Ask Last Stop on the Galactic Edge

[Vex]

Vex closed her eyes and cleared her mind. Had she more time to meditate, she might have recovered more of her strength. Instead, she focused her efforts on the conundrum at hand. "No," she said after a moment. "You're right. We should go back. I mean to put this wrecked planet to use for our Empire, and there can't be an abomination running around made from our blood if I intend to do that, can there?"

She sounded bitter. She knew that much. But that was just exhaustion talking. She was a Champion. Exhaustion wasn't allowed to conquer her. She used the moment of reprieve to suck in a breath and draw the Force to her. The ache in her back dulled, not enough to make the pain go away, but enough to get her moving again. Her eyes snapped open.

It was a short walk, back across the bridge, down the stone steps, and towards the room in which the Hssiss had found them. But Vex didn't walk in silence this time. She refused to be caught off-guard again. But she couldn't rely on the Force to do it. Whatever abomination was being created here... she couldn't sense it, Bogan be damned. "My senses," she said to Altair. "Their failing me here. The dark side is strong, but locating these people... Whatever they're doing to conceal themselves, its working. But you were able to see the Hssis earlier. You will be our eyes." She gripped her blade tightly. "I promise not to be as useless this time around. No matter what we find in there."

She hated the words the moment they came out of her mouth. Because the Hssiss weren't supposed to be here, and neither was that bloodly blob, and she couldn't say for sure that whatever was being made from them wouldn't overpower them anyways. But she was determined to give it one hell of a fight, even if it did. @Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was more than surprised when she agreed with his assessment. It felt strange for him to not be as oblivious as he usually felt. Was this what it meant to become a more seasoned Sith? It was surreal, but he went along with it. The tiefling quickly followed along as they crossed the bridge again, and he made a point to leap right over the mess that was the disgusting abomination. They made their way back towards the room they passed before. Altair paused when Vex did, and her admission threw him off.

“You ain’t useless, Vex,” He said, turning to face her fully, “I need you and you need me. I wouldn’t know what I’m doin’ without you, so quit sayin’ that, okay?” He said, but he added a lopsided grin at the end of that, “And I can see your eye, so I can tell you think I’m full o’ shit. Well lemme tell you again, I ain’t. You ain’t useless. You could pass out and I know it’d be from doin’ your damndest so you still wouldn’t be useless.”

He smiled at her again before turning and walking ahead of her. Like before, he switched to sensing through Sight. Not only had his intuitions been correct, but he caught movements to where he could sense a figure inside performing a ritual. Altair picked up the pace and darted towards a specific corner of the room, catching the figure facing the other way and chanting and doing rituals. Without warning, Altair called the Force to himself and coiled it around the figure to slam it harshly against a pillar outside.

Not only did this interrupt the ritual, but it slammed the figure harshly against the pillar and brought them out into the light for Vex to see. It was a humanoid figure, and the surprise attack would mean Altair got the jump on them. The wall hit would no doubt have left the sorcerer with injuries and in a bit of a daze.

Roll: 17/20 for interrupting ritual

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Altair's words fluttered through her, but she tried not to dwell on them. A far darker voice in her head was still the most dominant. Her Master was dead. She had made sure of it. So why did his taunts follow her around even now? She shook her head. It didn't matter. Sweet words or not, she was determined not to be useless. She steeled herself mentally, brought the Force to the very center of herself...

And then it was done.

They burst into the room, interrupting the very ritual, and Altair threw out his hands before the sorcerer was able to conjure his monster. The force of the push was so staggering that the old man, from the looks of it, simply splat against the wall. It was as if someone had thrown putty against durasteel. Blood and bone and brain matter splattered the wall. It was truly a rather spectacular display of strength. But Vex found herself unable to voice it. She was... honestly rather stunned about how easily he had done it.

"You were saying?" she said, unable to control the way her mouth quirked up at its corners. The irony of him telling her she wasn't useless only to one-shot their enemy... She was beginning to think it was a feat only he was capable of. "When this planet is ours, it'll take us hours just to mop that off the stonework." She turned, already dreading the climb back up. "Come on. There's still the beacon."

They retracted their steps, coming back to the tower they had only just left. "I think those cultists were here because this place is associated with an old Sith Lord," she mused as they walked. "I thought he was legend, but apparently the Sith Eternal cultish aspect of our Order still isn't entirely extinguished. Some still just want to worship and protect the fiefdoms of the long-dead Lords." There was a purpose to this. She wondered if he understood it. "And what about you, Altair? What sort of Sith do you want to become?"

