Seeds of Hate

[Krayzen Dratos]

[member="Valae Kitra"]

Hangar, Silver Jedi Temple, Voss​

Velus had been deployed on a mission with Valae to investigate possible slave operations in Zygerria, and put a stop to them. The planet was notorious for once running one of the largest slave empires the galaxy had ever known. And now, it seemed some of them wanted to make a come back. The Rebel had a thing or two to say about that.

If there was one thing Velus hated, it was slavers. He knew that if he were to go on the mission by himself, he would most likely implement his own brand of justice that wouldn't go along with Silver ideals. Whether his superiors knew that, Velus wasn't sure, but they had decided to place the well known Jedi Knight, Valae, as the leader of the mission. It seemed his purposes was simply to be a guard.

"Ms. Kitra, I'm ready." he said. As always, Velus had decided to make sure there were no traces of drugs, as the man was a heavy smoker, although that fact wasn't known to anyone by his knowledge. He had made sure to also prep himself up with weapons, and other gear, just like he always did.

"So, when do we take off?"

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Sitting in the pilot’s seat, Valae glanced down at the panel before her. This craft was a bit different than the Tumbleweed, and it would take a moment or two to gain her bearings. However, most ships weren’t all that complicated, and this was no exception. It was not a large or imposing ship, its armament was light, but it seemed to be heavier when it came to shields. And though it was currently sitting at the landing pad near the Silver Temple, it was unmarked – there were no outward signs that would tie it to the Silver Jedi. Considering the nature of this mission, she felt it best to try to fly under the radar.

Now, she had little experience when it came to the slave trade, but the troubling possibility of operations on Zygerria was enough to warrant a trip. Rather than send other members of the Silver Service Corps, the Jedi healer had opted to go herself. But of course, she did have a very capable young man at her side. Valae didn’t know [member="Velus"] well, but he had seemed to have an interest in coming along. As she was not well-versed when it came to combat, she would likely lean on his skills should the situation go south. Not to say that she wouldn’t help, she would do her best.

“Oh, right.” She nodded, her thoughts returning to the present. “We’ll get goin' now.”

Valae started the ignition sequence and they were on their way.

“So, it’s probably best that we go into this incognito. Dress in plain clothes, and try our best to blend in. Unless you have any other ideas… I’d be glad to hear them.” She added with a kind smile.

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

"Got it." he stated. Where he would smile, Velus would have a neutral expression. The young Padawan had "trouble expressing himself." That was what his master had once told him, although Velus knew his master was being quite kind. The personal stress from losing his parents, and many of his friends to the dark side made him create many personal barriers, Velus choosing this method in order not to get hurt again. Perhaps one day he wouldn't change. At the moment however, that was far from the case.

"So reconnaissance to gather information. Got it." he said. Velon liked the idea she had; additionally, he hoped she didn't find any disrespect not calling her Master Kitra, or so forth. Velus never truly even called his own master that. It was just something he was taught to do when he was raised, and it was something he had carried with him his whole life, even while serving in the ORC, where he used other words instead of more formal words like "sir".

"Intelligence gathered says that there is a route liked to use by slavers in Zygerria's capital." Velus then pulled out a holo-map. "Particularly in three this parts, deep in the criminal part of the city." he stated. Velus had experience travelling in the ghettos, and gang areas that cities had, having grown up on Nar Shadaa. He would use his own skills to help with this mission, although he hoped Valae had some combat training, as it would help make his job much more easier.

"Ready when you are."

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae nodded, though her cheerful expression remained, she had noticed how closed-off her young counterpart was. Glancing sidelong at Velus, she could easily sense his force presence. It was not one that radiated the light, but what she would perhaps call ‘grey.’ She wasn’t troubled by it, Valae wasn’t one to judge. He had mental barriers, it was easily felt – not that she was attempting to pry.

Chestnut eyes shifted to focus on the holo-map that was illuminated before them.

Valae nodded along, noting the areas that Velus had just called out. It seemed that their mission would be taking them to the central area of the city. These slave traders were likely out there operating as normal people in society, their dark dealings well hidden. However, with the right approach, it would be easy to coax out some information –at least, she hoped.

“Sounds like we have a plan,” She said with a grin, “Making the jump to hyperspace now.”
------------------------------
The trip to the outer rim was largely uneventful; their ship was now in orbit over Zygerria. She looked down on the planet for a moment before navigating her way down. Once the ship had set down in a rather busy-looking spaceport, Valae glanced over at Velus and nodded her head towards the doorway. A moment later, she was out of her seat and moving towards the small cargo bay. There she began to gather her things – a medical backpack, heavy blaster pistol and rarely-used saber. Valae tucked the weapons up under her long vest and away from sight.

She waited for Velus to prepare as well, and then lowered the ramp.

“Alright, shall we?”

[member="Velus"]

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

[member="Valae Kitra"]

The jump to hyperspace, and the trip to Zygerria had been relatively quick compared to some of the other planets Velus had visited. Going from the Outer Rim to Silver Controlled Space took many weeks, depending on the ship you traveled with. When they arrived to Zygerria, he could see the planet was more modern than he had previously thought. It made him think about his homeworld, Nar Shadaa. Few planets however compared to what many called "Little Coruscant." To him however, it was an abyss that he hated having lived in.

