Blades of Fire

[Vuthari]

Wrenklin Spaceport – Storage Warehouses
Nar Shaddaa

We need to repair Network Access or Imperial Hutta will be lost to us forever! Unfortunately, several large gangs have seized the shipyards on Nal Hutta and Nar Shaddaa and are using our own ships to blockade both the planet and the moon! We can't call for reinforcements while the HoloNet is down, but we need to get repair teams and supplies to Nar Shaddaa's surface! Smuggle a team passed the blockade and land them on the surface!

When night settled over Nar Shaddaa, there were usually many pockets of deep shadows and places of inky darkness. However, since the network access to Imperial Hutta was effectively cut off, fires from combat, vandalism and whatever else, plagued the Smuggler’s Moon. Many pockets of darkness were now bathed in flickering fire light. This made Vu’thari a bit more cautious in his movements. He went alone this night because of the need for speed and stealth. The Jedi Master knew Nar Shaddaa like the back of his hand, so he was able to navigate quickly and quietly. Galactic Alliance intelligence, as fledgling in its form as it was, came up with some information that forces from the Imperial Republica were getting past the blockades that had been erected by the Hutts and other criminal underworld organizations, supplying Imperial Hutta forces with much needed supplies. This could not be allowed to happen. Vu’thari volunteered for this mission and went alone, knowing the risks. But this was his home. In his estimation, there was no one more suited to getting a handle on this than he was.

Stalking through the shadows by the warehouses, the Jedi was certain he saw a ship, with no running lights on, land at the edge of the district. Like a ghost, the shadow flitted from shadow to shadow to see if his mind was playing tricks on him—but he didn’t think so. He was certain he could sense the presence of another. As such, Vu’thari walled off his presence, both in mind and body, as he made his way through the warehouse alleys…

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

Chaos. It was all in chaos. Erana Fox was a loyal Sith. Loyal to fault. She believed in the Dark side so fully that she would do whatever it asked of her. Today, it called her to Nar Shaddaa. It would be the first and hopefully last time she ever visited this mud hole of a planet. It smelled, burning her overly sensitive nostrils. The smoke burned her eyes which caused her to tear up occasionally. She was glad she couldn't see the place or else she'd likely barf too. That was one blessing she found of being blind.

Eriana had been blind all her life. Born into darkness, she'd often tell others. It led her to a calling. A belief that she was somehow chosen by the universe, by the living Force itself. She could see things in a way her brethren could not. She saw the truth of things. It gave her an unusual amount of clarity that often the Sith religion did not have. She understood that through emotion her powers grew stronger. But anger was not an emotion she liked to exhibit. When one was angry, their vision was clouded. Soliders and warrior couldn't think straight when they were blind with rage. That's what made Eriana better.

Their ship would touch down at the edge of the district for the second time today. This was the second generator her team would try to fix. They'd managed to smuggle themselves through the blockade of Imperial ships up above the system's atmosphere, but the danger wasn't over yet. Their team managed to get through the first holonet generator and her partner sliced his way into the system's mainframe to bring it back up and running. Now they were onto their next destination.

Stepping off the ship the blind Sith would wave her men forward so they could start heading to the next building in their district. But Eriana felt something and would suddenly stop. She closed her eyes and reached out with the Force. She felt a whisper. Something wasn't right. There was...someone here with her. Someone else who could touch the Force like she could. But why hide their presence from a fellow Sith? The answer was simple. This was not someone loyal to the Imperium.

"Go on ahead," she would order her men. "I've got something I need to take care of."

Knowing better than to argue the men would leave her and head to do what they did best. Eriana would turn and start walking toward the aura she knew was nearby. Now that she'd bluffed her way through the blockade, Eriana had changed out of the smuggler's outfit she was in and now had dawned back into her Sith maurader armor, only hers was tailed to look much different. She lacked some armor in her upper torso and shoulders to convert the body armor into a corset to give her a more prominent figure. But her shoulders weren't bare as she wore a long sleeve, black leather top which was strong enough to withstand a knife. Her pants were made of the same material down to her boots which laced up the front for extra grip and comfort. On her belt she had her favorite tools in the whole galaxy: two curved lightsabers that would emit red beams when ignited. She did however also keep the two Pugio blaster pistols she'd borrowed from the Imperium armory before heading out on this mission. Lastly, over the entire ensemble was a thick coat that came down to her ankles to really sell that Sith look and spread fear into her enemies.

