Private Come Hungry

[Beyl]

EXCARGA

A wreck of a freighter broke atmosphere, heading somewhere into the wilderness.

Beyl knew it had to be there. He could sense it, and he never sensed anything unless it was powerful enough to satiate his cravings. He felt it at first in his dreams, and then it scratched on him an itch that was always underneath the skin. Now that he was so close, it felt like an aching necessity.

His ship landed in a small forest clearing, but his destination was deep within the forest. An ancient ruin that belonged to a Dark Jedi cult. At its heart? A Sith relic dating back to around the time of the Beast Wars. Little record of it existed--but there were rumors kept alive after all these years. Allegedly, the artifact was originally the heart of a Sithspawn, eventually converted into an amulet which could amplify one's connection to the Dark Side. Beyl wasn't interested in such rumors, nor did he even know of the artifact's existence.

He just knew something called him, and it was powerful enough to have reached him half a sector away.

The ruin itself wasn't anything special. An old bunker used as an Outer Rim supply cache. About a thousand years ago, a group of Jedi fled the Republic and founded a Dark Side cult, and converted the bunker into their home. Still, the corruption of such places tended to linger, and there's no telling what kind of dangers await anyone who would dare trespass.

The ex-Cipherum began the long hike into the woods.

0-7

 

[0-7]

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Tags: Beyl

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0-7 had been in many ruins in her lifetime. Lord Kalrath had a deep passion for history and powerful artifacts, typically if they could be used to enhance his power. In theory something was present here, within the old remnants of what was left of some Dark Side cult. This place was older than him, surprisingly. 4000 years was a hard time-frame to beat, but this place eeked it out.

It was routine by now. 0-7 was deployed and made her way to the entrance of the structure, kneeling down to feel beyond the walls. Her sight was limited, of course. Kalrath had stunted her development in the Force. He assumed she'd be easier to control.

Not that it was necessary. 0-7 was motivated by survival.

She didn't get far into her early recon of the bunker when she heard the distant sound of footsteps in the forest. 0-7 acted quickly, stepping back to press herself against a tree. Using a Force illusion, she let her body blend in with the bark of the tree and become invisible. Her eyes watched through the veil she had created, waiting for whoever it was to emerge.

Perhaps she could use them to get inside...

 

[Beyl]

Beyl moved through the underbrush like a wounded animal. He didn't mind the twigs that cracked underfoot, or the branches he snapped when they got in his way. There was no room for patience in a man driven by an unquenched addiction. The bunker came into sight, or at least the signs of existence did. The durasteel protrusion was hidden away under vines, dirt, and leaf litter. If anything, it was a testament to its craftsmanship that the thing remained intact after all these centuries.

He paused... Was that... Yes... The former Cipherum had once been severed from the Force as punishment, though such things were never permanent, and his was never complete. As soon as the thrall used the Force to conceal herself, he knew someone or something was there. It was as if an odor changed, or an acidic taste lingered on the top of his tongue.

The exile looked in her direction and stared. He stood still for a minute, then looked forward to the bunker again.

Beyl approached the ruin and started to hack at the vines and dirt with his clawed hands. He hadn't the tools necessary to excavate and was desperate enough to do this the hard way. The artifact teased his every being--he bloody well needed it.

0-7

 

[0-7]

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When the new arrival stared in her direction 0-7 felt her heart palpitate. It wasn't just that he looked towards her with the expectation to find someone watching him. It was what he was. Her own kind. She hadn't seen another one of her own in her entire life. Not her mother, not her father. Only the cold eyes of alien slavers and the haunting grasp of the man who would whisk her away and turn her into a weapon. That loss of focus would be felt in the Force. Confliction was never a good thing to experience in the field.

Worse of all, the man simply began to hack and slash away at the vines with his claws. 0-7 didn't know they could get that long. She trimmed hers down to keep them healthy. On this man they were like knives.

0-7 decided she had no further reason to hide. Her cover was blown. She stepped forward, seemingly materializing out of nothing before raising her cortosis blade, pointing it at the man. Forget following him in. Now she needed some answers. Maybe, if she just knew what he was, maybe she'd know what she was too.

"Tell me who you are," she stated in a low, monotone voice.

