Kamjin stared at the poster in front of him. The face, a youthful reflection of his own with the blazon word ‘WANTED’ atop it. Kamjin had always been tolerant of his son’s indiscretions with the Jedi ‘Order’. While his agent, Kyle Warhawk, had been his master Kamjin had felt comfortable letting him explore the galaxy and himself.
However, Kai had ceased contact with Kyle. His recent appearances in the Caperion system, stating he was a Jedi Knight, and fostering potential rebellion could no longer be overlooked.
Bounty Hunters…or worse, Jedi Hunters…these were the tools at his disposal to handle the situation. Of course he’d tell everyone that Kai was wanted alive and he knew no one would follow those orders.
Utilizing his access as Justicar, Kamjin sent the Bounty notice to a select number of Bounty cabals that would handle this case with the secrecy Kamjin needed.
Each of you have received this notice, though through what means is up to you. The Bounty Puck has led you to a small, unnamed town on the planet Seraph in the Zahro Desert. There's a single street with large structures on one side and several smaller dwellings on the other. You're tasked with locating and capturing Kai if possible. There is a dust storm that is limiting visibility outside. What do you want to do?
Lula rested her head on her hand at the desk. Her datapad glitched for a moment as she winced. Wasn’t this her fifth datapad for the day?
“Aw, no..” Lula whispered as she tried to tenderly swiped on the screen-
It buzzed and suddenly showed the Bounty of a young boy named Kai Lap'lamiz. Her brows furrowed as she stared at it for a moment. How did she get this? Even more concerning was his robes, he was part of a Jedi and hunted down for crimes.
Lula’s heart twisted. She needed to help him if the crimes was simply being part of the Jedi Order. Yet, there was always the possibility of it being something more. With a deep sigh, she got up from her desk, turned off the datapad, and headed out to the small town….
“Bafforr, stop-” Lula whispered as she pushed Bafforr’s massive head away as the Narglatch grumbled and headbutted to Lula’s lower back, causing her to move forward. Bafforr was not enjoying this sandstorm.
Lula looked at the house with the keypad. It was locked… it would be rude just to break in. She closed her eyes for a moment and focused.
*‘I am one with the Force….’ *
Fear. Oh. Oh no. Why would they feel fear? She could approach someone closest to her but…
So she did the most Lula thing ever, she rapped her knuckles on the door.
“Hello? Anyone there? I’m seekin’ a friend.”
Frank slowly approached the door that Master Brujah had pointed him to. He, much like his Master, strongly disliked sand and the desert, but especially sandstorms. These were no conditions for him, but yet, he was so satisfied that Master Vincent had seen fit to bring him on this mission. He would have to take a nice oil bath when they got back to the safety of the Monolith. For now, his first order was a simple one.
“Open that door, Frank.”
Frank reached out and waved his hand in front of the door, but it didn’t budge. He looked to the side of the door and saw a keypad flashing a red light at him. If a droid could sigh, he would have. Vincent wasn’t going to like this one bit.
“Master Brujah, it appears that the door is locked.”
“Well then tell them that the Hand of the Empress is here and that it would be wise to unlock it…”
“Right sir, but don’t you thi…”
“Shut up and do it, Frank!”
“Right away sir!” the IG series droid returned.
With his metallic hand he rapped on the door three times. In an awkward, unsure voice Frank called out.
“Hello! The Hand of the Empress has arrived on official Imperial business. Could you please unlock the door and spare just a moment of your time?”
Frank looked back to see Vincent holding his helmeted head in his hand.
Bafforr groaned internally, the thick membrane of the eyes helped protect her but it did little in this sandstorm. The scents were wild and all over the place.
Instead, she tensed her muscles and was ready to attack while remaining behind Lula.
<@216702440140046336>
“We don’t want any Imperial trouble. We’re all loyal, law abiding citizens here. There’s no one here.”
The voice is panicked and fearful. It's clear to you that she is not going to open the door willingly unless you're a member of the Scholae Palatinae security force.
<@466040899970007041>
There is no answer at the door.
Boredom.
It was a pathway to many activities some would consider… unnatural. For Thane, or Renatus when he was being all official like because the establishment insisted on the use of titles, that included random curiosities.
One such curiosity happened to come in the form of the Justicar’s wayward spawnling. And, as it would have it, that also meant ending up on Seraph in the middle of a dust storm.
The tall Firrerreo adjusted his silver and gold trimmed goggles, wincing at the very idea of the airborne grains attacking any exposure. At the same time, he needed to figure out just how much effort he was about to expend on this detour.
That meant looking for potential aggressors.
The Grand Master let his power well up within the core of his awareness, the cold fire roiling there before it began to apply pulsing pressure outward. In no time, his senses were pushed far past the confines of his being and blanketed the small town.
Nothing seemed…immediately hostile. That was always a plus. There was an abundance of caution though. Not energy intensive, to be sure, but it was going to be something bordering upon it. It was going to be cumbersome.
Kadrol pulled the bounty puck from his belt, activating it to recheck all the details.
Really? Here? This place is a real piece of work, isn’t it? An endless flood of questions flooded his mind. Truthfully, even his own presence out in the desert was an enigma, both to Kadrol himself and presumably to anyone else bearing witness as well. “Who’s idea was it to send a Pantoran into a desert of all places?” He muttered to himself, knowing full-well it was his own sense of duty to the Emperor that had dragged him out of the far more interesting research projects he had waiting back in the lab.
Kadrol placed away the puck and took note of his surroundings. As he squinted to see through the dust funneling around his face in the wind, only the outlines of a couple buildings were at least of mild help. As he entered the town, if it could even be called as such, nothing jumped out immediately as being suspicious or out of place.
Realizing he’d been standing motionless for far longer than any normal person ought to be, his ever-noisy internal monologue finally drove him to act. Welp, I’ve gotta start somewhere, he thought, making his choice. The door to his left looked particularly appealing, at least in comparison to the blank wall on his right.
As the Force user made his way to the door, he took note of the sand crunching beneath his feet. A means to occupy the mind. Having arrived at a location beside the door of the nondescript building, Kadrol readied himself against the unknown, his hand resting on the white durasteel hilt of his lightsaber.
Bzzzzzzzzz
Kadrol pressed the buzzer next to the door.
Vincent gave Frank the stink eye for a good 30 seconds, even though the droid wouldn’t be able to see it since Brujah was wearing a helmet. He could feel the anger and impatience building inside himself, and for a moment he saw red reflections in the eyes of his armor. After a moment he regained his composure.
“Really? Official Imperial business? That is what you came up with?”
“It’s technically accura-” the droid began to respond before being interrupted.
“Shut up, Frank!”
A big part of him wanted to knock the door down and storm the building, but he didn’t need to waste energy or scare the Jedi off. Closing his eyes he reached out and felt one presence within the building. Prying deeper he could tell that this one being had no connection to the Force. The boy wasn’t inside.
“Let’s move along, Frank. He’s not there. Let’s check the next building. He has to be hiding somewhere.”
Vincent peeked forward through the sandy winds and saw the next small building lined up next to the one he was at the door of.
“Over there.” he said as he pointed.
He began to make his way towards the next building, keeping his eyes open as best he could in these conditions for anyone who dared to wander the streets in these conditions. As he approached the next building that he would investigate, he saw a droid and what appeared to be a worker standing across the street ahead of him in front of a larger building. He took note of them and that neither of them appeared to be the Jedi they were here to apprehend.
Lula frowned as she glanced to Bafforr who was tensed and ready to pounce anyone. She did a quick check of her surroundings before responding to the other.
“If you wish, I reckon I could go stand somewhere for you to see me,” she started as she figured with her wearing her Jedi robes, it may help with one or two things.
“I am not an Imperial, I sure don’t want to cause trouble, and just want to make sure a friend is okay. And now.. I want to make sure that you are okay too. Are you safe?”
Frank followed his Master as closely as he could, not wanting to lose him in this sand storm. As they reached the corner of the building they had just attempted to enter, Frank noticed Vincent’s attention shoot across the street. After a moment, the Sith spoke to him.
“Looks like one of your brothers or sisters is hanging out over there next to that building. Why not make yourself useful and see if they’ve seen a Jedi hanging around?”
“Right away, sir!” Frank proclaimed happily.
The assassin droid turned towards the company across the street and started to move closer to them.
The frightened woman, overcome by curiosity, looks out the view port of her door and observes Lula with her Jedi robes and the absolutely scary 'dog' with her.
Turning to her husband who has exited the refresher. “It’s a Jedi” she mouths while motioning her with hands a laser sword.
Her husband nods silently and activates their home comm unit. The image of a COMPNOR droid flashes on the screen. “State the nature of the emergency.”
“There’s a Jedi in sector 392 outside my house! Send help.” The husband’s hushed voice is barely audible but the droid understands.
“Understood, a unit is in route. Stay safe citizen.”
The husband flashes a thumbs up to his wife and points to his wrist with a pleading look. The woman swallows her fear as she turned back to the door.
“I’m fine…I mean, we’re fine. There’s no trouble here. Tell me more about your friend.”
The video display crackles to life and the image of a well worn protocol droid appears on the screen. It's voice is difficult to make out over the sandstorm but you get the gist of it.
“Thank you for contacting Seraphian DUCT-KC, your local supplier for Doonium, Quadranium, Corundum, Dolovite, Tibanna, Thorilide, Kesium Gas, and Solid Carbonite. Do you have an appointment?”
Right. Time to get the annoying stuff over with. Maybe excitement would follow? He didn’t get to do his morning katas that day.
With the storm growing thicker, Renatus placed a gloved hand against the wall of the building beside him and began following it. Like a maze. You know? Follow the wall?
