The Jungle Brain

[Caulder Dune]

OUTER RIM
YALED IV

[member="Siyndacha Aerin"]

A single swing of his crimson lightsaber was all it took to hack away the undergrowth blocking his path. Of all the places these blasted cyborgs decided to call home, it had to be within a stretch of jungle. Purportedly, anyway. His ship's sensors had been incorrect before. That was what he really needed, he decided as he slashed away another set of vines and decapitated a snake that had been hiding among them: to trek all the way through this jungle only to find that he happened upon some irrelevant anomaly instead of the fabled ZIMM or his worshippers.

The cyborg cult of Yaled IV were the only sentient inhabitants of this planet. Cyborgs throughout the galaxy made a pilgrimage here when they had nowhere else to go. They then joined in the worship of ZIMM, an ancient droid with the memories of Xim the Despot. Xim was a mythical figure in the Tion Cluster and being able to consult his very memories themselves, as they were contained in this droid, would bring a wealth of prestige. Everyone loved Xim. The Tionese Whiteguard had even named their home fort after them.

Adekos used his free hand to bat away an insect. Charming how they insisted on bothering him despite the fact he hadn't left an inch of skin exposed. He hated jungles more than forests. Too much chaos, too many animals, too many bugs. He would rather it burned down to make room for agricultural operations. Adekos would go over the logistics of such an operation to pass the time before he found what he was looking for, but something tickled his senses just then.

He hadn't felt it before, largely due to the abundance of wildlife and the fact he was trying to make sure he didn't get ambushed by a jungle cat- but he wasn't as alone out here as he thought. Some Jedi come to muck up his operations, no doubt. The Umbaran stopped in his tracks and looked behind him. "Who's there? Show yourself."

 

[Siyndacha Aerin]

[member="Darth Adekos"]

She had been keeping tabs on him for longer than he might realize, aware of his comings and goings, and sometimes his intentions. For the most part, she did nothing with that knowledge, until now. How likely was it that she would leave an expedition to the world of Yaled IV, which she knew to be host to a cyborg cult that worshiped ZIMM, well enough alone? Not likely at all. It was her business to know these things, her business to stick her fingers in such pies. It was well within her interests to a near-intimate degree; an obsession, if you will, with the realm of mechanicals, droids in particular.

"I don't feel even the slightest bit familiar, Adekos?" She said, back to a broad tree that easily concealed her lithe form, arms crossed, "Tch. I suppose it can't be helped... it has been a while, and we met, what, all of once?"

That he hadn't sensed her earlier was amusing, but honestly, he was distracted (that, she could understand!) and that made him all that much easier to tail. Seeing him bat away an insect had made her lips curl upwards - for how he was wrapped up, and all she had needed was to apply repellent. She slipped out from behind the tree, arms dropping to her sides, and faced him. She was pale enough of skin, and white enough of hair, that she may as well have glowed. Silver-blue eyes tracked over him, appraising his getup.

"Surprised? Don't be."

She brushed an errant strand away from her cheek, and left fingers to trail down the scar that strand partially concealed. That was the other reason she came.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Siyndacha Aerin"]

Adekos sniffed audibly and folded his arms as the woman stepped out before him. "I haven't been surprised since the Battle of Prakith. And it's Darth Adekos, now."

The surprise during that battle came when he was beaten up by some Vulpine-esque mutant and his degenerate girlfriend. Not an especially dignified moment, but his life seemed to be dotted with them.

Of course when Adekos heard "surprised" he usually meant visually startled. He hadn't expected Siyndacha would come looking for him, nor had he necessarily intended to encounter her again. The last time he tried to recruit a plucky blonde with a gift in Technopathy as his disciple, it led to violence. Still, there was something to be said about this one's ability to track him. Unlike other Sithlings, broadcasting his movements and traveling with military detachments wasn't his style. Adekos preferred more subtle approaches, like the Sekario-class Stealth Transport he kept 'forgetting' to return to Ovmar. Speaking of which, she was supposed to be his apprentice. That had probably come up, at least indirectly, the last time they spoke on... Some planet, during... Some battle.

The conquests and conversations were starting to blend together. His research was the only thing of real pertinence to Adekos these days. Since she hadn't assaulted him yet, it was starting to look like this would be yet another conversation to blend together. Now that he could see her more clearly, it seemed unlikely she had been sent by Jedi. The taint of the Dark Side was absent, but she wasn't exactly shooting off beams of light, either.

"I'll go out on a limb to suggest you're not bothering me for just an autograph. Make it quick."

