Private Seeking the Lost

[Kyyrk]

O S S U S
​

There was an uneasy stillness in the air. A group of unsavory individuals had found a safe place to hide. An old fortress, carved into the side of the mountain. Or so it seemed. The place was empty, to what the brigands could see. Perfect for shelter from the law. Or so they thought. Their latest haul had drawn attention, and they were preparing for a fight. Slaving was an easy enough profession, provided one kept a low enough profile. But for the last week, someone...no, someTHING had been stalking them. And yet it seemed that it was not the slaves it was after. No, it had found the hideout well before the raid had even taken place.

And now it hunted them. One patrol had already gone missing. What manner of beast they faced, they did not know. But it was huge. And it had no regard for the lives it took. The patrol was only identifiable by their tags. What remained of the flesh had been torn asunder. Many thought it was a mindless slaughter. But the smarter among the slavers knew, it was a message.

Now, the sun dipped low in the sky. Fires were beginning to illuminate the exterior of the once great fortress. And laid upon a ledge from the neighboring mountain, Voph watched silently. The barrel of his rifle protruding through the dirt and rock, his form was nearly imperceptible against the ledge. It was nearly time to strike. Voph guessed he had three, maybe four shots before they realized where he was. Not that they'd have much they'd be able to hit him with, at this range. But enough to draw them into the rocks. Arguably a far better field than the fortress. It had lain abandoned for many years, and maker only knew what lay in wait within. Better to fight the slavers where Voph had the clear advantage, not just the advantage against them. Now? It was only a matter of waiting for the right moment to strike...

Samatharis

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[Samatharis]

Mountain Bivouac
Silver Jedi Occupied Ossus

It was a harsh encampment. Two small tents slung between the high cold mountain rocks. The light faltering of snow painted against a cold sunrise. There was an old Sith Outpost up on the top of the hill, above them. Abandoned now. Just like much of the Sith territory around Ossus.

Samatharis woke up fully clothed with a damp chill in her boots. It was the sweat from yesterday's hike. Still fresh in her aching memory. She and her companion had hiked all the way out to here to find a ghost. And, sleeping alone, next to the burning furnace of a heat lamp all night, hadn't made their journey much better.

She unzipped her tent flap and struggled out into the cold rocky dawn. Perched out on the jagged rock face. Their tiny camped seemed doomed to very heights of vertigo.

"Morgan." Samatharis sighed. Her hot breath swirling in the chilly air. "You got coffee in there?"

Her companion unzipped her tent flap too. Revealing herself and struggling happily to stretch out her limbs.

"Yeahh." Morgan yawned. "One sec. I'll grab my stuff."

Both women sat down by the heat ring. Then started the fire. Both still fully clothed in their black garb from yesterday. Sam in her dark furs. Morgan in her Obsidian Knights regalia.

"Think we lost him?" Sam huddled her legs closer to her chest. Pulled her blanket up tighter around her shoulders. Let the mild snowfall glitter in the chilly morning sun.

"No. I can track him. He's still out there." Morgan replied quietly. Taking a small sip of her hiking mug.

"Mm. Silver patrols will be light today. X-Wings, probably." Sam said with an eye to the sky. Half expecting a Starfighter or two to fly right over.

"Bah. Planet's theirs again. Let em' have at it." Morgan scoffed.

That would be the end of politics for the day. They sat by the fire for a moment longer. Enjoying the snowfall against the mountains.

"Ready?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Let's grab the bags and go. We'll climb down and make for the lakeside. There's an old fortress up that away."

They struck camp and loaded up their small duffles. It all broke down quite neatly. They had packed light. Even with the rifles.

Sam started up the hill towards their speeder bikes. Rough jagged, rocky ground.

"You got a bead on him?" She sniffed. Hot breath lingering.

"No, but... There's rumor of Sith slavers up at our fortress." Morgan climbed with great lunges. Up from one tall rock to the next.

"So?" Sam watched her footing carefully. Letting the light snowfall tickle her nose.

"So. That's probably where he's going. Call it a hunch." Morgan smirked.

Sam stopped climbing and raised a brow, questioningly, "Pfft. A hunch? Really?"

Morgan just smiled and climbed up right past her companion. Letting the rocks fall away into a view of the mountain plateau beyond. Their bikes were still there. Now covered in a soft white sheet of snow.

Sam just sighed loudly and shook her head. Then kept going after her Obsidian partner.

It was going to be a cold, soggy, winter's morning.

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

S T R I K E
​

Voph drew a deep breath, then exhaled. Steam hissed from his rebreather as his breath melded with the cold morning air. If not for the Force, Voph might have been rather cold. But between his cloak, and his most stalwart ally, he only felt refreshed in the chill air. He drew another breath, held it for a moment, then bucked as the rifle kicked back into his shoulder. The shot echoed around the rocks and mountains as the bolt flew straight and true, landing squarely between the shoulders of the slaver's lookout.

