Ask [Ord Cantrell] In The Thick Of It

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri couldn’t help but blink a few times, staring blankly at Tazlen as he proceeded to make his Kilik quip. Truthfully, the half-Annfyn hadn’t actually connected the dots with her word choice up until that point, and the Jedi’s own follow-up elicited a faint-but-noticeable twitch of her left eye. Yup, definitely should have thrown him further into the ravine. “You really are the worst, you know that?” She groaned, promptly turning on a heel to continue right along. The half-Annfyn attempted to valiantly march through the mountain terrain and city ahead, her heeled boots losing traction within the loose, muddy terrain. The half-Annfyn barely finished speaking, glancing ahead once again, when a clear thud resounded behind her.

Vahliri immediately snapped back around, staring down at Tazlen face-down in a pile of mud. “Are you fucking kidding me.” She grumbled, exhaling a breath through her nostrils. Without another word, the half-Annfyn turned on a heel - prepared to live up to her words and actually abandon Tazlen in the muck. Vahliri barely made it a single step before the shot rang out - zipping dangerously close to her head before slamming into the muddy ground. “THE FUCK!?” She immediately ducked - covering head with her arms - amber eyes flicking up in the direction of the shot. It didn’t take the half-Annfyn long to spot the sniper - immediately taking note of his Resistance attire. He was too far away to retaliate.

She immediately glanced around - prepared to sprint for cover. Unfortunately, the half-Annfyn was effectively a sitting duck in the mostly hilly, mountainous terrain, especially as the sniper began to ascend to a higher trajectory. Her gaze snapped down towards her saber - prepared to defend herself - before it instead fixed onto Tazlen. She spotted his clear Jedi attire, the saber clipped to his belt, and considered the fact that the men on the planet were supposedly loyal to Tazlen.

Vahliri glowered at the unconscious Jedi. “I hate you,” She said with a deadpan expression, before rushing over to retrieve Tazlen out of the mud. With all the strength the half-Annfyn had, Vahliri hoisted Tazlen up and slung his arm around her shoulder - using it to carry the Jedi while his feet drug behind. Purposefully, she kept the body of Tazlen between herself and the Resistance Sniper - effectively using him like a meatshield against the enemy. She knew the Resistance fighter wouldn’t shoot their Jedi commander - and if he was Joined, Tazlen would at least absorb the shot until she could reach cover. The half-Annfyn’s breath came in labored, heavy gasps as she attempted to sprint through the mud and rain - all while carrying Tazlen’s weight on her shoulders. Her eyes squinting at the city up ahead, and every moment was spent waiting for the sniper to take another shot at her from afar.

But it never came.

The Resistance Sniper leveled his barrel on the duo, and hesitated the moment he caught sight of Tazlen’s visage. His teeth ground together, finger hovering just above the trigger as Vahliri and Tazlen slipped past the city boundaries. He watched as she drug him into an abandoned building, cutting off line of sight for that moment. As she stepped into the building, Vahliri finally lowered Tazlen from her shoulders - staggering to the ground as exhaustion washed over her. She took in a few breathes, running a hand through her black hair to pull the wet strands from her face. It was at that moment that Vahliri noticed the blood that had seeped into her robes, and was still seeping from the Jedi’s severely broken arm. She gritted her teeth, weighing the pros and cons of addressing the injury at all. In truth, the half-Annfyn considered cutting the limb off with her saber and being done with it at once.

Perhaps she would need to before too long. But for the moment, Vahliri opted for less drastic measures.

Without a word, Vahliri withdrew her saber - proceeding to run the crimson blade across the cloak that she wore, freeing a single strand of black fabric from her attire and leaving an unsightly gap in her often pristine attire. With the fabric in hand, Vahliri began to tie it tightly just above where the bone jutted forth. Working around the fracture made applying a tourniquet properly difficult, but she hoped it would be enough to slow the bleeding significantly until they reached a medbay.

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

By the time Tazlen came to, he began to realize he wasn’t in complete agony. He recalled his arm sporting an open fracture. Was he dead? Was he with the Force? He saw a bright light and he vacantly stared up for a while. He was definitely with the Force.

“Master…Arvila?” He muttered, wondering if he was about to meet the ghost of his former Jedi Master. She had fallen in battle fighting the Sith and he missed her. Perhaps being one with the Force meant he would see her again. A rare smile appeared, one of the very few times it was a genuine and warm smile on the normally rugged countenance, the glint of his fangs over his lower lip. However, after a few seconds, he began to realize he wasn’t dead. There was a faint beeping of a monitor for his vitals.

Tazlen slowly got the courage to look towards his arm, half expecting it to be gone. To his surprise, not only was it still there, but the bone had been set back in and the arm was bandaged and supported. The Jedi looked around before slowly sitting up. It was clear he was in a medical facility of some sort. There were droids around and one of them had alerted Vahliri as soon as it was apparent Tazlen was gaining consciousness.

