Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Jungle Hunt

As the Infiltrator passed through the atmosphere to the planet’s surface, Sinistra could feel the intense embrace of the darkness enveloping her being like slipping into a comfortable roiling hot spring. This planet had long been a bastion of the darkside, a beacon for the tainted souls. She brought Kevros here to find and catch some specimens for his work with alchemy, exploring the tomes she had given him so that he might bend all of creation to his will.

She had surely been boring the boy to death, tucked away from others, reading and debating philosophy and lessons, but she did not train fools. She expected ambition, she expected him to be smart and to be cunning. He would need patience and time to reach his potential. She would see him make it.

The small craft set down in a clearing, the ramp extending to the soft, wet ground. The jungle was humid and the controls in her suit adjusted to keep her cool or at least as cool as she could get it. A cargo droid followed her down the ramp with a hovercart loaded with a large animal crate. Her carried a datapad in her right hand and a blaster set to stun in her right.

“We are here for a gorgal. It is a large jungle cat, black fur with golden eyes. They are pretty huge, and tend to dwell in trees. There are poison glands in their claws so be careful. I only have so much antidote. Questions?”

[member="Kevros Kovani"]
 
Life.

It was the one thing that truly was foolish to tamper with, unless you were a Sith. The ideals and studies around alchemy had been passed down since the ancient times of the once great Empire. Those that sought out to control such a tantalizing process were known as alchemist. The books had told him a multitude of things about the powers of Alchemy, the one thing that stood out the most was the concept of creation. Being able to bend and twist a living thing into a new form of art and destruction pleased Kevros.

Books weren't the only thing that made him excited about his further process into the world of alchemy, it was in the most daunting way, his master. Her lessons had taught him the key aspects of control, timing, and patience. Before his mind was so focused on harnessing the dark side that he was blind to how much the force truly wanted him, no, needed him. Sinistra while strict with her teachings was responsible for his growth. The small time they corralled with one another manifested a tenacious relationship of reverence for one another. A rare commodity within the tutelage process of the Sith.

Even with such a bond Kevros still wasn't as capable as he would have liked, the long sessions were necessary, but it was time to let loose. Kevros stood as the small utility droid passed him, the typical ding from its opening compartment made him cringe. He hated the sound of mechanized necessities. The electronic shocks of the ramp door opened as Kevros made his way to the backside of Sinistra, walking slowly till he reached the humid air.

She had questioned him, something Sinistra seemed to never get bored of.

"I've read about the Gorgal's natural habitat, abilities, and likely prey, master." Kevros turned to look at the vast trees around him, the wet murky water outlining a path into the vast jungle. "How do you expect to subdue such a beast? Using the force is notably an advantage, but i want one alive, do I not, Master?" Kevros wasn't entirely sure how to subdue the beast, let alone if he could handle a pack of them.

Stepping forward the muddy dirt hugged his boot, the smell of rich vegetation lingering about, Kevros wasn't wearing his normal Kovani attire. Instead he choose to go freely, his cut off tank revealing his toned arms. Most notably his young, white, pale complexion of his face finally revealed to Sinistra. His long black hair stretching to the mid part of his back. Kevros' grey utility belt holding firm to his waist, his hilt and gadgets resting safely to it. The only thing truly representing his past Kovani pride was his right bicep. The tattoo of a cross engraved nicely into his skin. Free from the restricted movements of his cloak and shoulder guard, he would be able to traverse the jungle much easier.

Grinning his dark lips curled, the thought of grabbing a pet for experimentation with alchemy made him joyed. Sick and twisted in his own ways, he couldn't wait to return the favor to a future creation.

[member="Sinistra"]
 
"Of course, it would be useless to us otherwise."

She checked the setting of her blaster again, letting it drop to her side and headed out into the jungles. Her saber swung through the thick vegetation as they moved deeper into the hunting territory of the massive cat. After a while, the saber was extinguished and put away, the pair of them moving through the forest quietly. Sinistra's blaster was raised as she swept the area, looking for heat signatures.

It took them an hour of hiking in, but she was not silent during that time. She had established a connection to Kevros by now, and so in situations where silence was best, she instead reached out to him via telepathy in order to continue his lessons.

<<How did you find the story of Darth Sidious?>>

His last reading assignment covered a somewhat favored subject for Sinistra. She had a deep seated fascination for the Emperor. She paused and motioned for him to stop and look up to the treetops where her HUD had identified a large, warm animal.

