Shadows of Kashyyyk (Shamira)

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
Tempest had been impressed by her student’s control and resourcefulness. However, the gunship was pivoting around now, and would soon have its front weapons bearing on them.
She looked around quickly. The crates were mangled and in any case would likely not pierce the thick armour. She had her lightsabre and the Force, but how to take down the gunship?

There was only one option. She just wished she had her jetpack.

Taking a few steps back she ran forward and leapt. The blaster cannons blazed at her, missing and slamming into the platform as Tempest arced through the air, carried by a sudden wind. Her orange blade lanced forward to pierce the heart of the pilot, and as the co-pilot tried to shake her off she almost slid right off, dragging her lightsabre in a molten arc through the controls before she got a grip on the front.

However, she had done enough damage, and in panic and out of control the co-pilot sent the gunship into a devastating arc so it hit the platform they’d been on with splintering crunch of wood and metal. As the platform broke free and fell, their ship dropping lazily with the burning remnants of the gunship Tempest would be visible to Shamira, hanging off a strut over a very long fall and needing some help quickly!

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]


If there was one word to describe her mistress, it was flat out jaw dropping. Shamria had thought she had disabled the gunship enough by sending the minigun, and the gunner, out the other side of the ship into the indescribable fall below. But it slowly began to turn towards them, and from her position, she could see the blasters on the underside of the ship turning towards them and beginning to target them. Slowly the initiate began to back up so that she could dive to cover when the blasters started firing away.
Just when she was about to go diving behind cover, her attention was caught by Tempest suddenly leaping forward, beginning to cut away at the ship and it’s pilots. “Yes! Go mistress!” The exclamation of pride was accompanied by a fist raised in the air as her mistress plunged her lightsaber deep into one of the pilots.
Then things started going wrong. Horribly wrong. The ship suddenly plunged forward, making Shamira run backward, diving out of the way of ship cutting through the wood of the platform. Burying her head into the hard material, her arms covered her lekku to keep the shrapnel of wood from piercing them in any way.
It was over within a second. Shamira slowly rolled over to see their ship gone, as well as the mercenary’s gunship. Her eyes finally focused enough to find her mistress dangling from one of the beams. She leaped to her feet and sprinted to the edge.
Biting her lip, the initiate realized there was no way to get to Tempest. There was only one way she could save her mistress. Extending her hand, her breaths came in longer, deeper inhales and exhales as she focused on the woman that was dangling. Tempest would feel the force like grip slowly lifting her up, pulling the mistress back towards the platform in the air.
The landing could’ve left more to be desired. Shamira’s concentration wavered lightly at the end, the strain of lifting her mistress from a deadly fall back to safety wearing on her. She dropped Tempest on the platform, safely, slightly harder than otherwise would’ve been if she had kept her concentration. Dropping to one knee, Shamira looked up at her mistress, grinning tiredly, widely, with beads of sweat dotting her forehead. “That won’t be the last time I save you, mistress.”

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
It came only just in time for Tempest, who had temporarily been drained of energy and forced to concentrate on holding on to a sharp and slippery metal prong.
When she fell onto the platform she just lay there for a few seconds gasping for air and holding onto the remains of the platform.
“I…I suspect you’re right,” she said shakily, getting to her feet.
Smiling, she patted Shamira on the shoulder, but frowned when she saw her hands had been cut from holding on and she’d put blood on her Apprentice’s armour. She quickly bound her palms with gauze.
“Thank you, Shamira.” A look down at the abyss below where fires burned. “Looks like we need another way off, come on, they’re still under attack!”

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]


Shamira attempted not to flinch when the blood soaked hand of her mistress rubbed her shoulder, leaving a deep red streak across the shoulder pad. Her eyes flicked to the dark skinned woman in concern, focusing on the cut hands. Even after she had bandaged them up, Shamira’s eyes didn’t leave them for a few moments until Tempest told her to get up.
She looked over the edge at the burning mass of wreckage at the bottom of the tree, frowning widely. “I liked that ship…” Laughing lightly, she turned to grin at the mistress before starting back towards the village, where blaster shots could be heard over the yelling and screams of the wookies.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
Tempest looked down one last time.
“I liked it too…but rather it than us.”

