Ask In Distress

[Zayn Talis]

As far as Zayn was concerned, this entire situation seemed sketchy as hell. The Corellian Padawan had been at the Yavin Temple the distress beacon was received - originating from Jedi ship filled with younglings returning from an extended field trip. Not only was the ship far, far away from where it was originally supposed to be, but attempts to contact the crew further had proved to be entirely unsuccessful thus far. With little explanation for the situation, and only the location of the distress beacon to go off of, the two Jedi were sent to investigate the situation.

Zayn kept himself occupied for the majority of the flight to the nameless planet, reclined within the co-pilot’s chair of their ship. While Zayn hadn’t worked with Talzen prior to this expedition, the Corellian Padawan was happy enough to accompany him - and had high hopes that the younger Knight would prove to be far less uptight than his own Master.

The Padawan’s attention was eventually drawn away from his commlink and towards the viewport ahead as their ship dropped out of hyperspace - punching down into the atmosphere of the planet. The pair would very quickly realize that the planet was - at least from an initial glance - entirely devoid of civilization, with no major cities or architecture visible. To make matters worse, the distress beacon had abruptly cut out the moment that the pair broke into the atmosphere of the planet - leaving them with only a vague idea of where the ship had gone down. It meant that they would have to truck it on foot through the heavily forested region below.

Upon landing, Zayn stepped down the ramp of their ship - hazel eyes drifting across his surroundings. A light breeze carried the cold, dry air all around them - whistling through the legion of trees that surrounded the clearing on all sides. The Padawan glance down at his chrono after a minute or two, squinting as he checked the time. Despite it only being mid-day according to the local time, the sun was already attempting to vanish behind the horizon - bathing the forest and path ahead of them in progressively dimming light.

The Corellian Padawan had come to the mysterious planet dressed in official Jedi regalia - wearing a standard issue hooded tunic, matching pants and a pair of brown boots. His hair was styled in its usual sidefade, the tattoos on his hands and side of his neck visible peaking above his tunic. The hilt of his gold-bladed lightsaber hung at the Padawan’s hip, and a backpack was slung around his right shoulder - filled with the basic essentials they would need.

Zayn eyed their surroundings for a long moment, letting his gaze wander. Creepy forest? Middle of nowhere? The Padawan wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect, but he certainly wasn’t going to let it manifest on the surface that he was nervous. And the fact that there was the potential of lives at stake was all the motivation that the Padawan needed to kick his ass into gear.

He walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Tazlen as they approached what looked like the beginning of a trail-head - cutting deeper into the landscape where the trees became far more dense. Almost immediately, the path split off in two different directions - both near-identical and without any rhyme or reason to either.

Zayn blinked a few times and glanced over at Tazlen. “Flip a coin?”

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Tazlen stepped off the ramp and looked around, his sharp gaze taking in every detail he could. What was most unsettling was the deathly silence. Normally with his ears, he could hear practically everything from great distances. Now, he heard nothing but the occasional rustling of leaves from the wind, but no sounds of critters or forest creatures. He paid little attention to his comrade for now, his brows furrowed as he tried to listen for anything at all.

“I think we drew the short straw on missions..” He declared after a long moment of silence. It was clear he was less than pleased to be here, but they were Jedi and unpleasant missions were part of the territory. He brought out his comlink and was not the least bit surprised to see absolutely no signal. Taz tilted his head to look at Zayn, giving a lopsided grin at the suggestion. In response, he drew out a coin and flipped it, “Heads we go right.”

It was heads.

With that, he began walking in that direction. The path got dense and dark as they walked, trees from both sides arching over to create a dark tunnel. Tazlen slowed his walk, using his ears to guide himself. He felt a chill down his spine, and still he couldn’t hear any signs of life in the forest.

“When was the last we got a ping from the ship?”

@Altaris

 

[Zayn Talis]

Within only a few minutes of walking, it was abundantly clear that Zayn wasn’t enjoying their little adventure into the eerie-ass forests. Especially without the sensitive hearing that his partner possessed, Zayn could hear absolutely nothing from the dark forests all around him - not so much as the faintest buzz of insects on the air. It was a silence that didn’t feel entirely natural, and it only served to enhance the Corellian’s general discomfort with the situation. Nevertheless, this was their duty.

