Everyone Needs Someone To Aleen On

[Jamie Pyne]

ORBIT - ALEEN
17:24

"Hyperdrive is offline. Engines are dead. Shields are down. Weapon systems are down. Life support systems failing. We've got about fourteen hours of oxygen before we lose o2 and emergency lighting. We're stranded out here, commander." One of the men stationed on the bridge relayed the rather unfortunate and incredibly frustrating news to the commanding officer of the escort corvette Leomuun. The crew, including humanitarian and court noblewoman Jamie Pyne had been tasked with delivering a large shipment of Kolto from Manaan to Denon, following the collapse of the Galactic Republic. Tensions were at an all time high, and Naboo was doing everything it could to offer aide to planets struggling to keep their economies from collapsing beneath the weight of potential anarchy.

The delivery itself had gone rather smoothly, more so than was anticipated after several pirate attacks had occurred in the sector over the past several weeks. Though there were no recorded casualties during raids, whole shipments of cargo had been plundered and written off, write offs which Naboo could not afford to replace. Their problem now? It looked like someone had deliberately sabotaged a number of cooling rods in the power generator, and caused a catastrophic overload of both primary and secondary cores. A problem such as this would require substantial equipment to repair in orbit, equipment that the crew of the Leomuun did not have, nor did they have time to wait for.

"Send a distress signal. Alert the GADF that we are abandoning. Transmit pickup for all drop pods on Aleen, approximate sector 43;27;84;02" The commander's voice would then pour out through the hundreds of speakers within the ship's intercom system. "This is Commander Alvarez, I am ordering an immediate evacuation of all personnel aboard the Leomuun. The alliance has been notified of our intent to abandon ship due to catastrophic failure of primary and secondary systems. We can estimate a pickup in two to three standard days on Aleen. Please proceed to the escape pods in an orderly fashion. We are not in imminent danger at this time. Please ensure all pods are full before deployment."

Nothing. Is ever. Easy.

The blonde shook her head with frustration, grabbing her pack that contained her lightsaber, some clothing, and her camera. The pods were on the other side of the ship from where her quarters were. It would take several minutes, but sure enough she found a multitude of others to accompany her and offer small talk as they proceeded to their destination. "I've never been to Aleen." She said to a slightly older, uniformed woman that she hadn't seen before. "Not much to see. Some alien creeps and a mountainous type 1 in the mid rim. Hope you brought Pazaak or something until we get picked up." Jamie shrugged, she enjoyed new places and species, plants, trees, mountains, everything. Every place had its' unique charm.

[member="Darth Lykos"]

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

The pain sparked through the Zabrak's nervous system, the shock originating at his folded legs, his senses telling his mind that many small and sharp objects were slowly piercing through layers of flesh and causing thin streams of blood to drip along his skin before gravity would grab hold on them and pull them to the rocky surface bellow. Yet, no thought was given to those flares of feeling, no attention being paid to them, as the Zabrak simply continued to stare directly ahead, uncaring of what might be being inflicted upon his physical form, for all, in that moment, that the Sith cared about was the Silence that surrounded him, encompassed him. It was not silence within the physical realm, of course, for the sounds of life and nature itself was assaulting his senses, but, instead, an unseen Silence blessed upon him by the swaths of Darkness that were surrounding his form within the Force.

Through the Silence, he was deaf and blind to anything outside of his own mind. No whispers from the Force, no updates being mentally received by the number of spies and operatives he commanded through the Galaxy. Instead, all he could hear was his own thoughts, his own memories and recollects as he looked back upon his action, his motives and his words. And, in doing so, he only found a sense of disgust welling up within him. His actions in recent times had not been up to his standards, now that he was looking back upon and into himself, this much was clearly obvious. He had been loosing himself, letting flakes of his mind peel away as he reveled in a perceived sense of luxury. Masks were his trade in this life, personas and lies being weaved by his voice and body to manipulate any that he came into contact, even if said manipulation was only deluding someone about his true nature, but, in recent times, those Masks that he held so dear, had begun to corrupt his core self, their ideals and thoughts blending and meshing with his own, tearing away at his true self. So, as he delved deeper into the blessed Silence, deeper into his own mind and thoughts, he began to fix himself. Caring for those he shouldn't was removed, trust that had been forged deeper than it should be weakened a sufficient amount and the understanding that he was the Lykos, the Alpha of Rakama while also being Xavka was imprinted once more into his mind as he burnt away the rot that had begun to infect him.