The Jedi blinked a few times as he looked at Vahliri, beyond embarrassed that she was around to witness his little moment of hallucination. His face was set back into its usual rigid, “How did I end up here?” He looked around, “Couldn’t have been your evil, tiny self..” Tazlen inspected his arm again, wondering why he wasn’t left for dead. He finally looked at her again, quirking a brow.

“Why am I alive, V..ah..” Damn it. He still didn’t remember her name.

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

In truth, Vahliri wasn’t entirely sure how much time had passed since she arrived at the medbay. The half-Annfyn had carried Tazlen the rest of the way - weaving between the flooded streets and alleyways in hopes of avoiding the sniper still lingering.. Somewhere. She was relieved to find the droids were still operational upon arrival - and they weren’t programmed to care whether it was Sith, Jedi or Resistance keeping medical assistance.

The half-Annfyn allowed the droids to take control of the situation and completely tend to Tazlen’s injuries. In that time, Vahliri took it upon herself to tend to her own injuries - applying bacta patches to the blaster wounds and popping a few pain killers for the residual ache. She had also managed to slip into the tiny medbay shower - washing some of the dirt off in the meanwhile, Despite her combat experience, the half-Annfyn was still her prissy self and wasn’t going to neglect an opportunity to get cleaned up, if only momentarily.

By the time Tazlen started to come to, Vahliri was already sitting on the far side of the room - eyes cast down onto her commlink. She still couldn’t get signal, but it didn’t prevent her from toying with the device none-the-less. Her gaze promptly flicked up when one of the Medical droids poked to alert that Tazlen was rousing - and she couldn’t help but stare as he did. She blinked a few times - immediately catching the genuine, happy smile that graced his lips. It was an uncommon expression for the man - and despite her willingness to execute or abandoned him whenever the situation demanded it? It was a sight she committed to memory. She heard the muttered name she spoke, but chose not to say anything of it quite yet.

By the time Tazlen spotted Vahliri, the half-Annfyn was already rising from her seat. She wore only the armorweave undersuit that went with her damaged robes, while her black hair was tied into a loose braid along her right shoulder. She stepped forward, both hands coming to rest on the railing of his hospital bed. “Surprise, bitch,” She flashed him a shit eating grin, tilting her head a bit when he asked his question. “Me? Of course not. Why would I try to save your worthless ass?” The half-Annfyn said pointedly, her face entirely serious. She was entirely honest about wanting to ditch him - but for now, wasn’t going to bring up using him as a meat shield. “Noooo, it was the six-eyed, flying purple Loth-cat. Swooped down, plucked you from the mud and deposited you here for the droids to piece back together.” She glanced up at him, smirking ever-so-slightly

She took a step from his hospital bed, fiddling with a box of tissues on his nightstand. “Your arm is fine, by the way. Droids got you good as new.” The half-Annfyn finally turned back to face him, her expression souring the faintest bit as he once again forgot her name. It annoyed her for no reason in particular but it did.

“You’re alive ‘cause I carried your ass here and nearly offed myself doing it.” She shrugged. “Turns out your an even bigger pain in my back than you are my ass.”

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Tazlen eyed her curiously as she began to answer. He calmly listened to all the jokes and quips, everything she said. It answered the how and the logistics, but still not his original question. She would notice that a half grin appeared on his face as he blatantly stared at her. It was an almost smug, knowing look.

“You talk a lot when you’re nervous bullshitting, don’t you?” He asked after a moment of pause, the amusement still on his face. It was a rhetorical question and it was clear he didn’t care about her answering it. Instead, he moved right on and looked down at his arm, “Thank you,” He said calmly, sincerity in his tone, “I’m indebted to you,” No banner or allegiance changed the fact that he was alive because of her. He wouldn’t poke around about her reasoning - it wasn’t his style.

“Am I your prisoner?” He asked her rather bluntly when he looked at her again, “Or should we maybe think about a way off this fucking rock?”

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

Even while Vahliri made her quips and comments, she didn’t miss the almost smug grin that began to tug at the corners of Tazlen’s mouth - causing her fluted ears to flick around ever-so-slightly and her eyes to narrow. She did her best to ignore it at first - the amused and shit-eating expression that he wore - though the Jedi would clearly be able to see through her attempts. It was a knowing look and it only made Vahliri want to knock him right back to sleep. She stopped dead in her tracks when Tazlen made his rhetorical question - leaving the half-Annfyn with a wide-eyed and frozen expression.

She was entirely unaccustomed to the Jedi’s blunt nature from anyone else she knew in her life - and his assessment of her own little ticks was far more accurate than Vahliri would ever openly admit. Her eyes only narrowed a bit further. “Eat shit,” She muttered grumpily.

