A Warm Welcome

[Srina Talon]

Location: Coruscant - Lower Levels

Srina had never felt lonely before. Her family home had always been full of warmth, cheerful voices, and unquestioned love. She missed the scent of spiced red tea in the air. She longed to see her sister’s squabble like infants over whom had bested whom in the courtyard. What was left of her tattered heart was all but ruined by the notion that she may never see any of her blood again. That loss, that pain, felt like ash burning in her throat. For the millionth time she reminded herself that her voluntary exile was for the best. Perhaps, if she spoke it enough out loud, the repetition would make it feel true. The steady hum of her E-9 was of little comfort. The forced mechanical politeness of the droids that served as her crew made her feel even worse. The façade of being self-aware that they put on was just a clever trick programming.

Silver eyes flickered silently to the transparisteel viewport when Coruscant grew large and blocked the endless depths of black space. It was an ugly fetid ball of lights, greed, and topped off with a palpable aura of despair. Srina hated Coruscant with a passion. The protocol droid that handled most of her dealings happily ordered about the pilot droid and she heard landing codes being passed. She took a seat and strapped in while they prepared for re-entry. Srina could only hope that the Echani Clans had given up in their search for her. She’d disabled the transponder in her starship not long after leaving Vorsisalo airspace but they’d already managed to find her once. It couldn’t happen again.

In the lowest levels of the ecumenopolis that was Coruscant, in the abyssal urban depths, it was a rare thing indeed to see sunlight. For the inhabitants of the baroque and gleaming cloudcutters and skytowers the sun was taken for granted. Just as were the other comforts of life. She felt stifled and trapped in this planet made of cities. Despite her discomfort Srina moved through the crowd that left the spaceport with like water running downstream. Her white-gold hair remained tucked beneath the hood of a cloak that was far too ornate for where she was heading.

Srina planned to hide hundreds of stories below the wealthy and privileged. Her friends, nay, her pursuers, would never think to look for her in the bowels of this cesspool. They wouldn’t be able to fathom her staying among the hundreds of thousands of humans and other species that lived and died in the dismal trenches. Sometimes, they never saw the fabled blue sky at all.

Anyone that knew Srina, knew very well, that she could not live without the sun. She wasn’t made to live in the dark. But she would. She would adapt to keep her freedom and to spare her family the shame of infighting by her refusal to enter into a marriage contract.

She took one of the lifts down, down beneath the city proper, and made sure to keep her belongings close. The light that filtered through the omnipresent gray inversion layer was wan and pallid. Her eyes snapped upward when she heard an oddly high pitched sound. It took her a moment to realize that hawk-bats had built nests near the power converters to keep their eggs warm. Her shoulders were tense, back straight, and not once did she lower her guard.

Her slight frame and delicate feminine features spoke of a high born lady. Eyes followed her, despite her attempts to remain discrete, and she silently cursed her unfortunate genetics. Echani were considered inhumanly beautiful by most other cultures. Srina did not understand the fascination. They all were all the same. She was in no way different than any of her sisters. Yet—everyone in the colorful crowd of the Zi-Zhinn Marketplace seemed to take note.

To counteract the attention she received Srina ever so subtly accessed the gifts that she’d been blessed with. From there on out she slipped through the crowd of various species—Bothans, Niktos, Twi’leks, and humans—with few noticing her. Those that had would find themselves forgetting her presence almost immediately.

The fair skinned woman was even able to stop and barter for a few items, and a change of clothes, before passing completely through the 17th level. Eventually she made it past the smoke and fog to the Crimson Corridor. It was here, in ghettos like this, where some measure of security and anonymity could be found. She thanked the moon for her abilities that could not be explained. For the moment she was safe likely—but not even the Goddess could protect her forever.

Srina ducked in through a recessed doorway when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. The entrance was locked, but with a gesture of her hand, and in answering invisible ripple of power, the door panel reluctantly slid back. It jammed partway but there was plenty of room for her to squeeze past. The Echani Seeker hurried by what had once been a spice den, by the looks of it; from niches in the wall that showed where various body shapes had lain a long, long time ago. She was close now.

Eventually Srina found her way to the cantina she had rented a room above and made her way inside. Her stomach reminded her that she hadn’t eaten in at least a day. She’d been too nervous about dropping out of orbit. Even here, where there were millions of people, she was terrified of being found. Her ears were assaulted by several holoscreens broadcasting podracing while her eyes adjusted to the sight of live dancers entertaining clientele and serving drinks.

There was a Sakiyan male behind the bar that she approached in order to pick up her keys and order something to eat. “Excuse me.”, she began, otherworldly tones causing the bartender to look up from polishing his glass immediately. He stared as if he was physically incapable of looking anywhere else. “I have a room reserved and paid for. I was told it would be two-twenty-one.”

Black eyes looked through her for a long moment before the man blinked and adjusted the smoke in his mouth. She had never seen someone try to emote so well around one. He reached behind the wooden top and held out the key ring. “You’re not from around here.”

Srina noticed as she accepted the keys that it was a statement—Not a question. There was no point in lying to him about what he already knew. “No. I’m not. I’d also like…Whatever the special is tonight. With extra pepper.”

“Keep your door locked. Awake or asleep.You really aren't from around here...You definitely don’t want the special. I’ll have Mhysi bring you something decent when it’s done. Don’t know when the hell that’ll be though, girl. Just… mind your own.”, the man continued, taking a deep drag of his cigarette, before he turned his attention to a fight that was going on across the room. “Knock it off or I’ll shoot the both of ya in places it won’t grow back. Do you hear me?”

Srina took that as her queue to leave and she disappeared into the crowd. She was so tired that her feet felt like lead. Finding her lodgings was easy enough. It was small. Barely the size of closet on Eshan. There was a bed that barely looked like it would be able to hold her weight and a dresser that had warped enough that it tilted heavily toward the right. The Echani locked her door like the bartender told her before she set her bag down on the trunk at the foot of the bed. There was a refresher that almost looked like it wouldn’t kill her. “It could be worse…”, she whispered softly, suppressing a cringe, when she heard someone hitting the wall in the next room over.

At least—She hoped it was just hitting the wall.

