Getting Off The Rock

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Three long weeks had passed since the Jedi and Sith first arrived in the small village on Atrer III. The Sephi and the Pureblood had spent their time recovering from their injuries, being assisted by the villagers whenever they needed help. Sakadi had trouble accepting the aid of the kind and friendly people; while she understood that there was no need for violence, being willing to share your resources on an inhospitable planet like this was something she simply frowned upon.

The Knightess tightened her grip around the small screwdriver, as she peered at the moisture vaporator. The few that town had were specially modified to work on Atrer III. They were a gift from a group of traders according to the elder, although Sakadi had her doubts that these traders gave them the vaporators willingly. Not that it mattered though. The fact that the villagers possessed technology that could work despite the EMP field short-circuiting most devices, was a miracle. But when she had urged Mid to ask them how exactly these vaporators worked, the villagers had not been willing to reply. So naturally, when one of the vaporators was reported to be malfunctioning, she had volunteered to help the villagers out.

Sakadi tilted her head as she contemplated her decision. To some, the Force was considered magic. But to her? It was definitely technology. As a child without proper education in science and technology, she completely lacked the knowledge to get this thing working again. Not that that was her reason for being here though. No, she wanted to figure out what the secret of the villagers was.

"Do you see anything unusual?" She asked Mid, who sat beside her. To her, it all looked the same. But perhaps he would be able to spot something that would give them a clue.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid and Sakadi had been laying low and healing up, gathering their strength in preparation of getting off this forsaken planet. Mid had acted as the primary form of communication between them and the villagers, primarily because Sakadi couldn't speak for herself but also because of her way of working with the villagers. He had been doing a decent job at keeping the peace between her and them due to her constant prying of how they got their technology and how they operate. He was curious as well, he wouldn't deny it, but he quickly figured out that they wouldn't be talking anytime soon. He was tempted to resort to more...direct tactics to get some answers but for Sakadi's sake he restrained himself.

He sat beside her, with a pair of pliers and a screwdriver in hand. Just as she asked him, a piece of metal cut his finger, making him recoil a bit. "Aside from shoddy craftsmanship, I do have an idea." he said with a hint of annoyance as he sucked on the finger. "I'm not an expert on machinery like this though the principles stay the same." he continued as he dug further into the machine. He gave a hum of curiousity as he pulled back again. "There's a system surrounding the circuitry, it seems. I think it might have something to do with these machines working through the EMP storm."

He scrambled around a bit more in the machine, finally pulling out a piece of circuitry that seemed to have burnt out. "Here's the culprit. Hand me that spare, would you?" he said as he gave her the broken piece to be swapped out. As soon as she gave it he worked on installing it and closing everything back up. "Let's hope I didn't short something out." he quipped with a smile as he flipped the switch on the machine. Just like that it started back up. "...And there we go. I think I found their secret." he commented, standing back up and holding out a hand to help her up as well.

@Powerfullhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Sakadi carefully analyzed how Mid took apart the vaporator, as she listened to his explanation. It made sense that they had some way to block the effects of the EMP. The Knightess tilted her head, "What is it? Anything we can use to our advantage?" she asked the Sith Lord with genuine curiosity. In all honesty, she just wanted to get off this rock. Enough days of sitting around had passed. It was time to get back into the frey. As she accepted his hand to help her up again, she summoned the force to swiftly heal the small cut on his finger. "Perhaps we can finally figure out how to get off this planet.." she conveyed. The villagers had not been willing to help them any further, probably because they realized what strength the two individuals had. By keeping them here as long as possible, the village was safe from anyone with hostile intent.

"There is only one way to find out, I guess. They don't want us to know about their technology and we want to get out of here. Let's just confront them and be clear about this." she stated, as she prepared to head back to the village. "You coming?"

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid pulled Sakadi to her feet and to his surprise she healed up his cut finger. With a smile he gave her a kiss. "Thank you." he said gently. "Certainly something we can use to our advantage but it's not something that will help us now. Without the right parts we'll be unable to fix our weapons. But I certainly think we can use the concept to modify other parts to shelter them from the EMP storm, perhaps even ship components if we can find one that's flightworthy." he explained.