Vahliri crossed her arms over her chest, blinking a few times when Tazlen expressed his gratitude. It was genuine - and the inflection of his voice wasn’t lost on her. All the same, Vahliri couldn’t help but arch a brow when the Jedi mention being ‘indebted’ to her. “Does that earn me not being shot in the face for the foreseeable future?” She asked bluntly, though her lips tugged up ever-so-slightly regardless. There was a part of the half-Annfyn that expected him to do exactly that regardless.

“No,” Vahliri answered simply, shaking her head when Tazlen asked if he was her prisoner. “We need each other to get off this planet. I don’t need you in manacles.” The half-Annfyn reached out with the Force - yanking a chair from across the room so she could sit down comfortable at his bedside. “We’ll have our work cut out for us. As it turns out, the Kilik’s haven’t left the city entirely. There are still entire blocks crawling with them.” She paused for a moment or two, pondering their options. “Our first hope would be the hangers. Evacuation efforts were underway, but its unlikely that all of them were successful. Or that all of the shuttles made it out of the hanger - if we’re lucky, we can sneak inside and commandeer one.” Vahliri rubbed her temples a bit. “Communication relay should be functional but no one is sending troops or rescue parties onto an overrun planet.”

She gazed at Tazlen for a moment or two, pausing. “How do you feel?” She finally asked, tilting her head a bit. “Good enough to start moving?”

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Tazlen simply grinned at her rather flustered response. He shrugged at her question, “For the immediate future,” He answered matter of factly, “I’ll at least shoot while you’re looking at me instead from behind,” Tazlen added helpfully. Though he was thankful for her efforts, there was a glint in his eye that suggested that he wasn’t entirely above doing what was needed if she posed a threat. He knew the feeling was mutual and he didn’t press it.

The Jedi was in the process of getting up from the bed when the Sith asked how he was feeling. Tazlen cast her a curious glance until she quickly added on the second part of the question. It only earned her that similar smug grin that revealed just the very points of his fangs. That almost knowing grin that would get under her skin, “I can move,” He said simply as he got to his feet and pulled the IV from his other arm, “And are you all right?” Tazlen asked her in return before mockingly tagging on, “You know, to fly a ship out or otherwise make yourself useful,” There was an amused look on his face but, like before, he didn’t wait for an answer before he started to walk.

“It’s hard to tell when someone is joined,” He said as he walked with her towards the hangar, “The only clues have been repeated phrases or almost ritualistic repetitions in their speech when you listen in over comms channels,” Tazlen stepped outside of the medical facility and into the main base, “Do you know how compromised this base is?” With all the droids intact it was difficult to tell if the base had simply been evacuated or if it was actually captured by Killik and now manned by Joined troops. It was a horrifying thought as they could walk across standard soldiers without knowing if they were secretly betraying them to the Killik.

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri didn’t miss the shit-eating grin that Tazlen wore, and it only caused the half-Annfyn’s nostrils to flare and fluted ears to flick with growing agitation. Despite the short time they had known each other, the Jedi had an uncanny ability to read her like an open book - and it aggravated the half-Annfyn to no end. He would clearly see the way her eyes narrowed and her fingers twitches - quietly accessing the pros and cons of decking the Jedi while he was in a hospital bed. “More generous than I was expecting, to be honest.” She replied dryly, arching a brow at Tazlen when he spoke. It went without saying that both of them were willing to kill each other if and when it was necessary - and they were still enemies the moment they no longer had to work together.

It was an unspoken reality that both of them understood with crystal clarity - in stark contrast to the blurred lines that seemed to plague members of both their Orders.

As soon as Tazlen started getting out of bed, Vahliri turned on a heel and went back towards the chair where she was sitting. She gathered up the remainder of her belongings and dual sabers - pulling the overcoat of her robes back on and buttoning it into place. As she glanced back over to Tazlen, the Jedi would clearly see her left eye twitch - a tense breath flowing from her nostrils as he grinned and made his quips. “Certainly good enough to continue pulling weight for the both of us.” She said, flashing him a sarcastic smile.

She pulled the back over her shoulder before making for the door, “If you’re in the mood to go flying, I’ll be happy to toss your ass again.” The half-Annfyn slipped past the door, making for the entrance of the medbay and back into the city. Most of the information he provided aligned with what Vahliri already knew from Corellia - save for that bit about ritualistic chanting. When he asked his own question, Vahliri pursed her lips a bit.

“Vaguely,” She said honestly. “I only scouted a few meters out from the facility after dropping you inside. It’s hard to estimate - but the Kiliks and clearly Joined troopers have already taken up residence in facilities and patrols adjacent streets. Clearly the medbay isn’t necessary for their Hive,” She exhaled a tense breath. “It’s extensive, even if there is still holdouts elsewhere on the premises.”

“Which.. There is at least one Sniper still on the planet. Resistance - and he isn’t Joined.” She glanced over to Tazlen. “Either he’s the last man standing, or there are survivors.”

