Touched By War

[Rhea]

Rhea stood atop the rusted hull of a Jedi capital ship in the wastes of Uba IV. The planet in the Mid Rim was not always a desert wasteland like Tatooine or Jedha. Once, it was lush—the thriving home of the Ubese species. However, during the war, as the Exiles retreated from the Deep Core and into the Mid Rim, chased by the Jedi Order, Uba IV fell under attack. Believed to be a potential hiding place for the Dark Jedi, the planet was strafed to prevent their escape. The result was the desert Rhea now oversaw.

The Ubese hated the Jedi, Rhea thought as the warm Uba winds whipped her cloak behind her; and that trait would make them useful to the overall cause. But this wasn't a mission to court the Ubese, only to test the rumors. Rhea had heard that the Ubese were deadly warriors. Some were skilled bounty hunters, others mercenaries and assassins. The Hutts frequently made use of them, but Rhea wanted to know if the rumors were true for herself before she presented the matter to Leviticus and Alais.

And she was not alone. Throughout her travels, Rhea had a propensity for encountering disgruntled Jedi or newly turned Exiles; but this one seemed to be neither. An Exile, formerly undercover as a Jedi, and out on his luck. There was potential in him, she thought, but what she could not discern was how he might be useful. Would he make a valuable member of the Prakith cell? Or would he serve a better purpose as an informant—an insight into what other Exiles were doing? This mission would help her to determine as much.

In the distance, large black pillars of factory smoke and pollution rose from a small, walled Ubese city. The Ubese gangs rumored to run the streets there would prove a sufficient test—she glanced down at the other Exile, a man named Shiro—on both fronts.

@Shalken

 

[Shiro Blagden]

The devastation wrought upon the galaxy by the Exiles' first invasion never ceased to amaze Shiro. Even this planet's lush surface had been reduced to an ashen wasteland. The Sorcerer chuckled; what amused him the most was that it was the Jedi who had wrought such destruction. It was no wonder the Ubese hated the Order so much.

Shiro quickly realized that his search for greater knowledge of the Dark Side would have to wait for now. In his recent travels, he had met a wide assortment of Exiles — but few wielded the power that resonated from the woman that accompanied him now. Someday, he would be like her, the very fabric of reality responding to his bidding. Perhaps he would learn much from this mission.

Setting off towards the small city, Shiro queried, "I have heard a great deal about you, though I never expected to meet you in person so soon. Tell me, how is your establishment on Prakith? Leviticus spoke highly of it, but I have not visited yet myself." He had spoken at length with many other Exiles on Mustafar about their plans for the future, and while he would have a hand in solidifying their control over the volcanic planet, he still had much to learn about the extent of the Exiles' reach throughout the rest of the galaxy.

@Malon​

 

[Rhea]

That Leviticus had revealed the location of the Prakith establishment was no great surprise to Rhea. His continued efforts to expand the operation were almost as vigorous as her efforts to keep it small and tight. What was, however, surprising was that this man — whom she had never heard of — had heard of her. Another of Leviticus's doings, perhaps? Or maybe Alais? Both of her charges were as loose-lipped as they were useful. She had yet to decide whether that was a good thing or not. Regardless, she chose to remain tight-lipped herself.

"It is suitable," she replied. A vast understatement when in comparison to the enormity of the task Leviticus had undertook and subsequently accomplished. "If you are already aware of developments on Prakith, I will presume you know why — precisely — we are here. But I do not presume to know why you are here with me. Explain yourself."

Of course, if she truly wanted that information, her power was sufficient enough to just take it. But Rhea suspected there was a usefulness to this man that would be wasted by such an action, so she permitted him to volunteer the information of his own volition. She was, after all, curious.

@Shalken

 

[Shiro Blagden]

The woman's response about Prakith made Shiro decide to not discuss it further in any detail — if he did, it was obvious she did not wish to satisfy his queries. She had, however, returned his probing with some of her own. "Knowledge," he replied, stepping around sharp debris that jutted out of the sand. "You are powerful in your own right — far more than I am, for sure. You are strong in the Force and uninhibited by the feeble chains of...morality the Jedi wish to shackle our kind with." He skirted the use of 'Exile', as it now left a foul taste in his mouth. "During my time in the Archives, I learned about how to use the Force, but I was forbidden to feel emotion entirely to prevent myself from 'falling to the Dark Side'. Obviously, I don't have those restrictions anymore, but I'm still no closer to actually learning what the Dark Side is." He scanned the horizon for any trouble that might arise, but found nothing besides ashes and sand drifting across the wavy dunes and the settlement in the distance. "I'm not asking to become your student. I would rather learn on my own, but right now I have nowhere to begin. I have fueled my abilities with my emotions, but only instinctively when I was in danger."

He thought back to when he was in the alley shortly before Alais found him. Shiro had created a bolt of lightning, and that excited him — but it had also exhausted him. He had heard legends of Exile Warlords conjuring great streams of raw energy, tormenting their foes before reducing them to ash, but could only marvel at their power. His thoughts again turned, this time to the gathering on Mustafar where he had slain the traitorous Exile that tried to record their discussion. Shiro had held the boy against the wall, but was that the Dark Side? Was it really as black and white as the Jedi always said it was?

@Malon​