Ask Mimban Dark Force Rising

Ky Maryk

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The village was right where Saul said it would be, in the forests of the muddy continent just north of Mimban's equator. Ky set his ship down a ways from the village, so as not to arouse suspicion, and made the rest of the journey on foot. The Force felt... strange in this place. The usual cold he associated with the dark side was not present; the Force simply felt drained. Empty. As though something horrific had been done to wound the village and the forest around it.

When Ky reached the edge of the village he braced himself on the nearest building, all of which looked more like crudely constructed tents than actual abodes. Mere contact with the rusted durasteel frame of the building triggered a powerful vision. He saw the dark figure Saul had spoke of arrive in the village—saw his crimson blade fall upon an unsuspecting trio of medics. Ky's breath became labored as he continued to watch. To observe as the figure drained every last drop of life energy from more of the villagers. And then he saw the figure face down Saul.

The Knights of Ren... have returned, and with it, we bring a swift strike of redemption. This galaxy has succumbed to devastation far beyond your salvation, Jedi...

Ky resurfaced from his vision in a cold sweat. Everything Saul had said was true. And it was worse. Not just a single Knight... The Knights of Ren had returned. There were more of them out there somewhere. It was only upon this realization that Ky glanced up towards the rest of the village. It was clear that the isolation of the village had prevented anyone from cleaning it up in the weeks it had been since Saul had faced the Knight here. The bodies of the villagers still littered its empty contours. Some were in a bad state of decay, while others had sunken into the mud.

Ky's hand went to his lightsaber as he crept into the interior of the village. Though the likelihood that the Knight was still around was slim, he didn't want to take any chances. Not with monsters that were capable of this... @Darasuum
 

Kai

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It had not been easy at first for Malakai to conceal his presence in the force. The Grysk had practiced a great deal when idle. Part of him wondered if his use of various recreational substances had a hand in it. But as Kai continued to use it he naturally got more adept. Some people have small weights and do grip exercises at their desk but Kai would just focus on making himself more unnoticable of his presence in the force so that he appeared like any other person on the surface.

Physically, Kai was definitely different than most people. His gaunt features appeared to resemble a human skull to a degree. His clothes were fairly average and were clearly the type a street punk from Nar Shaddaa might wear. On his hip he had his blaster pistol and in his hand he had a sheathed vibrosword. The last time he was here there had been a ton of spiders so he even carried an E-11 blaster rifle.

The Grysk crouched over some containers that had been toppled over at some point. His blaster rifle hung from a sling but he pushed it behind him and out of the way. That friggin moron. He was way too sloppy. Should have done this before he left.Then again, this place is a damn swamp. Maybe they won't be able to piece more stuff to- His thoughts stopped as he saw motion ahead. Snapping up his head he stood up and brought his blaster up wanting to make sure he had a weapon on anyone that might be trying to take a shot at him. His blaster rifle dangled on its sling, bumping against his thigh from the the Grysk practically jumping to his feet. Sector Ranger, outlaw, bounty hunter? The criminal did not know.

@Malon
 

Ky Maryk

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There were no survivors. Nothing. Just the dead and their last memories imprinted on all the buildings around him. But Ky was interested in something he had noticed. In his initial vision, he had seen the Knight of Ren use a lightsaber. The medics he had found dead on the outskirts of the village had backed his vision up; they each bore lightsaber wounds. But these villagers had regular vibro-sword wounds... almost as if their murderer had switched weapons. But, why?

A lightsaber was more efficient. Unless...

The Force rang out in warning. He wasn't alone. Instinctively, Ky thumbed the switch on the hilt of his weapon and, with a snap-hiss, an amethyst bar of plasma burst from the emitter of his own lightsaber. Its dull hum kept him company, while the blade itself cast long violet shadows across the narrow streets between buildings. He kept his blade raised defensively, his senses sharp in case of an ambush. But, thus far, he had seen little physical evidence of a presence in the village.

So, he tried a different approach. "Come on out," he shouted. "I know you're there. I can sense you."

But who? A scared villager? Someone else? Or the assailant come back to clean up after his sloppy mess? On this, the Force was mute. Ky hated when it did that. @Darasuum
 
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Kai

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The Grysk did not see who it was so much as hear them at first. The snap-his of a lightsaber was not unknown to him. Kai did not have a lightsaber though. His hand tightened around the sheath in his grasp at the sound of the voice of a man. It could have been any voice really. But it still made him anticipate some threat.

Kai did not move from his spot. His hand stayed pointed towards the corner where the voice had come from. The Grysk looked around somewhat, trying to sense if there were others nearby. But as the cover Legionnaire stood there with his pistol pointed he could only sense the singular presence of the man. He did not push deeper or try to glean anything else with the force. Anything more would possibly be sensed and the last thing Kai wanted was to have any more suspicion that he was a dark sider.

A plan had quickly formed in the ghoulish man's mind. When he spoke he did so with a heavy Nar Shaddaa accident. It came naturally. "You're the one who's hiding, koochoo!" The Grysk shifted his weight slightly to get a more comfortable and firm stance. Kai had stood up suddenly and had prioritized speed. But thanks to the hesitation of the person that had approached he had time to adjust a little. "You ain't gonna have as easy of a time killin' me. I'm strapped boi."