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Tazlen gasped in surprise when she mentioned the sniper, “Nails,” He said, “I gotta go back for her and any survivors,” He said as he abruptly stopped in his tracks. However, he realized that going out and chasing after her right now wasn’t the best idea, “Fuck taking a ship, let’s take a cargo speeder and pick up any survivors” The Jedi stated flatly, not giving her the option of arguing.

The Jedi turned the corner and saw Imperials marching his way. They all had their gazes trained forward. Tazlen almost stopped walking, but he noticed they all turned their heads at once to regard he and Vahliri in perfect synchronization. The Jedi didn’t slow his stride and confidently walked ahead and ignored that he was a Jedi in the presence of Imperials. He passed by them and spoke aloud, “For the queen is the highest power,” He said abruptly.

“For she is our mother,” All of the Imperials murmured back in unison as they calmly walked right past both Vahliri and Tazlen without reacting whatsoever.

Tazlen walked past them and gave Vahliri a helpless shrug and a look that said he was just as surprised that his dumbass idea actually worked. Every now and then he said the same nonsense phrases he had heard over the comlink and the Joined assumed he was a part of the Hive. Their path remained unhindered as they strode past different areas.

A quick peek suggested that the hangar was completely empty and useless, but there was an abandoned loading bay filled with speeders of all kinds. Clearly this area wasn’t deemed important as there were no Joined here. Tazlen looked around till he spotted a large cargo speeder. He smiled triumphantly before looking at Vahliri.

“You know how to hotwire that, right?” He asked hopefully, “Since you’re a criminal and whatnot? Seems like one of those things they’d teach you in Crook 101 at Korriban Elementary.”

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri couldn’t help but wince ever-so-slightly - fluted ears flattening against the sides of her skull - when Tazlen abruptly stopped in his tracks. She clearly saw the way the Jedi shifted gears and prattled on about saving the survivors - and the half-Annfyn immediately regretted mentioning it at all. She couldn’t blame the line of thought - especially as she would’ve gone back for her own soldiers and attempted to rally men to her side.

But there was a simple question of Vahliri’s own self preservation - and the prospect of being surrounded by Resistance wasn’t something that appealed to her whatsoever.While she didn’t vocalize any argument to Tazlen - who was clearly accepting none - the half-Annfyn immediately began to consider the best point to ditch the Jedi and his incoming entourage.

Exhaling through her nostrils, Vahliri continued to walk right alongside Tazlen - watching with fading confidence as the Jedi strolled up to the clearly joined soldiers. Her eyes darted between them and Tazlen - fingers instinctively twitching towards the hilt of her lightsaber. “Tazlen what the fuck are you doing!?-” She promptly shut up, listening as Tazlen abruptly came in with the Joined Mantra. The half-Annfyn blinked and repeated it without hesitation, though immediately began to prepare herself for the fight that was about to start. Only to find that it actually worked.

Vahliri could hardly believe what she was seeing. She watched with disbelief as the Joined soldiers walked right past them - none-the-wiser to Tazlen’s bullshit. Was that all it took to fool the hive? Was their stupidity simply a carry-over from the Resistance brains they’d infected? The half-Annfyn was without words, and she had no desire to glance over at Tazlen to see the victorious smile he was undoubtedly sporting. She glared over at the Jedi out of the corners of his eyes - immediately starting to walk a bit faster. “Oh shut the fuck up.” She grumbled, despite the fact he didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to actually say anything - his mere smug existence was enough.

The half-Annfyn continued to give Tazlen side-eye until they reached the cargo-bay - spotting one of the speeders that was parked in place. Her arms crossed over her chest - amber eyes flicking from between the speeder and the Jedi. Naturally, Vahliri was completely clueless about how to hotwire the vehicle - based purely upon her privileged upbringing. “Aren't the Jedi broke as shit? You can’t convince me you haven’t had to steal shit like this before,” She quipped dryly, very clearly stalling from actually having to do it herself.

Of course, the half-Annfyn was far too stubborn to actually allow Tazlen to make any point by doing it himself. After a few moments of hesitating, Vahliri eventually got down on her knees and scooted close to the speeder - blinking a few times as she stared at it. Without a word, she removed the console plate from the vehicle - proceeding to randomly pull out a few wires. It was abundantly clear the half-Annfyn had no idea what she was doing, and was exceptionally slow when it came to slowly but surely figuring it out - assuming Tazlen didn’t shove her out of the way. Unfortunately, the half-Annfyn’s slow attempts at hotwiring the speeder came with its consequences.

Within a few minutes, the pair were eventually noticed by a Joined who happened to be cutting through the cargo bay while moving elsewhere - eyes fixing onto the half-Annfyn crouched over a speeder. Confusion flashed across his features, as it was difficult to tell what she was doing from the distance and her own lack of knowledge. The man immediately began to make his way towards the pair - suspicion clear across his features. It was clear that Tazlen would have to step in to intercept the Joined - as Vahliri currently had her head tucked underneath the vehicle entirely clueless.