She couldn't help but admit, as they circled the stone stairwell, nearing ever closer to the top, that she was curious about his response. He was so different than the other Sith she had met. She was beginning to wonder if there were more out there like him. Or if he was just one bright spot that would, like all the others like her, soon be snuffed out into darkness. @Sreeya

Dice Roll: 6/20 on a roll for difficulty means the old man went splat

 

[Altair Din]

Altair stared in stunned silence as the figure went splat and was revealed to be an old dude. He coughed at Vex’s quip, “Yo I had no way of knowin’ we were dealing with pops over there,” The tiefling grimaced at the sight and felt awkward for attacking a senior citizen, “Definitely losin’ my assisting the elderly scout badge,” He muttered under his breath as he walked with Vex.

He quietly listened as she explained about the cultists. Why did it have to be cultists? They always seemed so sketch. Altair looked at her, “Do you know which Lord?” He asked as if he would recognize it even if she said it. She could pull a name out of her ass and he'd still give a sagely and knowing nod. He wasn’t exactly the best at history.

As they began to climb the spiral steps, he was surprised by the abrupt question about him. It was something he hadn’t given much thought to, and he was silent for a few minutes as they climbed.

“A Sith that’s remembered,” He said after a while, “For generations,” Altair said as he looked at her again, managing a sheepish smile, “Seems silly don’t it? I ain’t nothin’ special. But that’s what I hope for one day,” He said honestly.

Their path was largely clear as they climbed up. However, he admittedly didn’t know what to do once they arrived. He slowed down, letting her walk ahead to do whatever she needed to do with the beacon.

“... I just wanna be able to manage it without losin’ myself completely,” He added quietly out of the blue after a moment of silence. He wasn’t even sure she heard, but he said it anyway.

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

There was the beacon. She was nearly sure they wouldn't make it. But they were here, largely because Altair had shown Champion-level skills despite his rank. She wondered if he would apply for a promotion after this. She would, considering all they had been through. She reached for the beacon, fiddling with its mechanisms. The first step was to disengage it, which went well enough. "Yeah," she said, straining to reach a knob in the back. "Revan was his name." And she didn't feel good about saying it. "He's quite popular. A bit too popular for a man who eventually betrayed us for the Jedi."

She stepped back, observing her handiwork. If she could get the beacon off, now, they could repurpose the technology elsewhere. The Empress had to have a use for a beacon that ripped large ships out of hyperspace. On this world, or some other one. Maybe they could even replicate it, given enough time. She put her hands on her hips as she looked for a way to get it off, listening to Altair as she did.

"I don't think that's silly at all. Our dreams are actually rather similar. I too wish to be a Sith to be remembered." Though she didn't have his limitations. She didn't care what it took. The dark side demanded a lot of its scions; she knew the risks. She told him as much. "But you have to be willing to take risks to get that fame, Altair. The dark side isn't like the Light. It takes things from those who use it for power." She paused, realizing she totally sounded like some Academy Master and not just another Champion. "But if it makes you feel better, not every Sith goes insane. Relatively few do."

They just lost... other things. But she wasn't about to say that. He got her point. Power didn't come for free. But he would learn that soon enough. Just like she did, the Empire would someday show him the cost.

She tried again to free the beacon. Some of the bolts and mechanisms she understood. But at this rate, she wouldn't be able to completely extract the device. Huffing, she glanced back at him. "If I keep at this, I can salvage about half of it. But I really need more to make the effort worth it. What do you think? Can you get it loose?" @Sreeya

Dice Roll: 10/20 for retreiving the beacon instead of just turning it off.

 

[Altair Din]

“Revan? That dude?” He asked, actually knowing the reference. He was one of those very well known ones that even Altair knew. Altair said nothing in response to her comment about the dark side taking. He knew that even if he hadn’t experienced it yet. Dark Side was very much against the usual Matukai principles. His parents hadn’t approved of it, but the promise of a life in an academy and a real future outweighed it all.

Altair was lost in his thoughts as Vex fiddled with the different contraptions. However, after a moment, his hand began to idly tap against his thigh to the tapping the different buttons caused. When she addressed him, he looked at her like a bantha in the headlight, “Wha-huh?” Altair asked, his eyes half glazed over. There was at least a 50% chance he had snuck in a joint to smoke while she was heavily focused on getting the beacon working.

