Things that go bump in the night (PM to join)

[Zye Woden]

Zye Woden stood on the edge of the field with his eyes on the setting sun. A dark cowl over his eyes shielded him from the suns light. Iridonia had been his home since birth. There wasn’t much here worth mentioning. Unlike Mandalore, Aalderan, and the Roche Asteroids, there were no precious metals and unlike Tarrus or Cordelia, it wasn’t a trade center of the galaxy. But it was home.

And there was one thing it offered, a horror that sometimes attracted the insane and fool-hearty. It was a horror that crept in the night, stealing children from their beds in the night, tearing fathers from the world of the living in the streets. Sithspawn. House Woden for eons had been here to help keep the dangers of their existence in check. But now, with nothing to put them in check, the horrors had become worse. Many would try or course, but to those untrained vigilantes there was little hope of survival of such encounters.

The people has pushed House Woden out but the family of Sithspawn hunters had a long standing sense of duty to these people. They were weak, and House Woden was dedicated to their protection. Zye couldn’t stand by and watch these people suffer. He had slipped in under a different name, using the Dark Talon’s stealth to remain undetected. This was the first step in his plan to get back what belonged to him and his family. For this he would need others, other hunters to stem the tide of this clandestine mission and make the difference with the build up of the evil monstrosities that lurked in the shadows of Iridonia.

Zye’s left hand rested on his short sword, an heirloom designed for the taking of life in the most efficient and time honored way. Over his shoulder was a classic, stylized shatter rifle. It’s ebony stock and dark colored durasteel metal gleamed like new despite its age. Zye did not show affection often but when he did, it was evident in his care for his weapons of killing. By his blade rested a coiled whip made from terentek leather, alchemized to retain its force nulling powers. Embedded within its lithe form shock charges designed stun the foe within its grasp.

As the sun set a crimson light across the sky, sending everything into a scarlet hue, Zye’s body filled once more with the familiar thrill just before the hunt. His lips curled upward in anticipation. He hardly wanted to wait for his fellow hunters but he could bide his time-for now.

Spoiler

[member="Kurenai Yumi"]
[member="Felicity Skye"]
[member="Sawa Ike"]
[member="Alex StormWolf"]
[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"]
[member="Maple Harte"]
[member="Nine Lives"]

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Thule, a planet deep in Sith space, half way between Yavin and Korriban and one of the plants on her 'look for mother check list', and by the force was she going to check. Despite being in the heart of the Sith Empire Kurenai knew more then one way around the major hyperspace routes, her say of traveling and exploring with the family paying off, though why Thule? Well it was a place of Sith spawn, old as time could tell, but most of all rumors about a vampire family living on the surface. She knew after her mothers failed attempt to attain power from Great Grandmother they had fled out this area of space.

More then that she knew her mother was in the field of Osteologiy, making the Sith spawn problem on the world giving all the more reason for her presence there. It was due to this the veteran mercenary found herself on the planets surface, ship landed away from any major urban hubs, donned in the worn but protective combat armor from past, saber, LMG and a small array of other weapons on hand. To any person it she would have looked like any ordinary merc, but deep down Kuernai was quite the powerful force user, unrefined but powerful. "Well, I'm here... now what"? Perhaps it would have been best to get a plan beforehand, but avoiding the Sith and arriving safely was quite the task in itself, "guess i will be winging it again".

[member="Zye Woden"]

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Zye Woden"] [member="Nine Lives"] [member="Zye Woden"]

Arriving on tbhe planet had been easy, her previous endeavors here when the one sith had occupied it got her a few happy meals and she had let them live for this purpose. If she ever needed to come back well their being around could give her a place to stay or passage to the planet. Information she wouldn't have to tempt and get from other sources. The dark energy vampire slinked out of her ship wearing the bodyarmor but the compacted suit looked to just make her seem a little thicker. The cloak she had over it and her sword, one fo the pair from her family with its own secret history Shōjō was there. Sawa touched the hilt and moved scenting Kurenai as she walked. Hair in a tight ponytail and scented with oils. She let a smile partial curl her lip up, watching outwards. So doubtful both of them were here for different reasons. No she was here to hunt sithspawn and the one who had called for aid well.... he was around she was certain of it.

 

[Alex StormWolf]

Tatooine-Mos Eisley, several days prior.

Alex StormWolf stood near the boarding ramp of his vintage YT-1300 freighter, Shadow Runner, watching as the twin suns began their long, slow slide towards the horizon, signaling the coming of nightfall.

"What forsaken ball of dirt are you running off to this time, getting yourself wrapped up in a mess you have no business being in," griped a grizzled old man Alex knew as Mad Man Malcolm. Truth to tell, Alex wasn't sure the man even had a last name, everyone just called him Mad Man Malcolm.

"I was contacted by someone saying they represented a House Woden. Said to meet on Iridonia" Alex answered, continuing to watch the twin suns set.

"I'm not one to turn my back when there's people in danger," Alex continued. "Whole planet full of innocent people, Malcolm."

Snorting in disagreement and shaking his head, Malcolm scratched at the gray stubble covering his chin.

"No talking ya out of this, is there," Malcolm sighed. "You got your mind made up already."

"Why you so nervous, Malcolm," Alex asked, fixing him with a stare of his intense green eyes. "You know something, I can see it. Spill it old man!"

"I've heard stories....from the pilots at the cantina."

"Real reputable source there..."

"BOY! I'M SERIOUS HERE! Heard tell there's some sorta vampire family running around out there on Iridonia, and all sorts of nasty things crawling out of dark places after the sun goes down."

"Vampires? Aren't you a little old to be believing ghost stories, old man?"

"Call it what ya will, boy, I'm just telling ya what you're in for."

"Getting off the topic of things that go bump in the night...I need a huge favor."

"Nope! I've done you enough favors lately, you owe me a few."

