Ask Nal Hutta Among the Dead

[Arla]

Arla felt more at home on Nal Hutta than she did most other places she had visited. Not because it was a nice place, but because it was foggy, it was wild, and it felt just a little bit like Dathomir.

She and her partner had been sent here with one purpose: to hunt down a traitorous agent to the Empire. He was rumored to be seen heading into an area of the planet that had once been called "the Bayou." Unfortunately, the Bayou had been hit hard by AMS and there were very few - if any - living inhabitants that remained. That was likely why Cutter had fled here: there was no one else insane enough to hunt him down.

They were meeting at what appeared to be a lumber mill of some sort, long since abandoned. Other small towns, singular huts, and other industrial compounds like this were scattered throughout the swamp. While there was no sign of infected here yet, she couldn't help but feel her heart pounding a bit as she waited for the other man's arrival.

On the bright side, this was something she actually felt qualified for. She just hoped this other guy was competent too or this was going to be a long couple of days.

 

[Wodan]

The air was thick with the smell of damp and decay, ‘the Bayou’ of Nal Hutta was not a pleasant place to be. Small flying insects were constantly attacking any piece of exposed skin; why anyone would choose this planet as a residence was beyond him, though it did make an excellent hiding place for their target.

Wodan stepped over a half sunken and rotten log as the pair moved along one of the dry paths between the marshes of the Bayou. Something slithered into the water off to their right, a quick prod through The Force told Wodan that it was nothing to be afraid of. The Acolyte held his blaster rifle tightly in his hands, the gloves were soaked with sweat already from the humid conditions. His eyes shifted from side to side as he entered the clearing around the lumber mill.

In the dim light of the day Arla was difficult to make out in the shadow of the building. But The Force energy radiating from the women helped the Acolyte home in on the Champion. Letting his rifle hang free on the strap he made his way over towards the women, raising his right hand in greeting. “Arla, I assume? Wodan, nice to meet you.” He said as he approached. “Not my choice for a hideaway. That's for sure.”

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla had neglected to bring anything with her to pass the time, so she'd spent the last hour or so counting the number of different animals she saw milling around the... mill. She'd gotten up to seventeen of varying sizes, and their sudden disappearance seemed to herald the arrival of her partner.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked out at him, and her face crinkled up from a distance as she saw the blaster in his hands. Really, a gun? she thought to herself. Yeah, yeah, she knew that most of the galaxy used them and she knew that they were useful for a lot of things, but they were so... loud and lacking finesse. Arla, you're so judgmental. Again. This is becoming a habit, she thought to herself. It wasn't her finest quality, but it was a quality that she at least mostly managed to keep inside her own head. She wasn't typically one who was quick with oversharing her opinions.

As he got closer and spoke, she nodded. That's right. Nice to meet you, she said, pushing herself up to her feet. Piss somebody off to get assigned this job? she asked. She, herself, liked places like this - or at least felt comfortable working in them even if "like" was a strong word - but most people didn't. Most people would kill to stay out of somewhere like this. Well, okay, she didn't like the hordes of AMS, but that was a different story altogether.

She swung her bow off of her back and held it in hand, looking out at the sun that was just barely starting to go down. They still had a few more hours of sunlight, and she suspected this place would get much worse after dark.

Great place for a hideaway because nobody wants to come out here, she quipped back. Even the Hutts had all but avoided this area after its fall.

Unfortunately, we don't have much information about where this guy is... she said, pulling out a small holoprojector and letting it create a hologram on the floor in front of them with a map of the area. ...so we're going to have to search these compounds one at a time until we find him. Or pick up any clues that he's been there, she said. Yeah, that'd be fun and definitely not at all dangerous.

How're your tracking skills?

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Arla had a rough roguish look to her that spoke of a world and upbringing far from his own. The angular nature of her features were alluring, yet had an element of danger within them he couldn’t quite understand. “I guess you could say that.” He replied, although he didn’t actually piss somebody off, he had put himself in the unenviable position of needing to take any mission he could to get rep and reward. Otherwise he could never reach his goal.

