Private Reemergence

[Chaussidier]

Reemergence​

The bridge bustled gently as its crew worked, all focused and well aware of their task. The operation was already well underway - in this instance, it meant that the fringes of the large chamber were significantly more active than the centre. Chaussidier stood by the command desk with his hands clasped behind his back. From afar, his stoic posture might have appeared to be calm and at peace. But his eyes told a very different story. They displayed sharpness and intent as he gazed down onto the console to follow the information that flowed through.

"Admiral" the communications officer approached.

Chaussidier greeted him with slightly delayed nod as his attention shifted.

"An unidentified vessel just dropped out of hyperspace." the officer was a true professional, but even then, a hint of nervousness lingered in his voice.

The Admiral looked to the officer for a few moments, processing the information. After the silence, he spoke "Their course?"

"It is not interceptory, but it seems like they will come close. Maybe 4000 meters. They seem to be heading for the planet." he said, finishing his report.

Chaussidier stayed silent, opting to respond to the officer with a nod before returning his focus to the command console, only to look up once more when he noticed that the officer had not yet moved away. "Was there anything else?" he asked, matter-of-factly.

It was obvious that the situation was uncomfortable. But the officer had served under Admiral Chaussidier for some time and knew that the right call would be to speak up. "The Jedi, Admiral. He is taking longer than expected." he paused, knowing the gravity of what he was about to say. "Should we consider aborting Admiral?"

Chaussidier's eyes went blank for a bare moment as his mind went to the prospect of abandoning the Jedi. Almost immediately, they went back to normal. Once more, silence broke out as he assessed the situation "No." his response was curt. WIth that, the Admiral returned his focus to the command console "We will monitor the unidentified vessel. Stay on course." Quickly, his eyes snapped back up to the officer "That will be all."

The communications officer nodded "Yes, Admiral" before turning to walk away.

Resting both his hands on the desk, Chaussidier leaned over it. His jaw clenched as his mind went to the Jedi. The youngster had showed promise when they first met. For the most part, he had lived up to it during their journeys together. But then, he was only a padawan, albeit a skilled one. It was hard to not wonder if the mission was too difficult. If he had asked too much of the Morellian.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Reemergence​

Location: Korriban
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, practice sabre
Tags: Chaussidier

---​

He eyed the light by the mouth of the cave. Chaussidier had to be worried by now. Or, at least his staff. The old man had always been hard to read. The line of thought was cut short as the crimson blade once more neared for a dangerous swing. Mathieu's attentions quickly snapped back to the battle at hand, raising his own blade vertically to block the attack. The masked figure allowed their blade to bounce back off of that of the Jedi. Without much momentum to speak of, Mathieu took a step forth whilst preemptively moving his sabre to block the next attack. This time, a more potent one, as the Sith spun around and carried the momentum with him. Far from a pushover, the Jedi not only stood his ground, but also kept marching forth, forcing his opponent back in the process.

It had been a long and intense battle and it continued in the same manner. Mathieu's tight Soresu defence coupled with a constant advance pitched against the Sith's high paced and agile fighting style. On multiple occasions, the smaller foe had been pushed back to a wall, only to vault over the Jedi, forcing a behind-the-back block. Mathieu tried to think of something which would end the fight but it was a hard task as he had to defend against yet another flurry of attacks. The cave walls, lit up by natural light from afar and the blue and red glow from the lightsabres, shifted in colours as the exchange went on, mirroring the process of the battle closely.

Noticing a flaw in the flurry of attacks leveled against him, the Jedi quickly thrust his sabre forth, exploiting a brief pause in the SIth's onslaught. The opponent scrambled, just barely managing to catch the Morellian's blade with their own. Mathieu, having trained with highly capable Jedi in the past and having fought multiple Sith in the most recent times, managed to predict his opponent's next move. The Sith stepped to the left, repositioning himself to avoid the threat of being struck down by the Jedi's attack. It was at that moment that Mathieu's free hand shot out to successfully to grab the foe by the shoulder.

It immediately became clear the only protection the Sith had underneath the robes consisted of something akin to a thick leather patch. Almost as if by instinct, Mathieu produced a bone crushing squeeze, knowing that this was probably his best opportunity to bring the fight to an end. The robed foe's breathing hastened. Soon, pained squirms could be heard as the pressure on his should continued to increase. The Sith started to pull away, each attempt with added desperation. In an act of pure instinct, they reached out with the force to take hold of a head-sized rock behind the large Morellian and thrust it at his back. With the sudden impact against his armour plate, Mathieu stumbled forth, his grasp slipping, allowing the Sith to escape the situation.

Mathieu's mind once more returned to Chaussidier as the Sith took a couple steps back. He had to hurry, for each moment that passed meant a greater risk to the Admiral.

