Private The Return

[Talohn Atar]

Two years. Two years of silence was all that had come thusfar from searching for the missing cathar. The last he had been heard from was in he and Zlova's evening check in call. He'd just entered the unknown regions at the time. After that, any call made had gotten no response.

It'd be what previously seemed to be another lonely evening in the void of space when the holocom on Zlova's ship lit up. Someone with a passcode that allowed access to a private frequency that had long remained dormant had tuned into the signal, the message coming through unhindered by any security precautions or waits as a result. The voice that rung through her ship was undeniably that of Talohn Atar, even with the static.

"Is...is it...Oh YES. FINALLY. IT'S WORKING! IT'S ACTUALLY...it's actually...." He pauses for a moment, clearing his throat as he holds back tears of relief, the choking up evident in his voice even on the other end of the call. After a deep breath, he continues. "The signal is still too iffy. I probably won't be able to hear you. This is probably only getting through because I used an old comm antenna from- Ugh, nevermind. It doesn't matter, this thing is about to fry itself with the overcharge I'm giving it." Judging by the odd crisping noises joining in the static, he's not wrong. Another shaky breath is heard. "Red. If you're still out there, and if you're still waiting for me...I...I've been desperately trying to get back to you. I'm finally out of that hellhole. There's an old run down space station...it's a few quadrants away from Kammia. That's as far as the rig I'm running now can make it. Please...still be out there...and if you are. Meet me there." With a final click of static, the signal would end.

Talohn himself arrived at the space station about an hour or so after. It was a functional place, but barely so. Ran off of eternally cut low funds from a nearby government. Talohn didn't particularly care which one. As his jury rigged ship landed in the hangar, the engine proceeded to instantly die, scraping along the floor a little as it landed. The cathar leaned back in his seat, an old repurposed metal chair, panting a bit. The lid of the cockpit had been welded on, as he had no other way to make an airtight seal. Thus, after gaining his breath, he took a hammer he had sealed in the cockpit with him and brought it straight against the viewport. The sound of shattering glass echoed across the space station, the cathar himself crawling out and vaulting off of the ship afterwards.

He looked up to find himself face to face with one of the employees. No words are traded as Talohn handed him one of the few things he had made absolutely sure to keep. His identification card. After it was scanned, the man gave a polite greeting despite the odd situation, and hurried off. Talohn was an odd sight currently, after all. He was a blue furball dressed in pants and moccasins both made from hides with no shirt and a tattered old cloak about his shoulders. A rusty metal spear and a bow were also slung over his shoulder, with a quiver on his hip.

With that exchange done, the cathar made his way out of the hangar and into the main plaza of the station. Though Plaza was too extravagant a word. It felt more like walking into a shady alley that took the form of a large room. Some paperwork kiosks, some vending machines, and a gritty looking noodle restaurant that was more than likely a money laundering front for a criminal organization.

The cathar slumped on the nearest bench he found, head leaning back as he stared at the ceiling. There were actually other living sentients around him. Just processing that fact was odd.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

A wide-winged fighter roared into the system. A generic request for permission to dock was transmitted to the station. As soon as it slid into the hanger bay, and the stairs descended under the cockpit, it became clear just how much those had been trivial formalities. A tall, ruby-skinned Twi'lek's knee-high boots clicked slowly down each step. Her golden eyes slid over the interior and all the living organism that occupied it. While she didn't wear a lot of clothing and would ordinarily be called 'eye candy,' it was the lowered chin, toned muscles in her arms, and the way those bright eyes shone out from the shadows cast over her eyes that held a person's gaze.

She crossed the hanger without a word. The clerk stammered that she needed to settle the paperwork for docking, and its fee. Zlova stopped at the same time her hand rose to seize the man's throat using the Force. Their feet lifted from the deck plating and soon their body floated slowly closer to their guest. "Do you need something from me?" a raspy voice hissed.

Wet chokes sounded as they fought to say something intelligible. Their hands clawed at the invisible hold about their neck.

Suddenly the pressure and threat of their neck snapping from their own weight vanished, and the clerk crumbled to the floor gasping and coughing.

Zlova didn't wait for them to recover before her boots resumed their march. "Anyone that touches my ship dies." Simple instructions for simple people.

How many people would she need to pummel? How many doors broken down? It didn't matter how many had to suffer or die. She didn't even know where she was going any more, only that she couldn't stop. The concerns of others had meant little to her before, they certainly meant nothing to her now. And the Force... it could sustain a person, but not in the same way as a well rested body was sustained. The world was just a dark blur full of obstacles that needed removed. Sometimes those obstacles spoke. They rarely said anything worth remembering though.

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

Talohn had been more in tune with the force ever since it became necessary in order to keep himself sane on that planet. He could vaguely pick up upon Zlova's presence before with the abilities he had, but they were much more acute now. So acute that her arrival within the hangar caused him to instantly sit up, brows raising in alert. It was a familiar sensation. One that only one other person he knew could produce. But it was stronger. Along with his own sensing abilities being more potent, Zlova's aura now came with more...weight to it. The weight of a force aura wrought by emotional turmoil.

