Dagobah

[Rodya]

At the mention of Jedi, Rodya's eyes widened. He had never trusted a Force user, more or less the Jedi. In fact, Rodya had been directly involved in a plot to rid the galaxy of their kind. This man obviously did not know who he was or else Rodya would be fighting for his life. The idea of forgive and forget was a lesson the Dashade had not yet learned and would not have expected as much from a Jedi.

 

Still, these two had found Rodya in his most desperate of times and they seemd to be offering help. The Jedi's sorcery had certianly helped the fatigue and weakness Rodya was suffering from, and had helped him in his efforts to stand. In fact, he was feeling better with every second that passed.

 

"Fine," he said to the man, "I will meet you on Dantooine with this Wranon here. I will need some help piloting my ship, and since he destroyed my co-pilot it is only fitting that for the time being he replace what I have lost."

 

Something uncharacteristic of the bounty hunter happened next, "Thank you," he said to the tall figure.

 

Rodya turned and and moved towards the ship's controls where he and Wranon prepared the ship for space travel. Its engines sputtered and flared when they first ignited, but eventually all of the mud and gunk was spit out or burnt up. The ship lifted off and left the place that had once looked like its grave.

 

((Poleb, you can be on our ship or not. I wasn't sure what you wanted to do. Wranon, make one post in space after I do then we'll be at Dantooine))

[Xen-Que Poleb]

((Please stop calling me a Jedi. I am liaise with and represent the Jedi Council, but I am not a Jedi. I am a Blademaster. Try and keep that on the up-and-up. ))

 

Xen-Que nodded and walked out of the ship. The repulsor trails swept Xen-Que's coat through the air as he walked away from the departing vessel. He entered information into his wrist-link, bringing Xen-Que's Blade back toward him. The ship came to a hover beside him. He placed his foot in a foot-hold and climbed into the cockpit. He followed the bounty hunters into space and followed their hyperspace trail to save some fuel.

[Vladimir Faust]

After a series of randomized jumps, Faust lets his ship settle on a destination to hide and chill as he plans his next move. He settles the Bhelliom down to Dagobah, knowing that the planet's unique composition would help hide his Force signature further and that being on the backwards end of nowhere, he could recoup from his capture and near total defeat by the Rebels. He already checked his person and belongings thoroughly for tracking beacons, and guessed he had a window before acting again.

 

A small chill, quickly surpressed, runs down Faust's spine as he steps out of his ship. He nearly lost it again after his disaster at Mon Calamari. He survived, but in part because of errors on the part of his enemy and not his own plans within plans. Cursing, he made camp in the middle of a swamp, and using untraceable, secure, and encrypted channels, contacted a few informants in the Empire to get news on the galaxy at large.

 

Satisfied with his findings, he cleaned up, ate, double and triple chekced his person and gear for bugs, snoops, and beacons, and took off once more into hyperspace, continuing the plan he formed in his mind while captive with the Rebellion.

[Slicer]

They say that Rimma Trade Route is one of the major routes that crosses this galaxy. Starting at Abregado-rae in the Core Worlds, and it goes all the way to the Kathol sector in the far reaches of the Outer Rim Territories.

 

Heh they even say that the estimated time it would take traveling the full length of the route is at least six weeks with a Class 2 hyperdrive.

 

He paused for a moment and looked back his mission start time. Even though he had not started at Abregado-Rae he was on day fifteen in this particular quest. All things considered, given how he was trying to glean information of of world, he was making pretty good time. Still with Belgaroth, Yag Dhul, Vandelhelm, Clak'dor Vii, Bpfassh, Praesitlyn, Queyta, Fondor, Thyferra, Sullust, Eriadu and, Sluis van down he still had quite a few more to go. Well he and his associates. Which explained why he was now here at this little backwater useless planet.

 

He checked his sensors, leaning forward in his pilot's chair to do so.

How wonderful. I'm not picking up any cities or technology. Massive life-form readings, though. Guess I should expect bugs,creatures that live in little hovel homes, and monsters to be alive down there

 

He actually let loose a sigh under his helmet, alone in the company of no one.

 

"Put us into a geocentric orbit. Split the planet up into a geographic coordinate system. Then scan each grid for the following parameters." He quickly fed to both his AI exactly what he was looking for.

 

"Mark anything of note, which is defined as out of the ordinary to exist on a world with no sentient life. Make good use of the sensors that claim they are capable of counting the number of leaves on a particular tree in orbit. Force knows it almost cost me a fortune to have installed.

 

Wake me only if it is necessary, you have control of both navigation and weapons. Alert me after the grid by grid search is complete."

 

Spinning around in his chair, he stalked out of his cockpit and into a more 'leisurely' designed area. He entered his personal room. Since he was now in his mind in hostile space, prone to an attack from any quarter, he did not strip off his armor. Instead he simply began to rejuvenate the armor while he was still inside of it. At the same time he sank into meditation. It had been some time since he had done so, and it helped to stay grounded. It would probably take days to check this planet, then he would be able to move on down the row, just like with all the other ones.

[Slicer]

He crunched into another ration bar. He had long since lost track of the number of them he had eaten. It didn't matter as they were tasteless bars of paste in his opinion, boiled down to give him the required nutrients needed for his body to operate a peak efficiency between meal times. He swiveled away from the star studded view, his helmet reflecting the back of his seat. Standing up he had begun to pace.

 

All of the worlds on this trail had been checked out and spied on. Some revisited in the hopes of finding clues. All of this not done by him but by people he was willing to pay to get the job done. Meanwhile he had been stuck in this civilization starved hell hole of a backwater planet.

 

Another bite and his thoughts turned soured even further. As it stood he knew his life was not glamorous. In terms of person accounts he had billions upon billions under, different names and all of them were his. People would murder for the amount of money he banked rolled in just his operational account for expeditions such as these. An ironic statement given his line of work. Yet his life was not a glamor filled hoopla of golden plated yachts cruising through interstellar space. Instead it was... well this.

 

His ship had sensors capable of counting the number of leaves on a particular tree from orbit. He had established flight patterns that have allowed him to take pictures of practically ever square inch of the cesspit. Most would have stopped there, wrote this place off as highly unlikely and left. That is why most people didn't get paid the kind of cash he got. Instead of writing this place off, he had spent his time in a variety of ways. It always started off the same. He would hot drop into an area of interest. His ship would then leave system and creep back in real quiet like. It was his standard omega pattern, meant to accomplish a lot of things, but would always keep his hsip from being attacked while he was away. After all even in a stealth ship you never know who was watching and it was better to take no chances than leave it up to the Force or some other deity.

 

Anyway after plummeting through the air and surviving the fall, something or another would usually try to kill him. One time he had found himself tangled up and almost devoured by a python. Another time a bog wing had the audacity to lift him in the air, like he was some sort of worm to feed to it's young or something. He had thought the dragonsnakes were bad. That was before he met the slug. Still having survived the randomness of predators attempting to digest him, he would then have to hike to the location. This only opened him as as being prey for more attacks from other creatures. If he bypassed another attempted on his life, vines would cling to him, boots would sink in to mud and bog. The whole planet seemed to be one big jungle, swamp bog fest of epic proportions.

 

Then once he hiked all the way to the location, by that time his ship was normally back in system and could secretly help with any and all orbital bombardment strikes. It wasn't something he needed, being able to handle himself against the primitive predators of this world. Still it was good to have even though nine times out of ten the place he had hiked to yielded no clues or results. Upon which he would then return to orbit, resurvey the place, and look for the next point of interest to investigate. Only twice had he chanced upon life trying not to kill him, and it took him some time on the second run to figure out what he was dealing with. The shelter had born a need for investigation, one that had proven ultimately fruitless.

 

He suppose the worst part, was the severe lack of any one besides the AI to communicate with. He had no problems being alone. He just missed the comforts and trapping of being in an area with basics like electricity. He walked over and tucked his helmet under his arm. It was time to stop reflecting and go to work, he was at the last investigation point, one that had peaked his interest a few passes back but had been outside of his grid by grid search at the time.

[darth shadowlord]

Landing on the planet Dagobah, Draken disembarked from his ship and took a look around the area before returning to his ship and sending a brief message.

[darth shadowlord]

((Seeing as how it has been nearly a month, it is time to move on the tale.))

 

After receiving no message, Draken waited for some time before returning to his ship and firing up the engines. He input a certain string of data into the navi-computer while he directed the ship into space. Shortly thereafter he hit the big red button and jumped into space.

[Calmin Ayion]

Calmin stared out the viewport from the cockpit of the Supremacy down towards the planet below. From the scanners he could see that the air was breathable, it crawled with life, but the technology was limited to a few places, perhaps a settler or two. As the Miraluka read on, he could see that this planet was no place where you would bring a first date. With a smile, he got a sense that the being perhaps tricked him. Even if it did, the Force is still present below. There is still something for me to gain from this. Turning his attention back to piloting, he began to bring the Supremacy down towards the atmosphere. As he did, he began to feel something stir within the Force, but Calmin couldn't explain what exactly it was that he was feeling.

