Weekend* Treasure Hunt 20: You Never Walk Alone

[Ashin Varanin]

OOC/ Yes, I know it's Tuesday. I have kids. Sue me.

Standard weekend treasure hunt rules apply:

• Don't be a dick.
• I have no intention of participating; this is merely an opportunity.

Unlike most WTH's, though, this one's got a special ruleset.

• In 1-10 posts, write a self-contained story of at least 2000 words. (Max 7500, but don't spend that much time on it. 2000 is a lazy afternoon. Quality and effort matter more than length.)
• Post your total wordcount at the end of each post. (IE, your last post should have a number over 2000.) When you're done, post a big red THE END.
• Though you can choose for your story to be influenced by things others have written, your post(s) should stand alone.
• As long as you don't kill them off (or bring them back from the dead permanently) or get excessively farcical, feel free to use any of my characters, living or dead, as antagonists or supporting cast. When I get back to activity, I'll just roll with whatever's happened. If you finish the challenge, what you write about my people will become canon.
• There'll be prizes, the best I can manage, for everyone who finishes a short story. Rock out, and I'll make something special for the best stories.
• Try to be solid with spelling and grammar, but I'm not going to invalidate your work. Everybody typos.

• Unlike every other Weekend Treasure Hunt, this time I'm not nailing down a specific objective for you. Pick your own definition of 'treasure' and go after it. Your character's success or failure does not affect your standing. It's entirely possible to win this thing with 2001 words and a spectacular IC failure.
• This is an IC thread. If you have questions, ask them with an OOC tag or on Skype/PM.

IC/ In a broken galaxy, opportunities abound. Some are victimless crimes, or chances to justly reclaim what was lost. The strong prey on the weak to sustain themselves. When the line between success and survival grows thin, this is a time for hard choices and desperate missions.

Rise to the occasion or fall away.

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Jared Starchaser had a few things he needed to get done. Part of that was making sure the borders of the Laekia system were safe and secure, the rest of it? Well, he had a few things he just needed to do beyond the system. That meant the Wing Commander was making his trip out to Corellia. As the writer was making this post, it started to come to him exactly what the least-written Starchaser was doing. That was heading to Corellia, and specifically to the planet herself in search of something, anything, to help bring his family back together.

He wasn’t normally one to be worried about family matters, but with things with Lia actually taking off, it had dawned on him that the clan was breaking. Kaia and their father weren’t seeing eye to eye, and that was a cause for concern. He loved his sister, and as much as Coren was absent, for good reason, he was doing his best to make sure the galaxy was done right, and he reached out to Jared fairly often. But now? Now it was Jared’s turn, to bridge the gap that was going on between the family.

It wasn’t a trip for bloodsteel, though he’d probably make sure he found of that, for his saber, or for a gift for Lia, sure, she was Morellian, but his homeworld was part of who Jared was. He was an Imperial, he was a fighter pilot, he was a Corellian and he was a Starchaser. And what was he using to get out to the homeworld? The semi-repaired Tiburon. A simple enough move, the ship had been overcharged and melted some of her engine bits, but a few hours in the workshop, with some TLC and wrench time had her flying.

She’d not be running blockades yet, but she’d get him through Sith space to the homeworld.

He just wished he paid attention to his father’s holocron about instinctive astrogation, but Jared was a barrier and Force-melder.

Fighter pilot skills.
(337)

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Maybe it was that he was afraid of the change. That was odd, wasn’t it? The Dawn Treader was a ship that followed where the tides went. Sure, they supported a certain aspect of the galaxy and the Sanctum was a bit off for them, but they needed to find where they were. Supporting the Warlord-of-the-Week wasn’t working. The crew was starting to get anxious. The One Sith were being pretenders to the ‘Imperial Ways’ and the Techno Union were probably the closest, but they were more worried about what their technology could do, and with Marek working there? It wasn’t the place.

Looking for freedom, a place to keep the religious Force users away, that was the Sanctum. It gave them a home port, a safe place for the crew to be who they were, to recruit, to allow people leave and to move away from the ship. It was still business as usual, but it was… different. With him and Lia taking the potential next step, with Kaia doing her thing, and with Coren off saving the galaxy from the darkness that was taking over the waves of life… Something needed to remain the same. And that was what Jared was hoping to find.

Sure, the world of Corellia was destroyed, devastated, but he needed to make his trip there. The world… she was in two. His home. Yeah, he knew that his mother and father purposely made it to Corellia for him to be born, but with Kaia? That wasn’t possible, she was born in orbit around the secondary home of the Dawn Treader, Csilla. Jared, though, he was born on the planet, at the Starchaser estate.

Now he was returning, and in orbit of his once thriving homeworld. He made this trip alone, he needed to feel it, what it meant for him, what it meant for the Force, and how this world was changed. How he could help… He knew that Arceneau and CEC had been doing their best, but it was a hard thing to come by, saving the world. But the people?

The Corellian people would live on, just as they always did. With families like Starchaser and Merrill, hell even the Raaf family, they’d be out in the stars, but it mattered if they would come here, come to witness the homeworld, pay homage.

He was here to make a trip back to the Golden Beaches, or as close as he could, there wasn’t much he could claim, but anything, to remind the crew of the Dawn Treader and his own blood family where they had come from. Who had lead them through the dark times before the Fel Imperium took them in, before they ran to the Fringe and to the Sanctum. The Tiburon had slowly made land fall, and Jared had one of the Levantine Sanctum’s ExCon suits. He wasn’t a soldier, but he had his lightsaber and a blaster, unlike his sister, he never scored well with sniper rifles.

He looked around and swallowed hard. There were a lot of feelings here. So much had gone on, and he wanted to make sure he’d be fine on the planet’s surface.

She was a wasteland.

My world is fire and blood.

He had a swoop bike, Silk built, of course. And a destination. As close to the estate of his birth as he could get.

What he didn't know was what was out there. What had happened to the natives? What had happened to people who showed up here?

(337+565 = 902)

 

[Darth Metus]

It's funny how the mind works.

One can be surrounded by the most inspiring sights of all time. The Sun could shine bright and warm. Mother Nature could strut her stuff and make a beautiful day. Yet despite sitting in the midst of such bliss, the mind at times sees different. Though most would see beauty, the mind could see grey. Though most would feel happy, the mind could know only...sorrow. That was the current reality of the Sith Lord, who was now facing the Black Tide yet again.

Without warning, the metaphoric waters would swell and crash over his life; sweeping away every gleeful sensation. He could think of nothing more than the days long past; of better times and better places. While it was a fact that Dagora had managed to restore the vast majority of what vile machinations had cost him...the sting of Betrayal had cut deep. Few ever knew of this, for what former Mandalorian would ever walk around without his game face on? Yet the simple fact was: it hurt.

And so, whilst the storm raged in the Dar'manda's mind and heart, he sat upon a simple bench. Before him laid a park, enjoyed by those who wanted to revel in the beautiful, summer's day. Although joy was all around him, there was nothing but black within.

(224)

 

[Jared Starchaser]

He had a mission. It was mostly simple, but this was a Galaxy Far Far Away, how were things ever simple there? Jared had made sure he brought his weapons; a Power Nine Blaster and his lightsaber, white crystal a la the Imperial Knights. Simple, really. The Swoop bike was kicking into high gear as he made his way to town. He didn’t want to land too close, because he didn’t know the reception he’d be getting there. But what he did know was he needed to get to town. We’d figure that would be the issue, but when he landed, no one paid him any attention. Even Titan, fighting the good fight for the world, weren’t aware of him.

It was on the return trip that he’d be needing to be concerned. He made it to the sparse settlement that had arisen around the ruins of Golden Beaches. He had a few things he was looking to pick up. Some sand from the beaches, that was for the Starchasers, and a load of Bloodsteel, that was for him, and the other Corellians on his ship. Corey cared about NPCs having keepsakes. The last bit were two items from the estate, well, three. One was a pair. The rings his parents used when they were properly married, that were delivered to the Treader from an unknown sender.

The first signs they had vanished.

But for now? He had just closed up a deal. Credits were being exchanged and on the way back, he’d be carrying a load of bloodsteel, purchased and grossly overpaid for. If it helped his homeworld? Or someone there? It wasn’t like he used the money for much else. From there? It was a quick trip to the sands.

