The Art of Good Conversation

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Aboard the Spear II, Somewhere in Sith Sovereign Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Koda Fett"]​

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Once again Aryn found himself here. It was no surprise, for as long as he had known, he had been fighting Koda Fett. Even when the two were not on the field of battle against one another, they had almost always been opposed in one way or another. First, serving for opposing governments, then as personal enemies, even as working rivals since Aryn had taken up his work as a mercenary. For so long, at least in some part, Aryn's life had been driven by his opposition, and in some cases, even his outright hatred towards the Mandalorian bounty hunter who served most often at the beck and call of the Emperor who had once tore Aryn's life, his home, and his government asunder.

Yet, for all of their past encounters, for all of the hatred and anger the two of them had devoted against one another, Aryn felt, in this case, numb to it. He had been captured this time by the Mandalorian in the aftermath of the Confederacy's assault on Kamino, the former capital of the Galactic Empire. He had felt something during the assault far too similar to what he now felt.

Whether there was a new bounty on Aryn's head, or the Mandalorian was simply seeking some sort of information would remain to be seen, yet either way Aryn figured their encounter would not end without some degree of violence, that had become a given in their meetings. While he knew this, Aryn truly had little desire to resist, he had not planned an escape, had no back-up on the way, and had not even reached out through the force to call on Srina Talon or any of the other allies he had made to come to his rescue. It wasn't that he had resigned himself to his fate, or felt no wish to fight, Aryn had fought when the Mandalorian attempted to capture him.

He supposed if it came down to it, perhaps he would still fight, perhaps he would make his efforts to escape and once more beat down the bounty hunter who now had him tied with force-restraints, yet he knew that it would not be their last meeting. Aryn Teth and Koda Fett had become embroiled in a cycle, a vicious cycle of hatred, agony and pain that had embroiled both of them for so very long.

Eventually, it would have to end.

 

[Koda Fett]

SPEAR II​

SITH EMPIRE SPACE​

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Rules. Creed. Code.

Nobody was a stranger to such concepts. Their implementation was found across the stars, woven into the fabrics of society. There were, of course, those that existed on the outside of such a thing. There were a great many of them in a Galaxy that stretches so far and wide, but in essence they are those that don't adhere to such confines. Yet, of course, most of which live by a set of rules, a creed, a code of their own. It is the Bounty Hunter, above all else, that place such restrictions upon themselves. Perhaps the most inhuman of the humans, alien or not. Prone to becoming monstrosities in combination with poor approximations of the law, walking the line that separates civilisation from barbarianism. Truly a people to be feared if, of course, they were worth their salt. As fortunate as it was unfortunate, such a thing was difficult to come by in recent times. A Galaxy torn in two, shrouded in darkness never made the most hopeful of places. That was, however, Fett's perspective.

It was only ever a job.

​The very rules in which Fett had committed his existence towards had been disregarded, even if unintentional. Jango had been precise, and there was no room for miscommunication; even then, Boba had failed to truly commit himself. As did Jango to his own rules, creed, code. Perhaps it was imperfect to begin with, and so Koda was destined to fail. Teth had become more than an acquisition, he had become an enemy when there was only adversaries. It created a sense of difficulty when trying to make a dead-man proud. It became personal.

"I expected more."

A holographic visage of Fett had appeared before Teth. The familiar sight of the battered, bruised, scorched and scratched set of armour was cast in a red light, flickering with the wave that often tore through holograms. It was a reasonably long distance to travel, and even through hyperspace it was time consuming. Maybe Koda was bored, maybe he wanted to relish in his victory. Looking to finally settle this score once and for all.

[member="Aryn Teth"]

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Aboard the Spear II, Somewhere in Sith Sovereign Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Koda Fett"]​

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Once, no, definitely more than once, Aryn might have had a thousand humorous quips rolling through his mind to respond to the Mandalorian who appeared before him. As a young Jedi, a young soldier, he had been somewhat notorious among his enemies for not simply being a skilled combatant, but also for being insufferably irritating. Yet now, he felt no such quip come to mind, he lacked any desire to think of one, to respond to the bounty hunter's deliberate taunting with a taunt of his own. It was a dance the two of them had gone through far too many times before.