 

As his ship began to pass through, he began to realize that the planet very well still could end up being his death, as upon entering the atmosphere left his scanners blind. Luckily, he still had the Force to work with, but he wasn't sure how much help that would be in understanding where trees and other important life threatening things could be. While his vision was based through the Force, it couldn't provide a full accurate vision. It was for that reason alone that he had to rely upon anything that he could to bring his ship down safely without destroying it within one landing attempt. As he fought for some control to bring his ship to a slow landing, he suddenly felt the ship lash back at him, almost as if it was too late to maneuver.

 

It was shortly after that that he realized that his ship had stopped movement all together. He had crashed it somehow without destroying it, landing on a tilt between three trees. Sitting back in his pilots chair, he let out a sigh of both relief and confusion. Allowing for a few moments to pass before he could come to the conclusion that he was now indeed trapped within the trees of this strange planet.

 

"Huh... This sucks."

 

Trying to make the best of the situation he was in, he turned off the engines of the Supremacy, along with other important systems, he then moved to grab his blaster to protect himself from what dangers the planet may offer up to him. Not like he was sure why he felt a need to explore his surroundings, maybe out of having nothing better to do now, he walked towards the ramp and lowered it. It paused for a moment as it had to push against a branch or two that sat in its way, but it did lower just enough for him to climb out. As his feet hit the ground, the very wet ground, he took a moment to look around at what the planet had to offer him. As he did he spoke out loud his thoughts.

 

"Fierfek. I'm in big trouble."

[Sith X]

The datapad given to Calmin came to life with a "beep", a holoprojection of his path ahead springing to life before him. His trek would not be a long one, a mere few kilometers worth of walking, winding through the forest and ending by a large area of water where Calmin would rendevous with the being's Master.

[Calmin Ayion]

The datapad suddenly beeped at Calmin, forcing him to respond to it as the wildlife around him slowly became disturbed by the sound it created. As the Miraluka withdrew it, he took notice of where it was leading him and where he was according to the map. Carefully, he began to make his way in that direction. Although he had been on the planet before, he had never seen it outside of the Sith fortress on the other side of the planet, and this part seemed to be crawling with wildlife, both that could kill him and those that couldn't. As he approached the end of his destination, all he could see was a large body of water, perhaps maybe a swamp of some kind. Feeling defeated that the datapad lead him nowhere, he dropped his shoulders. With a sigh, he re-looked at it in hopes that he was wrong on the location, but no answer could be found.

 

"Great, I'm still stuck here."

[Sith X]

Just as Calmin neared the body of water, the air around would grow eerie, silent as if all life had became void and non-existent. Oni held reasons for this to be their rendezvous point, for this was the very ground he first took the path that led to the man he was today. And just as they had that day to Oni, so did Nurgle's trees come to life for Calmin. The ground shook as the trees uprooted themselves and began their attack, vines snaking along the ground and latching out at the young Miraluka.

 

For Oni, it would tell the boy's determination, something the Alcazarin held highly above all other qualities.

[Calmin Ayion]

Calmin suddenly became aware of movement, although not through his eye sight within the Force, but rather noise. The noise from the trees coming to life, and a mix of the ground trembling, either as part of the attack, or out of fear that it may too become a target of the wrath of nature. Remaining as calm as he was when he first encountered the presence on Vjun, Calmin withdrew his blaster, the only weapon he had on himself, and lifted it in immediate defense against the vines that began to whip out towards him.

 

Without hesitation, he fired off shot after shot trying to keep the vines from the trees at bay. But even the Miraluka knew that his defense was in vain, as from what he could see through his eyes in the Force was that there was no real way to stop or harm the trees, but Calmin kept firing away. Amongst the attacks from the trees, he suddenly heard a loud bang, and less than a second later, Calmin dropped his blaster in pain as a vine managed to break his defense and strike at his hand. However, not wanting to admit defeat so yet, he lifted his hands and began to use the Force to push away the vines and every now and then using a little blast upon the trees themselves. It was his only defense left, seeing as he lost his blaster and his training within the Force was very limited. He would only hold out for so long before the trees overtook him.

[Rezjal-el]

A scream in the distance.

 

The dying breath of some unseen creature shaking the young Firrerreo from whatever small amount of sleep he’d been able to get. This world, it was hell. A swamp planet, its inhabitants consisting of predators and other hostile creatures.

 

“Better it than me….” Came his thoughts, spoken aloud amidst the dimly light forest. The habit of thinking verbally is one that came from spending so much time alone.

 

How long has it been? How long has this gods-forsaken swamp world been his home? His prison?

 

The first few dim rays of the sun’s light soon bring him an answer. Above his head, on the wall of his makeshift home sat the deep gouges he’d used to tally his days. Each cut into the wood deeper than the last.

 

“Two years…”

 

“TWO. YEARS.”

A long, violent jerk of his hand drags a sharpened bit of stone into the rough bark. Again and again until his initial anger subsides. Seven hundred and thirty such slashes marred the wooden interior of the tree he’d come to live in.

 

Despite the noteworthy anniversary of his arrival on this planet… he felt no different than he had the day before. Subconsciously he runs a hand along the jagged scars on his left shoulder. The dips and grooves of each discolored patch of skin marking the events of his first week in exile. As his thoughts travel back to those turbulent few days, one name in particular takes precedence.

 

“Furion.” The name spoken with no shortage of venom. Odd how a single name can keep someone so focused to survive.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Julio Furion, the soul reason Vaegir found himself waking to the stench of bog water and damp moss on a daily basis. It had been under Furion’s orders that he was brought here. The pretense of a special assignment seemed only too good an opportunity for the young potential sith to gain favor with a prospective master.

 

Two years ago he was flown down onto the planet’s surface, his shuttle landing in a clearing in one of the globe spanning forests. He had been given a pack of supplies along with a datapad that he was told would provide the next few steps of his assignment. Eager? Perhaps. He was free from his previous prison aboard the stasis ship and for now, at least, that was enough. Though any sense of ambition he may have felt was quickly washed away when the landing ramp lowered to reveal the swampy, humid world outside the ship.

 

“Are… are you sure this is the right planet? I mean.. . there could always be a mistake with the nav-computer, right? This doesn’t seem….” Vaegir asked, his head turning, glancing back over his shoulder to the pilot that had brought him here.

 

“Yes, Lord Furion’s directions were quite straightforward. Now, your task shouldn’t take more than a few hours. I’ll be here, keeping the ship ready to fly.”

 

“But…”

 

“Best of luck.”

 

With that short goodbye, the blinking lights of the landing craft would usher him forward and onto the swampy surface proper.

 

It would only be about a few minutes out that he would discover the true nature of his ‘mission.’ Among the small amount of supplies granted to him was a datapad, a blaster (that would later prove useless), a hunting knife, a spade, and a backpack that contained a handful of small, plastic storage bins. Things seemed simple enough until he began using the supplies given.

 

The Datapad gave simple enough directions. “Proceed North East for half a kilometer” the instructions glowed on its face. Though upon reaching the given coordinates… things started to go wrong. The datapad’s screen flickered once, twice, three times before dying completely.

 

“What? Oh, come on!” He slapped the screen “Damnit!”

 

In the distance came the roar of engines, the sound of a ship taking off before it breaks atmosphere.

 

“What the hell!?? No! No! NO NO NO!”

He broke into a wild sprint, clamoring over fallen logs and vines, scrambling his way back to the clearing to see the shuttle just before it disappeared out and into space. With the last audible rumblings of the ascending ship faded, he knew he was alone.

 

And thus began his long stint on this swampy planet. Days spent just staring up into the sky, waiting for a sign of the shuttle making a return trip. If only he had the luxury of being able to simply sit and wait. But, a body needs food, shelter, and preferably to remain free of cutting, clawing, monster teeth. That would be ideal.

 

His mission remained unclear. Whether or not he was here for any real reason was beyond him. Survival became all that mattered.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

How those first weeks would test him. How different he now was. Upon arrival he may have been describable as slightly on the chubby side due to an overall lack of intense physical labor. Now, though… he was lean, skinny, muscles easily discernible beneath his tanned, scarred skin. It was no secret to him that his survival was due in large part to his species’ natural regeneration.

 

Another scream can be heard in the distance, immediately pulling Vaegir back into focus with the world around him. His right hand reaches for the familiar pack that now served as his quiver. With an eerie calm he pulls a short spear free and to his side. He did not expect to need it right away, but if he had learned one thing it was preparedness. He’d give it an hour or so before he left his tree-home to hunt. Moss filled him well enough, but sometimes one’s inner predator craved meat.

[Rezjal-el]

Time passes, the low rumble of a creature running through the underbrush indicates whatever was out there has taken its leave. Still, it’s never entirely uncommon for something to be lurking just nearby, waiting to pick off those who come to scavenge. Vaegir knows this. He’s learned from experience just how patient some of the planet’s predators can be.

 

Again, his fingers trail over the jagged grooves of his scarred shoulder.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two years ago he sits in that same open field, staring blankly at the open sky. Four days had passed since the ship broke atmosphere and disappeared to another section of the Galaxy entirely. At this point it seemed fairly clear that a rescue was not coming. Was this why he was sent here, to die?

