Private Curse of Sycorax

[Arlo Renard]

Dahrtag was a planet shrouded in a perpetual mist. Even in the cities it was visible, a cloudiness in the air, a dampness on the skin. Further away from the urbanized areas, it became thick and impenetrable. You couldn't see more than a couple meters in front of you, as though milky cataracts had grown over your eyes.

Escorted by guards through the fog, you made your way to the edge of a wood, where naked winter branches clawed through the mist like skeletal hands grasping at a funeral shroud. A very pale raven-haired woman stood at the edge of the dead forest. Dressed in light armor and carrying hiking gear, she waited until all the hunters and adventurers had gathered before her, then addressed the group with her hands on her hips.

“Welcome to Necropolis,” she said, using the more common colloquial term for the world. The citizenry of this planet still buried their dead in the ground, as one of the many deeply-held traditions of a stubbornly superstitious people. The earth was filled with graves. “My name is Amelia Ardal. I have a problem, and you are here to solve it.

“We’re looking to capture a creature said to be occupying these woods. The people say it’s a shapeshifter, and that it can read thoughts… and consume minds. It’s also been stealing the locals’ livestock, so you may want to look near farms to see if you can catch it in the act. Otherwise, we don’t know much about the nature of this thing or why it’s here—that’s why I need you to capture, not destroy it.

“I will be observing you at a distance—I’ll use drones to track your progress, monitor your status, and even drop supplies as needed. You can communicate with me at any time, I won’t be far away.” Letting her hands drop to her sides, she asked, “Any questions?”

Dagon Kaze | Malen​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

Even the strong smell of juniper couldn't absolve his Force-enhanced senses from the persistent awareness of the millions of dead buried here. Necropolis was a world often left alone, even if it was in the Core. Not even the most hardened warriors, nor the most unscrupulous Empires dared disturb the dead. Naturally, neither did he - a mere Jedi Padawan.

Dagon's mission to the tombworld was of a different nature. A Jedi responsibility's was to the galaxy, he could not hide behind veils of selfishness. Altruism was the way of the Jedi.

He zipped up further his leather aviator jacket as the cold settled in to the bone just as the guards led them to their destination - a pale woman with raven locks and what looked like light armor; the Jedi wasn't sure if the weather had gone colder suddenly or it was simply his imagination. He listened to her brief carefully and questions flickered in his mind - sourced from his own hours studying diligently in the Jedi Library on Coruscant.

Shapeshifter? Read and consume minds?

Sithspawn were usually...degenerate in mind. So that made the creature in question most likely not a spawn of the dark side. He'd heard of sentient species of shapeshifters but none who...preyed on livestock, read and consumed minds.

Dagon put his hands in his jacket welcoming the warmth and considered asking a few questions but then resigned to the simplest one, "Where was it last seen?"

Arlo Renard | Malen

 

[Malen]

Why did he choose this job? Maybe he'd wrongly swapped his datapad when he was drunk, or pressed the wrong button. Either way, he did not know why he'd chosen to come here. He also hated the world itself; the dead trees, the mud on his feet. Interestingly enough, he preferred Wild Space to worlds such as this. But money was a good motivator, and while he could probably slice any system in the galaxy, the Agent needed to brush off his other skills. They'd pick up some rust, and they needed some cleaning.

Malen wasn't big on showing his face. Nor did he like going through official channels. That's why he'd smuggled himself here, having to create an entire new identity for himself in case he'd ever gotten in trouble. He didn't know who Dagon Kaze , but he could sense a warmness to him, perhaps from his force orientation. However, for Malen, he made sure to hide his force signature: it was a power he'd used everyday, especially when he was in Galactic Alliance space.

Leaning on a tree, the Epicanthix slicer listened to her elucidation. He chuckled when he heard that someone could be able to penetrate his thoughts. Malen was not sure which creature he was hunting: from the looks of it, it was a creature perhaps engineered to hunt force sensitive, or an enduring one search as an Anzat.

"How's the infrastructure here? Is there a central location where I can get data from cameras and so forth?" Grabbing his weapons, he anticipated after she had answered both her questions, they would leave. And then they'd get to the fun part of the job.

Arlo Renard .

 

[Arlo Renard]

"Where was it last seen?"

The question came from the Jedi. Amelia’s nose wrinkled ever so slightly as she replied, “Exiting a barn due south of here. The farmer who spotted it tried to shoot it, but was… prevented from doing so. He said something compelled him not to fire, and by the time he had his wits about him again the thing was gone, having already killed and eaten some of his cattle.”