Silence fell for a moment, before another pair of shots rang out, and shouts began to fill the air. A final shot, and Voph rolled to the side, using the momentum to get to his feet and begin running down the hill. The rocks were plentiful enough to provide him cover. Cover to prevent him being shot, but not from being seen.

Exactly how he wanted it.

He landed hard against an upturned rock, waiting quietly as the shouts got nearer. Rifle held at the ready, Voph bowed his head in anticipation of what was to come next. He reached out through the force, and saw that only ten of them approached. The rest had retreated into the fortress. Voph frowned. Both at this, and at the fact that two more beings were approaching. Force Sensitives. One of them seemed familiar.

The first slaver ran past his hiding place, soon followed by a second. Then a third. Voph pulled his rifle up and fired a shot, dropping the lead slaver in his tracks. The rest turned and began firing at him. Voph, in return, slung his rifle over his shoulder to connect with the electromagnetic holster on his back, and stretched out his hand. A sharp crack sounded in the air, and a Lightsaber flew through the air to him, igniting in his hand and spinning to life as he set forth to lay waste to the slavers...

Samatharis

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[Samatharis]

Sam and Morgan pulled up to the lakeside. The engines of their speeder bikes warm and sizzling against the snow. Across the icy expanse of water, the old fortress.

"We're late." Morgan smiled under her dark hood.

"What?" Sam lifted up her ski goggles. Turning her fuzzy hood toward her partner in question.

"Look. Over there."

Sam pulled out her phone and zoomed in on the far mountainside. Sure enough.

"Mm. Slavers. Looks like they're attacking the caves up there. Or,.."

"Trying to flush somebody out." Morgan smiled and reached back on her bike for her rifle. "Ready up soldier girl. Parties already started."

Sam put down her phone and scoffed playfully. I guess Voph was about to be attacked by an army. Ouch. She turned to her partner. Watching her load her rifle.

"Wait. You're going in there after him?" Sam sounded surprised.

"What? You're just going to leave your man to be beheaded by Sith slavers? After we've come this far?" Morgan smiled and slipped the rifle strap over her shoulder.

"So. What? We're just going to drive up there and cavalry charge them?"

"Yep."

Morgan slapped her controls. Very matter-of-factly. As if to say, Yes. And, just leave it at that.

"Oh. Okay. Well. Okay then." Sam threw up her arms in bewilderment. I guess, cavalry charge it was. "Pfft. Is this how they teach Force Combat to all you Obsidian Knights?"

Morgan laughed and kicked her bike into gear. "Ha. No. But he'll understand. He gets violence. ...Come on. Follow me in. Once the shooting starts. You'll know what to do."

"Uh huh." Sam kicked her bike into gear too. Then pulled her goggles back down and gestured to the frozen lake ahead. "...Welp. Ladies first."

"Ha. Yes. Ladies first." Morgan smiled.

They both hit the accelerator and drove right off the shallow edge of the ridgeline. A bit of a fall but a great catch. Blasting across the frozen lake like a bat out of hell. Just two fuzzy hooded women tearing across the ice with their rifles slung across their hips. Ready to let loose on anybody or anything that got in their way.

~ "Okay. Battle Mesh from here on in. No talking." ~ Morgan sent a telepathic message to Sam. ~ "Faster that way." ~

~ "Roger." Sam sent back via the Force. Speaking verbally took too long. Telepathy was much faster. Especially during battle.

They'd cross the lake with terrible speed. Rise up the shallow beach embankment on the other side. Then circle around the back of the mountain to come up the fortress' mountain pass. It was steep, rocky, and narrow for bikes. But they'd be able to get their chariots within jumping distance of the caves.

~ "He's sensed us." ~ Morgan.

~ "Did you tell him we're coming to help?" ~ Sam.

~ "Ha. I think he just smiled. I don't think he needs us." ~ Morgan.

~ "What? The fluck? Really?" ~ Sam.

~ "Ha. Come on. If we hurry, their might be some slavers left for us. Haha. Ah." ~ Morgan.

~ "Damn. You Knights are messed up Morgan. That's messed up." ~ Sam.

~ "Haha." ~

They tore through the back canyon without interruption.

Thirty seconds to target.

Meanwhile, Voph was about to have a few more than. three's company.

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

F I G H T
​

Voph connected with the first slaver with a visceral thud, the clenched fist of his off-hand driving the Bondar Crystal knuckles into the man's cheek, causing his joints to lock up, and the being to fall backward into the rocks. A shot rang out and Voph's head dipped forward, his lightsaber coming up to the now vacant space, deflecting the bolt back square into the chest of the slaver that shot it. A volley was fired from an automatic rifle, causing Voph to sidestep and grab another slaver that had closed to melee range, pulling him into a human shield position to absorb the rest of the volley. Vaulting over the now deceased being, Voph used the Force to push him back into the slaver running at them from behind, pinning the new attacker against a rock. As Voph landed, he almost casually lifted his off hand to send a surge of lightning coursing into the duo.

