Challenging Beliefs

[Zesiro]

Inclined to agree with what Edric said, Zesiro saw the tension leave him and he laughed, grinning at her after. She also had to agree with keeping a guard up. Herself, she was going back into the area she had just left and while she didn't feel any threat from Edric, there would be other dangers in this action. His mention of a second name, she just shrugged and listened to what he said about his own as an example.

"Nobody ever gave me a second name and I have no memory of my childhood to know what I started with."

The first twelve years of her life were missing, she didn't know if she had a family or anything. Any brothers, sisters or even parents alive for that matter. What he said though interested her a little. His second name wasn't his original. Did he have a similar issue in not knowing what it was or did he change it on purpose? Either way it really wasn't any of her business.

"I'm not even sure what my name means, if anything. My master could have just strung something together for all I know."

Her stating of master could imply she was sith or jedi. While she meant it as sith, she chose not to clarify on it.

[member="Edric Vanyan"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Zesiro"]

Edric for a half second flinched hearing master, forcing himself to recognize the fact she was talking about a force user and not a slave master. He was around slaves far more often so the latter was far more common to him, something that made him hesitate when it came to his actions, knowing that the minds of those under people can be warped and twisted. His eyes turned back to the woman and he studied her for a few moments before deciding on a darker master, who though he could not figure out by a simple thought on what she had told him. As far as he knew she was a woman who killed without a second thought or sense of remorse, so his mind led him to those of the Dark Jedi and Sith, but not much further.

"You know, its strange to hear that but not the most strange of things for me to hear in the past. Either way you need a surname, its a marker of your past and future after all." He smiled at her, the location coming up as they had left the town by this point. The woman would probably think he was joking and for the most part he was but a certain bit in his tone suggested he was serious. "Tell you what Zesiro, we figure out a name for you while you lead me to where this body is." He figured they were already moving in the right direction, knowing it shouldn't take long, but he wanted to think of something while they walked.

She would probably find it strange but he had already made up his mind, staring out over the ground and thinking to himself .

 

[Zesiro]

When Zesiro said the word master, her companion flinched a little and it dawned on her why. This was a slaver planet and they were heading out to the compound she had just left. She wasn't a slave though and he must have figured it. Edric looked at her and appeared to be give her a bit of study. With what little she had learned of him, they were very likely opposite in the Force, but had similar personal beliefs in certain areas. She had already said she wasn't going to hurt him and that much was true, as long as he didn't strike first. If he did that, then she wouldn't hold back and would try to defend herself.

"What is the strangest thing you've heard then?"

He then stated she needed a surname and they could figure it out on the way to the corpse of the slaver.

"You know, I'd like to have a second name to go by. Even if it's just between you and I."

The smile she gave him, would light up her face and while she was of darker calling than Edric, she was rather on the soft side. Something she would have to change, but not today or now.

He looked away to their path a head and Zesiro walked with him.

[member="Edric Vanyan"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Zesiro"]


He continued on, starting to see something of an outline, but not sure quite yet. It was probably the body Zesiro had mentioned which means she was mostly telling him the truth and that meant that he likely missed his chance at killing the man he had wanted to kill. His hand tapped on his side before looking at her again and grinning, knowing he should answer her question and say some sort of name once he thought of one.

"My old man was a strange one, and some of the stuff he would say was what I couldnt even repeat if I tried. But one time he told me that the wind whispered to him and told him to continue what he was doing. He would say it was his old love comforting him but sometimes I just shrugged and chopped it down to a man who had lost his mind." In truth he had believed his predecessor, knowing that the woman that had been mentioned was very real and he wondered if his predecessor ever did finish what he needed to do. With that thought though he glanced at the woman again and grinned.

"How about Flava. Not sure where I heard it before to tell the truth but I know it means blond. Keeping things simple and easy to remember, atleast until you think of something yourself, ehh?" He left his smile on his face, his far hand careful to touch his saber should this be a trap laid by her or even by slavers coming across their fallen friend. He felt nothing dangerous from Zesiro yet but he was a cautious person and they were almost to the fallen slaver.

 

[Zesiro]

While they walked, Edric told her of one strange thing he had heard from what sounded like his father. While it was a fact Zesiro had a father, she didn't remember him and the man that raised her had done horrible things to her.

"I think it could be possible."

She had heard stories of Force Ghosts, could use it herself and others as well. So it was possible this woman somehow could do that with the wind.