"How's the infrastructure here? Is there a central location where I can get data from cameras and so forth?"

She raised an eyebrow at the tech geek. “Out here in the country? Dirt roads and forest trails. You’d have to talk to the locals about surveillance cameras. Most of the farms likely have them set up.” She shrugged. “Anything else?”

Dagon Kaze | Malen​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

The Jedi scratched his chin thoughtfully, then shook his head, "Nothing else from me." His eyes shifted to the other man, a mercenary most likely. It made him wonder how would they fare together.

Malen Arlo Renard

 

[Malen]

"Nothing from me a well."

Looking at Dagon Kaze , he signaled for them to head off. Silence was the name of the game, Malen refusing to speak unless it regarded the mission, or he was addressed. Looking around, he wondered if any of her drones were following her. He hated having footage recorded of him, making a mental note to appear sluggish in his work; it was the best method he could think of when attempting to maintain his identity.

The mercenary brought out his hologram, a 3D image of a map the only source of light in what was otherwise a dark, foggy, and narrow trail.

"Right now, we are here." he spoke in his modulated voice, pointing at what he believed to be the entrance into the farming district.

"It looks like the farms are divided into four main sections, and four sub-sections. It will be particularly difficult trying to get access to cameras if there isn't any main hub, which appears to be the case. Keep an eye out for any particular good camera views if you don't get shot by farmers."

"If only we had the force..." he muttered, in between a silent tone and one that could be overheard. It was a sneeky attempt to confirm if he was dealing with a force user. Then, his precautions would certainly be more validated.

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

The two men headed out without any need for dismissal. Good. Amelia snapped her fingers, a signal for her personal guards to fall in, then headed back to the makeshift “camp” she had set up in a clearing. There, a waterproof tent protected the more delicate electronics from the moisture in the air.

Opening the flaps of the tent, she stepped inside. Various screens were set up with cameras attached to the drones, which had activated the moment the two men started on their journey. A team of technicians operated them, filling the enclosed space with the sound of whirring machinery and controls being manipulated by human and alien hands.

Amelia sank into a chair in front of the viewing screens. Malen was moving at a lethargic pace, looking at a holographic map, behaving rather self-consciously. No doubt he knew the drones were near—they had to stick close in order to penetrate the fog. She saw his lips moving as he spoke to Dagon, but there was no sound.

“Do you expect me to sit here and watch a silent film?” Amelia growled. “Unmute the footage.”

“The audio will be garbled due to the atmosphere, my liege.”

“Unmute it anyway.” Her request was met at once. A cacophony of noise greeted her, distorted and unclear. The only phrase she understood was “... we had the Force…” The rest, including Dagon’s reply, was too warped to comprehend.

“Enough—turn it off,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the slurred sound. The audio was immediately cut off. She pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers, grimacing. Hers was not normally a surveillance state; much of this technology had been hastily set up without time for a trial run. Mistakes and unforeseen issues were bound to happen. “Can any of you read lips?”

Luckily, one of the technicians could. Amelia gestured for the woman, a blue Twi’lek, to come closer. She complied, albeit very slowly and cautiously, her fear of Amelia obvious.

“Tell me what they’re saying from here on out. You—find someone else to take her place.” She indicated to the taskmaster. “And get her a chair so she can sit down. This is going to take a while.”

Dagon Kaze | Malen​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

Blood and Wine​

Dagon inspected the 3D hologram the mercenary introduced, mulling over the various possibilities given the situation. The perturbing presence of the drones somewhere, unseen, in the fog, lingered at the back of his mind. The Jedi said nothing of it as they entered the peaceful, at a glance, farming district; smoke drifted from eons-old chimneys, crumbling plaster over brick walls and fading grim window frames typical for Necropolis.

"If only we had the force..." the Jedi's companion muttered.

"We...do. I am Dagon Kaze of the New Jedi Order." he introduced himself, then pointed at a small mound barely overlooking the district. "We can set up watch from there and I will look for clues."

On the mound itself, the young Jedi reached for the Force; his senses flaring, even if it had been one of the first lessons as an apprentice, the sudden change of scenery, enriched by perceptions only open to those gifted with the Force, still overwhelmed him. He was no master of the skill, the intricate details reserved to those of better expertise.

