A handshake at the Elbe

[Vardon Galland]

Boonta. Local time 00:00

They traveled towards the pirate base consisting of a large ship acting as a command center, and a gathering of ships and sheds surrounding it. They traversed the distance at a high speed inside the truck which the pirates had gone by to attack them, Vardon was quite happy about getting to drive while Hask sat at the other side - Null acted as a peacekeeper, staunchly sitting in between them.

Unfortunately, their enemies knew that the two were on their way. The three pirates they spared earlier had given them a rough idea of the pirates' routines and the layout of their base, but not enough to allow them to let them take the main base by surprise. The two force sensitives had already eliminated a rather large portion of the hostile forces, but there were still a number of experienced fighters at the base and the upper brass were still at the ship. More importantly for Vardon, there was a number of captives locked inside the command ship.

"We have a chance to do something good here. These pirates are spreading their corruption in the hearts and souls of the traders passing by Boonta. Eliminating them and freeing their prisoners is a good way to serve the light" he said, happy about their progress. He then glanced towards his temporary ally "And you will get whatever it was you were looking for when first coming here" he continued, figuring that the Sith would be glad about their process too. All Gallands were brave, including Vardon, with that, he made another attempt att small talk with the Sith "So, where do you plan on spending your credits?" he asked before they got too close to the base.

The large nature of the ship made it rather difficult for their enemies to run from one side of it to another as they'd need to run around it. The thugs weren't fools, however, and seemed to have realized the grave threat against them. They had gathered up at the western side of the ship where the most sheds were and where the main exit and entrance to the command ship laid. Vardon drove up to the ship from the south and the truck slowed down as they neared three sheds built close to each other in a line which seemed like rather good cover. A signal could be heard, they had been spotted and battle ready pirates were bound to be inbound. "The light shall see us through" the padawan said, almost religiously as he prepared to leave the truck.

In a few moments, a group of four battle ready pirates would round the corner, two carrying vibroswords and the other two carrying rifles. The truck had stopped just three meters from the corner nearest the ship which was where the enemies would most likely appear.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Hask Jen]

Hask sat quietly in the passenger seat while the Jedi drove the truck. He was fully armoured and his weapons were ready. Nevertheless he was going over his gear, making sure that he was ready for action. Any chance of sneaking in went out the window a few hours ago, so opposition might be a little more fierce than they had first planned. At least the pirate forces were thinned out pretty decently in the previous fight so they had a lot less to deal with than before.

The Jedi talked about freeing the prisoners, but without any direction or way off this planet, it wouldn't help much at all. What was getting on his nerves were his constant babbling of 'the light'. He was starting to sound like a Pureblood priest Hask met in the Order. He just sat quietly as he inspected his weapons. When the Jedi attempted to make some small talk, Hask set down his weapons as he looked at him with a neutral face. Deciding that some small talk couldn't hurt and the awkward silence wasn't helping his temperament, he gave in. "...I'm busy building my ship up. I still have a lot to do to it and these credits will be more than enough to cover the expenses once the pirates are taken care of. I was also hoping that they had valuable parts and salvage that I could use as well." he spoke calmly, feeling that the Jedi had somewhat earned a bit of the Pureblood's respect.

"What are you planning on doing with the prisoners, anyway? It's all well and good if we free them but without a way off this rock we might as well kill them ourselves. Would also be a crying shame to leave that valuable ship in their hands as well." he continued, trying to figure out the Jedi's motives other than 'spreading the light'. In no time at all they were parked behind some tents. Hask caught a glimpse of a group of pirates approaching as they parked.

As Hask got out of the truck with both pistols drawn the Jedi kept going on about the light side. Hask couldn't help but admire the Jedi's commitment even if he was annoying as hell. Whether or not he'd still be as committed after spending some time on a proper battlefield is a different story entirely.

Hask stood a metre away from the corner, waiting for the small group to come around it. As soon as two emerged, Hask fired a bolt in each one's head and dropped them instantly. Not wasting any time he jumped around the corner and planted a bolt in the chests of the last 2, before they could get a swing in with their vibroblades. "Come on, let's move up." Hask softly to the Jedi, attempting to salvage some element of surprise from the situation.