 

No, he’d not be given any supplies nor would there have been any waste of ship fuel just to leave him on a strange, alien world in hopes of him being offed by any number of space beasts. If Furion wanted him dead he likely would have just killed him on the spot back at the work site.

 

That hardly changed things, though. The situation remained the same. Four days without more than a ration pack and a single helping of fresh water to keep him going. He knew then that he’d have to find food, shelter, water. Basics. Though perhaps the greatest resources had yet to make themselves known.

 

Whatever meditations he might have been enjoying came to a sudden halt as a crash of falling timber can be heard in the distance. Startled, Vaegir reached for the blaster on his belt. Moments passed, silence. Still, he remained on the alert, leveling the gun in the direction from which the sound arose.

 

After a good few minutes of dead silence, another, louder crash could be heard. And another. And another…

 

Trembling, Vaegir kept his blaster trained upon the now shaking tree line. The source of the noise would make itself known as a large, serpentine head pushed its way out into the clearing. The horrendous dragonsnake, one that he would become familiar with over time. It’s face bore a unique design, a series of horizontal stripes running from its brow to the tip of its snout. With hungry, yellow, hellish eyes it stared at the young firrerreo.

With little more than a yelp and spasm of his arm, Vaegir lined up the blaster’s sights and pulled the trigger.

 

Nothing.

 

Again, he pulled the trigger.

 

The weapon remained inert.

 

“OH GODS DAMNIT!”

 

Frantically he pulled the trigger until the creature grew closer, its lumbering walk soon working its way up into a full trot as it entered the open field. As though it could sense an easy kill, the dragonsnake picked up speed, running full sprint across the ever shortening distance.

 

Without the blaster so much as fizzling out, Vaegir turned to the only option he had; running! Turning tail, he bolts for the trees. Having no idea just where he was going he ran purely on instinct, stumbling over fallen logs, through thick growths of trees and ferns.

 

What the dragonsnake couldn’t crash right through, it quickly rounded, finding alternate routes on the trail of its fleeing prey. With a demonic roar it continued giving chase, ever on Vaegir’s heels.

 

The world rushed past in a blur of motion, trees and logs providing little that could hold back the beast. He knew his life depended on either outrunning the thing of finding a place to hide.

 

At once he turned, changing his path. The straight line he’d been running seemed only too easy for the snake to keep on. A mad dash to the West, he clamored his way through thick undergrowth. With the beast’s chase unrelenting it appeared as though escape was impossible. That is, until his foot caught an upraised root.

 

There came a loud crack, blinding pain, a fall forward, and a great thud as he rolled along the ground. The world about him grew black, light diminishing and giving way to darkness. But yet, he remained conscious. Moments passed, his head spun but his senses soon returned. He found himself walled in… great wooden barriers forming a near complete circle about him.

 

A tree? Somehow in his tumble he had rolled right into the opening of a hollowed tree.

 

“What the…. OH ****!”

 

The dragonsnake hadn’t given up, though it certainly seemed displeased once its prey disappeared from sight. Violently it threw itself at the great plant, a single, long arm clawing about the entrance, reaching in an attempt to scrape out the flesh of the firrerreo.

 

Vaegir threw himself against the far wall, screaming in absolute terror as the claws swiped and grasped at air mere inches behind him.

 

“HOLY…. DAMNIT…. LIFE DAY!”

 

With one last scrape of its claws, the snake gets a blow to connect. The sharp ridges tear through the Firrereo’s shoulder like paper, causing him to collapse to the ground in pain.

 

Between the blinding pain in his ankle (which at this point seemed sprained, if not broken) and that of his shoulder… he lost consciousness inside that dark, protective tree.

 

Hours later he awoke. Night had fallen and his twisted ankle was already on the mend. His blood had pooled on the floor, a dark, sticky puddle in the middle of the tree. The snake had gone, realizing its prey was out of its reach for the time being. This tree had saved him, for now… it seemed as suitable a place as any to call home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

By now, the silence is broken. The sounds of nature fill the air as the swamp returns to its daily routine. Spear secured to his pack, he moves to the central hollow of his tree and makes his way down the twenty or so foot descent to the base. It was time to hunt.

[Rezjal-el]

There comes a dull thud as his boots hit the base of the tree. The interior was still quite dark due to the large sheet of durasteel kept over the hollow’s opening. It served as the door to Vaegir’s home, though it wasn’t opened so much as it was pushed over and lifted back up to cover the hole. As primitive as it may be, the ‘door’ itself was a blessing, a reward for a long day of scavenging and another day or so of dragging the large sheet a good three kilometers through hostile marshland.

 

Regardless, the next step on the journey outside is simple enough. A grunt and a hardy shove brings the heavy durasteel plate to the side, knocking it effectively out of the way. Though once it’s on the ground, it has to be lifted and slid back into its place. As always, whenever he’s out of the makeshift home, the plate is left leaning at an angle. It keeps out larger creatures and allows for nimble escapes back into the depths of the protective bark.

 

The first few steps outside are always measured, the young firerreo stepping from one foot to the next, carefully monitoring the layout of his various traps and snares. Any misstep could send him crashing down into a pit of sharpened implements, though by this time he knew their layout all too well. The trap field is left safely behind and he’s out into the wilderness proper. Whatever creature that had been out here earlier was long gone. All that remained of its passage was an area of mangled earth and a few uprooted bushes. Whatever did this was large, and it left no sign of its kill. Only a few patches of blood remained, and they would soon blend in to the dark surroundings of the swamp.

“Damn…” The scavenged meat would have saved Vaegir a good deal of work, but the planet only provides so much. One has to put forth effort to gain a reward.

 

With that option gone it was time to return to the task at hand. For a matter of hours he traverses one of his usual routes, checking nests, keeping an eye out for the elusive nudj and smookas that inhabited the swamps. All in all, there were few visible signs of the planet’s fauna today.

 

Without evidence of potential prey, he stops to scrape handfuls of adder moss from along the side of a tree, his knife peeling it free from the bark. A good deal of the spicy, spongy moss is lifted free and placed in his pack. The moss itself was one of the few good things about the planet. When one has few options for food, the moss itself provided a valuable source of nutrients; it was also one of the few things readily available that didn’t taste atrocious. So, needless to say, he spends a good deal of time to stock up. Though as he busies himself with foraging, something watches nearby.

 

The hulking form slowly makes its way out of a nearby pool, rising slowly from the murky surface of the water as to avoid making too much sound. The drippings from its head, however, are not lost upon the firrerreo who sits a good twenty or more feet away. Vaegir’s ears perk, suddenly on the alert. Usually such sounds came from something entering or exiting the swamp, but it was rare for such creatures to be aggressive. Though as he turns about, knife in hand, the nature of the creature is made all too clear.

 

“Oh… you again. I thought we were past this.”

 

Those eyes. The pattern of horizontal lines running down the length of its snout. Oh, Vaegir recognized his old friend; The creature that chased him through the wilderness. The creature that gave him such a lovely, jagged, bloody parting-gift.

 

“So uh…. Yeah… I'll... just be leaving now...”

 

A good twenty or more seconds pass, the boy and the dragon just staring each other down. Slowly, painfully slowly, Vaegir places one foot behind himself, and then another, attempting to back away without provoking the beast. That’s also if the beast needed a reason to attack…

 

He makes it no more than two steps away before the snake dragon lunges forward on its hind legs. The move wasn’t difficult to dodge, Vaegir’s years of running and hiding having had made him somewhat nimble on his feet. By hooking one hand over the edge of the giant root and kicking off from the ground, he manages to throw himself up and over, falling to the ground on the opposite side. Granted, the root was hardly large enough to keep the beast at bay, so as soon as he felt earth beneath his feet, he broke into a sprint.

 

The Dragon snake didn’t lose a beat, soon throwing its weight against the root and scrambling to the other side in pursuit. Whether or not it felt any anger toward the firrerreo for constantly escaping is unknowable, though it certainly seemed quite determined to get in a kill. It’s lumbering body kept pace with the fleeing humanoid, tearing up clumps of earth and stone with each heavy footfall.

“Damnit! DAMNIT! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!”

 

Running wasn’t going to stop it. Vaegir realizes this as he covered a half mile or so of swamp with the beast constantly on his heels. The thing simply wasn’t going to quit. He’s a few miles from the safety of his tree and there was no way he could make it there at full sprint before the snake bore down upon him. The choice seems obvious. Stupid, but obvious. Suicidal, but necessary.

 

As he reaches the edge of a deep pool he turns on his heels, knife held between a pair of fingers, its hilt raised upwards as he prepares to strike out. A flick of the wrist sends the razor edge of his knife spinning end over end, the blade burying itself in the dragon’s belly. Blood seeped from the wound, though the creature was otherwise unphased; its assault unabated. Well, this wasn’t looking good. Vaegir’s blade was lost and the snake didn’t seem to so much as feel it as the knife dug into its tender belly. The second weapon he had, the spear, was ripped out of the pack and brought at the ready.