“It could be worse.”

-[member="Cassius Droma"]-[member="Jairus Starvald"]-

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Srina Talon"]
[member="Cassius Droma"]​

​

"Not part of my job description."

"You kill for a living."​

"Neatly, we hear."​

​

"Accept a life in your hands and end it."​

​

"Why would it matter to you what you do with it? Once it's yours?"​

​

"I don't like complications."

"That is not what Teesh told us."​

​

"She paid extra."

"So we will we."​

​

"Fine. Where do I begin?"​

​

* * *​

​

It wasn't the money that interested him.

Jairus had earned fortunes and spend them, conquered empires and broken them, there wasn't anything material that truly held his interest for very long these days. A bauble here, a treasure there, it was all flighty and uninteresting. But the thrill of a challenge, of real pressure and the possibility of failure? There was something exciting there, stakes that Jai had been missing for quite a while, before his new path had started here and everything started to change for him.

His target, an Echani.

Srina Talon.

They didn't give him much detail and the Sith Lord hadn't been interested in the specifics either. Why they wanted her, what she had done, what they would do to her... why would that matter to him? He had done worse in his life and would presumably do more the longer he went. Common morality had never truly interested him.

Far too limiting in its scope and without anything resembling pragmatism.

It was not surprising to him that Talon's trail ran towards Coruscant. It was the planet of planets, Queen of the Galaxy and the Pearl amidst city-worlds in civilized space. If there was one place where a fugitive Echani could disappear entirely and start a new life? It would be here. After all, her people weren't an unknown quantity here. There were sizeable enclaves of them all around the world and if she didn't want to live among them, there were other options available to her.

Crimson Corridor.

This could become a bigger complication.

Already his presence had been noticed by the handful of gangs that ran this place. He had pissed off one of their bosses a few weeks back with a hit he had pulled off in his own house.

Not a good way to make friends.

But she was six steps away from him and Jairus was not one to avoid a place, simply because he wasn't welcome. That would have locked a lot of rooms away from him. He felt her touch in his mind, as they walked, trying to scrub her presence away. The mentalist didn't break her touch on him and instead guided it softly away from the important parts.

Talon wouldn't even notice.

Not while mass-manipulating an entire crowd.

Once she disappeared into the hotel Jairus decided to wait a few beats. Give her time to vacate the lobby and then this show could truly get started.

Something told him that this would turn into a proper mess before the night was out, but that was part of the fun.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Visiting Coruscant was not Cassius Droma’s idea of a vacation. Well, technically, his vacation hadn’t started yet, but as far as the Jedi Order was concerned, he was on his leave time. It was necessary, after being stuck on Eadu for so long. He’d learned a great deal, and had encountered things that he couldn’t have even fathomed more than a year ago. Once they’d finally been able to leave, though, the young Jedi had found himself craving a different environment other than the bulkheads of the Stardust Melody and wet rocks.

He’d heard Naboo was nice, and in friendly Galactic Alliance territory. It was mostly planned out – a nice week at a small villa to himself, with maybe some datachips to read from. Just as he was packing his bags, however, he’d gotten a tip about a possible artifact showing up on the city planet. Apparently, it had survived from the original Jedi Temple.

Cassius couldn’t resist. The timing was too perfect. And, Coruscant wasn’t that far from Naboo. It wasn’t really on the way either, but it could serve as a nice detour. Especially if he managed to save a piece of history. With his bags packed and stuffed into his new A-wing, he’d set off, only having to stop a few times to recalibrate his hyperdrive.

As he pushed through the rough crowds of shouting and whimpering vagabonds, Cassius thought about how glad he was that he’d opted not to wear his Jedi robes for this little excursion. If people perceived you as a Jedi, they suddenly needed something from you. Luckily, a simple jacket over his dark green flight suit hid his lightsaber. It helped blend him in to the darker tones surrounding him.

A Rodian vendor tried to sell him something, but he waved him off, scanning the flashing neon signs above them. Squinting, he finally saw the cantina where he had agreed to meet his contact. Quietly, he made a mental note to choose the meeting place next time, or at the very least, refuse to meet in such places as a cantina. Much less in the Crimson Corridor. Cassius should have said no the moment he heard the name. There was so much… decay, here. Crime and evil lurked around every corner, it seemed. He could feel it, much more now that his senses were attuned.

Vivid memories of Nar Shaddaa came back to him, where a situation all too similar to this one had unfolded rather poorly. He’d had backup then, but it was just him now. If this was some sort of trap, he’d have to deal with it on his own.

No one batted an eye as what looked like an average-looking spacer stepped into the cantina. A few sideways glances, but nothing more than just acknowledging his existence. Sidling up to the bar on the end, he picked a spot where he had the best view while being partially obscured in shadow. He’d gotten there about half an hour early, and was supposed to meet a Rutian Twi’lek. So, he kept his eyes peeled.

His eyes squinted as he saw a woman, hard to miss with such pale features under a hood too clean to be from around here, go up to the bar. She conversed with the barkeep for a moment before retrieving a key and heading towards the back. Perhaps this place operated as an inn as well. Regardless, whoever that woman was, she was definitely hiding from someone. Whether it was the authorities, or a jilted lover, they had to have scared her pretty bad for her to resort to hiding in a place like this.

He tried not to think too much about it, but for some reason, he felt a pull, like the Force was trying to tell him something. Putting down his glass, he closed his eyes. Don’t get involved, he told himself. Whoever she is, don’t get involved.

With a huff, he pushed away from the bar.

[member="Srina Talon"] | [member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Srina Talon]

The small woman stood in the dim light that the small window provided. It was dingy, just like the rest of the lower levels, forgotten, and caked with dirt. Her long black and azure blue cloak lay on what appeared to be a pauper’s bed. The silver threading caught her eye and the pattern caused her chest to feel tight. Her mother had added the little floral arrangements at the hem when she’d been made a Seeker. She thought it added some cheer to her otherwise uninteresting and drab official uniform. She tore her eyes away and instead focused on what she needed to do. If she was to even make an attempt at hiding among the poor unfortunate souls of Coruscant she had to do something about her attire.

