Private Cultist presence on the Lavarn Plateau

[Mathieu Brion]

Chokan | Lavarn Outpost | Local time: 20:21​

A general bounty on a group of marauding cultists! While it had seemed like a rather straight forward task when he took the job, Mathieu had since lost all three of his mercenary buddies to food poisoning. It was only temporarily, of course, but it was still quite the bother as he now looked to face take on the task alone. Still, he had his heavy armour, repeater, blaster pistol, vibrosword and two sandwiches in his bag. While that might not quite have been enough normally, he also had one of those neat mounted weapons on his land-speeder which would most likely allow for him to take down whatever heavy defences they had - if they had any heavy defences. All in all, things looked like they might work out. But then, there was, of course, also the risk that they wouldn't.

As it was, the Morellian found himself on a small outpost overlooking a mountainous area at the edge of a large grassy plateau with few plants but plenty of rocks. It was clear that the few occupants of the outpost were on guard - seemingly expecting an attack at any moment. He supposed that it was the nature of things as the marauders were known to raid nearby settlements; and this outpost was even on the same plateau as them. It was a wonder that it had withstood their attacks until now. While most people present seemed to be locals, one or two of them appeared to belong somewhere else but unless they wanted to help him out against the marauders, they wouldn't be of much help.

Soon, one of the locals came by, having observed as the Mercenary packed his landspeeder with a few boxes. "Heading out to deal with those cultists are you?" he said with a laid back outer rim accent. "Yeah" Mathieu replied calmly, sending the man a slight smile as he continued packing "Wanna come along? I sure could use some help" he continued after having put another box into the car. "No, no, no, no" he replied with a low voice before putting a hand on the Mercenary's shoulder and leaning in "But I'm tellin' you. You better be careful out there. I heard there's something wicked about these folks. They ain't right in their heads" he continued, eyes squinted. Blue-eyed and bordering on confused, Mathieu let out a careful "Okay, thanks" apparently still determined to complete the task. Slowly, the other returned to a small shack where he found a couple of friends, telling them that Mathieu was going to attack the marauders. Shaking his head, the Morellian noted that the guy he had just spoken to really couldn't keep things quiet. But then, there was no reason to do so either, it wasn't as if anyone here had any interest in helping the cultists out.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

News about marauders on Chokan had spread to the Jedi who were quick to respond by sending one of their own to assess the situation and aid in the restoration of the peace. If all went well then they hoped they would also gain some positive influence on the planet as Chokan had maintained its individuality from the Silver Jedi Order despite the Order's involvement with the neighbouring planets. While the Order was not one to Force their allegiance upon planets, they hoped that through a positive change they would be able to enlighten the planet on what the Jedi Order could offer them.

The Knight adjusted the light armour she had just changed into out of her Jedi robes as she had recently returned from another, less combat centred, mission on a nearby planet and had her hair tied tightly behind her head in a braid. At her hip hung a single lightsaber hilt but no other weapons were on her person; a lightsaber was an efficient enough weapon to warrant being the only one and had a better reputation than many weapons combined.

Zemira overheard a conversation that spiked her interest and looked up from lacing her boots to see a heavily armoured man next to a landspeeder with who she could only assume was a local at his side. Once he was alone, she stood up and approached him. "I heard you've come to help the cultist situation." She told him before extending her hand to him. "Zemira." She introduced herself before continuing. "I'm here for the same reason. Mind if I join you?" She asked with a friendly smile.

Throughout her time as a Jedi and during her childhood, she had encountered people from all walks of life and had become at ease when meeting people and since gaining a Padawan she felt as though her ability to work with others had improved, although on occasion she did still show her independent streak, and she was starting to see herself as the Jedi her Mother would've been proud of.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Soon after the local had left, another one appeared. This was one of the people he had seen who did not look like a local. Although he could not pinpoint why before, it soon became rather clear as he saw the weapon she carried. For a moment, he wondered what colour it would spark when ignited. While he had great admiration for many of the Jedi orders, the Sith had a worse reputation which could instill a fair amount of fear or respect in him. His eyes quickly scanned the woman and finally rested upon her eyes once he determined that Sith probably smelled worse and gave more of a 'doom-and-gloom' feel than this one did. "That's right" he replied with a rather cheerful tone.

Extending his hand to shake hers, he shared his name "Mathieu, nice to meet you" While he already seemed pretty happy about - probably - having met a jedi, his face brightened even more as she asked if she could join him "By the stars! Of course!" he exclaimed before pointing a thumb towards the landspeeder "I've got three empty seats in there, I'd be happy for you to fill 'em" Still enthusiastic, his face suddenly froze for a bit as he realised that he might have insulted her "Fill up one of the seats! I'm not saying that you'd take all of them or anything" he continued, trying to rescue the situation. For a moment, he just stared at her whilst biting his lower lip, feeling the awkwardness of his silence tearing at him. Finally, the large Morellian turned and used the little button on his keys to unlock the doors.

