A Promise Kept

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

The walk was gruelling to say the least.

With every step pain lanced up his side and courses through his body. Every time his toes curled within his boots he felt agony. Every little twinge was another surge of unexpected pain. The surprise of it wore off quickly, and slowly Vrak fell into the monotony of simply stumbling through the swamp while searching for the cursed outpost.

His mind ran wild with thoughts of murder, death, and torture.

Hours passed, or perhaps minutes. The clouds above made it difficult to tell the time, and within his seething Vrak could not track even the minutes that passed.

”They will die.” He mumbled quietly to himself. ”Both of them.”

The words came from his lips again and again as he stumbled forward. Eventually however the swamp began to open up, the trees pulled back and the clouds above came into full view. Rain drizzled down softly, and in the distance Vrak spotted an odd mound of shaped earth. A river ran besides it, almost into it. There was something natural about the structure...but off, as though it had been shape.

He frowned, then stumbled forward.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

She walked. And walked...And walked.

The rain falling above splashed against her head and shoulders. If nothing else it helped to wash away some of the dirt that was in her hair from before, but the soothing and calming effect it had initially when she set out had long since evaporated. It was a nothing but pestering now. And it would make finding her more difficult for the search parties, meaning they would have to fly lower to have any chance of spotting her within the fields and beneath the trees. She just hoped they didn't fly over her and miss her again. There wouldn't be many chances to signal them, at least not without making it known to Vrak too. Fire would work, but whether they would arrive before him was another story, and she didn't want to risk it.

Mariya looked forward to three things: Rest, food, and a shower. She wondered how Jamie was feeling, and whether or not she knew about the crash. Had the RSF told her? Or did they want to try and find both her and Vrak before having to alert the Queen? The girl knew if Jamie was alerted, injured or not she would be out looking for her even if her body wasn't ready for it. In part that worried her, as she knew Jamie was still in no condition to continue looking for Vrak, as she would absolutely do.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

His walk quickly sped up as he continued his trek towards the oddly shaped hill, his lips thinning as he came closer.

As he approached it became clear to him that he shape of the hill obviously marked it as the outpost. From the air no one would have been able to tell the difference, he doubted he would have spotted it if he hadn't been searching for it.

Ignoring the pain in his side The Pureblood stumbled towards the outpost, his eyes slowly searching over the odd structure. He needed to find an entrance, something that would actually allow him inside. His lips thinned as he wandered around the hill, finding no door, nothing that would allow him to go inside. Fingers curled for a moment as he stopped in front of the shallow river that ambled alongside and almost into the hill itself. A sigh escaped him.

He knew what this meant, he would have to swim again.

"She'll pay for this." Vrak said to himself as he began to wade into the water. It only took him a few moments to be completely submerged, diving beneath the waters and swimming towards a small alcove within the hill.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Even beneath the trees and the patter of rain drops as they slipped past the canopies and branches Mariya could hear the humming of an engine as it began to draw nearer. From where she was it would be hard for them to see her, and so she needed to find a way to make herself known. Unfortunately she didn't have much means to do that. Vrak still had her blaster, and she didn't have the tools to make a fire. She couldn't likely climb the tallest trees in time before the shuttle passed over, and so the only option she had was to find a small clearing between the canopies and hope they looked beneath.

She walked as quickly as her injuries allowed, which to say the least wasn't much more than a brisk pace, towards a small area where a bit of extra light shone through.

It was here that she decided to stand, waving her arms in hopes that somebody aboard would notice her.

The ship drew closer and closer, taking what seemed like an eternity to Mariya to pass overhead, however as it did she flapped her arms like a flightless bird attempting to mimic its cousins. Whether they saw her or not she wasn't sure, as the ship continued onward. She lingered, waiting to hear whether or not it might turn back for her. Teeth sank into her lower lip, threatening to draw blood as she waited with anticipation.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Vrak came up from the water with a deep breath of air filling his lungs, fingers grasping for the edge of what he assumed was a dock. Hands wrapped around half a ladder, holding onto the edge for a moment as he opened his eyes and peered around.