 

The charging beast threw its full weight forward, intending on leaping atop of the smaller figure and using its weight to render it helpless. It takes to the air, giving a high leap from the ground. The firrerreo wasn’t so easily taken. Throwing his weight to the side, he rolls across the ground, the momentum carrying him a good few feet away. In a flash he’s back on his feet, spear raised to defend, though what came next was hardly something he was prepared for. The snake’s reflexes seem unnatural for a creature its size. As soon as it notices the distinct lack of squishing body beneath itself, it snaps its backside out, sweeping wide with its tail. Well… this is starting to look bad indeed, particularly as the heavy, muscular tail slaps into Vaegir’s chest, sending him rolling end over end into the underbrush.

 

The world spins about him, his mind growing hazy until he feels the cushioning crunch of wild plants. “Fleh…. Bleh… spaghettus…” It takes a moment or so of focusing before he reclaims his senses, remembering just how much trouble he’s in. The snake was back in the game, running head long for the very patch of underbrush he now lay in. His chances of actually fighting the thing down are slim. He may know how to kill small game, but a beast on this scale is a bit out of his league. Despite all this, he in no way intends on being a snack for the thing. “HNNNGG!” A forcible thrust of his arms plants the blunt end of the spear in the ground before him, wedging it in so that its point faces the snake.

Unable to notice the trap and sensing an easy kill, the dragon snake pushes on, throwing its full weight into its next charge. Though, instead of the screaming, flailing mass of firrerreo it expected, the creature now found itself with a long, pointed piece of timber stick out from its chest. Blood flowed freely from this wound, coating its dark scales with a darker shade of crimson. Vaegir can only glance back over his shoulder, now in a full run. He knows the snake was wounded, furious, wanting nothing more than to kill him. And so, he’s fleeing as fast as he can.

 

The dragon whips about on its heels, blind rage driving it at this point. The adrenaline in its veins gives it an edge, speeding its run as it returns to the chase. The thudding of its footfalls greet Vaegir’s ears, gaining on him, growing closer and closer. It was all he could do to scream as its huge weight bore down upon him, clutching him tight. The world goes black, the sudden rush of water barely registers as they break the pool’s surface. Struggling was futile, the thing’s body closing around him, constricting, squeezing, drawing him deeper into the swamp water. It’s now his senses take leave, letting him have some peace as his end surely is well on its way. Perhaps it will be painless….

Edited March 16, 2012 by Guest

[Keenava Dira]

Lallu's mind was still swimming as the after effects of the sedative wore down. Her thoughts blurred in and out of focus as she came to and it wasn't until the autopilot began the landing vectors that Lallu was fully conscious. The black Twi'lek rolled unceremoniously off of the cot she commandeered from the deceased pilot and plopped to the cold metal ground with a thud, but callously ignored the pain as if it weren't relevant; just another passing sensation.

 

She looked up from the ground and immediately regretted her action. Black spots emerged intermittently with lucid vision and she couldn’t keep herself from fading. The remainder of strength she had left was enough to consciously push herself to her elbows, but she had to wait a few minutes before she could fully reach a standing position.

 

Note to self, Lallu thought, have a full meal before losing my mind.

 

It was ridiculous to anticipate her episodes. She knew. But she wasn’t about to let that stop her from posing the thought for consideration.

 

Now, where am I?

 

Lallu took a moment to shake the dregs of exhaustion from her mind and let her thoughts settle. Parts of her body clamored in pain, cramping in the wake of their idle discomfort and sore in their use. It wasn’t something that Lallu was foreign to, but the pain was still enough to give her pause.

 

The Twi’lek breathed in and out quietly and looked around the room, making space for her legs and body to move about. Then she began to channel what energy she could to the balls of her feet and stretch her legs to make sure they were limber. They weren’t, but with each stretch, her muscles loosened up that much more. The residue of pain left in her muscles due to the time she spent in a cot became a distant memory with each movement and sounds of approval filtered through every fiber of her body like the rushing of a wave. It embraced her body and she relaxed into each extension.

 

When she was finally satisfied with her work, the Twi’lek untangled her body from the shuttle’s deck and moved quietly toward the cockpit, despite the mess. Bodies were scattered all over the floor and made it harder to move about the central aisle, but she navigated through the viscera quite well and looked out toward the swampy planet through the blood stained viewport. It wasn’t really much to look at, but she didn’t really expect it to be. It wasn’t the prettiest planet she had ever seen, but it wasn’t consumed in vice either; an attribute that often found the Twi’lek whenever she lived in places like Coruscant or Nar Shadaa. No, this planet was different.

 

The overall green hue of the planet seemed a little disconcerting at first glance, but a probing curiosity, mingled with the objective of her mission, guided her to the door and out into the musty atmosphere. Wherein Lallu took a few moments to acclimate herself to her surroundings, locked up the shuttle and took off into the brush.

 

A choir of smells greeted her nose with an overwhelming force and her eyes caught the grime as it slowly rose from the swamps she passed. Lallu could hear beasts growl all around her, consuming her body in their primitive cries and holding her mind in thrall, breaking her of needless considerations.

 

Mingling amongst the aimless peons of Coruscant’s busy streets, Lallu was something of a specter, mimicking their meaningless activities because of the slavery that discretion imposed. But here, amongst beasts, Lallu was free to let her mind feed on her more primal instincts.

 

Her mission, still echoing in her mind, provided the mental fuel to push her onward, but Lallu’s actions were guided with a different hand than her thoughts. Her eyes narrowed, her fingers curled inward and she crouched lower to the ground as she moved. Her heart beat with a feral clarity and she set upon the nearest trail with inhuman speed. Power filled her muscles with each invigorating stride she took and the air that rushed passed her filled her with the motivation to move further still. It was a violent cycle that her muscles begrudgingly abided by, but she wanted to finish the mission as soon as possible to get back to Furion. It wouldn’t be that easy. She knew. But Lallu could almost feel Furion’s hand guiding her on. The ache from before, although a whisper of its former presence, still plagued her mind with its influence.

 

She was a slave to his will; an arbiter of his strength; a puppet to his affection.

 

She could tell that it would take some time, but her target was more obvious than she expected. He was doing little to hide himself. Furion had left an echo of the man in the Twi’lek’s mind to make him easier to find, but as she grew nearer to him, the presence of a foreign agent in this land of muck and bile wasn’t hard to find. She could feel him grow closer as she flew past and there were disturbances in the brush to provide evidence of this. In fact, one path in particular seemed a little more disturbed than usual. It could have been a predator’s hunting grounds, but a beast wouldn’t have left such an obvious trail if it were hunting, would it?

 

Lallu’s thoughts meant little on this matter, because time was of the essence. She looked over the site for a minute more until she decided to follow it all the way to a large hollowed out tree that Lallu could only assume was the man’s home. It was a weak assumption drawn from an initial glance, but there were signs.

 

There were signs of humanoid presence all over the area. Footsteps leading away, brush left in awkward places and a large durasteel plate that held a majority of the opening away from prying eyes. Not only that, but the man's presence in the force seemed to echo off of the hollow tree as if a piece of him was left there. Lallu’s curiosity to further derive the truth almost led her down a pitfall trap, but after seeing the consequences of such a trap befalling a much smaller animal, she decided to go no further. She should have suspected traps in front of his home, given the wildlife here, but she didn’t know how many there were or even what all of them did. All she knew was that this confirmed the alien presence here. The force echo, the traps and the signs leading away were enough to pin him or another humanoid alien to this place and even though the evidence wasn't conclusive enough to say whether or not he or it currently resided in this shelter, this was where he lived now or at some point. He would come back here eventually. He would have to come back here.

 

Lallu’s thoughts were riddled with considerations on how to get this man, who she knew very little about, to willingly join her on her shuttle. She didn’t know his view of her master, and wouldn’t know his impression of her until they met, but one thing was for certain. One of the only ties he had to this planet was this shelter. It had to be. So, in order to push this man into coming with her without objection, she would have to rid him of his ties.

 

It would be simple and the last vestige of his shelter would be gone. Then he would have to come with her.

 

It was the only way.

 

She saw no campfire. She had no flare gun - even though there were several in the shuttle - and she didn’t carry matches. She knew a way of summoning flames from her body, but the power was highly unstable and she wasn’t anywhere near mastering it. She was considering going back for an easier and safer solution, but the flares in the shuttle might as well have been miles away and her impatience begat swift action.

 

Lallu held up her hands and felt the fury of unstable power rush into them. She allowed her mind to unhinge and spilled the remainder of her emotions to bear upon the air in front of her. It was a small transition, but the reaction in the air was not immediate. A subtle observation would show that the temperature of the air had increased, but it took a few moments before the air began to crackle. Lallu pushed forth with visions of her master and with one final break, she exploded in flame. The fire consumed her like a shell and although she controlled the faint tide pouring from her limbs, the white hot rage of the fire spread further and tumbled out of control. The hollowed tree was only one of the victims consumed in its path, but soon the entire area was drowning in beautiful amber wrath. Lallu noticed and put her hands down, hoping the fire would stop, but her attempts were to no avail. She couldn’t care less for the chaos that spread, but now she was caught in a torrent of flame that she couldn’t control and had to get out.

