The Huntress is nothing without the Hunt (Lord Ajihad)

[Minna]

Brentaal IV​

Neutral Space​

​

Empty. Without Purpose. Words she used to describe how she had felt sometimes since leaving the Sith. In no way did she want to go back down that path, but her current path was not exactly perfect. It was for her own good, but it felt like it was tearing her apart. The urge to do something became too great, and that is how she found herself on Brentaal, awaiting her target. Lord Ajihad, an assassin from her own time in the order, was a Sith and that meant he was the enemy. The cause of suffering and evil in the world. One less Sith in the world thanks to her actions would make her feel much better... Or so she hoped...

Despite her departure from the Sith, she still had limited ways of accessing her old network of informants and agents. Through careful disguise she managed to plant small yet enticing pieces of information within the virtual reach of Ajihad. Opportunites for credits and power, lying in the giant commerce planet of Brentaal IV, which also happened to be a neutral planet. Just between Sith and Republic space, it sat in two major hyperlanes, making it an economically rich planet. There were plenty of opportunities here for the greedy...

And with such ideas she had offered a meeting with Ajihad, under the guise of a wealthy businessman. They were to meet away from the busy cities, in a small outpost atop the mountains commonly found on the planet. Remote enough to keep the situation contained, and with a low enough population to avoid major chaos in a worst case scenario. Everything was set, with herself leaning against the surrounding wall of the plaza she hoped to see him in. He would not recognize her as either Valtryx or the businessman he would be meeting, and that would give her time to pass by and take him by surprise.

She only hoped she was strong enough to pull it off. She had to be, or else she had no purpose.
The huntress is nothing without the hunt, and what better was she than an assassin?

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Lord Ajihad, the Fist of the Demon, landed a run-down old gunship on one of the few landing platforms in the remote outpost. The ship wasn't much, and certainly not something you would expect from a Sith. Then again, that was the point. He didn't want everyone on this neutral trade planet knowing who he was, and what his malicious intents were. He strode off of the ship, black robes pulled over his set of of stealth armor, as well as a small arsenal of weaponry he often utilized as an assassin. Today, he would be meeting with a businessman in the market for an assassin. He wasn't surprised by this, as many people liked to have their corporate rivals eliminated.

As he walked into the main plaza, he sensed a slight disturbance in the force. Without breaking stride, he began to rely on the force to see. he continued walking towards the rendezvous, but his vision was elsewhere. After a minute of searching, he found what he was looking for. It was a lightside presence in the force, over by where he had just landed. He quickly scanned the surrounding area for more presences, but found none. It seemed this lightsider was alone.

He continued to walk on, until he came the where his meeting area was. It was a shabby-looking factory, which had obviously been abandoned. At a rotting desk sat a pudgy little man, with little beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Vi'kas shrugged. He had met people in worse places than this. He sat down opposite to the piggy man, and spoke. "So, what will it be then?" The whole time, the Sith Knight used force sight to keep an eye on his surroundings, making sure there was no surprise attack...

[member="Minna"]

 

[Minna]

Of course, Minna hadn't thought that much through. She could no longer cloak her presence in the force, and had forgotten she would stand out like a beacon in the dark to this man. Despite this, she followed the man to the factory, her lightsaber ready by her side. Once the man had gone inside, she positioned herself outside the door, preparing for the fight that was no doubt about to happen. Feeling as ready as she could be, she sent a strong force blast in the door, causing it to fly open and reveal her form standing there; blue lightsaber ignited and in her Ataru stance. Luckily the inside of the factory was big enough for an Ataru user to have room to maneuver, but she had no idea which form this Sith favored...

The businessman shot up from his seat and ran, trying to find a safe haven from the impending violence.
"Lord Ajihad, it's time you gave up your reign of death. Surrender, or I'll have to end you." A threat spoken with mustered confidence, inside her there was little doubt. She could do this, and she would not stop until the Assassins were no more. But she knew what that meant...

The final target would be Ferus...