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Vahliri was doing…whatever she was doing. This was clearly not his area of expertise. Tazlen looked around, checking his chrono every now and then. After a few seconds of fidgeting, he looked over at Vahliri, “The fuck are you doing down there?” He asked impatiently after a moment. Deciding he had enough, he all but nudged her out of the way and started also fiddling about as if he knew what he was doing. He had a very determined look on his face as he fumbled around with some wires very importantly like they showed in Holomovies where people jammed on random keys to show they were ‘hacking’.

This meant that both of them were entirely oblivious to the Joined powerwalking menacingly towards them. Tazlen’s face brightened as he held up a part of the speeder, “Aha, I think I’ve got it!” He said with a smile seconds before the part completely detached and came off in his hand. Tazlen blinked and turned to Vahliri, opening his mouth to explain before the speeder abruptly backfired. There was a small and sudden explosion that would send them both toppling back. Tazlen coughed and sat up, looking at Vahliri with his face covered in soot and no eyebrows. He pointed at her, “Ahaha, not so cute without brows.”

The Jedi smugly got to his feet and turned to see over twenty Joined staring at them. He blinked a few times.

“Um..For the queen is the-”

“Eliminate them,” The Joined standing at the front commanded. All of the soldiers behind him leveled their blasters. Before they could fire, Tazlen haphazardly used the Force to fling the speeder at them. It was enough to ensure the bolts drilled into the speeder and bought them seconds. He turned and began to bolt in the opposite direction to find a way out of the hangar. He could hear an alarm and announcements on comms from all around about a Jedi and Sith that needed to be eliminated. He knew then that the entire hivemind on here was alerted and they were properly screwed. Getting off the planet would be almost impossible.

Tazlen spotted a speeder bike in the cargo hold of a ship and practically threw himself on top of it. He didn’t bother looking back to see if the Sith was following. With luck, she would get herself killed and slow the Joined down from pursuing. He revved up the engine and started riding the bike directly down the ship ramp, mowing through a few Joined in the process. Regardless of whether or not Vahliri managed to jump on as well, he would beeline it out of the hangar and out into the open.

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

“Shut the hell up, I’m busy.”Tedious minutes passed, and Vahliri continued to ‘work’ underneath the speeder - acting as if she knew even an inkling of what she was doing. Her mindless tinkering was complete with some very convincing ‘hmm’’s and unnecessarily tapping her finger against her chin in thought. In reality, the half-Annfyn had grown up at the peak of luxury - and the closest she’d ever gotten to the undercarriage of a speeder was the one time she ripped the bumper off a speeder who had cut off her and the rest of the Aco-squad.

None of this, however, meant that Vahliri intended upon revealing anything to Tazlen. She’d sooner lick the exhaust pipe.

Vahliri only glanced away from the speeder when Tazlen nudged her out of the way - invading her workspace and proceeding to take over. The half-Annfyn scowled a bit, her arms crossing over her chest when the Jedi began to add his own bullshit handiwork to the pile. To anyone else, the fact that Tazlen didn’t know jack shit would’ve been obvious. For Vahliri, however, her own lack of knowledge meant it was a fifty-fifty gamble in her mind. As a result, the half-Annfyn actually kept her mouth shut initially - watching his work intently. This, of course, meant that Vahliri was oblivious to her surroundings. She didn’t see the Joiner that initially approached them, nor did she see the other nineteen that followed at an almost comically slow, casual pace to watch their bullshit.

Vahliri’s eyes lit up for the briefest moment when Tazlen held up a piece of the speeder - glancing between him and the item with almost a look of hope. Maybe he was actually good for something! All that hope died when that same piece completely detached. Vahliri blinked a few times, only to cast Tazlen a look of complete judgment and confusion. It only lasted a moment before the explosion sent them both flying - soot and dirt caking her face, alongside a distinct lack of her expressive, dark brows. Vahliri’s hand immediately shot up to cover her brow ridge when Tazlen mocked her, eyes narrowing into harsh slits.

“Fuck off, you look like a cracked-out Umbaran.” She spat at Tazlen, her eyes flicking up to his grey, ash-covered face and own lack of eyebrows.

She barely was back on her feet before the half-Annfyn spotted the pack of Joined, her eyes immediately going wide. Her fingers twitched towards her lightsaber, and her jaw proceeded to drop as Tazlen attempted his previous line on the entire group of Joined.

“FOR FUCK SAKE TAZLEN!” She screeched. Without any further delay, the half-Annfyn turned on a heel and booked it in the opposite direction - following close behind Tazlen as they scrambled towards a speeder. She recognized immediately what situation they were in - and any plans about escape were instantly replaced by ways of how to simply survive. As she ran, the half-Annfyn unleashed another concussive blast of the Force backwards - knocking over another wave of Joiners as they attempted to get back onto their feet.