Sakadi went on to comment on the villagers which he agreed with. He nodded as he thought things over before looking up at Sakadi. "Right behind you." he said as he fell in beside her. "So what's the plan? Try the Jedi approach and when that doesn't work we try the Sith approach?" he joked with a light bump. Of course there was some merit of truth in that. They had been diplomatic and nice this whole time and the people didn't want to give up their secrets.

Mid walked with her back to the village and then went straight to the village leader. They had to report the progress on the machines to him, anyway.

By the shack Mid entered with Sakadi and decided to sit down with the man. "We fixed up that machine for you. Burnt out circuits, nothing serious. However, I do want to know what type of system you're using on them to keep them from being shredded by the EMP storm. I must admit that I am finding myself quite intrigued by it." he started the conversation. But the both of them knew they won't be told anything...which is why as Mid sat he was summoning the force through him.

@Powerfullhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

As always, his plan was sound. She liked to be in the company of the Sith Lord, whether she wanted to admit it or not. She loved him, but the whole Dark-side thing was a major turn off for her. Although she had to admit, the moments he took the lead and showed her why he was a Lord made her admire him. Her own plans were often pretty sound as well, but she still liked to have someone else take the lead now and then. Someone capable. Like Mid.

She kept holding onto his hand, as they strolled back to the village, straight towards the home of the elder. She didn't like him. A human, male, in his early 60s. Everything that happened in this village and everything that was about to happen, well he knew about it. And hid it from the two Force wielders in front of him.

"Intriguing, aren't they? It's technology we can't reproduce. That's why it must remain a secret, that we even have it." he stated with a wink. It annoyed Sakadi a little. Enough for her to act on her own. Through slightly probing his mind, the Knightess sensed that he was about to change the subject again. Probably hand them another task to carry out. Well, not on the Sephi's watch.

Making a slight gesture under the table with her thumb, middle and index finger, Sakadi called upon the Force. She had practiced this before, with good reason. Normal beings freaked out when she approached them with telepathy. Luckily, she had more tricks upon her sleeve.

Influencing the mind of the Elder, Sakadi spoke. Her mouth moved, followed by actual words. The sound and the movement of her lips were not exactly in sync, but that didn't matter. The illusion warped the Elder's sense of what was wrong and what was right, much like a dream did. To him, it would look completely normal. But Mid? He'd see right through it.

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you perform larger maintenance on those vaporators? I assume you can't just take them apart, or you'll fry the circuits.." she exclaimed, her voice as angelic as it used to be.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

The man's response was less than satisfactory. And Mid was getting ready to strangle the man. "Listen. We need to get off this rock. Now you better help us or else things are going to get messy." he threatened the man, the anger in his voice quite clear. But before he could do anything, Sakadi took over.

Mid was a bit confused at first, but he quickly realized what Sakadi was doing. Thank goodness they would be trying the Jedi way first. The last thing Mid wanted to do is attack the man in front of her. He knew what Sakadi's opinion was on his devotion to the Dark Side. He would have asked her to leave before doing anything...but she spared that hassle. She crawled into the man's mind and with that sweet voice of hers she started to prod at the man's thoughts. Mid decided to help out and used the force to work into the man's head. He worked on weakening the man to make him more susceptible to Sakadi's questioning.

Finally, after starting to sway a little, the man broke. "We...we wait for...for the eclipse." he mumbled. Mid scooted a little closer. "Eclipse? What do you mean?" he asked. "The eclipse, it blocks out the sun...blocks out the storm..." the man continued, now quite literally clay in the duo's hands. Mid glanced at Sakadi. Things already started to click into place in the Sith Lord's head. A plan was already forming in his mind. He only needed two more pieces of info. "Alright...when is this storm?" he asked, his golden eyes staring into the man's soul. He focused the force deeper into the man's mind. "In...three days." he mumbled, though his face was starting to frown as Mid was prying deeper and deeper. He was clearly starting to inflict some unintentional pain on the old man.

