Muffled

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The Gammorean made a brief gurgling noise as it collapsed into the foliage. A thick pool of blood was congealing at the base of the gash inits neck. The alien peered up at its slayer with curious black eyes. Their light died shortly thereafter.

A heavy sigh escaped Cedric's lips as his lightsaber hissed its death cry. The weapon was swiftly returned to its place at the Jedi Knight's side. Cedric peered down at the fresh cadaver, his brow furrowing as the scenario ran through his mind once again.

He'd come to Endor to exchange the information that was retrieved on Mirial some time ago. The process should have gone quickly and quietly. Instead, the party that had been meant to meet him was now missing a head, along with the majority of his comrades. The former lord did not know who had opted to tip the pirates their location, but he knew remaining here much longer was only going to result in more trouble.

The outpost had been ransacked for all intents and purposes. Its occupants were either murdered or fled, and the majority of the valuables had already been sifted off to buyers off world. Cedric stood alone in the outpost.

A hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose as a light rain began to fall. The clouds moved to swallow up the sun, casting the outpost in shades of thunderous gray like some grandiose attempt to make the shift of mood clear.

"I need to get back," he mumbled to himself as he turned to leave.

 

[Maximilian Richter]

The bodies of Ewoks lay strewn about what was left of their small village, which was now aflame. The scene wasn’t a very gory one, the blaster used to mercilessly massacre these primitive creatures had carterised most of the wounds, preventing them from bleeding all over the place. The fire that consumed most of the village at this point had also devoured most of the bodies, only leaving ash and bone behind.

A figure clad in armor sat on a rock nearby, looking deep into the flames as he lost himself in thought. Richter had been sitting there for hours as he gazed upon the hypnotic flickering flames. He thought about the Ewoks he had so mercilessly butchered only hours before because they had murdered his family all those years ago. He thought of all the Ewoks who had nothing to do with his family’s death. Richter briefly felt remorse but then he remembered that day when he was just a teenager coming home to find his home in ruins and his family dead, and that thought made the rage inside him burn hot again. Still, he felt at peace for exacting his revenge. He sat there now with his head hung low, his helmet in hand, and his hair falling down his face.

After several moments, Richter heard the faint sound of a lightsaber and blaster fire. He looked up in the direction the sounds were coming from and stood up. He slicked back his hair and walked toward the sounds until he came in clear view of a Jedi cutting down a group of pirates. Richter was sure to stay behind the brush, just out of site. After a little while the fight had ended and the Jedi stood victorious, who briefly looked over his enemies before turning back, presumably to return from where he came. It was at this point that Richter stepped out passed the brush, his helmet still in hand and his blaster slung across his chest, and spoke out to the Jedi.

“Are you here for revenge too, Jedi?”

 

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The weapon raised involuntarily for a moment, though it was lowered to its place at Cedric's side once the knight registered what was presented before him. Primal instinct had driven his limbs for a moment; such instincts were quietly set aside as Cedric regarded this new oddity.

The man's kit was different than that of the marauders. More importantly, the man wearing that kit wasn't trying to shoot at him yet, which was a far cry from the pirates' rather inhospitable nature. He represented a muddied cloud within the realm of the ethereal. Images and words could be pulled from the muck, but they lacked any meaning without proper context. Neither the Ashla nor the Bogan clung to this man, but such was common in those that did not bear the mark of the etherium. The force did not react as violently to the choices of normal men as it did to its chosen.

That did little for Cedric other than adding to the youth's confusion.

"No vengeance. They came for me," his voice felt uncomfortably loud when compared to the silence of the vacant outpost. "Well, I suppose that's untrue. These pirates were on the payroll of someone I would like to bring to justice far more than I probably should."

The lightsaber hissed as it died once more, though it remained in Cedric's hand. "You smell like tibana," he paused, his brow furrowing, "What exactly were you seeking vengeance on?"

[member="Maximilian Richter"]

 

[Maximilian Richter]

Richter noticed the Jedi's weapon and momentarily held his gloved hands up in a gesture to appear as un-minacous as possible. Richter had heard stories of the Jedi and the Sith, he had even seen a few on Coruscant, and he was well aware of what they were capable of.

"Some people I loved were murdered here quite some time ago. I came back to slaughter the creatures that were responsible."

Richter's face, despite still being young, was worn and serious, but not mournful in any way. He seemed more like he had a heavy burden lifted from his shoulders. Then he nodded his head in the direction of a large pillar of black smoke billowing out from the forest.

"My handiwork."

He said, not proudly but casually, as he pulled out a cigarra from one of his pouches and began to light it.

"The names Richter, by the way."