His eyes were locked on the Energy Bow as she brought down from her shoulder into her hands. That gave the Firrerrian a little more information on the roguish look, she was Dathmorian, or at least brought up there. Where she checked the sun’s low dip, Wodan checked his holo-watch which gave him a similar if slightly more defined answer of how much time they had left before they were searching around in the dark.

“I mean it wouldn’t be an Imperial Mission if we were given all the details, would it?” He replied sarcastically, in his short time with the Empire, pretty much every outing he had taken was half-baked at best.

As he looked over the small blue map of the area, he tried to spot the locations Arla was referring to. It took a second as his eyes adjusted to the different hues of blue which signalled elevations and clearings but he quickly got the hang of it. “If I am honest, poor, very poor. I normally allow the tech to do that sort of thing.” But the Bayou had no receivers or cameras, this was ol fashioned tracking and hunting.

“I assume with that bow, you learned a fair bit back home however. So I will have to take your lead.”

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Sounds like a story there, she said, her head tilting to the side. She was curious, and she couldn't help but want to pry into other people's business, but she held herself back from pressing too hard. If he didn't want to speak about it, she wouldn't force him. She had no idea the story would be so... underwhelming.

Guess I have that to look forward to, she said. Imperial missions weren't exactly something she was in the groove of yet, but she was quickly starting to learn they couldn't be trusted for much. When she was with her sisters, there was a camaraderie. Here, though, she was just one more cog in a massive wheel. It brought her back to one important truth she had learned.

Can't trust most people. Intel's just made up of a bunch of people who don't care about us, she said. She almost stated outright that she didn't trust him, but she held her tongue. She expected that if he were smart, he wouldn't trust her yet either. Trust was earned.

She listened to his evaluation of his skill, and though she wasn't impressed by it, she appreciated his honesty about his skill. Better to know up front than to find out later and then they all got killed.

Fair enough, then we'll have our work cut out for us, she said, closing down the holoprojector and sliding it away. Let's get to it, then, she said and turned to make her way down the ramp leading out of the lumber mill.

You fought any of these AMS psychos here? she asked. She hadn't, but maybe he'd have some insight she didn't. She started moving slowly along the ground, her feet sinking slightly into the mud to dampen any noise. She could hear the sounds of the infected as distant gurgling, and tried not to disturb them.

We need to step quietly, she whispered to him. It was almost inevitable that they would have to kill some of these creatures, but she hoped they would do so quietly. And she also hoped not to rouse some sort of horde.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

“Nothing exciting I am afraid.” It wasn’t and he didn’t want to divulge too much, Wodan didn’t know how Arla thought of Darth Raze, so explaining his desire to kill the Dark Lord was perhaps misguided at best. He agreed with her statement on Intel, he was sure at least a few of the Imperial handlers had it out for newbie Sith, purposefully sending them on wild goose chases into dangerous territory such as this.

The holoprojector disappeared and the gloom of the Nal Hutta Bayou once again took hold of their surroundings. Wodan took hold of the grip of his rifle and made his way gingerly down the ramp behind the Dathmorian. “I made an effort to avoid them up until now. You?” He replied, his head was on a swivel as they made their way into the Bayou proper.

The Firrerrian had taken a few missions leading troops in built up cities, so was used to keeping an eye on every direction in case of an attack. The gurgling and grunting of the infected sat eerily well with the sounds of insects and slow moving water around them.

Arla’s whispered voice just broke through the sounds of the Bayou. Did the AMS have enhanced hearing? Whatever, he would take the Champion’s lead and try to move as quietly as possible. “Where to first? The Slaughterhouse or the Farm?”

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

No, I hadn't been to a planet hit by the virus before this, she admitted. And therefore, she really didn't know what to expect. Sure, she'd read up on things before coming here, but it wasn't really the same she assumed. You could read a tome about riding rancors, but until you had its scaley skin under you, it just wasn't the same.