The Golden Beaches. They were a mess. And he couldn’t believe it. The scenic vistas… they were still awe inspiring, but in the worst of ways. He had the ExCon suit sealed against the elements and crazy atmospheric anomaly. He loved the vacuum of space, but it didn’t mean he wanted to be part of it right now. The soldier took a few moments, even reaching out into the Living Force around him, something he was always good at, to feel the world, feel how it had changed since his last visit, before the world was destroyed.

Three jars. Small, but enough, were shortly filled with golden sand and stored in the small pack on the swoop. Next stop was home.

Or what remained.

(902+416= 1318)

 

[Matsu Ike]

The sounds of the jungle came to her as Matsu roamed through the marshes, the Jun-La climbing over the rocks and fallen trees while Matsu looked over the section of the map she had managed to recover from the information in the books. Recorded histories that they had gotten and worked on, a fallen star.... what she was expecting was a ship out here in the wonderlandesque land. The Vitae had found it and Vulpesen had given her the information and she came out. Not taking others with her as she unloaded the Jun-la and her equipment pack before heading down to the planet at the edge of the rift, this far away from most things she had seen creatures and mysteries as the Aing-Tii were closeby and scared away others. The larger sections of the marsh she could see gave way to the massive mushrooms and realms of wonder that these strange creatures were hanging around in. "He did say towards the north correct." She said it more to herself then anything but climbed down off of the creature while looking over the massive mushrooms before she was moving through them. The first sight of what she could see off in the distance, an old city hat was partially destroyed and rebuilt over what the locals called a metal star from the sky. Matsu started walking through the mushrooms as the edge of the city came into view, the first buildings made of clay.

It was making her think more of this being simple compared, most of the places didn't go over two stories and they had liked building with the mushrooms that were able to big them shade in stall and porch like areas. Overgrowth across the walls and coming from the windows as she entered ones of the rooms. Her hands coming up to the walls and Matsu brushed at some of the dust looking over the counter. She was getting a good sight of more out the back window before hearing her jun-la making sounds that got her interest back out there, Matsu rushed to see one of the insects sting it as it flew off towards the center of the city. The jun-la dipping down from the venom while she moved touching it and ran a hand over the fine brown fur. "Hey are you alright." The creature might not be able to speak or fully understand her but she was able to calm it down while her hands checked the stung location. Matsu looked up at its face but without the eyes watching to try and see how much pain it was in had her eyes closing to find the creature, sensing for the life signature of it in the city as it was flying and she was on the move towards one of the buildings jumping up to follow it as they were going deeper and deeper into the inner area of the city and she saw it. The hull and engines of the ship with a large nest built into sections of it. Matsu went inside.

514 Words
2724 Characters

 

[Khallesh]

Impossible challenge: expand Khallesh' horizons
Word Count: 267
Intro to the intro

Standing to attention; waiting; watching - these were all part of the routine for a Yuuzhan Vong warrior. Patience, but above all, obedience, were drilled in from infancy. But for Khallesh Val, recently anointed Commander of Domain Val's warriors, this was a true test of resolve. She stood motionless, as she had been for over an hour. In her struggle to wrest command from the incumbent, her femur had been shattered. The flesh had been rended from the bone, and a significant dose of amphistaff venom injected several times to the area for good measure. The shapers had been at work for nearly a full day on the leg, all the while Khallesh fully conscious and subject to every prod, poke, slice and stitch as they rebuilt the leg to their liking.

The stoic warrior would never let a complaint about the procedure pass her lips, it was the work of the gods and they had done impressive work. Neither would she complain about the complete agony at having to place some of her weight on the new flesh for a prolonged wait. Beads of sweat rolled down her temples, but there was no sign of the pain across her face as she waited at the entrance to the grashal.

The entrance puckered, before stretching open. A member of the worker caste stepped out. Despite being male, he was much shorter than Khallesh, but had broad shoulders common amongst his kind. "Master Jun Paarth is waiting for you," he announced. Khallesh didn't even meet the worker's eyes, she grunted an affirmative response and offered half a nod.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

The Sith Worlds - Korriban City​

​

I.​

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The seventh moon, called the Serpent’s Eye by the purebloods of old, had already risen to its furthest peek on the scarlet sky of Korriban. Holy land of the Sith, their homeworld and now the Throneworld of one of the Triumvir, slowly but steadily the desert world had been reclaimed by the outskirts of society and civilization under the guiding hand of [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]him[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]He had no name, at least none that any of them knew about. He had no face, at least none that they had ever seen, and last… he did not seem to have a goal - besides the reestablishing of old values and the restructure of the ancient ways.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]But all of this was a moot point, because this story was not about [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]him[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]. It was a story about [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]her[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px], a young lady currently perching on the dry sandstone of one hut out of many. She was green of skin, eyes filled with mischief as she was surveying the streets that were spread underneath her heels and there was only one question that was currently roaming through the depths of her mind.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]What’s there to [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]do?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Cerita had arrived in Korriban City two days ago and in a lot of ways it was a vacation, a way out of the common rituals of daily training sessions with Dissero. She had need of some time… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]off[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px], to experience something [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]new[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]And where better to do such a thing than the sandy streets of the ancient city itself? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]It was not a quiet night by any stretch of the imagination, far from her she picked up the usual cues of a living and breeding city - the cries of brawls, the soft hum of incantations in the Temple nearby, the shouts of the marketplace closing up and the peddlers packing up their wares once again. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]But Korriban City was more than the sums of these regular sounds and visions, deep entrenched, underneath all the grime and sand was a darkness that could not be mistaken. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]It was all old, ancient, the currents running beneath the earth and infecting everything that walked on it - though to call it evil… was to sorely simplify a matter that was too complicated to understand by today’s standards. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Could you call a tempest that destroyed a city evil? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]A forest fire?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]What about a tidal wave that crashes into a shore village?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Nature escapes and transcends the common conventions, and so it was with Korriban and its capital city. It was a world of life and death, light and dark, with merchants working hard to earn a living and ancient cultists performing bloody sacrifices in the cloaks of the night.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Have you heard?[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]” the sentence rocketed right through Cerita’s musings, breaking the introvert and shaking her awake again. She barely managed to restrain herself from cursing, Rave would have chastised her for slipping her guard. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]No, what is it?[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Beneath her two guards had gathered up, the flames of their torches illuminating their surroundings, but not quite reaching the height of her hiding place. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]They have stolen an artifact from the Great Pyramid[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]You must be joking[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]At this point Cerita was suddenly [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]very[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] interested, the Great Pyramid served as the Palace of the Triumvir and was one of the most secure locations on Korriban. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Hell, probably of the entire Sith Worlds system. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The fact that anyone had been able to penetrate its de- the girl shushed herself once again, trying to hear another shred of the conversation which had simply continued, without waiting on her to figure out her mindset. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“-[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]ole place is in uproar[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Do they have any suspects?[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The torch of one of the guards shook noticeably as he shrugged. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The thief must have been a ghost… or be able to climb on walls, no signs of forced entries and all the sentries are still there - none the wiser. Although[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]…” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Cerita leaned in to hear what the guard was about to say next.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]It’s probably nothing, but rumours are a tusk[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] was carved into the wall next to the pedestal[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Huh… a tusk?[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]I know! Complete lunacy if you ask me[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]…” the voices trailed away as the guards resumed their patrol, leaving Cerita alone with her thoughts. The glint of mischief had only increased with that particular nugget of information settling itself into the pit of her mind. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]A tusk.[/SIZE]

