The tunnel system was dark, though once his eyes adjusted, it allowed for Jand to walk without the need for a light source.
Throughout the duracrete passages were debris and cracked walls, ceilings, floors. There seemed to be a steady decline, which meant any run-off moved further into the underground pathways. As he walked, the Padawan remained alert for further indications of Sith movement or killings, though Jand had doubts about how many might be in the dark tunnels. Caution when pursuing an unknown foe - or foes - seemed warranted, so the Nagai continued to make his way in a direction that he noted led him back toward the death pit. And Jand's footfalls were near-silent, his
susurra-weave boots absorbed the noise he might otherwise make, even as he stepped on crumbled duracrete rocks and in pools of rancid liquid.
Still, there was an unsettling sensation in the darkness; and that feeling of underlying shadow, menace, did not lessen.
If anything it grew.
After what felt like a lifetime in the shadowy tunnels, Jand was almost doubtful he was on the right track, and was close to turning back. Yet, the distant sound of crying caused him to pause, as he craned his neck and listened with his pointed ears. There was definitely a hushed voice that echoed through the most recent passage, and with quickened footsteps, Jand rounded another corner--
* Sniff *
--and leveled his gaze at a small humanoid child that sobbed. She was beside two bodies, evidently dead with seemingly fresh wounds that leaked the final ichor to the ground, and the splatter of which stained the alcove walls around the girl. Whether due to his silence or lack of light, if not both, she was unaware of his quiet approach. Whatever had happened, it seemed the small child had been spared, if one could say that. But, more importantly, was the blinking object in her hands.
A thermal detonator.
Jand's eye twitched, as he slowly applied pressure to the activator on his lightsaber with a finger, but he hesitated...
"Hello," Jand said in a soft voice, so as to avoid startling the child. It was time to try and connect with another sentient.
"Are you hurt?"
"Ah!" The small girl gasped, as she scuttled back against the alcove wall. Her boots slipped in the blood of her parents, as she blinked. "I... who... t-the visions, they're in my brain!"
"Are you hurt? I am a Jedi..." With calm, Jand eyed the thermal detonator, then looked back to the child.
"I am here to help."
"S-she said to hold this tight," The little girl began to sob, as she stood and wobbled on unsteady legs. "She said to t-tell them to turn away and give t-this to you..."
She held out the explosive.
Jand considered options in a heartbeat; first option, activate the lightsaber, remove the girl's hand, retain the pressure on the kill switch trigger to give time to gather it and disarm. Second option, not do that, and try to talk to the little girl like a Jedi would...
"I understand," Jand said as he altered his voice, exuding a calm and peaceful tone through his vocal cords. A Nagai attribute.
"I can accept your gift... I will not leave you with it. But before we do that, can you do something for me? What is your name?"
"C-Ch'eori..."
"Ch'eori, do you see the blinking light? We need to stop that," Jand soothed, as he offered a faint smile. His voice, the hypnotic aspect of it, increased by the word.
"If you pull your finger back with the button... we can exchange gifts... does that sound good?"
The child nodded slowly, eyes half-closed; then, Ch'eori glanced down and slid her finger back, as the blinking light stopped.
"Good." Jand stepped forward and grasped the thermal detonator, as he pulled it from her tiny hands.
"Here is your gift, take it and go back to the surface, seek out the Alliance soldiers for help."
Jand slipped the explosive into his pouch, and pulled out a glow-rod, which he gave to the little girl.
"O-okay..." The child said, still in a stupor. "I... I am going to hunt her one day."
"Who?" Jand asked, curious.
"The lady with the glowing eyes," Ch'eori said as she held the light. "S-she killed my... my momma and pappa. She is a monster."
Jand nodded. He frowned, as he placed a hand on the girl's back and nudged her the way he had come. It seemed that whoever was responsible for killing the other humanoids had also been responsible for arming a child with an explosive, with the intent of using on anyone in pursuit. That spoke volumes as to the evil nature of the lady with the glowing eyes, and it was all Jand could do not to growl in frustration at such an act of weaponizing an innocent.
A child, no less.
"Go now," Jand said, as he watched the girl begin to run.
"I will handle the monster."
Once the glow-rod light faded, the Nagai turned and clenched his lightsaber hilt so tight his fingertips threatened to draw blood from his palm.
"I'm coming for you."
Jand began to sprint down the tunnel on quiet footfalls, his mind focused on the shadowy presence, his path decided...