Anyway, it didn’t take long for him to make it to the main door. A very proper door at that. It even had a highly complex locking mechanism. The Firrerreo idly wondered if it would short out at his touch. Stranger things had happened.
Instead, he reached out and triggered the signal hoping to get someone on the vidfeed. Preferably not a corporate drone.
It was probably going to be a drone.
Kadrol adjusted his height to properly look straight on to the droid filling the virtual space on the wall in front of him. “Hello, uhh… sir,” His voice was authoritative and slightly raised so as for it to be heard above the storm, but wavering as his mind hesitated in determining the proper way to address a droid.
Steadying his breath, he continued on, “I’ve come on behalf of the Scholae Palatinae Quality Assurance Administration to conduct an inspection. Some of your supply may have been contaminated and I’ve been sent to see if your facility has been impacted and if I can help get your business compensation for any flawed material you may have been sent.”
Kadrol paused, catching his breath after spouting out his semi-prepared statement.
“May I come in?”
Vincent approached the door to the next building. He once again reached out and this time sensed something strangely familiar, but yet not quite right inside. Could this be the boy? The familiarity coming from the time he had spent around other Lap’lamiz family members, but the difference being that he had never met Kai? It was the best lead that he had to go on at the moment. He reached for the locking mechanism next to the door and pressed the button on it. The screen flashed to indicate that he was being watched.
“This is Warlord Vincent Brujah, Hand of the Empress Rayne. I have come to town on a mission of security. There is a direct threat to this town and I am here to ensure your safety, but I have found myself trapped out here in this sand storm. Open the door and offer me a brief respite from this storm and I will ensure your safety during these troubling times…” he grimaced under his helmet as the next word came out of his mouth, almost painfully. “Please…”
He wasn’t sure if that would work. He was sure that it was at the very least better than what Frank had offered at the last building. The gears were turning in his head as to what his next actions would be. That door was going to open, whether it be peacefully or forcefully.
Frank marched against the blowing sands until he reached an old, rusted out protocol droid. The menacing IG-series droid bowed politely at the droid.
“Greetings! I am IG-27, or Frank as the biologicals call me. My Master, Warlord Vincent Brujah, and I have come to town in search of a Jedi fugitive. Tell me, have you seen or heard of a Jedi fugitive hiding out in this town?”
Before the protocol droid could even mutter a word, Frank continued.
“If it is something that you’d prefer to keep private, I am, of course, fluent in over seven million forms of communication.”
Bafforr followed Lula and her ears twitched in confusion to why Lula stepped backwards.
<@185936112441622529> The video chimes to life and the face of a small alien creature answers you.
“Welcome to Warehouse 24 of Seraphian DUCT-KC, your local supplier for Doonium, Quadranium, Corundum, Dolovite, Tibanna, Thorilide, Kesium Gas, and Solid Carbonite. Do you have an appointment?”.
<@314889552848224257> The protocol droid is flustered. It keys in several codes and the door opens to you. You're greeted by a small reception room. The protocol droid is standing behind a console. A row of well worn chairs are situated along a wall. You see one door that looks like it would lead deeper into the warehouse.
“We do not seek any issues with the Quality Assurance Administration. I’ve just pulled up all our official forms here on the terminal for you to inspect. I’m certain you’ll find everything is in order.”
<@466040899970007041> The door opens and you find yourself looking down on a withered old lady. It's clear she's lived a hard life as her skin shows the signs of having been tanned over many hard seasons in the desert. Wrinkles run deep through her face. Her voice is sweet, like a loving mother whom you haven't seen in years.
“Oh my…the Warlord himself? I hope this isn’t about that incident the other day with the warehouse droid. I didn’t mean to knock it into those crates. Do I need to pay to have it repaired?”
<@216702440140046336> As you move forward you see the Sith Warlord speaking through an open doorway. You cannot yet see into the doorway to see whom he is speaking too.
The protocol droid turns to look at Frank, back to the warehouse employee, and then turns to Frank.
“E chu ta.”
Thane’s eye visibly twitched. That was…a lot of words. He knew it was going to be a lot of words. He hated that he was right.
Which would be less annoying if he wasn’t right so often, so he shouldn’t be surprised.
With a long sigh, the Grand Master leans close towards the vid-feed. “No appointment. I am inquiring as to the location of one Kai Lap'lamiz. Bounty puck says he is here. You will tell me what I need to know or provide me with someone who can.”
The Pantoran entered the building, stepping out of the grueling outdoor conditions that had been sandblasting him. He found himself greeted by the dingy sort of warehouse reception one might expect to find out in the middle of the desert. Not wanting to waste too much time observing the small room, Kadrol made his way to the terminal to inspect the files that the 3PO droid had pulled up.
Flipping through the files was a tedious task not befitting a member of the Imperium, but perhaps it would reveal something that would allow him to dig further without upsetting the natural order of things too much. However, as the investigation began it became quickly apparent that Kadrol was unfamiliar with the supplier names listed on each file.
“Could you tell me a bit about your suppliers? I’ve lived on Seraph for a while now, but I don’t recall seeing these names before.” He pressed the droid slightly while continuing to dig. The more he compared back and forth, the more invoices weren’t making sense.
Vincent was puzzled, but the woman standing in front of him wouldn’t know the difference since his face was hidden. He didn’t recognize this woman at all. Had the Force guided him incorrectly, or was this some kind of trick? He decided that for now it was best to play it cool and keep things cordial. If he could get inside the building, he could do a quick search and move on if necessary.
“Oh, no ma’am. Nothing to do with that incident whatsoever. This is more a matter of security. I can explain better inside once I’m out of this storm. May I?” he asked as he made a motion with his hands indicating that he would like to enter the building.
Lula frowned as she got curious. Maybe he was also seeking the Jedi? No. Could be- was that the risk she can take? She sensed that the woman was hiding something but she couldn’t tell what.
Could be a neighbor lover in bed. Could be a Jedi.
Maybe some distraction would work.
“Bafforr, please, make the loudest sound ya can make-” Bafforr groaned as she looked up to Lula.
“Don’t be givin’ me lip. And then be sure to run opposite direction, okay? I don’t want him to hurt ya.”
If the plan work and if the Sith does look at her, she would run away.
Frank gasped at the protocol droid.
“Well, that was unnecessary!”
With that, Frank turned away from the droid and the worker and began slowly walking back towards Vincent. He wasn’t going to like this. Not at all, but maybe he’d take it out on the other droid? Just as he got to Vincent, he spoke.
“Master Brujah, that protocol droid over the-”
“SH-” then Vincent restrained his temper for a moment, not wanting to startle the old woman. “Frank, as you can see, I’m in the middle of a discussion. Please. Wait your turn.”
Bafforr huffed under her breath as she didn’t like this. She tilted her head down to try to slowly inhale without having too much sand. The old lady had been around at beaches all those years helped her learned how to navigate, slightly.
She then let out a thunderous roar at the pair.
<@185936112441622529> The alien stares at the vid screen without blinking.
“I’ve never heard of a Kai Lap'lamiz before. Is he one of the former Emperor’s kids? I’d check the Monolith. There ain’t Jedi here.”
<@314889552848224257> The protocol droid reaches behind the desk and produces a ten inch thing binder that's well worn. The cover is bent in a few places and its clear there was dust that had settled on it long before the recent sand storm. The droid brings the binder over and sets it down next to Kadrol
“A thousand apologies, this organization was founded before the Empire’s latest inventory system and the renaming that occurred after Emperor Lap'lamiz moved Scholae Palatinae to Seraph and before Emperor Thran renamed them again.”
The droid opened the binder.
“Please tell me which names are in question and I will look up the current name.”
<@466040899970007041> The kindly looking old woman clutches her shawl closer around herself. She looks quite humbled and out of her league.
“Oh my, I am so sorry. This old house suits me well. It was all my late husband could afford, poor man lost his life serving Scholae Palatinae during the civil war. Nasty business. I couldn’t possibly be honored to host the Hand of the Empress. If its important I can answer it here and let you be on your way.”
Yeah, that put a finger hard onto the fun/effort scale. Renatus wasn’t having it.
Already deep in the oceanic depths of his power, it only took a flexing of will for his power to crush the durasteel door, almost a relaxation as opposed to exertion. The sound was violent and, with luck, muffled by the storm.
Calmly, the Grand Master strode past the debris to enter the entrance way. He was greeted by the stench of fear and…something else. Tilting his head to stare disappointedly at the previous speaker, he waited before trying again.
“I will only ask one more time…”
The droid’s response made Kadrol wish he could bash a skull in: whether that be the droid’s or his own, it didn’t much matter. The Pantoran recomposed himself with a deep breath.
“Look, the names are the least of my concern right now. Just on this single form I can see some discrepancies. The Empire barred Elayan Enterprises from trading under that name well before the start of this year,” Kadrol started to grill the droid, “I’m sure these are all nothing but slight clerical errors, but even the import and export quantities from month to month aren’t making much sense to me. Perhaps you would allow me to view the rest of the warehouse so I can put something positive on my report?”
Vincent was beginning to lose his patience. The woman was either misunderstanding him or purposefully misdirecting him. He reached out with his senses once more and felt a strong Force presence from the old woman standing in front of him. He was now fully convinced that this either was Kai in disguise, or someone that was hiding him. He sneered, but did his best to keep his voice at a mostly pleasant tone.
“Well, first, allow me to pay my respects to your husband and his service to the Clan. I do believe that there is a misunderstanding, though. I’m not really looking to ask you any questions. You don’t seem to be related to the security issue that I’m here to take care of. What I’m looking for is an escape from this sand storm for a moment, perhaps even something to drink. I can assure you, though I am the Hand of the Empress now, I grew up in much worse conditions than these. Your modest home couldn’t possibly offend me.”
He put on the act of a gentleman, something that he had learned more about since gaining a position of power. Sometimes you had to play nice to get what you were looking for, though getting mean was becoming more of a tempting option.
