Transit Of Venus [Bridgin Sky]

[Lok Jorunn]

Transit Of Venus​

Southern Province Great Forest, Zeltros​

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Everything, literally everything was black.

"Holy Heavens." The sharp curse exited sternly through man's gritted teeth. "Is everyone okay?" The dark figure called out once again, receiving no replies. Lok Jorunn attempted to sit upright, but halted midway and dropped back down onto the durasteel floor with a groan. He coughed and cleared his throat, wondering if there was blood lodged in his passageways. Perhaps some internal bleeding was a possibility, but not likely. Using the invisible hand of the Force, the wounded male stretched out to locate the room's light switch and flicked it in. It wasn't bright at all, but it would have to do.

After a few minutes, the man tried to rise once again, succeeding with a triumphant sigh of approval before sliding to sit upright against the wall. Hell, the wall was just as cold as the floor. Apparently they'd been here for a while, a few hours at most. It was a wonder that he was alive. "Hello?!" Lok yelled one more time. Where was everyone? Dax, Mike, Jasen? A shiver went down his spine and his flesh grew clammy at the thought that had erupted into his mind. No, that couldn't have happened. They'd fought valiantly alongside him just minutes ago! Technically, he'd been here much longer than that, but he wasn't in the mood to correct himself.

As he tried to assess the damage done by those pirates, his own body was the first thing he surveyed. His dark brown robes were gone and a patch of his right sleeve was burnt away, the smell of burned flesh lingered ominously around the wound. Lok hadn't really noticed it before, his adrenaline was wearing off now and every muscle in his body ached. After further investigation, that burnt patch of flesh on his arm was a blaster wound. Not a large one, most likely from a blaster pistol. Luckily, that was the only injury save for a few scratches, bruises, and a killer headache.

He'd mustered enough strength to stand up by now and rose uneasily, using the bulkhead as support. With the dimmed lighting and only the Force to guide him, he set off in search of his comrades. The cockpit was the easiest to find and the hardest to leave. The Guardian entered the room and immediately dry heaved at the stench billowing from the two bodies seated at the helm of the tiny corvette. Dax Uera and Jasen Orto were both gone. Jasen, it seemed, had been flung from his co-pilot's seat as the vessel made its crash landing and the wall had taken quite the toll on his cranium. Lok's cobalt eyes shot away from his body before attempting to uncover the source behind Dax's ending. His had a similar cause, but his eyes were shut peacefully as he lay against the pilot's console.

Dried blood plastered both of their faces and flies hummed delightfully upon their new treasures.

The med bay was even worse. Mike Zenima lay across one of the beds in the little, white room. He had a makeshift splint secured to his leg and the colorful dark crimson of his shirt told the tale of a man who'd taken a large chunk of shrapnel to his liver. It had ruptured and he'd bled out before he even had a chance to finish his message. A datapad was transfixed in his grip as he lay solemnly in the medical bay. A quick glance at the recipient broke Lok's heart. "Kristy will see you in the heavens, brother. Take care." A shaken, measly voice crawled out of his throat. The Jedi Knight took the datapad from Mike, tapped Send, before reaching forward to gently close the eyes of a great man.

Why did fate have to be so cruel? How the hell did raiders and pirates even know that they were coming? Why wasn't he strong enough to have helped, even saved them?

He didn't know, but the butterflies in his stomach and the tears threatening to trickle gave him an unspoken answer. The lonely man eased out a shaky breath before rummaging through the medical supplies, slapping a bacta pack upon his wound and tying it to his arm. The pain didn't go away entirely, but bacta was the best healing material in the galaxy. He was thankful for it. Perhaps he'd be able to do some good, save some lives for once. He'd do it for Mike, Dax, Jasen, and all of his brothers who'd died before them. But more importantly, for his parents.

"Farewell, my brothers.

Goodbye, Lok.

And with that, the lone Jedi Knight exited the little corvette with nothing but a little sack of essentials on his back, the clothes on his form, and the Force in his soul. As he fled from the crash, he turned to look back. He'd make them proud. He'd see them himself when he got to the heavens.

[member="Bridgin Sky"]

 

[Bridgin Sky]

"Bridgin, will you please wake up? We must go to try on your dress!"

As her father called to her though her locked room door, Bridgin Sky tried desperately to ignore it, only to hear the knocks grow louder as she assumed he knew she was awake, just trying to avoid him. Finally, she would huff a bit as she through her covers off the bed, the black material landing softly on the floor. Sitting up, her green eyes would flit around her room, looking for an excuse not to go.

