Ask Plot New Beginnings

Darth Invictus

Character
Sith Order
Rank
Sith Lord

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Orbit
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
272
Reaction score
44
Ender and Talak were once again tasked together but this time of their own initiative. It was known that Korriban held many tombs that were constructed from the Sith of an early age. It was a gold mine of knowledge and wealth if people knew where to look and how to dig for it. That's why they were scouting, intending to find a place that could support an outpost and possibly have easy access to tombs for excavation missions. While it helped the Legion and Guardians overall, there were some personal reasons why Ender wanted this accomplished but first, they had to actually succeed at this.

As the pair continued walking through the desert, Ender pulled out his holographic map to check the coordinates once more. "Not that far, only a few klicks north." It was a nearby valley and so far one of their best bets of finding an LZ. The sun was beating down on them heavily and he was ready to embrace the shade, his hood drawn so he wouldn't be burned. As the two walked he could feel underneath his feet and even below the sand, the dark side leaking out from whatever it was, nearly confirming Ender's ideas that there were items of dark properties buried there. It excited him that there was finally a possibility for his questions about his past could be answered.

As they approached the top of the valley, he crouched down by the edge and glanced up and down the length of it, wondering which path they should take. Since they stopped walking, it gave the Legionnaire a moment to focus afterward and he heard a sound in the distance once he caught it and latched on. It was a metallic clanging and it was continually repeating, a few seconds in between each smack. Ender glanced behind him and to Talak with a look, "I"m not just hearing things, am I?" It wouldn't have been a problem to keep moving but the sound didn't sound like an animal, it was man-made. That made the Legionnaire wonder who exactly were they sharing the planet with at that moment.

Ender patted his lightsaber on his back, assuring that it was secure. Nothing on Korriban was friendly, at least to the pair and he wasn't going to take any chances. As he started heading toward the direction of the sound, it became louder and was soon joined by others, a cacophony of noise and hustling. Ender glanced back at Talak,
"We always manage to run into something interesting." First, it was the deal where they ran into the Jedi and now this. They couldn't see what was happening yet but he knew with their luck, it was most likely going to involve a fight at the end.

@Phoenix
 

Talak Rand

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Phoenix
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
926
Reaction score
232
Korriban was a nasty world. Although it pulsed with the dark side - which was no doubt one of the reasons for its settlement by the original Sith - but it was a horrid world. Talak hated being hot, and this place was all but an oven. Sweat dripped down his face and back and sides under the robes... which were black. He made a note to buy some clothes that weren't black after this.

The heat was making him irritable, too. More than his typical levels of annoyance, too.

We should have picked a better planet, he grumbled. He knew that members of the Guardians were here and even more were on Moraband, and he didn't know how they did it. This was an abominable place. Maybe they just never left shade or climate controlled areas.

He was opening his mouth to complain again when he heard the same clanging sound and scowled.

No, I hear it, too, he said, reaching back for his lightsaber. Normally, he might have tried some other means first, but he was in too foul of a mood for any kind of discussion or diplomacy. Not only that, but he knew that the two of them probably weren't the most dangerous things on this planet.

Talak moved quickly up the ridge toward the sound of the noise, thankful for the sand covering any noise from his footsteps no matter how quickly he moved.

What he saw when he came over the ridge was... unexpected. A handful of ships were gathered in a circle with men gathered in the center. It looked like they were going in and out of a cave, perhaps storing freight here and there.

Smugglers or pirates, he guessed. We have the drop on them, but... they've got numbers, he said with a shake of his head. The Force was a powerful tool, and if they played their hands right, they might actually be able to win this.

Sabotage the ships? Detonate a reactor? he asked, wondering if they could manage to do so without being spotted.
 

