Lost in the Dark

[James Justice]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArKPqVtD3XI[/media]

On his best days, James was just reckless. On his worst, he was a down right hazard to himself. His leap between the two trees carried him higher than he anticipated, and the arc of these criminal's fire seared around him. Empowered by the darkside of the Force, James easily deftly dodged the shots, his leather trench coat fluttering around him as he twisted and angled through the air. He landed on his knees, stirring up rocks and dirt around him in a flutter of power. His sweaty, blood-matted hair fell around his face obscuring his deranged face. His eyes glowed from behind the bloody veil with a sickening purple hue as he drew on his rage, his hate, his desire to destroy anyone who came between him and his brother.

Flickers of dark side energy began to wisp around him in a visible palatable display of his pure bloodlust. Tendrils of it arced into the ground, across his limbs, and through his torso. Each breathed to life by the twisted, malignant mind of what was left of James Justice.

A sickeningly mad chuckle escaped his lips. The laugh of a madman who had nothing left to lose--and knew it. "Surprise."

James shot to his full height, flicking his arm out and extending his slug thrower rifle. The barrel pressed into the closest man's gaping mouth. The barrel rammed in, pressing against the top of his pallet. James glared into his terrified eyes and savored the feeling of loss of realization in the man's eyes. "Boom."

He pulled the trigger. As the body began to fall to the ground James popped his rifle back, catching its pump-action slide in mid-flight. The spent red slug case began its descent, spinning end over end. The spacer twisted his rifle to bear as the virtually headless corpse and shell hit the ground. "Who's next?"

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]
[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Valae Kitra"]
[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum kept close to the group, hoping to catch up with James before anything serious occurred. As it would turn out, his movements only aided in making something happen. Before he could find cover, blaster shots filled the air. He could have easily stood in the way and allow his Phrik body to simply absorb the shots, however one of the first rules in battle was not to needlessly endanger ones gear or self. Thus, Ultimatum fell back behind a thick tree and waited for a lull in the enemy fire.

That lull came in the form of [member="James Justice"]'s attack. The organic's display of power was unsettling for the droid, having witnessed similar feats from any number of Sith he had worked alongside. It was something that he did not appreciate, even if it stood as a testament to the love which that organic felt for his brother. Ultimatum found it touching, but altogether futile to fall into corruption for the sake of another. As far as Ultimatum was concerned, corruption was a weakness that caused more damage than good no matter the circumstance. Nonetheless, the droid did appreciate the fact that the organic was now drawing more attention to himself.

He moved around the trunk, his mind locking onto one of the targets and for the droid time seemed to slow. A computer of course is capable of calculating most equations far faster than any organic and because everything in reality acted upon fundamental equations of some form or other a computer could potentially be a perfect weapon. There were down sides, obviously, a computer would not be capable of responding to every single potential outcome to a situation due to the organic factor. However, Ultimatum was no simple computer, all he had to focus on right now was shooting at a target, which he began the actions of as he intently watched. His arm moved up, inch by painstaking inch under Ultimatum gaze as the target seemed transfixed on Justice. As the sights lined up with the organic, the person recoiled back in terror. This might have forced Ultimatum to recalculate all over, but instead he flicked his wrist in such a way as to have the pistol follow the organic, pulling the trigger when the movement momentum matched near perfectly. Time began to speed up as the shot moved through space towards the organic. Everything began to move normally when the blast struck the man along the right cheek. The droid had no intention of stopping there, he moved to look for another target as he slid back behind the tree.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]
[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay followed in behind at her jogging pace. But as soon as the fighting began, she followed [member="Ultimatum"] 's lead and ducked behind a tree, seeking shelter behind it's large trunk. One hand gripped her blaster while the other clutched the strap of her satchel. She hated to see [member="James Justice"] this way. Consumed by hate and anger.Sure it was useful in dispatching some of the bad guys, but still, it was a slippery slope that he was sliding down.

She stared straight ahead, keeping an eye on their flank so that they wouldn't be ambushed. Hopefully they would find [member="Ryn'Dhal"] soon, before he himself would go down that dark route. He was in his full beast form and at times she could hardly connect with him that way. Hopefully he wouldn't attack them by mistake. She looked to see where the wind was blowing. If they were upwind, then maybe he could catch their scent and know that his pack were coming for him.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Spoiler

[video]http://youtu.be/79i2YKaDjJ4[/video]

They were upwind. Unfortunately though, his many months on seclusion had blinded his senses to differentiating those innocent animals he protected in his domain, and those whom were there to harm them.

