Ask A Not So Perfect Eshan

[Param Vour]

What are you now? The question rang through Param’s mind, reverberating a thousand times over and over. That was the question she’d asked herself when she was a kid, when she freed herself, and continuously throughout her life as a Sith. And now? She hadn’t really given the question any thought until Arla had just asked. There wasn’t any need to think about it, she just was.

“I’m free,” Param said, the corners of her lips curling into a smile as she turned back toward the wall. As Arla poured the Force into the wall, so too did Param, extending her hands out toward it until it crumbled. It was a quick trip over the long hall’s rooftop to the other side, not even enough time for the warmth they had gathered to dissipate into the winter air before they were stepping into room of warmth again.

Cito sat a desk near the center of the room. Alone. Param’s eyes narrowed and searched every corner and shadow of the room. There were doors lining the sides, and a single door behind Cito. There was no way to tell what was on the other side of the doors though, not without opening them. This was quite obviously either a trap, or the single most luckiest thing Param had ever witnessed.

As Param slowly circled Cito, staying close to the wall, Vee chirped in her EZPod. Alarms disabled, gates opened, and he was now working on the transaction and communication history. A small pang of pain hit her chest, thinking about the kids that most likely weren’t going to get saved. She had survived servitude to a Sith, but Hutts could be far more gruesome than Sith.

“Ah, it was only a matter of time,” Cito said, ripping his fingers through the silver buzzcut on his head. He didn’t seem the least bit worried; that was not a good sign. Param turned a quick, silver gaze to Arla, opening up her own mind so that Arla could sense the faintest of images. The echani girl wasn’t very good with mind tricks or telepathy, but she these images would be clear enough to decipher for the more experienced woman. The first image was the doors opening. The second was Param taking care of what came through the doors while Arla got what she needed from Cito. Just as suddenly as she had opened her mind, Param turned a glare back at Cito and threw her natural mental walls back up.

“You seem rather alone for someone that likes having slaves,” Param spat.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla actually laughed at Param's comment about being free, not because she thought it was foolish but because she related. There was a freedom to it all, and Arla nodded.

I understand, she added.

As they finally came face to face with Cito, Arla rolled her eyes so hard at his comment and general attempt to appear composed.

Yes, I'm sure this was all part of your master plan, she said, voice dripping with dry sarcasm.

She felt Param probing at her mind and allowed the images to flow in, though as Param did she would have an almost unnerving sensation. She would get the sense of walking on a void of nothingness that she nearly fell into and she would feel the stone maze that was Arla's mind. It was her knowledge of the incredibly rare ability Force of Will, and although she felt no negative repercussions, it would feel like walking the edge of oblivion for just a moment.

A moment later, she would gain the feeling of affirmation from Arla that was wordless agreement.

And that was all the more warning there was. Arla waved her fingers in a circular pattern in front of her, wisps of green energy flowing off of the fingers as Cito began to clutch at his head. And Arla rifled through his mind without mercy, pity, or hesitation.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

The void. Param’s head spun, a feeling of woozy dread coming over her as she sensed herself walking along the narrow path, just one misstep from oblivion. Thankfully it didn’t take long for Arla’s affirmation. Param silently breathed a sigh of relief, the woozy feeling still seeping down into her stomach but at the very least clearing her head. Just in time too.

As Arla spun her green magic, the door in front of Param swung open toward her. The Force coiled down her left arm as she extended it before the opener could realize she was in the blind spot and sent a blast into it. The door slammed shut, and Param stepped in front of it, sending a two handed blast of the Force into it again, shattering it inwards. The occupant of the room was a lone Mandalorian. Great.

Param didn’t have time to attack the Mandalorian further. The other six doors in the room began to open. She drew her left dagger, throwing it underhanded toward the closest heavily armed slaver that emerged, the twelve-inch blade finding a new home through the echani man’s rib cage and vital organs. Most blasters were immediately trained on Arla. Param reached out with what remained of her Force endurance, the Force snaking tendrils towards each of the five remaining slavers. The tendrils latched onto the blasters, and Param yanked them toward herself.