The inside of the outpost was about as dark as could be, the lights were bare and from what he could tell there was almost nothing inside. He latched himself onto the other side of the ladder and quickly pulled himself up and out of the water, boot hitting the metal decking of the dock. A frown touched his lips, and a hand was held out in front of him. His fingers were quickly enveloped by a pale red glow, illuminating the inside of the outpost. To his right seemed to be an odd sort of primitive transport, like the thing that Mariya had mentioned. To his left was an alcove that lead into what appeared to be a bedroom.

In the center of the outpost itself appeared to be half a dozen different consoles, though their make up was strange.

Vrak slowly approached, his fingers waving over the device.

He expected some sort of electrical response, but the Gungan technology remained quiet. Frustration bloomed within him, fingers twitched, but he quickly turned away before he decided to destroy the thing. Instead he turned towards the other sections of the outpost, heading towards a section of crates to see if he could find some medical supplies.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The sound of the engine faded, and with it hope that they had seen her. She cursed silently and kept walking in the direction she knew Theed to be in. It would likely be hours before another patrol, or that same one, came in her direction once more. Her clothing was now soaked through, clinging to her body like a wetsuit meant for diving. It was uncomfortable, and cold, and the length of time she had been walking thus far was already beginning to slow her down due to her leg.

Her stomach rumbled, irritated by lack of nourishment. It only made things that much worse.

For several minutes she perched herself up on a rock, beneath a thick area of trees, allowing herself a short respite to recuperate. This was arduous, and for a moment she wondered if she would have been better off simply taking Vrak to the outpost and hoping he would let her go thereafter, leaving her with the Gunggans while he escaped. Though the chances of that she knew were slim. He wanted to kill her, but he also wanted her as collateral in case his plan didn't quite work out.

She was on her own here, but at least she was alone, rather than forced by his side, she decided.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

It took a bit of rummaging, but eventually Vrak managed to dig out something that at the very least appeared to be close to bandages. He had no idea what kind of people these Gungans were, but from what he could tell their technology was on par with that of those filthy desert people of Tatooine. Stripping off his clothes the Pureblood quickly bound his cracked ribs, tying the length of cloth tightly around himself to force the shattered bones into their proper place.

A hiss escaped his lips as he tied the bandage in place, the odd angle he had to bend at sending a spike of pain through him. "Wretched little girl."

Had she not run he wouldn't have had to do this himself, not that he wanted her around in the first place. Fingers twitches as he settled into place, letting out slow breaths to calm himself. There were other medical supplies scattered in front of him, odd vials and strange tools whose use he could not decipher. Another curse escaped him. The situation was dire, and it was only getting worse. He had shelter for now, but there was no telling how quickly the Naboo would catch up with him.

He glanced towards the odd transport.

It was his way out, but he had no idea how to operate it.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Feet pressed on through the tall grass, having left behind the rock where she had rested. Not wanting to burn daylight any more than necessary Mariya carried on towards Theed. Still no sign of another transport, and nothing to accompany her save for the sounds of chirping birds and scampering animals on occasion. It would have been an adventure, had it not been for her pained leg. Hard to enjoy something when focus is placed elsewhere, especially on pain.

At last she caught a small break, the rain had stopped. And just beyond a set of trees was a clearing, a separation between the swamps. Relief from both the humidity and dampness would be good for her. A chance to wait for help, and dry some of her soaked clothes as the rays of sunlight pierced the parting clouds. With any luck Vrak hadn't found his way to the outpost yet.

She hoped, anyway.

Sitting down the girl laid out her boots and socks to dry. Fingers wrapped around the waistline of her shirt and twisted, ringing out the water still soaked in the fabric. Then, laying down, she looked up to the sky and waited. With a bit more luck, she'd be home soon enough.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

The Pureblood had quickly found out that Gungan technology was all but impossible to understand. He had played around with the controls of the transport for some time, flicking switches and attempting to understand just how to get it all running. He'd managed to activate the damned thing, and actually piloting it seemed like it would be simple enough, but the readouts and everything else were all in a language that he just didn't understand. "Primitives."