Frankly, Aryn was just tired of it.

He was tired of a lot.

Shifting as much as he could in the restraints, Aryn's back straightened and his body stiffened as he held himself as highly as he could given the scenario. Worn down as he was, Aryn wasn't beaten, at least not fully, there was still a long way to go before Aryn would ever really give in. He had fought Koda before he'd been brought here, if the man attempted to hand Aryn over to someone, Sith, First Order or otherwise, he would fight. He would fight until there were no more fights, until the galaxy no longer engulfed itself in war as it had time and time again. He would fight, until he died. That was just the way that it was. He recalled briefly something one of the Empire's high inquisitors had told him on the field of battle.

This wolf still has teeth.

Aryn's eyes met the T-visor of the warrior who's hologram stood before him, and yet his gaze pierced through. He had never seen Fett's face, he wasn't sure there was anyone in the galaxy who had, but still he searched, looked as though he knew the true figure beneath the armour, reaching out with the force to find and prod the real man elsewhere in the ship, almost challenging him to come himself. "I'm not unconscious or frozen, so I assume i'm not the one you're looking to capture, for once." He replied plainly, refusing to dignify the Mandalorian's taunt with any answer that would satisfy him. Fett might have figured their rivalry was over, that without his armies or his lightsaber Teth was a beaten man, one that Fett could now firmly say he was above. Yet, while his desire to fight at this moment was minimal, he would always make sure that Fett never forgot - he was a wolf that still had teeth.

 

[Koda Fett]

SPEAR II
SITH EMPIRE SPACE​

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It's possible that it was Teth's inability to surrender, to accept defeat, to acknowledge reality that was bound to destroy him. The Galactic Alliance had been destroyed, the Sith Empire had won. It was from Dark Lord of the Sith's -- Darth Carnifex's -- tower in the heart of Bastion that the strength of an Empire had been truly solidified. Fett had seen it himself, taken steps in those halls, and cast a glance out over what had seemed to be the entirety of the Sith Empire's Capitol. Teth? He continued to fight, and he fought against a wave that was sure to capsize the ship. Such actions had been the demise of lesser men, greater men, in the past. Nobody was immune to burning out from fighting a fight that wasn't worth all the effort and all the pain. Teth wasn't alone in this Galaxy, either. He had people that cared for him, someone to return to after a long day. There wasn't a point in throwing it all away.

The Bounty Hunter couldn't say the same. There were all the things that made a Human upon his creation, but it was all torn from him in a moment. Fett, ARC-4422, hadn't known reality. There was Kamino, there were the Kaminoans, and there was the Republic. Indoctrination had worked on so many others, but that one ARC remained persistent in upholding what was valued to him. It wasn't the Republic, it his freedom. The freedom the Kaminoans had taken from him, and in time he left everything he had ever known bar the woman he loved. Yet, even she had become nothing but a whisper on the wind as he lurched too far forwards in time. Isolated. Alone. There weren't many things to turn to but the things he knew, and those things were killing. A Bounty Hunter much like his template, the very best the Galaxy had to offer. Had he done dear old Jango proud, or was there more yet? Had his story been nothing more than a reflection on the nature of a Clone, destined to follow the path of it's template, or maybe Fett had something else to do. He hadn't know, he hadn't cared. This was his life now. Koda Fett was the Bounty Hunter.

Yet, none of that came out. It was all so closely guarded behind a mind of an instinctive killer with an impressive ability to retain his mental fortitude. "No." Koda replied, the hologram fading as something that felt to be his own thoughts persuaded him into traversing down towards the cargo bay. "You're useful, but not a priority." His booted feet began to shift down the small flight of stairs, his armour clinking together softly but giving a faint echo, "It's been how long?" The Mandalorian taunted the Jedi, "Years." His synthesised voice spoke through the internal microphone, answering his own question; staring at Teth from behind the T-Visor, and Aryn behind the cage, as if he were an animal. "Nobody had been able to run for that long. Not half, not even a quarter of the time. Commendable." His helmeted head nodded forwards, "But nobody runs forever. I always get my man."