With the slavers scrambling to get their weapons back, Param had bought Arla time, but now it was up to physical prowess for Param. She grabbed the blaster pistol on her thigh and aimed it at one of the slavers, pulling the trigger until the third shot finally hit its mark along the rodian’s unprotected collar. The third slaver reached her, throwing a wild haymaker. Param leaned her upper body to dodge the blow, countering by slamming her pistol into the side of his head. The fourth and fifth were reaching for their blasters on the ground, and Param was just able to shoot them both before a metal object slammed into her from behind.

Param yelped and sprawled forward, the pistol sliding across the chamber floor. Pain seared across her body as she turned over to find the Mandalorian releasing a beskad from its sheath. Param cursed herself for not bringing her Force forged sword. The damn thing was too identifying- not that it mattered right now. She scrambled to her feet, her right hand reaching back and unsheathing the karambit vibro-blade at the small of her back.

It wouldn’t be the first time Param had to fight an armored opponent, but it would certainly be the first time with a depleted Force reserve. Both women’s phones beeped with an incoming message. Vee had managed to download all the communications and transaction data and had sent it.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla began to promptly tear through the man's mind without any sort of hesitation, and he began to scream like a madman as she did. The fibers of his mind were shredded under her assault, and she managed to extract a great deal of useful information.

Unfortunately, as it turned out, the sudden onslaught of a half dozen different slavers and attackers all armed with a variety of weapons meant that Arla had to abandon her pursuits.

Their target just kind of slumped forward in his chair, drooling on himself and moaning quietly as Arla went to work on the enemies in front of them. The Force lashed out from her in the blink of an eye, and the first two slavers - a Gamorrean and a Nikto - went flying back into the wall with the crunch of bone.

The two women were outnumbered, but... well, were they really outmatched? Well, maybe. Arla liked to think they weren't, though, and Param... seemed to be holding her own as well.

Arla had absolutely not time to look at her phone at the moment as she unleashed a flash of green lightning at another of the thugs, drawing the attention of another in the process. Evidently, that person was beginning to have second thoughts about this. He signed up to heard around innocent women and children not be slaughtered by a pair of Force-using huntresses. Mistakes were made on his part.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param was thankful she didn’t have to worry about Arla, who quickly got to work on the other mercenaries. Technically Param should have been the one to deal with them, but she was completely drained for the Force. Between the aero and terrakinesis at the beginning, and all the Force usage in between, she was down to melee and physical skill only. It was a good thing that outside of nature based Force abilities and gardening, martial arts was the one thing she’d practiced the most.

The Mandalorian swung in wide arcs, vertically and horizontally, forcing Param to back pedal as she dodged. Even with the activated karambit vibro-blade, her counter attacks just skittered off the armor. Then she sidestepped a vertical slash only to have a fist slam into her chest. She couldn’t even yelp as the air was knocked out of her lungs and she sprawled backwards. It wasn’t as bad as taking Force lightning to the chest, but it was still about as good as getting hit by a train.

She regained her feet quickly enough, but fought for the air to return to her lungs. Param stutter-stepped, feinting one way and then going the other, bringing her blade down low to an unprotected part of the mandalorian’s thigh between the thigh plate and the cod piece. He growled and swung the beskad at her while trying to grapple. Param shifted, ripping her vibro-blade through the same unprotected area of his other leg before jumping back. He was bleeding now, at least that was something.

He sauntered forward, feinting an attack with his beskad only to grab her by the neck. His beskad raised and ready to strike, Param wouldn’t be able to strike him first. That was until an angrily beeping blur of silver and red scurried over and jump kicked the Mandalorain’s helmet. Confused by the tiny blow, he turned to look, and Param sprang into action. Param lodged her karambit into his unprotected elbow, slicing and ripping with the activated virbofunction until he let go of her neck. Leaving the karambit in place, she dropped to a crouch, unsheathed her last dagger, and drove it into his unprotected side. She even made sure to do some extra, albeit bloodier, damage by pushing the twelve-inch blade upwards and into his ribs.