Her musings were cut short by the sound of more gunships, firing, the roars of Wookiees and blasters.
“Come on, let’s get over there.”
It wasn’t just altruism. They needed a ship off the planet and/or the support of the natives to fight the attackers.

When they reached the main area they were in before, a full on battle was in progress. Where they could the invaders were using stun blasts and electronets to capture Wookiees. The Wookiees meanwhile were shooting to kill and taking a heavy toll of their attackers.

Tempest took cover behind a crate and watched. “Half dozen there with gunship support,” she said softly. A quick look around pointed her to the nearest tree. Some vines hung down.

“How good are you at climbing? We’ll scale up, drop down and hit them from behind.”
As plans went it was pretty improvised, but it might work.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]


Shamira knew that running around with a lit lightsaber would most likely end in a dismemberment. For someone else, or herself. That would be quite the story to tell back at Ashira’s Light…while she was being embarrassingly patched up, of course.
Running beside Tempest, she slid next to her behind the durosteel boxes. Lasers rained all around them, peppering the boxes and the market in front of the market. It seemed as though the wookies were fighting back, and even winning to an extent.
Smirking wide at the question from her mistress, Shamira clipped the lightsaber back to her belt before nodding wide. “I can climb just fine. I did it all the time back home on Shili. But you..” Pointing to Tempest’s hands, raising an eyebrow. “Are in no condition to climb. Perhaps you can distract them while I drop behind them?”

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
Tempest immediately arced up at being told off by her Apprentice. “That’s far too dangerous. I am perfectly able to climb,” she said sternly.
She had already shamefully showed weakness by needing to be rescued by Shamira so early in the battle. She would not admit that her injuries were serious enough to make her backdown though. Tempest hated admitting any form of weakness, especially in front of her Apprentice. She would push on through the pain no matter what.

Still, progress was slower than she’d like. The trees were unusually straight and free of branches, and so she was forced to resort to using her powers to ascend the trunk until she stood above and behind the slavers.
She nodded to Shamira, ignited her lightsabre, and sliced through a mighty branch. The unexpected, crashing obstacle panicked the mercenaries for the couple of seconds she needed. Leaping down, using the Force to cushion her fall into a roll, she came up, orange blade scything through her enemies. A blast of telekinetic energy sent a Gamorrean over the edge to squeal all the way down to his demise. Meanwhile, lightning slashed from her hands to fry another alien coming at her with a net.

It hurt. The gauze around her hands smoked from the conductive power, but she fed on the pain, using it to grow her focus.

I am not weak. I am strong. I will defeat my enemies. I will survive.

With Shamira joining in, the mercenaries did not stand a chance.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

Tempest’s snap back at Shamira’s suggestion made the padawan sit back lightly and nod silently. It was obvious her mistress had decided to stop showing any pain, weakness in her movements to her subordinate. That made the younger of the pair frown lightly in sadness at her own suggestion. She should have known how it would sound, and keeping it to herself would probably have been a better choice.
Once the white haired woman began to ascend the tree to begin to enact their plan, Shamira let her get a few second head start before starting up behind her. Cracking her knuckles, the Togruta began to leap from branch to branch with the help of the force in her jumps. Even with the large distance between the large enough branches, climbing was easy for a natural climber like the padawan was. Hunting with her family back on Shili definitely helped in that regard.
Even with the head start she had allowed Tempest to have, the padawan was just on her heels as the pair came up behind the mercenaries fired at a group of civilian wookies, pinned down behind the stall of a market shop.
Seeing the plan that Tempest had in mind, the Togruta knelt down and grabbed a hold onto the branch as the sensation of falling suddenly encompassed them. The log crashed behind the group of mercs, scattering them. The pair leaped in opposite directions, both igniting their lightsabers as they cut through the air.
Landing beside a very surprised looking Zabrak, Shamira was quick to cut upwards across his body, before turning ninety degrees to rapidly block a few bolts coming from what looked to be a pair of twin humans. Their shots were very swiftly deflected back into them, each catching a shot to the chest as well as other various parts of their body before falling to the wood.
The Togruta turned just in time to see her mistress send lightning screaming out of her hand, a pained look on her face. When Tempest finally focused on her, Shamira gave a small thumbs up before walking over to her. “How’s the hands? That couldn’t have felt good.” A sly smirk slowly crossed her face as she looked up to the woman, grey blue eyes twinkling lightly. “It certainly looked cool when you were electrocuting him to death, though.”