Srina slowly unbound the ties that held her white-gold locks in the intricate braids and plaits that the Echani favored. Gentle fingers Instead, she left it long and loose. It was different for her. Her head felt wrong, lighter, somehow. Briefly she debated on shearing her hair down to the root but there was something that always kept her from doing so. Sentimentality was a weakness she could ill afford.

But still, it was there.

She peeled off her fine clothing as quickly as possible before folding it neatly in the bottom of her traveling sack. Beneath the light armor. Beneath the extra collapsible weapons and ration bars. Sentimentality again. She couldn’t bring herself to sell the clothing; but she didn’t want to see it either. She opened the twine bound package that she’d purchased in the marketplace and dressed silently in the less ostentatious civilian street clothes. Black. So much black. A pair of dark protective leathers ran into equally dark boots. Her torso was bound with a violet patterned corset with ebony piping. She had a plain leather jacket that very, very thin twin vibroblades that ran sheathed along her spine.

Srina also had a thigh holster with a disruptor pistol in it but she left it at the foot of the bed. The milk-skinned Seeker wanted to try and rest up as much as she could before the bartender sent up her dinner. She could sleep on her side with the swords—but not very comfortably with the holster on. She listened to the noises that surrounded her rented room for quite some time before laying down. She couldn’t get rid of the feeling that something wasn’t right. She’d felt it in the marketplace. She felt it now…But she was so, so tired.

The silver eyed beauty was nearly asleep before her head hit the moth bitten pillow.

She lucid dreamed things she didn’t understand. Of a man she didn’t know—of a man she had never seen before. Srina couldn’t see his face in the gloom but she could feel him as if he were standing right beside her. Darker eyelashes fluttered rapidly against pale cheeks when she awoke with a start. She hadn’t been under for more than few moments but her heart was pounding in her chest. She knew that feeling. Fear. Appropriate. It was the one emotion that she welcomed. It didn’t cripple her, it didn’t overwhelm her, it warned her. It kept her on her toes and had more than once kept her alive.

Srina knew that she needed to leave. She didn’t know, how, or why, but she knew that this shadowed grimy room was far from safe. She packed her minimal belongings and tossed a black scarf over her hair before reaching to unlock the door. There was a knock. Could it be the waitress? “Just a minute!”

The fear in her grew and her already pale features seemed to whiten further. Instinct turned her lithe body toward the window and she opened it with a little difficulty. She looked out and swallowed hard. It was a decent drop. “I’ll be right there!”, she called back with an even keel. She was pleasantly surprised that her voice didn’t waver. Her instructors would have been proud.

She jumped from the ledge and braced for impact. She hissed under her breath as her legs absorbed the impact from the fall. It hurt, but nothing felt broken or out of place. There was a stinging sensation in her hand and she glanced at it briefly before trying to decide which way to go. She was bleeding. It was a pale red in color. Almost pink, in the dim light.

Either way it didn’t matter. It wasn’t bad enough to cause concern. Something was screaming at her to leave—and her instincts were usually spot on. She turned abruptly and accidentally bumped into a man who fell backward into a merchant’s cart. Wares fell out, crashing, breaking, making a horrible noise. The two men started yelling and the Echani woman backed away before they turned their eyes to her. She had to get out of here. She had to get back to her ship and off this world.

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Srina Talon"]​

[member="Cassius Droma"]​

​

Mentalism wasn't as easy as it used to be.

Used to be it was simple to warp the minds of an entire crowd, no, more than that. Power had been part of him since the day he came to be and now... now Jairus felt like a part of him was simply gone. But making one weak-willed fool do something as simple as walking into the building and knocking on a door? That was still something he could do without attracting the attention of the Lady-in-Silver. He wanted to do more- wanted to warp the minds of everyone in that building as he had in his days as the Voice of the Dark Lord.

But the world cared little for your wants.

"Hmm, there we go." Jai mumbled from one of the alleyways as Talon tumbled out of her room, over the ledge and onto the ground. The shade of pale crimson reflected light and Jai shook his head. This wasn't the professional killer he was hunting.

Just a girl.

They had led him on about that, but a job was a job and right now it meant bagging the lady. The Sith Lord started moving, through the crowd, his passage like a shiv cutting through silk textile. There was conflict in the air. People were getting angry, the shouts in the air and it would only take a single snap for the entire crowd to turn violent. It would make this thing easier, but also so much harder in the long run.

If the Crimson Corridor disliked his presence now?

They'd probably start making moves in the other sectors, if this turned violent and that could be traced back to him.

 

[Cassius Droma]

The budding archaeologist had come all the way to Coruscant for what had amounted to a small wooden figurine that apparently had been the childhood possession of some great Jedi. After giving the Rutian Twi’lek a rather stern look at the site of it, he listened to the slimy peddler rant on for probably five whole minutes about the history of the thing. Cassius wasn’t having any of it, and made sure to tell the Twi’lek that he had the ability to read an object’s history. At that, the price was considerably lowered. Shaking his head, Cassius tossed him a small credit ingot and palmed the figurine.

It had belonged to someone Force-sensitive, he could tell that. As to how old it was and who actually owned it… he couldn’t say at the moment. His psychometric abilities couldn’t be used in a bar like this – he needed to be in a safe place, usually meditating, depending on the age of the object. Heaving a sigh, Cassius placed the figurine into the pocket of his pants and left the cantina.

The young traveler had trouble discerning which stench was worse: the street or the cantina. The dark corners of the Crimson Corridor still emanated with the pain and sorrow of those around him. Cassius knew that he would be happy to get back up to the fresher air, and to his A-wing so he could start his real vacation on Naboo. Neon lights and shadows danced across his face as he looked towards the public turbolift which would take him up to the higher levels.

Behind him, he heard a thud, as well as a vocal hiss. Turning around, he saw a woman, dressed in mostly black, getting up from what he assumed was a fall outside of a window. She bumped into a person, causing some damage to a vendor’s cart before heading in Cassius’s direction. He squinted as she got closer. Was she the woman from the cantina? She looked different now…

“Hey, miss,” Cassius said, trying to fall in step with her. “You alright?” He looked down to her hand – was that blood? It almost looked… too light to be blood, like it had been mixed in with some sort of milky substance.