His main hand came up, and threw his lightsaber with considerable force at the wielder of the rifle, cleaving head from body in a single smooth motion. The blade continued to travel towards the assailant running up behind the gunner, but he dove out of the way in time, allowing the blade to sail past him.

Or so he thought. Voph disappeared, and reappeared just as quickly with his arm outstretched, holding the suddenly stationary lightsaber aloft for just a moment before bringing it down on the prone opponent. The remaining four slavers stood at the ready, having realized their best chance was to attack the man together. "Drop your weapon!" Voph arched a brow under his helmet as the slaver shouted at him. In response, he simply lifted his off hand, and gestured as if flicking a bothersome fly. The wave of Force energy that flew forth sent the four flying, landing in crumpled heaps on the ground. Voph stood silent for a moment, blade held low, yet at the ready.

But there was silence. Silence, save for the whine of two engines approaching. Voph's blade deactivated, and his lightsaber was placed over his shoulder, next to the rifle adorning his back. Voph turned slowly towards the two new arrivals, his face set in an unhappy stare beneath his helmet. "This area is unsafe for travelers. I suggest you move along."

Samatharis

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[Samatharis]

The two speeder bikes flew straight past as Morgan and Samatharis dismounted with naught but a slip of their saddles. Their rides slowly decelerating off into the distance. Almost forgotten.

"Sorry for the interruption Sir." Morgan held her rifle across her chest. Her parka was made for cold weather but the rest of her equipment screamed Obsidian Knight. So she didn't bother much with formal introductions. Voph would get it.

"I'm Knight Rylock. My companion is a Gray Adept. Samatharis. We're out from Eriadu hunting Kyber smugglers. And we need your help."

Sam hustled over to Morgans side. Her rifle at rest in both hands with a frosty glare adorning her driving goggles. Still, even with the fog and haze on the lenses. She recognized Voph from a previous encounter immediately.

Crap.

Her grip tightened on her weapon and she seemed absolutely dumbfounded to see him. Suddenly connecting the unfamiliar name, with the very familiar Force Signature. Yet, she dared not interrupt Morgan's quick briefing. Even for fear of giving herself away as a previous member of the Agent's Wild Hunt. There could be no distractions thus far.

Morgan continued, unaware of her partner's thoughts. "...They used a specialized Sith Holocron to conceal their smuggling routes though out the sector. So far, we've been unable to crack the runecrafting etched upon it. Dispite Lord Masters Varashan's expert opinion. He recommended you as the only one might be able to open it."

The Knight looked back to Sam and gave a reassuring nod. Morgan Rylock of Eriadu was so sure they were both within mere moments of completing their objective. Surely, this man. Voph. Was exactly the man they were looking for. Well. She was. ...Until Samatharis stepped forward and addressed the growing elephant in the room.

"We've met before Lord Voph. Though today I stand before you as an ally of the Obsidian Order. Not as it's enemy."

Her voice was cold. Stoic. Yet commanding and full of vigor. Even in these icy times.

"Knight Rylock and I share a common goal. Today we serve the people of Eriadu. Today, I serve the CIS."

Morgan's face, even underneath her hood, seemed shocked and unaware. She had only ever known Sam as a friend and confidant up until now. So what did she mean, not as it's enemy? Morgan just didn't know.

Even still. hard truths laid bare. Sam stood as hard as cast stone in that moment. Resolute in completing their joint mission. Even if that meant staring Voph in the eyes and declaring her past allegiances. Even unto death. And the Nine Hells that followed it.

The silence that followed, was palpable.

Squeamish. Unsure of what to think next, Morgan took a small step back, and let her gaze pass circles between the two. Suddenly all too aware that it was not a warm conclusion to her mission that she now sensed hanging in the air. It was just the blood of a dozen, freshly dead men.

Lonely as the grave.

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

C O N F L I C T ?
​

Voph's brow furrowed as the two women approached him. Voph wasn't sure what deception the two were attempting, but Voph was not falling for it. "Knight Rylock died on Geonosis." Voph turned and stooped to collect something from one of the corpses. "I don't know who you are, and frankly nor do I care." Voph straightened back up, stowing what appeared to be a small card in his belt. "The Knights that survived the Cataclysm are few, and I know for certain you are not one of them."

Voph's attention was taken temporarily as the slaver that had been hit with the Bondar began to stir. Voph drew his sidearm, and fired off a single shot to put the man down. His helmeted gaze turned back to Samatharis before his arm dropped. "That, paired with an agent of the enemy, makes me wonder why the two of you are really here." Voph returned his pistol to his thigh holster. "Seems to me that the two of you need something. And something you're willing to lie about to attain."