 

[Chaussidier]

Reemergence​

He let out a sigh, troubled by the relative lack of information from the ground. the dusty planet below. It was not common for Jedi to venture there but even then, he had sent Mathieu. The risk was necessary and from a purely strategic point of view, it was the right call. Or, at least, it had seemed to be the case when they first initiated the operation. They had conducted many similar operation since they struck out into what used to be the core of Imperial Sith space. Korriban, Dromund Kaas, Ziost - it was just some of the planets they had visited in their efforts to fight the Sith corruption that still lingered. Mathieu had been instrumental in these efforts as he was one of few who were equipped to handle Sith in the down-scaled fleet that the Admiral led.

"Officer Vadryn" his voice easily carried across the bridge to the communication officer's desk.

The Mirialan quickly rose from his seat, picked up his datapad and approached the Admiral. "Admiral."

"What do we know about the vessel?" he asked, nodding towards the direction of the unidentified ship that just dropped out of hyperspace.

"It appears to be a cargoliner. According to the Dromund Kaas authorities, it is supposed to carry food, medicine and construction materials. It's route has remained steady." the officer offered his report whilst reading the information off of the datapad.

Chaussidier's response was calm as he inquired for more information "Good. What did the scans pick up?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. There cargo space allocated for construction materials seems unusually large, but it checks out."

A slight frown appeared on Chaussidier's features as he weighed the risks. For while he commanded a powerful warship, it was far from ideal for battles of a larger scale. While the cargoliner appeared to be of little danger, it could tip off whatever remnant forces that could be found in the vicinity. He glanced down at the command console monitoring the situation on the ground. Then, he made the call he knew was necessary. "Prepare the hyperdrive."

"Yes, Admiral" The officer nodded before marching off, quickly relaying the command to the other stations.

Chaussidier once more looked down onto the command desk, letting out a low "You better hurry up."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Reemergence​

Location: Korriban
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour
Tags: Chaussidier

---​

The battle raged on.

The two fighters had quickly resumed combat after the brief moment of respite. But now, the Sith was reeling. His right hand was no longer holding the sabre as his shoulder was severely injured. Instead, he held it in his left, now relying on speed and agility more than anything else. The rate at which their blades clashed had decreased. For instead of launching brutal flurries of rapid and precise strikes, the Sith now leaned more on acrobatics, launching unexpected attacks and trying to win by deceiving his foe.

To an extent, this was effective, for while Mathieu had fought numerous opponents in in the past, few had resorted to all too unconventional methods. Now, he had to deal with feints and leaps and spins purposefully led nowhere. The Jedi struggled as his quick guard kept being raised whilst rarely deflecting an incoming attack. The exercise had him playing mindgames with himself as he tried to keep up. But while it put Mathieu's mental faculties to the test, it was also putting a strain on the Sith's stamina.

And then it happened: An attack broke through. As Mathieu's blade was swung to the left to defend against a quick slash, it suddenly transformed into a thrust to his forearm. The protective plates of his armour shielded him from loosing an arm, but the damage was clear as his limb felt as if it was on fire. Now he too, held on to his sabre with a single hand. His foe pushed the attack with increased confidence as Mathieu struggled to fend off the attacks that rained down after his injury.

But his tired foe started to slip up. The Jedi saw the attacker's defences faltering as the openings he left kept growing more significant. Before truly being able to recover himself, Mathieu turned a defensive ward into a powerful slash against the Sith's left side. This time, further augmenting his strength, adding to an already overwhelming difference. Despite the opponent managing to raise his blade vertically to defend, Mathieu's attack was powerful enough to push through. Before either of them realised what had happened, the Sith's arm fell to the ground along with his sabre.

Surprise spread across the face of his foe. Mathieu pressed the attack, keen on ending the fight. With a step forth, he raised his sabre a few centimetres. Instead of slashing down on his foe with it, however, the Jedi turned it away and used the hilt to direct a powerful blow towards the head. Before long, the Sith laid unconscious on the ground.

Mathieu looked to his foe. The blue light from his sabre lit up the cave's ceilings as the red light from the blade of the Sith coloured the floor. With a swift strike, he destroyed the red blade.

A grunt escaped the young Morellian as the strain from the battle and the pain from his wounds caught up with him. "I better hurry up" he mumbled before moving to the side of the cave to download the contents of a computer console while picking up a datapad. It was a short process, allowing him to leave right after. But before doing so, his eyes drifted down onto the incapacitated foe. "You'll need medical attention, won't you?" he whispered, talking to himself more than anyone else.

