Fate Paves One Path

[Rev]

Scrublands Several Kilometers Outside Cover City, Shili
Ehosiq Sector, Galactic Alliance Space

Laughter filled the air as the group of Togruta men walked down a path that's only designation was memory. Each step the crowd made was silent, their bare feet "soaking in" the natural output their homeland let off. They were more than just a band of warriors, but a family, each member in some way related to another. Treading the narrow path ease the groups attention would focus on one member in particular: the youngest.

Tutou Ba stood near the front of the pack, next to his elder brother and father. The 3 men were mere replicas of one another, each donning sashes of their culture and accented trophies of their countless kills. Today was the lad's 14th birthday and already his third montral had begun to sprout; the worm-like tail trying to catch up to the other two which fell just shy of the boy's shoulders. Rusty red skin made the three dark in comparison to others, but their faces were bright with white coloration, their montrals and horns alternating between white and a beautiful blue. If it weren't for the gear they carried: heavy razor sharp spears, they would be a sight to look at.

[TOGRUTI] "Today, you earn your place." [TOGRUTI]

He would smile at his brothers words, the rest of the group nodding at the comment. Tutou would stare with respect at the akul-tooth necklaces both his family members wore; he too wished to earn his own. Taking in a deep breath of the breezy air he couldn't help but smile, wondering what the hunting party had in store for him. It was his mind wandering that brought his eyes to the sky, staring with no real intent, that he caught the glimmer of something.

[TOGRUTI] "What is that?!" [TOGRUTI]

The smoke trail and flame which broke the sky was merely slipping through the atmosphere. Anyone who'd seen a starship before would know exactly what it was in no time. Looking to his family for an answer the group shrugged, it was Tutou's own father that would stop the group and focus his stare on the falling object. He was the lone member that knew what it was, having lived the longest and seen the most he thought it best to stay quiet for now.

[TOGRUTI] "We wait here... For now." [TOGRUTI]

 

[Damien Nightblade]

Smoke filled the cockpit of the small vessel as it plumeted towards the surface of the planet. The Nem'Vaah remained calm within the chaos surrounding him and allowed himself the precious moments required of any being to breath and allow the body the sensation of relaxation with each deep exhalation of breath.

He pulled backwards hard on the controlstick hoping to pull the nose of the ship up and pointed back towards the atmosphere that grew further and further away with each second. Though despite his attempts the ship would not yield to his desires.

What was once a strain on his lungs and eyes had now become a thick smog in which what little oxygen that still occupied the small space, did not want to be a part of. He took his tomahawk within his right hand and ignited it. It roared to life within his grasp and he thanked the force in that fraction of a moment that he had been blessed with such a tool. He reared back and released it the weapon flew from his grasp end over end until it contacted the transparisteel canopy of the ship, shattering it into a multitude of pieces. Freeing itself from the burning remains of the vessel and fleeing into open air. The Nem'Vaah leaping through the opening he had created shortly behind it.

An effortless out reach of the force brought it back to him and he secured it to his belt as he began his seemingly endless free fall towards the earth below...

 

[Rev]

The smoke stream cascaded in mid-flight, the ship bursting open as pieces were thrown into free-fall behind it. Staring upward all the while, Tutou couldn't help but drop his jaw at the sight of the pilot falling ahead of the behemoth. Hopping up and down while pointing upward the young man would draw the attention of the whole pack, their eyes too cast upon the sight before them. The series of gasps which followed were enough to get their pack leader into a rout of anger.

[TOGRUTI]"Silence!"[TOGRUTI]

The eldest Togruta would shout out taking the groups attention from the rare gem to him instead. Tutou would face his father standing tall next to his brother and shake his head before falling in behind them as they began their movement through the tall turu-grass. Hunched over they moved silently, their montrals acting as sonar to the world around them; ever alert to its happenings. The group would come together in an open clearing within the grass, their heads huddled close to hear the plan set before them.

[TOGRUTI]"They are close.. ..I can smell them.."[TOGRUTI]

The group chuckled in soft laughter, doing their best to hide their position as their leader spoke.

[TOGRUTI]"You three shall move..."[TOGRUTI]

Amidst the plan Tutou's eyes had been fixated on the black cloud which entered from orbit. He'd never been taught of anything "off-world." Shili was everything there was, they lived breathed, and survived off everything she gave them. To see something foreign come to was a very sign from Shili herself. He couldn't understand why his father couldn't understand that. It was staring at that black stream that he wondered where whatever it was landed. Bringing his gaze down to the brush he'd catch a slap on the back of the head. His name being shouted at him for what he suspected to be the third or fourth time.

