Trails of Broken Dreams (Circes Litai)

[Muad Dib]

The steps scurried away, one leg definitely limping and leaving a slight drag impression in the trash littering the alleys and roads. At this level of Coruscant natural light didn't reach and neither did the supposed light of good more affluent members of society accredited to law enforcement when the truth was most police officers morality mirrored the darkened depths of the seedier parts of the Coruscant lower levels.

The frightened man trailed debris in his hasty escape. He had survived crime lords and drug dealers, republics and dictatorships, humans and aliens, but it would be a sith that would spell his demise. He knew it. He tasted it as the fear rose up in his throat mixing with the bile rising too. He knew if he was caught he would die and in a way that would last a long time.

He knew who hunted him.

All he did for a living was facilitate things. Money, drugs, information it was all his game. He didn't like to get his hands dirty and he didn't like getting involved. But the chance to buy a beautiful slave girl was too much to pass up. So he bought her. When he realized what she was he sold her for a paltry sum just to get rid of the evidence hoping that the trail would not lead to him.

He was wrong.

A laugh echoed from the shadows behind the limping man and he knew he wasn't going to get away. Our demons always caught up with us eventually. And the whimpering man had earned his demonic visit.

[member="Circes Litai"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Muad Dib"]

One month.

One month since Circes had left Rudrig, and yet she still hadn't found someone to teach her. But that didn't mean the young woman was disappointed. Oh no.

In fact, the human had come to enjoy her nomadic endeavours, taking things as they came and drifting from planet to planet. She had even managed to save some credits by learning how to smuggle herself away in transports.

Alright, so maybe she had picked up a few not-so-good habits along the way. But they didn't do any harm, which made it alright.

Eventually, following her gut feeling (or was it the Force? She was still so ignorant on that subject.) Circes' feet had led her to Coruscant. And now, after a couple days of wandering, they led her to the planet's underbelly.

Normally, non-Sith would feel apprehensive about traversing the dark corners of the One Sith's capital, but not Circes. Rather, she felt at home in the dark. It didn't hurt her skin like the light, didn't make her feel vulnerable.

The sensor in her helmet registered the artificial light level at 15%, natural light at 0%. Those were levels she could handle. Even so, the woman paused at taking off her helmet. One never knew when a spotlight would come through.

Fear.

Circes paused, confused. Where had that come from? She stayed still, listening intently. Yes, she could definitely perceive someone -- or something -- filled with fear and....was that pain? She sensed another being filled with harsh and foreign feelings coming just as the sound of ragged footsteps and a chilling laugh echoed down to her.

Circes headed cautiously towards the source. "Hello?" she called out. Her voice was slightly tinny due to her mask. "Who's there?"

 

[Muad Dib]

Stumbling forward he fell to his hands and knees scraping his palms bloody and reinjuring his knee. A cry of dismay and fear slipped from between clamped lips, his jowls shaking from pain and fear. Grabbing a slimy brick wall he pulled himself upright, sacrificing a fingernail in a crevice from the frantic scrabbling of his hands.

Once more on his feet he began his shuffling escape from the darkness that haunted each step. Then he heard a young woman's voice and turned in that direction with a spark of hope glittering in eyes spilling over with tears. "Please ... help me ..." He stumbled forward seeking the imagined safety in witnesses and the comfort of a woman to a poor tortured soul.

Some distance behind the whining man was the hunter. At the moment he switched direction and headed for the young lady a dozen or so meters away the man crouched on a walkway above and observed. Dark brown trousers and tunic with a cracked brown leather jacket that all blended well with the shadows. Short brown hair and enough stubble to be considered a beard adorned his face as fingers slowly spun a skinning knife between his fingers.

The eyes however pierced the darkness. Two glowing orbs of blue light that flashed like neon everytime he blinked. A grin crossed his face as the scent of fear reached his nostrils anew. Rising from his crouch he leaped forward to land with an audible splash in a puddle mere meters behind the frightened man who squealed and sped forward to the safety he imagined the young woman warranted.

[member="Circes Litai"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Muad Dib"]

Circes couldn't help but gasp at the sight of the poor man. He was an absolute mess, and clearly the source of the fear. The source of the other emotions was nearby, though at the time being she couldn't see anything. She hurried towards him, crouching down. "Shh, shh, calm down, it's alright. What's wrong?"

The young woman looked up again and caught sight of two glowing blue orbs in the darkness above. Her sensors registered them at 20% natural light. That can't be right, she thought. As the lenses adjusted, though, she picked out a figure crouching down.

