Ask It's a Metaphor, Fool

[Vesper]

_______________________

The recent time that Vesper had spent on Nar Shaddaa had proven fruitful in more ways than one. Outside the obvious things of meeting a cute guy and all of the trappings that came along with that, the young Jedi had overheard a rumor of some nefarious business being planned on Devaron.

Normally Vesper wouldn't go gallivanting across the galaxy based on overhearing a mere rumor but.. something in her gut told her that this time it would be worth looking into. When it came to matters of slavery, one of the few things that Vesper truly hated in this galaxy, it was probably better to waste a little bit of time and finding nothing than to ignore it and let innocent people have their lives destroyed.

So, that's why Vesper found herself sitting in a small cantina in one of Devaron's outlying villages. The population here was decent, but still small enough that it was unlikely to have a major law enforcement response to a bunch of slaving pirates showing up to kidnap people en mass. Hopefully, her presence would be enough. Once again, Vesper's gut was telling her something was off here. Whether it was instincts or the force, she could feel that something was going to happen.. soon.

Walking outside, Vesper peered up to the sky and her fears were instantly confirmed. There was a squad of about ten freighters flying in formation, all descending toward the village the same time. Clearly a pirate raiding party, and the people in this village were woefully unprepared to deal with this. For now, Vesper would leave her lightsaber concealed, instead opting to draw a simple blaster.

She only hoped that she hadn't made a mistake in coming here. The idea of ending up a slave herself was almost too much to consider. She would rather be dead.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Upon leaving the Sith behind, Talak's life had gotten weird. He wasn't sold on the Jedi, he was cut off from the resources he'd had apart from the leftover credits he'd stolen from criminals, and he was no doubt to be hunted by his former associates.

But above all of that, Talak was still after the same thing he'd always wanted: answers. Well, two things actually: answers and dead criminals. Did Jedi kill criminals? Were they focused more on the "liberating" and "defending" than the "killing"? He really wasn't sure how all that worked. But he wasn't a Jedi, was he? No, but he wanted to be careful to avoid a slide back into the darkness.

Wow, he really didn't know what he was doing, did he?

And that's where the story begins. Devaron and confusion. Devaron because he'd followed the trail of the Force here. They said it swelled with the Light, which seemed like a good place to ask the Force some questions... even if that wasn't how this all worked.

He had stopped at one of the local villages for supplies when the Force crept down his back like a warning that made him hunch his shoulders and thrust his head forward. He squirmed a bit inside his clothing and turned to look behind him at the ships descending.

Oh, you've got to be... he sighed and shook his head, patting the pair of lightsabers hanging from his belt under his robes. One blue and one red. The duality of indecision that he refused to dwell on as he moved away from the stall he was at and toward the landing zone of the ten freighters.

Kriff... he muttered. Ten freighters... crew of four each, maybe? Forty vs. one... great odds, he said to himself as he shook his head.

He glanced to the side and saw a woman emerge from a cantina with a blaster. There were a handful of other ruffians of the same vein, but most didn't look like they wanted a fight. Odd that this woman did?

What are you, a mercenary? he asked with a quirked eyebrow. The fact that she was a Force user had escaped him as he was now too preoccupied with the men beginning to emerge from the clustered freighters. Most had blasters on their hips and a few even carried them openly in their hands. Some wore flight suits, others scant pieces of armor, and all wore grouchy looks. His hand slipped under his robes and pulled out the hilt of the blue saber but didn't activate it yet.

Forty vs two... that's twice as good of odds, he told himself with an eyeroll.

 

[Vesper]

_______________________

It wasn't unsurprising that the majority of the Devaronians that had been outside had chosen to flee instead of to fight. The scant few that had chosen to draw what weapons they had still had that unmistakable look of fear in their eye.

Then she noticed a person who was different from the others. Not in just the obvious way, given he wasn't red and definitely didn't have horns, but in the way that he seemed to almost welcome the chaos that was about to unfold.

"Yeah, something like that." She kind-of-sort-of lied. Just as Vesper was about to say something witty, she noticed the weapon that the stranger pulled from beneath his robes and couldn't help but let her eyes grew a little wide in surprise.

