The Dead and Those Searching

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

"No." Val said as he increased his grip on the creatures throat. He knew well enough what that man was...or what he could be, but that wasn't what Val was asking, it wasn't what he wanted to know. He needed more. "Tell me his name."

His eyes darted towards Ryssa.

"Find the Sith's name." His voice was ice cold.

She could choose not to listen to him of course, but in order for her to stop him from doing much of anything to The Collector she would likely have to shoot him. The simple truth was that he was a mountain compared to her, and even if she used her full strength to pry at his fingers she wouldn't be able to release his grip. The Collector's eyes seemed to bulge slightly, his face turning a different shade as that very realization struck him.

"S-solia-Can't breath."

A scowl ran across Val's lips and he let go of the creatures throat just slightly.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

@Valkyrien Aurelios

Gorram it!

Without hesitation, Ryssa let go. But it wasn't to pull a search. The bloody bastard was ruining things for her. Ruining her connections and her livelyhood and --

"LET HIM GO VAL!" she shouted at him. She couldn't just shoot him. She had her WESTAR-34. What else -- A quick pat down and she scoured for something, anything , that she could use to. Off to the side, she caught sight of a small statue. Made of sturdy glass, about the size of her full forearm.

Oh this was a bad idea. But what else was she supposed to do?

Immediately, she took the statue in hand. Hand came up, size difference or no, when one took a swing it would come across the back of Val's head hard. Unless he let go of the Collector, then he'd find himself promptly clobbered to hopefully knock him out.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

He turned on her in an instant.

The Collector dropped to the floor with a coughing hack, but Val wasn't paying any attention to him anymore. The Viking rounded on Ryssa and caught the statue with his hand. There was a slight thunk as the solid hunk of metal hit his flat palm, his massive fist enveloping it as though it were merely a child's toy. Bright blue and orange eyes seared with rage as he looked down at Ryssa, a scowl pulling at his lips and the muscle of his bicep rippling as he held her in place.

"Go." His voice was ice. "Search."

The Collector half moved to get up, but Val lifted his leg and kicked him from behind, knocking him to the floor once more. "The terminal."

He wanted answers.

This may have been Ryssa's livelihood, but The Collector had played his games with the wrong person. He had teased a mystery that had haunted the man for his entire life, he was denying him knowledge that could change the course of his entire existence. Val wasn't playing a game. "Now."

He tore the statue from Ryssa's hand and tossed it across the room.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]


There were few instances where Ryssa had ever been truly afraid. On Zolan, where as a child she watched her home burn, and her father cut down. On Zenith Prime, when she was buried under rubble in a tomb for almost seventy-two hours before having to climb out battered and bruised but still living after. Or when she had desperately did her best to quickly shift into human form when chased by Zolanders intent to have her head.

Seeing the rage, the fire, the manner by which Val's features twisted and turned into a dark savage snarl hit that level of terror that had the Changling stumbling back. Her eyes went wide, practically as large as saucers. Fear etched itself on her face, angled down like ice through her veins, jump started fight or flight.

Blood seeped from her hand where the glass and the force of the impact had cut her. She backed up until she caught the terminal. Until her hands clutched at cool steel. She didn't even hesitate. Turning around, Ryssa let her eyes scan over the information that had been brought up. She memorized it, let it sear into memory.

Then she ran.

She didn't look back; she didn't wait to see what would pass, she didn't bother to see what came of the Collector. Of Val. Of the petrifying sight that had beheld her.

She ran, swiveling through the collections and sprinted to the corridor. Feet pounded, heart jackhammered, and pure adrenaline fueling her every step.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

His fingers flexed as the door to the turbo lift closed behind him, his hand balling into a fist, knuckles bloody and scraped. The two gamorreans stared at him, one took a step forward, but a simple glance saw them take a step back.

Val lingered there for a moment, taking in a deep breath and then taking a step forward.

He didn't bother speaking with either of them, didn't say a word, and as he moved away from the door they quickly filed into the Turbo-lift. The door closed behind them and the lift was sent rocketing up. Val ignored that fact entirely, ignored what they would find. He had received his answer, and it was one...well it was one that he hadn't been expecting. There was no way of knowing if it was the truth, in fact at the moment it was nothing but conjecture...but...he'd seen it...seen the man.

