No Rest For The Wicked

[Kit]

--Coruscant--

A medium sized freighter dropped out of Hyperspace, and drifted lazily for a moment. Though hailed by the relevant authorities, the pilot either didn't or couldn't respond. This was because the pilot was unconscious, and had been since he had passed out from exhaustion, both physical and nervous, several hours before. Though, with autopilot still active, the ship slowly descended to the surface of the planet, automatically handling the flight, and the relevant exchange of information with the local authorities.

As the ship touched down, a rough impact rocked the ship, and woke it's single inhabitant. Glancing out of the window, he saw only a typical spaceport, albeit a busy one, and therefore had no clue that he had arrived on one of the two worlds he had wished to avoid the most. However, with a desire to leave the stolen ship as quickly as possible, and before news of it's theft arrived in system, the man quickly exited the ship, and moved to blend in with the nearest crowd.

Though his behaviour so far was identical to the beginning of his last misadventure, the man hoped, prayed, that this venture would end a little better.

So, Augustus, once a Jedi, once the Battlemaster, made his way through the crowd. His first goal was to work out where he was. His second was to hunt for information.

 

[Dmitri]

Two Jedi fought a Twi'lek Sith. The exchange of blows was a dance of finesse and resolve. The passion of the Sith. The determination of the Jedi. However, while empowered by the Dark Side, the Twi'lek known as Sia Zle'tey was no match for for a Jedi Master and an Imperial Knight-turned Jedi. The dark-clad cloaked Sith soon found himself decapitated, head rolling across the bloodstained floor inside Lacrima.

The Jedi Master, whose name was Augustus Primus Leonus checked on his partner, Elkaid, and turned his attention toward the blood-covered boy with blue hair who sat in the corner. He ordered, "Who else is here?"

"No one," said the boy. "When everyone got scared and started killing each other, #8 and I hid in here." He pointed at the Zabrak child corpse near Barrel's body. "Dr. Barrel found us. He got angry at us and killed #8." He looked at Augustus. "That was amazing."

"I think he's taken a liking to you," teased Elk.

"Shut up," snapped Augustus. "Let's report back to the temple. The GA can mop up this mess."

It had been years since the tragedy aboard the space station Lacrima where Geist Weiss' experiment Project Saligia had gone horrible wrong with the boy the Jedi saved having used Force Horror on the entire staff, who turned on each other. The boy, designated as #17 by Geist Weiss, had taken up a new name, that of Nero di Lacrima, and had joined the Jedi in order to learn under his inspiration, his rescuer Augustus Primus Leonus.

A year ago, however, a dispute arose. The Sith had slain Emperor Luthor Elyurius and mutated the Elyurius Empire into the New Sith Imperium. The Jedi felt that Grandmaster Beric Karusan was being too lax towards the Sith threat. It eventually led to a vote of no confidence. Enraged, Beric has resigned. Augustus, now a Councilor, stepped down as well to show his loyalty to Beric. Both vanished from view, and there were rumors that they had been tempted by the Sith.

Nero hoped the rumors were false. Just as Augustus had been loyal to Beric, Nero was loyal to Augustus, so he went in search for him. He searched Augustus' homeplanet, to no avail. Desperate, Nero infiltrated the Sith to search for Augustus. He spent almost a year in their order, dodging ambitious Sith and revelations of his identity. He lost contact with the Jedi, and seemed to vanish from radar just like the two Councilors.

However, Nero came back. Depressed. He had failed to locate Augustus. He rejoined the Jedi Order and hoped to find his master. He was at Tython briefly, but then traveled to Coruscant, to check out the new temple. It was lucky too, as he had planned to go to Empress Teta, which news reported had been an attack.

Nero had been assigned to manage one of the ports near the rebuilt temple. Security didn't want Sith sneaking through, so Jedi were keeping a closer eye on the spaceports. While walking past customs, Sergeant Barrel commed the Jedi, reporting a strange ship landing.

Probably smugglers, said Nero.

Nero ran through one of the bazaars, a shortcut Barrel had shown him yesterday. As he slithered past the crowd, he froze. A man was walking nearby. Fatigued, but a fit body many athletes would envy. However, it wasn't the body that grabbed Nero's attention. It was the face.

It was Augustus Primus Leonus.

"Master Leonus!" shouted Nero, dashing over to the ex. Battlemaster.

 

[Kit]

The once-Battlemaster froze. He had dreaded a moment like this; being seen, being recognized. He had wanted to find Beric first. To start to atone.

But now...

He immediately began to look for the source of the voice. Warriors instincts, and decades of experience highlighting possible avenues of escape, risks and threats all around him, but it took him some time to recognize the boy... the man, before him.

