Arrival on Ossus

[Tsara]

The slight pause that followed his saying her name, then "come here." she took to mean something else entirely at first. She was strutting with one foot placed in front of the other to get that 'runway walk' that made girly hips perform a figure eight of sorts, a wiggle-swing that most men tended to enjoy watching come and go. When she saw the proffered Lightsaber, she stopped the strut, and regarded the all but Sacred piece of weaponry to the Jedi.

Her mother had always desired such an implement. Now here was one at her feet, as it were. This clearly wasn't Atraxis using the convenience of a sand storm to ask for that personal dance! Atraxis' discourse of her character had her Lekku tingling, then, he asked her to come with him. Offered her a stable base.

She stood almost numb. What a proton torpedo to consider. Then....Tsara reached out with her right hand.

"Not a decision to be made lightly..." she began, hand stopping before the Lightsaber, fingers, in fact, hovering over it like a it were a warming flame. "...But understand that, given who I am, and given who you are, there are places we cannot, and should not go, together..." and she lowered her hand down on the Lightsaber, fingers curling about it as she looked up at Atraxis.

"I accept, under the condition that I leave your side from time to time to pursue my own ends, and I imagine you will desire the same..." and then she took the Lightsaber out of his hand.

"We establish here and now that, no matter what, we trust each other over all others and actively go out of our way not to complicate one another's mutual affairs, be they shared or exclusive. If you agree, I can be eyes and insight for you to places in the galaxy you normally couldn't travel without facing friction or treachery; all I ask is I have my leave whenever I desire it"

It was the most she'd spoken at length in a long time. But given the offer, short sentences would not have done.

@Iden Farlander @Red Pyramid

 

[Atraxis Aburay]

Contemplated her offer for a few moments, before gently nodding his head. "I will not bind you to me, I have to much of a hatred for chains to ever try and give you any. Be they physical or otherwise, I shall not be a shackle for you. You shall not do so for me either, or we shall have issues. Your conditions are acceptable and understandable, but understand that if I am to devote my time to defending you as well you must place your trust in me despite what my origins might be. I am Sith, but I am also a man with his own goals and codes. Nothing shall bind me, not expectation or circumstance and certainly not the preconceived notions put upon me by my training."

He looked her over, sighing to himself as he began to rest. He had seen her approach prior to her words however, and he will not lie to himself as it had been tempting. He decided if they were to truly trust each other, then someone must lay the foundation. "Your.....offer. From before. I shall.....observe your dance when we are elsewhere, somewhere safer than this desolate rock. It would be a shame to ignore you offer and I believe we could talk more. If you are so inclined." he said trailing off, giving her the option to decline.

Though as he sat there in restful meditation, he could feel a few people growing closer and closer ever so slowly through the force. It would not be long, it seems he underestimated the tenacity of these hunters. They truly wanted their quarry, and Atraxis was all to happy to give it to them. Opening his eyes, he held out his hand as his saber flew to it.

"If they desire corpses, I shall be all to happy to grant their wish with a happy heart."

@Tsara @Iden Farlander ​

 

[Iden Farlander]

It would have been foolish to attempt to make her way out of this sand storm. It was raging all around her, and Iden was tucked safely between her two rocks, her Jedi cape pulled around her to protect her face. She wasn’t comfortable, but she was safe from the storm, and for that she was thankful.

Iden was determined to stay in this location until the storm let up enough or better yet until it stopped altogether.

Sporadic beeping would come from her bracer, probably her master attempting to contact her and set up a pickup location, but each time she would activate her holoprojector, there was nothing but static.

So here she sat, wedged between two rocks and silently fingering the necklace around her neck as she watched the cave.

Barely visible, Iden could just barely make out what was occurring beneath her. Armored hunters with weapons drawn and ready to use were silently surrounding the entrance to the cave. That they had managed to make it here through all the wind and sand was amazing.These were no amateurs, and they were not to be underestimated.

A gut feeling told Iden to turn around, just as a vibroblade swung at her head. Drawing her blue lightsaber, she clashed blades with the hunter at the other end of the vibroblade. Pushing with her legs, she flipped backwards from between the two rocks and to her feet, now face to face with this hunter as they both pushed toward one another with their blades.