Zayn glanced over toward Tazlen when the half-Annfyn pulled out a coin, an grin involuntarily tugging wide at the corners of his mouth as the Knight actually went with his suggestion. “Right it is,” He said after a moment, rotating on his heels and proceeding to make his way in that direction - shoulder to shoulder with the Knight. “If this is the path that takes us to some.. Pyscho murder-cult, it’ll be on your heads.” He said with a dumbass grin. The Padawan was fully aware that his wordplay was likely to earn him an annoyed look from the Knight and he seemed entirely okay with that.

Zayn shook his head and turned his hazel gaze ahead - watching as the trees seemed to curve inward like tall, wooden claws. Creepy as hell. The Padawan glanced down at his commlink when Taz asked his question, clicking around for a moment before answering. “Forty-five minutes ago.” He said with a slight grimace. The fact that they had lost contact with the ship - and themselves had no signal - meant that the pair of Jedi had zero means of locating the lost vessel outside of physically finding it. “Their batteries could’ve died after landing. Or crashing.”

A few minutes of walking would pass, and little would change all around the two men. Tazlen would hear nothing from his surroundings and the horizon progressively dimmed further - the faint glimmer of stars dotting the skies above. Patches of grey slowly began to gather to block out the glitter of light. At one point or another, Zayn pulled a granola bar from his backpack and began idly munching as they trekked through the woods.

Just as the path gradually curved to the left, there was the faintest sounds of movement just beyond the path and into the treeline. Rather than footsteps, Tazlen’s sensitive hearing would pick up on the sound of something dragging or sliding across the damp earth - crunching through leaves before faded out entirely. The sound would be accompanied by a split-second of movement between the trees - little more than a shadow passing very briefly before vanishing from sight. Zayn, munching his granola bar and lacking the Knight’s sensitive hearing, was oblivious to all of this.

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Taz simply grinned when Zayn made his exceptionally lame joke, “If we stumble upon a psycho cult, I’ll just remember that I’m faster than you,” He said quite nonchalantly, his deadpan tone (a Sephi trademark actually) not revealing whether he was joking or serious. The Knight paused every now and then to look for any markings or trail paths to suggest anyone had walked this way. Nothing looked undisturbed thus far, and he began to think this was the wrong way.

He could hear the very loud crinkling of a packet, followed by crunching. Taz ignored it, focusing instead on the path. After a moment, he could hear the distant sound of something being dragged. His ears flattened against his skull at once and he held up a hand in front of Zayn, “Quit your crunching,” Tazlen whispered harshly without looking at him. He could see some movement ahead, “Something out there.”

He hunched over to make himself a smaller target, slowly inching forward. The two Jedi would be hidden by some boulders gazing out into a clearing. The moonlight hit just right and a humanoid figure could be seen walking across the clearing. The male figure was casually carrying a severed leg over his shoulder as he passed. He was followed by another figure, carrying severed arms.

Tazlen blinked a few times before looking over at Zayn, down to his granola snack, and then back up to him, “...I think we found our crew..”


@Altaris

 

[Zayn Talis]

Exceptionally lame as it might’ve been Zayn looked entirely pleased and amused with his own joke - manifesting in the way his lips tugged wide into a smirk and his hazel eyes tilting out of the corner to watch the Knight’s reaction to the words. Of course, that amusement was wiped off his face when Tazlen fired back with that quip of his own - the words enough to give Zayn a moment of pause. His voice alone made it impossible to tell if the Knight was joking, and Zayn couldn’t help but blink a few times as he stared back at the dude. Eventually, Zayn simply shook his head and glanced back ahead - focused on his snack and the path ahead.

