A Promise Kept

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Vrak breathed carefully.

His hands remained high, and as he assumed a few seconds later he felt the prick of a needle into his skin. The Pureblood flinched, skin scrunching ever so slightly as he watched the plunger depress. The gaze he gave the Jedi was one of disdain and disgust, but he continued to stay silent.

Speaking to these men would gain him nothing, and he had to concentrate if he was going to do this properly. Vrak slowly took another breath, his fingers curling, his muscles tightening. He strained himself, though not in such a way that it would be obvious to the Jedi. The Electro-staffs hovered close to his skin, but he paid them no mind. Instead he waited for the directive to step forward, knowing that the men likely wouldn't want to carry him to wherever they were going.

He took another breath as they began their walk.

It was careful, controlled, slowed. Vrak concentrated, almost as if he were meditating, and slowly his heart rate began to ebb. The technique was a simple one, usually used to effect the force and bring oneself into stasis. Here the intent was a different one.

Slowly the Sith Lord walked towards the transport, his gaze never wavering to either of the Jedi at his side.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Mariya watched from the ship as the two Jedi led Vrak slowly out. The RSF stepped out of the transport, three on either side of the opening as they approached. The brunette stayed seated where she was as they drew nearer. Vrak would be restrained to his chair once on board with the Jedi on both sides, the RSF taking up the remaining places where available.

”In. Third seat.”

Across from Mariya.

She looked forward to pestering him on the flight to the carbonite chamber.

With a smirk she offered the Sith a waive of her hand, tapping the seat as he stepped up. “Ready for vacation?”

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Vrak said nothing to the girl, only looked around the inside of his ship and focused upon his breathing. The Jedi were momentarily forgotten about, their weapons still held close to his side. The restraints on the seat would make things difficult, but no more so than he had anticipated. His muscles continued to flex.

The beating of his heart thundered slowly in his ears.

It was almost a calming effect, his lips thinning as he sat himself down within the seat right across from the girl. He felt one of the soldiers secure him into the chair, the straps pulling him back tight enough that it made moving difficult. One of the Jedi looked closely at him, and Vrak slowly lulled his head. He knew that they likely thought he was calmer due to his sedation, but the drug had yet to even begin to take effect. The slow pumping of his heart had stalled things, but he only had a short while left.

Muscles tightened against the restraints as the guards pulled them tight, Vrak leaning against them slightly.

There was a banging on the bulkhead as one of the RSF men signalled they were ready to go.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The ship lifted off the ground and began to rise over the treeline surrounding the area. It was a fairly obscure location. A number of guards walked the perimeter, a few speeders were locked away behind a wall, but the building itself was rather small, looking as if it only was designed to hold a very small number of prisoners as a temporary measure. Perhaps that was why they were eager to move Vrak to a much more secure facility, even if one such as the deep water detention center was not currently an option.

Mariya sat quietly, eyes gazing over the landscape as the shuttle traveled towards its destination. Her hair caught gusts of win, trailing off towards the side wildly.

The RSF maintained their focus on the Sith, as did the Jedi. She, on the other hand, felt relatively safe given his state, restraints, and the number of guards around.

"Are you afraid?" She asked the question, and the question seemed truthfully genuine, rather than her earlier instigating, though her eyes never left the scenery she was taking in.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

For a few seconds Vrak didn't answer Mariya, it was difficult to tell if he had even heard her.

He was still focused on his breathing, still focused on tensing his muscles and pushing against the restraints. His fingers tightened, his eyes remained closed. The gentle press of wind floated against his skin, and he could feel the ship sway as they pushed through the air and towards their destination. The Sith Lord waited a few more moments, knowing just how fast repulsorcraft actually traveled. Silence reigned through the ship as even the Jedi were seemingly interested in his answer.

Then, slowly, the Pureblood opened his eyes, looking at the girl across from him. "No."

Finally Vrak allowed himself to relax. The muscles that he had kept taught, the pressure he had been putting on his restraints, all of it suddenly gained just a little bit of slack. The gap wasn't large, but it was enough to allow him a small range of motion.

Without a second of hesitation the Sith acted, using the slack in his restraint to suddenly lash out and bite the Jedi beside him directly on the face. A scream echoed as his canines dug into skin, the man flailing for a brief second in response and giving Vrak enough time to grab his Electro-staff. He could feel the other Jedi on his side activate his own weapon, he could see the RSF men draw their weapons, but it didn't matter. Vrak wrenched the staff free of the flailing Jedi, activating the device and sending it flying into shuttles cockpit with the intent to short the controls and crash the shuttle.

