Kokuhyo

[Nine Lives]

On Alderaan...


"Its not personal, I swear it." the deep contralto of the woman uttered apologetically. Her ivory handled Katana the first thing noticed by the frightened victim. The smaller, double edged sword underneath gleamed a little better in the ship lights.

"G...get back. Don't you karkin' come near me, whatever you are! I'll use this!" The pudgy woman in the brown engineering suit said, her black hair in an odd, squat moe-type cut. Her brown eyes danced with fear as she held the slugthrower pistol. Forty five caliber. Robes wouldn't take it.

"You are only frightening yourself needlessly."

She towered over the other woman, concealed by green, flower printed ceremonial robes, a somewhat roomy type of hooded Kimono in design, the hood obscuring the features of her face, save for two unsettling dots of bright purple fixed on the woman's neck.

She had followed her from the dockyard, the hunger driving her after the woman. Ninth and final feeding of the night before she was sated enough. The woman had simply had the misfortune of being too close to the Psy-Pire, who was too hungry, and the woman too weak looking and isolated to be considered a threat. An unfortunate miscalculation on Nine's part.

She had ghosted the dockworker during the forty minute walk to her own ship, a large, saucer shaped craft she knew to be based off very ancient and eccentric designs. It was located in the unoccupied grasslands close to the forest. Perfect.

"What do you want?" The woman blubbered in fear. "Money? I barely make enough to get buy!"

"Oh if only my problem could be solved by throwing money at it. No, unfortunately."

"You...you going to kill me?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

The short woman looked even more frightened of the tall woman whose face was concealed. She had noiselessly followed the woman up her boarding ramp. The dockworker had been distracted, had run up the ramp quickly before Nine could put her in a sleeper hold, which would have made the subsequent pain and fear a relatively remote possibility, forcing Nine to follow her further into the vessel, only a shadow on a wall in the ship giving her away. But she had not known about the pistol.

"Show me your face!" The dockworker demanded.

"It is a face with an unclean gaze. You would not like it."

"Last chance!"

The hooded Psy-Pire paused, blinked visibly.

"As you wish..."

The hood came down with a simple flick of her hand. The dockworker stared, half from surprise at not seeing anything truly hideous, half because it turned out Nine was right.

Her face was delicate, cheekbones possessing a definition that stopped just short of being declared sharp. Her nose slim and perfectly set against the exotic features. Her lips were a light blush color, full in shape. There was no amusement. No sadism in the features. A tired resignation to the inevitable drew the mouth of an otherwise gorgeous woman into what seemed to be a permanent frown crinkling flesh of a light olive shade.

But the eyes really were unclean, and the beautiful features of the woman somehow became subsumed by the terrible, simplistic hunger with which they stared at the meal. Nine would hate this next part.

The Dockworker backed away, the tall woman seemed to glide closer.

"What are you?" The short, squat woman almost whispered.

The frown grew much larger.

"An exile. Destiny's discarded piece of driftwood. A parasite. A tick. Constantly two steps ahead of starvation."

"L-l-look, if...if its food you want, just take whatever is in the fresher and leave. I...I won't tell anyone, just leave!"

Nine Lives drew in a sharp breath of regret.

"I wish both our problems could be solved so easily."

The dockworker opened fire, but Nine Lives was faster, the Arch Psy-Pire drawing her katana in a single, one handed motion, knocking the gun out of her hand, but catching a graze on the cheek as she moved in bite range. The Dockworker screamed as the tall woman seized her.

"Don't worry, kind girl." Nine Lives said, as she seized the pudgy woman, terrified woman.

"I promise you...you won't even remember my face..."

...and Nine Lives stopped her feeding after consuming that fresh memory, She withdrew bloodied fangs into her mouth, revolted by the sweetness of the taste, and how good the feeding made her feel, holding the unconcious woman.

She had taken more than she had intended. Between gobbling up a memory of her playing with lawn darts and one of her picking up her check a few hours before, she had accidentally come across a recent birthday memory, and before she could stop herself she had swallowed it to her own horror.

It had been one of the woman's happiest memories. The last time she had been able to play with her pet kath hound before having to put him down due to chronic illness. The taste had been so sweet, the happy sensation of the dog licking her face, and Nine so lonely, that the aforementioned factors combined into a perfect storm.

She looked at the woman, unconscious in her hands, blissfull in her unawareness of what she might have just lost forever. And then she looked at her sword, and not for the first time, wondered if she should put it through herself. And not for the first time, she reminded herself if she died, there would be no one left to even try finding a cure to this wretched illness that destroyed everything around her, including her ability to gaze upon the stars and be happy, to gaze and not feel overwhelming self disgust.

If she died, who could cure all the other people whose lives she had ruined giving this disease to in a dissociative state?

She rose, though she picked up her unconcious victim and carried her to her bedroom. She cleaned the wounds from the bite marks, placing a bacta patch she found in a stashed emergency kit under the bed, and gave her a hypo of antibiotics, in case the bacta missed something. As she was treating her victims wounds, she noticed photos of her and her dog. The squat woman was grinning in every photo the dog was.

Nine stared and felt her stomach give a phantom wretch. Her body wanted to vomit in shame, but she hadn't eaten real food in decades. What came up was dry heaves as the Psy-Pire doubled over, coughing non-existant guilt-vomit out. Or trying to.

Her robes felt too hot. She pulled them off her, revealing she was only sparsely clothed by a simple black bra and underwear underneath the robes, shivering in anxiety as she fought down a panic attack at what she had done by accident.

At least, she hoped it had been an accident. Sometimes...the act in the moment of it made it hard to tell.

She stood, letting her body stop shivering in guilt for a moment, forced herself to calm down.

"Taking the birthday was an accident...it was an accident, I swear it... she said under her breath to herself. She looked at her ceremonial robes...and wanted to burn it. It was a false finery. Fancy coverings for a bloated tick. It was also her only protection currently...