What he smelt though, above all things, was fear, and this only egged the predator on. His pace quickened, his bestial nature granting him speed and mobility that bipedal sentients could only dream of attaining. But, when the Force began weaving through his being, that speed amplified to horrifying levels.

He was a living missile, coated in fur and lethal spines, armed with durasteel shedding classes and fangs. Radiating from his aura within the Force was an almost tangible sensation of Righteous Fury. He was here to do what was right and send these cretins to meet their makers.

Between two trees the great cat sailed, a horrifying black mass among the dark backdrop of this dark world. All four paws landed firmly against a large tree trunk, and the impact, amplified be the Force sent cracks down the length of the trunk and into the earth, destabilizing the fitting of all withing twenty meters.

The hunter at the base of the tree collapsed in fear, and promptly soiled himself as the great beat split the perpetual night with a horrifying roar of Righteous Rage. The beast landed almost silently in front of the man, and turned slightly, glaring over his shoulder with those intelligent, enraged, golden eyes. One word was snarled.

"RUN...."

This hunter, and the remaining few in the beard immediate vicinity turned trail and fled, screaming. "The demon! The demon is coming!!!"

A few remained, engrossed with their more immediate threat in the form of [member=James Justice]. The beat began stalking forward, before catching the scent of a female. He'd not encountered a female hunter before. Out of equal parts curiosity, and need to protect his domain, the beast diverted his route, silently stalking around trees, until he was merely five meters away from the diminutive female, only some small bushes separating himself from her.

"Female Hunter.... you are.... different.... from other.... hunters...." the beast growled, equal parts statement and question. A lack of recognition was in his golden eyes, as the regarded the woman in a manner in which a distrustful cat would regard a stranger in his home. She was an unknown, and was this, a threat. Starring at [member=Lady Kay] the best waited, muscles tensed pounds, should she make any hostile motions.



[Member=Ultimatum] | [member=Valae Kitra]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay tensed up as she saw [member="Ryn'Dhal"] approach. Normally she would be fine, but she didn't see any sign that he knew who she was. Maybe this was someone else. Her eyes were diverted to his nose. Most creatures considered it a challenge to hold a gaze, so she refrained from doing so.

What he said gave her pause. Hunter? Well she was holding a blaster. Kay let go of her satchel slowly, spreading her fingers out so that he could see. "I'm not a hunter. Is that you, Ryn? It's me...Kay...your sister, part of your pack. I'm going to put my weapon away, moving nice and slow, okay? I don't mean any harm.."

And Kay did what she said she would. She slowly placed her blaster back into her satchel and then slowly mover her hand forward so that he could sniff it. Normally she would touch his nose, but she wasn't quite sure if it was really Ryn or not.

[member="Ultimatum"] [member="James Justice"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum took aim when his sensors indicated a large lifeform coming from behind. He turned quickly and locked onto the location of the organic even if he couldn't visually make it out. The creature had gone after [member="Lady Kay"], a tactical decision if there had been thought akin to that in the choice. She appeared to have seen it but wasn't attempting to fight. That stayed Ultimatum's hand, but he knelt and prepared to shoot should something go wrong.

While logical, Ultimatum occasionally had difficulty with the concept of reasoning. There was not quite enough information to point towards the beast being Ryn, however the droid guessed that it was possible it was him. Ultimatum could not take the chance of it being a local wildlife specimen of the hostile variety. Ultimatum trusted Kay's judgement, but not the creatures of this world. Thinking about it he didn't truly trust Ryn in his more beastly form given the current circumstances.

A blaster shot to his back brought his attention back around. He let loose three shots towards the hunter, not looking to see if they struck before he brought his aim towards Kay.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

 

[James Justice]

James brought his blaster to bear on the closest hunter, pulling the trigger. The lead slugs tore through the man's meaty thigh, sending a spray of blood and bones through the back. As his victim roared in agony, James grabbed the man by the throat, using him as a living shield as he charged towards a triad nearby. The spacer whipped his shot gun around, bringing the butt to crash through the man's skull with a bloody show. Spinning, the Spacer dodged a volley of bullets as he ratcheted a third round. He fired from the hip, blasting a hole through the middle of one of the three closeby hunters.

