Who is the Cat, Who is the Mouse?

[Jak Skirata]

Criton's Point - Library of Xer
4PM GST

Davin took a deep breath, the moister being caught in the cold air outside the ancient abandoned library. From a spire across the desolate street he watched his prey quietly. How long had he been following the Sith? Learning his every move, understanding what he did? Even after three years he still didn't understand what Hal Terrano "was". Most of his time seemed to be spent in archives and ancient tombs, doing Manda knows what. But now...here in this moment he had him. He could feel him, his guard down. Was it because of the strange presence he felt in the force?

The Library of Xer was ancient, even by his standards. Predating the Gulag Plague and even some records from as early as 40ABY the library held some sort of special tree. For centuries it had been nourished entirely by the Force, leading some to believe the place had some significance. Force users from around the Galaxy had been attracted to this very spot. A Force Nexus is what the Jedi scholars on Yavn had told him.

Again he took a breath and set his rifle down. He knew Hal wouldn't go down without a fight. Or maybe that was just what he hoped. After watching the coward in his vision...He wondered why Avalore wanted him back in the first place. With a quick, instinctual glance his armor's HUD read the command and activated the repulsor pack strapped to his back sending him quietly over to the roof of the ageing library.

This entire planet gave him the creeps. It was all but abandoned save the very small settlement just outside of the main city. The main city that had apparently been abandoned for centuries. Something made him uneasy here though. Despite the calm that seemed to resonate from the open vault of the great library. It was as if something was following him...

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

He wished he had come here sooner.

There was something about this sense of isolation that gave him peace, quite possibly the only shred of peace that he had felt in years. Had Hal possessed any ounce of will or even a spine any more he might have just disappeared from the galaxy and settled right here. Yes, it would have been perfect, almost.

The Library of Xer held a peculiar pull, one that almost called out to him and not just in a sense of knowledge. There was something else at work within the Force that made the man further curious, if not slightly cautious. Even when it was subtle and understated, there was nothing about the Force that could be underestimated.

For once in his life Terrano took his time with his surroundings, given that he was almost actively enjoying the secluded mystique of his location he saw little reason to rush, this was a rare moment to be savoured.

As a man clad in black Sith robes he still cast a sullen figure despite his intrigue. A stiff and uncomfortable posture met with his regimented physicality. A stony expression displayed across his visage, the only notable point being the dark circles around his eyes and the crimson irises within. Treacherous Yuuzhan Vong biots, they changed colour according to emotion and tended to give everything away in social circumstances.

Red was rage. Red was fury.

Despite his fascination with the Library of Xer and the tree that was housed beneath, his anger was not something that ever seemed to subside as of late, certain devastating revelations leaving Terrano caught in a torrent of muddled hatred.

Regardless of this, his mind was focused towards the ancient library, towards the pursuit of knowledge, and it was only with an archivist's excitement that he finally stepped inside of the ancient structure

---

[member="Davin Skirata"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

The hunter slipped through a hole in the dome-shaped roof on the ancient library. At this point he was sure to be noticed as his repulsor pack slowed his decent, placing him lightly on his feet. His landing brought up dust and debris that had been undisturbed for centuries. On either side of him were gaping holes in the wall, leading deeper into the library. A cool breeze blew from them eerily.

Click. Bzz.

The triple barreled blaster carbine powered up, set to stun as it left its holster.

"Hal Terrano, turn around slowly. I was ordered to bring you in alive." It didn't say unharmed, but he had gotten to know Avalore in the few meetings they had to understand that she didn't wish to see this man returned beaten and bruised, no matter how much he wanted to beat the coward into a bloody pulp.

Deep inside the library the Force fluttered, excitement maybe? He could feel it, unnatural even for the Force. It was if something was calling to them, no not them...Then what? He hoped Hal came along quietly so he didn't have to stay and find out.

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

A pity really.

There was a quiet majesty within the library. An undisturbed peace that set a scene that was almost perfect for his demeanour. Silent. Dusty. Crumbling. The only lacking element was that of creature comfort, after all, the archive upon Cato Nemoidia had been built around him, for him. For all the solitude in the world it was hard to trade the fact that it had been his archive.

Terrano heard the blaster first, a small stiffening of perfect posture occurred and then came the voice. A moment of reasoning within his mind. No case of mistaken identity. To be brought in alive. Curious.

