The Great Hunt (Tegaea) (Complete)

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan quickly rejoined their now slightly decimated party consisting of Tegaea and four Wookiees. Evidently a safari through the Shadowlands came with a terrible risk attached to it. No doubt many an explorer, poacher and adventurers that might have come here seeking ancient star maps that somehow still worked had learned this to their peril.

If anything, the realm of beasts had gotten even darker during the fight, though Tegs' grenade had provided some light. During their trek further down into the deep they faced several more minor beasts, kinrath spiders and locusts of wild insects that tried to swarm and bite them. Moreover, it started drizzling and soon the rain came pouring down on them in droves. Eventually, after a gruelling trek accompanied by the symphony of hisses and shrieks from creatures lurking in the wroyshyr trees, they came to a halt when their Wookiee scout stopped and bent down onto the ground, examining several dead bodies that had been cut down to the bone, like some beast had torn the flesh off.

Thick vines hung from branches far above. The scout examined tracks in the soil, filled with water, then turned to them. "The great beast feeds here," he grunted ominously. Siobhan stepped forward, examining one of the corpses and retrieving a soiled, damaged datapad though it was still readable, evidently it was the account of a hunting party that had been ripped to shreds. The corpse had once been a Twi'lek, a piece of lekku was still lying around, judging by the account a Jedi. She felt a tingle in the Force, the aura of dark power emanating from the clearing made her feel like insects were crawling beneath her skin, then as if something was trying to sap at her powers. She clenched her fist, feeling primal hunger when she stretched.

Rain drops dripped down her scarred face. "Terentatek," she informed them. "Big nasty beastie. Thinks force-user blood is gourmet. Someone else on the planet who thinks I'm hot stuff," she said sardonically with a grim smile at Tegs. A large cave lay before them, the lair of the beast. For a short moment they could hear agonised screams, then an demonic shriek was heard through the air, at the sound vultures that had been taking picking from the corpses scattered. Siobhan cocked her head to the side, as if considering whether they find another way.

Then the Wookiee scout spoke up, ignoring Tegaea and Siobhan to address his Chieftain. "Many of the Great Fangs were butchered by it. Taalbak has honor but he'll want a display of strength if he's to join us against the Tyrant," he grunted.

Siobhan nodded. Walking into the Wookiee camp with the head of a terentatek would certainly make an impression. "Been an exciting safari, we shouldn't miss the highlight," she said, then removed a knife from her belt, aiming to slice into the palm of her flesh hand. "Beast wants blood, we can deliver. I can lure it out, we try and spring a trap."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea looked around. It was lighter here, perhaps morning up in the tops of the trees had finally broken. Either way, their party seemed very small to ambush such a fierce creature. Still, Tegaea saw the necessity of the action and quickly took up position with the wookiees around the cave entrance, and Graz stood above the cave mouth.

Soon there was a rumbling and a terrifying roar as the creature appeared. Ignoring the others it rushed at Siobhan. Tegaea opened fire while the wookiees blazed away with bowcasters and blasters. To Tegaea's dismay the creature seemed impervious to harm! Though their shots tore bloody wounds in the creature it pressed on right at Siobhan!

Tegaea seized a fallen blade from a dead hunter and hacked at the creature's leg, but to no discernible effect! The monster was clearly not going to go down easily.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

The great beast stormed at them with a demonic roar. The barrage of blaster bolts with which it was bombarded seemingly just bounced off, or at least caused no injury sufficient to slow it down. It splashed up water with every footstep, cadavers and skeletons were thrown up into the air as it charged towards them.

More bolts came flying towards it, but despite its great size the creature was rather fast and soon it had come close to Siobhan. "I get it, big guy, I'm delicious, but really you're not my type. Maybe we should just be friends," Siobhan tried to quip lamely, trying to move to its flank as the beast struck at her. The ex-Jedi ducked as it struck with its great claws, then lunged forward, slashing at the beast's legs. The beast howled, apparently the lightsabre's hot plasma did cause some hurt, though it was not going to give way that easily when it had just reached its prize. Black liquid spilled out of a wound she had caused, but then the terentatek just swatted her and she flew through the air for several metres before slamming into a thick wroshyr tree with a loud thud, momentarily stunned as the beast surged toward her.