[member="Aryn Teth"]

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Aboard the Spear II, Somewhere in Sith Sovereign Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Koda Fett"]​

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Aryn was surprised, but not very much so when the Mandalorian chose to disable the hologram and make his way down to the cargo bay where he was being held. The questions and comments that came from the bounty hunter were all a fallacy, all of them taunts, meant to goad some reaction, perhaps the kind of sarcastic response he used to provide. What Fett got out of this, Aryn wasn't sure - he knew that if it wasn't him, if they hadn't fought as long as they had, the bounty hunter would likely not bother with this, he'd be asking for his information, pushing Teth to provide whatever it was Fett needed to get on with his hunt.

Perhaps, there was something more.

Aryn reached out with the force as he sat, he had shunned his own use of it since the fall of Coruscant, but every now and then it remained a necessity. The force flowed around Koda in a strange manner, around others it settled, echoed with their person, around Koda, it raged. Without Aryn's own unique abilities, and even still, without all of the time he had spent in the presence of the Bounty Hunter, facing off against him on battlefield after battlefield, he figured there would have been no way he could really have read the man, no way he could have reached through the hurricane that raged around him.

What he read was... Unexpected. There was an anger, fury even which he felt, partially directed towards himself, but the rest of it was directed outward, it was not a general sort of anger towards any person, government or even belief. Instead, the sort of anger that he felt in Koda was one that was altogether unexpected, it was a pain, an anger that came from a man who had lost everything, and searched desperately for something that might make things worthwhile, better. Whole.

Lifting his head once more, his eyes settled upon the T-visor once more, staring deep past, into eyes he couldn't see. "Does that make it worthwhile? Does it change anything?" The question was more philosophical than any Aryn particularly expected to ask Koda, but he'd finally started to notice something that previously seemed impossible.

Perhaps he and Koda Fett were not that different.

 

[Koda Fett]

SPEAR II​

SITH EMPIRE SPACE​

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The Force? It was never anything that the Mandalorian was ever going to be quite capable of understanding. It may have been better that way. Koda had typically prided himself on being a rather intelligent figure, one that was quite well-travelled, well-read, grasping at concepts with relative ease. The Jedi, the Sith, the Mandalorians, and more; he had an understanding of their history, but it was the Force that evaded him. Through ignorance of his own, or an inability to process such a connection. He began to despise it, and by proxy those that had wielded it. It was impressive, no doubt, but something unreachable. The Jedi, themselves, had brought upon his wrath for separate reasons, however. Fett had understood that of a 'presence', and what it had meant. It even amused him to find that he emitted such anger, such death, such horror. It kept his adversaries uneasy, at the very least.

The Mandalorian had found himself silent in the moments after the question had been proposed. Did it change anything? No, not at all. The Galaxy kept on existing, and those within it continued to tear each other apart. If Aryn Teth were to die right here, right now, would it change anything? Was it going to give Fett more satisfaction than he had in the current moment? Possibly, but did it change anything? No. Not a thing.

"Hmph." Fett huffed in response, almost amused. "Yes." He replied, "You evaded on Utapau. You evaded me on Dorsis. You evaded me on Hosnian Prime." His armoured forearms had been folded over his equally armoured chest. "You can't run anymore. That is what has changed, Teth." It was if he was trying to convince himself.

[member="Aryn Teth"]

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Aboard the Spear II, Somewhere in Sith Sovereign Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Koda Fett"]​

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Aryn focused closely upon the Mandalorian as he spoke, yet he was not really listening to the words the man said. He focused instead on the force, and the mind behind the helmet as Fett spoke. He could tell that behind the shroud of his words Fett knew more than he let on, he realised the truth to Aryn's words. And yet, as the bounty hunter spoke, the attempt to convince himself, to prove that he was in the right, was evident. Aryn supposed that It was like everyone told a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story made them what they were. they built themselves out of that story. For too long Aryn supposed he'd been telling a story about himself, was he still the Supreme Commander? Still a Jedi? Did he even still want to fight? Was it worth it? All of these were stories, names that he had taken. None of them, he was fairly sure, were the truth, just masks.