The man wasn't familiar to her in the slightest but it was obviously possible Vesper hadn't seen every single Jedi who existed. The urge to ask a million questions pecked at the side of Vesper's mind while she turned her attention back to the encroaching pirates. There was absolutely no way that she was going to let this stranger get away from her before she got a chance to ask, though. Not a chance in hell.

The slavers were already kicking in doors and yanking people off the street, slapping them into bindings and hauling them off. Didn't look like negotiations were something these guys were interested in. Hell, the only reason they probably weren't just opening fire on everyone was they didn't want to damage their product.

Aiming her blaster, Vesper snapped her aim to one of the thugs currently trying to break into one of the houses. Popping off a quick shot, she hit the idiot in the back of the dome and sent him keeling over, dead. The other pirates instantly took notice, Vesper dipping behind a speeder to use as cover. Peering over, she reached out with the force, picking up a guy who was shooting at her and sending him flying like a human cannonball into a group of several others.

Looking over at the stranger holding his lightsaber, Vesper flashed him a quick smile. "A couple down and an assload to go. You're falling behind already!"

Vesper's old master probably would have scolded her for making a competition out of something like this, but as far as she was concerned life wasn't worth living if you didn't have a little fun.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

A mercenary, huh? Well, there were worse things, but clearly the locals hadn't obtained anywhere near enough help to fend off this whole group.

Talak's saber lit blue and he twirled the blade in a fancy flourish to adjust to the weight once more. Where the blade had once resisted him and his darkness, it now felt almost like an extension of himself. It was relatively comfortable in his palm - though he still preferred his saber's hilt shape to this one - but the blade was now an extension of his mind.

The village was beginning to be cleared out, and Talak started moving quickly. The mercenary sent a blaster shot into the first of the thugs, a perfect headshot and ducked low.

Talak puzzled for a moment about how things were supposed to work now that he wasn't a Sith. He probably wasn't supposed to just start murdering people, but he wouldn't sit back and let these people be carried off.

Was he supposed to ask them to surrender? That seemed... impractical? Oh whatever, he wasn't actually a Jedi. He'd play the defender and bring down these pirates. It'd all work out.

He charged forward, planted his left hand on the speeder Vesper was using for cover, and launched over the hood in a fancy-looking maneuver. The saber in his right hand chopped down and sent a gunshot into the ground in front of him. Fortunately for him, these were pirates and not professional soldiers, so he only had to contend with about half of the shots he normally would.

He ducked low and swept the blade through the gut of a second man and leapt from the crouch into another slash that brought him past the next thug with his saber slamming through his heart.

There was a third off to Talak's left that was raising his pistol to fire, but Vesper would have a clean shot on him if she took it.

Assuming she did, he turned to her in the lull. The pirates had spread out throughout the village, traveling in small pockets of twos and threes primarily.

He spun and pointed his lightsaber at Vesper (despite being numerous meters away and nowhere near striking distance) after having spotted her sending one of the men flying. She didn't feel like a Sith.

Who are you!? he asked abruptly and concernedly. It was probably not the reaction she would have expected, but Talak was a paranoid one, but he lowered his saber after a moment when he realized they were fighting the same side and she wasn't trying to kill him. And she didn't feel like a Sith. Okay, calm down, Talak, he told himself.

 

[Vesper]

_______________________

The explosion of blue that came from the hilt of Talak's lightsaber actually gave Vesper and odd sense of... comfort? If she were being honest. Not that it was intrinsically indicative of him being a good guy, but it was much better than the alternative.

Vesper knew kybers resisted those who did not align with them, and the way that the dark haired stranger cut through the pirates with such ease lent itself to the facts that one: he knew what he was doing, and two: the force flowed freely between him and his weapon. This man was just full of surprises.

After popping off another shot and taking out the thug to Talak's left, Vesper couldn't help but notice him spin in apparent disbelief in her display of the force. Vesper couldn't help but let loose a giggle and a small snort trying to suppress her laughter. "I'll answer that question for you," She said, shooting at another thug who managed to dive behind a piece of cover before getting his face blown off. "But I think I have more pressing matters to attend to!"