Ever the patron saint of predictability, Hal did as ordered, turning around to face the man with a blaster at his back, a standard issue frown etched upon his features as he did so. A frown for inconvenience and a frown for curiosity. Why this place? Why this moment? More importantly, who wanted him alive?

He wasn't a man of note. No great deeds of good nor evil, he'd never even killed despite those black robes that adorned his rigid form. Hal Terrano was remarkably unremarkable in every single way.

“By whom?” A cold voice intoned, simple and straight to the point.

---

[member="Davin Skirata"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

The man's eyes struck him. They were the first things he noticed in a person, made it easy to tell if they were dangerous or not. Maybe it was because it was something to focus on while he peered into the Force, maybe it was just instinct, he couldn't tell the difference between the two anymore.

He took a tentative step forward and thought about answering his question. Maybe he would later. With his blaster still held in one hand at the ready he made his way to Sith traitor.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he muttered as he reached for the beskar manacles in his utility belt. "It doesn't matter."

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

“Yes, I would,” came the terse reply, ever the blunt man, wordplay and rhetorical questions tended to fly straight over his head, making him rather frustrating to interact with, “and yes, it does.”

It was a matter that he frankly found puzzling. Given his hard pacifistic nature, he couldn't fathom who exactly would be wanting him, and alive to boot. Terrano was hardly a being that had made enemies given that he remained behind the scenes in life, mostly head down and buried within archives.

Unless it was nothing more than a simple blanket bounty for One Sith members. Not impossible.

Arms came up very slowly, before they were folded across his chest. More of a stubborn display than an aggressive one. He had little desire to fight, definitely not inside of the ancient library. Fighting here would be an affront to history and completely lacking in respect for what once was.

“Please, tell me who.”

---

[member="Davin Skirata"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

Davin began to wonder if this man was really a Sith. Usually by now he would have been dancing around a red glowstick of death, or floating in the air choking. But no. Here he was standing with a gun pointed at a man with his arms folded across his chest in an act of defiance. Was this real? He blinked. It didn't matter.

"I don't have time for this..." No matter who or what he was, a stun bolt dead center in the chest would put him and his smug mug down, preferably face first, into the muck of the ancient library. He probably could have just told the man that he would find out soon if he just came with him, but instinct, or rather his hatred of Sith, acted for him.

His finger squeezed the trigger. The sound of a blaster echoed throughout the chamber as two blue stun bolts flew from the double barreled blaster carbine.

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

His frown deepened as the man still gave no further answers and only offered frustration in its place. Such a notion was akin to a small push at his back as he stood before the precipice of the dark side. It was so easy to just fall now, a slip, a trip, a push, Hal Terrano practically exuded tension as he tried to wrestle with control.

Arms unfolded in a blink, his right hand moving to summon a small barrier in front of himself with the Force. The blue bolts dissipated upon impact with the invisible wall and only proved to fray the ends of already damaged nerves.

“No. Give me your time.”

Hal didn't want to fight, he never did. A first resort for many but a last resort for him, much to Vrag's irritation. Words were simply logical, and while violence was so often an absolute solution, dialogue offered a greater scope.

“I do not wish to fight, especially not here,” the man spoke slowly, having no qualms with expressing his seemingly unfitting desires, for a Sith at least, “however, I am afflicted with Sith Poison. If you insist upon having no time then I cannot guarantee that I will not try to harm you.”

He saw little point in hiding that fact from this man. That last thing that Terrano wanted was to be fully overcome with rage in this moment, he required calm and control, two elements that he constantly felt like he was losing touch of.

Still, his only assumption left was in the direction of a blanket bounty.

“The Mandalorians?” Hal asked, before doubting his own assessment entirely. Surely, they would just prefer Sith dead and not alive. “The Republic? The Galactic Alliance?”

---

[member="Davin Skirata"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

The Mandalorian sucked his teeth. He should have just gone with a slug thrower at his legs. Shoving the blaster back into its holster he played with the idea of this Sith coming along peacefully. Would he? Maybe...Could a Sith be trusted, especially one afflicted with Sith Poison? That was a 100% no.

"Master Avalore,"

Two words, one name. One that he knew Hal would know. His hand hovered over the crudely designed lightsaber sitting on the nape of his back in case his words caused some sort of adverse and violent reaction.

"Avalore sent me, she wants you alive. She still believes you can be saved. Lucky you. I've been tracking and following you for the better part of three months now."
[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

Her name hit him like a fist to the gut.

