A Chance Meeting

[blstrgmr]

What a hellhole. The entryway and exit-way from docking into the fifth district of the DSC Daedalus was always, and forever would be, filthy and crowded. It was the entryway for the loud mouth-breathers to flaunt their wealth and taste for debauchery as they entered the district, while also being the exit-way of drunken men who had had their share of fun for a night. Of course, this is what many men had in common, regardless of their faction or views.

It was for this reason alone, that Verac Cyn stood at the cusp of this activity. He leaned on his wall, simply appearing like one of the usual degenerates that would be doing the same...or begging for creds. A hand was shoved deep in his jacket, grasping his slugthrower pistol. He played the scenario over and over again in his head. Sooner or later, he'd find a rebel, or a jedi. Somebody would get too mouthy, or too drunk. He'd find them, follow them, and place that pistol firmly against their back. The man...no, he was barely more than a boy, would demand they take him with them.

The boy's eyes held purpose and ambition. This could be viewed as admirable to some, yet dangerous to others. The more he went over this scenario in his head, the more the Force would continue to act within his head, practically screaming. The noise was like a high-pitched screech that drowned everything out, making him a beacon to any others that could feel the Force. His sensitivity, though undiscovered and hard to control, was very, very acute.

For now, Verac played his waiting game.

 

[Phoenix]

Javik walked off of the shuttle and onto the hangar deck of the Daedalus. He had chosen to forgo wearing full armor because, as much as he would have liked to, he didn’t want to draw too much attention to the fact that he was a Sith. Instead he opted for an outfit of armorweave with his lightsabers strapped away in a holster that concealed what they were. Nothing that would draw the attention from the wide array of people at this place. His newly purchased pair of HUD glasses rounding out the outfit and covering his missing right eye, though the scar was still visible above and below.

He had come to the Daedalus to blow off some steam. Even a Sith had to get some R&R sometimes. He had come to play some sabaac, which as a Force sensitive facilitated a whole lot of cheating, and therefore a whole lot of money. Now it did present a little bit of an issue to him because, at 20 years old, he had to either find a Casino that was 18+ or he’d get to practice his persuasion skills on the roving ID guards.

He set off in the direction of the casinos ready to start off his little trip with a bit of action. As he did, he was struck by the wide array of people attracted to this place. People of every walk of life, species, shape, size, color, you name it. They were here. Between that and the lights that seemed to be flashing everywhere attempting to lure in wanderers it was quite impressive, if not a bit overcrowded for his taste.

 

[blstrgmr]

Amidst the screaming, there it was...a ripple. Like a rock breaking the surface of a pond, the Sith's presence ripped Verac out of his little world. Somebody was here...and it had to be his target. He tried to find him amidst the voices, and it must've simply been the one that screamed the loudest in his head. The man in an armorwoven body, walking with confidence and power. He was the Jedi that Verac had been seeking, had to be. The screaming wouldn't stop, and only grew louder as they both stayed silent.

But...Verac couldn't just grab him and force him to take him. Adrenaline rather high and the voices drowning out his senses, Verac was hyper-focused on the Sith, trailing him as he walked into the terminal and into the district. He'd follow him all night if he had to...and then when he left, he'd pull the gun. This plan would work, it had to work. The screaming needed to be silenced.

 

[Phoenix]

Javik made his way past the many casinos, looking for just the right one. As he pushed his way through the crowd he felt the outline of a very specific person in the Force. It was someone like him. Someone attuned to the Force, though as of yet seemingly unpolished. Like a rock filled with jagged edges rather than a smooth stone from a river.

He continued his walk, not looking back at this other person or showing any sign that he was aware of said individual’s presence. It was irrelevant to him at the moment, but as he passed by several more casinos he felt no change in the man’s distance. That meant he was following him, and Javik didn’t like that. He turned a nearby corner into an alleyway, and his pursuer still followed him. After a second turn it became very evident that this could have been no coincidence.

He turned around, just past the corner, pulled the Force around him to conceal himself from his pursuer's Force sense, and waited for the man to round the edge of the building. He didn’t fancy any Daedalus security showing up for this little confrontation and in this alleyway, he didn’t anticipate any showing up. He pulled one of his lightsabers from its holster and let it sit in his hand deactivated, but ready in case this man turned out to be the unfriendly variety.

 

[blstrgmr]

Almost breaking his facade of just another gambler, Verac followed Javik almost at a hurried pace. All he had to do was turn around and see the practically obvious stalker. They turned down an alleyway. That was...strange. Maybe he was just taking a favorited shortcut...maybe he was trying to not draw attention to himself. It was too late for that.

Rounding the corner, screaming in his mind growing ever louder, Verac drew his blaster pistol from under his clothing and aimed at shakily at the target. One hand was clutching his head, as if simply by muscle memory. It didn't really do much to help the pain. The other arm held the gun straight and rigid, albeit trembling terribly obvious. "The Jedi...take me to them now. You hear me? Now!" He had a much more calmer and thought out response before engaging, but it was lost in the sea of voices. This was all he could manage.

 

[Phoenix]

He watched as the man turned the corner. Javik reached into the man’s mind and sensed his mind, his emotions. The man was in distress to say the least. His mind was a wreck. Though that could have all been a ruse. He knew that that was one way that assassins used to cover their true intentions when hunting Force-users. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that this man was doing just that. But that was a Sith thing to do, not Jedi. Could it have been an independent Force-user? With no loyalty to anyone else?

