A Return to Normalcy

[Fyston]

((OOC Note: This thread takes place hours before the skirmish does. Also, this marks my first RP in months so I've got to get back into the groove.)

He'd long since lost track of time. The days blended together and he no longer knew when he was. He knew exactly where he was but he had no idea what day it was or what was happening in the galaxy around him. With each passing day, the sky seemed to grow more tumultuous. He knew nothing for sure, though he could feel something trickling away from him and had been feeling it for a while. It wasn't his connection to the Force leaving him, it was deeper than that. It was as if something was drawing the Force away from Empress Teta. While Fyston knew it was the war, he knew not how it fared. He had been here for what seemed like forever and had arrived shortly after being freed from the Sith.

Spoiler: Settling In (Backstory)

He had first gone to Naboo to pick up supplies and patch himself up, though the former were more important. After loading his ship, the Dangerous Revenge, with supplies of both a military nature and a survival one, Fyston had planned out where he would go. During his time in Sith captivity, he had recognized the error of his prior ways. He knew he had strayed from the Light. He needed to go off of the grid, if only for the time needed to meditate and learn from his mistakes. It was for that reason that he added his name to the list of the dead from the Battle of Boonta.

With nobody looking for him, he needed a suitable place to stay. A place close enough to the Light Side of the Force that he would be influenced by it but somewhere he could hide. Tython was out, as anybody familiar with his presence would feel him. He had lived there. He had worked there. He had likely left a mark. Plus, he wanted to be away from any location where he could be easily tracked. Tython didn't receive too many unrecognized visitors and people tended to recognize ships when the owner had lived there. Too many people knew him on Tython. The Light of the Force was out, as there was nowhere he could hide. That left Coruscant and Empress Teta. Both received heavy traffic, though Fyston had done a few exercises and missions on Coruscant at one point, meaning Empress Teta was the best place for him. Granted he and Della had done an exercise or two in survival on Empress Teta, few knew him and none could identify his ship.

By disabling his running lights, using his jammers, and flying as close to the planet as possible, he had managed to get in undetected. He'd landed in a small clearing, not far from an abandoned mining town. He preferred to do his hermitage away from people and that meant the forest portion of the planet, though he didn't mind it. It meant that natural food would be easier to come by and it meant that nobody could find him unless he invited them.

It hadn't been hard to hide his ship, not with camo netting, some dirt, grass, and the like, as well as a few saplings, to convince those flying over to keep flying. It blended in perfectly and it simply looked like a big hill. By completely shutting the ship down, he avoided scanners and sensors, meaning he was invisible to those relying on technology.

From there, he settled into an abandoned home only a fourth of a mile from his ship. It was only after checking the town for anything that could cause him trouble that he unpacked, bringing a single case of rations, enough for a month, into the home on his hoversled. He also brought his KI-11 and his K-6 with him, keeping the former in his room and the latter with him at all times. With unpacking complete, the town secure, and no large predators nearby, Fyston had felt safe allowing Sam to disembark. It was then that he set to work cleansing himself and bringing himself closer to the light.

It was on his bed that he sat, cleaning his KI-11. He glanced out of the second story window, eyeing the main approach into the town. Sam was out hunting for the both of them, though Fyston would have been out with him were it not for what he had planned. It was through their hunting and a nearby stream that Fyston hadn't needed to dig too far into his rations.

He reassembled his KI-11, inserted a magazine, and chambered a round. Until Sam got back, Fy had only his KI-11, his K-6, and his lightsaber to deal with any predators, which tended to be larger than average. Their ability to mess someone up when they got close was the main reason that Fyston kept his KI-11 with him at all times when Sam was gone.

He walked downstairs and exited his house, glancing up at the sky. He didn't know how far he was from the Sage Halls but he figured that she should be here soon. He'd sent her a short, very cryptic message via tight-beam transmission from his ship. It had been the only time he activated the ship since he landed.

"The town near the clearing where you surprised me after evading me all day."

 

[TweedPawn]

She bounded through the forest like a doe. Della's steps were light and barely left a mark on the earth. She heard a voice from long ago. She wasn't sure if she should seek him out again. Her heart pained. She and Fyston were not on speaking terms when they were caught and separated. Her cheeks were still sunken in from when she starved herself to avoid the drug-contaminated food.

She missed Fyston. She thought he was dead, though the force told her otherwise. Della wasn't sure what to do. She paused her movement. Her eyes teared up. She wanted to run to him. Tell him all the things that pressed on her heart. She still loved him. He was the closest friend she had other than Rhonun. But that was before the bitterness that ate away at Fyston.