"Hop in" he suggested as he opened the door behind the drivers seat. Not even having thought of opening the door for her, taking for granted that she'd sit at the front. Removing the repeater from his back, he put it in the seat behind him and closed the door. Making up conversation, he kept talking as he moved to sit down at the driver's seat "You see, they've put a general bounty on these guys" He began, sharing the information rather freely whilst starting the vehicle. "And we were planning on collecting. Could do a good deed at the same time, you know?" he continued speaking, even when they were on their way to the cultist camp. "But then they all got sick, so here I am with a bunch of empty seats. But I'm glad that you're here"

Finally deciding to ask as his curiousity started to get the better of him, he looked at her to his side "Hey, can you just ignite that for me? If nothing else just to show the colour?" he commented whilst his lips formed a meek smile. "Not in here of course, the interior isn't resistant. But we could open a window. You know, swing it about a little. There aren't really any civilians or anything nearby to accidentally hit"

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

The Knight was rather taken aback by the chirpiness of the young man but found it to be rather refreshing given how cynical and brooding many of the people she had come across seemed to be. His attitude was infectious as she soon found herself smiling with him, though she couldn't understand why he seemed to be so excited. In any case, it seemed as though she had chosen a partner for this expedition well. "Nice to meet you too, Mathieu." She replied politely as she shook his hand. His first impression had served him well - he seemed like he would be easy to work with.

"I know what you mean." She chuckled and walked around the speeder to settle into the passenger seat. "Oh yeah?" She responded, not truly knowing a lot about the situation other than the limited information the Jedi had relayed onto her. "Yeah." She agreed as she looked at him with a smile - he seemed sweet. "I'm glad you're here. It doesn't hurt having someone to watch your back." She replied. Ideally, she would've had her Padawan with her but he was otherwise occupied on their previous mission where she had just left him, though the situation was under now control so she was confident that he could handle it.

Zemira smiled at his question, clearly amused, but shook her head. "I don't think that would be wise." She told Mathieu before explaining. "We don't use them unless necessary but I'm sure you'll see it at some point." She assured him. He seemed very intrigued by the concept of the Jedi which might've explained his earlier excitement but the Knight still had the reputation of the Order to keep as she was only one cog in the machine. "So you're what... a bounty hunter? A mercenary?" She asked, trying to gauge a better understanding of who he was. There was nothing to say she had to work with him or trust him but so far she had no reason not to.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Pluperfect]

Spoiler: OOC

This is awkward

 

[Mathieu Brion]

"Yeah" he confirmed with a nod, looking over to her between turning the speeder on and fiddling with the panel up front "These cultist people had been a nuisance to everyone nearby and the local authorities had trouble coping. They're supposed to have a fortress on this plateau" he said, obviously exaggerating upon calling it a fortress. He continued speaking until she finally said that she was glad to have him there. What a thing! A Jedi being happy to have him there. This would be a day to remember! Bragging rights were guaranteed for sure. His friends didn't know what they were missing. "Nice!" he said whilst a goofy smile formed on his lips

Of course, her lack of willingness to entertain his wish was because it wouldn't be wise. Holding on to a sliver of hope, he slowed down a little to reduce whatever risk she saw, but then she continued explaining that they only used them when necessary. "Let's hope not" he said honestly, guessing that she was thinking of the risk of the two of them encountering trouble upon with the cultists. Still, it was extremely likely that the lunatics wouldn't just roll over.

Looking over to her, he thought for a while. Finally he spoke, raising a finger from the steering wheel "I am a mercenary" The statement was made with a sense of finality before he in a new breath added "But now, I'm a bounty hunter. And if you want in on the reward, you could become one too" he said, eyes sparkling at her - almost a little mischievously - before turning back to the path ahead. "Last week, I was a chef - the usual one suddenly called in sick. So I offered to help" Mathieu spoke with a sense of enthusiasm whilst also hinting at him maybe not taking the titles quite as seriously as she did.

After a while, they finally arrived a fair bit away from the 'fortress'. It still laid hundreds if not thousands of meters away but the field was open and it was easy to spot. Stopping the speeder on the opposite side of a small hill, Mathieu leaned over and plopped open the passenger's compartment and handed her a binocular before stepping outside. It would only take a few steps for his head to appear over the top of the hill, giving him a good line of sight. "What do you see?" he asked.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

"I haven't heard much about it but the Jedi were only consulted recently because I'm the first here though more will be sent if it I think it's needed." She told him. "But I had been expecting to work alone or with locals so I think I stand a good chance with you since you seem rather... well equipped for this." Whereas the locals would've had no combat training or any idea on how to keep the peace - Mathieu was certainly shaping up to be a valuable ally and he seemed adorable like an excitable puppy.