"You can come out!" she would call to the hidden enemy. "The Force has brought you to me for a reason. Let us come and find out what that reason is hmm?"

 

[Vuthari]

Wrenklin Spaceport – Storage Warehouses
Nar Shaddaa

"You can come out!"

She was close. Judging from the voice, Vu’thari figured her to be a human. She went on to say that the Force brought him to her for a reason and she wished to find out. Reaching out, the Jedi Master could sense the darkness from within the Sith. It was faint, but it was present. As with many Sith in the galaxy, many were found to be force sensitive at a young age and ripped from their homes to be trained as Sith Acolytes. Perhaps the Sith Empire did not care, but many of those people had no desire to be taken from their homes and forced to become a monster. While Vu’thari did not see the Sith as monsters, he did see them as misled Jedi who bought into a lie. The lie was that that they would find peace in their soul as a Sith…he knew they would not.

The warehouse district was not a place that was busy this time of night. It was a dangerous place to try and loot –security was still tight in this district of the Smuggler’s Moon. Explosions could be heard in the distance, some closer than others. The sky lit up from these explosions periodically, along with an eerie glow on the darkened horizon from fires that seemed to burn day and night. Nar Shaddaa truly was in chaos.

Visibility was low in this area due to the lack of illumination. The Jedi Master knew that this area was usually lit up, barely allowing a single shadow to penetrate the fenced in areas, but at some point, the power to the lights in this area was cut and barely any illumination filtered through the warehouse alleys. Ever since losing his left eye to the terentaluk, Vu’thari had begun to depend more and more on the Force to illuminate his path. Nikka, the Miraluka padawan, had given him some advice and taught him more about the Force Sight that he could master to not need his eyes. Slowly, but surely the “one-eyed Master” was getting more and more adept at its use.

Vu’thari latched on to the light he sensed in the Sith Acolyte around the corner. Sometimes, risk could create good things to happen. It was a calculated risk, but a risk nonetheless. The Jedi Master stepped out from the shadows with his arms a bit in front of him with his palms up, showing he was not in an aggressive posture. The blaster pistol remained strapped to his right thigh and the lightsaber was safely in the hidden pocket in the front of his tunic, ready to be drawn in an instant if needed. The quartet of grenades were tucked into the small of his back, attached to the belt around his waist. Vu’thari was dressed in all blacks and grays, blending in to the shadows with ease. His lekku were wrapped around his neck and one down his back, inside his tunic. The picture was complete with an enveloping black hood, covering his head.

Looking up, he faced the human woman in front of him. Vu’thari could not help but noticed she was armed to the teeth and seemed ready for combat. A sea of calm flowed from the Jedi Master, the Force flowing through him like a flowing river as he nodded to the Sith and said softly, “Nice night…may I have the privilege of knowing your name?”

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

Eriana could tell this person was a Force user. She knew that right away as he tried to reach out and touch her aura. It was...different than most Sith she had come in contact with. But she didn't have the faintest idea why. She'd never met someone who worked in the Light side of the Force, so it was obvious to be confused at her first time. Every other Sith she'd met had a reason for their teaching in the Dark. Albeit being dragged from their homes or signing up for the Academy willingly. Eriana sure had. Her mother couldn't be more proud of her daughter. Blind or otherwise, her Sith mother would not allow her child to be a disappointment. She'd reach the top one way or another. Eriana was happy to obey because it meant pleasing her mother.

She'd come to change her reasoning for doing things along the way. What she was doing now wasn't for her mother in the slightest. In fact, the past ten years she'd barely thought of her mother save for family visits and social gatherings where her name had come up. Eriana lived in some ways for herself, but in truth she lived to serve the Force. That was her one true belief and reasoning for doing just about everything she did in life. She prayed to the Dark side, sometimes multiple times a day. Eriana did the Force's bidding and now she would do so against whomever the Force had brought to her. They needed to know the Truth.