The trip to the spaceport had been quick. Velus saw Valae prepare herself, and the Rebel followed suit. Grabbing his Mando ripper, along with other weapons, Velus left the ship, analyzing the surroundings at first in order to make sure they were safe. He had also brought in his light-saber, although it was concealed to suit the purpose of the mission.

Heeding her call, he left the ship. The trip to the central part of the city was relatively short, as he expected it to be. When they had arrived, his senses went into overdrive. Earlier experiences had taught him to have a "sixth" sense with this sort of work, and he could feel something was wrong. Those slavers. As he thought about it, his hand clenched into a fist, anger visible in his eyes. The only thing stoppind him from acting was her. Otherwise, he would have conducted his own vigilante brand of justice. God, I wish I could just finish them.

Velus then looked at Valae's eyes. "Ready when you are. "

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

The two moved through the city with ease, their senses sharp. But as they continued further into the heart of the city, she glanced to the side at Velus. There was anger inside him, she could feel it... she could see it. However, for the moment he seemed to be keeping it under control. Though she could sense this smoldering anger, she did not know the true source behind it. Could it be that this mission had triggered him in a negative way? Only time could tell, and she would keep a watchful eye on her companion.

The afternoon passed, they had gleaned some helpful information at a local hangout. It was a rather seedy place, but they had entered and exited without incident. It seemed that a local man had acquired some goods, and was quietly looking to make some sales. While they did not have it on trustworthy authority, they had overheard that a deal was going down later that night -- a lead that they could not ignore.

"Well, seems like we're on our way." Valae remarked as they exited the club, but hushed the moment a couple of men passed by, smoke from their cigarettes hung in the air.

She stifled a coughing fit behind the back of her hand, and moved to the side... into the shadows. Indeed, they would have to proceed with caution.

"Do you think we should go to the meeting place now and wait?" She asked, wishing to hear Velus' opinion.

[member="Velus"]

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

Unknowingly, Velus didn't know that Valae had noticed his anger. He didn't care, as his mind was preoccupied imagining what he could do to the slavers if he caught them. Velus, having been raised in Nar Shadaa, had encountered slavery on numerous occasions. His parents had suffered their own form of slavery, and the former mercenary witnessed it. That was why he tended to not be kind to slavers, even if his superiors wished otherwise.

They had entered, and exited a hangout very quickly. It had been hard for him to control his anger, but he knew that he had to be patient. Then, and only then, would he perhaps unleash some of his angers at the man that was selling the slavers.

"We should go." he said, a small hint of enthusiasm evident in his voice. He then thought about it, and knew the only way he could beat the slavers, and the people that supported them financially is if he took out two birds with one stone. "Actually, we should wait and follow the people buying the slavers. We can possibly get them, and the people who conduct the slave trade." he said, waiting for a response.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

"Alright, sounds good." She nodded, and started to move way from the club. However, she didn't go far. Taking shelter against the side of a nearby building, Valae motioned for Velus to join her in the alleyway. From there, the two had a fairly good view of the club.

Nightfall arrived, blanketing the area in darkness -- but the city was still illuminated by colored lights. Her eyelids were starting to grow heavy, but she perked up at the sign of a dark presence. Turning quickly to Velus, she watched his expression to see if he felt it, too.

A sleek speeder pulled up to the curb nearby, the window rolled down just so. Narrowing her eyes, Valae watched as a man approached the speeder. He leaned in to whisper, but Valae was able to catch his words.

"They are waiting for you at the docks, sir." The man said simply, and then ducked away.

Well, this certainly looked suspicious.

"This could be our guy. What do you think, Velus?" Valae glanced to the side, "D'ya think we should tail them?"

[member="Velus"]

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

When the city was colored with lights, it reminded him of Nar Shadaa. Maybe they should call it the City of Lights. It's actually quite beautiful. Velus then looked at Valae, still focused on the mission at hand.

When she looked back at him, Velus nodded. He had also sensed a dark presence, which in a way, had boosted his own dark side very slightly, although he didn't know why.

The Epicanthix heard the conversation. When Valae spoke, he responded.

"Yeah; it's the only lead we have now. It doesn't make sense not pursuing it."

If she choose to tail them, the Rebel would walk with her, standing guard as looked out for other threats. More importantly however, he would continue to control himself, although he knew it had now gotten harder to do so, as a part of him still wanted to unleash his own anger at the strangers.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

"Alright," Valae nodded and blew out a breath. "Let's go after them. The docks aren't far from here, right?"

She tried to recall the maps that Velus had shown to her earlier. The sleek transport went on its way, disappearing into the darkness. Slipping out of the alley, Valae made swiftly after the speeder. It went in and out of sight, as it navigated the city -- but they would not lose it completely, for they could still feel the darkness held within. As the two Jedi were on foot, they would reach the destination after their target.

They would have to proceed with caution.