[member="Srina Talon"]
[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Srina Talon]

Srina was exhausted. The micro-nap she’d taken plagued with visions of a figure she didn’t recognize had not helped her. If anything, she felt worse than before. As she backed away from the vendor that started screaming at the man she’d accidentally bumped into she felt the strong urge to give up. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and let the chaos that had become her life sweep her away.

It was a moment of weakness, of being overwhelmed, and she squeezed her injured hand. The small amount of pain was like a shock to her system that woke her up. She couldn’t give up. The cost was too high. Her aversion for wedding a man she couldn’t stand wasn’t just personal preference. Yes, he was cruel. Yes, he was a warlord. More than that…She knew why he wanted her hand. Everyone on Eshan knew how close she was to her father. He would do anything for her.

The man that wanted her hand would do anything to get a foothold in the Vail family reserves. He would use her to take everything her family had—to add it to his miniature empire. He was a noble of nothing that thought himself a little conqueror king.

All he had to do was force her to agree. Srina would not.

Which meant that she couldn’t give up.

She turned away from the pandemonium that such a little misstep had caused and pulled her scarf securely over her white-gold hair. There was still a creeping feeling running up her spine that told her she wasn’t safe. Whether it was just the lower levels or there really was some presence that wished to do her harm she had no way of knowing. All she knew for sure was that her instincts were telling her to be somewhere else. Now. So often this happened. So often she listened. Now couldn’t be any different.

A man fell into step beside her and at first she did her best to ignore him. His face was youthful, his haircut tidy, and he wasn’t covered in the same grime that the typical cellar-dwellers were prone to. Overall, he didn’t belong here anymore than she did.

Eventually, when he didn’t take a hint, she stopped and turned to look at him fully. Silver eyes were tumultuous and full of emotion that could take a millennia to discern. The lights and yelling in the background made the whole street feel like a powder keg. Such an obviously well intentioned person felt absolutely surreal to her. Why was he so calm? Why would he stop her? Why would he care?

Delicate lips parted to speak but her gaze was drawn to a person behind the handsome young human. Words died in her throat. In the dim streets filled with ashen light and smoke she couldn’t quite make out the features of the man she was currently fixated on. Whatever he was, or wasn’t, she couldn’t understand how she was only just now seeing him. Feeling him. Her nervous system felt like it was on fire and the eyes that she couldn’t see filled her veins with ice. She saw him move through the crowd and something about the smoothness of it made her feel sick.

Her eyes flickered back to the bystander that thought to help her. Her smile was worn and distant as her otherworldly voice finally emerged. It was the sweetest dual-sound, mixed with an unmistakable fact that she was giving him a stone cold order. It was for his own good. Srina didn't want anyone caught in the crossfire. “You can’t help me. Run. In the other direction."

"Now. Right now.”

She started to move ahead and bit her lower lip. She wasn’t sure how far she could flee before fighting would be the only choice she had. This area was too populated. It couldn’t happen here.

The vendor and the man that she’d bumped into got physical and others started getting involved. One thing led to another before her eyes it became an all-out brawl that spread like wildfire.

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Srina Talon"] | [member="Cassius Droma"]

The situation was getting complicated fast and only a small part of him disliked it.

The larger part felt the thrill racing up his spine as the crowd turned violent and that was when it happened. Talon looked past Droma and her eyes suddenly fixated themselves, becoming clear where a moment ago they had been hunting and fleeing, they locked eyes for the briefest of seconds. A moment that could be forgotten: silver meeting gold and then the smirk pulling at the corner of Jairus' lips. It was the expression of a predator caught right in the act, but instead of moving back... it spurred him on even more.

He didn't rush it.

Didn't try to turn this into a protracted rushing chase.

Instead Jai moved through the crowd, every once in a while his hand brushed and words whispered. Every time a word caressed the eye of a passing man or woman, their eyes turned blank and they found themselves suddenly... disinterested in the fight. Instead they moved with Jairus, lock in step like automatons, ignoring everything else and eyes focused on their target.

Talon.

"You should run now." His mind brushed against Srina's and it would be alien. The experience of an ancient tide flowing back and forth, a vast deepness just under the black surface that whispered of secrets and endless hunger.

 

[Cassius Droma]

When the woman finally turned to him, he could finally see the fear in her eyes, etched across her face. He could feel it radiating from her before; it was why he reached out. Now, it was full-force. Cassius couldn’t tell what she was afraid of, just that she was. There was a determination to it that had an edge, but Cassius could sense that instinctive need to get away.

First the lightly colored blood, then the dual-toned voice… that, combined with her appearance, made Cassius realize that she wasn’t human. Some sort of off-shoot, probably, but not a generic human like him. His eyes squinted at her words, with a mix of confusion and concern. Compassion was a Jedi trait, but he’d been fostering it for a long time before he discovered his Force sensitivity. He couldn’t just turn it off because someone told him to.

“Hey, wait…” Cassius said, keeping up with her due to his longer stride. Still, it was difficult, as the smaller woman was more agile and lithe than he was, and was able to slip through the crowd easier. At her side, he continued. “Look, I’m a Jedi. I can help you. You just have to tell me what’s going on…”

His voice trailed off as he felt something else. Not the fear from the woman next to him, but something… darker. Glancing behind him, he saw something rather odd. The brawl that had started behind them had a couple of participants that broke off, and were coming in their direction. Cassius could have sworn they were all looking directly at the woman, but they weren’t really looking, per se. Their faces were dead, expressionless. At the center of this advancing crowd walked a man who didn’t look as dead as the others. From him, Cassius could feel the dark side of the Force, tendrils of which were spreading out like water in an irrigation duct, touching those around him.

Perhaps this was a little more complicated than Cassius had originally thought.

Up ahead, he could see a vent pumping out steam from the ground. It was certainly big enough for the idea that had just hatched in his head. As the two walked over it, the metal clanging under their feet, Cassius summoned more steam towards the surface. Then, when they passed over it, Cassius heaved with the Force, and the vent was blown completely off, steam pouring out into the street around them. With the accompanying darkness and confusion, it would be a decent enough smoke screen.