 

[Beyl]

He slowed down his digging, then stopped, and rose to his feet. The large man towered over her, eclipsing the smaller kinswoman in both height and stature.

He eyed the blade, followed its tip to her arm, and her arm to her face. The warrior sighed and looked back where he had dug, then back to her. "Does it matter?" He asked. His own tone reeked of impatience.

"A stranger in the woods, just like you. Does that... satisfy you, aerkyn?" He addressed her with their people's word for kinsperson.

It wasn't lost on him that she, too, was an Evereni; though such things seemed less important than the jitters he felt as the artifact screamed at him from somewhere below. At the same time, he sensed her own connection to the Force. Interesting, noticeable, but weaker than he had hoped.

Still, he drew from the residual power that emanated from her existence, like a vent drew in air. It did far to quench his needs. It did the opposite. It was like giving a single sip to a dehydrated man who had been stranded for a week in the desert.

He paced in front of her. "I am unarmed... Do you wish to kill me?" He didn't lie. There were no weapons on him, save for his claws, maybe his teeth. They were sharp too, like a shark's.

0-7

 

[0-7]

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Tags: Beyl

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She felt the hunger like a winter chill. It cooled her blood. Kalrath hungered like this sometimes. It was never pleasant. 0-7 knew immediately when she was outmatched. Her sword was promptly returned to her hip.

"I do not," she stated, withdrawing her aggressive stance.

Aerkyn... what was that word? She had never heard it before. He spoke it like she knew what that meant. Maybe because they were the same species? Not that she even knew what that species was. A part of her wanted to ask... but a part of her also knew asking might cause her trouble.

"You were drawn here by something within," 0-7 observed, not mincing her words. "I doubt you are on an afternoon stroll."

 

[Beyl]

Beyl glanced at the ruin when she interrogated his motives. "Something powerful," he confirmed. "Whatever it is, it has been here a long time..."

The state of the ruin showed no signs of recent entry. He also doubted scavengers would have left the source behind if they ever did find a way in. It was likely that whatever it was had been undisturbed for a very, very long time.

He returned to digging. "You can help," he said. "Does it speak to you, too?"

There was little indication as to why he let his guard down. Maybe he didn't see her as a threat, or maybe he didn't care if she were one. The warrior did not specify, though neither did his body language suggest any fear. He clawed at the dirt, hacked at the vines, and pulled away loose rocks until he reached metal. His claws scratched against it with a sharp sound.

"Gah!" It was just metal. No hatch in sight. "There has to be a way inside!" He shouted.

0-7

 

[0-7]

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Tags: Beyl

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"You can help," he said. "Does it speak to you, too?"

"It does..." 0-7 muttered, crossing her arms.

She watched as the man dug to find the entrance, only to be met with a wall. A frown crossed her face as she observed his behavior. Strange. He was... not whole, in a way. He was recovering. Had someone severed him from the Force? 0-7 stepped forward and laid her hand against the structure to feel the surface below the vines and rubble before pointing to the right.

"There's a door seven feet that way," she informed him. "It's slightly ajar. We can pry it open."

 

[Beyl]

Beyl looked quizzically at her.

He took her at her word and headed towards the alleged entrance. Sure enough, after a bit of frantic digging, he found it--slightly ajar.

"How did you know?"

The warrior slid his fingers between the gap and used his immense strength to force the door open. Some rocks and dirt slid down the stairway, echoing on their way down. There was no source of power emanating from this place other than the artifact, and so the ruins were perfectly dark. Thankfully, the Evereni were more than capable of seeing in low-light, though they'd be helpless in total darkness. For now, the light that followed them down would have to be enough.

Beyl waved her along. "Let's see what this is all about, aerkyn." His tone bordered on familiar now. "You don't happen to have a source of light, do you?"

0-7

 

[0-7]

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Tags: Beyl

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"How did you know?"

"I felt it," she stated plainly. "Energy moves in waves. It moves through and around things differently. I believe you have had your second sight wounded in some way, no?"

In direct reference to how he felt in the Force. When asking for a light, 0-7 withdrew a small flashlight from her pocket and handed it to him. She didn't need it after all. The Force was far more reliable than her eyes in many regards. Kalrath may have weakened her, but she still had that sense to lean on.

"I have assisted you in entering," 0-7 expressed. "Tell me what aerkyn means. You have used it twice now."

