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[Trys Aran]

OOC: Takes place before event

Trys was crouched behind a speeder and jamming a new pack into her blaster. She was up shit creek and almost out of ammo. She had taken two graze wounds already and she knew the next one would end her. Trys had followed a few leads out to Gamorr to another base that was tied to a larger slaving operation.

Unlike the usual thugs, this one was guarded by Sith. As soon as the Sith realized who she was, more had showed up with orders to capture her and take her to the Eternal. Trys wasn’t going down without fighting and she was hiding behind a speeder with a whimpering woman in her grasp.

“Get up,” She snapped, hoisting the woman up and pointing the pistol at her head. The woman was dressed in uniform similar to those that manned the gates. They held their guns and some held sabers.

“You’re gonna let me walk out of here,” Trys called out, “Or I blow this bitch’s brains out.”

She could hear laughing.

“You won’t be doing’ that,” A man said with a grin, “You’re one of the good guys, ain’t ya?”

 

[Talak Rand]

Where Sith and slavers were, Talak was sure to be close by. Were the Sith really so bad when he'd been a part of them? Sure, he knew they cut corners at times and did inexcusable things, but had he been this blind? Probably.

But now he was on the other side. A Jedi Knight and hunter of Sith. After a bit of badgering, he'd gotten it out of one of the Sector Rangers where Trys had gone and for what purpose.

He'd been grumpy that she hadn't invited him along - what with their history here - but now he was just glad he was here at all. The sounds of blasterfire rang out over the space between the speeders, and Talak could hear shouting. One of them he immediately recognized as her voice.

A long stream of raging thoughts poured through his mind and his attempts to be "Jedi-like" and suppress them just kind of... failed.

He came in quietly. He wasn't sure how many of them there were and he probably should have tried to get them to surrender... but he didn't. The first sign of his presence was his saber activating and slamming its white blade down from shoulder to hip through one of the men and sending another flying with a blast of the Force.

The Sith would be a tougher take down than the thug, but at least removing an extra blaster from the battle was a start.

He didn't relent from his advance, however, raining down blows on anyone in his reach and creating an opening for Trys to put rounds into them as well.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys knew she was in trouble then. She hadn’t thought far beyond using the woman as a hostage. Normally this tactic worked, but she had to remember she was dealing with heartless animals. The choice was out of her hands by then when a new figure entered the fray and a saber began to whirl and swing all around.

It took a second for her to identify exactly who it was. Once she did, she cursed under her breath. Trys took her blaster and slammed the woman on the side of the head to knock her out. She focused back on the guards, firing bolts to take them out.

The situation was going from bad to worse and they needed to make an exit. Trys moved closer to Talak and ducked behind yet another speeder, “We have to leave!” She hissed, watching him let loose and revert back to how he used to be.

Trys couldn’t help but be angry with him for finding her out here. She knew he would snap into his darker nature the moment he realized she was in danger. Trys found an opening and ran out of the compound area, avoiding any immediate fire. She knew Talak would be able to fend for himself as she rushed out. They wouldn't be able to win with brute force here.

 

[Talak Rand]

With the proper triggers, it was terrifyingly easy for Talak to slip back into his old ways. On this same planet, fighting these same types of cretins, and fighting for someone he cared about, the instincts hammered into him from childhood fought to rear their ugly heads once again. Everything was so... simple as the Arcanist.

He moved through them like death and three of the thugs lay on the ground, dead, moments later.

Go! he agreed when she said that they needed to get out of here. He wouldn't be far behind her, and as soon as she was out of the direct line of fire he turned and left.

His saber whipped around to catch a few stray blaster bolts but apart from the Sith, the others weren't in any position to pursue.

More blasterfire continued to follow them and he knew it wouldn't be long before a proper search was organized.

They could hide or they could run. For the moment, Talak had it in his mind to get around to dealing with the problem again. That meant staying close until they could counterstrike.

