Night Fall on the Sands

[Vash Windrider]

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The humming of The Harbinger's engines dropped to a low purring, and though the artificial gravity was working aboard the ship, Vash could feel the shift from hyperspace to normal acceleration and caused the Sith Master to wake from his restful sleep beside his apprentice. He shifted himself to watch her a moment as she slept, resting on his arm and a small pillow.

Much had changed between them in the passing weeks after his confession to her of being a member of the Black Hand and much had also changed in the galaxy. The Jedi order managed to kill the High Judge and from that mistake hand witnessed the wrath a widowed Sith Empress. Vash was among the first to volunteer to hunt down those who managed to escape the fall of Ruusan and Tython.

So now Vash was watching Aris sleep as they orbited over Tatooine. He slowly slid his arm out from under her. Then slid out the tiny sleeping cabin and into the equally small dinning area. He was starting to realize he preferred to comfort of the Tempest more and more. Quickly he returned his attention to more important things.....CAF.


@EmilyHuene

 

[Aris the Witch]

These past few weeks had been a blessing to Aris. Her master had come and shared his most personal secret with her to which she loved and accepted him all the more for it. Love. Such a corrupt word by their standards as it usually meant weak. The Sith had no loved ones. There was only passion. Yet, it gave them a power stronger than any other. Trust. To a Sith, no one could be trusted. It was in their very nature to betray one another for higher power. But Aris knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that Vash Windrider loved her and would never come to doubt her again.

She remembered coming into his service some ten years ago. She was but a learner; he the teacher. In the secret of his own determination he raised her in the Dark side and trained her to become a Knight as he was. That was until he was promoted to master. Much had changed in the verse and the most predominant of which was the Empire was making its move on the rest of the galaxy. The Jedi Order was failing. They scattered like insects and now it was up to Vash and his secret apprentice to track them down and finish the job.

When she woke she realized she was alone. At least physically. She could pinpoint the exact spot his feet touched the steel floor in the living area just a few doors down. Aris opened her eyes and blinked at the bare ceiling above her. A content sigh left her lips as memories of the past night came over her. She was so at peace lying next to Vash. Somehow he took all the fear away from her. When he was around she knew he was safe.

Not bothering to get dressed the twenty four year old Nagai witch left her bed and met cool floor to bare feet. A chilling sensation rushed up her spine but it was gone soon enough. She moved out of the room to find her mentor, coming up behind him to wrap her small arms around his muscular frame. She could smell the musk scent coming off of him from the night's sweat. Laying side beside made the bed as warm as a fire; saved on power. She liked the way he smelled. It was natural. There was some appeal to that.

"What's for breakfast, my lord?"

 

[Vash Windrider]

He smiled at her touch as she put her arms around him. He wondered then if this was something the Empress and her lord husbands allowed for themselves. Trust, compassion, love ? Somehow he never cared before but now, now he knew why the Jedi feared such connections. To feel with the entirety of the force, a need for another person.

His right hand moved to cover and hold her hands and gave a sigh of discussed as he looked at the food processor. "Eggs....I think, and bantha sausage," he said. His hand then slid the other cup of caf from before him to the side where she could see it and then returned his hand to hers as he drank from his cup with his left. He then broke from her gently and took the plate to the tiny dinning area.

Vash would wait till she joined him and sat when she did. The meal was lack luster at best but it was something. The upside was they would be planet side soon. "According to our spies, a Jedi and other enemies of the Empire are hiding near the settlement of Mos Entha in the high range area of the north eastern part of the planet." he said between bites. "There is no more training Aris, our mission is to exterminate the Jedi and all who aid them. Is that understood.?"

 

[Aris the Witch]

"Eggs....I think, and bantha sausage,"

Aris mimicked his sound of disgust. In all their time together they never really spent time focusing on household chores and things of that nature. That's what droids were for. Aris had tried making food and while she understood the principle and could read the directions she still botched anything she tried. If it couldn't be precooked she wouldn't even try it. It seemed Vash shared that sentimentality.

He'd then take a sip of his caff and then broke apart to go sit at the table. She didn't mind. It wasn't like them to be clingy. That was the most comfort they'd find in each other probably for the rest of the day. Nighttime varied. It all depended on his mood and how annoying everyone else in the verse could be.