Darth Invictus

Character
Sith Order
Rank
Sith Lord

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Orbit
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
272
Reaction score
44
"No one is saying this is an enjoyable planet." Ender commented back with a slight grin, able to sense the irritation from Talak behind him. He didn't blame him, sweat dripped down his body and the only reason he wasn't complaining was because of his old Drifter life. One moment, he could be on a scorching planet with no water, the next he could be on a planet that was completely covered in ice. Ender has had his fair share of hot planets and was quite used to it now though the black fabric didn't help.

Thankfully, Talak was able to confirm that Ender wasn't going insane by also being able to hear the repeated clanging. He also drew out his lightsaber which made Ender do the same, still deactivated but out and ready to be used. Following quickly behind Talak toward the ridge, Ender gazed down at what he saw and wasn't pleased. A small circle of ships was formed with what looked to be the likes of pirates, shouting out unpleasantries to the others to get them to move faster. They definitely had the numbers against them and would make this tricky to pull off.

Ender stared at the ships and realized they sort of blocked the direction that he and Talak would be coming from. "Ships, seem the safest bet and we can't have them running away from us and setting up elsewhere." He glanced at Talak and then back to the ships, "You take the left side and I take the right side of the circle?" That would leave about two ships each for them to destroy before proceeding with their attack.

Sliding down the slight sandhill, Ender remained low to the ground as he started to approach the camp. So far the patrols were light for the rear of the camp, more worried about moving their cargo instead of wasting men to protect themselves when they never been attacked before. Ender didn't carry explosives on him and it caused him quite a conundrum. Looking around for a suitable alternative, he was able to find a munitions pile that seemed to carry exactly what they need to get this job rolling. "You see the munitions pile? That's our way in."
 

Talak Rand

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Phoenix
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
926
Reaction score
232
A pile of munitions ripe for the taking. That would certainly make this more fun. He gave a nod as he watched the men strolling about. Two were drinking of to the side of the cave and another three were carrying freight out of one of the ships. The two would have to time their movements just right so that the men carrying freight wouldn't see them.

He headed back down the way they had come, planning to head around into the valley using the cover of the rocks when a rumbling sound overhead kind of ruined things.

Talak's head bent backwards and a freighter - that had almost certainly seen the two dark Jedi - came in for a landing.

Kriff, they'll have seen us. We have to move fast, he said. One of us should lead them on a chase while the other starts the sabotage, he said. He was just thankful that those ship cannons - if there were any - hadn't opened fire already.
 

Darth Invictus

Character
Sith Order
Rank
Sith Lord

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Orbit
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
272
Reaction score
44
They navigated past the pirates carrying the freight once they turned around and the pair nearly reached the munitions pile before there was a loud rumble from above. Turning around as Talak did, a new ship touched down with an exit ramp sliding out and he could immediately sense the force presence within it. Ender sighed, nothing could be simple. His partner offered the idea that one of them make a run for it to distract while the other rigged the ships to explode. Glancing between the dark Jedi and Talak, "Well, I have longer legs than you, I'm faster." Ender mumbled toward the other with a look, "Guess that leaves me to do the running. You better go now."

Ender stood up and stepped out from their cover as he moved through the ships to get closer so they couldn't spot him and Talak together. When he was far enough, he remained in the shadows as the two dark Jedi finally started to walk down the ramp. They saw the two when they flew and were heading straight towards Talak's location. But before they could get too far, one of them stopped and turned towards Ender's direction before being flung backward and into a few boxes as junk spilled out from them. The other dark Jedi immediately forgot about Talak and turned toward the one who attacked, activating his saber and pointing at him, "Intruder!"

Ender didn't need another signal. He bolted from his position as the dark Jedi chased after him with most of the pirates dropping their equipment and replacing it with weapons. They gave chase as well but were much slower, compensating for it by firing at him while he ran, forcing him to duck and dodge. Ender ran towards the camp, zig-zagging between their tents and staying low in order to lose them.

The pair of dark Jedi caught up to him, a group of pirates behind them. "Spread out! Find him!" The pirates stepped forward with blasters at the ready. When they went deep enough and were far enough from the force users, Ender stepped out before summoning a blast of force energy and sending nearby crates and objects flying into the group of pirates to disorient them and knock them down. That exposed his position however and one of the dark Jedi sent a blast of force lightning at him.