Nine felt her own blood on her face. It was time to leave. She needed sleep if she wanted the wound to vanish. It was lavender in color, a sign of the corrupt process that had mutated her.

Refixing her robes, Nine threw on her hood and walked off the vessel, wondering if her reason for staying alive was just an excuse to keep breathing when there was no longer any need.

She began a long trek to a cave she had picked out in the woods, a fitting location for something as discarded as she.


[member="Sky'ito Yumi"], [member="Alexandra Feanor"], [member="Sawa Ike"](Or rather, whoever Matsu chooses to show up as,) [member="Stephanie Swail"].

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Nine Lives"]

Something had changed... something had awoken and Sawa looked up from the chamber. Her beddings were large and the woman looked over as the shell spider silk slipped around. Black hair in a large wave cascading around her before the dark master slipped out. Feet touching the black marble on her bare feet when her fangs snapped into place. This tremor in the force, this familiar feeling she hadn't felt in centuries... longer. It made her sneer for a moment before she was moving with her eyes following the others around the stronghold. Dawn was a fortress itself but she knew this feeling. It was something deep in her heart that she knew wanted to kill her... or other things.

She was moving now through the hallways and sneered when she looked at one of the open windows, her great granddaughter had discovered her when they were rebuilding this. She looked outwards though with the force and could feel it... away from Atrisia before she looked for it, her sneer becoming something softer until she heard footsteps. "Mistress." She turned quickly her hand snapping out and snatching outwards to take the twi'leks throat. Her fangs were snapped into place.. silvery eyes glaring and glowing practically in the darkened hallways. "What is it?" Looking at her before she checked it out releasing the girls throat.

"We have received a messenger from the mountains." Sawa looked at her and brought her hand out as she winced before she was moving. Cooing the young girl who nuzzled her hand before the dark lord of the stronghold moved towards the throne room and descended the stairs She came out behind her throne and sat down looking at her soldiers who stood around the room. The Dark Yovshin was something big that few had. Dark styled armor with the atrisian style, their blades were black metal that had been forged into a sinister looking katana. Her captain standing there towering over most of them and wearing a terentrek styled helmet.

"Well." She said it and looked down, one of the men was standing there fear on his face when she glared down at him. Silver eyes piercing until he tried to speak and move forwward up the steps to her feet. Her commander driving one of the spikes on the boot toe into his shoulder to stop him before flipping the men back down the steps. "I suggest you not try that again human. Now tell me what is so urgent you came here in the middle of the night." She got a look of fear and he spoke. "The seals were broken, we don't know who has broken into the temple." Sawa looked at him and her mind was racing. That was what she had felt.

SOMETIME LATER

Sawa had visited the site of it, where she had sealed away Ni Ne and much of her past. Crossing her arms over her chest when she was in her meditation chamber she recalled when they had been younger. Why the girl had been so important to her and there was a great deal that others didn't understand. It had been before she had even left the planet still in school and visited by the jedi. Instead of choosing her they had taken this new girl.. this one no one else knew. She had spent her time reflecting upon that time and what had goen wrong.... well okay she knew what had gone wrong. Ni Ne was a selfish c......

Her thoughts trailed off when someone came into the room disturbing her when she had told them not to and she moved. Predatory at first as she turned and snarled barring her fangs striking them and smashing them into the wall as the marble groaned and almost cracked. She was prepared to rip teir throat out with her teeth as the man spoke. "We found her mistress." Sawa didn't stop she held him with one hand as the other squelched for a moment with her letting him fall to the ground limply. She walked out fo the room as the sound of suckling came to her. Hand going to the one servant who stood there as she had crimson gore smeared on her face.

She was heading towards the throne room again and as the information was there for her. She entered the room and her fingers were in going to her mouth to lick at the remains there. Getting a small look as one of the soldiers in charge of her men spoke. "The reports from the scouts mistress points to her on Alderaan. There have been attacks there recently and some reports." They couldn't confirm it was her, how could they if she could destroy their memories... she might fel bad about it but Sawa smiled down leaning back in her throne as she crossed her legs. "Good, then we shall go and check it out quietly. Send a message to my great grand daughter."

She got a look but remained ready for anything seing them. One of the few who could question her mostly now... once for their health. "Are you certain Mistress?" She stood up moving over towards him. "Yes, she can serve my needs. If Ni-Ne is there, if she has been creating children then I will need someone able to at least match her in terms of strength and skill. Or at least can act as bait. They have my scent albeit weakly which could drive her to make a mistake no doubt. I'll be there to find her then and return her to the hole I left her in." She got a nod of them mens head before walking and crossed her arms leaving her hand exposed.

The sound of her servant as she was cleaning her masters hand with her tongue on the fingers wasn't much but her commander came in. Stand taller then her but spoke. "Are you certain you want to do this My Lady? At least take a garrison to hunt her." Sawa looked at the hulking being and grinned. "I need to do this.... She meant something to me once, she was a friend, more. There was a time I would have abandoned everything for her... When I offered to.... but she chose the jedi. Chose to leave me and then returned to hunt me down and in my anger I did things to her. I was petty, I was cruel... more so then I can be."

She said it remembering but kept her eyes focused. "Then after some time, the anger went away and I tried to help her. To end her suffering as a last mercy but she still didn't die... She couldn't and became something of an abomination born from me. So she is mine to handle, she is mine to kill or lock away in a box under the earth if I so choose." She was sneering down and reaching out with the force to let her know she was coming as she heard the voice. "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness was and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined her loss." The atrisian spoke behind the mask moving back to guide their master to the ship.

"That was pretty, have you been trying to write that poem again?" A small smirk and interest was in her voice. She knew that a few decades of trying to write and express the feeling their felt was hard. "Yes My Lady and maybe it is getting better but my service to you comes first." Good, she walked and went towards the ship entering it and holding dark sister and the black lotus blades on her hips. She would handle it as a grin appeared on her face setting the course for Alderaan and preparing for a hunt. Her presence in the darkside becoming more slippery so she could slink around like a predator on the hunt.