“So, please, as the Hand of your Empress, I humbly request entry into your home to take a small break from this storm, then me and my droid friend here will be on our way.”
Lula glanced to Bafforr as that roar wasn’t really good. On one hand, she was glad it wasn’t when it occured to her that the poor woman in the house was so fearful.
Maybe they should be more quiet.
“Bafforr, do keep close to the house, okay?” Lula focused and hoped the sandstorm will keep her hidden. She ran up and jumped up with unnatural height and landed on the roof swiftly. She remained crouch and inched closer to the door but not to the edge. Her orange eyes glanced around surroundings and condition of the roof.
Frank tilted his head slightly at Vincent. He wasn’t used to seeing this side of his master.
“Master Brujah, are you feeling unwell? You seem quite different than usual.”
Vincent’s head snapped to the droid, the anger built inside of him.
“I’m fine, Frank. It’s just this blasted storm.”
<@185936112441622529> Sand blows in from the street filling the room with a settling haze. The alien (a Toong for those keeping track) has clearly soiled himself and is scrambling behind the chair for protection.
“The Jedi? Yes, yes. He’s here. HE’S HERE!!”
The Toong goes to try and run past you but sees that you've been cut off by the warehouse worker and droid who had been standing outside. The warehouse worker is brandishing a blaster.
“What’s going on three-prong?”
<@314889552848224257> The Droid's eyes blink rapidly. He flips the binder back to the beginning.
“Sir, I’m not authorized to allow a quality inspector to enter the warehouse without an escort. No escort is currently available. The information you seek is within this binder. Please state your queries one at a time so I may assist you fully.”
<@466040899970007041> The woman's creased face smiles. Even in the darkened underpowered house you can see her blush from the compliment. She begins to gesture you inside before she stops. Her eyes dart back and forth as she clutches her shawl.
“Mi'lord, you do humble me. Please en…did you hear that? Oh my, it sounded like such a clatter on my roof. Sir, please, would you help this poor war widow and check that sound?”
<@216702440140046336> Barely heard above the howl of the storm, a speeder bikes whines into town. You sense the arrival of a lone stormtrooper patrol who has stopped at the home of the individual you were talking to. You can assume the individual is giving a full report and the stormtrooper will begin patrolling the town once he's gotten their information.
A sigh, which was becoming his standard broken record at this point, escaped Renatus’ thinned lips.
Patience. You have it. It’s less effort to do nothing than to remove the obstacle.
His gaze drifted between the worker at his back and the odiferous one before him.
“Listen. I am not here for you. No one wants to deal with…this…” The Grand Master gestured vaguely between all of them. “Elaborate. Provide specificity. The boy will leave with me.”
“I don’t think you understand. The empire requires an inspection. I will be let in whether you provide an escort or not. So, what will it be?”
The droid’s unexpressive face stared back at him blankly. Pushed past his breaking point by a piece of machinery, Kadrol waited for little more than a pause in the conversation before activating his twin lightsabers. The Droid was clearly incapable of stopping him, so the Palatinae swung to his right and plunged his blades through the door lock.
As he entered into the doorway, Kadrol found himself staring at not one, but two blasters pointed at him while a small droid stood to his side.
Vincent smirked, now was his chance. He shouted out at the old woman.
“It’s the security risk! Get down!”
He dove through the door and at the old woman, intending to tackle her to the ground in a dramatic “protective” fashion, but she easily stepped to the side and out of his path. Instead Vincent slammed into the floor and slid into the building with a loud screech of his armor sliding across the floor. His anger was reaching a boiling point. He growled at himself from the floor, but he quickly turned over and shouted at Frank.
“Frank! Blast whoever is on the roof! I’ll make sure they don’t come through the roof after this surprisingly fast old lady!”
Constantly depending on the Force, she noticed a new presence. With a frown, she turned towards that direction and slowly realized it was a storm trooper. Quickly, she crouched down and hopes the sand storm will keep her shielded.
Her hands rose as she kept the shawl close to her face to protect herself. Thank goodness for the goggles. She inched closer to the other edge where she had jumped from and maintained contact with Bafforr,
“Bafforr, get closer to the house.”
With her being close to the edge, she watched the Sith dove into the door. Lula frowned and started to prepare to jump down.
Frank watched as Vincent dove into the building and took a skid across the floor. Something was definitely not right about his master today. Maybe it was just the storm as he had said before? Regardless, as soon as Vincent gave the command he responded.
“Right away, Master Brujah!”
He unlatched his DLT-20A Pulse Cannon and began to charge it for a shot. He lifted it and the droid targeting system beeped at him to indicate that a target was acquired. He looked down the scope and gasped.
“A second Jedi? At this time of year? On this system? Localized entirely within this small desert town? What luck!”
He fired the cannon, which was near silent due to the installed suppressor. The bolt went just slightly wide, missing the Jedi but piercing a hole in her shawl.
“Drats!” Frank shouted as he charged another shot.
Bafforr got closer to the house and snarled when she noticed that he was targeting Lula. She reacted opened her jaws and clamped them on his leg and dragged him further away from the house.
The growls were menacingly and her tail was whipping back and forth. Her eyes went crazed with the look of a predator and that it was dangerous to get near her ‘food’.
<@185936112441622529> The warehouse worker with the blaster begins to lower it. All three individuals begin speaking over top of each other and the storm.
The droid shuffles in the sand and points towards the building to the Northwest.
“I saw a Jedi over there!”
“What? I didn’t see anything. I haven’t seen a Jedi round these parts since the end of the civil war. You’re malfunctioning again.”
The Toong, shaking with fear is blathering incoherently.
“He’s here. He’s here. He’s here. He’s here.”
The door opens and another warehouse worker appears with a blaster (do all warehouse workers appear armed?)
<@314889552848224257> The droid began to respond that all the information necessary was in another binder behind the desk. He freezes and shouts when you slice through the door.
“Goodness gracious! It was unlocked.”
The new gangsters, a Rodian and Trandoshan, raise their blasters and fire. Kadrol is surprised by the attack and barely blocked the Rodian's shot while he more effortlessly reflects the Trandoshan's blaster bolt back into the Warehouse.
<@466040899970007041> The old lady effortlessly slides out of your way and up against the wall that leads to a dining/kitchen area. It's a small and disorderly house that shows years of accumulated belongings.
“Oh my! I do hope you’re okay. Your droid is shooting at someone out there! You should go and help him!
<@216702440140046336>
Alerted by the sound of blaster fire and the flash next door the Stormtrooper speeds over and dismounts.
"Halt!”
The stormtrooper pulls his blaster rifle and fires at Bafforr hitting his thick hide.
Renatus sighed. Again. He looked at the droid and nodded in acknowledgement, then looked at the armed but oh so unintelligent workers. Self-preservation wasn’t so common, it seemed.
“Good. Farewell.”
With that, he pulled his power in but kept himself way and ready to react. Should it be needed, either due to idiocy, a hero complex, or an itchy finger, he’d be able to pull up a barrier to defend himself.
With his left hand, he ensured his goggles were secure once more and made his way to the Northwest building.
Kadrol ignored the helpless cries of the droid behind him. Furthermore, being shot at without warning was not his idea of a good time. Luckily, the first shot came from a Rodian standing not two meters away.
The Force user took a single stride forward, and, with one fluid motion swung both lightsabers in tandem from low to high across the Assailant’s body. The tip of the shorter golden lightsaber narrowly missed the creature, while the violet blade in Kadrol’s dominant hand sliced narrowly into the Rodian’s abdomen.
“Stand down, all of you or you’ll meet the wrath of the Empire!” he cried out, not wanting to exert deadly force more than was absolutely necessary.
Vincent stood up from the floor, brushing himself off. His attention was ever present on the woman, he never even turned to check on Frank. He spoke to her, and his voice changed from the pleasantness that was there before he entered the building into his usual, frustrated voice.
“Frank can handle himself, and if not, he’s easily replaceable. I’m far more interested in you at the moment.”
He began to slowly approach the woman. He reached to his side and pulled the hilt of Hellfire into his right hand. He didn’t ignite the saber, but the implication was clear.
“You’ve been hiding something from me. I can feel your connection to the Force. I think you’re covering for the Jedi that I’m here to find.”
With the flick of the activator on the hilt of his saber the crackling crimson blade screamed to life.
“So, let’s start over. I think you know where the boy I’m looking for is. Tell me what you know, and I’ll make this quick and painless. Continue playing games with me and this might get very ugly.”
Lulaire brought up a barrier when she saw the blaster and was a bit slow as it burned a hole through her shawl. Her heart was racing as she decided to jump down and landed swifty. Wait. Where was the droid that had fired her?
Bafforr? Oh no. Her eyes quickly glanced towards the door and she can’t see what’s going on there. Her jaw tighten. She needed to check on Bafforr and she made her way there.
Only to find Bafforr snarling towards a droid. Was this the droid that shot at her? She can’t do anything with the stormtrooper right there.
“Wait!” She called out, placed herself between Bafforr, the droid, and the stormtrooper. Her golden hands shown in the sandstorm. Her shawl had been blown back, revealing her Ombre hair.
“The Narglatch belongs to me. She is not some wild animal.”
Frank brought himself back up to a standing position. He gave his leg a quick look over, but didn’t see any damage that concerned him or would keep him from moving as normal. For a moment he considered taking another shot at the Narglatch, but the presence of the one Vincent ordered him to shoot was a more pressing matter. He turned directly towards the approaching Stormtrooper.
“Over here!” he shouted. “It’s a Jedi!”
Bafforr yelped in pain as she was struck at the hip. She tried to kept the grip but the droid had been released.
She snarled but it went away when Lula stood in front of her. The snarls changed into a low glutteral growl, her eyes resting on the droid. Not blinking.