She crept quietly through, measuring his question for a moment as she tried to decide on an answer. Farm was likely to have fewer infected, but the slaughterhouse was likely to have more space for him to set up and spread out. If she were picking a place to go she would go... her first instinct was the slaughterhouse, but the Farm was likely to have actual living quarters.

The Farm, she whispered back after a moment, angling along the path and heading slightly more to their left toward where the Farm should be.

Like clockwork they arrived at the edges of the Farm about twenty minutes later. A wooden, half-broken fence covered the exterior and the crops - some sort of grain - that had been grown here at once point was completely overgrown with weeds now. Bales of hay rose at one end of the compound and a large barn, farmhouse, and... maybe a grain silo were all on the property.

More immediately, there were several infected she could see mulling about the place. She paused at a break in the lower plank of the fence where they could duck under.

You have a lightsaber? Or better yet a knife or sword? she asked, pausing a moment before glaring down at the gun. It would attract every infected in the vicinity. A lightsaber wasn't great but it was way quieter than a gun.

For her part, she swung under the upper plan and raised her bow. She took a deep breath, drawing back and falling into a comforting rhythm as she let her aim fall on the first infected and let loose a small, quiet energy arrow into the head of one of the infected. She continued, strafing sideway toward the farmhouse before sending another arrow into the head of the one that had swung to look in her direction. Clean shot, right through the forehead, and she smiled broadly as she made it up to the porch of the house.

 

[Wodan]

His boots were becoming caked in the thick pungent mud of The Bayou, the humidity of the area was sucking the energy from the Firrerrian who had become more accustomed to the dry heat of Korriban’s desert over the past year. Wodan gave Arla a nod in agreement as she chose their forest destination and headed off in the direction of the Farm.

The Acolyte followed closely behind the Dathmorian as they crept through the Bayou, AMS were everywhere, some individual, others clustered in small clumps of three or four. He spotted a dozen different species of the infected as they moved closer to the Farm, no race was free of Hutt slavery it seemed.

Reaching the small perimeter fence where Arla stopped, Wodan gave the desolated place a once over, there was no signs of immediate life here. But most of the windows and doors to the farmhouse were boarded up, so he couldn’t be one hundred percent. “I've got one better.” He replied, moving the blaster strap around so the weapon now hung at his back. From his back plate he removed a large item covered in fabric to keep it from the rain and mud. Pulling back the fabric he revealed his trusted spear, unfastening the clasp the piece unfolded to its full length, a twist securing it for use. “Ladies first.” He said with a grin, following the woman shortly after she entered the compound.

Arla went one direction and Wodan the other, he could quickly see she was deadly with the bow and he would only get in her way if he followed. So instead he stalked through the tall grass that was once the wheat field. Approaching the first AMS, he pierced the back of its skull with the tip of the spear. Another nearby met the same fate, the blade cutting clean through its open mouth and up into the skull.

Reaching the side stairs to the porch, the first step creaked too loudly for his liking. Luckily for the Firrerrian the noise didn’t bring any unwanted attention, although the rest of the wood creaked under his weight he was able to reach the front door just after Arla. “Shall we?”

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

She nodded as he asked if they should proceed. Her eyes couldn't help but drop to the weapon he was using now. A spear was an unusual weapon for a Sith to use, but she liked it. She came far short of many of the Nightsisters with such a weapon because it had never been her tool of choice, but she'd seen Sheehan work with one before and it was impressive.

She wanted to ask him about it, but not when they were so exposed, so she filed it away for later. Instead, she reslung her bow and pulled out both her saber hilt and her hunting knife before reaching for the door.

She twisted the handle and pushed it open, letting him take the lead with his spear and following just behind. There was an upstairs where she assumed the bedrooms were, but she didn't go there, instead pointing for him to check it out. She didn't sense anyone else in the house, but you could never be sure. For her part, she peeled off to the side, making her way toward the kitchen area, but as expected, there was no sign of any living person.

