Dream No More

[Lief]

Ruins of Deprivation​

Korriban​

​

How long she had remained in this suspended state she could not say.

All memories of a time before were blurred and unintelligible. The Matador felt more like a figment of her imagination, in fact in her minds eye she saw a literal depiction of a Bull in place of his face, and the woman who had stumbled upon her here? Llevana did not recall her at all.

Just the perpetual pain. Dancing on the edge of life and death. Never eating, never drinking, never sleeping, yet kept alive by some unseen power that both energized her and sapped her of all willpower.

Her position was one of pure vulnerability. Arms and legs spread out, chains attached to each limb and four pillars scattered around the Ruins. Her limbs were heavy, numb and tingling all at once, and her head was set forth with her chin against her chest. Vision blurred, head spinning, a near constant sense of nausea washing over her... No matter how many hours, days, weeks passed her by, the girl never seemed to adjust.

Whenever she got used to it in some degree, something changed.

The eyes she felt in the darkness which permeated the edge of the Ruins remained ever present, those beasts who sought to tear her limb from limb yet were held back by the same thing which kept her alive.

If one could call her pitiful existence life at all.

She was just a suspended husk at this point. Nowhere to hide, not even her own mind was safe. Mr-Know-It-All was gone, she had not heard a peep from him in so long now that the silence was deafening.

Every moment was spent begging for reprieve, with lips that were cracked and moved soundlessly. But try as she might she could neither take a step forward nor succumb to her injuries. Death would have been the sweeter option, but he held her at an arms length as they danced to the symphony of her destruction.

 

[Soundwave]

Kandosii Manda

---

---

In Transit to Ruins of Deprivation
Korriban

Kandosii held his DC-15A in hand as he sat in the transport, idly awaiting their arrival at the drop zone. While the weapon was an antique from over 800 years ago, it had been well stored and well maintained alongside Kandosii ever since he was awoken from a carbonite prison. Like himself, the weapon had proven sturdy and reliable despite age. He slid a tibanna cartridge into the rifle before snapping the rifle back into its proper form. An indicator would appear in his HUD showing his weapon was primed and ready for action. What fond memories it brought to Kandosii as he thought back to how many deployments he had been on where such routine actions were taken in the company of his brothers. Unlike Koda, the only one of his brothers he knew to have made it to this time, Kandossi often recanted upon the past with fond memories. The former ARC slung the rifle over his shoulder as he inspected the rest of his equipment and weapons.

The time he had found himself in was strange to say the least. But such was to be expected when you find yourself thrust far into the future. He couldn't quite say that it was for better or worse than the time he had come from; The Clone Wars ended horribly after all. The old ARC trooper was still dressed in his old armor from the days before the Republic fell apart, his appearance more similar to that of a Clone Commander than an ARC, yet his uniform still retained such features that most ARCs were recognized by. He would look over to the other notable individual in the transport he was in; Kaira Eyeris, a young mercenary who had approached Kandosii with the prospect of being able to provide his services.

It wasn't the ideal life that Kandosii would have chosen, but in this time, he had to let go of who he was and move on. Credits made for better talk than ideals in this time, but he still had his own morals. Besides, he couldn't let a rookie as inexperienced as her throw herself into such a dangerous business all alone. The Galaxy was a harsh and unforgiving place, especially for those in their line of work. He'd do a final check on his equipment before stretching himself out a bit as he waited for Kaira to give him a quick brief on what they were doing to Korriban. The Sith left a sour taste in his mouth, but given that a recent contract with them, they had some limited movement within their territory.

[member="Llevana Helas"] | [member="Kaira Eyeris"]​

 

[Kaira Eyeris]

En Route to Ruins of Deprivation
Korriban

---

"Listen up, people." Kaira said, standing at the front of the troop bay. These were her soldiers. They were dogs of war fighting for whoever paid. From defending the Sith's temple to striking in the heart of their territory. The tides of battle changed with the flow of credits. But, even now, they were free. Free to choose their paymasters and eke out an existence of perpetual combat separate from the ideologies of those that would seek to use them.

In line with those lofty goals, the men and women before her came from all walks. Remnants of the Republic, Sith defectors, Mandalorian refugees, and fallen Iron Lords mixed together with a half dozen other ideologies. Now, they lived together. Trained together. Fought together.

And, inevitably, died together.

"Our contract is coming from an anonymous source calling himself 'Borealis'. We're being tasked with extracting a VIP from inside the Ruins of Deprivation. Intel on the target is sketchy, but we do know that the area is filled with hostile wildlife. The area is disused by the Sith, which means it's unlikely we'll be in direct opposition with their military. However, everyone is to keep on guard in case we do come across Sith security forces in the area."

She pointed to three people near the front.

"Trix, Rolan, and Tykoh. You're on guard duty. Aerial will keep the engines running in case we need to make a quick escape."

Next, she pointed to a group near the rear.

"Haike, Mek, Rizzi, and Bokel. You're our cover team. Make sure we're secure leading into the ruins and cover our exfil out."

Finally, she pointed to two men near the middle.

"Scrapper, Pyce, you're with me in the front. Our job is to reach the VIP and extract them to the dropship."

She tapped the bulkhead with her gauntlet twice, the sound reverberating through the closed cabin. Most of the others did the same. She didn't start it. She doubted anyone knew who did. But it was theirs now; it was a sign of their bond.

"Boots down in three."