 

[Sky'ito Yumi]

Alderan had been quite the interesting planet, records and accounts from her mother describing the empire attack using the infamouse death star, reducing the planet to a small asteroid field. Not though, around 200 years ago such planet had been brought to life, rebuild in a physical sense, a carbon copy using the building blacks left after it's destruction.

It was quite a marvel and her mothers recollection of the reconstruction and restoration never got old, but that was not why the young Jin had come here, not it was due to the most recent events about some sort of memory lose. After the Sith attack there was a very high possibility that some dark side user was still present an perhaps using drain Knowledge or some other force power to stay hidden, though it could be some espionage operate trying to glean information.

Regardless, having just learned to use the force power memory rub and detect if people had their mind altered Sukai had decided to investigate, after all Faith Organa was still looking for any help in rebuilding her planet. As such the young Jedi had quickly made haste to the ruined world, her fighter landing with little trouble as the main space port, having access to the private pay reserved for diplomats and other important people. So far so good, aside from a rather odd and confusing feeling that engulfed Sukai upon exciting her fighter.

It was a feeling that for some reason begged to be familiar, yet at the same time was new, it was fast approaching, like a ship coming into land? maybe, was it a distant relative of some sort? 'No now is not the time, family events later, I have a job to do, first things first the lower areas, seems that mechanics have been a recent victim, interesting indeed'. Such mechanics where vital in rebuilding the city, if someone was targeting them then that was even more evidence towards it being Sith.

Still it was best not to jump to conclusion, the Silver Jedi's reputation was on the line here, okay first start investigate the last known location of the attack, I'll see if the recent victim is willing to talk. Jumping down from her fighter the young knight began her track into the lower levels, her three light saber hilts on displays, radiating a lightish grey force signature, her healing amulet around her neck glowing with a soft green light. If anyone where to look at her it would be right to assume Sukai was a Jedi of some sort, a advantage in some cases but also a disadvantage.

[member="Sawa Ike"] - [member="Nine Lives"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Nine Lives"] [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Sawa Ike"]

Alexandra hummed as she moved through the forest that she called home, an unspoken agreement of others to stay out of her section of the woods, and she didn't bother people with how strange she was. Or rather more of there being stories on some crazy forest woman running around shooting at people who got too close to her home, but that was only if those people were her stupids.

Normal people she left be.

Did that mean she did not enjoy saying hello to anyone who came deep enough into the forest to cause her notice and to disrupt the flow of life? Of course not, she enjoyed meeting new people as long as they weren't gun toting mercenaries or mandalorians... or worse yet some kind of holier than thou Jedi that decided to stop in and give her a lecture, either on how she should be around the temple more, or how she shouldn't run off on her own into space outside of the order's reach. Neither of which she was very good at listening to, as she was halfway across her compound by the time they finished talking.

Then there was those she considered friends... They were a special bunch.

Either way she enjoyed having company in her corner of the galaxy and this was one such case as something new intermingled with the force, flowing through the forest she had connected to in her decades here. She started immediately, with only her staff and two sabers at her belt, tan trousers and a loose shirt being the only clothing on her. She hated wearing her robes out in the forest itself, it was too cumbersome and slowed her down significantly. Luckily, she was already out in the woods, at a nearby waterfall that held many good memories, ones she wished she could return to some days.

Memories aside, it would not take long for Alexandra to drop from where she moved among the trees, brushing herself off and starting to walk. The presence would be coming across her path soon enough so the young woman applied the illusion she so preferred, eyes turning icy blue, hair a snow like silver color, and her tail soon vanished from the physical world, hidden by the illusion. Once done she stood still and leaned against a tree, staff resting on both hands and eyes closed.

Only when Nine would reach her would one eye open and a smile appear, followed by only a few words.

"Hello, might I know what you are doing in my forest, my dear?"

 

[Nine Lives]

"Are you sure thats all you can remember?"

"I'm positive. One minute, I'm heading home, about to eat leftovers, and then, just before I reach it...it goes blank..." the pudgy woman Nine had attacked earlier explained to the officer, a dark skinned man of middle age with a full beard but a bald head. He was wearing a simple black suit for outdoors. They had just started questioning her inside the police station in the lower levels.

"Did you notice anyone suspicious following you? Anyone watching you?"

"No."

"Did you get any strange communications sent to you that could not be traced?"

"No."

"This other memory you say you are missing. What was it.

"It...it was my previous birthday." the woman answered slowly. "It was right before I ended up putting my dog to sleep. He was too sick to treat. It was...it was my last birthday with him...I don't remember any of it..." she said, deeply troubled.

Another officer informed the lead investigator that a Jedi had arrived. He had her shown into the station, taking note of the steange green crystal she wore more than anything else. He had already seen plenty of lightsabers.

The head officer headed over to Sky'ito Yumi after leaving the woman in the interview room.

"Master Yumi? I was told you were coming," he said tiredly, handing her a datapad containing his findings so far in the roomy egonomic police station.

"This one is just like the others we have interviewed. Complete loss of select memories. But its strange..." he trailed, his brow crinkling as his confusion conducting this case so far mounted.

"They memories they report missing...don't seem to be all that important. In fact, what they report being unable to remember are extremely specific memories, but mundane stuff, like what they ate for breakfast that morning. Or stuff like what clothes they went shopping for the day before. Only this woman, Carrie Deedwalk, seems to break the pattern of mundane. She claims she can't remember her last birthday with her beloved dog before he died."

"All victims so far remember nothing before or during the minutes I believe the attack occurs. But there are other unusual things."

The investigator went to a holographic table display, silvery and circular in shape. He uploaded data from the forensic computers.

It showed various photos. Bite marks on the necks. Faint, but still there.

"The victims are never harmed physically beyond a non-lethal bite wound. The wound is treated with whatever is available. The victim is then carried after the attack to the nearest available resting spot that poses no danger to the victim from exposure to the environment or otherwise. Carrie here woke up in her bed. She's the first to injure the attacker. We pulled a weird blood sample from the hull. The attacker made a mistake this time...but I must say Jedi...this is the most bizarre M.O. I've ever come across, what kind of person do you think is doing this? And why?"

