Felucia: Clean Tactics [Flashback]

[Phoenix]

He shot her a dirty look as she asked if they could just go back. What do you think? he retorted. In truth, he would have liked to go back as well. Regroup, heal up, gear up, and maybe come back with some reinforcements. But that wasn't going to happen. Instead he pressed onward, taking his first step into the ravine when he heard her just behind him.

He spun around, less than thrilled to hear her abandoning him. Excuse me? You're just going to leave me here? Why did you even bother coming then if you're just going to turn your nose up at the mission? He resisted a very infantile desire to call her a chicken and couldn't quite fathom how she managed to bring that out of him. It was probably the "pad incident." Regardless, Venator didn't really have "better judgements" and more or less only understood charging in and getting things done, often with a saber.

Never mind that you're not getting off the planet without me... he muttered. If she went back to the Fury Chaz probably wouldn't let her onboard without him, what with the assumption that she may have killed him. They were still up in the air on that one.

Well, Venator was undeterred, if a bit unhappy, and continued the descent into the sloped ravine. As he did, the smell seemed to grow stronger and mixed with even more remains that looked like it had been ripped apart by claws. Please don't be a rancor, please don't be a rancor, please don't be a rancor... There were no sounds of whatever was down here and he kept going. It's probably a rancor... he said quietly, still not even sure if she had followed him in and suddenly remembering that one time they'd fought and there was a rancor there... ah yes, good times. The slightest sounds of footsteps were ahead as his pace slowed only to have lack of luck seize him. Snaaaaaaaaaaap broke the single loudest twig that he had ever stepped on... just not his day....

 

[Sreeya]

“I’d ask you to leave with me, but you seem hellbent on getting yourself killed, so yes, I’ll be leaving you behind!” Shae all but hissed the words before turning away and continuing to half waddle in the other direction. Pain shot through her leg and she had to grit her teeth to ignore it. The entire time she cursed Venator and blamed him for everything beginning from getting her into dangerous missions all the way to her confusion over her feelings for him. Why did she even have such thoughts for essentially the biggest jerk she knew at the time?

Huffing angrily, she squelched and splashed through swampy terrain, having no semblance of an idea of where she was going. After a long moment, she realized she needed a reliable way off the planet. She couldn’t very well use Venator’s ship as Chaz would shoot her on the spot. Grumbling to herself, she kept walking, hoping to capture and con a local into allowing her a way off. Did these people have ships anyway? She momentarily imagined them using hot air balloons to get around.

Grinning at her amusing thought, she glanced up right in time to see a tribesman running at her, arms flailing in the air. At first, she raised her saber in alert, prepared to cut him down. However, he looked right past her and rushed past without even glancing at her. Shae looked confused, glancing back at him. As she turned back around, she felt the ground shake, followed by a shrill cry. A horrified look up revealed the acklay from before, standing at full height and rampaging right towards her.

“KRIFF!” Shae turned and ran as fast as she could, completely ignoring her searing leg pain. She followed right behind the tribesman, both setting aside their differences and running for their lives. Their trajectory would put them directly where Venator was in a matter of moments.

Meanwhile, Venator would find himself unfortunately correct in assuming there was a rancor involved. The twig snapping resulted in a massive roar that would tell him that the rancor was in very close proximity. Within moments, the concerned screams of the guards transporting the shaman could be heard as the great beast emerged into view.

 

[Phoenix]

That woman... so worthless! Completely unreliable! Venator was incensed! Now he was going to have to do this all by himself and had just used up the last of his bacta on her! This was why he shouldn't let emotions come into play! Although she had given him her armor... so he had to credit her that.

On top of that, it seemed that Venator's luck had run out. He was up against the wire with a rancor now roaring at him - or the caravan - and clearly unhappy at being disturbed and hoping it had found its next meal. Venator's eyes went wide as the tribesmen came running back toward him, though they didn't seem to be worried about him, they were worried about the rancor chasing them and straight toward Venator.

On the other hand, Venator was a bad guy and wasn't so nice as to turn and run with them... well, he did run, but he left behind a little grenade behind him. It detonated, felling the front-most two guards, leaving only the shaman and the rear guard behind. The rancor paused his chase, feasting quickly on one of the fallen guards who was still alive. It bought them a few moments as Venator came scrambling out to see... oh you had to be kidding....