Or was there? She frowned, poking quietly around at the dishes and foods. She found a bowl that was half-eaten, but... old. It almost gave her the impression that while it wasn't fresh, it wasn't as rotten as it should have been.

Has someone been here recently? she thought to herself. The more she looked, the more it looked like this wasn't the only thing that was out of place: dust had been disturbed around some of the books, and several cans of soup or chili looked like they'd been opened recently.

I think someone's been here recently, she said quietly whenever Wodan came back. Her mind moved on almost immediately, looping back to her earlier thoughts.

May I? she asked, extending a hand in the direction of his spear. Unusual weapon for a Sith, she said, genuine curiosity lacing her tone.

 

[Wodan]

Although it was slightly cramped to use within the confines of a building, the Spear was the perfect weapon for him to lead the way with. Gripped with both hands Wodan slowly took the stairs up onto the first level, he kept his back to the wall as he took each step slowly allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim light of the landing.

The old wooden boards creaked under his weight as he moved towards the first door directly opposite the stairs, pushing it open with the tip of the spear. The hinges squealed as he stepped into the room, The Force was flowing forth from the Acolyte searching for any sign of life within the room. It was empty except for demolished furniture, torn sheets and ravaged walls. What looked like dry animal faeces was present on the broken bed, clearly something on four legs had made this their home recently.

Moving onto the next room, it was clear someone had been here. Although half destroyed like the others, space had been cleared in the centre, for bedroll or sleeping bag and some of the boards on the window had been removed to allow fresh air to stream into the room.

The bathroom showed some signs of recentish use, the sink was much cleaner than the rest of the surfaces in the house and the toilet still had a half fresh half stale smell from the tablet stuck to the side. They were clearly on the right track if not a few weeks behind. After checking each room the Firrerrian relaxed, the immediate threat of AMS passing whilst they were in the confines of the Farmhouse.

He found Arla in the kitchen area. “I think so too, there was space set aside for a bedroll upstairs.” He replied, whilst also checking out the kitchen area himself. Wodan turned to see the Dathmorian pointing at his Spear. “Sure, be careful it's been imbued with Sith Magick, so it's sharper than it looks.” He warned her as he passed it over.

“I am an unusual Sith.” He replied back with a grin. “Plus I like the range it gives me. I guess you feel the same.” Wodan said nodding at the bow on her back.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

She nodded as he mentioned that someone had been upstairs and made a mental note to take a look there as well. They were on the right track, which was good, but the way she saw it, they were still behind. Behind and without an obvious clue as to what the next step or location was. Things certainly couldn't be too easy, which was why they had sent Sith to do it.

She pulled her mind from the investigatory path and back to the weapon he extended to her. She took it in her hand carefully, uncertain what kind of bond he had formed with the device. She was no foreigner to the idea of people developing almost relationship-level fondness with their weapons. She wasn't interested in getting off on the wrong foot with her partner because she didn't treat his weapon with the level of respect he might think it deserved.

Her eyes ran along the design and after a moment she rang her fingers on the flat of the blade. She could feel a tingle shoot through her fingers, magic that wasn't Nightsister, but still held a familiar flavor. She knew a small amount of Sith magic, but nothing on the level of her mother. Someday, she thought to herself.

She hefted the weapon and took a step back, measuring its balance and maneuvering it a bit before smiling. Spears had never been her weapon of choice, but she'd run drills with them before in the early days.

That's a very nice weapon, she said, handing it back to him. Are you an alchemist? she asked. So many Sith were just... brutish. Like the Nightbrothers of her world, they just fought and threw around strength, but lacked the finesse to truly grow and expand themselves into the arcane of the Force.