Her left leg ached when she tried to move, she spat out blood. With a groan she managed to get up painfully, but then the beast struck. Siobhan rolled and vacated the space just when the terentateks struck down its massive claws in an attempt to grab her up, though she cried out in pain when it slashed into her back, its sharp claws tearing through her jacket and ripping into her flesh. She hurled a grenade at it, aiming for its mouth, but it just swatted the explosive aside as if it were an insect and it flew backward for several metres, merely blowing up a bunch of corpses. With a yell, Siobhan wrapped herself in the Force to sprint, slashing at it with her sabre in an attempt to keep it at bay and moved a few thick vines with a tug from the Force, trying to make it stumble, a move that bought her a few seconds.

"No, this ain't me playing hard to get...you're just too spiky and I don't like bloodplay." She ran as the large scaly giant lunged for her, using the Force to jump at a branch as it struck at her, before the best struck his claws into it and made it come crashing down. The Wookiees renewed their salvoes and it howled. Siobhan tried to run behind it and jumped, seeking to get onto its back. Whether it would work was another question.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

They were wearing down the creature, but Tegaea could see that Siobhan could not fight it alone forever. Instead, they had to do something to stop it before it ran amok and killed Siobhan.

Thinking quickly, Tegaea made a desperate plan. As Siobhan got onto it's back she worked her way through the trees to get in front of it. The monster was bucking and thrashing at Siobhan, and even her friend couldn't hold on forever. She had one last grenade left, and scaling up the tree to a branch she was finally in position.

"Siobhan, slam dunk!" she shouted and tossed the active grenade. As Siobhan drove her light into the creature it reared up, and the grenade went into its open mouth...and exploded.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan had managed to leap onto the behemoth's back and was angrily stabbing at it with her lightsabre, causing it to let loose a demonic shriek, weakening. However, as she held up her sabre to hew down on its neck, the beast reached back with its massive claws and tried to pluck her from its shoulder. Its claws slashed at her, piercing her shirt. Siobhan slashed her sabre at its claws in a wild flurry, letting loose steam from her sizzling blade to keep the claws at bay, but it kept thrashing and she had to grip one of its spines tightly to avoid falling off, while at the same time striking.

She jumped over one of its claws, but upon landing stumbled and seemed to be falling off before she managed to grip a spine. Then she heard Tegs call out to her and surged forward, driving her blade into the creature's neck as deep as she could to burn through the armour. As she struck the grenade was hurled into the creature's open mouth, the monster bucked and Siobhan tumbled down. The terentatek howled in pain at the burning wound inflicted on it by the sabre, then lurched back as its stomach was blown apart, a foul smelling smoke filled the air and black, viscuous liquid spilled upon Siobhan and the dead leaves.

Siobhan grunted as she got up, staggering and rubbing her left leg, looking a blood-soaked and bruised mess, some guts had splattered onto her. "Guess I was just a little too overwhelming for him," she murmured, smirking at Tegaea before taking a jerking breath. "Let's not...do this again for a while."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea ran to her and hugged her, a rare show of emotion while on the job. She stepped back though, wiping down her jacket from the sticky black blood. "What an incredible smell you've discovered!" she said.

Looking to the wookiees she gestured to the body. "Cut off the head. We'll take turns carrying it," she ordered. The wookiees seemed to be in awe of them and obeyed without question.

Turning back to Siobhan she helped her friend sit and bandaged her wounds as much as possible. "Are you alright to go on? Don't want to push you...but carrion animals are likely already on their way!"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan returned the hug, which had the side-effect of getting more of the foul-smelling liquid splattered on Tegaea's jacket before she stepped back. "Cause you smell like roses, hun," Siobhan responded. The Wookiees moved to hack off the terentatek's mighty head, which was heavy to carry even for beings as strong as them.

