Fair-weather Friends and The Pirate's Foe

[Setzi Lunelle]

One hundred and thirteen meters of durasteel with three modular components - "nodes" they were called - which could be sealed off to prevent pirates from boarding, The Pirate’s Foe, Setzi Lunelle’s freighter sat in a small hangar on the outskirts of Voss, awaiting her return. It wasn’t a useful ship in terms of combat. It had long ago served its purpose for Agricorps, and due the Dark Knight’s refurbishment of the cargo hold to install more livable quarters, the vessel could no longer hold the seven-hundred tons of supplies it could have previously.

But The Pirate’s Foe was everything to Setzi Lunelle - it had been her lifeline so many times, and she'd basically called it home before any planet or system.

The freighter would serve another purpose now that she’d reconnected with her old Master, Connor Harrison, who had transformed into another type of “foe” much like the Mobquet Medium Transport. As the pair descended into the atmosphere of Voss, Setzi marveling at the clear view of the thriving ocean and setting their course for Voss-Ka where the freighter was, she turned to her companion and asked, “Are you ready?”

He had been quiet on the trip, and she hadn’t wanted to disturb her old friend. Though the both of them had executed the most taut-wire type of infiltration in the past, this one specifically was thoroughly unplanned right down to whether they’d be in disguise or not. Setzi assumed she would do most of the talking if the pair were questioned, but the way her former Master enjoyed espousing his new dark philosophy, she worried that he would not keep quiet for long… especially if someone from their past was to resurface.

Was there a shred of hope that she might be able to find out what happened to Chastity? Her missing sister had spent so much time on Voss after all.

Hope. In this galaxy there would always be hope, even for fugitives like the pair of darksiders.

[member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Vitha Sat-thuron"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Voss.

So picturesque it belonged on a holocard.

Connor Harrison - the manifestation of this new Dark Side seed - piloted the single engine travellers ship through the atmosphere towards the capital of Voss-ka. One minute they were flying low over woodland, the next a great lake, then rolling fields and farms. The world that was once his former home and the base of operations for the noble Silver Jedi Order.

Beside him was one of the wandering flock - Setzi Lunelle, a girl riddled with so much dark potential she was a walking, ticking time bomb ready to either explode or be snuffed out.

"We know the planet. We know the Jedi. We land, we find your ship, and we leave. There is nothing here for us."

He looked at her with those burning amber eyes, feeling her desperation for answers.

"SHE is not here. Remember that."

‘She’, of course, was the missing Lunelle sister, Chastity.

The capital city came into view. Within minutes, Connor took their small craft around the perimeter for a landing just outside the outskirts where the ship would remain now until it was impounded or stolen, for they were here for the Pirate’s Foe.

Part of Connor however hoped one or two foolish Jedi would come to see these new arrivals and learn just how much danger Voss was in once more now the former Master and leader of the Silver Shadows was back, and with help.

[member="Setzi Lunelle"] | [member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Vitha Sat-thuron"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

The Tumbleweed had set down at the Voss-Ka spaceport only a few moments ago. Though the ship had powered down, the engine was still warm. Aboard the freighter, there was a lone occupant. Valae Kitra had just returned from a trip back home. The newly minted Master sat in the pilot’s seat still, her eyes quite tired and heavy. She probably could have dozed off, but a voice rang through her comm system:

“Master Kitra – welcome home.” The voice said, “We’ve got an unidentified transport coming your way.”

Valae straightened up in her seat and rubbed her eyes.

“I’ll go see to it,” She replied, holding back a yawn. “Y’all hold tight, I’ll holler if I need help.”

A moment later, the control center had sent coordinates – the spot where the unmarked ship had set down. Standing up from her seat, she rubbed the side of her forehead and walked towards the cargo bay. The healer threw her robes on over her street clothes, but tied it up tight to maintain a somewhat presentable appearance. She set her medic backpack on her shoulders, grabbed a heavy blaster pistol, and her saber… just in case.

As she exited her ship, she felt the soft rays of sunlight touch her face. It was a pleasantly warm day, but there was a breeze that made it just right. Her chestnut eyes focused on the spot in the distance. There was a distinct ripple in the force, something familiar. However, it was also cause for concern. Taking a few steps towards the edge of the space port, she paused and sighed.

“There might be trouble on the horizon.”

Her index finger rose to point at one of the rocky peaks of Voss-Ka, her new destination.