Here! he said, as they came upon a local store. He ducked inside and immediately made his way back to the back where he found the bathroom and motioned for her to come inside as well so that they could lock the door behind them and catch their breath.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys followed Talak into the store, not at all pleased to be holing up inside a nasty public bathroom. The idea proved to do the trick as she could hear a handful of people rush directly past the store. She could only hope that Talak hid his Forcey signature or whatever from others picking up on it. They would give up the chase soon enough to go back to licking their wounds.

After a moment, it was completely quiet and Trys turned to scowl at Talak, “What the kriff are you doing? I had it under control,” She hissed, but the words couldn’t be further from the truth. Trys often put herself in grave danger and today was a closer call than she would have cared to admit.

“You can’t keep relapsing like that,” She said quietly, the tone of anger missing this time. Her expression softened and she looked over him, “Are you hurt?”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak did indeed suppression his presence in the Force as they waited out their pursuers. In hindsight he probably should have expected her to be angry with him for showing up uninvited, but the thought hadn't really crossed his mind before now. When she swore that she had it under control, he simply cast her a glance that was doubtful.

He let out a quiet breath as he began to "come down." His hands were still shaking and he clenched one of them at his side, half hiding it behind his leg in the hopes of escaping notice. He knew he shouldn't be using emotion to fuel his combat, but there were some situations where it was just too easy. Still, it wasn't nearly as all-consuming as it used to be. It was a foot in the pool rather than a headfirst dive.

I wasn't relapsing, he said quietly as he bristled, and now it was his turn to be entirely unconvincing.

No, I'm fine. Are you? he asked, always more concerned about her well being than his own. He had taken a few close calls, but thankfully hadn't been in the battle long enough to sustain any real injury.

He glanced back toward the door, hearing the men go by before looking back at her. Without much warning, he put his hand around the back of her neck, pulled her in and kissed her. They didn't see each other often enough, and as far as he was concerned that should be their customary "hello."

After a moment, he pulled back and abruptly returned his attention to the business at hand as if nothing had happened.

So what were you doing out here? More slavers? Was it a tip off from Fancy? he asked. He was - as usual - full of questions that came far too quickly, and would probably earn him a solid eye roll.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys didn’t want to argue with him, but the look on her face spoke volumes on her opinion on him relapsing. They had come too far for him to switch back to the man he was before. A small part of her, one she didn’t want to admit existed, found that darker side of him much more efficient. It took the complication of choice and morality out and simply got things done. But at what cost?

Trys was taken by surprise when he leaned in to kiss her, abruptly squashing all the thoughts going through her mind. She wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss, easing against him and remembering just how much she missed this. However, she winced after a moment and drew back, pointing to a graze wound on her side.

“It’s not a big deal,” She brushed it off before he could ask. Trys offered him a smile, “You’ve actually been gone long enough for me to miss you,” It wasn’t something she readily admitted despite their relationship.

Trys pressed her ear against the door to listen for more commotion. When she heard nothing, she put a hand on the door handle, “More slavers,” She nodded, “Fancy’s group couldn’t crack this warehouse and I think it’s because they’re working with Sith. Now that I put them on high alert, they’ll probably take the women into hiding.”

She looked back at him, “I’m not gonna tell you to be one way or the other. Just...do what you need, but not at the cost of who you are,” Trys met his gaze for a moment before turning the door handle and making her way out.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak laughed quietly as she said that she'd actually missed him, implying she didn't miss him normally. He found it cute all the same, whether she wanted him to or not. He often found that he missed her when they were apart, and he was glad that the feeling wasn't unilateral.

It shouldn't take a crime wave for us to get together, he said quietly and still smiling. He knew that he needed to focus and he forced his mind back into the moment once again.

He was about to start fussing over her injury, but she was already making for the door before he got a chance. A tip off from Fancy, so he wondered if she and her girls had any more information for the two of them. If the prisoners were going to be moved then that meant things were likely to get a lot uglier.