​​| [member="Tempest"] |

​​

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
Tempest balled her fists. It hurt, but she wasn’t going to admit it.
“It feels good. The power of the Force is with me, answers to me, and this scum will not stand in my way,” she said softly.

She looked to Shamira. “You did well. It feels good, doesn’t it?” A question came to her. “Is this the first time you’ve killed?” she asked, looking sympathetic. “It’s never easy, but it does get easier.”

Their discussion was interrupted by some of the wookiees coming over to them. Their leader roared praise at them.
“Your assistance was appreciated, but the filth are still attacking. Will you aid us in the counter attack? The chief is ahead and needs help.”

There was fighting at the big trading hall they had been earlier. Blasters, screams, roars. All of it could be heard.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

Shamira couldn’t help the large grin on her face that came from her mistresses words. It was obvious that shooting lightning down your hands when they were cut and burned from hanging above a chasm of death would hurt quite a bit. Yet here she was, spouting something out about the force while acting extremely tough. It was easily enough to make a padawan proud to stand by her side.
The Togruta shook her head, smiling grimly up at the woman. “No, it isn’t, thankfully. I know how it felt the first time, but it has gotten..less straining.” Shrugging lightly, the subject was let go the moment a group of surviving wookies walked up, asking for their help.
Nodding in response, the togruta took off towards the trading hall, only to be greeted with an absolute horrible mess. A balcony surrounded the central trading area, and the gunships had been able to drop off mercenaries on top of the roof, who were raining blaster fire on the wookies, who had set up tables as barricades. But there was no other way to describe the situation. The center of the trading area was a kill zone.

​| [member="Tempest"] |​

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
Tempest had been a warrior and soldier half her life. She thus knew exactly what to look for in battle.
The approaches were a killing zone, and the mercenaries were busy looting and enslaving those at the trade station. A head on assault, even with the two of them and the wookiees would result in heavy casualties. Going to the branches above would be equally difficult as the mercenaries had learned their lesson.

That only left…

She looked to Shamira. “We’ll go under them come up from below,” she insisted.
Moving over to the wookiee she briefly described her plan.
“We had already planned this. We have gathered some warriors.”
“Keep them here, we’ll handle this part,” Tempest insisted confidently. “When you hear us breaking in, launch your attack. We’ll catch them unprepared and then crush them.”
The light of battle filled her eyes and she pulled out a grappling hook from her belt. It wasn’t for the faint of heart, but it was the best way to come at the enemy.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

Shamira had been in a few battles before this, like she had told her mistress. Killing didn’t disturb her whatsoever. It had become commonplace for missions such as this. Yet there was one thing that did still get to her during these missions. The death.
Her eyes skimmed over the dead bodies of the wookies on the floor of the trading area, making her swallow lightly as bile rose up her throat. Even the rodian lay dead underneath one of the massive bodies of fur on the floor. Bodies scattered across the floor, some still clutching weapons, while others had lost body parts due to grenade explosions. Few times had Shamira seen such death in such a small area. The few wookies that still survived fought for their lives, but it wouldn’t be long before they too, joined their friends on the floor, their blood soaking into the wood, marking it forever with their sacrifices.
Attention of the padawan was quickly drawn from the dead to her mistress, who held in her hand, a grappling hook. The Togruta nodded in agreement and understanding, before reaching onto her own belt and pulling off the grappling hook. Shamira would allow her mistress to leave, as she had not heard the plan fully as she had stared at the dead.

