Private Something is Killing the Children

[Auteme]

"It came at night," the boy said. "We were playing in the- the ditch, the old one that's halfway to the next mountain. We thought we would be okay because the big sensors -- they see the grass-prowlers even at night. But it just-" tears welled up in the little Gran's eyes. "It- it killed them. I couldn't see it. It was all black. I just saw it- it ran like a spider, and- I just saw Zhoss'- his heart pulled out by it. And then it got its claws in Klo, and I just- I closed my eyes and ran."

"Ssshh, shh. It's okay." Ommals' mother hugged him tight.

"I didn't see it," he wept, "I didn't see them as they died. I didn't see them. They're- they're- lost. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have taken them."

Auteme put a calming hand on the boy's shoulder, but it was his mother who did the real work, crying with him, letting him feel it out. "It's not your fault, it's not your fault. We're okay. We're okay."

After a few minutes she felt it release a little, the boy becoming quiet. "Thank you for sharing that with me. Your mother's right -- it's not your fault." Part of her wanted to say more, but she imagined her own son coming to her like this, and knew there would be no replacement. "Thank you, Ommals. Nos."

Nos nodded, but didn't move; Auteme showed herself the exit.

Their home was typical for a Gran colony, adapted slightly to the slope of the mogote it was built into. The steep hill had three 'peaks', rounded lumps facing east, to which the more devout Doellinists found auspicious, and set it as the site of their village. They let the gamwidge eat the native grasses underneath, growing the crops in the hill's view, while their round homes dotted the southern side of the mount. From here, she could see, barely, the ditch Ommals spoke of -- three klicks away, marking the edge of the Gran's crops, and halfway to another mogote, the closest one in any direction, though dozens rose across the vast fields. The ditch where two of the village's children were found dead, one gutted like a fish, the other's head tossed to a nearby field, both missing their hearts.

Most Gran considered themselves crops to Doellin; to be incomplete, to sicken oneself, was an insult to their god. To be killed and deliberately mutilated, missing their heart -- the children's parents had been incensed, sorrowful; their cries continued even now.

Even as the community rallied together for its defense, they found themselves haunted at every turn. Two more children had disappeared, though no grisly remains could be found. The monster came and went without rhyme or reason. The tracks the hunters found ran them in circles. One night they found a gamwidge devoured, the next a gamwidge butchered, slashed cleanly at every spinal joint. Outhouses and equipment were destroyed, or left perfectly fine, save a spray of inky liquid thick like blood.

Her years in the Core had made her familiar with the monsters of civilization; here, at the fringes, things still lurked in the dark. No one other than Ommals had encountered the creature -- but, in her mind, his brief description confirmed it. This creature was not natural; it was the work of the Dark, intentional or no. It moved with a madness beyond that of an animal.

Pallisk, the boy's father, was walking up the steps to his home as Auteme descended the mount, slugthrower over his shoulder -- unused this night, perhaps thankfully. "Is he well?"

"Healing, I'd say. It'll be a long journey."

A nod. "And you? Can you helps us?"

A nod. "I'll do what I can."

"That's not what I want to hear, Jedi," he admitted, "but between the two of you, I hope you'll kill this thing."

"The two of us?"

Capris Halcyon ​

 

[Capris Halcyon]

As a governing rule, Capris worked alone.

A bit melodramatic sure, but reasonably effective in yielding the results she wanted—Obscurity, freedom, and not a lick of need for compromise.

A perfect, sacred trinity.

"You mean to tell me someone's here already?"

Capris blinked. Once, twice, thrice at the Gran who'd just unwittingly informed her the lone wolf gimmick would have to be tabled.

She made no efforts to conceal a frown.

As another governing rule, Capris rarely made house visits like this. Lately every four walls with a roof she'd stepped foot in felt cagey— to the point she'd taken to sleeping outside. Loam and topsoil below and a lonely existential abyss above. But unfounded anxiety aside, this case called for a morsel's worth of additional investment on her part. Most Sith spawn she'd encounter, while reliably brutal, didn't dissect hearts like collectible figurines. This was a unique, clinical evil that deserved a unique, clinical approach.

"Uh yes?" The Gran, a little put off by her reaction, hesitantly raised a finger to somewhere behind her, "A Jedi I think. She was just with Pallisk and Nos’s kid."

"A Jedi?" There was now a prominent V in her brow. "That's…great.”