Alex reached into the pocket of his trench coat and extracted a leather bag which jangled loudly with the sound of numerous credits. Malcolm's tired old eyes lit up as he saw the bag.

"I have credits...lots of credits."

"What ya need?"

"Need a cover. If I'm going to go out into the galaxy again, I don't want to advertise the fact far and wide."

"Ah...you want false IDs for yourself and the Shadow Runner. Give me about a half hour, and I'll get ya squared away."

"You gave in far too easy, old man," Alex said with a smirk.

"I'm not one to turn down cash offers, boy." Malcolm replied, juggling the bagful of credits in one hand. "Go find something else to do for a half hour."


IRIDONIA, SEVERAL DAYS LATER

Malcolm had been true to his word. A half hour after handing over his credits, Alex had a cover for himself and Shadow Runner. Getting through security as he entered the orbit of Iridonia had been a cake walk. Locking in the coordinates he had been given by his mysterious contact, Alex eased Shadow Runner into a long, slow descent, coming in for a landing near the edge of a field, just as the sun began to sink below the horizon. Grabbing his battered helmet in his right hand, and checking to see that his twin lightsabers were on his utility belt, Alex trotted down the boarding ramp, leaping onto the turf before it had fully lowered. It was then that he noticed a man carrying a short sword with a shatter rifle slung across his back, watching the sunset.

"I'm Alex StormWolf. I was told that I'd be meeting a Zye Woden here. Said he needed help with taking care of some sort of...pest infestation."





Zye Woden, Sawa Ike, Kurenai Yumi

 

[Felicity Skye]

In the past Force Users would band together against a common threat. Sometimes these threats were bred from nature, sometimes they came about because of an individuals interference, and sometimes it was the influence of the dark side. But no matter what the cause the threat was dealt with. One such group had convened on Iridonia to combat the threat that the absence of House Woden had caused. And in that group was the Human Jedi Knight Felicity Skye.

Being a Historian Felicity was familiar with the history of the Jedi when it came to crusades and hunts of that make, and she never thought in her lifetime she’d be able to partake in one. In her travels though she had made a number of contacts and one contact in particular had proven fruitful. She had received word that a one Zye Woden was looking for hunters to aid him in the cleansing of sithspawn from Iridonia. So she flew into Neutral Space aboard her Premion-Class Light Shuttle, Stinger-Baby, with little information save for a description of Woden’s Custom Starship and where the hunt was to begin.

…​

As the Iridonian sun set with the purple of night not far behind, Felicity arrived. Her landing gear hissed as it’s legs extended and hydraulics absorbed impact. She gathered her things and exited from Stinger-Baby’s side. The grassy field under her black boots crinkled and wrinkled as she walked toward a motley crew of hooded and unhooded figures. She herself appeared the most common spacer of the group, mostly in black sporting a jacket, shirt, utility trousers, and combat boots. She had her lightsaber hanging from her belt, blaster in a holster around her thigh, and a pack on her back with the rest of her effects.

She nodded to the hooded figure, sensing him to be Zye Woden.

“1-2-3-4-5… Surely this isn’t everyone?” She asked curiously.

[member="Zye Woden"] || [member="Kurenai Yumi"] || [member="Sawa Ike"] || [member="Alex StormWolf"]​

 

[Nine Lives]

Arrived to Iridonia in: Castle Morpheus (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/129671-castle-morpheus-the-leviathan-tantive/#entry1788101)

Demeter (Saotome Light Frieghter)

With: Vera Mina (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/129765-saotome-biot-vera-mina/)

Castle Morpheus Knights (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/130418-castle-morpheus-knights/)

Wearing: Progenitor's Robes

Armed with: Million Handed Collosus (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/129269-million-handed-collosus/),

Hairsticks (Tranquilizer) (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/29497-mother-of-pearl-hairsticks/?hl=czerka)

Warhawk (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/92398-akaagai-warhawk/

Equipped with: Healing Potions (2) (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/129518-minervas-blackroot-potion/)

Silence Gun (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/119626-mircinuur-mandoa-cage-of-silence-isolation-projector/)

In process of finishing: Magnus (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/130018-saotome-commando-droid-magnus/)

The Arch Psy-Pire let the water hit her in the shower. Her obsidian eyes, two glowing dots of purple at their center glanced once more at the luxurious shower chamber, steadily cleaned, maintained by the repair droids of the castle, replaced through scavenging when necessary, refurbished by the Knights for their "mother".

It was a spherical, smooth chamber of golden-hued stainless steel, the water falling from recessed nozzles at the top of the sphere, draining into the recessed grills beneath her, to be cleaned, leached of bathing chemicals, and recycled back into the system. Nothing like water was wasted by the Ship Autonomous System. From what she could tell, the ship was seemingly intended by its designers to be deployed almost indefinitely in deep space, and with that intention had come the mandate that everything reusable should be a chief concern.

The water slid down her in warm waves. But she didn't enjoy it. She felt little in the way of joy these days. But strangely, being around her knights made it bearable. She wasn't sure if it was just being around people in general or whether it was her vampiric tendencies. But her "children" seemed to be the only thing that could really make her smile, even though she had brainwashed all of them in her fugue state with sermon and rhetoric...they made her smile occasionally, and she caught herself on the verge of actually grinning at points.

Normally, Nine killed vampires with extreme prejudice. Not confederacy aligned ones, but normally, any vampire not a member of the Confederacy was as good as dead if she ran into them.

But this time, Nine was making an exception. It was one of many exceptions, many compromises in order to get ahead. This new era could not sustain the monolithic mindsets of old. The mindsets, she was slowly learning about, that had eventually shattered the grip of the ancient powers, their own unyielding nature having done more to harm them in the end, than any external threat.