"Carrions, I'm just getting started. Besides, if I broke down, you'd whip me back up and then punish me for going down without begging for permission first. Heh." With some help from Tegaea Siobhan managed to get up, looking uneasy on her legs and favouring her right one as the left limped slightly, but managing to keep up as their small party traversed the wilderness that was the Shadowlands. By now some of the darkness had receded and as such they could actually see something beyond a few metres, though the foggy mist remained. Evidently it was morning up there in the trees.

After some time passed, during which many a member of the small group groaned about having to carry the beast's head, they stopped as they heard noise in the bushes. Suddenly nine Wookiee warriors emerged from cover, surround them, some coming out of the bushes, others appearing scaling down trees or standing on branches, bowcasters aimed at them.

"This is the realm of the Great Fangs, who dares to intrude?" one particularly tall brown-furred Wookiee, their platoon leader it seemed, bellowed, holding a great axe, baring his fangs as he gazed upon Siobhan and Tegaea. "Offworlders are not welcome here. Explain yourself," then his eyes fell upon Graz and they seemed to soften. At a gesture from him the warriors seemed to relax, though they remained guarded, lowering their weapons but blocking off any escape route. "Chief Grazkghul, the clan feared the Shadowlands had claimed you, we are gladdened to hear you live. But what dealings do you have with these...foreign devils?"

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea stepped forward, hands empty. "We wish a meeting with your great chieftain. We bring him a mighty gift as proof of our strength," she said, gesturing at their escorts. The huge, smelly head of the monster was dumped down before the stunned guards.
"This...you slew this, off-worlder?"
"With the chieftain, his warriors and especially my friend Siobhan. We were betrayed by Zardok and request an audience with your chief. Please bring us to him so we might talk."
Even the stoic wookiees didn't know quite what to do. Finally he gestured them on. "Come, but do not cause trouble for us!"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

As it turned out, as Siobhan, Tegaea and their Wookiee comrades were escorted by the Wookiees an emissary of Zardok had already arrived before them and was now waxing eloquently on why Taalbak should join his strength to that of the Great Chieftain and make common cause in building a new Kashyyyk.

The audience chamber of Taalbak was far more austere than Zardok's, less modernist. For one it lacked a real throne, though several trophies hung on the walls, a testament to the clan's martial prowess. "Great Chieftain, our people know you to be a man of honour and strength, that is why Zardok has turned to you. Trandoshan raiders steal our children, corporations come to pillage our world, madclaws like Grazkghul destroy us from within."

Taalbak waved his mighty paw, looking impatient. He was an old Wookiee and bore the scars of many battles, evidently he thought this was something he heard many times. "So every Wookiee knows, so many Wookiee chieftains before me have said. Zardok is just in a long row, but thinks himself the one who succeed. What would he have me do?" The undertone was 'and what will he do for me?'.

The emissary seemed to bristle, but remained respectful. "Zardok requests you to join your warriors to his so that we can destroy the Trandoshans. Your warriors are strong and brave, we will equip them with weapons from off-worlders and only ask for your support. Zardok has travelled the stars far and wide and will share all his knowledge with you."

"And he has brought his foreign innovations back with him, I see," Taalbak grunted. "I remember his father well...and Zardok when he was younger. I cannot recall the last time he took blood in the Shadowlands." He cut the emissary off before he could find a response to that. "What of Grazkghul?"

"The madclaw has betrayed our people. His raids on our tribe have taken the lives of brave kinsmen who could've helped us fight the slavers. He is stuck in the old ways. My Great Chieftain is merciful, he will let any of the madclaw's men who submit live and give them a place in the new order. But the traitor's blood must be spilt. His army is broken, his followers scattered, they are a nuisance."

"Yet fight on they do and honour the old ways, but their ranks are thin," Taalbak muttered thoughtfully, flexing his claws before affixing his eyes on the emissary. "If Zardok is so strong, he will deliver me the head of the great beast that took my son into the shadows. Then I will consider his offer of a new order."

It was in this moment that the Wookiee escort led them in just when the emissary was about to answer.

"Great Chief, we found these here," the Wookiee commander reported, indicating Tegs, Siobhan and Graz. His soldiers flanked them. "Chieftain Grazkghul has come to us to parlay."