[member="Setzi Lunelle"], [member="Connor Harrison"], [member="Vitha Sat-thuron"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

[SIZE=24pt]Arisa [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]sat alone upon a boulder in the midst of the vast untamed wilderness of Voss, deep in meditation. All around her position were a circle of rock piles - once single large boulders that had been pulverized into much smaller pebbles and dust. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Her eyes were closed, but in the Force, she could see [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]fractures[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt] all around her like an overlay of cracked panes. She focused on small one coming from an untouched stone on her five. Reaching out in the Force, she applied steady pressure against the fracture, causing it to grow even larger until the whole point seemed to shatter. In the real world, the rock crumbled apart just like the rest had before. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]She exhaled, then opened her eyes, done for the day. She was getting the hang of this emergent ability as her connection to the Force grew deeper after years of steady unconscious withdrawal from the psychological strain of over a decade of near constant warfare.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Before she could sit back and relax, though, she felt a disturbance far beyond the expanse of the forest, coming from the sky. She focused on the disturbance until she felt that distinctive blight of the Dark Side, heading for Voss, large fissure blooming out from that roving pit of darkness. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Quickly she gathered her things off the boulder, then hopped off for her U-wing. She called no one as she powered up the craft and took to the air, not wanting to alert the new "guests" on her way back, as to not cause a scene. Not until she was there in person, at least.[/SIZE]

[member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Setzi Lunelle"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPCWVZNEyjc[/youtube]​

Though a ball of confusion raged inside of her - a tug of war between light and dark with no clear winner - Setzi remained calm, giddy almost. She felt a little like a teenager skipping school, or that time on Ruusan where she slipped out of the Jedi dormitories to cavort around on Ziost with Master Malvern. At the time, what they were doing seemed so dangerous and subversive. She nearly snorted aloud thinking of how shallow it all was, like her recent lightsaber wound that the Jedi had healed, sending Setzi on her own path of burning curiosity over the Darkside of the Force.

How many complex missions had been completed since then? Countless. This one? So much more simple, but at the same time, a precarious and delicate aim.

Their ship set down and the turmoil inside her kicked up a couple of notches at the sheer presence of lightside energy, although a Force signature she could not obtain. She did manage to pick up slight imprints from her time on Voss before, but a year passed and so much had changed.

Her own lightsaber, crafted with Knight Mullarus, another casualty of time, while she was with the old Silvers was tucked away, Setzi dressed casually and not like a Jedi or a Sith. She wasn’t there to preach lightsided dogma or slaughter innocents.

You can’t keep a bad woman away from a good starship, she mused.

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor knew the route like the back of his now cybernetic hand. He knew everything that the former Jedi. The difference was, now, he would make up his own mind about those who he deemed to be allies, enemies, friends and foes. On Voss, he doubted there would be any friends.

He was hoping his arrival would draw out the woman, Coci Heavenshield. He wanted to meet this person who had come so close to breaking the Jedi Master down, but failed at the last minute. The ship belonging to Setzi, Pirate’s Foe, was a welcome bonus prize to take away.

The pair walked in unison across the flat grassland before the old city of Voss-ka. A stream ran the outskirts, a few wooden bridges erected here and there for citizens to pass over. To the left, the ominous silhouette of the mighty Jedi temple.

Connor walked and stared at it, his head turned in the other direction to where he was walking. One day he would love to get inside there and tear it apart seeing just what the Jedi had become without him. And get back the Skywalker relic she stole from him.

"You just lead us to the ship. That’s all you have to do. The Jedi will be here soon, and they will need to be dealt with. Do not let your personal feelings towards them or your sister get in the way."

He felt an air of uncertainty about her. It bothered him. He would need to watch how she dealt with what happened next.

Looking up, he heard an engine cutting through the otherwise quiet sky.

[member="Setzi Lunelle"] | [member="Arisa Yune"] | [member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae left the spaceport behind her; swift steps carried her towards the fringes of Voss-ka. As the city bustle faded to the background, there was only the natural splendor of Voss. She could hear the gentle babbling of a stream, and the wind passing through the branches of old growth. However, it was almost like the breeze carried with it a sinister air. Of course, it was she felt through the force. The Jedi healer hugged the side of a rocky peak, using a bit of strength to climb up.

Once she was at the top, she crawled with her belly close to the rocky surface.

Peeking over the ridge, she could see two figures silhouetted against the sky. In the distance, there was little she could tell about them – save for that one was larger and broader than the other. A sight like this would generally not be much of a cause for concern, but there was a sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach. She had a notion that these visitors were not here to enjoy the sights and scenes.

She felt their darkness; it was possible that they had noticed her presence as well.

Acting quickly, Valae began to shrink her force presence down. She sank down behind the cover of a large boulder, chestnut eyes daring to peek out every now and then. And as the two figures grew closer, she gasped audibly. The larger figure was Connor Harrison, or what was left of him… she was certain. After a brief encounter with him, she knew his presence – that strange and shadowy darkness. And the woman with him was also familiar, but she wasn’t close enough to clearly make out her features. But there was a nagging sense that she knew her as well, but how?