"According to our spies, a Jedi and other enemies of the Empire are hiding near the settlement of Mos Entha in the high range area of the north eastern part of the planet. There is no more training Aris, our mission is to exterminate the Jedi and all who aid them. Is that understood.?"

As he spoke she would gather a plate for herself and join him across the table. She'd poured herself a glass of milk as well, after of course doing the same first for her master. She listened as he ran the minor points of the mission by her before simply answering, "Of course." Did he think she couldn't handle it? She'd killed plenty before. But none of them had been Jedi.

Still, she felt the need to explain herself a little more ss she felt his stare from her response. "They are enemies of the Empire. If we let them live or escape they'll just cause more trouble. Rebellions and the like will aid to their cause. It's better to snuff them out now than take any chances." Hopefully that response would warrant his approval.

 

[Vash Windrider]

Vash gave a half smile. She understood, kind of. But he needed to make his intention clear enough. He took a few more bites of the sad excuse for breakfast and then spoke. "The Jedi are not the issue, I have faith you will do what needs to be done to extinguish the light. No, it's the settlement and those who harbor the Jedi that you must be ready to set an example for." He spoke of it as casual as if he were taking out the trash or cleaning the ship. It was little more then a chore.

Just as he finished speaking on the topic, the droid 44 would chirp down from the navigation/co-pilot seat. The astromech was confirming with Vash that they had been cleared to land in the space port of Mos Espa. Aris would feel her Master's irritation. Though she wasn't good at understanding droid speak, she was learning. She knew as well that Entha was the target area, not the large city of Espa.

"If you were not so important to me 44 I would scrap you now and shove you out of the air lock. Your mistake will cost us time." Vash gave another sigh and finished his meal. Then the caf to wash it down with. Then he gave Aris a smile, and she would feel his thoughts start to twist. "On second thought that will be perfect. Land us and have the ship fully serviced and fueled, we'll be staying a while."

The Sith master then eased his will into the connection between himself and Aris, allowing him into her mind as if it were his own. "Prepare yourself my apprentice, and ready my armor and equipment. Let us explore a little before we stalk our prey."

 

[Aris the Witch]

"The Jedi are not the issue, I have faith you will do what needs to be done to extinguish the light. No, it's the settlement and those who harbor the Jedi that you must be ready to set an example for."

A small flare of anger moved through her suddenly as her mind wanted to say, "Do you think I cannot handle the task?" but was oh so graciously interrupted by their droid.

"Did he just say Espa?" she was sure Entha was what her master had told her before. She felt her master's own annoyance at the situation and confirmed that something was wrong.

"If you were not so important to me 44 I would scrap you now and shove you out of the air lock. Your mistake will cost us time."

Trying to console him she would offer, "I'm sure I can go change the flight plan. It wont hold us back too long..."

"On second thought that will be perfect. Land us and have the ship fully serviced and fueled, we'll be staying a while."

"Wait, me or the droid?" she asked, looking at him in confusion. She was beginning to feel like she was being ignored. Not out of rudeness, simply that he was too distracted. His answer then came to her as he spoke into her mind. It both calmed her and sated her anxiety.

"Prepare yourself my apprentice, and ready my armor and equipment. Let us explore a little before we stalk our prey."

"As you wish, Master," she was obliged to respond.

Getting up from her seat she took his empty plate and what was left of hers and washed them down the disposal. She wasn't really in all that much of a mood to finish hers anyway. Aris then left for her master's bedroom and would prepare his outfit and armor for him. She took special care to lay down his gauntlet and weapons as if they were fragile and could break with the slightest touch.

Once she was finished with him she headed back to her own room. She started gathering her under-armor clothes and setting them on the bed when she noticed something strange on her bedside table. For some reason she'd left her journal out. That was very unlike her for she didn't ever take the chance that Vash would come snooping around.

Reaching for it she clumsily knocked it off the edge and it teetered down to the floor and opened up. Aris grumbled in her throat then reached for it again. As she picked it up her eyes widened as her eyes drifted across the open pages. Something was very wrong. She began flipping through the pages trying to understand what she was looking at.

This was her journal. That she wrote in every night. Yet...why was it written in a language she'd never learned. The words made no sense to her. Yet she remembered writing it. Every page. Every memory. She pulled the book open to last night's entry and sure enough it too was in some ancient and dark text.