Waving around any weapon unprovoked seemed like a bad idea and though she could understand his intrigue, she was serious about her role as a Jedi and was not willing to squander that. She simply nodded in response. Primarily, her role was as a peacekeeper and the best way to establish the peace was without the use of a weapon where possible, though that depended on how negotiable and forthcoming people were in response.

"Oh, nice." She commented. "No, I couldn't." She refused. "The Jedi Order has a presence on Chokan so it is quite literally our job." She told him; likely good news for him as it meant he would get all of the reward. Zemira didn't need nor want the reward however, she lived a comfortable and fulfilling enough life without fortune and such money would be of much more use to him than her - she knew enough about his kind of lifestyle to know that. "Oh... right." She raised her eyebrow and chuckled.

Zemira thanked him after he handed her the binoculars and joined him outside where she took a few more steps in front of him to see over the hill since she wasn't as tall as a Wookiee like some people. She brought the binoculars to her eyes and adjusted the focus onto the supposed fortress. "I can see about... a dozen people walking about." She told him, pausing while she counted. "Only four are openly armed." She continued. "Maybe we can negotiate with them." She suggested thoughtfully, although she hadn't thought of the actual logistics of it.

Unusually for the Knight, although she had an ally on this mission, she had no precedence over him as he was not a Padawan or even a Jedi so he had no reason to follow the same agenda as her. With this in mind, she was aware her words were only a suggestion and tried not to show authority over Mathieu. "Should we go and try and talk to them first?" She asked.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Pluperfect]

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry!

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Listening in silence, he tried to make sense of the information she relayed - it wouldn't be all too hard since her description was rather straight forward "I guess we should expect a few more of them to be in that big house in the middle. Do they have anyone on some kind of lookout position or do a few of them just like walking around armed?" he asked, hoping to get a slightly more precise description of the security. While he certainly expected these reportedly marauding cultists to be capable in a fight, her answer would give him a good idea of how fast they would be able to mobilise in the case of an impact from himself and the Jedi.

A chuckle escaped him as she mentioned the possibility of negotiating which caused his head to tilt down as he shook it lightly, obviously not having very high hopes in that ever working. But then, the she seemed serious and who was he to question a Jedi. Maybe it would work "I don't know how much we there will be in the negotiations, but you could try." he said, not really minding which way they used to remove their threatening presence on the plateau. Of course, if she could neutralise them without letting the situation turn violent, risks and costs would be reduced all over which was a rather clear win in his mind.

Figuring that their drive there not be seen as all too peaceful when a weapon was mounted on top of the speeder, Mathieu turned to look at it for a bit. "I think I'm going to plop that away" he mumbled before looking back at her. "I've got a couple of sandwiches in the backpack. If you wanna negotiate on a full belly, feel free" he said, pointing at where the pack was inside the speeder. The Morellian then promptly moved back to the vehicle to start dismounting the large blaster and stored it away in the trunk.

An eerie feeling crept upon him as they neared the encampment. It felt like they were being watched and sure enough, the people watching them from the walls or the second floor of the building seemed to duplicate at a steady rate. "At least they aren't firing at us" while a hint of nervousness could be detected in his voice, it primarily conveyed his desire to stay optimistic as they approached the threat "Yeah, I think firing at them from afar would have been safer" he commented, seeing as more of the occupants seemed to have armed themselves.

"Stop" a disciplinarian voice could be heard booming out from a speaker. Slowing down significantly, still 300 meters away, Mathieu looked to Zemira "What now?" he asked as they crept closer to the destination. Creeping closer was a mistake as they soon fired a laser bolt which hit the grass next to them "Stop" the voice commanded again, this time being complied to fully. "I've got a bad feeling about this" was all that he managed to say before the speeder communications board started beeping. His hand reached out to the 'respond' button and hovered above it for a moment as he looked to her as if to see if she was ready. Once pressed, the holographic image of a robed Gran would appear "State your business" he said, maintaining the same disciplinarian tone as before.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

"I think there's someone on lookout." She pointed in a general direction but it was exceptionally far away. "I imagine they know the locals aren't too pleased so they're taking precautions." She pondered aloud. "They probably already know about us but maybe they're willing to negotiate." She concluded before removing the binoculars. They seemed like they had a strong force to fall back on, though not enough to be worrisome, and early warning systems in place to initiate an attack but perhaps two strangers alone weren't threatening enough to launch at them, guns blazing.

Negotiating first was what the Jedi aimed for, since it was their job to keep the peace after all and not instigate unnecessary conflicts, but in many situations it wasn't possible and only time would tell if this was one of those situations. From Mathieu's reaction to her suggestion, she began to doubt that negotiations would work but a part of her had expected it, however she would try all the same, they could always be wrong. "It probably won't work but I'll try at least." She told him to show she wasn't completely ignorant.

The pair didn't look hostile so Zemira hoped they would at least get the chance to attempt to negotiate without getting a surprise attack. "Thanks." She chuckled as she got back into the speeder. Mathieu really was like no one she had ever worked with before; he seemed far less serious than many in his line of profession and he made her smile.