If Tazlen hoped Vahliri would be left behind, the Jedi was sorely mistaken. Almost immediately after he revved the engine of the speeder, Vahliri sprang onto the back of the vehicle - latching onto Tazlen’s back and proceeding to grip him tightly. Her legs wrapped and arms hugged his torso close. “HURRY UP!” She yelled literally inches away from his ear, while her crimson saber snapped to life in her right hand. As they drove, Vahliri did her best to deflect back any blaster bolts they got too close - not bothering to look ahead as Taz led them out of the base. “In that star system was that going to work?!”

Even as they crossed the threshold of the base and passed into the mountainous valleys, the Joined continued to pursue the pair. Joiners on speeders and Kilik’s taking to the air kept hot on their tail - clearly not about to be deterred from either eliminating or joining the seemingly lone survivors. Slowly but surely, however, the Kilik’s began to gain on the back of the pair - despite all the haphazard driving and evasion that Tazlen was likely doing.

Just as a flying Kilik began to swoop down, however, a single rifle bolt streaked through the air. Plasma tore through the head of the Insectoid, showering Tazlen and Vahliri with bug guts as it fell dead to the ground. A follow-up volley of four rifle bolts streaked from similar angles, as five figures rose up from behind the boulders on the ridge above. Tazlen would immediately recognize Nails and members of her squad - each of them rising up briefly to pick off the pursuers.

Nails didn’t dare use her comm and risk alerting the Joined listening over the channel - but the sniper waved her arm and gestured up the ridge - indicating to the mouth of a cavern just barely visible, poking out from behind the thick brush and vegetation.

 

[Tazlen Axil]

“Damn it, get off!” Tazlen shouted as he felt the Sith jump on the back of the bike and cling to him like an overly attached monkey. He coughed and sputtered, struggling to breathe from her grip. Tazlen just kept driving, ignoring the action happening all around them. He heard shots being deflected with a saber and was vaguely aware of Killik virtually atop them. However, that was when a shot rang out to splatter them in guts.

A quick glance over revealed who it was. Tazlen smiled and gave out a whoop of excitement, “FUCK YEAH NAILS!” He called out, “Ten points if you pop this Sith off my back!” He yelled with a laugh, knowing it was loud enough for Vahliri to hear but not for Nails. Nonetheless, he decided he enjoyed making the Sith fret.

Tazlen knew better than to lure the Killik and joined over towards Nails and her crew. He saw the gesture and made his way towards the cavern. The incline was long enough of a path to allow the Resistance time to pick off everyone that gave chase. After the tail was gone, Tazlen finally switched off the engine.

“You can let go of me, you know,” He said gruffly, waiting for her to do so before he got off the speeder bike. He stepped into the cave, deciding to wait there. He knew Nails wouldn’t arrive here until the coast was completely clear. Tazlen exhaled and checked on his bandages, surprised they hadn’t popped open with his bone sticking out again.

“My friends are gonna show up here real soon,” He told Vahl as he looked at her, “You know, the ones you didn’t wanna save,” Tazlen made the gesture of quirking a brow before remembering he had none, so the impact was completely lost, “So why don’t you just run along or something?” He did a sweeping gesture with his hand as if telling a raccoon to fuck off, “Shoo, shoo.”

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri’s growled right back at Tazlen, ignoring his requests to get off as they blitzed through the mountainous valley. “Fuck off and drive!” She barked, squeezing the Jedi into a near death-grip while her nails dug into his exposed flesh. The half-Annfyn was half-convinced she was going to fall off while attempting to deflect incoming blaster bolts, and it was clearly reflected in the way in which she hugged onto the dude - one who, otherwise, she wanted to kick down a steep cliff into the abyss.

“WHY!?” Vahliri instinctively ducked as the bug guts splattered over them. It took her a moment to register Tazlen’s hooting and hollering, and for her gaze to track up the ridge to where Nails and her squad were attempting to provide them some cover-fire. The half-Annfyn’s eyes narrowed at once - conflicting emotions of gratitude and irritation coursing through her at once. While she certainly appreciated the sniper taking shots at the Kilik’s, Vahliri wasn’t at all pleased with the idea of being surrounded by members of the Resistance.

“I will crash us both,” She hissed right back at Tazlen when the Jedi made his request of Nails. She couldn’t tell if the sniper had heard or not, amber eyes occasionally flicking upwards just to make sure. Vahliri didn’t glance back until they reached the cavern at the top of the ridge - and didn’t loosen her grip until Tazlen finally flicked the engine off. The moment he did, the half-Annfyn pushed off the speeder, swiping her hands across her face and robes to wipe off the bug guts.

“You smell awful, by the way.” She said with mounting irritation. The Jedi had an uncanny ability to grate her nerves, and the combination of bug guts and his sweaty self was currently at the top of his irritating qualities. Vahliri was half-way through wringing bug-guts out of her hair when Tazlen spoke up again, mentioning his friends on the way. “Yes, that was before you decided to blow up a speeder and alert the entire hivemind. Well done, by the way.” She said with deadpan expression, her statement followed up by a rather disgusting stream of green gloop being pulled from her black hair. "For the Queen is the highest power," She said, her voice entirely mocking.