It was unmistakable.

It had to be the truth.

He frowned, scowled even. What did he do now? Did he continue chasing the gauntlet? Did he even care? Did he just let Ryssa go to pursue this. As he walked down the hall he couldn't help but feel disgust, at himself, at what he had learned. A sudden spike of rage jumped through him, his fist suddenly whirling out as he struck a nearby plate of durasteel. It bent and creaked, splintering at its side to buckle under the weight of his strike as Val let out a roar.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Fear was the fuel that pistoned every step, that had the Changling weave through the crowd. That had her bumping and rushing out of that casino as if the demons of the Nine Hells were at her heels.

Her lungs burned. Every breath hurt. Brusies sore and tender from earlier screamed. Blood was dripping from her hand with every step. The wall of piss, fried food, and garbled trade chatter surrounded her.

Skygazer. I have to get to that quick. There were things folk could deal with. Could understand. Ryssa had lived a life of solitude and survival in the only way she knew how. She did her best, and she did it well. But she was no hero. No one to rise up and continue the fight or do what she could when faced with something so overwhelming that she could bear through it.

Some may call her a coward. Perhaps they are right. Maybe it was just a sense of self-preservation. What she had was just the very brief knowledge of a man that spanned all of a few days.

In said days, her carefully crafted life and connections were crumbling apart.

Wild eyes went searching for the spaceport, alert ears trying to discern any sound that may indicate someone may chase her.

Fear fed the need to shift. To change. And that fear swallowed the pain as her skin changed color, from the smooth blue to a warm peach. Long hair turned lighter until it flared into a red curtain behind her.

Hanger was close by, and taps on the wrist cued up the slave circuits. She'll be at her ship soon.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Val didn't bother chasing her.

How could he? Why would he?

He already knew how to finish this. His fingers curled against the bulkhead as he slowly drew back. A small crowd had gathered around him, no security forces of course. No one really cared about what he had done, not in any serious way, they just found it curious. A few around him began to whisper, others began to point. Val scowled at them for a moment, and then simply wandered towards the starport. He didn't head towards the same Hangar Ryssa was going towards.

Didn't need to.

People moved away from him almost instinctively, parting so that he could pass with no trouble at all. Ryssa passed just in front of him, unrecognizable in her new form, yet he didn't go towards her ship. Instead he went to the left, another hangar half filled with freighters, dropships, and even a fighter or two. His fingers slowly unfurled, his hand opening as he wandered up to a starship captain. "I need you to take me to Vjun."

The man looked up at him bewildered, then at Val's open palm. There within the center sat a small bead of Aurodium.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Unlike Val, her thoughts were not about where she would go, which planet she'd jump to. No, as her feet pounded up the ramp of the Skygazer, engines whining up to a roar with ignition, her mind was focused on simply getting away. Was she stranding Val? Yeah. She was. However, he had managed to make it to previous planet and she was sure he could figure out a way to go on his own -- if he survived the Collector's goons.

Hands fumbled to shut the door behind her. Damnit. Damnit!

No, don't think on it. Dashing her way through the smooth lines of the VT freighter, Ryssa made it to the cockpit. She slammed down onto the seat, fingers already moving over the familiar instruments. She had to get out of here fast.

There was no telling just what sort of wrath the Collector would lash out with. If he was still alive. If either of them were. Panicked, fear drawing her features taunt over her face, Ryssa hit the throttle and took the yoke.

Within minutes the Skygazer painted lines of white as she blinked into hyperspace.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

The spacer stared for a moment, as if it took him a moment to realize exactly what he was looking at. When he finally did realize he simply closed his mouth, licked his lips, and nodded.

That was no surprise really. Aurodium, even this tiny bead, was worth more than the mans entire ship. Val didn't really care for money, nor did he care for some pretty metal. He needed something to do now, he needed...something to get his mind off of everything. Off of what he had learned. His skin still crawled still, and he felt an odd sort of disgust about all of it. He frowned and then nodded, the man before him ushering him onto the ship.

"Fast." He told the man.

There was no other option.

Val didn't want to sit around, at this point he doubted that he could. What The Collector had implied to him...no, what he'd downright told him, it changed everything.