The Knight watched the encampment ahead with a stready gaze, constantly analysing the situation to be prepared, though she was unafraid. "Have faith." She told him with a reassuring smile, though she was really unsure which way the situation was going to go or what Mathieu's abilities were like - he claimed to be a mercenary but he looked relatively young so he couldn't have been all that experienced. "Do as he says." Zemira told Mathieu. Disobeying them this early on wouldn't do the pair any favours. She nodded at Mathieu to signify her readiness before she attempted to negotiate.

"We come in peace. We just want to talk." She replied in a confident tone. "Talk about what?" The man snarled in response. "You've been stealing from the locals and if you aren't careful the locals will launch an attack on you. I warn you: make peace with them to save unnecessary loss on both sides." She urged him but the response was quick. "What's in it for us?" He snapped back. The conversation thus far led Zemira to believe she wasn't going to be successful in negotiating and the situation would likely devolve into violence.

"You wouldn't be under threat, you would be able to live in peace and get enough food. I'm sure we could devise a way to work with the locals and integrate you into society, but you'd have to be willing to learn about their culture and-" She stopped abruptly when the man held a hand in front of him, signalling for her to stop talking. "We've always lived under threat. If we were to let our guard down then people would try and wipe us out once they realised we're not like them." Zemira frowned. "I'm sure that's not true, they seem keen on establishing peace." She tried to convince him.

"They see us as a threat and we see them as a threat and that works out just fine. Anything else to say?" The man concluded. Zemira was unsure what else to say so hesitated for a moment too long. "Now get out of here." The man told them. Zemira looked at Mathieu and pressed the button to turn off the hologram, though without realising she hadn't turned off the audio. "I think I should tell the Jedi Order and get reinforcements." She told Mathieu but as soon as the words left her mouth, the man could be heard shouting "Don't let them leave!" To his allies. The Knight looked at the Mercenary beside her with wide eyes. "Was that still on...?" She asked, pointing her thumb in the direction of the communications board.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Zemira began talking to the Gran, gently and confidently. Mathieu was perfectly content sitting there in silence, only taking note of what was said for practical purposes without any intentions to join in. What she said earlier echoed through his mind. Why would she ask of him to have faith when she had just told him that it probably wouldn't work? Mysterious were the ways of the Jedi and at this point, he decided not to question it so much but to hope that their philosophy would become clearer as their time together increased.

Eventually, Mathieu looked over at his temporary Jedi companion, realising that the negotiations probably weren't going anywhere and that they were in a relatively exposed position. Thankfully, the cultist they had on call seemed to be in a good mood and told them to leave. While it did seem quite dishonourable to just turn back to find a better position to attack them from, a band of cultists who conducted raids and similar activities against nearby settlements should be expecting to get attacked anyways. "I had hoped to collect on the bounty today" he replied and was about to continue when he too heard the voice of the Gran in the background. Apparently, it was not only Zemira who was prone to missing things from time to time. But then, he was not one to cast blame anyways.

Mumbling something which could hardly be deciphered, either by him or anyone else, the Morellian turned his attention to the piloting of the speeder. The large open field meant that they stood little to no chance at escaping. Driving the speed up to max, he piloted the speeder in the direction of the fortress, all whilst taking heavy fire from its defenders. A combination of mediocre aim, luck and a few odd manoeuvres kept the vehicle from getting hit too many times before they arrived by one of the walls, which rose high above the ground. He remained relatively silent throughout whilst looking highly concentrated and tense, understandably not replying to any questions. Upon arriving, however, he let out a quick comment "Wanna swing that sabre of yours now?" he asked, relying on her to actually doing it this time.

Knowing that the chassis of the speeder and his heavy armour would keep him safe from a few bolts, the Mercenary rushed over to the back of the vehicle to throw his chain gun over his back as well as grab one of the smaller bags. Producing a grapple gun, he called out to Zemira, rather loudly as his voice raced against the speeders motor noise, blaster fire and possibly even her lightsabre "You coming with?" While asking, he held the device with one hand whilst keeping his other open, ready to clasp around her if she decided to join. Once in position, he fired off the grappling hook and within a few moments, it was pulling them up.

Once the grappling gun had done its job, it was only a small climb before they were up. Whilst bringing out his chain gun, the Mercenary felt two big impacts as a couple of bolts hit him. The heavy armour would negate most of their effects but staying in such an exposed position didn't seem like a good idea. Especially considering that the cultists were scrambling, most of them getting armed and rushing to aid their fellows where possible, whether it was by serving as extra fire power, or cutting off escape routes. With his weapon out, Mathieu started firing it, causing a flurry of bolts to hit one of opponent. With good aim, he guided the stream towards another one and before long, many foes in the general vicinity of where he fired were down behind cover.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

They had been left with no other option but to take on the cultists. Reinforcements were a long way away and the locals were too afraid to help; it wasn't ideal but hopefully with their combined expertise they stood a chance. The Jedi had been prepared for negotiations to dissolve into a battle but not under these circumstances. Everything happened so quickly with Mathieu reaching a decision in moments and advancing towards the fortress. Zemira watched his facial expression for a moment, trying to gauge how he was feeling but said nothing as she felt awkward for what she had just done but she soon returned her attention to the situation outside the speeder as she knew she needed to remain focused.