The Legionnaire managed to draw his saber in time to activate it and have it block the lightning. The force of it making him slide back as whips of electricity burned his arms. He swung his saber to the right, directing the electricity and having bounced off his blade and set a tent on fire.

Ender once again dove behind cover and com'd Talak, "Now I need a distraction." He was practically surrounded but he drew them away from the ships.
 

Talak Rand

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Phoenix
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
926
Reaction score
232
Ender had drawn the pirates away, and that left Talak with the opportunity he was looking for. He slipped back into a cave, standing in the shadows as the men chased past him and after Ender. Of course, there were still some near the ships, but Talak was confident he could deal with what was left.

He would have liked to cloak himself in the Force, but such an exercise was far too draining, particularly if he thought he was going to have to do battle soon. Instead, he settled to dart from rock to rock when the pirates weren't looking. Although they were more alert now than they had been, it wasn't enough to spot the darksider as he slipped over to the crate.

There was no luck with the top crate, but the bottom... it was filled with explosives.

Unfortunately, sifting through multiple crates meant that by the time he found what he what he was looking for, a shout came from the cave.

Kriff, he spat. He snatched a couple of grenades and ducked low. Even the pirates weren't dumb enough to open fire on him while he stood next to a crate of explosives. Or at least he hoped so...

He was wrong. Blaster fire lanced through the air, and Talak moved away from the crate as quickly as he could, taking cover behind a landing gear of one of the freighters.

He reached out with the Force and gripped one of the crates before flinging it at the base of the other ship. The contents scattered, making a mess and preparing things for what Talak aimed to do next.

The grenade in his hand was primed and whipped across the sand, propelled by the Force. The explosion was glorious. Two of the four freighters erupted. The already hot day seemed to suddenly blaze as new heat reached his face and a trail of smoke rose into the air.
 

Darth Invictus

Character
Sith Order
Rank
Sith Lord

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Orbit
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
272
Reaction score
44
Talak heeded his call and certainly and created a distraction. Two of the ships exploded and made the ground rumble from the shockwaves of it. It caught the pirate's attention and half of them rushed over to the ships, trying to find out what happened and who caused it. Ender couldn't find the two Dark siders and as soon as he thought that, one of them slashed through the tents with their lightsaber to step through before lifting him with the force and launching him into a deactivated speeder that hurt like hell. When he looked up at the Dark sider, electricity flicked between his fingers and shot it out towards the Legionnaire afterward. Ender was quick but wasn't that quick; He was able to dodge the brunt force of the lightning but it caused to speeder to explode and hurled him a few feet in the air before roughly colliding against the sand. His vision blurred and ears rang for a moment, having to clear his head momentarily.

He at least hoped it was going better for Talak but when he stood up and glanced around, it was only one of the Dark siders and that meant the other one was coming after him. The one that was dealing with Ender, however, shot another blast of lightning at him but this time he drew his blade in time once more to absorb the blast before directing it elsewhere. The other half of pirates that didn't head towards the ship closed in on Ender, opening fire while he was out in the open. He activated the other blade of his double-bladed lightsaber and deflected a few of the bolts back, taking two of them out and the rest to duck for cover.

When they stood to get another barrage off at him, a barrel of fuel was flung at them, knocking the other two on the ground and stunning them momentarily. The Dark sider rushed forward after that, least knowing he wouldn't be shot in the back by the pirates now as he thrust his blade forward to Ender's chest. He sidestepped to the left before swinging his lower blade horizontally towards his opponent's exposed leg but it was lifted in time to avoid it before he was punched and forced to step back. Ender twirled his blade before striking once more, striking from different angles, high and low but it was clear that the two Dark siders that joined them were proficient as well as he kept deflecting the strikes.
 

