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[Antecedent]

There was the faintest notion that the root knew it was being healed, and when Jack patted the root it gave him a gift in return.

A glimpse of its own sight through the Force. Yes, this tree could see, not in the same sense that meat could see, but it had its own perceptions. It showed the length of its roots, from every surrounding ship in the yonder to those deeper within the dreadnought proper, until finally it all arrived at the center, not far now, where the great tree sprouted high and beyond the hull. Here was beauty, it was full of life, a forest within a forest, both oasis and hiding place.

But what else it showed was a warning.

A creature, a terrible creature which preyed on the living force itself, and has nourished itself from the tree's bounty. Under normal circumstances, killing the beast would be a tall task even for a Jedi Master, but the tree offers a thought, a touch of its own shrewdness to match Jack's.

Lure the beast to the center, use the vines, the canopy, the thicket itself to slow it down, and take it where the great tree stands tall. There, it promises, that Jack will find both his answer to the mystery of this place and a refuge from the hunter on the prowl.

All it asks in return... Save her. Save my sister.

Jack Sandrow

 

[Jack Sandrow]

A chill went up Jack's spine as he was given the mental image of the nameless creature. This was unlike anything he had fought before, by a wide margin. He'd need something with a bit more kick.

Mentally contacting the Pod (and aware that the simple gesture may be enough to lure the creature) he asked for it to deliver a payload with a specific suit stashed on board. Whatever this thing was, if it had a way to drain or choke out the Force, he'd need to be able to fight it on its own terms. The suggestion of the tree network was a good one, but he'd need to be better equipped in return.

The Pod fired into space, aiming the ballistic projectile towards the center of the tree. Jack closed his eyes, and put a warm hand on the root. "I will.... I... well, I will do my best. I have help coming in, from my ship... I need you to guide it to the center of the tree, where I'll be heading. Once I'm there, keep the creature away just long enough for me to suit up. Then, yes. I'll do what I can to save her." Just who was this 'sister' anyway... Was she the tree??

Jack snorted softly to himself as he got up. That would be one hell of a story to tell. Hey, my sister turned into a tree! Oh wow, that's rough, buddy.

"I'm on my way to the center. Guide the projectile in, I'll take care of the rest," he said to the voice, wherever she was.

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Antecedent

 

[Antecedent]

The tree echoed its understanding when Jack made his request, something between very well and don't kark up.

The dreadnought began to shake, accompanied by the sound of groaning metal and a distant explosion, all as the tree mustered enough power to redirect some of its tendril-like branches to literally catch the pod and haul it towards the center.

Meanwhile, as the biotech maverick began to move towards the center, the creature caught onto his scent and began a quick pursuit. It could be heard as it clawed its way through the vegetation and let out a sickly, twisted growl. Its proximity was like a hand around the force sensitive's throat, as it began to draw on the life energy emanating from him.

It was at that moment the voice once again decided to chime in, "The meatless is prey, the hunter knows, the hunter is hungry."

"The prey better run, the prey better survive!" There was a hint of excitement in her voice.

Jack Sandrow

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Jack cracked his neck, swallowing slowly as the presence encroached on him. "Prey... prey usually ends up having fight or flight reflexes. And I can't fly."

The capsule crashed down in front of him, blossoming like a fat flower to reveal the compact suit beneath. "Hello beautiful," he chuckled, hopping over a branch and letting the suit jump out of the drop pod to envelop him. Armor and plating clicked into place, soft creaks and snaps as the organic bodysuit - shaped for him specifically - adjusted to fit around the EVA suit as well. Sylva Vitae biotech at its finest.

The Force choking immediately stopped as the Force-insulated suit sealed tightly around him. While he couldn't influence anything beyond the suit, the suit itself (and him within it) were completely safe. "Cmere," he snarled, the blade from the EVA suit shoving out of his new suit with a decisive snap. "Bring it!"

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Antecedent

 

[Antecedent]

The beast managed to cut its way through and was now face-to-face with the Vinithi, who had barely enough time to put on the new battlesuit. With its force insulation, he was indeed safe from the creature's ability to simply drain him of his life force then and there.