Param rolled away, Vee joining her and hopping onto her shoulder. The Mandalorian struggled for a moment, but the pain and blood loss were too great and he fell over. Param held her sigh of relief, turning a gaze to Arla to see how she managed, already moving to retrieve her blades. Vee chirped loudly that he had accomplished all the goals except securing the hostages, but he had also gotten the fort schematics.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Over the course of the next few minutes, everything unfolded in waves of violence. Between Arla, Param, and the dying slavers, the fighting eventually abated and near-silence fell over the room.

The sound of Arla's breathing lingered and the vague moans of their victim. Arla's eyes fell to him where he lay, and she could hear the sounds of blasters outside. The combination of vigilantes and contractors seemed to be getting to work out there, cutting down the slavers who remained into a route.

Are you injured? she asked Param. The woman looked as if she had gotten into the weeds of it, and Arla wasn't sure if she had made it out unscathed. She offered a hand to help the woman up, deciding that she actually kind of liked her.

It sounds like the assault teams have secured most of the facility through your friend's work, she said, referring to the droid that had literally opened the gates for them.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param finished retrieving her blades, sliding them back into their sheaths. She turned to Arla, giving her a tired nod. “I’ve had worse, you?” she asked, deciding to ditch her light blaster pistol in favor of the Mandalorian’s Westar-35. It was like a damn cannon for her, but the fallen Mandalorian came stock with a holster for it everything. “I’m sorry I couldn’t handle them all. I didn’t expect to be so drained after making the steps.” Probably would have been a lot easier had she kept the lightsabers. She really needed to get around to constructing her own one of these days.

Vee chirped proudly at Arla’s comment about his work. Param gave him a warm smile and a gentle head pat. The little droid sang a string of beeps and boops, explaining that he had silenced the alarms, opened the gates, and sent all the transaction and communication data to Param, Arla, and Arla’s group. There was no need for the vigilantes to have that sort of data. He went on to explain in binary how he couldn’t locate any hostages, and there were no records of where they would have been kept, only sold.

“Means there either isn’t any, or they’re in an area that doesn’t have cameras and modern security,” Param said, turning back to Arla. Curiosity got the better of her. “What was that uneasy feeling I felt when I opened my mind to you? It was like I was about to fall but didn’t.” As much as finding hostages meant to Param, there were now two groups of heavily armed contractors and vigilantes clearing the fort room by room. While there was still plenty to be done, Arla and Param had done their part; there was no reason to not take a bit of a breather.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

I'm fine, she said. A few scratches and bruises here and there, but nothing that would require any meaningful treatment, fortunately.

The droid chirped on about some things that Arla didn't understand so she just stared at it for a moment, all of that information going completely over her head so she just ignored it.

What? she asked when Param went on to - from Arla's perspective - out of the blue talk about how "there isn't any" of something.

And then came the question about Arla's mind. Arla knew the sensation all too well because she had felt it in her mother and later in her father as well. It was one part sealed vault and one part abyss.

I have mental defensive techniques to keep people from infiltrating and assaulting my mind. They are quite... deadly, she said. The estimates that Kravos had stated in his holocron said that it was guaranteed to kill a single intruder and even multiple intruders could be permanently killed by attempting to rifle through the thoughts of one protected by its barriers. The fact that it was a technique only learned by a single digit number of people in history, however, made it all the more dangerous: no one expected it.

The teams can clean up the rest of the compound. Get some rest, she said, motioning to one of the seats and deciding as she plopped into one that they had earned a rest.