The Knight nodded in response and ignited the blue blade before positioning herself in front of Mathieu to protect him should any bolts come their way as he prepared himself for the attack. "Yeah." She replied, deflecting a final stray bolt before joining him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders and deactivating the lightsaber for the moment to prevent any accidents. Despite the cult having weapons, they didn't seem to be very competent in combat; they were clumsy and not the kind of high calibre enemy that Zemira was used to. Still, a weapon in the wrong hands could be a very dangerous thing, though it would be even worse in the right hands so she hoped Mathieu knew what he was doing.

Once on solid footing again, Zemira reactivated her lightsaber and deflected a bolt that had zipped in her direction. Her armour could provide limited protection from bolts but like most Jedi, she relied on the Force to aid her in battle rather than armour as she had little need of protection against attacks she could anticipate. How they acted now was vital and could swing the battle in their favour or make the situation worse but they needed to prevent as many the cultists from coming within melee range as they could otherwise they may become overwhelmed by the number of them.

At such a height, it was difficult to get the right angle needed to effectively deflect bolts back towards their shooters so Zemira relied heavily on Mathieu for the attack while she did her best to protect them until people began taking cover. After a moment of quiet from both sides, Zemira frowned and turned to Mathieu. "Do you feel that?" She asked, noticing the familiar pull of the Dark side nearby. She could sense the Force sensitivity in her companion and assumed her knew of it too and though it was unlikely that he had any training, you only had to be open to the Force to feel the presence of the Dark side, even if you were unaware of it.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

A smile was still plastered to his face from when she ignited the lightsabre. This was better than in the holovids with his new friend deflected numerous bolts as if they were baseballs - perhaps with a bit more grace. Still, with his armour now smoking from two separate points, it really was high time to seek better cover. It surprised him that she asked if he could feel it or not - she wore armour herself and should be well aware of if it could be felt. But then, maybe she hadn't been shot yet. "Yeah, the armour's sturdy but a shot is still a shot" he replied, giving her the benefit of a doubt. Not remaining still, Mathieu turned around and headed towards a building, trusting that Zemira would be able to take care of herself and hopefully him too, in case someone plopped out to shoot at them.

Being the first to arrive by the door, the Mercenary started pressing a few buttons, causing it to swoosh open soon. Inside were three cultists, two rather close to the door and a last one a few metres away. The two new allies were quick to get inside and the Mathieu made sure to close the door behind them. Obviously not having been very sneaky, the three occupants quickly noticed them and proceeded to arm themselves in order to attack. Knowing that his chain gun would be too slow to start firing, he instead threw it at one of the cultists, letting the weapons heavy weight, momentum and surprise of the foe do most of the work. Satisfied, he observed as the poor guy stumbled back until he eventually fell back onto the floor. After throwing a glance at Zemira and determining that she could probably handle the other two, the Morellian threw himself on top of his foe and knocked him out with a punch.

Not stopping for pause, he then rushed back to the door they entered through and locked it. A sigh of relief escaped him as he turned back to the Jedi "Are you alright?" as he walked back. If nothing was awry, he'd pick his chain gun back up, if something was wrong, he would check on that instead.

"Do you have any plans?" he asked whilst looking around the room, finding an exit on the opposite side from where they came in and spiraling stairs to the floors below which he assumed would lead down to he courtyard. "Getting down there and into the main building might be a good idea" he commented before a frown spread across his face "Something about this place though..." he said, thinking of what it could be. Not being able to put a finger on it, he shrugged "Someting just feels off, you know" Soon, frantic pressing of the buttons by both doors which he had locked could be heard coming from the outside, sending a clear signal that whatever idle time they had in there should end soon.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

"What?" She asked, giving Mathieu a confused look as he seemed to misinterpret her question. "That's not what I- nevermind." She shook her head and dropped it for now as she didn't have time to explain it to him, though she did briefly wonder if his reaction meant he was unaware of his Force sensitivity. Once they had come face to face with another band of cultists, Zemira didn't hesitate to initiate an attack before the one closest to her could get a shot in so she brought the lightsaber up through his wrist and planted her foot firmly on his abdomen to kick him down.

