Among the steppes of Dantooine

[Amelia von Sorenn]

A soft wind blew across the steppe, the lavender and yellow grasses of the Fields of Banir bending, yielding as they rustled softly back and forth. The figures standing quietly for a moment, their eyes falling upon the ancient ruins as they closely examined the scene. Over the years the place had been claimed by the elements and nature with few returning to the site. Scavengers and those that would seek to claim what little remained still slipped through the ruins, hoping to find anything of use from those that had called it home before. ​

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This world, a verdant blue and green jewel known as Dantooine, finally free of oppression once more as those that had called themselves the Primeval fell to bickering and internal fighting. What they left upon the world though could just as easily be as dangerous as anything else that an individual could come across. Those that stood silently however were only a small group, sent to locate those very ruins. Their mission was simple, survey and observe the site as it would be their reports that would ultimately determine the viability of reclaiming the ancient enclave. ​

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Stepping towards the site, the armored woman kneeled down slowly, while in her hands she held a set of electrobinoculars. The others remained on guard, keeping their attention to that which surrounded them as the breeze slowly bent the blades of grass once more. Observing the ruins, a soft smirk began to grow upon the woman's lips as she rose from where she had perched herself. ​

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"Scavengers most likely, though I doubt that they've left this place immaculate." ​

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Pushing the set of binoculars into a satchel at her hip, her hand motioned for the small group to move forward. It wasn't anything beyond a simple squad, nine of them total; anything more would send out a massive 'fire here' signal to those that might still be paying attention. Even though the Primeval had fallen, those that fought among themselves could just as easily decide to visit one of their former holdings, and this group didn't look like simple farmers. ​

 

[Voices of The Deep]

"Your highness, are you certain we should be here? You should not concern yourselves with these kinds of things." A voice chimed from the cockpit of Winters vessel...those crimson optics scanning the surface of Dantooine as her eyebrows knitted together tightly in a scowl.

"If the king does not lead then his subordinates will not follow...i will never ask you or anyone else to do anything i am not willing to do myself." The woman growled in reply, shifting her gaze towards her companion [member="Juliana Darkmourn"] . Looking the young lady up and down and taking in her young delicate features. "Besides...i must test our newest addition to the family." The Ice Queen mused, glancing back at the captain of the guard and giving a brief nod. The woman gave a bow, quickly returning to her quarters as the shuttle drifted near the Fields of Banir. Hovering above its golden grass not to far away from the ancient ruins...Winter looked to Juliana and gave a look. "We are not alone here...stay sharp, the odds of us meeting resistance here is...very high." Winter warned, looking towards the back of the ship as the hatch began to open...

"Stay close. Should anything go wrong, get back to the Pillar of Ascension and alert The Awoken." Winter ordered before stepping off the ship...the warm earth meeting her bare feet as the orange haired woman looked over the surface of the planet...she was here for a number of reasons...most of which had to do with the girl she had recently taken a liking to.


And now the woman would get to see just how eager she was to learn.


[member="Amelia Sorenn"]

 

[Juliana Darkmourn]

The planet of Dantooine was coming into sight. Juliana watched as the stars danced around this blue and green jem. Being new to the Awoken, a faction of witches and force users, made pressure creep along her shoulders. Her master, [member="Lady Sovereign"], took a special interest in her. Juliana didn't understand why but she was sure the reason would pop-up eventually. The young witch caught her new teacher looking her way. Juliana didn't mind. This is why I did my hair this morning.

The ship landed onto the grassy fields the planet was know for. The you witch imitate readied her battle armor, then quickly followed her master's every step. Watching the fiery haired woman warning the crew what should happen, if the two didn't make it back. Looking over the fields, Juliana began to notice something tingling in the force. A presence near by. She couldn't pin point the location, but it was close. The excitement broiled with in her. The witch was hungry for new power and wanted to test them on new foes.

She waited to see if her new teacher had taken notice. The anticipation, was killing her.

[member="Amelia Sorenn"]

 

[Amelia von Sorenn]

There was something upon the air, not the low rustling of the blades of grass, nay, the dulcet whine of an engine. For a moment she was unsure, it could just as easily have been one of the few speeder bikes or speeders that a better off farmer owned. Pausing for a moment she slowly ran her eyes along the horizon before spotting it, the small black dot that began to grow larger as it moved over the world. ​

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"Get to the ruins, we've incoming." ​

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With a quick motion of her hand the squad nodded, the Knights pushing through the grass towards what had remained of the enclave. Clashing and scrapping of gear and armor resounded upon the soft breeze as the group approached the front entrance to the upper levels. Lucky enough a few scavengers had been around not too long ago, leaving a nice little entrance that wouldn't be too difficult to defend. ​

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"Get those new rifles out, let see if they're worth anything." ​