Her shoulders sagged— whistling a sigh out of her like a deflated balloon. Having neglected most human interaction for the last two years with the devotion of a monk, she was not a shining example of tact and grace.

The woman she'd just spotted leaving a home freshly radiating hope however was by definition both of those things in abundance.

Is that? Oh feth my life…

Capris let her heart slug a moment, gouged by the sudden reminder of Kyric. What would've remained speculation, firmed into an awkward verification by the virtue of her other half. Capris knew this woman, cared about this woman, and would in all likelihood kill for this woman despite having literally zero reason to.

There was still the chance to scurry away like a gutter rat she supposed. Refusing to acknowledge the damning probability the Force led her here for a reason. This reason. Instead she swallowed, turned, and fixed her face into what she hoped came across as passive neutrality.

She was dressed plain and practical. A poncho cinched on the left, so the absence of her arm was marginally less of a curiosity. It conveniently doubled as a cover for her tattoos as well, a series of runes which faintly pulsed a dark Force imbued energy.

Capris waited for the woman to approach her, knowing damn well she couldn't make herself take the same initiative.

"Going out on a limb, I'm assuming you're the Jedi?"

There were no limbs to go out on. Capris was irrevocably fucked.

Auteme

Honorable mention Kyric

 

[Auteme]

"Who is she?" she asked Pallisk, but the man just shrugged.

"Some kind of monster-hunter."

"Mm," but that wasn't what she was looking for. She was looking for the familiarity she felt -- this girl looked like years on the run, like she didn't just sleep but dreamt in the dirt. Auteme had a good memory, shy of eidetic; she couldn't place that face in a million years.

It seemed she was familiar to the girl, too, but that wasn't a surprise; most kids her age -- the ones with access to the Holonet -- probably recognized her, but nobody really expected a former Chancellor to be walking the Rim, so very rarely was she troubled by it. What she was troubled by was the fact that the girl was trying to hide it.

"Ha, what gave me away?" She smiled. They were probably the only off-worlders to visit in the past year, maybe two. More importantly, though, Auteme had never been especially adept at hiding her presence.

Presence. The girl had a darkness about her -- in her body, ingrained, like a suit of armor; like a scar, worse than the one that crossed her face. But it had a light, too; a darkness where she was safe, a night when the last lights went out and the stars were the only thing in the sky.

As they knew, the night hid things.

"We'll leave you to it. Let us know if you need us." Pallisk beckoned his colleague, the hunter who'd presumably briefed the girl.

"Thank you," a wave, then to her, "I like your poncho." Auteme's own was an olive green, flowed like water as she approached.

She stopped, by the fence -- the gamwidge grazed quietly in the mogote's shade, though notably kept close to the rock. They'd cleared the carcasses already, but death was in the air.

"Pallisk told me you're a hunter -- you must be good, doing it down an arm." A slight smile, but not too probing. "And short on weapons." The same, of course, could be said for Auteme, who was completely unarmed.

 

[Capris Halcyon]

Capris expected some hostility.

Maybe diplomatically layered, or spread too thin for her poor conversational literacy to pick up. But not a total, utter absence. Which suggested Auteme had no idea exactly how involved Capris was in disappearing her.. ward? Manservant? She still had yet to pin down the exact relation.

The girl looked at Auteme oddly. Cautious intrigue. Even under that assumption she was a fresh-face, there was still no hiding her nature, wading in the dark as it was. But for whatever reason the Jedi seemed entirely unbothered by that too. Something within Capris already figured that would be the case, but it felt disorienting to see play out so clearly.

"Pallisk told me you're a hunter -- you must be good, doing it down an arm."

She shrugged, resting an arm on the fence with her chin placed absently atop. The gamewidge roamed and her gaze went along with them. "Something like that, yeah."

"And short on weapons." The same, of course, could be said for Auteme, who was completely unarmed.

Her eyes flickered back to Auteme.

"I guess we're both more dangerous than we look." The threat, though hardly identifiable as one, slipped through like a reflex. Capris felt her eyes close in the tiniest mental flinch. When was the last time she managed a civil conversation? Auteme had been nothing but pleasant and she couldn't return the basic decency? This was probably why she didn't have friends..

Her mouth made a shape as she straightened from the post. Maybe it was time to focus on business.

"Look, I don't know how many monsters you've slain— You seem like you'd have a decent repertoire, Jedi and all" She waved her hand like that was a given, "But this thing's preoccupation with hearts feels a bit serial killer-y to me. Like it wants the attention."