II.​

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Throughout her Apprenticeship with Rave and Dissero there was one unifying theme that came back consistently, it was a theme that was focused on certain levels of respect - begrudgingly or otherwise, respect and perhaps even some sense of comradeship and love. All of which could be summed up with a single symbol, and you might have already guessed it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]It was a tusk.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]To be more specific an entity, because calling Velok anything else than a force of nature would have degraded just how much of an impact the old Sith Lord had left on the Galaxy before dying himself. Did Cerita think that Velok was somehow… alive? That he had stolen some sort of artifact from the Great Pyramid and left a symbol of himself as some sign of humor? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Probably not.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]But as she vaulted from roof to roof, tracing her steps back from the little hiding hole to the firm destination in her head, she was seriously considering backing down from the idea that was forming. There were a lot of things that Cerita was capable of… but going toe to toe with Velok was clearly, most definitely not part of this. Which didn’t mean she wouldn’t try anyway, too headstrong by half to back down from something as [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]interesting [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]as this.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Now, you might ask yourself where Cerita was currently heading. Running and gliding on the Thieves’ Highway, she aimed to pay an… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]acquaintance[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] a visit, one who might have a very good idea on what was currently happening in the underworld of Korriban.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Everlast’s Peace was a little store hidden within the nook of a nook, it did not have any signs, its windows were curtained and distinct symbols were etched into the post to ward off any attempts to get through ‘em with ease, you might even miss the door that was almost a part of the wall itself - if not for the distinct doorknob in the shape of a terentatek.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]A terentatek that seemed to be looking right at her… did it just yawn at her? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]To say that Korriban City was a strange place sometimes was to make a gross overstatement.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Part of her wondered if she should just take the knob, hope it didn’t bite her hand off and just turn it around to open the door, but better heads prevailed in the end with her deciding to simply [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]knock[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]. Her fist had already raised itself, moving to do just that as a voice snapped out throughout the darkness.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]FREEZE[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Cerita froze in the act, her head quickly spinning around to find the source of the voice, it was only after she heard the knob chuckle loudly that the girl realized her mistake. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Reaaaaally. It sssseeeeemssss like Dissssero’s quality of educaaaaation had ssssseverely declineeeed[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Another snort was heard before those mean eyes started glowing a little bit, perhaps sensing that his words were invoking some particular strong negative emotions from the girl he had just scared. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Sssssshhh, no neeeeeed for that guuuuuurl. I issss juuuuussssst kiddding. You wissssh to meet Great Jonanro himself, noo?[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Cerita could only nod, she didn’t trust herself to speak just yet - afraid that she would reach out and alchemize the knob into something distinctly less intimidating and menacing. Maybe… a little piglet, or perhaps she would turn it int-[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Then you may enter[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” suddenly he wasn’t hissing or pronouncing syllables in strange ways anymore, instead just a simple sentence before turning itself around… and just like that the door opened itself inwards, inviting Sarova into the sanctum of the Great Jonanro.[/SIZE]

III.​

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The shop was much bigger from the inside than the exterior would lead you to believe, but that was the magic of Jonanro the Great - one of the finest magicians on Korriban, and if Dissero was to believe? There were only a few that could truly come close to the Great’s experience in enchantments and manipulations of the [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]stuff[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] that was part of [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]thing[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Yeah, Dissero wasn’t all to specific about it. He probably didn’t understand it either.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]There were a lot of bookcases filled to the brink with scrolls, books and other repositories of knowledge, Cerita had never been here before but she knew instinctively that the worth of a single book here could make and break kingdoms - which led to the question what Jonanro was doing here in a little dingy shop in the corner of a nook of Korriban City.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]But as she walked through the store and her eyes finally settled on Jonanro himself… well, most questions simply evaporated on the spot. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]He was big.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]And big didn’t just cut it, he was simply gargantuan. The seems of his fabric barely being able to hold the majority of his bulk and yet Jonanro moved with the grace and elegance of some kind of ballerina or a masterful duelist - whichever you prefer. Moving, yes, Sarova wasn’t entirely too sure what he was doing, but it seemed like he was sorting books and yet there did not seem to be a system towards the sorting.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Just… random placements that made no sense whatsoever.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]After a while Cerita coughed, rather awkwardly. Just to get his attention.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]To his credit Jonanro did not screech or start whirling his head around at the sound, instead he just finished his last movement putting an amber booklet ridden with rubies into the far end of another random bookcase before twirling around.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Literally, like a ballerina… or maybe a skilled swordsman.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Sharp beads stared from under bushy eyebrows, they took a measure of the girl and Cerita almost felt herself be weighed right there and then. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Then a warm smile extrapolated itself from the thick flaps that were supposed to be lips. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Ahhhh, dearest Cerita! My oh my, how much have you grown[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]~” Jonanro practically [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]sang[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] that sentence, before twirling around again and continuing his practice of randomly sorting his books.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Cerita was pretty stumped at this point in time, because… well. His words [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]implied[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] certain things and she didn’t exactly [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]like[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] the implication of those words, she was about to say something against it. But once again she was interrupted, this time by a loud wheezing that seemed to be going on for an age, laughter she would later realize.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Yes, yes. I have seen you grow up, your old Master[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] asked me for some advice back in the day[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” a meaty hand gracefully waved itself into her direction, almost to [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]shush[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] her words back before they were even able to procreate and make sentences.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]…for some reason Cerita wasn’t very much inclined to try and alchemize this man.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Almost as she thought that another loud wheezing could be heard.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]C’mon girl, you didn’t come here to think[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] thoughts, you came here to speak ‘em. So [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]speak![/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]And be a dear, and speak [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]up, the books are being rudely loud at this time a day[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]To this day Cerita wasn’t sure how he managed to get a word to be literally underlined in her mind and neither was she very inclined to find out… there were some things that simply weren’t meant to be [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]found out[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] by normal human beings. And even now Serova considered herself pretty normal, all things considered, of course.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]I… uhh… mister Jonanro. I uhh[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]…” short sentences, Cerita. He wanted you to speak up.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Mister Jonanro, I overheard a conversation between two palace guards[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]This made the Magician perk up, as if he inherently already knew where this tale was moving towards, but he didn’t do anything else. Just kept on placing those books, but it was clear that there was an [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]attention[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] radiating from him that hadn’t been there moments before.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]They said something about a tusk[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px], and… and… s-sir?[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Jonanro had gone eerily silent, stuck in a reaching stance that quickly transitioned into him bustling around the place, checking up on some strange chronometer that had been resting in the corner of the section before shaking his head wildly and mumbling to himself. He didn’t seem very surprised with her remark, didn’t seem very negative about it either, but there was just a little bit of concern that was palpable after checking the chronometer.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Si[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]-”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Quiet[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” the Magician snapped, still mumbling to himself before blinking and looking at Cerita again.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Oh… sorry about that, very rude of me. Yes, yes. A tusk, you will want to go to the back room, someone has been waiting for you… oh dear. I didn’t think it would be so[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] soon, oh dear. Mhm… oh… right, remember to reverse polarities, okay? Good, good[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]He kept on prattling about, shifting through some papers and starting to make some kind of annotations here and there, and she decided to leave him there instead of asking for a clarification. It was probably nothing, so why worry about it. She walked through the shop towards the back room, his words making her a little bit curious. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Someone was waiting on her?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Who could that- Oh.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]And just there, as she pushed away the curtains would her eyes fall on the figure in the chair. Anyone else might have been confused, might not have recognized that distinct silhouette, the half-cloaked features of her face. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]But Cerita wasn’t anyone else, she knew who this was.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]R-Rave?[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]” suddenly her voice was just a little bit more tiny, in stress of breaking up entirely. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The dead woman looked up from her book, those cold eyes meticulously studying Cerita and her posture, almost as if she was looking for something. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Then she nodded. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Quite so, you better sit down. We don’t have long.”[/SIZE]

