Cornered

[Vaylin]

Undiscovered Planet​

A few months ago.​

​

Captain Dumarr; hair thick and heavy with grey, stood at the foot of a landing pad as a shuttle softly settled itself down. There was a silence until the ramp descended and Vaylin appeared, adorned in her armour. Dumarr's posture immediately tensed as he saluted the Sith as she approached.

"Thank you for arriving so swiftly, Lady Moirai."

"You were in luck Captain, if I hadn't been passing by I wouldn't have." Lucky indeed. The Crimson Valkyrie had been passing by on the way back to Bastion; returning from a different mission entirely. The request had been picked up, a simple message that alerted the Valkyries to the presence of a Jedi. Vaylin wouldn't have accepted if it hadn't been so near, but she saw an opportunity to capture another potential convert. "Now, tell me about this Jedi."

"Of course, right this way." He led the Zabrak through the outpost, garnering attention from several different people as they passed. It seemed as though they didn't regularly see Sith around them. Dumarr led her into a large tent, their communication hub where a large holographic display was the centerpiece. "Within the last twenty-four hours, one of our scout drones picked up this image." The hologram hummed to life, hovering above the table as the drone's feed was being replayed, gradually zooming in on the subject in question.

A cloaked individual crouching down by a river, deep within the nearby forest. They were seemingly picking something up from the ground. Vaylin remained silent, but she was wondering what exactly made this person a suspected Jedi. At least until it finally zoomed in enough to see the evidence, clear as day.

The lightsaber hanging from the belt.

"We don't have much more info on them-"

"Female, young. Mirialan." The Zabrak's eyes were fixed to the hologram, but the sudden silence brought her gaze down towards the Captain. He looked surprised, to say the least. "It's the way she's holding herself, moving smoothly without any aches that age would bring. And look at her hand." Dumarr zoomed and enhanced the feed further, focusing on the target's hand. Sure enough, it had the same dark, blocky tattoos all Mirialan's had. "I assume she's still in the forest?"

"We've had a drone trying to keep up with the Jedi, but within the last hour or so she's been a lot more erratic in her movements."

"How so?"

"She might've caught sight of a patrol of ours that goes along one eastern side of the forest. I suspect she was not expecting us to be here."

"And you're confident she can't easily escape?"

The hologram zoomed out to cover the entire forest, it was considerable vast for its size. "As you can see, we're located south of the forest. To the north is a mountain range, west leads to a sheer cliff down into the rapids. And as previously stated, we have men patrolling the east regularly."

"Excellent work, Captain Dumarr. I want constant updates should any of your scouts catch sight of her." She didn't let the Captain speak much longer, just enough for a quick salute before Vaylin departed the tent in a hurried pace. There was little time to spare, so she immediately grabbed her commlink. "Crimson Valkyrie this is Commander Vaylin, I want a squad of Sith Acolytes and Knights at my coordinates asap."

It was time for a hunt.

[member="Saka Amara"]​

 

[Ihsan]

"FIND THE JEDI!" A distant voice cried out in the distant clearing, several Sith troopers panned out in a wide line in search of the fugitive wounded Jedi who had been evading them for several hours.

Saka steadied her bloodied body and made her way along the tree line. She had run in the opposite direction of the search party. Why hadn’t she been better prepared? It wasn't supposed to be like this. Well, she would adapt. Saka had to prove her worth as a prospective future knight of the order.

Winding a path out in a random directional pattern, She headed back toward the part of the woods she knew from when she first set foot upon the planet, hoping she wasn’t leaving enough trail to follow. Without any doubt the troopers will have notified the higher ups, further tightening the noose around the young Mirialan who's choice of options were quickly running out.

A moment before it happened, she anticipated danger, ducking down further as a pair of blaster bolts flew over her head. Before the attackers could aim again, she sprung up and leapt over a fallen tree, lowering herself as more shots flew overhead.

Two enemies, at least. Using...stun shots? she thought as she noticed the colour of the weapons fire.

They want me alive. Why?

Saka peaked around her cover, the brief glimpse letting the enemy soldiers know she was still there and giving them reason to continue firing. Still, it gave her a good view of her surroundings.

Good enough to manipulate objects without a direct line of sight such as the pile of stones to the left of the troops.

The moving stone drew the troopers' attention, mistaking it for movement , distracting them long enough for Saka to get out from behind cover and rip their guns out of their hands, pulling them through the air and taking one for herself while the second dropped to the ground. The legionnaires reached for their sidearms, only to get shot with two stun blasts each, to make sure that armor of theirs wouldn't let them get back up again in a few seconds.

Running towards her defeated adversaries and rummaging through their supplies, she took a weapon from one troopers belt, freezing as she recognized its design.