| [member="Tempest"] |

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
‘You don’t know the horrible aspects of war. I’ve been through two wars and I know. I’ve seen cities and homes in ashes. I’ve seen thousands of men lying on the ground, their dead faces looking up at the skies. I tell you, war is Hell!’
-William Tecumseh Sherman

Though it was a quote from another time, another reality it was one which Tempest would agree with. War was the embodiment of everything terrible in the galaxy. It had consigned her people to premature death and ruin, and worse for the galaxy. But there was no peace amongst the stars, and Tempest had learned that peace did not come to all, and so enemies must be fought and defeated to ensure it was possible.
Thus, the dead bodies no longer phased her. They were just fuel to drive her onward to final victory.

Under the platform lay a scant set of branches and a dizzying drop into the forest below. Tempest gently shook Shamira to get her attention.
“Focus, or you’ll have the rest of your life to contemplate the ground getting closer,” she said with forced levity. She helped her Apprentice connect her belt and grappling wire, then aimed both of them at the distant part of the platform. The darts bit into the hard wood easily and they were set for their swing over the abyss.
“Ready?”

 

[Shamira Karuto]

Shamira watched the sharp end of her grappling hook bite into the wood above them before her gaze shifted to the immense gap below them, one that would induce sure death if one was to mistime their jump in almost any way. The padawan wasn’t exactly scared of large drops but the fall before her was extremely daunting.
Her eyes turned to her mistress, forcing a small smile as she attempted to reassure not only Tempest, but herself that everything was ok. “Sure…this is nothing. Just a thousand foot drop, with a swing betting my life on hope a dart stays attached to a tree. No biggie.” Little nervous laughs came from her mouth, but her look betrayed her true feelings about the whole situation.

​| [member="Tempest"] |

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
“That’s the spirit!” Tempest said, and swung.

Fear. No matter what people claimed, no matter how versed in the Force or how reckless you were, you never completely defeated it. You could reduce it, you could make it lesser, you could ignore it. But always, simple self-preservation raised its hand.

Tempest would be lying if she said that she felt no fear as she swung over the abyss. However, she was determined not to let it stop her, determined to not show weakness.
She caught onto the tree branch, and hauled herself into a place where she could sit on one of the struts of the building above, anchor herself in place.

When Shamira would swing across she’d grab her hand and haul her closer, allowing her apprentice to get a grip in safety.

“I got you, Sha, I won’t let you go,” she said softly

The distant sound of blasters came from above.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

The apprentice wasn’t trying to make it desperately obvious how scared she was to swing over the huge chasm. So much could go wrong, and honestly, this wasn’t the way she planned to go whatsoever. Falling to her death seemed extremely less heroic than going out in a ball of flame or defending innocents.
These thoughts prompted her to stay on the platform a half second behind her mistress, allowing Shamira to watch the first part of her swing. How safe and clean the movement was calmed the Togruta’s fear a bit. Taking a deep breath and a step backward, her whole body sprung forward as she leaped off the platform, swinging into the abyss.
The air whipping past her body as she swung downward, lekku whipping in the wind. It felt as though her breath was caught in the back of her throat until she reached the bottom of her swing and started back upwards. Very soon after she realized one unfortunate thing. Shamira’s swing was going to just short.
As she began to slow, her savior was quickly seen. A gloved hand reached out, as if Tempest knew she wasn’t going to make it from the beginning. Trying not to think about that, the Togruta reached out and swiftly grabbed onto Tempest’s hand, gripping onto her wrist and her forearm, the cable swinging backtwards to the other side.
Grey-blue eyes turned up to meet her mistress’s, a extremely nervous smile emerging at her lips. “Are we even now, mistress?”

| [member="Tempest"] |​

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
“We’re even,” Tempest said reassuringly. She hauled Shamira safely onto the tree bowl. For a moment Tempest did nothing but gather her breath, then an explosion above made her spring into action.
“Come on. Lightsabre.”