The third wrenched the weapon from the bloody spacer's hands. A pair of Sub machine gun slug throwers leaped to James' hands, he relished the change as his foe's face changed from triumph to horror.

"I dun't like it when people touch me stuff," James growled before sending a hail of bullets through the man's body. The riddled carcass collapsed and James spun on his heel, mowing down several others. He let out a cackle of delight as he watched the bodies danced in the old dance of death.

"And I hate it when they attack me family," he added, tossing aside the empty weapons. He pulled out a wicked, trimmed down sub machine gun from his coat, ramming a drum barrel in under it. He had to be more careful with lots like these wandering around.

"What the bloody hells?" James muttered when he saw the shadowy, mountainous figure near Kay. He couldn't see many details and after his brother had vanished--he was about to open up a can of hell on anyone who got near the rest of his kin. He raised his modified weapon, "Oi, you! Get the bloody hell away from 'er or I'll send ye back to the goddamn hell from which ye came ye piece of crap."

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]
[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

The great beast watched Kay inquisitively as she lowered her weapon. She was not Hunter. She was.... non-threatening. The beast struggled with what he saw. She... spoke with recognition. Ryn....

"Ryn....?" The beast repeated, obvious confusion in it's gravely voice. The massive head cocked slightly to one side, trying to process... Then a new threat appeared. A hunter, coated in blood, was yelling at him. Threatening him. "Oi, you! Get the bloody hell away from 'er or I'll send ye back to the goddamn hell from which ye came ye piece of crap." the Hunter yelled. The beast turned fully to face this new threat, and took a great breath, puffing out it's massive form in a show of aggression.

The roar the beast released pierced the perpetual night, the Force radiating outward with the monstrous scream would cause the wind to tear at the Hunter's long, blood-soaked jacket, and cause the hunter to be pressed backwards, losing some ground with the soft soil his feet were on. The beast glared menacingly, those keen, molten gold hues piercing the night in the direction of this Hunter.

This man. This unrecognized man. His own brother.... who, in this primitive beasts mind, was now a threat. He lurched forth with a mighty burst of effort, claws tearing at the ground and he charged the man that in a past life, with a sound mind, he regarded as kin....

[member="James Justice"] | [member="Ultimatum"] | [member="Lady Kay"] | [member=Valae Kitra]​

 

[Ultimatum]

There was no time for caution now. Whether or not the hulking creature was [member="Ryn'Dhal"] it was attacking James. Perhaps that was earned on the Force users part, but nonetheless the droid planned to defend [member="James Justice"]. If it were not Ryn then the feline organic would probably appreciate his effort, if it was Ryn then once he was calmed down Ultimatum hoped it would have been appreciated. Whether or not he would be thanked, Ultimatum had every intention of defending the organics that Dhal held so dear.

As the creature charged Justice, Ultimatum stepped out from behind the tree trunk so that he had a near perfectly clear shot, pushing out all other stimuli he focused all of his attention on the the animal's large form. He tracked it and calculated its momentum, a task that only required a fraction of a second to complete, and then he fire three times. This was followed by a break for a moment before shooting five more times. Ultimatum doubted that it would significantly damage the creature and if it were Ryn then it would certainly not hurt it in any real capacity, but at the very least it would get its attention.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

It was working. [member="Ryn'Dhal"] seemed to be calming down. He even spoke his name. That is if it was him. He didn't move to sniff her hand at all and she began to step closer when she heard [member="James Justice"] shouting at them. Her eyes widened as she turned to look at her brother coming after them, with obvious signs of his growing decent into darkness. "No James! Wait!"

But it was too late. The beast was going after him, bringing forth a deathly roar that caused her to cover her ears and head. When it stopped she focused her attention on the scene.

Blaster fire soon interrupted her focus and she turned to see that [member="Ultimatum"] was the one firing off the shots. "No!! Stop!! It could be Ryn!!"

Why is it that men always resort to violence when they see big beasts? She wasn't being attacked. Breaking away from the protection of the tree and getting into Ultimatums line of sight with Ryn, she ran after the beast, yelling at James to not hurt him and to put his weapons down.

 

[James Justice]

The most dangerous type of man wasn't an angry one. It wasn't a force user on a rage, it wasn't a general with a slave army at his beck and call and no morals to boot. The most dangerous type of man was one who didn't know when to be afraid.

James felt his back press against a tree as the roar sent him back a few feet. He narrowed his eyes to hardened slits. This beast thought he could mess with his family? The family of James Justice? The man who had battered, slaughtered, and ravaged those who tried? He smirked as the beast started charging. Just like James wanted.