@Malon
 

Ky Maryk

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Ky whirled to face the strange alien. From this new angle, his lightsaber was safely between him and the alien's raised blaster, and he could get a better look at the one who dared to call him a koochoo. The alien was unlike any Ky had ever seen before. Leathery skin, a tapered, skull-like face with sunken eyes. What Outer Rim slime hole had it crawled out of?

"Lower your weapon," Ky said firmly, falling back on his law enforcement training. "I don't mean you any harm. I'm just trying to find out what happened here." And you, looking like the Angel of Death, seem like a great place to start, he wanted to add but didn't. "Who are you? And why are you hiding here among the dead?" @Darasuum
 

Kai

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When the Jedi came into view Kai saw the glowing saber and the braided head of the man wielding it. His muscles tensed as he reaffirmed his stance with the outstretched blaster. But he kept his finger from pulling back the trigger. "Your's first." He said immediatly in response so that the human knew he was not even considering the request unless he did not feel threatened. A bright energy sword capable of slicing through almost anything tended to not make him feel very safe.

Kai did not say anything when the Jedi was trying to convey he was peaceful. He wondered how hard it was for the dark skinned stranger to do that when staring at the dark sider's macabre visage. "Malakai Beck...I have business here, the kind Jedi don't have jurisdiction on. Or at least I did before...this happened. Did one of your kind kill these people?" He was not going to reveal too much right off the bat. But he angled his body as if to non-threateningly gesture to the slaughter around them.

Kai used his real name. That was fine. He had been using it for years on Nar Shaddaa. If anything, the man would just find information about a street punk who sells spice and has a record of petty crime. But no link to the Sith Eternal. Malakai Beck, the King of the Underworld, he heard the mocking yet friendly voice in his own imagination. That was who he was trying to be in every sense of the way. His cover story for coming to Mimban was as good as fact inside his own mind by now. The trick to deception is keeping it as close to the truth as possible. He thought to himself. Kai was here as a simple criminal but the Jedi had yet to even learn that information. "You are a Jedi right?" He added to make it sound like he was some common galactic citizen, ignorant of the force and its practicitioners or related organizations.

@Malon
 

Ky Maryk

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Ky still didn't feel completely comfortable, but, given the situation, there was only one way to build trust. He extinguished his lightsaber and belted it.

Then, shaking his head, he said, "I am, but this was not one of mine. These bodies—" He gestured to the ones around him "—were impaled by virbo-weapon of some kind. There were some bodies near the outskirts of the village that bore lightsaber wounds, though. It's almost as if whoever did this started killing with a lightsaber, but then switched to a more mundane weapon to cover their tracks." He deliberately left out the part above the vision he had. The one with the red lightsaber. Commoners wouldn't understand visions or the importance of lightsaber colors.

"A friend of mine, another Jedi, said the assailant was a masked man calling himself a 'Knight of Ren,'" he glanced sideways at Makakai. "Does that ring any bells to you?" @Darasuum
 

Kai

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The glowing blade made the equally unique sound of deactivating, the blue light shrinking into the handle before disappearing entirely. Kai took his finger off the trigger of his blaster and lowered it. But he did not holster it. It was just the first step towards falsified trust but the Grysk, or rather what he believed to be appropriate, kept him from de-arming.

The Jedi explained what had happened around them. The dark sider listened and looked around trying to see if there was something he could use for his plan. But the surroundings were of a humble village and lacked a lot of the characteristics of a more technological environment.

Kai shrugged at the question. Technically, he did not know who he was really. The Knights of Ren always wore masks. "So who ever did this beat a jedi? Sounds like y'all" He did not hide the sense of impression that would have been felt by any group of ne'er do wells. The Jedi were an order of beings devoted to righteousness. Their history thwarting evildoers and vanquishing criminals. An ordinary criminal would get a kick out of hearing a jedi fail. Kai was not afraid of enjoying that tidbit as he began walking back towards some of the crates he had been examining though he kept the Jedi in sight.

@Malon
 

Ky Maryk

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If Ky was aware of the Grysk's glee at the thought of a Jedi being defeated, he didn't show it. He was too busy picking through and stepping over bodies. Examining walls for carbon scoring. Anything he could find that would give him a clue as to who the mysterious assailant was and where he went. But he was also keeping his eye on the stranger. Malakai. He didn't trust the guy. He didn't trust anyone, really, but that guy in particular. Something about him was off.

"There were whispers from Ukio too. A whole squadron of masked goons showed up and attack food storage facilities," Ky went on, still trying to make conversation. He was also slowly drawing the Force inside himself, but only as a last resort. "I figured it was the same people. Which means that there is a whole group of Dark Jedi out there somewhere. Dunno how big they are or what their goals are." He glanced across the yard at Malakai and arched his brow. "You look like a spacer. Heard any rumors like these?"