The Corellian Padawan was entirely oblivious to both the rustling and the faint movement beyond the treeline. As a result, he was entirely caught off guard when Tazlen harshly whispered in his direction - pausing mid-chew to glance over at the half-Annfyn. “Mmhmph?” He muffled questioningly. Zayn glanced in the same direction as Tazlen just then, squinting into the trees as he swallowed down his mouthful of Granola. He still didn’t see anything, and promptly glanced over to Taz after a moment. “..You trippin’ dude?” He muttered.

Evidently not, as Taz began to inch forward. A renewed seriousness worked its way onto Zayn’s face just then - jaw setting and brows furrowing as he too crouched forward and moved close behind the half-Annfyn, approaching the boulders to peer behind. The moment that Zayn peaked around and saw the humanoid.. Thing, carrying a severed leg, all the color drained from the Padawan’s expression. His hand instinctively hovered around the hilt of his gold-blades saber, though he didn’t quite reach for it yet. He glanced over to Tazlen - an almost queasy expression on his face. He glanced down at his granola, blinked, and promptly stuffed it into his pack very quietly. For whatever reason, he had precisely zero appetite at this point. “What in the fuck..”

The longer the two lingered there, they could come to realize that there were far more than two humanoids hauling body parts - the scattered remains being hauled away by some, while others carried bloodied weapons which looked like the oversized version of something you’d find in a butcher shop. It was clear that simply drawing their blades against the men would result in them both being incredibly outnumbered within moments. Considering their options, Zayn looked around before glancing back over his shoulder - the sight just then causing a shiver to run down his spine. Rather than the forest they had just walked through or the path they had just been on, Zayn couldn’t help but stare in a mixture of shock and bubbling fear at the new, clear path that cut straight back through the woods - leading to a clearing just up ahead. There was an old, wooden house nestled amongst the trees - a single light burning in its left-most window to indicating some kind of life inside. Zayn harshly jabbed Taz in the shoulder and jutted his finger back, gesturing to the changed forest and appearance of a house.

Zayn’s attention was snapped back to the gruesome scene ahead of him, drawn by the snapping of a twig as one of the men walked - getting a bit too close to the boulders. While the pair of Jedi hadn’t been spotted yet, it was only a matter of time before they would be. And they would need to choose quickly on how to proceed through the forest.

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Taz looked over when Zayn jabbed him on the shoulder, flashing him a scowl. He could see the panic on the padawan’s face and he was suddenly annoyed at being paired with a paddie to begin with. However, he followed his line of sight to the ‘house’ which looked like a creepy shack that was probably where the people were butchered. When one of the humanoids got a bit too close, Taz grimaced and had to think fast. He glanced over, coiled the Force around a branch and yanked. The branch was torn from the tree and abruptly dropped to the ground. It caught the attention of everyone in the area and Taz used that moment to quickly move towards the shack.

“Be quiet,” He hissed as he made his way over, “Don’t need you making a fanfare to herald your arrival,” He couldn’t believe he even had to warn the idiot. The dude still had his granola wrapper that crinkled with every step. They managed to cross the path and come closer to the shack. Taz crouched near a window before slowly rising up to peer in. He spotted a few bound men inside and sitting on the floor propped against a wall. They all had a limb missing and bandaged up, appearing clearly drugged.

“What kind of sick fucks are these…” Tazlen muttered, genuinely disgusted. The group of the humanoids were returning and the people inside had to be rescued. His mind was racing and he turned to Zayn, deciding to turn the crisis into a teaching moment to deflect it away from himself.

“Padawan, what should we do?” He mustered with his best authoritative voice.

@Altaris

 

[Zayn Talis]

Zayn’s eyes immediately narrowed when Tazlen scowled, throwing a sour expression right back at the Knight. Considering just how sick and disturbing the entire situation was, the Corellian was marked unconcerned about whether his panic manifested on the surface or if Tazlen was annoyed by that fact. His hazel eyes rapidly snapped towards the branch as it was snapped by the Knight, momentarily distracted the humanoid’s and keeping them from being discovered at least for that moment. Zayn crouched low and began to walk alongside Tazlen, moving rapidly towards the creepy-ass house. Every instinct told the Corellian that going towards the fucking evil house was a terrible idea, and he promptly ignored that little voice in his head.

