Ask Flashpoint Blind Leading the Blind

[Trace]

Maybe it's just been one of those days, she said quietly as he said that he had been wrong about her. Everything felt wrong, but below it all there was something else lingering within her. Something that had had the time of its life today. That competitive edge within her that wanted to claim the ultimate victory again.

Uh... sure, she said after a moment. It probably wasn't the responsible thing to do, but they'd already done the responsible thing today. No one was going to die if they went out to smoke... whatever he had.

I've never tried this before. What's it like? she asked. There was no better day than today to give it a try, and she certainly knew that no one was going to die from it.

She followed him outside, moving over to sit on a small swinging bench on the back patio. She took the offered smoke and took a long pull which promptly sent her into a bit of a coughing fit.

Oh... wow, she said, trying to catch her breath as she handed it back to him. Not to say she wasn't going back for more...

Not my first mission, but... my first one that ended like that, she said. She rubbed her hands together slightly, still feeling the way the saber had almost come alive in her hand as she used it.

Not your first, though? she asked. You certainly seemed... proficient out there, she said. It was only now that she realized how quickly he had snapped to action after what they had seen when she'd been close to freezing up.

I appreciate your... prompt response, she said. Even if the compliment was a little bit stiff, she hoped he'd take it in the spirit it was given.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair simply shrugged as she asked what herbs were like, “It’s legal in most parts of the galaxy,” He reassured her, “And just mellows you out a bit, I guess,” He grinned as she got into a coughing fit. Altair took the joint back and inhaled again, blowing out a cloud of smoke as he looked up at the sky. Even then he could see starfighters zooming over the horizon as a reminder that the planet was under constant struggle.

He looked at her as she asked her question, “It’s my first one that’s not a punishment,” He said with a grin, “I got sent on a Code Red for punching a teacher,” Altair knew that’d get a reaction. Code Red were suicide missions acolytes were sent on for messing up real bad and only half of them returned. Cairo had lost a hand and he barely made it back, but they survived in the end, “So this ain’t too bad, I guess. Seeing what that guy did to the kid though..” He paused for a moment before drawing from the joint again, “That was messed up. That’s gonna be fuckin’ with me a while.”

Altair only shrugged vaguely at her awkward attempt at a compliment, “You saved my ass back there from that one dude though,” He flashed her smile, “I bet people underestimate you all the time, huh?”

 

[Trace]

Despite her choking fit, Trace could start to feel whatever the herb was relax her muscles. The thoughts racing through her head at lightspeed slowed down so that she was almost able to process things again. She take another hit, this time managing to only cough a tiny bit.

Holy kriff, really? she gasped when he mentioned his prior mission. Can I ask what you hit him for? she asked. She also wanted details about hte mission itself, but decided that was probably poor form to ask. It was probably poor form to actually ask why he'd hit the guy, but she couldn't help herself. She'd blame the herbs, yep.

She thought for a moment about people underestimating her. She wondered if it was her appearance, her academy, or something else that pushed her to be so... competitive. Or more likely it was a combination of genetics and upbringing. It was born and bred into her.

I guess it's not hard to underestimate me. I guess I don't have the most intimidating visage, she said, so I overcompensate, she thought to herself silently. She thought about him for a moment, and though she couldn't make out many of the details, she could make out the horns and the tall stature. She wondered what he really looked like though. She bet he didn't have trouble intimidating people, but something told her that he was secretly a softie, and not in a negative way.

How'd you end up in the Sith? she asked. She'd started to find each Acolyte's journey to the Sith to be interesting. Despite what propaganda said, no two Sith were really the same.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair chuckled a bit at her question, thinking back to that day, “The instructor told us to beat the shit out of each other and exploit anyone that was distracted,” He shrugged vaguely, “He appeared distracted so I headbutted him,” The tiefling gave her a playful wink as he said it, smoke escaping his nostrils. Being the teacher shouldn’t exclude you from the rules, after all, “I met my best friend Cairo that day,” He mused fondly.

He looked at Trace and quirked a brow, “Who says ‘visage’ in regular speech?” He grinned at her, “Give it a couple years when you ain’t cute no more before you talk like that,” Altair took another drag of the joint before finishing up. He pondered her question, shrugging vaguely, “I’m from Bandomeer. When it came under Sith control, it made sense as a next step since I already used the Force. Coulda gone either way, I s’pose,” Altair didn’t harbor a deep hatred for Jedi like others, but he did recognize them as the warring enemy, “Wanna learn more offensive tactics with the Force. You?”