She listened to his answer as she headed upstairs to look if there were any clues there. Maps, notes, or anything that'd make things more straightforward. Tracking footprints this far in the past would be... difficult. She wondered to herself if he would come back here... after all, there were no traps or anything. Or perhaps he just thought no one would follow him out here.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Wodan took a step back and lent against the counter side as Arla took the spear. From the way she gingerly handled the weapon he could tell she was a seasoned warrior, checking the intricate aspects of the weapon a normal civilian wouldn't even know was there.

He smiled as she twirled the weapon around, she was skilled although not a natural with it. Some of her arcs were too high, or too broad for optimum efficiency. “Thank you.” He said as he took back the weapon. “No, I had the work carried out by someone else on Korriban. Though the art intrigues me, perhaps one day I might dip my toes in the water.”

“How about yourself? I heard the witches of Dathomir are incredibly skilled in the use of their ‘Magicks’ I think its called? He asked as he followed the women back upstairs. Wodan wouldn’t be surprised if she spotted something he hadn’t, his eyes were trained to spot heavily armoured soldiers wielding massive weapons at a distance, not the delicate art of tracking.

Stepping back into the destroyed room, Wodan moved towards the window which pointed out in the direction of the Slaughterhouse and the Crematorium beyond it. There were a few AMS milling about, but what caught his eye was the carcass of a Blurrg near the barn. It had been thoroughly torn apart by the AMS, however evidence of a harness and saddle could be seen upon the beast. “Arla.” He called, when the women came towards the window he would point at the caracas. “At least he is on foot as well.”

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

She nodded as he mentioned someone else had crafted it for him. It wasn't uncommon, and though Arla had been taught some of the skills involved in imbuing items with magick, she wan't much of a forgery herself and she paled in comparison to many of her Sisters.

Don't call me a witch, she snapped at him. It had been taught to her by her mother, and while she handled the term better than the Queen, it still didn't sit well. The moment's annoyance was gone as quickly as the warning. She was used to the idea that outsiders didn't know things, and she saw no reason to linger on it.

Yes, I've learned our magicks, she said. She played most of those cards fairly close to the chest, however, and she was struggling to overcome the rather prickly state of mind she was now in. Instead, she threw herself into the work in front of her. She was looking through the bedroom when he pointed to something beyond and she joined him at the window. She nodded her head slightly as she looked at it, seeing the body of the creature torn to pieces. It was excellent news for them, and she hadn't even given much thought to the fact that he might be on some sort of mount.

Stupid of you, Arla. That's a basic thing you should have thought of, she mentally reprimanded.

So it seems, she agreed, hoisting herself out the window and on to the roof before moving along and dropping down to the muddy ground below.

She made her way over quickly to the dead creature, and could immediately tell that it had been dead for quite some time. Further confirmation that although they were on the right track, their prey was no longer here.

An AMS kill, she said, noting the humanoid-type bite marks. And the tracks head off that way, she said, pointing in the direction of the slaughterhouse.

We need to decide if we're going to hole up here for the night or press on, she said. The farmhouse was the best comfortable place to rest that they were going to get, and it was probably better than hunting in an unfamiliar environment at night.

Set out at first light? she suggested.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Wodan recoiled visibly as Arla snapped at him, the Firrerrian hadn’t known that her people saw the title Witch as a derogatory term. The Acolyte was a little sheepish as the women moved past him out onto the rooftop. He followed shortly after though still concerned for his partners safety whilst they were surrounded by AMS. He paused for a moment on the edge of the building surviving the location of the closest AMS and if any had spotted the Dathmorian’s approach to the carcass. Satisfied neither of them were about to be ambushed he quietly jumped down behind her.

His eyes were concentrated on their surroundings more than the beast itself, leaving the ‘tracking’ side to the more experienced individual. She caught him by surprise when she mentioned holding up in the farmhouse. For some reason it hadn’t crossed his mind that the operation would involve them camping out in The Bayou. “I agree. I didn’t bring any gear for night work.” He replied more formally than before, Arla’s snap had dispersed some of the comfort he had gotten around the Champion making the Acolyte revert back to the formal tone a junior should give a superior.