I... I will, he assured her after she gave her warning. He knew he needed to be careful. If he slipped back into who he was, he would lose her anyway. That would be almost as bad as if he lost her. No, that wasn't something he could allow to happen. He would have to be careful.

They were out of the store in short order and back onto the street. It could be difficult to evade the patrols out looking for them, so Talak didn't fancy staying on the open street any longer than they had to.

Come on, he said, flicking his head toward one of the local cabs. It was droid run, which meant no one to ask questions, concealment, and more rapid transit. Talak hunched down in the seat so as to be less visible and they took the ride to see Fancy.

Thankfully, the trip went without incident, and after a bit of mutual stubbornness, he patched up her injury during the trip.

They arrived at the large house shortly thereafter. It had been the functional base of operations for their little liberation movement for the past several years. Although it was large, it was quite crowded, with two or three to a room. They each had been former slaves themselves and were now dedicated to seeing that life undone for others.

Out front, a young Mirialan girl no more than twenty immediately recognized Trys from her last visit and ran up.

Oh Detective, it's so good to see you, she said, always insisting on calling Trys Detective regardless of anything Trys might say. The young girl was a massive fan, and it was clear that she wanted to grow up to be just like Trys when she was older.

Did you get the men at the warehouse? she asked quietly, remembering that loudly announcing the groups intentions was not wise in the open.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys lost the argument and let him patch her up as best he could. It was true that they mostly ran into one another when blaster bolts were flying in all directions. It had been some time since they had a bit of down time. She still hadn’t had a formal introduction between Talak and Crix, and that made it even more difficult to have a normal relationship.

As the girl perked up and came over, Trys couldn’t help but smile. She had grown as a woman, so much stronger than the meek little girl she started as. At this point she didn’t mind being called Detective - after all that was how a lot of Holonet referred to her.

“We got many, but not all,” Trys admitted, “Where’s Iris?”

Iris was Fancy’s second in command, a bulky woman that looked as if she could break most men in half. The young girl led Trys and Talak towards the basement of the house which opened up into what looked like a bunker. They were led into an empty room and told to wait.

It was then that Trys looked at Talak, “I...haven’t been entirely honest,” She said quietly, meeting his gaze, “Fancy has been taken,” She finally admitted. She had held back because she knew it would be more likely to flip the switch for Talak. Even he had grown to be protective over her.

“The only lead I had was back to that warehouse and I worry that…” She thought of the time they came across those dead bodies hanging from trees. No, she shook her head, she couldn’t allow herself to think that. Fancy had information and they would want that. Which meant even worse things were likely happening to her to extract knowledge.

“Only Iris and a few others know,” Trys explained, “Otherwise there would be a full blown panic. So far we think Sith are involved.”

 

[Talak Rand]

As Trys asked for Iris rather than fancy, Talak frowned. That was unusual. They were led quickly inside as several of the girls cast glances back toward the pair. Something wasn't right, though Talak hadn't a clue what it was.

When they got inside and Trys told him the truth, there was a wave of emotions that threatened to wash over him. First anger at Trys for not telling him, then fear for Fancy, then anger at the slavers and Sith for taking her.

His fist clenched at his side and he took a deep breath in to calm himself.

No, he said, firmly and a bit more harshly than he intended when Trys's sentence trailed off. Talak refused to let this happen. He wouldn't allow her to be killed or worse.

If the warehouse was the last lead we had, then we need to go back there, he said, but even as he said it, he knew that it was probably a bad idea. But what other choice did they have? Unless...

Or... he said, pausing as he thought. He frowned and tapped his finger on the table in front of him.

Or we go after the Sith, he said. If anyone knew where Fancy would be, it would be him.