The man became clearer to her as he got closer and relied more on his connection to the Force. His aura had a strange color to it, for that's how she saw people. This was the world she lived in her whole life, every moment of every day. It was second nature and took almost no concentration to hold for she'd done it since she could walk. This was the vision the Dark gave to her. Its what she told herself that made her better than other Sith. She lived in a world of darkness. What better way to pay homage to the entity outside their understanding?

The man came closer to her. He held his arms up to demonstrate he did not want to fight. A wise choice. Most were smart to avoid any combat with a Sith. But the blaster on his hip was still something she wanted to be weary of. He'd ask her for her name, to which she took a moment to reply.

"My name is Lady Eriana Fox," she'd offer to him. She'd gotten so used to a good friend of hers always calling her lady that she'd accidentally just added it to her own name without thinking. She liked the sound of it. "Now you know my name. Tell me yours."

Part of her didn't want to give her name out right away. She could have made some quip about respect and the fact she was a Sith so he should offer his name first. But Eriana was proud of her station, her heritage, and her rank. He deserved to know what a privilege it was speaking to her on this auspicious night.

 

[Vuthari]

Wrenklin Spaceport – Storage Warehouses
Nar Shaddaa

Calm was the pervading state of mind in the Jedi Master. He could feel the confidence and defiance in the young Sith acolyte. She told him her name: Lady Eriana Fox. And then she asked for his. The twi’lek gave her a small smile from the darkened area and responded softly, “Auspicious time to meet, wouldn’t you agree Lady Eriana Fox? You may call me Vance. Under different circumstances, I am sure you would be a delight to speak with at length…”

He took another non-threatening step forward, with his palms still out. He looked at her with his one good eye and said, “You know, Lady Eriana Fox…I sense a light in you. There is good within your heart. I can imagine there are times you give in to dark actions and question ‘why’ you did such a thing afterwards. There are other paths for you to follow. Perhaps before we part ways this eve, I can give you some information if your natural curiosity takes you there. On Tatooine, there is an old shop called the Sandfly Hole. Rumor has it that Jedi were trained there once upon a time. There is a datapad, hidden among one of the rooms, a recessed space behind a stove. There are some notes there about another path for you…”

Pause. He knew she would respond those words. He was sensing the flow of her emotions the entire time they were speaking.

He gestured to the where her ships were landed and spoke calmly, “However, as much as I have enjoyed out conversation, I must inform you that I cannot allow those supplies to reach their destination here on Nar Shaddaa. I know this may put a damper on our parlay…”

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

Eriana could feel this man's aura. Calm. Careful. He was choosing his words wisely and making sure not to upset the Sith. He was wise to do so. For it would be in her power to end his life if she were as malicious as her kin. Vance was his name. She had no reason to doubt him. If he was lying it was hard to tell. She was rather skilled at that up close. From this distance, and with only such a short lie, it would slip past her.

He'd the try to flatter with about how he'd like to speak with her at length, just not this moment. And speak she could. Eriana could talk for hours about the glory of the Dark side and how it was in everyone's best interest to pray to it. To worship it. She did so herself everyday. Every morning, and every night. Sometimes more than that even.

The man took another step forward and Eriana's grip on her sabers tightened. She was still uneasy about this person. They remained a little too calm for her taste. She was used to people showing fear in her presence. Even those who tried to play it off calmly still had a quiver in their knees. But this man didn't. Did he know something she did not?

What he said next made the girl laugh. He sensed a light in her? Whatever did he mean by that? He'd explain further than he saw a goodness within her heart. She could agree with that. She lived to serve her faction. She did as she was ordered to as it was in the name of the Dark side that those orders even existed. Eriana truly believed what she was doing was for the greater good. She didn't believe for a second that the actions and sins she was committing were wrong in the slightest.

Or maybe it seemed she'd misunderstood his meaning. Did she ever question why she did something? Every now and then she questioned her life choices, but not in the way he was probably asking. Eriana doubted taking a job at the Grand Imperial Prison because it didn't give her the possibility of advancement fast enough. But that was her own greed getting in the way of her disappointment. Her actions within the Sith empire were always done with pride.

The man would continue talking though as a sly grin appeared on her cheeks. He was spilling secrets that were either no good to her, or a prize to be claimed. Further investigation was needed. Still, it did bring some thought. Perhaps a good way to track down some of these Jedi. Tatooine was pretty neutral territory, so she wouldn't have any issue coming and going as she pleased. Perhaps she'd go in disguise and pretend to be some Jedi potential. See who came calling. Thanks for the idea, Vance....

