Open Dromund Kaas Hunting in the Jungle

[Varyn Atrix]

Per my new OP template, thread is death enabled​

Varyn had been quite busy since the Empire had come to its shift in power. The newly appointed Knight-Captain needed not only to help maintain security in the new Empire and root out the remaining Sith, but also to figure out how to train up the next generation of Imperial Knights. With only seven of them and all of them being ex-Sith, the situation was odd.

He was being sent out into the Kaas jungle along with Aadya Rasheer for this one, and although they had never actually fought side by side before, he had heard some rumors about her reputation. Despite his foolishness, his mind had returned repeatedly to their dance at the party and how it was "such a shame" that he would have to work with her again more closely in the future.

Descending from the ramp of the shuttle, it was also his first outing in the new Imperial Knight armor manufactured for their use. It wasn't so different from the battle armor he had always used, so on the whole, he couldn't really complain. Even if the red wasn't exactly the most "camouflaged" thing.

The jungle air was humid as ever with thunderstorms flashing across the sky and casting that perpetual twilight feel over the land that Kaas seemed to always have.

We're going to be outnumbered, so we'll have to either play it smart or call for reinforcements when we've found their hideout, he said, glancing back to see if she was ready before setting out in the direction that reports had implied they would find the Sith. And "reports" were not very specific...

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

Someone really needs to talk to Altair about these fucking uniforms, Aadya said as she followed Varyn out of his ship and into the muggy Kaas weather.

She was remembered it being horrible, of course, since she had spent a good deal of time here back during her days as an acolyte. Still, it had been awhile and memory of the thick humid air did little justice to just how gross it actually was. Jungles man, absolutely terrible.

I can get over the garish red but my lord whatever this fabric is made of doesn't breathe worth a damn.

While she might have seemed annoyed, Aadya was actually kind of lowkey happy that she and Varyn had the opportunity to do something together, even if it was official Imperial Knight business. Their dance at the party had been good and Aadya thought her flirtations were returned, though with how awkward Varyn could be it was always sort of hard to tell.

But still.

I don't think I've ever done an op where I wasn't outnumbered, She said with a smirk, thinking back to all that she had done under the banner of the Sith Order. I'm not big on reinforcements, Varyn. They are so much less fun than doing it yourself.

As they pressed further into the jungle, Aadya's thoughts drifted to the mission at hand. Their overall direction for where these Sith insurgents might be hole up were lacking, but that wasn't anything new. Aadya was used to briefings that had just enough information to be annoying and not enough to actually be useful.

As they walked, Aadya noticed the carcass of an animal lying a few meters off the trail, its body riddled with very distinctive wounds. The kind a lightsaber would make

Hm, we can't be too far. Looks like that poor creature had a run in with the business end of a lightsaber. Curious they left the carcass just laying here, unless they don't expect anyone to come looking for them.

Aadya would walk over to search around the area for anything of interest, though she was unhopeful. The Kaas weather tended to wash away things like footprints or pathways trodden into high grass.

Maybe Varyn's eyes could find something hers did not.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn snickered slightly as she complained about the uniform. He actually thought they were pretty decent overall, but he was pretty used to wearing armor and/or heavy cloth.

Not the armor type, I take it? he asked. Sith were quite a mixed breed when it came to how they arrayed themselves for battle. Armor was always secondary to a lightsaber, but it could save your life.

That... is actually surprisingly true, he said, pausing as he thought back about all the missions he had been on. It was almost never equal numbers. It was always hordes of bugs or soldiers or something else. The 2v2 duel he'd had with Ailis in the caves (after the horde of kinrath, of course) was about as close as it got.

He moved over and took a look at the corpse that she was looking at and nodded.

Yeah, we're definitely in range. They've been preying on some of the outlying settlements, which is what brought them to the attention of the Empire, he said before muttering an additional Idiots, under his breath. If they were going to stick around then maybe don't draw unwanted attention right during the purging period.

He pressed on through the jungle, not sensing anyone else nearby at this point and deciding some conversation might be nice to pass the hike.

So guess we're training up a whole new Force-using sect, he said, not intending for it to sound as awkward as it did.

Kind of wild how things are changing, he added. That sounded less awkward, right? Why was it so hard to not just "play a part" like he did when he was undercover or in disguise?

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

Aadya couldn't help but let a air-through-the-nose laugh escape her when Varyn mentioned training a whole new sect of force users.

What do you mean by we? She asked, casting him a sideways glance as they pressed further into the wilderness. There's a reason I never took a real apprentice when I was with the Sith. I'm fit to be no one's teacher.