Della held regret. It was easy to forget it when survival was the bare expectation. She wanted to run to him. She wanted to embrace him and cry. But was that even possible anymore? A lot of things were different. Certainly, he felt her in the forest as she felt him. If he wanted to engage with her, he had his opportunity.

 

[Fyston]

There it was again. It was a familiar presence he had felt off and on since he landed. Though it was familiar, he could not place it. Was it Della? He hoped it was Della, though it seemed different than he last recalled. Has it really been that long, pondered the Knight from beneath his hood. While he hoped it was Della, he could not allow his hopes to get in the way of a secure perimeter.

As much as he wanted to dart right in and see if his hopes were true, he had to be cautious. It was for this reason that he set down his KI-11 and withdrew his K-6 from its place on his waist. After ensuring that the rubber bullets were chambered, he took off down a side route that would allow him to approach from behind. Of course, he was careful to avoid snapping branches and he avoided rustling any leaves as the last thing he wanted to do was give away his location.

As he neared the end of his route, Fyston noticed a lone figure standing almost completely still. Fyston didn't even need to see more to know who it was. Her posture, her clothes, and her hair gave it away. He tucked the Tuk'ata away but could not bring himself to move. His knees were like jelly and his legs turned into durasteel. His heart fluttered, dropped into his stomach, and rose into his throat at the same time. He felt the same butterflies he did when he was but a Padawan and felt searing tears cut through the grime on his face as repressed memories rose to the surface.

And so he started forward, stumbling, toward Della. His voice seemed to fail him and he could utter not even a whisper, though his sounds of stumbling would give him away. He knew not what he would say once his voice returned to him, though he knew it wouldn't matter. He continued to move forward, though his movements became slower and there was less stumbling.

It was without a single word that he approached her, though he knew she'd know it was him. As he got closer, he felt conflict enter his mind. What do I do was the only thought in his mind. Almost immediately, however, he knew that he didn't care. And so, without giving her time to respond, Fyston scooped Della up in a tight embrace, pausing only to plant a kiss on her forehead. At least I have enough restraint to not mess things up or make them awkward, he thought, though he could feel the blood rushing to his face as a response to his actions.

 

[TweedPawn]

They stood and looked at eachother. Her tears silently fell as their eyes locked. Eternity seemed to pass before yston suddenly ran to her and embraced her. She could feel his heart pounding and then the brotherly kiss on her forehead. She trembled and began to cry tears of emotion. She was so happy, she felt the relief of forgiveness overwhelm her.

"I am so sorry. For everything that happened between us. I thought about you...When I woke up and you weren't there, I thought the worst had happened to you. I was put into a garden as a pet for them. They caged me behind gold bars and ornate locks. I thought they threw you to the dogs to be ripped apart. I thought you were dead. I thought you were..." She wept. Her frail body shook like a tiny bird.

 

[Fyston]

"I know," he said simply, wiping the tears away from her face with his thumb. "But it'll take more than a Sith to kill me. I'm good at surviving. I've got a place not far from here where we can sit down and catch up." As he finished, he turned and put his left arm around her, directing her towards the rear entrance to the house he had claimed as his. It had been forever since he was in sync with the rest of the galaxy and so much could have changed. He didn't even know how long it had been, meaning he was at a vast disadvantage in terms of piecing things together. He'd made sure to ensure that he would be left alone, though he hadn't escaped his hermitage unscathed. He'd changed. For the better, if only at the price of a feeling of increased loneliness, a level of situational awareness that seemed to border on paranoia at times, and a habit of stealing 20 or 30 minutes at a time for reflection. The first would fade as he got back into the swing of things and the third would be gone once he was more sure of himself and the changes he had made. The second, however, was the only one he doubted would fade.

He kept quiet, making sure they weren't being followed for the very short trip back to his hideout. He knew that he'd have to go back and eliminate their tracks, though that could wait. For now, the important thing was to get caught up with everything that had happened. As they entered the house, Fyston grabbed a sweet drink from one of his cabinets and offered it to Della, as well as a number of different snacks. Some were packaged and were from the supplies he had picked up on Naboo. They tended to be more for energy and survival than taste. On the other hand, most of his other snacks were handfuls of berries, nuts, and strips of jerky from the various animals that Fyston had killed. Even his cold-weather gear had fur on it to protect him from even the fiercest of chills on Empress Teta. If there was one thing Fyston had gotten good at, it was coming up with various concoctions. The juice was simply water with berries mixed in while the jerky had been cooked in a variety of ways with a number of spices, sauces, and other ingredients added.