Not only had the hunters surrounded the entrance of the cave, but they had also had the foresight to place themselves on the cliffs. This hunter just happened to stumble upon her.

“Give up, Jedi. You’re surrounded,” the hunter’s distorted voice came from beneath his mask.

Beginning to push the hunter back, Iden’s progress was halted by two blaster bolts flying past her shoulder. She had drawn the attention of a second hunter positioned on a ledge up above. Lucky for Iden, the sandstorm had ruined his shot.

Now that two blaster bolts had rung out over the sound of the sand storm, some of the hunters down below, closer to the cave, began to fire up at Iden. The ground beneath her feet began to shake and crumble as blaster fire made impact, and she used this distraction to kick the feet out from under her opponent.

Plunging her lightsaber through the stomach of her opponent, Iden propelled herself off the side of the ledge, just as it crumbled and fell to the ground beneath.

Using the force to break her fall, she hit the ground with a roll and got to her feet, reactivating her lightsaber and deflecting blaster bolts as the hunters began to push her back into the cave—the last place she wanted to go.

@Red Pyramid @Tsara Tarr

 

[Tsara]

There was an old saying on Ryloth that was observed by the women namely.

-Pinch equals opportunity

While unpacking that saying lead to several allusions to the Hutt skin trade and the abduction of nubile bodies, the saying taken at face value was the innocent and wise enough concept that when one found themselves under fire, they often found new avenues open to them that they'd never consider otherwise.

In this case, a Lightsaber, and the clear sounds of battle at the mouth of the cave.

It was a dueling saber, a practice weapon, but it still had the visual impact of its much deadlier counterpart that would be wielded by trained Jedi. Tsara ignited the blue blade, and actually smiled over at Atraxis.

"Let's not keep the little dears waiting..."

@Iden Farlander @Red Pyramid

 

[Atraxis Aburay]

Focused his mind, his rage seething forth as the force washed over him before sinking into his body. His form seemed to shift, light dancing off of him in palpable waves, casting a red and grey glow on the cave around them. His body began to thrum, lightly vibrating as the slits in his mask began to glow red with a red fog seeping out ever so slowly. He took a step forward before seeing the Jedi be pushed into the cave by the onslaught of hunters.

"Peace is a Lie, there is only Passion."

The words were like a whisper on the wind, before he flashed forward far faster than anything he had ever done before, a black and red blur of energy leaving behind him as he faded forward almost like a ghost before his blood red blade cut a Hunters head in half with a brutal swing like the force of an executioner's blade. His other free hand rocking out in a fist, slamming into the helmet of the second Hunter caving the armor in a bit around his temple, acting like a vice around a walnut it cracked the hunters head open causing brain matter and blood to come pouring out the bottom seal of the helmet. He faded backwards, deflecting a shot from a blaster into the wall.

"Come then little mice, let us see if you can whet the Lion's Appetite."

@Tsara @Iden Farlander ​

 

[Iden Farlander]

Iden’s eyes were glued to the hunters in front of her as she continued to deflect their blaster fire, but a portion of her focus couldn’t help but shift to the Sith and the twi’lek behind her in the cave, both of them radiating strongly in the force at that moment.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the twi’lek holding a blue training lightsaber in her hands; it must have been left behind in the wounded Jedi’s hurry to escape. It looked right in her hands, as if it belonged there. This twi’lek was intriguing.

Iden saw the Sith’s red blade ignite, casting an ominous red glow over the cave. Unsure of his intentions, wether they be toward her or toward the hunters, Iden’s second lightsaber flew from her belt and to her hand. She ignited the orange blade, ready to cross blades with him if she had to but hoping it could be avoided until they had dealt with the hunters.

Fortunately, the Sith’s focus was directed entirely on the hunters, and he sped forward and lopped off half of a hunter’s head. That had to hurt. Using the opportunity he had created, Iden rushed forward and clashed her blades with one of the hunter’s vibroblades.

@Tsara Tarr @Red Pyramid

 

[Tsara]

Not many left.