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"Yes ma'am." ​

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The squad quickly pulled the coverings off the weapons, the heavy thermite rifles being set up just inside. A heavy sigh pulled from her lungs, dragging across her lips as her hues watched the shuttle slowly touch down upon the world. She was hoping that it would be simple, though it seemed like nothing every could be these days. For a moment she was beginning to hate the idea of claiming this little enclave, though a soft smirk grew upon her lips at the prospect of discovering just who had arrived. ​

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If it were Jedi then it would be even more of a reason to stand their ground. There was history here, and she would be damned if she let it slip back into their hands. The last thing they needed were more schools to turn children into weapons. Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she stepped forward, remaining outside of the enclave; deciding that it might be nice to welcome potential guest. ​

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Inside of the ruins the small squad of Knights had quickly set up the two thermite rifles, their bipods pressing into ancient stone felled long ago. Clear lines of fire at the entrance while the remaining Knights had their own blasters drawn and aimed. They knew it was likely that they could lose a couple of Knights, though it was a risk they were willing to take. ​

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Moving towards a sizable piece of rubble, the woman leaned back against the portion of wall that had once served to shelter an upper section of the structure. Slowly crossing her arms over her chest, her eyes settled upon the shuttle, an eagerness revealed within them as she smirked softly, a sharp incisor revealing for a moment before her lips slipped back to a soft smile. ​

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"Shall I welcome our guests?" ​

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[member="Lady Sovereign"]​

[member="Juliana Darkmourn"]​

 

[Voices of The Deep]

The game was becoming boring these days...it just wasn't what it use to be.

Once upon a time it had been a Darwinist struggle, an addiction, a puzzle to conquer of which she'd sell her soul and virtue in pounds for its idiosyncratic pieces, all the while determining only vaguely where her next desire would come from and whether or not there were cleaners waiting outside her growing empire. Yet the homes of numerous other factions scattered across the galaxy with their amusingly trite dreams of freedom as if their fortitude high enough to deserve control of their own fates. This had been so much willing obsession breeding in her brain since the moment she'd arrive here young and vestal and in recollection likely begging to be split open to the skull. Enjoying the convoluted psychosis of it all. Enjoying the fatalistic thrills.

But the game was becoming boring. And Winter hated boring.

Where had the depravity gone from this hellhole, where everybody strutted around like they meant business, irrational aggression the noxious brew of either heat softening the brains of naive recruits or simply the whimsies of the useless, inbred psychotics of the sith attracted like children to crackers and juice? Where was the spark, the spatter, the fire, the life, the screaming, the brawls, the megalomania, the dirt, the death? No longer did she doze away wondering too serenely if she'd awaken with a set of teeth her in throat, but with the silence of a lame deranged totalitarian society rocking her to sleep alongside a thousand snippets and statistics on locals whose lives could disintegrate for all she cared. Peace and harmony alike were utterly depressing, but though she might turn disenchanted and loveless on the inside, her loyalty to The Awoken ready to depart on a puff of wind, nobody could ever guess because-

she too had learned to grin.

Winter was an old pro at this, picking up the dice without really thinking much about it or investing any subcutaneous feeling. And as the womans crimson gaze wandered over the Stone Ruins ahead she ever so calmly strolled towards it. Not really bothered by the presence of others or really even threatened as her soft feet became one with the cold stone that seemed to mirror the feeling within her heart...And as The Queen approached the entrance to the old Ruin she was quickly faced with a number of soldiers manning their nonsensical weapons pointed towards the doorway as she all squeezed themselves into the narrow rotting stone walls of the ruin...

Winter dismissed them with general disinterest and looked to the woman leaning nonchalantly against the wall as if she radiated some kind of false sense of authority. Winter narrowed her eyes and her brows knitted together into a scowl as she stopped her advancement on the front porch of the ruin...

Her gaze flicked to the soldiers...then the woman...back to the soldier...then onto the woman again with a general empty expression that had become the norm for the queen. Those cold eyes looking into [member="Amelia Sorenn"] .

"Dear girl are they pointing those barrels at me to appear imposing or are they doing so with lethal intent?" Winter asked bluntly, her arms resting at her sides and her posture rather relaxed...

"I would rather avoid a scuffle today..." Winter said with disinterest, looking to her apprentice and giving a look that silently said 'behave yourself'. Hoping that [member="Juliana Darkmourn"] would avoid doing anything rather rash.

 

[Juliana Darkmourn]

The hair on the back of the young withes neck began to dance. The cold stare her master was giving [member="Amelia Sorenn"] sent chills down her bones. It was truly incredible how Lady Sovereign was so calm and emotionless in this standoff. Juliana began to play with her jet black hair. Examining her violent highlights in the sun was interesting, she know a haircut was soon needed.

Looking upon the rock formation of the ruins, Juliana was curious as to why they would box themselves in. Hunting becomes so dull when the prey sacrifices its escape route. If they were smart, they would have kept running. The pale yellow eyes looked to [member="Lady Sovereign"] and waited to see what came next. The ideas of carnage wrapped around ever part of Juliana's brain, it was getting to be too much. On her master's signal, the you witch was ready to pounce. I want to fight. I need more test subjects! Her thoughts exploding with fury.