He squeezed the trigger, firing off a quartet burst of bullets. It was hard to miss, the downside of being massive was it made you a pretty easy target.

"No!! Stop!! It could be Ryn!!"

The words made James freeze for just a moment, just long enough for Logic to potentially set in. Or at least the other emotions James was prone to feeling; love and care for those close to him. If it was Ryn, he had made a terrible mistake. If it wasn't, then everyone who was still around that he cared about was on the fast track to danger. The spacer spat out a curse, tossing his weapon aside.

" 'Tsall right, Ryn. Its me. Remember me? We met when ye ship failed and Watcher helped draw ye in. I were just a smuggler then with a rusty ship and a faulty blaster. We're brothers, remember that? We fought together against the raiders and we rebuilt villages together. Ye helped me home when I were too drunk to stand many a time. Ye were there for me when Anara left. And when Nyx left too. Remember that?" James spread his hands wide, "Ye were there for me when I found me kids and din't know what to do. Ye were there when I got captured on Imahaylan and ye helped rescue me. Ye remember me?"

[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Ultimatum"]
[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

A threat, a new one.... one not detected earlier. Metal, non-organic. That's why.... Came out from behind a tree and began using a hunters weapon. A Metal hunter!? Evil creature. It shot, red hot bolts of pain. A couple shots went wide, scorching the spines along it's back, but a great majority tore into his right flank. The beast bore three similar wounds, much older ones. Their number tripled with this new onslaught. The pain, searing agony, caused the beasts next leaping stride to falter. Luckily though, as the bloodied hunter opened fire at that time. The falter is about all that saved him from this next wave of projectiles. One slug tore into the flesh of his right shoulder, digging deep and setting against bone, while two others slammed into the left. One found similar purchase, lodged against bone, while the third tore straight through and out again. The fourth slug would have embedded itself deep in the frontal lobe of the great beast, had he not been weakened so by the previous barrage from the mechanical entity. The fourth hit a spike along the back of the beast, and ricochet off into a tree.

Slamming hard to the ground, the beast slid a short way on his left side. The bloodied hunter dropped his weapon, and began.... talking? Talking to the beast. Much like the female hunter. Why? Why do they act like they know him? His vision faded slightly, pain attempting to wrest consciousness away. The great beast shook his massive head, fighting off the fatigue. No, this is what they want! They want to capture him! Yes! They're still hunters! But... The woman never shot.... The bloodied one didn't shoot until.... until he perceived a threat to the female.... Yes.... But, hunters.... evil? This... not.... wait....

The beast shook his mighty head, as he heaved up onto all fours, the injuries making standing upright quite difficult. Staggering away from the bloodied hunter, the beast shook his head again before slamming into a tree. The beast glared, defensively, as he backed slowly away, but keeping the tree to his side. He continued to do so as the bloodied hunter moved with him, until he could see all three ahead of him. He watched them, confused, injured, and strongly defensive.

At this point, his ears flickered, as a series of piercing cries cut the night. The hunters who fled, they'd found a banshee nest. "The young!" The great beast snarled, that massive head whipping in the direction of the cries. The Force welled up within the beast. His injuries be damned, those monsters were not making off with the young! Before any of them, the metal one, the female, or the bloodied hunter, could protest it, the beast bolted off. His speed incredible, even in his injured state.

His speed dangerous, because of his injured state....

[member="James Justice"] | [member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Ultimatum"]​

 

[Ultimatum]

Illogical at best, deadly at worst. To run into the firing zone was definitely not the best way to increase lifespan, understandably she was trying to stop Ultimatum from shooting Ryn. While the droid agreed that not shooting Ryn would have been preferable, and although Ultimatum disdained the use of combat as a solution to a problem, the artificial intelligence was more concerned about the welfare of those that Dhal cared about. Damage done from blaster fire could be healed, especially for Ryn's thick hide, whereas anything that the feline organic may do to them would be much more difficult to repair.

