Following a hunch

[Cynna Jade Sunrider]

Jade shook her head, confused. "How can those escape pods be your only chance of—"

She cut short her own sentence realising what he had meant. He had to stop Zander first as sensitive data was at stake. He would then use the pods to escape once he was done with Zander, but needed the fighter threat eliminated first. The rest was obvious enough.

"Okay, I will go back to my Defender and clear those fighters. Do what you need to do, and come back to me in one piece, Thetan. In other words, once I'm done with those fighters, I expect to be picking you up from an escape pod." Jade nodded at him, swivelled around and bolted for her ship. As she reached the door she full turned her head to look behind her at the Sith, "And may the Force be with you friend."

It didn't take long for her to reach her Defender. Encountering no resistance whatsoever, she exited the larger ship's hangar bay and made for the sky. It felt good to be up there again. Her very own TIE defender made her feel like she could thread a needle.

And then, ahead, a lone TIE fighter. It took a few shots at her Defender, though Jade’s deflector shields held firmly. But they wouldn't for long. Especially with a whole squadron of more TIE fighters coming in behind her to intercept. Jade made quick work of the lone TIE fighter which exploded into a ball of flames, and vanished into nothing as quickly as it had exploded.

The approaching squadrons of TIEs. They were swarming like wasps. They were onto Jade's Defender, taking their shots. She pulled away, leading three of them off— but they were on her fighter like magnets, following her every swoop and turn, her every roll and lurch, so she drew them back toward the Sacheen class light escort, the enemy ship.

It looked like a suicide mission. A game of chicken with the enemy. But she knew what was doing. It was a practiced move. One the Imperials never expected. At the last minute, she pulled up, as the enemy Sacheen ship opened fire on her. Jade's TIE Defender was remarkably quick, the TIE fighters unfortunately were not. Being were Jade's defender should have been when the incoming volleys of laser fire came in, and having no shields of their own, the TIE fighters, dispatched in gassy plumes of quick-burn fire.

Diverting all power back from weapons to engines, Jade created some quick distance between her and the large enemy vessel. Enough to be safely out of its firing range. At least for the time being. She looked back toward the frigate largely looming in her viewscreen, as she raced towards in the hope in detecting any fleeing escape pods— but her heart sunk when she found none.

Anxiety hit her in a flurry. Had Thetan made it? There was nothing she could do but wait, but even that would soon not be an option. Yet Sith or not, she didn't want to run from a battle and leave anyone behind.

[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"Cease fire!" The captain shouted in panic, eyes wide as [member="Cynna Jade Sunrider"]'s TIE Defender approached. It was too late, as the turbolaser batteries quaked, releasing powerful bolts of destructive energy towards the group of starfighters.

Smoke and debris drifted past the bridge viewports, the fleet officer's mouth agape after his mistake had been made. The fighters under his command had been destroyed, outsmarted by their opponent and led to their own deaths by his order.

"Deploy our remaining fighters," the captain followed up, his voice quiet and audibly shaken. How long would he last after a mistake like that? "I want those scum to burn alive in orbit!" There was still some distance between the carrier and the frigate, and it would take a moment for the pilots to prepare for launch.

Meanwhile, the Interceptor frigate's corridors filled with gaseous fumes, klaxons blaring as lights flashed wildly. The drug from that grenade had begun to take its toll, causing Thetan to stumble over what he normally could have avoided.

Eventually he reached his destination, the main computer access terminal, its log showing that it had indeed been tampered with. Some of the frigate's systems had been forced back online, its engines leading the ship into a collision course with Tanaab. Specifically, Thetan's family estate. Zandar was no where to be seen, but some miscellaneous thugs still scrambled within, desperate to make their own escape.

Nothing else could be done, other than abandoning ship. The treacherous agent had played his hand, leaving only a few options left for the Jedi and Sith duo to respond with. A brief trip down the turbolift led Thetan to the escape pods, many already having been launched, some even in the process of doing so. Luckily, one remained untouched, prompting the old man to eagerly leap in and jettison away.

