Blood and Sand

[Aellin Tedronai]

[member="Majis"]

Tatooine.

This world.

This stain on the galaxy. Aellin had always hated this world. Not because of the sand, not because of the heat or the twin suns, not even because of it's lack of resources, no. Aellin hated this world for what it was, what it had always been, a rock that was home to nothing more than the scum of the galaxy. There were no righteous men on Tatooine, no people of honor and morals. There were no redeeming qualities within this world, no hope that one could look up to. He could feel it when he walked upon it's sands, could feel it when he moved through it's valleys. He could see it when he stepped through it's cities.

There was nothing here.

Nothing here of worth to anyone but those who would seize and control the scum. The Sith Acolyte stepped forward, his shoulder square and his head held high even as the heat of the twin suns scrapped against his skin. Behind him, already rotting, lay a field of corpses. Four dead men, or monsters depending on who you asked. Tusken Raiders that had ran afoul of him the Sith on his quest. Each one of them had seen their limbs severed and their necks cut, only one bearing the marks of the lightning that Aellin had used to torture him.

He had been seeking the Tusken's clan. It was only one of many, one of thousands, and not even the strongest, but it had some value. No one considered the Tuskens to be strong, at least not once they left Tatooine, but Aellin knew that to be a lie. The Raiders were a different breed of people a different kind. They were savage, violent, broken in some way that he could not explain.

If he were to build an army, they would make an excellent addition.

So he had been hunting the clans, leaving a wake of carnage within his path until he found the tribe that he sought.

 

[Majis]

The young man stood as a silhouette among the dunes, he had been stripped of everything save his weapon and armor when he was cast from his tribe. They had seen Majis as an outsider and never treated him well. He eventually found his own among the tribe though and through this learned their history and their beliefs. In the end it was that knowledge that got him ostracized. The worst blow Majis took however, was having to say goodbye to his longtime mount and partner, an Eopi he had named and cared for since he was quite young. It was meant as an insult as most Tuskens got Banthas, but Majis and his mount quickly became inseparable.

The exhausted Raider had been searching for his friend for so long now and he found it nearly impossible, no trace or sign. There was a tugging deep within him at first, drawing him toward a neighboring village of Tuskens, but for fear of being killed, Majis stayed away. If they had taken his friend, he would never see him again anyway. One Tusken against a tribe was suicide. These feelings were not going away though. Feelings that were getting darker and darker the longer they were left unchecked. Knots started to form in his stomach before he realized something was wrong…

..It wasn’t the presence of life he was feeling, it was the absence.

Souls let out blood-cries as they parted into the Force, through these screams, reverberations cast through the Living Force like ripples in a pond. The Jedi and Sith and others who felt the Force were mere leaves drifting through this pond. Unbeknownst to Majis, who was just now starting to feel the knots, he suddenly felt as though he were being drown. All he could do was hope his knots were nothing, but their grip seemed almost ethereal. This caused Majis to feel compelled to check on the other tribe. If his fears were correct, they were likely in need of assistance instead of enemies.

Armed with just a gaffi stick and willpower tougher than a Bantha’s hide, Majis set off into the shifting sands running back and forth before him. It wouldn’t take more than an hour to come across their encampment. The Tusken knew the dune seas better than anyone, if there were hope for any of these raiders to make it if there were any who were still alive, it all rested on Majis. He knew whatever doorway he was opening, would be one that was hard to shut.

[member="Aellin Tedronai"]

 

[Aellin Tedronai]

[member="Majis"]

He stalked through the sands.

The dunes of Tatooine were a reminder to him of the grand oceans that he had seen on Dac once. They were endless, massive, seemingly tinged with only one color and horridly expansive. He felt as though he could walk forever and make no progress, he felt as though he could wander the entirety of Tatooine without ever meeting a single living soul. It was a horrid prospect, one that he despised, one that he couldn't help but feel broken.

His lips thinned.

This place...This place was a horror.

Aellin could not have imagined living here, here, he could not have imagined being one of the Tribe or one of the miserable moisture farmers that made their lives within these wastes. There was a reason that the scum came here, a reason that smugglers, criminals, and murderers made their home on this world. it was because no government would even care to come here. No grand organization would dare to try to bring this together. No one, no one at all would attempt to create a semblance of Order here.

This world was too far gone, broken and shattered before it could even try. Aellin knew this, he knew that by coming to this tribe he would give them a gift. By taking them from Tatooine, by offering them a chance at salvation he was saving them, saving them from his horrid expanse of desert and rock. His hand tightened around his lightsaber, his eyes set hard as he crossed over the last of the great dunes. Before him lingered a canyon, and within it he could see the movements of barely outlined figures.

His lips twisted into a smile.

He had found them, now it was only a matter of convincing them to see the light.

 

[Majis]

After quickening his pace significantly, Majis cut down his travel time by nearly a third. Before long he would appear as another figure making headway through the dusty horizon whipped up by the barren planet. The other tribes of Tuskens rarely made contact, preferring to stick to themselves and leave each other be. They sometimes warred over land or food, but for the most part most Tuskens around this side of the Dune Sea likely would never see another tribe. It was times like these, however, that communication would be key. Majis would have to relay his premonition and offer whatever help he could against the ominous cloud cast over his conscience.

His determination was what kept him moving forward. The closer he got to his destination the farther he felt he was from his goal. There were crackling fires lit in the canyon before him, none that seemed threatening, and with dusk approaching, it seemed a perfectly normal sight. The Tusken Raider part of Majis wanted to turn around and turn away, if the other Tuskens saw him and nothing was wrong they likely would come after him and accuse him of spying or stealing. The other part of him, the Human part of him, knew there was something far greater happening than just another normal night under the starry Tatooine skies. This half of Majis would end up winning, and after a few moments of contemplation he decided to jump headfirst into the metaphorical pond, likely causing a few ripples of his own if anyone had stuck their toes in the water to see what was there.

Though, those who were programmed to destroy often had little time to recognize the significance of one life like an empath would. Whatever the case, there was going to be one last fighting hope for the Tusken people in the Dune Sea. Majis was unsure of what darkness lied ahead, but he would figure it out first hand.

[member="Aellin Tedronai"]

 

[Aellin Tedronai]

[member="Majis"]

Tuskens respected many things.

Chief among them was strength displayed. He had first learned this nearly five years ago on a trip to Tatooine with his brother Baelid. The two of them had happened upon a tribe of Tusken Raiders, most of them seeking to ambush the two Sith and slaughter them in order to rob them. Baelid and He had of course managed to turn the tides, their lightsabers slicing and cutting through the Tuskens as though they had been made of butter.

An important lesson had been taught that day.

The tribes had learned to heed the call of the Sith, and Aellin had learned that despite their meager means, the Tribes of Tatooine made for fierce warriors. That was why he was here after all, to gather warriors to him. He would need them to defend himself against the assassins, would need them to move forward his plans of survival and strength. His fingers laced around his lightsaber, his black gloves tightening as he moved into the canyon bellow.

All around him he heard cries of rage.

They knew he was here, they knew that he was coming, and they recognized him.