The emissary narrowed his eyes, looking askance. "These are the offworlders that tried to murder our master, Great Chieftain after tricking him into an audience. They've had dealings with the lizards. Grazkghul makes common cause with the enemies of our people."

"Nice spin doctoring," Siobhan grunted. "Zardok betrayed us...and we have a gift for the Great Chieftain of the Great Fangs. A proof of our strength."

Their guide held the huge, foul-smelling head of the terentatek. "They claim to have slain the beast."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

The great head thudded to the deck. Every eye was on it, but then Taalbak looked up at them. They saw Siobhan's disheveled appearance, her lightsabre, the scarred wookiees besides her and Tegaea, still bandaged from her wounds. That seemed to say it all.
"Their words are true," Taalbak decided. "This great beast is recently slain and this head has been severed cleanly. Only the off-worlder's weapons would do such a thing. They have fulfilled my quest, even though they knew it not!"
"Great Chieftain Zardok warns you to beware treachery," the emissary said.
"Yes, from him!" Graz growled. "He betrayed the off-worlders, he chased me out, called me Madclaw, seeks power over all the world. While he fights the off-worlders here he has other other creatures there who promise him, sell him out. These off-worlders here, the humans, they wish to provide weapons, nothing more."
"And we have no interest in Kashyyyk apart from that, and I actually mean that. What you do with my guns is not my concern," Tegaea said.
Taalbak looked them both over. He clearly believed that he was a good judge of character. Finally he looked at the emissary. "Your words are poison like a Kinrath. Your master seeks to control us all, and I will not stand for it! Seize him!" he ordered, pointing at the emissary. "Lock him up until the muster is complete. Off-worlders, do you have any of those weapons with you?" he asked eagerly.
Tegaea nodded. "I need a place for our ship to land, we have some on board."
"Bring them to me. I will aid you in your vengeance, but on the condition that you then leave Kashyyyk and never return except to buy and sell the things we need."
"We will do so."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

The unfortunate Wookiee emissary was gripped by the guards and hauled out of the room, warning Taalbak and anyone who did or did not want to hear of the vengeance his king would unleash upon all those who dared to stand in the way of freedom for Kashyyyk and made common cause with its enemies.

In the meantime the Omega mercenaries contacted their ship, which was still in orbit, and relayed the coordinates. The spaceport had been seized by Zardok's men and his alien allies, but thanks to Tegaea's warning their ship had slipped away before they could get the drop on it.

"Looks like anywhere we go, a little potentate loses his crown," Siobhan joked. Soon they might have to keep a list. For her part she seemed in high spirits again despite her battered appearance. "When we're done here, I'm getting laid and pretty drunk. Not necessarily in that order. What do you think about turning Zardok into a rug? Your apartment could use some new decoration."

These musings were interrupted when suddenly Siobhan heard intense noise and felt a tug in the Force, as if gripped by an invisible hand that pointed her towards the sky. A matte-dull speck of metal came swooping down on them, bursting out of the sky and making birds take flight in terror. The howl of a repulsorlift and a turbojet filled the air as the gunship reached the village.

The gunship hovered above them, then opened fire with a volley of missiles. Siobhan gripped Tegaea and pulled her down into cover as the first missiles streaked through the air. The sliding side door opened and Wookiees took shots at them with a barrage of laser bolts, others started throwing incendiary bombs down onto the village, some Wookiees were not quick enough to retreat and were caught in the flames. The gunship swept across the village, aiming to bury the village in flames. The Wookiee warriors sought to rally and fired with their bowcasters, but the vessel was heavily armoured.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Gunship.

Those things were pretty formidable, and this one was gunning straight at the village. Quite how they had known where to strike, or whether this was their plan all the time, Tegaea didn't know. However, she did know that the most important thing of all was to destroy this machine before it made them all miserable...and dead. Quickly, she called to their transport to stop the landing. Last thing they needed was for their ship to get shot up and them to be stranded here.