Talak Rand

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Phoenix
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
926
Reaction score
232
Talak planned to repeat the same thing again with the last two ships. He gripped another crate with the Force and hurled it under the other two ships. Grenades and detonators scattered across the ground and he palmed one of them in his left hand.

A glance around revealed there wasn't much cover apart from the ships, and half of them were in a pillar of fire and smoke. This could prove problematic at best. He knew that soon their transports would be destroyed, which left no possibility for escape. That meant his lightsaber was on the table for once.

It ignited in his right hand, running to his own left and deflecting the blaster shots that were fired his way while dodging several more. In short order, he had made it back to the pillar of fire and smoke, letting it conceal him from sight even if he couldn't actually take cover.

He primed the second grenade and used the Force to hurl it back in the direction of the other explosives. Another thunderous boom and a satisfying fire ball consumed the pair of freighters, and Talak's lip curled up in a smile.

With the darkness that swirled around this planet and his own distraction detonating the ships, it was easy for Talak to miss the dark figure that was swooping in from beyond. It was only the sound of an igniting lightsaber and the Force's guidance that kept the young darksider from being bisected outright.

His right arm twisted awkwardly behind him and caught the blow at his back, but the angle prevented him from easily stopping the blow. He felt a scalding feeling against his skin and a small segment of his robes burned away. He cried out in pain and channeled the energy into the Force. A backflip put him on the other side of the newcomer and on more solid footing. He was thankful for the fire stopping line of sight from the other thugs, but he also knew it was only a matter of time until they had visual again.
 

Darth Invictus

Character
Sith Order
Rank
Sith Lord

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Orbit
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
272
Reaction score
44
Another strike came horizontally and straight for the ribs of the Dark sider, intending to divide him in half but he twisted his blade in time to block the attempt. Ender shut off that end of his saber before spinning around to attack from the other side with the second blade from his weapon but his opponent stepped away and brought his blade up in time once more to negate the damage completely. He pushed Ender's blade off of his and making take a few steps backward to create some distance between them.

There had to be a window in the Dark sider's defense somewhere. Before the prodding continued, he realized that he wouldn't be able to find his opportunity, he would just have to create it. Ender deactivated one of his blades and turned his weapon into a regular lightsaber, angling it towards his enemy as he readied his stance. The Darksider stepped forward once more, performing his own attacks as he did quick slashes to the left and right. They were defended easily enough and when Ender finally saw his moment he seized the initiative and did an overhead strike that would split the Darksider down the middle if it wasn't blocked.

However, it was and that's what he wanted. When their blades connected, Ender didn't draw his weapon back, instead, it was dragged downward so that the two's sabers were in the middle and between them, their blades a few inches apart from their face and highlighting their features. When the Darksider didn't pull his blade away, Ender activated his second blade that was aimed straight down and right above his opponent's foot. The blade shot right through the middle of it and causing the Dark sider to yell out in pain and lose focus.

Ender pushed the Dark sider's blade to his left before punching the force user and forcing him to stumble back from the hit. But that wasn't all and as he was still stumbling, the metal barrel that was used to knock down the pirates was called back and went through the air. It smashed right into the spine of the Darksider, forcefully sending him facefirst into the sand. Ender still held the barrel with the force and as the Dark Sider started to pick himself up, he dropped it right on the man's legs, shattering both of them from the weight and locking him in that position.

Ender breathed heavy, cuts across his face and his whole body covered in grime and sand. As he stepped forward, the man continued to scream out in pain as he tried to crawl away but just couldn't without grinding his shattered bones together. So, he could end the force user's misery, he approached from the side before simply plunging his blade into the man's back and ending his life. The blade was yanked out afterward and Ender glanced around, "Talak, you still alive?"
 

Talak Rand

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Phoenix
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
926
Reaction score
232
Talak's fight was going about the same as his partner's. Blows were exchanged back and forth, both darksiders looking for an opening in their opponent's defenses. Talak's opponent - some species he didn't recognize - was strong and Talak was quick, but he noted how his feet seemed to sink into the sand with every dodge. Moving in this environment was more taxing than usual, and he knew he couldn't sustain this forever.