And indeed reply she would. "You misjudge me, Vance the storyteller. The only light inside me is the light of truth and clarity. I see the world as it truly is because that is what the Darkness has given me. It gives me sight in an otherwise cruel world."

She would lift up her bangs showing him her gray eyes. She'd then continue after letting her hair fall back down, "The Dark side of the Force gives me a purpose in this universe. It gave me the power to see as others cannot. And with it I obey its will."

But it didn't seem like he was going to keep talking and instead changed the subject to her ship and the men that were leaving them alone. Was he challenging her? What a foolish person. Eriana Fox was a Sith! Who was this fool taking her for? Perhaps he was a glutton for pain.

"If you wish to be given a lesson then I will be happy to teach. And by the end of our talk I will be accepting your confession."

Eriana raised her blades and crossed her arms. She pressed in on the ignition switches and red beams ignited from both her hands. The iconic hum of the lightsabers echoed in the street for a moment while the red hue lit up her upper torso. Eriana would then lower her blades to the side and stand proudly before the Twi'lek.

"Bow now, or I will cut off your legs."

 

[Vuthari]

Wrenklin Spaceport – Storage Warehouses
Nar Shaddaa

The Jedi Master looked at her and said simply, “You do not have to take this path, Eriana. Stand aside and you may go freely…”

From the hidden ouch at the front of his tunic, his lightsaber shot up to his right hand in an inverted grip, but Vu’thari did not ignite the weapon. Though he was armed, Vu’thari still did not seem anxious to use it.

He sensed the defiance in the young woman. Her actions seemed to be dictated by a have to stop him instead of I want to stop him. To the twi’lek, that was a big difference—and it also is what prompted the opportunity for the Sith Acolyte to leave. But based on the small amount of interaction that he had with the woman, he knew she would not step aside.

“Last chance, Lady Eriana Fox…”

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

Hearing the man asking her to stand aside would make Eriana laugh to the point she dipped her head back, "Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. The only reason I would stand aside is to join my team and finish our mission. But since you are insisting on standing here before me, I'll have to cut your legs down at the knees to make sure you bow from now on."

In response he would pull a lightsaber out of his tubic and hold it in his hand. Eriana couldn't see the exact detail of the blade, but she was able to tell he was holding a weapon and intending on using it. That must be his answer then. He'd then warn her one last time in hopes she would just let him pass. But doing that would kill her team, and her friend. No, Eriana would not allow that to happen. While she didn't have much care for the agents she'd brought with, she wasn't about to just let this other warrior come and kill them off. Not while she had a job to do. Eriana would not back down in cowardice.

"It seems we have our answer then,"

Letting the Force flow through her she rushed at the warrior. Her left arm would come across her chest and then she would swing it back in a curved arc. With her right hand, following the attack, she'd swing the right slightly lower to hopefully catch him off guard by the two sabers in different places.

 

[Vuthari]

Wrenklin Spaceport – Storage Warehouses
Nar Shaddaa

Predictably, the Sith attacked. Vu’thari wanted to give the young acolyte a chance. While he did not anticipate such a response from her, the twi’lek had been surprised before, so it was worth the effort. Florentine style combat with dual lightsabers was what Vu’thari faced time and time again with training from his grandfather. It was easily the most preferred style of combat in the Sith Empire. While there were always slight variations in technique, speed, grace, strength and demeanor, there were common threads to the style regardless. The first rule in fighting a Florentine combatant was to address both hands. When one had only one lightsaber, this meant movement and guile accompanied by a deft lightsaber.

Vu’thari’s training was predicated on the enemy attacking first and he countering those attacks—this scenario was no different. Standing ready, the Jedi Master felt the Force flow through him. He could feel the acolyte pull in the Force, grabbing it and commanding it to her will. As her left arm came across her chest, the Jedi was already moving to her left side with augmented quickness. The lightsaber hummed to life, bathing the red light in a light of bright green. With his inverted grip, his right arm came across his chest with the lightsaber pointed to the ground as he moved beside the acolyte, completely dodging her slow-developing attack with her left. Her right lightsaber sparked as the red blade bounced off the green one. Taking a couple of steps back and to the side, Vu’thari calmly waited for her next attacks, continuing to gauge the acolyte in front of him.