Avalore Eden had been a constant presence within Terrano's head for almost the entirety of his time within the One Sith. He'd always tried to suppress it, never sure if it was to protect himself, or to protect her. Small notions of the Jedi Healer fluttered around his thoughts, always in the smallest things, within cups of tea and datapads on herbalism.

“...no...” the man replied slowly his forehead creasing as he did so. His expression shifted, the frown becoming a blend of confusion, frustration and pain. Something called for his hand to move to his own lightsaber, Hal barely even realised that he was doing it.

Unfortunately, they had found out about her. About that guilt, that shame that came along with desires that had directly contradicted the Jedi Code. Shouldn't have mattered by then, he was no longer a Jedi but some things are just hard-wired.

“...she forgot about me,” Hal said again with his eyes downcast and brow furrowing, each word leaving his lips like molasses, “she moved on...”

Upon the outside, it would have been nothing but obvious that his beliefs here stemmed from naught but Sith manipulation, after all, it was what they did to fallen Jedi but he had been gone for so long and broken so much that it was hard to believe otherwise.

He was aware now of the emotions bubbling over within his head, aware now of his hand clenched around the hilt of his lightsaber, knuckles a stark white from just how hard he gripped the weapon. There was a pull, a temptation born from poison that roared within his head to strike the man down where he stood. Thumb gently touched upon the button. It would be so easy but it would define him, what he was. A Sith. He trembled upon the very spot that he stood.

But there was always another way.

Some things are just hard-wired.

Wielding all the constraint that he knew he had left, Hal slowly unclipped his lightsaber hilt from his belt and tossed it at the feet of the man. It felt like the most difficult thing he'd done in such a long time.

“Why...would she want to save me?”

---

[member="Davin Skirata"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

The hairs on the back of his neck flew straight up. The man reached for a weapon, obviously a weapon. The man was obviously no warrior, Davin's eyes caught the movement before it seemed the man himself realized what he was doing. Every inch of his body told him to strike him down and bring back the man half dead to Avalore, claiming self defense wouldn't be too far off. But he had a contract to fulfill and his honor wouldn't allow him to kill the man, even if he thought the trash deserved it.

Coward.

The thought flashed through his mind. Something was affecting him, trying to manipulate him. Was it that Sith? Mind probing him? He would fight it.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" His own grip around his lightsaber tightened in anticipation for what was most likely coming next.

Slaughter. Kill. Revenge.

Revenge for the fallen, the girl he had so dutifully watched get cut down. He was no doubt a coward. The words slithered around his skull, pricking his brain like tiny thorns.

Deep within the library something stirred. Something that had not stirred for several centuries.

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

“I am afraid,” he responded wistfully, lines of conflict still etched upon his stony features, “I am ashamed.”

Of course, Hal was perfectly unaware that this man knew of his shame, perhaps not all of it but the main source. Lira Dajenn. Snap. If he went back, if he was taken to Avalore he would have to tell her that he did nothing until it was too late. There was no strength to be taken in that aftermath either, a weeping man fruitlessly battering Vonduun Skerr Kyrric like it would have brought his Padawan back.

It did not. It was a demonstration that lacked control, was too late and only bred further shame. Of course, he would have to tell her all this so painfully honest was Hal Terrano.

“I thought that she...that she had...”

There was a tingle, almost a shudder at the back of his head. It was difficult for him to decipher, his mind already being a taut construction of too many emotions, all begging for their release in unison. The man's head rose and shifted sideways, as he took a glance backwards.

The Library of Xer was a curious place.

His attention fully shifted to the back of the man opposite him and Hal decided that he no longer wanted to finish his prior sentence. He had no wish to keep testing his resolve against Sith Poison.

“Do you possess restraints that nullify the Force?”

---

[member="Davin Skirata"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

He grunted. Without answering he walked forward, pulling the Force Containment collar from his utility belt.

"Stand still," he muttered, "This might hurt a little." The collar was bulky and heavy looking but it slipped around Hal's neck quite easily. It snapped shut at the nape of his neck and the small light bulb at the front buzzed to life with a bright green glow. The collar hissed as it injected the liquefied compound found in Mandalorian "Force Breaker" grenades. It would keep Hal on ice for a few hours at least, more than long enough to get back to town and the ship.

The hair stood up on the back of his neck again. A sensation of dread and longing fell on him at the same time. It felt as if he had been dunked into a vat of ice cold syrup. Ice gripped his heart.