The realized Sith and Jedi had already done a more than fair job in dispatching lives and drawing the attention of the surviving combatants. It made it easier for Tsara to close in and use the practice blade to strike down on weapons. Being a practice tool, and less weapon, the azure 'blade' struck more like a baton, but served its purpose by batting a blaster out of one Hunter's hand, and a Vibrosword out of the grasp of another.

Tsara felt strangely at home with the Lightsaber.

Not like at Odzerah, where, scarlet blades left the three scars on her person. There, the lightsaber she was given to use, and the ones used by her fellow apprentices were a terror to behold as they were to physically possess. She'd learned how to use the weapon though. Rusty, yes, but like riding a swoop bike, it came back to one's self quickly.

The Darkside felt keen on her remembering it readily, Tsara feeling a deep well of aggression raise itself up inside her. Another 'side' guided her strokes to weapons only though, regardless of her weapon being non lethal. This was the side she felt at home with.

Taking a glancing blow from a hunter with a combat staff, Tsara retreated back a couple steps to take him in, and size him up.

Tall. Long limbed. The staff gave him potentially six more feet of additional reach that Tsara didn't have. Taking a page from her dancing, Tsara weaved and banked, swayed and spun to avoid her foe's attacks, trying to ever so carefully move inside of his offense. Faking him with a sideways twirl, Tsara lunged in, and swung hard with the Lightsaber, connecting with the hunter's mid section; the heat and repelling force of the blue blade was enough to draw a groan and flinch from him as he stooped over slightly.

Stepping through and swinging the blade about, Tsara brought it down on the hunter's fingers, causing him to drop his weapon to the ground, then deactivated the Lightsaber and flowed the motion of her swing into a hook kick that put him out could.

Then Tsara took a right cross to the face from one of the hunter's she disarmed moments ago.

Vision spinning, Tsara felt her knees buckle from under her, falling tush first to the dirt.

@Red Pyramid @Iden Farlander

 

[Atraxis Aburay]

Was watching the remaining hunters hungrily, yet when Tsara moved forward he had to give it to her she fought with a good deal of ferocity. While her lack of any real combat training was evident, she was good at avoiding blows which led him to believe she was quite used to being attacked. Something he would have to remedy in time, she was doing well against the first and even scored a few decent blows that would have been crippling if not outright lethal with a full powered saber.

Yet when she dropped the first one with that kick, he couldn't help but smirk as a thought came to mind. 'The guy just couldn't keep her legs out of his head.' echoed around in his skull as he let out a good natured laugh, which for a Sith meant it came out sounding like a person laughing at a group of FS children he had just cornered and was about to purge from the Jedi ranks. Though his laughter stopped on a dime, the moment he saw Tsara hit the ground. It seemed the last hunter was not running away, and instead committing himself to horrendous life choices, plus side.....he wasn't gonna live very long to regret them.

Stepping forward, Atraxis lunged at the man while ducking under and weaving the two blaster bolts he sent his way from his pistol. Atraxis soon separated the pistol and the hand from the man's wrist before he grabbed him by his throat and lifted him bodily from the ground. Letting out palpable waves of Darkside Force, he began to slowly crush the hunters throat between his fingers until a sickening crunch echoed dully in the cave. Atraxis squeezed a bit more shaking a bit in anger before throwing the man away. He took in a deep breath and began to calm himself, letting a peaceful wash of serenity take his mind before he kneeled down once to put a hand on Tsara's shoulder. "Not bad. You did well for your first time with a saber, but I shall teach you how to be better. Now get up, it is not yet the time for you to be on your knees. We still have another issue to address."

He stood back up, stepping once towards the jedi with the hunter corpses on the ground around them. His saber was held in a neutral position to his side. "Jedi....." he said as if probing her reactions, while holding back from aggression himself.

@Tsara @Iden Farlander ​

 

[Iden Farlander]

The battle between hunters and prey had ended as quickly as it had begun, and now roles were reversed. Kneeing her opponent in the gut, Iden had force pushed him to the ground and then run her lightsaber through his chest.

Turning, she saw the body of the last hunter drop to the ground in front of the Sith. The twi’lek had fought admirably, as had the Sith—though Iden did not approve of the brutality he had exhibited while fighting.