Most of the pods headed towards the planet's surface, drawn in by its gravity once released into space. Maneuvering the pod's thrusters, Thetan was able to keep his craft from drifting into orbit, but what else could he really do up here? His family's legacy was about to go up in smoke, he could not simply watch as the frigate neared orbit itself.

"There isn't much time left, Jedi. Destroy that frigate, and I will be in your debt. My people have limited combat ships, but I will see what they can muster for our aid. I will see you on the surface, if you survive." With that, Thetan's transmission cut out. A TIE carrying an escape pod wouldn't be able to do much in the field, she was better off without him as a burden. The grassy plains below began to fill the pod's small viewport, as it prepared to enter the atmosphere.

 

[Cynna Jade Sunrider]

"Roger that I copy Thetan. I will destroy the frigate... oh no what is that. More fighters coming my way, This just gets better and better. Belay that request. I've got to take care of these fighters first and then the frigate. Hopefully I'll see down on the surface soon. Jade out." The transmission cut off abruptly, Jade not even sure if Thetan had heard all of what she had said, although it didn't matter. She knew what she had to do and so did he.

The attacking fighters came in quickly and were represented by firepricks on several of Jade’s Defender’s screens, prompting Jade to immediately pull back on several controls.

The starfield wheeled around her as an Imperial TIE fighter raced toward her and then swung overhead to vanish into the distance. Within the tiny cockpit, its pilot frowned as the supposedly Imperial TIE Defender of Jade Sunrider not being flown by an actual Imperial darted out of range. Adjusting his own controls, he swung up and over in a high arc intended to take him on a fresh intercept course with Jade’s Defender.

In the meantime, Jade fired at another fighter, and its pilot nearly slammed his engine through its mountings as he fought to avoid the powerful energy bolts. As he did so, his hurried manoeuvre brought him under and around to the other side of Jade’s Defender.

Two fighters dived simultaneously on the twisting, spiralling Defender, firing but missing Jade’s fast moving fighter.
She had a total of 4 fighters on her and as several laser bolts hit her ship, but fortunately its deflectors held. The cockpit shuddered violently, and gauges whined in protest at the quantity of energy they were being asked to monitor and compensate for.

One of the fighters unloosed a barrage on the Defender, only this time the bolt pierced an overloaded screen and actually struck the side of the ship. Then that same fighter floated down on Jade’s fighter, right into her sights. Her mouth moving silently, she fired at it. Without warning the fighter erupted in an incredible flash of multi-coloured light, throwing a billion bits of superheated metal to every section of the cosmos.

Jade tried to relax, to become a part of the weapon. Almost without being aware of it, she was firing at a retreating Imperial. When she blinked, it was to see the flaming fragments of the enemy craft forming a perfect ball of light.

There were still two more of them out there. Then a TIE fighter seemed to materialise out of nowhere, energy bolts reaching out from it toward her. Its companion craft came up on the Defender's other side and Jade found herself firing steadily at it. At the last possible instant before it passed out of range, she swung her more agile ship minutely so that the weapons faced the fighter, her finger tightening convulsively on the fire control. The Imperial fighter turned into a rapidly expanding cloud of phosphorescing dust.

The other fighter apparently considered the shrunken odds, turned, and retreated at top speed. With no time to waste, Jade let it go, turned toward the ailing frigate and fired a barrage of missiles and lasers at it, in which the frigate then shared the same fate as Jade’s attacking TIE fighters did before it.

Without any second thoughts or any hesitation, she then pointed her ship towards the planet and full throttled the engines preparing for entry into its atmosphere. She could feel the Sith already landed on the surface waiting for her, and no doubt aware that from the sudden bright light in the sky, that the frigate had been destroyed.

[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

Dirt flung in all directions, smoke drifting off of the escape pod after it's atmospheric entry. The craft had violated the otherwise serene nature of Tanaab's plains, a long trail of soil and upturned grass in the pod's wake. The hatch opened, and out climbed Thetan, his ragged breathing slowly calming as he took in the fresh air of his home. It had been too long, the old man could hardly believe he was back.

Ever since the discovery of his force sensitivity, Thetan had distanced himself from his old life, instead adopting the ways of the Sith, eager to gain more power through whatever means necessary. He couldn't remember the last time he had even been aboard his mining vessel, now that he thought about it, and it scared him.