He said quietly, just above the hum of the lightsabers, “You do not fight with anger, Lady Eriana Fox. That is a critical step to uncovering the light within you…”

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

It seemed Eriana was already at a disadvantage. The man who still had yet to give her much more than his name -fake or otherwise- had apparently trained against her style of combat before. He was skilled with a blade himself, and that proved to make the Sith curious about him. He didn't behave like a Sith. And he felt strange to her, in a way she'd never felt before. Her only conclusion was he was a Jedi. Or at least familiar with their ways. She wanted to get to the bottom of this. In his first attack she'd already learned so much about him and had now come to the decision she wanted not to kill him, but to capture him and learn his methods. Eriana wanted to learn everything there was to known about this Vance and she knew just how to break him. That was what Eriana strove for.

The man had stepped to her left side thinking to block her saber and avoid the right one altogether. It was a good plan, except Eriana was anything but predictable. Moving backwards she brought both arms over her head to knock away his saber; they were both parallel to one another down her spine. She then spun on her heel and brought her right blade down in an arc to get him to raise his blade over his head. While she did, she swing her left from a lower arc that would hopefully cut him from his waist across. When he again would dodge or deflect her sabers he'd taunt her by examining her mind, saying she did not fight with anger. He again pushed his ideology that she had goodness and Light within her. It made Eriana laugh again.

"You do not know the power of the Dark side. I am gifted with true knowledge and understanding. I serve the Dark side as it is the reason I even exit. I swore fealty to the Force, and I will not let some would-be Jedi try to undermine my faith."

Eriana continued at him again now changing up her style to begin attacking one strike after another in quick succession. Eriana had spent hours and hours attacking dummies to strike as quickly as she could and as accurately as she could. She knew real combat would be different but she had mastered her own form so that she wouldn't cross her blades and get them stuck in the crook of her elbows or end up in a position where she couldn't turn around quick enough. As the two fought, they ended up doing a lot of circles and crossing into each other's blind spots but Eriana for some reason seemed to not get deterred by him trying to get to a spot where she couldn't see. The reason for that was she didn't need to. She was so tapped into the Force that she saw his blades even when they were behind her. It wasn't unusual for a Force potential to block things without turning their heads, but Eriana seemed like it was second nature and not just acting on instinct.

Finally after a good five minutes of continuous hits she'd jump over him, flipping twice before landing several feet behind him. She had an upset look on her brow and her lips were folded in a creased line. She was clearly angry with how things were going. How could this person be as skilled as her? No. He even seemed to be besting her. She had two lightsabers; he only had one! And he was keeping pace with her to the point she couldn't get ahead. She needed to change tactics. Eriana took a deep breath to calm herself for she could feel the anger inside her welling up. It was foolish to fight in rage. Her mind needed to be clear and unhindered. She'd then stand up tall and switch styles again. Her right foot was planted in front of her and so was her blade, making a clean vertical line she was standing on from shoulder to wrist, to saber, to ankle. Her left arm would then cross behind her and hold gently at the base of her back. If he wanted to fight with one blade, she would do the same. At least until the point she could get in him at a disadvantage, then she'd swing with her left and cut him down once and for all.

"I don't know who trained you, Vance. But I am curious to learn everything there is to know. Are you sure you do not wish to submit to something far greater than yourself. Let your will serve the Dark side. It is after all the true power in this universe. Let yourself obey the Dark and there you will know true peace. Join me."

 

[Vuthari]

Wrenklin Spaceport – Storage Warehouses
Nar Shaddaa

Vu’thari, while confident in his prowess over the Sith, had to tread carefully. She was very dangerous and a skilled combatant. If he was unfocused for even the briefest of seconds, he knew it could be the end of him. But the Force was flowing through him, guiding his blade as the combat continued. His limbs were tired and he knew hers were as well. But he was concentrating on her mind as they fought—and there could be no distractions with that kind of focus. Regardless, he began building the Force in his left hand.

Her blades moved with deadly quickness, pressing the attack time and time again, but Vu’thari was able to duck, dodge, parry and move to match her speed and ferocity with a serenity in combat that he found himself in when deeply engrossed in combat.