With [member="Lady Kay"] in his line of fire Ultimatum stopped firing, but he continued to track Ryn with his blaster. Even as the mighty creature backed up so that all three of them were in his view Ultimatum knew that this was perhaps the most dangerous point for the three of them. A wounded animal that felt threatened or cornered was perhaps the single most dangerous one in the galaxy. The droid stayed motionless except for his arms moving to keep the blaster pointed in the general direction of Ryn. It was not pleasant to treat a friend this way, but the droid would have expected similar treatment should roles have been reversed. Compassion was not going to help when dealing with a more feral creature. Nonetheless, Ultimatum targeted Dhal's paw, an area that could be fixed fairly easily with bacta and if necessary some nerve reconstruction, something that Ultimatum had found himself adept at when beginning work on his Hybrids and V-1s.

However, before he could come to a conclusion about how exactly to break the apparent stalemate, [member="Ryn'Dhal"] ran off at the sound of screams. The droid was more pleased with the fact that it had spoken, a sign that he had not completely gone feral. Ultimatum was concerned that he would hurt himself further with running and combat. A body of that mass with such damage to his bones would certainly find itself exhausted much sooner than normal and what's worse it would only make the damage done more profound. The droid could not calculate the help that the Force could give, so he simply pushed that to the side.

Ultimatum knew what had to be done, firstly they had to follow Ryn and make certain that he did not further harm to himself, secondly they had to aid him in whatever course of action he intended. To begin this, Ultimatum holstered his pistol before moving to follow the path the creature had left, "We had better get going. Wouldn't want those hunters to get hold of Ryn." The droid did not expect the organics to understand his lack of remorse for shooting a friend, that was not how an organic thought anyways. He was working with the knowledge granted to him by millennia of organic experiences on the HoloNet and logical extrapolations. Was he wrong not to feel remorse? Maybe, but then again what was right and wrong? That was a question of morals that were far too often blurred by different opinions.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"] was hurt. The bolts pierced his flesh. Kay winced for him. Finally [member="James Justice"] and [member="Ultimatum"] stopped their assaults on the big feline. But it may not have been soon enough. She watched him back himself into a corner, wary of them all. Sudden screams tore her attention away, most especially as Ryn took off in their direction.

Ultimatum started to follow and bade them to go too. Were there still hunters left? Or did James kill them all? Kay started to jog after him. She couldn't exert herself too much. Ryn needed their help. She had healed him before. No doubt that she would need to do so again.

"I hope we're not too late..." As much as she loved the big feline form, she was also fond of Ryn's other form. Kay was worried that they might have lost him...

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

The beast tore through the underbrush without a single thought for self. Thick, sticky blood streaked leaves and branches as he passed.

The trail was easy enough for his friends to follow, even in the dark. Erupting from the brush, a poacher was sent flying into a tree, falling unconscious on impact. A savage roar, coupled with a mighty swipe of a claw, yielded an impressive Force Push, which scattered the remaining poachers.

One took aim, and realized two things about the great beat. Firstly, it was already injured. Secondly, it was protecting the banshee's young. He shifted his aim for the young, and fired off a burst.

The beast had a split second to react, diving to intercept the projectiles. The last thing he saw, after crying out mightily in pain, was the trio, those he wished he recognized as they did him, arriving.... a mighty effort given, as the beast almost pleaded... "The.... young...." and then.... darkness....

A mighty thud, as the beast slipped out of consciousness from the extent of his wounds.

[member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Ultimatum"] | [member="James Justice"]​

 

[James Justice]

James broke through the clearing just in time to watch the shot get fired. As Ryn's blood sprayed through the air and his body dropped--

Something inside James snapped. For years he had teetered on the verge of darkness. He had committed atrocities that were beyond speaking. He had slaughtered soldiers without abandon during the Republic's civil war. His displays of bloodlust were intensely savage as he butchered their bodies. He had shown no quarter to slaver, pirate, thief, raider, and murderer without mention, condemning the worst of them to a long life of endless suffering under the hands of Thraxis. He had been so coated in blood it was hard to see where theirs ended and his began.

But all that had been done with the belief that it was for something greater. But as Ryn's body fell, something in him broke. Something that would never be fixed again.

He lifted his hand, making the guilty hunter suspend in the air. The culprit would feel a vise grip like hold on his throat as James relished in his suffering.

"Its so cute the way ye struggle, even though ye know ye gonna die," James snarled, "Ye just shot my brother. Now I am gonna make ye regret ever existing."

With a flick of his wrist James brought the man's body hurling towards him. The spacer's fist made contact with the man's chest, breakn several ribs. His other hand snapped out a savage looking whip. Its many cords were made from barbwire, the sick edges tore through the man's flesh with the back-handed slash. The spacer brought the weapon down again and again on the man's body, flaying the skin off his muscles in bloody ribbons.