Their biggest problem was a lack of heavy weapons. Bowcasters, blasters, even grenades, had little effect against the armour of the gunship. No, what was needed was something big enough to cause some serious damage. Between them and the wookiees there was only one thing, a lightsabre.
"Siobhan, give me your lightsabre and get that gunship's attention," she ordered brusquely. She normally wouldn't ask; she wasn't a Jedi after all, and her trying to block blasters would be like trying to play baseball against a machine gun. On the other hand, she knew how these gunships worked, and there was one critical part she knew she could hit hard if she had the chance.

Taking it from her unwilling lover she scaled up the largest tree she could find overlooking the lodge's roof. She had no particular fear of heights, but climbing up the branches without a support was pretty daunting. Still...she was in position, and all she needed was for Siobhan to lure the gunship close enough for her to pounce.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan looked at Tegaea like she was bonkers, then reluctantly relented and handed it over. "Why do I always have to be bait?" Siobhan complained. "You're nuts. I want that back...and you as well."

Now to arrange a distraction. Alas, the Wookiees did not seem to have anything in the way of heavy weapons, a heavy repeater would be very useful at this moment. Nonetheless Siobhan rushed, wincing from the pain in her left leg that had seen fit to break out again, out as the gunship swooped down toward the village, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Siobhan grabbed a blaster rifle from a dead Wookiee and fired, knowing that it would have no effect, but then that was not the point.

A barrage of bolts greeted her when the gunners turned their attention towards her and she sprinted, firing as she moved and drawing on the Force to give her the speed her leg seemed unwilling to grant. The ground shook when a missile fired from the gunship struck one of huts, causing a fire that soon turned into a small firestorm. Siobhan grunted when the shockwave tossed her onto the ground. As she turned she stretched out with the Force. With the small lodge blown apart, she sought to levitate some of the wall plaiting, which incidentally had caught fire.

The first improvised salvoe was blown apart by the turbolasers before it could even reach the vessel, but the second connected with the side door and she could hear screams when two of the Wookiees caught fire and desperately tried to put it out, still the gunship continued on its treck of death and destruction and Siobhan pulled herself to her feet when her hideout was peppered with bolts. She definitely had its attention now.

She kept firing, aiming at the cockpit and briefly throwing up a load of wood to serve as cover before it got shot down, then ran to the tree where Tegs was supposed to be in position. She grit her tongue to stifle a cry when her shoulder was struck by a bolt and she felt a burning pain. She almost stumbled over some corpses, but kept running, pumped up with adrenaline as she was. This better work.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

So why had Tegaea chosen to do this when arguably Siobhan would be a better choice? After all, she was the one with the Jedi mojo and she knew how to use a lightsabre. Was it perhaps that Tegaea was a little jealous of her friend's martial exploits? Possibly, but it was always possible that Tegaea wanted to show everyone who was boss.

As she balanced on a tree branch twenty feet above the gunship, suddenly it didn't seem like such a good idea. Still, Tegaea was nothing if not a woman of her word, and so as the attacker swooped in on Siobhan, she acted. She had with her a bungee like cord which she secured to her ankles...she was very good at knots unsurprisingly...and the other end to the tree. Then, she jumped, slowed by the rope enough to avoid smacking into the gunship and killing herself. She gripped onto a handle with all her strength, activated the lightsabre and cut through the cord...and incidentally almost her own foot. Cutting herself free of the rest she slid along the gunship's back towards the tail. She'd obviously been heard as the gunship took off, trying to shake her free. Grimly hanging on, Tegaea sliced with the lightsabre at the stabilisers, amazed at how easily the blade cut through the metal.

The effect was immediate, and the gunship started to list. Following up, Tegaea jammed the lightsabre into the hydraulic lines, making the ship impossible to steer. Finally, as it started to go out of control she hacked down on the wing, severing the fuel and power lines from one engine. However there was a flash and she lost the lightsabre...hopefully Siobhan would catch it. Pretty soon it was starting to aim straight for one of the mighty trees.

The gunship, out of control, smashed into the tree...but had Tegaea survived? Well, obviously, but Siobhan didn't know that. This in fact looked a lot like Adril's deadly heroics....

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

This one finds Siobhan's lack of faith disturbing and recommends iron rods.