Voph's gaze turned upwards towards the fortress. He was wasting time down here. His quarry was close. "So tell me. What is deemed so important you would seek me out to find it?"

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[Samatharis]

Sam visibly balked at Voph's reply. It was incredulous. She'd known Knight Morgan Rylock for at least a week now and in no way was she an imposter.

Alas...

Morgan suddenly smiled and tilted the barrel of her rifle up. Just a few degrees to the left.

"Ah. Well I'm sorry to hear that. Commander."

Morgan pulled the trigger.

Sam was blown wide and far. The bolt striking directly center mass. Her torso exploding into white sparks as the force of the blast threw off her feet. Sending the Gray Adept flying.

Meanwhile. The droid underneath Morgan's skin was still smiling. It's blue human eyes quickly replaced with red photo-sensors as her KILL initiative turned online. So much for a surprise attack. Voph had seen through her facade. Thusly, now was the time to strike. With the other female incapacitated and Voph held off guard.

The roar of the blaster impact still hung in the air as Morgan began her assault. Time held still. So quick was her subtle movements. Precision and machined. Well oiled and programmed to kill. So much so that just as she finished pulling the trigger on Samatharis. Sending the girl roughly into the dirt and snow to die. That the droids movements almost couldn't be seen.

She withdrew a crimson Lightsaber of her own and carved a path with it's humming blade. Straight for Voph's head.

Smiling all the way.

Meanwhile, Sam's body hit the ground with a harsh thud. Her rifle was sent spiraling across the snow. Blown cleanly in two. She wasn't dead and she wasn't wounded. Morgan's blaster bolt had struck Sam's rifle while it rested across her chest. Then dissipated with a grand explosion against the black ATC body armor held fast underneath her coat. Melting some of the ablative armor coating underneath her parka but saving her life too.

She blinked twice. Then remembered how to be alive again.

"MORGAN!" She screamed! Struggling to rise.

But it was already too late.

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

A S S A S S I N
​

Time did not stand still for the droid alone. Voph had expected something like this, but there was always the chance he was wrong. Thus, his enemy was allowed to make the first move. It charged at him, red lightsaber held aloft. He stepped back into a stance, and pulled his offhand up to block the blade. The Cortosis gauntlet was perfectly adequate for its task, allowing the vambrace emitter mounted on Voph's main hand to come up and slice through the wrist of his assailant. Voph's motion continued as the offhand dropped slightly, and the man stepped into his next strike, catching the droid's own head with his outstretched forearm, clotheslining it. Voph's main hand dropped to his thigh, and the sidearm found its way into his hand, pointed directly at the droid that now lay at his feet. "Next time, don't announce it."

Blam. Blam blam. Blam. Voph paused after the fourth shot, confident the droid was disabled. He remained still for a moment, in case it attempted to continue the fight. When he was confident that the droid was deactivated, he returned the blaster to his thigh, and strode over to the Gray struggling to lift herself from the snow. He extended a single gauntlet, offering her a hand up. "I'll assume that wasn't your idea."

Voph glanced to where the speeders were waiting, about to send the girl on her way, but then a thought occurred to him. She had sought him out, in spite of their history. Perhaps their story had been true, to an extent. Voph turned, and began walking towards the fortress. "Assuming the rest of that was true, it can wait until my business is finished. If you are impatient, your assistance would speed things along."

The casual air with which Voph carried himself was almost...unnatural. An assassin droid had just attempted to kill him, and he didn't seem to care in the slightest. Just as if it were another day in the office. Perhaps such a thing would be surprising to Samatharis. Or perhaps not. Frankly, Voph didn't care. There was something in that fortress he desired. All else was secondary to that goal...

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[Samatharis]

There was a frantic, feral look in her eyes as he helped her to stand. A wild blood cocktail of pain, surprise, regret, and utmost betrayal.

Samatharis didn't speak. Didn't cry out again. She only struggled to breath. Deep full breaths against lungs that just had the wind blown out of them. Her hair a wet, straw like, and snow-filled mess. She was terrified. She was pissed. She was betrayed.

"Morgan. No."

She just stood there from a distance. Deep breaths. Frantic eyes. Her hot breath hanging in the frozen arctic air. Every heave of her lungs drawing her one step closer to the truth.

Smoking blaster holes in her partner's once beautiful chest.

"She... She was just a droid?"

The Force confirmed it. Knight Morgan Rylock had died long ago. All that remained on the cold, frozen ground before her, was just a broken husk.

"Damn. DAMN IT!"

She clutched at the open air. Suddenly more angry than she could ever have imagined. Swindled. Persuaded. Toyed with. All for what? Just to get closer to her target? To throw him off guard? Or maybe, to make Samatharis another clever instrument of her next assassination? There were so many questions and her brain just wouldn't stop spinning.

Damn it. Damn it.