“Would you shut the hell up!?” He whispered back at the Knight, a bit of irritation creeping into his voice when the Knight hissed at him. He pressed his face near the window for a split second, saw the tied up and dismembered people inside, and once again had to fight back the urge to puke up his lunch. What kind of sick shit was this?! The Corellian glanced back over his shoulder, the rustling of leaves indicating that some of the humanoids were starting to make their way back already. And then Tazlen threw his question into the mix - putting Zayn right on the spot. The fact that Tazlen was trying to deflect off himself was entirely lost on Zayn - with the Padawan taking the ‘teaching moment’ entirely seriously.

He blinked a few times. “Uh.” He looked around rapidly as his brows furrowed, eyes snapping around his surroundings for something - anything - to help the situation. His gaze was drawn down to the pocket of his pants, spotting S-Pod peaking out. He thought for a few more moments before pulling the device into his hands - switching off the bluetooth and proceeding to turn the volume all the way up. The Padawan rapidly clicked on a song before drawing his arm back, the Force drawing into his body and enhancing his physical strength. He whirled his arm forward, launching the music device deeper into the forest at high speeds. The slight delay on the song starting meant that it only starting blaring loudly after the device already left Zayn’s hands - progressively distant music filling the forest.

Much to his relief, both of them would be able to hear as several of the humanoids rushed in that direction - off to find the sudden source of noise. Zayn flashed Tazlen a grin before crouching low and proceeding forward - cautiously eyeing his surrounding as he approached the door. A single wave of the Force was enough to pop the lock, allowing the Padawan to peek his head inside. He immediately stopped in his tracks, nudging Tazlen without a word as he pointed ahead.

While there was none of the humanoids within the house, both men would clearly spot what appeared to be an elderly woman sitting in a rocking chair at the end of the room. A pair of suturing needles dangled in her hands, alongside what appeared to be a severed hand resting in the lap of her bloodied dress. Her head was tilted down and gray hair draped over her face, making it impossible to get a good look at her without getting closer or waking her up. Zayn glanced over at Tazlen before slowly starting to creep forward, wincing as one of the floorboards groaned.

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Tazlen glanced over when the S-Pod was hurled into the forest and music began to blare. While Zayn may have expected some sort of judgment, he would only find the half Firrerreo glancing over, marveling at the strategy and looking back at him with approval. It provided enough of a distraction to allow them inside. Tazlen quickly followed behind Zayn, entering the room and spotting the old woman in the corner.

There were four victims in the room, and they were all seemingly drugged somehow. Tazlen took a few steps closer and his ears twitched slightly. He sighed as he looked at the woman, his eyes never leaving her. Zayn would hear Tazlen’s grim voice in his mind.

“We can only save two of them.”

It was a statement, not a comment open to discussion. Zayn would get a quick lesson on what it meant to be Jedi. You simply couldn’t barge in and be the perfect hero every time, and you couldn’t just kill everyone to solve a problem. The humanoids were already making their way back and another step closer woke the granny. The old woman opened her mouth and unleashed a high pitched, shrill cry that didn’t sound human. It made Tazlen’s blood run ice cold, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of dread.

“Go!” He called to Zayn as he ran over and picked up one of the lighter crew members - because she was missing both legs. He carried her out of the room, leaving Zayn to find a way to assist one more survivor of his choosing. All of them would be pleading with him, tears in their eyes. And he had to make a choice on who to rescue. He was also welcome to try another way and unleash violence and force his will on the humanoids that were simply living the ways many uncontacted tribes often lived.

Tazlen didn’t look back as he rushed out, a flood of the humanoids quickly rushing towards the shack from the other side. Zayn had seconds to make a decision.

Regardless of what happened, Tazlen was making his way back towards their ship.

@Altaris

 

[Zayn Talis]

Zayn phyiscally winced as he took a few more steps into the dilapidated house - the floorboard groaning beneath his weight. His hazel gaze remained cautiously fixed onto the old lady sitting in her rocking chair - only briefly glancing over to acknowledge the victims tied drugged and mutilated nearby. His mind raced with what to do next - attempting to rapidly piece together some equally unorthodox yet brilliant plan to somehow rescue all four of the victims. To bring each and every one of them to safety, no matter the risk. That was what they were supposed to do, wasn’t it? All of that came to a sudden halt as Tazlen reached into Zayn’s mind - the telepathic voice stopping the Corellian dead in his tracks.