"Alright" he said, having decided what to do. Mathieu extinguished his blade and sheathed it along with sealing his bag in which the datapads laid. The large Morellian knelt down "Let's go" his voice strained as he picked the one-armed Sith up and placing them over his shoulder. With that, he started making his way back to his personal starship and activated his comms "Admiral, I'm on my way"

 

[Chaussidier]

Reemergence​

The activity levels throughout the ship had increased as its crew prepared for a hyperspace jump. Chaussidier, however, remained as still as ever whilst overseeing the process and more importantly, the operation. Last time they had been forced to leave a landing party behind for later retrieval, there had been far too many casualties. Still, Mathieu had survived on that occasion so if it happened again, the Admiral knew that there would still be hope. Regardless, it was a significant risk and a high price for the Jedi to pay. Especially considering how squeamish Jedi could become around worlds strong in the dark side. Chaussidier didn't know much of dark or light sided words, but Jedi had spoken about it in the past, and he took their word for it.

Suddenly, the comms light lit up on the command console. "//Admiral, I'm on my way//" Bar a seemingly glad sigh, Chaussidier remained as he was. Unmoving, calm, stoic even. "Double speed. We are about to leave." his voice was cold as his focus honed in on completing the operation. "Injuries?"

"//Prepare the sickbay. We'll need a security detail and I think the technicians will be having a field day with this stuff I picked up//" Mathieu's voice seemed to carry a certain cheerfulness to it - but Chaussidier had worked with the young Jedi for some time and could easily pick out the pain that Mathieu was trying to mask. The Admiral looked to the communications officer, making sure that he heard the request and acted upon it. Once the preparations were underway, he let out a curt "Understood. Chaussidier out."

The following processes went smoothly. The cargoliner passed them by without any hitches and Mathieu's ship docked successfully. Chaussidier wouldn't be at the hangar to greet him. Instead, he trusted his crew, and the Jedi himself, to deal with the details. Remaining on the bridge, the Admiral ordered the jump. Only when he knew that they were in the safety of a hyperspace tunnel with hours until arrival did he step away from the bridge.

Nobody was surprised to see the Admiral as he walked through the ship. In fact, they were rather used to him conducting inspection rounds in person. This time, however, he was not conducting an inspection. Thus, he cared little for when the crewmen quickly shot up to salute him as they noticed his presence. Although it would have been interesting to see the prisoner or inquire about the technical findings, his first priority was to see how the Jedi was doing. Soon, the doors to the medbay swooshed open before him, leaving room for the Admiral to enter. With his hands clasped behind his back, Chaussidier looked around in search for the Morellian.

"Admiral" Mathieu's glad voice carried across the chamber, despite the medical equipment, droids and kolto tanks all working to drown his voice out with their own noise. Sitting up on a sickbed, he flashed a smile at the elder. His armour plates had been removed, leaving him in his body glove with one sleeve missing, now replaced by bandages. The Jedi remembered how he used to feel discouraged by Chaussidier's cold mannerisms, fearing that the man didn't care for him. But that was in the past - for he had long since realised that it was just how the Admiral operated. Figuring that he might as well stay a step ahead, Mathieu spoke "I retrieved the data and even our sithy friend himself."

To Chaussidier, it was good to see Mathieu still in high spirits. In truth, he didn't care much for the report. He had a rough idea of its contents already. Still, he gave an approving nod "Good. Should you wish to, you may participate when we question him."

Mathieu looked to the Admiral with an awkward smile "Well. I'm not so sure if he'd like to talk to me. I kind of, disarmed him"

Chaussidier shook his head at what could only be interpreted as a pun. He chose to move on to what he had really come for "What's your status? Injuries?"

Mathieu's lips curved up in a soft smile. Happy that Chaussidier asked how he was doing. "It's just a flesh wound. I'm fine. Better than Telos, worse than Rhen Var." he said, referring back to previous planets they had visited when hunting for Sith remnants to pick off.

Walking closer, Chaussidier gave the Jedi an approving nod. It was good to hear that Mathieu was alright. "Well, you had a team with you on Rhen Var." The elder paused, to give Mathieu a pat by the shoulder "You did well today."

The young Morellian's face beamed up upon receiving the compliment. He had long since come to see the Admiral as a mentor of sorts. Praise from him carried a particular significance. Of course, Chaussidier was no Jedi - but then, Mathieu had not found a Master who would take him on as their Padawan. Instead many valuable lessons had been taught by various others whom he had met during her journeys. And for this purpose, Chaussidier had been important. They had spent an extensive amount of time together since the collapse of the Sith Empire. Mathieu didn't know why the Admiral asked him to come along on the hunt for Sith remnants, but he was happy that he did. "Thank you, Admiral" he said, letting the word 'Admiral' carry so much more meaning than a simple rank.

Chaussidier recognised the thanks with a nod. "If this all goes well, we might reestablish contact with the wider galaxy soon." The Admiral came close to smiling upon saying it. "The nature of our operations have made long range communications difficult. Each man and woman serving under my command have been asked to sacrifice much. Soon, all of our dedication will bear fruits"

Mathieu's mind went to all of those he had been unable to contact for so long. "I would like that." The excitement and joy he felt upon hearing was significant. But even then, it was slightly weighed down by the prospect of Chaussidier's mission ending and the internal community they had built up dissolving.