She took a big deep breath and stood up straight. Hands on her hips. Concentrating. Meditating. Shaking off the cerebral effects of shock, anger, adrenaline, and fear. Yes. If Voph was cool and collected under pressure. Then Samatharis seemed ever bit his opposite right now. But then again? Getting blasted across the room while suddenly having your Battle Meld torn right out from under you by your Meld partner? That was a trip too.

"No. I..." She stammered to reply. Slowly recovering herself. Slowly getting back to normal. "...That wasn't my idea. At all."

The blaster holes didn't go away. The body just laid there. Smoking. Just like the others.

"Sorry I..."

Nope. He was already heading for the fortress. If she needed time to collect herself? She was on her own.

"Frak."

She muttered and shook her head. Wiping the snow and mud from her hood. Sighing again at the char marks and broken scraps of her parka. A lucky save. A stupid mistake.

But she wasn't done with Lord Voph just yet. No. In fact, she just one bad comm reply from the Lord Commander away from being jailed on Eriadu for life. Or worse. Never seeing Jutrand or her ship again.

"Yeah yeah. I'm coming." She whispered. Still unsure of what, or how, to apply to his good graces.

Just before she left to follow the path back upwards, towards the fortress. She reached out with her palm and summoned a small object from the saddle bags of her partner's speeder. A small red pyramidion. Etched with glowing Sith Runes and humming with unseen power.

Because, well, at least half of her story had been true. The holocron had belonged to Kyber smugglers. Stolen from them as evidence during Rylock's last raid. And had been adamant that only Lord Voph could be the one to open it. I don't know. Maybe it was a trap. Maybe it was a nursery rhyme. Either way, it was still technically CIS property. He should at least have the opportunity to smash the darn thing, if he wanted to.

She'd catch up.

And whatever happened next. Happened.

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

R E S C U E
​

Voph trudged quietly up the path towards the fortress, not looking back towards Samatharis. She had paused long enough to grab something, then worked to catch up to him. As she drew into earshot, or at least civil conversation range, Voph said simply, "I'm sorry. I don't know if you knew the real Rylock, and if you did I have no idea why she would have associated with you after what you've done. But still, it is obvious that you two were close. I wish I could tell you that the real Rylock died peacefully."

Voph's attitude towards death was very matter of fact. The stance of someone that had seen too much of it. And yet, in spite of the jab about having aided the Agents on Ryloth, Voph did not seem to hold ill will towards the girl. His head turned to look out over the valley below. "But, the droid can always be fixed. One of the small mercies of artificial life. Not quite as precious as the lives that cannot be replaced."

Voph's attention turned to the fortress above them. The slavers would be inside. Waiting. Preparing. "By my count there are fifteen more within. Unsure exactly how many prisoners they have taken. If freed, I will get them to safety. And then, and only then, will you be permitted to ask about your little puzzle box."

The gray could ask all she liked. But Voph was still trying to decide how much help he would be. She was an agent of the enemy, after all. Someone content to stand by while her allies beheaded and bombed innocent civilians in the name of peace and freedom. Whatever her task, she must be desperate to complete it to seek him out. Even moreso to be given the chance to walk away, and pursue him all the same.

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[Samatharis]

There was a deadness inside Sam following Morgan's death. She didn't look at Voph as he talked. Didn't consider his verbal acknowledgment a kindness either. She had been a soldier long enough to know that betrayal was a weakness and that showing more weakness invited only more errors. Truly, she had shown enough of both today. It was burned into her dark clothing already.

"Very well. I can find and shield the prisoners while you hunt. Unopposed."

She tightened her gloves and scowled at the rocks high above them. Voph didn't seem the 'team player' type. So she'd just stay out of his way and had phrased it as such.

Samatharis didn't wait for acknowledgment either. Didn't wait to review any 'team' plan. She just unclipped her silver saber and entered the lower archway into the fortresses' cellar. Alone and undeterred.

Letting the icy darkness of it's tunnels consume her.


* * *

Moments past in silence. Deep down in the depths.

The first slaver lay at her feet. Unconscious and unmoving. Samatharis had evaded their traps and found the old dungeon cells unhindered. Broken black rocks and a damp, light fog was rising up against the rotted wood floors. Most of the iron bars had already been torn off years ago. Cheap shield systems had been erected in their place. Alas, she couldn't peer past the orange glow of those dungeon cell doors. She couldn't see how many where trapped inside. She could sense their number, yes. But she couldn't reach them. Not yet.

Sam was probably only one floor underground right now. There was a stairway in the corner that lead up to the surface. A dim light peering down through it. Too close to the others for comfort but, she'd manage. Stealth wasn't a problem. Not for her.

So she took the guards key card and noticed that it was just one part of two. One half to someone else's whole. And she couldn't go unlocking these prisoners with just half a key card.

"Must be another half."