Here she came with a kriffing acklay in tow! This day just kept getting better. You have to be kidding me! he practically screamed at her despite being still covered in armor that didn't really fit. There were two felucians and a rancor behind him and now he was wondering if there was some way into baiting them all into a big three-way battle while he and Shae hid somewhere. Hide somewhere! he said, nearly running into her as two monsters converged on their position.

 

[Sreeya]

Shae skidded to a halt as she came face to face with Venator, hearing a tremendous roar behind him. She looked up with wide eyes, spotting a massive rancor opening its jaws and devouring a poor Felucian as it tried to protect the shaman. As Venator yelled at her in exasperation, she glared at him, “I don’t wanna hear it!!” She jumped to the side as the acklay behind her slammed down with one of its front legs.

The shaman screamed at the top of his lungs, quickly backing away as his remaining guards attempted to subdue the rancor. The acklay, now spotting the rancor, let out a shrill cry and moved in towards attacking it. A poor Felucian managed to get in its way and was casually tossed aside by one of its great front legs.

Shae didn’t need to be told twice to hide, and she jumped off the edge of the ravine into a deeper chasm. By now it was dark out, and she had to blindly trust that it would get her away from this bizarre scenario. With luck, she rolled down into a small pocket of land beneath, grimacing as she realized she fell in between corpses.

She could hear thundering noises, screaming and screeches above, but she was directly out of harm’s way. Shae got out her pistol in case that would be handier. She trusted Venator to fall in with her as he had no options. Shae glanced at him in a panic, “Can you comm Chaz to pick us up nearby? We need to get out of here now!” She chewed her lip nervously, “We’ll have to abandon the mission and hope that one of those things eats the shaman!”

 

[Phoenix]

Never afraid to scream back at him. They could argue about it later, and he figured they would, but for now, there was the issue of staying alive. He leapt off the edge after her, letting the Force tug at his body to let him land lightly on the ground. He was so caught up in the death sounds above that he almost didn't notice the piles of corpses around.

He could sense the death above and he nodded at Shae's suggestion, and clicked his ear com on. Chaz, pick us up. Come in hot, we've got company... some big company. Hone in on my tracker, he said, letting Chaz tap into the chip implanted in his shoulder. He grabbed Shae's hand and half-dragged her to the opening of the ravine they were hiding in.

The sound of laser canon fire ripped through the air an instant later as the Fury whipped in overhead, pounding the village, rancor, acklay, and anything left of the shaman into oblivion. The ship hovered above them as they came out of the ravine, ramp dropped down for the two of them to leap up to it. The canons continued their barrage, leaving very little left in their wake as Chaz tore apart the area in front of them. It was an awesome display of firepower as the airstrike finished the job for them against the now-dark horizon.

Without hesitation, Corvo climbed the ramp to enter the ship as Chaz prepared to lift away. He pulled at the unfitting armor and finally pulled off his helmet and turned to look at Shae, a glare in his eye, but at the same time happy not to be dead and to have their mission-accomplished. Good work, Chaz, get us out of here! he shouted toward the cockpit. Well? he asked, looking for an explanation as to why she'd abandoned him. You were just going to leave me out there to die? Not very reliable to take with me, I guess? he frowned, unhappy that she'd left him to die.

 

[Sreeya]

She was surprised when he agreed with her and commed for Chaz. Half of her expected him to argue and blab something about needing to complete the mission. Shae looked at his very skimpy state of attire and quirked an eyebrow, “What….tracker?” She looked him up and down curiously before looking away again.

As soon as the laser canons tore through the area, she knew it was time to move. Shae was rooted in place for a moment, almost terrified to move despite the sense of urgency. Venator made the choice for her by yanking her out, eliciting a surprised yelp as she almost fell over being dragged out. Glancing back at how much damage the ship was doing, it was clear that their objective was completed one way or another.

Shae scrambled towards the ramp, hopping on just as Chaz began to lift off. She looked back to see the half injured rancor bolting towards the ship. Shae all but rolled into the ship, toppling over Venator and sending them both tumbling inside. The ramp finally closed behind them and she could feel them lifting off.

Once they were out of immediate danger, Venator wasted no time in rounding in on her. Shae glared in response, “No! I said I wasn’t going to willingly walk into a trap! When you were under fire, wasn’t I there for you?” She pointed at the bits of armor she gave him, “Why would I lend you crucial bits of my armor if I didn’t car- If I intended to leave you to die!” She was fuming now, “I saw the dead bodies and I knew it wasn’t worth it. Well guess what? IT WASN’T WORTH IT! Look where it went!”