As the staff hurtled towards the cockpit's console Vrak felt a jab into his ribs, pain lancing through his side as the other Jedi shocked him in retribution.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Alerts and alarms and sirens began to wail at the forward end of the transport. The ship rocked and began rapidly losing altitude as the engine seized from the lack of computer systems providing any kind of input. As for time they had maybe fifteen to twenty seconds before the ship hit the ground, assuming it didn't first collide with trees. What he had just done was beyond anything Mariya would have imagined. It was foolish, reckless, and suicidal.

The pilot in her knew their odds of survival were low. This thing was going to hit the ground at high speed, and it would not cushion the landing any.

Chestnut colored eyes widened in shock, first looking at Vrak as the wounded Jedi pulled away while the other proceeded to dish out swift vengeance. But the problem at hand was far less Vrak and far more surviving. She made no hesitation, quickly grabbing the harness that hung beside her seat and clasping it to the hook behind her, tightening the straps of the seat further. Turning to the others she shouted over the commotion. There was simply no way the pilots were going to recover from the damage Vrak had done. Their best option was to strap in and hope for the best. Most, she knew, would not survive.

"Connect your harness and tighten the straps of your seats!"

If the pilots were alive they were on their own.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

A wide grin spread across Vrak's features, his side shooting with pain as the Jedi withdrew with Electro-staff and quickly strapped himself in. Panic now floated throughout the entire ship, the RSF officers were scrambling, the Jedi he had wounded was half screaming as someone secured him in his seat, and Vrak was the smiling mad man in the middle of it all. He heard the fear in their screams, the anger at what he had done, it was all so...perfect.

They left him alone of course, not caring whether he lived or died. The restraints were still slack, but it didn't matter.

A heartbeat past, and then the ship began to fall. The lurch kicked Vrak back against his seat, the vessel's controls cutting out and it's repulsor engines quickly overloading. They began to drop like a rock, one of the RSF officers let out a yelp of surprise causing Vrak to burst out in laughter.

Some of the Jedi's blood and skin that had been in his mouth would spew over Mariya as The Pureblood began his cackle.

This plan had none of the elegance in it that he would have preferred, it had no subtlety and no real second step. But it was the only chance he'd had. He would survive this, and wherever they crashed, be it in the middle of the swamp or in the ocean itself, Vrak would walk away. Confidence brimmed within him as the ship went tumbling down, the restraints digging into his skin as the vessel bucked and threw the passengers around.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Mariya looked to her left wrist, the altimeter was falling quickly. Seven seconds until collision. Her body pushed back in the seat to brace for the impact. She looked nervous, but calm. She knew the odds of surviving a crash at the altitude and speed they were going was minimal at best. At the same time though she knew what Vrak planned now. If he was going to escape, this was his only shot. She cursed him, though she likely would have attempted the same, if she were in his shoes. Carbonite freezing wasn't something she would ever want to experience.

Three seconds...

The ship's free fall had reached terminal velocity. It had reached its maximum speed during descent.

It was going to be one hell of a rough landing.

The brunette shot a glance to Vrak. If she lived, if she didn't pass out, if she could move, she needed to stop him, or hope at the very least someone else could.

Her eyes closed as the vehicle collided with the earth beneath them. A colossal tremor tore apart the frame of the transport, sending debris, shrapnel, and more in every direction imaginable. Parts of the ship were vaporized by the heat of the engines as it smashed into hard soil. Screams were drowned out by the sound of the quake. The crash would send a plume of darkened smoke billowing into the sky. The electronics on board entirely fried before the crash had even occured, leaving no means of communication from the bits and pieces that remained in tact afterwards.

A haze of grey, brown, and black littered the interior of the ship for those still seated inside, while outside smoke obscured vision in the immediate vicinity. Small fires caught on the brush and grass. Most of the convoy sat or laid lifeless, crushed by the kinetic impact.

An eerie silence hung over the area, save for the burning embers.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Vrak's eyes snapped open.