She looked around that damp, dark room. Long and narrow. Half crumbled, moss covered, darkness. Useless in it's extreme. Just one computer terminal bolted to it's half-decrepit walls.

Sam slipped the key card into her pocket and made for the stairwell to the surface.

"I'll find Voph in the upper fortress. Hopefully, he's finished with the others by now too. Hmph. Maybe he's found the boss and the other card. Wouldn't that be something."

She still sensed lifeforms up there. So I guess he wasn't quite finished just yet.

And they'd never see him coming.

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

C O N F R O N T A T I O N
​

Voph had indeed taken to the upper floors to hunt the rest of the slavers. It had not bothered him that Samatharis had opted to take her own path. He had planned to cover this ground alone anyways. Through the darkened halls Voph stalked his prey. They knew that he was upon them. But there was nothing they could do. For just as soon as they had a bead on him, he disappeared. Only to reappear in a blaze of light and death. That was, until he stood in the main hall of the fortress where the remaining slavers had chosen to make their stand.

Voph stood boldly, lightsaber held at the ready. The captain, and his six best men, all stood facing down the Knight Obsidian. Guns were trained on him from all angles. But no one fired. Not yet. They seemed to think there was a chance at peace. "You took great lengths to find us, Sithling." Voph's faceless helmet did not betray any emotion. He simply stood, watching and waiting. "Didn't think you Obsidians have jurisdiction up here."

"We don't. This is a personal matter."

The slavers all began to laugh. What could they possibly have that he wanted? "We'd be willing to cut you a deal, Knight. Which ever one you want, it's yours. Half price." Voph still betrayed no feeling at this comment. "A better idea. You give me what I want, and I consider letting you walk out of here with your lives." The crew erupted into laughter again. "There's seven of us, and one of you! How could you possi--" The man was cut off by a blood-curdling scream. A blaster clattered to the floor as the slaver that had held it moments prior reached up to clutch at his head. Voph did not move, but his influence upon the Force could be felt permeating the room. The horrors now intruding upon the minds of the slavers was beyond words. Their minds filled with the suction of mud, the stench of death. An oppressive ash-cloud choking the life from them. A feral instinct to run. Run far and fast and never look back.

Though the Dread Wars may have been long over, the memory still lived on.

Voph stepped forward slowly towards the leader, the only being not subjected to this maelstrom of mental combat. He could sense the fear in the man's eyes, realizing he now stood man to man against Voph. Panicked, he raised his blaster only for it to be ripped from his hands by the Force. "Tell me where the prisoners are kept." The man stumbled backwards and fell, instinctively raising a hand as if to defend himself. "D-down the stairs. Behind the shield gate. I have half the key, my lieutenant has the other half."

Voph nodded once, his lightsaber deactivating, and returning to his back. "For that, you may live. Tell the others what fate may befall any who harm my people." The slaver's brow furrowed in confusion. "But...but we have no knights! We haven't harmed your people!" Voph reached up and removed his helmet slowly, revealing white hair falling loose around an eyeless face. And in that moment the man understood. Voph had come for their Miraluka captive. The helmet was gripped in his off hand, as his right reached out to call the key-card to him. Around him, the other slavers began to expire after the heartless assault upon their minds. There need only be one survivor, after all.

Only one to tell the tales of what may happen should anyone harm a child of Vylmira.

​

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[Samatharis]

Samatharis entered the hall to the sudden splatter of shoulders and swollen heads against the cold stone floor. The sudden expiration of so many men was, stumbling. She grimaced at the scene with sudden distaste. To die by violence was common. Yet, to die by sudden expiration of the mind was. Troubling. Distasteful.

She frowned and quickly moved on.

"I got the Lieutenant. Keys ready."

Sam held up the other half. Then lifted her chin towards the stairs.

"Twelve prisoners. Some are suffering from exposure but they're not malnourished or without unclothes. They're behind shield gates that block out light and sound though. Somebody preferred them blind, deaf, and dumb for safe keeping."

She folded her arms over her chest. Passing her eyes over the circle of corpses.

"So. What are you going to with them?"

There was a certain challenge in her voice. A, disagreeableness. As if she was somewhat uncertain as to whether Voph was here to free them or rather to use them for his own ends. Samatharis was a Gray Adept. She understood diversity, bias, and pitfalls of blind faith. The galaxy was a dark place by nature and it would remain so for the next billion years. No matter what she did, what she worked for, and no matter what she believed. Even in the Force. But even still? The desperation of those poor slaves mixed with the sudden violence manifested in the very personage of Voph's aura? She couldn't help but suddenly feel protective for them. Of them. From him.

The hall remained full of bodies none the less. Her posturing, minimal. She wasn't in a place to argue nor of the mind for it.

The faster they got this done. The better.