Meanwhile...

Nine made for a hurried pace through the woods, desperate to just reach her cave and get whatever nightmare filled sleep she could before the wretched cycle started anew. She glided, hood thrown over her features, obscuring even her purple glow-dot eyes, still feeling the hot sting of blood on her cheek, still smelled the acrid gunpowder.

Her swords seemed to be limply secured to her side as she glided without noise on the forest trail, choking on her own self loathing. It was then that her senses felt something. Something powerful.

Jedi.

Kark. Kark.

Nine thought she had felt something strange in this place. Thought the cave might be enough to avoid attention. She had been wrong.

The girl was friendly. Likely curious about the disruption coming from her own signature. Nine had to think quickly.

As she reached her, asking her not so innocent question, Nine kept calm, patient, suppressing her guilt and shame over a mask of stoicism.

"Merely passing through your woods, was not planning to stay." Nine answered carefully in her deep contralto, minor movements on her head and body twitchy like a birds. It was the truth. She was just going to a cave only technically part of those woods. Technically.

Nine did not obey her natural instinct to flee after the short, trite answer. That would have drawn suspicion. She kept her eyes hidden.

"How long have you owned such luxuries as these woods? Nine wondered. Jedi were allowed such outrageous boons these days? Since when?

[member="Sawa Ike"].

[member="Sky'ito Yumi"].

[member="Alexandra Feanor"].

[member="Stephanie Swail"].

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Nine Lives"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

She looked at the world when the ship was approaching, sitting in the obsidian throne of a command chair from the bridge of her ship. It wasn't opulent and massive to show power... it was underplayed on the exterior and just a large transport. Maybe more armed but nothing you'd wage war with. The interior dark and twisted with her presence when her finger drummed lightly against the seat. She was reaching out with the force towards Mi-Ne. Wanting to find her, wanting to feel her and make sure that it was her who was on the world. Scouts were many things but she had to be careful about some of it when the dark ruler went into the port.

"Mistress there is a recording." She looked at the captain as it played talking about weapons and rules on the planet. She could see others there though as she landed in the port. There was much going on and Sawa stepped through the halls of the ship until she allowed to get out with the authorities on the dock. The warning about the attacks came and sawa stepped there getting a look but she hadn't come in like a sith she had come in more like a normal being. Standing there with her sabers on her hip and hair in a tight ponytail she scented the air. The ancient scent she knew well mingled with the scent of the city and Sukai.

"Scour the city, follow clues, I will be awaiting your news." She got nods from som of the atrisian scouts she had brought. Plainly ready but they could follow up leads and follow the investigation from then locals. The other parts that she was prepared to see though came when she moved to find the older pudgy mechanic. An officer was with her questioning her and Sawa looked at her with silvery eyes when she spoke. "It is okay, I shall take it from here." THere was a look at her and an answer was forming on his mouth to protest when she turned her gaze to him stopping it in his throat. Sawa was looking at her though and silvery eyes looked her over.

Not very impressive but then.. Ni-Ne was never picky in terms of a meal, she had been speaking about her memories and what was missing as the energy vampire moved closer. Keeping her eyes on the woman then scenting her. She could taste it in the back of her throat. That underlying scent, the presence of Ni-Ne was overwhelming and she came up sneering. "I see." Sawa stood tall and more dangerous when she was debating what to do... kill the girl in case there was an infection or was she going to let her be and run along. Sawa debated it longer then she should but motioned for her to flee quickly. She had more important things to worry about.

"Now where would you go?" She was curious about it, she wanted to try and figure it out before getting out fo the city and her comander came to her. "Most seem to just be missing memories but we have found no clues about where she has went mistress." A nod of her head before she was moving to check out some of the more dangerous parts. She could sense and smell another on the world now. Sukai was here she had only known of her from Kurenai when she was moving now through the streets and got up to a rooftop when she reached out feeling for Sukai. "Grand child." SHe said it but left it sinister. She reached out letting Ni-Ne know she was here.

"Come back to me sweetie." Sawa said it and stood tall on the rooftop as she felt something coming from her belly. A deep rolling laugh that came from her throat as she was excited with the prospect of seeing it... of seeing her. She pushed towards Ni-Ne witht he force and that creeping dark presence she could give her. She knew the depths of their anger or love... or hate whatever it was. All of these centuries had a whole lot more chances to really build it up and she stopped just long enough to pull an orange from a vendor who was passing by. Holding half of it to her mouth as she ate letting a grin appear.

 

[Sky'ito Yumi]

It did not take long for Sukai to reach the investigation team the latest of the attacks that had come to the authorities about it, being greeted as a master? seemed people did not fully understand Jedi even these days, or was it just a polite thing to say? "Pleasure I am not a master, just a knight, but I welcome the gesture never the least, please tell me how things have been, happenings and everything, I want to make sure I understand what is going on before making any assumptions".

Standing next to the officer she nodded her head, one that would slowly become slower and slower, her hand rapping around the data pad as more information became apparent. The memory loss, randomness, trivial memories, and those bite marks, the same she had seen in her own victims, "... a vampire... but like this? how? when why"? "These marks of the neck, they look like fang bites, similar to those left by vampires, the size shape and spacing". "Judging from the amount of attacks and how often it may be how such vampire feeds, and then erases the person memory of said attack but something seems off, the last person, the mechanic lost memory of a birth day as you stated, why erase such, seems like a waste".

"Also the reports state not major cases of dizziness of light headed after affects that often come with other vampires and blood loss". such fact made her doubt the attacker was a your traditional blood sucker."This vampire, who ever they are, it seem that they feed off memories"? possibly, but such was a very off way of feeding, energy vampire's mainly do it for the biochemical transferring proteins, force vampires do it for the midiclorines in a force users blood.