His eyes went wide almost involuntarily as he glanced at the half-Annfyn, and Tazlen would see the way Zayn’s mouth slightly opened in that moment - as if about to argue the point or come up with some solution. And yet the words never left the Corellian’s throat. Because there was no brilliant solution to draw upon, and Zayn knew that they couldn’t simply cleave through the humanoid natives of the planet. The reality was right there for them both to see, clear as day.No matter how much Zayn’s own heart and conscience tried to convince him otherwise.

Zayn didn’t wait for Tazlen to bark his command to start moving - his legs springing forward the split-second that the old woman started screaming. Zayn lurked forward. immediately going for one of the lighter crewmates. The Nautolan woman was already missing a leg and multiple of her head-tentacles, and it made her the obvious - logical choice.

“Please!” Zayn paused, feeling one of the other victims desperately grasp onto his leg as he turned to leave. “You can’t just leave us here! They’ll kill us or worse!” Her words were slurred and jumbled from the drugs in her system, and yet the desperation was clear as day.

Anguish washed through Zayn’s eyes as he reached out with the Force, using his grip to pry the desperate woman’s hand off his leg - freeing himself to book it after Tazlen. He didn’t look back. He tried to pretend he couldn’t hear the pleas for help, the inhuman screams from the natives, or the cries of bloodcurdling horror from those left inside. Instead, the Padawan simply ran - carrying the Nautolan woman with him as he followed after Tazlen and back towards the ship. If Tazlen looked back, the half-Annfyn would see the look of dread and anguish on Zayn’s face - and yet the Padawan didn’t stop running. Whether it was fear, or a duty to help the only person he could, Zayn continued to run - until they finally reached the clearing where there ship was located.

Or rather, where it should’ve been. Because as they broke through the treeline, Zayn and Tazlen would be greeted to the sight of their shuttle mysteriously absent from where it was parked. There were no tracks in the mud, or other signs that the vessel had taken off from where they left it. It was simply gone. The pair were left in the middle of the clearing while still carrying both victims, and the noises coming from deeper in the forest made it difficult to tell whether or not the natives would follow them past the treeline.

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Tazlen knew the padawan would have a hard time processing this. He almost expected Zayn to lash out at him or do something stupid to kill everyone off. Jedi raised within the temples sometimes had very unrealistic expectations of how missions played out - and they always assumed they could be the big heroes in the end. This was a harsh reminder that it was not always the case.

The sight of the missing ship was highly alarming and Tazlen skidded to a halt. The woman in his arms groaned, and he had nowhere to put her.

“I don’t…understand..” He blurted out before he could stop himself, “There are no tracks or signs of it taking off…” He looked at Zayn, “Did we take a wrong turn?”

Tazlen knew they hadn’t. He cursed under his breath as he began to jog away from the noise, knowing they couldn’t risk being caught with the victims. He found a small clearing and gently set the woman down against a tree. He stood up and ran his fingers through his hair, feeling them coated in sweat.

“We’re too vulnerable carrying them around,” He explained to Zayn, “Can you stand guard while I go scout out the surroundings and find out what happened with the ship?” He knew splitting up was a bad idea, but they had no choice. Before leaving, however, Tazlen paused for a moment and moved forth to stand much closer to Zayn. His icy blue eyes gazed into his, his expression softening, “You’re going to be okay,” He said quietly, “We did the best we could. I’m counting on you,” He said as he reached a hand to squeeze Zayn’s shoulder, anchoring him back from wherever his mind may have been going. His gaze lingered on Zayn’s for a moment longer before he finally broke away and disappeared rapidly into the darkness.

