Private Patient Zero

[Amani Serys]

Tahv, Kesh

The glass city of Tahv was no stranger to tragedy. It had risen, only to fall, then rise again from its own ashes; A cycle that had spun on since the days of the Old Republic.

Brynadul incursions were just part of a longstanding dynasty of misfortune to strike the Keshiri people. And despite their continued resilience in the face of adversity, a new danger threatened to wither them away from the inside.

Amani had set up in an isolation ward on the far side of the town, herself draped in all manner of protective medical accoutrement most hours of the day. Surrounding her, more and more patients, all suffering from an uncertain disease that decayed their flesh into a festering rot. Local healthcare was floundering to halt the spread, and by this point Amani too was at a loss for how to proceed. But one fledgling theory of hers pointed to the origins of this disease as more than a random act of nature.

She was in over her head. She needed the judgment of someone wiser, someone she trusted. So she made a call.

Valery Noble | Surea​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Tavh | Kesh
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys Surea

A call came, and Valery answered.

Not long ago, she had met the Mirialan after her message had reached the NJO with a request for help — she had been severed from the Force some time ago, and while her connection was returning, she needed to control it again the way she once had. Valery had helped her with this and developed some trust during their trip to the rather dangerous world of Spintir.

So with an entirely new problem troubling the younger woman, she had asked for some extra help. Valery was by no means a healer, and so the actual job of tending to those affected by the strange disease would be left to Amani, but she was an experienced Jedi and could hopefully help even in this particular case.

Either way, she was going to do her best to help Amani.

Hours passed and eventually, Valery would arrive in her X-wing, which she landed and departed from immediately. She was dressed in her usual outfit with her double-bladed weapon strapped to her belt — she wasn't here to do healing, so she was prepared for anything that fit her own skillset instead.

"Hello Amani, I hope I'm not too late?" she asked, as she stepped into the ward. "What's the situation like over here?"

 

[Amani Serys]

“Master Noble,” She regarded fondly with a nod. Amani kept a bit of distance, and was herself still covered in medical gear, voice slightly muffled by the presence of a mask, “Careful, uh, how close you get in here.”

“It’s… bad. I know you’re not a healer or anything but this situation has felt off the entire time.” Amani gestured to a row of patients, all suffering the same necrotic effects. “The Force is telling me there’s something… sinister going on. Maybe you can sense it too.” Tangibly, it amounted to no more than a hunch. But that creeping feeling that the Force prophesied was often a sign of a deeper truth. It was, in any case, proof that her and Valery’s labors bore fruit after all.

“I wanted to find the index case behind all of this. I was hoping you could help.”

Valery Noble | Surea​

 

[Surea]

//: Error = 'Rot spreading'. Master = Disappointment immanent. Surea = 'Stop Rot' ://

The incessant beeping of her droid was something she'd gotten used to. It started by chance, accident almost. The first touch of her blood. She'd been careful, stalking through the night to find her target. A quick assassination, avoiding any spread of her Rot where she could. She hadn't expected someone to try and mug her in those very alleys she used to stalk her prey.

They drew her tainted blood with a blade, and there was nothing she could do to stop the spread. Her curse, her weapon. Her Rot. It spread like wildfire. Contact was all that was needed, bringing misery to any who tried to help the infected. And she watched. From the rooftops, from a building across the street, walking through the very streets, she watched. Her Rot, it could kill so many, so quickly. Was this her power? Was this the power her Master wanted to refine? It wasn't as simple as a disease. The Force itself was affected, or perhaps the Force itself carried the Rot?

"No. I want to see what they do." Her voice came out, hoarse and broken. Rot had long scarred her throat. Simple curiosity was the only reason she remained. But the sight of someone else had her grip tighten on the railing she was leaning against. Jedi. Not just any one.

"Send a report to Darth Ptolemis . I'm going to kill Valery Noble ."