 

[Siyndacha Aerin]

[member="Darth Adekos"]

Amusement drew lines on her face, soft beginnings of crow's feet at the eyes, scrunching around the scar that ran down and back, yet the emotion was absent from her eyes."Darth Adekos it is, then," fingers lingering at her face dropped away, hanging at her side, mirroring their counterparts. She wasn't unarmed, no, but at this point the ancient cylinders that hung from her belt were more decoration than tool - learning to wield them to any useful degree had been sidelined by other pursuits. She took another step forward, and paused again, a smirk warping her expression, "Autograph?" and snorted with delicate derision, "not at all."

She took a long breath in through her nose, and out the same way, nostrils flaring, "I could say I'm here for the same reason you are, and while not a lie, it wasn't my primary intent in making the trip," any play at mirth had since disappeared from her visage, leaving the cold and businesslike for an expression, the analytical creature that she was coming into her eyes. "You and I are the same," oh, screw the 'Darth Adekos', for the sake of fluid speech, "according to my observations. Your level of skill," meaning 'in that particular area of the Force' it should go without saying, "marks what I will attain in time, your cares, concerns, and that for which you have no fraks to give align with mine."

She chewed her cheek, the steel of her eyes levelling on him.

"I want to be your protégé," the demand came from her, firm and unyielding, "and I'm disinclined to take no for an answer. Think on it, Darth. I do have my uses."

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Siyndacha Aerin"]

Adekos listened carefully and considered all that Siyndacha had to say. Not out of any particular obligation or desire, but because this was the first human voice he had heard since he landed on this abysmal planet several hours ago. It was refreshing to hear something that wasn't incessant buzzing or the screeching of some far-off primate for a change. People actually found this kind of environment soothing. Darth Adekos would have felt more relaxed if those screeching jungle birds were replaced by the gentle thrum of a power generator, or the background noise of a running holoprojector.

If the Darth ran through a gamut of facial expressions, it was lost behind his mask. The faceplate showed nothing but a distorted reflection of the young woman in front of him and the jungle behind her. Perhaps the fact that he neglected to interrupt her during her speech was testament to something. Despite his lack of expression and rigid body language, there was still the distinct impression of an attentive listener. He had not unfolded his arms by the time she was done. He drummed his fingers along his forearm for a moment before speaking.

"You took a great risk in deciding to seek me out. Tell me, what did you have planned in the event that I refused? Or if I decided you were a threat to my interests on this planet and elected to kill you?"

 

[Siyndacha Aerin]

[member="Darth Adekos"]

"Assuming you don't kill me," which, while considered a possible outcome, she saw it a waste - the high estimation of self worth being appropriate to the shift in her attitude and character in recent years, "I wouldn't debase myself to begging," here, her own arms crossed, her words tinged with disgust at the thought, "and I would't linger."

She blinked, slow-like.

"If you were to kill me," the line that was her mouth twitched, "that would be that."

Oh, she would try to defend herself, but the half-echani woman was a realist. She was well aware of her chances. Yes, coming here was a risk, landing amongst the highest risks she had taken, but without risk, she would have spent her life under the thumb of lesser individuals; that would be unacceptable. Her head canted to one side, at a shallow angle. Her eyes had never left him, not once.

"But you aren't one for murder, now are you?"

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Siyndacha Aerin"]

The Umbaran sniggered lightly. "Good; you aren't stupid or pathetic." These were traits he would have placed upon his most recent failed apprentice. What else could you call someone who professed interest in his teachings yet ran away with shirtless barbarian warlords whenever convenient? Aerin would be different. If not, as a list ditch effort he could find a shard and place it under his tutelage. They were Force Sensitive rocks. How horrible could their libido and judgement be?

"And you're right, I am rarely one for callous and unnecessary murder. Suppose that lessens the risk in approaching me, doesn't it?"

Adekos was no threat to Aerin's well-being. The same could not be said for the cyborg cult he was looking for. Information on them was sparse and as a result the Darth had no idea how receptive they were to visitors. Would they attack them on sight or attempt to turn them away peacefully? Could they be reasoned with? He was skeptical they would be happy to see them given the nature of Adekos' mission. If a cyborg cult wanted visitors, they would not have hid themselves in the middle of a jungle on an innocuous planet. "Of course, I can't vouch for whether the cyborgs have a similarly peaceable demeanor. Are you armed?"

 

[Siyndacha Aerin]

[member="Darth Adekos"]

Her arms disengaged from one another, falling to her sides. At the words following his snigger, her chin lifted a nigh-imperceptible two centimetres, lowering only when he confirmed the information she had on him; she watched the Darth just standing there, knowing he could, knowing he wouldn't. Doing so would be unnecessary, and counter-productive for the noise it would produce.

"If I can't incapacitate them via their cybernetics," she said, fingers ghosting over the pair of hilts on her person, "I'll have to resort to poking holes."