As he gathered everything they might need for the next few hours, he pointed her towards the couch in the living room of the house. Setting everything on the table, he sat down on one end of the same couch and took a deep breath. "Funnily enough, I escaped that situation. I went looking for you. I really did. I tried finding you. I heard you'd been moved to Bastion and another world that I can't remember. I tried to think of a way to get onworld but it would have been impossible. I tried everything from diversions to sneaking in as a crippled soldier seeking an audience with a former superior. I was forced to give up when the Jedi started needing me. A plague broke out and I was tasked with developing a cure. I'd written down my notes from various experiments and from where I had noticed something odd. However, before I could finish it, they needed me again. This time, I was a pilot. I was to lead a fleet and, along with two others, capture Boonta. We failed. It was then that I escaped death, though not the clutches of the Sith. They tried to break me, though they found that I was much more stubborn than I first appeared and I first appeared quite stubborn. They also captured my pilots, though they were less lucky than I."

He spoke calmly, as if he had been ready for this moment for his entire life. Despite coming back into contact with the love of his life and recounting the harsh events that had befallen him, he was as calm as a forgotten pond. "Then, by some random chance, the Imperial Knights rescued me and my pilots. They did it like it was nothing. I wanted to return to the Light and I had my chance. I knew I needed to get away. I didn't need anything to distract me, not while I pondered and recovered and reconciled. I am different from what you remember me as, though the last time we spoke it was right after my leg gave out on me. I want you to know that I'm sorry. I hurt you and I'm sorry. I wanted someone to feel my pain, if only for a second. It wasn't right of me and I apologize."

As he finished, Fyston took a handful of berries and popped them in his mouth, chewing them a few times before following it down with a sip of juice. "So," he began. "What have you gotten into or out of since we last spoke?"

 

[TweedPawn]

Della allowed him to rekindle those minute displays of friendship. It was like when they first met. He saw her as a frightened girl then, but he did the best he could to break the language barrier and offer comfort. Della allowed her tears to dry. She was led through the wilderness and she began to understand how Fyston was able to stay so closed off from the rest of the planet. He had adopted the lifestyle that was similar to Della and Sebastian.

Though, Fyston's standard of living was a marked improvement. Sebastian wouldn't even allow Della to dig a shallow burrow when they trained in the woods together. Fyston had mastered the art of foraging, and there were even gifts from Naboo. Della remembered her time in the great home there fondly. This humble dwelling was very similar to the kind Della had on Sacul. It made her nostalgic.

She listened to Fyston, her Light flowing towards him as it usually did when she and another were opening up to each other. She listened, her heart growing heavy. He had a hard struggle as she did. Della leaned close to him, as she would have with any one of her brethren on Sacul, or her Master.

"I heard that it was called Rakghoul...It took Sebastian. They shot him...I wanted to perform the traditions of burial, as my Mother would have. But they wouldn't let me touch the body...They burned it." Della's eyes stung. "I wasn't even allowed to tuck wheat under his hands." She also took a handful of the fruit nearby. It was delicious. The first time she actually ate something without picking it apart for hidden drugs.

"I woke up on Xaden, inside the house of the Xaden family. They weren't royalty, but close. They had a great palace surrounded by walls. They intended on keeping me there for the rest of my life. They drugged me. It was in the food they served me. They took away my clothes of my native home, and replaced them with dresses that I couldn't run in. They were going to marry me to their eldest son..." Della's eyes drifted.

"I believe you when you say that you tried to find me. But the truth is that it would have been almost impossible to find AND save me. The drugs dampened my connection to the Force. They monitored my every move. They had me in a beautiful place, and they desired my domestication. I refused. I learned patience in that place. " Della tried to muster a strong smile for Fyston.

"I escaped in such a simple way. I was put into a box and shipped to the Chiss. The Chiss...They were cold...but generous. They gave me a place to hide until I could reach Alliance space. I..." She paused.

"I ran into the Sith who stole me away from Sacul."

 

[Fyston]

He was surprised that she knew the name of the disease, though he was more surprised when she mentioned Sebastian. He was dead? It didn't seem possible. Sure, they might not have been the best of friends, but they'd gotten along. If anyone had made an impact on Fyston, it had been Sebastian. Knowing that Sebastian had died of the Rakghoul disease made Fyston feel as if Sebastian had died because of his failure. Because of his mistakes, his lack of knowledge regarding the disease, one of his closest friends had died. If he would have known more, taken less time off to mess with people or get into shenanigans, focused more on the cause at hand, Sebastian would still be here. The taste of the berries and juice in his mouth turned into a sour, unpleasant mix. His hands seemed not to work and his mind worked against him.