[TOGRUTI]"Tutou!.. You and Rikui will go this way, when the Akul shows.."[TOGRUTI]

Their father would smile and simply nod at them before standing and disappearing into the grass. Looking at his elder brother the man would nod before smiling at his younger sibling. It was Tutou's time to shine, and Rikui would be sure of of that, it was his brother moment. Though they both knew it wouldn't come easy.

[TOGRUTI]"You have earned this. Make me proud, my brother."[TOGRUTI]

 

[Damien Nightblade]

The drag increased as the thin air of the upper atmosphere gave way to the thicker, breathable air of the lower. The wind changed pitch, whistled past his ears. He imagined the planet whispering its secrets within it. His clothing and coattails flapped audibly behind him.
He allowed himself to feel the descent and used the feeling to fall into the force. Nestled in its power he marshaled his strength.
The ground beneath him growing larger, more defined. He lowered his head and angled his body, using the wind resistance to create some slight motion forward rather than straight down. The ground rushed up to meet him.
He reached out with the force channeling power into a wide column beneath him. Conceptualising the power as somewhat similar to what he would use when he augmented a leap, though rather than a sudden rush of power to drive him upward he used it in a gentler, passive fashion.
He imagined it as a balloon soft and yielding at first, but providing ever increasing resistance as he fell farther into it.
Pressure formed behind his eyes as he plummeted towards the earth below, it intensified and his vision blurred.
A second stretched into an eternity.
He dug deep pulled out what power he could and expended it all into a final burst. An expulsion of power that entirely arrested his descent for a moment. Hanging in the air for a fraction of a second suspended only by the invisible power of the force and Connors ability to use it.
Then, he fell. Hitting the ground below him feet first, the shock of impact sending jolts of pain up his ankles and calves. He rode the momentum into a roll that knocked the wind from his lungs.

He slowly lifted himself to all fours, his muscles screaming. He slumped back to the dirt and rolled over onto his back. He gazed up as the clouds drifted above him within the sky he had just fallen from. He lay there exhausted, and lost consciousness.

 

[Rev]

Rikui and Tutou had moved quickly through the tall grass, their two man group being the smallest of any of the broken up 'squads.' As they moved they would occasionally stop, their heads perking up and into the air to allow their montrals senses to take over. It was like seeing the world in a new light when they'd stop, and it was one of those very times Tutou would instead look to the sky, the falling object finally disappearing from view as they had come but all too close to it. The ground below them would again quake as durasteel frame met dirt and foliage with one thunderous quake.

[TOGRUTI]"Rikui, this way!"[TOGRUTI]

The elder sibling would shake his hand at his brother, then motion for him to instead follow. Tutou looking his brother over would instead look back to the sky, a feeling unlike anything he'd felt connecting him just not to Shili, but to something else.. Someone else. Shaking his head at his brother he'd instead jump into the grass and run into the brush, his feet carrying him to that growing presence.

The boys feet had never carried him so quickly. He'd duck under fallen tree branches, contort through sticks, and jump over various underbrush that had taken out paths or simply been there for decades. As he approached the growing mark he couldn't help but stare at the wreckage left behind. The fighter that had once been there was barely in tact, the hull was crippled beyond repair and if anything had been inside it, it'd surely of died. Beeping near the cockpit was a lone droid, its 'voice' obviously wounded from the fall. Walking up to the giant Tutou could not help but feel some discord for what he saw, and more importantly what he felt. This object had struck into his world and hurt it, he could feel that much.

As his eyes looked about the land, he could see a lump against the horizon. It had landed in one of the few clearings and he found himself running to whatever it was. What he had thought was the beacon for all this energy was not the crash site behind him, but this man before him. He'd never seen anyone or anything like this being before, kneeling next to the robed human he'd lean in and smell him. The rot of death hadn't taken him yet, which was a positive thing. Reaching out he'd slap the man a couple of times, his red flesh vastly different to the man's tanned hide. Looking around Tutou suddenly felt a pit form in his stomach, something didn't feel right..

 

[Damien Nightblade]

Brown eyes shot open as the Nem'Vaah gasped for breath as if he had been without it for an eternity. He was greeted almost instantly by an awakening slap to the face and a curious half frightened glance from a native. A warrior no doubt, due to the face paint and weaponry he carried. He shifted his weight trying to gain some concept of what gear he still had and what he had lost in the crash. His tomahawk still rested, rather uncomfortably at his side given his current awkward positioning and he felt the weight of the lightsaber hilts hidden within his gauntlets. The essentials were still there. He allowed himself a sigh of relief before he found himself on the receiving end of yet another slap.