She rose to her feet and grumpily stormed off. She returned after a moment with new bacta packs, tossing them at him, “There! In case you were about to yell at me about your last bacta next!” She looked up to see Chaz who had just stepped in to see how they were doing. He paused halfway and awkwardly shuffled right back into the cockpit. Of course, neither Venator nor Shae knew this would be a daily occurrence.

 

[Phoenix]

How was it that this woman was able to give him a headache so easily? He stood there, rubbing his forehead and wandered off as Chaz shuffled back into the cockpit. He let out a quiet sigh as she came back and threw things at him before disappearing into his room, quickly showering and changing his clothes before emerging only a few minutes later.

He didn't know what Shae would be doing, but he went to go find her, characteristic glare on his face as he gathered up the bacta she'd thrown all over the place. Come on, we both need to patch up, he said, motioning with his head toward the medbay. It was about as close as they'd get to reconciliation since they were both too stubborn to apologize.

He didn't stop to look if she was following him as he led the way to the medical bay, taking his shirt off again to patch up both his abdominal and arm. You might actually enjoy this, he said with a grimace. So... how are your medic skills? he asked, tip of an arrow still sticking out of his left arm. It would need a numbing shot and for someone - Shae - to cut it out. From the looks of it something - probably Chaz - had happened to the medical droid, which Corvo would have to yell at Chaz for later. For now, he needed someone to put his arm back together and remove the foreign object. The novocaine and a scalpel were already laying out on a table next to the chair he took a seat in.

 

[Sreeya]

Shae had cooled off by the time Venator emerged again, and she felt silly for throwing the bacta at him earlier. One because it was childish, two because she needed some of those. After she freshened up, she walked around sheepishly aiming to pick up the bacta she threw. To her surprise, Venator also came out silently and began to do the same. To her relief, he didn’t bring up the earlier incident, and she didn’t bother doing it either. If there was one thing they had in common it was stubbornness. They would both be perfectly okay brushing this under the rug without ever properly apologizing.

She followed him to the medical bay, quickly looking away as he nonchalantly took his shirt off yet again. Did he just always look for excuses to have his clothes off?! It made it especially hard to focus. She glanced over at him, gaze lingering a bit more as he mentioned ‘enjoying this’. She gasped, completely missing what he meant, “Huh? What? I’m not enjoying this, what do you mean?” Had he caught her staring?!

Shae looked at the wound on his arm, grimacing at the arrowhead still wedged there. She picked up the shot to numb the pain, emptying it into his arm. After a moment, she grabbed the scalpel, ready to dig it out. She paused for a moment, rolling her eyes, “I’m a god damned Force user,” With that, she dropped the scalpel and concentrated on his arm with the Force. She honed the energy into a focused cone, zoning in on the arrowhead. After a moment, there was a tug in the Force, the arrowhead quivering slightly before abruptly dislodging and flying into her hand. Shae quickly set it aside, hastily working to patch him up and staunching the bleeding. Overall, the pull was a lot less invasive than fishing around with a blade, and she was able to finish off the job quickly.

“Do you really hate going on missions with me so much?” She was surprised when the words blurted out of her. She was absentmindedly patching up his arm and was making conversation with the Supreme Leader of the Sith like they were making watercooler talk, “I mean uh… I hope you know I wouldn’t seriously abandon you. Not like I can anyway.. I’d probably get executed for treason, right?” She couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly.

 

[Phoenix]

He cocked an eyebrow at her vehement response to him suggesting she would enjoy this, but he was a bit too puzzled to actually have much of a response.

He barely even flinched as she injected the numbing agent, surprised when she put the scalpel down. He felt the tugging at his arm as the arrowhead began to pull free but there was very little pain as everything in the area was numb. She began patching him up as he tried to one-handed patch up his abdominal wound. Between the bacta and the bandages, he should be right as rain in no time, or so he hoped.

His poker face broke for a second as she asked how he felt about going on missions with her. He didn't even really know how to respond, but he was the Supreme Leader,
so he needed to make sure whatever answer came out was measured, right? Yes, like that was going to actually happen. No, I don't hate going on missions with you, he paused as if he were going to say more but was having trouble coming up with the words. I have incredible trust issues. I don't know why I care that you would or wouldn't abandon me. I find myself wanting to trust you. None of these were things he could say.