Stop, was all that he thought. His inner sanctum, buried deep in the recesses of his mind. It was to this sanctum that he retreated during each torture session. It was from this sanctum that he had begun cleansing his mind and becoming a better person. Only this sanctum could offer clarity in the harshest of times and only this sanctum that could break through any cloudy thoughts and bring him to his senses. Be it in the deepest of combat or in the saddest of funerals, this sanctum kept him focused and on top of anything and everything the galaxy could throw at him. It was this sanctum that allowed him to focus on her tale, picturing the harsh nature of her journey.

"I am so sorry," he said to Della as she finished. "I knew how much Sebastian meant to you. Tonight, if you wish, we can do something for him. It is not as good as a real funeral but you can perform the rituals of your people. I would like to learn them." His thoughts were filled with apologies, as he only wanted her to know how bad he felt. For leaving her, for ignoring her, for failing to save her, for everything. "Be free, now. You are safe with me and I would rather die before I let anyone else take you. As for this Sith, who was it? It was so long ago that we rescued you. It was me, you, Sam, or the human Sam, anyway, and my Master, Shi-Gel-Hu. I can still remember the layout of the ship and how I tried to calm you down with the Force. I was so reckless, then. So...careless. Anyway, do you believe that this Sith is a threat to you and your people?" He tried to avoid getting off on a tangent, though Della had always been able to make him act differently than he normally did. He sought to help her in any way that he could despite knowing nothing of her plight.

 

[TweedPawn]

"I...I would love that Fyston. I really would. My mother ran a morgue. So, I knew everything about tending to the dead since I was a little girl. My mother is so clever. She is a pharmacist. The only female one! Though...Women are barred from medicine." Della replied. Her thoughts drifted to the pain of electricity escaping her fingertips.

"I remember that day too. It feels like a dream at times. I remember screaming when I first saw Shi-Gel-Hu. I remember how scared I was when I first saw you and Sam. I thought you were going to buy me as a slave. Then I felt calm. Well, more calm. I understand it now. That you used the Force. You three saved me. I know I said that before. But I can't get over it. My life changed and you were one of the pillars I needed." she smiled.

"But I know more about the one who took me. His name is Geist Weiss. He is using my people. He remembers me, Fyston."

 

[Fyston]

He smiled at Della's reminiscing about her mother. That she had memories of her childhood made him happy, though the fact that she'd been ripped away from it tore at his heart. He wondered if Della would ever see her mother, her world, her people again. She'd been torn from her home without a chance to say goodbye and that was utterly wrong.

The name seemed familiar. Oh so very familiar. Fyston was sure that he had heard it before, though he couldn't tell from where he had heard it. He knew that this Weiss fellow seemed to be fairly high up in the Sith food chain, if only because few people talked about Acolytes or even Crusaders. The Knight wished that he knew more and then a smile crept onto his face, if only for a second. He could...no. They could go aboard his ship and do some quick searching. So long as they kept it under 15 minutes, a search alone wouldn't raise any suspicions.

"His name sounds familiar, though we can use my ship to search for more information. Anything you know or have learned would greatly speed things up, as I'd rather keep our exposure time to a minimum."

 

[TweedPawn]

"I have spoken with Ebberla Daw and a former battle master about him. The only things I know are what is already known. He's a high ranking Sith alchemist, that is certain. He seems to have kept my planet and my people a secret. He and I were questioned by Sith officials and not once did he mention Sacul or Snamreg. Trust me, Chiss were curious to know why I was different." She blinked.

"They discovered my blood is different than yours. Not too much, but enough to catch their attention. The Xadens were curious too. They kept trying to press me for information about my history. Geist is also an illusionist. He's very slippery. The worst part is, he is the only one who knows where my people are, and I doubt he'll tell me any time soon..." Della's face tensed. She crossed one leg over the other and grind her teeth in thought.

"He told me things...Things that have not settled well with me. I want nothing to do with him, but I feel that my fate is to be tied to him. Snamreg do not believe that fate is ever kind. It makes us nervous. Fate is cruel. It usually binds us to death."

 

[Fyston]

"This is quite intriguing. It's a challenge and I like challenges. I'd have never guessed that you were any different from me, though I've never done your bloodwork. Do you mind telling me what things he told you? As for your fate, it is yours to control. While he may have a place in it, your fate or destiny or whatever you might call it is yours and yours alone. You can influence your future as easily as I might influence mine. The future is constantly changing and the only way to stop your future from changing is to end it before it happens and I won't let you do that in my house."

