Unexpected Meetings

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

For a second he just stood there, taking in steady breaths as he tried to calm himself. Falling was something that no one ever got used to. It was an instinct human fear to struggle against a fall, and Val was no different. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and he frowned slightly as his heart rate quickly began to drop down to normal again.

He tried not to think about what might have just happened.

There was a slight pause, and then she spoke again. For a second he wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but then he saw the rock in his hand. A frown creased his lips as he gave the rock a closer look, bringing it into the bare sunlight so that he could inspect the bright metal geodes within. A surprised look dawned on his face. ”Aurodium.”

It was distinctive in it’s lack of color, the way it practically glowed.

”That makes sense.” He said as though something had just been affirmed in his mind. ”The mountain must be filled with it.”

Aurodium was one of the rarest substances in the galaxy, so rare that many cultures used it in place of credits. The metal was incredibly valuable, a single ingot being worth millions of credits. If the pirates had found Aurodium here...then of course they would have an army. ”The pirates are trying to mine the Aurodium.”

 

[Taheera Sollo]

Clearly he was fine. She moved away as if nothing had happened. Because maybe nothing had. "That does makes sense."

Stomach growled. She hadn't eaten any fish. The herbs weren't cutting it. But at the same time, she wasn't hungry. She paced on the small ledge, thinking.

"They won't stop until they get it. How do we stop them from wiping out the village in the process?"

If she was stronger, she could try mind wiping. But she didn't think she could do it on that scale...

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Aurodium was valuable, ridiculously so. If the mountain had enough of it that it showed up on the surface like this? Then whoever controlled this mine would be rich enough to challenge major galactic governments. It was a ludicrous amount of money, and Val knew that there was no way anyone would simply be scared away from it. That simply wasn’t an option, price lines like this made men and women crazy.

”We have to kill them.” Val said simply.

With the amount of Aurodium present, Val was more than willing to bet that the army of Pirates had been heading towards the village originally to take everyone there as slaves. They needed people to work the mines, and pirates weren’t generally the type that leaned towards physical labor. That meant there was no peaceful co-existing between the pirates and the villagers.

”These pirates won’t just leave, not with this here, and the Village won’t be safe until they’re gone. So the only option is to kill them.” It was, perhaps, a rather ruthless thing to say, but there was a certain logic to the way he spoke.

In the end, they were just pirates. ”They’ll be chasing us, likely thinking we’re a rival group after the Aurodium. I can pick them apart one by one.”

He made it sound easy.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Stomach twisted. She knew the pirates wouldn't hesitate to kill her and Val. They had already tried. And she knew they'd do the same to the villagers. Like that woman.

For a healer, killing was never easy. A life was a life. And she felt it all through the force. It was painful. It was one of he reasons why she walked away from the Jedi wars. But at the same time, she knew it was necessary.

But what about redemption?

"You're right," she spoke slowly, like she was swishing tar in her mouth. "But let me give them the chance to surrender. To change their minds. I can at least be the bait."

She wasn't budging on that. She wanted to give them a second chance even though a part of her knew it was naive. She had to.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

”No.” Val answered simply, looking up at the rock wall for a moment to assess just how much farther they had to climb to reach the cave. He tucked the Aurodium rock into his pocket, if only to keep it for later evidence, and then turned to face Taheera. His position on the ledge was precarious, a man his size didn’t easily stand on tiny rock outcroppings.

”They’ll kill you.” He explained. ”These men aren’t prone to surrender, and you’ve seen what they do to women.”

Taheera would of course know exactly what he was referring to. The young lady back at the village had been severely brutalized, and that was in the middle of a populated village, what did she think was going to happen out here in the middle of nowhere? There was no guarantee that he could save her, no guarantee that she wouldn’t get hurt in the middle of it.

Yes she had the force, but would it be enough?

It wasn’t like he was bloodthirsty or anything, killing wasn’t his favorite thing, he just knew what needed to be done. There was no sense of denial about him, this was simply the most logical course of action. Putting her in danger would only complicate things, not to mention that he didn’t want to see her harmed either.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

No?

No?!?!