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Of course, the Sith Knight knew of the woman's presence before she even entered the room. Just as the fat man tried to run, Vi'kas lashed out, as quick as a viper. He grabbed the man by the back of his head, and smashed his face into the wooden table. The table broke under the pressure, and so did the man's skull. Blood poured from his face onto the rotting floor, staining it crimson. After scanning the man to make sure he was still alive, he turned to [member="Minna"] . He would interrogate the bloody fool later.

He cocked his head at the lightsider, a deadly serious expression on his face. He tried to scan her for an ID, but nothing came up. This only interested him more, so he decided not to kill her on sight. He spoke, his rich accent echoing off the walls. "My reign of Death over, hmm? I find it hard to believe you will end me. You are not the first person who has tried to defeat me, and you will not be the last. So I shall ask you, who are you? I don't believe we have met."

 

[Minna]

Minna frowned at the Sith's attack on the innocent man, something else he would pay for. Slowly she moved forward across the factory towards him, her lightsaber always ready. "My name isn't important... But if you must know, people call me..." A small pause as she glanced in the corner of her eye, spotting the number 6 written among other numbers on a crate. "...Six." Well, it sounded less stupid in her head, but it could be enough to mislead him. Maybe she was a bounty hunter with nothing but a number to her name? He wouldn't know.

"So I guess you aren't surrendering..." Her voice remained serious, while her lightsaber remained in position. "We don't have to fight. There's still redemption; for everyone." At this point she wasn't sure whether she believed herself, was there redemption for her husband?

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Even without the lie detector within his indigo cybernetic eye, Lord Ajihad could tell [member="Minna"] was lying. The slight pause, along with the flickering eyes gave her away easily. He stood where he was, hands clasped behind his back. He grinned beneath the balaclava. Her words were brave ones, but her tone didn't back it up. Her voice betrayed her, whispering thoughts of insecurity and self-doubt. "A Jedi named Six? Very well, then. Some of us wish to remain anonymous. As for redemption, I don't need any. I have come to terms with the things I've done, the life I've lived. The question is, have you?" He filled his words with thoughts of anger and despair, which would seep into his opponent's mind like a plague.

 

[Minna]

"There's no point trying to get to me with hateful talk, I've heard it before. I've been down that path, it won't work again." Minna shook her head, apprehensive as to when the Sith would make his move. Ataru was an offensive form, that was true, but she had more tricks up her sleeve to play the defensive role. Hopefully her opponent would expel all his anger, giving her the perfect chance to strike. Despite her better judgement, she decided to taunt the Sith.

"Come on then, if you think you're so powerful." Accompanied with a smirk, her words were too close to what her old self would say, yet she pushed that fear aside and focused on the situation. She was ready to fight.

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

He smirked as the woman made her remarks. They would not affect him, as he too had learned to temper his anger. As a matter of fact, he could be calmer than most Jedi when need be. As she challenged him to attack her, he gave her a look of confusion. "If I remember correctly, it was you who challenged me in the first place. There is really no need to attack you. If you wish to fight me, then come attack. Strike me down, as I am unarmed. Otherwise, I'll just be going now. I have business to take care of, after all. I need to drag this man and his family off, and drag them off to be tortured. Hmmm, I wonder how loud is little daughter will scream?" He kept an emotionless look on his face, but he was grinning within. If he knew Jedi (and he did), this would prod the woman into action.

[member="Minna"]

 

[Minna]

Prod her into action? The Sith's words spurred her. She launched forwards in a force-aided leap, aiming to send a flurry of horizontal slashes at the Sith's chest and head area. Her face remained somewhat emotionless, yet inside there was something stirring. Nothing was getting out of hand, and it seemed as though it would be an easy victory. She didn't trust it though, no doubt the man had something up his sleeve. Maybe even literally. Either way, she aimed to land right infront of him, hoping her barrage of attacks would force him backwards in retreat if they didn't chop him up into pieces of man-meat.

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

He fought the urge to shake his head. Goading her into attacking has been far too easy, especially given she was a Jedi. As she sprung towards him, he switched gears. It was time for some fun.