It had been playful with the hunting party, feeding them just enough breadcrumbs to ensure they went back rattled and ready to stir more unease into the community.

"Which makes me think it only attacks on its terms. Maybe if we stack those odds, we can provoke it. Pull out the remaining scouts, corral some gamwidges to the outer fields, give it the opportunity to do some real damage." She shrugged non committedly, "Use ourselves as bait"

Auteme

 

[Auteme]

"Ha. The Force is my ally." She smiled again. Seemed like the girl didn't know many Jedi -- or knew Jedi of a particular kind. Auteme was no great slayer of monsters, or anything, for that matter, but the assumption was telling. So was the immediate strategic focus. She met the girl where she was.

"Someone needs to spring the trap," she pointed out. "I don't mind being bait. If anything, I wonder if we'll attract it more than those it's been preying on -- I can, ah, make myself more appealing, in that sense. As for the hunters, I think they're leaving things to us now, so the field is clear." Clear as six klicks of crops and tall grasses, anyways.

"The loss of two of the flock, though -- I think it best we stay away from harming the village's livelihood." She looked out at the fields again. Margins were thin in a place like this.

"Ommals- ah, the young boy who saw- survived an encounter with it, he mentioned the ditch where they'd been playing. I'd like to see it before we go anywhere else. If you'd care to join me."

 

[Capris Halcyon]

" -- I can, ah, make myself more appealing, in that sense. As for the hunters, I think they're leaving things to us now, so the field is clear."

Capris looked up at the woman with an eyebrow quirked, a small grin curling in spite of herself, "Jedi tricks I assume?" She'd use the Force to bait it. Simple but effective against machinations as dark as these. In all likelihood the beast would stumble over itself at the opportunity to bulldoze through. Creatures of the dark reacted to the light of the Force like an acid burn.

"The loss of two of the flock, though -- I think it best we stay away from harming the village's livelihood." She looked out at the fields again. Margins were thin in a place like this.

The girl turned at that. Auteme was right, a point she could only concede with a nod. Capris wondered if she could ever be that bloodless in how she went about things. The welfare of the community was only ever an abstract to her, likely because she had a bad habit of making herself scarce before anyone could fawn or thank her for her service.

Auteme seemed to be a smidge more politically and empathically attuned

\"Ommals- ah, the young boy who saw- survived an encounter with it, he mentioned the ditch where they'd been playing. I'd like to see it before we go anywhere else. If you'd care to join me."

"That's.. not a bad idea." Capris nodded, "We should go. Now if possible." Her eagerness was a bit out of place, but it was fair to say her company made her nervous. Subconsciously a hand went to tap against the markings on her sternum and shoulders with pensive energy.

"I've got the trap part covered. So long as you're- uh– alright with being a guinea pig." Now was her turn to be a bit cryptic. Whether or not the Jedi would be down to be marked with a rune from a darksider remained to be seen--until they were hopefully in too deep for her to care about technicalities like that.

"Either way, the ditch could be a good place to spring it."

Auteme

 

[Auteme]

"Sure, sure. On y va." She kept it easy; no need to worry her partner. A push off the fence, and along the small footpath snaking through the silvergrass, using the next mount as her heading. She took the lead; partly because it had been her course of action, and partly as a small sign of trust, that the girl would be watching her back. "I'm Auteme, by the way." There, a little glance, half smile -- an expectation, though a soft one.

It was only after a couple minutes' walk she began to tighten the screws a little. "So mine are Jedi tricks. What kind are yours?" Another easy smile. No matter what her senses said -- and they said quite a lot -- she wanted to hear it from her. Even lies would be more useful than nothing.

Capris Halcyon ​

 

[Capris Halcyon]

I'm Auteme, by the way."

Capris fought the urge to say I know and played into Auteme's hand with a concession she'd otherwise keep tight-lipped. "It's Capris."

"Nice to meet you." Though that honestly remained to be seen.

They fell into a rather cordial silence after that, one Capris knew couldn't exist for long without feeling the ghost of pressure swirling the other's mind.

So mine are Jedi tricks. What kind are yours?"

Hate to be right.

"I'm not one for labels." She said after a moment, still trudging along, trying to keep her presence flat and uninteresting like a puddle of water, "And even if I was, I doubt you'd be thrilled by the answer." It was said with a bit more humor. Dry, but present.

"I use a runic magic. Not strictly light or dark- just." She hesitated, "What I need it to be I guess."