By the time she emerged from the hangar, Talohn would be standing on the other side of the door as it opened. Though clean, his fur was all scruffy from the years of not getting a proper shampooing. His hair was slightly messy and had gone down to his neck. His fingernails were a tad overgrown. He was covered in various scrapes and cuts that came from daily jungle life, all of which were evident with his lack of shirt. He looked like a tribal fresh from the wild. But it was indeed him. Talohn Atar in the flesh.

He stood there, mouth agape and eyes wide as he was frozen in place. He had spent two years dreaming of this day. The weight of the fact that it was finally here locked him in place for a moment. He looked her up and down before locking eyes with her. Overcoming his shock, he closed the gap between them, hands reaching out to rest on her upper arms. He pats them repeatedly, moving up to her shoulders as he does so. As if checking if she were real. That this wasn't a dream.

When finally secure in the fact that it wasn't, his hands moved up to frame her cheeks, taking her head in his hands. A slight laugh of pure joy rumbles in his throat as a smile spreads across his features. He wanted to hug her, kiss her, but for the moment he simply kept his eyes on hers while his hands rested on her cheeks. Simply marveling in the fact that she truly existed before him. He was beyond words.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

The red Twi'lek stood in the doorway as Talohn patted her arms and then held her face in his hands. Golden eyes peered down at him ringed with a deep darkness about them. Her breathing was even, but often -- not a pant, but faster than normal as though strained.

She could tell a blue Cathar stood before her. They barred her way. Ordinarily she would have removed such an obstacle, but that appearance so rare in the galaxy, and so near that of Talohn a part of Zlova couldn't bring herself to do it. Progress halted for an extended period, the Dark that enveloped her caused the metal frame of the doorway to suddenly twist. The metal screeched in complaint as it bent and warped by an invisible hand.

Why was she there? Something had drawn her here. A voice? Her hands reached up to lay atop Talohn's before she slowly pulled them away from her face. "Where is Talohn?" she asked as she stared through him. Just any blue Cathar male wouldn't do. It had to be Talohn. She'd recognize Talohn. It'd only been... well, she couldn't recall how long it had been. Couldn't recall the name of the system she was in. Had to keep moving. Even now, why wasn't she moving?

She'd find him soon. All her thoughts were consumed with that drive. It was the one thing that kept her on her feet. The Force would escape her and she'd collapse from exhaustion if her focused wavered. Talohn was waiting for her. Zlova would find him. Just a little longer now.

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

Talohn's initial excitement quickly faded, his features shifting to a frown of deep concern as he saw the darkness in her eyes. Zlova had always been somewhat of a dark presence, but this was a different situation completely. Zlova typically carried the dark side around with her. This time, it was the one carrying her around. His eyes lift from hers to peer at the door frame as it began warping. He exhales sharply.

Then, she asked that question while shifting his hands away from her face. He meets her eyes once more, his brow creasing with building concern as he takes in her features. With the initial excitement having worn off, he could see it now. How utterly rugged and exhausted she was. He wanted to embrace her, but the situation was currently delicate. He could tell that much from the warping door frame, at least.

His hands gently rest on her shoulders now as he finally speaks, keeping a forearm's length between them for the moment so she can get a proper look at his face. "I...Zlova. Right here. In front of you..." He lets out a slight nervous chuckle. "Do...do I need to find a suit and a mandalorian helmet? It's me, my Pizezrera, I'm right here." The catharese accent became more pronounced as he spoke a word in his native tongue that she would find familiar. One he often affectionately referred to her with. The catharese word for huntress.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Red hands slowly rose along Talohn's sides until they seized his shoulders. With the same painstaking slow speed, she began to draw the Cathar toward her despite resistance by his own arms if any was offered. She'd stop when their foreheads pressed together and her golden eyes ringed in orange bore into his own.

"I need you, Talohn," she said with a softly spoken voice heavy from a long journey. "I'll tear the galaxy apart one world at a time to find you. Who took you. I promised not to stop until I found you. No matter how long it took." Despite the strength in her fingers, the Lethan's eyes were unfocused as she stared at the Cathar.

Was it an illusion? It must be. She could feel the fur under the tips of her fingers. Hear his voice. She shouldn't spend time indulging in a fantasy. Talohn was waiting for her. Or captive. Wearing a suit. The last thought drew a flicker in her eyes before it faded. Odd thought. Why would he wear a suit if he were captive or hurt?

"Everyone's waiting for you. I need-- I will find you." Zlova started to pull her forehead back in prelude to break away from the illusion. No time to indulge. Too comforting. She could get lost in it and then what would become of her Love? A soft sigh escaped her lips, "I was supposed to go first..."

Talohn Atar