James tossed the whip asside, grabbing the man by the throat and holsting him high up, "Never. Hurt. My. Friends."

With a sickening roar, the spacer tore the man's life force away with Force Drain and dropped the bloody husk onto the ground, "You will all die!"

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]
[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO1pn6D-t4M​

Ultimatum watched as Ryn fell and the droid's immediate concern was stabilizing the organic. Once more, [member="James Justice"] was showing the innermost depravity that organics were capable of. The Intelligence knew that such was the curse of organic ability to choose their life, freedom of choice made them easy to corrupt. That was their failing and nothing Ultimatum could do would change that, except perhaps the removal of their ability to make choices. Of course, that was not truly an option. Now was not exactly time to think on such things. A wounded friend and many enemies nearby, as well as one uncertain organic that Ultimatum decided was not exactly friendly at the moment.

The droid looked to [member="Lady Kay"] and spoke, "You take care of Ryn? I can protect Banshees and cover you." If it had been a perfect situation, Ultimatum would have had a bacta pack or two to at least make certain that [member="Ryn'Dhal"] was safe from death. However, this was far from a perfect situation. It was chaotic at best and the droid knew it. He was working with what he could do. Without any form of technological wizardry to be had, the droid was relegated to the task of combat really. If nothing else, he could probably run back to the ship and grab what medical equipment was there, during which he could also send out a message to Mustafar to scramble the Sovereignty. At least that vessel had a medical bay that could support the mighty beast's wounds.

The droid began to run towards the Banshee nests, it was strange to think that he was doing this for a non-sentient creature. Were such animals worth the lives of sentient organics? What was the value difference? Was this truly a battle worth fighting? In war, as in life, everything was a matter of deciding cost versus benefit and deciding how to act. If a battle was too dangerous for its potential rewards, then it was prudent not to take part in it. This was logical, however the current situation was not? Except that the droid had not accounted for the most integral part of the equation and that was that this was to be done from an organic perspective, specifically that of Ryn's more primitive mind. Logic was less of a thought than the protection of those that are weaker than ones self.

A stray blaster shot struck the droid on the side of the head, forcing him to fall over from the unexpectedness of the shot. He barely had enough time to catch himself from falling into a nest, planting his arms along the edge so as not to harm any of the creatures within. It was time to set up a defensive screen, his body between the attacking hunters and the nests. The hunters seemed distracted enough by the banzai charge of the dark Jedi. There were one or two that seemed to be relying on the battle to cover their approach to the nests. Ultimatum began firing on them, standing in the way while firing in a seemingly random but patterned attack. It would slow their movements, but they were smart enough to fall to cover when they realized their attempt was proving less than successful. The droid did not have the ability to think about the others, instead putting his mind to sending an emergency transmission to Mustafar. At least medical assistance could be on its way once this battle was over.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay skidded to a stop as [member="Ryn'Dhal"] went down. Then [member="James Justice"] lost it. He really, really lost it. "JAMES!! STOP!!!" No doubt her words would fall on deaf ears. He was torturing the guy. Whipping him with such a vile weapon. She didn't have the strength to force him to stop when he was this enraged. What she witnessed in horror was breaking her heart. Her once hero had become a monster.

[member="Ultimatum"] 's voice brought her out of her thoughts, changing her focus to him. Kay was sure that he could see what she was feeling as it was probably written on her face, but they had more important things to do. "Yes...I'll help him."

She ran then, dodging blaster fire and hurrying to Ryn's fallen form. She bypassed James and Ultimatum and knelt beside him, tuning out everything around her while she lay her hands on his head and back. Kay closed her eyes, focusing on the Force as much as she could. It was good that he was unconscious for he couldn't feel the pain.

While the others were busy fighting, she was working on the deep wounds. She had to do a quick fix until proper help could arrive, otherwise she'd need to be carried off as well.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

The wounds weren't terrible, Kay would quickly find. It was months of fatigue, and near endless conflict, that when coupled with the trauma of multiple slug-thrower and blaster wounds, and losing multiple pints of blood, unconsciousness was bound to reign victorious. But, she managed to close a few arteries that were releasing much of the great beast's life-blood, and that, coupled with the vigor she was infusing into his body, caused the great beast to stir.