"Allows me to impose my will on things, cheat with the Force in the way."

Her eyes scanned the fields a moment.

"And freeze a Sithspawn in place amongst other things."

Would that be giving too much away? If memory served her right, Kyric had been on Pantora at the behest of Auteme. If he'd at all told her of the strange pseudo-witch who'd left him for dead well…

Then it wouldn't matter what she said anyway. Whatever unfolded in the next couple hours would allow Auteme to connect the dots. She was plenty smart.

Hopefully she stayed just as charming and patient too. It was hard not to be lured by the calm waters of her presence despite the darksider's well-placed anxiety.

Auteme

 

[Auteme]

"Nice to meet you, Capris." And so it was.

She listened to the girl speak -- the caution was evident. She thought momentarily of the Senate discussions that had consumed her life in decades prior; the way a dozen people could speak confidently yet only circle the issue, never naming it. They knew the thing itself was too much for the weight of the room to bear.

This was smaller. More personal. Auteme suspected she wouldn't call it this, but to her, Capris seemed ashamed. More than the vague idea of her darkness (which, as with most young people she'd met, was sufficiently overblown), there was something specific, perhaps many things, that the girl was keeping from her, and yet was drawn to share, as she'd done with her name and abilities. Patience, then, was a virtue; to force it out would be to damage what little they had.

Ah, but she remembered more from the Senate. There were many ways to draw someone out. Some kinder than others -- this time she gave first.

"Not strictly light or dark. A classic. Though -- not a neutral thing exists in this galaxy." She made no wink or glance; that one was meant to fester. "Runic magic, though... a friend- er, perhaps that's a stretch now- a fellow Jedi knew a lot about that. I was briefly a student of his, but before he'd learned all that, and by the time he had I was off on my own." For a moment she wondered if that was their connection, but discarded the thought almost immediately. This was different.

"Freezing Sithspawn, mm. Do you think it's Sithspawn we're looking for?" Another curious eye.

Capris Halcyon ​

 

[Capris Halcyon]

"No." She agreed with the slightest wince, "Not neutral."

The possible implication of her former Master had the girl writhing inside. It had been a long while since her thoughts had strayed that far back. Usually the veil of unfamiliar bright-eyed enthusiasm and lust for life kept that period of her life distinctly detached from the rest.

Back when runes were a mythic fascination, not a part of her body.

Auteme offered a line out of that dark well of thoughts and Capris happily took it.

"Could be my own bias, but I think we should treat it like it is."

She answered, truthful and certain.

"Sure any big dumb animal could massacre livestock, but this has more calculation to it. More of a terror factor."

The hearts were certainly an indicator of that. Impressive showmanship really.

"I don't think leaving Ommals alive was an accident. If anything this creature feeds off the havoc and fear."

Her next words were a touch more sheepish and hushed, like there was a bit of insecurity in her explanation.

"Y'know, like a Sith would or whatever."

Auteme

 

[Auteme]

A nod. "Or whatever."

Beat.

Snort.

"Sorry, that was mean. Yeah, I think you're right. I hadn't thought of that -- leaving Ommals alive, as a means to inspire greater fear. I'm glad it hasn't worked, I think." From what she'd seen, it'd drawn the community tighter, protecting their own; perhaps this, too, was the creature's intent. Outer fields unguarded, it had free reign most nights on the gamwidge.

"Mm, mm, fear leads to... mm, mm." She hummed a minute or an hour, and then the footpath gave suddenly under them as they reached the ditch.

The cutoff was steep, though there was a slight imprint where the Gran had previously slid down around eight feet to the bottom. How it'd come to be shaped that way was a mystery to her -- by her understanding, it'd come to be from the village diverting a nearby river for irrigation. Here, it felt more like a half-tunnel bored by a machine.

She slid down, waiting a moment to ensure Capris made it down fine (which, of course, she did), then looked both ways. The dirt here had a slight grey tint to it, unlike the rich earth being farmed to their west or the wild soil to their east. The river dried, all that had disturbed it was creatures walking, crawling, and scuttling along the base.

She first stepped north, but then turned south. The echoes she read were older, here; some ancient creature crawling through the earth, strengthening it off the shell on its back. The south, though -- three children, dancing and laughing under stars she couldn't see.

"What do you feel?" She walked slowly, senses open to the Force. A black mass followed them, hidden in a prior night's dark; together they followed the children.

Capris Halcyon ​