@Altaris

 

[Zayn Talis]

Zayn felt his heart sink into his stomach as he stepped past the treeline, hazel eyes drawn immediately to the bare clearing where their ship should’ve been. “What the fuck!?” He exclaimed quietly, eyes wide. He could still see the indentations in the ground where the landing gear had been, and yet no signs of how it had moved. The Padawan glanced over to Tazlen and flashed him a wordless expression, but the half-Annfyn would clearly see the confusion and slowly built concern on his features just then. He didn’t say anything as they marched further into the woods - coming across a clearing deeper and hopefully out of sight from the natives. Zayn gingerly lowered the Nautolan woman in his arms, propping her back against a tree just adjacent to the other.

Only once she was on the ground did Zayn finally take a step back and exhale deeply - feeling the beads of sweat that ran down his face. The Corellian briefly glanced back at Tazlen when the half-Annfyn spoke, giving a nod. “I’ll watch them,” He said after a long moment. He didn’t like the idea of splitting up whatsoever, but what choice did they have? Zayn kept his eyes on the victims until Tazlen placed a hand on his shoulder, finally glancing back to see the softened expression on the Knight’s face. He blinked. “I..” For a brief moment, Tazlen would be able to see the emotions clear on the Padawan’s face - the raw and visceral reactions that came from knowing they had left two others to their fate. He made no attempts to appear tougher than he was, or to brush aside the feelings that coursed through him.

Nevertheless, the words of the half-Annfyn and the reassuring squeeze on his shoulder were enough to anchor Zayn back into the present moment. The half-Annfyn was counting on him. The people they saved, were counting on him. He exhaled a breath, his expression solidifying as he gave Tazlen a firm, more confident nod - his hazel eyes lingering for a moment as the Knight vanished into the treeline. Without a word, Zayn unclipped the saberhilt from his belt - holding the blade in both hands vertically. He didn’t ignite the weapon - not risking drawing any additional attention to himself, but he was prepared for the worst either way.

​

Meanwhile, Tazlen would witness as the forest grew thicker all around him - the dimming light making it difficult to see the path directly in front of him, especially as the low mist that hung on the ground became more pronounced. The half-Annfyn would have to rely on his sensitive hearing, or the Sight, to navigate where he was going.

Perhaps to his surprise, Tazlen would hear the voices of the humanoids from somewhere nearby - breaking into Galactic Basic, “We lost their trail, Eminence..” A male voice echoed.

“It matters not,” A female, elderly voice responded - strikingly similar to the voice of the woman back at the house. “Without their ship, they are stuck here. It is only a matter of time before we find them.” There was a pause, followed by some movement deeper in the trees. “Don’t leave the caves unguarded.”

“Yes, Eminence.”

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Tazlen felt goosebumps line his skin as he walked through the forest. He was especially slow to avoid noises, and he timed his steps with the rustling of leaves or other natural noises to mask his movements. He was already light on his feet, and his training applied now more than ever as he made his way through the thick forest. His superior vision allowed him to see details, but it didn’t help in the dark. He had to crouch down to the ground to look for trail markers or any signs of movement.

His ears picked up some footsteps long before he heard the voices, and he plastered himself against a large tree to obscure himself. Tazlen’s ears twitched as he heard the conversation, the voices almost guttural. He noticed a few things at once - there was a thick accent when they spoke. This suggested that Basic was not their normal language. If Basic was not the first language, they were speaking it purposely so any outsiders could understand. Tazlen decided right away that the conversation was intended to bait him or perhaps send him towards the caves. He stayed put for now, observing the figures from the distance.

The Knight crept closer and stood behind a tree, peeking over the edge as he spotted the two. He could hear them conversing again, this time with some frustration in their tone and definitely only in their native tongue. Tazlen used this opportunity to channel the Force and probe the mind of the male humanoid. It was light and superficial enough to begin easing his way in without being noticed. The goal was to influence and glean any knowledge.

—​

Meanwhile, the two victims were moving around near Zayn. The woman Tazlen had picked up looked over at him, her eyes narrowed, “No one is leaving this forest,” She said rather eerily, “The Matriarch won’t let it happen,” She said as she sighed, “You’re wasting your time. You’re already dead.”