Fyston sat back and flashed her a reassuring smile before taking his pistol from his belt. He wasn't going to use it but he needed something to manipulate in order to concentrate. Back when he had his cane on him at all times, he would perform tricks with it. Now, he rotated it and examined it from every angle, careful to keep it pointed away from his or Della's body. He dropped the magazine and tossed it onto the table to make sure nothing could go wrong and returned to his thoughts. If he's the only one who knows where her people are, we'll just have to make his knowledge our knowledge.

"He might be the only one who knows where your people are, though this won't be so for long. We can track him in a number of different ways or we could follow him or we could cut him off and follow him from there. Anything that allows us to plot where he's going and follow him would work. It's dependent on a number of factors but I'm quite good at tracking people. What do you say?"

 

[TweedPawn]

"I wouldn't guess it either...Until I noticed differences between my kind and galactic women. Apparently, galactic women can not reabsorb embryos or eggs back into their bodies." Della watched Fyston fiddle with his weapon. She never liked blasters, they were noisy things.

"He told me that I was an outsider to my own people now. That I had no right to claim them anymore. He also told me that there were sith on my planet that he was keeping in check. If I eliminated him, I would allow the sith free reign on my planet. They're there...Using Snamreg." Tears welled in her eyes. She held them back.

"The Chiss said they would help with trying to find my planet, but it is always better to get the help from friends. To be fair, I'm not entirely sure I WANT the Chiss to find Sacul. They seem so...stiff? Rigid? How do you say it?" it was a phrase that Della had not said in quite some time. It brought back some nostalgia.

 

[Fyston]

With the news that this Geist had dubbed Della an outsider, Fyston stood, grabbed the clip from the table, and slipped it back into place. He didn't chamber a round, though the did slip the K-6 back into his waistline. He knew how much Della's people meant to her and he had to come up with a way to help her. He couldn't exactly kill the Sith, not since he was holding back the Sith currently on Sacul. If he was an alchemist of skill, there was no telling what shape he had appeared to them as, meaning it wouldn't be as simple as reconfiguring his holoprojector and sending a transmission.

That they were using her people didn't shock him, not with how much he knew about the Galaxy and the Sith in particular. It did, however, strengthen his resolve and his determination to come up with a plan. Of course, knowledge that the Chiss had offered help was unexpected and he began running through the possibilities in his mind. It was extremely likely that they had a motive of their own and he knew them to be close with the Sith considering they hadn't been destroyed by the Sith when the opportunity had been there many times, as well as their declaration of war on the Galactic Alliance. He didn't know much about the citizens themselves but the government seemed to be looking for power and, from what he'd studied and read, would do anything to get it. He didn't trust them. Of course, that might just be his new nature. Whatever the reason, he didn't have an answer for Della's question.

While he was going through his vocabulary, which seemed to fail him, he offered a few suggestions. "Stubborn? Reserved? Unyielding? Immutable? Regardless, I wouldn't let them touch your planet. They are secretive and I don't trust them." He took a deep breath, steeling himself against potential awkwardness in what was to follow. "So how have you and Rhonun been? Has he been promoted to Master yet? What about yourself? They been taking care of you?"

 

[TweedPawn]

Della bit her lip at first, unsure of what to say. She thought about a few things before eating more food and taking another sip of the drink Fyston prepared.

"He's been taking care of me since I came back. I was about ten pounds under weight. I think. I had to be put on a special diet. But I didn't want to eat. The Xadens had coated my food with drugs to keep me from using the Force. I was always lethargic. It killed my trust of food. Even now, I keep thinking about if my food might be poisoned. But Rhonun has been making me eat. He's not a Master, yet. He was turned down." Della reached for a piece of paper from her pocket. There was a small girl drawn on it.

"This is Erica Xaden. I met her when I was imprisoned. She's an imperial. Doesn't care for Jedi very much. But, I want to give her a happy life. Like what I had. The Xadens wanted to turn her into a sith. They wanted to break her. I couldn't let it happen."

 

[Fyston]

"If you're ever unsure if food might be unsafe, have your host eat it first. Doesn't help if you're a prisoner, as I found out, but it does in most other situations. There are cultures where the host must eat before his guests, though they are less common than they were thousands of years ago. It's good that he made you eat, though. Otherwise, you'd be eating nourishment pills and wouldn't be this far in your recovery. Maybe it's the fact that food tastes good and nourishment pills taste like bantha poodoo." He finished with a smile, taking the picture from her and examining it. Sometimes, he felt as if his sight was slipping, though as soon as he thought about it, his sight cleared up. It was weird, like tasting something in a dream but losing said taste if one focused on it.