Vesper couldn't help but shout the last part, noticing a thug starting to charge toward her with a wicked looking vibroblade. In a one swift motion the young Jedi holstered her pistol and drew one of her own lightsabers, the weapon erupting with a snap-hiss, its purple blade catching the vibroblade as the thug brought it down to slice her in half.

Using her offhand, Vesper foce pushed the man in the chest, taking him off guard. Seizing her opening as her opponent took a few staggered steps backward in an attempt to regain his footing, Vesper plunged the tip of her lightsaber into his chest. before pulling it back and removing the thug's head from his shoulders.

Turning to look back at Talak again, Vesper deflected a couple of blaster shots back at their sources, taking out a couple more thugs in the process. "I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours," She said, a coy smirk pulling at the corners of her lips.

Vesper learned a long time ago that if you have something people want, you never give it away for free.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak watched as the woman leapt into action. His mind pried into her presence and sensed that it lacked darkness or malice. She was more at peace than any of the violent red and black swirls of the Sith, and her blade... not red. Purple. A Jedi? he wondered. Perhaps it was the will of the Force that they met.

She launched into action without difficulty, firing and cutting down thugs as he took a defensive position. His movement to attack would have only interfered with her movements.

She cut down another and instead of interfering, he moved into an interference position. He intercepted the blaster bolts flying in at her as she dealt with the man with the vibroblade, deftly sending them into the ground or high into the sky. The next two went back into thugs and sent them stumbling to the ground with their chests burst open.

Talak, he said in response to her comment. Jedi? he asked. Perhaps to other people it would have been "obvious" but Talak was quickly discovering that the galaxy was far more complex than it may appear at a cursory glance.

She certainly seemed to fit with being a Jedi. She seemed way too chipper and willing to joke even in dire situations. It was a foreign concept to Talak in the middle of combat, but everyone had their own coping mechanisms, didn't they?

His head swiveled around to look at what lay around them. Eleven dead so far and counting. No doubt the criminals would begin to fall back if they took high enough casualties, but the pair were already beginning to draw more attention.

We need to move or we'll be surrounded, he said, pointing his saber this time toward the far side of the village. From where the freighters had landed four of the pirates had begun to set up an E-web repeater, and Talak's eyes went wide.

Move now! he shouted and began to run to clear out of the street as the cannon opened fire, sweeping through the dirt and blasting out chunks of one of the buildings before stopping.

Talak dropped low under another blaster shot in one of the spaces between village buildings and brought his saber up through the man's side and toward his heart, sending him dropping to the ground in a gasping, groaning, screaming mess.

He didn't want to stop near the dying man and crossed another small thoroughfare before stopping between the cantina and a small store.

We need to get around the side of that repeater. I can draw its attention if you can get a shot on the crew from the side, he said. Splitting up was dangerous, but there weren't many other options for dealing with the gun emplacement.

 

[Vesper]

_______________________

"Vesper," She said with a smile, fulfilling her end of the bargain. She thought about his next question for a moment, but in the end didn't really see any point in lying about it. It's not like she'd been particularly careful about hiding her abilities. "Yes," Vesper paused for a moment before continuing. "But I do not think you are. So what are you, Mister Talak?"

Looking at where Talak was pointing his lightsaber, Vesper's eyes widened and she had already started to move before her ally shouted his warning. She followed him as he dipped through the area, finding a path that would give solace from the hail of gunfire.

Listening as Talak gave the rundown of the plan he'd concocted, Vesper found it rather.. selfless? It may have not been the right word, and she could be completely off base but it was the first thing that came to mind. This Talak person may have not been a Jedi, but Vesper found it hard to think that he could be a Sith ether. No true Sith would willingly place themselves into the sight line of kriffing repeater emplacement to act as bait. Usually crap jobs like that fell onto people like Vesper.

"I can get the shot, no doubt about that," She said, noticing a dead Devaronian on the ground near where they had stopped. Reaching out with the force, Vesper pulled the man's grenade pouch to her hand on the off chance it might actually have something in it. Luckily, there was a single flashbang inside. "Jackpot. Give me like ten seconds headstart to get a good flank."