“Already dead,” Repeated the other crew member that vacantly stared at Zayn. Both survivors looked as if they had their spirits completely shattered, and they sat there defeated with their missing limbs. Their posture and demeanor begged for a merciful release.

“We are already dead,” The woman said quietly, “You just prolonged the suffering of those left behind.”

“It would have been a mercy to slay them instead.”


@Altaris

 

[Zayn Talis]

Essentially left alone within the creepy-ass forest, Zayn was admittedly struggling to keep it all together. The Padawan had dealt with been exposed to a multitude of different situations through various field exercises, but nothing as twisted and thoroughly unsettling as what they faced now. It was reflected clearly enough in his body language, far more tense and uneasy than ever before. The Corellian Padawan kept the hilt of his gold-bladed saber pointed vertically in front of him, finger hovering over the activation button.

His hazel eyes snapped between the trees all around him - listening carefully for any sounds of movement or other indications that something might’ve been approaching. While he called upon his training to carefully observe his surroundings, Zayn simply lacked the skill as a Padawan to peer through The Sight or expand his perception through the Force that far. The sound of what he thought were footsteps to his left immediately drew Zayn’s attention - his torso swiveling to face it as his saber snapped to life - painting the clearing in it’s golden glow. A few more seconds, and no follow-up sound - no rustling of leaves, no footsteps, no branches snapping. Nothing.

Fuck, this place is messing with my head..

Zayn’s saber unignited as he exhaled audibly, taking a single step back and towards the victims almost protectively. His thoughts swam and his anxieties peaked, and the Corellian couldn’t help but think of the more fundamental thing in his mind to do, “Emotion, yet peace..” He muttered very quietly, reciting the Jedi code under his breath. It almost felt ridiculous in the circumstances. “Ignorance, yet know–”

Zayn was cut off by the movement from the victims behind him - stopping mid-sentence to look back at both of them. All the color began to drain from his face as he listened to their eerie, unsettling words - completely unable to keep the fear off his expression as a chill ran down his spine. “Already dead..” One of them repeated. “He’s already dead..” The other muttered, vacantly staring back at the Padawan. She gently swayed back and forth where she was laying, her torso bending forward only to rock backwards - smacking her head onto the tree behind her. “She’s already here. Can’t you hear her?”

“Listen.. Listen..”

Zayn felt the distinct chill that ran up his spine, and it took a conscious effort to resist the urge to puke up his lunch right then and there. Nothing the Masters back on Yavin had taught could’ve prepared him for this, and every fiber of his being told him to run. To get the hell out of dodge, or at the very least, link back up with Tazlen and get the fuck away from these lunatics. There was a distinct moment of hesitation as Zayn stood there, conflict written all over his face. He glanced towards the woods, then back to the victims, and back to the woods. “..Tazlen has been gone too long,” He said, opting with that as his excuse. “I’m.. Going to go look for him. Be quiet and don’t move.” He said in his best attempt at authoritative, giving both of them a stern and serious look before turning on a heel and vanishing into the forest. He immediately picked up the pace, crouching down as he scoured the area for the half-Annfyn. Because fuck this place and FUCK trying to deal with that bullshit alone.

--​

Meanwhile, Tazlen would have a few uninterrupted moments to peer into the mind of one of the humanoids. The Knight's light and refined technique was subtle enough to avoid detections - and true to intention, the half-Annfyn would slowly but surely begin to glean some information from the man's memories. In brief flashes, Tazlen would see images of some type of compound deeper into the forest - wooden forticiations lined with the mutilated, disfigured corpses of victims that their group had captured. It was very likely the group's base of operations within the region, and no doubt high on the list of where their ship might've been taken. A split second more, and Tazlen would be able to glean the image of a map hidden within a desk drawer - the surrounding immediately recognizable as the shack they had just left.

Tazlen would only have a split second to process what he had heard, before his attempts to dig deeper were abruptly cut off by some external force. He would immediately notice that the humanoid himself seemed entirely unaware of what had just happened, and instead, a female voice range soothingly in the half-Annfyn's head.

"He is already mine.." She whispered, the voice raking across Tazlen's mind. "Just like you."