Aris shuddered. Fear was overcoming her. She couldn't let Vash now about this. Something was very wrong with her. Quickly she stashed it back under her bed in her bag and rushed through getting back to her master. She got halfway out her door before she realized she'd forgotten her boots and had to turn back around. When she finally returned to him she was hopping on one foot trying to shove it into the boot.

"Sorry! I um....couldn't find my shoes."

 

[Vash Windrider]

Vash left the table and Aris. Unlike the droid he knew he could count on her to do exactly she was instructed. He went from the simple little dinning area and into the cockpit area of the ship. 44 was fair the keep watch and navigate but he was no pilot droid. Vash brought the ship into atmosphere and into the red orange sky over the burning sands of the dune sea. Already cleared for Mos Espa, the Sith Master landed the ship at the space port and docket on the pad they were cleared for.

Looking at his droid, "now, service and fill the ship. Damage my ship while we are gone and I will sell you off for parts." The droid chirped back is both understanding and perhaps fear. The Sith Master then retreated back to his tiny room and found his armor and weapons ready for him as he instructed. Vash dressed in his black armor and cloak that marked him as an assassin of the Sith. He would then add his belt, his saber hilts, gun, and other equipment.

As the ramp of the ship lowered, Vash was ready and waiting and walked down the durasteel as the ramp hit the pad. He was standing and wait, and waiting......and waiting. Finally, Aris emerged from the ship. Provocative as alway, but Vash getting used to it. It was the way she worked, the former slave in her. He guessed. Her lack of motivation to get off the ship however, was getting irritating.

"Shoes? Really?" The ship is smaller then your personal quarters on The Tempest." He said amused with her. But there was little time for joking around. There was work to be done. The Sith Master turned and started to walk, keying that Aris should follow. He had not been to the large desert city since he left to join what would become Andraste's Empire and soon after the Sith Empire. Nothing about the city seemed to change but in himself, everything had.

 

[Aris the Witch]

"Shoes? Really?" The ship is smaller then your personal quarters on The Tempest."

"It wasn't my fault. Maybe that droid of yours moved them."

She didn't really feel bad blaming the droid, but it was better than explaining what really happened. With a sigh she looked back at the ship and let the ramp close behind them. She had changed into her usual black and purple gear that covered her main organs but not much else in the way of armor. As always she had her double-bladed saber which she kept behind her back but within arm's reach for a quick draw. Unlike her master, she didn't really have any need for other weapons. She wasn't much of a fighter in the sense of someone who might be around a battle field. Aris needed to be as light as she could. Armor wouldn't do her much good against a saber if the other person were faster. A blaster could help in a tight pinch, but that's what Vash had trained her in the Force for. That was her most powerful weapon.

Following after she joined him at his side and took watch over the city around them. There were plenty who took to avoiding them, but most just eyed them from afar. They could tell when a stranger had come to their parts. And not all of them, if any, were particularly friendly toward the Empire, least of all a Sith. And there was no arguing that these two were exactly that. At least it was guaranteed they wouldn't be bothered by anyone.

 

[Vash Windrider]

He could sense the fear and distrust among the crowd as they parted for his every step into town. It was not entirely their own fault or of their own doing. The Sith Master was pushing out feelings of hate and anger. To push the useless people out of his way. It was a blunt expression of power in the force, casting a stone into the lake that was the force on this otherwise dead rock. Knowing full well that the ripples of which would be felt by his targets sooner or later.

As the crowd parted for them, Vash spotted an opportunity. A smaller freight speeder. Vash did not bother to see if it was owned or if it perhaps belonged to a near by shop. The Sith Master simply slid into the speeder as if he owned it himself and waited for Aris to join him. With a flick of the finger he commanded the force to bypass a security system and start the speeder. Once his apprentice was sat in her seat he punched the throttle.

 

[Aris the Witch]

Aris felt a certain amount of power within herself as she walked. The distrust that the power around her made her feel as if she were some sort of God among them. She wouldn't like that it made her feel a little arrogant. Truth be told it was a bad thing for her to be feeling. She wondered if this is how Vash felt wherever he went.

They would soon find an empty speeder and without a care in the world enter into it and drive it away. They were above the rabble after all. Everything belonged to them. She could get used to this. Aris say with her arm hanging out the edge for a moment before feeling like kicked back even more and resting her feet up onto the dashboard. She gave her master a smile showing her enjoyment of the situation, but she wasn't sure if he noticed or was too busy watching the road ahead of them.