She spoke to him again, egging him on, speaking to him about the power of the dark side and her fealty to the dark side. Vu’thari had heard this brainwashing rhetoric time and time again.

He answered calmly as he counterattacked and she moved quickly out of reach, “Peace is a lie, Eriana, but so is this existence that you call life...it too, is a lie”

Seemingly frustrated she could not find any openings in the Jedi Master’s defense, she shifted out one of her lightsabers behind her and held the other out in front of her in a duelist’s stance.

Makashi…interesting.

Wielders of Makashi were deadly duelists, treating their lightsabers much like fencing blades and that style of combat. It was an effective approach when in a lightsaber fight. But he was a Jedi and using a lightsaber was just a part of what it meant to be a Jedi Masterr. When he approached her closer, she struck and the foray was underway again. Eriana’s strikes were fast and with deadly precision. Vu’thari worked hard, on the defensive to keep the red blade away from his wiry frame.

She spoke again to the Jedi, giving the strengths of the Dark Side, inviting him to join her. He could see how this could have been effective for the acolyte in the past. Despite her dark demeanor, she was extremely attractive…a siren that would be the death of any unwary souls. A small portion of him found intrigue in the offer as her corrupting presence seeped into his soul. But Vu’thari was a Jedi Master through and through. Darkness would not come for him so easily. She wanted to know who trained him and wanted to know what he knew—he could tell she would do whatever it took to take it from him, if she could. But he still felt the glimmer of light within her, despite her evil murmurs. Protecting his soul against her dark influence, he concluded, “You live a hollow life, Lady Eriana Fox, empty like a husk. You will continue to live this life of hate and you will see that you missed life’s opportunities. You will never know trust, happiness, comradery, or love. I pity you...”

As she considered his words and retreated back from his latest counter attack, the Force that had been building in his left hand shot out in the form of powerful telekinesis, a force blast that slammed into her chest with bone-crushing force. She sailed through the air and slammed into a freight container 15 meters away and crumpled unmoving against the durasteel structure.

Vu’thari was not entirely certain why he held back on the force of the blow. He knew he didn’t want to kill the Sith, but could not find the reason why. Did he believe she would be redeemed one day? No. But he could not shake the feeling that there was always a possibility that her light could find its way out…

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

The man calling himself Vance would again try to get through to her. Peace is a lie. But so was her life. According to him she was living a lie. If infuriated the girl. How could he say such blasphemy? Eriana was a servant of the Dark side. Nothing about that was more true. In fact, she was probably the closest one to the truth, compared to all of her Sith brethren that is. They abused the gifts of the Dark. She embraced them and took them with gratitude.

"You're lying!" the girl screamed at the man. "I am a loyal servant! I live my life for the glory of the Sith Empire! For the Dark side that has held it all together! You dare say I am living a lie? I will cut out your tongue!"

Her anger was building in her like she never had felt before. Eriana was usually so full of clarity that she never got angry. And when she did she kept it in check, letting only her tongue and wits get the better of her. She was spiteful at her worst. But now all that sense was gone. She couldn't understand why this was happening. This man was battling her with such skill and expertise she couldn't get a foothold. And he was doing so with only one blade! How insulting!

They went at it again, him carefully dodging her blade and countering her. This only made her more furious. She felt the Force building in his hand, or rather saw it in her own little way. That's what the Force gave to her. She could see the Force like the wind circling inside his palm and being absorbed into a greater orb when he moved. She needed to stop him! She needed to get close! Another burst of anger ran threw her because she knew if she didn't stop him soon she would lose.

"Please, Darkness. Hear my prayer. Do not let this faithful servant fall today. Give me strength to defeat your enemies."

Praying to the Force she hoped the mystic energy would hear her call. She pulled out her other blade and began swinging it along with the fray, returning to a less structured style and more of an all-out desperation to cut off one of his arms. Vance wold continue to attack her pride as he baited her with more insults. Claiming she was living a hollow life, like an empty husk! The nerve! Eriana had never felt so full. She knew her place in life and what more could one person want?

And another thing he was wrong about. Apparently with her lifestyle she'd never know trust, happiness, friendship, love. Eriana could prove him wrong with the name of one person. The very same person she was fighting to protect now. This seemingly normal Nagai with no affinity for the Force had come into her life not but a hear ago and had changed her view drastically. For a time she thought that those things were lost to her. But she felt them. And a part of her admitted it to him. He...didn't really reciprocate in those feelings.