"And these machines. Where did you get them?" he asked sternly. The man started to whimper and clutch at the side of his head. "Tell me." he ordered the man. "The pirates!" he cried out as both his hands grabbed at his temples. The pirates come...every month...duting the eclipse! Day's ride to the north of here!" he finally confessed.

Mid released the man's mind and breathed a deep breath. He didn't realize immediately what he had done in front of Sakadi, but it came to him as he looked at her. The realization and triumph sank a bit into a touch of guilt as his eyes looked into hers. He didn't say anything as he rose from his seat. "Thank you." he said to the old man that was now recovering. He then made his way out of the tent towards where their car was parked next to their shack, hoping Sakadi was following.

@Powerfullhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

As Sakadi slowly tried to work her way into the man's mind via her force illusion, she felt the sudden, frighteningly cold presence of the Dark side enter the Elder's mind. She understood that this was Mid's doing, but did he know that this would interfere with her focus? Careful to not damage the Elder's mind, Sakadi allowed her illusive mind trick to fade away. While she didn't necessarily agree with it, she would let Mid handle the Elder from this point on. When the Elder's face contorted, however, Sakadi decided to intervene again. Placing her hand on his arm, Sakadi reached out to the Sith. "Mid, stop this." the tone of her voice wasn't commanding, but it wasn't just a suggestion either. She didn't like seeing the Elder in pain. Despite the man's dodgy behaviour, he was friendly and kind. They were here because he allowed them to stay here after all.

Managing to pry a little more information out of him than Sakadi believed necessary, she gave Mid a disapproving stare as their eyes locked, but she decided against arguing about this. At the end of the day, he was a master of the Dark side, and she one of the Light. Judging him for his actions was like holding him accountable for his very nature. She couldn't do that.

Following him outside, the Knightess made an attempt to break the silence between them by changing the subject. "So what's the grand plan? Are we going to rush over there, enter guns blazing and hope they know how to leave this planet? Because we're going to need more and even bigger guns if that's what we're going to do." With their gear still malfunctioning, the Jedi had effectively no weapons but the slugthrower pistol Mid had stolen for her. Perhaps the village had a slugthrower or two lying around, but she suspected that that alone wouldn't do the job.

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid hoped that Sakadi wouldn't argue about this. He really didn't want to argue about getting information to get them off the planet, no matter the ways in which he got it. Though her glare wasn't nice. Chances of cuddles didn't seem very high for the night...

Outside Sakadi enquired about the plan. The Pureblood leaned against the car as he looked around. "As fun as rushing in can be, it'll be suicide in this case. They'll most likely have working blasters and other weapons. We need to sneak in and see if we can hijack their ship without them noticing. Otherwise things are going to get messy." he explained to her. He looked at the car then back to her. "I got impatient in there. Next time I'll leave you to it." he explained to her, nodding towards the shack. Whether it was his own stubborn way of saying sorry or not, he left to her. "Come on, let's pack up." he said before turning to enter the shack.

Soon enough Mid had all his things packed and stocked up on resources for the car. He slid into his usual seat behind the wheel and waited for Sakadi to hop in as well before starting up. They had a heading and a time limit. Hopefully they could get there ahead of time to scout out the area. "All set?"

@Powerfullhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Sakadi appreciated Mid's indirect apology. Sometimes he seemed proud, arrogant even, but when she spoke to him alone like this, his true personality showed. It was kind of sweet, really. Flashing him a smile, she followed him inside the shack to pack their stuff. After she was certain they had everything, loaded onto their vehicle, Sakadi joined Mid. "I'm ready. Let's go."

The camp was a day's right north of their current position. Well, if they could even remotely consider it to be a camp. Sakadi, who was in charge of navigation, was certain that whatever lay ahead of them had to be their camp. She even had to check both her map and her compass three times to confirm that they were indeed going in the right direction. But the spot that appeared on the horizon seemed too... large.