“Go go go,” Cassius muttered to her, trying to guide her towards one of the alleyways.

[member="Srina Talon"] | [member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Srina Talon]

Srina felt as if she’d been struck by a freezing cold wave of liquid night. The metaphorical walls of her inner tower were high, and wide, but not impenetrable. The sheer presence that the shadowy creature possessed was unbearable. Unfathomable. It broke her down and cut through her defenses as if she were little more than a child. He felt like primordial dark made real. He was the reason people of all cultures feared the shadows and what lay beneath the visible spectrum. Although she had momentarily turned her attention to the human—silver eyes saw through him as if he were made of glass. Darkness flickered at the edges of her vision. How could anyone stand it? How could this human stand so sure and true? Why was she the only one who felt like her knees would buckle beneath the weight of his ill-intentioned stare?

Gold eyes clashed with silver and the Echani forcibly tore her gaze away.

One moment of looking at the concerned expression the human wore told her that he didn’t feel what she did. His eyes were a jade-green, determined, even as she kept moving backward at a brisk pace. People passed between them and she used them to put distance between herself and the storm brewing outside of the cantina. She couldn’t waste time but she also didn’t want this man following her. He was a soft light against a malevolent backdrop of unrivaled power that left her shaking inside. “Leave me alone. This isn’t your fight.” You’ll die.

Still, the human chased her. So stubborn. Her almond shaped eyes hardened to iron when he claimed to be a Jedi. Srina had heard stories of a band of peacekeeping people in dusky robes wielding laser swords to defend the weak and impoverished. It had always seemed like a fairytale. The pale skinned woman recoiled at the revelation, her voice demandingly breathless, but resilient. “Is he what you are?”

It was then that he seemed to notice what was behind him. Her eyes followed his and she felt her shoulders tense when she realized that more than just her pursuer was paying attention to her. Nameless, faceless people of varying races seemed to be joining the golden eyed man, all of them heading toward herself and the human.

​

[SIZE=9pt]"You should run now[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]."[/SIZE]​

Srina gasped in surprise, almost as if the invisible words had harmed her. The seemingly deceptive frail shell of her mind wavered and cracked against the waves of power that echoed behind it. Her experienced mind recognized this man for what he was. He, loosely termed, was a walking disaster. A force of nature. A hurricane. A storm—And no matter how slowly he moved…

She would never get away.

The Echani woman flinched when hot steam from a vent suddenly filled the space behind them. For a moment, it provided a pretend curtain to hide behind, and she could breathe again. Something about the man that hunted her left her feeling paralyzed. She moved when the dark haired human bid her and darted into a nearby alleyway. “You need to leave as soon as you get the chance. He won’t follow you…”, she reiterated to him as she looked up. They were currently in the lower levels. Perhaps if they went up they might be able to outmaneuver the sleepwalkers that the darkness had created. “At least I don’t think he will.”

The pair climbed up the rickety building by vaulting from wretched window frame to any sort of leverage they could find. Anything that brought them closer to the surface. Srina had a little trouble at first but by copying what the human used for hand and footholds they made due. They could only get so far until they needed to find a way through the level. A maintenance shaft near one of the pillars that stabilized the surface world did the trick. Eventually, they were topside, and surrounded by a whole new set of problems. The tunnel had exited on the edge of a skytower with very little else surrounding it.

They’d also lost sight of the darkness. At least, visual sight. Srina could still feel him. The ice in her veins told her that he was never far away. Every time she looked over her shoulder she expected to see him standing there. Right there—Within arms length. A strong wind stole the scarf she wore and whisked it away into the chaotic traffic of airspeeders and spinners. The vehicles blazed by without a care and Srina could feel her pulse race. She could really only see one way of getting across.

Or rather, one way, of getting away from what hunted her. She didn’t have a plan or a place to flee to. Absolutely nowhere felt self. All she could do was run. “We can try and use the traffic…”, she called to the human over the roar of machines speeding down the skylanes. “Jump. From speeder to speeder. I’ve never tried to do something like this…”

But she really didn’t see any other way. Going back simply wasn’t an option.

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Srina Talon"] | [member="Cassius Droma"]

There were right moves and then there were wrong moves.

Droma thought quickly and in the face of an inexperienced Sith it might have borne fruit, but Jairus had broken Empires and forged new ones for decades now. His main advantage against both Talon and Droma was one of simple experience. When the scalding steam rose up high Jai did not attempt to steal through it or even send his thralls (they would hunt until they died), instead his hand moved up, palm forward. Then the Sith Lord pushed and with that push the steam would clash against his prey's back. Not enough to completely stop them, Jai mused as he followed, but enough to make them hurt and bleed. There was simple excitement and joy at pitting himself against the worthy.

Were these two worthy?

The jury was still out on it, but as the Sith followed he knew that they were better than the common thug. The steady climb ended as it often did- them staring out against the traffic and trying to figure a way out, whereas Jai pushed forward and cornered both of them.

"Your assistance to the girl is ill-advised, Jedi." The first time that Jairus actually spoke and his voice rumbled. Low, hard, it sang without singing and brought additional meaning. He had been the Voice of the Dark Lord once upon a time. If there was one weapon that Jai consistently used throughout his many years... it was his voice. Greater men and women than these two had been brought to their knees simply by its tune issuing an ultimatum. "This one is a killer, blood is on her hands... she has no need of your assistance, do you now?" The truth did not matter in that moment. All that mattered was his voice, it rang true, it rang convicted, it rang with the chiming of sincerity. "Leave and you may go in peace."

Not the words of a Sith... whatsoever.

 

[Cassius Droma]

“No,” Cassius shook his head at her question. “No, he’s not. He’s… something else.” The young Jedi had faced Sith before, but it was from the safety of his cockpit while flying over Mirial. Now, though, he had his boots on the ground, and the Sith… or rather, the dark side user chasing them, was right on their heels. A lot had changed since Mirial, though.

He wouldn’t be afraid to fight.

Cassius hissed as the steam was pushed against his back, stumbling forward a bit at the unexpected pain. Luckily, his jacket and jump suit had protected him from any type of burns on his torso, but his neck now stung. He didn’t even want to touch the area to check if it was truly burned - he merely kept on, guiding the young woman towards an alleyway.