He gazed ahead for a moment before he spoke again, “I heard there’s a haunted level not far from here where Raze and them fought and some Jedi died. Kinda wanted to check it out as soon as I learned I was gonna come here. You game?”

 

[Trace]

Trace actually started laughing at hearing his explanation of what had happened. She had definitely not expected that to be the story or his reasoning. Well, you weren't wrong, she said. If the instructor hadn't specified then that was on him.

Yeah, visage wasn't exactly a normal word was it, but his comment that came after caused a smile to start tugging at the corner of her lips.

So you think I'm cute, huh? Are you hitting on me? Because if you were... she nodded for a moment. ...I think I'd be okay with that, she said, starting to smile more widely.

She listened as he talked about his assimilation into the Sith, and it was remarkably similar to her own, leaving her nodding along as he spoke.

Mine's similar. All Miraluka are Force-sensitive to a degree. It wasn't until the Sith came to Taris where I lived that it was pointed out that mine affinity was stronger than most, she said. My parents have always pushed "climbing the social ladder" and I guess they saw this as the next rung for our family, she said, suddenly wondering if she'd overshared. Aw, screw it, it'd be fine, the herbs told her.

She thought for a moment about his proposal and in the back of her mind, something said "don't leave the kids" but then, the herbs said this was an ISB safehouse and there were others here their age already. It'd be fiiine.

Okay, she said and then paused, mouth twisting up into a grimace. You don't happen to have any sunglasses, do you? she asked, realizing that she was yet again back to looking like a Miraluka.

After a quick scour of the house to find some, she went to the bathroom to swap out her eye covers for the glasses and returned.

I wouldn't want to live on this planet. It's seen a lot of the war. Some of the worst of any planet at this point, she said, thinking about all that its citizens had gone through. She was surprised they didn't break from the FWA and Empire altogether at this point.

She climbed into one of the non-bus vehicles and they started heading for the haunted level. Haunted level, huh? You think there're like... Force ghosts or spirits there? Arcaney things aren't really my specialty, she said.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair’s eyes went wide when she called him out on using the word cute. Truth be told he hadn’t thought much about it, but his face turned hot when she latched to it. And then she followed up some rather bold commentary. Altair cleared his throat, raising a hand to run through his hair, “I just call it as I see it,” He said with a smile, “Though…you don’t even know what I look like, not sure it’s even fair for me to hit on ya,” Altair shrugged a bit, genuinely unsure how Miraluka operated.

He had to stifle a grin at the idea of sunglasses again, recalling the ridiculous ones he got before, “Naw, fuck sunglasses,” He said as he began to walk, “I don’t think anyone’s gonna be out that way,” Those levels were largely abandoned and forgotten since the initial assault. Altair led them through a path that took them through various alleys and side roads to avoid crowds or groups of people.

“I don’t think the locals have an easy way off,” He explained as they walked, “But even then, it ain’t easy to just up and leave. I know my fam wouldn’t wanna budge even if things got real bad on Bandomeer,” His parents were obnoxiously stubborn, and if they didn’t budge, neither would the rest of the family.

“Apparently two powerful Jedi were killed there and one of them blinded Lord Raze,” Altair whispered quietly, “Rumor has it that some..angry and stubborn presence still lingers there. I dunno, prolly bullshit but sounds creepy and cool,” He paused at the end of an alley. He was about to round the corner when he heard movement, grasping a hold of Trace’s wrist to tug her back in case she missed it.

“Hang on…patrols passing by for some reason,” His brows furrowed. They were approaching the middle of nowhere, so why were there patrols?

 

[Trace]

Oh no, you're more than welcome to hit on me, she said, continuing to grin. Sure, she didn't know what he looked like, but she had a good enough sense of his general outline to know he wasn't a Chevin. Other than that, appearance was less important to her than most.

Blindfold it was, then. That was fine with her, it was more comfortable than sunglasses anyway. Then her thoughts turned to what he said about leaving. She supposed she hadn't given it much thought. Taris had seen a bit of the war, but nothing compared to this place. Imperial control of that world had been quite secure for years now. Her family had gone back to thriving.

Yeah, I guess so, she said. Maybe she simply didn't feel the attachment to Taris that others felt to their homeworlds. Apart from her parents, there was little on Taris that tied her to that planet anymore.