"Or as you said, he may have just been a crazy old man. If he raised you though, he did a good job. You're alright."

Turning her head to look at him with a smile, she turned her attention back to the area they were in. They were getting near the slaver compound, but not quite there yet. As she did this, Edric suggested the name Flava and that it meant blond. It was accurate to be true. Noticing a form covered in the sand before she could give her assessment of the name, she held up a hand and stopped.

"That's not where I left the man. Unless they just dumped his body out here, this is either somebody different or a trap."

The compound was another five minutes walk from where they were now and that was where she had killed him.

[member="Edric Vanyan"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Zesiro"]

He sighed when she spoke up, his body stopping and her took a quick look around with a grimace on his face. The fact that the body was not suppose to be here was a pain in the ass as it was, now he would have to enter what could be a very obvious trap just to be certain there were no loose ends. Well there was a time for secrecy and that time was over, making him sigh a second time out of annoyance.

"Well, it seems that your friends wanted to get the place cleaned up before they had more guests. With that said, I feel that it would be in our best interest to take their invitation and say hello." He smiled at her by the smile seemed off and a bit twisted by disgust. He was both happy that they had not simply disappeared into the wind, but at the same time disgusted there was more than one of these things out here.

"Oh one more thing, I should probably let you know there is actually something rather similar about you and I." He spoke again before starting to walk once more in the direction of this compound of hers, ignoring the body that had been left for them with his hand latching onto an object hidden by his robes. That hand placed its thumb over a small activator button and the free hand curled up, waiting to see what the day brought them.

 

[Zesiro]

They both looked around, but Zesiro didn't see anything with her eyes to indicate there was anybody near. Her companion frowned and commented they should take the invitation and say hello. He also said there was something similar about the two of them, but left unspoken what it was.

"Ugh, I'd hardly call them my friends."

She shook her head, but fell in step along side Edric.

"We're still a few minutes away from the actual compound. What do you think I should know?"

He had made a fist and buried his other hand in his robes. It struck her as odd and while she didn't feel any hostility to her, she wondered if he planned to attack for whatever reason. Placing her own hand on the hilt of her saber, they walked together.

[member="Edric Vanyan"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

"Hmm?" He looked at her with a smile, acting like he had no idea what she had just said for a moment before shrugging.

"Oh, nothing. Just that I would have killed the man myself and been done with him, nothing more or less." His hand relaxed a small bit with his mind taken off the slaver, letting him think out the situation. The compound could now be set up as a trap considering they had spent very little time dumping and hiding the body out here. Hell he was certain any passerby would look at the dead man like a weapons deal gone wrong outside the city rather than a killing over the man's profession... which he guessed counts for his own idea.

Either way he focused on calming himself down, knowing that letting his emotions get to him would only get him hurt and the person he was not working with for a short time. His hand started to tap at his leg though, a tick to keep him focused on relaxing rather than acting out of anger or worse pulling power from it.

Though, there was one thing he could not keep under wraps. Zesiro, if she was perceptive enough, would feel the force being pulled into Edric's hand and pushed into a spot in his palm. As if it was being funneled and concentrated there before being pulled into Edric's own body where it could be stored for a short time. She would quickly be able to figure out just what was in his other hand if she could figure out why the force was being drawn to him.

 

[Zesiro]

Edric was obviously pretending when he didn't actually answer her question and Zesiro gave him a slightly dirty look and rolled her eyes. There was no hostility in it and hopefully he could tell.

"To be honest, I thought I was done with him too."

Taking a bit of a breath, the young sith thought of something.

"I actually recorded me killing him at his base. Since proof was needed to show my master when my job was done. If you want to call it that. Which is just over there."

Pointing, they clearly see the compound that almost looked like it lead into the sands. Before it had busier and more people around. Now there were only two people she could see and they appeared more like guards than clients. Zesiro and Edric had been seen and one of the guards started approaching them.

"Go away, private property and the owner isn't interested in whatever you're selling."

[member="Edric Vanyan"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Zesiro"]

Edric sighed as he heard her mention a recording, something he found a bit of distaste in but soon enough she pointed him to the location which made his smile return. Straightening up, the young man's feet carried him with a bit more speed to the compound, watching one of the two people come closer and shout out at him. Edric almost acted like the words had not been heard but did finally speak a moment or two after a silence had filled the air. Clearing his throat, his voice carried out in a calm and rather cheerful tone, even if his words did not match them.