The man behind him shot a bolt at the Knight who deflected it but missed the shooter until the fourth bolt where it hit the man in the leg, causing him to fall to the floor and once on the ground, Zemira kicked the blaster out of his reach and knelt down beside him, holding her outstretched palm over his face to ease him into unconsciousness through the Force. "Yeah." She replied calmly, standing up and casually brushing a strand of hair out her face like there had been no bother. "Beyond getting out of here alive? No." She replied with a humourless laugh.

"I know, that's what I was saying earlier!" She responded but upon hearing the attempts to gain access to the room she groaned and pushed forwards. "Come on." She urged Mathieu, quickly leading the way to the stairs and the courtyard down below. Immediately upon emerging, Zemira held her hand out and Force pushed the first two men she saw into a wall, alerting the others of their presence but taking away two blasters from being trained on them. The presence of the Dark side felt stronger here though there was no obvious cause but for now her main attention was on the blaster fire that was coming in their direction as she instinctively placed herself between Mathieu and the bolts to protect him.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

"I suppose survival is a good start" he said whilst continuing looking through the room and making the odd comment here and there. Struck by confusion upon her reply to his comment, he looked at her for a few moments, trying to figure out when she had said it herself. Both of their attention soon shifted, however, as the cultists who had manned the 'walls' were now trying to break in. Following her lead, the Mercenary let his chain gun hang by the leather belt over his shoulder whilst pulling out the blaster pistol, realising that the situation probably called for quick reactions rather than overwhelming firepower.

Trailing behind her slightly, Mathieu watched with amazement as she pushed the first two back into the wall, quickly removing them from the battle - albeit not permanently. Quick to react, the Morellian raised his weapon and fired at a couple of foes standing a bit further back. With the situation being rushed and the pressure high, most of his shot missed except for the first two which hit one of the cultists. The other bolts still did plenty of damage, however, as the mashed right into a generator which quickly caught fire, soon resulting in a few minor explosions and half of the encampment's electricity being taken out. "Lucky" he mumbled before turning his attention to a couple of foes on the other side whilst slowly advancing behind his protector. Realising that a fight in the open would be quite dangerous regardless of whether she stood in front of him or not, seeing as they could be attacked from multiple angles, Mathieu soon redirected his focus and tried to cause as much environmental damage instead, causing a couple of poles to fall over and a rack of cloths hanging to dry in the sun to catch fire. With all that was happening around them, it became much harder to see as smoke and electric sparkles filled the environment.

Zemira and Mathieu went into the situation with the same idea, and with that in mind, he said "Going" before making a run for the central building. Opening the door wouldn't take long and closing it behind them was not a problem either. This time, they were met by relative silence whilst the havoc outside could still clearly be heard with people screaming for 'the doctor', fire extinguishers or simply wailing upon discovering the loss of someone they loved. With gritted teeth, Mathieu looked back at the door for a few moments before looking on ahead and discretely setting his blaster pistol to stun.

Soon, two men burst in through one of the doors, both armed with vibroswords. Seeing as Zemira was the closest one, they both attacked her. The assailants, both wearing dark training overalls, were quick on their feet. Anyone familiar with the lightsabre forms would be able to identify them as users of the first and most basic one.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

"Woah." Zemira watched in awe as the situation progressed around them after the damage Mathieu caused, causing a lot of the attention to be drawn away from them momentarily before they had to launch into action again. Before Mathieu said anything, Zemira knew what he was going to do as she shared his mindset and ran after him to the central building. The Knight was uncomfortable with how many people had been hurt but now they were relying on their fight or flight responses to save their own lives so she had to remind herself that she was doing all she could to survive and that she was not responsible for Mathieu's actions.

Once inside, she stood to attention, immediately in a defensive stance as soon as two men entered the room. When they attacked, she was ready and met the blade of the first man and fended off the second at the same time, though with difficulty. She had never fought against vibroswords before so was unfamiliar with their properties but she knew that this was unusual and the fact that they displayed knowledge of one of the basic lightsaber forms was concerning.

The Knight managed to best one of the men pretty quickly and cut through his wrist with one swift movement before using the Force to knock him down. The momentary distraction however, led to a surprise attack from the other man which she just caught on her own blade, though she struggled to hold him back. "Mathieu, get out of here." She warned her companion, clearly straining.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Now this was a situation where he really didn't know how to act. In awe, he watched how his Jedi companion fended off not one, but two attackers, both seemingly appearing out of nowhere. It was quite the sight, to see her work and he had all confidence in the world that she would be able to handle them. While she may have struggled, to him, it looked like she was having an easy time handling the assailants. This was only reinforced when she managed to cut off one of the attackers' hand. While he might recover, he would probably be quite useless in this particular fight. At least if he was a bit less stubborn than a bantha.

The large Morellian let out a dumbfounded "Huh?" as she told him to get out. Finally realising that she might be struggling. Reacting on his first gut instinct, Mathieu rammed into the waist-high table taking up most of the space to the center of the room and pushed it towards the two attackers. It was a move requiring brute force, but the fact that none of the opponents were prepared or stood in a good position to resist made it all the easier. It took only moments before both were squeezed in between the table and a wall. Naturally, through some effort, they would be able to get away, but now, they had two guards ensuring that they would remain right were they were.