He cursed quietly.

Vrak knew that he would have to do something else if he was going to make it back to Theed without anyone knowing, something drastic. The Naboo were undoubtedly still searching for him, if not Mariya, and there was limited time him to linger here. Once the girl was recovered she would tell them what his objective had been, and once that happened they would quickly swarm this place from all sides. In his condition he doubted he could face even one of those pathetic Naboo Jedi.

So he had returned to that odd console. Even though the Gungans had only the barest grasp of technology he figured that an outpost like this had to have some sort of alert beacon, something he could activate. Hopefully the Gungans would get that signal and send someone to investigate.

Once they showed up?

Well a group of primitives would be easier to control than the Naboo's Royal Security forces.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Having closed her eyes, Mariya nodded off for some time. Exactly how long she wasn’t quite sure, given the lack of chrono, though the sun had clearly moved from its position, leading her to believe she had fallen asleep for at least an hour or two. A slight breeze passed by, echoing a slight howl between the branches and leaves of the great trees towering above her.

In the distance, she could hear a familiar roar, that of another shuttle engine coming her way. This time, hopefully, they would see her, given the distance between the trees now. The opening high above her made it hard to miss the small brunette standing in the clearing, waving her arms as she stood up from the ground.

Overhead the vehicle slowed, as if scanning below the tree line. Unlike the previous time, however, the shuttle did indeed stop.

They’d spotted her!

For several moments the vehicle simply hovered in place over the trees, perhaps deciding whether or not it was safe to land, or whether the shuttle would fit between the gap. Ever so slowly however, the vehicle began to lower towards the ground, prompting the girl to back several dozen feet away to give it enough clearance.

As it touched down and the doors opened to reveal one of the Jedi, and a small squad of RSF, Mariya’s heart surged with relief, immediately rushing towards the men and, with their help, climbing aboard to safety.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Vrak hadn't been so lucky.

Hed wanted some of the primitives to appear, to manipulate them and force them to do his bidding. Yet after half a day he knew that he could no longer wait. Every hour was another bit of time that the likelihood of his capture went up, every minute that passed was another minute of time that the girl had on her own to find her way back to the Naboo.

So Vrak had to make a choice.

As unpleasant and foolish as it would be, he grabbed the rest of his supplies and loaded up the odd Gungan transport.

After a few minutes of adapting and overcoming the strange controls, Vrak managed to power the submersible. Bright lights and colors flickering into life as a breath filled his lungs. Dark yellow eyes flicked over the various controls, and slowly he flicked several switches until the hatch above him illuminated with a strange shield followed by a glass. Inwardly he once again cursed that wretched little girl.

This would have been far easier had she not escaped.

Going off the guidance of the force itself Vrak grabbed the controls and gently pulled back, guiding the transport into the shallow waters of the river.

From there he would connect to a larger waterway, and then hopefully return to Theed.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Mariya could tell the Jedi had questions. A lot of questions by the look on his face. Though now all he asked was "Where is the Sith?" Granted it seemed an important question, given Mariya's appearance and apparent lack of mortal injury. As the brunette seated herself she pointed out towards the swamp as the shuttle lifted off from the ground. "He was headed towards the old Gungan outpost last I knew. No idea where he is now." The man nodded and gestured for the pilot to radio it to the rest of RSF that Mariya had been found and that the Sith was still alive and in the swamps. With the girl located, the biggest concern of the RSF had been eliminated. Now it was just up to finding Vrak, if they could.

"We'll get you home and cleaned up. Are you hurt?" The man asked as he leaned forward to speak with Mariya over the sound of the engine. "My leg, from the crash. The Sith did something to me though, I don't know what but it helped some." Of course, that was after he had nearly killed her with that electricity that shot out of his hands. The Knight nodded. "We'll treat you when we're back in Theed. Shouldn't be more than thirty minutes. Just sit back and relax for now."

Having no problems with that thought Mariya leaned her head back against the cool durasteel hull and closed her eyes.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Controlling the transport was next to impossible.