I need to get a better look, she thought. Making soothing noises at the man who cowered at her feet, she removed her mask, eyes blinking as they adjusted.

Turned out she should've just left the mask on. A gasp escaped her lips as a sinister man jumped into a puddle mere meters away from them. She quickly reattached her mask and stood up, making sure to stand protectively in front of the frightened man. "Who are you? Why do you want this man?"

 

[Muad Dib]

He straightened looking at the youth who stood before him almost as if she was protecting the man cowering at her feet. His right hand spun the blade that glinted faintly in the shadows as he looked from the man back to the young woman. He took in her odd garments and hood apparatus while taking a step closer.

Eyes narrowed as he felt her senses alive in the force. A grin crossed his face as he caught the skinning knife's hilt in a reverse grip and pointed a finger at the sniveling man on the ground.

"My interest in the garbage is my own. As for my name ... why not? I'm Muad Dib. And who are you and what is your interest is a slaver of children, a dealer of drugs, and a broker of information that more oft then not sees innocents hurt, maimed, and killed?" He opened himself up to the force and stretched out pressing against her senses showing in no uncertain terms that he too wielded the force.

[member="Circes Litai"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Muad Dib"]

She did not miss the man's unmistakable lethalness. She did not miss his deft handling of his knife. She did not miss his inspection of her. And, certainly, she did not miss his grin -- the grin of a hunter who knows his prey is cornered.

But even so, Circes couldn't help but take a few steps back from the still-cowering man. Under her mask, the woman's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. Surely this man at her feet didn't do all of that?

She barely had a chance to take a breath for a question when she felt a pressure against her being. It was oppressive, and she felt like she was going to be crushed. This must be one of those Force abilities I read about! Nonetheless, Circes staggered back a bit at the force of -- dare she say it? -- attack upon her senses.

Lowering her hands -- which she had raised without thinking -- she practically shouted at Muab, "Please, stop! You've made your point; you're stronger than me, okay?"

 

[Muad Dib]

He dropped the wall he had stretched out to the young woman. He had not meant to overwhelm her merely to share the truth, that he was a force user as well, and stop her from making any rash actions she would come to instantly regret. But this changed things a bit as he got an understanding of her as their wills touched and his proved to be mightier.

Raising his left hand slowly in a sign of calm he eyed her.

"Stay your fears, for I mean you no harm. I am just surprised that one so strong in the force has so little training. Especially here on this planet surrounded by sith."

He lowered his hand and walked forward several steps seeing how she had backed more then a few from the whimpering man who denied not the charges Muad Dib had placed against him. As Muad passed him he backhanded the man and sent him to the ground. But the gurgling noise combined with the fresh scent of blood revealed the backhand had also served the send the blade across the man's throat, slitting it. His life's blood pumped across the alley as Muad walked forward having already put the man behind him, both figuratively and literally.

"You are lucky a sith hasn't come across you and mistook you for a jedi, or vice versa. It is a dangerous place for one who has the aura of a force user such as you and no training. I suggest you leave this planet before it spells your doom."

Muad calmly wiped the flat of the blade on his pant's leg before sheathing it and turning to walk away. Already he felt the force swirling about and it would not be long before a sith troop would investigate the convergence of such a force presence.

[member="Circes Litai"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Muad Dib"]

The relief Circes felt when Muab withdrew the presence and promised no harm was quickly overshadowed by the horror of witnessing the abrupt murder of the man.

She backed up a bit more when Muab walked closer, glad he couldn't see her face. "I doubt they would attack me; I pose no threat," she muttered.

She watched him walk away, when a sudden thought hit her. Let's see... Should I pass up this opportunity to get a Master, albeit a slightly homicidal one? Or do I let him go, and spend countless more days wandering before I end up in a gutter? She let out a huff. This Force, whatever it was, worked in mysterious ways.

"Wait!" Circes ran after Muab, grabbing his arm to stop him. "You're right, I'm untrained. But I've been looking for a Master for a standard month now, and you're the closest one who fits the bill." She took off her mask again, blinking. Circes looked at Muab, her lavender eyes pleading with him. "Please, I... I left my entire life behind just to find someone to teach me. I have no one out here. I promise, I'll be the best Padawan you've ever had! Just...give me a chance. I'm Circes, by the way. Circes Litai."

