Private Dueling Ideologies

[Lumiya Dara]

The desert had finally settled into its night rhythm. Heat still lingered in the sand, but it was no longer oppressive. Just a slow, fading warmth beneath the coolness of the darkening sky. Lumiya had chosen her small camp carefully, tucked into the lee of a dune where the wind broke and the stars felt almost close enough to touch. A modest fire burned low in front of her, carefully contained, more ember than flame. Her medkit rested beside her, already checked and reorganized out of habit while her thoughts drifted toward the quiet promise of rest.

She had just begun to settle; her hands resting loosely near the firelight, when she felt it. Not sound at first. Not even sight. But a disturbance. A sharp, distant disruption in the otherwise still fabric of the desert night. Her attention lifted immediately, body responding before thought fully formed. Slowly, she rose and moved toward the nearest dune ridge, keeping low as she climbed. Whatever it was, it wasn’t natural. And it certainly wasn’t far.

At the crest, she stopped. Below the next stretch of dunes, partially hidden in a shallow basin of shadowed sand, two figures moved in violent contrast against the stillness. Blades of light ignited the darkness; clashing, twisting, flaring with bursts of controlled aggression. A lightsaber duel. Real. Close enough that she could feel the pressure of it even from where she stood.

Lumiya remained still. She had no part in this. No stake in whatever conflict had brought them here. Every instinct told her to back away, to leave before she was seen, before she became involved in something she could not control. But she did not leave. Instead, she watched.

The fight was fast - too fast for clean observation at first - but then it shifted. One of them faltered. A decisive opening appeared in the rhythm of the duel, and in the space of a heartbeat, the second figure struck. The blade drove forward. The first collapsed immediately, movement cut short in a sudden, final stillness.

Lumiya’s breath caught. Not in shock exactly, but in the immediate, quiet recognition of what that meant. Injury. Possibly fatal.

The victor did not linger. Without hesitation, the figure disengaged, deactivated their blade, and turned sharply toward a speederbike waiting nearby. Within moments, the engine flared to life, and they were gone; vanishing over the dunes in a streak of disturbed sand and fading noise.

Silence returned almost instantly. Only then did Lumiya move. Carefully, she descended the dune slope, medkit already in hand now, grip steady but controlled. Each step was measured as she approached the basin where the fallen figure lay, half-shrouded in shifting sand and the aftermath of violence. The air felt heavier here. Not physically. But something else.

She slowed as she reached the edge of the impact site, eyes scanning first for danger, then for breath, then for movement. “....Hello?” she called softly, cautious but clear. “Can you hear me?”

And then she stepped closer.

Tag: Zavik Maltheris

 

[Zavik Maltheris]

of course, of course that damn jedi hit him somewhere he hadn't yet modified. a weakness to fix later...if later even comes. the blade struck his heart, not fully, but caught the bottom of it. out of all the organs he had his heart was one he'd not yet modified out of worry, it was the most important part after all. one wrong wire, one spark in the wrong area and he could have been screwed, hence why he never did. one good thing, his spine wasnt hit, just barely missed. but damage like this, it was bad. if he somehow got out of this desert alive he'd have to get some kind of cybernetic to fix injurys at a moments notice.

however the likelihood of getting out was dropping fast. what could he do? he'd work on plenty of people before but never a injury like this.

did..did he hear a voice? no, audio processors must be malfunctioning. there it was again however?

might as well try his luck "hello? whos there?" he tried to call back, but his voice was a bit weaker then he thought.

 

[Lumiya Dara]

Lumiya froze for half a heartbeat when the voice answered her. Not because of what he said. But because he was alive.

Relief arrived first; immediate and instinctive, loosening something tight in her chest before caution settled quietly back into place around it. The darkness in the basin still pressed strangely against her awareness, heavy in a way she could not fully explain, but the weak sound of his voice cut through it enough to ground her. “Yes,” she answered gently as she moved closer. “I’m here.”

The figure came into clearer view with each careful step downward. At first the damage was difficult to fully separate from shadow; dark robes, disturbed sand, the lingering shimmer of heat still trapped in metal plating nearby. But then the details sharpened. The wound. Lumiya’s breath caught softly before she could stop it. A lightsaber strike. Center mass. Not immediately fatal only because it had narrowly missed what should have made survival impossible.

Her eyes moved quickly, automatically assessing what she could. The unnatural details registered next. Subtle metallic integration beneath torn fabric. Artificial components where flesh should have been uninterrupted. Not crude replacements either; advanced work. Deliberate. Extensive.

For a brief moment, uncertainty flickered across her features. Then it disappeared beneath focus. Alive was alive.

She lowered herself carefully beside him, medkit already opening in practiced motions as she examined the injury without touching it yet. The scent of scorched fabric and cauterized flesh lingered heavily in the air, though thankfully there was far less blood than there might have been otherwise. That helped. More than she wanted to admit. Still, the damage beneath the surface looked severe. “You need to stay still,” Lumiya said softly, the same calm steadiness threading through her voice that always seemed to emerge when someone was hurt badly enough. “I know that’s obvious, but I need you conscious long enough for me to understand what I’m dealing with.”

Her hands hovered briefly near the edge of the wound, hesitating only because she was trying to determine where organic injury ended and mechanical augmentation began. “I’m going to ask a strange question,” she murmured, glancing up toward him again. “How much of this injury is affecting you biologically, and how much mechanically?” The question sounded clinical, but concern remained unmistakably present beneath it.

One of her fingers brushed lightly against the edge of scorched fabric near the wound, careful not to apply pressure yet. “Your heart was hit,” she said quietly, more realization than accusation. “Or nearly.” That explained the weakness in his voice. The instability in his breathing. And yet somehow he was still here.

Lumiya exhaled slowly, steadying herself as she reached for a sealant compress from her kit. “You’re either extremely stubborn,” she said softly, almost under her breath now, “or very difficult to kill.” A faint pause followed before she looked back at him properly for the first time.“…Can you tell me your name?”

Tag: Zavik Maltheris

 

[Zavik Maltheris]

(ooc so sorry for the delay, lifes been a bit hectic lately sorry)

Seeing this little woman run up to him was a relief, he wasn't hearing things that weren't there good.

She seemed practiced, medical background most likely.

Luckily due to his implants his mind and eyes where still good. "A fair question, i believe my hearts the main problem as of now. Spine was just barely missed. my heart is one of the few thing i have not had modified, never wanted to since they are so delicate. One wrong wire or spark could be serious damage, of course he hit me there of all places."

As he tried to control his breathing he pulled up internal scanns using a implant in his eyes and brain. "Blood loss in low due to the cauterization, most of the heart is undamaged besides the bottom, still bad, possibly fatal if not treated well. My name? Zavik." he stopped for a moment until he though he might as well know hers, "And yours?"