Former Sith turned vigilante, then? she asked, actually genuinely curious about the woman and her next steps.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param tilted her head when Arla asked her what. She didn’t know binary? The echani girl couldn’t help the giggle that came out, but she held her hand up in apology. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. Vee said he sent all the communication and transaction data to you, your group, and myself. He couldn’t locate any hostages, and there’s no records of them being kept- only sold,” Param explained. “So if there are any, they’re some where without cameras or security.”

She listened to Arla explain her mind. A defense against people rifling through her mind. Param found herself almost wishing Arla would teach her the technique; not that the woman would. She had seen terrifying things in her time with the Sith. Her entire time as a Champion was spent trying to hide the one thing that gave her all the strength she could ever want or need, and she was successful but at a cost. Now there wasn’t much need for it for her. The only ones wanting to rifle through Param’s mind now were people that thought she was dead.

“I see,” Param said finally, with a faint smile. She walked over to the seat that Arla had motioned to and plopped down into it with a relieving sigh. Sitting down felt good, especially on her back. The Mandalorian had hit her pretty hard. Her silver gaze was fixed on the beskad laying on the floor in front of the corpse. She wondered if Kai would be interested in it; it did look kind of pirate-like.

“For now, I guess,” Param answered, turning her gaze toward Arla when she asked about being a former Sith. The two had fought together. As far as Param was concerned that was reason enough to trust her with at least a little bit of information. Though every person she told was a potential liability to her later. “I will always fight slavery when I can, but I don’t fight crime or anything. There’s a lot in the galaxy I haven’t really seen yet. Since I’m dead, I figured it would be a good time go explore it,” she said, smiling at Arla.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla wasn't sure what to make of Param probably in large part because Param didn't seem to know where she was going from here so to speak.

So just going to spend your time hunting slavers and wandering the galaxy? she asked. Arla could tell that she was setting out on a path that wasn't entirely dissimilar to the one that Arla had traveled. A journey of self-realization or something like that.

Well our contract with the Echani Command will continue until we've tracked down the rest of the slavers if you're interested in coming along, Arla offered. She'd already proven herself in a fight, which meant she was a valuable asset for this fight going forward. And if she was already planning to fight slavers... win-win?

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

“Might get into some trouble or hunt down some treasure too,” Param shrugged, adding to the list that was her over-arching plans for the next stage of her life. “I went straight from being a slave by the Sith, to being a Sith. There wasn’t really any time to do things on my own, and when I tried to everyone seemed to hate me because of what I was without really getting to know who I was.” She leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes. A deep breath later she was much more relaxed.

“I would love to, if you’d have me,” she said, eyes still closed. It wouldn’t be the first time Param had thrown her hat in with mercenaries. She had made quite a few friends with the xexto mercenaries Thel had used all the time during her training, and have he disappeared, and she took over Troiken for a brief time, that relationship only expanded. It was all but snuffed out now, though. Even if she wanted to return, it would be putting them and their families at risk if she did. No, she was happy being so far away from Sith planets and assets.

“Why aren’t you worried about being a former Sith?” Param asked, opening her eyes again and turning a curious look to Arla. Most people would have freaked out in one way or another. Arla seemed like the type to capitalize on the bounty on Champions if it came down to it. Yet she seemed completely unphased by the fact entirely.

The sounds of sporadic blaster fire exchanges sounded around them from outside the walls. From the sounds of it, the fighting was lessoning. Vee had hopped off her shoulder and sat in her lap, a small antenna keeping track of everything happening with the two groups clearing the rest of the fort. She didn’t even realize that her hands were slowly petting the little droid as if he were a living creature; at least to her, he was.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla listened to Param's plan and the woman even agreed to come with her as they continued to hunt down this little... illicit venture. They had really picked the wrong place to settle down for their business.

It's a little baffling that they settled on Eshan of all places. Not very bright, she said with a shake of her head.

And then Param asked the question that was... well, it was logical. Plenty of people would have freaked out about the woman's past, and there was still an argument that Arla should just kill her, but it felt so... excessive and unnecessary. Sure, Arla sometimes cashed in on the Sith bounties, but she also made business deals with and defended Sith territory.