An ancient family of dark sided spawn hunters had held power once, and their niche carved out protecting people. Unfortunately, they had reigned during the era when the Order--even by her own perception--as having been particularly petty towards any who did not believe as they did. And the more Nine caught up on history, either through books or some tidbit she gleaned from a mind in the process of eating a breakfast thought, she was beginning to understand more and more just how the Jedi had lost so much authority.

She knew what it was like to work hard your whole life only to receive mistreatment as a reward for sincere effort by short sighted fools. And as she was building her connections she realized a man like the one she was going to go see would make a powerful ally. Surely he knew more about the modern horrors than she did (She'd shuddered uncontrollably when a CIS commando she'd chatted idly with once told her what Consumers were.) And if he was a member of a powerful family like she suspected, helping him get them back into power would might make it easier to persuade him to a friendship with the Atrisian Commonwealth. That is, IF he was who she suspected.

Nine shut off the water...the SAS got testy if anyone used the showers for more than thirty minutes, and when she'd done forty five the AI had flooded every system kiosk she walked by with yellow death glare faces for two days before she convinced it she would try not to let it happen again. And she hadn't.

She stepped out of the shower chamber, reaching for a towel to dry off. Soon she was in proper undergarments and had done her hair expertly, fastening it with prepared hairsticks that contained a powerful tranquilizer, green in color.

Her ceremonial green robes, dyed in norris root extract for energy resistance qualities was thrown on, its white rose-print embroidery shining against the rest of the fabric. Her Knight Obsidian Armor lay behind a glass case, its hood deliberately stained with the blood of the Harch. She owned the sins commited there, despite believing in their necessity.

The opulent bedchamber, lined with expensive fabrics, metals, crystal chandaliers, and mirrors, the fabriscs having a mixture of greens and reds, gave her a sense of breathing room in spite of knowing she deserved none of it. This ship had not been meant for her. But it was hers now. She would use it to help Atrisia.

And helping Atrisia, hopefully began with helping this hunter, if he was the real deal.

Nine was greeted by one of the male knights, Bobbi, in full armor as she stepped out of her bedchamber.

"Bobbi? I assume the computers are finishing the final touch?" she asked, her deep contralto ringing in the elegant, cavernous passages of the ship.

Bobbi nodded emphatically. "Yes, Mother! Your next abomination of science is on final checks! Vera has been recompiling as well in preperation for the mission below!"

Bobbi, always so enthusiastic. It would almost be adorable if one didn't take into account he was a fanatical vampire bodyguard. Still, Nine couldn't fault him for enjoying his work. She had "made" him after all.

"Have the others...eaten?"

The knight patted his stomach. "That pirate crew...you ever notice pirate thoughts seem spicier?"

"Oh, don't get me started, child. One time I was snacking one who'd gone to the red light district and thought my nose was going to get runny." she replied casually. "Lets just find a smuggler crew next time."

"It will be done, Mother!" Bobbi said, back flipping away into the darkness. Nine rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Bobbi? Bobbi, we've talked about this. There is no need to go backflipping into the darkness every time we finish having a conversation." she called out in annoyance.

Bobbi executed a flip forward out of the darkness. "But...but backflips are cool." he protested innocently.

Nine paused at the simple truth of Bobbi's words.

"You're right. Backflipping is cool...carry on..." she sighed in a wistful fashion.

Bobbi backflipped into the darkness again as Nine made the trek to her lab.


Twenty minutes later...


"Should we poke it? Is it awake?" one of the knights asked as they stared at Vera Mina, the illegally modified biot currently underneath a twisting, almost translucent gelatinous mass that was normally its skin. Nine had learned much from making Vera, and her next project (Vera's earlier accusation of Nine being a mad scientist starting to hold uncomfortable water with the first Psy-Pire.) had been partially to avoid the major weakness Vera exhibited right now...she needed three hours lead time to reconfigure her form and what combat databases she had. Doing this in the open would be inadvisable without a secure location or desperation. Somebody hostile found Vera in this state, its destruction was virtually assured.

On the table next to the biot lay the second creation. Nine had used cloned neural fibers from her own body to make the partly organic circuits that controlled the Masquer on this heavily, illegally modified Saotome product. Its masquer would be faster, easier to use and for a morbid experiment, Nine had given it a really nasty security feature for use on its assigned vessel. The droid was covered in the masquer, this one just on the verge of compiling fully, like Vera. An eight man squad of knights armed with submachine guns had been posted in the lab until Nine's arrival in case the droid went berzerk or something, and had to be put down. She had made this one a deadly close range fighter.

When Nine stepped into the vast lab, she spotted two of the knights examining the biot under the golden lighting systems of the lab.

"Children." she called out semi-sternly. "Please get away from Mother's biot." She inwardly cringed as she used the term. And yet, it felt so natural as she said it. Was she actually starting to enjoy her position?

"Sorry, Mother!" one of the knights said as they stepped away. The biot finished recompiling thirty seconds later, its Masquer shivering as it turned completely blue, using its tissue to form long hair strands that turned crimson quickly. The shape settled and Vera rose as a naked chiss woman with red hair and eyes. The face didn't resemble the lawyer form's at all. The knights just stared.

Vera sighed. "Are you boys just going to stare or am I actually going to get some clothes any time soon?" she asked crossly, hands on her hips.

One of the knights, holding a duffle bag executed an elaborate flip forward. So it wasn't just Bobbi starting to do that, Nine thought wryly. "Forgive us, deadly sentient abomination! Here are your clothes." the knight spoke solemnly offering the duffle bag up. Vera took it, pulling out an all black, skin-tight light combat suit.

"My programming doesn't cover such a concept." the biot spoke as she dressed. The accent was a lot rougher in this guise, to help prevent making a connection to its main alias. Vera spotted Nine.

"My Liege, will I 'finally' be allowed to kill something? I'll take a rat at this point, I'm so bored."