III.​

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]He lost one of his toys again, told him last time that I am not his babysitter and that he will have to figure it out on his own, but there is something about that grin of his, it makes me want to equally punch him in the throat and help him out for old time’s sake - either way, they are idiots. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Call themselves the Order of the- yeah, you guessed it. They think that the toy will allow them to [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]resurrect[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] him. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Is it possible? I am not really sure, did not even consider it, but I very much doubt it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]That’s besides the fact though, if anyone is gonna resurrect him it’s me or Dissero, not some inept cult that is brandishing his tooth like it means something.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]No, keep my name out of the books. I already told you where to go, I’d go myself but I have a feeling it’s bigger than this little cult, I have a girl who is currently casing the spot. Get there, she will make you aware of her and then you two can solve this mess.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]--[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]And that was about how their first meeting in a long time had began and ended, heavily summarized and with a lot of things edited out for convenience sake, but you gather the general meaning. It took Cerita some time to follow Rave’s directions and get to the spot, one of the rundown temples that littered the city - because… of course a group of cultists were hanged up inside of a temple, it wasn’t like they had the ingenuity or creativity to come up with something better. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]They wouldn’t be inept cultists if they had.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Cerita snuck in from one of the side alleyways, clinging to a wall and peeking from over the corner to sta- study the entry to the temple. It seemed to be fairly… well, abandoned and that only worried Certy if anything.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Not that she had the time to contemplate that notion.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Boo[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” once again she got caught unaware, but this time she managed to retain some basic sense of propriety. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Instead just twitching an eye, before looking over her shoulder and noticing a girl. She had a cowl on, most of her features hidden in shadows, but there was a dagger on her hip and her boots were of finely-made leather - really good quality. So she wasn’t just some kind of vagrant, deciding to come and harass her for a while.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]So either a thief or… [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Relax, twitch[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” the girl finally said with a smirk, before leaning against one of the walls and giving Cerita a good once-over. “[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]I presume miss Peregrine has told you that I am out here, yes? Good. You can call me Kailyza and before you ask… no, that’s not my real name[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Smirk just pronounced itself, before her gaze left Cerita and wandered over to the temple. Once settled there the smirk disappeared, replaced by a deep frown that might have carried some concern.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Everything alright?[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]” Cerita would at least try to be a bit civil, instead of falcon punching her into a garbage bin. That’s the least she could do for her former Master.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Hm? Oh. Yeah, yeah, I am fine. That place just gives me the creeps[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” another sneer was send to the building, before Kail looked back to the other girl. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Look, I got paid to case the joint. It’s got two guards - amateurs though, they are hiding inside the alcoves next to the entrance. Bent over their knees though, so by now their legs must be really twisted in two dozen knots. Inside… another three, four cultists and- Okay, you could also just go in from the back door, if that’s more your thing[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” she scratched her chin, before shrugging.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]You will have to probably push a little bit, especially with your… eh… posture[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px], but I am sure it will fit if you try hard enough[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Falcon… pun- focus, Cerita.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Anyway, that will get you right into the inner sanctum. They haven’t started whatever they are trying to start, but I am sure they won’t be long… I ain’t gonna be around for that though. So, good luck and toodles[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]~” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Hand waving and all, before turning smoothly around and disappearing into the shadows of the alleyway. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]She already hated that girl with every fiber of her being, but this wasn’t the time to get overly emotional or go full berserker while trying to break her face into the wall. No… that would probably be really bad for the mission parameters, yeah… really bad.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Cerita huffed, before shaking her head and beginning to move. She would circle the the building and [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]push[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] her way through that crevice, even if that was the last thing that she would do.[/SIZE]

IV.​

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Calling me fat[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]…” [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Cerita mumbled to herself as she crawled across the floor, leaving that hellish rift behind her. Calling it a rift was being [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]generous[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] even, it was more like… like… a slit! Some [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]inept[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] nook in the middle of- could you use inept in that sentence? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Okay, that doesn’t really matter right now, Certy. Moving on.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Farther into the room she could make out a dim pulsating light, blinking in and out of existence in crimson red with some ominous incantations going on in the background.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Huh… that doesn’t sound good[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” a voice suddenly announced. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Sarova barely managed to bite on her tongue and prevent herself from squealing out loud like a little girl, instead swiftly rolling to the side and [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]eye[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] whatever the- Oh, no… not shutta-face again, yep there she was.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Poo-eating grin, cloak over her head and literally too pretty by half.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Keep your voice down![/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]” she whispered loudly, almost defeating the point of whispering, to her. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The feth[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] are you even doing here?![/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Kail rolled her eyes, before crouching herself to keep low. “[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]What, you think I’d let you deal with that oogie-boogie nonsense yourself? C’mon, I am not that heartless[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]She didn’t add that she was pretty sure Peregrine would throw in a little bonus if she kept plant-face alive.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]With another huff Cerita closed her eyes, counted to ten and then opened them, giving her one of her more pleasant smiles. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” See, Di? I [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]can[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] be diplomatic when I want to be.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The rogue did not seem to be very convinced, inspecting her face closely before giving a shrug and nodding simply. “[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Don’t mention it, love. Let’s go[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]With the pleasantries over and done, they both started crawling further into the room. The crimson of the pulsating light became heavier and heavier, bathing the entire room with its [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]sensation[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px], because Cerita was almost entirely sure that as it clung to her skin… that it was somehow [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]pulling[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] something away from her.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]No room to whisper something to Kail though, they would be overheard by the cultists.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Which brought them back to the problem though… Cerita did not have a clue how to make this stop, and she was reasonably sure that the longer they waited, the more difficult it would be to put a halt to it. They were clearly siphoning off energy from their environments, that much was clear from that strange pull that was literally trying to rip her soul away from her. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Not today, strange weird… thingie thing.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The Mcguffin was obscured by some kind of contraption around it, molten iron and blood hugging against it, all of which gave Cerita the idea that-[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]From the corner of her eye she saw Kail was waving at her silently, before firmly pointing to one of the more nearby cultists. At first Cerita didn’t know what she was trying to say, until the realization hit her - mostly because her companion suddenly drew that dagger of her and started to inch closer to the creepy dude.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Woah, waoah feth. Too far away, how to salvage this sit-[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The knife dug itself deep between the two ribs of the cultist with fabric shredded against hard metal, and Cerita immediately felt that something was [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]very[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] wrong. Pulsating light went from red to blue to sick green, with tendrils lashing out left and right - everything it touched disintegrated on the spot as it sucked all the life out of it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Four more cultists went that way, before they realized something was wrong, but by then it was too late.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Kail stumbled back, dagger falling to the ground and it was then… as that chime sounded that something raised itself from the depths. It was… a corpse, eaten-away at parts, half of one of the tusks gone, but even as a partial skeleton it was unmistakable a whiphid.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The whiphid? [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Cerita didn’t know, she didn’t care, but she knew that if she didn’t do something, [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]ANYTHING[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px], that they would all die and perhaps more than that. Cold blue eyes, hungry went back and forth until they settled on the few remaining cultists who were trying to get away from their own creation. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]It snarled and pointed with a green light lashing out from the finger.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]She didn’t see the result, instead she pulled Kail in and started whispering frantically, pointing at the contraption holding the stolen artifact. The rogue understood immediately, setting her jaw in the realization that there was [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]work[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] to do… so she started running. In the meanwhile Cerita closed her eyes, before her mindset wandering through the room and studying the various flows of energy that were moving all around the room, before circling back to the zombified whiphid. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The thing was still being fed life from its surroundings, came the realization and as Kail jumped on the construction - her hands grabbing for the artifact and pulling it out of there, it upset the entire circuit.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]It hit her.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Reverse the polarity.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Her mind worked almost instinctively, pulling at the thinned frays of the energy flows and just… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]turned[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] them around.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]A deep hum started to resonate throughout the building, the whiphid started screaming, a bright light filled her eyes and then… nothing.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Sweet, sweet darkness.[/SIZE]

The notEnd​

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Words: [4036][/SIZE]​

 

[Jared Starchaser]

It wasn’t a long trip until he made it to the homestead. Or at least the roads he recognized. Pulling the swoop bike up to the street, he stepped off. Thing weren’t as they seemed here. The town was destroyed, gutted, he could feel… a hunger, a need here. It was like there were still people alive out in the wreckage of where his family had raised him. Sort of raised him. Jared spent most of his life space-side, but his mother insisted he take up schooling on Corellia. At least until he transferred out, Fel Imperial Academy, double major, chemical engineering and astrogation. He knew how to properly blow things up and how to get around.

But this? This whole situation, that was something different. It involved walking on the remains of his home. He had a few things he wanted to find and he restarted the swoop, pushing the repulsor vehicle into gear as he made his way as close as he could on the swoop. Still a few blocks away. He sighed as he shook his head. Power Nine and lightsaber on his hip, lightbringer module on the ExCon armor, he’d be fine.

Unless he got outnumbered, obviously.

There were a few things, the rings, and whatever other keepsakes. It’d be a wonder if he got out of here with everything he ‘couldn’t live without.’ For a soldier, Jared was getting very nostalgic. Maybe it had to do with him walking through his family’s home. Where he had learned to repair a speeder, where he launched his first in-atmosphere fighter. Sure, maybe it wasn’t a T-16, nor a TIE/Ad, but it was a TIE trainer. A few hours and he was finding what he wanted. There were more than he expected, his father’s scatter gun, a necklace his mother used to wear,

And of course, in the safe, the prize he was after.

This wasn’t a story of winning, it was a story of the character. And he wanted these items. But now? It was time to get out of here. There was no use in staying around here. He shook his head and hiked up his bag, heading back outside.