"Father, I have so many dresses already. Why can't one of those be suitable?"

Mumbling a bit under her breath, she would finally roll to the edge of her bed, falling off and landing with a thud. "Oof!!" As she lay on the ground, she looked up at her ceiling, the galaxies painted on them. Oh how she longed to be far away from this planet, seeing and touching each and every star possible. Before a while ago she would have never dreamed of leaving her home planet, but with the announcement of her betrothal to Dorrel Mattel. Dorrel, Bridgin thought, was exciting as a sack of potatoes, and she would never marry someone who was boring. With that being said, she thought that all of the men currently on the planet were boring, so without the betrothal she would have most likely never have gotten married, so in her father's eyes he was doing her a huge favor.

Still behind the door, her father continued to knock, waiting until his daughter had opened the door to stop. "I've told you countless times, Bridgin. Dorrel deserves the best and the best is new. Now come and open this door. Let me see that beautiful face~" Sighing, she would put her arms behind her, pushing her entire weight off the ground and using her body as a counterbalance to jump forward, Bridgin landed on her feet silently, bare feet padding across the sleek wooding of her room. Once she reached the door she would open it just enough to poke her head out. Once her door had opened that much, she peered straight at her father, his crimson-hued flesh a normal sight to her against his blackened hair. "Oh, there she is! Here's the dress. Try it on and tell me how it fits." While he spoke, his arm lifted, showing a small amount of material in varying neon colors. Shaking her head as soon as she saw the little bit of scrap material, Bridgin would close the door without touching the dress. "I will never wear anything like that, father, and you know it." Hearing a sigh from through her door, she waited for her father's remark, but instead heard footsteps, the sound fading as he walked farther and farther from her door.

Once she could no longer hear anything outside of her room, Bridgin would walk over to her larger-than-life closet, planning to get ready for the day. Joken Sky, her father, had planned yet another party, which hadn't surprised her in the slightest. By now she was used to the partying lifestyle, yet for some reason she longed for more, something that wouldn't cause her to lose her sanity from lack of... fun. Now partying is fun, but when your mind works differently than everyone else, it just isn't as satisfying. Being at her closet, she opened the white-painted wooden door, allowing it to glide seamlessly behind the wall beside it, revealing a never-ending line of clothes, most of which Bridgin never touched. Spotting one of her favorite dresses, she would sigh and begin to walk over to it, grabbing it with one of her empty hands. Now that she had the clothes she took a moment to change, tossing her sleeping attire on the ground in her closet, knowing an attendant would eventually come into her room and collect it.

Now that she was clothed, Bridgin would leave her closet, closing the door silently behind her, trying to be as quiet as possible before walking over to another door in her room. This on was a much smaller door, smaller than an average sized door. This black-tinted glass door was pushed open by slender hands, followed by an equally slender body which stepped through the frame and into the room beyond. Through the door was seen many instruments, each having music written beside them all, waiting to be played. Instead of walking to an instrument common to the planet, she would walk over to the back corner of the room. Below the only window in the room lay a small black case, and in said case was an old violin, dark ebony and black. Pulling out the violin and tucking it beneath her chin, Bridgin would fill the room with thee sound of song, none of which she had written, but all of which she had memorized. While she played she looked out the window, the Southern Province below her with the forest not too far off.

Once she began to play, Bridgin took herself to another place through music, emerald eyes drifting shut as she played the music. Standing for hours in the one spot, the woman would continue to play to her heart's content, playing without any cares, the day swiftly passing with each note. Music was how she escaped the world she lived on.

Suddenly a knock on the door tore her out of her fantasy land. A small scream escaped her lips as she was close to dropping the violin, but instead she placed it gently on the ground before growling quietly, stalking toward the door. Before she opened it, she plastered on a fake smile, although any well-respecting Zeltron would know she was faking her feelings. Yanking the door open she was faced with a man who would be considered handsome on this planet, but his attire told the tale that he was not noble but rather far from it. "Your father would like to inform you that the party has started and that your fiancé has arrived and requests you as soon as possible."

The only proper response she would give him was a nod, and even then it was quite curt. As soon as she acknowledged him, he turned and left her presence, closing the door to the music room once more. Returning to her violin, she would pick it up, planning to play one last song before going to meet the man she would be forced to live the rest of her miserable life with. Beginning with one whining high pitched note, Bridgin launched herself into a heart-wrenching song, pouring all of her sorrows into the singular ballad. Towards the end her eyes opened, on the sky outside her window. Looking at the darkened night sky and the stars, she saw one that appeared to be a shooting star, her wish obvious.