"Look guys, im here to kill you, and clear out your little compound once and for all. Now my friend here tells me that you all were not here earlier so I will be breaking the ribs of one of you while I kill the second. Its up to you to choose which only gets injured... hint, its the one that tells me where you were hiding from my friend." He stood there, letting the words carry over and sink in before turning his eyes on Zesiro.

He soon heard laughing as the guards raised their rifles at him, remarking at how a kid just threatened them and looked so tough. His eyes left Zesiro once more and turned the smile on them as one of them told him to scram before they filled him with holes.

"Ah, so you are the one who wants to die." He bowed to them and the metal cylinder in his hand finally appeared when he straightened up, a dark blue blade leaping from it. "After you two, I am happy to let you begin out dance."

His emotions spiked, anger and hate at them taking him over but his place in the force did not change. He did not draw power from those emotions, and rather simply let them run crazy while he continued walking, one of the two firing a warning shot at Edric who whistled, letting Zesiro pick which one she wanted to deal with if she was in the mood. He would deal with both or only one, either option was fine with him.

 

[Zesiro]

The guards just laughed at what Edric said and Zesiro gave him an odd look. Unsure of how to react to the guns on him, she didn't have long to think though before he made his move. He withdrew and ignited his lightsaber and if he had looked back, he would have seen a large smile on her face.

Pulling out her own saber and catching up to her companion, she ignited it with his. Its red blade a contrast to his blue, but they had a common enemy. Any differences they might have could be worked out after, if there was any.

"You could have let me in on this secret, Edric."

Spoke only loud enough to be heard over the hum of the blades, she picked her target as he raised his gun to fire at them.
​
"I got the left one."

Taking of in a Sprint, the distance was closed before the guard could shoot again and a second later he was dead at her feet. Watching to see what Edric was going to do, she kept her saber on and waited. She also kept her eyes open for further guards or some other form of trap.

[member="Edric Vanyan"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Zesiro"]

"Aww, but if I let you in on it, it wouldn't be as much fun." He smiled and pushed himself into a sprint towards the right most man, his saber cutting up as the first bolt came towards him and sending it skywards so that he could deal with the man in his own way. He was no combat specialist, in truth the fact Zesiro was here was miles more help than he would be willing to say due to the fact he would get taken out by the two of them or atleast injured. One enemy is different though and he was able to focus on the man as the blaster fired off a volley of shots at him.

He chose to dash to the side, his saber coming up to knock another bolt that would have hit him in the side. He needed a way to close the distance and thankfully there was the desert they were in and he was a force user. His free hand shot forward, yanking the force forward and pulling the sand from the ground enough to hide him for a few moments. He did not need to hide long, and only changed his direction before pushing through the sand and coming less than a meter from the man.

With that same grin, his mouth moved, staring at the eyes of the man as he had not fully turned yet.

"Checkmate, do say hi to the reaper." His hand reached out and sliced with the blade, cutting through the man's torso in one clean motion. The two halves fell to the ground, laying there with a foul smell rising from the pieces. Edric recoiled slightly, covering his nose with the cloak he still wore and turning his attention on the second to make sure his acquaintance had finished off the guard.

 

[Zesiro]

Before they both launched into their attacks Edric's comment made Zesiro shake her head and return his smile. His journey was a bit further than hers, but he accomplished his goal of killing the man after blocking a few blaster shots and throwing the sand around. Her own quick dash had been enough to allow her to dispatch the man on the left.

When they were done, Zesiro did keep her blade out until seeing Edric was done. Turning it off, she approached him from the desert to look at the door the two had been guarding. The sound of the short fight and blasters going off didn't appear to have drawn any attention to the door, but it was still closed to them.

"I wonder if they are busy moving, killing or hiding the stock they had? Maybe this was all the people he had."

Igniting her saber once again, the sith started cutting into the door to get it open. After the work of a few moments, it crashed into the area beyond.

[member="Edric Vanyan"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Zesiro"]

Edric watched the removal of the second threat, focused on how Zesiro dispatched him and how she moved about doing it. He was trying to figure out how skilled she was and the sample would work as a baseline fore future observations, something he put in the back of his mind for now. They had a job to do and she brought up a question he had running through his mind too, something that made him turn towards the door and his saber dropped towards the ground. The tip would be burning the ground as he walked, its blade dragging and being lifted up as he walked, the cloak still pressed to his nose because of the smell coming from the dead guard.