Eriana stopped her attack and stalled for a moment. Her blades lowered. Wait, why was she feeling like this? Was it because she was a Sith that her advances were not taken literally? And that was all the distraction Vance needed. Eriana swore loudly as she came back to reality and felt the powerful orb he'd created come into a powerful radiant blast. Eriana stood staring forward in helpless defeat. The Force was betraying her. She would die now, and join the Force. Maybe this was her purpose....

Closing her eyes she barely felt the blast pummel into her and slam her into the metal wall some distance back. She'd lost consciousness almost immediately after being hit. There was nothing else to it. She'd surrendered to her fate and now she was dead. Only...she still felt alive. The pain began to burn all of her senses making Eriana feel like fire was inside her chest. She couldn't move. She could only manage to click her comm link device on and speak one last thought to her partner.

"Talo....abort the mission. I've....-"

She wanted to tell him she'd been compromised, that she was likely either going to die or be captured. But her body couldn't handle the sudden pain and began shutting down everything to compensate for it. She wanted to tell him to run and flee for someone far more powerful than she was coming after them. She also wanted to tell him...her feelings for him. In hopes that in her dying breath she could at least let him know she'd been serious.

But the Force would not allow Eriana to die just yet. Even with her severe injuries there wasn't much of a chance she'd pass away anyways. She was mostly worried about getting captured and then....being someone's prisoner. But the Imperial Republica would come to her aid. Far down the street a raid party would coincidentally come their way. Seeing the man with the green saber and the woman in their own insignia, they knew something was up. They'd start heading their way to investigate what the situation was. Vance could stay and fight them...or head to the bunker as was his original task and stop that team. The same team Eriana had just instructed to abort.

 

[Vuthari]

Wrenklin Spaceport – Storage Warehouses
Nar Shaddaa

Reaching out, he sensed that not only was she not dead, she was still conscious. With the quiet around him after his attack on the Sith acolyte, he heard the call for the operation to be aborted. But Vu’thari wanted to ensure those supplies did not find their way to Imperial forces on Nar Shaddaa. They would likely only get one shot at taking advantage of the scenario on the Smuggler’s Moon, so Vu’thari was going to do his part to make sure he completed his task. Enhancing his limbs to carry him quickly down the winding maze of freight containers, the Jedi Master peaked around the corner and saw the pair of dropships there that had unloaded their cargo on the docks. However, most of the Imperials were quickly making their way over to Eriana’s position. The Sith acolyte would survive…and he truly hoped that she would find the light within her. The twi’lek drew attention to that part of her that was being smothered and brought it into the open, but did not know what she would do with that. In fact, Vu’thari figured he would never know.

As the soldiers quickly marched past, the Jedi enhanced his speed slightly again to the nearest dropship. The pilot was walking out of the lowered cargo bay door to smoke. With a rapid gesture of reaching out and pulling his right arm back towards him, the surprised pilot was yanked off of his feet and went flying through the air and slammed into the other docked dropship. Rushing up the ramp, the Jedi Master quickly made his way to the cockpit and closed the cargo bay door and fired up the sublight engines. Already warm from their landing perhaps an hour past, it didn’t take long for the Jedi Master to get the dropship off the ground. Wheeling the ship around, the twi’lek backed the ship up and brought up the targeting computer. With the front mounted laser cannons, Vu’thari targeted the remaining dropship and after half a dozen shots, caused the docked ship to explode in a ball of flaming durasteel. Switching targets, the Jedi Master began unloading the laser cannons into the unloaded freight containers meant for resupplying the Empire on Nar Shaddaa. Once the dock was a blazing inferno of scrap metal and destroyed containers, the twi’lek wheeled the dropship around and went further into the main hub of the Smuggler’s Moon. He eventually found a clearing and left the dropship there. He knew it wouldn’t be long before some “enterprising locals” took advantage of the “gift” left to them. Vu’thari reported in to Commander Ion and went on to his next mission.

His thoughts came back to the Sith acolyte from time to time, curious if she would walk a different path…

THE END​

@EmilyHuene