"Though I can't seem to understand how a memory vampire would work, unless biting them on the neck allows access to the spinal cord and neuron path way, even then it seems strange, unless they bite a victim in turn with memory draining powers of some sort". To sum it up Sukai was boggled, more so by how sudden this seemed to arise, right after the Sith attack, no real subtly in the methods, it was as if the person doing this was a newbie of some sort, or very, very hungry.

"I think I need to see the last place this person was, perhaps if no on remembers the force can guide me, the attacker seems to think easing the persons memory will hide their tracks, but I have a feeling there will be some sort of trace left behind". Accompanying a few officer Sukai started the trek to the last attack scene, but throughout the trip kept a feel on that force signature, once again feeling familiar, dark and sinister, but not ill intent, not towards her anyways.

[member="Sawa Ike"] - [member="Nine Lives"] - [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Nine Lives"]

Alexandra's hands remained where they were and her body remained resting against the tree that stood behind her. She wondered just who this woman was and it was clear Alex's little folk tale hadn't reached this one's ears. Was she new to this place, an old hermit like herself that decided to finally leave the place that she was called her home? She wasn't certain who this person was or why she was so far out in the middle of nowhere but there was one thing for certain and that was that she felt very off about this person.

Not enough to make her react though, at least no more than she had reacted thus far.

Well, she had a visitor in her forest, perhaps it was good time for a drink or some tea.

"Well, if you do not mind joining me for a quick drink, I would enjoy knowing a bit more about yourself, considering I don't get to meet people very often." She thought on the woman a bit more while she stood there.

This woman didn't seem too dangerous to Alex, but then again neither did many of the people she had met in the past. Hell one person repeatedly put her into the ground because she didn't take things seriously. But that was not the same situation here, this one seemed to be a bit more reserved than her older acquaintance.

 

[Nine Lives]

At the station with [member="Sky'ito Yumi"]

The investigator looked at the Jedi in clear concern.

"A memory vampire...if you're right...oh boy...we...we have to contain this. If the workers think they're about to become a snack..." the man knew the score, knew the consequences if word got out.

"Forgive my nervousness, Knight...its just...vampires are a bit above my expertise. Follow me."

The trip to the woods where the last victim had been was not an especially long one, the investigator having accompanied Sky'ito to the site of the saucer shaped vehicle. A forensics team was still pouring over it inside.

He began showing the Jedi through the vessel, pointing out the slug hole in the hull where they had pulled the blood from.

"We know the attacker is taller than the victim. Much taller. She was aiming upward at her attacker judging by the angle." the investigator explained, going over to one spot in particular.

"Hair samples indicate the two were right here. If you are right, its probably where the actual incident took place. Why doesn't this...thing kill its targets? And if it is eating memories, why is it only eating trivial stuff? What does it gain from that? And why go out of its way to make sure the victim is secured safely afterward? Guilt?"

Meanwhile...

Nine gave no reaction as she was invited for tea by the Jedi, who did not shift from her position.

Rapid calculation entered the Vampires head. Refuse and draw suspicion, or accept and draw suspicion. Jedi Order was still good at those rock and a hard place dillemas.

Nine nodded silently. Her one advantage remained. No one knew what a Psy-Pire was. She was the only one out there. Ignorance was a friend, in this case.

She could not process the tea however, but she would figure out a way around that. She was a snart woman with a over-developed survival instinct.

The tall woman silently nodded at the offer, keeping her eyes hidden.

"I will stay for a while. But afterward I really must be--

A sliver of a presence, cold, yet achingly,horrifically familiar, made her hands go into an instinctive clawed gesture, shoulders drawing into a haunch, as she wheeled around.

She was here. On this world...

Nine went cold on the inside, looking for her. She would know that presence anywhere, at any range, however fleeting.

"We should go to your house. These woods, sometimes I think its night denizens observe me more than is healthy." she said, her deep contralto having a new edge to it, that hinted at the sudden emotional strain the woman was under.

[member="Sawa Ike"] being here was no accident. She was there to put the genie back into its bottle, or, failing that, kill the genie and break the bottle.

Unless Nine Lives broke it first.

The Arch Psy-Pire did not relax as she focused on [member="Alexandra Feanor"]. Poor girl. Nine knew, given what she was feeling that the woman could likely handle herself, but she still felt terrible, potentially drawing her into this.

I'm a magnet for doom. Where I walk, everyone around me pays the price. she silently lamented as she bid the Jedi to lead her to her home.

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Nine Lives"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

THere was something there... something responding to her probing and Sawa narrowed her gaze upon the forest as she supressed the rest of her own laughter. The laugh turning into a sneer with her fangs barred and ready. She was checking it out but she needed to let things play out. There was no point in rushing it. That was how she had made mistakes before... she hadn't handled things as well as she should have. She was thinking back to that faithful time and was a little saddened.... She hadn't helped the situation with Ni-Ne.. she had been angryl, she had been scorned and with everything going on between them.... with everything that had happened.

She was thinking about it as she calmed herself, the instinct to rush and find her to do any number of things... there were some who said hate and love were opposite sides of a coin and it was true in their case. She had no doubt Ni-Ne still felt something deep down buried beneath their anger.. she knew she did. All of that... love, that passion, that friendship. It was not something you just cast away but it could be changed. What they couldn't do was go back to when they were growing up, when they were within the Emperors court or in school. Or whatever the school had really been.. she had learned it was more a place they kept the children.

Sawa was speaking into the force as she went for something... a faint resonance with Ni-Ne... to let her hear her thoughts, to let her feel she was coming. She didn't want to send her back to that place but she was a mistake, an abomination and needed to be kept from others. She could be dangerous and she could spread drawing attention to them. 'Ni-Ne..... come to me.' She said it and touched the ground of the street as she was heading towards the forest. Hands going to her datapad as she sent off the orders to lock down and watch the starships from hangers and ports. 'Please my old friend I do regret many things.'