Amani Serys

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Tavh | Kesh
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys Surea

"I'll keep my distance," Valery said as she glanced over at those affected by the strange disease. It felt darker in nature, and while Valery was perfectly capable of shielding herself against these types of problems, it was best to play it safe until they knew more about what it was. Which was likely the reason Amani had called for her assistance.

Looking back at Amani, Valery finally nodded, "This is no ordinary disease, it feels far too dark in the Force. Sinister... like you said," she frowned and glanced at those affected again.

"Has anybody tried to cleanse it with Force Light already? And do you have any idea about how it spreads?" She asked, and those were the few questions she had about what she was seeing. But Amani had one for her as well, and it seemed like a good step to take.

"I'll help you, but do we have any clues to go off of? A place to start maybe?"

 

[Amani Serys]

“As far as I’m aware, you and I are the only Force-sensitives around. And um, I’ve never been able to use Force Light.” She admitted with a shrug.

Amani took this chance to step into a corner section of the room, which had been squared off with dividers, “It’s extremely contagious. Near as I can tell a touch is all it takes.” She continued, still tracking Valery’s silhouette from behind the curtain.

The process was evidently strict. Amani undressed, placing all her medical gear into a bin that would itself be taken away for incineration. After that, a quick decontamination shower, and Amani was handed her belongings.

“Nothing concrete. But the earliest reported cases came from in or around Old Town; And given there’s a quarantine keeping anyone with symptoms from leaving, it’s safe to bet they’re still inside the city.” Either way, patient zero might provide some insight on the city’s newest plight. If they hadn’t succumbed to the disease themselves.

At last she stepped out, dressed a little more familiarly now, “Seems like as good a place to start as any,” She gestured back towards the main entrance.

Valery Noble | Surea​

 

[Surea]

Two Jedi. Master and.. Apprentice perhaps? Surea wasn't sure what to make of Amani Serys , but of the two she seemed the weakest. The Miraluka stuck to the rooftops, letting her connection to the Force tell her where the others were. Keep calm. Don't let lethal intent slip. Little by little she'd been learning how best to fight Jedi. She gripped her dagger. It was a simple vibroblade, nothing worthy of a lightsaber.

But also not as flashy as a lightsaber.

Then, she saw her moment. This room, full of the sick and injured, they'd have to protect them. Even though they were already dead from her rot alone. She let herself chuckle faintly. So they were looking for her? Fine.

She dropped like a shade, dagger in hand as she brought it down for Amani's back.

Valery Noble

 

[Amani Serys]

It came at the last actionable second; A warning whispered across her hackles, compelling Amani to whip around on instinct and face her attacker.

Not behind. Above.

She clasped hold of their wrist, staying the dagger point mere centimeters from her nose even as their bodily weight knocked her over. Initial shock gave way to realization; Her eyes locked onto the assailant’s flesh, marred by the same curse as those in the ward, “Y-you’re-”

Amani’s eyes widened. She rolled, attempting to kick the woman off of her and create some much needed distance.

Valery Noble | Surea​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Tavh | Kesh
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys Surea

"Amani, watch ou-!"

It happened too fast, and before she could warn the Mirialan, the attacker was right on top of Amani with a dagger close to her face. Amani rolled and kicked, hoping to get the woman off of her. But that gave Valery a chance to help as well — with an outstretched left arm, she channeled the Force and sent a powerful pulse towards Surea the moment Amani rolled over, hoping to further add to the momentum she'd be given.

Right now, the purpose was simply to create distance and get Amani back up to her feet.

"You okay?" she called out, as she moved to position herself between Surea and Amani.

With her hand quickly moving down to her belt, she drew the hilt of her weapon into her hand, and two violet blades ignited. Valery had no desire to make an aggressive move just yet, but she was going to defend herself and her friend.

 

[Surea]

Under her breath she cursed herself. Letting herself feel something, anything, before the strike. Was that why she was noticed? She pressed down the dagger with both hands, using the cybernetics to try and overpower the Mirialan through sheer mechanical strength. The kick stunned her, long enough for her to feel an invisible force grip around her. Throw her. The acolyte blinked in surprise as she soared back.