"There will be plenty of killing today, hopefully." Nine assured the murderous creation. "We go to slay Sithspawn."

Vera blew some strands of long crimson hair aside. "Finally."

The Biot walked around the table, fingers gliding over the droid. "A playmate?"

"A pilot." Nine answered, the robes she wore giving the optical illusion of her gliding across the floor as she heard the boot up sound. She watched the Masquer on the droid shiver, instantly configuring itself into that of a pale skinned woman with short red hair and green eyes, about as tall as Vera. The droid sat up, stared at Nine and her knights, and smiled.

" 'Sup?"

"Droid. Your designation, if you please." Nine requested.

"Magnus." The droid answered, smiling. It had a contralto much deeper than Vera's but not quite as deep as Nine's.

"Purpose?"

"To be your pilot and specialized bodyguard. But c'mon, you know this!" Magnus said enthusiastically, hopping off the table. "I wanna fly! Lets get a ship! A fast one! Vroom, baby!"

"I despise it already." Vera said with a dismissive wave and a snort.

Magnus turned around, an eyebrow raised. "Who're you?"

"Her lawyer."

"Wow. You're a sleemo!" Magnus said happily.

"I rather like this one, mother! Its enthusiasm is infectious!" one of the knights proclaimed.

"Peasant." Vera said under her breath, rolling her eyes.

"Double Sleemo!" Magnus said just as happily to Vera, with a grin.

"Enough. You know your duties, droid." Nine said, tossing a folded set of light combat armor to it. "Report to the hanger."

Magnus dressed, saluted Nine, gave the middle finger to Vera as it walked out. "Real mature." the Biot spoke in irritation.

"Good luck, deadly sentient abomination number two! Our prayers go for your safe return along with Mother!" the knights said in unison to Magnus and Nine, saluting them. Vera looked crossly at them. "Well?" she asked.

"No salute for you. You are very mean." one of the knights said to the biot before they all left.

Later...

The trip to the surface in the Demeter had been much smoother with Nine no longer at the helm. She could barely fly it on her own. Magnus, however, looked like she had flown the Demeter for years as she landed in a grassy field. She hissed in fury. She sensed her. Shojo was here.

Knowing she was likely here for the same purpose as Nine, the Psy-Pire steadied herself as she stepped off the vessel with her homemade nightmares, having come armed to the teeth for the hunt, Million-Handed Collosus secured to her left side, her tomahawk on the right, her silence gun and potions hidden in the folds of her kimono. It did not take her long to reach the area where everyone was gathered. She spotted [member="Zye Woden"], [member="Alex StormWolf"], though she had not yet spotted [member="Sawa Ike"]. But she was close by. Magnus and Vera, armed with Submachine guns from Sasori, followed close by.

"I'm told we have similar dislikes." she called out to the man who arranged all this. "What kind of monster do we hunt tonight?" The tall woman called out, her hood thrown up and hiding her face, save the glowing purple dots at the center of her eyes. He felt old, powerful. And the other looked dangerous as well.

 

[Alex StormWolf]

Alex could feel the ebb and flow of various Force auras, ranging from light to dark as the other hunters began to arrive. Turning from the man he presumed was Zye Woden, Alex saw a woman dressed like a common spacer. The lightsaber on her belt and blaster in a thigh holster told Alex she was anything but common.

"Definitely Jedi," Alex mused to himself, nodding his head slightly towards her in acknowledgement.

Near her stood a hooded figure whose face Alex couldn't see, save for two purple dots glowing within the darkness of the hood.

"Glowing purple pupils...that's a new one. Aura feels so dark," Alex thought.

"Jedi, dark siders, rogue knights, all united against a common foe, hmm? This should prove most entertaining," Alex said with a grin, as he tightened the straps on the black leather gauntlets he wore. "As long as we don't let long standing prejudices get in the way of our goal."

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Kurenai Yumi"] [member="Alex StormWolf"] [member="Nine Lives"] [member="Felicity Skye"] [member="Zye Woden"]

She was looking at them, standing there off to the side as the energy vampire watched with silvery eyes. Pale skin and someone spoke... a woman. Dark hair, force energy and skill. She was smiling a little to herself when she moved to approach them... moved join but then she felt it. The wind shifting... a scent on the air as Sawa turned her head. Eyes glowing silver with an inner light almost. She watched Skye for a moment but stopped short of speaking.. someone else spoke and the human... maybe she was distracted. Turning her body and remaining there as she stilled herself. Heart slowing, breathing almost impossible to see except for the small rise and fall of her chest at the barest level.

"Ni-Ne." She said it more to herself, low and rolling off of her tongue as she looked to see the katana on her hip. She could smell so much more of it from her. Not moving towards her, not seeing ghe two with her or anything else. She hadn't brought the Onna here.. she hadn't thought they would be needed but oh this was good. Slowly she finally moved standing there and one hand went to the hilt of the black bladed katana. She didn't draw it.. just looking at her with her gaze narrowing. Slowly the gleam in her eyes sparked an inner fire until the sith lord curled her lip into a smile. "You look lovely my friend." The smile that came let her fangs snap into place but she had tuned out the others almost who were around them.

She was looking at her... watching her for a sign but then something happened. The beep beep sound of her droid came. "Bah KayOne what do you want." THe droid was coming in, black plating with golden trim and it had its weapons deployed. It was coming to her side and holding the weapons prepared to attack Ni-Ne for a moment.... the others were barely registering on its as it identified the threats to its master. Then it stopped and turned its head watching the purple eyed woman before bouncing from leg to leg with beeps and boops. A whirring sound as it came forward and looked up at her. Making a sound when it turned around with whistles. "Ahhh stop that she is not...."