"I know you couldn't. What you did was the right thing and I wouldn't expect anything less. Make sure Rhonun knows that he has my gratitude for everything and my apologies for the same. Back on the topic of Erica, I look forward to meeting her one day. You'll make an excellent mother. Has she tried your spices yet?" Despite it being forever since they last ate together, Fyston remembered Della's unique sense for spicing up her foods beyond most galactic palate. While it almost seared his tongue at first, those spices had actually helped in one of Fy's battles. He wanted to cook her an actual meal, if only to apologize to her, but since Sam had yet to get back from his hunting trip, Fy had little meat in his food with which to cook.

 

[TweedPawn]

"The Xadens were used to the drugs. Erica has been a handful. She doesn't like Jedi and she's bad mouthed most of them. She has been eating Rhonun's cooking. My spices have been spent towards making these packets for other jedi." Della pulled out a small satchel. It was filled with the spicy peppers she had been specially cultivating. She managed some spicy plants, but nothing like the legendary Firra root.

"I would love to be a mother. I'm not sure what to do with Erica, If she should come with me to Sacul. The Sith are coming Fyston. I fear for our safety."

 

[Fyston]

He felt distress. He felt anger. He felt the need to protect his loved ones. It wasn't him. Well, the distress and anger wasn't. It was primal. He grabbed his KI-11 from against the wall, where he had set it before going to find Della. It was a habit when he felt disturbed in his element. He looked back at Della and made a few simple hand signals. Get to cover and hold until I say so. Fyston stepped into the foyer, rifle raised to his shoulder. Rather than a foe, however, he saw only Sam staring at the sky and growling. He lowered his weapon and walked cautiously to the door, stepping out of the house and looking skyward. What awaited his eyes caused his heart to drop into his stomach.

It was a Sith fleet. He heard engines overhead, likely advanced landing craft. "Sam, inside, now," he barked, turned from a sociable friend to a commander. The man slipped past Sam and rushed into the living room. He glanced at Della with concern in his eyes. "Della, you have to do me a favor. Get to the Temple and get Erica. Get only what you can carry on your back but make sure it's necessary. You don't have much time. Meet me back here as soon as possible. We must get out of here. I would go with you to ensure your safety but I have preparations to make to ensure that we can get out of here before things get worse. Contact me when you're on the way back."

As he finished, he opened a nearby drawer, revealing another K-6 Tuk'ata and two magazines. He handed the weapon to Della with the two magazines below it. "Pull it back to chamber a round. Point to shoot. It's quieter than a blaster and, with all of the fighting, few will hear you if you need to use it. Don't point it at anyone unless you intend to kill them." With a simple point back the way they had came, he turned to his work.

He pulled drawers from their housings and flung open cabinets. He needed to eliminate every bit of evidence that people had been here. He carefully removed every scrap of food from the kitchen, loading it into simple plastic bags. He removed any weapons that he had stashed around the house and went over a mental checklist as he loaded everything onto his hoversled. Bedroom is clear, as I never stored anything there. Important files and the like are onboard. Weapons are here. Now to destroy the house. With his style of living off of the land and leaving as little a trace as possible, cleaning up had only taken a few minutes. He needed to get going.

It was a very short run to his ship, one which he used to determine what he would need to do. With a few presses on the external keypad, the ramp dropped and the pair scrambled aboard. Leaving the supplies near the top of the ramp, he rushed to the cockpit and began flipping switches, turning on the ship as fast as he could. With knowing eyes, he looked at the diagnostic panel, watching the blinking yellow lights turn a solid green.

As the command suite came available, he began typing in various commands. He had to ensure that his ship was safe if he perished. With that in mind, he directed the slave circuit to fly a very lengthy course to Naboo, specifically his family mansion. Stock recordings would ensure that the ship could get onto the world, especially considering that Kaadara STC knew his ship.

He also took the time to record a message meant for Kisgart Industries. "It seems that the time has come, my friends. This time, for real. Everyone that sees this knows me and I trust each and every one of you. You know what to do. Act for the betterment of the Galaxy. Help people when you can. You have designs in reserve. Those that only we know about. When you reveal them, do not hesitate to sell to the Sith. If you do not, I doubt anyone will survive long and nobody is any good dead. Sell to mercs. Sell to bounty hunters. Keep your heads down, though. Don't do anything stupid. Don't make bulk sales to those who will get you in trouble. Lie. Be specific when you lie. More instructions are in the area where we designed the N-101. It's been a fun ride. May the Force be with you."