This understanding and the chance to perceive himself in the Silence, in solitude, was the reason as to why he had come to Aleen. No big plans or schemes or even inventions that his mind had conjured up, nothing of the sort. He even had not chosen Aleen to be his location of introspection, having entered a random 'safe' set of coordinates into his ship before letting it carry to wherever. And, so, without any purpose or thought given to his actions the Zabrak had chosen a random location of the planet he had dropped out of hyperspace above of, a random mountain devoid of sentient life within the Force. This choice to move without thought was two fold: to ensure that no one could track him with ease and so as to begin loosing himself within the self, to not focus on the world and reality that surrounded him but solely upon his own soul.

Arrogance and a variety of other self created rot and corruption had always been understood by the Zabrak to be weaknesses that must be purged from his mind and soul should he wish to continue his ever evolving goal of reaching a state of perfection, an impossible dream that kept his evolving. As such, he had always striven to burn away those flaws, to ensure that they never took root within himself, but, he had begun to fail in passing times, letting those roots begin to dig deeper into him at the same rate as his true mind had been eaten away by the Masks he wore.

Tracing his actions backwards, Atrisia loomed before him as the cradle that had birthed his weakness. He had gone to that planet to spin the situations that the upstarts that had called themselves Sith while never understanding the Dark as it truly was had attempted to form, but, instead, had found himself being infected by their own hubris. His brief melding of the mind with the Jedi A'dele, a fellow Iridonian, had simply driven those hubris in even deeper. Even now, he could feel the compassion that had resonated within that Jedi deep within his own mind, contained behind mentally crafted shield after shield that he had only just formed as, now, instead of allowing that compassion to corrupt his own actions, he was corrupting it, twisting it for just as much as it now spoke to him to be merciful in his action, compounding upon the codes of honour engraved onto his soul, he was now just as easy to spare someone for the purpose of ensuring that they would become a resource of his; in one form of another.

Allowing the Silence to slowly fade from his mind, the lone eye of the Zabrak, a burnt orange one, would blink lazily as he pushed himself to his bare feet, uncaring of the twinges of pain that flared from the new injuries along his legs from where he had been kneeling upon sharp rocks. He was now whole once more, a Sith just as likely to bow out of combat and speak just so as to achieve the optimum result as he was to fight on unending, a Sith that lived and breathed Shadows, a Sith Assassin once more, shielded behind Masks.

The sudden influx of sensations within the Force and the physical realm held the Zabrak in disorientation for but a brief moment before a low, rasping chuckle would be pulled from his throat as he turned his gaze skyward, staring at a ship that he could not see beyond the atmosphere of Aleen. "How amusing." The voice that rumbled out from beneath the shadows of the robes was gruff and gravelly, the light from the sun just piercing the shadows at the base of the hood enough that an onlooker would be able to see the Zabrak's neck or, more specifically, the red, angry scar that wound its way around that very same neck, a scar that reached inwards to his vocal folds. "I am tested once more, learning who I am through action instead of just thought."

The chuckle would return as the lone, cloaked figure of the Sith would stand alone and isolated on the edge of a mountain top, eye tracking away from the unseeable ship and following instead the drop pods that fell through the upper atmosphere of the rocky planet. Darth Lykos, Xavka Duquo, Patriarch Rakama, The Wolf That Guards, The Unseen Shadow. He knew who he was through his mind, now, confronted as he was with the situation unfolding above his head, he would soon know who he truly was through his action.