They headed down and she listened to the story of the first battle. Have you met or fought any Jedi? she asked, thinking about the stories they had heard about the battles. Conflicts like that left their marks not only physically, but in the Force as well. She wouldn't have been surprised to hear that the place really was haunted.

As they drew closer, they moved to the various side alleys and narrow passageways, combing down several areas that clearly weren't meant for climbing. It was all a bit exciting in its own way!

She paused as he indicated there was a patrol ahead. Her head tilted to the side, puzzling about why there would be anyone down here. It was mostly abandoned.

She focused harder, trying to sense what was going on from this distance when something clicked in her mind. I think they're looking for something. Like something specific, she said, trying to make out what they were saying.

Some fugitive who stole... I don't know, something. I couldn't understand what they said, she said.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair only chuckled at her invitation for him to flirt. Truth be told, it wasn’t his style to actively chase any girls, his preference mainly tied to proactive ladies. His thoughts were diverted back to the matter at hand as they made their way through the streets.

“Not yet,” He answered about facing Jedi. He knew it was inevitable one day, and he knew he wouldn’t hesitate to punch the hell out of them. Altair looked from the patrol, to Trace, and then back to the patrol, “How can you tell what they’re saying? I barely hear shit..” He looked back at her with mild fascination. He had no desire to mess with the patrols or chase after some fugitive right now.

Once the patrol passed, Altair began to move again. Already he could feel a strange pulse, as if the Force were alive. The tiefling felt a chill run down his spine, “You…feel that? Something about this place..” He made his way towards the different levels above which the diplomatic buildings once stood. Rumors suggested that Darth Malicia’s attacks had permanently stunted any plants or living things from growing in the entire region.

Altair spotted some stairs and began to descend down to the dark levels where he could feel that strange pulse in the Force. His gut told him to stop, but curiosity kept driving him forward.

“Stay close,” He whispered to Trace, unable to shake the uneasy feeling. He purposely put up a front because he had no intention of letting her see he was uncomfortable.

 

[Trace]

She didn't know many acolytes who had faced Jedi. She knew some existed, but they seemed few and far between, but she also supposed that made sense. They were still in training, after all, though sometimes it didn't really feel that way. There was often very little oversight unless they royally screwed something up.

The Force kind of... augments all my senses. Compensation, I guess, she replied with a shrug. She had never really looked into it, truth be told. It just kind of... was.

They continued onward and he commented on the feeling here moments before she felt it as well.

Yeah, it feels... like it wants to swallow you up, she said. Like the place still had a ravening hunger that remained even all these years later. She wondered if even people who weren't attuned to the Force could sense it and that was why it had its reputation.

Yeah, she said in response to his statement to keep close. One hand slipped down to pat gently against her concealed lightsaber hilt, and the other reached out, the back of her hand bumping slightly against his forearm. It was one step shy of holding his arm or hand, but just enough to keep them both very close as they walked onwards.

The area was largely dark with only a few gaps from above providing any kind of sunlight to this area. Everything was cloaked in shadow and she could tell that at least two of the buildings had had portions of their walls knocked down and floors caved in.

The worst of it, though, was the way the Force was here. A swirl of obscuring darkness that was almost blinding to her. Like it pushed back against her and cast shadows in much the same way true darkness did.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair almost stopped a few times, but his curiosity kept him going. As someone that used the Force for as long as he could remember, feeling manifestations of it independent of active use was always a bit unnerving. The tiefling glanced over when he felt Trace draw close, her hand lightly brushing his. Altair looked up when he spotted buildings caved in and debris still piled up before looking back at her.

“Hey…hey you okay?” He asked, concern bleeding into his tone. Whatever the Force was doing was impacting her worse. Altair paused for a moment, blocking them going further down, “This is messing with you,” He declared, “We shouldn’t keep going,” Truthfully it was messing with him too. It wasn’t just the sensations, but his mind was flooded with sudden and abrupt images from that day. He felt the impacts of a Force Drain, saw the lives being sapped. He could feel the searing pain of a saber through the chest. Whatever happened here had left a mark, and it was a permanent rift left behind.

“Let’s go back,” Altair grasped her hand and began to make his way up. He only managed a single step before the ground began to rumble and shake. Without warning, the steps completely caved, sending both of them tumbling down to the level below.

 

[Trace]

She didn't even realize that her light brushes had grown into full-on grabbing his arm when the "lights went down." It wasn't something she was accustomed to and it was downright scary.