The very thing that had threatened Lula.
It was obvious.
She wanted to tear the head from the droid’s body. But she stayed behind Lula, muscles tensed, and not moving an inch.
<@185936112441622529> You begin to move Northwest in the storm the warehouse worker with the blaster and the droid stand dumbfounded. Clearly they don't want a 'piece of this'. As you walk past them you can see a skirmish of some sort happening in your path that is accented with the light of a laser blast.
<@314889552848224257> The Rodian lets out a yelp and lunges at you with his fists. Perhaps not the smartest move but a natural one. You find yourself with the option to retreat back into the lobby, trip over the astromech, move deeper into the warehouse, or attack.
You can also now clearly see that its a warehouse. In front of you, you can see two office's with doors. They have the clear glass wall build so the occupants and still watch the warehouse workers. There are walls of shelving as well.
“Get him!”
The Trandoshan yells, while backing up and taking another shot at you and his companion.
<@466040899970007041> The old lady is not shocked to see the lightsaber nor is she intimidated by your new approach to their conversation. She stands her ground like a grandmother dealing with a grandchild who has come to dinner hungry.
“My dear child, so angry over something you don’t understand.”
As you look at her and hear the sounds of commotion outside you begin to see through her illusion. Slowly the visage of a kind elderly woman fades to reveal a wiry frame of a Rodian Jedi Knight
<@216702440140046336> Steve, the hearing differently abled Stormtrooper, signs with one hand in Imperial Sign Language (ISL) to Frank that it's okay as he fires again on Bafforr who takes a bolt to his flank.
“It will be okay” Steve's left hand signs
Lulaire reacts a moment to slow and reveals herself to be a Jedi, lightsaber ignited to try and block the blast that has hit her companion.
The storm seemed to close in tighter around Renatus, forcing him to raise an arm defensively. He pushed on towards where he thought the flashes of light had painted the layered particles, but he couldn’t be certain without landmarks or more flashes.
He meandered forward, as best he could, but couldn’t help the feeling that he had barely progressed.
Kadrol reflexively blocked the Rodian’s punch with his lightsaber, severing the hands of the attacker before blocking another shot from the Trandoshan. The green reptilian dropped to his knees, incapacitated. Kadrol could only imagine the Rodian was mourning the loss of limb.
Well, this is certainly a situation I hadn’t expected. Kadrol’s internal monologue droned on.
Still angry about being shot at, he pointed his violet blade at the remaining thug. Gesturing slightly with his left hand, manipulating it while his golden-bladed shoto remained activated, he shouted, “You! Tell me where Kai is!”
“H..h…he’s not here.” The Trandoshan stammered, his eyes darting slightly over his shoulder, unknowingly giving up precious information.
Kadrol turned back to exit the warehouse, voicing his frustrations on the way out.
“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
As he exited the building, he deactivated both blades, leaving the cold metal hilts warming in his hands.
“Shut up, Rodian” the Warlord said as he lifted his left arm and tried to pull him off of the floor without touching him. Somehow the Rodian shook away, but just barely. Vincent growled out in anger. He could feel the blood begin to course through his veins faster and warmer as he continued to stalk the Jedi, lightsaber still activated in his right hand.
“Where is the boy?!”
He once again tried and once again failed to lift the Rodian off of the floor. The Rodian reached out and grabbed the Sith by the neck and bounced him up off of the wall. The Sith’s armor clanked off of the wall and he stumbled backwards, just as much out of surprise as from the force of the attack. The Warlord could see the reflection of his glowing red irises in the eyes of his armor as he steadied himself and looked back at the Rodian with a snarl. He shouted out in anger.
“You can talk now, or you can die!”
Lula’s heart was pounding in her chest but she was watching the droid and the Storm Trooper. She had noticed some movement of the hands…
Oh no.
Thane would be useful here. Lula had never learned sign language as she grimaced. Despite that, the Firrerreo stayed calm and she tried to project the calmness. Amidst in the roaring winds and the biting sand at their skin, there was a sense of peace.
While her lightsaber was activated, she made no motion to attack but with her body language it was clear she was defensive. The Jedi was ready to defend herself or deflect any attacks that may come towards her and Bafforr.
“We’re not here to hurt anyone.”
Frank was very confused. Of course he could understand Imperial Sign Language, but his ability to ”speak” it was… limited. The trooper had seemed to indicate that he had things under control, but then he never even looked at the Jedi until she seemingly put some kind of spell on him! Frank fumbled with his own hands trying to figure out how to sign what he wanted to say.
“Oh, how embarrassing!” he managed with his actual voice. “Of all the languages I know…”
With that, the IG-droid waved his clawed hands as best he could at the Stormtrooper, trying to get his attention. He made big, exaggerated motions with his limbs.
“Snap out of it, man! It’s a Jedi! On Seraph!”
Bafforr let out another yelp as she was hit in the same area. She growled and took a step forward to only see Lula putting herself between her and the new predator.
Bafforr whined and grumpily growl as she limped behind Lula.
<@185936112441622529> The storm whirls around you. You can tell its intensity has increased since you first arrived. You've managed to stumble forward against the grit to come upon the sight of a stormtrooper patrol wearing the markings of Scholae Palatinae in a stand off with an IG unit, a Narglatch, and what appears to be a Jedi with a lightsaber. You can feel the tension from them
<@314889552848224257> The Rodian howls as your blade slices through his arm. Clearly punching a man with a lightsaber was not the way to address the situation. As he slumps over holding his stump of an arm he passes out. The Trandoshan is left perplexed by your sudden departure as you exit the building. The storm has grown worse and you can barely see the building across the street.
<@466040899970007041> Kalrek Vashu looks down at you.
“I don’t think you’re having a good enough day to make me talk.”
You struggle against the Rodian's grasp of the Force. You feel yourself be lifted and thrown out of the door and clear of the building. Kalrek follows after you igniting his green lightsaber as he clears the door and takes in the sight of Lula in a standoff with a stormtrooper
“Damnit, Kai…where are you.” Kalrek mutters.
<@466040899970007041> and <@216702440140046336> Steve is left confused by the appearance of an actual Jedi on Seraph. As he stares at her illuminated blade sparkling in the sand storm he notices the IG unit trying to sign to him. He makes out two words clearly 'Jedi' and 'Seraph'. He backs up towards his speeder bike and keys on the comm link.
“Jedi in the town! Send back-up immediately! Jedi in the village!”
Steve moves behind his speeder bike for protection as he crouches down in a firing position. While he's there he says a prayer that he'll see his daughter again
Alright, there’s a reference point. No more walking in circles.
Renatus sighed and strode purposefully towards the conflict ahead of him. He wasn’t entirely certain what was going on but he could at least put a big ol’ pause button on the whole thing while he got his bearings.
The tall Firrerreo continued forward, not giving the Jedi much of his attention as he walked past towards the stormtrooper. Probably a local force so he wasn’t just going to come in like a wrecking ball. That said, it was time to smash or pass on the Jedi and he was leaning towards…smash.
With a mental flex, he reached out with ethereal tendrils of power and wrapped them around the Jedi to hold them in place. Just as they began to loop, he felt a reflexive push back against him and his half-hearted attempt was thoroughly squashed.
Not wanting to waste any time, Kadrol broke out into a quick jog towards the opposite end of the warehouse, using the Force to amplify his abilities. As he ran, the ground felt as though it was itself moving to assist. Meanwhile, the storm began to feel like needles against his face as the wind speeds increased.
The world went red for Vincent. His anger had fully consumed him. He didn’t care about the sand, or the wind, or even Kai at the moment. All he wanted to do was watch the Rodian suffer.
“You’ll die for that!” he screamed as he stood and pulled his crimson saber back for an attack.
He swung wildly at the Rodian, who slipped in and out of the attacks, but the Warlord’s anger had made him stronger… faster. After a couple of dodged swipes, Vincent landed a glancing strike on the Rodian’s saber arm. Not enough to take the limb, but enough to hurt. The armored maniac looked ready to continue pressing the fight.
Lula felt the cold, yet a bit familiar, Force attempting to grasp around her as she quickly pushed it away, her attention turned towards who had attempted try to hold her in place.
It took a split moment, but she instantly realized him. It was like a burst of joyous emotion ran through her. Those of the warm heart would feel the pure sunny deposition coming from the Farmer.
“||Moonlight?||” the Jedi called out as she deactivated her saber, the golden light disappeared.
It was really him!
With a soft laugh, she jumped into his arms and flashed a fanged smile, “||What are you doing here?”||
Frank watched as the Jedi rushed away and jumped into the arms of what appeared to be an approaching Firrerreo. He could tell instantly that the two were familiar with each other, though he couldn’t hear anything that the two may have been saying to each other. Their body language said it all. Frank turned to Steve, for a moment forgetting the man was deaf.
“I do enjoy a good love story!” he said as gleefully as his metallic voice would allow.
Bafforr kept her eyes on the droid. The very threat that had shot at Lula. Lula was no longer protecting Frank so she leapt forward, grabbed Frank’s leg again and started rolling in the sand.
<@185936112441622529> The mysterious Jedi woman has jumped into your single arm embrace. Clearly you know whom she is or you wouldn't have allowed her to jump into your arm. Despite the distraction you hear the whine of several standard issue Imperial speeder bikes approaching.
<@314889552848224257> You notice a patrol of four stormtroopers speeding past your location. They don't notice you.
<@466040899970007041> The Rodian with a Name howls in pain as your blade slashes his arm. He responds with a series of strikes that you're able to parry. The Rodian keeps glancing around as if expecting help to come.
“Why are you Sith always so angry?”
<@216702440140046336> Steve watches as Bafforr goes after Frank again. The fear is growing in him over the situation and he fires wildly at Bafforr, the shot just going wide as he rolls with Frank on the ground.