"I would rather avoid a scuffle today..." The master had made it apparent that she was bored even before the battle started. Great sadness washed over Juliana, it was a wasted opportunity if they didn't tryout a few spells. The storm that was brewing in her began to calm down. She looked to Lady Sovereign for further instructions. The Spellweaver was glaring at Juliana, it was rather uncomfortable. The expression was a simple way of saying, behave. In her embarrassment, Juliana looked to the sky. It was a nice blue, with plenty of small clouds to provide some cooling shade. The sun was bright and the birds chirped in the distance. Her golden eyes took it all in. It was soothing the outrage that was just inside her.

Recalling herself to the matter at hand, the young witch observed the Knights who were barricaded inside the ruined temple. Rifles were pointing right at the two witches. Juliana scoffed when she saw one of the Knights shacking. One false move and he would be the first person to shoot. The large scrapes of rocks cluttered the way and crushed the yellow grass underneath. It was hard to believe that this, during its time, was a glorious temple. What secrets does it hold inside? Bubbling up inside, Juliana turned to her master again.

"Master. Can we explore this place once we deal with these cretins?" Her voice was low, she didn't want to sound defiant. Exploration was all that concerned the young witch. Expanding her spellbook and killing were just hobbies.

 

[Amelia von Sorenn]

"That would entirely depend upon your actions."

The simplest of truths remained that anything that was to happen would not be caused by her hand, rather it would be caused by others forcing her into action. She had not come to this world save for one reason and in the moment that others had intruded upon that reason caused any semblance of a plan to no longer be of worth. Permitting a simple sigh to cross her lips, she remained where she was casually leaned up against the rocks that rest just outside. Her eyes not looking towards those that had arrived, nor could one say that she was averting them as much as she was bored herself of others.

A life as a mercenary brought her into contact with many beings, many individuals and personalities, and the one that always remained were those 'holier than thou' or 'I have the force, I'm better than you' kinds. Twas those that annoyed her more than anything else she had come across during her life, and from the way these two carried themselves she had run into both of those classifications shoved into a little package. With her arms crossing over her chest, she remained lounged, a blade at her hip, and blood splattered lightsaber hilts resting on her thigh.

"It would appear that we've come to a minor impasse so to say. What happens next depends entirely upon your own reasoning for being here and if it interferes with our own."

The noise of metal scrapping against the rock pulled her attention away for a moment, her eyes falling upon the Knight whom seemingly stopped immediately. A soft smirk rolling across her lips as she made a simple motion, which was answered with a nod. That same little smirk slipped away as she turned her attention back towards the two that stood before her.

"I do apologize. Anticipation can get some of the younger ones' blood pumping."

[member="Juliana Darkmourn"]
[member="Lady Sovereign"]

 

[Voices of The Deep]

There were those who commonly thought themselves better than others in this world...there were those who thought they were worse. And then there were always those who held no opinion...Winter was not any of these. She did not view The Force as some holy power given to higher beings...she did not consider those without connection to the force to beneath her...frankly, Winter herself was a logical woman. Every movement, every word, every desire was out of necessity. And as the womans cold gaze wandered over the seemingly bored woman before her the Ice Queen tilted her head...


She found this woman...this [member="Amelia Sorenn"]. Very interesting...she displayed many traits Winter held herself...general disinterest and distaste of those they viewed as arrogant...while still displaying it themselves. Her words nearly echoed the ones within the queens mind. Winter found herself giving a rather weak smile...her ice cold optics remaining steady on Amelias...


But then...her state of mind was disturbed. When Juliana addressed those before them as 'cretins'. Winters expression returned to that of emotional void as she literally pulled her hand up and knitted her brows together with her fingers as if forcing herself to scowl as a deep drawn out sigh escaped her lunges.

"Ignore the girl...she has much to learn about how things work." Winter grumbled before giving the apprentice a glare. "Lesson one...it is that display of crude attitude that results in wars...these people have done nothing to us...show some respect you imbecilic pleb." Winter scolded...if this girl ever desired to get anywhere in this life, she needed to adjust the lens in which she saw the world.

After she finished, her gaze returned back to the woman and sighed. "Now...as a sign of good faith...and the fact i seek no quarrel with you or your...soldiers. I expect the same...at this moment, i am here seeking something my ancestor left behind. The temple and its remains are yours...finders keepers as they say. But there is something that belongs to my family heritage within this ruin...i trust even you can respect my claim to it?" Winter expressed, dismissing herself and walking into the ruin towards the armed guards with guns locked on her.

"You are more than welcome to join us...i find you rather likable and could use more familiar company. Unless i offend you in some way, in which case you can remain where you are being all cool and mysterious. Your choice." The woman called, ghosting the soldiers as if they did not exist and entered the main hall of the temple...they could of shot her...but given what their leader had told them Winter doubted they would.

And if they did...well.

That would be a bad day for everyone.

[member="Amelia Sorenn"]