Coming up on the docks, Valae slowed her pace. She offered a nod to Velus, and pointed to a darkened spot behind some crates. Their new vantage point was just outside the docks, where there were various unmarked transport ships waiting. Standing at the bottom of the ramp, there was a rather scruffy looking spacer there. He was armed, as were his two companions. The man's eyes were set upon the speeder that had pulled in. The dark-sided occupant of the speeder seemed to be hesitant to step out, perhaps he was unwilling to reveal his identity just yet.

But one of the man's staff members stepped out to deal with the spacer. Valae's brow furrowed, at the moment they seemed to be engaged in conversation. There was no solid proof just yet.

[member="Velus"]

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

[member="Valae Kitra"]
When Valae had told him to go to the docks, he simply nodded, following her. He was surprised that a healer had shown a nonchalant attitude the entire trip. I guess you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. The two then saw unmarked ships, and armed individuals. He prepared his weapons, ready to strike on Valae's orders.

Internally however, Velus was getting more, and more excited. He was ready to unleash the wrath the two individuals deserved if they were slavers. The Rebel didn't care about the armed invidiual, setting his weapons to stun, believing he could be able to take out the armed guards without killing them. They could provide useful information if they were captured.

The ship arrived, and the two men went to speak with each other. One had a large bag of what he assumed might be credits. The other simply waited. With effort,he tried to use the force to listen in on their conversation, but to no success. Damn. It didn't matter though, as the two would most likely face his own brand of justice.

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Though she attempted to keep her expression calm and collected, Valae felt jittery inside. This kind of work was far out of her comfort zone. But in the presence of Velus, she forced herself to steel her nerves. After all, they were here to collect information. Of course, if they spotted serious wrong-doing, she wouldn't hesitate to intervene -- but she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

The door of the transport suddenly swung open.

And before she knew it, there were blaster bolts coming their way. Valae ducked behind the crate, and glanced over at Velus. They had sensed the dark presence... and now they knew that the source had sensed them as well. This wasn't good. For the moment, they had sufficient cover, but would that last for long?

Drawing her saber, Valae held the hilt in a tight grasp. But she hesitated to ignite the blade. If she did so, she would work to deflect any stray bolts. She would defend herself, but she would not harm, if she could help it. And she certainly would not use any lethal force -- it was just against her own set of morals.

"Deal with them," Spoke a deep voice.

There were more footsteps now, all of them moving their way...

[member="Velus"]

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

With each step he took, he saw a glimpse of his earlier life; a place where he had been all alone. After the death of his parents, Velus had been sold into slavery, until a Jedi rescued him. He was later killed by the Sith, and that followed with a string of other losses, including close friends, love interests, etc. It seemed wherever he went, death was a companion of him. He wouldn't let it be his companion know. Today, he would fight it off.

The memories he felt broke the exterior that Velus had worked so hard to built. While he didn't show it, fear was slowly taking a hold of him. And with fear, came anger, and with anger came the dark-side. Slowly, but surely, a sudden dark presence would surround the soldier. He had experienced it enough for him to fight it off, at least for now. Knowing enough of the force to know he could use it as a conduit to enhance himself, he gave a small part of himself to the dark.

There was no point hiding the fact that they were Jedi anymore, as it was already revealed. As more soldiers walked his way, Velus' expression changed.

None of my allies die today.

And with that, he moved in. He would show them what true pain was, his movements enhanced, as he sliced and bisected as much soldiers as he can, his other hand sending slugs toward the chest of each individual that he didn't cut with his lightsaber.

As he did this, he saw the individuals that were carrying out the deal. He could feel a sense of fear in them, something that pleasured him. If they were slavers, and profited from it, there was only one way to rectify it.

Death was the only solution that was needed.

At least, for the dark part of Velus.

Whether that was what would happen would something he would later find out.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

As the soldiers grew closer, Velus didn’t hesitate to move. Valae watched him out of the corner of her gaze, his form blurred slightly by his swift actions. There was darkness here – not just that of their unknown enemy… but she sensed it within her ally, too. Velus was enjoying this. Swallowing hard, Valae drew her own saber. However, unlike Velus, her own waves of the saber were used only as defense. Blaster bolts were deflected away; hits were aimed to throw her assailants off balance, but not to kill. She even disliked injuring others, but she recognized that these men would not hesitate to kill her, if given the chance.

She glanced to the side, seeing the trail of bodies that led her to Velus. There were men on the ground, some groaning in pain, others silent in death. Valae’s cheek twitched, she didn’t like this.

But her attention shifted as a dark shadow of a man stepped out of the speeder.

He was tall, his facial features bordering on sinister. And his eyes were like fire. Valae watched as the man’s mouth twisted upwards into a grim smile. It seemed that he would now join in this fight; the Jedi had captured his attention fully. The deal would likely fall through, but that didn’t mean he would not benefit… He sensed the light within Valae, the unwavering devotion to good. And in the young man, he found an alignment that was breaking.

Suddenly, his presence grew – his influence attempting to reach out to Velus.

[member="Velus"]