“Oh, I’m in this now, lady,” Cassius said, when she told him to flee at the first chance he got. “You can’t get rid of me that easy.”

They managed to make their way up towards the surface, the young man surprised that the woman could keep up so well. He was using the Force to guide and enhance his actions, and it seemed that she was tapping into that same power as well. Cassius didn’t dwell on it long, but it confused him nonetheless. If she wasn’t aware of Jedi or Sith prior to this… how could she use the Force? Maybe it was latent abilities, things she didn’t even know she had.

As sunlight hit them, and something akin to fresh air wafted into their nostrils, Cassius realized just how screwed they were. The speeders whipped by at high speeds, causing the garments they wore to ruffle in the wind. His hair was swept to the side, and he squinted to protect his eyes.

The presence of voice of their pursuer caused him to turn around. Cassius furrowed his brow, giving the man a hard stare. His gaze bounced to the white-haired lady momentarily when the man accused her of being a killer. She certainly didn’t seem that way - Cassius could feel the fear coming from her. If she was so skilled, why be so scared?

At first, Cassius considered the option of taking out his lightsaber and preparing to fight. However, as this would make him a giant moron, he discreetly reached out with the Force, extending his senses to the speeders around them. One that interested him was on approach - it had no lifeforms in it. A droid taxi driver, no doubt.

It would do nicely.

“Fine, I’ll leave,” Cassius said, putting his hands up in faux surrender. “But I’m taking her with me,” he then lashed out, pushing at the man with what Force energy he could muster. Cassius was sure that with the man’s immense strength in the Force, it would do nothing but possibly distract him momentarily, but that was all Cassius needed. With his other hand, he reached out and pushed the woman off of the roof, stepping backwards and falling after her.

Twisting in the air, he focused his attention on the droid cab that was coming towards them, and still below. Reaching out, he slowed the cab to the point where it would be safe for them to land on. Then, he grabbed the woman’s arm and slowed themselves down.

Landing rather awkwardly in the seat next to the droid, Cassius tried to right himself as the droid’s head swiveled towards them. “Sorry, buddy,” Cassius muttered as he kicked the droid with enough force to send it careening over the side, falling towards the surface below.

Breathing heavily, Cassius took the speeder’s controls. While it was merely telekinesis, all those Force techniques at once severely drained him.

[member="Srina Talon"] | [member="Jairus Starvald"]

((OOC: I apologize for the delay. Lazy Sunday + headache on Monday = not very productive.))

 

[Srina Talon]

The sandy brown haired human denied that he and the monster chasing them were the same thing. Srina was skeptical, but the differences in ability gave the claim validity, despite her reservations. The Echani warrior felt her body tense when the steam behind them billowed forward and she immediately touched the slim device on her wrist to activate a personal energy shield. Her inhumanly quick reflexes were the only reason she was spared. Srina was gladdened that she’d upgraded the device while on Arkania. The man beside her did not seem to be so lucky.

Even still, they began to make their way out of the lower levels, and the human once again refused her genuine appeals to convince him to leave. “My name is Srina.”, she informed him breathlessly, not wanting to be referred to as ‘lady’, any longer than necessary. If he refused to leave her to her fate he at least deserved to know the name of the person he was risking life and limb for.

The slender woman could feel, the same way she could feel the darkness behind them, how her new acquaintance was climbing up the side of buildings. She copied his efforts with less than subtle fear hastening the learning process. She had always been a quick study and the invisible forces that she had been observing spoke to her more easily than any scroll or data-pad ever had.

The sudden burst of brightness when they opened the maintenance hatch felt blinding. Normally, when the lights came on, and the shadows were banished—the nightmare went away. That simply wasn’t the case for the hunter that was closing in. Srina felt her heart leap into her throat when a deep voice thrummed in her bones, the same voice that had echoed in her head, and gray eyes once again found the shadowy visage of that which terrified her. He called her a killer. He spoke of the blood on her hands and she did not deny it. She was a Seeker that had fought in many, many battles. War resulted in nothing if not death.

None of her opponents had ever felt like this. None of them left her so outclassed that her only option was to run. If it were a clash of melee combat and martial arts Srina would have felt confident. She would have fought her pursuer with every intention of winning. But, it wasn’t. He’d taken over the minds and actions of a half dozen citizens without batting an eye. What was to stop him from doing the same thing to her?

The dark creature gave the Jedi beside her an ultimatum. Srina had just been about to urge him to take the mercy that she assumed wouldn’t be offered twice when the human finally agreed to leave. She exhaled slowly as her body tense. Only, that wasn’t the end of it, and silvery eyes shot to the human when he proclaimed that he wouldn’t be leaving alone. “No—“, she gasped out, but it was too late, and something powerful she could only feel sped toward her would be captor.

The Jedi pushed her over the edge and her panicked warning turned into a shrill yelp of surprise. For someone so entirely perceptive she definitely hadn’t see that coming. Her heart pounded in her chest, adrenaline rushing in her veins, and she braced for impact when something grabbed her arm. The dangerous free fall slowed and she dared to breathe again. They landed in a taxi and she watched as the driver-droid was sent careening over the side. The wind seemed to have been taken from her unexpected saviors sails as he slid into the driver’s seat and began to navigate the skylane.

Srina didn’t notice that she was clutching the vehicle so hard that her knuckles were white. She licked her lips as she tried to find words. The white-haired woman turned to look behind them...Her pursuer would not give up. This was just a momentary reprieve. “I…I both like and dislike you very much right now.”

“Thank you.”, she added on, remembering niceties, as she slowly reached for the restraints. It would be best to strap in. She couldn’t shake the chill from her veins. Just like before, Srina couldn’t see the darkness anymore, but she could feel it, like pressure, a weight against her mind. “Are you all right?”

Over and over she looked back. Every time she thought it was safe…She was wrong. There was a rolling feeling in the pit of her stomach. Fear combined with physical activity and a lack of sleep made her feel weak and fatigued. “You do realize that he won’t give up…Don’t you?”