But we need to get you all out of here, he said, looking up to Trys and Iris. I know we don't want to cause a panic, but if they come here, things are going to go very badly, he said. He didn't have the heart to mention all the horrid techniques Sith could use to torture people or break their minds. He knew Fancy was strong, but a person could only hold out for so long.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys shook her head, “Evacuating this place is risky. They’ve set this place up like a fortress. They have traps and sentries everywhere. Trust me, anyone that tries to break in will lose too much to make it worth it.”

He had to trust her. He simply had to. They had no time to argue about it before she turned to Iris, “Give us the best Force user killers you have,” She hated that Talak suggested going after the Sith, but she couldn’t argue with that idea.

“We will take just two others,” Trys said firmly, “I want to limit how many people we put in danger. Also we need explosives.”

Trys turned to look at Talak, “Where do we start?”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak didn't like it, but he knew they didn't have time to argue. Not to mention, he got the distinct impression that arguing wouldn't get him anywhere. Neither of the two women seemed at all interested in evacuating.

Fine, he relented. He agreed that they would need help, and explosives never hurt. Now they just needed to figure out how to actually pull this off.

He once again cursed the fact that all of his skills were based around the Sith. He knew an alchemy technique that was incredible for tracking people down, but it required a lot of blood, some raw and visceral emotions, and a very dark place that he didn't want his mind to wander again.

If we get close to him, I can track him at short distances, but it'll leave me very... vulnerable, he said. Non-Sith techniques required meditative-level focus that couldn't be broken. In the process of doing so, he was extremely vulnerable to being murdered in unsavory ways.

We'll need him alive, but maybe we can lure him into a trap, he said. He'd prefer a version of this where he didn't have to duel the man lest he accidentally kill him or be killed in the process.

Let's head back to the warehouse and see what we find. If they're in a position we can split them up maybe we can use the explosives to eliminate some, he said.

Iris went to get two of her fighters and Talak looked back to Trys. He figured at any moment Trys would volunteer to be the bait, and he hated the idea with every fiber of his being.

They were back in a speeder with two other women and a trunk full of explosives within five minutes. Talak had to admit he was impressed by how quickly they operated. Efficiency was critical, though.

One of the women drove them back to an area near the warehouse and Talak suppressed his presence in the Force once again.

If I start tracking him, it'll be like a beacon to him. I'll know where he is, but he'll know where I am, he said. And then a small army of thugs would be coming after them.

If one of you stays to drive and keeps me moving, we can probably lure him out. The other two of you can hopefully get the drop on him, he said. He'd seen the weapons they packed and knew they were the Sith take-down variety. Chief among them were sonic weapons. Very difficult to deal with.

Or we can try to set some explosives on his speeder first. When he comes out, we blow them and he crashes. Small yield, nothing that'll kill him, he said, starting to think that sounded like the better idea of the two.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys helped organize everything, quickly getting to work and preparing. She felt tense about this, but she knew something had to be done soon. As Talak spoke about being a beacon, Trys grimaced.

“Not a chance,” She paused, “I don’t want to reveal our cards before we know what we’re up against.”

As they began to formulate their plans, there were some whispers along the front gates. From the looks of it, the soldiers were all pointing their guns at someone who was explaining that he was just a courrier. After some bickering, one of the women came back with a package for Iris.

Trys watched silently as Iris slowly opened the package to reveal a box. After she opened it, there was an audible gasp and a hiss. The Ranger had a bad feeling as she slowly stepped over to inspect the contents.

Inside it was a finger that belonged to Fancy, along with a note likely written in her blood. It simply said “Don’t follow Detective”. Nothing more needed to be said to give a warning, and it immediately told them what would happen if they tried anything overt.

Trys felt weak, stepping back and lowering her gaze. She was to blame for this, but she wouldn’t say the words aloud. Everyone standing there knew it.

“The only way to do this…” She said softly, “Is to do this quietly,” Trys slowly looked up at Talak, “And leaving no loose ends..”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak's attention was pulled to the commotion at the front door and he could sense that something was very wrong. Although no one seemed to know what yet, a sense of foreboding swept over Talak as he followed the package carrier.