Engines roared in the distance, a shuttle that had been dispatched from the palace to pick him up. Home was not too far away, as the old man had managed to maneuver his way closer with the limited capabilities of the escape pod. Others had also launched, but he had no clue where they would land. A flash of light above urged the man to look, seeing the scattered debris of the frigate soaring through the sky.

Did [member="Cynna Jade Sunrider"] surprise him? No, despite the flaws that most sentient beings shared, she was a Jedi, and all that she had done fell in line with her duty. However, Thetan was Sith, sworn enemy of the Jedi, yes? She had had many opportunities to kill him, yet never acted on them, just as he had not acted on his own.

She saw what his aged eyes could not. Closing them in shame, he exhaled, climbing upon the shuttle before taking a seat. What a fool he had been, too caught up in his pride to realize he had been he was being used all along, just as the Jedi were. For all the horrible deeds he had done in his life, it had only taken a few good ones to prompt Thetan into rethinking his recent decisions. There was another way.

//

Molten slag drifted through space, where fearless pilots had answered the call of duty. Some of them had not even been Imperial, simply hired for their expertise in exchange for decent pay. As sick as it was, Ballen-Ist reveled in their deaths, standing behind the commander who was now frozen in shock. The human had yet to notice the Sith's presence, still fixated on what he had witnessed out the viewport.

Only now had they entered range of the frigate, but what did it matter? The TIE Defender had dispatched all of their fighters, only to then turn its weapons upon the ship it had seemingly been protecting. The commander gritted his teeth in anger. If only he had been the one giving the orders, things might have gone differently. The Sith and their planned ahead schemes, they were too absorbed in themselves to realize that sometimes, the best solution was the quickest. The Sith-

Pivoting on his booted heel, the commanding officer silently gasped, his mouth wide as his gaze met the burning gold of the Pureblood's glare. "Make the jump. We are leaving." And like that, the crimson skinned man departed, exiting the bridge without so much as choking the commander. He was so relieved, sure that the whole skirmish would have earned him his death.

Now in his private chambers, Ballen-Ist folded his cloak and armor set, placing them into a small armory compartment within the wall. A show of military might would have been the quickest way to destroy his foes, but destruction was the last thing he had had on his mind. For that would have rendered null the entire reason he was here. Placing the holocron into the compartment, the Pureblood made sure it was secured, before drifting off into Sith meditation.

///

Soon, the shuttle touched down on the landing pad, upon the end of a walkway that loomed high, leading to the upper levels of the Garonnin estate. It was a magnificent palace, no doubt maintained and afforded through the ancient fortune of their family, thanks to their legacy as strip miners. The shuttle then took off, making sure the pad was cleared for the incoming TIE Defender. Thetan spoke to a few individuals, who seemed to be those in charge of the estate while he was away.

 

[Cynna Jade Sunrider]

Descending from the heavens as if a divine chariot, a tiny ship glinted in the sun – a TIE, in fact. Small, gleaming panels and silvery streaks, a ship as much for its looks as its function. It was the TIE Defender of Cynna Jade Sunrider.

As the TIE Defender came into landing, the element of wariness hit Jade. What dangerous game was she playing. She was fighting a Sith by allying herself with a Sith. She never had expected for that to occur, but it had, and now she was deeply involved. She could've just made the jump into hyperspace and be gone. Could have... Yet something told her otherwise, the Force perhaps? Something wasn't quite right. Yet she felt no sinister plans of betrayal from Thetan. She wondered as the landing pad loomed larger into view. Could he be turned to the light side. Deep down she could feel the good in him. Sure he needed her help, but after all she was a Jedi, his sworn enemy. He could have been done with her many a time, but hadn't acted on any such opportunities.

Upon landing, Jade immediately hopped out of her fighter, greeted by a single male ground crew controller. She simply nodded and smiled at him as the man pointed her in the direction of the estate's owner. Jade paused a moment to breathe in a grasp of the planet's fresh air, while cracking her own neck left and right as she stretched. She didn't need instruction to realise that Thetan was speaking to several others, presumably care takers far out in the distance on the estate's upper levels.