Strapping the pouch around her own waist, the young Jedi looked at Talak with a look of mild concern creeping into her features. "This'll only work if we trust each other. Do you trust me, Talak?"

Vesper wasn't going to wait around forever for the man's answer. Regardless of whether or not he trusted her, they had made the choice to fight these pirates together and there was no where else for them to go now. They were still out-manned and outgunned, but if they managed to take out the e-web then Vesper figured the ones still alive would take off, their tail between their legs.

Taking off, Vesper maneuvered through what cover there was, heading in the direction that would give her a decent flanking position. Hopefully there weren't any hiccups and she could get to where she needed to be before that repeater turned Talak into Falumpaset cheese.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak was glad that he didn't have to answer who he was because of the new attack. That was something far too complex to explain in the middle of a battle. Not to mention, if she decided she didn't like it, he'd be out of luck and in greater danger.

Good, he said as she said she could get the shot. He didn't even give a second thought to the fact that he was putting himself in harm's way. It was simply what he did, and he was a trash shot so it made sense she would be the shooter.

He was totally caught off guard when she asked if he trusted her. The answer was "no" but that was... a bit too confrontational. Trust came slowly to Talak, but if she really was a Jedi and they had a common enemy, then they were allies at least.

I don't think we have much of a choice. I trust you more than them, he said. Fine, so it wasn't very much of a "yes" but he also didn't know her. He trusted she would at least kill the thugs.

Yes, he said. It wasn't entirely true, but... from a certain point of view it was. Whatever the point of view, however, they were both starting to move to their areas.

Talak came to the edge of the building and counted off the time in his head. 1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... and then he moved. Hopefully ten seconds was really all she needed. He wouldn't count on it, though, and was going to be careful as he came out into the open.

His lightsaber was up, glowing, and drawing attention as the repeater swiveled. Kriiiiff... he pulled the Force to himself and let it pour through him, sending him several meters to his own left as the blaster rounds started cutting through the air where he had just been a moment ago.

Come on, Vesper... he thought to himself, hoping she would be there soon. He really hoped he hadn't put himself out there for nothing.

 

[Vesper]

_______________________

It didn't take long for the first bump in the road to present itself. As Vesper was heading around to get a good angle on the gun emplacement, she ran into two of the pirates that seemed to be ready and waiting for her.

"Shit," She whispered under her breath, beginning to count the seconds that passed while she dealt with this. Talak didn't have forever.

Both of the pirates raised their blasters at the same time, firing off a shot each. With the force, Vesper was able to pull the hand of one of them towards the side, causing him to fire his blaster straight into his friend. Unfortunately, the shot from the now dead guy still found its mark, clipping Vesper on her upper left arm. It hurt like a son of a bitch but wasn't a fatal wound, but her arm would be less than useful in any coming confrontation.

With her still good right arm, Vesper popped off a shot from her blaster put the other thug down just like his friend. Getting shot in the arm had caused Vesper to lose count of how many seconds had passed, but she had to already be cutting it extremely close. That's when she heard the w-web wind up and begin firing. "Double shit."

Approaching the angle she'd hoped for from the start, Vesper took a running jump aided by the force and landed on a roof. One lesson Vesper always remembered from the old Jedi teachings was that of all grounds you could have in a fight, the high ground was easily the best. She could see the thugs manning the repeater firing off towards Talak who, rather admirably, was performing quite well in his role as bait.

Reaching into the grenade pouch, Vesper took out the flash bang and gave it a solid force-aided hurl. The tiny sphere of sensory overload landed right in front of the e-web, unloading its payload in an instant. None of the thugs had been prepared for something like that, clearly, as all of them instantly covered their eyes to combat the momentary blindness. Aiming her blaster, Vesper took her shots at the two thugs closest to the gun, putting a blaster bolt each into their chests.

As a final measure, the young Jedi reached out with the force and yanked the repeater off the ground, sending it flying into a building and rendering it essentially useless. Vesper would remain on the roof for now, keeping an eye over Talak who may have to deal with thugs too hardheaded and stupid to take the easy way out and retreat.