@Pyrenees

 

[Vardon Galland]

Listening to the Sith speak of the prisoners and the ship gave Vardan an idea. Instead of simply liberating the captives and going back to his friends in the Mynock, he could go leave the planet in the command ship, and at the same time, escape the Sith. There was, after all, a bounty on Jedi, and Hask had handily beat him before. And Vardon knew that he didn't feel like fighting his temporary ally anyways as turning against the person who he had been fighting alongside for a while wasn't something which Vardon felt very inclined to do.

The Sith made short work of the incoming and battle ready pirates, only expending one bolt for each life he took. Vardon leaned into the truck to take out Null. It was much easier for the little droid to travel inside the base since the ground was better suited for him to traverse than the open and roughly terrained savanna. While inside the truck, he whispered a few instructions to the droid: To see if it could take control the command ship and prepare it for take off with the engines starting last, but only if doing so was safe. And if Null could do that, he was also to contact the padawan's friends and tell them to come. It didn't take long for him to whisper the instructions and soon, the droid could freely move around outside the truck.

After having put down the droid on the ground, the young Thyferran hurried back to Hask "They're mostly Imperials. They'll be saved." he said with confidence. The man looked at the Sith for a few moments, curious about if he'd be annoying the other too much with his next line - in the end, he decided to say it regardless, but added a knowing smirk at the end "The light shall see them through."

By the sounds of loud hollers, footsteps and the scrambling of weapons, it was easy to assume that more people would be coming their way. The sheds which Vardon stood behind weren't constructed with the sturdiest of materials which gave him an idea. Instead of following the Pureblood to the side of the sheds, the padawan carved a hole in the shed nearest his ally and entered the seemingly empty building. Another group of four pirates ran up towards Hask in two lines along the line of sheds on the side near the ship. Just as they ran past Vardon, he opened the door and used the force to push the one closest to him at the back at the other one at the back, making them both fall whilst the other two continued towards his ally. The padawan quickly ran up to his victims and sliced one of them in the chest as she rose up and leveled her blaster at him. The other one, he ran around to stand behind them and slowly started cutting off their air supply by holding a hand to his mouth and nose until the thug passed out.

As the Sith dealt with the remaining two pirates, the entrance to the ship opened and numerous boots could be heard - it was a sortie where all men were summoned to fight of the people who had been plaguing them. Perhaps a rather foolish move, considering how efficiently their mates had been slaughtered until now. Null had left Hask and Vardon, as the little droid traveled between the sheds on its way towards the pirate ship.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Hask Jen]

The Jedi entering through the back of the flimsy shed was a strange move indeed, but it quickly made sense to the Pureblood. He holstered his left pistol and drew his lightsabre, ready to take on the 4 pirates running towards him. Before Hask could make a move the Jedi emerged and made quick work of the last 2 while Hask deflected one bolt back at the one pirate and shot the other in the chest. The inexperience of these pirates were really starting to shine with simple minded tactics like this.

2 pirates were hiding behind some crates and firing at them, but with a few deflected bolts and a crate to the head they were either knocked out or killed. The sound of the ship's massive door opening to his right caught Hask's attention. Without grenades they would prove to be a problem. To make matters worse a group of 10 pirates had emerged from a big shack 30 or so metres to their left. They had to do something to disrupt the troops' movement otherwise their hands would be uncomfortably full.


The troops coming out of the ship was most probably the bigger one, so Hask hid behind a crate and waited them out while he left the smaller group to the Jedi to deal with. He holstered his right pistol and drew the force around him as he listened to the footfalls getting louder. In the next moment the ship's crew would emerge from its massive durasteel door.

@Pyrenees

 

[Vardon Galland]

Handling smaller groups of enemies was fine, but ten people would prove to be much more tricky, especially when they were prepared for battle but they needed to be handled so Vardon quickly started to make his way towards them taking cover by the sheds and the debris that laid around them. The padawan climbed up on a shed which they were getting close to and watched them from above while being in a crouched potion on the shed by a large cluster of antennas, making him hard to spot from a distance. He holstered his lightsaber and brought out both his vibroknives. After a time of careful waiting, he finally threw them when he felt that the force made a signal - whether it was truly a signal or just instinct remained unclear but whatever it was, it was good. Both knives hit their targets, one in the chest and the other in the stomach. Four pirates rushed to their dying friends' aid but there was nothing they could do. The remaining for raised their weapons and pointed them at Vardan's shed, but they pointed them at ground level rather than up towards the roof.