A bit of self-deprecation but it was honest at the same time. Aadya didn't see herself as the type of person others should learn from. Her ways were.. her ways, and many were not able to do the things that she did in the manner in which she did them. Or maybe it was just easier to keep people at arm's length than to dare put her faith in someone else.

That's putting it lightly, Aadya said with a chuckle. I don't think anyone in the entire galaxy saw this whole thing coming. Which is kind of funny if you think about it. With all of the clairvoyance the force grants us, we were all surprised by a farm boy taking matters into his own hands.

As they walked, Aadya found her mind drifting from the task at hand to things much less present. Things were changing, much faster and much more drastically than she would have liked.

What are your thoughts on this whole thing? She asked, wondering how Varyn came to leave the Sith as she did.

Though, truth be told, Aadya just wanted to know a little more about him, whatever he was willing to give.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

So you say, he responded, sounding thoroughly unconvinced by her claim.

Well, there's only seven of us, so if you're not going to help, that means more work for me, he complained, though it was in large part a joke.

As she mentioned that no one saw a farmboy toppling the Empire, Varyn couldn't help but actually laugh.

Boy, that sounds familiar, doesn't it? he said. Every Jedi knew the story of Luke Skywalker, farm boy who destroyed the Death Star, turned Darth Vader from the Dark Side, and set in motion the events that saw the death of the Emperor. It seemed the galaxy was doomed to repeat the same cycle... at least as long as the Jedi and Sith were around. They'd gone through the same cycle of purge and rise time and again with neither side ever managing to truly stomp the other out.

I... he exhaled and frowned, not sure how much he should say or reveal. The truth was, he was going to need to let most of the Imperial Knights know sooner or later, but he might spare some of the... finer details.

I was actually a Jedi before I became a Sith. This vision of the Empire is what I wanted anyway, so leaving the Sith for the Empire was a no brainer for me, he said. Unlike Vahliri and Altair, he was less nervous about telling her because they had been nowhere near as close, and the deception had been far less than with the others. Also, he hadn't actually told her he was still a Jedi while he was a Sith. Details.

 

[Erennassisat Kennison Ann]

The mercenary by the long name of Erennassisat Kennison Annunaki had been ordered at the last second to make sure their mission went as planned. He would be there as backup, in case they somehow needed it, just for safety's sake. He had now managed to catch up with the group, and he was sure that they knew he was here now, and since he didn't like talking much, he felt no need to announce himself. He had an old A280C Blaster Rifle slung over his shoulder, and his distinctive black trooper armor showed for all to see. A Vibroblade was in a sheath on his left hip, and his DC-17 Blaster Pistol was on his right.

He knew a bit about the mission, for example, he knew they were going after Sith. He was a good bit weary about this. He had seen Sith in battles before, but he also knew the Imperial Knights were their equals, and these guys wouldn't have been sent here if they couldn't take them. He had full faith in his and the Knights' abilities but he was still somewhat afraid. Such fear was always there, fear of death, fear of failure, fear of being wounded, left to be a cripple for the rest of your days. He had been trained to listen to such fear, it kept him both alive, and in line. However, he was also trained to brave the dangers that the fear was for.

He would get through this, and he would survive, these Sith don't know who they are dealing with. The men and women he was with, were each a member of the seven-man and woman order that was the Imperial Knights. They were once Sith too, and presumably, fully trained and highly competent ones as well. Also with them was him, a man born in the harsh world of Dromund Kaas, a man who had been trained for seven years, and had received five years of combat experience from this war. He walked slowly behind the Imperial Knights, a sort of symbolic thing, allowing them to go first, showing their superiority and his obedience.

Earlier that day, he had been brawling with one of his favorite comrades and had once again come out on top. He was pretty optimistic and upbeat because of that still, so his morale wasn't a problem. He didn't brawl very long and has been lightly active since, so the energy wasn't a problem for him either. His gear was well maintained, and his blasters were both loaded, so he wouldn't need to worry about those things either. He also knew how to fight with melee weapons, so if it came down to it, he could pull out his vibroblade. In extreme circumstances, he could also fight unarmed, he didn't practice wrestling and martial arts for all those years for nothing, after all.

@Phoenix @Logan

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

More work for you sounds perfect to me, Aadya said, shooting Varyn a playful smirk. You seem like you'll make a great teacher. You totally enjoy dealing with people and their problems, right? You seem the type.

Of course, Aadya knew that pretty much the exact opposite was true. Which just made everything all the more hilarious. What Varyn said next actually took her by a little bit of surprise, but the look on her face was probably more mild than Varyn may have assumed.

Would it surprise you to know that I was a Jedi once, too? She asked, casting a glance at Varyn to gauge his reaction. She always seemed to get a different kind from each person she told, although the amount of people that knew Aadya was once a Jedi was very, very small. She wasn't even sure if Altair knew that.