The package was opened to reveal a box and the contents of that box were horrifying. A seething rage crept up in Talak and he took deep breaths to try to keep it at bay. He could see that Trys was shaken too, though the emotion flowing from her was as much grief and regret as anything else.

He heard what Trys said, but he didn't say anything for a moment. There were too many emotions bouncing around in his mind: fear for Fancy, anger at the Sith, pain at Trys's guilt, and the trepidation about the path this could lead him down.

He knew it wasn't the most Jedi thing to go in without intention of taking prisoners, but hesitation would cost innocent lives.

Okay, he said quietly. His face was hard and steely like it used to be.

It's time to make sure these slavers don't come back, he said. He could only hope that they could save Fancy. And that she wasn't already dead. His own thoughts about taking captives was gone. Even if they captured the Sith, he wouldn't tell them anything.

We all know the risks. Always have, he said, looking at Trys. This wasn't her fault even though he knew she blamed herself. Fancy had made her choice to take part in this war, and that wasn't Trys's fault.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys had to keep emotions off her face, which normally wasn’t a problem. Fancy had found a special place in her heart, and she knew it was the same with Talak. If it were as bad as she expected, she knew she wouldn’t hold Talak back from snapping. If she had those powers, she would unleash them in the worst ways on anyone that hurt Fancy.

“We need to cause an organic and believable diversion,” She explained quietly, “Then Talak and I will infiltrate. We can’t risk open combat, so we need to try and extract her.”

If Talak didn’t protest, Trys would hop into a speeder and beckon for him. She went past the guards as she drove, the sight of the finger still burned into her mind.

“I won’t stop you,” She said after a moment, “If you snap. I won’t stop you because I wouldn’t want you to stop me,” Trys sighed.

Trys continued to drive until she came close to the warehouse but along an overlook. They were in communication with Iris and her team and she had told them to hold off for now.

She walked out of the speeder and took out a set of macrobinocs, looking down at the damage she had left behind earlier.

“I haven’t confirmed yet whether Fancy’s in there,” She said, “Is this something you can...sense?”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak was quiet when she said she wouldn't hold him back. Part of him was sad for that. She was perhaps the greatest positive influence in his life, and while it wasn't fair to put that on her, he wasn't sure he wanted her to be okay with those things that he did. She had helped pull him out of it.

It may not come to that, he finally said quietly. He didn't want it to come to that. He could do this without snapping, couldn't he.

They made it back to the facility in short order and there was still destruction left behind.

It's... hard to say, he answered. In order to probe further, he would have revealed their presence, which was something that they couldn't allow. They needed the element of surprise here.

He took a moment to center himself, trying to purge any of the anger from himself without much success. Killing without emotion was allowed, wasn't it? So all he had to do was remove the emotion. Right. Easy.

Let's go, he said. The sun was already starting to go down and Talak moved toward the side of the gate and stopped. He knew the girls would be doing something soon, and when they did, the pair of infiltrators needed to be ready.

It came shortly. He didn't know what they had managed, but at least a dozen or more criminal-types ran out of the building and hopped into a variety of speeders before racing off. His eyebrow arched, and he wondered what they had managed, but he knew they couldn't waste the time.

He reached out with the Force and manipulated the lock release well inside the gate, letting the side door slide open and sneaking across the open ground to get close to the warehouse.

Getting inside was surprisingly easy, but he had a feeling that whatever would come next wouldn't be so easy. He eased the door open, and it quickly became apparent that this wasn't a single room warehouse. The entire inside was like a maze of rooms with multiple floors and even basements. Finding who they were looking for in here would be difficult, but it also meant that they would be harder to find.

The shortsword eased free from its sheathe, electing it for its silence in lieu of a lightsaber just yet. They may have been in enemy territory, but they were the predators, hunting an enemy that didn't even know they were present yet.