Feeling her, her presence mingling with his, willing him back to them, broke through to the man within the beast. "Kay....?" The great feline groaned, opening one great eye to gaze at her face. So close, yet so far, she appeared, as if looking through a telescope. But, as a barrel of a blaster seemed to manifest from some brush, leveled at that beautiful crown from behind, the beasts eye snapped wide, more alert than the woman had witnessed it yet.

What happened next was a flurry of motion. The enormous bone-spikes along the great felines back seemed to melt back into the flesh, disappearing. Massive paws converted into fingered hands. The mass reduced, but not as much as any of them expected of their friend. Dagger-like fangs diminished, retreating back into the maw of the felinoid. All of this, over all but a few seconds, four at the most.

While these physical changes were occurring, the shifting beast was moving, lurching with incredible velocity from his position on the ground, laying on his side, into action! He would leap past Kay, thrusting an opened hand out towards the blaster-wielder. Closing his fist, and wrenching it towards his person, the man would find his weapon, along with a vast majority of the clothing and armor he wore, ripped away from him, clattering harmless onto the ground.

A mighty, anguished roar, erupted from the feline-humanoids maw. "ENOUGH!!!" as the Force radiated out from him, tangibly. Should James have halted his rampage, he'd notice the hunters were staring in horror at the naked, blood-coated, feline figure. Oozing wounds still decorated his body, as he took a ragged breath. "You...." he snarled, gesturing with a finger at each of the hunters in turn. "Flee.... While he may yet let you.... Enough have died this day...." His words carried an eerie finality, as the Force entwined with each syllable, the subtle tickle that it gave to the mind of those that heard compelled them to comply.

Ideally, even James would be effected, at least enough to let the killing stop. His brother was alive, and his brother needed him. It was taking literally ever last bit of willpower remaining in his body to remain upright, as the hunters attempted to disengage and withdraw.

[member=Ultimatum] | [member="James Justice"] | [member="Lady Kay"]​

 

[Ultimatum]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqmbz8W1-tA​

The hunters seemed to be suppressed, after one had accidentally poked his head out at the wrong time. They were intelligent enough to wait for the droid to begin reloading before they began attacking. However, they only made it a few steps before the voice rang out into the night. The fear was palpable in their visage, Ultimatum could tell that much. It was so great that they fled as soon as the words ended. With that complete, the droid turned his attention to the Banshees first. The creatures seemed to be afraid as well, but at the same time somewhat reassured, as if they knew that the voice that had spoken was a friend rather than a hunter. The Intelligence put aside his questions of their sentience compared to potential thought capabilities.

He moved over to [member="Lady Kay"], believing that she had potentially worn herself out with the attempt to heal Ryn. He wanted to make sure she was alright, and let her know that a ship was on the way to help heal the feline more completely. The response had been near instantaneous from Legion, the Sovereignty was being dispatched and would arrive soon. In the meantime, the droid decided that what had to be done was to first make certain that [member="James Justice"] once more had his wits about him. Then they would need to return to the ship to take care of Dhal. As much as the creature may disagree, he was in serious need of medical attention, the kind usually only required by battlefield patients. Adversely, most soldiers could not obtain the care that they desperately needed, something that Ultimatum planned on not allowing to happen to his friend.

Yes, friend. A word that Ultimatum did not use in his mind casually. Few organics would ever get the droid to admit who his friends were, fewer still would actually achieve that status. It took far more than simple works. The saying that thoughts mattered little compared to actions was only partly correct. When attempting to understand organics thoughts were perhaps paramount to truly knowing them. Ryn's was a rare honor, to be a friend of the droid without the Intelligence holding anything back. Of course the droid had his secrets, which he hoped to share one day with the organic, perhaps when they were enjoying a quiet time with the others. Maybe they would be able to have a meal or something under the stars, organics liked that concept as far as the droid was aware. There he could release his chained thoughts and allow his demons to be heard by another. Maybe. Such a pithy sentiment, no doubt something that the others would love to know he had. Not out of spite of course, but perhaps it made the droid appear more organic. That was not really a surprise to him, he had been programmed to be as organic as possible while maintaining the advantages of an artificial mind. It led to some unique pitfalls, some of which he had learned and overcome while others remained hidden beyond his view.

Introspection, not exactly the preferable course of action when others were in peril Ultimatum decided. There were many days ahead where he could take the time to think on his existence, maybe question the reality of his existence. All sorts of thought provoking conversations could be done to himself when he had the time. Now was not that time.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]