I can't... I'm having trouble seeing, she said. Though not totally blinded, the sensation was unusual and quite different from anything she'd experienced before. She focused her mind, forcing her senses through the darkness and it cleared slightly within a few moments. It was only then that she realized what she had done, releasing his arm.

Sorry... no, we should keep going, she said, her voice clearly quite shaky. She cleared her throat and asserted her voice more firmly, forcing it not to waver as much.

I'm no wuss, I'll be fine. We're Sith, right? she said, nodding and definitely talking to herself more than him.

And then the ground caved beneath them and she was falling with an unexpected scream. She pulled the Force to herself out of reflex, cushioning what otherwise would have been a very bad fall to the level below. Her hands wrapped up around her head to shield her from the falling debris and she struck the concrete below.

The wind was knocked out of her and she tried to push herself up.

Altair! Alta... she went into a coughing fit a moment later as rubble filled her lungs. Her arm went over her mouth, trying to filter out some of the dust from entering her lungs.

As her senses swept over the area in search of him, she thought for a moment she sensed as wisp of something. The shape of a person... no, not the shape, the feeling of a person. Of something that carried weight in the Force.

Altair...? she choked out, her voice still strangled by the settling dust.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair coughed and sputtered after he landed, and he felt a shooting pain course through his body. There was no trace of Trace and he looked around to let his eyes begin to adjust to the darkness. After the debris settled, he could hear her calling for him, “I’m…here..” He choked out weakly, glancing down spot a large chunk of debris on his leg, “Fuck,” He groaned in pain.

He moved the debris with the Force, and it only caused more pain to pulse through him. Altair gritted his teeth, “I think I fucked up my leg,” He said weakly, unsure whether or not the leg was broken or simply badly bruised. The tiefling planted his hand against the wall to the side and attempted to stand. He collapsed a few times before he finally managed to stand with the help of his tail for support.

“You okay?” Altair called out to her, coughing a few times as he limped his way towards her. He couldn’t see properly just yet, but he felt something warm trickling down the front of his leg. He knew he was bleeding, and he was suddenly glad he couldn’t see anything.

“You see a way up?”

 

[Trace]

Trace would have let out a sigh of relief at hearing Altair's voice if she were able to breathe. She moved in the direction of his voice, focusing her attention on his direction until she could make out his outline. She could sense his pain and she could perceive the blood running down his leg.

I'm... here I'm fine, she said, followed by more coughing. As she came into reach of him, she reached out and grabbed his hands, no longer caring if it was "appropriate." She was glad they were both alive, and she was glad not to be alone down here.

You're hurt, she declared, concern lacing her voice as the dust started to settle out. The clearing of the debris didn't do much for making it easier to see, and she started to let her senses sweep up and over the area above them.

Nothing that's not a climb, she finally said after a moment. Here, sit. You need help, she said, all but forcing him to sit down if he tried to refuse as she started pulling out her medpack.

Her hand came to rest on his very muscular leg, feeling the warm and wet sensation of the blood that covered his pantleg. She ran her hands gently along it, reaching out with the Force to enhance her tactile sensation, trying to get a gauge of the flesh underneath.

I don't think it's broken, she said after a moment. She pulled out a small knife and cut a strip away from the pant leg before injecting a painkiller followed by clotting bacta concoction into the injury.

She was too preoccupied to think about the fact that for him, in near total darkness, having a girl touch all over his leg and literally cut away part of his pants might be a strange experience. It also might not.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair grimaced as she mentioned no options that didn’t require a climb. He knew his body enough to know even with the Force he was in no condition to make any useful jumps without messing up the leg more. The tiefling sighed and began with a solemn tone, “Look Trace, I ain’t trynna be no Holomovie sap, but you really should get outta here an- whoa!” He was cut off as she all but grabbed his hands and made him sit down. His jaw dropped and she would be able to make out the outline of his very puzzled face as she began to feel along his leg.

“I uh…it’s probably nothing..” He mumbled almost incoherently as he felt her touch his leg. He winced when she brushed over the injury, though he exhaled in relief when she mentioned it wasn’t broken. If there was one benefit to her being by the books, it was this. He was shocked when she pulled out a medpack and could actually see well enough to navigate the supplies. Altair felt cold metal as she began to cut through the fabric of his pants.

“Hey hey, you ain’t gotta go that high!” He blurted as he felt her moving towards his thigh. His face was burning hot and this was made much worse by the fact that he couldn’t see anything. Altair sat in silence as she worked, trying to ignore the fact that a girl was touching him all over his leg. The pain was a reminder that this was a serious situation, and he soon felt the cool bacta. Relief came shortly after, and he sighed.