It would be the first thing that any of the board members of Kisgart Industries would see when they opened the Dangerous Revenge. They would know what to do and, with his affairs sorted, he felt a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He hadn't heard from Della and he figured she would have at least contacted him if there was trouble. Fyston decided that he would go after her in two minutes, which gave him just enough time to exchange most of his rations for ammunition. He left himself three days' worth of ration pills but filled various pouches with KI-11 magazines. He had one in his rifle and four in his belt. He also stashed two pistol mags in his left pants pocket. He patted himself down to ensure that he had everything ready to go. He had his lightsaber, his KI-11, his K-6, his gauntlets, and his combat knife. He had about a minute left, which he knew he would spend with bated breath by his wrist-mounted comlink.

 

[TweedPawn]

There was a terrible heaviness in the air. Della's foot thumped. A hollow sound followed it. She stood still for a moment before another foot-thump was made. She darted into a tight small space, as her people were prone to do. Della already knew what had arrived. She never imagined it could possibly happen.

Her eyes looked at Fyston's, the innocence and sadness in them were louder than any scream as he handed her the pistol. Della had never fired a gun in her life. She nodded and straight away established a connection with Erica through the force.

Erica, get Daiyu. Meet me at the bird-shaped rock. Bring the amulet. I'm leading you to a man named Fyston. His cabin is right next to it. Della then sped off, her nickname Speed Demon of the Order rightfully shown.

Della saw the ships overhead. She was quick. They moved like hutts in comparison to the hurried rate of Della reaching a secret place where she kept a few articles. There was the box with Fyston's padawan braid. There was the bracelet she made for her master, Sebastian, and a few scavenged trinkets from her many adventures. There was more, but the piles of randomly found credits and jewelry could be hidden quite well.

She pulled away from her hiding spot. She kept her speed up, seeking alternative routes until she could get a better idea of what to do next. She should go back. or even go with Erica to make sure she was safe. Erica wasn't as quick as she was.

Della darted by one of the majestic structures of Teta. Some sort of palace. She felt something…

------
Erica sat up. She was alert. Della had rarely contacted her through the Force. It must have been serious. The Imperial child grabbed the amulet that Della told her to carry. It was a strange thing. It made the wearer a void in the Force. Della's handy trick.

She put it on and marched to where the cat-man, Daiyu, was busy tinkering away at something inside the house. Della had broken the refresher. Not just an appliance in the refresher. But the ENTIRE refresher was deemed out of order.

"Kitty, Della says we gotta go meet with her at this rock. I know how to get there." Erica had her usual sour face as she stared through Daiyu. After a few seconds, her expression softened.

"she sounded scared."

--------------

Della was running across some sort of palace grounds. She caught the terrifying presence of the nightmare that had haunted her life in the galaxy. She thought she saw the flash of a familiar metallic shade.

Then, she was suddenly lunged on by two creations of Sith Alchemy. They were on top of her like dark hounds. Della screamed and tumbled to barely get out of their grasp. But they were already gathering to get a grasp on her again.

Della suddenly fired her pistol on one of them. The Sinner said nothing, but stumbled back. The other grasped Della by the throat only to be rewarded with a bone crushing knee to its hip. This one did scream as an important joint was suddenly made useless.

The three powerful Force users were in a terrifying brawl between speed and numbers. Each time Della landed a punch or a pistol shot on one of them, another Sinner would grab her and inflict pain.

I just need to get loose. i can run if I just get loose.

----------

"she was supposed to meet us here…I'm sure of it." Erica said as she reached the bird rock with Daiyu.

 

[Jiang Winters]

"Just a second, Erica," Daiyu muttered. The cat was half-inside the cabinet under the sink, a dizzying array of spanners and tools arrayed around him as he tinkered on the in-line water heater and filtration unit. How Della had managed to break it was beyond him, but after she'd made a toaster go supercritical he was beginning to think that she was some sort of anti-technology bioweapon created by the Yuuzhan Vong to destroy the galaxy. He slid half-out from under the sink and reached for a tool, at which point he got a look up at Erica's face. Her expression was soft. He'd never seen that before.

His ears pricked attentively as the young girl spoke again. He dropped his spanner and rose to his feet, brushing both hands off on his cargo pants. "Alright. Just a second, I just... I need to get something."