She said it while walking further and came to the edge of the forest before crouching down. Scenting the air to track her until she let the small whisper of power come to her. 'Remember when we first met? Remember how we shared that orange?' She said it before looking over at a tree with her hand touching it. She could sense another and brushed the force to lure Sukai towards her before she was walking. The momentary moment and power were coming to her. She wiped it from her face and was uncertain if Ni-Ne had even heard her with the force or would respind but she needed to try. She owed her that much at least.

 

[Sky'ito Yumi]

The way the investigator reacted to a assumption was kind of humorous, she often forgot how feared her kind was among the galaxy and how others rated, one of the reasons why she kept secret about being a vampire in the first place. "It is worrying, but fear not I am kind of an expert on vampires, well as expert as one can get with so little information about them", or just because she knew exactly how they acted, thought and felt.

"As for their targets, well the time space between attacks makes me think they have spent a long time without feeding, and considering how long vampires usually live for this could be years, centuries, they just may be hungry". "As for their actions, perhaps they are not a traditional vampire, like I have said one that feeds off memories is not something that has been recorded before, for all we know this 'thing' could be a Sith made and might not want to cause people harm, but we can never be sure".

The person very well may just want to avoid a man hunt, if people did start dying security would be stepped up, the risk of getting caught and killed along with it. Still one could never be sure, there was still too little evidence to come to an assumption on the matter, only that this person had not killed anyone yet, was a vampire and very well may be a force user. Hopefully the crime scene would elude to some new things, "Have you taken DNA samples of the person hair? perhaps that can help narrow down the search, you did say tall a- wait... I feel something".

A small push in the force took Sukai's attention, she could feel it was from someone, family.... Sawa? that was interesting, but there was something else, more then one force user around,nearby making haste through the forest but still there. Was if the vampire of someone else? hard to tell but it as a lead, the question was why Great Great Great Grandmother was here, unless she knew something about the new vampire. "I sense something over in that direction, it is hard to explain but it may be a lead, I'd suggest you stay here for now and I will check it out, wouln't want to be it's next meal now would you".

With a small grin the Jin took to the trees, bounding across the branches as she zeroed in on the dark signature of the Sith Lord, landing a few meters behind the pale and quite tall woman. It was the first time Sukai had seen Sawa in the flesh, she was a little more intimidating then she first thought but more in a creepy way then out right sinister. "I half expected you to be dressed in some dark feather witch looking outfit with skulls attached to the belt, but it seems you are more the stealthy kind Grandmother". It was easier just to say grandmother, putting several greats on the start was just to annoying.

[member="Sawa Ike"] - [member="Nine Lives"] - [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Nine Lives]

A scratch. A mental scratch. A hated scratch.

She struggled not to snarl at it. She sent no reply. The fiend was here. She'd come to put back her dirty little secret back in the coffin. Where it could writhe and scream without exit. To make matters worse, she felt yet another powerful presence closing in. It had energies in common with Sawa, but it lacked the obvious darkness in Ike's spirit.

Still...it wasn't free of it. She was tempted to think Sawa had brought an apprentice. If only she had some silver, but she hadn't hunted a vampire in a while. Her swords were here only defense.

And her wits. And her utter, near blinding hatred of [member="Sawa Ike"].

She had to get distance between them...but she was still caught between her, that second presence, and [member="Alexandra Feanor"]. Three against one, potentially. Two-to one was bad enough. A Jedi would not let a vampire leave without a fight. No true Jedi could. The Vampire is a parasite. A threat to every living thing around them as long as they walked the galaxy. No matter what it was they drank. But Nine was not ready to die today. Not as this filth. She refused to die as this filth. She would cut her way to the cure. She would cut her way to it right through Sawa, if necessary. She was just sorry she'd involved one of her former peers in this. She'd try not to kill her. She seemed nice. Even if she could not drink tea she could still enjoy its smell. Too bad they probably would not even get to it. But better to delay violence as long as possible.

"Where is your house?" Nine asked in a deep contralto whisper.

Please don't make me hurt this Woman, the Vampire begged silently to the Force as she waited to be led to the tea. At the very least it gave time to think. If Sawa Ike is coming for you, and you are with a Jedi...how do you turn all those negatives into positives?

She wasn't going to try drinking Sawa again, that was for certain. She'd seen what she had become. On the inside. She would never touch that wicked brain again if she could help it.

[member="Sky'ito Yumi"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

Alexandra smiled as she looked at the woman and slowly turned to point in the direction she had come. She watched Nine with a ease and relaxed look that seemed to trust the woman now, rather than look at her with suspicion and someone who was a threat to her. Nine very much could be after all but something tipped off her mind quicker than the psy-pire ever could and that was the emotions hat leaked from Nine like crazy, and the target of those emotions that tainted the flow of life on Alderaan. Alexandra hated the scar on the flow of the force that certain beings created and this was no difference as that taint drifted right to her, perverting the life on the planet quickly, even if so minor.

Alexandra just smiled and turned her head, and mind, towards the direction of that feeling before letting her own presence pulse through the forest. She was connected to it, to the life here and to the very beat of the heart that echoed through the force. She had lived in this forest for decades, and the last few years had been simply connecting herself with such completeness that her presence was far harder to pinpoint, as it felt like it ran through the roots of each tree. She did this on purpose though, attempting to act as a shroud for the woman who Alexandra had just meant, and if that did not work, as a distraction for whatever thought they were cute enough to bring the darkside to Alderaan.

She spoke, this time to [member="Nine Lives"], certain to keep the comment brief and move onto more vital stuff.

"Your friend is a bit... sickening." Her eyes rested on Nine. "As for my house, its more a garden at this point. But the remains of the building are this way. I hope that you are not of darker persuasion, as the location might give you a headache or make you sick if so. It should help you hide though, I doubt your friend would enjoy coming to the center of a nexus, especially one so complete in its opposition to where they stand in the force."

Alexandra would pause long enough to sigh and speak again, knowing the woman was probably worried about if Alexandra would turn on her, which Alexandra had no intention of doing.