The tug and flow of the water within the river made actually going anywhere nearly impossible. Every time he wanted to go left the current took him right, every time he tried to go slower the current sped up, it was a nightmare for an experienced pilot and for an amateur it was utterly impossible. The Pureblood gripped the controls tightly, his fingers nearly shattering the damned things as he clutched just for something to hold on to. The safety belt cut into his chest as he felt the submersible tossed through the water.

Then, finally, he was thrown into a greater channel of water.

A sudden rush flowed over the entire transport, and Vrak felt himself thrown forward in his seat. A breath was forced from his lungs, safety belts cutting into him. A grunt escaped Vrak's lips followed quickly by half a dozen quiet curses. All of that ceased however once the transport floated into a gentle glide.

The Pureblood relaxed slightly, closing his eyes for just a moment.

His journey was far from over, he knew that, but the force would guide him from here on out.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The shuttle glided through the air for some time. The small bumps along the way were only somewhat felt by the resting brunette as she allowed herself to fall into a few periods of unconsciousness. Exhaustion had thoroughly taken over her, and she was too tired to try and really fight it off. At present, the seat and hull were the most comfortable thing she had felt in a while, and now that she was away from Vrak, she hadn't a need to fear for her life anymore.

Even as the shuttle touched down within Theed Hangar, the girl didn't move. She was content to sleep in the chair, though the Jedi saw fit to simply carry her inside the security building adjacent to the hangar. Her eyes opened only a few times for a brief moment, seeing the man carrying her, and a glimpse here and there at the walls as they walked through the halls until she had finally fallen asleep. She was brought to the medical ward where a comfortable bed was awaiting her along with a medical droid that would see to examining her while the Jedi watched over as a personal guard to the Queen's sibling.

The last thing the girl heard before slipping away was the radio that the outpost was empty...Vrak had gotten away it seemed.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

The journey through the Center of Naboo had been...harrowing to say the least.

With no navigator and limited understand of the transports controls much of Vrak's journey had either been guess work or small guidance via the force. More than once he had found himself in the lair of some kind of giant monster, narrowly avoiding death by the slimmest margins. The entire journey had been nightmare after nightmare, a nonstop racket of heart wrenching events that the Pureblood hadn't been sure he would have been able to survive even without the littlest bit of luck.

Somehow, either by the will of the force or pure skill he had managed to make it however, and in the dark of night the small submersible came up from beneath the oceans in the middle of Naboos biggest harbor.

The craft was a small black dot within the water, the cloudy night sky obscuring even the light of the moon. For a few moments The Pureblood simply sat there, waiting quietly to see if for some reason an alarm bell would immediately sound. When nothing came Vrak slowly reached over towards the hatch controls, flipping the switch and shifting slightly as the shield above him dropped away. He stood slowly, grabbing onto the thin railing as he looked at the domed city ahead of him.

He knew what he needed, a ship.

Going after the Queen and the girl would have been satisfying, but they would be guarded and his wounds were far too great. No, he needed the starport.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Several hours had passed and Mariya had finally awoken from her extended nap. The Jedi that had carried her inside was still at her side, his eyes closed while meditating on the floor. He must have sensed her stirring, as she looked over he too opened his eyes and looked to her, a warm smile dressing his face as he did so. "How was your rest?" He asked her politely. "How are you feeling?" The girl rubbed her eyes, forcing the weariness away with a yawn. "Alright, I think." She moved to feel her leg, noticing that she had been bandaged in several places. The cuts on her face had been cleaned, and her leg had been wrapped. "You got quite a few bumps there, princess." The man smiled once more as he stood and stepped aside her bed. "It pleases me to see you safe. Though I do need to ask you some questions, if you're up for it?"

"Sure." She said, using her hands to push herself up into a more sitting position, tucking the pillow behind her back for support. "Can you tell me exactly what happened? As much as you can remember?"

The Jedi set a small recorder on the bedside table and pressed a button. He needed as much information about how the ship had gone down and what happened to the crew, and most importantly, Vrak.