He still stayed near her and was talking. "No.. we aren't killing things yet." The droid stayed there and presented the rest of its weapons for attack and was ready. "Yes I know if you burn the bodies no one will suspect a thing." She was looking at it. "No spontaneous combustion is not a real thing." The droid looked back up at Ni-ne and presented a small hologram of her and Sawa when they were younger to show her who he was.. that he had survived for this time and while Sawa might say she disliked him or what he did.... she had kept him. "I sympathize KayOne but we will have to work on it now... there are sithspawn in need of being hunted down and killed."

 

[Zye Woden]

Zye turned on his heel as the select few that had been chosen arrived. They were few in number, and some were so blindly bright in the light he hated the feeling it gave him. Jedi innately repulsed him, however his hatred of the Sithsawn ran deeper than the disgust he felt at the overly pious, hypocritical lightsiders. His dark eyes settled on each them for a moment as they arrived. As a man of few charms and fewer words, Zye couldn’t afford to waste either of them.

“Greetings,” he said simply, his voice was haughty but carried a sense of sincerity in the following words, “My thanks to each of you for coming so quickly to the aid of our people. Though you each may consider me a stranger, you are no stranger to me. Each of you offer a unique set of skills that will be required for us to complete this hunt.” His eyes shifted from one individual to the next. He was used to fighting on his own, or only with others of his own kind. He recalled a few occasions when he had fought with some of the slaves and servants of House Woden to capture their prey, but most of those individuals had been little more than bait for the horrors of the night.

“What we are facing is no mere normal threat, and your own death is the least of your concerns,” he continued, “these monsters know how to keep their victims alive, feeding on their deepest suffering and anguish for long after any normal being would have died from the agony. If you feel you are about to be captured and dragged away by these foul demons, save yourself some trouble and put a slug through your own skull.”

Zye adjusted his cloak, letting the words hang in the air as the last of the sunlight faded to nothing. The stars overhead had begun to pepper the dark sky with soft silver hues. Safe from the Ultra violet rays that his people found so toxic, he pulled the hood of his cloak down across his shoulders. He sprang off his foot, beginning to run through the field he stood on the edge of without another word. Hopefully the others would follow, there was nothing more for him to say.

As the vampire charged through the field, the golden grains rippled around him, caught in the wake of his movement. His boots left soft impressions in the dark soil. The wind caressed his face in the familiar, cool embrace of the hunt. He had missed this, he had missed the thrill of the chase already. Silence covered the country side as they crossed the field, leaping over a wooden fence that divided it from another. Tall stalks of green grain, taller than the man who stood head and shoulders above the average man, surrounded them like a thick jungle, but it did not slow the man down.

All of the sudden the hunters came to a clearing bathed in the silver moon light of Iridonia’s twin moons. Before them were the strew remains of what had once been a scarecrow. Its from had been dismounted from the wooden T-post it normally occupied, the straw entrails had been scattered about, the two halves of it were tossed on either side of the clearing. The entire area was soaked in blood splatters.

Where it had once been, an organic body remained. An Iridonian farmer’s form was strapped to the post, his arms stretched out like the scarecrow’s should have been. His shredded legs hung limply from what remained of his torso. His stomach had been sliced open, and his entrails dangled from them in a tangled mess. His battered head was bowed in defeat, the eyeles and toothless face was seized in an agonizing grimace.

Zye knelt in the clearing, pressing his fingers against the blood. “Its still fresh, the Spawn couldn’t be too far from here.” He looked to the left and right, there were two trails leading in either direction. Within the stalks of grain that encapsulated them. His keen ears couldn’t detect any noises. The air hung still, carrying no other scents than the body that was stretched before them. He couldn’t sense anything either. They were dealing with something sinister and intelligent.

“Split up,” he said at last, rising to his feet, “half of us will take to the left, half to the right. Be careful, and stay vigiliant.”

Spoiler

[member="Sawa Ike"]
[member="Alex StormWolf"]
[member="Nine Lives"]
[member="Felicity Skye"]
[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

 

[Alex StormWolf]

Alex had seen his share of carnage, during his days as a Sith Lord, but the manner in which the body hanging from the scarecrow's perch had been savagely mutilated was enough to make him feel nauseous for a moment. This hadn't been done with weapons. Something had torn this unfortunate soul apart using nothing but razor sharp claws and brute strength. Swallowing hard against the wave of nausea that he felt in the pit of his stomach and focusing his gaze on the trail that stretched in either direction, Alex took his helmet from where he had carried it tucked under his arm during the run across the field, pausing long enough to slip it over his head and pull the hood of his trench coat over it. How it was going to help him against whatever was out there, Alex had no real clue, but old habits die hard. He'd always fought his foes with his face concealed by the helmet.

"Maybe you're just self conscious about that scar you earned from Lady Venge's blade. Wishing she'd done you a favor and put your out of your misery, ain't ya?"

Alex shook his head, trying to rid himself of the unwelcome thought that popped into his mind so suddenly. Time enough to settle that old score later. Right now, there were monsters to hunt. Slipping his lightsabers from his belt, Alex gripped one in each hand, turning towards the trail that stretched to the left.

"Call it a hunch, but I'm heading to the left," Alex announced, "who's with me?"

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

(Note Kurenai is not with the group, she is on her own but will eventually meet up with them)

Not long after landing Kurenai quickly felt that she was not along in means of the force, but it was not the regular Sith or dark side presence that most worlds under it's empire had, no this planet contained more. A sinister feel came from certain directions, almost as warnings to those who could feel it, alerting to the many dangers that hid in the shadows, but more then that it also revealed some familiar people. The most notable of these was the presence of [member="Sawa Ike"], why her great grandmother was here Kurenai did not know, but perhaps it had something to do with the secondary presence she felt while wandering into the grassy plains.