Renatus was shocked for a moment by the sudden assault, but quickly realized who it was. “||My sunrise in a storm||,” he remarked, easing her weight onto his forearm and keeping one hand free before answering. “Tracking Kai.”
The two Firrerreo pressed their foreheads together a moment and transmitted their emotions and comfort to eachother. After the briefest of moments, Thane let the moment pass and Renatus returned. He spotted the droid get taken down by Lulaire’s animal companion and smirked in satisfaction. Then he realized there was much more to be done. Giving Lulaire a quick “down girl” pat, he nudged his head in the direction of the coming sound.
“More trouble coming. Do what you need to,” the Grand Master said. Now separated, he continued towards the already present Stormtrooper, Steve.
As Kadrol made his way to the twin building, a pair of speeders buzzed into view.
Oh, boy. Something must be going on to bring a gaggle of troopers out in this weather, his internal voice rambled on, best stay out of the way.
He slinked into the gap between the two buildings. Though narrow, the space offered an ever so slight reprieve from the harsh winds. The Pantoran took a second to catch his breath.
As he stood between the two buildings, his eyes scanned for points of entry: a door, a window, maybe even a gap in the wall that some underpaid worker couldn’t patch before being called to another project.
Nothing.
Vincent screamed out in anger. Switching effortlessly from his Makashi stance to a Djem So stance, the Sith repeatedly raised his saber over his head and smashed it downward onto Kalrek’s blade. With his enhanced strength and agility it was only a matter of time before the Rodian’s guard broke. On the fifth swing the Rodian could no longer block the attacks and the lightsaber blade came crashing down around his collar bone. There was a gruesome sounding snap from the contact, but the Rodian’s armor prevented him from being split in two.
This just seemed to anger Vincent even more. He spun on his heels and brought a long, arcing slice crashing into the ribcage of Kalrek. Again, his armor saved him from what would normally be a quick bisection, but the damage was there nonetheless. Vincent growled as he pulled the saber back, preparing for another strike.
“Just karking die!!”
Lula hummed softly when Thane had mentioned he was tracking Kai. Possibly muffled by the storm.
She didn’t have time to peer further into it as Thane made his way to the scared stormtrooper.
“Bafforr! Drop!” She shouted as she made her way towards Vincent and the Rodian.
Her hand grasp the hilt of her double bladed saber as she extended her hand in a peaceful and calm gesture.
She focused to push the Sith further back but it didn’t work.
“Why don’t we take in some deep calming breaths…”
Frank screamed out in terror as Bafforr rolled him through the sand by his leg. Every time he flipped upright a word came out of his mouth as his head pointed at Steve.
“You… said… it… would… be… okay!!”
Frank did his best to point his DLT-20A pulse rifle at the head of the beast. He pulled the trigger 3 times quickly, but each shot missed wildly as he continued to be rolled on the ground.
“Master Brujah!… Trooper!… someone!…. HELP ME!”
Bafforr whined as she heard Lula’s order to drop the threatening toy. So, she twisted her power and flung Frank to the south and quickly caught up to Lula, growling menacingly at the Sith.
<@466040899970007041> Sand adheres itself to the sweat on Kalrek's face. Your repeated blows have left him scarred and blooded but his spunk hasn't been diminished.
“There’s another way from all this hatred. You’re just blinded to it.”
Kalrek slowly swings his blade towards you. In your enraged state you bat it away easily. The lightsaber hilt flies from his hand, lost in the sand storm.
<@216702440140046336> Steve sighs with relief as back-up arrives. He backs up to form up with them.
“Blast the beast and woman!” Imperial Sign Language
The Stormtroopers enclose the group and open fire. Steve and the two to the North firing on Bafforr. Steve's shot goes wide while the other two connect with the beast. The two Stormtroopers to the East open fire on Lula. While one misses the other lands a hit.
@here As the action unfolds you feel a shift in the wind. The sandstorm shifts and blows North. A hush falls as the sandstorm's fury ebbs and dies. There's a stillness in the air. Everyone looks around themselves. You can see a group of heavy droid lifters and an angry Trandoshan approaching from the North. From the South, the two warehouse workers that @atraventus left along have begun to advance with their blasters drawn. They're flanking a hooded figure.
“Are you looking for me?!”
Kai Lap'lamiz's voice echos on the wind towards you all. He appears unarmed but full of the same confidence of his father.
“These people will not be oppressed by my father’s empire any longer. Leave now and no one else needs to be hurt.”
Renatus glanced around, taking in the situation. With a long sigh, he felt the wind pick up around him and let his power fly alongside it. Invisible tendrils fell upon them all like a curtain, weighty and ready to latch onto any blaster bolts that might get loosed in the stand-off. At the same time, he flicked at his cloak, ensuring his form was fully visible, and strode purposefully towards Kai and his flanking guards.
“Fascinating. Kai Lap'lamiz, your Father wishes your return. Comply,” Renatus declared loudly, ensuring his lilting words would carry on the storm.
Kadrol continued down the alley, still searching for a way in.
Yet again, there were no doors or windows, but then again, why would there be.
As Kadrol examined the wall more, patterns on the walls to either side of the building began to reveal themselves.
could this be a way in?
The environment had changed immensely. The sandstorm had settled. There were more Stormtroopers, and they were firing on the Jedi woman and her beast. Kai had appeared and Thane was in the process of approaching him, but to Vincent Brujah there were only two people in the whole world: him and Kalrek.
The Sith swung high on the Rodian with his crackling red saber, but the Rodian threw a hand up at the last second and stopped the swing in midair before it could connect. A second saber hilt came flying into Vincent’s hand and the fiery orange blade of Brimstone screeched to life in Vincent’s left hand. The Sith growled as he pulled the saber back for an attack.
“Your powers are weak! You should have given up when you still had a chance. Now, you die!”
Vincent swung his left arm, aiming the blade of his saber directly at the unprotected neck of Kalrek.
Confusion stirred in her as her stomach twisted when she heard Thane’s words towards Kai.
No. She had faith in him. She would see it all play before making judgements.
Lula winced at hearing Bafforr yelping again and she felt the hot impact against her robes. She was thankful for the recent addition of the underlay weave.
“No!” Lula cried out as she quickly activated her lightsaber and blocked Vincent, but the distance had made it a struggle for her and she felt the additional pushback.
“The Force was never about weak or strong… You anger will only keep you from seein’ what it really is.”
She sprung forward and grabbed his wrist, Vincent deftly slipped out of the grip. Lula retaliated by going for the elbow but his rage was consuming, she was being too careful of his dual sabers and she slipped on the hold. Only to find his arm tightly wrapped around her neck. It was like an ice cube went down her spine and her skin had turned silver.
The stormtroopers brought their hand up to their helmet and did a rather loud dramatic gasp followed by cheers.
Frank groaned from the ground as he looked at his damaged leg. He looked up just in time to see the Jedi woman go after his Master. He considered pulling up his rifle and taking a shot at her, but Vincent was too close, he couldn’t risk missing. Instead he yelled in the general direction of the Stormtroopers.
“That is the Hand of your Empress! Do something!”
Bafforr snarled as she went to bite Vincent, only to be frozen. Her muscles tensed as she tried to break out of that hold.
Vincent shoved Lula and had Bafforr landed right on top of her.
<@185936112441622529> The dying winds of the sandstorm whip Kai's hood back. His mess of hair blows in the wind as the youth strikes an imposing figure with the warehouse guards holding their ground.
“My father wishes many things and having me return to him is not one of them. The Dark Side has twisted him into a master manipulator.”
The youth extends his hand bidding you to stop.
“I do not wish to see you harmed. Though I will do what I must to free these people.”
<@466040899970007041> Kalrek watches as your attention shifts to Lula and Bafforr. He takes the opportunity to search for his missing lightsaber. While he finds it his injuries prevent it from flying to his hand.
“Halt!”
The stormtroopers shout as they recognize and formed up on the Hand of the Empress now that the storm had subsided. Steve and the two additional stormtroopers fire upon Bafforr. Two the bolts curved in flight and struck the third next to the building. He collapsed to the ground dead.
“What the…”
The two stormtroopers closest to Thane recognize him as the Grand Master, Darth Renatus, and freeze. The shorter of the two clicks on his comm link.
“The Grand Master is on Seraph. I repeat, the Grand Master is on Seraph.”
<@216702440140046336> `Bafforr has coiled himself around you, he is bleeding heavily and his flank is scared with blaster bolts. He is moments away from death.
So…a lot just happened in a short period.
Kai talked back under some delusional belief that these people (who were doing just fine before this circus showed up) needed saving.
The gathered stormtroopers just opened fire on Baffor.
Oh, and the whole thing where Vincent just body slammed his Lulaire.
All in all, a series of unfortunate events made all the more so when Renatus—that is to say, Darth Renatus—took a short step off calm and a deep plummet into pissed the frack off.
Power, controlled but untamed, crashed out and even sparked within the ozone. The storm whipped around them and took what was now a forking blast of lightning originating from Renatus at ground zero up into the sky, recolouring the entire scene in flashes of blue and white. The energy came crashing back down just as quickly with violent grace, pulling the very sand into distorted statues of aggression. The boom was only matched by the authoritative tone that bellowed from between Renatus’ lips.
“That. Is. ENOUGH,” he roared, sparks jumping along his armour. “Children jumping at shadows. Wasting everyone’s time. Get it together.”
There was a finality to it that brokered no debate, least of all any he would allow. But he continued, growling and stalking towards Lulaire’s form with Baffor curled into her. “Do not dare take her from me.”