 

Lallu ran quickly through the fire, coughing and suffocating through the smoke as she went and escaped its pursuit. Lallu sweat violently under the heat weighing down upon her, but the adrenaline of survival found her and carried her muscles through the disaster of circumstance. She knew it was her fault and immediately regretted the haste of her actions. It was a disgrace to her mission and Furion would have surely scolded her for it. It was done though, and there was nothing she could do to stop it aside from waiting for it to stop on its own. So she found a comfortable place to settle on nearby and watched from afar.

 

The flames continued, damning the marshlands with their hands of destructive power. They were beauty in color and death in execution, but as with all things, the flames faded after a time. The humidity of the air and running out of brush to burn, were what brought the downfall to its fury, but its wake was immense. The hollow tree was black and broken, lying atop the durasteel plate in an ironic display that mimicked the plate’s former use, but the rest of the land was simply broken. The ground, the brush and the flora that was strewn about before, were now amidst the charcoal black that permeated the atmosphere. Ash rose into the air and Lallu could smell the smoke even through the fire’s dying breaths.

 

Oops…

[Rezjal-el]

In his dark, fading mind there was little left to keep him going. From what vague hints his senses gave he could tell only a handful of details about his current, and certainly last, adventure: His limbs were held tightly to his sides. Any attempts at breathing meant taking water into the lungs. So, as his thoughts returned one by one it became increasingly more evident that the beast that held him was his executioner.

 

Well then, there seemed little point in fighting it. Vaegir’s body seemed to agree, limbs and muscles going limp as he awaited death. At least drowning meant he’d be asleep when his end came.

 

Somewhere in the depths of his mind, though, a part of him wouldn't accept such a fate.

 

“So… drowning, eh? How’s that working out for you?” Came a thought in his head. The voice was his, though the tone seemed entirely different; judgmental, really.

 

“You know… it’s not too bad, really. Better than being on fire, at least.” He countered, adding a characteristic twist of sarcasm to his inner voice.

 

“You’ve never been on fire.” The voice stated rather bluntly

 

“Details. Tell you what. In my next life I’ll be sure to have a painful, fiery death. Sound good?”

 

“I suppose. But does there truly HAVE to be a next time? Why not try it sometime in the near future?”

 

“As delightful a thought as that is, I really don’t think this is the time to be discussing future plans for death.”

 

“And why not? You’ve never thought of how you want to go down? Blaze of glory? Riding a dewback against an army and taking them down with you kind of end? Have you already resigned yourself to this?”

 

“It’s not as though I have much choice…. Me. I’ve been a prisoner for the last few years. From the sacking of Firrerre to this recent little stint on this swampy waste. I’ve been betrayed by so many. Hunted. Bitten. Bled. Broken. ”

 

“So that’s it then? You’re done?”

 

He remained still, a finger twitching every so often, though little other movement overcame his body. The inner discussion continued.

 

“My life has been pain, misery, and starvation. I’m ready for it to be over. I’m content with this.”

 

“Content? What the hell kind of word choice is that? You’re CONTENT with letting all these injustices go unanswered? You’re CONTENT without knowing what happened to your family, to your people, your planet? You’re going to let that silly looking human in parachute pants win?”

 

His hand moved, sliding along the scaly hide of the beast that bound him beneath the water’s surface. The beast had him tight. He was locked within the grip of its coiled body, its scales rough and digging in to his skin.

 

“It’s not as though this is what I WANT.”

 

“Oh, but you’re content anyway?”

 

“Well, not when you put it like that…”

 

“Oh? And what makes things any different when I state them aloud? Here I thought you were ready to die in a swamp in what has got to be one of the most pathetic ways possible….”

 

“Oh, piss off! I’ll have you know I gave the thing the fight of its life! It might not even survive with that blade in its belly.”

 

“Might not? And that’s enough for you, then? Gave it your all, and when things look bleak you’re just going to quit? You’re not going to see this through to the end?”

 

His opposite hand was shifting by this point, getting a feel for his immediate surroundings. The beast remained still, its heartbeat growing steadily more audible in Vaegir’s ears.

 

“I’d really LOVE to see how this ends, but currently… I’m sure my imagination can fill in the blanks.”

 

“True, it is indeed quite a pickle. But you’re hardly out of options….”

 

The searching hand stumbles upon something firm. Something familiar protruding from the dragonsnake’s underbelly.

 

His knife! It was that same razor edged hunting blade that he had carried for the past two years! It sat within arms’ reach of him this whole time!

 

“….you may be on to something there….”

 

“You see? Now… what might one do with this?”

 

“I don’t know, stab the thing some more? It doesn’t seem like long enough of a blade to actually kill it?”

 

“And killing it is what’s important? HURT it, make it regret the day it crossed you!”

 

His fingers closed about the familiar, life granting hilt of the knife. With a little effort, the thing pulls free and a gout of blood clouds the water.

 

“Yes! This thing doesn’t deserve me as a snack! I’m damn delicacy!”

 

“Not exactly the way I’d describe you. But hey, say what you’ve got to say to get motivated!”

 

The blade dragged its way along the snake’s belly, winding a path down the smooth scales. Its hide was so tough, surely the blade wouldn’t be able to cut in without a good deal of pressure!

 

“How, though? I hardly have enough room for leverage.”

 

“Does that matter? You have salvation in your hand! FIND a way. Think back to what that idiot at the training camp said about getting angry and moving rocks with your mind!”

 

“That was stupid and hardly educational!”

 

“Yes, it was. But! It’s not about moving things just by being pissed off. The point is to work up enough willpower to alter your circumstances! Use what you must to fuel you! This monster is your rock, the knife is the force. Now get mad and ****ing move it!”

 

Vaegir’s eyes pop open, those violet hues ringed in gold practically glowing amidst the dim, murky water. Teeth bared, anger filling him, he drew his arm back a good ways before sending the blade slamming down into the beast’s hide. Once. Twice. Three times. The knife buried itself in the beast’s belly. Oh, he would show the creature who was truly the one in charge. Just whose fate was going to be sealed that day.

 

The snake seemed to notice its prey beginning to stir. Though before it could react its underside was suddenly alight with pain. The thing tried to move, tried to squeeze itself tighter about the horrid humanoid that just refused to die!

The tightening walls of snake made moving his arm all too difficult. There wasn’t enough room to strike down and through those tough scales. That little obstacle would not deter the Firrerreo. He was too overcome with anger. Too unwilling to give in. A twist of his wrist brought the blade to the edge of one of those armor-like scales, working its way along until it found a seam between it and the softer flesh of the snake’s skin.

 

A sudden thrust in, another cloud of blood. This one was bigger than the last. It seems the knife found not only a weak point, but a major vein. Oh, sweet retribution was his!

 

“SURFACE! SURFACE YOU BASTARD!” Vaegir screamed with each strike, stabbing repeatedly into the snake’s exposed flesh. He angled the blade upward with each blow, as though to guide the snake in that direction.

 

Well, the dragonsnake had never encountered a situation like this in its long life. How humbling it was to go from being an apex predator to the victim of a creature so much smaller than itself! Instinct alone is what drove it up to the water’s edge. It broke the surface with a loud, clumsy crash, sending itself and its former snack onto the shore.

 

The movement was enough to untangle Vaegir and send him crashing to the earth. A sudden rush of air into his lungs, a breath of that sweet, musty, life granting air all he needed to renew his spirit. In a snap he rolled back to his feet. Knife in hand, he stalked closer to the bleeding snake.

 

By this point, the snake’s green-hued underbelly was dotted with streaks of dark red. Blood poured from a good many of its wounds, and it seemed just a bit more than weakened.

 

As Vaegir closed in he could see the beast begin to back away. It wanted nothing more than to flee and be done with this horrible creature that rendered it helpless. That was a novel enough idea, but a few bloody wounds were less than it deserved.

 

“Trying to escape, are we?” He asked it, lips pulled back, showing his elongated canines in a feral display of challenge. “I’m afraid you’ve already made your choice. There is no escape for you…”[/color]

 

A burst of motion, a rushing of feet, and Vaegir charged at the beast full sprint. The air about him warped and grew distorted much as it might over an open flame. His appearance was utterly terrifying to the wounded dragon.

 

The first attacks came as predicted, the beast’s jaws snapping desperately at the zig-zagging firrerreo. It came close with a few snaps, though just as a blow seemed sure to land Vaegir would veer off to the side as though he knew its very path ahead of time. Finally, as a clawed hand came down to swipe at the attacking humanoid it met only mud. Vaegir threw himself at the beast’s chest, an arm hooking about the base of its neck as he kicked up and off the ground. The surge of motion carried him up and onto the snake’s back.

 

“Armored hide…. Well… not all of you can be protected….”

 

Another leap, legs straddling the creature’s long neck, Vaegir found himself in an opportune position.

 

“DIE!”