She had only felt it once, but that time was quite memorable, the whole interaction on the beah of Kasyyke with [member="Zye Woden"] after they had fallen out of a tree during a lone hunting trip. Quite the entrance but much more by one of the Padawans reactions to the dark Jedi, resulting in quite the strange 'altercation'. If Zye was here then Sawa would have good reason as well, Kurenai knowing the man was some sort of noble. Still that did not explain the other presence tailing the group. One was grey, dark and light, though leaning towards the shrouded side of the force, not unlike her own daughter, the other, light, but not 100% pure, probably some Jedi of sort.

To cap it all off was another familiar feeling, that of [member="Nine Lives"], which was rather baffling considering her and Sawa past, last thing she heard about the two vampires was a heated fight on Alderan, both having a very love hate relation ship. Though if all of these people where together but not killing one another that could only mean one thing, they where hear for someone... or something, question was who or what where they after? Perhaps it was worth checking out, if not to join them just to see how Sawa was, after all she may have clues on where mother could be.

With a new goal in mind the veteran mercenary started to make a quick trek towards their direction, soon though the smell of blood flowing into the woman's nostril, a dark feeling engulfing the immediate area, a trail of blood coming to light in front of her. Said trail seeming to lead off in different directions, one to the group, the other to a small mountain range in the distance. "I think I have an idea of what the group is after... though that does not give me any indicaion on what 'it' is, but I know trouble when I see it". Keeping an eye on the direction towards the mountains Kurenai began to slowly back away and towards the field where the group was currently investigating the killing, unknowling about to bump into [member="Alex StormWolf"] if both continued their desired direction.

[member="Felicity Skye"]

 

[Nine Lives]

Nine's cold purple dots zoomed in on [member="Sawa Ike"]. She said nothing in response. Now was not the time to break out the death laser. Wouldn't want to make a bad impression on her host.

She still had that damn K-1 droid. She was still holding onto that old thing. Not that Nine was one to talk--she still wore these old ceremonial green robes dyed in norris extract. A gift from her children.

She took note of the others. One, [member="Felicity Skye"], was a Jedi, which still caused her great shame to be around, given her nature. The other, [member="Alex StormWolf"], Nine sensed traces of the Sith, Sawa was well...Sawa and the ringleader, [member="Zye Woden"], had a great darkness within him as well.

Millenia ago, Nine would have looked at such an assemblage and assumed only the most dire circumstances could unite such beings. Such an assumption even now, was not without merit--she doubted they would have approached each other of their own accord. And the Sithspawn threat was genuinely serious. But it would have been a whole lot harder to pull off in the era she was from. The Order would have fought tooth and nail to keep it from happening.

But she had come across a popular saying: The more one tightens their grip, the more control slips through their fingers. The Jedi Order had been taught this lesson by no less than Sidious himself. (The more Nine read about the Clone Wars, the more Nine suspected that lesson was the evil old bastard's real revenge on the Order.) Unfortunately (For Sidious, that is.) he had not heeded such wisdom either--Vader had had to teach him it after the old fool overstepped his bounds by trying to murder the son of his right hand man right in front of him. And who would know better than Vader--he'd been forced to learn that very lesson on Mustafar. Unlike Sidious, Vader, it seemed, had never forgotten that lesson.

When Zye made his announcement, then rushing through the field, Nine swiftly followed, flanked by her artificial cohorts. Vera looked eager to kill. Too eager. Magnus was just getting a kick out of the whole thing, which was understandable...she had been created only a half hour ago. The droid kept glancing around, happily, almost oblivious to gloom and doom. The moons were out. This was normally Nine's prime hunting hour.

The corpse looked devastated, and hung. Not a terentatek. Terentatek's are more...savage.

"Crap, we got a smart one..." Nine muttered, heading over to Alex.

"I'm with you." Nine said simply in her deep contralto, inwardly wondering what horror they had come across. Vera and Magnus naturally followed her. She looked at Zye.

"What exactly is this thing we are chasing? Who made it?"

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Kurenai Yumi"] [member="Alex StormWolf"] [member="Nine Lives"] [member="Felicity Skye"] [member="Zye Woden"]

"Curious." She said it looking at Ni-Ne as their host spoke and was leading the way. A look on her face while she followed and the astromech droid nudged her leg. "Yes I am sure she was glad to see you." A few moment moments when they were getting out into the fields. "NO I don't think she would welcome you to go home with her. You are supposed to be my astromech... stop trying to run away with other people." THe droid turned its head giving a dismissive beep when she could see they were arriving somewhere. THe sharp scent of blood and death. "Fine I'll get you an oil bath when we return to the ship." She blew out some air through her teeth rather then punch the droid.

THough arriving at it she was looking at the others who were there now. SMall investigations of themselves as she moved standing over towards [member="Felicity Skye"] since she was one of the only ones left aside from [member="Zye Woden"]. She wasn't going to force herself on Ni-Ne for now at least... they fought... they would fight more and more but she knew that Ni-Ne wouldn't just disappear. Her hatred of her and her loyalty to Atrisia would keep her coming back home and when you knew where someone was going to be or where they had to go... all fo the problems in the galaxy wouldn't matter. She was looking at some of the signs around them.

"I'll go with you jedi." She spoke with a soft edge to her voice, more like a harsh whisper but with the force she would be able to be heard Looking at the carnage. Whatever this is.... whatever creature could prove to be intelligent enough but also it was showing a flare for the dramatic. "We'll just have to see, they or it are not afraid to let people know where they are." She looked at more of it and spared a thought for Ni-Ne who had trie so hard to conceal her victims when she went to far. This was something more like her... it let you tell people you are around and coming. Where her eyes flicked and went to though was the trail of scents in the air.

 

[Alex StormWolf]

"Crap, we got a smart one..."