[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The landing was surprisingly soft in comparison to what the Padawan was expecting from such a small and compact evacuation pod. A small shake from the modest hull as it descended, and a dull thud echoed through the frame as it touched down on to soft soil beneath the atmosphere of Aleen. The indicator light illuminated green, indicating that it was safe to release the hatch and exit the craft. Jamie did just that, though upon exiting, it looked to her that she had found herself a bit scatted from the others, a small trail of smoke gave away the position of another pod about two to three kilometers away from her own.

Perhaps that's where that other woman's pod landed. May as well head that way.

Scooping up her bag Jamie slid her arms between the two straps and hoisted the pack up onto her shoulders, ensuring that her lightsaber was secured to her side as well. One could never be too careful on unknown planets. Whether the threat was carnivorous beast, sentient Force entities, hostile enemies, or threatening fauna, it was best to be prepared all the same. Of course, her lightsaber was unique in the way that it would not kill, nor dismember opponents. The Bondar crystal she had installed, as well as its' adjusted power levels would ensure that the blade would only cause temporary paralysis, much like a law enforcers high powered taser would.

Her thumb flicked the emergency signal on the beacon that would send a signal back to the GADF, indicating that the pod's evacuee was alive at the time of landing, keying in her ID so that they knew who they were looking for when the time came for a pick-up. With that, the girl began her slow trek towards the landing sight of the nearest pod, following the trail of smoke left in its' wake. There wouldn't be a whole lot of time to follow the plume before it inevitably vanished, so she needed to make a hustle out of it.

[member="Darth Lykos"]

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

The sight of the escapes pods entering through the atmosphere was one that was not granted to Darth Lykos, or, at least, not one that he was privy to within the physical realm, the eye of his body not strong enough to bear witness to such a sight. However, while his eye could not perceive the situation, his mind could. Individual Presences within the Force - each would emitting wariness, fear, panic of a simple cautious anticipation and feeling of readiness for what may come now that they had been forced to abandon their ship - would spear down towards the rocky surface, most grouped together while the odd one would be directed off course by either an anomaly within the very atmosphere they were falling through or errors upon launch. In the end, while his gaze could not see the landing of this crew, he saw exactly where they were regardless. More so when his physical gaze would final spot the lazy, twisting curls of smoke would raise above the horizon.

Throughout this time, the cloaked form Lykos did not move, simply remaining in place while his head would slowly shift to track the descending pods. Now though, now that said fall had come to an end, he would move. Long strides would carry him forwards at a rapid pace, the Force being drawn subtly into his body and wrapped around his very muscles, powering him up and beyond his normal limitations. Bared feet sliding over loose rocks from time to time, yet he paid no mind to the mild burst of pain that would flare from such happenings; he had suffered and persevered through much worse in complete silence after all.

Lykos' own descent, this one down a mountain side instead of through the Aleen atmosphere, was rapid but controlled, leaping from outcropping to outcropping when running would become to risky to do when one's mind was lost within the Force. And, indeed, that was what he was doing, for his ethereal gaze did not once wander from the newly introduced Presences layout before him. Soon, though, the imbuement he had called upon his own body would fade away as he slackened and then released his grip on the Force, the tendrils pulling away sharply as he would soon find the ground beneath his feet leveling out, his senses telling him that he was not roughly level with majority of the escaped crew as well, no longer needing to continue his descent.

Slowing his pace to a simple walk, the cloaked Sith would continue forwards. Now that he no longer needed to pay any proper attention to where he was going so as to avoid a fall, he now focused specifically on the presences closest to him, sweeping his gaze through the Force over then, analysing them. While his own presence within the Force was obscured and hidden still, he made no effort to disguise his efforts. Especially over the one Presence closest to him that seeped with the foul Light.