The enormous crash of lightning seemed to snap Vincent out of his angered state. His senses began to come back to him. He looked over just in time to see Darth Renatus approaching and hear him say “Do not dare take her from me”. The Sith raised an eyebrow under his helmet. He was feeling exhausted and groggy, certainly in no shape for a fight with the Grand Master, if ever there was a good time for one. He deactivated both of his sabers and clipped them to his belt. He bowed lightly in the direction of Renatus.
“Your excellency, how delightful to see you here on Seraph.” he said, allowing the modulator in his helmet to hide whether or not he was being sarcastic. “If it is this… Jedi woman that you speak of, I wouldn’t dream of taking her from you… or anyone else for that matter. I am here, on my planet, the home of the Empire, taking care of official Imperial business. As I was handling that business, she attempted to tackle me from behind. My actions were simply in self defense and to get her and her… whatever that thing is away from me. I am here to do a job, I’m sure you can relate.”
Vincent turned his attention from Renatus to Kai.
“Ah, and look… my business has arrived.”
Lula winced when Bafforr had landed on her. Bafforr saw the incoming threat of the blasters and immediately coiled herself around Lula, protecting her from the hits. Thane, thankfully, had reflected them.
“No,” Lula whispered as she freed herself. There was a sudden surge of energy and the hairs at the back f her neck stood when electricity flashed from Thane. For a moment, she was in awe and scared of his power.
Do not take her from me Those words had sent chills down her spine.
The Sith had managed to get his words in and Lula quickly added as she got up and wiggled herself out from underneath the deeply injured Bafforr. She made her way to cradle Bafforr’s massive head whose breathing was becoming deeply labored.
“Thane.. he’s tellin’ the truth. I tried to grapple him so he can calm himself. He didn’t know I don’t mean any harm. And Bafforr, she was just tryin’ to protect- hold on, old girl, I got you.”
Lula called the Force as she gently stroke Bafforr’s face. She focused on the bleeding wounds. Bafforr already knew. She glanced over to Thane for a moment before looking back to Lula with a soft rumbling purr.
Lula brows furrowed. The Force did not answer. The sands were stained with Bafforr’s blood.
A cold hand grasped Lula’s heart when she watched the life leave Bafforr’s eyes as she took her last deep breath.
“No no no no no,” Lula sobbed.
She kept trying. Her hands they were not glowing. The Force was not with her.
“No!” Lula wailed, her heart crushed as she buried her face onto Bafforr’s forehead and cried. All the memories of Bafforr was running through her mind. The happy chuffs when Thane comes home and knocking things around with her tail. The annoyed groan when one of them lift her up and put her in her own bed. The small mews for treats and scratches.
They would only be echoes and shadows of their memories now.
How could the Force betray her? She was meant to protect and heal everything, how can she do so if she couldn’t heal Bafforr?
The Force had abandoned Bafforr and the silver-hued Firrerreo.
Frank pulled himself off of the ground and began limping towards his Master. He didn’t enjoy the sounds of the Jedi woman’s wails. He didn’t want this, it was just business. His primary objective was always to protect and follow the instructions of Warlord Brujah. He had done what he had to do, and he had paid for it. This brought him no joy.
“Master Brujah, are you quite alri-”
“Shut up, Frank..” came an exhausted sounding voice.
<@185936112441622529> You feel satisfaction with your lightning accented fulmination. The stormtroopers have paused their assault and are now left perplexed between the chain of command. The Hand of the Empress or the Grand Master. This pause gives you time to take in the scene of misery that has befallen your wife's cherished companion. The smoldering remains of the stormtrooper offers no solace for what your wife is going through.
<@466040899970007041> Your body is on fire as it fights to find balance. Your rage has abated and you have focused the Force on not falling prey to its negative effects. Your attention is now focused on Darth Renatus and the Jedi whom he claims affection for. At your feet lay the remains of her companion while Frank has hobbled over to rejoin you.
<@216702440140046336> You've suffered a horrifying loss. The Force that you've come to rely upon has failed you at the most critical of times and its cost Bafforr his life. Your spirit fights the numbness of the situation and the call you felt compelled to answer to protect a young Jedi on Seraph.
Too much was happening all at once. Entirely avoidable had Kai not decided to go on this little crusade. He didn’t even have the courtesy to be the one affected by his choices.
Unacceptable.
Still drunk on anger, Thane was starting to reel it back in but then noticed the kid slinking away with his compatriot.
No.
Not happening.
That blanketed energy, his presence pressing down on everything around him, solidified once more. Renatus retained just enough wherewithal to apply a measured touch. The Force became solid and crushed down on everything and everyone around the Grand Master, ensuring everyone was brought to their knees and held in place, if even for a moment.
“You do not get to leave, Lap'lamiz. Not without cleaning your mess.”
Vincent had fully calmed himself, but his body ached and burned from the exertion he had put on it. He had a brief moment of internal conflict. Why had the Jedi woman put her neck out on the line for him to protect him from the Grand Master, who was, apparently very, very attached to her? It was only moments earlier that she had attacked him. Why not take advantage of the situation?
”Well, she **is* with Darth Thunder over there… may as well just chalk it up to some kind of mental illness”* the Warlord thought to himself.
Having suddenly found himself seated, he quickly decided that he wanted no part of that, not so long as he was on Seraph and second in command of the entire system. He gingerly stood up and looked in the direction of Kai. He ignored every other being in the vicinity.
“He’s right, Kai. There is a mess here that must be disposed of, and there are only two people here that can clean it up. You… or me.”
The Sith tilted his head from side to side, cracking his neck.
“I believe that it’s time we start making some adult choices. Being as I am a fair and kind Hand of the Empress, I will give you two. The first: you immediately surrender. You turn yourself over to me. I take you to your Father. I get my credits. You get your family reunion. Everyone here gets to wake up tomorrow.”
The Sith paused, as if contemplating.
“Perhaps, since you seem so concerned with the people of this small town, I’ll even put a word in the ear of the Empress that these people need help. I’m certain that some kind of arrangement could be made for them to make goods that we can use in our efforts within the Bronze Helix Observatory, or even in our efforts to keep the Collective out of our territory. Hell, I’m feeling generous, I’ll even get your little Rodian friend medical attention, the best that Seraph has to offer.”
The Sith paused momentarily to give the boy time to process what he had said.
“But then there is the other choice… the unfortunate one. Test my patience any further, or walk away from this situation with any person other than me… I will have Bombers patrolling this town within an hour. The Interceptors will arrive even sooner, if you were planning some kind of daring escape. They will rain hell on anyone or anything that tries to leave. Before the sun can rise tomorrow, I will have a Star Destroyer turn everything that has ever existed within a 100 kilometer radius of this place into glass. Not even the memories will live.”
Again, the Hand of the Empress waited for a moment before continuing.
“What a pity that would be. You may have never met me, but you know exactly who I am and exactly what I am capable of. Do not test me. Do what is right for these people you claim to care about.”
Lula tried to get it together. She winced at feeling the pressure from Thane but it made no difference since she was already on the ground. It also helped reminded her where she was. There was a few shuddering gasp as she managed to stand up. Lula moved her shawl and used it to dry her eyes. She let out a shaky long exhale.
She can grieve at home. This was part of the life and death cycle. To be part of-
Her brows furrowed as she glanced over to Thane while he talked to Kai.
W…What happens to him? She felt her eyes started to burn again and she had to look away to keep herself from losing control. She took in deep steady breaths and realized that the Rodian was no longer with them. Lula tried to reach out with the Force to send a message-
Emptiness.
The Jedi flinched.
Had she been abandoned?
Her jaw tightened at Vincent’s words. Threatening the very town they were in. Her sole duty was to protect-
I couldn’t even protect Bafforr- No.
The silver-hued female watched Vincent carefully. Her hand still gripped the hilt of her double bladed lightsaber, she was ready.
Frank didn’t know much, but he knew that now certainly wasn’t the time to speak. He had heard this tone from Vincent many times, and he knew that the implications were serious and that he was not bluffing. He stood and steadied himself as best he could on his bad leg. He prepared his DLT-20A Pulse Canon in his right hand and pulled his S-10 Deadman Revolver into his left. Things were about to get serious. No matter how capable Vincent was of carrying out his threat, Frank knew it was his job to protect his Master.
<@185936112441622529> The ground rumbled with your impressive power. Sand shuttered off the buildings while everyone near you lost their footing. Steve lunged and held onto his speeder bike for support as the other speeder bikes jostled around.
Just outside your range a trio of gansters - one enraged Trandoshan and two heavy load lifers - continue to advance on the gaggle of people in the street.
The Trandoshan skids to a halt, raises his blaster and fires at the nearest target; Steve, the differently hearing enabled Stormtrooper. Steve takes the blaster bolt into his back armor as he's laid prone across the speeder bike. A plume of smoke lingers from where the blaster bolt struck home.
<@466040899970007041> Kai pushes himself off from the ground and look at the approaching Darth and the Empress of the Hand.
“You see how they try to make this about me. If I were to do as he asks they’d still destroy this village. They fear the power and they use me as an excuse to keep the people in fear.”
The warehouse workers turn to look at Kai. Their faces are stoic.
“Run, Kai. Run!”
The warehouse workers open fire. One blast goes wide while the other heads straight for Darth Renatus. With the faintest of movements a kill shot flies harmlessly past the Grand Master's head.
Run? Ill-advised. And Renatus wasn’t going to let it happen.
Seemingly unbothered by the bolts passing him by, Renatus strode after the fleeing Jedi. With two quick gestures he sent small walls of sand up from the ground and crashing into his attackers. In the same motion, he pushed it past to curl around Kai. It swirled like a snake and clawed up his body, leaving just his head exposed before constricting tightly alongside Renatus’ clenched fist.