(1318+364=1682)

 

[Matsu Ike]

Matsu moved about working to scout the are, the large nest of the creatures was not something she wanted to have to face alone but with the right observations she was more then certain she could make it through the nest and into the ship. More then that she was wanting to be careful not to get stung while digging through her belt and equipment pack. The exemplar shield should be more then able to protect her and set it up on her arm while grabbing a saber with her hands in case they got close. A building nearby while she was searching through it and being careful not to make to much sound before she crawled out the window. Her hair in a tight ponytail piling it down into her robes as the shield activated with a hum across her skin. The bugs moving about and swarming when she got close as she closed her eyes focusing the force into her reflexes while she moved ducking under one of the bugs with a corkscrew. She could feel the blood pumping throughout her body and pounding in her ears as she scrambled on hands and feet towards the ancient engine jumping into the remains of a vent while she started sliding down seeing combs of hive from the bugs crackling under he weight before she was falling deeper and deeper into the ship with a grunt. The jedi masters petite size letting her roll down deeper as she was shouting. "Bad day."

The sound as she impacted a metal plate and her face was stuck to the metal. Thick dust and she was coughing while she rolled over and looked at the area around herself. The glimmering of the shield casting off some pale light while she got onto her back and slowly relearned how to breathe while she looked at what seemed like damaged pods in the room she was in. A large amount of dirt and dust collected while she wiped at a pod getting up. A limp in her leg before she shook her head to get the buzzing out of her ears. Matsu saw nothing in the pods with the cracks ruining the seal long ago but there were remains of a suit for being in cyro suspension for sleeper pods. That at least gave her an idea of the time while she was walking towards some of the consoles to see what there was. Maybe an idea or something with text was written, she didn't have anything to plug in and try to power it up but the ship was massive before she was moving in deeper. The sounds of the nest above were gone now even the agitation of someone entering their nest and disrupting it had given way to her being able to move about. Matsu held a hand to the back of her head and rubbed where it was hurt. She walked past several more pods that were cracked and broken before getting her attention to some of the older script on the walls for directions. "Sleeper ships from furies stations."

Words 519
2721 Characters

514
519
1033

 

[Jsc]

Shift

​

Prologue

Naboo was such a beautiful place. You could almost lose yourself in all the leisure. Days like this one made him wonder if he was losing his edge too. Being retired really hadn't made it any easier on his family. In fact. Given his new situation. It had almost made things worse.

"Captain. The Emissary will see you now."

Ken Masters turned away from the glossy colored windows and nodded to the royal attendant. How this palace loved it's own marble sophistication. He passed through the great walnut doors and entered into the beautiful study that awaited him. The Emissary was still sitting behind her gilded black desk and reading something entirely important as he approached. After a moment of silence passed between them she decided to speak first. Slow and unintimidated.

"Captain Masters. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I understand you are busy man these days. You'll pardon our lack of formalities. In spite of recent events her highness had been rather worried lately. I hope you don't mind the current speed at which events are being sent in motion? But, time is off the essence. I'm afraid I can't delay our audience any further."

"I understand, your grace. After the attacks against the Crest Valley farmers, I would assume the army has had it's hands full with the media coverage. But what can an old retired Captain do for our throne at this last junction? Surly the throne has other utilities they can call upon. To calm the public and return the situation to normalcy."

The Emissary put her reading material down and shifted to face her guest directly. She was a dark skinned woman with stoic features. Lovely high cheek bones and pale piecing eyes. Her dark hair pulled back snugly into a tight bun and decorated with bronze ornaments of the royal houses. Her dark business attire was not without it's own golden merits either. She looked just sharp as her tongue was pointed,

"This is not public knowledge but our security forces were routed yesterday during the melee. Their opponent was a single amber female and probably, a Sith Lord. Given your history with the Omega Shadowguard I had required that you be made a part of our investigation immediately. Her highness agreed completely. To be sure. The trails and tribulations of the farmers of the Crest Valley are but the tip of the iceberg, I'm afraid. And probably. Just the beginning."

His eyes peaked at her story. A Sith Warload in the Crest Valley? Why? What could the Sith Empire possible want with Naboo? The Emissary noted his silence and stood up with distinction. It appeared she had gotten his attention. Now she was get his answer.

"Captain Masters. Your queen requests the services of her Shadowguard Champion once again. Will you serve this Monarchy as you once did The Lady Protector?"

The prime veteran lifted his chin and drew bolder in his features still. Memories of promises already made conflicted with his lust for duty. But he would not be swayed. Days like this reminded him that he still had an edge to offer. Hopefully, his daughter would forgive him of that too.

"Your grace. It would be my honor."

Eyes narrowed at his wide-shoulders and slowly nodded. With his reply she pressed a slender button and a hidden doorway revealed itself.

"So be it. ...Now. Follow me."

___

(566)

/exit /nevermind /story is way too long for just 7000 words.

 

[Daedel]

(On phone so will count words later...probably.)


The crimson hued sun broke over the horizon like a child peaking from beneath his covers to tell a calling mother 'just five more minutes'. It was often said that such a phenomenon was a warning of storms, she believed it to be true. Her brown eyes, like two large drops of dark caff in pools of heavy cream, squinted against the rising luminary's rays while they crept across the landscape toward her like a lover reaching to caress the object of its affection. She leaned upon her spear, pale cheek pressed to the dark wood, as the sun rose and began warming the world beneath it. What would this day bring? It was the day for the gauntlet and was to be her first.

With hands that were steady despite her pounding heart she lifted the spear and turned to walk back to her village. Skin boots the color of tree bark and thick as terentatek hide made not a sound as her feet whispered over the forest floor. Her breath came with effort as she focused on keeping her body calm. The gauntlet would not be fatal today but before her training was complete the final gauntlet would only end with one survivor. The final match would be to the death and that was that. The gauntlet was a tournament that lasted seven days, winners would advance, loosers would enter a separate bracket to fight eachother and on the last day the semifinalists would attempt to kill one another to determine the champion. It sounded brutal, yes, but this was their way, and even those that died were honored and knew they had contributed to the strengthening of the clan. There were rules in place, of course, but only before the final match.

Leaves brushed her face as she passed between the low hanging boughs of deciduous trees, the wet drops of dew leaving cold rivulets on her cheeks and shoulders. Birds of many k8nds had already been calling out to one another in anticipation of the sun that now rose and the morning warmth that by midday would be scorching. Before they had been taught of other worlds Daedel had thought the birds called the sun and brought the day. It was funny how the mind of a child could form its own conclusions and there were times she wished she had been correct even now.

Soon the trees parted and she stepped into the large clearing of the Stormsister clan village. At one time, many hundreds of years ago, this place was where the great canyon clan had been and also an imperial prison. Now it served as a stronghold and home to her people. They were nightsisters by definition although it was not quite as simple as black and white, but then she found as she got older fewer things were as simple as she would like.

A woman called loudly from the arena, a large clearing fenced off and divided by large rough cut post, anouncing that it was time for initiates to begin gathering. It was her mother, Nikala Stormsister, the clan mother and priestess of their clan. This was what made her more nervous than death ever could. She was the daughter of the clan mother. Much was expected of her by the clan and the fear of failure was stronger than the fear of death could ever hope to be. She stepped quickly now as time became less available than she would like and entered the que that would have her assigned to her first opponent. Her gauntlet was about to begin.

616

 

[Lief]

[Shor Laurent] | [Next]

He had never planned for this.

Stalking through the long grass he felt the hem of his trouser legs dampen with morning dew. The fierce jungle heat rained down upon him causing perspiration to settle upon brow and lip; his shirt, torn and frayed, had turned ivory as time rendered the brilliant white hue obsolete. Speckles of a dried brown substance lined the right hand side of the tunic, and as he lifted the corresponding hand to shield his eyes from the harsh glare of the sun an incision along both fabric and skin could be seen, running down along his lower torso.

Shor cocked the gun in his left hand, barely holding up the weight of it with his gammy shoulder bearing the brunt of the pain. Eyes wide, he stumbled on through the underbrush, reaching out for the support of stray branches and tree trunks; his head spun, threatening to send him crashing to the ground. The distant humorless laughter pushed him on. This moon was full of demons, or so he had been told, but none were quite as fearsome as the beast which stalked him now.

Overhead a drexl flew, casting a large shadow across the sky. Even from where he stood, so far below, Shor could hear the leathery flap which accompanied each downbeat wing. The jungles of Dxun had proven to be a cacophony of noises both familiar and alien, with him at the center he seemed like some composer, directing the natives in their song. Oh, how they would deny that.