Lord Ajihad was a Master of Vaapad, the way of the Vornskr. This meant he could draw on his emotions, as well as his opponent's, to give him power. Chiefest among these emotions were anger, hate, and love for battle. Throughout the conversation, Vi'kas had slowly built up anger within himself. As soon as she attacked, he drew upon both of their emotions to augment himself. Before she managed to land, he had zipped right past her, so he was facing her flank. He then let loose a crushing punch towards the base of her spine, a delicate and "keystone" area of the body.

[member="Minna"]

 

[Minna]

Although Minna's powers had lessened over time, her reactions were still rather impressive. As soon as the Sith had moved position she retaliated, spinning her lightsaber around to the side in an arc that would protect her from the punch; lest the man want to lose his hand. Her body followed through with the motion and ended up facing Ajihad, lightsaber positioned defensively across her form. She took the moment to calm herself and stare passively at the masked face opposite her. Did he still work with Ferus? Would he report back to him about a Jedi assassin?

It was no matter, there would be no way for either of them to know who it truly was standing here. She had anonymity, even if that was never what she wanted.
"Your turn." She smirked, awaiting the Sith to launch an attack.

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

The Demon's Fist drew back his hand in enough time to make sure it would stay attached to his body. He paced around [member="Minna"], stalking her like a predator would stalk its prey. Still no weapon drawn, he would occasionally feint towards her, using her reaction times to analyze her skills, and get a feel for her fighting style. She was obviously a practitioner of the fourth form, as was he. Her reaction times were impressive, for not many people would have been able to block a strike such as the one he almost dealt her. She had an air of confidence about her, which could certainly lead to her downfall.

After analyzing her to the fullest extent he could, he launched an attack. Deciding to take advantage of her cockiness, he threw a punch at one of her unprotected areas. Given her reaction speed, he knew she would be able to reach his hand with her saber before the blow struck. He knew the move was a risky one, but his other hand laid in wait, ready to spring into action...

 

[Minna]

Minna locked her gaze on the pacing man, her lightsaber moving ever so often in anticipation of his feinted attacks. Finally he launched a real attack, another punch. Swiftly she moved her saber, aiming to cut his hand clean off at the wrist. However, she did not stop there. Whilst she was preventing his fist, her other hand stretched out and sent a blast of the force straight at the man, hoping to knock him back and prevent any second attack he might be planning. How he thought fists alone could beat her lightsaber, she had no idea. Maybe he was crazy?

Nevertheless, her attack only continued. If her force push was successful, she would leap forward and launch more strikes, this time by going over the man and aiming to land behind him. He had no weapon to block the strikes, so hopefully her strikes would cut straight through him.

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

As her lightsaber cut towards his wrist, he sprung the trap. He moved his wrist in the other direction, barely managing to avoid the attack. With the other hand, he would grab her wrist, and press down on a small pressure point towards the bottom of the hand. This'd make the hand seize up, and hopefully make [member="Minna"] drop the lightsaber. Right as he was executing this, he was too distracted to see the force push coming. Just seconds after he moved to activate the pressure point, the blast hit him right in the chest...

 

[Minna]

Just as Minna thought her counter might be highly effective, she realised the man had a grip on her wrist. Seconds later, her hand seized up, forcing the lightsaber to deactivate and drop uselessly to the floor. She grimaced at the pain for a moment, but instantly tried to pry her way out of the grip. What effect her blast had on the Sith remained to be seen, but for now she couldn't escape the hold. Strength was never her specialty.

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

As the blast hit Ajihad in the chest, he maintained an iron grip on [member="Minna"] 's arm. Well, at least he tried to. The push sent him across the room, landing in a pile of crates labeled "6." He could've swore he'd heard a popping noise from his opponent's arm as the push jerked him back, but he couldn't be sure. Either way, his opponent had been disarmed, and her lightsaber was now laying in the middle of the floor. He reached out with the force, and used telekinesis to grab ahold of the weapon. He then pulled it towards him, and right into his open hand. It was time to end this.

 

[Minna]

A pop, followed by a grunt of pain. Minna pulled her arm back, finally free, yet a pain jabbed through her shoulder. Dislocated, great. She tried her best to clear her thoughts, but it was hard to once she spotted her own lightsaber in the hand of the Sith. There was no hiding it now, fear had reached her. Backing away slowly whilst clutching her arm, she tried to put on a brave face. "Think I wouldn't have a plan B?" A small smirk as she pulled out a small device from her pocket and pressed it. "Local security are on there way..." As brave as she tried to be, she knew they would take minutes to get here; minutes Ajihad could use to kill her. Slowly she began sidestepping, trying to position herself closer to the exit of the factory. "Better get running..." Would he run away, or at her?