Sensing a commotion out back in the open part of the town, Kadrol pushed his way back out of the alley. Standing once again in the entryway he had entered only moments ago, the Pantoran now had a very different understanding of the mission he had volunteered himself for. For one thing, the sand that had been assaulting his eyes had now ceased, allowing for a much larger field of view. Kadrol scanned the plaza, his eyes growing with the chaos unfolding in front of him.
The first thing to catch his eye was the beaten body of a stormtrooper, no doubt part of the Scholae Imperial forces. They weren’t doing great, but considering the amount of Force-wielders around, they could be doing far worse. Nearby, a Jedi sobbed over a motionless narglatch, the singed rings of fur and tortured sounds told him the creature was at its last breaths, if not already gone. Kadrol felt a soft wetness around his eyes. Having grown up on Pantora, the creature reminded him of his trips to Orto Plutonia where he had first seen and learned about them, bringing a weird sense of home to him out here in the desert.
Redirecting his attention back to the impromptu battlefield he spotted another Force user off to the left. The strength of the Force around him was almost palpable. Kadrol wracked his brain for information of the slightly familiar, yet distant figure. No, it couldn’t be…the Grand Master?
Kai must be close. Only a Jedi could cause this much destruction here. The realization settled over him like a ton of bricks.
Kadrol was paralyzed with indecision. Only a moment ago, this place was just a small outpost and now it had transformed into a bloodbath. Luckily, a pair of stormtroopers stood not too far away. He jogged over to them, activating his lightsabers to signify his standing within the ranks of Scholae Palatinae. “Where is the Jedi?” he demanded.
Brujah sneered as Kai darted away and the Grand Master began to follow him.
“Pity…” he said.
He reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out his comlink. He dialed in a frequency and then began speaking.
“This is the Hand of the Empress. Get a read on my location. If I have not contacted you within 30 minutes, scramble TIE Interceptors and TIE Bombers to my location. Destroy anything that tries to leave the area that isn’t escorted either by myself or the Grand Master. Tell the ISN Palpatine to prepare for my arrival.”
He turned to Frank.
“Follow behind me. Stay close. Have that slugthrower of yours ready.”
He then began moving towards the location of Kai and the Grand Master.
Lula watched as Vincent ignored her and she quickly glanced to Thane and she knew she had little time.
The Sith had put in an order to destroy this town. Thirty minutes. Please, hear Kai out.
She raised her hand and was ready to try to throw Vincent but was distracted by the sound of the blaster and the thud of a body hitting the speeder. She saw Steve as she grimaced. Quickly, she made her way over to him and grabbed him off of the speeder onto the ground by her, to keep the speeder as a barrier between them and the Trandoshan that had shot the Storm Trooper.
She went to put her hands on him and hesitated when she saw her silver her skin was.
Can.. can she even heal him? The Force-
She took in a deep breath and felt the warmth at her fingertips and spread to her hands as she can feel the Force’s embrace while she healed Steve.
There was a slight bitterness. Where was this when Bafforr-
She pushed those thoughts away as Steve was rapidly being healed.
Frank heard the command from Vincent, but couldn’t stop himself from turning to see the Jedi woman healing Steve. He was relieved to see some color come back to the man’s skin. He began to follow Vincent, as ordered, but as he stepped away he spoke towards the trooper who wouldn’t be able to hear him anyway.
“It’s going to be okay… hang in there!”
Frank then began hobbling towards his master.
<@185936112441622529> Kai inhales and lets the Force explode around him like a bubble. The sand cocoon explodes and he continues his race away from the street. The two nearest Stormtroopers have opened fire upon the warehouse workers who are firing at you. One Stormtrooper hits the Northern warehouse worker while the other is missed.
<@216702440140046336> and <@466040899970007041> The Trandoshan, having recovered, fires off another shot towards the Northern Stormtrooper. Wisely, the Stormtrooper ducks behind the speeder bike and avoids the blast. The Stormtrooper wildly returns fire that goes wide of the Trandoshan.
“Why did you save me?” Imperial Sign Language
Steve stares at Lula in disbelief to still be alive.
Renatus had had quite enough of all this.
Seeing Kai continuing to flee, and having been updated on the situation by Lulaire, it was time to go. Already this had become more cumbersome than he cared for.
Latching onto Kai’s ankle with an invisible grip, the Grand Master felt a moment of struggle but shrugged it off with a concentrated blast of will. The Jedi was yanked to the ground as he was pulled along with Renatus, who was now marching out of town.
Kadrol received no response from the troopers. Spurned by the lack of a response, Kadrol deactivated his lightsabers, clicking them back onto the utility belt on his waist.
This speeder looks like a good way to make up ground, Kadrol pondered the idea for but a moment. Screw it, they deserve to lose their bike for that.
Kadrol leaped onto the bike and re-found the line of footprints leading away from the action, beginning to track them back to their creator. Luckily, most of the line of prints hadn’t been muddled over by others trekking over them.
Vincent saw the Grand Master follow after Kai. The boy may have been abnormally strong with the Force for someone of his age, but he was no match for the Dark Lord himself. If he wasn’t captured already, he soon would be. Now all that was left was the problem of all these turncoats that had protected the boy. They would have to die, and as pleasing as glassing the city sounded, it probably wasn’t his best option.
He reached to his side and pulled his RSKF-44. He pointed it towards the Trandoshan that was firing on his Stormtroopers. With one quick squeeze of the trigger a ruby bolt screamed out of the blaster and made direct contact with the Trandoshan’s head. He dropped to the sand dead.
With his left hand, he pulled a thermal detonator from a pouch on his belt and activated it with a hum. His strength was coming back to him. He tossed the detonator towards the droid and the other Trandoshan that were close to the one he had just shot dead. He guided the explosive with his mind, landing it exactly where he had hoped, just between the two.
It exploded, but the detonator seemed to be poorly constructed. The explosion was small compared to what he was used to, and neither target was directly hit, but both were shaken by the blast.
“Blast those two, Frank!” the Sith commanded.
Lula let out a shakily exhale as he got up and signed to her. Her expression shift to apologetic as she didn’t know Imperial Sign Language and softly shook her head to indicate she didn’t understand him. Her orange eyes glanced towards the load lifters and Trandoshan that was heading towards them. She gestured for Steve to lay low and pointed at the incoming shooters. She tried to figure out why they were shooting at her. She couldn’t tell if they were bounty hunters, some kind of guard for this town, part of Kai’s group, nothing.
She turned to the direction where she last saw her Moonlight. Renatus was out of sight. Good, he was safe, knowing him, with Kai. She can only hope he would hear Kai.
He may not.
There was the concern about the people of this town. She forced down her emotions when she could see Bafforr’s body at the corner of her eye.
Grieve her later… Lula reminded herself as she approached the Sith and the soft double snap-hiss hummed.
Sometimes Siths just need an outlet. Maybe if she can help him with an outlet, she can reason with him when he’s more clear minded. She was certain that the Sith would want to do nothing with her after Renatus’ threat earlier. So she couldn’t simply fight him and tried another method:
“Spar with me.”
-# <@466040899970007041>
Frank heard the words of the Jedi woman and they perplexed him. Then he heard what he thought was the sound of modulated laughter. He hadn’t heard Master Brujah laugh in a long time, and certainly never since he added the modulator to his armor. The sound was creepy, even to a droid.
Surely this wasn’t the right time for a sparring session. They may as well have been in the middle of a warzone. The load lifters were on their way, and she wanted to spar?
“Oh, this poor woman must be mentally ill.” he managed to say. “Master Brujah, should I-”
“Shut up and do what I asked, Frank.” his master replied.
“Right away, sir!” Frank returned.
He raised both his pulse cannon and his revolver first at the very rude protocol droid from earlier, but there were Stormtroopers in the way. So instead he turned to the Trandoshan standing near him and fired both. The bolt and the slug flew straight into the Trandoshan’s chest, who stumbled and then fell to the ground lifeless.
Frank raised his arms in delight.
“I got him! I got him, Master Brujah!”
<@185936112441622529> Kai struggles against your invisible grip as you drag him through the sand. The boy twists and tries to push you away with the Force. You bat his attempt away like a traveler does a gnat. Kai steadies himself and draws deep upon the Force. A mighty wave of energy overtakes you and you lose your grip on Kai.
“Noo!”
Kai cries out as he sees the remains of the two deceased warehouse workers.
<@314889552848224257> As you come down the alleyway you see no one there.
<@216702440140046336> Steve is perplexed by your behavior and moves quickly to take cover with the other Stormtrooper. The Load Lifters arrive and flip two of the speeder bikes into the air. They crash down with a thud as their engines spudder out and die. The newly arrived Ortolan fires wildly at the Stormtrooper by Steve, missing him. His blaster fire knocking off chunks of the building behind the Stormtroopers.
The Trandoshan fires at Lula. Lula reaches out with the Force and slows the blaster bolt.
<@466040899970007041> Frank is giddy with joy at actually having accomplished something. Meanwhile, one of the Stormtroopers that had been approaching Kai has turned back to take up a flanking position to Frank to deal with the assaulting gangsters.
The Stormtroopers open fire. Despite their size, the load lifters dodge the blaster bolts while Steve's blast connects point-blank with the Trandoshan who goes down, nearly dead.
Renatus had had quite enough. Ages ago, in fact. He let out a long sigh and approached Kai to grab onto his shoulders.
“You are a child throwing a tantrum and it is getting people killed. You want change? Fine. Great, even. There are proper ways,” Renatus growled in a low voice that carried across the wind. It was like even nature knew this was a highly unusual quantity of words from the man. “Converting outposts is not a plan. It is a death sentence under an Imperial regime. They do not negotiate, they do not find common ground. They cut out the cancer. Get over it and come with me while there is still an outpost and people to feel sorry for yourself about. We can talk later.”