Pain shot through every single fiber of his being. Agony soared through him, broken ribs and bones riddled his body, but he felt alive. More than that, he felt the force. The darkside in all it's purity ravaged throughout him, flowing in a steady tide and urging him to life. The torment of his wounds seeped into him, pushing the darkside to drag himself up. His gaze slowly swept over the interior of the transport, broken and bent metal having stabbed into the ship itself.

He saw only two of the RSF men, one was skewered through by a piece of pipe and the second lay on the floor. The Jedi whom Vrak had bitten was gone as well, though his legs remained in the chair beside him. The other man, the one that had jabbed him with the electro-staff still sat in place beside him, albeit unconscious.

The Pureblood looked at the man for a second, sneering. The force pooled within him, and then suddenly those same red lines that had appeared in the courtyard spread from his body. A scream tore from the Jedi's lips as Vrak plucked the remaining life from him, his body almost singing as the man's strength was given to his own. Life coursed through the Sith, an echo of what the Jedi had once been. His wounds remained, but he had the strength to stand.

Slowly he pulled against his restraints, shifting, and then suddenly pressing with the force.

There was a loud groan, and then the restraints shattered.

A heavy breath left his lungs, the effort of utilizing the force causing his wounds to echo with agony for a brief few seconds. For a second he swayed from side to side before slowly grabbing onto the warped durasteel above him. Slowly he pulled on it, bending it until it popped and came free. The barest hint of light caught through, Vrak shielding his eyes as he struggled to properly see. His lips thinned, and with quite a bit of effort he pulled himself free of the crash.

He landed on the outside with a soft thud, his body tumbling to the ground in the swampy

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The harness built into the frame of the ship had been torn off when she was ejected from the ship. Roughly 9 meters away she had been sent. Something in the crash had propelled her quite a distance. Where any of the others had gone was certainly a question to be answered later. Ever so slowly her eyes flickered open. Immediately she felt searing pain in her right leg. The only joy the revelation of that pain would bring was the realization that she hadn't actually been killed in the crash, though looking down she could see the mangled mess that was her leg.

Shrapnel at embedded itself deep into several areas of the front and back of her leg. Her clothing had provided no protection from the jagged metal whatsoever.

Her lungs filled with air, forcing her to cough violently several times, struggling simply to breathe. She was laying on the ground, almost nothing around her, save for the harness she had been wearing and a few pieces of the straps that tore off with her. Her blaster was still strapped to her thigh and seemed to have survived the crash. That may have been the only positive aspect to this situation thus far. Wherever the rest of the crew happened to be, she didn't hear them. There was nothing but the sound of the tall grass swaying in the breeze.

Groaning she rolled over onto her back, eyes casting down at the wound before letting her head fall back into the dirt. If she was to walk she was going to need a crutch. And that meant crawling until she found something. For the time being she simply laid in the grass, breathing quietly, thankful to be alive.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Slowly the Sith Lord began to pull himself up and to his feet, lips thinning as he worked through the pain that he still felt. A hand slowly probed at his chest, pressing gently as he assessed the damage to his body. Dozens of cuts and scrapes lined his skins, bruises were already forming, and he'd broken at least two ribs. None of the shrapnel had made it into him, thankfully, and neither of his legs were broken. He would be able to walk, but for just how long was difficult to tell.

His lips thinned as he slowly began to look around.

Vrak's priorities were far removed from Mariya's. He had crashed the ship and temporarily escaped his fate in a carbonite chamber, but that wouldn't last long if he didn't find a way out of here. His fingers twitched slightly, his gaze slowly floating around him as he tried to figure out where the hell they had actually touched down.

The Pureblood didn't know much about Naboo, not geographically anyway. He knew that most of the world was covered in water, and what wasn't either contained swamp or deep countryside. They were in the country now, tall grass and rolling hills, but to the south he could see a thick forest which he could only assume was the beginnings of a swamp. He frowned slightly, realizing that he had absolutely no idea where to go or even what to do. This world was still set against him, and eventually they would be able to track the ship along it's flight path.

He would have to-

His thoughts died for a moment. Where was the girl? The remaining Officer? The Pureblood's lips thinned, and slowly he began to stumble forward. His gaze swept over the grass, and then he noticed it...some of the plants moving against the wind. A small smile touched his lips, and the force slowly began to trickle through him. He didn't have his lightsaber, but he was Still a Sith Lord.