She blinked and stared at him. Hard. Turning, she reached up the face of the rock wall and began to scale. The cave she'd seen was just a few meters up. Val could probably get there in a few reaches.

Little pebbles slid down the wall as she got past Val's head height. It was probably better to discuss more in the cave when they weren't both on the edge of a mountain.

"Yes. I know what they do to women." Another reach and another push up. "But this isn't a discussion. If there's one."

Another pull and heave.

"One at all, it's worth it. Life should be valued." Legs and arms burned. "Not easily dismissed. And if you're worried about me. Don't be. I can take care of myself."

There was another slide of dust and rocks as her fingers found the lipped edge that the cave was in.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Wearily he watched her climb for a moment. It seemed that the ‘murder without surrender’ thing would be a sticking point for the Jedi. He should have expected it really, as far as he knew the good guys of the galaxy weren’t too keen on killing without restraint. Yet he was a pragmatic man, and that approach meant offering surrender was just...well stupid. It would alert the pirates they were coming and increase the risk of taking them down.

He frowned for a moment, and then quickly followed after her. This time he made sure that each hand-hold was actually secure, pulling himself up quickly and making sure that he could climb evenly along the face of the rock wall. Eventually he reached her level, having only spent half the time climbing. His fingers stretched onto the edge of the cavern, and then with a loud grunt he pulled himself up and into the cave.

”Maybe you can.” Val said simply as he sat himself down at the edge of the cave, giving himself a few moments rest before turning and standing up. He found that he had to duck, even at the edge of the small cave.

”But if you can’t.” He began as he narrowed his eyes, peering into the darkness of the cave to make sure it was empty. ”You get injured, captured, or die.”

Again his voice was not hostile or even angry, simply stating fact. ”Without you I have no healer and will likely die soon after, and when I’m gone the Pirates will take the village.”

Simple, calculated, logical.

”Are you really willing to risk that just to offer some scum a second chance?” That was what pirates were after all, scum. People who would rape, kill, and maim without second thought. ”I am certainly not willing to throw your life away so easily.”

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

She pulled herself up and over the ledge. An arm went to wipe across her sweaty brow. Weariness settled into her bones and made her shiver with the expanding night air's chill. "But it's not your choice to make." She spoke quietly.

If they had the comm she might be able to radio in to headquarters and get some help. But it would come too late. And the Jedi were thin and far between these days. Her back remained to Val, letting her gaze wander at the dark forest and gurgling stream below.

"I'd be risking myself anyway. You can't take them out by yourself. They don't know we're both here. Maybe."

There were tracks. But these pirates didn't seem too smart. At least, not the ones from the village.

"And if I go out alone. You'd still have plenty of time to ambush them. I'm not changing my mind on this, Val." Jaw ticked and clenched into a stubborn, set line.

She'd heard stories. People kidnapped into being pirates. Slaves made into pirates. What if someone like that was out there? What if all they wanted was freedom and they were robbed of that choice? By her? She already had blood on her hands and she knew there'd be more. But there was always a choice.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

”You are not just risking yourself.” He said simply as he took a further step into the cave, sniffing the air for any signs of animal refuse. It seemed that the cave was empty, likely only occupied by birds or something of the sort during the winter, or perhaps bats. He turned back towards the entrance, allowing himself to stand up a little bit more.

”I can take each one out individually yes.” That really was simple, even if she ran up to them with her arms in the air and screaming he could easily kill a single pirate within seconds, but they were facing an army. ”But eventually, you would get hurt. Someone would fire a stray shot, a grenade, perhaps even a blade to the throat.”

Simple logic stated that the longer they did this the more likely one of them would get hurt. Val knew that if it was him, he’d heal faster, both due to nature and her own skill. ”If you die, you can no longer heal me. I cannot fight an army on my own, you’re right in that. Neither can I rescue you if you’re captured. If you’re injured I can save you, but while we’re out of the picture the Village will burn.”

Which is exactly what they were trying to avoid.

”You’re being Naive.” Simple truth, though a tad insulting. ”You’re important, and sacrificing yourself will only hurt everyone else.”

