Ainm bhean Bás (Solo)

[Mortivica]

In comparison to the other Sith creeping around the temple on Korriban, she felt inadequate. She had no proper lightsaber, just a barely functioning one. She possessed no traditional robes of the Order, just a set of newly tailored clothes to fit her frame. No rivals to hunt down and eat, just an insatiable hunger to feast. What she did have was the itch to go exploring the ancient tombs that dotted the landscape, or better known as the Valley of the Dark Lords.

The moment the rest of the day belonged to her, she seized the opportunity and set upon her journey.

Korriban, despite the resemblance of a desert world, was cold and unforgiving. She had been warned by one of the Temple'e teachers not to get caught at night or you risk freezing to death. There was a way, a Force ability, to counter this but she was a mere Acolyte and not yet learned the power. Also, there were pack hunters that roamed the desert known as tu'katas, fearsome and ferocious. If that was not danger enough, there were the hssiss, creatures that could cloak themselves with invisibility and snatch unsuspecting prey with their mighty jaws.

And of course there were Sith.

Moving through the sand covered walk-way with rock formations and small cliffs on either side, Vatari Vasch kept her eyes and ears open; observing her surroundings and placing landmarks and designs etched in them to permanent memory. This was her first time venturing outside the Temple's walls and what a tragedy it would be if she got lost on the return trip.

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[Mortivica]

No sooner had she stepped out from the enclosed path into the open when she heard the first series of growls to her right. Chiding herself with a mental curse for letting her mind wander rather than focus on the task at hand. She had allowed herself to be captivated by the pleasure of exploring the tombs, and now standing off to her right was three tu'kata; their jaws askew displaying the rows of teeth like miniature monoliths. Saliva was dripping from their maws, a sign that they were hungry. Her own stomach rumbled alerting her that it was hungry as well. She withdrew the her sorry excuse for a lightsaber and thumbed the activation stud, holding her breath in anticipation to see if it would answer her call or betray her.

With a fluttering snap-hiss, the green blade coughed into existence. Quickly she gathered the invisible Force energy around her in preparation to defend herself against the impending assault by the pups. Jaws snapping and feet pawing at the sand, her enemies where steeling their nerves to charge at their prey. Then in a blink of an eye, they darted toward her.

With the energy swelled up inside her, she thrust her right hand out, gripping a medium sized stone, and hurled it at the closest of the three beasts. Smack! The beast was slammed to its right, rolling over and over on it's side. It was down but not discouraged. The other two drew closer forcing her to withdraw a couple of steps to assess the situation. First, she was not well versed in lightsaber usage. She knew one form but to call it perfected was a grossly understatement. Second, she never faced three opponents simultaneously. Three, she was at a disadvantage in terms of the land's layout.

Falling back on what little training and knowledge she possessed in lightsaber combat, she steadied herself and when the closer of the two reached into her range, she struck in timely fashion. Te green blade hissed and crackled through the Korriban air in a downward angle, meeting the flesh of the beast between head and shoulders. The tu'kata was already dead before it could release it's death cry. The second, not concerned with the death of his companion, continue it's attack; forcing her to side-step to her left to avoid the snapping jaws. The blade, for a second time, met flesh as it cut through the lower back of the creature; crippling it severely enough to knock it out of the fight.

She raised the blade over her head to deliver the coup de gras when her body was suddenly knocked forward with enough force to send her tumbling down into a ravine. The momentum was enough to carry her into the mouth of a small cave. Jumping to her feet, she saw the last tu'kata running downhill toward her.​

"Fool!"​