She just shrugged.

We all have our pasts. Plus what benefit am I going to gain by freaking out about it? You know how to fight and kill, which is exactly what I need, she said. You don't seem to be the kind to kill everyone on sight, so... she shrugged again.

Should I be worried about you? she asked.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

“Cito probably didn’t want to leave too far from home. With all the refugees coming in, business was practically walking through the space port for him,” Param said. Her time doing underhanded deals with spice and spiked teas was short lived, but she had learned a lot in that time. A new operation with new faces would pique interests in the locals, but an old face with a new operation wouldn’t. It was why she never distributed directly.

What Arla said made sense. Param nodded. Even from the start she hadn’t been a very good Sith. While others focused on the Darkside, she tried everything in her power not to rely on it, or even use it. The few times she had given herself over to the Darkside were not good times at all. Every single time was marked with some sort of pain or suffering.

“No,” Param said, shaking her head. “It’s just… refreshing, I guess.” She paused for a moment, letting a silence fill the room aside from the occasional blaster fight outside. “I’ve never seen anyone use the Force like you do. Where’s the technique from?” It was probably rude to ask, but Param couldn’t help the curiosity now that they weren’t actively trying to end people.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla still thought that Cito was an idiot, but Param wasn't wrong: it was easily accessible. Easy in this case ended up being a quick way to dead... or next to dead.

At least she got confirmation that the other woman wasn't going to go off the rails. Allegedly at least.

I'm a Nightsister, she said. Of course, she was a Sith as well, but that part wasn't widely known anymore, and she rarely shared it with those she didn't know... or strangers.

I've trained my whole life in combat and the Force, and now I use it for Apex, she said.

She heard the blasterfire eventually die down outside, and pushed herself back to her feet.

Come on, let's get out of here. I want to go somewhere warm, she said, heading for the exit. They could regroup to hunt the rest of the ring on another day.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Nightsister? Param had never heard of the Nightsisters before. Granted, she never spent any time in the academies of the Sith, nor learning the history and philosophies of the Order. From the moment she became an Acolyte, she had been trained to be a weapon of practicality, sent out into galaxy to do a task, and come back when that task was done. Now she was glad she hadn't spent any time learning about it all. Would have been useless information sitting in her head for no other reason than to rot.

"Oh, well it's really cool," she said, finally, getting up as Arla did. Going someplace warm sounded like a great idea. Param had almost forgotten about the cold, but now that her mind had returned to it she could feel the tips of her fingers and toes tingling. Next time she came to Eshan, she was coming in the spring or summer when it was warm, and the outside environment was green.

"Apex... that's a military contracting company, isn't it?" Param asked as she followed Arla. She'd spent quite a lot of time looking at different mercenary groups. Apex had always come highly recommended but was always out of the price range she wanted to spend on protection of assets that weren't even hers. No wonder Arla and her group looked and acted so professional; it was because they were.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla got the general impression from Param that she had no idea what Arla had just said. That was probably okay, actually. The last thing Dathomir needed was more people showing up to try to poke around. She remembered all the times her mother had complained about the unwanted visitors showing up to poke around the area and loot it or whatever they wanted to do.

Yes, it is. And an exceptional one at that if I say so myself, she said. And, of course, she did. And she obviously wasn't at all biased about it.

Why? You looking for a job? she asked. Param obviously wouldn't be the only former-Sith in the organization, though Arla didn't come outright and say that. She tried to keep that part of the business more on the down low, although the fact that there were Force-users in their ranks wasn't a secret.

Arla was always looking to hire new people for the business, and the more she could bring in, the better.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param smiled as Arla’s boast. Apex certainly deserved it. They’re prices were higher than what she could afford at the time of her looking, but news of their exploits had reached even the farthest corners of the Sith. They had even helped defend Thule. Param found herself thinking along the lines of joining a military contracting organization, which was great and amazing up until she thought about being contracted out to the Sith. Her smiled turned into a frown.