As a downward strike came toward him, the Force shoved out of his hand with power, sending the Gran backward through the air and into the sand several meters away. Although the impact wasn't enough to cause serious damage, it gave a light reprieve to both fighters, which was quickly filled by two of the pirates swinging around the wreckage of the ship and into range.

The crack of blaster fire filled the air again with shots flinging past on either side of the legionnaire, close enough that he could feel the heat.

Little busy, he responded as his saber flourished in front of him and slammed one of the blaster shots into the ground. He fell back onto the defensive as he focused in on the shots. The other darksider didn't seem in a rush to come back in, and as he recovered from his fall, Talak saw an opportunity.

The next shot that came at him was slung back by the plasma blade, ramming into the arm of the Gran as he stood back up. A grunting cry emerged from his narrow mouth and he said something Talak couldn't hear. At once, all three men began to move back toward the mouth of the cave.

Apart from the gunfire, he heard the humming of a speeder, and within moments, the three men were aboard and zipping through the cave in the other direction.

With a heavy sigh, Talak let his arms fall to his sides and the saber flashed out.

The landing zone is clear, he said into his comlink. They would have to track the speeder eventually, but Talak's first priorities were to ensure no one else was nearby and get some bacta on his back.
 

Darth Invictus

Character
Sith Order
Rank
Sith Lord

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Orbit
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
272
Reaction score
44
Ender stared down at the Dark sider that had been living a few moments ago. It was getting easier and easier, to kill that is and he wondered if it would soon be nothing more then just getting a midnight snack when he was famished. Talak's voice drew him back before he could sink too far into his thoughts as he could also hear the sounds of combat through the earpiece. Deactivating his lightsaber, for now, Ender slid it back beneath his clothes before heading in the direction of where Talak was supposed to be, hopefully alive.

He finally found him after reporting that the landing zone was clear, slowly walking towards him as he held his side. After colliding with the speeder, there were bruises all underneath his clothing and it hurt to twist and turn his body. It wasn't as bad as his partner however as he would need bacta from quick glance inspection. "I can't sense anyone else here." Ender quickly saw the tracks left from the speeders that were used to escape and he couldn't help the smirk that came to his face, "And that will lead us right to them." Thankfully they were more preoccupied with running away for their lives instead of hiding their tracks to make sure they couldn't be followed.

Ender nodded over to the tents where he fought the other Dark sider, "There's probably some bacta in their medical tent. I'll contact the others and tell them we cleared the LZ." He stepped away from Talak and pressed a button in the comm piece, letting them know that the deed was done with the LZ and that they would need to start tracking the base for them while they rest up. They were close, Ender could taste it and soon they'll be able to start their own excavations on the planet and start uncovering secrets of the dark arts. Hopefully, it had the answers that he sought.
 

Talak Rand

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Phoenix
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
926
Reaction score
232
Talak was more tired than he expected, and he attributed it in large part to the wound on his back. Although he was fairly certain it was only superficial, it was miserable. Burning felt like it traveled through his entire back, and he limped over to the medical tent. With the adrenaline wearing off, the fatigue began to set in.

He peeled back the upper half of his robes and grabbed the bacta. Come here and help me with this, he said, knowing that applying bacta to your own back - while possible since he'd done it before - was made considerably easier with the help of someone else.

The cool feeling spread almost immediately as it was applied, and counteracted the burns directly. He knew that he wouldn't be back to normal immediately, but he already felt better than before.

We'll need to track them down. If word got out that we're back here, it could cause us a lot of problems. Korriban's a planet that will immediately raise suspicions if word gets out dark siders are here, he said. That comment led his mind down another course: who were the dark siders who had come here.

No one else from the Eternal was deployed here, were they? he asked. He found it highly unlikely that they were members of the Sith Eternal, but if they were, that would have been bad. If they weren't, then perhaps they could recruit the one that hadn't been killed. Might have been better than slaughtering him outright.
 