That all seems like such a long time ago. An entire lifetime ago, really. There were things that Aadya still remembered during her time with the Order. Trainings, mostly, but some other things too. She often wondered if she never truly felt at home with the old Sith because of things taught to her when she was a youngling. Jedi teachings still clinging somewhere in her brain like pervasive little parasites.

How'd you end up with the Sith, then? She asked, curious. Tell me you're not so cliche that you attacked your old Master or something so clandestine. Give me something juicy, Varyn.

For the most part, Aadya ignored the other one that was with them. If he wished to speak that was fine, but she wasn't really one to go out of her way to be nice to people she considered insignificant. Of course, that attitude might run her afoul in the current climate of the Empire and her given station, but she didn't really care about that either.

She was far more interested in Varyn, wondering if the man would actually divulge anything interesting.. if there was anything interesting to give her in the first place.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn let out a quiet groan in the back of his throat as she mentioned dealing with other people's problems. No, he wasn't a fan of that despite the smirks she gave him.

But that smirk. He found himself chuckling despite himself and the situation that she described.

He was caught off guard by her admission that she was once a Jedi as well. His head drew back slightly in surprise.

Really? he asked. Their paths had never crossed, and he had never heard her name mentioned among the lost, but that was hardly something he had wanted to keep up on. Sometimes it was easier to simply bury your head in the sand when it came to things you couldn't change.

He found himself glancing backward at the trooper behind him, wondering if he had heard... or if he even cared. Clearly it wasn't a secret, per se. They found themselves in a weird place. Perhaps it made more sense that the two of them had stayed with the Empire rather than the Sith.

He found himself for a moment balancing on what he should tell her in answer to her question. A strange look passed over his face as he almost visibly put up walls on reflex. Walls he'd learned to build while he was still undercover.

I wanted to make the Empire a better place, he began slowly before deciding that he might as well tell the truth. It wasn't a story for everyone, but it was one for the people he'd be building this order from the ground up with.

But I originally came to the Sith undercover before I came clean to the ISB and joined for real, he said. Well, there it was. He hoped that the fact that they didn't really know each other - and therefore he hadn't really lied much to her - would make this easier than it had been the first two times.

@Logan @Thought Bomb

 

[Erennassisat Kennison Ann]

Erennassisat Kennison Annunaki wasn't much paying attention to the conversation between the Imperial Knights. He understood he would most likely be overlooked by the group, and he doubted anyone would address him directly. Instead, he paid the most attention to his surroundings, looking for signs of Sith, and watching for possible ambushes. He strode with the group, making sure not to trail far behind. His Trooper Armor that he currently wore was a bit of an older model, created around twenty years ago. It was a model that was quite standard, except the black paint gave it a bit of an intimidating look and the possibility that the paint could provide some camouflage in Darkness, especially on planets such as Dromund Kaas.

The Imperial Mercenary felt a bit strange hunting down Sith on Dromund Kaas. This was where he was born, but it was also a world that had a long history with the Sith, and it felt more like an invasion rather than clearing out Sith insurgents who refused to accept surrender. He also understood why the Empire had removed itself from Sith worlds, but he didn't much like that his homeworld was being abandoned by the Empire. While he walked, he saw few signs of Sith habitation that the others hadn't already seen, and he began picking up more on the conversation at hand, hearing small bits here and there, and could make out a very basic idea of what was being talked about. Not that he had a problem with the conversation, it just seemed a little too casual and off-topic to be spoken of during a mission like this.

Erennassisat had worked his way through the ranks, first through the enlisted ranks, then receiving a promotion to the officer ranks. He often preferred to use his gear in his service, given that he didn't want to give the Empire the hassle of having to outfit him. He had bought his gear, his armor, and his weapons. His gear may have been a tad bit basic or even outdated, some by over a hundred years, such as his blaster rifle, but it was still reliable, well-maintained, and sufficient enough. His A280C, for example, was from the time of the Galactic Civil War, but it was still a reliable weapon, given that it had a good range, stun capabilities, and did a good amount of damage, as well as being a good armor-piercing rifle.

He liked to keep his gear simple, as well as easy to use. He didn't feel the need to carry around a datapad that could play the latest holo-games, just one that was sturdy and could get the job done. He didn't have some sort of highly advanced stealth armor, but he didn't need to either, he was a soldier, and while he could act as a scout, he generally served with infantry. He continued to follow the Imperial Knights, both eager and cautious to begin the fight with the Sith. If he won this fight alongside them, it would certainly look good on his record when he was looking for a promotion.

@Logan @Phoenix