And masks, they were dangerous. We all become what we pretend to be.

The look that Aryn gave Koda wasn't really incredulous, his reaction was more akin to a parent, told the same fact about a child's imaginary friend for the sixth time. While he couldn't see the Mandalorian's face behind the mask, he could see from the man's body language that he was defensive, on the back foot. Unknowingly, Aryn figured he'd cornered Koda Fett into a different kind of fight than the two had ever had. Most often, the battles that Aryn and Koda fought began at a distance, closed to blades and sabers, and on more than one occasion, ended in fists. This, however, was not a battle of any physical skill and prowess, it wasn't, he expected, what Fett had expected in bringing Aryn aboard his ship. A battle of wits.

"Do you believe yourself any more for saying it, or are you still unsure behind that black visor of yours?"

 

[Koda Fett]

SPEAR II​

SITH EMPIRE SPACE​

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There was never anything along these lines within the imaginary, unspoken rulebook. A Bounty Hunter ensnared his prey, and he kept them aboard, often in silence, or in a position in which they could be tortured, have information extracted from them forcefully. That had been the Mandalorian's experience, and he hadn't known the methods of many else considering his lack of sociability. Even among his own he had always been an outcast, anyways. Fett had never been entirely talkative, and so when confronting someone akin to Teth with words alone, he was at a loss. An angered loss, frustrated by his prodding and probing after his gloating, taunting had done nothing to anger the Jedi, if he still called himself that.

His gaze had narrowed further beneath the Helmet, beneath the Visor, suspicion and anger had consumed him and it had come across through his voice as it reeked of it. "What?" It was so simply said, but it carried more weight than face-value. Aryn was sure to know, however, considering the energy he thrusted in the direction of the Bounty Hunter's mind in an attempt to read him. It had been somewhat successful, but so much of him had been constantly vague and shrouded in ambiguity.

Fett wasn't sure what it was that Teth was trying. Had it been a mind-trick? Possibly.

[member="Aryn Teth"]

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Aboard the Spear II, Somewhere in Sith Sovereign Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Koda Fett"]​

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There was something comical about Fett's response, in fact, Aryn could hardly even hold back a chuckle at the Mandalorian's query. While Aryn and Koda had not really communicated in any proper way, he had always taken the bounty hunter as confident, sure of himself, to see him asking questions in such a manner, seemingly completely taken aback was not only out of the ordinary, but entirely amusing for Teth. Leaning back in his chair, Aryn couldn't stop the chuckle he'd let out fade down into what was almost a smug grin of sorts, the type that Fett probably would have expected the man to have towards the start of their encounter. For once, however, this grin wasn't made out of defiance, but genuine amusement.

"You've been running a long time, Fett, longer than I have, it's a shame I only really notice that now." He shrugged, watching the man closely, digging deeper, as deep as he possibly could as he searched through the man's mind, searching for what could truly be weighing so heavily on the man's mind. He knew that it had to be a loss, a death maybe? It seemed one of the most likely possibilities, death had a special way of making a man turn into what Fett had become. "Let me clarify..." He paused, trying to read what he could still, but Fett put up a mask more difficult to notice than most.

"Does the victory bring back whoever, or whatever you lost?" Either he was on to something, or he was about to get a beskar fist to the face. Time would tell.