I don't go out with very many people... on missions, I mean, and the people I do, I'm looking for... someone that will always have my back, he admitted. Yes, because who is going to stick their neck out for a stranger? But I guess people aren't going to stick their neck out for a stranger, right? So... I'm Corvo, he finally said, turning slightly and sticking his hand out to her in what he realized was probably entirely too professional of a greeting. And yeah, totally executed, he said, managing a little bit of a forced chuckle to try to lighten the awkward gesture.

 

[Sreeya]

She had a great time watching him as he seemingly struggled with words. She was getting more and more used to seeing him without his helmet on. There was no denying that he was quite an attractive man, though the constant grumpy expression never left him. She sometimes wondered what he looked like if he ever truly smiled. Shae focused back on the task at hand, listening to him explain about someone having his back, “You have your crew for that, don't you?” She finished patching him up. She was even slightly jealous of Terra, something that she felt ashamed for even feeling.

As he revealed his name, the surprise was clear on her face. He was the most paranoid person she had ever met, and for him to reveal his name to her was more than she could say for most of the Sith Order. She glanced down at his hand, blinking for a moment before shaking it, “Well nice to officially meet you, Corvo,” She had no idea what his last name was, but perhaps that would come after a few more missions.

After she was done, she shifted awkwardly where she was before stepping away to tend to her own wounds. Her leg was still in a lot of pain, and she grabbed a blade to cut the lower half of a pant leg to reveal a nasty wound, “Ugh..” Despite the bacta, this spear jab would need longer to heal. As she began to clean the wound, she looked up at him, “I suppose we have to go back to being strangers after this. You back to Supreme Leader and me as another faceless Sith.”

 

[Phoenix]

Corvo could see how surprised she was to hear him give his name, but then, that was warranted. He wasn't exactly the care and share type, so she had every reason to be surprised. There were few who really knew his old name anymore. They're not usually fighting out there with me, he said, not to mention their number had recently been halved.

He saw her wander over and begin patching up her own wounds and he slipped his shirt back on before moving over to help her. It was only fair, after all, since she had helped him. He bent down to take a look at her knee, doing his best to make sure it was clean and applying bacta to the area. This looks fun, he said with a grimace, knowing it probably didn't feel very nice. Want any painkillers?

When she commented about going back to their own places, he was quiet a moment. How was he supposed to answer that? Well... is that what you want? he asked, realizing how strange of a question that was. I mean, if you have my back and don't leave me behind, I'm sure I could get you... reassigned or something... I know an important guy in the Sith... good looking, extremely humble, if a little broody, he said, managing the closest thing to a joke she probably would have ever heard from him. Anyway, like I said, I like to keep my skills fresh in the field and can always use somehow who'll... well, fellow combatants, he said.

 

[Sreeya]

Shae watched him as he came over to help with the wound, nodding about wanting some painkillers. It was obvious she was a little queasy about her own wounds, though she had no problem tending to his. She could only stare at him in awe as he helped her out. This was the Supreme Leader of the Sith. What was he doing helping her with a wound? She winced slightly as the bacta was applied, feeling better a moment later.

As he asked if she wanted them to part ways and for her to go back into obscurity, she looked at him in surprise, “I… have a choice?” Her jaw dropped as he…made a joke? He even had the faint tugs of a smile! She felt her face grow slightly hot, joke or not. He was definitely right on many of those counts, “Well you did say I will always have a home on this ship. It would be rude of me to decline, right?” She looked at him, smiling warmly. The moment allowed her to completely ignore the pain in her leg.

She felt an odd sense of belonging with him, one she couldn’t explain. As she watched him quietly work on her leg, she knew they would have a very strange…relationship. Shae knew it could never move beyond friendship, but that didn’t mean her mind couldn’t wander. And her mind did wander, to many scenarios and places she knew would never come to fruition. Venator- no, Corvo, was a mystery to her. He had more complexities and depth to him than she could see. He had a vicious side to him that the galaxy knew, and another…almost tender side that perhaps only those closest to him could see. Did that mean she was getting close to him? Shae realized she was still smiling like an idiot, quickly shaking her head and looking at him seriously, “I’ll always have your back, Corvo, don’t you worry.”