Panting breathlessly, it wasn't for some time before he realized that what had begun as a simple stepped walk had turned into a sprint, snapped twigs and crumpled foliage making him easy to track and easier still to hear. But he could not stop. They were almost upon him now.

308/2000 Words

 

[Kana Truden]

There would be no knock on the door, or ringing of the doorbell. This was a personal matter and if there was something Kana had learned with time it was that sometimes personal matters were best resolved through the element of surprise. At least as much of a surprise as she could manage. It wasn’t long ago that she had been but chickened out after the memories had overloaded every single fibre in her being. Back then she had simply fallen to her knees and stumbled away from the scene but this time, this time Kana was ready.

She was at peace all things considered. Unlike last time she was now acting with as much of a clear head as she could thanks to a gift from Chief Healer [member="Avalore Eden"] that proved invaluable. Kana was angry, she hated these people but for the first time in a very long time she wasn’t here seeking revenge or an end to their life. She came seek answers for questions she hadn’t been given an opportunity to ask before. Whether that would change anything or not was still very much up in the clouds to be answered, but at this point so were many other things.

The reports from [member="Khaleel Malvern"]’s sentries were correct. During this hour all of the ladies of the house would be gone. Shopping, lunching, money spending, girly things Kana had never been involved in. She had long since gotten over it. After all, not being brought along to go shopping was rather small-time compared to the rest of the pain they had all caused. At this point the only problem with her quest for answers was the recurring disappointment that the one they called Elias Truden was seemingly nowhere to be found. She had seen the reports of her brother’s unfortunate luck, of course she had. It was hard not to when the Order wasn’t there to shelter you from the truth.

While he was most certainly still on the list of people she had questions for; today was not about him. Today was all about the one man that had destroyed her the most. The one parent that refused to acknowledge her, the one man in the galaxy she had the most contempt for.

Francis Truden.

He was the man that had never cared or been there. He was the man she had always needed the most yet every time she had tried to ask for something, no matter how small, she had always been shot down. First with a snicker followed by a turn around and a decisive walk in the other direction. That wouldn’t stand no more. Things were different now. That escape route was no longer available to him and the force would help Kana ensure him of that.

Today was the day Kana finally got the answers she’d been craving for thirty-one years. Today was the first step down a road she might never return from, but a road she still had to wander alone.

Her boots fell heavy on the duracrete tiling as she slowly but steadily approached the gates to what had once been her home twenty years ago. Each click and clack caused the woman to twitch as if she had surrounded herself with explosions from invasions past. To say she was scared would be an understatement. Kana was terrified, but she had to do this for her own sake. The closer to the gate she got the heavier everything felt, like if the world itself was trying to ensnare her in a cold bitter darkness to devour her entire soul.

Her right hand went up to stroke along the edges of the Kasha crystal she had taken to wearing around her neck. The words of Chief Healer Eden seemed like such a faint echo.

"I will never believe that violence is the answer to what ails our hearts, Kana, and that's not just the Jedi in me speaking..."

Taking it to heart Kana had scratched the previous plan. Avalore was a wise woman, wiser than Kana by far and when she spoke there was little Kana was able to do but listen, think and analyze. Really, it didn’t take her much to realise that her friend was indeed right. Kana didn’t have to resolve this issue through violence. She could, but ultimately such an act would not bring her peace or any sense of fulfilment.

Because Kana didn’t truly crave revenge nor did she crave an end. All she wanted was answers to the questions that had been haunting her for the entirety of her life. To kill Francis, Ilyana, Vera, Calista and Elias wouldn’t bring her any form of answers. At least no answers that she would like to hear or be able to live with.

The little girl approached the grand gates to her old home and paused for a second. This was the moment of truth, and quite literally so.

Her hands violently ripped out for the door in a telekinetic grab but the gates shrieked as they before Kana herself could do anything. She took the first step through the gateway against the better wishes of her mind. A quiet, dark laughter emanated around the halls of long buried memories and the insolent little girl withheld the urge to twitch in panic. She tried to find where it came from when a voice called out for her.

“I have waited long for this, child.”

“Me too.” Kana offered in response. “Show yourself, Francis.”

“Lounge, second floor. The room overlooking the old Jedi Temple.”

Kana quietly approached the granite stairs and for a second she found herself staring on the cold surface of the stairs. Letting it carry her up to where her father was she carefully stepped up in front of the door to what she had known to be her old room. Her hand planted itself across it’s surface before tracing along the intricate wood carvings. She could still remember when they installed the panelling. The workers had been quite proud for some reason over the fact that it was made from wood that had been stolen from the forests of Kashyyyk. It was just to figure that a material from a place that brought her pain would come from a place that brought her even more pain.

She gently pushed at the door to let it slide open yet to her surprise she was not met with the same room as she had expected. She was met with a lounge and the grinning apparition of a man she was supposed call her father.

“Welcome home, dear.” The man stubbed his cigar and rose from his seat. “It truly has been a long time coming, hasn’t it?”

Kana didn’t respond, her hand instinctively reached for the hilt clipped to her belt as if she wanted to assure herself it was still there. Francis simply raised his eyebrows in feigned disappointment and a tsk. She tried to fight it but for each passing second the words of Avalore seemed to fade as the pent up anger resurfaced and in a desperate move for the element of surprise Kana promptly unhooked her saber, ignited it and swung wildly for the man’s midsection.

But her strike didn’t hit as to her greater surprise she found herself faced with the ever familiar sound of two lightsabers clashing. Anger turned to surprise and Kana backed off. In front of her stood the one man she had always hated the most but he wasn’t just a man, he was a force sensitive just like her.

“Why?” Kana muttered out of surprise. “Why, Francis?”

“You do not know, do you? Empires are not built on compassion, Kana.” The man retorted with he swing for her head. “A strong leader, a real leader, does not lead through acts of compassion and justice. A leader shows he has the power to make his will turn into reality.”

“What?” It was all she could afford him as their sabers collided once more.

“You have always been the key to everything, Kana!” The man blurted almost fanatically. “Vera, Calista and Elias are nothing compared to what I see for you, what I see in your potential and what you will become with the legacy you will bring me.”

“What?” The girl repeated herself in panic.

The man merely continued grinning. This had been a long time coming for him and everything about him spoke about his joy at seeing his daughter in her current state. he had expected it for the longest of time.

“You have already started down the path yourself, it’s only matter of time. Your place is here, on Coruscant. I have foreseen it.” The man swung at her again with zealous fervor. “Kana Truden, the woman who brought the galaxy to it’s knees under my banner.”

“You’re delusional.” The daughter uttered in shock as red plasma collided on blue once more. “Are you saying all this time, all these years... All you had to do was tell me! I would have done anything for you.”

“Of course, my girl!” The joy nearly beamed from the man’s eyes. “But you had to see i for yourself. You are destined to be so much more than you’d ever know and only now have you begun to realize it.”

“No.” Kana stepped back. “W-why? No!”

Was her life all a big plot thought up by an insane merchant and his wife? Her eyes jittered as the realisation slowly sunk in. All the years of loneliness, of never amounting to anything. All the doubt and self-loathing, along with the insecurities and voids she had tried to fill. She had never doubted that her parents would refuse to see her as a child of theirs, but to think she was a pawn in some delusional grand strategy of theirs was insane.

Her entire life and the woman she had become, it had all been their plan from the start.

Anger filled her heart. Her eyes set on the man who had destroyed her and for the first time in a very long time she felt clarity in what she had to do. Her teeth gritted and her heart began beating even faster as she set off attack after attack with nothing but complete hatred for the man who stood before her. For each block and each parry she relentlessly kept on pushing until eventually the man lost his footing and was forced to the floor.

Kana kept the saber pointed at the man’s chest. Her free hand extended itself to let the force deprive Francis of his saber. Inside of Kana’s mind raged a full on war. She wanted to do it, just shove her saber slowly and steadily into the man’s heart and watch it get swallowed by the void that had replaced so long ago, but something kept her from doing it.

“No.” Her breath shook as she deactivated her weapon. “I won’t. I won’t remain a pawn in your game, Francis Truden. I will not let you control me any longer. I refuse to let you play me like this. I quit.”

The girl let her arms lower by her sides as she turned for the door. She could still win this, her anger hadn’t taken full control of her yet. She could still walk out of this room and never see the man again. All she had to do was pull at the handle and leave.

“You truly are weak then.”