The Pureblood swept forward, moving towards the spot in the grass.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

A hand ran through her snarled hair, dirt had covered her body, but it wasn't until she pulled free of the mess that she realized there was quite a bit of blood on her hand that had come from her hair. Am I bleeding? Quickly and carefully she began pressing various spots on her head, yet found that there was no pain anywhere. Fingers traced along her neck, throat, and face, yet yielded no further results. It must be someone else. That was both a relief and a horror rolled into one.If that much blood had managed its way into her hair, that person was in very serious condition, or worse.

Yet her leg was still quite the issue. There was no way for her to stand. Not like that. Warm lines rolled down the left and right side of the openings in her flesh, collecting neatly just underneath her leg.

Kark she mused to herself.

Above the sky was clear, not a cloud in sight. Birds chirped as they flew overhead. It was warm and only slightly breezy. By all accounts, a beautiful day, just not for her.

The pain in her leg made her want to cry and scream, but it was the burning that grabbed her attention the most. It seemed the longer she was awake and focusing on it, the more it burned. Teeth sunk into her lip as she tried to fight away the pain, but relented and groaned when it became simply too much. Her free hand loosened the strap of the altimeter whose shattered glass and broken components no longer served a purpose, tossing it to the side of her. She then unhooked the straps that still clung to herself and considered for a moment making them into improvised bandages, though the energy to do so was beyond what she had left.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

The Pureblood watched as something flew through the air away from the grassy spot, a slight twitch forming at the edge of his lips.

It was the girl.

The first part of his plan had worked, he was free of his restraints and that damned collar. He had managed to crash the ship and now...he just had to make it off of Naboo. Doing so would be dangerous, his ship had likely been taken and that meant he'd need a new way, but for now the first step in all of this was getting somewhere he could actually find a ship. Vrak didn't know this world, but very luckily he knew someone who did. A smile crossed his face.

Slowly he stalked through the grass, like a Nexu.

Then suddenly he broke into a half-hearted sprint. Moving fast was still incredibly painful, but the force allowed him some measure of strength still. He moved within the blink of an eye, dashing through the grass and reaching the girl hopefully before she had any time to react. His actions would be swift, his hand reaching down to grab Mariya by the throat and yank her into the air.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Catching something that couldn't escape wasn't quite an achievement. Mariya wasn't going anywhere, not with her leg in the state it was, that was for sure.

Hearing the running of feet through the grass towards her she wondered for a moment whether or not it was one of the RSF or Jedi, or if it was the Sith. If it was him, she was likely about to wish she hadn't awoken after that crash at all. He had told her part of the reason why he was on Naboo was vengeance, which was directed at her sister, and subsequently her as well. He would most likely try and kill her now, if that meant that all he would get from the deal was one sister, it was better than none she figured.

As quickly as the thoughts came and went her eyes saw him. Her heart sunk as she realized who it was. Just as he grabbed and lifted her violently into the air by the neck she drew the blaster from her side, and without a breath of hesitation squeezed the trigger with the barrel pointed directly towards his stomach three times to force him into releasing her, with the intent to squeeze the trigger a half dozen more times if he refused to release her from his unpleasant grasp.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

The Sith wasn't a complete fool of course, he remembered seeing the blaster when they had boarded the transport together. Attacking Mariya had been an act of speed, and that speed came in handy when she pulled the blaster from it's holster and pointed it towards his stomach.

His free hand came up and bashed her wrist away, pushing her hand out of the way just as she began to squeeze the trigger.

The first short left the barrel, the bright red spark of tibanna gas burning along Vrak's side and scorching his skin. Pain further lanced through him as the bolt cut across already damaged and broken flesh. His face contorted in a mix of anger and rage, but the other two bolts went wide, striking the ground beside the Pureblood as he grasped Mariya's wrist to prevent her from turning the blaster towards him. The grip around her neck tightened, fingers pressing with the strength of a voice.

"Stop." The Pureblood growled. "And you get to live."

For as long as he needed her anyway.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Her teeth showed through parted lips as she tried to fight her wrist towards Vrak to fire the weapon again. The muscles in her neck flexed to try and stave off the Sith from choking her. The amount of effort she put into trying to shoot him again was exemplary, her arm shook from the amount of exertion she put into the act. Deep brown eyes looked down towards the Sith as he held her there, but she didn't say a word. Instead with her still functional leg she made for as hard of a kick she could possibly muster straight to the groin before trying once more to force the weapon from his grip and pull the trigger.