“You’re fuckin’ amazing,” He said after a moment, wonder in his tone. Altair was content to simply sit there, but he knew they had to keep moving, “Can you help me up?” He reached out and used his tail and the wall to get up again. Already the leg felt much better and he began to hobble along.

“I’m…I’m sorry for bringing us here,” He said quietly, “It was dumb. We shoulda stayed back at the safehouse. I got us into this mess..” He ran a hand through his head, genuine remorse in his tone "I know you got stuck with a shitty, unprepared partner for this. I'll try to make it up to ya..somehow.."

 

[Trace]

Trace continued her work with total efficiency, only pausing for a moment when he objected to how high she was cutting his pants. Uh... sorry, she said, pausing for about one half of a second before continuing on.

Her face turned bright red as he declared that she was amazing, unable to stop the pattering of her heart or the wide smile that broke out across her face. Even if she was a little bit awkward and uncomfortable with the compliment, it felt good. Very good.

Thanks, she said, the tone of her voice portraying far more about her feelings than the simple word. Yeah, here, she said, slipping away the remainder of the equipment before sliding up under one of his arms. It was now draped fully around her neck and over her shoulders as she helped him up. She was suddenly keenly aware of the warmth of his body against hers, the muscles on the arm that hung over her, and the height difference between them.

He started apologizing for bringing them here and more and she stopped him mid sentence. Ah, ah, ah. Hey, no, she said, lightly backhanding him in the stomach in a way that was in no way strong enough to hurt him... or hurt those rock hard abs, wow. Not expected.

I came here of my own free will, and we're both going to get out of here, she said. And if when we're both out of here, you still feel the need to make it up to me, maybe you'll take me to dinner or drinks, she replied. Was she hitting on him? Uh... she thought maybe she was? Maybe it was the genuineness of his apology or the fact that he actually thought to apologize. It seemed like a rare commodity in people around her these days.

She could feel her cheeks starting to grow hot from the bold comment she'd just made and quickly started to move on.

Anyway, we just need to find a lift up. It shouldn't be that hard, and then we won't have to climb. Are you able to see at all? she asked, having no idea how dark it was but not letting go of his arm around her so that she could both support him and guide him through the darkness.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair felt bad about having to use her as support, especially since she was so damn tiny. However, she appeared to hold herself up just fine through it. He felt ridiculous as he hobbled along, guilt nagging at him as they made their way through the darkness. Her little quip and nudge against his stomach brought a faint smile. He could tell she had loosened up quite a bit from earlier, and he decided he genuinely liked her company. His face heated up when she mentioned ways he could make things up to her, caught off guard by how she had no qualms with asking for what she wanted. Altair had a sheepish grin on his face for a moment but quickly got it together.

“I’ll do you one better and make you food,” He said finally as he hobbled along, putting weight on her as it hurt to do so on his leg, “I’m a pretty good chef, if I do say myself,” Altair said with an air of smugness. He was confident about two things about himself - his ability to fight hand to hand and his ability to cook, “If we make it outta here in one piece..” He added quietly with a grim tone.

Altair squinted a bit to make out shapes, “I can see a bit,” He said after a moment, “No lifts will work here. We gotta find a manual way to climb up,” He barely got the sentence out when there was a crash not too far from them. He could hear the shuffling of feet as someone or something quickly ran from them. Altair froze, tightening his grip on Trace, “The hell was that?!” He whispered, suddenly feeling entirely too vulnerable. His mind wandered back to the fugitive the patrols were looking for. Could that person be down here? Or was this a case of some hobos camping out?

“Fuck, let’s keep moving,” He said as he nudged at her to go in a slightly different direction. Unbeknownst to them, they were approaching towards where Talak Rand made his last stand and had died in defiance.

 

[Trace]

Trace was full-on grinning as he said he'd make her dinner. That was very cool, and she was totally down for it. Deal. It's settled then, she said. And we are getting out of here, she reasserted as he added a big "if" to the statement.

There was a large crash up ahead, and she jumped at the sound. Screw this, she said, suddenly quite angry as she pulled out her lightsaber and lit it up in her free hand. She didn't care if they were going to stand out in the darkness, it would help him see better and then she would be ready to really stab someone.

Screw. This. she repeated, clearly expressing her fear more through anger than anything else.