The man huffed as he readjusted his clothing and brushed the dust off and in that moment it all seemed as if time had slowed to a crawl. Kana felt herself lose control and with the quick yet involuntary turn on her heel she dug in deep into the force to empower her. The sound of breaking glass called out to the city streets below them and with it came the lone sight of a rich man’s form flying out the window of his own home. Level for level he plummeted until eventually he found himself pasted across the metal surface outside of a shoddy nightclub several levels below; the wicked grin of success the last thing anyone had ever been able to see of his face.

Back at the mansion stood Kana, alone and in a panicked mood unlike any other she had ever experienced before. Her jaw remained agape in horror as her eyes remained fixated on her hands. Tears ran down her cheeks as the realisation over what she had done was beginning to dawn on her.

He was dead. Francis Truden was dead and it was all Kana’s fault.

“No.” The girl panicked. “No, no, no. No, please no. No.”

Her hand set on the door again and the girl burst on through. She could hear the crowd buzzing up outside, the sound of sirens approaching. A new void formed inside of her as she felt the cold grasp of her own fear grab a hold of her. She wasn’t free yet, this was what her father had wanted. It must have been. He hadn’t fought back, he hadn’t done anything to prevent his death. He had accepted it, welcomed it and in its place stood only the one pawn he would never truly lose control over:

Kana herself.

THE END​

(2222)​

 

[Jared Starchaser]

It wasn’t clear when he stepped outside, though, the man in the ExCon suit with the backpack over his shoulder stepped into the yard of the former Starchaser Estate, once a wonderful place, no destroyed because of the Sith and Akala. He didn’t have proof that the Sith did anything, but they were in charge of this world, and they allowed it to fall, to split. That was not going to change anything, and the blatant hate that the Starchasers had for the Sith was not going to go away from some news report.

He saw his swoop, but that was also when he saw, didn’t feel, the beings near the bike. He reached out to the Force, couldn’t feel them. Two concepts. Vong or droid. The wind was picking up and it was messing with his visual. He stepped closer, his hand going instinctively to his holster. “Step away from the swoop.” He looked them over. What was going on? Raiders on Corellia? They didn’t move and Jared pulled the blaster free and looked them over. “I said, move.” He fired a shot at their feet.

That was when he heard the growl. Right, its once of them. Vong.

Fething dirty bastards.

(1682+203=1883)

 

[Matsu Ike]

Her chest was hurting as the pain in her head and legs, she found a makeshift seat and sat down leaning over with her head hanging between her legs for the moment to catch her breath. More thoughts coming to her while she was letting the force heal her. Thanks to leori she could at least move under her own power and here in a tomb well there was the slight hum and glow of the force around her. Casting light blue shadows. Her eyes flicking back and forth quickly but focused on the low light emitted to enhance it and pierce through the darkness around her. Matsu was pulling at the low light until she could make out more sections of the sleeper pods and more area within the ship. The pain in her chest subsiding into a dull ache before she was walking deeper into it to find a better way back up into the nest or possibly a place she could learn more about the ship. The fly over they had done showed another crashed ship on a mountain and dangerous radiation spikes, this one at least was a little different with less power from its reactor. She was glad it had just been older before moving into what looked like a crew quarters for a few people. More equipment strewn about in the dark and a half broken table she was able to work over searching for anything that might be of use in identifying the ship. Slowly she started digging through the debris.

She didn't know how long had passed by but Matsu rose up when she heard a sound. One of the insects had followed her down into the bowls of the wrecked ship. Matsu moved as she could hear its wings coming closer towards her and Matsu moved after it the snap hiss of the blade coming. Shimmering silvery blue light illuminating the area as she slashed the wings hearing it drop to the ground. Her hand going towards the body and crackling as she released pinkish purple light to stun the creature. There was the work she needed to do while crouching down to get at the large stinger it had while she was presenting a bladder and med kit for vials. It would be dangerous but she could get a chance for some of the things to endanger her or mess up but she could work to try and identify the venom. It might be something more but she wasn't certain and it might simply be a defense to cause irritation over harming and killing. She just needed to know while breaking down some of it with the datapad and scanner. Her eyes roaming over it before she was moving her attention to more sounds coming from deeper within while her senses expanded outwards into the darkness of the ship. Matsu started rising up and moving deeper while the scanner was running on the venom from the large insect. She was watching for anything as her saber came up to light the area.

512 Words
2715 Characters

514
519
512
1545

 

[Lief]

[Previous] | [Next]

The trees whispered, his name eerie upon their leafy lips as they coaxed him further into battle. He had killed many a frightful thing since his escape, fought thousands more; it was rare that he backed down. His free hand clutched at his side as he ground to a halt, breathing sporadic. Had he become unfit overnight? Giving himself but a moments rest, Shor gazed about his surroundings. Eyes glistened out in the darkness, bright ovals catching the light of the sun from even down there in the murky jungle.

He hissed, and in an instance the pinpricks were gone, leaving naught save the rustle of leaves in their wake. With a shake of his head he turned full circle, before reaching out to grasp a tree for support. His hand came away sticky and slick with pure crimson life, and a groan escaped his lips at the released pressure from his side. Shor was no medic; he had stabilized the wound as best he could, but it wouldn't hold out for long. Another distant howl of laughter brought him back to his senses. He had to keep moving.

The incision at his side stung as sweat streaked down his torso, heat blazing down from the sky above. He could barely breathe the air was so thick, humidity well above what he was used to. In the distance he saw the shadow of an unfamiliar face, yet the soul was entwined with his own. Shor stumbled, his cracked lips releasing but one word. "Blaise..." Eyes watering, he forsake his masculinity as relief spread through his person. He trembled, sinking down to his knees before casting his gaze skyward. If there had been some sort of God, Shor would have prayed for forgiveness.

When he looked again, however, the visage had gone. He rung his hands, rubbed at his wrists which still bore the signs of his captive torment, and sank a fist down against the earth at his feet. But the echo of his connection still rang true, urging him first to his feet and then back into a sprint through the trees. His voice picked up, coarsely yelling into the distance. The dizziness and exhaustion were overtaken by the inane drive that coursed through his veins. Pseudo-clarity ran rampant through his mind as he trampled down the blades of grass in his hasty approach.

A steady hum rose up from around him, the ironic melody not lost upon him. He had heard it before, known it from a life before this. Far more taunting than the natural voices of the jungle, than the husky laugh of his captors who ran behind him. When he broke through into a clearing all sound failed; the sky above darkened. There, hunched over in the dirt, the visage knelt. Cast about him were countless bodies, strewn carelessly as the life seeped from their wounds. The fiend turned his head slowly, a wicked smile gracing his lips. His skin was pale, almost ashen, and contrasted the brown curls which tumbled down over his eyes.

"Hello, brother..." The diseased beast before him grimaced, half smiling at the despair that surely lined Shor's expression. A sudden breeze picked up around them, blowing the hair from the eyes of the younger twin. They were as crimson as the blood in which he knelt. Shor tried to speak, but his throat was dry and his lips moved soundlessly. Blaise turned his gaze from the man he had spent nine inseparable months alongside and spread his arms wide to encompass all of the lifeless bodies. "Do you recognize them?" He knowingly asked, and with the click of his fingers all of their heads turned in Shor's direction.

The faces which stared back at him caused Shor to stagger backwards. "No." he rasped, head shaking frantically. "They were monsters --Diseased! I had to..." With a blink they disappeared, and in their place lay Blaise; his body was torn asunder yet there was no questioning whether or not the body was his. "You did this to me, brother" the lifeless lips uttered.

989/2000

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Post Six

The Vong had turned to him, there was no reason they would be droids, not with that absence in the world around them. Jared’s eyes narrowed and there was a distinct whistle to be heard, in his head as he appraised the situation. He needed everything he had here. The story wasn’t one of Jared’s piss poor ability with a blaster, or his penchant for small vehicles. He did score the best in TIE Interceptor simulators, even if he was flying in Exalts. But there were reasons he didn’t take to the X-Wings of the Levantine Sanctum. Get him an A-Wing and maybe he’d consider moving away from the TIE line, but until then? No, he was going to fly anything that could move fast enough to make it so that was the primary weapon.