"If they are killing them, they will not find me very happy or entertained. After you."

He watched her cut into the door, his hand twitching for a bit more of a fight. The second hand removed itself from his face and reached into his cloak, drawing out a small orb and waiting. Once the door was cut through he held up the item, a small grenade that he let levitate and activate, flying into the hole and traveling for a while before he let it go off, the blast sounding through the hall and a blast of smoke shooting through the entrance. Edric spent little time after the blast, running in and raising his blade, ready to deflect any shots sent his way.

 

[Zesiro]

Stepping out of the way when the door fell, Zesiro watched as Edric sent what ended up being a smoke bomb into the building in front of them.

"I'm sure they aren't killing them."

Reaching out to lightly touch him on the shoulder, if he allowed her to and waited while he sent the bomb inside.

There no further sound or activity in the first part of the building, but sounds could be heard further along. Nothing clear, but it appeared they were now expected and there were only closed doors in front of them.

"You left and I go right?"

It was the reversal of what they had done outside, but would give the young sith the chance to learn something new.
​
[member="Edric Vanyan"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Zesiro"]

He smiled and his hand tightened on the saber before sprinting forward, letting the blade loose once more and casting its light over the floor. The smoke obscured him but he was still a glowing light coming towards them, a target for them to shoot at and he had little warning as to when the bolts would come at him. It would be a distraction, pretty good one for the woman coming in behind him and his mind gave him a quick enough warning for him to react as he brought the blade up and across his body to knock away the first that came too close.

Luckily the distance wasn't far and he soon shot past his enemy, the saber passing through him and leaving him without his head. He turned his focus on a second who was nearby, throwing the blade into his chest as he charged forward to grab onto him and push him down into the ground, yanking the saber free as the man collapsed.

His breath was heavy, stinging becoming noticeable as his left shoulder burned and the smell of flesh hit him. He must have been hit, the pain just now coming into mind and he groaned, making sure there was no one else nearby before dropping his guard, knowing Zesiro had the other side covered.

 

[Zesiro]

As she watched Edric move to the left, she turned right. Zesiro faced a couple of doors and one at the end of the short hallway. Clinging to one of the walls, she kicked in the first door to see the hudled forms of three people. They wore wrist chains and she motioned them out of the room with her head.

"Coming coming, Edric."

Yelling this back over her shoulder, she watched as the three moved out of the room and into the area still partially filled with smoke. As the exited the room, the other door opened up and she was faced with a blaster pointed at her. In less than a heartbeat, she closed the distance. Reaching for the wrist attached to the gun, the woman grabbed it and extended her other hand holding her saber. It cut cleaning through the arm of the gunman and he fell to the floor clutching his shoulder in pain.

Stepping into the room, her saber up for defense, she was faced with three gunmen now. A fast wave of her hand and their shots went high as they were knocked off their feet and against the walls behind them. The sounds of various body parts crushing and breaking were heard, but Zesiro was unharmed in the commotion. Turning away from the mess behind her, she returned to the main area where the three slaves she had found were gathered.

"I think we have either cleared the nest or there are more through that door at the end there."

Pointing to the still closed door, Zesiro looked at Edric to see that he was wounded. She didn't know any form of healing or first aid so didn't know what to do to help him.

[member="Edric Vanyan"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Zesiro"]

The young man just smiled as she pointed at the closed door, acting like nothing was wrong as his body straightened up, flinching partway through and easing his shoulder into position. He walked slowly to the closed door, the smile turning slightly darker as he simply reached out and waved his hand, unlocking the door and letting it come open and inside was the person organizing what they had stumbled on with his hand around the throat of some rodian. Edric could not tell the age or the gender of the being, nor if it could even talk at this point. He only saw a collar on the person and a cancer holding them in place.

Words were said, something that floated past Edric's ears as he focused on the gun, on the battery pack inside it. The ammunition for a blaster was already volatile, a few suggestions through the force could make it all the worse as Edric's free hand twitched. He looked at the cancer, staring at him and thinking about what little he had been taught when it came to commanding the fires at Kesh's home. He smiled at the two guards who were in the room, hearing them say something but like the cancer holding the Rodian, he paid no mind to them as he finally stopped and let the tip of his saber touch the ground, letting off a few sparks.