"I wish to get out of here..."

Watching the star continue to fall through the sky she realized that this 'star' wasn't that at all! It was a ship hurtling through the darkened sky and toward the forest. As quickly as she saw it, she packed up her violin, planning to rush down there. Not wasting any time, she ran, violin in hand, out of the back door of her large estate-- to avoid people, of course-- and towards the forest.

The trek, having taken hours on foot, finally came to a close as the skies began to lighten, the smell of smoke filling the usually beautiful forest. Shocked that no one else had come to see what had happened, Bridgin began to stumble across little bits of debris, the pieces growing larger in size and quantity as she neared the wreckage. Edging closer to the fallen ship, she gripped her violin case tighter, inquisitive eyes looking at the twisted bits of flaming metal, no one to be seen. Hearing sounds coming from the other side of the ship, she began to inch around it, crouched low to the ground to remain unseen. The black dress she was wearing now had a frayed hem and mud streaks near the bottom, but she didn't care. Bare feet, now brown with caked dirt and mud, continued to pad lightly through the foliage until... Oh! A person! Seeing how the figure hadn't spotted her, she remained on the outskirts, not properly hidden, but to her knowledge she was. Seeing his ripped and tattered clothing she would watch him, saying nothing as he looked back at the fallen ship, wondering who he was and what had happened to this poor man.

[member="Lok Jorunn"]

 

[Lok Jorunn]

"Incoming!"

Green strobes of light lodged themselves into the starboard side of the Dauntless. A pair of fast attack frigates and their fighter escorts had the little Republic corvette surrounded, outgunned, and left them no avenue of escape. Seemingly, these mere pirates were either slavers of some sort as well. Judging from how they'd targeted the engines and communications relay in their first attacks, they had eliminated the possibility of escaping as well as calling for help unless one of the crewmen on the Dauntless used a short range subsonic radio once a ship came within range.

"Move, move! On your feet!" Lok cried, pulling Dax up from the bunk almost as soon as he'd finished typing his boot laces. That Jedi General in him was kicking in. He wanted things to happen and happen immediately. The Guardian and his comrade made a move into the armory where Dax selected a rather heavy looking assault rifle, a pistol, and some assorted gear while Lok opted for his usual weapon. The silver cylinder hung at his hip, swaying with the long strides the Valkyrian Jedi had been taking.

A pang rang out through the ship as it lurched to the side. The mechanical beast of a corvette groaned, metal screeching against metal with the ferocity greater than a mother Krayt Dragon. "They're boarding." Dax spoke of the obvious, but those words brought Lok back into reality as he and his brother sped into the starboard port seal. Dax situated himself behind a plasteel canister of clothing supplies and various materials, Lok slid into a doorway that linked to the corridor. As soon as Dax began firing and took their attention, the Valkyri would show them what battle was truly like.

One could hear their footsteps right outside of the sealed room. Their tampering with the security codes, little saws going, and the uneasy clacking of blaster rifles being set to "Kill." The Jedi Knight tightened his grip around the saber as he waited, impatiently. As if on cue, the door was pried open and kicked down. A pair of battle droids stepped into view before the hunk of metal even hit the ground. Dax was on them in an instant, pouring blaster bolt after bolt into their frames, bringing one down but garnering the attention of its counterpart and the Weequay pirates that followed.

"Stang!"

The blood in Lok's veins ran cold as he realized that Dax's weapon jammed.

One.

Two.

A flash of blue snapped into existence with a snap-hiss just as the pirates began to move by. The first downwards swing caught a Weequay by surprise, obviously terrified of the Jedi's appearance and the removal of an arm before being slammed into a wall. All hell broke loose. The Valkyri shouted to Dax before cleaving through the form of that damned battle droid. An agonizing jolt of pain shot through his bicep as the Knight moved in to finish off the lead boarding party. His eyes were full of fear. Pure fear.

This particular Jedi was more than happy to end his fear with the single sweep of a weightless blade.

The crackling ruins before him told the tale of a few brave men who had passed onto their next lives. Lok would join them someday, but that day was not today. He'd already sworn to defend the people of the galaxy. The innocent, the weak, the good and the kind. I fight for those who can't fight for themselves. Those words were engraved in his mind as a testimony to what he strove for in life. It was just what his parents had done for him when the Hrothwurm attacked. Lok was only nine at the time. He was so young, so weak.