“You’ve been kind to help me…But as long as you remain in my proximity you are in real and immediate danger. If you were smart you’d drop me off at the nearest spaceport and never look back. That man…”, she trailed off, eyes closing for a brief moment before they reopened, mostly out of a need to remain vigilant. “…I can feel him. Like…Like a second skin.”

“It is not a matter of if he will catch us. It is a matter of when—and when he does, if you stand in his way, he will kill you. Depending on who sent him…He’ll kill me too.”

It was senseless for both of them to die. Or, for this man to die, just so some hired beast could drag her home. The human couldn't possibly know what he was getting into[SIZE=11pt]—[/SIZE]Jedi or not.

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Srina Talon"] | [member="Cassius Droma"]

For a brief moment it would look like they had truly made their escape.

As Talon looked over her shoulder, stretching her neck to see, the Sith Lord would be there. Slowly growing smaller and smaller as the speeder took them farther away from the scene of confrontation. But nothing was as easy when it came to the Sith and especially not when it came to someone as Jairus Starvald. Because just as she was about to look away... Talon would see something else, the men and women the Sith had somehow compelled joining him into his silent, frozen vigil.

Then...

One of them walked off the platform and fell to her death, disappearing between the speeders, until her form was invisible.

One more dead, one more counting against Talon's conscience.

That's when it would happen. A sudden weight crashing into the front of the speeder, obscuring their view, but she would know... she had felt his approach after all. Amber eyes dominating as his voice whispered in both their eyes. "They will keep falling, death after death after death. Innocent lives all in return for one murderer you are saving, Jedi." A smile, bloody red, it smirked. "Bring her back and leave and the deaths will stop, I have never before broken my word."

And Jairus had never done that.

Never.

Break it often enough and no one would ever trust you. The path of least resistance firmly locked forever, but keep your word? Extend it only when it was prudent to you? There was only sense and pragmatism in that particular path.

 

[Cassius Droma]

As he took control of the speeder and shot them forward, Srina again expressed her annoyance with him, but also showed some gratitude. Finally, he was getting somewhere. “Yeah, I’m good,” he said breathlessly, when she asked about his current state. He didn’t want to stop, not even for a second. Cassius had never been this close to someone so powerful in the dark side before… but he wasn’t about to let his passenger in on that little detail.

She explained to him the relentless nature of their pursuer. “Here’s the thing about that,” Cassius said, weaving through traffic, much to the chagrin of the other drivers. Speeder horns blared at them as they whizzed by. “He won’t give up, and neither will I.” Cassius punched the throttle even harder, starting to tap into the Force abilities he’d honed over the years from his piloting.

Something told Cassius to look over his shoulder, and as he did so, he could see a body falling off of the building and to their doom below. It must have been the mindless minions the dark sider had picked up on the street. He was… deliberately killing them…

His head snapped back forward when he felt something hit the speeder. Looking up, he saw… something that was hard to describe. Either way, it tingled the nerves in his neck, that primal instinct that told him he needed to fight or flight. He tried to fight the fear as best he could, but he found that having drained himself of so much Force energy in their most recent escape attempt, it was becoming more difficult. Cassius decelerated the speeder and pulled off to the side, his hands gripping the controls.

The voice spoke directly to him – to his mind. It bade him to once again leave the woman behind, and all of this would end for him. For the briefest of moments, Cassius weighed the options in his mind. He should have been halfway to Naboo by now. Instead, he was here, getting into trouble, which seemed to be the norm for him, unfortunately.

Then again, this man was trying to twist the narrative. He called Srina a murderer, and yet he was the only one Cassius sensed malicious intent from. This golden-haired woman needed his help, and whenever there was someone in the galaxy that Cassius could help, he would give it.

No matter what.

“What about her?” Cassius queried the dark presence. “Will she die?”

[member="Srina Talon"] | [member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Srina Talon]

Apparently, the exchange of names was not common practice. She had given her own. Was it not customary to respond in kind? Unsure if her understanding of human etiquettes was up to date she let the topic die. As they had just recently left off a skytower with a dark mass of swirling black behind them…They definitely had bigger problems than pleasantries.

The sandy-haired man was quite possibly the most stubborn human she’d ever met. An elegant eyebrow raised, just slightly, when he mentioned that neither he nor her pursuer would ever give up. Was he positive that he was not the same as the golden-eyed being that relentlessly stalked her? “You have a death wish.”, she responded dryly, though not unkind. The small woman seemed to have a heart. It was simply rusty from disuse.

The human looked over his shoulder and her silver eyes followed. That same heart, rusty, and barely functioning, felt like it was breaking. She said nothing but only because anything she said, anything either of them said, would make what happened all the more real. Her newfound escort pulled off of the skyline and parked the taxi. She knew what he was thinking even before something landed on the front of their speeder. Srina knew it because she was thinking it too.

She physically recoiled from the shadowed creature that crashed into the hood of the air-taxi when he spoke next. Her mind felt like it was boiling and a freezing sensation ran down her spine. Srina was frustrated. This thing held a power that she could not defend against. Could not fight against.

​

“Bring her back and the deaths will stop.”​

The phrasing was off. Why would the creature need the Jedi to bring her back? Why, when he was right there. Not three feet from her. He kept calling her a murderer over and over again…To what end? He skewed the truth to fit his own narrative. Perceptive silver eyes narrowed. Was he even really there? On the speeder? Were those people really jumping to their deaths?

Was this monster truly capable of creating such an illusion?

Echani children feared Thyrsian warriors coming in the night to gut them. They feared the Seekers when they misbehaved and disobeyed their parents. What would they think of this man? What stories would they weave about a creature who could turn the mind and send the victims careening to their deaths without so much as a blink. He did all of this…Just to prove a point. Just to win.

The human asked what would become of her and she sighed gently. It didn’t matter. If blood was being spilled for her in the now, in the present, what may be, was of little consequence. Silver eyes fixated on the human for a moment. Her decision had already been made. “He doesn’t know.”