She crashed into something. Surea wasn't too sure what, with her senses more focused on Amani and the Jedi Master. The lightsaber in her hand. She couldn't beat a Jedi Master in direct combat, she understood that much at least. But this place was already her battlefield. Amani seemed to realize it first. Patient zero. She reached down, pulling free the lightsaber she'd taken from the first Jedi she killed. Igniting the now crimson blade with her real hand. The mechanical one held her dagger. Expressionless under the mask that covered the marred flesh where eyes would be on any other species she brought the blade up.

And slashed down her arm. A shallow cut, nothing enough to hinder her. But the rotting blood dripped down, pooling on the floor. She flicked around her lightsaber, scattering more of the Rot around the room in the process.

This was her domain now.

Valery Noble | Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

"I'm good, I'm good-" Amani scrambled to her feet in a rush of breathless adrenaline. She posted up alongside Valery, withdrawing the metal quarterstaff slung across her back.

"It's you, isn't it?" The Rot's progenitor. The woman ignited a blade of scarlet, further confirming the darker nature of this plague. "...We can help you." Amani struggled to keep a calm presence as Surea maimed herself just to turn the room into a bioweapon.

She swallowed her disgust, reaffirming once more after a beat, "These people are suffering. Help us, and we can help you. Cure you. Please." Though her gut screamed at her to see the Sith for what she was, first and foremost Amani saw another patient.

Valery Noble | Surea​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Tavh | Kesh
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys Surea

"...We can help you."

As much as Valery had learned not to give up on those corrupted, she had some sincere doubts about the woman they were standing in front of now. She went as far as maiming herself just to weaponize her blood, and thereby some strange disease that violently had been taking the lives of people on this world.

"She's right."

Valery briefly looked at the Mirialan and with her weapon still ready defensively, she stared the strange lady down. A long time ago, she would have already made a move to end this perceived threat, but not today. If she was willing to listen and work on a path to a cure, then they'd all be walking out of here.

But if she decided to be aggressive, Valery wouldn't hesitate.

"It doesn't have to be like this..." the woman said, as she spread around her blood more, almost as if she was marking her territory.

 

[Surea]

Help? The Jedi? She'd of laughed if not for the adrenaline coursing through her. The pain of her cut, the pain that came with her rot. The threat of the Jedi before her. They'd been trying to cure the rot, they should already know. There was no cure. There was no escape. Only a bitter fight to survive. Surea stayed where she was, reaching her senses outwards. No straight forward fight would win. She'd determined that, but now it was a matter of figuring out her angle.

Behind her, those afflicted with rot. They were trying so hard to cure it? She took a step back. Their research couldn't be allowed to continue, even if she failed to kill Valery. So she turned, ran towards the infected while scattering more of her rotting blood towards the pair of Jedi. She said nothing, talking hurt, but her answer would be clear. The com on her wrist lit up.

"Burn them."

Was all she said. Her droid would get the message, and soon she'd make sure there was no trace of her rot left for the Jedi to exploit.

Amani Serys | Valery Noble

 

[Amani Serys]

Her eyes darted back and forth between Surea and the patients behind her. The sith took a step back. Amani's grip tightened on her staff. She watched, silently begging the woman to accept her help. Her own personal experiences with the Dark had made Amani all the more desperate to aid others that had succumbed to its influence.

But she couldn't have expected that the woman didn't even seem to want a cure.

"No!" Amani broke into chase as soon as Surea made her choice, raising an arm to cover her face as specks of blood splattered against her clothes. She reached out, attempting to trip the woman over with a gust of the Force.

Valery Noble | Surea​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Tavh | Kesh
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys Surea

"Burn them."

Valery's eyes widened at the answer, and together with Amani, she began to quickly move after the strange lady. With her speed augmented, she tried to dodge the blood coming her way, or at least make sure it wouldn't make contact with her skin, her eyes, or her mouth. Not long ago, she had overcome a powerful parasite — she wasn't interested in another disease trying to kill her.