 

The knife plunged down into the beast’s right eye to suddenly render the monstrosity half blind.

 

Beneath him, the dragonsnake thrashed and roared in pain, blood cascading from its wound. It tossed its head about wildly, trying to throw Vaegir off so it could flee into the swamp’s depths. Its attempts at dislodging the smaller figure would be answered with a sudden and decisive end to its sight altogether as the blade slammed home into its left eye.

 

“Die.”

 

“Die.”

 

“DIE!”

 

Each stabbing thrust of the blade was accompanied with the singular command. He had found the weakness of any creature. Well, any creature that relies on sight, at least. The knife alternated sockets, stabbing and slashing until there was little left that could resemble an eye.

 

The snake’s movements began to slow, the blood loss had taken its toll, causing the beast to slump forward and grow sluggish. The change in behavior would not register with Vaegir, though he knew the time to end the beast had come.

Hooking about its neck with his left arm, he used his right to drag the blade along the underside of the beast’s neck. With a grotesque whistle of air and a gurgle of blood he slit open its throat in a jagged line. The dragon snake fell to the ground, causing Vaegir to roll forward and onto the blood dampened soil.

 

His rage was hardly sated by slaying the beast, though a measure of common sense prodded at the back of his mind. A sniff would detect the scent of smoke on the air.

 

Smoke? SMOKE? Fires didn’t occur all that often, or naturally, on this planet. It could only mean one thing. The presence of someone. Something humanoid. Something perhaps with the means to leave the planet!

 

Without a moment’s thought he’d snap the bloodied knife to his belt and scoop up his pack. The joy of victory was lost amidst the hurried rush made for the source of that smoke. What a mess he was, a blur of matted hair, wet clothes, and well… blood. He was coated in the coppery substance, but that didn’t register in his mind.

 

Hopefully this potential rescuer won’t mind the savage sight of a blood soaked firrerreo….

[Keenava Dira]

The smell of smoke seemed to fade after a time. The charcoal that was left, sat mournful.

 

The pieces, in unison, mourned the passing of life between them and the hollow shell they retreated from. The utter black of their bodies consumed them in their sorrow and the smoke was their weeping.

 

It was a silent song, but Lallu watched on, sympathetic to their woe.

 

She was ashamed of her foolish actions and could feel the heft of disappointment leveled against her. Lallu was a little girl again, playing with fire and stumbling to the floor in misunderstanding. She sat and watched as the carpet burned underneath her and could feel the hand of retribution cresting her backside. Only, when Lallu turned to look, it wasn’t the hand she expected. It was someone else’s. She could feel the same punishment cast, but cold blue eyes were replaced with gold. So much disappointment was writ in those beautiful eyes that Lallu’s stomach lurched. She wanted to cry; she wanted to scream, but somehow she knew it wouldn’t make a difference. She did something wrong and it wasn’t going to just go away.

 

Lallu rubbed the tip of her right index finger on the clammy rock she sat upon, breaking designs in the consistent gray surface. She pushed the loose mud around and formed shapes to draw her mind from the messiness around her and hoped that, in some way, it would occupy her need for attention. It didn’t. Her thoughts drifted to the emptiness. Her ruby red eyes drew away and she continued to stare at the barren land of charcoal strewn before her, pouring salt into a guilty wound.

 

She wouldn’t do this again. She promised.

 

Lallu’s eyes darted to a point off in the distance. She heard something. She was sure of it. It wasn’t definitive, so Lallu considered ignoring it, but the sound grew with time. It was a subtle sound that mixed with the ambiance around her, so she couldn’t quite determine what it was, but Lallu kept her eyes open and hid behind her rock to be safe. It could have been the man she was looking for, Lallu thought, but it could have also be a predator. Lallu knew little to nothing about this world. She had made impatient mistakes already and wasn’t about to die for negligence. If it were a predator, the rock wouldn’t protect her forever, but at least she’d buy herself a little time to get away. If it was the man, she would make up some random reason about the rock; and the fire.

 

Lallu’s heart beat faster in anxious temptation. Her nerves were bundled up and her eyes continued their constant vigil. She was suspicious of the animals around her, silently accusing any number of movements to the earlier sound, but she could hear the sound growing louder and louder and discredited each rumor as it passed her lips.

[Rezjal-el]

His run was a desperate surge through swamp and forest. The scent of smoke only grew stronger as he grew nearer to his home. No doubt the fire was quite large, a small campsite would have only been a short distance from the blood spattered starting point of his wild charge toward salvation. The source of the smoke started to worry him as he clamored through underbrush. At this point he was beginning to think a wildfire had started… somehow. The idea seemed preposterous, though stranger things had happened.

 

Having sacrificed stealth and subtlety for speed, he had hoped to make his presence all the more obvious should his darker thoughts prove false. By the time he reached a familiar patch of forest he was in full panic mode. The bark on trees he passed was scorched, and the further he ran the more severe the damage became.

 

His home, not his home!

 

The tree was a gift from the force. It had provided him shelter for the past two years; had kept him safe and out of reach of predators. The thought of losing it was out of the question. That tree like family to him!

 

“WHAT?!? NO!”

 

There it sat, a crumpled heap of burnt and broken cinder. All he had worked on building up, all that had kept him going. Gone.

 

“REALLY! A FIRE! THAT'S WHAT BRINGS YOU DOWN? ON A SWAMP PLANET?!?! REALLY!??!”

 

“IT ----ing figures! Oh, yes, a wild fire! Makes perfect sense!"

At this point he was screaming at the ashen remains of the once powerful tree, likely looking the part of an utter lunatic considering his soaked, torn, and blood spattered clothing.

 

His matted hair spilled about his shoulders as he stumbled about the tree’s base, finding various rocks and the like to throw at it out of sheer frustration. Every tossed rock and stone was accompanied with a colorful use of vocabulary that ranged from his native tongue to some less than polite curses in Galactic Basic.

 

The short burst of anger gave way to laughter, laughter to cackling, and finally… cackling lead to a sad, stifled sigh. The episode passed, leaving him standing near the crispy remains, sullen and desperate. He appeared as one might after slowly coming to terms with the passing of a dear friend.

 

With his face in his hands he slumped to his knees, fingers curling into his dirty, gore soaked locks.

 

“Oh… you... just saw.... all of that, didn't you?”

 

The fact that another humanoid was sitting close by hardly registered to him until that very moment. His cheeks took on a deep red blush at the thought of his tantrum being witnessed by someone other than a passing animal.

 

A humanoid!? Oh gods, right!

 

Immediately he sprang back to his feet.

 

“...and who are you? I was hardly expecting visitors… and…. Wait…. Did you do this? Was it necessary? Was it?!” his anger flares for a moment, left brow twitching as he gestures to the ruined tree. His free hand reached to his belt as though to draw his knife, but a shred of reason remained within his mind.

 

He gave her no time to respond before he continued his line of questioning. Someone to talk to! It had been so long! Needless to say, the young man was a veritable hurricane of mixed emotions. Anger, excitement, joy, rage. All grew together to form an overall maniacal expression upon his features.

 

“You’re familiar. I know your face.” It was difficult to forget the last few civilized moments of his life before he was thrown onto this swampy planet without so much as a goodbye.

 

“Furion sent you.” Of this little fact he was certain. The deep scowl he wore spoke volumes.

[Keenava Dira]

Lallu's nerves cascaded into a scattered array of guilty feelings. She could feel the man's ache even before he approached and something about his tattered feelings was eerily familiar. Lallu knew heartache. The gut wrenching feeling she felt on the shuttle ride over was the worst she'd ever felt, but this man cried like he had lost everything in the world. His rage felt drawn to the charcoal and although Lallu couldn't see the possibility of her ever loving a tree, she could feel a similarity between them. It may have been just a tree, but that was how Lallu saw it. Furion may just be 'a person' to some, but to her, he was everything. She could see the man over the small precipice of her muddy rock and held her ground in the brush to avoid detection. She controlled her breathing in case he could hear her, but as he walked around, heaving his frustration into the desolation, her cover was no longer useful. She could see the rage build in his eyes, seething ever more with each rock that pummeled into the ground. He was furious. Lallu had the smallest inclination to let this man know what she'd done; to just say something about it and give him an outlet for his frustration, but she couldn't help picturing her own face in the path of those rocks and decided against it.

 

When Lallu was caught, she stood quietly, still behind the rock. She hung her head a little lower; a small picture of guilt written in her expression, but she gave nothing away. In fact, she didn't really have the chance to give anything away. The moment the man noticed she was there, he was in her face and immediately talkative. Lallu tried to back away to give herself a little breathing room, but the rock that was her salvation, only served to box her in. Lallu almost reached for her own knives when he thought of reaching for his, but stifled the motion, thinking that fighting would only make things worse.

 

Lallu tried to speak about half a dozen times before she was allowed. Then, when she finally had his attention, she almost forgot what she wanted to say. She stood for a moment, blinking in the breadth of his scowl. It was a little frightening, considering the bloody visage before her, but something about his scowl summoned words to her mouth.