"As for those fears of yours that are rather strong, I hope they are not directed towards me at all. I promise you with totality that you are safe under my gaze and that you have nothing to fear from me. I do not care who you are or what you have done, helping you and providing you a nice drink is all that I care about right now, anything you have done or will done is a topic for someone else or sometime later. So will you come?" She smiled softly now, her hands crossing behind her and the force already beginning to be funneled towards Alexandra as she gathered it up like some kind of battery.

[member="Sawa Ike"] [member="Sky'ito Yumi"]

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Nine Lives"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

SHe could feel it, something there in the distance as it faded and became fuzzy. Like a mental scratch before there was that underlying current of anger and hate. "Good." She remained in a small sneer turning to a voice that came. Then she looked upon Sukai with a grin appearing on her face. "Ah my sweet child." She moved quickly letting the force guide her and her instincts as she stood in front fo the girl. Sukai was young... younger then all of them but Sawa remained at the ready checking her. Hand rising up to touch her face, to let her run a thumb over her cheek. THe small silver blade appearing on her finger as she sliced it and held it up.

"Such a pretty thing, like your mother. WHat brings you Sukai here?" Her finger was gliding over and past her nose, to let her scent it to follow it and she touched it to her great great granddaughters lip with a wicked smile on her face. SHe could fel Ni-Ne was there somewhere.. she could feel the force all around them and while disgusting she had become accustomed to discomfort. Living on Atrisia under mythos, seeing others try and rule atrisia but have no real claim. She would have to rectify that for the time being when she was moving forward with a small thought. She offered her finger to Sukai so she could taste it but more as a game.

"It does not serve my purpose to draw eyes to this. Ni-Ne deserves nothing less then me to be the one who tears her beating heart from her chest."

 

[Sky'ito Yumi]

Sukai had no real idea how [member="Sawa Ike"] would act, but for some reason she was not surprised one bit from the older woman's action upon making herself known. The way her voice sounded, coupled with the white blade trailing across her face, so sinister, but at the same time it did not feel threatening. more natural then anything else, was that just how vampires interacted with each other? "Thanks, I guess", she replied, not really sure how to comment on the blade coming from her finger glove thing, a small scent of blood entering her nose a small amount of hunger igniting from inside her body. "As for why I am here, investigating the strange vampire attacks on the local population, considering that among the Silver Jedi I am their secret leading expert on vampires".

"I am going to assume you are here for the same reason"? why else would one of the galaxies stronger Sith lords and vampires come all the way out here? In the distance the force signature of [member="Alexandra Feanor"] and the other party being rather present, "is this Ni-Ne the vampire you are looking for grandmother"? It had to be, and the by the talk of beating hearts out of chest it seemed the Sith Vampire wanted to kill this new vampire. Not surprising, but there was something odd about it, what had this Ni-Ne done to get such a end? had Sawa and them had past conflicts? "Would you permit me to tag along grandmother? I want to know more about this new strain of vampirism".

[member="Nine Lives"]

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Nine Lives"]

Sawa looked at her and backed a little to the side. "Yes she is, Ni-Ne is mine. I failed to kill her before and will not make that mistake again." She slid the finger blade into her pocket with a small look on her face. Where she could check or bring out a lot more for them. "Let us continue and go find her then my sweet child." The grin was on her face when she started walking and slid her arm across her shoulders. Leading and prodding with the force towards the girls mind. "Tell me dear what has been happening with you and your brother. I do so wish to mee the two of you. There is so much we can share." Sawa looked forward going into the woods towards where she had felt Ni-Ne for a moment before losing it.

 

[Nine Lives]

"Yes...I will go with you..." None trailed to [member="Alexandra Feanor"]. The Psy-Pire glided down the road, eager to put some distance between her and [member="Sawa Ike"] and [member="Sky'ito Yumi"].

This Jedi didn't know what she was in for. Sawa had been relatively fresh from fully getting into her groove as a Sith Lord when Nine had first faced Darth Shojo. Nine had picked up some tricks in five centuries but she had been asleep for millenia in that stasis chamber to ride out the lack of technological advances needed to cure her illness. Sawa had been awake in all that time, and had surely grown more powerful than Nine at this point. Nine was just running on relative desperation, her skill with swords, stealth, and the fringe, tertiary 'benefits' of her form of vampirism.

As she walked down the road to where she sensed a connection to this Jedi she began to think. The oasis might offer some respite. Might. But she just hoped she didn't get sick, at least, not too sick. She honestly didn't know where she stood in the Force, given her sickness. She hated feeding. She hated it every time. She hated how good it tasted, thought and emotion. Hated how if she wanted a cure, she had to buy time by feeding. A vicious circle. Sometimes she wished a Jedi would just come along and take the decision, and the misery, out of her hands by killing her or something, but there was something deeply craven in her, something that recoiled from the silence of the grave that would not let her take the option. Maybe it was her ancestors. She must die honorably. Clean. As clean as possible. Death was no option no matter how she screamed for it internally some days. She could scream pretty loudly on the inside.

So, Sawa remembered. That sometimes happens. Most times the memories never came back at all once she had eaten them. It was mostly random, but someone occasionally doing something similar to something in a lost memory might occasionally trigger something. But Sawa was different: Sawa seemed to remember a lot more. Nine recoiled at the thought as she glided on the path, waiting for more precise direction.

"My name is...Nine Lives...what is yours?" the Psy-Pire asked in her contralto. She would have used her actual name but Ni-Ne had been gone a long time: She'd died under Shojo's eye. No lives left. The luck of the House of The Blood Tiger had taken her as far as it could in that regard.

She almost wished her 'children' were here. Not so much as to fight for her...she oddly felt phantom twinges of missing her coven. Seeing even one of the crazier fanatics among them would have lifted her spirits, though she would not admit it out loud. She refused to validate her fugue state's musings.

But still, she was alone, even with this Jedi, she was alone. She was just waiting for it to get worse. And with Darth Shojo involved, it surely was about to.