Yet, even after all that, Renatus could still see the defiance shining in that idiotic face. Not just so due to clawing similarity to Kamjin and the mental anguish associated with it. No, it was the kind of idiocy that came from youthful confidence and the most unkind of emotions: hope.
Okay. Fine.
Renatus turned his grab onto a sudden knife hand to the boy’s neck where it connected with the shoulder. The off button, so to speak, and he wasn’t gentle about it. Catching the collapsing form, another sighed punctuated the frustration flowing through the Firrerreo like embalming fluid. Then he pulled the boy along with him and away from the conflict.
Pulling through the alley, Kadrol spotted the figure he had been tracking. Without much of a thought at all, he hit the button on his speeder, releasing a bolt of energy at the fleeing Rodian. He didn’t intend to kill the guy, but no other options really stood out in the moment.
In an instant, a colorful blade of light deflected the shot from the speeder out into oblivion. Great. The shot didn’t get him. Kadrol thought, disappointingly. The fact the person may have been another lightsaber user, or even another Force user did not occur to him. As the distance continued to close between the two beings, time began to run out for Kadrol to prepare his next move. A moment past and, Kadrol found himself flying at the Rodian. He had flung himself from the bike in a last-ditch effort to stop the other being from continuing on their race away from the town. The futile attempt was merely sidestepped by the other lightsaber wielder, who avoid the lunge with ease. For his efforts, Kadrol landed on his stomach in the hot sands of the desert.
As the Palatine got to his knees, he found himself face-to-face with a bug-eyed Jedi.
The Hand of the Empress finished his slow, mostly quiet chuckle. Then he heard Frank scream out in joy. He turned to him.
“Great, Frank. Don’t get cocky! Get that protocol droid!”
He then turned his attention to Lula.
“As for you… a day will come when we will spar, but it is not today. I have a promise to keep.”
With that, the Sith holstered his blaster and pulled Hellfire from his belt. He ignited the crimson blade and jumped unnaturally high. Lula instinctively moved out of the way, but Vincent cleared her anyway. He launched himself, weaving and spinning in the air over the Firrerreo and the blaster bolt that she had slowed. He spiraled through the air until he felt the blade of his saber pierce the Trandoshan. The crackling blade impaled him through the chest.
Vincent landed smoothly and jerked his saber upwards, splitting the Trandosham up the middle as he stared blankly at the armored Sith. His body collapsed. Vincent pointed his saber towards Ortolan. Time to put an end to this.
“Last chance. Surrender now or everyone in this town dies. End this now and I will leave you with what dignity and people you have left.”
Lula felt her arm started to shake as she turned towards the direction where she had last saw the Rodian. She could quickly see if she can find him and heal him. Maybe get some information and offer for him to follow her.
If not, then she’ll have to be sure to leave with Thane.
The Force seemed to test her. She felt the embrace then within seconds, it felt like her muscles were being shredded apart. Her jaw tighten as she fell onto all fours, her hands grasping the rough sand below. She could taste the iron in her mouth from biting her cheek to keep from screaming out.
Then another wave. It felt like her ligaments and tendons were shredded and pulled apart. Lula let out a sharp cry of pain.
Her entire body felt hot and searing burn through out. A cold chill went down her spine as she shuddered.
Had the Force really abandoned her? Was this how she was going to die?
For the first time ever, Lula truly felt alone.
She mustered slight movement to look at Bafforr, bitter tears filled to the brim.
The Force had left her-
No. Lula closed her eyes as hot tears streaked down her cheeks.
I am one with the Force. The Force is with me.
Frank heard the order from his Master and gleefully turned away from him and back towards the very rude droid from earlier. He never saw Vincent spiral through the air or Lula fall to the sand in pain. He was focused on doing exactly what his Master had asked him to do.
He raised his pulse canon and revolver once more and took aim at the protocol droid. He charged the shot on the pulse canon for just a moment before firing both weapons. Once again his bolt and his slug flew true. The protocol droid fell to the ground in pieces, smoke rising from its torso. Frank again let out a satisfied yell.
“WONDERFUL!!” he shouted. “E chu ta to you as well!”
<@185936112441622529> You have successfully exited the location with Kai. A short while later, at a pre-arranged location, you meet Kamjin and a squad of Stormtroopers. Kai has been placed in Force-binders and is still groggy from the chop you delivered to his neck.
“I’m surprised that you would answer this bounty.”
Kamjin inspects Kai as he's ushered aboard the shuttle.
“I’m even more surprised that he’s relatively unharmed.”
Kamjin has the $500,000.00 credit bounty transferred onto a credit chit.
“Thank you.”
<@314889552848224257> Kalrek squares you up with his lightsaber.
“Let this be the end of it today.”
Kalrek runs and hops on the speeder bike to escape.
<@216702440140046336> As you lay there you witness the stormtroopers continue to battle with the load lifter droids. It's clear to you that they'll be put down in short order and that Darth Renatus has left with Kai.
<@466040899970007041> Your raw power has proven effective. The one, living, gangster is booking it away from the droids and trying to flee on the nearby speeder bike.
Renatus nodded towards Kamjin.
“Was nearby. He needs a good talk.”
With that, the Grand Master turned away and didn’t give Kamjin much more thought, making his way back to the town to find Lulaire again. He could vaguely feel her distress and he…didn’t like it, to say the least.
He would be there for her.
Time was immaterial and he didn’t care to think how long it took to get there. What mattered was that Renatus’ steps never faultered, and that was how Thane’s shadow came to stand over Lulaire’s broken form. The man knelt down and slipped gloved hands carefully beneath her, pulling her into a tight cradle against his chest. His black-gold gaze then shifted to Bafforr’s still form. It lurched, slowly at first, then hovered into the air and came to gravitate behind him, dripping sand onto the ground. Solemnly, with his forehead pressed to Lulaire’s for a moment, Thane gave no thought to anyone else and took them with him. To home.
Kadrol stared out into the distance in disbelief as the speeder disappeared into the distance, the heat haze distorting the neutral-toned speck. Had the Rodian really just done that?
Kadrol’s hands rested on each of his hips, cupped around his lightsabers in anticipation of a battle that he now knew would never arrive. As his hands released their grip, Kadrol stepped back onto his feet, eyes still fixed to the horizon. Then, his head dropped. The grains of sand never felt so large, so poignant as if about to make a statement. He had failed. Despite never actually catching sight of Kai and only managing a glimpse at the carnage at the center of the town, he knew what it all meant. Someone else had gotten there first. Kadrol turned to his right. His Gozanti cruiser loomed in the distance. It had only really been hidden due to the earlier storm, but now? Now it was in full view.
Step after step, the sand shifted in place beneath his feet at every step. Kadrol began the somber trek back to his ship. Like a skyscraper in a city, the Gozanti-class Cruiser never actually seemed to get any closer. Minute after minute passed, the desert sands a constant reminder of time, as though passing through an hourglass.
Finally, his boot met the metal gangplank instead of the soft ground. “Tenz,” he shouted out, “Help me get the ship started. Hopefully we’ll not receive further communication on this, and especially not from Brujah.”
As the door closed, kadrol couldn’t help but take one last look out on the outpost, reflecting on the events of the day and the person he’d killed.
Vincent deactivated his lightsaber before clipping it to his belt. He began to walk away from the situation, but before he was too far gone he turned back to the Stormtroopers.
“Good work, troopers. Finish off those load lifters.”
He pulled his comlink and hesitated for a moment, but then pressed the button.
“Yes, this is the Hand of the Empress. Cancel my previous orders. The situation is under control. Tell the ISN Palpatine that I’ll visit some other time.”
He clicked off the comlink and stored it in one of the pouches on his belt. He approached Frank, who may as well have been jumping up and down in joy, like a child that had just unwrapped a fancy new toy on Life Day. The Sith looked down range and saw the Trandoshan and the protocol droid dead on the ground.
“It appears you are finding your killer instincts again, Frank.” the Warlord said.
“Oh, yes sir!” the droid responded happily. “You should have seen the way that rude pro-” he tried to continue before being interrupted.
“Shut up, Frank..”
“Yes, sir!” he responded.
The two began their walk out of the town and back to Vincent’s ship. Frank would need repairs, but what else was new? This hadn’t gone down the way Vincent wanted it to, but the conclusion was satisfying enough for now. Any rebellion that had been stirred up here was either dead or too scared to try that again for quite some time. As they walked out of the town, Frank worked up enough courage to ask a question.
“Master Brujah, what do you think became of that mentally ill Jedi woman? I lost track of her during the battle.”
Vincent sighed.
“Don’t know… don’t care…”
Lula gritted her teeth as she tried to move. Every inch was a searing hot pain that she didn’t realize the sand coarseness digging into her arms. She finally rolled to her back and closed her eyes.
She had never felt such fear for so long. There was a shadow and Lula instinctively flinched before opening her eyes and realized it was Thane.
Her brows furrowed. Was this some kind of illusion? A trick? Didn’t he leave?
-# “Thane?”
Her voice was so low and quiet, it was as if she was scared if she was any louder, the pain would start up again. The moment he gently lifted her, she let out a pained growl, and her hands grasped for his cloth but was only met with metal as her nails screeched against the cold steel. She desperately tried to control herself but every single muscle of hers was like a hot poker splitting them apart.
Despite it, she turned to look at Bafforr, wanting a piece of her before they go-
The Force didn’t abandoned her Moonlight as he was able to bring Bafforr back with them.
-# “The Force… Why? I don’t understand-”
Their foreheads touched and just like that, her mind became quiet. No pain. No grief. Just be. Her hand instinctively went to rest on the side of his face. Lula let out a shuddering long exhale as she closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest plate, her hand sliding down to rest over where his heart would be. She couldn’t rely on the Force right now and let her body slowly heal itself.
The haunting lullaby that she heard in a village once had came back to torment her.