However, something in the back of his mind urged him to turn around and carry out his quest for assistance. The other side in him begged him to stay and pay the final respects to the men who stood beside him in the face of certain death. He'd lived and they didn't. It was simply how fate told him that he wasn't strong enough just yet. A snap of branches behind him threw Lok back into existence, rather than that depressed ethereal form his emotions seemed to be taking lately.

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The scarred Jedi turned to find himself staring directly at a young woman. At first, he didn't see her with his eyes, but the Force. The man had felt the touch of her own presence the moment she reached out. Whether she did it on purpose, he didn't know. Her striking red hair was what gave her away, though. That's when he saw her, crouching behind dark green foliage wearing a dark outfit. Her presence didn't seem malicious and neither did her intent. She gave off the curiosity of a child and the shock of a woman who knew what had just happened.

"I see you."

He didn't really call out, not even bothering to raise his voice as he began to walk towards her. The silver cylinder was gripped tightly in his hand. Holding the weapon made him feel much better when in tense situations, it was like an extension of his body. "Do not hide." Lok said once again as he closed in on the woman, stopping just a foot away from her. His cobalt eyes flicked back and forth, investigating every inch of her.

[member="Bridgin Sky"]

 

[Bridgin Sky]

As Bridgin watched the man, she could feel all the emotions he was feeling, from despair and loss to the devastation of losing all of his comrades. Although this was normal for most people on the planet to feel the emotions of others, Bridgin rarely felt it. Being locked away in a room without much contact to another sentient being made her lose touch with a lot of 'normal' sensations, and feeling others' emotions was one of them. All at once she was hit with them, the feeling hitting her like a ton of bricks. Tears began to form in the corners of her emerald eyes, the man still looking toward the ship.

"I see you."

Those three words sent a chill down her back. She hadn't seen anyone else around, so she had to assume he was talking to her. Her heart rate began to speed up immensely, the man now walking toward her. As he did so, she began to correct her posture, although very slowly. Once she was erect she would begin to take steps backwards, one for every one of his. In the middle of one of the steps, her back was met with an abrasive surface, one of a tree. "Do not hide." Cursing under her breath, she continued to watch in fear, the man stopping when he was in arm's reach of the petite woman. Eyeing the weapon he held, she would remain still, hoping still that he wouldn't hurt her, although from what she sensed he meant her no harm.

Although she wanted to run, she knew she was trapped. There was no where to run. The tears from before began to grow until one betrayed her, slipping from her eyes and cascading down her cheek, her eyes widened with fear. As she was cowering by the tree, she had to look up a bit to look him in the eyes, searching his cold blue eyes for assurance that she was safe, and yet with the cold color she saw warmth.

"...Please," she was barely able to whisper before she fainted, the experience far too much for her. Falling to the ground, her eyes were closed, the consciousness gone from her body.

[member="Lok Jorunn"]

 

[Lok Jorunn]

As he stopped right in front of the scarlet-haired woman, Lok was taken aback at the flurry of emotions that spewed out from her presence. At first, her thoughts had only been ones connected to fear and the suspense of being discovered. Now, they were ones very similar to his own - of resent, hopelessness, and despair. He couldn't help but stare into her eyes, peering down into her soul as if he was searching for a place of a solace, a place to call home. And he found it. Her emotions had connected with his and she knew exactly what was blowing through his mind. The Valkyri had been on countless battlefields, yet he had no real home nor any special people in his life anymore. The only person he could think of was Gunar, the man who'd taken him in as a child.

Lok sighed as reality caught up to him and the scope of the new events occurring. His head hurt like he'd been strapped to a starship as it went through hyperspace. It was mind-deafening pain. "...Please." Her voice sounded like silk, calming the roaring thunder in his ears and ceasing the headache immediately. The Jedi was surprised to see her widened eyes return to the normal stature, but was even more so shocked when they closed and dropped.

His hands were moving before his brain could even give out orders to the rest of his body. She fell into his outstretched arms as he knelt next to the tree, cradling the woman as if she were some infant. "Well." Lok audibly sighed once again; it was becoming a habit. The man held her for a moment, shifting his weight so that he could slip the saber back into the clip on his belt. "Mmph..." He groaned, cautiously placing the woman away from the wound on his right arm. It was slowly beginning to heal, but the pain remained.

It was times like this that Lok had absolutely no idea what to do nor know where to go. Rather than risk being seen carrying a woman from the woods with a wound and obviously foreign clothing, he opted to just remain where he was. The Knight situated himself so that his back was against the tree, yet the woman was still softly resting in his arms.

[member="Bridgin Sky"]