Giving Zemira a blank look, the Mercenary wondered what her plan was and rested his hand on the grip of his blaster pistol "So, what do you Jedi people do in these situations? Just shoot" he asked, showing that his blaster was at the ready

Regardless of the outcome with the two guards, the two would find a door behind which no sounds could be heard. Deciding to enter through it, Mathieu had to wade through the darkness at first. With walls of hard rock surfaces, Mathieu opened his bag to bring out a torch "What is this place?" he asked with a quiet voice. But not even this would go smoothly as the electric tool soon started to flicker and die out. All they had now was whatever light the Jedi could produce. As they got deeper in, it would slowly become apparent that the walked in a large spiraling shape, getting deeper and deeper under ground. While he couldn't pinpoint what it was, the Morellian looked to her "I don't like this Zemira. I don't like it one bit. Nobody even bothered to follow us down here?" he asked, not quite sure what to expect once they reached the bottom room.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

Zemira gathered enough strength to force the attacker out of the lightsaber lock and gain some distance between the two of them but before she could advance again, Mathieu leapt into action. She watched him with mixed feelings: confused, annoyed and grateful. She had told him to get out and would've appreciated it if he heeded her words but he had likely just saved her life so she knew she had to show gratitude and was only irritated that he had risked his own safety to do so. "Thanks." She said with a slight breathlessness.

"No, they can't defend themselves." She replied. "Go ahead, I'll catch up." She told him before holding a hand out in the direction of the two guards and drawing on the Force to pull their heads forwards and then back against the wall hard, knocking them out or at least incapacitating them for now. She then jogged to catch up with Mathieu, using her lightsaber for light in the eerie tunnel. Zemira's expression also expressed discomfort at the situation and so she slid past him to go first, because she had the light source and she wanted to protect him from whay may lie ahead. "Yeah, maybe because... nevermind." She trailed off, deciding it better not to speculate but rather to actually see as speculation would achieve nothing but anticipation and fear.

As they came to the end of the tunnel, Zemira held a hand out in front of Mathieu to signal him to stop. She could sense the ever-growing presence of the Dark Side and knew the risk was greater to him than her. "This is too dangerous for you, I can't let you come. You should leave and tell the Jedi on Kashyyyk to send reinforcements and give them this." She pulled a locket over her head and handed it to him before turning and walking around the last corner of the spiral and into the room.

The room immediately lit up with torches lining the walls and in the centre of it, with his back to her, was a man in a dark cloak. The Knight was led to believe the mysterious man knew of her presence if he was as strong with the Dark Side as she supposed him to be. "Have you come to ruin all my fun?" The man asked in sinister voice. "Who are you?" Zemira asked in response. "That depends who you ask." The man replied, turning around to face Zemira, though his face was concealed by a mask. "To some I am someone worthy of worship but to you I'm probably someone to be feared." He spoke slowly. "I wouldn't count on it." Zemira responded, poising herself for an attack.

"Only time will tell." And with his final comment, the man drew a crimson-bladed lightsaber and engaged the Knight in a duel with ferocity. Zemira used the Force to aid her attacks, increasing her speed, stamina and strength to allow herself to contend with the man who was doing the same. "You are afraid, Jedi, I can feel it." He told her as they were engaged in a lightsaber lock but Zemira frowned and conjured up the strength to force him back and break free. She had managed to contend with her opponent thus far but seemed to be getting nowhere until she suddenly used the Force to launch the man into a wall, causing him to drop his lightsaber which she pulled into her hand.

However, the man didn't take too kindly to her approach and held a hand in her direction, slowly closing his fingers around an invisible object to Force choke the Jedi. Zemira dropped his lightsaber and held a hand towards him in attempt to use the Force.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Blinking hard twice, Mathieu thought of what she had just said. What did she mean "I can't let you come"? Since when did she get the authority to decide where and where not he was allowed to go? Still, she hadn't waved her hands at him, so he didn't think she was doing one of those jedi mind tricks either - although it wouldn't surprise him if no handwaving was necessary to begin with. "As long as I get my bounty" he shrugged, prepared to do as she instructed. The large Mercenary didn't know what the locket was or if it carried any sentimental value, but it was handed to him by a Jedi, so he trusted it not to be foul. With that, he took it on and started heading towards the exit.

Once by the heavy door, Mathieu carefully opened it and was immediately faced with twenty crazed eyes and the most horrifying screams, causing him to immediately push to close the door. The people on the other side wouldn't let him get away so easily, however, and the ones closest immediately rushed towards the opening. Fortunately, the cultists couldn't all help push at once and they were on the weaker side of things too, allowing him to close the door shut after two of them had managed to slip in. With one hand on each cultist, pressing them back, Mathieu watched in horror as the clawed at his armour with frightening eyes which seemed to bore right into his soul.