[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie felt the tingling sensation that came with the presence of another in the Force. The feeling brought with it the aura of darkness. She knew that meant someone, or something, that weaved the darkside of the Force was nearby. This planet was alien to her, so whatever it was she couldn't exactly be sure, but it served to quicken her pace as she made her way towards one of the escape pods through the treeline. The closer she got the deeper the sensation of the darkside grew. Out of caution she pulled free her lightsaber, holding it in her right hand as she pushed away a small patch of brush, kneeling down to look out towards the pod in the clearing.

The door was open, and there was no sign of the occupant. Feth. She scowled as she stood, looking from left to right for any hint as to where the passenger would have gone. Keeping quiet she made her way closer to the pod, searching for footprints. The ground was dry, and the soil obscured by thick grass making any indication of tracks impossible to follow.

Inside the pod she could see the distress signal had been activated, meaning that at least the Alliance would be alerted to their plight soon enough. The blonde turned, leaning against the durasteel of the vehicle, contemplating what to do next.

[member="Darth Lykos"]

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

Humming to himself, Lykos withdrew from his examination of the Light Presence, drawing his focus back inwards instead of outward. While the Presence was undoubtedly Light by nature, they did not seem to hold a threat towards him. Well, a no threat towards him if he was someone who judging how difficult of a foe someone may be depended on what little information he may be able to gleam through an inspection through the Force. He knew well that someone did not even require the Force to potentially be someone who could land a killing blow upon him, so someone who felt less proficient in the Force than himself was to be judge with no less suspicion and wariness.

By now, if he was judging distance correctly, Lykos estimated that he was only 200 meters away from the target and trees and grass was starting to succeed in its attempts to break through the rocky ground beneath. Slowing to a stop after positioning himself downwind of the Presence, Lykos crouched down low in the grass, even if he was photokinetically hiding his physical form and crouching down served him no purpose in concealment. Letting his eye drift closed, he focus on his senses of hearing and smell, both were already advanced compared to an average Human's by the blessing of evolution but they were now enhanced further through the Force.

From what his senses could tell him, their was only one person ahead of him, or, rather, one being with a heartbeat ahead of him. Meaning that there wasn't someone concealing themselves within the Force as he had been doing so accompanying the Presence he had been tracking, but, that there may very well be a droid with them. The slightly rapid sound to their heart, along with their scent - which was being carried on the wind - spoke of them feeling a rush of adrenaline but not because of fear; everything was too subdued for that. Leading him to conclude that, while anxious or worried over something, they were, currently, not afraid of anything. The only other piece of information that he could discern was that they were a Human female and nothing else.

Humming softly to himself once more, Lykos pushed himself to his feet as his eye opened once more and he advanced forwards, much more cautious this time. He had doubled his focus on restraining his own Presence and was making note of exactly where his feet were landing, constantly aiming for already flattened grass or dirt with no grass growing at all in the attempts to leave no tracks behind. Coming to the edge of the tree line, he lay his sight upon the Human for the first time and immediately took in the shock of blond hair, blue eyes, fine features and the lightsaber clasped in her hands as she leant against the durasteel hull of an escape pod. Unfortunately for Lykos and his efforts to hide his tracks, the area in which he stood had no flattened grass nor grass-bare dirt and, so, he had to only hope that, in her distracted state, the human did not see the slight bend to the grass beneath his feet.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]


OOC Note:

Spoiler

So sorry about the delay in this post coming. Januaries have never been a good month for me in terms of health. I always seem to suffer form migraines or stomach bugs or a variety of other illnesses and this year was no different. Still I guess that isn't really much of an excuse for my silence on this matter, since it wouldn't have taken me much effort to send a quick message, would it? For that, you have my deepest apologies. Anyway, no that I'm well again, I'm beginning to work on posting again and, even though I have seen that you have this listed on your thread tracker as Abandoned (which I don't even slightly hold against you, I would have assumed the same considering my silence on this matter - again, sorry about that), I thought that I did still owe you this post. Anyway, if you don't have a wish to continue this, I do understand and accept that. I just wanted to get the post I owed you up. Sorry, once more, for both the delay with the post and for not letting you know about my absence from posting for the majority of this month.