"Do you feel that?" A stupid question, Hal was filled with Force Breaker. Luckily he wouldn't have to tell him about anything. A gust of wind blew through the giant room. Sickly groans filled the air as the rubble stirred all around them as grotesque plant-like creatures rose from the ground. Vines slithered shut the door and sealed the windows. They were trapped as the ghouls stumbled toward them.

Kill. Destroy. DEVOUR.

A strange voice said over and over again in both their minds as the ghouls shambled forward, clicking as they moved towards the pair.

"I know you said you didn't want to fight...But it looks like you've got no choice now," the Mandalorian shouted as he whipped out his weapon, a crude looking lightsaber. With a twist of the hilt both sides extended into a spear-like pole. The red blade erupted from the tip with a distorted snap-hiss.

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

At least that would be one of his concerns laid to rest for a period of time.

Hal complied, standing still as the collar was affixed around his neck, a sudden sting causing the man to quirk an eyebrow. It didn't take long for the nullifying effects to kick in, not surprising given that it was administered through the bloodstream.

It wasn't a pleasant sensation, as expected. He had read many accounts from those who experienced a temporary disconnect from the Force and also from a rare few that had been fully stripped of their connection; a harsh punishment, but sometimes necessary. Most if not all stated that it was akin to losing a sense and it was definitely the correct descriptor.

“No,” he replied starkly, as Hal often did when faced with questions, rhetorical, stupid or otherwise.

He was more occupied with lack of feeling than the opposite. It was a feeling of unbalance, of deafness, the library had been a thrum of activity within the Force and it had just been silenced. When he was a Jedi back upon Cato Neimoidia he had often considered incorporating the experience of losing the Force into training, so that future Jedi would be prepared for such circumstance. However, the means for such were expensive and continuous exposure to ixetal cilona was not recommended.

Attentions were finally brought back to more pressing matters, namely the presence of shambling plant-based lifeforms with malicious intent, devouring intent apparently. This emergence caused a new frown to crest upon Hal's features, he'd never been a fan of being caught unawares, not to mention the bad timing, he was hardly at his most capable.

Bending over, Hal retrieved his lightsaber hilt from off the ground, having thrown it at the man's feet prior.

“Is it the library?” Terrano asked, igniting his own lightsaber which revealed a brilliant blue single blade, always funny that they had let him keep his old arm, “What do you feel?”

His first go-to would have been a Force push to create space, unfortunately that was strictly out of the question at the given time. All he had at that moment was his head, and his blade. Stepping forward Hal swung low at the closest approaching creature, a horizontal swing that cleaved through legs...or perhaps vines. If he could disable them without killing then it would be ideal, if not…

The Force had greater deeds to forgive him for than this.

---

[member="Davin Skirata"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

The red blade hissed and the sell of burning, rotted flesh filled the air. He recognized the smell, it was similar to the small a pyre made during mass funerals after a long battle. What had done this to these poor people? His first inclination, like Hal, was to blame the library. But he had never heard of a Force Sensitive building before, let alone one that needed to eat.

"No, I don't think so," he grunted as he impaled one of the creatures. He smirked behind his helm. This was too simple. For a moment he allowed himself to close his eyes and focus. Focus on the Force, on the library they stood within. He reached out with his mind and attempted to touch whatever had touched his mind before. Unfortunately whatever was contacting him before wasn't budging, wasn't biting. His weapon shuddered, snapping him back into reality.

"I'm not getting anything,"

The creature gurgled as it slowly shambled forward. The one he had cut down before crawled towards him slowly. Did these things never die? He looked left and right before making a spit second decision.

"C'mon!" There was just no end to them, not here at least. He made a dash for the hole in the wall that seemed to lead deeper into the library...

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

A frustrated grunt came forth from Hal, the creature that he had cleaved through still advanced upon them, dragging its organic carcass across the ground. They did not seem to die, nor were they deterred in the face of dismemberment. Did they feel pain? Did they have a central nervous system? Without the Force he couldn't feel and had no way of telling otherwise.

Nor was his captor gleaming any further information from the library itself.

Hal was torn, something here was so very wrong and the thirst for knowledge that sat within demanded to find out what and why. On the other hand, the advancing creatures may not have been dangerous individually but the entire horde would have eventually overcome them both.

Before the former-Jedi could even make a decision, the other man had already made one. Splitting up now would have been dangerous and illogical.