 

[Muad Dib]

He had already turned away from the young woman and was beginning to sink back into the depths of the darkness when she ran to catch him and grabbed his arm. He had turned to look upon her getting a close look while she pleaded with him. His glowing eyes were unreadable as he stared at her. His left arm was in her vise like grip but his right had pulled his lightsaber with the end just under her abdomen not ignited, for if his thumb depressed the button his blade would have pierced her.

"First, don't touch me. Secondly, I've had students and they adhere to a very strict rule. You do what I say when I say. Questions are fine but obedience is total. And third you call me master. It's not about being an egomaniac but respect. And you have to prove yourself worthy."

Slowly he placed his lightsaber back in his belt and looked over her shoulder into the distance. He felt three sith approaching to investigate the nexus of the force and the echoes of fear and violence that permeated the alley. He pulled free of her and leaped to a dumpster and then up to a catwalk to climb up the building and to the roof. He paused and looked over his shoulder.

"Coming?"

[member="Circes Litai"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Muad Dib"]

Circes' eyes went wide when she felt the hilt of his lightsaber pressed against her abdomen. His eyes were beginning to burn her retinas, but she was too frightened to look away. The woman merely nodded, mute.

She staggered back a bit, blinking, when he pulled herself free of him. The woman would have left him then and there were it not for her determination to find a Master. She placed her mask back on her face, and answered, "Yes....Master."

Circes attempted to mimic the way Muab leapt upon everything. She was nowhere near as graceful as he was, but managed to do just fine. The roof, however, gave the woman some trouble and it took a few moments of scrabbling for a grip before she managed to hoist herself up. Dusting herself off, she looked back at Muab. "Now what?"

 

[Muad Dib]

Below them the three sith were looking at the body. Their voices carried up to the two on the roof tops. Crouched down Muad watched them as they began to investigate the deserted alley. He shook his head a grin on his face. Turning his head he looked at the young woman noticing her mask back in place. He had felt the slight hint of pain when they stood close. About to ask he instead chose not to. He would learn in time. If she survived.

Turning back to the alley below he pulled loose a piece of broken brick from the roof's edge. Then he tossed it down below and watched it connect with one of the sith's temples. The sith went down, blood and brain matter splattering the other two. Looking up they shouted and scrambled for the catwalk. Looking back at the woman he grinned.

"Now we run."

Rising he took off and at the edge he jumped to the next building, hitting the roof and continuing running. Most of the alleys around here were narrow, no more then a few feet in width. Laughing as he ran he jumped to the next roof. Behind him the two sith finally reached the roof and ignited their lightsabers as they gave chase.

[member="Circes Litai"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Muad Dib"]

Circes couldn't believe what Muab had done. Like him, she had been aware of the presence of the three Sith. Unlike him, however, she wasn't very keen on provoking them. But the brick had drawn their attention, and now the remaining two were probably going to kill him. Fun.

She threw her hands up in despair and turned back to Muab, who grinned at her before taking off. Circes managed to keep up a fairly good pace with him, thanks to the short distance between the rooftops. She turned back to take a peek at the Sith pursuing them. The two were a good distance behind, but if their anger was anything to go by, they would catch up soon enough if something didn't change.

Meanwhile, her new Master was laughing as he ran. Is he really enjoying himself?! "Why'd you throw the brick at them?! I'm sure if you had explained who the man was, they wouldn't have been too upset!"

 

[Muad Dib]

He slid to a stop a meter from the ledge and looked down. The next roof top was ten meters away and three floors below. Turning back he grinned at the woman. In pursuit the two sith were closing the gap and as they closed they ignited their lightsabers. Slowing they made the last jump and were now on the opposite side of the same roof top that Muad and Circes were on.

"First they would have tried to recruit you. If you resisted they would have taken you by force, and if that proved troublesome, they would have tried to kill you, As for me, well I'm not in their order and I tend to kill them when I see them ...It's fun ..."

The sith were within a dozen meters.

[member="Circes Litai"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Muad Dib"]

Circes shook her head at his response. Not out of denial, but disbelief. Surely the Sith weren't that bad.

Right?

She turned to check on their pursuers, who were now on the same roof and closing in. Eyes wide, Circes stepped back until she was beside Muab, if a bit behind him. "Well, I hope you have a plan now, because I don't have weapons and they're going to kill us...Master."

 

[Muad Dib]

Muad was still grinning as she spoke. The two sith pulled up and looked from the young woman to Muad. The stares were immediately followed by tendrils of force as they sought out their minds to find out who they were and if they could be swayed to the ways of th sith. Anger burned in them from losing their fellow sith, not because they cared for him but rather because they wanted the pleasure of killing the sith themselves.