Her right arm extended in front of her, as if it would be any defense, she waited to see...

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Ajihad's deep voice rang out in laughter, as she tried to put on a brave face. He ignited the blue saber, and stepped towards her. "To be killed by the hand of your own saber, how humiliating. As for the security, don't think I haven't played this game before. I'll be out of here before the police even walk through the door." He stopped for a second, and prayed to his God. After saying the quick prayer, he raised the blue blade above his head. He brought it down in a lethal stroke, slicing right through his opponent. He smelled the scent of burnt flesh, and heard the sound of her body hitting the cold stone floor. He clipped his vanquished opponent's saber to his belt, adding it to his trophy collection. He pulled up his hood, and silently strode out of the room. He'd stop by to collect the unconscious businessman later, and torture him to the extent of his endurance to pain.

Less than a minute after his departure, the security ran into the room, only to find [member="Minna"]'s unmoving body on the floor. They ran over, and checked her pulse. One of the younger security men put his finger to her neck, and turned to the captain. "Sir, I'm not feeling a pulse..."

 

[Minna]

A searing pain burned through her shoulder, then everything went black. Was this it? Was she actually dead this time?
"Sir, I'm not feeling a pulse..."
What? No... She was alive... Right?
"Check again!"
A cold finger pressed against her neck. Hell, she could feel her own pulse.
"False alarm sir, she's okay! Well... barely..."
Minna tried to speak, but only a slur of mumbling came out.
"You need to rest, you're losing alot of blood."
A nice confidence boost...

Wait, light? A figure leaned over her. She could just make out small horns along his head. He looked familiar, but things were still blurry...
"Krest?..." She managed to mumble.
"Who? I'm Doctor Zale. You've been in a coma for... four days. You should take it easy."
"No... what..." Minna tried to sit up, but the doctor's gentle hand kept her from doing so.
"You lost your arm, so we'll need to keep you in for a while and test out a replacement. You can get a new one after that if you like, I can recommend you some places nearby."
She merely shook her head.
"It's fine... I know somewhere where I can get more than just an arm..."

The force had let her down once again, but maybe this time she had it. Technology. Cybernetic limbs could be stronger than normal ones, and sometimes stronger than the force. That's how she would fight them...
Wait... no... How could she think like that...
Was she on medication?

Either way, she couldn't stay awake... She needed sleep...

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Some time after he had supposedly killed [member="Minna"] , Lord Ajihad circled back around to pick up the businessman who had led him into the would-be trap. The man had been transported into a nearby hospital to get stitches for his head. The assassin, disguised as a doctor, walked into the room he was staying in. "Sir, you've been in bed for a while now. How would you like to go get some fresh air?" The fat man nodded, and hopped out of the bed.

Vi'kas escorted him outside, supposedly to go for a walk. Once they were in an area where no one else was present, the assassin quickly injected the man with a knockout serum. He caught the pig-like man before he hit the ground, and slung him over the shoulder. He proceeded to carry him with considerable ease through an interconnecting series of backstreets and alleyways, until he reached the old gunship. Without drawing attention, he threw the man in the back, and cuffed him up.

He sat in the pilot's seat, and ripped off the surgeon disguise. He pressed a few buttons, and the ship took off. As the ship went high up into the atmosphere, it was greeted by another ship, this one bearing the markings of the One Sith. Vi'kas set the ship to hover next to the other ship, and went back to grab the prisoner. He opened the doors, and saw the Imperial Marines waiting for him on the other ship. He tossed the man across the gap onto the other ship, and then followed suit. He sat down in the commander's chair, while several crimson-clad Marines dragged the man into a prison cell. Just as they departed, one of the men threw a thermal detonator into the other gunship, destroying it in a fiery blaze. They flew off into space, as pieces of the old ship fell onto the village below them...