A cortosis vibroblade, lightsaber-resistant, identical to the model used by anti force user troops throughout the galaxy.

They are hunting Jedi.


[member="Vaylin"]

 

[Vaylin]

It had barely taken thirty minutes for the transport to arrive. A majority of her fellow Sith had seemingly prepared ahead of time, ready to depart immediately. Though thinking on it, it wasn't that much of a surprise, as there was very few reasons for a Valkyrie to suddenly change course.

Vaylin remained silent as she watched the ramp lower, only to look away when she heard her wrist computer suddenly beep; specifically the built-in commlink.

"What is it, Captain?" she asked.

"One of my squads has intercepted the Jedi, but-"

"But?" There was an edge to Vaylin's voice, a slight spark of anger.

"I've lost contact with that very squad, I've already sent orders for other groups to-"

Again, the Zabrak interrupted him. "Belay that order, your men are to fall back and form a perimeter around the forest. We shall continue the pursuit." She ended the connection before Dumarr could even give his affirmation. "Seems this one isn't quite the pacifist."

"So, we are getting to hunt another Jedi..." It was Devaronian, one of the Knights that had accepted Vaylin's call. With him were a five other Knights, accompanied by eight acolytes. A couple were human, but the remainder were a mix of different races; all eager to prove their worth. The number was overkill for one Jedi, but they had a load of territory to cover if they wanted to close a net around the target.

"To capture, yes. You're looking for a young Mirialan, female. Do try and avoid outright maiming her immediately." She already knew there was one or two that had little restraint when it came to quickly gunning for severing limbs. "You are to fan out, find the Jedi and confront her; delay her until I can arrive. Understood?"

A chorus of confirmations echoed out, before the Zabrak stepped aside and motioned for her fellow Sith to go. There were a few cheers and comments as the group began their trek into the forest, their presence in the Force being left unhidden as they moved. There was little reason to hide their presence here, as the Jedi no doubt knew there would be Sith hunting her soon enough. So rather than hiding, Vaylin was going to scare the young Jedi.

While the Sith group searched the forest, the Dark Side of the Force would grow more prominent, like a mist that was gradually expanding throughout the forest. It's presence smothering out the Light wherever it went. And Vaylin was like a beacon; a darker presence that stood out even in the shadows. Slowly, and casually stalking as their pursuit began in earnest.

[member="Saka Amara"]​

 

[Ihsan]

Every piece of Jedi training vanished in a wash of cold terror, replaced by a raw animal instinct to survive. Saka ran for her life. Not daring to breath out of fear that they'd find her. She knew all too late that she had been wrong, so wrong, about the war and the danger of going solo, and that her master had never been more wiser in his stance on her going out on her own.

There was no hint of escape as time drew on. The Force was dark and alien around her, and the only tiny thread of presence she was familiar with could only urge her to be anywhere but here. She ducked once more behind a tree as several Sith troops ran past.

"Where are we going little dove."

Through the undergrowth, a new enemy approached. Tall, thin, clad in black armor. Whoever he was, the crest on his shoulder made it clear he wasn't there to help her, and she didn't hesitate to fire several unsteady shots at him with her stun gun.

The new arrival ignited a red lightsaber, casually dispersing the stun shots as he stepped forward, getting close enough to slice off the end of the rifle. Saka pulled away and activated her lightsaber, scared, but willing to put up more of a fight, and slightly relieved that she wouldn't have to run no more.

The Sith knight pulled off his black helmet, revealing the yellow skin and black tattoo markings of a Mirialan, yellow and black eyes studying her intently. He grinned at her menacingly, displaying his decayed teeth.


"I see the Silver Jedi order don't lack for my own traitorous people."

Saka and the Mirialan sith knight exchanged blow after blow, the way she was being toyed with becoming increasingly clear as the duel was dragged out.

It was hopeless. Ignoring the level of power separating a Padawan and Knight, even a skilled one like her, the difference in skill was too great. , She was left desperate as her foe gained more ground. Yet for all his skill and strength, the knight didn't take into account that even a Jedi can cheat when it comes to duelling.

Abruptly Saka ducked and pulled her lightsaber away. The young Padawan threw her body at the knight who intended to harm her. Her entire weight impacted the Sith dead centre and they toppled over. The man grunted as they both hit the forest floor. With her saber out of reach, Saka reached upwards and found a jagged bit of branch that had broken in the ensuing struggle. Her fingers closed around the wood and she stuck it in the knights eye, twisting savagely and burying it deep.

The man threw back his head and howled in pain. Saka wrenched the now bloodied bit of wood from her enemies’ eye and thrust it through his throat. Rasping the man pushed the girl off, clawing at the open wound in his neck.