Alex turned back, watching as Nine and her two followers moved in his direction. Alex could easily sense the aura of darkness surrounding Nine, not entirely evil, but it hinted at having had to make a terrible personal choice and sacrifice for the survival of her people. The two following her seemed...more than a bit unnatural. He couldn't sense much of anything from them. Then there were that eerie, purplish glow coming from Nine's pupils. Alex had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he had heard something at one time or another about the significance of encountering a being with a purple glow coming from their pupils, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Can't really say much StormWolf, you're not exactly pure yourself, bit of an anomaly." Alex mused to himself. "Didn't some Jedi Master over 800 years ago...Yoda, I think...didn't he say something about how we all carried a darkness within us?"

Alex's thoughts were interrupted by Nine's simple statement as she approached. "I'm with you."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Alex turned and began scanning the ground in front of him, dropping to one knee as he swiveled his head left and right, listening with one ear as Nine questioned their host as to what exactly they were hunting. It was then that Alex noticed something very much out of place, and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Apart from the blood, there was nothing. No real signs of a struggle, no stalks of wheat bent or broken, no tree branchs broken. And no tracks, either from the yet to be seen mystery beast, or its unfortunate victim.

"Whatever it is," Alex interjected as he stood back up, "it's not leaving any sort of tracks that I can see. This thing can't fly, can it, Zye?"

 

[Zye Woden]

[member="Alex StormWolf"] [member="Sawa Ike"] [member="Nine Lives"] [member="Kurenai Yumi"] [member="Felicity Skye"]

Three of his compatriots, out of the four, decided they wanted to take the left together. That meant only he and the female Jedi ([member="Felicity Skye"]) were left to take the right path. At least they didn't waste time deciding.

"I hope it can't," he said to StormWolf gravely, "Or we are can pray to whatever god you believe in for mercy. Stay frosty and stay together."

He rose to his feet and motioned to Felicty Skye, "Your with me then."

He made his way down the right path. The way was winding, rather than strait. It was clearly made recently by the shoved down stalks. The wind gently rippled through the stalks of grain, making them shift like sand. The path led the two to the end of the field. Beyond the low-tech wooden fence that squared it off was a dirt road, which divided this field from the next. In the middle of the dirt road, a speeder lay, kicked over on its side. Several metal plates from it had been scattered around, parts were strewn across the road.

Zye nodded to Felicity, "Search it for clues. I'll cover you."

____________​

​

​To those on the Leftward path, they would find the trail had curved and twisted, quite like the one on the right. There was no discernable pattern, and more than once it doubled back on itself. At last this trail also came to the end of the field. Here was a juncture for several fields, with dirt trails leading to them. In the middle stood a single Barn, its sides were weathered and battered. In front if it was a large rusting tractor. The doors to the barn were closed, and silence covered it all. Outside of the barn lay several scattered hay bales, and crates that had been smashed to splinters. What lay inside was anyone's guess, but the sense of dark forbidding could not be denied.

 

[Felicity Skye]

The instructions given by Zye of House Woden were clear and concise. Sithspawn were absolutely no laughing matter, nor would they be treated like one during the hunt. With few minced words and not even a semblance of introduction, the hunt began. Felicity followed through the field at the rear of the pack. She took in the appearances and feel of her contemporaries, if she couldn’t or wouldn’t know them by name.

At the clearing those unfamiliar found their first glimpse as to what an intelligent Sithspawn could do. This was no failed homunculi they’d come to exterminate. This dark creation would be something much more; ruthless and coldhearted, with the strength to rip a mans skin from his body, and a shrewd enough mind to make it a statement. The gore before the group would turn the stomach of any normal being, but this group was more than prepared for what they were about to see. Or were they?

Zye gave the orders. The party would split. Which in Felicity’s experience was when things went bad. However this was not her crusade to call, so she took the order with no protest. Felicity would be joined by the most malevolent of the group, a woman and agent of the sith, or so Felicity thought. And Zye Woden himself, a man bathed in darkness but one that somehow did not share the same malevolent feeling of the sith.

The Trio made their way down crisp winding paths, stalks crinkling underfoot. At the end they happened upon a flipped and damaged speeder on the road between fields. Felicity was ordered to search it, and so she did.

Walking up to it made her feel uneasy, like maybe she was being watched. She felt no threat of danger, but the thought of prying eyes was enough to be unsettling given the circumstances. She made her way around the speeder, and crouched down to get a closer look at the inside. The speeder was shabby, and uninteresting for the most part, not uncommon for a rural area like the one it was found in.

Judging by the hand me down blaster rifle a couple feet away, the speeder likely belonged to a farmer. Was it the Iridonian they had found in the field or was it another potential victim? Hard to tell, even upon further investigation. She found a cracked but functioning datapad in a compartment above the passenger seat, along with a children’s doll and claw marks in the back seat. The marks were clean but and monstrous. It was hard to envision a situation where claw marks like that didn’t end in blood, and somehow they didn’t. Felicity examined the area around the speeder there was a trail where someone was dragged into a field but no footsteps. This was a very new type of investigation for the Jedi, one that was proving hard to process. She waved over Zye Woden and Sawa Ike; The Jedi’s eyes would tell a story of confusion, and her own feelings of melancholy with the situation.

“I need a second pair of eyes here, and someone to look at this datapad. I fear the worst.” She handed the datapad over but held onto the doll. She hugged it tight as if it were the child who’d lost it.

[member="Zye Woden"] || [member="Sawa Ike"]​

 

[Sawa Ike]

Left: [member="Kurenai Yumi"] [member="Alex StormWolf"] [member="Nine Lives"]

Right: [member="Felicity Skye"] [member="Zye Woden"]

Sawa looked at the one who almost brushed her off while she raised an eyebrow. Following swiftly and quietly after Felicity who moved off for clues. The energy vampire moved herself crouching low and searching with her silver eyes flicking around the ground. She could see someting glinting but her one hand went to Shojo on her hip. Touching the hilt of the blade before she was looking up. Maranon had shown her a great many things when she and Maple had been in her tomb and underground city. Stopping her had been delicious in a way as she had finished the sith off and then the pair spent their time going to recover.