Muad waved his hand before him as a physical manifestation of him erecting walls around both his new apprentice's mind and his own. Their shocked disbelief and rage were etched onto their faces from being thwarted. Muad then stepped forward a few steps as his right hand gripped his as of yet unlit lightsaber.

"You wanted a fight yes?"

They snarled in anger as they saw the hilt in Muad's hand and pointed both their crimson blades at him. Muad cocked his head to the side to look at the young woman.

"You want one of these to play with?"

[member="Circes Litai"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Muad Dib"]

Circes had taken a couple steps back, especially when she felt pressure on her mind. However, this one was not unpleasant and it only took a few probes to realise that Muab had put up mental protection.

She shook her head, however, in response to her new Master's question. "I think I'll let you handle them today, thanks. I...don't really have a weapon." Her tone conveyed the sheepishness that Circes felt -- as of yet she hadn't really needed a weapon when a swift kick here or a head butt there had sent her message across just fine.

 

[Muad Dib]

Muad grinned at the young woman as he slowly slid his hilt into it's pouch on his belt.

"First lesson I will teach you my young apprentice. You are a weapon. The lightsaber is merely an extension of yourself. To most it is a symbol, to most, like with these two, it is a crutch."

Turning back to the two sith he opened his hands and held out his arms for them to see he had truly put his weapon up. The sith on the right whose hood had fallen down to reveal white, blonde hair and sharp features was the first to attack with a lunge straight at Muad's chest. Sidestepping to the right Muad punched the sith's wrist as the saber went by him harmlessly and an audible snap was heard. The lightsaber was dropped from the sith's right hand.

Following through with his right punch to the sith's wrist Muad spun in a circle closing the distance between the two and coming inside the man's guard to drive the edge of his open hand into the sith's throat with a savage blow. The crunching sound of the sith's airway being crushed gave way to the sith falling back gurgling to draw a breath without success.

The second of the pair of sith attacked Muad with a double handed grip intending to cut the man in twain at the waist. Drving up from the roof Muad leaped into the air with a spin, pulling his legs up as the lightsaber cut through empty air below.

Continuing his spin he kicked out with his right leg in a roundhouse kick that caught the sith in the temple, knocking her off balance and sending her staggering off the roof where a short scream ended with a wet splat.

Landing nimbly on his feet Muad collected the two lightsabers and clipped them to his waist before turning back to the young woman while still grinning like a mad man.

"Remember, your first weapon is not a lightsaber or even the force. It's your body. You must train your body, prepare your mind, and have will power that cannot be overcome. It is only when you know yourself, what your limits are, that you will truly know what you are capable of."

[member="Circes Litai"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Muad Dib"]

Circes merely gaped at Muab as he took down the Sith with his bare hands. He was a professional, clearly, and despite the deaths of the two (deaths made her uneasy, even if they were the deaths of people who wanted to kill her) she couldn't help but feel awed by the way he moved.

She was, however, glad she had her mask on because when Muab had finished and turned back to face her, Circes hadn't realized her mouth had been open. Shutting it so fast she was certain her Master heard her teeth clack, she replied with a nonchalance she didn't feel, "Well, then it's a good thing I found you, eh? Otherwise..." She gulped. "I might have been in the place of these two."

 

[Muad Dib]

Muad watched the masked woman as she spoke. Evident in her voice and her aura was a slight unease to be sure. He thought he tasted the refreshing taste of fear, but then again that could have come from the sith lying on the roof who had finally succumbed to the lack of air. Rubbing his chin lightly he walked closer to the woman.

"So, my little apprentice. What skills do you have within you?"

He was curious what she knew, where she came from, who she came from. The odd mask was protection, he was sure of it now, not of her features nor true armor but a protection all the same. He had a few minutes to kill and he wanted to know just what he had got himself into by accepting to train this young woman.

[member="Circes Litai"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Muad Dib"]

Circes stayed where she was at as Muab walked closer to her. Really, she thought, It's nonsensical to be afraid of my own Master.

She gathered her thoughts about her, though, when he asked about her skills, and replied, "Well, um, I'm fairly good with people, and I remember a lot of what I read. I've also got better night vision than a lot of humans, so..." Circes trailed off, aware that she really didn't have a lot of skills to offer. "Oh! I can also hide on freighters, to get a free ride. Er, don't tell anyone that, though."