However, it was still a sizable beast and a desperate one at that. It knew no fear, no survival instinct other than to eat.

It began a sudden charge on all fours, its claws digging into the metal as it sent itself into a mighty leap at Jack. The creature's claws were out and forward, with every intention of pinning the savvy botanist to the ground and tearing into their armor to get at the person underneath.

Jack Sandrow

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Jack was ready for it, bouncing on the balls of his feet, then ducking to the side right as it lunged. It missed him, barely, and he got a swipe in on its thigh, barely. Damn but it was fast. He still had the mass from the whip-thing he was using, and as he strafed around the area he pushed the extra biotech material into the left gauntlet.

It was already coming back around. This wasn't a predator, living life and hunting for food, this was a killer, and it only sought to kill. Killers were dangerous, but they were ultimately predictable. Jack extruded the genetic material into a long whipcord, a bit shorter than before but bladed at the tip. He looped the cord around his other hand, and right as the creature pounced again he tossed the loop over a clawed foot and yanked to pull it tight.

Simple physics and biomechanics. Not even the greatest Force users could truly exist beyond those.

His blade was ready, and he swung at the creature with a purposeful and lightning-fast strike.

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Antecedent

 

[Antecedent]

A beast is a beast is a beast. Even one whose sole purpose in life was to kill, and kill force users at that.

With his newfound advantage, Jack did have the upper hand and managed to prevent the beast from striking a death blow, far from it in fact. As it leapt a second time, the beast was caught in the trap and fell with an angry yelp as the whipcord pulled it down.

However, as Jack went in to strike hard and fast with his blade, the creature did something quite frightening.

It purposefully placed its bound paw in a position to be severed completely from its body, freeing it from the binds in the process. The sudden wound did not stop its assault, and immediately, the nameless beast swept its tail low to trip Jack, before trying to pounce and pin him once more.

The beast's tentacle-like face tendrils sought to wrap themselves around his armor and pry it like the shell of a crustacean; anything to get at the Vinithi underneath.

Jack Sandrow

 

[Jack Sandrow]

"Oh it's like that - Ack!" Jack gasped, knocked flat on his back before it pounced on him.

"Ghhn... ow... okay, big guy," he strained, maneuvering his hands beneath its belly. "You want me out of my armor, huh?" The vine-whip retracted, and he stabbed upwards into the gooey flesh of the creature. "Too bad I bite."

And he kept stabbing until it recoiled just barely enough for him to push it aside and back away. A cursory look over his armor revealed a few extra fractures. "Damn... I'll have to fix that now," he muttered, adjusting the organic paneling before readying the whip again. "Alright, I'm going to put you out of your misery now," he growled, spinning the whip and lancing it out as a rope dart to aim right at its eyes as it pounced.

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Antecedent

 

[Antecedent]

The struggle was a crude one, and indeed highlighted the nature of the creature well. Its intelligence in the moment prior would have frightened many, likely gotten the advantage, but the once infamous beast among Jedi proved quite challenged in the face of a savvy adversary who took advantage of the creature's insatiable hunger.

Even as Jack punctured its unusual flesh, the beast seemed unrelenting in its violence, but the eventual shove worked, and soon the creature slid along its side on the floor. When it got back up, it naturally did the same thing it had always done; it leapt with every intention to continue its onslaught, but this time it seemed the botanist was ready. The rope managed to spear itself well past the eye and hit somewhere vital.

The beast fell to the ground with an unceremonious thump, its otherworldly form writhed and twitched in defiance against even death, but willpower alone was not enough to stave off the inevitable... With one final, frightening attempt to stand back up, the beast finally collapsed into a lifeless lump.

At this moment, Jack had become among the few in more than some two thousand galactic standard years to slay a Nameless, a feat he likely did not understand the significance of. Yet, what was once a frightening Jedi-killer in ages past may have found its match in a time where personal survival has never been stronger, in a galaxy that seemed so prone to violence and chaos.

Now, all that remained was to find the center and finally figure out what exactly this had all been about.

Jack Sandrow