She motioned with her head looking at the jedi and speaking as her eyes shifted, silvery with flecks of gold and blue, using the light in just the right way. "Give it here." She offered a hand palm up but didn't try and grab it or get in too close. Not everyone welcomed invasions of personal space as her eyes drifted and felt at her with the force. 'Well she would be such a bad snack' She thought it to herself and spared a thought for Ni-Ne off with the other team. She could have went with her but why oh why tempt fate. They were here for a purpose beyond what the two of them would be doing. She waited for it while searching out and around.

Thens he felt it, that familiar sensation of Kurenai her great granddaughter as a small tight lipped grin tugged at her lips. Flicking her eyes back towards Felicity as she checked Zye with a small look. The overturned speeder, other pieces of metal on the ground. There were some ideas forming in her mind, if this was a dangerous and intelligent sithspawn a really dangerous one well she had a few ideas that could be done to it. She licked her lips quickly for a moment almost in a sense of anticipation at the thought of it. The energy vampire was reaching out and searching for other food sources then the two who were near her.

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

(Meeting up with [member="Felicity Skye"] & [member="Zye Woden"] [member="Sawa Ike"])

Kurenai continued to walk down the somewhat makeshift road, her eyes keeping watch for any movement that was not natural or felt out of place, the tall stalks of wheat on each side. What ever had attacked the person in this place left in a hurry, and did not seem to give much care about leaving tracks, if it was some regular Sith spawn or beast, but one could never be certain, not in this day and age. In the distance the sight of a overturn speeder caught eye, perhaps the sight of the attack? or where things had first gone wrong for whoever was killed by the roaming beast.

Before her feet could bring the woman closer to the scene she was greeted with the sight of two individuals from a distance, both not wasting anytime investigating the area. The woman seeming to pick up a data pad from the side and hand it to the Sawa while man she recognized as Zye Woden looked around. Such was convenient, it would also make conversing with them easier, but still did not explain much about the planet or why the now seeming to be slip up group was here.

Not trying to mask her presence, but at the same time not acting casual Kurenai approached the duo, giving a small wave of conformation to Zye once close enough, a somewhat stern look on her face to convey she knew the current danger in the area. "I am surprised to see you here Zye, well more that we so happen to be here at the same time, but from what I have seen so far from just the few minute's I've been here a small group like yours would probably have come about sooner or later". Weather they where looking to kill, tame or use the beast, such would have drawn some organization eventually, for better or for worse.

 

[Nine Lives]

Nine went ahead of [member="Alex StormWolf"]. The trail, a wicked and dark looking one, unsettled the first Psy-Pire, making her get out her sword and tomahawk. in agitation. She wished she had brought the shotgun, suddenly, but it would have hampered her agility.

She was near totally silent, another advantage of her strain. She instinctively knew how to move--no matter the type of movement--as quietly as possible. Vera and Magnus however, were less so, though not for lack of effort. Where as Nine glided over sticks and rocks with hardly a rustle, The disguised Biot and the droid were less so, occasionally breaking a twig, though not loudly. None of them had been built for the kind of stealth Nine excelled at.

After a long confusing path through woods that were too dark, with worries about what [member="Sawa Ike"] was up to, she finally came acroos a large, dilapidated barn. Nine was reminded of at least half a dozen horror films that ended with the final victim screaming in an abandoned structure.

Magnus' infrared sensors picked up flecks of heat in the dirt. She waved excitedly at Nine, who groaned mentally in embarrassment at the droid's overexaggerated display. She really had to nail the personality programming a lot better on the next attempt.

Alex brought up the possibility of the creature being able to fly. Nine hadn't come across any droppings that indicated a flying creature, but she did not discount it either. What Magnus had been pointing to turned out to be blood specks, a light, inconstant trail leading to that barn.

"Rom-Jin, Magnus, flank the barn..." Nine whispered the order to her creations, addressing Vera by the alias used for her chiss form. Only idiots went into the horror-barn willy-nilly. Thats when the machete attacks occured, followed by special effects and gore.

"If its in there, lets smoke it out..." she suggested to Alex. "We still have no clue as to what we are hunting. Best to draw it out of hiding then going into its den. I got my...help...flanking the barn. I'll draw it out by throwing my voice. Any suggestions on your end?"

 

[Alex StormWolf]

"Going into that barn would be suicide. I agree, drawing it out into the open is our only viable option."

The feeling of dread in the air was so thick, one would have been able to cut it with a knife. Alex took a step back, craning his neck to get a good look at the barn. It loomed over the surrounding landscape like an ancient cathedral of sorts. Specks of blood dotted the dust underfoot in a haphazard pattern leading up to the barn. Suddenly, Alex heard a noise that made his danger sense go off. It sounded like claws being scraped slowly along a piece of wood.

"Don't stand directly in front of those doors," Alex whispered to Nine. "It's right here. I heard it."

Alex gripped his lightsabers a little tighter, thumbs resting right above each ignition switch.

"Get that sword of yours ready...I think we're about to have company," Alex whispered. The sudden silence that descended on the area seemed unnatural. All the ambient nocturnal noises you would expect, such as insects, frogs, night birds....it all suddenly stopped, as if someone had thrown a switch, or time was standing still.

"I'm getting a very bad feeling about this. I think we should..."

Suddenly, a hideous scream echoed across the landscape, as a vaguely humanoid form with sulfurous yellow eyes leaped from one of the upper windows, landing lightly on its feet in the dirt right in front of the doors. With a flick of his wrists, Alex's twin lightsabers hummed to life, the blazing orange blades casting a faint glow around him.

"Well, it's out in the open. Now what," Alex asked Nine, as he spun his lightsabers around to a reverse grip, blades angled towards the ground.