The lumber of Kashyyyk was formidable and tough, but it was no match for a lightsabre. Having reached into the Force she had found an area on the far corner of the trading post which seemed unobserved. Swiftly they scaled up and Tempest cut a hole in the floor with Shamira’s help. She stepped aside as the lump of wood and durasteel feel into the depths.

Tempest leapt up, burning her hand on the charcoal like wood surrounding the hole. She ignored it, and attacked.
The pirates had not been ignorant, instead they had waited until she emerged to open fire, but she was no mere wookiee.

Lightsabre drawn she fell upon them. Blaster bolts were deflected, lightning scorched from her fingertips, and her blade hacked left and right, slaying with vigour any who opposed her. The wookiees, sensing the pirates’ misfortune, closed in too.

Battle, Tempest lived for it, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

With one hand gripping tight to her mistress’s wrist and the other gripping the platform, Shamira was able to pull herself up onto the platform, gasping for breath. She took a moment to catch her breath with her mistress, before popping up with her lightsaber in hand, the moment the explosions above their heads reminded her why they pulled off the terrible stunt.
Igniting her lightsaber along her mistress, the pair started a few feet apart and began to cut in opposite directions in a circle. The apprentice used these few moments to catch her breath, knowing what laid above them would be the hardest fight yet. It only took a few seconds and the hole in the floor was complete, and with a swift pull, the cut portion fell onto the platform below.
Tempest hopped through the hole first, leaving Shamira behind momentarily. It allowed a few seconds for her to settle herself before suddenly springing forth into the heat of the battle.
Lightsaber twirling, deflecting bolts that sprayed towards her with no true goal as to where they ended up, Shamira gauged the situation in front of her. Sufficiently behind the enemy blockade the mercs had set up, to their right was the mess of manned turrets along the line of turned over tables and boxes. But to their left, what she assumed to be the leader of the mercs strode deeper into the vault, while a group of other aliens served as his bodyguards. It was easy to suppose they were here after the immense amount of trade revenue. In the middle of whole fight was Tempest, an absolute torrent of killing.
Continuing to spin her lightsaber, Shamira slowly backed into the middle of the room, cutting down any mercs dumb enough to get within arm reach. “Mistress! Plan?” She called out as she backed into the back of her mistress, sending out a wave of force fueled wave to knock over a pair of twileks.

​| [member="Tempest"] |

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
The wookiees were arriving, streaming in to help, and several of the slavers were fleeing or fighting doomed last stands. One had tried to surrender, but an enraged Wookiee had cut them down instantly. No quarter would be given by either side.

“Stay here and finish this lot off. I’ll go after the boss,” Tempest ordered.

Having seen where the leader had gone, she followed after, just in time for a grinding crunch to sound.
Entering the backroom, she saw that the whole side wall was missing and that a gunship had attached a massive clamp to the huge metal vault and was starting to lift it free. A grand heist which would be profitable even despite their losses.
“So long, missy. Better luck next time!” the leader said, standing on top of the vault as it was being lifted away.

Tempest stood there, fuming for a couple of seconds, frozen in anger. A sudden desire filled her, and she took a step back. It was time to do something very rash….

 

[Shamira Karuto]

Nodding in understanding of the command from her mistress, watching as she started towards the leaders of the group who were making their way to the vault, before turning to the group of hunters making their final stand. A final, deadly, stand.
They had barricaded themselves in one of the open rooms, stacking durosteel boxes and setting up a mounted gun between them. Only a few still stood, firing wildly in an attempt to keep back the enraged wookies, who were hellbent on avenging their brothers in arms that laid on the floor.
The final group of mercenaries’ desperation was serving them well for the moment. The mounted gun kept any living thing back, or dead if it approached within a few meters. Shamira frowned, knowing a straightforward attack would likely result in more unnecessary deaths.
Her lightsaber spun in a blurring circle, deflecting the bolts in every direction. A stack of boxes, slightly taller than the barricade caught her eye to the right of the holed up mercenaries.
It was time to do something very, very rash. And very dangerous.
And very stupid.

​| [member="Tempest"] |