His own Exalt was already modified to be specific for him. He was a barrier specialist, or would be, on top of working with meeting other minds in a meld. Sure, he could astrogate, but nowhere near his father or even his sister’s ability in the Force. He was a soldier, not a navigator, and even then, his skill set allowed him to last in battle. Jedi Ace would be what he’d be called, should he have found himself with the Sanctum or the Republic, but no, Jared was now working with the protection of Laekia and Oswaft Station. He had people to protect now.

As much as he wanted to, at times, just go full bore with the Imperial Remnant, there was something holding him back. He could help the Imperial Knights, he was there when Fel pulled his together, but Jared was… he wasn’t sure what he was. It was the other part of why he was working so hard to figure his life out, why he was reaching back to the past to make his future and present work. He didn’t know where he was. He was a soldier without an actual military. He could help the Remnant, but it wasn’t in him. The Fringe, and the Sanctum, they gave him reasons to fight, the Remnant?

He was going to consult for them, work with them, be an ally. Maybe not fully enlist, but work in their ranks as a Knight and pilot when they needed him. He had no desire to take over the galaxy. His desires were to free Corellia, and the rest of the galaxy from the stranglehold of the Sith, that was one thing that the Treader could agree on. The Sith needed to be eliminated, the galaxy needed to be freed from their hold. Once that happened? Maybe it was time for the galaxy to start moving on.

A few things needed to be finalized before Jared jumped from the Treader and took Warbird Wing and teamed up with the Pyre and Underground to help free the galaxy. Imperial rule didn’t need to be a sentence to end all life, and with leaders like Thrawn and Pellaeon? It never was.

With the Vong and One Sith at the helm of an ‘empire,’ it was blasphemy. Palpatine was insane, according to all history texts, and that was because of the Sith teachings and leanings. Anyone who fell too deep one way or the other needed to be eliminated. And that was the truth to everything.

The galaxy was changing, and he needed to find his place in it.

But first he needed to get himself off the graveyard world.

Corellia wasn’t what it used to be. But Corellian families? They lived on.

(1883+594=2477)

 

[Matsu Ike]

The deeper she seemed to get into the ship and search the deeper and stranger it seemed to get. In her mind looking towards the bridge was something if it had survived but so was seeing for another way up she could use. The sounds of the nest were back and they sounded aggravated while Matsu was moving and let the shield shimmer as it activated going into a vent. Her vision looking up towards the top of the vent and the sounds more then the distance she would need to crawl up. Gripping the sides with her hands while she started going up slowly while she listened as the buzzing got stronger and louder in her head. Matsu came to an open vent as she activated a glow rod and could see the secretions of the creatures starting to make more hive and comb while spying the looking of a queen within the hive. She moved crawling through as the larger creature was looking at her for a moment with its larger eyes before she was moving and something knocked her over as she tripped again into a pit of the larva's from the creatures. Matsu was glad for the shield and covered her face with her hands while it was squirming around her and she kept in her scream of being covered in squirming, slithering, slimy bugs rolling out of it while she was feeling herself slip in slime and guts. Matsu was crawling as her shield buzzed from something impacting her and she kept sliding more across.

The sounds of buzzing were getting louder as she slide finding a grip on a jutting piece of metal and picked herself up a saber coming to her hand while she rolled over finding a place to stand and the sounds were now close to her ears. She could feel it as something was in her hair before she was running up towards the brighter sections with the sunlight filtering through the hive walls until she cracked through it with a grunt. The insects weren't getting through her shields with their stingers but they could get through the exemplar by being in her clothing and giving her the heepie jeepies before she moved her attention into the ruined city around her. Her saber coming up while she sliced through one and she was moving feeling the slime in her hair while she made sure she had her pack with the venom sample to try and learn what she could from it. Her Jun-La was roaming around and it didn't seem sick as much as stoned as she looked at it and the thing was wandering around bumping into things licking its nose while eating whatever it could find. Well that was a good thing to see and she might be able to use the venom for something if it could eliminate pain or something. Matsu stopped as sh grabbed his reins and was looking over some of the things that were is her hair as she gave a scream slapping at bugs on her robes and in her clothing. SHe was running with her mount from the city and taking what things she was able to get on her wrist pad to record and add to the information in the astrometrics labs they had built.

THE END​

555 Words
2935 Characters

514
519
512
555
2100

 

[Kira Vaal]

“I’m a little busy right now Threxaj!”

Kira heard the Messassi give a disapproving tsk through the com link. “Come now, Kira of Vaal, this is important. You’re only flying, you can pay attention.”

“I’m actually running, and—“ Kira flipped the small sky hopper through another of the over arching rock formations that made up the canyon. “—it’s not as easy as it looks!”

A whining noise had started to come from the main console of the ship, red lights flashing left right and centre to warn her of various locks and scans. Add to that the trail of black smoke that had erupted violently from the secondary thruster and you had the perfect day in paradise. At least the pirates had been cooperative so far and been off target with their pursuing craft. Kira had been forced to go low, the Skyhopper skimming less than a metre above the rocky ground, the repulsorlifts kicking up a fantail of sand and grit.

“Mistress Kira, I hope you are doing okay.” C-3PX’s worried voice cut in over Threxaj’s own. “Have you found the stockpile yet?”

“I’d probably be doing better without your questions,” Kira snapped back at the droid. Another rock pillar had fallen across the canyon, forming a broken arch. Over or under; Kira chose over and with a roar of afterburners soared over it in a long arc, before coming down hard enough that the Skyhopper nearly cratered in the canyon ground despite the repulsorlifts. A bright flash behind her gave hint to at least one of the pursuing pirates had taken the under option, a fatal mistake.

“Hey, it’s just that I did another scan of the Canyon level and it seems you were right about it being hidden.” C-3PX said as Kira pulled the Skyhopper over an outcropping that turned out to be the edge of a ravine. A ravine filled with razor-sharp rocks and metal scrap. Diving into the gulch Kira jolted the controls to pull an almost impossible right. A series of metal shards sliced through the hydraulics to one of the wings, causing the control panel to scream. She didn’t spare a single second to look at it however, the ravine zigzagged like a drunken Gamorrean.

“Listen, you half-witted golden bucket!” Left turn. “You mean to say that all this time—“ Right turn. “—we could have avoided this whole stupid plan.” Left, right and left. “And we could have just gone with my gut feeling and WALKED to the damn —“

“Ahem,” Threxaj cut in. “As much as I enjoy listening to your verbal diarrhoea, I think you should both know that the pirate crew has broken off from their pursuit and instead created a small blockade at the end of the ravine you stupidly flew into.”

Silence on the coms.

“What are you going to do?” C-3PX muttered.

“Leave it with me.” Threxaj replied. “However, I need some time. Kira of Vaal keep flying. Maybe she can even stay alive long enough to see tomorrow.”

“Right.” Kira said sourly. “No problem.” The end of the ravine was approaching, it terminated in a cliff face, the track splitting off at the last moment and running down a steep but navigable path. The pirates would be waiting for her, their guns aimed at the path and ready to blow her sky high. “By the Force why did I even wake up this morning?”


With flash of light the Skyhopper emerged from the gap in the cliff, already allowing Kira to see several scattered speeders and a troop transport at the base of the steep incline. The shots she had expected never came though. With full throttle the Skyhopper shot down into the group and impacted hard with the ground, the wing catching and sending the cockpit spinning into the dirt.

Inside her head was swimming but still alive. It had been the only way she could have stopped, the only means to escape. Crashing right into the middle of all of them. Yet again she would have to wait on finding the damn thing, she was beaten.

“I hope you are not hurt Kira of Vaal.” A red face appeared at the access hatch to the cockpit, Threxaj’s flesh slick with blood and other un-namable things. He extended his arm.

“No I’m fine —“ Kira grimaced as she pulled herself out of the pilots chair. “—one hundred percent awesome as normal.” She took the Messassi’s aid in removing herself from the wreck. The scene beyond was one she had not expected, pirates were scattered everywhere, some dead, most dying. A casual eye moved to Threxaj who merely raised his eyebrow in return. Sometimes she forgot who he really was.

“Did it work?” C-3PX requested over the Coms.

“Yeah it worked.” Kira said trying to refrain from laughing. “Thanks to Threxaj. Bring the ship to us, we should be able to simply fly in now.”

It had been a simple plan, yet one that had needed to work. By getting the pirates out of their little scrapyard Kira had been able to make them vulnerable and able to be attacked, leaving their stash open to Kira’s crews raid. Now they just had to cross their fingers and hope what they were looking for was indeed there…

885 words