He raised a pistol toward Javik and he tensed a bit. If this came down to true blows, he would kill the man, but he hoped he wasn’t killed in the process. Then he noticed it. The man’s arm was shaking and his voice quivered as he spoke. He was clearly worried, not just faking it to kill Javik.

Then he noticed exactly what the man said and to be honest, he almost laughed despite the tension, but he managed to stifle it. Finding the Jedi was something all of the Sith were hoping to do, and if he knew where to find them, he already would have hunted them down himself and done away with them.

“I’m not going to be much help finding you Jedi. I’m not one. Why do you want to find them anyway? Looking for training? The Jedi aren’t the only ones that can accommodate that,” he asked, keeping his voice level and not making any sudden movements to upset this guy.

 

[blstrgmr]

Verac could only continue to clutch his head, his gun hand becoming shakier. "Your soul yells the loudest in this hellhole. If not a Jedi, what are you? I can feel the blade in your hand. You're something. You're a solution to this...problem." The young adult's voice was slowly raising, as if trying to compete against the volume inside his mind.

"I just want to make the screaming stop. I can hear everybody, anytime they're around me. I tried to block it out before but they just scream louder."

 

[Phoenix]

Javik watched the man’s agony unfold. He had absolutely no idea how to control what was going on inside of him. He was certainly right about one thing though: Javik was a solution to the poor guys problem. He was no Jedi though. He was more than willing to continue this conversation, but he was not so eager to do so on the business end of a gun.

He quickly evaluated the situation and his options. The man’s grip on his gun was extremely shaky at best, and outright weak at worst. Javik reached out with the Force to the energy field specifically surrounding the pistol and yanked at the energy. As it flew forward, so did the pistol itself, wrenching free from the man’s grip and flying right toward Javik’s, now waiting, hand. Even if the pistol fired, the aim would be so far off that it would be no threat to either of them.

He let out a slight breath at having that out of the way and he slid his saber back into its holster. Now it was time to talk. Before he could tell this guy anything about the power of the Force or his own potential, he was going to have to help him get these voices out.

“All right, listen to me,” he began. “Imagine a tunnel, a long dark tunnel with nothing but a pinprick of light at the end. Are you doing that?” he paused a moment. “Now, focus completely on that light at the end. Don’t let anything come through the walls of your tunnel. No light, no sound, nothing. Just you and the light.” It was an old technique he had picked up in his Teras Kasi training to block out those who tried to break into your mind, but it should be able to be adapted for this purpose too.

“Okay, now, the voices should be starting to fade, at least slightly. If they push back against the walls of your tunnel, you push them out. Nothing gets through unless you let it. As long as you keep the walls secure, you should be able to keep the voices at bay, even if you’re not actively concentrating on it.” He looked at the man to see if he was beginning to regain his composure.

 

[blstrgmr]

Verac eventually calmed down enough after the gun left his hand. He was ready to face death, decidedly finding the wrong person to try to intimidate. Instead, the man seemed to reach a hand out to help him. Metaphorically, but it would do.

The young man did as instructed, trying to visualize everything amidst the inner chaos. He had never tried this way of coping, only ever trying to scream back at each voice louder, one at a time. As the voices began to push back against his struggle, he did so to them. Verac's eyes were shut, though he would not know it. Force energy gathered around him, unknowingly, lashing out and cracking some of the permacrete pavement he was standing on.

The kid was powerful in the force, but would never fully grasp just how much...let alone control that. As the voices began to settle to a crowded whisper, Verac's body eased and relaxed for once in a long while. He left out a sigh of relief and slowly opened his eyes to stare at the one who had helped him. "It's...quiet. I can think for once, in my own voice. Thank you." He paused, looking around and realizing just how much of his environment he hadn't noticed. A barrage of colors, lights, and sounds were now very apparent because he could finally focus on them. It was beautiful.

"So...what happens now?"

 

[Phoenix]

Javik could sense him beginning to relax, and that was a move in the right direction, but that wasn’t all he felt. He felt fear. A lot of it. Fear of his own power, fear of what would become of him, fear of… something in his past. Fear was a powerful tool when using the Force. “What’s your name?” he asked first.

“Well, you obviously know that you have power. Don’t you want to learn how to use it?” he looked quizzically at the man in front of him. He seemed lost, unsure of himself. Unsure of his path. Perhaps Javik could guide him.

“You’re afraid of something aren’t you? Of your own power? Of something in your past perhaps? We can teach you how to control it, how to become powerful. How to guide your own destiny and be free from the hurt caused by others.” It was something that rang true in Javik’s life. Once a slave, his inability to control his own path had lost him the love of his life. It wouldn’t ever happen to him again though, and he could make the same happen for this one.

 

[blstrgmr]

Verac would simply stumble back, unable to take in what had just happened. It was all catching up with him, the beautiful sights and sounds. "Verac. Verac Cyn. I'm...I remember that I'm looking for answers." Verac's face was much softer now, almost smiling. "Yes, I would appreciate more instruction...but...well, strangely this is very tiring."

He stepped out of the alleyway, looking around. "I'll find you, later. For just a bit longer, I want to see this place with my own mind. With a clear head. I owe you one." With that, the young thug would scribble his contact details on a scrap of paper and give it to Javik before wandering off into the bright lights of

 

[Phoenix]

Javik watched as the man wandered away. It had been a strange meeting and extremely short. There was so much more that Javik wanted to say, but it didn't appear that the man was in any frame of mind at the moment. Perhaps another day. He had the information he needed to find this "Verac" again, and he was sure they would meet again. Perhaps for now he simply needed patience, and one day he could bring the man to the Sith.
/thread