More intriguing than this had been the way the Sith had rushed to the fallen twi’lek’s side to protect her. Iden watched with interest as even now he was helping her to her feet. Iden concluded that this twi’lek was, in fact, not his slave. He actually had...a soft spot for her, perhaps even cared for her. How strange and...confusing. Iden thought the Sith to be past all feeling and sentiment.

Upon closer inspection, Iden noticed that the twi’lek was quite pretty, and the Sith was... pale. “Jedi....” he said, rousing her from her thoughts.

His red lightsaber hung neutral at his side. He did not intend to lunge at her—or rather, at least not yet. He was waiting for her to react.

Deactivating her blue saber, she nimbly attached it to her utility belt. The orange blade she continued to clutch firmly in her hand. “There’s more of them coming,” Iden stated calmly, feeling their approaching presence through the force. They had ten—fifteen minutes at the most.

@Tsara Tarr @Red Pyramid

 

[Tsara]

The way that Atraxis said 'Jedi' with the fall off at the end promised an awful lot of potentially awful things. There was an anger there, but restrained considerably. There was curiosity and expectancy. There was confidence...but apprehension. The Jedi on the other hand projected a sense of peace in the silence between them, even an air of contemplation as if she was observing something she couldn't quite believe.

The Jedi's words that followed were not comforting, causing Tsara to groan, and slouch her shoulders.

She tucked the Lightsaber away in her belt and drew her hold out blaster, stepping away from Atraxis, looking from him to Iden and then out into the sand filled maelstrom outside the cave with a knitted brow. Making eye contact with Iden, Tsara thumbed the safety off on her blaster, the soft whine reporting that it was at full charge and primed for firing. She couldn't fool around with mystic training tools at this moment. It was time for business, and a risk/value assessment.

Atraxis was a proverbial Rylothian Bull, and she wasn't bad with a blaster herself, but if more targets were descending, than the two of them could die if they didn't make nice with the Jedi.

"Let's form a pact right here, and now," Tsara started, training her blaster at the mouth of the cave, and turning her gaze there.

"We work together to get through this. If we survive, we all walk away and don't try to kill each other after the dust has settled," and she let that hang for a second or two.

"Agreed?"

@Red Pyramid @llamallove

 

[Atraxis Aburay]

Looked over them both, contemplating the situation and the offer juggling the merits of working with the Jedi or just waiting the hunters out. "Listen Jedi, I have no quarrel with you and I really don't want to waste the effort carving you apart right now. This sandstorm could go for any amount of time within the range of half and hour to a day or two on this worthless piece of rock you all call a planet. If you can assure me I do not need to worry about you stabbing me in the back, then you can help me seal off the entrance and wait it out with me. We can hide the bodies in the cave to prevent the others from finding it. I know there is a back way out only force users can use. I do not wish to be here any longer than necessary, but drawing to much attention right now with a battle like this. What are your opinions on the matter."


They were simple concerns, and quite honestly he didn't really trust a Jedi to not listen to whatever moral high ground they would tell themselves to justify killing him when his back was turned but honestly, fighting a horde of Hunters was not a better option. Should the fight turn out of their favor, they would just call in more back up or do something equally dangerous and inform the Mandos and that would leave him in a dangerous situation. But avoid them and their greed will prevent them from calling in help, and it would force them to have to ride out the sandstorm just outside and that would kill more than a few of them giving the sharp cutting nature of it.

He looked back at Tsara and held his hand out before putting it back down. What was he doing, it was pointless to try and console her. She was a grown woman, and he needed to stop acting like a child trying to protect his new friends from the local bullies. He respected her will to fight and her goals, at the very least he could show it by not fretting over her every second. He sighed, allowing himself to calm down as he walked back to his spot and sat down, his saber shutting off as he waited for the Jedi's consideration.

@Tsara @Iden Farlander ​

 

[Iden Farlander]

The insinuation that Iden would stab a man in the back would have insulted her, had the Sith’s opinion mattered to her. Of course he would only think the worst of her.

Silently contemplating both the twi’lek’s and the Sith’s words, Iden deactivated her lightsaber and returned it to its place on her side. She sensed no deception in the words of the twi’lek and strangely... none from the Sith either.