"We have to take her out!" Valery exclaimed.

But Amani was already on it and turned to the Force in an attempt to make the woman fall over. Valery took the opportunity, whether it worked out or not, and made a great leap through the Force, hoping to get over Surea and end up on the other side, trapping her between the two Jedi. But whoever she talked to earlier remained a problem as well.

This was getting tricky.

 

[Surea]

Surea grinned. They were trying to avoid her blood. Desperately at that. They understood the power it had. The power her Rot had. She could take pride in it. Giving Jedi fear wasn't something any Sith could say, especially a Master. But as the Force gusted out to trip her up, she turned with it, letting her grin grow. Valery leapt forward, and the Acolyte lifted her bloodied hand.

The scattering of blood earlier wasn't just to put traps they needed to worry about. The blood that pooled reacted. Droplets raised, then fired off like darts. Spikes, sharp enough to pierce flesh. Surea continued back, letting her trip turn to a roll so she could continue rushing for the back room. Jedi were predictable after all.

Valery Noble | Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani skidded to a halt as the blood ahead of her began to shudder and shift. Then, like a hail of needles the congealed drops of red shot towards her. The first struck her left arm, tearing at the cloth and skin underneath. She gasped, and quickly formed a Force barrier just in time to save herself from becoming a pincushion.

In the moment Amani couldn't so much as bother to register the initial hit, or the fact that she hadn't used a Force barrier in years. She simply looked to Valery for aid. That is, in aiding the patients, "Go!"

Valery Noble | Surea​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Tavh | Kesh
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys Surea

A feeling of imminent danger.

That's all Valery felt when the woman manipulated her own blood. As much experience as Valery had on her own, she had never quite seen something like it, and two spikes struck her. One hit her left hip, the other the right shoulder — but pain would never stop this Jedi Master. It only fueled her desire to stop this Sith from reaching those patients.

"You want fire?"

Valery's fiery globes seemed to light up, and without there being any fuel, she altered the molecules in the air around Surea, and rubbed them together to create immense friction. A fire spontaneously erupted, but it was controlled and directed, aimed to blow the woman off her feet and create a barrier of flames that kept her from getting to the patients.

The plan was to disengage them again quickly, but she had to first stop this dangerous woman.

 

[Surea]

The needles worked. It was such a simple trick, not even lethal. Not unless it was like her blood, at least. Surea seemed pleased, but that smile didn't last for long. Danger. Fire. She hissed aloud as a wall of fame erupted in front of her. The Miraluka hit the ground hard this time, her stolen saber skittering away in the process. Another hissing sound escaped from under her helmet as she stood up. Reached out to try and call her saber back.

Jedi with fire. Astounding. Painful. Her clothing was singed. Flesh was too. It hurt, but not as bad as she thought it might. Then again, the rot had gotten rid of some of her sense of touch. Enough to numb her to things like this. Red erupted as she lifted her blade. Blood still dripped from her arm, pooling on the ground. Spreading more of her rot. Valery was more dangerous than she thought. Fire.

"Status."

The beeping of her droid confirmed what she hoped for. She stood straighter, more confidentially. Then fire erupted everywhere. Her ship soared overhead, unleashing a volley of incendiary blaster fire for the building. She flashed a brief grin at the Master. Could she save the sick? Surea took off then, turning instead to leap towards Amani, saber poised to strike. Distract the Jedi with having to save two groups of people, strike. Her training would pay off.

 

[Amani Serys]

She could only watch in horror as the building was engulfed in an incendiary barrage. Everyone inside was at Surea's mercy, including Amani herself, whose barrier dropped at the overwhelming sight.

It wasn't until the flash of red caught her eye that she reacted again, bringing up her songsteel staff to block the incoming strike. Amani attempted to lock Surea down in a clash of weapons.

"Why?" Was all she could ask. A mix of confusion and anguish at such needless acts of violence.

Valery Noble | Surea​