It wasn’t like he wanted to aimlessly murder pirates, but any other way of doing this was simply too dangerous. The only other option would be to destroy the Pirates camp and then go from there, once they were without a base some of them would likely willingly desert, but that task...well it seemed near impossible.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"Only if naive means having morals. Having hope." Scooting back from the edge, she whirled to face him and ducked into the cave. Hands reached out hesitantly in the dark. She already couldn't see him or more than a few inches in front of her face. The day had gone and the moon wasn't out yet. Fingers felt along the rough, cave walls.

Footsteps became cautious and slow.

"And my value is the same as anyone else." Was he there, in the back? Was she about to run into him in the dark? "And how exactly do you propose to take out an entire army of pirates?"

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"That is inherently false." Val said simply as he watched her through the dark. The day was gone, but there was enough light from the stars for him to see through it at least. She slowly moved through the darkness of the cavern, exploring with a gentle hand as she tried to find her way back towards where he was.

"You can heal." That alone made her an asset, an important one. "You can use the force, and I presume you can use the weapons you carried. That alone makes you worth more than a simple farmer. Perhaps not in a moral situation, and were we in a place where you sacrificing yourself could guarantee the lives of others I might even agree with you, but here, right now, your death would mean the death of hundreds."

Simple logic.

"As I said. They will look for us, and when they come I will take them. The forest is large, large enough for me to hunt them down. The more their numbers thin the more panic will ensue in their ranks, once that happens things become even easier. Some will will start to desert, others will mutiny, once that happens things become easier." It wasn't exactly the pinnacle of strategy, but it was effective. When you were fighting a stronger enemy you didn't run head-long into them, you nipped at their heels, bit at their backs, and did whatever you could to confuse and infuriate them. That had been the tactics of rebels and guerrillas for thousands of years.

It was no different here.

"I can fight, I can fight well." Val said simply. "But even I can't last forever. That's why you're here. This might take days, perhaps even weeks, but as long as we're out here, and as long as the pirates are preoccupied with killing us the Village stays safe. The moment our threat is reduced, they turn their attention back to what they're here for; the Aurodium."

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Head cocked in the dark as she followed the sound of his voice. One hand felt the air in front of her. "I hear what you're saying but don't underestimate the value of a farmer." She knew she was already different for other reasons. She was a copy of someone. Her value wasn't as great as he thought.

"And I'm not underestimating your skills as a fighter." A hand came up to massage the start of a headache in her temple. "Just. Let's find some middle ground. Maybe if I can get my hands on one of their comms, I can call for back up. We'll get reinforcements and between the both of us, we'll be able to distract and keep the Pirates away from the village."

It was a long shot but she had to try.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Her hand touched his chest.

"What backup?" Val asked quietly. "That village has no soldiers, and your clinic doesn't either."

He had been inside there, the only other people had been doctors and assistance, there was the Bothan, but he doubted the man had much military experience. Plus they would still be vastly outnumbered. Even if they somehow got the village to resist...well there weren't many weapons, and Val doubted that they would even try to fight. He didn't think the villagers were meek or weak, but...well they had nearly let a woman get assaulted because they were too scared to fight three pirates.

This was far more than three.

"We can take one of their comms." He sort of regretted breaking the last one.

"We'll contact the pirates." Val clenched his jaw for a moment. "And offer them surrender."

That was about the furthest he would go. He wasn't trying to force the issue, but if they wanted to make it out alive then they had to do things in a proper sort of way. That meant they had to strike hard, fast, and be as ruthless as possible.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

It took her a moment to realize his chest wasn't rock. She pulled her hand away. Eyes blinked rapidly in the darkness and she could finally make out his silhouette. Shoulders relaxed and she exhaled when he agreed to....something. Finally.

"The Jedi group I work for. They might be able to send help and support. I-I don't know but it's worth a try. It's worth asking. And we've got a deal," she smiled in the darkness and offered a hand in the short space between them.

"I'm holding my hand out, for a handshake by the way." She wasn't sure how much he could see. She smiled. "I'm glad we agree on this because unless you tied me up with invisible rope that we don't have, I wasn't going to stay in this cave."

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

The Jedi Group? He doubted it.