Jade strode forward up the stairs that lead straight to the older Sith. Thetan of course had already anticipated Jade's approach, yet turned to greet her.

"Thetan, apologies for my late arrival. As you know I had my hands tied up." She bowed to older Sith, more out of courtesy than anything else, and immediately after, nodded to the others who were present.

"Your former master has left the system... For now. Undoubtedly he devises a new strategy. How shall we proceed from here? I am loyally at your service." Jade felt a slight shiver down her spine as she spoke those last words, one that she was sure Thetan had noticed, not too sure herself why she spoke them. Was it the Force guiding her, telling her, the good that still existed in the man. Only time would tell.

[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

The landing pads had been cleared beforehand, the ground crew notified of the arrival of a TIE Defender-class starfighter. Once [member="Cynna Jade Sunrider"] had entered the estate, the ship underwent brief inspection, and would be refueled and repaired if need be. The Jedi's sense was correct, for those in Thetan's service did not really have any reason to do the woman wrong. They were just glad their master had made it back, safe and sound.

With a wave of his hand, the grey haired man dismissed the servants before him, who bowed before turning to leave. They made their way down the nearby large staircase, passing Jade as she made her way up. "Jade," Thetan began, bowing his head briefly in gratitude before continuing. "I thank you for your assistance. Now that he has left, I may finally have a moment to organize my own affairs," he paused, taking a second to think about his next decision. She seemed uneasy, and the old man wasn't surprised.

"You're free to leave, in fact I would recommend it as soon as possible. If need be, one of my servants will show you to the guest quarters, where you can rest until your ship has been fully assessed," He wondered how she would feel about that, whether or not she was protective of her TIE. Regardless, it was in good hands. "If you wish to further pursue my master, I could also present you with some information as a reward for your help." This information was dangerous, Thetan would surely have to leave the planet once more after this. Though he had lost the holocron, he still had many other chess pieces. Jade did have another Jedi friend though, so perhaps she would be alright.

 

[Cynna Jade Sunrider]

Jade barely said a word as the old Sith spoke, choosing to study him, attempting to interpret his feelings. Then, just as he was finished speaking and Jade was about to in turn speak, she paused— the wind, it came in rushing, powerful gusts. It roughed up their faces, sprayed about Jade's hair, then it raced away and around the nearby mountain peaks.

As quickly as it had come, the wind had gone, the serenity that existed— at least as far as nature was concerned, returned.

"Thetan I will be upfront with you," Jade began sensing something more from him. "Do you want me to leave? Or would you prefer we fought your master as a team? Either way if you would prefer I leave, then I will do so and accept your offer for the information regarding your master." Awkwardness, as soon as she had finished speaking, that's how she had felt. She knew that Thetan could sense something from her, her desire to turn him back to the light— and perhaps something more. This is why he had told her that she was free to go, a subtle way in hoping that perhaps she would turn around and go, move on and let him be. But Jade didn't want to leave, and she knew that he could sense it.

[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"Realistically," the old man began, turning away from the staircase as he spoke, "I will likely be leaving here soon, as well. It's not safe, but I have other locations that will suite me just well," stepping forward, Thetan reached out with an arm, pushing open a grand doorway in order to gain access to the dining hall ahead. A table stretched along the center of the room, with multiple chairs pulled to its side.

There were many different foods available around the room at small stands, but it seemed Thetan already had something set out for him. Either way, he stood in the archway for the moment, looking up to the ceiling at the bright chandelier that hung overhead. Servants and chefs alike were strung about the room, either cooking, conversing or consuming. "I cherish my home, but it is now at risk and I must move on. Where I go next is not as welcoming as here, I'm afraid," he paused, remembering the old mining vessel that his family owned.

Reaching down to his belt, Thetan released his lightsaber hilt from its restraint, before lifting it up and offering it to [member="Cynna Jade Sunrider"]. It was a sleek curved design, finished with a gleaming dark metal casing. "But I won't be needing this anymore. Destroy it if you like, but feel free to rest first. I shall head to the communications center, and transfer that data along with a direct frequency to contact me at."