Vahliri literally stopped what she was doing when Tazlen made his ‘shoo’ gesture at her - amber eyes flicking down to the Jedi’s hands, back to his face, down to his hands and then back again. He could clearly see the way that her jaw set and eye twitched ever-so-slightly - steam practically starting to rise from her ears. It was a bonafide miracle that the half-Annfyn didn’t attempt to Force-push the Jedi down the hill right there and then - and likely had to do with the Resistance members currently on their way.

“Why don’t you take your fucked-up arm and shove it up your ass?” She proceeded to flash the Jedi a colorful hand-gesture - jutting her middle finger into his face with a completely deadpan expression. The Kilik’s were everywhere and she had no idea where the cavern went. For now, leaving wasn’t really an option.

Within moments, Nails and her squad finally reached the cavern where the pair were waiting - a sniper rifle currently slung over the Resistance figher’s shoulder. She wasn’t more than a hair taller than Vahliri, donned in a damaged uniform bearing the insignia of the Resistance. “Tazlen!” She grinned, stepping forth to clap the Jedi on the back. “I fuckin’ knew your ass wasn’t dead.” Nails jutted her chin back towards her men. “Some of ‘em started to wonder after we got separated by those bug fuckers, but I never doubted.”

She glanced down at his arm. “The hell happened?”

Nail’s attention then flicked backwards, locking onto Vahliri. The woman immediately tensed - her fingers curling a bit tighter around the barrel of her rifle. “And who is the Imp bitch?” The rest of her squad tensed alongside her, hands lingering close if not on their weapons. Though Vahliri didn’t hardly move, Tazlen would be able to feel the half-Annfyn go tense - the Force swirling subtly around her in preparations that things might go south.

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Tazlen stared blankly at her as she snapped at him. The Jedi rolled his eyes and sighed, “God damn, do you ever shut up? How did you survive this long without a Sith Lord choking you?” He asked in exasperation. He walked over to sit down on a boulder, wiping Killik guts off himself. His arm began to hurt as the meds wore off, but he attempted to ignore it for now. Fortunately, he didn’t need to wait long before Nails showed up.

Tazlen vaguely shrugged as Nails asked about the Sith, “She helped patch up my arm,” He admitted, “Saved my ass out there,” He rose to stand, “But she can take care of herself,” He said to the group, implying that they didn't need to bring her along.

“Wait,” A tall and gruff Feoorin interjected, looking at Vahliri but addressing the group, “If she’s Imp, she may be able to get access to the base up North that has some ships. May be the only way off and intel suggests it ain’t been compromised yet.”

“Hold up, I ain’t trusting no Imp trash,” Nails snapped, spitting near Vahliri’s feet as she glared at her, “Did y’all forget what happened to Renji’s crew? This bitch will lead us all to our deaths."

“Agreed,” Tazlen said, “We find our own way off, Tank. She'll be fine in the cave and can comm her folks. I'm not risking you all.”

Tank scowled back, “What kinda good guys are we if we leave someone behind in a cave after they saved Taz with Killik up our asses?” He glared at Nails, "You know there ain't no one else out there. People either left or they're Joined."

“She used Taz as a human shield, Tank,” Nails hissed before turning to look at Vahliri, “Don’t even deny it. I saw you through my scope. I’d have dropped you if you didn’t use Taz to shield yourself.”

Tazlen’s eyes widened, not having known that. If Vahliri looked at him, she would see genuine surprise and disappointment on his face. There was nothing but silence. No one said a word after that.

“We find our own way off,” Nails stated, repeating Tazlen's comment as she stared Vahliri down. This time Tank was silent.

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

For once, Vahliri did shut up - and it was only due to the tense stance between herself and the Resistance soldiers. The Force silently swirled around her, and the half-Annfyn was prepared to defend herself if things went south and the survivors decided they wanted to take out their frustrations on the ‘Imp bitch.’ Luckily, Tazlen seemed to defuse things by revealing she had helped to patch up his arm.

Her arms promptly folded over her chest, amber eyes darting between each of them. Her gaze met Tank for a long moment, only to rapidly flick between Tazlen and Nails. The vitriol on the sniper’s voice was clear - and the spitting towards her feet only caused the half-Annfyn’s fluted ears to twitch in irritation.

It wasn’t until Nails spoke her venom - addressing her directly, that Vahliri broke her silence. “Yes, I did.” The half-Annfyn’s tone was frigid as a glacier - eyes narrowed into daggers as she stared back at Nails. If she saw the look from Tazlen, she made no acknowledgement of it just then. If any of them thought Vahliri would back-peddle from her actions, they were bound to be mistaken.

