Private The Long Search

[Jax Thio]

Location: Endor
Equipment: Casual Wear, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Third Lightsaber, Marriage Ring to Jairdain, DE-10 blaster pistol
Tag: Vulpesen

"Half of Jair's kids from Yuroic hate my guts," Jax said to Vulps kneeling near the cliff observing the forest below. " Dreidi Xeraic promised to kill me if I get in the way of her rescue and I'm pretty sure her sister would love to have my head."

The only person who didn't want to rip Jax alive ever since Jair has been kidnapped by Darth Carnifex was his brother-in-law. Jax got along with Vulps over the years, and Jayna was fond of him. When Jax informed Vulpesen about the events that transpired on Mooja, he agreed to help Jax track Carnifex down. Finding Jair was not going to be easy it wasn't like Carnifex was dropping a trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow. All they had for "clues" was Jax's Force Bond with Jair and all he could see were faint images of a dark and damp room where she was chained up.

He could also see Jair being poked and prodded like a Womp Rat in an experiment. Carnifex was interested in her and Jax's son. Once Jair gives birth, there was nothing stopping Carnifex from taking him away from her. Jax needed to hurry but he and Vulps were like a Freighter without a starmap: Directionless and operating on instinct. "It's my fault that your sister is captured." Jax said clenching his hand into a fist. "I thought I was strong enough to finally defeat Carnifex after years of training, but he was always ten steps ahead of me."

How can Jax defeat a Sith Lord with power that can rival naval fleets? No matter how much he grew as a Jedi, he was still no match for his father. The thought of failing to defeat Carnifex ate Jax up. He didn't know when the last time he slept. "Now we're on Endor," Jax muttered. "Trying to find a Stih Lord who is operating here all because of a Force Vision of my Dad contacting him in that same room again. I don't know what they were talking about, but I saw his face."

The Jedi Master rifled through his pocket taking out a Holoprojector. With a press of a button, the image flickered to life revealing his face. "Darth Oculous," Jax said. "Lovely guy we have here. A berserker in every sense of the word known to slaughter entire planets while hopped on his rage. We find him hopefully he can lead us to Carnifex."

 

[Vulpesen]

Objective: Hunt
Loadout: Battlefield
Tags: Jax Thio Jairdain Ismet-Thio

"Immortal sith lords tend to be like that. They steep themselves in deception and power, seeking godlike power to cling to some facsimile of life. Carnifex is just like any other sith, just older." It was that age which made the Zambranos so dangerous. Like a hutt hoarding credits, they had committed countless atrocities to hoard their might. However, they were no longer the only old players on the stage. Vulpesen too had been gathering his powers over the decades, and he did so without needing to consider counteracting his own aging process.

Jax's arrival on Veradune had led to a flurry of action. Officials notified, entire divisions of soldiers and precincts of agents had been mobilized. Family meant something to Vulpesen, a man who had grown up without his own. With every new member he discovered, his world broadened, and his sister had started that expansion when they had first realized their bond of blood. He didn't care about blame or causation. All he cared about was the result of retrieving Jairdain. "Its the life of a jedi. Danger and loss. She knows that. Vornskr is the one who insists of persisting in his evil."

Vulpesen peered at the hologram that Jax pulled up, his face rippling in disgust for a moment. "Ugly bastard. I've got Tenevi and some of my Wilders on the perimeter. If he makes a break for it, we'll know. And if they can't stop him, they'll sure as hell slow him down. If things get too hot, Trident is on standby for backup or exfil." He had not come to this operation lightly. A full battalion of soldiers was waiting for a single word from their Valde. The Tenevi were expert scouts and paragons of observance. Even the dozen Wilders he had brought with him were asters of detection or combat art. His own body was decked out with the gear he would generally bring to war. With family, there were no chances taken.

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Endor
Equipment: Casual Wear, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Third Lightsaber, Marriage Ring to Jairdain, DE-10 blaster pistol
Tag: Vulpesen


Jax's eyebrows crinkled into a frown. Vulps was right in that despite his claims to be a God, Carnifex was nothing more than a typical Sith Lord. "He's gotta be the most powerful Sith Lord in history," Jax muttered biting his lower lip. "The power of Darth Nilhus plus the cunning of Darth Sidious. It creates a Sith Lord with a God complex, but he has the power to make people believe he's one."

He felt like he was running against the wall when it comes to Carnifex. Everytime Jax took on his father, he managed to take something from him. Jax's Force abilities, his sanity when Carnifex revealed that he was his father, and now Carnifex took Jair away. It was enough to drive anyone to the Dark Side, in fact Jax fell to the Dark Side fighting Carnifex during the Hyperspace Wars. But if there was one thing Jax learned as a Jedi, there's always a chance to turn back to the light.

"All right," Jax nodded standing up. "Just make sure Trident remains hidden. We're in Sith territory specifically near its boarders. Sith ships could be prowling about."

He looked ahead to the Forest eyeing a shield generator ahead. "According to rumors," Jax said. "The Sith Lord is 5 miles ahead from our location. Let's approach this slowly and get out as fast as we can."

The Jedi Master gulped. "If we're caught," Jax said. "We'll be risking a chance for the Sith to declare an official war on the High Republic. No pressure right?"

Jax leapt from the cliff falling 20 feet and landed the ground the Force cushioning the landing. "Wanna race?" Jax shouted from below a grin forming on his face. "First one there gets the first blow!"

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen nodded to Jax's suggestions regarding his men, and his golden eyes, locked on the forest below, disappeared behind the golden visage of his vulpine mask. "Trident, this is Valde. Keep it low. Keep it tight. Perk your ears but plant your tails until you hear a howl." Rising up from a crouch, he motioned his agents forward and started through the trees beside his in-law. "To be fair," he began with a smile heard beneath the impassive plate of metal, "I have no official affiliation with the Republic. And the sith are well aware that I never pass up a chance to put a wrench in their plans."

Metallic wings slipped from beneath his claok as he descended behind Jax. He landed like a ghost, hardly rustling the leaves beneath his feet. He was a predator deep withing his element. Every blade of grass and canopy bearing tree spoke to him in a language he understood clearly. Sure, there was an accent that colored it, marking it as different from the woods of Veradune, but it was similar enough to pose no issue. "Keep it quiet once we're close, jedi. But by all means, show me what you have." A low pop sounded from his hips as Vulpesen dropped to all fours. Then, he was gone. Accepting Jax's challenge, the Zorren started to blitz through the brush, his body moving unnaturally while his men trailed behind him in a similar fashion, their bodies contorting to accompany the quadrupedal gait that so often carried Zorrens into the fray.

Jax Thio