Darth Invictus

Character
Sith Order
Rank
Sith Lord

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Orbit
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
272
Reaction score
44
Talak asked for help and once Ender finished communicating with the others, he went over and did that. He applied it to his partner's injured body before stepping away and letting it heal. There were injuries on his body as well but nothing too drastic to where he need bacta just yet. "Another Legionarrie and Guardian are beginning to track them down already. It won't be long before we find their real base of operations, the word won't be able to get out." Talak's own question made him start to think and Ender knew where it was leading, his mind going the exact same place.

"No, it's just supposed to be us four dispatched. So, there's either another sect out there or just a group of Dark siders who are getting in bed with pirates and conducting their own plans. Either way doesn't look great." Ender glanced in the direction of the one that had been killed in the battle, "Hopefully it was just the two but there could be more, this is Korriban after all. It has a lot of artifacts that can be used by our kind." If there was any planet that could draw the attention of Dark siders, it was definitely the one that they were standing on.

Ender eventually just sat down on the ground and leaned against a crate for support near Talak, taking the opportunity to catch some relief as well. "We'll need to start moving soon. The longer we wait, the more time they get to prepare for our appearance." Hopefully, with the amount they took out at this site, it would put a dent in the forces that were remaining but Ender knew that pirates were like cockroaches and that there would most likely be a whole swarm of them waiting.
 

Talak Rand

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Phoenix
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
926
Reaction score
232
Talak slipped his upper robes back on and stood back up, letting out a deep sigh. He spun the lightsaber hilt in the palm of his hand before clipping it back onto his belt as well. The pain in his back had made him all but forget how hot and miserable he had been. Now his mind was more preoccupied with who these dark siders were and how they might ruin the plans of the Sith Eternal.

If the Jedi or the Free World Alliance got wind of dark siders being here, it could bring a whole lot of attention that they would have rather avoided.

Yeah, we shouldn't stay here for long. They know this location and might come back, he said. But still there was something to be said for searching for supplies.

He made his way over to the cave, thankful for the shade and glanced around. Spice and weapons mostly. Blasters, grenades, and other explosives were littered around the "room." Some of it might come in handy for the cause later on down the line as well. Any news from the other team yet? he asked.
 

Darth Invictus

Character
Sith Order
Rank
Sith Lord

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Orbit
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
272
Reaction score
44
Talak got up and started to walk towards the cave, the bacta seeming to do its job well. Ender himself groaned as he lifted himself up from the ground, his muscles resisting at first to the order. "Then let's pick this place clean and get a move on." He followed him towards the cave to pick up whatever supplies they would need for the upcoming fight.

As they searched the cave, Talak asked for any news and Ender nodded that there was some, "Yeah they already found the trail and are sniffing it down. We just got to wait on their confirmation and we can join them." One of the munition piles had grenades and other explosives that could definitely come in handy. Ender walked over to it before picking up at least two explosives and held them up for Talak to view.

"Depending on how this went, we may want to take a few of these with us." Ender tossed one of them over to Talak to before stuffing the other in one of his pockets. There wasn't much left for them to pick up after that, the rest of it was too much to carry for just two people. Ender glanced over to his partner, "You ready to start heading out?"
 

Talak Rand

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Phoenix
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
926
Reaction score
232
Talak raised a hand and several detonators floated through the air and filled a small backpack that then proceeded to float over to him.

Might as well, he said. He'd be glad when this particular operation was over. Korriban wasn't his favorite planet, even if it was saturated with the dark side. He'd prefer to get back to... pretty much anywhere else. Or at least indoors.

Night'll fall soon. That'll be better for an assault anyway, he pointed out, glad that the sun was finally going to start going down. He grabbed a small bottle of water and downed it outright, replenishing all the fluid he'd been sweating out.

Back on the hunt, he said, flexing his hands and hearing the knuckles crack slightly. Always on the hunt.

//Thread
 
Top