She supposed this was the best course of action, and the most sensible. It gave all three of them the best chance of survival.

“My opinions,” Iden began, as if she couldn’t believe the words were coming out of her mouth, “Seem to align with your own, at this time...”

@Tsara Tarr @Red Pyramid

 

[Tsara]

They'd reached an accord!

Good!

If no conflicts could arrive between them then the chances of their survival had spiked exponentially. There had been talk of blocking the entrance to the cave they were in. How that would be done was beyond Tsara. Odzerah was a blur of scarlet glowing Lightsabers and a lot of backstabbing. Were they to create an avalanche somehow? A cave in at the opening? All options begged an answer. There were plenty of 'Hows' and Tsara wasn't sure where to start.

She looked between both Force users expectantly.

There was an electricity of animosity between them for sure, but at least vocal agreement in cooperating. Two magicians on the same stage with potentially the same tricks taught from different schools of thought.

"Alright; now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'm Tsara Tarr, the 'Bull' with the red blade here is Atraxis, and whoever you are just agreed to help close the mouth of the cave with him..."

And she looked between them both again.

"...legend has it that you all can move rocks...right?"

@Red Pyramid @llamallove

 

[Atraxis Aburay]

Sighed a bit at the naming, but he supposed for how he fought it fit well enough. "Yes.....the Force in all of its overwhelming power and universal supremacy has granted us the mighty power of Rock movement." he said rolling his eyes once before laughing. Walking towards the mouth of the cave he held both hands out, ripping up random boulders and bringing them closer to the mouth of the cave. It was a simple brute force method, but in this situation the delicate touch of a Jedi would probably be better.

"Guide the Stones Woman, you have a finer control and will make for a better solution to this problem than I." he said simply and directly, more a command than the request it was phrased as. But then again, his politeness level towards Jedi had never really been tested before and he was simply doing his best to communicate with someone that was basically trained to hate his kind.

He turned to face Tsara, "Go and find us a room, the Jedi I am sure already has quarters of her own. I shall take the time we have now to instruct you a bit if you are ready." he said as he moved back over to the meditation circles and began to contemplate the Jedi Holocron he found.

@Tsara @Iden Farlander ​

 

[Iden Farlander]

Tsara Tarr and Atraxis—two names she would not forget. The relationship between these two, however, continued to intrigue Iden. It was no master-slave relationship, but neither was it quite a master-apprentice relationship. Iden did not know Sith to form bonds or attachments, and she wondered what would draw the twi’lek, Tsara Tarr to such a being as this Sith. She had a good head on her shoulders, so why was she accompanying, associating with a Sith? Iden did not understand, but she supposed it was not hers to understand.

After pulling the dead bodies of the hunters into the cave and piling them into a neat pile in the farthest corner of its walls, Iden shifted her focus to the next task at hand. Wordlessly, she began to gently and with precision guide rocks to the mouth of the cave, one by one blocking the entrance and helping to ensure their safety. She had not taken offense at the order given by the Sith as it had already been her intention to help with this task. His words had almost—almost rung as the smallest of compliments. There was no use in getting offended by anything he said or did; there was a job to do at present, and like it or not the three of them needed one another at that moment.

As she worked, she momentarily observed the Sith playing with the Jedi Holocron as the twi’lek began to look around. She wondered if he knew that Jedi Holocrons could only be opened by Jedi, as Sith Holocrons could only be opened by Sith.

@Tsara Tarr @Red Pyramid

 

[Tsara]

The halls were winding.

This 'Temple' was very much a cave with the twists and turns of a Spice mine! But, there were spaces that were clearly meant for living in, corners and chambers that invited one to make habitation. She found an empty, circular room formed, it appeared, naturally from the rock.

Good enough!

Tsara tossed her bag in the room, and returned to the Temple entrance quickly. She watching with awe as Atraxis and Iden dislodged and moved massive chunks of stone and earth to pile at the mouth of the cave. Steady, slow, and effortless. The Force was truly an amazing thing! And it was something she possessed too, to a minor degree at least.

Reaching out with her feelings, she touched the auras of the two. Working at the same purposes, she could feel the differences of the approaches, and realized something revealing.