 

May name is unimportant. I just got here. No. I recognize you too and yes. The words were a little broken, but she was trying to make up for the questions that were lost in his tirade. She wondered if he'd even care with the expression stuck on his face, but she had a mission and needed to carry it out.

 

Lallu let the small silence linger to give her enough time to relax into a fairly comfortable stance. She looked the man directly in the eyes, making sure she held his gaze and spoke. I am here at the bequest of my master Dark Lord Furion. He has asked that you join him and the other Sith as we come together in order to re-build the strength and infamy that our order was once known for. Her speech was so flat that it almost felt automatic. She maintained no bias or subjectivity in her voice for fear that any emotional weakness shown would lead to unexpected consequences.

[Rezjal-el]

“Rebuild the strength of the Sith?” A low, indifferent grunt rose within his chest. “The Sith, and more pointedly your ‘Dark Lord’, are the reason I’ve been on this forsaken mud planet for the better part of two cycles. Their well-being is hardly something I could care about, let alone care to improve.”

There was something about her word choice that struck him as all too amusing. The word ‘ask’. He was being ‘asked’ to return. He knew the nature of his supposed master well enough to realize that Furion does not ‘ask’ for anything. Vaegir was being ordered to return. And likely, if he would not do so willingly, this Twi’lek was to kill him, or at best find a means to restrain him and take him back as a prisoner. Regardless, as the conversation continued, a twisted, wolfish sort of grin would wind its way along his cracked lips.

 

At the very least he was not going to make it easy on her.

 

“But don’t allow my pessimistic nature to steal your thunder. By all means, if you have some manner of inspiring Sith propaganda, please, do feel free to share it. I’m curious as to how you’re going to try to convince me that I’m any better off in the company of those psychopaths than I am here.” Condescending? Perhaps. "You see, I've only just gotten comfortable. Despite this planet's dank atmosphere, she would make one hell of a location for a summer home. And while She and I may have had our differences I don't know if I'm ready to put her through the torment of watching me leave with another woman."

[Keenava Dira]

Lallu had to restrain herself from smacking the smug grin from the man's face. She knew the cruelty of man and she knew the cruelty of the Sith. It was entirely possible that this man was left on the planet for one reason or another, but Lallu neither knew nor cared. It wasn't her place to know these things and it wasn't his place to be an insolent whiner. This man was a contradiction made flesh. There was evidence of struggle written all over the man's body, but it was clear, from his tone and behavior, that his mind was far from hardened. Lallu wasn't here to judge him though. whatever trials and tribulations he suffered wasn't her business. Her job, was to get this man off planet and to the Sith space station. Alive.

 

She was beginning to understand just how much of a task that posed as the man's total disregard for her and the Sith order grew. His words, such as they were, kept outlining sarcastic plans for himself, but in the end, his words were just hot air. This man had nothing. Ten seconds ago he was ranting about a tree that had burned down. So either he had assets that Lallu didn't know about somewhere on the other side of the planet, or he was bluffing.

 

Lallu looked at the man up and down and snorted.

 

"Nah. I don't know what my master saw in you. You're not worthy enough to tie his drawstring, let alone be apart of the Sith order. My mistake." Lallu said, her eyes narrowing. "I think I'll take my ship and leave you to your worthless pile of charcoal then. Have fun rotting here, I'm sure the planet won't care either way."

 

Lallu answered a bluff with a bluff, but her face stood, motionless and filled with disgust. She spun on her heels and walked away, subconsciously listening for any answer on the way.

 

If he didn't take the hint, I'll knock him out. If he did, let him come.

 

Lallu wasn't entirely sure she'd win the fight, but she'd do what she could. While her back was turned to the man, she withdrew a knife from a sheath at her side. She didn't know what he was thinking or what he would do. She only knew that she needed to be ready for it.

[Rezjal-el]

The moment the twi’lek turned her back, Vaegir had placed his hand upon the hilt of his knife. A good few seconds pass, temptation growing too strong to resist the urge to throw the blade into the base of her neck. In the end, the blade remained clipped to his belt.

 

Despite having grown half feral from his experience, he had not taken leave of his senses. This new acquaintance intended on taking him with her, he was aware. Furion was counting on it. Had the Dark Lord intended on being rid of him for good, Vaegir would have been struck down years ago, not banished to a planet with a small pack of supplies. The woman’s very presence spoke for that fact alone.

 

Not worthy? Ha! Should Furion truly be calling the shots, I doubt this lackey of his holds enough rank for her judgment to mean anything.

 

He had survived a hostile planet without any assistance. He had evolved into something more than his once well-fed, well-spoken self. He had hunted, he had killed, he had come face to face with his own death and overcame even that. Above all, he had retained his sanity, save for being wholly desensitized. Oh no, the Twi’lek had pointed out just what all this was. He had been tested, and apparently he had passed.

 

“Let us not fight. There’s no need to carry on about who’s worthy and who’s not….” He paused. “…tell you what. I shall come with you and you can teach me the proper way to tie a drawstring. It’s a win-win, really.” At this point he was doing his best to appear cordial, though given the long time without practice, his ability to maintain face was somewhat lacking. His voice was rather growly, similar to the way one sounds if they've not spoken in quite some time.

 

The idea of remaining on this planet just out of spite was an amusing one, but in the end what did that accomplish? Surely he could find a new home and return to his previous lifestyle, but again, the possibilities offered by going with the woman were far greater. The chance at reclaiming a life, reclaiming his birthright, doing SOMETHING beyond eat, sleep, and kill; it laid within whatever ship she was headed toward.

 

His footsteps would be heard picking up speed as he took a few strides toward his new associate. Instead of attacking, however, he fell into step at her side.

 

“Well then, after you.”

[Keenava Dira]

Lallu could hear a familiar metal sound coming from behind her. The sound of a knife jostling against its hilt was something that Lallu was familiar with and ready for. His indecision was novel, considering the bitterness of her previous comment, but Lallu wasn’t willing to give up suspicion. Lallu gripped her own knife tightly and was poised to follow through should he choose to attack. It wasn’t the best scenario, but Lallu didn’t know who this man was or what he was capable of. She didn’t want to allow him the chance to take her by surprise.

 

He took a pregnant pause to work out his priorities, which allowed time for Lallu to prepare. But in the end, he decided not to fight; a wise choice, given the circumstances. Still, Lallu wasn’t so sure that his mind was made up. She could hear his words flowing around her, but something about him seemed off. His muscles were still tense as he walked and something about him seemed chaotic. She had seen it before in her own animalistic tendencies of earlier years, but that didn’t mean she knew anything about it. All she knew was that he was a mystery; he was a mystery and she was a closed book. She wouldn’t give away the key to his freedom willingly and would probably try to find a way to blow the shuttle to kingdom come if he decided to stab her in the back. She wouldn’t even let the man know her name. No name, no attachment. But, he was intent on following her for now and for Furion she would allow it. If she knew his word was worth anything and the situation was different, she would follow him without question. Presently however, his choice meant little. She held her knife firmly in her hand as she walked and let his words echo with no answer. She wouldn’t allow him the satisfaction.

 

When he offered a smart ass counter to her insult, Lallu had to stifle a giggle, but instead of offering a biting rebuttal, she remained persistent in silence. She didn’t know him and as far as she knew he was like any other man. Lallu had scores of judgment when it came to ‘other’ men. So she thought it best to keep her defenses up and disregard any comments that she wanted to make. She wouldn’t be goaded.

 

Every few minutes Lallu took time to look around , but painstakingly made sure that each movement was careful and silent. She wanted to see if the man was still following without giving her suspicion away. And each time she couldn’t see him right away, Lallu would clench her hand tighter around the hilt of her knife until her knuckles paled. You didn’t live long with your head in the clouds. She wouldn’t take any chances. The breadth of silence allowed her time to focus. It allowed her time to feel the world around her and it allowed her to remember exactly where the shuttle was.

 

All things considered though, they were making good time. She didn’t have to travel very far from the shuttle to where the man’s house was and through the maze of the planet’s atmosphere, she could still feel the gaping holes in the force that death held in the shuttle’s hold. In fact, as they approached, the smell of death consumed her before the smell of shuttle's exhaust, which reminded her that she failed to clean up her mess.

 

She stopped at the shuttle’s side door and turned to look at the man. She found his eyes with her own ruby red and with a straight expression, introduced him to the shuttle. “My apologies for the mess; it seems I failed to clean up after earlier. Considering how long they’ve been dead, that may be something for us to do real quick before we leave.”

 

After offering the disclaimer, Lallu opened the shuttle’s side door and was immediately overwhelmed with the smell fecal matter and death. She sheathed her knife almost immediately and with her arm clinging at her nose in futile attempts at shielding it, made for the first body. It was a woman’s; an innocent woman who stood up and looked at Lallu with glowing concern while the Twi’lek burst into an emotional tirade. It wasn’t one of her best moments to be sure, and the pain of killing innocence affected her for some time, but now the woman was just meat; worthless smelly meat. Lallu picked up the woman’s body and promptly dropped it to the floor as she tried to adjust the body for optimal efficiency. She tucked one or two under her arms after a few moments of effort and shoved them into an airlock, indicating for the man to follow.