Terrano's foot lashed out, booting away the crawling creature that was practically grasping at his ankles now before he joined the other man in venturing through the hole in the crumbling ruin. They would be going deeper, further into the uncertain and likely upon not-so level pegging. They would have to exercise caution.

“Do you have some form of plan?”

---

[member="Davin Skirata"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

There were roots and vines everywhere, they seemed to be holding up this one single passageway together. Behind them the sound of the strange undead things faded as they scurried away, no doubt to cut them off at a different point. Why they hadn't just followed the two down the narrow passage he didn't know, but he wasn't one to complain about not being chased down narrow tunnels. The hum of their lightsabers echoed through the ancient path, but it did not drown out the sound of hurried footsteps and crumbling foundations above them.

"Do you have some form of plan?"

Davin looked behind him, his bewildered expression hidden behind the ominous black visor of his buyce.

"Not a one. My only plan is to survive this karking mess and get you to Avalore as soon as possible."

That wasn't entirely true. The Force was tugging at him, pulling him towards what he assumed was the center of the library, deep into a chamber no one had been to in likely thousands of years. He thought about removing the collar from his captive's neck but the threat of a backstabbing Sith trying to run away along with those strange creatures didn't appeal to him, regardless of how much more useful Hal would be.

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

It was a curious fact that they were not following them down this path. The creatures themselves didn’t seem to have anything in the way of intelligence. One would reason that without reason they would have just blindly followed them down whatever path.

However, they were still moving, the ominous sound of mass shambling coming down from above, but why? Why did they move that way? Was this area forbidden? Were they being controlled? What were they and why?

Hal simultaneously feared and was eager for such answers.

His captor just wanted two things. Survival and to do his job, which was completely understandable. Still, the mention of Avalore’s name brought a familiar sickness through his stomach. The man has spent so long denying it, trying to erase her existence as some form of protection all the while believing that she had forgotten him.

They moved deeper, getting ever-closer to what would have been the centre chamber of the ancient library. Their steps having to be ever-cautious over the rubble and rampant growth of nature.

“Okay,” he replied in his usual stifled tones, “but please, tell me if you feel anything through the Force. It could be important.”

---

[member="Davin Kal'Bith"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

The Mandalorian grunted in response.

The path was long and winding with ancient roots penetrating the cracks in the ground and walls around them. They walked for at least ten minutes before the pathway opened up into a giant central chamber. The walls were lit by mysterious cyan crystals that gave off an eerie glow. A library, larger than any Davin had ever seen in his life. The halls went up and down several stories in the subterranean chamber and the rows seemed to go on forever. An ancient power called to them both, Davin could feel it in the Force. Luckily for him, Hal couldn't feel anything...at least he assumed so. If he could he had no doubt the Sith's treacherous ways would bloom now to take all the knowledge hidden away for himself.

Despite its wonder, the smell of death was heavy. It was a smell that a warrior never forgot, and one that was never welcomed. He took a step forward into the chamber. The rustling had stopped a while ago, but now it returned. From the depths below and the ceiling above the creatures from earlier assaulted them, some falling from the ceiling down into the depths of the library to their death. They climbed and crawled, growling and gnashing their rotted teeth. Davin readied his blaster and his lightsaber.

"Kark me..."

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

It was hardly the breeding ground for good conversation. Hal was a terrible conversationalist at best, and his head was still trying to comprehend the entire scenario and his captor seemed to hold a fair amount of disdain for him, not to mention their current situation. So the rest of their course was spent in relative silence, only the sinister sounds of surroundings urging them onwards.

Eventually, however, they came to what must have been the heart of the library.

Naturally, the sheer size and scale of the chamber was enough to fill Terrano with a certain brand of excitement that was often not seen within the man, even alongside circumstance. Unfortunately, since circumstance did exist the Archivist feared that his time spent here would not be filled with enlightenment.

It was a correct assessment. No sooner had the pair entered, the shambling monstrosities returned. Kark me was right.

“What do they want?” Hal grunted in frustratuin, shifting into a more combat orientated stance, his lightsaber poised and raised. Perhaps they didn’t want anything at all, perhaps they were simply mindless beasts that existed upon base urges.

Or perhaps it was more, but without the Force Hal felt absolutely nothing.

They began to shamble towards them and once more there was no choice but to fight. His strategy consisted of distance and dismemberment, whatever slowed them down or impeded their movement.

---

[member="Davin Kal'Bith"]