 

[Koda Fett]

SPEAR II​

SITH EMPIRE SPACE​

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​He had truly become taken aback. It was from beneath the Mandalorian Helmet, the infamous T-Visor, that his mouth fell ajar, his eyes hollow as he stared forwards and everything within his mind became muddled together with memories held in both such high and low regard, slowly becoming consumed with blind rage. Fett was vain, arrogant, and if nothing else enigmatic. There had been a time in which he was nothing more than a whisper, a name accompanying a suit of armour, but in recent times everything about him had come into question. Mantis, Wren, Vizsla, they all demanded more one way or another, questioning as to how he was, and what it was that made him so. Been accused of being a coward, even. It made his blood boil. Koda didn't understand what it was that unleashed the floodgates of introspective questions targeted at himself, but he had certainly had enough of them.

Fett had recovered, though. His shock had become exchanged with anger, and he took a step closer towards Teth; separated by a cage that kept them apart. Temptation crawled at his skin, a defenceless man capable of being beaten to nothing but a pulp, or so it seemed, had sat before him. Ultimately, however, it was subdued. For now.

"Assumptions." He spat. "Nothing more. None of you have the slightest clue of who I am, or what I have endured." The Mandalorian had paced to his right, his gaze finding the floor whilst his eyes temporarily closed in an effort to take a breath, similar as to how an angered child would. "Loss? It isn't all that makes a man, Teth." His Visor placed back upon the former Jedi, turned... ordinary man.

[member="Aryn Teth"]

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Aboard the Spear II, Somewhere in Sith Sovereign Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Koda Fett"]​

Fett's reaction hadn't been exactly what he expected. Anger was evident, behind the black of the bounty hunter's T-visor, but it was held back. Aryn had ultimately expected the Mandalorian to burst through the cell he was held in to beat the former Supreme Commander to a pulp, much how he had done when he tracked Teth down on Hosnian Prime. There had been no job that time, no battle which had forced them against one another, Fett had simply done it out of revenge, out of a desire to. Incidents like that, and like countless others, had been what painted Aryn's image of all Mandalorians, an image painted in blood.

They were a barbaric people, since the earliest days of his experiences with them, Aryn had been betrayed by, and seen Mandalorians slaughter innocents by the hundreds. From the slaughter of support staff on Dagobah, to countless raids and assaults against the Alliance and its allies when it had stood tall, the Mandalorians had done little to ever dispel such images from Teth's mind. He doubted they ever would.

As Fett began to speak again, Aryn found himself amused once more. The bounty hunter spoke in a measured manner, as though his words came with such a wealth of experience and even wisdom which a cursory glance would not remotely suggest. "Is that right? So you are more than what you seem?" He questioned, eyes flicking up and down as he sized up the Mandalorian, as if searching for an answer hidden somewhere on his armour.

"Because I must be honest - all I really see is a beskar shell around a broken soul."

 

[Koda Fett]

SPEAR II​

SITH EMPIRE SPACE​

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There was the same rage that boiled within- bubbling at the top, but not daring to flow through the slightest of gaps between the container and the transparent lid. Yet, in exchange for kitchen related utensils, it happened to be a full-body suit of meticulously crafted armour that was capable of withstanding most, if not all - to an extent - that could be thrown at it. It was apart of the Mandalorian identity, and the entirety of Fett's. Teth may not have appreciate such a culture, but there weren't many that did. They had been known for their barbaric nature, worlds reduced to ash as a population ceases to exist. That Jedi, former or not, may have had a biased opinion but it wasn't wrong.

Outwardly, the Bounty Hunter had seemed nothing short of calm whilst a storm raged within. He stood still, firm, unflinching in the face of introspective adversity. "There are a great many rumours that concern myself." Fett enabled a pause, and it was within that in which he dwelled on the more... ludicrous ones. "But that one is certainly untrue." He lied through his teeth- through his visor.

Koda had been rather broken, yes. Everyone he knew, regardless if they were loved or not, had been stripped straight from him within a blink of an eye. He further stressed an importance on the pride of a dead-man, his entire existence solely placed around that very thing. And now? There were all too many that prodded and poked, demanding more of man that didn't know the extent of what he could offer.

His anger, no matter how he unleashed it, had been justified within his eyes.