“He is only the courier, like so many before him, picking up a package. If I am returned to my homeworld…”

Srina did not finish her words. She didn’t know exactly what would happen when…But she had a good idea. First, she would be wed into the house of Eägon. Then her family members would disappear one at a time. Until there was no one left to claim the Vail lands and holdings save for herself and her new husband. Perhaps she wouldn’t even make it that long. There were others still that wanted her dead in an immediate sense—Especially on Eshan. Her family would then blame Eägon. It would be a war either way. She could see no silver lining, no way out for her, or her family, aside from staying away. Eventually, the losses would be too great and her suitor would give up.

Hopefully. Eventually.

Srina turned her mercurial gaze away from the seemingly compassionate human and focused on the blackness before her. For the first time, her fear was overridden by something new. Anger. “Do what is necessary…You’ve already helped me enough. Don’t feel obligated to risk yourself further.”

“And you…”, she began speaking to her pursuer, dual tones pleasing, despite the threat that lay within. “You will live to regret this. I can tell you this truly…House Eägon is not paying you enough.”

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Srina Talon"] | [member="Cassius Droma"]

Amusement curled up at the corner of lips.

It wouldn't be the first time that someone threatened him and it would not be the last. But rarely did someone as... well, she wasn't innocent or weak or useless, there was hidden strength there that just waited to be tapped upon. If only Srina would reach out and refuse to be the plaything she was right now. To keep running over and over again, because staying to fight made her blood turn to ice.

"House Eägon? No... it is House Talon that is paying me, darling." That last word was stretched out, syllable to syllable, not just in the space of air between them, but instead it would brush against her core.

Trimmer there, shudder as every letter cascaded against her mind and promised.

Once Jairus had been the Voice of the Dark Lord. Carach. They had called him, Lord of Hunger, one of his words enough to cast down empires and a sentence enough to change the tide of a grand portion of the known Galaxy.

These days his appetite ran differently.

Smaller, yet, much grander now that his life was added to by another fierce spirit. [member="Irajah Ven"] had done much for him... she kept at it, simply by breathing, whispering, by laughing and astonishing him over and over again. Surprising how one such as him could still experience surprise and astonishment. That had been the last thing expected from her.

"She ran from her duty, leaving her family to pay her debts for her. She will live, Jedi." A hand gestured towards those that fell in the distance. It was the gesture that suddenly stopped their movements. Making them wait. "So will they, if you choose your duty over childish sentiment."

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius looked away for the briefest of moments. Not for the first time that day, the urge to give up, to give in, was overpowering. This could all stop, right now, if he just let the dark sider have his way. Cassius could park the speeder, head back to the spaceport, get in his A-wing, and be well on his way to Naboo to enjoy his vacation. Would he be able to put this all behind him, though? Would he be able to sleep at the little cottage he’d rented out, knowing that he’d handed over this young woman to such a monster?

He looked back at the building they’d leapt from. The bodies that were being thrown to their dooms had stopped momentarily on the ledge, as if awaiting his answer. Could he really let those people die? Then again, Cassius had told himself he wouldn’t let harm come to the young woman with him now.

Maybe that was precisely what he needed to do.

“Alright, fine,” Cassius said, sounding as if he were defeated. “You win. I’ll give her back over to you. But, there’s something I need you to do for me. You have to take me, too. I’m sure House Talon would pay extra for Srina’s lover.” From what little information he had, he pieced together a narrative of the woman being a runaway, from some sort of nobility. Cassius could only assume that they would love the chance to execute some peasant who had possibly deflowered their prize.

Cassius knew that the man before him was no fool, however. He was bound to catch on to what Cassius was trying to do, but then again, if he was truly just a hired mercenary, the only thing that should matter to him would be the extra credits. Whoever had hired this man were apparently too incompetent to come after Srina themselves, so they would probably be easier to escape from than this mind-bender they had encountered.

“So, do you want to take the love-birds in, or do you want to keep wasting time?” he asked, surprisingly bold in the face of danger. Then, again, he was a pilot. Being bold was a job requirement.

[member="Srina Talon"] | [member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Srina Talon]

“You lie.”, Srina spat out to the golden-eyed hunter as her stomach rolled. The word ‘darling’ very nearly made her physically recoil, the quality of it, the way he drew it out ever so casually. As if he had some sort of right to refer to her by an endearment. It was all she could do not to lash out. Her tone was terse, multi-faceted, and clearly livid that he would accuse her parents of getting involved in this. She’d done everything she could to keep them blameless just in case things didn’t work out as they had planned. There was nothing in the verse that this creature could say to convince the pale-skinned woman that her family would have anything to do with a monster as black as he. “You lie—or you were foolish enough to be lied to.”

Something akin to hatred ebbed from mercurial silver eyes at the knowledge that the stalking beast may or may not be forcing innocent people to their deaths in order to force her surrender. Part of her wanted the Jedi beside her to give up—to give in. Srina was tired of running. It had gotten to the point where it was all that she knew. Lavender-tinted eyelids slid shut when the man beside her made his choice. She silently prepared to be traded, only the Jedi wasn’t done yet, and added a twist to the negotiation.

Were it not for years of militaristic training she would have looked at the sandy-haired human in astonishment with her mouth agape. As it were, she merely spoke with her eyes closed, quietly, her tone grave in a way that would resonate with a warning. The fear she felt for him was real. Tangible. “You can’t. If Eägon hears a whisper of that—He WILL kill you on principle alone.”

And this man, this Jedi, this small bastion of light that had appeared from nowhere would die slowly. If he was delivered shackled and chained to the Clan it was not a matter of ‘if’ he would die. It was a matter of when. Echani were terribly informed when it came to breaking an enemy, to making them suffer, before passing to the other side. The human continued speaking, despite her words against it, and she felt a lump form in her throat. Speeders blew by them in the skylines, causing white-gold hair to toss this way and that. Could she do nothing to keep her family safe? Would they forgive her for wishing to choose them over the lives of others?

The whole point of leaving Eshan was to keep anyone from being harmed. Was Dalantus so angry that this was what he had resorted to? It was no real surprise, considering the rumors about him, but Srina never thought it would come to this. It had always been her life on the line—Not innocent bystanders. She was willing to fight the emissaries that had been sent in the past because she knew how to deal with them. Srina knew how to defeat her own, and leave them alive.

“Take me back. Just…Take me back.”

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Jairus Starvald"]