You better get lost or I will gut you like a fish, she shouted to the darkness. Were she not holding a lightsaber in her hand, the threat would have not sounded very scary coming from someone of her size. The lightsaber at least added some credibility, and she was beyond caring if people knew she was a Sith at this point.

No one appeared, and she agreed with him, pressing on toward... something. Wherever they were going that wasn't in the direction of the sound.

She almost said something about how much this sucked, but realized that it would probably only make him feel worse, and that wasn't her goal, so she kept her mouth shut.

She could sense the Force thickening around them as they advanced, something about it changing and shifting. It became almost more malevolent and less conducive to her touch as she reached out to it. It was the subtlest of changes, but to someone like her - like them - it was certainly noticeable.

What do you know about the battle? she asked. She asked less out of genuine interest and more because she wanted to keep her mind occupied with something other than how creepy this was. Haunted level indeed.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was almost blinded when Trace abruptly ignited a saber. He blinked a few times, his eyes having to adjust all over again. He looked alarmed as Trace declared at someone she would gut them. Wait, did that mean she would drop him? He couldn’t exactly stand on his own while she was puffing out her chest and acting tough. He remained silent the entire time, deciding that sometimes keeping his mouth shut was the best option.

He felt that uneasy whirl in the Force as they continued the path they chose. Every now and then his mind went blank and he saw flashes of sabers clashing and that same sense of dread and despair. As if on cue, Trace asked about the battle, pulling him out of his reverie.

“I know it was led by Lord Raze,” He said quietly, “Darth Malicia was there and she used drain on a lot of the industrial areas and it killed a lot of people at once. Lord Raze killed someone named Talak Rand who used to be a Sith but converted to be a powerful Jedi. Lord Stolas was also there and he killed another Jedi Councilor. It just…left a mark I guess. Lotta hate and shit. Raze was furious and angry and almost died here before he killed Talak.”

Altair took another step and his legs buckled beneath him, and the same would likely happen to Trace. He was suddenly overwhelmed with scenes of the battle. He saw the heated exchange between Raze and Talak, Malicia draining and the Sith and Jedi engaged in warfare. Explosions resounded all around and he felt a powerful pulse in the Force that was almost overwhelming.

He didn’t even realize he was tightly gripping onto Trace before he finally pulled himself out. Altair was breathing heavily, his entire body trembling. Altair gazed ahead of him, “I think…I think a dark nexus was created here…by accident…”

 

[Trace]

Trace listened as he talked about what had happened. She couldn't help but think about the fact that of all the names he said, they were all dead now. She wondered if her name would be claimed by this war before it was all over. Or his. And would she die nameless or be a "somebody." Did it matter once you were dead?

She felt like she'd been stabbed through the chest a moment later. No breath came into her lungs, and she dropped to her knees, narrowly catching herself on the ground instead of planting face first down.

She could see the flashes of the battle, feel the panic, feel the death. It was like darkness closing in around her, blinding her to everything else. A horrid panic that seemed to possess her mind. She clawed at the ground, trying to root herself in the here and now. Trying to take in everything from her senses to bring herself back. She felt like she was begin squeezed by a giant hand of death.

And then it passed as suddenly as it came on. She wondered for a moment if she actually was dead, but the sound of Altair's voice brought her back to reality.

What... what are we even supposed to do with that? she asked. I'm sure there's something to be gained from that, but I feel like it's more likely to kill us than anything else... she said.

I don't think we're really in a position to mess with this, she said after a moment.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was silent for a long moment. He looked over at Trace as she outright suggested not even bothering. He could only vacantly stare at her. He was always used to being surrounded by people coming up with ideas dumber than his own. Shady bullshit in the corner? Let’s go investigate. Creepo infected slowly inching over? Bet, let’s go say hi. But Trace? Hell no. Logic prevailed. He didn’t even realize when he smiled, or when that smile suddenly turned into a soft chuckle. Within seconds he was outright laughing, his shoulders shaking from the sheer amusement of coming across someone that prized logic and self preservation over exploring dangerous bullshit.

“I have no fuckin’ idea what we’re supposed to do with it,” He laughed some more, “I say we report it back to the Sith so some Champion or Sith Lord can fuck with it instead,” Altair grinned as he looked at her, “Come on, let’s get outta this shithole.”

With that, he would hobble along with her towards a potential exit. Their main mission was done and they found a nexus to boot. All in all, it was a solid mission success. Even then, he knew it wasn’t the last they would hear about this mystery fugitive..