The Jedi was at peace. At once in tune and separate from the earth she moved. Atraxis was not in tune with the element, as much as seeming to dominate its cosmic whole in the universe, making it a part of himself. Both users, regardless, were in communion with the Force. Not fighting it, but entwined with it like it were a lover.

A swell of jealousy arose in Tsara.

Her 'relationship' with the Force had never been that way. It fought her, it seemed, and she it. Tsara knew that for that reason, she'd never be able to be like the two before her now. Never that powerful and graceful with the ever present power of the stars.

The Force was always, and always would be, her adversary. And what a powerful one it was...

"I've returned."

She announced.

@Red Pyramid @llamallove

 

[Atraxis Aburay]

Got up off the ground, walking towards Tsara as he began to sigh. "Very Well, Tsara if you would show me to the room you found I believe we can meditate on the force together." he said as he picked up the Holocron, which had one of its little corners slightly turn a bit. He knew that till this point, Holocrons could only be opened respectively by their owners but that was only because of their narrow view points.

When one expanded their mind, and was willing to think like the other than things were possible that you could not do before. Though, perhaps she would learn that in time. He could feel the swell of emotion from Tsara though, and laid his hand on her shoulder to offer reassurance, she would learn in time and she would not always feel like this. She needed to give herself a bit of slack, she would not achieve greatness immediately. He was there, he was going to help her, he had given her his word.

@Tsara @Iden Farlander ​

 

[Iden Farlander]

Iden continued to patiently work on her assigned task. The entrance to the cave was beginning to fill with rock upon rock, the sound of the raging sandstorm outside slowly fading and the cave becoming more and more quiet.

At the re-entrance of the twi’lek, Iden sensed a feeling of discontentment in her. Jealousy, perhaps? Of what she did not know.

Before the Sith and twi’lek could leave the main part of the cave, Iden looked over her shoulder with the intention of making eye contact with Tsara. Iden offered her a small, soft smile of encouragement before turning back to her work. She wasn’t entirely sure why she had done this, but she had felt she needed to.

@Tsara Tarr @Red Pyramid

 

[Tsara]

"We can meditate..."

Tsara started, staring back at Iden when she made eye contact. "...But I would feel more comfortable doing so once the opening is completely blocked..." Tsara finished, acknowledging that Iden was still lifting earth in to the mouth of the cave. Ever focused on survival throughout her life, the thought of a precaution left incomplete was unconscionable; even if she couldn't help directly, she felt better with the thought that two fully trained Force Wielders were sealing the 'door'.

She looked back to Atraxis with pleading in her eyes.

"One hand sees to one task, two hands sees to the same task twice as fast."

A favored saying of Ko'Varna. Tsara wasn't sure if any one Sith knew of much of any other Sith particularly well, but since she was quoting a Sith she believed was of some influence, Tsara hoped it would have the needed weight to get Atraxis to help with the last hunks of stone to shore up the remainder of the gaps.

@llamallove @Red Pyramid

 

[Atraxis Aburay]

Sighed as he heard her words, "Very well pretty one, but you will reach out and 'feel' me with your senses. Understand what I am doing, memorize it and it shall serve you in the future." he said as he moved to stand next to Iden as he grunted at her. Holding out his hand, his stance was far more aggressive than the Jedi's and it was more like he was choking the rocks together than moving them. But they began to push against each other, melding together as they were forced to bond to the walls to create less seams and appear more natural.

Any Jedi worth their lightsaber would find this method almost barbaric, not the result but the method of forcing the force within the objects to meld creating a single entity. He let go of his anger, and let his calm mind guide the burning fury just beneath. "Tsara, the force is alive and within everything. By exerting your will over it, you can manipulate all things and create wondrous results. Understand this, and you will come one step closer to being in tune with your inner power." he said as he felt the final cracks fill and meld.

He looked over Iden, glancing up and down her body. She was trained extensively, yet she was naive and foolish. But she held promise, and had gained his respect if only in some minor capacity. "You are not as worthless as I assumed all Jedi to be, perhaps something else was gained on this trip than my new holocron. I will be keeping my eye out for you from now on woman."

He was short lipped after words, moving back towards the hallway for the inner rooms.

@Tsara @Iden Farlander ​