While used to combat and still retaining the youthful and somewhat foolish belief of near immortality and that everything would turn out okay, the two cultists were starting to crack through his mental barriers. Letting out fearful gasps himself, Mathieu started reacting by instinct and let out a powerful kick, sending one off into the wall behind him, only for the creature to slowly slide down and land on the floor. With his hand on the chest of the second one who was still clawing at the Morellian's armour, Mathieu simply held the cultist in front of him while walking to the one knocked out on the floor. Bringing out a piece of rope from his backpack, the Mercenary tied their wrists together before starting to run to Zemira - she had been a source of peace and calm so far - he dearly hoped that she would know what to do in this situation as he was too scared to think straight himself.

When close enough, the young Morellian quickly scanned the situation, noticing the dropped lightsabre and how a seemingly twisted and corrupted man contended with Zemira through pure use of the force. For a moment, his heart dropped before rushing forth. The Sith had a vicious smile spread across his face as he let out a calm yet sinister "Ah, welcome" Not caring much for the introductions, Mathieu rushed over to pick up the dropped sabre and quickly ignited it. Holding the weapon felt weird, as if it too, carried the same corruption as the Sith. But there he was, now standing with an ignited red blade firmly held in his two hands. "I see you have found the blade, young one" the Sith continued, tone sharpening as he mentioned the weapon, slowly turning his choke hold over the Jedi into more of a Stasis to keep her out of the equation for a bit. "Release he-..." Mathieu's roar died out quickly as a familiar crazed scream could be heard from just a meter behind him.

Turning around, the Mercenary was strick with fear as the crazed cultist appeared behind him, apparently having dragged his 'friend' all the way to the chambers they were in now. A long chuckle could be heard from the Sith "Don't fear, child. Come to me" he said with a calm voice, causing the cultists crazed screams to grow weaker, and even granting Mathieu a sense of peace, albeit momentary. "What? No, I shouldn't" he said with an unconvinced voice. The crazed cultist immediately grew aggressive again and this time too, did the Sith let out an amused and calm chuckle. "Foolish, child. I shall teach you how to extinguish your fears" the man paused before continuing with a soft tone "You kill fear, with anger." "No" Mathieu's tone was shaking as he spoke, trying to remain as clear as possible. Although resisting for some time, he couldn't help but to let his mind race towards the foul creature that caused him so much fear. To Zemira, for telling him to go out to them to call for reinforcements.

Slowly, the Sith started walking towards the large mercenary, putting Mathieu between himself and the Jedi. Leaning close from behind, he whispered "Strike. Strike and I promise you, that you will no longer feel any fear" Releasing a stuttering "N-n-no", Mathieu's gaze fixated more and more and Zemira. The Sith let out a short sigh in frustration but soon regained a devious smile - with his progress so far, it seemed likely that he would only need to utter a few more words to break the young man. Soon, the other cultist slowly started waking up too, adding his crazed scream to the mix, adding to the pressure.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

The Knight watched with wide eyes as the Sith exchanged words with Mathieu and all of her body was screaming out for her to say something, do something but she couldn't. She could feel fear radiating from Mathieu but with no words to comfort him, he was left in the hands of the Sith who attempted to manipulate Mathieu and with his lack of experience and susceptibility to the Dark side, Zemira began to feel tendrils of dread creep up her spine. Zemira looked at Mathieu with pleading eyes, hoping for some kind of sign that he wasn't going to go through with it but when she saw no such sign, she resorted to the only option she could think of.

Zemira closed her eyes, seemingly accepting her fate, but then spoke to Mathieu telepathically, which took considerably strain from her part as it was a difficult skill and she hadn't yet mastered it so she knew she would need to keep it short and sweet. "Mathieu." She started with his name to try and draw his attention back to reality. "This isn't a path you want to follow. If you go through with this then you've lost everyone you love and they've lost you. He just wants to use you but you're worth so much more than that. Don't throw your life away." She tried to reason with him. Although she spoke in a calm tone, she was fearful herself, though thankfully Mathieu was untrained in the Force and likely couldn't distinguish her fear from his own.

She didn't know Mathieu well enough to know what words would be most effective to use but she hoped to have at least enough effect to have stalled him long enough for her to take action. A torch toppled out of its holder on the wall and landed on the back of the Sith's cloak, distracting him enough to release Zemira who promptly ignited her own lightsaber to protect herself should Mathieu try and strike her. "We can get your bounty and go home." She said carefully, looking for a hint of change in his eyes but there wasn't time to wait for an answer as as soon as she asked, the Sith had gathered himself and was advancing on the pair. Zemira held a hand out and Force pushed him into the wall, harshly. By now, she was getting more annoyed than scared - She despised the Sith and their selfish ways.

Mathieu Brion