He quickly sat up, extending his hands to shield his face from the onslaught of awakening slaps he had undertaken. "Easy friend! I mean you no harm!"

 

[Rev]

As the man's eyes shot open Tutou would recede backwards in surprise. In truth he didn't expect the man to wake up from such a crash, he'd fallen straight from the heavens. It was Connor's reaction to the second slap that brought the native Togruta into a frenzy, his speak quickly coming to arms and pointed at the man's chest. Tutou would maintain his distance from the stranger, the man's words coming across as foreign to him. Raising his brows in question he'd speak back, unsure if his own words would meet their mark.

[TOGRUTI]"Who are you? What are you?!"[TOGRUTI]

His words came across quick, filled with a mixture of surprise and fear at the strange being. By his nature it was obvious he was a young man at best, a boy by most accord. Motioning his head towards Connor's crashed craft which lay only a few hundred feet away he'd spit out his last words as the tension in the air finally began to settle, the grip on his spear loosening.

[TOGRUTI]"What is that?!"[TOGRUTI]

 

[Damien Nightblade]

He gathered himself. A few deep breaths helping to regain his presence and sense of being. The native responded to him though to his grateful surprise he did so not with anger or violence, but curiosity. His language was foreign, yet through the force he could sense his intent. Still there existed a substantial language barrier.

Unsure how to proceed without appearing offensive or hostile, he paused for a moment. Connor taking into account that he is, a stranger that crashed on this individual's land (with a large mass of fiery starship remains), responded in the only way he knew appropriate. Carefully, and calmly.

"I"m Connor, I'm sorry for.." He apologetically motioned towards the slowly burning remains of what was left of his vessel. "Was anyone injured?"

 

[Rev]

Tutou would stare across at the man as he gestured towards the starship. His face and body language met their mark in ways Connor's voice could not. Staring for a long moment at the wreckage then back to the man before him he'd shake his head with little hesitation. At least to his knowledge no one had been hurt. As the boy opened his mouth to speak something would burst outward from the Turu-grass behind him. Turning to face the aggressor the swell of emotion that had grown in his gut quickly subsided at the sight, his father. Relaxing some his eyes went over the man who was now recognizably covered in blood.

[TOGRUTI]"TUTOU! WHAT IS THIS?!"[TOGRUTI]

His eyes went from the stranger to his boy as shock filled the elder man's eyes. He held firmly onto the spear in his right hand before reaching out to grab the boy who took a step away.

[TOGRUTI]"Shili brought me to him! We must help him, father."[TOGRUTI]

[TOGRUTI]"You must first see what your disregard has caused us..."[TOGRUTI]

Pausing the elder of the two would let out a sigh before motioning to the stranger to follow. The worry on the younger Tutou becoming apparent as his father had finally calmed to an eerie state.

"Come with us outsider. You must see this too."

The basic which came from his father's lips surprised Tutou, he'd never heard the words escape his father's lips. Slowly coming behind the man they'd begin their trek in the direction Tutou had come from, where he had last left his pack and his brother.

 

[Damien Nightblade]

The force shifted. It was a subtle but noticeable change. The elder being wasted no time in showing his dissatisfaction in the younger ones actions. The boy who had found him, no doubt his son.
He rose to his feet slowly. Carefully observing his surroundings, taking note that nothing around him seemed familiar or comfortable.
He was shaken from this particular train of thought when the force decided it would display irony in its most classic form. No later than the thoughts of being in unfamiliar land crossed his mind he heard a sentence in basic.
The tone itself did not particularly make the situation any better however words in a native tongue did set his mind at ease, if only for a bit.

He dusted himself off and straightened his garments scanning his hands over his gear to confirm his rough inventory count from earlier. After a quick stretch he hurried after the two natives as instructed.

 

[Rev]

The two natives would move with a hastened grace as they made their way through the Shili underbrush. Each step seemed to bring on a new thought to the young Togruta, if not about why they were walking back with no info then it was on the stranger behind them. Occasionally looking over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the outsider he found himself staying slightly closer to his father than he'd normally of put himself. It was his feet returning to the dirt that first caught his attention as their steps began to slow; something hadn't felt the same. His father would push aside a final "wall" of grass and Tutou's eyes would be met with a scene of horror.