When the four troopers moved in to investigate, the padawan crept closer to the edge as all four of them stood outside the door. In quick and violent motion, the leader opened the door and went in, closely followed by the next trooper. But before the other two had the chance to enter, the young man jumped down from the roof and slashed them both dead with his lightsaber. The two who had already entered the building barely had the chance to turn around before Vardon had the chance to slash one across his torso and stab the other one in the throat. The other four pirates had been alerted to the action and rushed towards the shed.

The Thyferran quickly went through a few drawers until he found the one containing cutlery. With that, he ran over to stand just by the door. The first one entered, only to be filled with a hail of knives and forks causing immense pain and making him rather poorly suited for combat. Vardon then swung his lightsaber at the other one and exited the building to quickly impale a third pirate. It was not every day that the padawan thanked his lucky starts for being hit on the left arm with a club, but today he was doing just that. The last pirate didn't come very well equipped and instead of a blaster or a vibrosword, he carried a club. The guy looked young as Vardon looked at him after staggering a few steps to the right. His assailant was paralyzed as the jedi looked back at him - it had to be one of his first times in action and he was obviously poorly prepared for the violence. "Drop the club and go free the prisoners" he said with a stern voice while looking at the boy with murderous eyes. The boy swallowed hard and nodded before running over to the main pirate force and slipping into the ship just as if he was retreating.

The sortied troops were very numerous, counting at a total of 25 more or less armed people along with the wookie captain who seemed to be the most capable and well equipped fighter as he also carried a Wookie shield. The large group knew about Vardon's slaughter and they also knew about Hasks rough position where they killed the two first troops of four. The captain howled and pointed towards Hask's location prompting the entire swarm to move towards the area where the Sith hid. Vardon could barely rais his left arm but still managed to pick up his vibroknives before starting to run towards the swarm, thinking that he might be able to do some good from behind.

As the large group left, Null entered the Celtic and contacted Vardon's friends as well as doing some discrete prep work to get the ship started without making the pirates nor Hask or even Vardon himself aware of what was going on.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Hask Jen]

By the sounds of it, the Jedi had the small group pretty much covered. Hask's focus was on the group of 25 pirates...including a Wookiee that looked ready for war. That will be an interesting fight indeed. Judging from the gear, the Wookiee was the captain of this lot and Hask's intended target. They were moving to Hask's position and he was making no effort to hide.

When they came in range, Hask raised his right hand and bathed 6 of the pirates in flames. He ignited his second lightsabre and charged forward, deflecting bolts back to 2 other pirates. He rushed past the burning ones and collided with the group, hacking and slashing through them. a couple shots hit him against his right arm, gut and another to the chest but in this situation it was more fuel for the Pureblood than anything else. He cleaved through another 6 by the time he was face to face with the Wookiee, wielding a shield and a vibroblade. The other pirates readied to fire, but they would soon be rudely interrupted by the Jedi coming up from behind.

The Wookiee let out a powerful roar and swung at Hask with his blade, but Hask parried the weapon with his left blade while he swung with his right at the Wookiee's legs. The Wookiee, it seemed, was a lot more nimble than he appeared, because he made dodging such a quick swing look easy. This was indeed going to be an interesting fight.

@Pyrenees

 

[Vardon Galland]

Vardon arrived behind the large pirate to see the Sith cutting his way through a larger group of enemies while some bodies were still left burning on the ground. The heavily armoured figure had been hit several times and the situation looked like both sides were heading towards some form of mutual destruction. Although, after this display, describing Hask as destructible didn't seem very fair.

The eleven remaining normal pirates were just beginning to raise their weapons at the Sith just as they got within range to do so. To Vardon, it seemed like their reaction time needed much work. Still, he had his work cut out for him as his ally seemed to be set on taking on the wookie rather than the others.

The arid nature of Boonta made sure that there was almost always some sand nearby, even having a fair amount sprinkled over the pirates bases. As the padawan charged forth, he uses the force to create a very small and local mist of sand around the eleven pirates - they could still see and shoot at Hask, but it would make what was about to happen next all the more confusing. With a high jump amplified by the force, Vardon landed in the middle left of the group and ignited his lightsaber. The sudden appearance of a lightsaber wielding Jedi among them quickly made the pirates get startled, especially after having seen Hasks display.