It would also let her see if Talak tried to escape himself before he and Vesper could talk more. She had sensed his apprehension before, but maybe now that'd staved off an entire pirate raiding party together he might be a little more warmed up. Then again, you never knew how guys would react to anything. They were always so unnecessarily difficult.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

This wasn't going well. Talak had made it to the far side of the street and the repeater was tearing up the air behind him. He could feel the heat coming off the rounds as the tore up the ground just behind his feet and sliced through the air, leaving the smell of burned ozone in their wake.

What other choice did he have except some matrix-like moves? As he made it to the far side of the street, he pulled the Force to himself and jumped, turning into a backflip that landed on the other side of the stream of plasma fire.

It swept across again and he darted to the far side again and leapt, but rather than go straight into a flip, he planted his feet against the wall of one of the houses and pushed off, sending himself launching onto one of the nearby rooftops. And good thing, too, because the gunner had gotten wise and prepared to gun him out of the air had he tried the same trick again.

That was when he heard the crack of a distant explosion followed by more blaster fire - slower and a different pitch than the repeater - and no more rapid fire. It seemed he was in the clear.

He crossed from one roof to the next, until - surprisingly - he saw Vesper on another roof. Saber still clutched in his hand, he took stock of the situation.

With over a dozen dead in the course of only a few minutes, the thugs had gotten the picture. Retreat was their best and only option. The freighters lifted off into the air in retreat and then there was silence. Nothing filled it but the hum of his own saber, which now hissed out and returned to his belt.

He let out a sigh and clenched his fist at his side to stop the slight shake as the adrenaline finished its course. He glanced across to the other roof at the woman standing there.

That could have gone a lot worse, he said with a hint of relief. He'd been in worse fights before.

So Jedi Vesper, what brings you out here? he asked, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that they were just going to have a chat on the rooftops. He'd worked with enough Jedi already that he felt relatively comfortable around them, and was quickly realizing they were all their own personalities. She seemed no different and he figured there was a reason she was here.

 

[Vesper]

_______________________

All things considered, their plan had actually worked reasonably well. Not that Vesper was surprised that it did.. well, maybe a little. You never really knew what could happen when you were putting your life in the hands of a stranger. Luckily, the stranger that she'd found seemed fairly.. normal? Or at the very least, reliable.

The adrenaline of battle faded from Vesper as she stared over at Talak, noticing he had chosen to remain a couple rooftops over and have a conversation instead of closing the gap between them. Vesper knew that there were plenty of people out in the galaxy that liked to keep their distance, but Talak seemed far more guarded than even the hardened criminals she'd talk to on Nar Shaddaa.

"Oh you know, the usual stuff," Vesper said, then deciding to take matters into her own hands and cross the distance between she and Talak by hopping across the rooftops with the help of the force. "Just happened to be catching an underground prize fight on Nar Shaddaa when I overheard some morons talking openly about their plans here. Figured it was worth it to check out, even if I ended up just wasting my time."

Eyeing Talak, Vesper found it hard to read him in any real useful capacity. On the outside he seemed generic, just another human out in the galaxy. The inside was a little more interesting but just as confusing. Vesper could feel.. conflict, maybe - but it was cloudy, like a dense fog. She couldn't truly read anything about Talak.

"I'm more interested in what brings someone like you here," Vesper said, putting a hand on her hip and raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "Not much going on out in the Devaronian boonies for your average spacer. Even less for an above average one. You running from something.. someone?" She paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing a bit. "Or just yourself?"

Vesper had been a Jedi long enough to know that a person's greatest enemy could be themselves. The force was intelligent, powerful and could offer you much insight - but it could not help you if you did not know what you wanted. What it could do, though, is bring you together with someone that could help you along the path. Perhaps, Vesper thought, maybe that's why she'd been compelled to come here, to follow a random rumor from a drunk in a cantina - and why Talak had too.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak watched as she casually hopped across the rooftops and mentioned some idiots on Nar Shaddaa. Talak really had no love of that place. In fact, as a Sith, he had pondered suggesting wiping the entire smuggler's moon away. That wasn't very Jedi now, though.