"Just like the boy."

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Tazlen had seen enough, the visions etched into his mind. All of this was incredibly unsettling, but he knew he had to keep it together. The idea of going back into that shack was horrible, but he knew the humanoids were wandering through the forest. He cursed to himself and moved away from the two, making his way back towards the shack. He paused abruptly, hearing some twigs snapping and someone approaching. He quickly jumped behind a tree, observing silently. The figure approaching looked very different from the humanoid forms, and he squinted to make out a familiar shape.

“Zayn?!” He hissed. He practically snatched the padawan by the arm and yanked him to duck behind the tree. A few humanoids had been tracking him from a distance and the padawan wasn’t exactly quiet. Tazlen stayed silent, peering over the side of the tree and keeping a firm grip on Zayn to keep him from doing anything dumb. After the humanoids walked away, he turned to look at the padawan.

“What are you doing here? I told you to keep watch!” He said, eyes narrowing, “They could die out there!” He sighed, realizing it was too late to send him back without delaying getting to the map. Tazlen stood up and motioned for Zayn to follow.

“We have to go back to the shack,” Tazlen stated simply, as if that hadn’t been a great source of horrific trauma.

@Altaris

 

[Zayn Talis]

As a result of being completely sketched the fuck out and in borderline panic-mode, Zayn wasn’t paying nearly enough attention to how he was moving through the forest or if he was being subtle about it. While he didn’t quite break into a run, the Corellian Padawan was moving swift and it meant that he was making far too much noise - attracting the attention of the humanoids unknowingly on his tail.

Zayn didn’t see Tazlen until the half-Annfyn snatched him by the arm and pulled him behind a tree - the familiar shock of the Knight’s two-tone hair the only thing that kept the Padawan from taking a swing at the dude - or, more likely, pissing his pants thinking he got swiped by one of the humanoids. He blinked a few times when the Knight proceeded to snap at him - the Padawan’s mouth opening and closing rapidly in response. A part of him wanted to come up with some excuse for his actions, but the words never left his throat. More importantly, Tazlen would see the truth written right across Zayn’s face as he gawked in silence. The plain fact that he was scared shitless. That he had left the people they were there to protect. That he failed and he knew that he had failed.

The Padawan was almost relieved when Tazlen didn’t mention it any further. Almost, because what he instead suggested caused the Zayn’s jaw to drop slightly. “Are you out of your fuckin’ mind?” He whispered quietly, staring at the half-Annfyn. That was, however, the extent of his protests. Zayn knew he had royally fucked up with the victims and that Tazlen was set on this plan - regardless of the trauma and horror attached to the location. Gritting his teeth, Zayn stood up and followed the half-Annfyn - this time being far more conscious of his steps.

“I hate this idea.” He hissed quietly, as if that fact wasn’t entirely obvious before.

The pair would only make it a few minutes of walking before they were forced to pause their steps - movement nearby indicating a pack of the humanoids were close-by. What’s worse, the moment that they came into view further down the tree-line, Tazlen and Zayn would catch a glimpse of the canine-like creature that was leading them by a leash around its neck - its ‘snout’ drifting a few inches away from the ground.

“Shit..” Zayn whispered quietly, crouching low behind the shrubbery where they were hidden. Luckily for them, they were downwind of the pack and it was clear that the beasts hadn’t picked up their scent quite yet - continuing back into the forest to keep searching. Realizing that it was only a matter of time before their scent was picked up by the beasts, Zayn proceeded to rapidly look around his surroundings - hazel eyes scanning the dimly lit forest. After a moment or two, Zayn nudged Tazlen and gestured for him to follow a few paces.

Zayn stepped past the shrubbery and a bit deeper into the forest - finally stopping as he came across a small stream. The water had reduced to little more than an inch deep trickle, but it left the water-carved bed rich with slick, water-logged muck. “Have to do something to throw them off us.” He explained, reaching down to grab a handful of the stream-muck - prepared to smear it across his face. He paused for a moment.

“…I saw it on one of those nature Holo-Documentaries.”

@Sreeya