She tried to take a deep breath, but her nerves lit up white-hot before she got a chance. She could feel more of them via the force, and they were closing in fast. There was a strange buzzing noise in Sakas ears and she felt a little dizzy, she stole one more glance at the corpse beside her and grimaced.

She had never killed before.

[member="Vaylin"]

 

[Vaylin]

The forest came across as being very serene, especially if you weren't aware that several Sith were presently hunting within it. A non-Force user wouldn't see and feel what Vaylin could as she continued her casual stroll. She followed the emotions that her fellow Sith wore on their sleeves, open to follow like trials weaving between the trees and shrubbery.

It was a good thing none of them were prospective assassins, as they would've done a horrible job.

Vaylin could feel something in the distance, a sense of terror and panic that was growing more intense. It too far off for the Zabrak to pinpoint, but the source was more than obvious to her.

Tsk tsk Jedi, didn't your master teach you to suppress your emotions?

Which meant one of two things in Vaylin's mind. Either the Jedi teachings had seriously fallen in the past several years, or they were hunting a Padawan. For a moment she mused the idea of it being both, but the latter interested her the most.

Now she was interested to see how long this Mirialan Jedi could last. How long would it be until the Darkness managed to surround her entirely, constrict the Light and leave her abandoned. What will she do when finally confronted by a Sith?

As if on cue, a pained howl echoed out across the forest. Vaylin paused midstride, immediately picking up on the fact it wasn't the yell of a young woman. She looked around, stretching out her senses to try and pinpoint the direction. Until a sudden burst of raw emotion struck her, and pointed down the right path.

Something had just shattered...

Innocence. Someone had just killed for the first time, irreparably changing them in that moment - even if they didn't realize it straight away.

That's definitely the Padawan, my oh my I have found something special haven't I?

It was rare for the Valkyrie to capture Jedi that hadn't already killed, or 'acted in self defence of themselves or others' as was the typical excuse.

Vaylin didn't waste a moment longer and headed in the direction of death. There, she found two armoured Sith crouching over a body. Her approach was noticed without either having to physically look.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Verik. Seems our target has some bite after all." It was Quarren, another Sith Knight. He spoke in Quarrenese, a language Vaylin understood at the least.

"I'm gonna kill her..." The second was an Acolyte, a female Twi'lek that looked particularly pissed that Verik had been slain.

"You will stay your hand, I definitely want this one captured." Vaylin walked up close enough to see the body, and what a curious sight it was. Blood was pooling beneath the dead Sith, but Vaylin's focus was on his now missing eye and neck wound. She crouched down and carefully examined it. "This wasn't done by a lightsaber, but it's too messy to be a blade either." The Zabrak spoke aloud, whether the others spoke or not, she didn't care. Vaylin looked for the weapon, but it was missing; either taken by the Jedi or thrown aside. But it was ultimately of little concern right now, tracking their target was the priority.

From her crouched position, Vaylin looked around at the forest floor counting a total of five sets of footprints. One was obviously her own, but she recognized the fact three of them were all the same, with one being slightly smaller for the Twi'lek. Every Sith wore the same outfit, whether it be armour or something lighter, both had the same kind of boots. Which meant the odd one out had to be their elusive Jedi.

"She went in that direction." Vaylin barely had her finger pointed before the Twi'lek was on the move.

"She's mine."

The Zabrak had half a mind to stop the girl for her insolence, but right now she was more inclined to see how things played out, rather than interrupting. "Go and back her up." The Quarren grumbled something before complying.

Vaylin remained for a bit longer, looking down at Verik. Oh, how it was wonderfully ironic that the Jedi had killed one of her own; a Mirialan. The chances of that were incredibly thin, and yet it had happened and more than likely sent the young Padawan through an emotional and mental downturn.

It wasn't going to be much longer now...

[member="Saka Amara"]​

 

[Ihsan]

She had killed.

That didn’t do the sensation justice. She was slammed back into reality like a hyperspace reentry; there was the same sudden jerk, the rush of dizziness, the world distorting around her, the breath being forced from her lungs, the blinding blue-white light. Saka watched the man breathe his last ragged breath before her, blood caking her and the lush green undergrowth around the pair.

And just like a jump from hyperspace, she emerged bleary-eyed and disoriented into raw chaos.

Run.

Saka quickly began moving again, still panting from the exertion her struggle with the knight had inflicted upon her. She glanced back rapidly in the direction of the pursuing hunters before stealing another look ahead of her. Saka knew she was done for. All she could do now was honour the order in a meagre way by dying with her saber in hand.