After agreeing to hold up for the night, Wodan headed back towards the house, they had some daylight left and he wanted to make sure it was secure before they tried to get some sleep. “Apologies, I didn't mean to offend you.” He said, as they crossed the muddy paths back into the house. “You can take the clean bedroom? I can stay on the landing.” Wodan continued as a peace offering to the women.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla headed back in the direction of the farmhouse when he apologized for what he had said, but she waved it off with a movement of her hand. As long as you don't do it again, no harm done, she said. Holding a grudge about it wasn't going to accomplish anything. He wasn't from their world, after all. And even some Nightsisters didn't care for that matter.

As they made it back into the building, she shook her head and scoffed slightly. No, neither of us is sleeping outside, she said. He was trying to be polite, but the concept was all but lost on her. In her mind, the suggestion was dangerous.

We can both set up on the clean bedroom floor, she said. As they headed inside, she gave one final look out to the setting sun. She wondered to herself what kind of horrible things were going to be lurking in those shadows. At home, she knew the wildlife like the back of her hand. Out here, though, it was all foreign.

She went to work barring the doors and windows again before making her way up to the bedroom and plopping down with her back to one corner. She started shuffling through her backpack before tossing a pack of jerky across to Wodan. She took a pack for herself and started nibbling on it as she watched he last rays of day sink.

We should probably keep watches in the night, she said, though the tone of her voice betrayed that she didn't really want to do any such thing. It was the better thing to do, but they could probably get by without it. On the flip side, they needed to be rested for whatever tomorrow threw at them.

But I don't really want to and we need to rest up, she said before remembering something that her mother had taught her.

Actually, I think I might have something for this, she said before popping up and heading downstairs again. If Wodan didn't follow her, she would return a few minutes later. Below, she carved etchings into the floor of the house, activating them with a simple incantation to set a small hedge of protection around the house and provide them warning if something approached or crossed her runic barrier.

So, Wodan, why Sith? she asked. Seemed as good a time to get to know one another as any.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Arla seemed to wave off his offence, but something about her language and tone didn’t give the Firrerrian complete confidence she had forgiven him for that slight. He shrugged when they suggested they both use the main bedroom, he was trying to be polite to the Nightsister but if she insisted he wasn’t going to die on an uncomfortable hill.

Closing the door behind him, he followed the women’s lead and helped secure the ground floor against any creature, AMS or otherwise getting in. They had the windows upstairs to escape so blocking off the doors downhere wasn’t going to do them harm. He pulled a nearby cabinet in front of the main door and the sofa across the back. Once done he headed up to the bedroom and put himself down in the corner near the window.

The jerky slid to a stop next to his leg, picking it up he gave Arla his thanks before digging into the salty dried meat. “I don’t mind.” He replied, when she asked about keeping watches, the past few months of training with the Army had given him ample practice with working without sleep.

Before he could protest further, Arla had left the room, Wodan chose to follow her just in case something happened to the Dathmorian. He waited at the top of the Staircase as she began channelling her Magick’s into some kind of symbols on the floor. He guessed it might be a warning signal or perhaps a trap which would catch anything that broke in.

It was impressive, the Firrerrian had only the briefest grasp of the intricacies of The Force and the Dark Side. So abilities and talents like those Arla possessed were fascinating to the young man. Closing the door behind them as they settled down in the clean bedroom. He went back to his corner by the window and began checking over his gear.

Wodan paused for a moment before he answered, he had told so many lies when it came to this question. He just hoped they wouldn’t come and bite him on arse sooner than he could bite back. “I lost almost everything when Firrerreo was destroyed, my family, my home. I had some Force Sensitivity and well The Sith seemed the only place for me to rebuild my life and get back what I lost. Granted it's been a bit more difficult than I expected so far.” He replied, “How about you? The Old Empress comes from Dathomir, correct.”