It was one of the last Padawans he had trained. One of the first he had met, too. Nero di Lacrima. One he had respected, that he had expected great things from.

Why did it have to be one that mattered?

Augustus couldn't bring himself to run. He owed Nero more than that. So he stood his ground, though he withdrew into his robes a little deeper.

He almost seemed to shrink a little.

"Nero."

 

[Dmitri]

There was no doubt. It was indeed Augustus. After all these months, Nero had finally found him again.

"You're here. You're really here. I looked for you. Your home planet. I even infiltrated the Sith for a time looking for you to no avail. But to think that you'd return here, to Coruscant."

 

[Kit]

"I..."

Augustus paused. What was he supposed to tell him? What could he tell him?

"Yes."

Wait... did he say the Sith? Did he say Coruscant?

"You did what? And this is Coruscant?"

He cursed inwardly. Not a word of good news from the young Jedi, save that he had cared enough to go looking.

"I would thank you for trying to find me. My apologies are required too, that I didn't want to be found."

 

[Dmitri]

Augustus was shocked about what Nero had did, but the blue-haired man couldn't blame him. It had been a difficult and insane decision to try to infiltrate the Sith. That was in the past. Strangely, Augustus seemed surprised to find himself at Coruscant.

"I had to find you somehow," said Nero. "Rumors had spread that you had gone to the Sith." A tear rolled down his eye. "I'm so glad you're hear." Augustus apologized for Nero's need to search for him, revealing he had not wanted to be found. "So if you're on Coruscant, does that mean you're not hiding anymore? To return to the Jedi?" However, the comment about his location being Coruscant made Nero wonder if Augustus had meant to land on the planet.

 

[Kit]

Augustus shook his head, slowly, and such a small movement that, had Nero not been looking directly at him, he would doubtless have missed it.

"Sometimes I wish I had joined them. It would be simpler."

He sighed, and added.

"I'm not here to return to the Jedi, but I am done with hiding. Honestly, I did not mean to come here, not yet anyway. I'm... looking for someone."

He looked over his shoulder, in the direction of the spaceport. It almost felt like he was being watched, but he was likely just being paranoid.

"I need answers from him before anything else."

 

[Dmitri]

Nero was a little dismayed that Augustus had not come to Coruscant on purpose. However, it was good that he wasn't hiding anyone. The man was interested on who Augustus was looking for.

Nero made a guess. "The old Grandmaster?" It was a good guess as any, as both Augustus and Beric left at the same time.

 

[Kit]

Augustus nodded. They had left the order together, and then... Then they had split. Gone their separate ways. But now, after what he had felt, what he was sure he now knew, he had to find Beric. He had to be sure.

"Yes. I fear he was done something terrible."

Augustus felt a surge of guilt. Whether it was because he had done with Beric before they had separated, or whether it was because he had abandoned him to his darkness, he couldn't tell.

"I need to find a way to redeem him."

He didn't say 'or kill him' because he could barely think it. But he knew it was a possibility that he would have to consider.

"Has there been any news of him? Any rumour of where he might be?"

 

[Dmitri]

Augustus confirmed it was indeed Beric he was looking for. Nero could understand the search. They both left at the same time. Went their separate ways.

"A month after that furry and the others challenged you two, there were some rumors that Beric was with the Sith. It was one of the reasons I went there. However, they ended soon and I never saw him there. No rumors of him exactly. There's been a couple rumors of a strange old man wandering space who is powerful in the Force. He tries to avoid civilization and contact with others, staying away from major civilization points."

 

[Kit]

Augustus listened eagerly; he himself had avoided civilisation, and though that had been a real obstacle in beginning his search rumours of a powerful force user doing the same could well be Beric. Of course, finding him would be like finding a needle on an ocean planet, but this was the most information he had come across so far.

"It frustrates me that that's the best lead I have so far, but I am grateful for it, Nero. Thank you."

He would have to make his way back into the wilds of the galaxy, leave the core once again, but once there, the number of places Beric could be would shrink, and the rumours would grow. It wouldn't be easy, but it could be done.

He paused. Nero had clearly put himself in harms way to search for him, had risked death, damnation and worse. He owed the boy for his sacrifice.

"Have you rejoined the Jedi, following your infiltration? Did they trust you enough to allow you back in?"

He paused again. He had failed to ask a very important question.

"Did they even know where you had gone? And why?"

 

[Dmitri]

Nero nodded happily. "Glad to be of service. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful."