 

[Sky'ito Yumi]

Failed? kill? was that new vampire that deadly? maybe, was killing her the right thing to do? or had that person done something in the past to Sawa? Sukai was unsure, but trusted her Great Great Grandmother. Sure she was sinister, a Sith Lord, probably not the most moral, but she was not insane or unwise, if this person needed to be put down then Sukai trusted Sawa's reasoning, even if she was not told right away.

As the small mental prod came Sukai could not help but raise her force barriers out of practice, but slowly lowering her guard as Sawa posted the question. "Well not much, I have mainly been training, though have gone on a few adventures and found some interesting things, my brother, well getting a girlfriend apparently and going nom nom,, also keeping true to the whole mastering the sword thing". She replied to Sawa as the two started to make haste through the forests, Sukai keeping just behind and to the right of the much older being.

[member="Nine Lives"] - [member="Alexandra Feanor"] - [member="Sawa Ike"]

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Nine Lives"]

Good... good they were learning and training... hopefully to impress as she walked the path towards the source of what she felt and was recalling more to her past. Ni-Ne was everything and they had failed but it blemished her to know she acted so.... dishonorably with her. SHe could have halnded if it was something different... if it hadn't been a few several thousand years of hatred and love maybe the two could have remained friends.. but youth has a way of making you emotional and she had been so very young. Hadn't acted with her head just with her initial feeling which would and did prove the most fatal as even she was betrayed.

Using the mental gymnastics that were needed to keep her believing that no matter what she was correct in her actions she came to it. She stopped with Sukai and could fel it in the force, in the air with the rich scent she knew so well. "Five thousand years have not changed your scent Ni-Ne." She said it standing there and looking out with almost a half snarl but a hald smile on her face. Sukai was here and she needed to apear composed lest she think weakness was within her. "Come out my old friend." Sawa shouted it when she was walking and then started to stalk catching the strongest scent of her. She was on the hunt now.

"She is here." A cave was in the distance but Sawa could still feel her as she stopped, hands remaining at her side and a small curl to her lip. One fang exposed for a moment when she stalked forward silently. Motioning backwards for Sukai to do much the same and Sawa finally stopped reaching out. "Come one Ni-Ne, if I have to go in there and drag you out. I promise you it won't be enjoyable. I'd hate to tear your pretty kimono." She said it but wasn't going to go inside, Ni-Ne might be a vampire derived from experiments and a mutation of her blood. The Psy-Pires might be her children but they were put to the sword.

 

[Nine Lives]

The Psy-Pire's anger, her rage at being addressed with such sickening familiarity by the one who had condemned her to this living death was too much for the vampire. Screw plans, here's the plan: Blood Tiger the hell out of her. The absolute, undiluted hell out of her.

Nine floated impulsively through the woods, telling [member="Alexandra Feanor"] she was in great danger being around Nine, and that it would pose less risk to her if Nine faced her alone. She didn't want some poor Jedi on her conscience, dying for being involved in Nine's feud. Hundred-Handed Giant gleamed with death. A murderer's sword, seized during Nine's birth and subsequent rampage through the Necropolis violently slaughtering Shojo's servants with it. The short sword at her side, cortosis weaved durasteel laced with silver, had been a gift from...from...the real Sawa, not this perversion that had taken her place.

Nine felt the faintest reminisce of the lonely head prefect, abused physically and emotionally by Midori. Ni-Ne had been too messed up on the inside to love the innocent prefect the way she had deserved to be. And with literally all the crap she had pulled up to that point, and all she had suffered in the process, she had been just desperate to find meaning and purpose as a Jedi. To have them take the place of her destroyed family. She had been in no condition to love until years later, and by then the prefect had been long gone, murdered on the inside by Darth Shojo, the logical conclusion of all Midori's vile antics taking to the soil of an innocent woman's spirit.

Murderous anger flared. They could have chicken and the egg debates until the Chosen One came to fix this whole awful mess (At this point in her life she hadn't known this had already occured, and that it had not worked out so well like her masters had said it would.) but that wouldn't change facts: Ni-Ne had died in agony. Nine was the result. A Ghost's anger. No...not even that...the ghost of a ghost's anger.

Nine decided to try and kark with Sawa's head a bit as she heard Sawa call out to her.

She remembered the voice well. She wanted to see how much was back anyway in Sawa.

"Little Siiiiiissssss Nine trailed menacingly, shoulders haunched in attack position as she revealed herself to Sawa and this Jedi (How were Jedi and Sith working together? What kind of messed up future was this?)

The voice she had used was Midori's.

"Ni-Ne's been dead a long time, Sis. Ni-Ne Li-Ves, Jedi Consular, tortured and eventually murdered by you, is dead." Nine said in a snarl with Midori's voice, readying her blade and then speaking with Sawa-circa-Darth Shojo's voice.

"It's Nine Lives now." The hooded, tall figure said, trying to psyche Sawa out still by speaking with her voice. "You remember that 'darling' nickname Midori gave Ni-Ne, right? It was more appropriate than she ever knew.

The mother of all Psy-Pires leveled her sword at the Vampire, now speaking with a slightly younger version of Sawa's voice, the one Ni-Ne had heard at Kagamiri Academy. She looked at [member="Sky'ito Yumi"].

"Oh, oh my birth was so painful. Your friend here--wait are you related? Oh hell, it doesn't matter--she turned me into this freak!" Nine shouted in young Sawa's voice. "I can't eat FOOD! I can't drink WATER! I CAN'T EVEN DRINK WATER! No...I am forced to subsist on the minds of potentially innocent people. But even the innocent ones have a million, billion, trillion sins in them. "

She looked at Sawa again, fist gripped so tightly it bled lavender blood. She was speaking with her natural, deep contralto now.

"I sometimes see things...things so horrible that the person has done I end up killing them rather than eat anything. But I have to eat. And that is why you will die."

Nine Force-jumped towards [member="Sawa Ike"], katana aimed to split her down the middle length wise.