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

R E S C U E
​

Voph pivoted slowly to watch as the slaver captain fled from the room. He watched for a moment, before turning his empty sockets towards Samatharis. She had already found the other half of the key. Voph listened quietly as she informed him of having found twelve prisoners, and the conditions in which they were kept. He placed the card taken from the captain within his belt, and returned his helmet to his head. Samatharis also asked what he planned to do with the prisoners. After the hiss of his rebreather signalled the helmet was locked into place, Voph spoke. "What does it matter what I plan to do with them? Did you not lend your aid and support to those who bombed and beheaded innocent civilians?"

Voph let the verbal barb rest for a moment. Then, answered her question regardless of his accusation. "They will be taken to their homes. Or to the Confederacy if the former is not possible. They will be given new lives. A chance at freedom." Voph looked around at the bodies he'd left strewn about the room. "These men made their choice. They chose to fight. That is what makes them the enemy." Voph looked back to Samatharis. "I do not pretend to be a good man. Nor am I deluded enough to think that the halls of celebration in the afterlife beckon me. I was born into a world of war and destruction. It is all I have ever known. Today, I sought to save one life. One life further from the brink of extinction. The rest of them were...collateral rescues, shall we say."

Voph extended a hand towards the Gray, silently requesting that she hand him her half of the key. "But, I suppose this means the matter is handled. You had questions for me? I would presume your retrieval of the...device, means that there really is something you need to speak with me about, not just a ploy by the droid."

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[Samatharis]

Voph's barbed reply placed him firmly in the "kark tard" category of known associates for dear old Samatharis. He was clearly, solidly; one of a kind.

She scoffed at the air and rolled her eyes. Why bother defending herself now. Voph had clearly made up his mind about how the world worked. She wouldn't bother wasting the breath on trying to sway him further. Instead, she simply bladed her eyes and tossed him the other half of the key. Glad to have an end of it.

Turning her mind and her shoulders towards other business.

"The droid was right about one thing. Neither of us, nor our specialist back on Eriadu, was able to open this."

She withdrew the small red Sith Holocron from her pocket. It's dark forces still beating like a devil's heart.

"Open it. And that will be the end of our little association."

Sam took another deep breath and quietly wondered if what she was about to say would register at all with the blind man anyway.

"And... I quit those psychotic Agents and their Witches covens long ago. Turned out, they were as crazy as the world they so desperately hoped to burn down. Not fix. Not mend. So I guess you could say? ...They lied to me. And I've not forgiven them since."

She detested the way that sentence felt as it left her mouth. Almost as if tasted like poison. Much like the way it made her upper lip crawl. Memories tainted with bitterness and flowery pink promises. She felt sick just trying not to remember.

"Pfft. Whatever."

She quickly turned her head away. Sour and berated. After all, what did Voph care. He was just a tool. She had to make her own way. Her own way in this long forgotten galaxy. Especially after Morgan's deception. She couldn't be so weak, so naive, ever again.

Samatharis cocked her head and held up the holocron into the faint winter's light. Wondering almost openly herself, about just what secrets it might contain.

Final moments. His move.

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

H O L O C R O N
​

Voph watched the woman quietly as she scoffed at his verbal jab. The words hurt her, that much was clear. And it told Voph all he needed to know. Even before she tried to explain herself. Explain that she had left the Chaos behind. This after withdrawing the Holocron, and explaining that the Droid hadn't been able to open it. She did, however, demand that Voph open it. Wasn't part of the deal, as Voph recalled. He'd said she could ask questions. Not make demands.

But that was a minor detail. One he wasn't willing to make too much of a fuss over. He stepped towards the girl, reaching out to take the Holocron and inspect it. "You'll get used to it. Betrayal." Voph's tone suggested there was a personal experience with this in his past. "After a point, the pettiness of politics begins to bore you. I've seen horrors and hypocrisies on all sides. Jedi, Sith, Republic, Empire, it makes no difference."

Voph turned the device in his hands, looking it over as he spoke. "It grows harder with every passing day to hold to the same ideals as you used to. To support a nation in its agenda. The hardest part is knowing when it's time to go. To seek your purpose elsewhere, not burdened by the shackles of loyalty." Voph fell silent for a moment as he focused in on the holocron. "Can't imagine why smugglers had this. If they concealed their movements, it was not with this device. It contains no such feature." Voph held the device aloft, and the corners began to twist and unfold, a small hologram appearing around the device.

"Tis a record, why it is contained within a Sith Holocron, I know not. A guide and mentor to the art of imbuement. A practice first began by the Jal Shey. Famed armorers in their day. An act not typically possible for one consumed by the corrupted dark." Voph turned his head to look at Samatharis for a moment. "An invaluable source of knowledge to a person such as yourself. To learn how to alter the very fabrics of reality on a whim. Something that reason tells me I should return to the Knights Obsidian archives, sooner than entrust it to you."