As to be expected, Augustus returned to the infiltration matter. "I rejoined a week ago. I wasn't with the Sith the entire time. I pretended to be interested, a Sith hopeful, hiding my true identity. The Sith were suspicious as I was filled with the Light Side, but I persuaded most with my affinity with Force Horror." Force Horror was the signature technique of Nero, after all. It wasn't one he had learned willingly. During Project Saligia, it had been nurtured into him by Geist Weiss and his colleagues. "The Jedi seem to trust me. I hadn't given away any Jedi secrets, so I'm fine." He paused, thinking. "To be honest, I'm not sure if I did tell anyone. I remember rushing out to look for you, not talking to very many people as I left. I might have, but I don't remember who. I think I told Master Shi-Gel-Hu or that Bith, Ulqui-something."

 

[Kit]

"It is good that you told them, though I would not volunteer the knowledge of what you did so readily to any more."

Augustus spoke quietly, after a pause. It seemed everybody had a dark secret these days, and Augustus doubted sharing did any favours.

"You should be careful in future. Both of what you learned, and of what you didn't. Darkness is subtle, and sly. It can get it's hooks into you before you realise it's too late."

Augustus lowered his head for a moment.

"I cannot stay on Coruscant. There are too many Jedi that I am not ready to face. And I cannot hide myself in the force as some might."

He paused, a thought seemed to flash across his face.

"If you wish, you could help me search for Beric. I will not drag you in to the confrontation, but I would make amends for what I put you through."

 

[Dmitri]

Augustus lectured the young Jedi. Some might yawn and shrug it off. Not Nero. Augustus was his idol, and absorbed every single word. "You are right. I'll be more careful." When Augustus made the offer, Nero jumped at it. "I'll help however I can."

 

[Kit]

Augustus paused for a moment. He couldn't ask Nero to come and help him search. Could he? The risks would be massive, but the benefits to having a partner...

"I would ask you to watch for him, listen for him. Any rumour that might lead to him, any hint of his movement."

He hesitated, clearly making a difficult decision.

"Or you could come with me. Aid my search. On the condition that you will not intervene in whatever happens between me and him, for good or ill."

 

[Dmitri]

Nero was surprised by his hesitation, as if unconsciously part of him wanted him to stay. However, consciously, he wanted to go with Augustus.

"I would be glad to accompany you," said Nero. "I'll let the Jedi know I'll be on leave for a while." He paused. "The Jedi Council is all new. No one from the old council. You could try meeting with them. They could help you out. Probably they'll want you to return, but they can't make you stay."

 

[Kit]

Augustus nodded slowly, less out of agreement, but more out of acknowledgement.

"No, not yet and not now."

He wouldn't face the order, or their leaders until he was ready. The stain on his soul had yet to even begin to be cleansed. He would not stand before those best placed to perceive it until he had begun to atone properly.

"Go now, I will wait here. I'll try and locate transport away from here."

 

[Kit]

Augustus flinched, as a familiar voice boomed out across the dock, across the whole planet. The Sith were speaking, and did so with every speaker upon Coruscant. They bragged, and boasted, and belittled the Jedi.

Augustus listened carefully, even now, he could not help but hate them, despite having come so close to being one.

He knew he recognized the voice though...

The Sith raised his hands to lift his cloak, and Augustus knew. Seconds before the man revealed himself...

"Jhon."

How many Jedi leaders had fallen? How many would? In that moment, Augustus knew precisely what he had to do, once he had found Beric.

Without waiting for Nero, and caring very little as to whether he followed, Augustus began to run, back towards the port.

 

[Dmitri]

Nero listened to the speech. For propaganda, it was interesting. However, most Jedi probably wouldn't believe it, but there was the likely chance of some falling to the lullaby fragrance that made up Darth Vitium's speech.

Augustus recognized the identity before the revelation of the name and dart. Nero immediately chased after the elderly man. "Wait for me! I'm coming too!"

 

[Kit]

Augustus moved with surprising speed, the force shining from within him, darting between and around, or simply through the crowds where there was no room.

Eventually, he spotted a ship. He honestly couldn't say whether it was the same one he had arrived upon, or a different one. All he knew was that it could get him off this rock, and that was all he needed.

To him, the ship was simply big-ish. To a more trained eye, it was a medium freighter. Not small, but fast. It could get him to the edge of Republic space.

So, once more, he sprinted aboard a ship, adding a second count in as many days of hijacking to his already-too-long list of crimes.

He wasn't sure if Nero had gotten aboard, he didn't know whether there were any of the crew left, but that didn't stop him from slamming a fist into the controls, forcing the ship to lurch skyward, and begin it's journey to the skies.