The young Thyferran quickly cut through two pirates right after he landed and ignited his blade. He made sure to make many sudden and dramatic moves as he swooshed from one foe to the next, allowing the poor souls to kill each other in the crossfire while Vardon only had to kill four more of them himself until there was only one more enemy left. He did of course have to deflect a few bolts too, but the sandy mist made the foe's accuracy much poorer than it already was which helped in evading the shots. Once again, Vardon considered himself rather lucky as this would never have worked against a well disciplined force which knew how to handle these kinds of situations. The padawan deflected both one and two shoots as he jogged towards his last foe. He cut the pirate's blaster in two rendering the weapon rather useless and after a kick in between the victim's legs, Vardon punched him hard in the head with his still usable right arm which knocked the pirate out.

The Jedi turned to his temporary ally to see if he needed any aid against the Wookie.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Hask Jen]

Hask was too preoccupied with the Wookiee to pay attention as to what his compatriot was doing. All that mattered, though, was that the rest of the pirates were taken care of and only him and the Wookie remained.

Hask swung with his right blade, but it was blocked by the Wookiee's shield. The shield was completely destroyed but it provided him with enough to swing at Hask. Hask moved back just in time to not be cut in half, but he could feel the tip of the blade scraping against the ridges on his chest as the Wookiee sliced through his chest armour. Hask collided his left blade with the vibroblade to keep it busy while he swung at the Wookiee's head. He sliced through the Wookiee's hair as the beast recoiled and gave Hask a solid kick in the gut to create some space. Despite having durasteel cover his stomach, he still felt the power of the kick as he rolled across the floor, winded from the kick.

As Hask recovered and got back on his feet, the Wookiee drew a Quickdraw pistol. Hask used the force to slap the massive creature's hand up, throwing his shot off target completely. Focusing the force, he grabbed hold of the beast, holding him still and putting him in a force stasis. "Jedi, kill him!" Hask barked through gnashing teeth as he poured all his focus, anger and power into keeping the creature still. His power was slipping, though and the Wookiee was a lot stronger than him. If the Jedi didn't strike now, things might end badly for them.

@Pyrenees

 

[Vardon Galland]

Vardon was exhausted, both physically and mentally. They had been through a few intense hours and the young man felt like he had been responsible for way too many deaths. The thought of having ended so many lives weighed on him like the heaviest of boulders. He had also been injured and conducted long and heavy fights, first against the Sith, and then against the pirates.

Just as most of the sand had set from the padawan's earlier stir, he heard his ally call out and he saw the rather desperate situation which the Sith was in. "Not another one" he thought as he realized that he would have to kill the Wookie too. But it was necessary in order to save his temporary ally. Picking up a feat he saw the Sith do earlier, the Thyferran raised his lightsaber like a spear and hurled it at the large beast. The lightsaber flew through the air clumsily since Vardon was way to tired to throw it properly, but it did hit its mark, eventually impaling the Wookie's heart. A rather poetic fate as Vardon's heart broke a little at the same time. He walked over to the Pureblood with his left arm hanging limp at his side after being smashed by a club earlier. He used the force to recall his saber to his hand and then attached it to the belt. Upon reaching Hask, Vardon stretched out his right hand to help the man back on his feet.

"And now the riches of this base is yours." he said with a demoralized tone. His eyes stared blankly through the armoured figure in front of him. "And the dark presence I came to remove is gone" he said with a strange finality to the voice as sadness and guilt showered over him.

Escape was still on his mind, although it had taken a less dominant position in his mind as he mourned what he had done. Still, the young man knew what needed to be done. It was time to loot the place and he simply walked over to the knocked out pirate whom he cut the air supply of earlier while hoping that he wouldn't be challenged by the Sith. Kneeling down, he checked on the man to make sure that he was still alive. If he was leaving, he didn't want the pirate to be stuck on the planet with Hask. As soon as he thought that Hask wasn't looking, probably while the man was in a shed or behind one, Vardon picked the pirate up on his right shoulder with a grunt and started walking towards the command ship which Null had been preparing for take off.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Hask Jen]

Hask's grip was slipping and the Wookiee's gun was lowering more and more, fighting against Hask's restraint and inching closer to its target. Right before the Wookiee could fire he arched back and froze up as a blue blade stuck through its chest. The Jedi actually saved him...quite the surprising feat. As the Wookiee gave a last roar before falling over, Hask knelt down on one knee. This was the first time he's used the ability and using it on such a massive being on top of everything drained him of just about all his mental and physical energy. He remained in his knelt position, attempting to catch his breath when the Jedi came to help him up.