There're a lot of idiots on Nar Shaddaa, he muttered. He could practically feel her evaluating him, and he simply stood there, saying nothing and making no attempt to run from the examination.

And who is "someone like me?" he asked, curious precisely what she had gleaned from her little examination. It seemed at the very least she had some presumptuous assumptions about him running from himself... not entirely wrong, but it would have been more apt a few weeks ago, perhaps.

Talak walked over and dropped casually from the roof, hitting the ground lightly and waiting for her to follow.

I'm here... because I had a feeling, he said. It was something he wouldn't have to explain to her. As a Jedi she would already know the value that such feelings could bring.

I think there's something here I'm supposed to find, he said. He supposed in its own way that answered her question. He wasn't here to run from something but to search for something.

Maybe it's not an accident that we bumped into each other, he said, turning to look at her with curiosity. No, it wasn't a coincidence that in a galaxy of nearly-countless people, two Force users just happened to cross paths.

You finished beating up the pirates, so I take it your schedule is free? he asked with a hint of humor.

 

[Vesper]

_______________________

"Well, that's the question, isn't it?" Vesper replied, deciding to hold any opinion she may have formed about Talak to herself for now. Master Jokolto had harped on her about a million times about not judging a book by its cover and learning to evaluate people past their first impression. "You're cloudy, Talak. Like a summer sky doing whatever it can to hold in the rain."

Vesper couldn't help but smile and nod a little when Talak mentioned the coincidental nature of their meeting. The force was generally funny like that. Although despite that Vesper still wasn't totally consigned to the "everything happens for a reason" camp, but even she had to admit when the randomness fit together just a little to well.

Casually checking her chrono, Vesper shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a very busy woman I'll have you know," She said jokingly. "But I suppose I can squeeze you in. I'll warn you though, I'm not a cheap date." Vesper paused for a moment before continuing, her tone changing from joking to a little more serious. "Devaron is a planet most forget is quite strong in the force. The dangerous jungle worlds always are."

Looking down from the rooftops, Vesper could see the locals starting to filter back into the streets. A lot of them probably still had drinks sitting on cantina counters, ice melting and starting to get warm. A few even looked up towards them and gave a wave or a nod as a gesture of gratitude. Vesper waved back and flashed them a small smile.

"I can help you figure out what the force brought you here to find, if you'll let me." She said abruptly, turning her attention back to Talak. "You'd probably need to let a little bit of that impenetrable broody guy guard down, though." Clipping her lightsaber back to her belt and holstering her blaster, Vesper gave Talak a shrug. "Up to you."

Vesper couldn't ignore the force drawing her and Talak together easily, but in the end it wasn't her place to force him to let her help out. You could lead a bantha to water but you couldn't make it drink, as the saying goes.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

He thought about what she said he felt like in the Force. It probably wasn't entirely inaccurate, and he knew why he felt like that.

He snort laughed as she joked about how busy she was while checking her chrono. She mentioned how dangerous this world was, and he thought about it for a moment. She was certainly correct, but he was fairly confident he had been in worse. The shadowlands of Kashyyyk were some of the most dangerous places in the galaxy to his mind. Everything there wanted to kill you.

Then I guess it's a good thing I'll have a partner, he said. He followed her gaze down to the locals who were beginning to shuffle out and he gave an awkward slight, half-wave thing. He wasn't overly used to people being appreciative of his work. Even as the Arcanist everyone was terrified of him.

He quickly looked back at her ready to get out of this place and then scowled as she said he had to be less broody.

I'm not even being that broody, he objected. He'd hardly been rude and he'd even made a pseudo-joke!

Well, let's find out why we're both here, he said, hopping down from the roof and heading for the edge of town. He could see the edges of the jungle not so far in the distance and closed his eyes. He reached out with his feelings and began to listen to the Force. It was almost like a quiet song carried on the wind. Here one moment and then gone the next as its siren song called to him and drew him in. Contrary to what he was often used to, it wasn't cold and dark but felt... warm, like a soft blanket.