There had been multiple bodies scattered throughout the open area. All of them were familiar to him in one way or another and upon closer inspection he counted five of the limp bodies. Gathered around each were small groups, each mourning their loss respectively; it was the sight of the teenage boy that brought a few of them into a fit of anger. One of the elder Togruta would even cast the boy away with the end of his spear, sending the lad to his knees as pain began to envelop his shock. Downed at the center of it all was a dieing beast, the Akul he had been sent to hunt. Trapped under the ropes and nets of his fellow tribesman it shook with anger, begging for its freedom.

[TOGRUTI]"This is your doing, boy."[TOGRUTI]

Looking from his son to the stranger he'd speak directly to the foreigner.

"...and what do you have to say for yourself?"

 

[Damien Nightblade]

He pulled himself together as he followed the group through the thick brush of the planet. To him this world was a strange one, filled with questions and mystery. Though to the natives he had encountered, home. They navigated through the terrain as if they had been doing so their entire lives. They probably had. Though Connor made sure to keep close.

The force changed its tone and the Nem'Vaah felt the staleness in the air. Something had gone wrong, there was an absence here. The abundant life force that surrounded the planet, them all grew weak, dim, as if it were a lone candle combating the wind. Though the odds seemed to oppose it.

As the elder native cleared the brush away from his path he followed closely to see the results of what appeared to be a group hunt that tasted no success. A captured, netted beast lay within the center of several corpses strewn about the area. Groups of people, undoubtedly family and friends gathered around each, morning their loss. The entirety of the picture came together when the boy in front of him was guided away at spearpoint. The elders question confirmed the grim truth that he had already come to suspect.

"I..apologise." He said sadly. "I had no intentions of being such a distraction, I only meant to make it out alive.." He stumbled over his words. The understanding of what he had contributed to affecting his speech. He glanced over to the beast within its nets. Suffering and struggling for freedom. "You should end its suffering..cleanly"

 

[Rev]

At the sights of horror his stomach immediately turned, his knees buckling under the shock. Taking steps towards the angry beast his eyes looked over the monster. It was the first time he'd ever seen or encountered one of the mighty creatures, and it wasn't at all how he'd anticipated the feeling being. It was his brother's body limply displayed nearby that caught the boy's interest, his feet carrying him to his best friend and blood. Coming down to his knees he felt the Shili dirt dig into his flesh, tearing it while dirtying them at the same time, his hand clasping Rikui behind the head, holding it up.

Staring down into the young man's eyes he could tell his life was fading, the thoughts bringing tear swells to the corners of his eyes. Using his free hand to hold his brother's hand one last time he looked into his eyes as the question lingering in the elder's voice finally scratched out with everything he had.

[TOGRUTI]"W-... were you?"[TOGRUTI]

The Togruta would cough, a mist of blood spraying out against his own flesh and clothes. His eyes blankly staring upwards at his younger brother as he longed for an answer. Looking down Tutou would turn his head to look at the stranger who spoke with their father. A pit of anger forming in his gut at everything that had happened, he wasn't sure what to say.

[TOGRUTI]"I..I-..."[TOGRUTI]

He'd pull his brother in closer before whispering in his ear, wanting him more than anything to get up and rejoin them.

[TOGRUTI]"..I'm sorry brother.."[TOGRUTI]

He could feel his brother squeeze back, but only for a moment as the life within him finally became one with the Force. Life fading from existence as the soldier's body finally dropped limp, the grasp Tutou had on Rikui's hand becoming cold and lifeless almost instantly. Screaming out in rage his cries went to no one in particular. Slowly standing from his brother's corpse his body would turn to face the stranger, his eyes focusing to a tunnel vision as he sprinted forward, his intentions set.

Leaping through the air upon his third step his body would float for a moment, his fist pulling back as it prepared to drive forward at the back of Connor's skull. It would be met however with his Father's could inner elbow as he hooked the boy's arm and swung him to the ground with one powerful slam. Gasping outward as all the air within his lungs escaped from the blow he squirmed against the hard ground while his father stood over him. With one hard kick from his elder to the forehead his head would begin to spin, lights blinking around his face until he felt himself going out of consciousness. On that note the Togruta would turn to Connor and answer his comment.

"That is not for me to decide.."

Looking to the boy at his feet as if to show him who made that decision he'd bend over and heft the lad over his shoulder.

[TOGRUTI]"Prepare to move the animal. Tiishii, grab Rikui."[TOGRUTI]