And though she hated confrontations, she knew deep down that it would be best to prepare herself.

[member="Setzi Lunelle"], [member="Connor Harrison"], [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

It didn't take her long to reach the airspace of Voss-ka by starfighter, homing in on the two dark signatures that now traversed the surface. At high altitude, she circled around them in a large orbit, putting her U-wing's scanners to use. One freighter, and two people near it like she had felt, but then a third individual would be revealed in the vicinity. Focusing on their signature by using the ship's instruments as a reference she quickly recognized the faint but familiar aura as Valae's. If it hadn't been for the U-wing, she wouldn't have even been able to pick it out on her own - Valae was hiding.

Why is she here? That complicated matters as she had hoped to swoop in on the potential threats solo for assessment.

She pulled away from the yoke to leave the cockpit for the passenger area, but the cyborg maintained control of the U-wing through her neural link. It descended almost perfectly verticle at a slow pace, its final destination 300m away from the grounded freighter on its six. The whole way down, the transport was pitched slightly forward, main guns trained in the general direction of the freighter and the two Dark Siders moseying around on the outskirts of Voss-Ka.

As the U-wing descended, she called Valae's phone over her neural link to make contact. Her friend was a competent Jedi more than worthy of her rank as Master, but combat was not her forte. She wanted Valae to sit back until she finally landed and see what business the "guests" had on Voss today.

[member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Setzi Lunelle"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

With each step, Azurea felt more and more like Setzi. Perhaps it was the mental imprint of Voss, transcending the physical boundaries of her body to temper the darkness inside of her.

Conflict was not what she wanted, despite feeling that it was unavoidable. Luckily Connor didn’t want it either. And while her former Master and now Sith Knight had ulterior motives, one in the name of Coci Heavenshield, Setzi did not pry, however, noting that he was a little distracted. Then again they had much to be wary of on the planet of Silver headquarters.

"Do not let your personal feelings towards them or your sister get in the way."

The air of uncertainty he felt had turned into a full blown hurricane within minutes. It was as though by saying the words aloud, he’d granted her permission to let those personal feelings flood inward. Therefore, she was far too preoccupied with her stream of consciousness devolvement to even notice Master Kitra hiding behind a nearby boulder.

Feth, feth, feth, you are getting ready to kark this entire operation up, she thought, knowing Connor would notice the sudden change of emotional atmosphere from his once-Padawan.

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The amber eyes flicked up as he heard the ship come almost out of nowhere, circle, and move to land.

"We have company."

He then felt another, to the left. Were they flanking him? It seems the Jedi were spoiling for a fight so soon.

"Another. To the..."

Connor had to stop and look back, for Setzi was walking slower. That was enough to signal trouble, and his eyes narrowed. He turned to face her.

"I knew. I knew from the second you tried to conjure up an image that wasn't yours that you would fail me. You are conflicted by the Light aren't you. You are weak."

Turning, he walked backwards to the Lunelle girl and reached for her, grabbing her arm and pulling her forward.

"Come out, Jedi! I have returned one of your own!"

His voice traveled across the plains and for a moment it was just the pair of them, stood, facing nothing but nature and calm. They were there, coming closer. Watching. Like predators. His grip twisted tight on Setzi's arm.

"You have made a terrible enemy today, Jedi."

With a twisted face of anger, he flung Setzi forward at an awkward angle to cast her down on all fours on the grassy solid beneath them.

[member="Setzi Lunelle"] | [member="Arisa Yune"] | [member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae winced as Connor’s strong grasp found his companion’s arm. Had they come here together? Or was this young woman here against her will? It was hard to know. However, there seemed to be some lingering sense of uncertainty about her. She heard Connor’s voice calling out, this time a direct demand to the Jedi. Valae swallowed hard, her presence had not gone unnoticed. As she steeled her nerves, she peered around the boulder, her gaze focused on the face of the brunette.

And then, there was a sudden burst of recognition.

Within the depths of her recollections, there was a memory of a party. This woman was there. Valae recalled that Knight Mullarus had briefly introduced them. But that was years ago, the young woman’s name was no longer in her memories… Still, Valae was fairly certain that she had been among the Silvers back then. Stiffening, Valae watched as Connor pushed the woman down to the ground. Now, there was a small hint of courage inside – and she revealed herself.

“Don’t lay another hand on her.” She warned the man.

By now, he would surely recognize her. During their recent encounter, Connor had called her weak – and had called her a failure. He had sensed that hint of fear within Valae then; surely he would be searching for it now, too. And though she was not strong in combat, it didn’t mean that she could not be brave.

However, there was also the chance that revealing herself so easily had been foolish… not brave.

[member="Setzi Lunelle"], [member="Connor Harrison"], [member="Arisa Yune"]