This way, he said as his eyes opened and began a brisk pace through an open field to the edge of the jungle before pausing.

He glanced sideways at her.

You don't seem like a jungle girl, he said with a skeptical smirk. Not that he expected her to turn back as they drew toward the Light in the jungle. NO, they were both here for something and would see it through.

 

[Vesper]

_______________________

"Guess we can just chalk it up to resting brood face." Vesper said, just before following Talak down off the roof and towards the edge of the jungle.

Vesper remained quiet as Talak seemed to open himself up to the force. Although her attention was not as focused as his, she could feel the pull of the force as well, like a hand gently grabbing her own and trying to lead her into the unknown. It felt natural to listen.

"Yeah, I'm not much of an outside person," Vesper admitted with a laugh. "Now the concrete jungle though, that's a different story," Pausing for a moment, Vesper thought back to the battle she and Talak had just had. "You know you never did answer my question. I've never seen you around the Jedi haunts, so I'm fairly certain you aren't a Jedi. So what are you?"

As they continued deeper into the jungle, Vesper couldn't help but notice the brush getting a little thicker, and the canopy above casting a shade over pretty much everything. For some reason, Vesper couldn't quite feel the familiar, calming feeling of the Lightside she had felt before. Instead, it had been replaced by the feeling she'd had just before the pirates had come. Something... wasn't right.

"You know, they say only one thing makes a jungle this quiet," Vesper said, stopping for a moment to look up into the trees. There had been birds chattering pretty much the entire time they'd been walking, but not anymore. "It's when there's predators nearby."

As if on cue, there was a small rustling of leaves and grass before two massive beasts crept from the shadows and blocked their path. Each of them already had that killer look in their eyes, growls coming from their throats like the low rumble of thunder.

"Shit," Vesper whispered, slowly reaching for her lightsaber but being careful not to make a sudden movement that would trigger the beasts. "I think I'd have preferred another e-web."

Deciding to make the first move, Vesper reached out with the force, pulling one of the quarra towards her. The beast had been taken off guard which worked out well for her, Vesper igniting her lightsaber the beast came close, slicing it into two pieces through the midsection.

Hopefully Talak had a similarly easy time.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak gave a humorous eye roll as she mentioned he had resting brooding face. That was definitely a thing he'd been told before. He could be doing something completely mundane and still looked vaguely like he was going to murder someone.

He wasn't surprised she was an urban dweller. She had that vibe, and he couldn't blame her. Despite growing up on a more rural world, he preferred large urban planets for any sort of long term time spent.

I guess you could say I'm an... aspiring Jedi? Some things I need to work out first, though. Baggage, I guess you could say, he said. There was a lot of baggage that he still had, and he needed to sort some of that out before he joined the Jedi, but at this point it was more "impending" than anything. He had no idea how she would react to hearing that he was a former Sith, so he didn't go out of his way to volunteer the information.

As they pressed onward through the jungle, it became thicker, and that creeping sensation returned. It was a deeply unsettling feeling.

Yeah... he said quietly, reaching for the lightsaber on his belt just a moment before the rustle in the bushes drew his eyes.

The creatures that emerged looked hungry and angry.

Great... he muttered, looking at the creatures and trying to find anything that would be an opening for them to bring these creatures down. They looked... strong and fast.

Vesper moved first, and it triggered Talak's Quarra to attack, leaping through the air and making a sweep as it sailed over his head. Talak ducked low, narrowly avoiding the claw and spun low. His saber slashed out and caught the back legs of the landing creature. It was hobbled, but still coming, turning around to try to crawl back toward him.

He stepped to the side and plunged his saber out in a thrust through the creature's eye... it was an unnecessarily accurate strike, but aim small, miss small.

No matter how many fights he was in in his life, the adrenaline always flowed freely when life and death were on the line.

You okay? he asked, turning to look at Vesper for only a moment before his eyes continued to scan over the jungle looking for additional threats.

Without any further sense of danger, he relaxed a bit and replaced the saber on his belt.

So how do you like being a Jedi? he asked. It was the question he seemed to ask everyone he came across who was a Jedi. Until he was committed, it never hurt to gather as much data as he could.