Hask gladly took the offered hand and stood up slowly. He looked at the dead foe as the Jedi spoke, the tone of his mental state clear as day in his voice. Hask pitied the man. It was clear that he was not suited at all for combat, despite his prowess with a blade and knowledge of the force. "Little titbit of advice from a former Sith warrior: 'Peace is a lie'. Were we in a perfect galaxy people like me and you wouldn't be needed. But sadly a few people need to die in order for others to live...speaking of which, let's go free those prisoners before we start salvaging and looting." Hask spoke calmly in a tired voice. This was probably not at all what the Jedi wanted to hear right now but that was all the Pureblood could think of in the moment.

Hask walked over to the dead Wookiee, kneeling down next to the fallen enemy. He picked up the vibroblade, placed it in the Wookiee's hand and rested it on its massive chest. "It's not often that I get a fight as glorious as this. This is a day that I shall remember for a while." he spoke barely loud enough for the Jedi to hear. Hask patted the Wookiee on the chest a few times and looked to the exotic pistol beside him. Slowly Hask picked it up and looked it over as he stood once again. He slipped it into his belt as he turned to face the Jedi. "So? We going to free some prisoners or what?" Hask said with a small smile hidden behind his helmet....which quickly faded as he heard the sound of the massive ship's engines starting and saw the Jedi carry the pirate over his shoulder.

He drew the new pistol he claimed from the Wookiee and aimed it at the Jedi's chest. "Where do you think you're going? We're not done yet, Jedi. You leave when I allow you to leave." Hask spoke sternly as he held his sights on the Jedi. For several minutes he just stood there, watching the Jedi. Finally with a heavy sigh he lowered the pistol. This Jedi has shown his worth and slightly warmed up to the hardened Pureblood. He finally reached a conclusion.

"Go. You've proven your worth...and you're not my target in the first place. You're free to go." Hask said in a tired voice. As the Jedi walked past towards the ship, Hask turned to face him. "Never got your name!" He called out to the Jedi who was preparing to board the vessel.

@Pyrenees

 

[Vardon Galland]

Hearing the Sith speak of peace and his views on the harsh reality of the galaxy didn't make Vardon feel much better at all. The young man wanted to ignore the words, but they kept echoing inside his head for quite a while. He could hear the man's words about treasuring the memories of the fight - at least someone enjoyed it, for better or for worse. The padawan, however, was in no mood to respond as he was still weighed down by the day's events.

***​

After getting to a minuscule stream with a hand-made sign saying Elbe next to it, he could hear the Sith's stern words. He turned around to find the Wookie's former blaster pointed directly at his chest by Hask The padawan froze in place. He was tired, beaten down and far from fully functional and even carried a man on his shoulder, constantly draining his stamina. Sure, he could probably defend himself against a couple of shots, but if it came down to a fight, he thought that the Sith could have another convincing victory.

For several minutes, they just stood there looking at each other with Vardon growing more tired by the minute, at least there was the sound of the small Elbe stream which functioned to calm him down as the water slowly made its way through the base. Despite not saying anything, the young Thyferran basically confirmed that he was indeed not leaving until being allowed to do so. After what felt like an eternity, the Pureblood finally lowered his weapon prompting the human to give him a meek smile.

Vardon was glad as the other seemed to show some sense of mercy and honour. He was tempted at felling a comment about how the light prevailed in the end, but this was not the time to even risk provoking the Sith. Instead he simply said "Thanks, it means much to me that you're letting me leave" the words were blunt but genuine, lacking the normal rather noble tone which the young man tended to produce.

He took a few more steps, walking past the Pureblood who then asked for his name. Vardon stood up straight again, despite carrying the weight of the passed out pirate on his shoulder "Vardon Galland, Jedi Padawan" he introduced himself with a sense of pride in his voice before asking the other for his name and asked to exchange some contact details. After the pleasantries were exchanged, Vardon headed to the ship and instructed the captives to lock the pirate up. The large ship doors soon closed with a few loud metal noises.

The padawan made his way to the bridge where he assumed control, ticking a few buttons which Null couldn't control. Soon, the ship started hovering above the ground and after having rose a few hundred meters above ground, Vardon's Mynock came and docked inside the large ship. With that, they took off, happily leaving the planet behind.

/End thread

@KinkyPrawn