As the gunship swooped down her and a large tree blocked her escape route, Siobhan could only watch as Tegaea leapt into action and struck. Watch with a mixture of somewhat jealous awe, fear for her safety and the feeling that when they were done she needed to give her friend a good slap. Yes, Siobhan was really the person to lecture someone about being rash!

Then the gunship descended to a fiery crash with the tree and the Wookiees cheered at being spared going down in a blazing inferno. With a tug from the Force Siobhan caught the sabre, then ran towards the great tree, searching for Tegaea, but there was seemingly no sign of her friend. Her heartbeat increased at a fast rate when she failed to sense her. She telekinetically raised pieces of wreckage, wood plaiting and bodies, hurling them out of the way, but still Tegs eluded her.

"Tegs," her breathing hitched as inevitably flashes of Adril's end assaulted her mind, this seemed just like a repetition. "Tegs...No, you can't be damn dead...you bloody don't have permission, not you as well!" Her flesh hand trembled and in a rage she levitated a large piece of debris and hurled it into a tree, so hard the debris shattered into pieces, then continued her search.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

There was a weak cough from below Siobhan, on the edge of the platform. "Siobhan...Siobhan...can't hold on much longer...Siobhan..." she called a little louder. Her palm was slicked with blood from hanging on, but she couldn't pull herself up and was hanging over the abyss....

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

The cough and the words seemed to pull Siobhan back into reality and she raced towards the edge of the platform. The platform creaked as her friend came into view, barely hanging on over the abyss. As Tegaea's grip upon the edge seemed to weaken and Siobhan rushed to her, the CEO suddenly found herself gripped by an invisible force and levitated upward, then Siobhan grabbed ahold of her, bringing her down onto the platform.

Surprisingly she gave Tegaea a light slap, not hard, but enough to bring her point across, then pulled her into a big hug. "Were you bonkers? I thought you were dead. Don't you bloody do that to me again!" she demanded crossly.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea collapsed to the deck gratefully and held Siobhan tight. "Just didn't want you getting all the credit for being hero," she said with a grin. Was there a bit of inadequacy there? Perhaps. Either way, she was happy to lay there for a moment and get her breath back.
"Thank you, Siobhan. I knew we kept you around for some reasons. Well...more than just a pet for Madam Whiplash anyway," she joked.

"Did you get your lightsabre back? Bloody thing's hard to use."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan gave her a look that indciated she still thought she was bonkers, though her relief was evident. "You're just...impossible, you know that? And I know how weird it is for me to question someone else's sanity." This one finds it rather weird as well. She held Tegaea tight as she lain down, then kissed her.

"Oh, yeah, like keeping your hot, amazing arse alive!" she exclaimed. "Yeah, got it back. I'll write the makers a complaint about how it should be more user-friendly," she joked. "I'm taking you off the crazy heroics front for today. Between the two of us you're the one who's supposed to have a brain!" she said half-jokingly.

That was sort of true...for all her skills, one could definitely not imagine Siobhan thinking things through on a strategic level or planning a military operation properly. She activated her comm and sent a burst message to their starship, informing them that the gunship had been taken out. Zardok did not seem to have sent any other troops, but then he would not have the manufacturing capability to churn out gunships.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea seemed to still be in shock, as she just grinned and lay back onto the deck, as if happy that she was still in one piece. Finally, though, Taalbak and Graz emerged and came to them.
"The offworlders are formidable warriors. This treacherous attack will not go unpunished," Taalbak said, looking at his village. Quite why Kashyyyk hadn't be engulfed in a planet wide firestorm before was unknown to this writer, as there didn't seem to be much water easily at hand.
"We must plan an attack and overthrow Zardok before he tries again!"

The Omega ship was coming in to land, and Tegaea stumbled across to it and started giving orders. "No time to explain, boys. Get all the weapons out. We're going to arm these ones. I think we're going to approach this with cunning," she said. "Chieftain, your warriors should move in from one side, draw their attention. We'll take the ship to the other side with Graz and come in at them from that side. Hopefully we can strike Zardok before he knows what's happening!"