, here it just… Just… She had to cover the lower half of her face and she was still too frightened to draw a full breath. The harsh light from both suns that shone on the planet made everything seem even worse. More than once, she had to sidestep in order to avoid getting her feet into a pile of this or other poor creature's poodoo. Some of the goop piles were even steaming, despite the steam they were in.

She would not balk from the mission or refuse Maple if she asked her to come here again for any reason, but one thing was certain; Alwine Lecher would never step foot on Tatooine again for anything less than either of those reasons.

Once inside the bank, Alwine winced. There were no windows. Why did these people not use windows? She realized now that the other buildings they had passed did not have windows either. How could anyone live in buildings that locked the little air to be had on the outside? And the guards… She had never seen such creatures! But then again, most of the species they had passed on their way here were strange and foreigner to her.

Alwine remained quiet during the quick exchange, and followed Maple to where the deposit boxes were. She said nothing as Maple struggled with the realization that she had been left a specific sort of something, and then narrowed her eyes as the vision of Ursula came into view. When Maple had spoken of her on Krant, Alwine had imagined an ageless woman, strong and mysterious. This… Was a woman on a deathbed.

Alwine motioned for anyone in the room to leave them as Maple sat down, the need to not stand very visible on her face just then. What was the Lupine to say? What comfort could she offer the woman who had been the first to reach her cell on Stewjon, the first woman who had shown her kindness in months? Was Maple a woman who found comfort in touch?

"Maple…" the Lupine said gently, hoping her voice was as soft as she thought it was. She crouched down in front of Maple, reaching carefully for her hands. If Maple would give the smallest sign of being uninterested, Alwine would withdraw them, "I am so sorry…"


[member="Maple Harte"]