Tales From the Outer Rim

[Dune Rhur]

Dune Rhur and his apprentice, [member="Vorian Adasca"], had traveled to Dantooine with the expressed purpose of visiting the ruins of the Enclave there. Upon landing their ship, things had unfolded in an unexpected way. Settlers had approached them about kinrath attacking them, killing four beings. So far away from larger settlements, help had been very slow in coming.

Now the two Jedi were outside of the cluster of small buildings and walking in the tall grass towards caves known to be dwellings of the arachnoid creatures. Off in the distance as it was, the Bith couldn’t yet make it out but the Force guided him all the same. Vorian’s enhanced vision probably could already make it out. They moved at a deliberate pace, senses extended against a potential ambush.

Dune had drawn his robe aside, right hand hovering near his hilt. It would be a matter of time before they encountered one of the yellow-brown things. With their increased aggression, they most definitely would come after the two interlopers well before they came across their dens. Once they closed-in on wherever that was, there would be a swarm of them, he imagined.

He looked to his apprentice, feeling the youth's mix of fear and excitement and remembering those strong feelings in his time as a learner. "Stay calm, Vorian, and remember your training. As long as we're careful, we'll be fine."

Looking back, a gentle breeze stirred the air. This place was the ideal of a temperate world and Dune could understand why settlers would come to this place. It was moderately warm and there were a few fluffy clouds dotting an otherwise blue sky. The grass swished as they walked and the Bith stopped suddenly.

Listening carefully a moment, there came the sound of the high grass stirring off in the near-distance. No, not just the breeze. Then came a very soft patter of limbs, several he thought. He took his weapon in hand and activated the sky blue blade. "Ready yourself, they're coming."

 

[Tyberius Fel]

Vorian squinted, his eyes adjusting to the immense flooding sunlight of midday sunlight. Solar beams touched seemingly every little crevice, blade of grass and trade, illuminating the rolling plains of the planet as far as the eye could see in every direction. A shudder crept through his skin as his foot crushed weeds and flowers underneath as he trod. The Arkanian Padawan was extraordinary considerate of life, but he was only slightly bothered with stepping on plants. Their biomass would feed back into the ecosystem and fuel new blossoming life, so truly nothing was lost. Eventually the Master and Apprentice came upon a small village.

There, they talked to a weeping widow, shroud in black like the grim reaper, except this particular shade didn't reap spirits, but buried them. Her son, husband and two cousins were all cut down like stalks of grain by the arachnoid beasts known as the Kinrath. Even as she sobbed against a back dropped of four rolled up sacks being dropped into rudimentary ditches, Vorian couldn't help but become conflicted. These creatures killed yes, but they had no malice in their actions. They only followed the impulses in their primal brains. Could they truly be blamed? Sentient creatures were far more intelligent than Kinrath, but instead of abolishing killing they took it to a Galactic scale, salting fields and razing cities in burning crusades across the galaxy.

The Master and Apprentice swept through tall grasses, robes gently swaying in the wind. Vorian squinted to the orange-red sun that hung in the midsky, then turned his neck to his master who offered him advice to ease his nerves. "It is fair we injure these beasts for merely, as far as they could perceive, protecting themselves?"

Vorian's sharp senses heard perceive the striking pitter patter of limbs bounding through the tall grasses. Beside his master's beam of leaf green, came a similar one of emerald.

"Do you think the killing ever will end?"

[member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

As they'd walked into the wild, open spaces away from the buildings, Vorian spoke. His mentor didn't answer right away, thinking about his answer. It wasn't a simple black and white issue, as the young male pointed out. His answer would have to reflect that.

"We're not here to apportion blame, young one, we are here to help those who can't defend themselves. Something is driving these kinrath further from their nests than they're know to go. If we can find this disturbance, we can avoid killing them except when absolutely necessary."

He looked at his Padawan before he spoke again.

"There are times when killing is unavoidable, but the difference is, we can work to avoid excess bloodshed and cause no more deaths than totally needed. The idea that a Jedi doesn't take lives is false, but we do not take them lightly or except in the direst need."
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As the kinrath approached, Vorian had quietly asked if the killing would ever end. Dune frowned as he briefly considered this question. "I wish it were so," he said sincerely "But I don't think it ever will entirely."

As he spoke, the first of the arachnoids appeared from the grass, leaping towards them with limbs extended. In response, Dune thrust out his left palm and sent a hard push slamming into the creature's hard exoskeleton, sending it flying end-over-end as two more appeared....


[member="Vorian Adasca"]

 

[Tyberius Fel]

Sometimes killing is unavoidable.