“Um…” He said stupidly, “I dunno about this stuff, Vex,” He mumbled, looking at all the contraptions, “But it sounds like a rhythm when you press them buttons. It’s a four beat meter but it’s missin’ the 8th strong beat. Know what I mean? Like when you play the drums?” He said, “Like it should be POP pop pop pop…POP pop pop pop. But it’s all POP pop pop pop pop pop, but ain’t got that 8th note POP,” Altair rambled for a while. He wandered around pressing different buttons and twisting knobs for the noise he was looking for. Vex would likely think he was batshit, and a part of him thought he was too.

He finally found the noise he was looking for and all but physically moved Vex out of the way. Altair pressed buttons and switched around levers until he heard that four meter beat and then he repeated it for a full 16 note rhythm. As soon he did so, there was a loud noise and the grinding of gears. Altair stepped back, panicking a bit.

“Uhhhh…” He abruptly jumped behind Vex, terrified that he broke something to bring the entire tower down. However, after a moment, there was a blinding burst of light that shot up into the sky. Altair stared at it, blinking for a moment.

“....Is that…is that good?”

Dice: 16/20

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Vex turned around and threw herself at Altair, slamming them both to the roof of the temple as a light that could only be described as the Death Star laser going off ripped from the beacon device and slammed into a world-shield high above their heads. The shockwave rippled over them like a scorching wind and Vex turned around, peering out the crack in her helmet to see the barrier that had pulled thousands of ships to their doom burn away.

And then, just like that, it was over.

Vex waited for a solid minute before peeling herself off of Altair, who had laid beneath her like a limp fish throughout the ordeal. She snuck closer to the device, afraid it would go off again and vaporize both of them and the temple... but nothing happened. It was done. Somehow, someway, the Tiefling had done it. She tentatively reached inside the device and placed her hand on the gravity well matrix and pulled it free.

Then she turned slowly back to him. Her look was crazed. The boy was baked, that was clear, but he had done it. He had actually fucking done it. "You did it," Vex blurted out, as if saying it aloud would make it more real. "I—" A thousand things raced through her mind then but all she could say was, "A rhythm? You... You're going to have to show me how you did that again sometime."

She set the matrix aside. She would find a purpose for it later. For now, the work was done. Their ship would get off world without a problem now, and Star Destroyers and other maintenance ships could safely orbit the planet, constructing shipyards, academies, whatever the Empire needed here. And he deserved credit—more than her, if she was honest. Any other Sith would have lied on their reports, given them credit and an Acolyte none. Hell, most Sith would've killed such promising competition. Especially competition that had seen them fuck up as much as he had seen her.

But she couldn't bring herself to do that. You ain't useless, Vex.

She screwed up her face under her mask. Oh, come now, she chastised herself internally. Not you going and getting sentimental for an Acolyte.

She shook away the thought. "Altair," she said, serious again. "You better put in for Champion when you get back. The Empire needs Sith with your skill. And," she chewed on the inside of her lip, not used to being so transparent, "you better get ready for competition. Because I'm gunning to be the best Sith in the Empire too." @Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair toppled like a bag of potatoes as Vex launched herself at him. What? He could only stare vacantly at her. She looked especially deranged with one eye showing and panicking. He was baked and a bit slower on the uptake, so he could only gawk at her. He blinked a few times, “Damn, if ya wanted to cuddle, coulda just said so,” He blurted out. He especially liked making quips like that with people that were entirely too serious.

The tiefling finally got to his feet and rubbed his bleary eyes after Vex drew back. When she remarked on him showing her the rhythm, Altair quirked a brow, “You don’t get out much, do you…” He muttered under his breath. The mission was complete and he knew he could put this in as part of his promotion package. While he didn’t win anything tangible, it was certainly a step towards becoming Champion.

Altair gave her a wide grin as she told him to go for Champion and how she would be competition. He playfully clapped her on the shoulder, “Maybe I’ll get to see both of your eyeballs by then,” He said cheerfully before remembering he once again accidentally clapped her for the second time on the same damn shoulder he injected. Damn it!!!!

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Vex widened her eyes at his suggestion. In all the commotion, she had forgotten that one of her eyes was showing. She kind of regretted that she could never show him her face. Not really. The Empress had given her a job, and it meant that only a small handful of Sith could ever see her face. And for the longest time, that was how she liked it. But now, she could see the curse she had accepted when she took her promotion.

It didn't matter. She had her duty, he had his. But that didn't mean she had to crush his hopes. Or that she would mind working with him in the future. If her luck was half as bad as it had been on this mission, she very well may need him again. For now, all she said was, "You'll have to work extra hard if that's your endgame." She smirked beneath her mask. "Come on," She swatted him on the shoulder as she stepped past him and picked up the matrix again. "Let's go wash all this blood and shit off of us and go home."

/End thread