The planet came alive, even if it reeked of death.

His presence expanded outwardly touching minds and emotions. Gone was the picture of the yeoman's serenity, replaced by fears and concerns - be it over the beast that roamed or the beast at home. Families wounded by lifetime struggles and infidelity, only mended by the need of union to survive; livestock, once careless, meandered the green fields in caution - their instincts flared under the recent threats of a predator. The Jedi's mind wandered, sensed and pinpointed the drones combing the fog, which had slightly lifted over the farms. Dagon wandered further, feeling the Force clutch him by his hand and lead him to what he sought.

HUNGER.

He nearly lost touch and fled, only the Force held him steadfast as he dove into the beast's mind and was nearly shredded to pieces by the primal forces in an everlasting clash. The Force pulled him out and he staggered back to the material world.

"It's coming." Dagon silently heralded through gritted teeth and bouts of panting. Sweat running over his forehead.

Malen Arlo Renard

 

[Malen]

Excellent

And with that, he made sure to reduce his signature even further.

"Oh? Your a Jedi." he said, sounding surprised. "Are you a Knight?"

In truth, Dagon Kaze 's rank would serve help him strategize what he did. Being a self-proclaimed master slicer, he hated the idea of drones watching his every movement. Especially when the person who he was working with appeared to have a less-than clean history. Then again, did anyone have? But itw as a good excuse for someone who hated being spied on.

"Can you the force to speak with someone else via their mind. Can you speak using signs? I'm sure your Jedi teach you that right?"

Observing the man in his mask, he could see the change in his emotions. The dread, the sadness; it was as if he had seen a child get scared. But Dagon Kaze was no child. He appeared to be a warrior finding his path, at least from what Malen could observe.

The young slicer was extremely tempted to find out how great the creature's mind was. The more they approached the district, the more he could feel a strong dark presence; a dark cloud, a mist that entrapped every man that walked in it. Malen felt as if a devil had risen from the underworld.

He could feel his muscles stifen; as if he was paralyzed by fear, the Darkwire associate felt a rush of adrenaline flood his body. His heart rate increased, as if a pipebomb was about to detonate. Clenching his fist, he attempted to recollect himself. But his other hand twitched, and his lips were becoming dry. Thank god he had a mask, otherwise, he'd probably be fired.

The scenery wasn't any better. Lights flickered as most of the homes were either abandoned, or had their property destroyed in one way or another. All over the town, it was completely dark. It was only the entrance that was lit. The drones would be their only source of light, but it would also be a hint to the Sithspawn that an enemy was here.

I thought I had implants for this!!

Remembering his past trials, Malen slowly recollected himself, although the pace was enough for him to at least attempt to maintain a professional composure. He knew he'd been in situations like this before: why he'd experience whatever he'd experienced was something he'd have to attempt to contemplate another time.

"Split up, or stay together."

Grabbing his weapons, he was fine with both. While a slicer by trade, he knew how to defend himself. The more he thought about it, the more he believed he'd probably have to reveal his force sensitivity, at least if his enemy was what he believed it would be.

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

Depending on how far Dagon had dared to penetrate into the creature’s mind, he might have recognized the familiar patterns of a sentient consciousness, albeit that of a newborn child. It was growing rapidly and wising up fast, but there was still much it didn’t understand.

The creature had quickly learned that it should curb its hunger whenever possible, or else people would chase it off or try to hurt it. Kai—for that was the only name it had ever been given—could no longer devour entire minds whole, consuming the knowledge and memories of an entire person’s life. It supped only a little, absorbing surface thoughts, stealing a chicken or a bantha if he could manage it, then fleeing to the solitude of the forest. But it always had to come back for more. It had no choice.

Dagon’s probe found Kai as it was creeping along the edge of a crop field, making its way toward a chicken coop. It stopped in its tracks, frightened by the unknown sudden stimuli. Its reaction was one of instinctive self-defense. Kai lashed out at what had dove into its mind, only to feel its blow fail to connect. The invader had retreated before it could strike back. Was this victory?...

It needed to go back into the woods, where it was safe. But it needed to eat. Whimpering, Kai held its hairless head in clawlike hands, fingers tugging on pointed ears, kaleidoscope eyes darting indecisively. Finally, it turned toward the coop and continued its original mission: snatching one of the chickens for its dinner.