[member="Aryn Teth"]

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[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Aboard the Spear II, Somewhere in Sith Sovereign Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Koda Fett"]​

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Comparatively to the sorts of interactions Aryn had had with the bounty hunter before, this particular conversation with Fett was not just strange, it was altogether surreal. No aspect of their conversation, the topic, their words, even their setting or their intent seemed to correlate with any degree of what he seemed to have accepted as reality. Truth be told, Aryn wasn't even sure what he was really saying, what he was looking for in his line of questioning. Part of it, he was sure, was the desire to see Fett uncomfortable as he had clearly become, the man evidently on the back foot in a conversation such as this one, yet at the same time, there was a genuine curiosity crossing Aryn's mind, he didn't just want to win some verbal sparring match against Fett, there was a desire to really know his enemy how he never had before.

There was a desire not just to understand, not to know, but to connect, and even Aryn wasn't quite sure where it had come from. Perhaps now, only as broken as he was, and only having lost so very much, could he see the signs not only in himself but in Koda, perhaps now there was something that bound the two together beyond a blood feud.

Really, it was just an unfortunate aspect of their reality. Fett and Aryn had never become enemies for any real reason aside from cosmic chance. Under countless other circumstances, they could have been allies, perhaps even friends, if the Mandalorian actually had any real friends. However, the bounty hunter's decision to take up an Imperial contract on the young Teth's head back so long ago when he was only a rebel, long before his life as a Jedi, as a member of the Alliance, as the Supreme Commander. And now, the two of them seemed to almost have things in common.

He found himself scoffing at Fett's words, like he understood all too well the sheer lie behind the Mandalorian's words. It was like the lies Fett uttered were ones he'd heard far too many times before, said too many times before. "What would Evonne say about that?"

 

[Koda Fett]

SPEAR II​

SITH EMPIRE TERRITORY​

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​Fett had paced round and round; moving in circles around the confined 'enclosure' that Teth had been ensnared within. His head had almost been bowed, and by almost it had been facing the ground with the former-Jedi fixated within his peripheral vision. Perhaps the Bounty Hunter had become disinterested with the nature of Teth's preaching, or there was the possibility he had become intrigued. The two, despite all their interactions, had never truly engaged in discussions- conversation. It had always turned to violence, for it was in Fett's nature to do so, and it wasn't going to be all that much of a shock if Aryn had been oh so very similar. They had known war, one more than the other, but conflict was merely something they had been drawn to with such compulsion. The Mandalorian was certainly never going to escape it.

Yet, despite all his concentration and withheld anger, there was only one thing that could cause such blind fury. Her​. Evonne had been someone lost to the annals of time, truly insignificant in the grand scheme but one that had plagued his mind more often than he could ever care to admit. Even to those closest to him had known of her, but then again, not even they were very close. If Teth was still searching through the force, tampering with Fett's mind, he was sure to find some kind of anger he hadn't ever truly seen before; least not in Koda Fett. He had been calm, collected, but not now. There was a mixture of shock horror and unrivalled rage that had split across his features, concealed by the helmet. Perhaps it was everything that had been Evonne in which circled back into his mind, all of which he had done to save her and himself, and then the memory of never saying goodbye. Fett hadn't felt guilty for a lot of things, but that? It haunted him. He lay awake so often curious as to what conclusion she came to, and what she had done beyond that.

The Mandalorian lowered the containment field that kept Teth in his place. He wasn't thinking, he was feeling, and if his better judgement had anything to say it would be don't. He made a hurried step within, and beyond that came nothing but a surge of fists. They were the kind that were disciplined in their delivery, and certainly their impact, even in his foolish mindset.

Perhaps it wasn't his fear of recollection that guided him here and now, but instead the potential of Teth knowing his origins. They had been buried for so long- a past life so far gone. To have it arrive was sure to be crumbling even the most stoic of men.

[member="Aryn Teth"]

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Aboard the Spear II, Somewhere in Sith Sovereign Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: Koda Fett​

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That was the second time that Koda Fett broke Aryn's nose.