The young Kushari briefly dipped into his bedroom and dragged his duffel bag from under his bed. It contained a plethora of things - his datapad, some gear, tools, a suit of armor, and most importantly his rifle and handgun and ammo for both. He'd 'acquired' the bag from his shop during a brief visit to Corellia, and had kept it close ever since. He pulled his rifle out and made sure it was loaded. It was a Lawbreaker, an Alda Industries product, and devastating in his hands. He was a crack shot with a rifle. If Della was scared, then he wanted to have it close in case he had to defend Erica... And himself!

"Okay, let's go."

He fell into close step behind Erica, the cat's ears pricked and swiveling in a search for anything unusual. His duffel was slung across his back as thought it were a backpack, and he kept his rifle at his shoulder. His gloved finger hovered near the trigger. Once they reached the rock, he paused to set down his rifle and roll up his sleeves. Something wasn't right. Something just didn't feel right - he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was the Force telling him that something was wrong. Maybe it was something else entirely. He gritted his teeth and took up his rifle again.

"Just stay down and keep an eye out for her. She'll be here," Daiyu replied softly, gripping his rifle that much more tightly, "She'll be here."

 

[Fyston]

The chrono beside the ramp counted down to zero and he knew he had to go. He knew she was probably only running late but his mind had kicked into overdrive, running through the various possibilities, all of which ended with less-than-desirable events. He pulled back the charging handle on his KI-11 and slung it around his body, the stock pointing up at his right shoulder and the barrel pointing down at the deck to his left. He triggered the 30-second delay on his ship, which would secure his ship until he returned. Of course, after an hour, the ship would take off and fly to Naboo. With Sam by his side, he walked calmly down the ramp.

Only to be surprised by a weird monstrosity turning him around and punching him in the face. Even while his head snapped back due to the force of the punch, Fyston brought his hands up to guard from further blows. Sure enough, the monster tried to punch him again, though this time he failed. The Knight grabbed his foe's arm and twisted, putting his back to his foe. Before the monster could take advantage of it, however, Fyston used his weight and his attacker's momentum to drop him over his shoulder.

Dropping to the ground, Fyston wrapped his legs around his opponent's left arm, one on each side. His left leg pushed his foe's head into the ground and his right leg lay across the monster's upper torso. The angle of his legs and his grip on his foe's wrist meant that he couldn't move his arm and a simple shift of his weight would destroy the aggressor's arm. And so, without a second thought, Fyston rolled and, with his knee, severely hyperextended the monster's arm, causing a sharp crack from the limb. Blood poured from the arm onto Fyston's clothes and he noticed bone jutting from the wound as he stood, shouldering his weapon while the creature thrashed around on the ground. With a single, cold, calculated twitch of his right index finger, a 12.7mm bullet slammed into the creature's head, ending his life in a splatter of skull and brains.

He knew that he wasn't alone, however. Without stopping to check what had just attacked him, he darted off into the jungle, heading towards civilization. The Es Cade palace is near here, I believe. I can communicate with the Temple from there, planned the Knight as he ran, Sam right behind him. Nobody had seen him, lest they would have attacked him, and since Sam was right behind him, most of his tracks were trampled. Even so, he took to running on rocks or along downed trees when it was possible, meaning there were many parts where his tracks would disappear, which would prevent those without eyes on from following him.

Suddenly, the Knight received a sudden warning. Without stopping to think, he ducked behind a large tree and used the Force to gather information. He felt a strange void in the Force, as if nothing was there, about 300 meters away and stationary. That's impossible, thought the Knight. The Force is in all life. The entire ecosystem would have had to be destroyed and recently, at that.

Using his KI-11's scope, he scouted ahead and, though the leaves and trees were in the way, switching modes gave him the thermal outprint of a little girl and a larger creature holding a rifle. Adjusting the focus a little bit, he seemed muscular and had facial features that Fy thought he recognized. It wasn't Rhonun, but the creature was feline. Did Delun return? Is this one of Rhonun's kinmen? Regardless, they were there for a reason. Fy doubted he would have much trouble, though he hoped things would go well. He didn't want any trouble, after all.

He stood, making sure to keep his rifle aimed at the feline. His finger, however, wasn't on the trigger. It was a sign of careful parlay, a want to talk rather than shoot. Of course, should the feline man make trouble, it would take but a thought, one simple motion, to slip his finger in the guard and pull the trigger. To support the idea that he wanted to talk, he established a link with the pair through the Force and, using the link, sent a calming, peaceful aura. Then, he tried making contact in a number of languages. Huttese, Bocce, Durese, and Basic. The wording was the same. I am a friend. Do not panic. I want to talk. If the pair responded favorably, Fyston would lower his weapon, though would take his hands off of it.