Dagon Kaze | Malen​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

Dagon's meager infiltration in the creature's mind had been too brief to notice what lied beneath the depths of the primal. He steeled his nerves as they shuffled through the farms, the Force guiding his senses to the beast of Necropolis.

"Stay together." the Jedi asserted and held out a hand before the slicer's weapons, "Remember - alive." mercenaries were often known for their erratic shoot first, questions later behavior.

They came upon it preying towards a chicken coop. Young and quick to act, Dagon darted his hand before him reaching for the Force. A telekinetic grasp of the ethereal trying to shackle and pin the beast in one place.

"Go!" he called out at the mercenary.

Arlo Renard Malen

 

[Malen]

"I know that." he said, looking at Dagon Kaze

"I wasn't born yesterday kid."

Rubbing his mask, Malen kept reminding himself how handsomely they'd be paid for their services. The more he stepped forward, the greater the urge to run away. However, the slicer quickly realized he'd still be able to maintain his stealth due to the Sithspawn reaching his natural sense of range through the force.

Well, at least he'd keep his force sensitivity a secret.

When Dagon attempted to pin the beast down telekinetically, Malen had already felt the movements of it through the force. Already, the young slicer was running. With two blaster pistols, he activated his night vision and looked and saw the beast. It was hideous, but a barrable kind of ugly. What he was more worried about was how engrained the dark side was on him. It was... well, perhaps it's better to use your imagination.

Sensing no one else but him, Malen immediately fired two blaster pistols)which were set on stun), while throwing a magnetically grabbed stun grenade directly precisely 10m away from him. It packed a mean punch.

From multiple directions, he hoped to gage the creature's reaction time, and speed.

It was always good to get a feel of an opponent before a real fight began.

Arlo Renard

 

[Arlo Renard]

Amelia watched the scene unfold from the curious bird’s eye view of a drone circling overhead. The two hunters came upon their prey about to steal from a chicken coop, not unlike a fox. While the Jedi made use of his magic to pin the creature in place, the other tried to stun it.

The creature began to panic as soon as it felt the Force clamp down on its limbs. It thrashed violently, unable to break free. Then came the loud bangs and flashing lights, drawing an unearthly cry of pain from its thin, reedy throat. Why did they all want to hurt Kai? It only wanted food. It had to eat, or it would die.

Disoriented and miserable, Kai lashed out, trying to break free of the invisible bindings by attacking the one wielding them. It sank fangs into the one called Dagon’s mind, gnawing at his consciousness like a wild animal caught in a trap. It would bite its way to freedom… eat its way to liberty. After all, thoughts and memories were food, too.

Dagon Kaze | Malen​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

Dagon barely registered the mercenary's retort, his own mind focused on ensnaring something that really, really did not want to be ensnared. He expected it to escape and launch at him, and it did.

Just not as he expected exactly.

Kai, as it came to be known through battering its name on Dagon's conscious, mauled at his mind. Its volatile presence carved through layers of thoughts, memories, and emotions. Dagon squinted, gritted his teeth and grabbed his head with both hands.

Focus, focus.

The thing raged like a storm before the padawan managed to restrain it to an isolated part of his mind, to manage to at least get a better glimpse of it.

Try and understand it.

HUNGER.

The thrashing in his mind continued.

Completely devoid of awareness in the material world, Dagon had no clue what the mercenary was up to in the meantime.

Arlo Renard Malen

 

[Malen]

He could feel the mental duel between the Sithspawn and Dagon. Part of him wanted to spook the Jedi Padawan; even though he showed some concern, he didn't mind Dagon acting as bait for him to restrain Kai.

Seeing the stun grenades didn't register the effects he wanted, Malen decided to go for a more physical approach. A previous brawler, the slicer run toward the Sithspawn, attempting to spear him while he focused on eating Dagon's mind, Malen confident he could resist any mental approaches because of his great genetic gifts.

He run toward him, and jumped, hoping to restrain him, the momentum from his run aiding him as he jumped on the Sithspawn, specifically toward his torso. If the attack worked, he would be put immediately on the ground, and hopefully bear some injuries.

@Armelia Ardal

 

[Arlo Renard]

In all its brief life, Kai had fed only on the minds of poor farmers, and that but briefly. Educated at the bare minimum, the extent of their knowledge reached only as far as the edges of their fields. Had it continued to absorb their knowledge, perhaps some day Kai would have assimilated into their ranks. A lonely farmer with a simple but self-sufficient life, not much different from the existence it led now.