[member="Kevros Kovani"]
 
The heat was miserable, the wet, dry, and spunky condensation forced him to sweat. It wasn't that he couldn't handle it, he just hated the heat. His mood had gone from excited to aggravate. The hour hike had taken his joy of the hunt away. There were no signs of any animals in the area until Sinistra came to a sudden halt.

Kevros' mind felt the voice calling to him, an echo of sorts as his master intruded. The force had allowed them to telepathically communicate. A vital form of communication, during such a hunt. Silent and crouching behind the lush fauna. The force allowed them to discuss other matters.

<<How did you find the story of Darth Sidious?>>

<< I've in my past, came upon a inscription. Written by a Sith Lord named, Plagueis. I find his work fascinating. While rummaging through the vast work of his, I stumbled upon a small doctrine. The doctrine was called, the creation of Monsters. It spoke of monstrosities known as Shadow Droids and Chrysalis beasts. A product of Darth Sidious himself and Sith Alchemy.>>

Kevros relayed the information, while he hadn't fully given her the answer about how he came to know the full story, he found it fitting given the animal they were hunting was part of Sidious' design. The sound of a gurgling growl sliced through the humid air, Kevros reeled back, his eyes set on a large cat, prowling in the tree above.

[member="Sinistra"]
 
Unfortunately the gorgal had spotted them just as Sinistra had motioned them to halt. The golden eyes of the creature were not very visible in the dim light of the tree tops but the growling hiss of it belied its position. Just as Sinistra was about to fire her stun shot at it, the gorgal turned and ran, jumping to the next tree and continuing to do its best to get away from the new threat.

"After it! Blaster up, ready to stun."

Sinistra did not waste anytime, immediately taking after it. She did not have enough room or light to follow it into the treetops. She had the benefit of her HUD to track the heat signature but Kevros would have to use his senses and skills to bag the cat.

She was glad about her armorweave now, tearing through the thick vegetation, the thorns and branches of various plants didn't cut or jab her, just releasing her and as she crashed through them, her eyes on the prize above, leaping from branch to branch.

[member="Kevros Kovani"]
 
Like any jungle the barbed vines, prickly bushes and flimsy branches were treacherous obstacles. Kevros knew this would be the case, only he choose to sacrifice his armor for quickness. The thorns of the jungle slashed at his vulnerable skin, sap like blood lifting to the surface as he sped through behind Sinistra. He grabbed onto his blaster, the same one Sinistra had told him to use. Setting it to stun he followed the beast with a watchful eye. Its fur slithered in and out of the twig like branches overhead. The agile creature leaped with ease, like a phantom it vanished from his view.

What the?

He lifted his gun to the air, stopping. He lost sight of Sinistra altogether. With the force he reached out, rushing to her aid. She was an easy signature to pick up, the connection of the force within her ample and ripe. Kevros slid across the muddy plane, unsure of what he had entered. The smell of disease was present. Lacking the sight of the beast he was no stranger to where it had lead him

The gorgal's feasting grounds.
 
She lost sight of the gorgal for a moment, but once she found it, there was another problem. There were two now in the treetops. Probably a mating pair. The potential for future generations of the beast made her grin mischievously under the mask. She reached out to him through the force.

<<Look sharp. There's another up there. Hopefully they are mates.>>

The wild cats' shrieks called out from the canopy of the jungle and the violent shaking of branches tipped her off to their descent to the forest floor. Both seemed to be charging her location, and she fired in the direction of the one in front of her before she had to leap from the path of the second.

[member="Kevros Kovani"]
 
The sudden snapping overhead made him quickly shift his gun upward, a large cat leaping towards him, the same one that planned to rip Sinistra to shreds. Rolling out of the way his finger pressed down on the trigger, the tranquilizer released from the inner chamber. Like a dart it flew through the air, barely missing the black furred beast. Striking a nearby tree the gorgal's claws dug deep as it shred the bark like wood chipper. Kevros hear the low sounding growl, Sinistra told him there were two. Unaware of where the other gorgal was he backed away slowly.

<< I only saw one....Where is…Oh.>>

He felt it, the set of another two yellow eyes watching him from behind. With the more slender gorgal in front of him and another at his back he was cornered. The low clicking of their tongues hinted at their communication. Kevros had to think fast. The first one dashed through the murky mud for a frontal assault. Assuming the male counterpart would do the same only a few meters behind him, Kevros tapped into the force. Following what Sinistra had done he jumped, seconds before impact. Twirling through the air his knees reached his chest. His left arm stretched outward, gun in hand. His elbow slammed into his knee holding his aim steady. Still airborne he closed one eye, the large male gorgal leaping for him. Centering himself he fired, his long black hair obstructing his view to see if he was successful.