He was lying. The Grysk looked more like a death angel than a spacer. And there was something weird about him in the Force too. Ky could sense him, like any other living being, but it was like seeing him through a foggy mirror. Like there was more to see, but it was hidden underneath all the condensation. He had never known another being to feel quite like that, but he couldn't for the life of him understand why. @Darasuum
 

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He did not really care about the plight of the planet Ukio. He listened to the Jedi's words and kept picking through some of the debris. "Sucks for the people of Ukio." He said apathetically he stopped and hunched over an open crate using the act to disguise him focusing more on the force.

He was trying to muddle the surrounding area. There was not a lot he could do about physical evidence at this point. At least not without Ky growing more suspicious. So he would mix the remnants in the force. It would feel misty in the area around the two force sensitives when it came to the area around the village. There was nothing Kai could do about removing the memories of this place but he could mix them together like a pallet of colors until they were too mixed that they were not decipherable as individual instances.

"I hear lots of rumors. Angels flying at the edges of hyperlanes, exogorths that can eat a star destroyer whole. There's always talk about boogie men. " He replied and added a cough at the end. He maintained focus, occasionally shifting around some of the items in the crate before him so it looked and sounded like he was pouring over the contents. The covert legionnaire maintained his personal cloak in the force. He could already feel his brow sweating.

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Ky Maryk

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Ky arched a brow, clearly not convinced. "Yeah, and every time that's happened, there's been a boogie man."

The Confederacy. The Sith. The Empire. The First Order. Palpatine resurgent. Ky wasn't about to give this man a history lesson here among the dead, but galactic history typically spoke to the fact that, if something suspicious was going on, someone dark was behind it.

He eased himself a little closer to the stranger. He still didn't know quite what was going on here, but the longer he stayed, the more things didn't make sense. Why come to a dead village for business? Why stay and pick around after you saw the village was dead? Unless you were up to no good...

"Malakai, was it? What business brings you to a dead place like this?" Ky asked.

He didn't reach for his saber, but he tethered a string of Force energy to it so that he could quickly yank it into his hand should the situation suddenly go sour. @Darasuum
 

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"Minding my own business. You should try it sometime." He said roughly. It was not uncalled for. The man's foot steps were getting closer and he was poking around in Kai's fake and real business.

He continued to rustle a bit. The Grysk intentionally adjusted his posture to show that he was not suddenly feeling friendly just because he was not pointing a blaster at the Jedi. They were still strangers after all. "Go find a swamp spider to cuddle up with if you want to get to know someone." A sigh followed. He remembered running from those things. They were far from pleasant.

@Malon
 

Ky Maryk

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Ky narrowed his eyes. No. That wasn't going to do. That wasn't going to do at all.

"I'm here on an officially sanctioned investigation," Ky proclaimed. "This is my business, and you're right in the middle of it. Near as I can figure it, your business is dead." He gestured to the bodies around them. "But that doesn't seem to have perturbed you, or even particularly dissuaded you. So, I'll ask one last time: what exactly is your business here?"

His hand dropped to the hilt of his lightsaber. Something funky was going on here. The Force felt out of balance and fuzzy. And it hadn't felt like that when he first arrived. Ky wasn't a betting man, but, if he was, he would bet on the anomaly being connected with this strange, skull-faced stranger. Why else would you pick around a dead village? @Darasuum
 

Kai

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The man continued to speak but Kai focused on the surrounding area. A few extra moments after the man posed his question, the Grysk turned his head to the side. Looking over his shoulder he was done with his tainting of the memories. A presence of darkness would be felt by any who focused on the area or the items within it but details would not be retrievable beyond what Ky had already precieved.

Malakai took a deep breath and a following sigh, as if he realized he was not going to be able to dance around why he was really here. "You got a badge?" He asked as he stood up. Taking his skeletal gloves he brushed the dirt from his knees and where he had collected any dirt but gave up after a moment. The mud tended to stick to fibers.

"You're right though." His head turning to look at the corpses like they were just damaged objects and had not been living beings. The Grysk was a macabre visage but even more so than others of his species. He looked tired and worn. But lack of sleep, eighty hour days on Nar Shaddaa, copious quantities of illicit substances, it tended to have an affect. "I had a stash here of some important....things. Either I forgot where it was, it got stolen, or...I don't know use your imagination cuz I'm not finding it." That was his cover after all.

Sobriety was setting in though. Malakai knew what that meant. "Do Jedi drink? He casually pulled around his backpack and fished out his flask to take a sip. Come on darling. He won't hear me. Let me stay. The one hundred proof liquor filled the flask only half way. He would need to get a refill if he was going to keep the other voices out.

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Kai

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The man's silence was fine. "More for me." Shrugging he took a follow up swig and then resealed the flask. Putting it away he moved around the immediate site but walked further away. His objective had more or less been completed. There was no reason for him to stick around.

Making sure to keep on the firmer ground he threw down his hover board and took his time heading back to his ship. The swamps were dangerous. To make certain he also wasn't followed by the Jedi he reached outward. "Not to mention those karking spiders." Just thinking about the last time he had been on Mimban made him wrinkle his face slightly.

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