Brown eyes scanned the bushes ahead, trying to predict in a morbid sense how many Sith were coming for her. She was certainly clever enough to know how to use her environment, but if the Sith attacked from many angles, they'd eventually slay the Mirialan Jedi.

With every slow heartbeat, every wave washing up onshore and slipping back to sea, darkness flickered at the edges of her vision. Terror ebbed away as she mentally steeled herself for her end, reciting the code defiantly as the wolves closed in.

"There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is kno-

Looking up, she saw several Sith knights and acolytes emerge hastily around her, her heart sank as she realised that they had completely cut her off.

The Sith spread out and began slowly closing in. The Twi'lek in the centre, a fierce looking killer with scars, withdrew her saber with a twisted smile. To her left was a Zabrak female who stood tall and proud over the rest of the mob, studying the Mirialan with an almost amused look of curiosity.

A sudden noise caused Saka to turn, her movements encumbered by the wounds she had accumulated over the course of the chase. A Quarren knight lunged forward quickly at her flank, aiming for the back of the Padawans leg.

She was...surprisingly alert, which was in itself disorienting. The rush this time hadn’t been the hard piercing feeling of terror; but pure adrenaline and fear. Silently flinging out her hand, Saka sent the Quarren flying into the very same tree she had hidden behind hours before, leaving both the Quarren and an acolyte unfortunate to be in the way sprawled out beneath the oak tree.

Saka quickly whirled to face another incoming opponent. The Falleen acolyte had his sword set in front of him, grim determination writ across his face. The acolyte leapt in and slashed at his Mirialan opponent. Saka leapt backward, the ground take the full force of the slash. The saber hissed as it ran across the earth floor. The Faleen lunged with his vibroblade dagger but she quickly twisted aside and thrust her saber into the man's exposed neck. With a savage wrench Saka decapitated the Falleen brutally. Blood spilled down the front of the Acolytes armoured robes before the open wound cauterised.

Pushing the dead man away, she turned to face the rest of them with a look of both animal terror and veiled contempt.

"Finish me then you sithspit cowards." she proclaimed in between ragged breaths, praying that her goading would make one of them kill her. On the honour of her order and her master, she would never let them take her alive.

[member="Vaylin"]

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin watched it all with a mix of amusement and interest. She had followed a bit behind the Twi'lek and Quarren, the latter of which splitting away to presumably flank their target. To the Jedi, she was just another of the Sith hunting her down, which wasn't untrue, but the Zabrak gave nothing away about being the leader.

She took note of the Mirialan's current injuries, judging just how much the young girl was running on adrenaline and not sheer force of a will.

Even before she had laid eyes on the Jedi, Vaylin felt her emotions. The panic and desperation, attempting to claw at her Code to try and find some peace of mind. But she knew it wouldn't last for the Jedi, her first kill was still far too fresh, meaning her precious Jedi virtues wouldn't hold back the emotional tide.

Which also meant it was the perfect time to twist the knife. It was just a matter of capturing the Jedi here and now.

The Zabrak did nothing, nor seemed at all concerned when the Quarren and another acolyte were blasted across the way and into a tree. Not even a flinch of anger when the Jedi killed the Faleen. If anything, she grinned at the fact.

What she did do though, was hold up her hand when the remaining Sith went to intercept and attack. Nothing was said, but the command was heard all the same. Even the Twi'lek who looked annoyed, stepped back. After all Vaylin was still their superior, no matter how much she wanted to kill the Mirialan.

"Nicely done, Jedi." Vaylin began to clap as she walked forwards, closer towards Saka. "Just like a cornered, wounded kath hound pup-" She was cut off when the Jedi darted towards her, lightsaber primed to lunge straight through. But before the blade could make contact, Vaylin threw her hand up and Saka was frozen still, entrapped in Force Stasis. "-ever fierce even on their last leg."

"I'll be taking that." The Zabrak held out an open palm, using the Force to pry Saka's lightsaber from her hand; the blade deactivating the moment it left. She examined it for a few moment's, before clipping it onto her belt. "The Jedi's teachings must've veered off in the wrong direction if you're the result of their training these days. Or maybe you just had an awful master." Vaylin circled around the frozen Mirialan, stopping in front of her again as the last words slipped from her lips. The flash of anger in the Jedi's eyes made Vaylin grin widely. "I'm excited to find out."

The Zabrak raised her hand once again, holding it close to Saka's head. Focusing her attention through the Force, Vaylin slammed against her mental shields. More of a hammer, than a scalpel. Slowly but surely, the Mirialan would find herself drifting asleep, her last sight being that of Vaylin and several other Sith circling around her.

[member="Saka Amara"]​