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

She settled in against the wall and ate her food, unscrewing the cap of her bottle and taking a swing of water as well. She could already feel herself starting to get tired, but now she felt bad if he was going to stay up as guard. Though, maybe it was for the best that she recharge her energy. After all, her wards would do the job well enough.

Sith bombs Firrerreo, kill your family, so you join the Sith? she said. Her face was quite straight, but it sounded like what someone would do if they wanted to rip an organization apart from the inside out. There was no way for him to hide what he was, so he just, what? Leaned into it? It didn't really make any sense to her, and though her question was probably not particularly polite, she didn't seem to apologize. Whether this was because she was obvious to the potential rudeness or just didn't care wasn't entirely clear.

Yeah, the Queen may not be Empress anymore, but she still maintains good ties to the Empire, she said. She didn't, of course, mention her own relationship to "the Queen."

She retired from her position, but still offers some insights on arcane matters to the Empire from time to time. And she still supplies many of our hunters as well, she said. Again, the reason for that was complicated. The hunters not only helped secure continued positive relations between the Empire and Dathomir, but also gave her mother feelers for what was going on within the Empire. It was a win-win for both sides even if it was, perhaps at times, and uneasy alliance.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

He shrugged at her reply, perhaps he had been a little too blazie with his answer giving a little too much away of his true intentions. He opened his mouth to give an explanation, but thought better of it. Was probably as likely to dig himself a deeper hole than climb out of it. Instead listening to her comments about the Empire and the Ex-Empress.

He took another bite of the jerky, it took a little more effort that he would have liked to get to a swallowable state, but it had a decent taste to it so he wouldn’t complain. Better than Army rations. ‘Supplies many of our hunters’ that was a weird way to put it he thought. “So do you not have a choice then? To join the Sith I mean?” He asked before taking a swig of his own canteen.

The last of the sun was disappearing beyond the horizon, encasing the small bedroom in darkness. “Do you want light or not?” He asked, light would be comforting for them and allow them to see each other and the room. But in the pitch darkness of the Bayou it would shine like a beacon to any living creature of their presence.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

She didn't miss the fact that he didn't actually answer her question, and that seemed odd. Her brow furrowed slightly, a mimic she had picked up from her mother. Something fishy was going on here and she was too probing to not pursue it.

I had a choice. Volunteered. No one is forced to go, but plenty of us want to see the galaxy and represent our people. Plus eyes and ears everywhere never hurts. We've been sending hunters off world for centuries, we're just doing it for a specific people now, she said. Indeed, the practice dated back centuries. It was also part of the reason that the Forgotten Valley Clan had been formed. They were decendents of Talzin's Clan that had managed to avoid being wiped out because they weren't there when Grievous had struck.

We probably shouldn't, she said. She didn't have strong feelings either way about the light, but might have slightly preferred it. But not enough to risk being killed in her sleep.

But you still didn't connect the dots. Why Sith? she asked, and with the way she phrased it, she realized he didn't really answer her question at all. Why the Sith?

 

[Wodan]

The growing darkness had robbed the Nightsister of any features, just a silhouette in the darkness. Wodan couldn’t see any of the faces or mannerisms of the women forcing him to take the words on face value. It seemed as if the ‘retired’ Empress still had her fingers in the Galaxy. Maybe one day he should pay the women a visit if he was to ever achieve his final goal.

He frowned at the woman as she again asked about his reasoning for joining the Sith. Pursing his lips he pondered on what to say to the women. She was clearly not satisfied with a simple answer and wanted details, so a basic ‘I want power and strength’ answer wasn’t going to fly with the Champion.

“I plan to take revenge one day and kill my families murder’s. The Sith can give me that revenge. No one else can.” He replied, his hand shifted onto the spear laid at his side. If the woman was a diehard for Raze or the others involved she may take this opportunity to remove him as an offering to the Dark Lord.

@Phoenix