"Of course." She gave a nod to the Jedi and began to recite the events of the past 36 hours.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

His fingers shook slightly, the wound in his side still sending agony through his body and causing him to be...less than focused. The force flowed through him, but the little rest he had received over the last few days meant that he was practically running on empty. A few hours of meditation would ordinarily be enough to sustain him for days, but the injuries from the crash were weighing heavily on him. It didn't help that the journey through Naboo's center had tired him even more.

Vrak had to leave this world, and fast.

Pulling himself onto the nearby dock the Pureblood slowly gazed around. Unlike most people he couldn't simply walk down the streets of Theed. Even with a hood he had no doubt that his appearance would give him away, and RSF were likely scurrying about everywhere. He would have to move another way. His gaze floated towards the domed roof tops of the city itself a slight grimace crossing his features. "Next time."

The Pureblood began as he stalked towards the nearest building.

"I will simply bomb this city into oblivion." Vrak grumbled as he began to climb the side of the structure. There was no other way, he would have to make his way across the roof-tops and to the nearest star port. From there he could steal a ship and leave this world.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The Jedi Knight's expression grew stern as Mariya finished explaining the events of what had transpired over the last day and a half.

"Either he's going to come for you and the Queen beforehand, or he's going to make an escape with a stolen ship." It was the only logical paths forward. "It depends how grave his injuries are, I presume."

Mariya nodded. She knew he was in pain, but he had the energy to electrocute her, so she wasn't sure just how bad he was hurt, and whether or not he had recuperated at all. "We'll assign a detachment of RSF to both you and the Queen. Three Jedi will be posted with you both at all times. For safety purposes you two will need to be kept apart until this matter is resolved and we have either captured this Sith, or have confirmation that he successfully fled the system."

"I can't see Jamie?" She asked, clearly distraught over what the Jedi had said. "Not until this is over, I'm afraid."

The brunette laid back in the bed with a sigh. "Please catch him."

Placing a hand on her shoulder the man nodded, "We'll do what we can." -- Subsequently after he stepped outside the room to alert all RSF that the Sith should be expected somewhere in Theed, and to secure both the palace and star port, as well as initiate a lock down of the security building for precaution.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

The Pureblood leaped from roof top to roof top, nearly toppling over every time he landed. The pain in his side was growing worse, his thoughts were getting cloudy, the force was beginning to leave him. Vrak could feel himself getting slower, could feel himself slipping away.

He needed to get off this world.

In the distance he could see the starport, the bright lights of the passing and landing ships soaring through the sky. It brought a small, and rather odd, glimmer of hope to the Pureblood. There was a chance that he could still make it, a chance that he would get off this cursed planet. His boots crashed down on the last roof top, a loud thump echoing slightly as Vrak fell to the floor and dragged for just a brief second. A slight yelp escaped his throat, his eyes squeezing shut for just a moment.

A breath left him, Vrak slowly dragging himself off the floor.

His fingers latched onto the edge of the roof, eyes peering down into the courtyard below.

What he saw there sent a spike of rage through him, a dozen RSF standing in a coordinated block of the entrance. Each of them were brandishing blasters, some of them wore armor and others just a simple uniform. It was the last thing he wanted to see at that moment.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

There wasn't much she could do here. Eyes peered about the small room, looking over the various medical scanners, machines, the droid, the window that led out into the corridor beside the entryway door. That was about it. There wasn't much in the way of entertainment, though they had been kind enough to give her a datapad to browse the HoloNet with. Fortunately she could busy herself with reviewing some galactic news, or at least watch something to burn some time.

Hopefully Vrak would be caught. She didn't want to worry about him coming back again sometime in the future.

The RSF in the meantime was alive and buzzing with activity all over the palace and star port. Hundreds of men and women were assigned to patrol routes, and while the palace itself was in lock down along with the security building, the star port was being heavily monitored, arriving and departing vessels were being inspected, and sharp eyes were hovering over the monitors that watched the corridors and landing zones. In orbit above the planet, the sensory probes and stations assigned to the planetary defense were actively searching for unidentified vessels entering the system in the event that the Sith may have found assistance in getting off-world, as he had the previous escape.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]