For some reason he had a lack of faith in Jedi. Not because he had an pre-disposition of hating them or anything, but because they simply never acted within the Outer Rim. He couldn't really blame them, there were thousands upon thousands of worlds out here and most of them were sparsely populated. There was no reason for the Jedi Order to be all the way out here, but...well that made him rather cynical about their involvement with anything, not to mention the fact that Taheera had been here alone in the first place, why hadn't others stayed.

He frowned for a moment and then nodded his head. "Fine."

It was difficult for him to even accept that, if only because he was weary of pirates intercepting the transmission or simply tracking them through the communicator. Using it once to offer them surrender was one thing, but sending a message to a Jedi group? It was different, and it would also quicken the pace of all of this. He frowned for a moment and then slowly grabbed her hand. His fingers enveloped hers almost completely, thick digits gently squeezing.

A small smile crept on his face.

"When we're all done here I can still tie you up if you like." She'd set him up too easily.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Hand squeezed his back. She could hear his hesitation and disgruntlement. He'd just have to get over that. She smirked at his comment and let her hand linger in his for a moment longer before releasing it.

"You'd never be able to do it anyway. I'm faster than I look and I've got the force, remember Mister Fish Catcher?"

She yawned and slowly sunk down onto the cave floor, her back to one of the walls. "We should sleep. I doubt they'd find us but one of us should take first watch. If they get us tonight then all that arguing we did would've been for nothing." She cracked another grin in the darkness and stretched out her legs.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"That would be the benefit of you volunteering." Val said as he looked outside the cave for a few moments, staring into the dark landscape. In the distance he could just barely make out several lights within the forest, likely the Pirates searching for them. He frowned for a moment, moving back towards where Taheera had situated herself. "No need to be faster if you're asking."

The air was growing quite chilly, wind cutting over the open mouth of the cave.

Half of him wondered if their little shelter would be enough. Preferably they would have a fire going, but that would give them away. Things were going to get cold no matter what they did, and he had taken off his armor. The undershirt and thin pants that he was wearing were hardly cold-weather gear, and although he had a little bit more endurance than someone normal, it still worried him that they could freeze to death. So of course he did the logical thing.

Situating himself besides Taheera Val dropped down.

He didn't quite lay down, not sure that the cave floor would at all be comfortable to sleep on, instead he moved beside her, half leaning against the cave wall, then motioned for her to come closer.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

A tired laugh this time. "Volunteering? But where would the fun be in that?" She hoped he would stay awake first. She was struggling to keep her eyes open. She could just make out his gesture in the dark as he joined her on the cave floor. It was getting cold and it would get colder.

She eased over.

"Don't get any ideas. This is for survival." She grinned when she said it but he might not see it. One leg pressed against his, her side went into his side. Head rested against his shoulder but more so against the wall. She was still feeling this out. She trusted him but he was still a stranger. Fingers came up and tugged what was left of her side braid out, so the knots of chestnut hair wouldn't press into her neck as she slept.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"The fun would be in what happens after you're tied up." Val pointed out as he felt her slowly ease into his side.

The chill of the air went away slightly, but not by much. In the end, body heat really only did so much. They had no blankets, no coats, no fire, and nothing to cover themselves with so the air would get to them no matter what. In the end all they could do was stay close to one another and hope that the night wouldn't get too cold. He would be able to survive a little below freezing, especially now that he had eaten something, but he wasn't too sure if it was the same for his new companion.

A frown pulled at his lips.

There was also the matter of the pirates. He doubted that they would stop hunting just because it was night time, and if they managed to get the drop on them...well, it was best not to think about it. Val decided that he would stay awake, at least for a time. The cave was relatively safe, but he wanted to make sure they would be secure. "Ideas?"

He looked down at her.

"I've already had plenty of those." A small smirk touched his lips, his arm tugging her just a bit closer, amusement in drifting through his tone.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"I'm sure you have," she quipped back. There was another small yawn. "Wake me before you fall asleep so I can take next watch." Tone was serious. She tried not to think about the stones digging into her back or the chill nipping at her exposed skin or how empty her stomach was. Exhaustion won through discomfort.

Even the worry of being discovered couldn't keep her awake with her earlier energy expenditure from using the force.

Eyelids finally closed and stayed that way, the steady breaths from Val's massive chest lulling her to sleep.