Falling, Kevros needed a nice landing. The branches of the vast jungle made it difficult to find a decent footing. Instead of the ground he decided on using the branches that made it so tedious for landing. Delicately he placed himself gently down with the force, the thick gray limb holding him high enough away from the danger below.

[member="Sinistra"]
 
Between them both, the cats were subdued; one by her shot and one by his. The pair of them slept heavily on the forest floor, while Sinistra ventured over to check them. Other than being unconscious, they seemed to be in perfect health but Sinistra noticed something on the belly of the larger cat.

"She's nursing kits. We need to find them. They will be valuable specimens for us."

She looked around, slinging the blaster over her shoulder.

"Can't use tranqs on the kits. Fan out, look for a hollow or a cave or a thicket. She's not going that far when she's got a litter."

Sinistra had alerted the droids to rendezvous with them, and she had spare cages on the hovercart. She just hoped they would all fit. Male by himself, female and litter in the other. If they could find them.

She tuned the sensitivity on her HUD and listened for movement and mewing.

'Here, kitty, kitty' she thought to herself as she moved cautiously.

[member="Kevros Kovani"]
 
Jumping from the branch back onto the jungle floor he nodded to Sinistra. Splitting up from one another would allow them to cover more ground. The kits would be in a safe place, otherwise it would be too easy for prey to kill them. Gorgal's commonly found dark places for their kits, preferably a cave.

"I'll head this way, I saw a few caves along the ridge of the Jungle."

Kevros didn't give her time to agree, he just went. His black hair slashing at the thorns and twigs as he ran for the location he spotted on the way to the feasting grounds. He knew if Sinistra found anything she would be able to telepathically contact him.

Slowing he ducked low, a large fallen tree giving him cover. Two caves side by side just a few feet in front of him. The jungle seemed to change from fauna to stone, the closer he snuck toward the caves. He hid himself, trying to listen for any signs of life. Kevros had to be careful, if there was another animal hunting the kits before him, he would have to keep his wits about him.

Creeping closer he could hear a low growl, one of the caves held a creature.

What beast laid inside, was the real question...

[member="Sinistra"]
 
Sinistra had circled around to a hollow in a bit of brush, listening for the sound of kits but instead she encountered a pair of canine scavengers. With bit of power channeled through her hand, she flicked the canines away from her with a force push. The pair of them scampered away, but she could find no trace of kits. The carcass they were feasting on was too large to be a kit. More likely it was whatever the gorgals had killed for their own food.

She pressed on, her boots crunching through the litter on the forest floor until she had found where Kevros was.

<<I've not nothing. Did you hear something in there?>>

The rock walls blocked her HUD but she raised her blaster as they peered into the cave.

[member="Kevros Kovani"]
 
He could smell it, the slimy iron filled saliva from the beast within made him lift his forearm to his nose. The smell was rancid, like a rotting corpse on a hot summer’s day. The fumes alone could halt any intruder, perhaps this was a defensive tactic to keep those from the outside away. A cold wind swept vigorously across the stone floor, a small irritating growl following after.

<<There is something in here, for sure...>>

Kevros communicated the thought quickly as his tranquiller gun was lifted to the air. His left arm outstretched stiff and ready to fire at any danger. A small squeak bellowed from below as it reverberated off the grey walls of the beast’s sanctum. A small critter running by making its way for the exit.

Kevros could feel it, the force swaying back and forth like a chain caught in a storm. The tug and pull of the motion he felt warned him, the beast deeper in the pit must have been linked to the force in some way. Then it hit him like a hammer sent from above, a solid whip like object went to strike him. Rolling to the side he dodged the attack, a low grunt coming from the hidden beast. The ground sizzling from what looked like a venom pool, clearly from the abrupt assault.

<<Venom? I don't think this is the right cave...>>

As soon as he warned Sinistra the beast leaped forward, bending in a defensive manner. Its teeth bared, white and chomping as it barked. The canine was something that Kevros had seen once before, only in books they seemed less of an adversary. In the heat of the moment, Kevros knew one thing.

Where there was one Vornskr, there were others. As soon as the concept crossed his mind, slits of yellow and red irises sprang from the darkness. The pack slowly wakening from the pack leaders resounding barks.

[member="Sinistra"]
 

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