 

[Beyl]

"I felt it," she stated plainly. "Energy moves in waves. It moves through and around things differently. I believe you have had your second sight wounded in some way, no?"

Beyl turned around and snapped at her in anger. "Never ask me questions like that!" He stopped short of doing something ugly, then looked down at the flashlight.

He took it with a gentle yet firm grip and flicked it on as they ventured down into the bunker. When she asked him what 'aerkyn' meant, the Evereni turned gaze over his shoulder.

"Do you not speak our language?" He asked legitimately. No judgement in his voice. "The closest translation is 'kinsperson.'"

The bunker was surprisingly spacious inside, and appeared to run deep into the ground. He knew nothing about its original purpose or last inhabitants.

"You don't earn questions," he said. "Just ask them... Better that way." Beyl sensed a certain submissiveness in the woman.

Perhaps she was some kind of acolyte? He wondered.

0-7

 

[0-7]

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"Never ask me questions like that!"

0-7 simply exhaled, crossing her arms with a frown. Overreaction much. He was cut from the same cloth as most Sith she had met in her life. One little suggestion of weakness and they got antsy. She didn't press further, moreso because she was smart enough to avoid conflict.

"I have not met one of 'our' kind before," she stated plainly. "That is not uncommon. The majority of beings in the galaxy have been disconnected from their homeworlds for thousands of generations by now."

It was simply a consequence of intergalactic travel. Ask any random Twi'lek, Zabrak, Rodian, or whatever else if they had been to their homeworld and spoke their native tongue and the majority of the time the answer was going to be no. And why should they care? It wasn't really their home after all. Of course, that didn't mean 0-7 didn't care.

She just wasn't going to say that part out loud.

"You don't earn questions," he said. "Just ask them... Better that way."

"...Fine."

That wasn't how the galaxy typically worked... but she wasn't going to complain. It was better than nothing.

 

[Beyl]

"I have not met one of 'our' kind before," she stated plainly. "That is not uncommon. The majority of beings in the galaxy have been disconnected from their homeworlds for thousands of generations by now."

He looked at her first with surprise, then again with disdain. "This galaxy continues to disappoint me. Maybe things are different where you're from, but our people lead a scarce existence. I grew up in a small colony... Each death was a lost cultural memory." It was important to know who they were and where they came from.

Beyl pointed the flashlight low when he looked at her. Didn't want to blind her. "Ignorant or not, you are aerkyn." His tone suggested it was an act of obligation rather than one born of compassion.

The man carried himself with obvious pain. His posture was stiff, muscles tight, and he breathed uneasily. The artifact teased him. They were close enough that he could sense it all around them, but not pinpoint its location. It had to be near. Somewhere inside, but where?

"How does your gift work?" He asked her. "You can't sniff out a fuse box, or maybe a power controller, can you?" The flashlight helped, but it would be easier if they could restore some power to this place. Assuming that it hadn't broken down after all this time.

0-7

 

[0-7]

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Tags: Beyl

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"How does your gift work?"

"It is only Force Sight," 0-7 mused. "Consider it echolocation, but through natural energy as opposed to sound. How that energy moves through different objects determines how it appears to your mind. If I feel a fuse box, I will be sure to point it out."

How trained was this man? Jedi younglings learned Force Sight. Obviously he had been neutered by something and was recovering, but that was very simple knowledge. Perhaps he was from somewhere very far away and very remote. It was of no concern to her. She simply continued on, more focused on the potential threats that may lay in the environment around them.

"Do you hope to use what lies within to recharge yourself?" the young woman asked. "You may find that there is something unwanted lingering within... you may want to proceed with caution."

That and she would need to recover the data if it was a holocron of some sort. Maybe if they were lucky there would be multiple items of importance. She'd much rather split the loot than have to fight over something. She certainly couldn't go back empty-handed.

 

[Beyl]

"Good, search for it."

Beyl found a door half-ajar and forced it open with his bare hands, holding the flashlight with his mouth. Maybe they just got lucky. Inside appeared to be some kind of control room. There were old panels and computers. A bit dusty, but otherwise fairly pristine for their age.

"Do you hope to use what lies within to recharge yourself?" the young woman asked. "You may find that there is something unwanted lingering within... you may want to proceed with caution."