Urging Mid to stop the car, Sakadi reached for her binoculars. She had a sinister feeling that whatever they were approaching was not a camp. With her heart pounding heavily in her chest, Sakadi peered through the binoculars. And she didn't like what she saw.

A large, stone fortress stood in the middle of Atrer its desert. A hideout for pirates, villians and scum from all across the sector. She suspected that criminals who had to lay low from both Alliance and Empire resided her as well. This fortress was no joke.. Not at all. There was no way they were going to approach this fortress or hijack their ship without being seen.

"Mid... I think we've got a problem..."

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

With a nod Mid started the car and drove off. The drive would take a while but Mid had ways to not make it the most boring and grueling journey in existence. He asked a bunch of stuff to learn more about the Sephi before she was a Jedi, sharing his own experiences before he joined the Sith order. Though his story wasn't nearly as grand as hers. To think she was a celebrity at one point was a bit of a surprise to him. A singer no less.

They arrived at the "camp" by nightfall, which was probably the only reason they weren't spotted yet. He halted the car as Sakadi made completely sure that this was the place. Unfortunately for them it was exactly this place. He started to think that maybe he should have pried deeper into the Elder's mind, but he kept those thoughts to himself. He didn't want to argue about that with Sakadi now. "Seems like it." he commented as his eyes were glued to the place. He immediately threw the car into reverse and backed up quite a bit before making his way to the nearby dunes. "Let's get out of sight and figure out how to take this on." he said as he drove. Soon enough they were hidden between the dunes and out of sight of the fortress.

He killed the engine and decided to get out. "My first question is who the hell built a place like this on this backwater." he said as he fished for his canteen. He watched Sakadi as he took a big sip, then offered her the canteen as well. "We won't be able to see anything without sunlight so might as well make camp for now." he said as he pulled the tent and backpack out of the back of the car.

@Powerfullhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Still peering at the building through her binoculars, she was caught off guard by Mid suddenly threw the car in reverse. With an action that could be considered a muted 'yelp', Sakadi nearly fell out of the car. Once he stopped between the dunes, she dared let go of what little hold she had on the car.

"Someone retarded who likes sand castles, that's who." she responded to Mid's comment. It pissed her off that their only way out was this well defended, and she wasn't going to hide it. "I'll keep watch. It wouldn't surprise me if they had kriffing sentries as well..." she conveyed. It was one of the few times she actually used a swear word, which showed just how annoyed this fortress made her.

The Knightess took a deep breath, as she took position on one of the dunes. They were going to need a new strategy to hijack that ship. Something more risky.. She had some ideas, but none were good enough to actually give them a chance inside of the lion's den. For now, the best think they could do was wait.

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid blinked at her retort, which quickly turned into a chuckle as she continued. Clearly she was getting more than a little annoyed. "On the bright side, I'm fairly certain that their weapons are the same level as ours. Even if they had blasters, I doubt they'll have them assembled and operational at this time. And I don't know about you, but I have never seen a pirate that knows the principles of electricity." he said to her as he unpacked the car. He set his weapons down and started to pitch the tent as Sakadi climbed the dune to take first watch.

In no time at all the camp was ready, though Mid decided against making a fire. Not this close to the enemy fortress. The last thing they needed was an ambush...though that in itself started to give him ideas. He kept them to himself, though. He knew it was way too risky and Sakadi wouldn't be too fond of it.

With nothing better to do he climbed the dune as well and lied down beside Sakadi. "You see anything?" he asked her as his golden eyes scanned the building. He did make a point of staying low to keep the glow down as much as possible. He wrapped an arm around her as he watched the building. In all honesty the pirates were going on like typical pirates. The laughing, shouting and singing painted a pretty clear picture of how these guys passed the time every month. "Sounds like they're having fun at least." he quipped with a shrug as he glanced at Sakadi.

@Powerfullhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

She barely noticed Mid taking place beside her. Her focus was entirely on the fortress in front of them. And not just physically. The Knightess made use of her connection to the Force to study the living beings in the Fortress. They were far away, yes, but they were the only beings here in the desert that radiated with the Living Force, aside from them. It still took her a lot of focus, but she could that the fortress harbored more than just pirates. It was not just some hideout, it was an actual village. It housed men, children and women, something that she could tell from the turmoil of emotions present in the fortress.