Nothing was going to stop her from trying to kill him. There was not an ounce of belief in her for his words about sparing her when his entire purpose of being on Naboo was to kill her sister, and now her too.

She wasn't going to just lay down and die. If he wanted to kill her, he was going to have to earn it.

Sith or not, Mariya wasn't afraid of him.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Vrak shifted slightly as she wiggled in his grip, the kick landing not in his groin but instead directly on the wound in his side. The Pureblood flinched as pain shot through him again, his eyes bugging slightly as his grip tightening as he nearly let Mariya go from the shock of the strike.

"YOU INSOLENT LITTLE SCHUTTA!" His voice boomed within the grassy plains.

For the first time since she had met him Mariya would see a sight that her sister was well used to. Until now he had managed to stay calm, controlled, he had managed to keep the rage at bay long enough to think of an actual plan to escape. Now that the key component to the next step in his plan wasn't cooperating? Well the calm he had been trying to exert this whole time slipped away in an instant. Anger took him, and his wrath was almost instantly unleashed.

The force bloomed from his palm, bright sparks of lightning would surge from his fingers and into the girl.

She wanted to feel pain, so he would give it to her.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

An almost inhuman scream poured out from her as her body involuntarily spasmed in his grasp. Her eyes flared wide, mouth fell open, but she was paralyzed from the electricity, left entirely helpless. The blaster fell from her hand to the ground, and any ability to think or speak was lost, replaced with only the scream that came endlessly from her, loud enough to echo across the plains for miles. Though in his rage perhaps the Sith hadn't noticed the officer of the RSF that had been cautiously making his way in pursuit of the Sith draw his blaster, as well as the stun grenade from his belt.

"Release the princess immediately, Sith!"

The man shouted, holding the grenade in hand with every intent to throw it, or fire the weapon trained on the Pureblood.

It seemed he had fared relatively well, all things considered. His face was a bit bruised, uniform rather tattered and a blood stream that may or may not have been his running down the shoulder, but otherwise he seemed as though he was thoroughly fueled by adrenaline and wanted more than anything an excuse to shoot Vrak dead.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

The lightning ceased, cutting in an instant after the RSF officer spoke.

For a moment Vrak didn't move, still holding Mariya by the throat and watching her body as the smoke slowly whisped from her skin. A small smile touched his lips, his free hand slowly pushing the blaster from the girls hand so that it would fall onto the ground. There was satisfaction in having done that, she'd deserved it. His eyes slowly floated down the girls form, checking to see if he had accidentally killed her or not. When he spotted the shallow rise of her chest he stopped, his attention finally drawn towards the man threatening him.

"Do you think you can shoot me before I kill her?" The Pureblood said as he slowly turned, still holding onto Mariya by her throat. His fingers pressed at the sides of her neck instead of the front, cutting off the circulation to her blood but not restricting her airways. "How do you think the Queen would react?"

His tone was more than a little smug. "I managed to capture the Sith, your highness, but I'm afraid your sister was eviscerated in the process."

Vrak mocked the man.

"Drop your weapon and get on the floor." A visible spark ran across his fingertips. "Or she dies."

The threat came as Vrak locked his eyes on the man, the fingers in his off hand twitching slightly. He wasn't going to leave this to chance, and although he was already exhausted the Pureblood prepared something else in case the man decided to be brave.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Mariya's head fell forward, eyes closed. Her long, waving hair draped over her face as she lingered in the Sith's grasp. Everything was numb, including the pain she had felt earlier in her incredibly injured leg. Despite enduring the excruciating pain of being electrocuted by mystical energy she didn't understand, now it seemed to actually alleviate the pain in her leg, though for how long her receptors would be blind to that pain was still in question.

However, despite Vrak's attempt at coercing the RSF officer to lower his weapon, the man declined, instead holding fast his aim on Vrak's vital points.

"She's a child! Release her and I will get you what you're after! A way off Naboo, yes?! I can arrange that! But you need to put her down!"

The man wanted to kill Vrak. But he knew that the girl's life was important, though only a fool would lower their weapon to a Sith under such circumstances. His finger hovered at the trigger, hoping that the Sith would take a reasonable approach. "We all get to go home then! How about that?"

[member="Vrak Nashar"]