He stopped. Didn't turn his gaze, but he did address her. "You're clever." Said as an observation, not a compliment. "You catch on quick. That isn't natural. I could sense from the beginning that you have a strong connection to the Force."

His head turned towards her with discerning eyes. "It doesn't take you much to know things, does it? Useful to some, I bet. I bet others see it as a very dangerous gift."

The man turned to face her fully and took a step forward. His voice lowered. "I think it is you who should be cautious. Yes, I need it, and if I don't find it soon..." He trailed off. Beyl patted her on the shoulder and went back to his search.

"Ah," he found a power box in the corner. The only problem is that it needed a jump to get started after being off for so long.

"Power it." He commanded her.

0-7

 

[0-7]

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"I think it is you who should be cautious. Yes, I need it, and if I don't find it soon..."

0-7 ignored his words, her cool demeanor remaining. She wasn't underestimating the man, but she certainly wasn't going to allow herself to be threatened by him either. He didn't know the cards she was hiding, yet he quickly assumed that he could command her. Arrogance was a weakness.

"Ah," he found a power box in the corner. The only problem is that it needed a jump to get started after being off for so long.

"Power it." He commanded her.

"With what?" the assassin asked, crossing her arms. "I'm not a mechanic."

She didn't have any sort of power cell or jumper cables on her person. That didn't mean that she couldn't theoretically do something, but she wasn't here to get bossed around anyways.

Better to keep her cards close to her chest.

 

[Beyl]

He looked back at her. "What, you command the Force and you can't power a simple machine?" He said it as if he expected it from her.

If only he had fed recently, he could do it, almost certainly. Beyl didn't waste time. He tried to manipulate it the old-fashioned way with instinct and know-how. Still, he was far from an expert in mechanics and only knew enough to rig devices of his own time. This was old, obscure technology, and there was no guarantee the batteries would hold after all this time.

The man looked back at her again. "So what do you know about the thing that calls me?" He wondered. "I imagine you're far more knowledgeable than I."

He wondered if an incentive might work. "I can see from a glance that you're augmented... I was once, too. I can show you techniques in the Force that maximize their potential."

0-7

 

[0-7]

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Tags: Beyl

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"What, you command the Force and you can't power a simple machine?"

"If you are referring to Technomancy I am not predisposed to that ability," 0-7 remarked.

Or at least that's what Lord Kalrath had told her. he could have also lied to her to restrict her power. Technomancy naturally followed his bloodline, a trait which had been passed on to his spawn. Not that there was much of his spawn even left to show for. They got their bloodline nearly annihilated throwing themselves at the Kai'els in a desperate bid to eradicate the family of their progenitor's rival. Sith truly were simple-minded animals.

"I have little data on the artifact in question," Seven continued. "Given the nature of this structure as the site of a cult, I have a few ideas. A holocron is most likely. A database with rituals would hold a powerful energy. A ceremonial weapon has it's merits. Something that retains the malignant spirits of those it has slain. If multiple items have remained together, their presence in the Force can harmonize, so there could be more than one item present. Truthfully, however, it will remain a mystery until we see it in the flesh."

"I can see from a glance that you're augmented... I was once, too. I can show you techniques in the Force that maximize their potential."

"An interesting notion, considering you suggested consuming my essence," the assassin remarked. "What's your angle?"

 

[Beyl]

Beyl sighed a little. He listened as 0-7 discussed hypotheticals about the artifact, or artifacts, that may be hidden here. The mere thought of multiple objects had him lick his lips--literally.

"An interesting notion, considering you suggested consuming my essence," the assassin remarked. "What's your angle?"

"I need to survive... My mind depends on it," he revealed. "By virtue of being augmented, you are more predisposed than most. Even if you aren't a natural, your experience with your implants has given you a more intimate glance than most have."

He pondered on a better explanation. His face nearly lit up as soon as he found the words. "Once I consume the Force essence from whatever it is in here, I can guide you in the Force. I could teach you how to listen to your own implants. For now, we rely on the flashlight." He turned and walked past her.

A crashing sound emanated from deeper within the bunker, followed by a low hiss and growl. Beyl suddenly flicked the flashlight in that direction. There was nothing obvious. "Sounds like we're not alone."