 

It took the better part of an hour to finish up the passenger hold and heft the rotund pilot from his chair, but once the entire shuttle was cadaver free, aside from the stuffed airlock, Lallu made for the cockpit. She stopped by the man’s work on the way to see how he was doing, then vaulted over an aisle seat and continued on her way. She wasn’t going to let her suspicions die, but as long as he was helping, she would offer him indifferent contentment. She could tell their games wouldn’t be over, but she would content herself with letting his mystery linger.

 

She found the cockpit messy with the captain’s blood. A gash across his throat splashed the viewport and the controls in sticky crimson that were heavily crusted with time. She could see the outlines of her work present in the art against the screen and something about it brought both pride and shame at the same time. She couldn’t help but shun her negligence, while admiring a perfect cut. What kind of animal am I?

 

Although Lallu was capable of flying through the grime, something about that seemed barbaric. She couldn't help but remember each slash she made with every look at the controls. She couldn't help but hear the screams that fell to her deaf ears as people fell to the deck plates in a chorus of foul thuds. She couldn't help but feel their fear as their hearts cried out in unison, only to be snuffed out. So, to shove away the evidence that haunted her, she decided it would be a good idea to take some time to clean up the area before launch. Lallu searched for a clean rag and struggled for a few minutes against the harsh substances glued to the cockpit. When she finished, Lallu tossed the rag in a waste disposal bin and wiped her hands off on a clean Officer's uniform nearby. Lallu punched in a series of given coordinates, established the launch vectors and pulled at the yoke once the ship left the ground. Once the ship was a decent distance from the ground Lallu opened the airlock and let the waste spray out the side. Animals cried with glee and gathered below. Lallu didn't even look.

[Rezjal-el]

((Moving to the Space thread))

[Calmin Ayion]

Calmin felt like he had been in his struggle for days, months even before the vines of the tress released him. Even now that he was still and on his knees, he felt like he had to be patient and wait upon the Force to give him back his strength. But that was once again the problem. He was dependent upon the Force for everything, and he hated it. But now what was worse, he was stuck on some planet with his own ship stuck within the trees. Still upon his knees, he closed his mind off for a moment, attempting to shut the Force out or to have a solution come to his mind on what he should do next.

[Guest]

Soren pondered what had Roene said. The all encompassing Force was everywhere and everything. As a Jedi he would learn to be a conduit for it. It would flow through him. This was where the Jedi received their strength.

 

Roene was right, he wasn't yet able to meditate as a Jedi, it would take time for him to learn to quite his mind and focus. At least now he had something to focus on, as Jedi often spent time simply meditating on the nature of the Force. In doing so the great mysteries of the galaxy would be revealed.

 

Soren also knew he would need to learn to be more observant of the things around him. His master had instructed him to live in the moment which had never been a problem for Soren. He wasn't one to dwell on the past or yearn for the future. As an artist he was able to easily focus on exterior detail, but his new task would be to see the inside things.

 

He sat in simple contemplation of the things that were told to him. The Force, midiclhorians, the difference between the Jedi and the Sith. His master left him to attend to the ship's landing. A few beeps and whirs sounded as they entered the atmosphere of the swampy planet of Dagobah.

[Roene Givrah]

The landing was slow, but methodical. Nothing was inherently wrong and by some stroke of luck the navigational system even found a solid place to land. In a place filled with swamps and marshes, ships could get easily lost in the muck, so Roene breathed a sigh of relief at their sudden fortune. He turned silently to check all of the gauges on the ship and made sure all of the post landing procedures went through with little issue. Then, without much else to do, he secured his robe, his satchel, his saber and whistled softly as he walked slowly out of the vessel and into the fog.

 

A murky gel met his face when he left the airlock and although the Cerean had read much about this planet from holo logs and books, seeing it was so much different. He could tell that it would be something unique and challenging, but where most saw that as a con, Roene saw it as a pro. The challenge of exploration, of discovery and the invigoration brought by looking into something he hadn't experienced with his own ears, eyes, or nose.

 

The Cerean's hands reached out slowly into the gloom that was so thick that he could almost drink the water in the air even if he decided against it. A small snarl at his side told him that Tyue was displeased, but Roene kept his pace and wandered out into the wild, leaving the ship behind and counting on his padawan to follow.

 

"We are here to explore. We are here to enjoy or investigate a planet that doesn't normally get visitors because of its beauty. There are dangers out there though and while I admit you have some skill, I will take heart to defend you while we are here." Roene said with a comforting smile, even though his face was pointed away from the shuttle. "Just follow me. I may not know exactly where I am going, but that is have the fun."

[Guest]

Soren followed Roene and Tyue into the unknown. The animal still made him a little uneasy, but it had seemed to warm up to him slightly. Creatures had a way of perceiving threats, and as his relationship with its master was a positive one perhaps it perceived him as friendly. Regardless it was part of the group and perhaps would prove useful some day.

 

The air was moist and thick. Soren was used to this type of climate, it didn't bother him, although it was definitely on the warmer side. As they journeyed onward Soren tried to take to heart some of the lessons his master had given him on the ship. He was doing his best of being mindful of his surroundings. Not just seeing things, but trying to feel them. It was his new understanding that the Force was interwoven in everything he would encounter. This held true to the large bugs zipping through the air and the sprawling foliage around their feet.

 

He remained silent as he followed Roene, reaching out his hand to allow the grass to graze it as he walked by.

[Roene Givrah]

Roene could feel the mist in the air as the world around him culminated into a dense fog. The humidity of the air congealed into one large cloud of murkiness and Roene was truly fascinated by the weight he felt as he moved. Each step seemed to anchor him in some muck or another and as each foot fell he would stop for a moment and analyze it in his mind. He would think of the depth that his foot fell and exactly how much strength it would take to pull it out. It took a few moments out of their constant walk, but he didn't really mind. Tyue seemed to agree and would patiently wait at his master's side until the calculations were done, then resume his course when Roene continued.

 

In the meantime though, when he wasn't measuring his footfalls, Roene was communing with the trees and plants around him. They hung deeply to the marshland floor. His whispers of intelligent discourse whipped through the breeze unheard of by the naked ear, but still present like a shadow on the breeze, or an echo passing its way up a lonely corridor. Each swooping branch, each sagging moss and each willowy piece of bark had a story behind it and behind each story grew a powerful life force. There was a deep resonance here that transcended that of mortal perception as did most natural settings in the galaxy, and Roene was thoroughly transfixed with what he perceived to be the nexus of all of the energy he felt growing inside him.

 

He kept walking toward it like a moth to the flame without thinking of the repercussions that it might reap. To be completely honest, he wanted it to reap repercussions, if only to see what they would be. However, in the end, there were no consequences to the trio's arrival. Roene approached the largest energy source in the area and came upon a great tree. The tree was a about twenty to twenty five times taller than Roene was and twenty to thirty times as wide. The branches and roots were so massive that the breadth of each root would have made a comfortable walking path if their round stature made them at all fit for walking. It was breath taking in size and before Roene knew it, he had already jumped up to one of the large branches and started to meditate quietly with himself.

 

This is where we will start. Before we continue our journey, I would like to finish our lesson on the ship... Said Roene in a deep and cold voice within Soren's head. The chillness of his voice wasn't that it was stern or hard, but the breathy quality of it seemed to denote something crystalline that echoed off of many things. I cannot teach you patience or focus or concentration, those are things that you must find on your own. However, I can teach you the meditation forms, the practicality of the meditations and exactly how or why we do them as I had started to on the ship.

Roene waved his right hand toward the sturdy bark of the tree and began to chant softly to himself. In time the growth of the tree began to accelerate. With a whisper, the tree leaned itself down to the ground and tipped itself into the marshlands, groaning as it moved and pushing its way to a perimeter about them. It stretched its long branches and roots out, encapsulating them within a large dome of wooden roots.

 

Now, here is where we will learn more of the world around us.

 

Roene sat silently, softly and with great care, upon a solid piece of the marshlands. It was well tended for something so wild, but it was with this dichotomy that Roene chose to practice. After all, there were even contradictions in the most ideal places of the universe, so trying to find something perfect was a contradiction in and of itself. Without even looking around, Roene set up wards and allowed the trees within distance of the great tree that now shielded them, to treat them with care and to ward off or warn them of danger.

 

As you heard before, you, the planet, the galaxy and the universe are entirely made up of the force. What does this mean to you? How do you feel, knowing this? Roene asked with a small nod.

I would like you to sit as I am, but facing me in the middle of this circle here, underneath the great tree's roots and I want you to follow me. I will sit, relax and let loose my thoughts and I want you to do the same. First, focus on something like you did on the ship. I want you to take the whole image into your mind and then just let it go along with the other flotsam in your head. Then I want you to focus on nothing for however long it takes you to realize that there is no such thing as nothing. Then I want you to try and imagine that you can see everything around you and bask in the force energy that flows freely amongst us. Can you feel it?