It was not prepared for the sort of knowledge Dagon knew. Scattered memories of a bittersweet childhood, marked by death and division. More accessible were the Jedi ideals and philosophy, the Light and the Dark. Peace and serenity and passion and freedom and love and war and the sea in between. An entire galaxy beyond this world, beyond all worlds, vast and varied, floating in an infinite and eternal universe.

Kai recoiled, frightened by all that he had gleaned in the brief attack. There was so much that was good and bad in Dagon’s inner life. The Jedi had borne the brunt of the mental assault, seeking to understand his foe.

Kai was a child. A newborn, more or less. Like most infants, his existence revolved around regular feedings. When he wasn’t eating, he was sleeping in primitive shelters he built for himself in the forest, away from those who would harm him… it… what was he? He wasn’t sure anymore.

His point of origin was a lab somewhere in a cold, snowy place. He had broken free, shattering a window and leaping out into a world of white. Before that, he was… he hadn’t needed to eat. He wasn’t alone and solitary the way he was now. He had been happy, once. But those times were over. His happiness had been ripped away when he was shoved into a body that always needed more, more, more.

He had seen what Dagon had been asked to do. Capture Kai and bring him to a woman called Amelia Ardal, who called herself Voivode of this planet. She meant to do something with the hungry monster terrorizing the countryside, though he knew not what...

Malen’s body slammed into Kai’s, tackling him to the ground. The link with Dagon was rapidly overwhelmed by terror; Kai’s mental thrashing became a physical struggle with his attacker. Fortunately Doppelgangers are strong as Wookiees and devilishly fast. He kicked and punched and battered the slicer, howling for his freedom, trying to wriggle away. He had forgotten Dagon completely in his desperation to escape his fate. To go back to the wilderness, where he had nothing to answer for and no one to answer to.

Dagon Kaze | Malen​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

What little he grasped of the beast in his mind thrashing wildly was enough for Dagon to realize they really, really needed to capture it alive. A newborn in a foreign body. The horror of the thought sent a shiver down his spine but the padawan composed himself with the aid of Force.

A head-splitting pain was all that the beast had left him. The Jedi immediately caught on the altercation between the slicer and the beast, a physical tussle of dominance. Without hesitance, Dagon took the opportunity to attempt to Force stun the beast and send him into a near-catatonic state. He had completely forgotten about their employer and the world.

Only saving the newborn.

Arlo Renard Malen

 

[Malen]

A battle of wills ensured. Who would be the predator, and who was the prey?

"Show me what you can do." he said.

A rush of adrenaline flowed to him as he saw Kai punch and kick him. Malen regretted his attempt at a running spear, but he knew there was always an opportunity. Moving like a snake, he went on to grab his legs. The punch, he could handle... Well, for a time anyway, but he hated being kicked. Reaching out from his cybernetic hand, Malen attemptd to grab Kai's knee.

If it was successful, he would attempt to do a heel hock. The bigger you are, the harder you fall. But in this instance, the only thing he needed to do was affect the Sithspawn's legs. Or at least attempt to.

 

[Arlo Renard]

The stun was enough. Kai slumped limply, his struggling ceasing even as Malen attempted to pin his legs.

Watching the violent encounter abruptly come to a close from her viewscreen, Amelia leaned forward in her seat, her brow furrowed. At first she was concerned they had killed it. Then she saw slight movement from the Doppelganger and assumed the Jedi had done something to it.

Activating her comlink, she spoke to the two hired hunters. “Excellent work. Will you need bindings, or should I send some to you?”

She was unaware of what Kai truly was, nor did she know what Dagon had found in his contact with the creature. She certainly didn't expect rebellion from the Jedi in handing over the catch, if that was what he intended.

Dagon Kaze | Malen​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

"Okay, stop, stop, stop." Dagon hurried to the beast locked by the mercenary. A slight hint of concern in his voice. "We got him."

The comms stuttered to life with a bit of static, Amelia Ardal's voice on the other end.

<"I've got bindings."> the Jedi replied coldly. He reached for the inside of his leather jacket, took a pair of stun cuffs and locked the boy's limbs reluctantly. With the revelation that it was not a mindless beast but a rather confused newborn, Dagon couldn't help but dislike the idea of binding him. Yet, if he managed to escape - it would all be for naught.

<"You plan on telling us more on who this is or?">

Malen Arlo Renard