"You. Run to the woman at the entrance. Ill carve out these cancers." With that the blaster erupted in the leader's hand, flames spewing out as a small blast caused the pistol to shatter, Edric's influence keeping the Rodian from permanent harm. His body fell on the man to his right, staring into the first guard's eyes and jabbing him through as the sound of a blaster register and he felt something impact him in the leg. It wasn't too deep, but it had hit and Edric turned his eyes on the second guard, this time not caring for the safety of someone and reaching out to detonate a grenade at the man's side, letting the blast claim the man.

Limping, Edric looked now at the man who's hand was gone and his arm was covered in flames, slowly burning.

"I would say that you learned your lesson, but I've seen what happens when someone doesn't finish a job. Its amazing what you see if you fail someone, be it a pit fighter like I was. Or a member of a gang who had failed their leader. I'm sure you have seen that, I am sure you have dealt out those punishments. But you see those four at the entrance, barely hidden by that smoke." Edric motioned with his saber, the blade coming inches from the man's face and pointing towards the open door where Zesiro and the others were.

"They aren't going to be products sadly. I wonder what it was that brought you to this work, that created the cancer that you are." He shut off his saber and looked on at the rescued people, his free hand flicking to the right as the flames crawled further, claiming the slaver's torso and starting to finish the job. "Did they have families? Do you even know the answer for that?" Edric's eyes stared down at the man's eyes as tears fell from them. Edric never knew if it was because of regrets, or pain, or wishing to see someone one last time. What ever it was, it was too late to change that, the creature infront of him had become a cancer and there was no way to heal that.

"I am uncertain what is on the other side, my father told me it was nothing but a hell. I do hope that he was wrong, even cancer such as yourself do not deserve to suffer death twice. I apologize for not giving you a quick death, but the only way to deal with you was to ensure you understood why you died." His hand touched the man's forehead and Edric closed his own eyes, committing the feelings that this slaver felt in his final moments to his own mind. He would archive the death, store it and the feelings the man had in his final moments so that Edric might better understand. Once done he stood and snapped, the fire enveloping the body and leaving nothing but ash.

After that he would limp towards Zesiro and the freed slaves, his hand reaching for a comm device which he pressed the beacon for, signalling for his men to bring the ship to his location.

 

[Zesiro]

As a few other slaves joined the others in the middle room, Zesiro took up a position to keep them company and an eye on them to make sure they didn't run. The words spoken between Edric and the slaver, she couldn't make out, but felt him as he used the Force within the room. The sudden snap even though she couldn't hear it, drew her attention there for a moment and the death of the man it was directed at.

Her attention down the hallway, she saw Edric limping back in their direction. He had taken harm on this excursion while she had remained untouched. His hand was on a device and she gave him an odd look.

"You're not a simple man are you, Edric? There is more to you than what you portray."

Approaching him, she held a hand out to help him over the debris the fighting had left behind. The slaves were mulling about confused, but accepting of the fact they now had new masters and wouldn't be sold by the slavers that had just been killed.

"Who or what are you really?"

Her blue eyes were actually very curious and she didn't try to hide the fact.

[member="Edric Vanyan"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Zesiro"]

Edric simply smiled at the first set of words, letting the pain leak away while he focused in on the slaves. He wasn't sure what to tell them but before Zesiro could ask her second question or approach him, he spoke to the slaves, hoping one of them weren't as clueless as the others.

"Any of you understand whats going on and what your freedom give you?" He waited and one came up, a Mirailan woman who spoke with a timid voice.

"Yes, I was only taken a short time ago."

Edric was happy, that would make his job easier and he would speak as Zesiro helped him, making the walking and standing much easier as he could now let the pressure off his leg. His shoulder still hurt though, the burning flesh really a tad inconvenient for the man but he could put up with it for now. He would need to get into a bacta tank the moment he was back on his ship though, knowing he couldn't leave the wounds like that.

"Good, some friends of mine will be arriving with a few ships. They can better explain and your path is up to you. They are not your masters, neither am I, or her." He tilted his head towards Zesiro, letting the former slave explain to the others, or at least try to.

Now his focus returned to Zesiro, who had asked her question.

"Like I said, my name is Edric. I was just here to check on some slavers and make sure they understood what they were doing. Why would you suggest otherwise miss. As I am sure you are just a woman who had come looking to handle business with your friend in the desert and these employees." He would let her help him out until they had reached outside, pulling himself away and sitting in the shade cast by the base. "Now we wait for my friends, I do apologize for not being able to give you a lift back to the city via speeder bike, but I'm certain we can get you closer to the city."