Aryn had expected anger, and probably something akin to this, but he hadn't expected it to be quite so violent. The first punch caught him off guard, the loud crack of the break echoing through the room before it was followed by the fleshy sounds of more and more punches. By then he had the time to adjust and shift his head, reducing the damage of each punch, but under the armoured fists and onslaught of Fett it wasn't long before there was little more than pain echoing through Aryn's body. He could see the red hue of blood on Fett's knuckles, and soon enough he could feel and see as it dripped from his face.

He wasn't quite sure when Fett would stop, if he would stop. Aryn had never seen such unbridled fury on the Mandalorian's end, everything he had ever seen the bounty hunter do was calculated, focused, but this was just sheer rage, for all he knew, the man intended his death. Willing as Aryn might have been not too long ago to accept that fate, however, the force seemed unwilling to let him die just yet. Aryn felt as it echoed within him, as it cried out for him to use it once more after denying it for so long. As the punches kept coming and he felt darkness begin to take him, it was harder and harder to deny it.

Before too long, he simply couldn't deny it any more. As Aryn neared the edge of his strength, as he felt darkness begin to envelop him and his consciousness start to fade, the force within him - denied for so long - roared to life. The wave of energy pulsed from him once, pushing back with sheer strength against the Mandalorian before him, it did it again, stronger, and a third time with more strength than Aryn even figure he may have had. He felt as the restraints on his arms and legs broke, shattered to pieces by the sheer waves of energy, and he dropped from the seat he was upon to his knees, face dripping with blood still as he tried to breathe slowly, recovering as well as he could from the onslaught. "I'm almost impressed... Almost taking the kill over the possible bounty." He commented with a pained voice, spitting a globule of blood to the floor.

 

[Koda Fett]

SPEAR II​

SITH EMPIRE TERRITORY​

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​There had been nothing more than seething rage that developed within him, it swelled in circles, departing each fist as it made it's impact but somehow refilling in the seemingly endless void that Fett consisted of. He was angry, too angry. Every action, thought, and more had been calculated, careful, cautious, for this man's paranoia had reached it's very peak. So many had wanted him dead, be it those Mandalorians, a Hutt that found themselves on the wrong end of a deal, or another Hunter that desired his mantle. He could never afford to act so brazenly, but, he did. It was a moment of weakness, one that was bound to plague him in the days to come.

​Regret. Nothing more than a simple regret. Not for the damage he inflicted, no, but for the way in which it was done.

Something struck him, cast him off his feet, flailing backwards until there was a collision. His metallic form had struck his metallic vessel, and despite that armour and protective nonsense it provided, it stung more than he cared to admit. The Force. Another reason to despite it. An entity that could not be contained, one he was never going to truly understand. Fett groaned beneath the helmet, his moment of weakness passing as his helmeted head had been instinctively shifted from left to right in an attempt to force whatever that ringing was to depart him.

His movements had been slow, but Koda was clambering to his feet. "You're not worth the effort." He spat aggressively. There was nobody he hated more than Teth in this moment. That respect he once felt dissipated, crumbling to ash.

[member="Aryn Teth"]

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Aboard the Spear II, Somewhere in Sith Sovereign Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Koda Fett"]​

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Needless to say, Aryn was pleased for at least the brief respite from Fett's onslaught. It wasn't like the pain faded, no, he doubted the numb ache from Fett's gauntlets slamming into his face would fade for perhaps whole days. He had more or less expected that his words would elicit some response from Fett, but the level of rage that had surged forth from the man was entirely unexpected. Perhaps, Fett was more human behind the armour he wore than Aryn had initially expected.

Spitting another bit of blood onto the ground, Aryn could taste little more than iron as he ran his tongue over his dried-out lips briefly, his gaze shifting up to focus as well as he could on the bounty hunter again. His vision was blurry, and he figured that the strikes had given him at least one black eye. He could feel the throbbing under his brow as it swelled. Honestly, Aryn was pleased for the gritty nature of Fett's armour, were it gleaming enough to offer some reflection, he figured the way he looked might have caused some retching on his end.