“I don’t think I would be a good fit,” she said, shaking her head. “At least not right now. I still have to find bits and pieces of the real me. See the galaxy on my own terms.” The walk back through the halls, most of which they had skipped, was eerily quiet compared to their journey in. Everyone had either tried to flee, or went to fight the groups of Apex and vigilantes coming through the gate.

“I will at least help you with the slaver’s ring,” she said. “Or anything else you want me for.” Param shrugged. She certainly wasn’t going to say no to adventures, even if she didn’t get paid for them. “What kind of warm place were you thinking?” Dremal passed of all people at that moment with another echani. Param fished the bounty puck out of her pocket and tossed it to him, silently jerking her head back the way Arla and her had come from. At least the money for his bounty could go towards the families he affected, hostages saved or not.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

That was fair, although Arla was disappointed with the response. Oh well, maybe another time.

That will have to do. I'll be glad to have your help, she said as the woman said that she would still help with the slaving ring.

I need to meet with Echani Command. I can meet you in the capital after I meet with them and we can figure out the next steps, she said before motioning to the data consoles around them.

Plus it'll give time to sift through some of this data, she said. I'll meet you tomorrow at noon? she suggested.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param's smile returned. Helping was the least she could do in return for taking out Cito. Even better, the entire ring would be going down. Well, hopefully. It took a surprisingly short amount of time for them to exit the citadel entirely, the cold air biting Param's skin enough that she threw her hood back up and crossed her arms over her chest under her poncho. Yup. Definitely coming back when it's summer. The gate was at the end of a straight path between buildings; the it was designed so that invading armies would see the command building and rush for it while getting gunned down on either side by elevated troops. Now it served as a way to get the hell out of there and somewhere warm faster.

"Tomorrow at noon, got it. There's a cafe two blocks down from the government building called Cozy Corners. I'll meet you there," Param said. She gave a small wave, and a with a small chirp of goodbye from Vee, Param started making her way down the path and out of the fort. She'd leave the speeders to the vigilantes that had brought them, instead having Vee have a rental delivered as she started down the mountain.

An hour later she was walking into the homestead that she was staying at, greeted by the woman who'd taken her in when she first arrived. The woman's boyfriend was here, so she left them be. A long warm shower later and throwing her clothes in the wash, Param was scrolling through the data Vee had sent. Vee settled in next to her on the bed. Param got about three paragraphs in before falling asleep.

She woke only a little sore but a lot of bruised from the previous day. Wearing the same outfit as before, she made her way to Cozy Corners Cafe and waited. This time she had her Force forged sword with her. It rested vertically along her shoulder as she sat in a corner booth away from everyone else in the cafe. Vee was curled up on the table in rest mode. Her fingers gently caressed the durasteel scabbard, as she sipped from a tea cup in front of her. A clock on the wall chimed for midday, the jingle drawing Param's attention for only a moment.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

The next day, Arla was glad to have her meeting with Echani Command done. She had founded Apex with the hopes of avoiding "meetings" but as it turned out she had played herself.

She rubbed her face as she wandered down the street and toward the Cozy Corners. At least the capital was much more temperate than the rest of the planet, and she took a moment to enjoy the warming sun on her skin and the slight breeze in the air.

Never a moment's rest, she thought to herself, pulling out her phone and starting to send messages to get the rest of the teams together and assemble the appropriate resources for the next step.

Type, type, type until she finally arrived at the cafe in question and spotted Param settled into one of the seats at the cafe with her little droid right there along with her.

Hey, she said, sliding into a chair across from the other woman. You good? she asked, glancing up for a moment before tapping away again. She gave Arla the impression that she was tired, though it was difficult to say for certain.

We've got a lead, and I'm mobilizing a large response force, she said. Apparently what we hit yesterday was just a staging zone. Most of the slaves are being held at a facility on the other side of the planet. More slavers and an off-world port where they ship the slaves out, she said.

@TheDudeMike