Voph remained motionless for a moment, then slowly extended his arm, holding the Holocron out to the girl. "There are, however, grand designs at play in this galaxy. Designs that even the greatest masters could not foresee. And I feel that, at some point, you may have your own purpose in this twisted galaxy. Think of me what you will, but I pray that when the day comes, we may stand as allies of a common cause."

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[Samatharis]

Samatharis wasn't quite sure what to think when Voph passed her back the holocron. Truthfully, she had expected the box to contain exactly what Morgan had said it had. A map. Not some, strange crafting style? Or whatever.

She reached out slowly and withdrew the small pyramid from his hands. It felt like taking final possession of the item but... She wasn't quite sure about what that meant either. He had a point. Maybe it was better off in the archives than with her clumsy fingers? She didn't know anything about Force Imbuement. It wasn't even book learning to her. Perhaps the Jedi Archives would know but... Would the Temple Masters back home even allow it? She just didn't know.

"Huh?"

She shrugged quietly. Holding the holocron out in front of her like a child might hold a wet, captured toad. Half intrigued. Half disgusted. Full of a dozen or so wild questions.

Samatharis thought in that moment of asking Voph another question too. Like, what was Imbuement? How did it relate to Sith Alchemy? Was it something a Jedi could use? And, what could you possibly use it for? ...Mm. Alas. She knew better than to test the warrior's patience a moment further. He still had a familiar prisoner to rescue. Maybe even more slavers to kill and a long quest home to see through to it's dark, uncertain completion. So no. It was best she not say anything further and just get to the point.

So she took the holocron and put it snugly in her pocket. Then nodded with respect at his sudden generosity.

"I accept. Thank you."

She frowned and looked him in the eye. Suddenly unsure of what to make of him. But. Well. It mattered little now. It was time they parted ways. For good. Indeed, for all Voph's greatness and skill in combat she saw little reason to remain in his stoic company. Voph seemed as devoid of empathy and compassion to her as he did eyes to see with. No. He wasn't teacher material. He wasn't even associate material, if she was being honest. And, If he had any friends at all? Well. She probably didn't want to meet them either. Hmph. Destiny be damned. She'd had enough of this rotten planet already.

"Well. I'll leave you to your quest then. Good luck on your journey My Lord. Force, be with you."

She gave a slight bow of her head. Though the frown did not leave her face. Even as she turned to take her leave.

So it was that Samatharis turned to the outer doors and aimed to return to her bike. Pausing only for a moment to consider the plight of the prisoners being held down in the depths below. Yet, quickly resolving herself that it was not her most pressing, lethal concern. This was Silver territory now. And they were good at seeing to rescues. Jedi be damned either way. Besides. Every moment she remained on Ossus was just another tepid moment that Voph could decide to change his mind and kill her. Claiming the holocron, the prisoners, and possibly her life; should he feel so inclined as to melt another person's brain out their ears today. Mm. No. It was best she took her leave. While that option even remained.

The snow was falling quietly outside. White and shimmering. If you didn't mind the silence of the morning, well? You might even say it was a beautiful new beginning.

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

R E T U R N
​

Voph wasted no time returning to the lower floor, and deactivating the force cages. The prisoners were indeed his primary goal, but a second objective had presented itself. A soft hiss sounded as the laser gate opened, and Voph stepped into the small room. "Get up. You're safe now." The initial fear turned to relief as they realized Voph was not one of their captors. They were ushered upstairs to the closest viable landing spot, and soon the Obsidian Star shone upon the horizon. Voph did not speak to the prisoners, though there was much exchanged between him and the other Miraluka. The man's tunic billowed in the wind, revealing a strange symbol tattooed on his chest.

As the landing ramp lowered, and the Droid attendant began to usher the newly freed prisoners on board, the darker haired man turned to Voph. "I still think a simple rescue would have been enough." Voph's brow furrowed in a disapproving look. "The message was clear enough. They made their choice." The other man shrugged. "As you say, Wrath."

The man turned to look down the hill at the sight of Samatharis' retreating speeder bike. "Do you believe her?" Voph also turned to look. "Partially. I do feel she told the truth in claiming to have forsaken the ways of Chaos. Quite unusual for a Jedi. But it is of no matter." "And the part you do not believe?"

Voph held up his hand, revealing the Holocron that Samatharis had actually handed him, replaced by the near useless holocron of imbuement the two had discovered in the ruins two days prior. Voph wasn't sure if the girl knew he had swapped the holocrons. But she hadn't been able to open it without him anyway. The markings upon the side of it heralded the device as something far more interesting. "I don't believe that this device is what she claimed it to be. Even if she herself was unaware. I have seen markings like this only once before. I do not know for certain if the knowledge it contains will help us. But I find the prospect intriguing none the less." Voph looked at his companion, and gestured to the waiting ramp of the Star. "Come. There are still many systems to search. But perhaps now we'll at least have something to pass the time while we travel..."

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