Hearing as Fett spoke, Aryn could feel the rage still radiating from the man as he pulled himself to his feet. He was genuinely surprised at how much he seemed to have affected the Mandalorian. Though, he figured he was still even more surprised that the bounty hunter had not continued until he killed him. "Well, if i'm not worth the effort, what's next?" The question stemmed from both a desire not to linger in the silence they had created, and of genuine curiosity. While Aryn might have broken free of his restraints, he knew that on board the Spear II he was still more or less held to the whim of Fett, in his current state, he doubted his ability to kill or even incapacitate the bounty hunter well enough to hijack the ship. Perhaps with time, he'd be able to.

But for now, he had to play along with whatever Fett had planned.

 

[Koda Fett]

SPEAR II​

SITH EMPIRE TERRITORY​

​

"You go back in your cage." Fett spat, his voice filled with nothing but complete and utter contempt. He had believed that was all that Teth was deserving of, least in the moment. The Jedi had certainly been worth it. The Bounty Hunter had spent all too many sleepless nights following breadcrumbs, extracting information in less than humane ways, and, finally, finding. Fett was certain that there was nobody else more deserving of death by his hand than Teth. He could finally put it to rest, no? But, Koda had always been a man that valued his business-- reputation above all else. So vain, so superficial. Nevertheless, the Sith wanted the former Supreme Commander alive. Shame.

He took a single step forwards. "Go on." Fett nodded his head in its direction. "You don't want to give me an excuse."

[member="Aryn Teth"]

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Aboard the Spear II, Somewhere in Sith Sovereign Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Koda Fett"]​

​

Ideas flew through Aryn's mind, ways he could get out of this. Srina Talon had more than made sure that Aryn was more capable than most non-Echani in the martial art that was their namesake, but fists were only so good against a full suit of beskar plating. Aryn might not have respected the Mandalorian lifestyle, culture, or even really their people, but he couldn't help but respect their capacity as armourers. Aryn had learned more than a few times with Koda Fett that punching beskar hurt, a lot.

Had he been at his full strength, perhaps he could still have taken down the Mandalorian, peeled him out of his armour enough or found enough weak spots for him to take down the bounty hunter, but Aryn was far from his full strength, a barrage of fists and a subsequent burst of force energy had more than made sure of that. No matter how many ideas ran through his mind, no matter how many different alternatives he could take in terms of actions, there wasn't a scenario he could think of that didn't end with either his death or at the very least, a much worse headache.

Regardless of what it was that Fett had planned, Aryn still knew that he had no real choice but to go along with it. Wiping the last of the blood from his lips, he flicked it onto the floor at Fett's feet before taking a few steps back into the cage, kicking the broken wrist restraints he'd worn previously back towards the Mandalorian as he sat back down, waiting to see just what, or where, the bounty hunter planned on taking them next.

 

[Koda Fett]

SPEAR II​

SITH EMPIRE TERRITORY​

​

Fett hadn't the slightest intention of abandoning Teth. Not yet, no. He had become deservedly curious, if not suspicious. There might not have been a great difference between such terms, but the implication of the latter created some concern. Teth, somehow, knew of Evonne and it begged the question as to how far the Jedi had dived down that particular avenue. Did he understand who Fett was, and did it paint the picture that lead to who it was he had become? A Mandalorian, yes, but not of honour and respect, instead cunning and hate. An almost eternal sense of anger that permeated from him, holding all too many in contempt. It might've been a pathetic outlook, but he could back his words - no matter how limited -- with his actions.

Most of the time.

"How do you know her name?" Fett questioned, his tone aggressive and hateful despite the calmness he attempted to descend into. It was awfully difficult to do so considering those circumstances. It had been some strange talent he possessed, but it hadn't become accustomed to dealing with her. Evonne had become nothing more than decomposed bones in a box.

Fett tried not to think about it. It often brought a lump in his throat and a scowl across his features. He couldn't bear to bring anyone in alive in those moments, either.

[member="Aryn Teth"]