The Knightess nearly jumped when Mid started talking to her. The only thing that stopped her, was the arm he wrapped around her. Calming down again, Sakadi turned to the Sith beside her. "Seems like they are. Don't think they are even a little concerned with someone approaching their fortress at this hour... Perhaps we shouldn't be this tense.. It's not like we're out of time already." She conveyed, as her gaze shifted back to the lights that illuminated the fortress ahead of them.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid couldn't help but laugh quietly as she jumped under his arm. She explained to him the situation and he joined in with watching the fortress. "We have plenty of time." he added calmly as he watched the place. His gaze turned to Sakadi as he pulled her a little closer to him. "Now why don't we relax, get some food in our stomachs and get ready for a cold evening?" he suggested as he looked her in the eye.

"Come on." he urged as he moved down the dune again. "Besides, if we miss this month, we only need to hold out until next month to get out of here." he continued as he made his way to the car to find their food. Once at the car he pulled out two packets of food and sat down in front of the tent next to the car. He made sure to take a look around before he pitched it. Their position was closed off and pretty well hidden. Odds of someone finding them here were pretty slim.

"You don't have to worry about keeping watch. They won't find us here, especially not with the noise coming from that fortress. Though tomorrow we'll need to move in for a better look." he explained as he started to help himself to a few bites. He was really getting tired from these dried meats and other things. He would kill for a proper meal, especially with the ludicrous amounts he would usually eat.

As soon as Sakadi joined he would hand her a packet and make himself comfortable as he ate his dinner. "I think the first thing I'm going to do once I'm off here is fly to the nearest civilized planet and order myself a proper meal." he commented as he looked down at the packet.

@Powerfullhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Moving down from the dune, Sakadi inspected the neatly organized camp. After approving of their current set-up, Sakadi followed Mid to the car to fetch some of their rations. The Knightess' mind wandered off, as she took place beside Mid. They had to storm a fortress, without lightsabers, proper armor or an army. All they had was the Force, but because they represented both aspects, they would only hinder each other. But there were other options.

Not catching what Mid has just told her, Sakadi changed the subject back to the task at hand. "Why don't we try to infiltrate their fortress? We are practically dressed as pirates already. By the time they'll figure out what our intentions are, we should already be deep inside of the fortress." This had to be flawless. If they failed in their attempt, the pirates would most likely pull back their ship from this location. Which meant that their only escape route would be cut off. Yeah, she wasn't going to let that happen.

Sakadi shook her head. "Nevermind, it's a crazy idea. I think it would be best if we continue this tomorrow.." she stated, as she stood up and prepared to enter the tent.

 

[Mid Samekh]

To Mid's dismay, Sakadi completely ignored him and focused solely on that blasted fortress. Was his romantic side really that horrible? Though, he had to admit that her idea was quite in line with his own. She tried to brush it off and sneak off into the tent, but he took hold of her shoulder to keep her beside him. "Not crazy at all. It's quite similar to what I had in mind." he explained to her. His hand shifted down and around her side to pull her closer to him. "We just need to monitor their rotations and routines then fall in with it by the day after tomorrow. Then from there it should be a straight shot off-world." he continued as he held her close.

"But for now, stop worrying." he said with a mixture of gentleness and sternness. "We still have more than a day, so don't worry about getting in there and getting to that ship. We'll make it. For now, look up." he said gently, pointing upwards. Above them, the EMP field around the planet collided with other waves and rays in space to create something akin to an aurora that one would see on other planets. "Patience, Sakadi. It tends to clarify things quite nicely if you simply take a step back and breathe." he went on as he looked at her. He looked up as well to enjoy the view, though Sakadi did have a point. They needed to get some rest.

"Come on. Let's get some sleep. We need to be up early tomorrow." he said before putting their things away and turning to enter the tent with her.

@Powerfullhorus