Not a strict yes or no, but yes enough. She would only use one, but she knew the cycle of thought that was provoked at the site of two, deactivated and at the hip. Some got cautious; some were high in ranks of self-preservation and simply seeing them was deterrent enough. Not the best of tactics, but it did well enough. The recent scar only added to that aura.

"I believe I can manage," she confirmed, finally, glancing past him and further into the jungle, "Shall we?"

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Siyndacha Aerin"]

"Good attitude to have. I like that." The lightsaber came unclipped from his belt and found its way into his hand. The crimson blade snapped to life just as the Umbaran turned around, slicing another tangle of vines out of his path. "Follow me."

The approximate location of the cult was based on hearsay. His shuttle had flown over the area a few times, but sensors found nothing. The jungle was too thick for anything to be spotted by eye. Adekos assumed there was some sort of hidden entrance to a labyrinthine underground complex. Maybe a small stone shrine or something primitive concealing said hidden entrance. These were cyborgs, they had to have some kind of high-tech arrangement, right? The heads-up-display provided by his helmet indicated there were only a few dozen more meters to traverse.

Plenty of time to strike up idle chit-chat, or what could pass for as much between master and apprentice. Jemmila hadn't been especially fun to talk to outside of lessons. Her upbringing was uninspired and her interests rarely extended beyond the fetid realm of sex, spice, and sultry music. Hardly a fitting area of expertise for polite conversation, as Adekos tended to favor. "If I'm remembering correctly, you were supposed to be under Carach's wing." Carach's grope-y, largely sexualized wing renown for its inappropriate conduct. He could only pity whoever fell under it next. "What made that change?"

Aside from the aforementioned foolishness.

 

[Siyndacha Aerin]

[member="Darth Adekos"]

Following his suit, she plucked one of the pair of hilts from her side, the pearled white one her ancestor had named 'Burden', and flicked it on, spilling forth a blade of deep violet. She then went along with him, attention on what was behind as they forged ahead. Just in case.

"Carach did," she said bluntly, following behind the armoured Umbaran, "inadvertently."

She swatted a branch; the branch fell, lopped off. Not everything that got in her path was removed - it was ducked or side-stepped, if possible, but not out of any sense of duty to the natural world. No, no, no. Just habit. She thought she heard a tinge of derision in his voice when he framed the question. From her experience, it was far from unfounded.

"Aside from attempting to mimic a Falleen without the benefit of pheromones, he is eccentric, lacking in subtlety, and his methods are that of a brute," she frowned, swatting at a vine, "my introduction to him was that of being kidnapped, beaten, drugged, bound to a chair with electronic restraints, and faced with a TA4 Ultra Battle Droid after escaping said restraints, among other inconveniences."

She paused, listening to the jungle a moment, before continuing.

"For example."

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Siyndacha Aerin"]

A distinct grunt escaped Adekos' lips as he hacked another gaggle of vines out of his way. It was not a grunt of effort, but rather disgust. Not over Siyndacha's list of complaints against Carach's persona, though. Adekos was already more than familiar with that sordid list. It nearly matched his word for word, really. What he found deplorable was this so-called training regimen his colleague had come up with. Drugging apprentices and torturing them was a surefire way to turn them into psychopaths, not functional, well-adjusted masters of the Dark Side. What kind of racket Carach was trying to run by tying up pupils and setting droids on them was beyond him. Although it was good to hear that Carach was still using his droids. Enough of a reason to continue to entertain his company.

Even if he had the posting rate of a wet blanket.

"Sounds about right. You'll forgive him for his lack of creativity." He sliced through one more thicket of vines, which gave way and exposed... A footpath. Something Adekos hadn't expected to see on an uninhabited jungle world. They must be getting close. The Umbaran looked both ways out of force of habit, then turned to follow the path to its destination. "Or don't, actually. If you hold a grudge, and it certainly sounds like you should, remember to hold it. It can serve as a wonderful point of inspiration where drawing on the Dark Side of the Force."

 

[Siyndacha Aerin]

Speaking of wet blankets... she said nothing at first, eyeing the revealed path; its existence was strange, what with the supposition that this world harboured no respectable speck of civilization, but who were they to look a gift rancor in the mouth? There was no particularly strong feeling that this was suspicious, so her blade was extinguished and she followed along, the hilt remaining at the ready in her hand.

"I'll remember that," she said, stepping along the path and feeling some small measure of gratefulness for the clearer footing. One less thing to divide her attention from keeping a scan on the jungle. "I liked that shirt," she sniffed with a delicate frown, swatting at a buzz by her ear with a backhand. It had been one Token picked out for her, but just like that shirt, that relationship didn't survive. Still, she really did like that shirt.