Vorian recalled the incident in the crystal caves of Ilum.. Dune was most definitely correct, but the Arkanian Jedi Padawan didn't stomach well the prospect of living a life of war and killing. Was it such a terrible thing to wish to study the universe without being forced to reap the lives of your fellow sentient? Vorian had little time to contemplate, as one of the beasts threw itself forward. Lightsaber ignited, the forced surged throughout the Jedi's body as he narrowly escaped being torn asunder by one of it's claw like limbs. Stepping into the opening stance of Soresu, Vorian cautiously played a game of dodge with it, until the right opportunity presented itself. As the Arachnoid creature sent yet another wild swing with it's limbs, Vorian lifted the shimmering plasma beam of his lightsaber upwards to block it off, which resulted in the creature burning it's own limb into two. Screeching, the wounded animal scurried off and Vorian rapidly applied himself in assisting his master repulsing the remainder.

"No wonder the villagers could hardly defend themselves, even with blasters. They're.. rather vicious." The Arkanian lowered his lightsaber, but still kept his muscles tensed and ready incase of another ambush.

"I suppose we continue on, master?"

[member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

Sending the first kinrath flying purchased mere seconds him before the next spider-like creature lunged for him. With the preternatural reflexes of the Force, Dune sidestepped whilst bringing his blade across in a horizontal slash. The kinrath fell, almost bisected and he turned to face the first attacker, returning to harry them once again with it's non-sentient fury. Now both teacher and student worked in concert, drawing the yellow-brown creature in through their telekinetic prowess before skewering it with blades green and blue.

Drawing his blade out, Dune stepped back and thumbed his saber off before finally clipping it on his right hip. He saw his young friend looking a little taken aback by the encounter which had taken under a minute to finish. "We will continue, yes," came his answer. "It was fortunate that we encountered these kinrath rather than the settlers. Though it seems hard to believe, our actions have prevented further harm."

With that, he nodded and the two continued on past their still twitching attackers.


[member="Vorian Adasca"]

 

[Tyberius Fel]

In a furry of glowing blades, the creatures had all been diced to bits, with a few maimed kinrath desperately limping off into the distance. Vorian wondered if it was a kindness rather than a cruelty. He doubted the crippled beasts could survive in the vornskr-eat-vornskr environment in which they had evolved such tough exoskeletons and sharp claws to thrive in. Whatever the case may be, I cannot carry off into the tall grasses to 'finish the job' anyhow. The Arkanian peered to his master.

As the Bith approached, Vorian could have sworn he saw a small amount of concern in his sensitive, glossy black eyes. Dune briefly noted how slaying the beasts may had well saved many settler lives, something that lifted the spirits of Vorian. The Jedi Padawan smiled weakly. "You're right.. It's that..." His voice quivered, then firmed with a quick mental recital of the Jedi code: "I don't like killing. I want to help every inhabitant of the galaxy. I apologize for being... weak."

[member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

"Not weak," Dune said whilst shaking his head "It's not weak to show concern for the life of other beings."

Sighing softly, the Bith clapped the youth on his shoulder and motioned for them to continue. It was a little while later through the tall grasses when they stopped under the shade of a tree on the crest of a small hill. The land was mainly flat here and, while it didn't exactly give a commanding view, the caves were visible off in the distance. "I'm surprised there aren't more kinrath aren't milling about," the Knight observed.

Something wasn't right, he thought as he observed the terrain. Reaching out with his Force senses only added to his suspicions. "There's something in that cave." His frown deepened but they walked down the incline towards the cave. Then came the disturbance causing the pair to pull up short. "I have a bad feeling about this," said Dune as he reached for his lightsaber.

[member="Vorian Adasca"]

 

[Tyberius Fel]

The Bith Jedi placed his hand on Vorian's shoulder, and together the two advanced through the tall grasses of the scenic planet. Muscles tensed, the young Jedi Padawan was prepared to snap into action like a whipcord, but no more of the beasts showed themselves, oddly. Eventually, the two stopped underneath a tree seated upon a gently sloped hill. Dune verbally voiced what Vorian had thought. The young Padawan manifested ashla throughout his body, the familiar touch of the force sharpening his senses and washing away fatigue. Master and Padawan advanced, until a disturbance halted the two in their tracks.

Did Dune just say: 'I have a bad feeling about this'? We're certainly doomed now. Vorian internally snarked to himself. With a flat expression, Vorian stepped back into the opening stance of Soresu and continued on into the cave, the emerald light of the two's lightsabers illuminating the long darkness of the cavern.

[member="Dune Rhur"]