“Frankly, your shit aim wouldn't have gotten past my guard once I got my saber. Otherwise you would’ve popped me the first time,” Her gaze never broke from Nails, venom dripping from her words. A part of her wanted to provoke the woman, but she continued right along. “But I saw your insignia, and knew you weren’t going to shoot me with him on my shoulders.” She shrugged. “It worked, and I doubt a single one of you would’ve done otherwise.” Her gaze flicked over to Tazlen, eyeing the Jedi for a long moment. “I could have left him in that abandoned house after I broke your line of sight and let him bleed out. I could have put my saber through his heart to look out for myself.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t.” Dragging him to the medbay, fixing his arm, cutting her robes to tourniquet his arm - all of it had been voluntary, and there was little arguing against it.

“I really don’t give a fuck what you think of me,” She said flatly, her gaze flicking between the rest of them. “Tazlen is alive because I drug his ass there. But more importantly - your friend here has a point. If it hasn’t fallen, that base is the best way off this planet, and I’m your best way of getting anywhere near it.” The fact that it was uncompromised was news to her. She glanced over at Tazlen. “You saw their numbers. Think you’re going to fight your way through jack shit?”

“Come with me to the base, or don’t.” She said with a small shrug of her shoulders. The simple reality was that Tazlen was right - if worst came go worst, the half-Annfyn could handle herself. She would make it there regardless.

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Nails scoffed as Vahliri rounded in on her. By now, both Tazlen and Tank exchanged looks, knowing better than to interject.

“I don’t miss,” She stated curtly, standing tall above Vahliri, “It was a warning shot,” Nails crossed her arms over her chest, “So why didn’t you?” She asked flatly, “Why didn’t you put a saber through him or let him bleed out?” Nails took a step closer.

“All right all right,” Tazlen finally cut in, “We’re wasting time. If we’re gonna use that Imperial base we need to go now before the Killik take that too.”

The Jedi pinched the bridge of his nose before taking out a cigarra and tossing one to Nails as well. He glanced over at the Sith, “Is there a way we can disguise ourselves to enter the base?” He asked, still not thrilled about this being their course of action. Tank, on the other hand, was ecstatic to see everyone getting along. Being a massive Feeorin just meant he was an oversized teddybear.

Nails opened her mouth to argue but Tazlen placed a hand on her shoulder as he looked at her, “It’s not my favorite idea either, but it’s the only one we’ve got. I won’t let this be another Renji fiasco,” The sniper’s features softened almost immediately at Tazlen’s touch. She simply sighed and nudged Tazlen almost affectionately before turning to the others.

“We have speederbikes for transport with enough fuel to get us to the base,” She looked at Vahliri, “No room for you though.”

Tazlen sighed, “I’ll use the one I came in,” He wasn’t excited about it, but it would work for now. Nails didn’t look happy about this either, but she held her tongue this time.

“All right, move out!”

The others began to make their way out, Nails having found a discreet path that allowed them to move without being detected by Killik. Tazlen got back on the speeder bike he stole and waited for Vahliri to hop on behind him.

“Fuck me over however you please,” He said quietly while looking ahead, “But don’t screw them over…please,” Tazlen added the last word under his breath, but he knew she would hear. Without waiting for an answer, he revved up the engine and set off towards the base.

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

Though she said nothing, Vahliri couldn’t help the way her fluted ears flicked and flattened ever-so-slightly in response to Nails. She watched the sniper take a single step forward, and the half-Annfyn only hoped she would escalate further. Vahliri wanted nothing more than a reason to bash the woman’s face against the cave walls and to wipe the smirk off her face - even if it cost her the cooperation of the other Resistance fighters nearby. The satisfaction alone would’ve been worth whatever loss.

Her fingers twitched ever-so-slightly with instinctive response, only for Tazlen to once again intervene before things could go further. Though she heard Nail’s question, Vahliri had precisely zero intention of providing an answer. Instead, her head merely tilted ever-so-slightly, a grin beginning to trace her lips that Nails would clearly see. She wanted that question to linger and fester in the Sniper’s mind. She wanted the woman to hate her - confident in the knowledge that they needed to work together.

Vahliri glanced over to Tazlen, arms crossed over her chest when his question was posed. She was silent for a long moment, pondering the possibilities before them. “If the base is uncompromised and you show up dressed like that,” She jutted her thumb at Nails and the insignia she bore, “You’re as good as dead. Regardless of what I have to say about it.” She rubbed her temples a bit.

“Your best option will be to steal uniforms. Half the Joined are still using Imperial issue shit - shouldn’t be too hard to ambush a formation of them and nab a few. They might suspect we’re Joined, but they won’t suspect Resistance.” She shrugged a bit. “If the base is compromised.. We sneak in through the chaos.”

Her gaze flicked between Tazlen and Nails - not missing the way that the Sniper seemed to relax and nudge against the Jedi’s touch. The dots slowly but surely began to connect within the half-Annfyn’s mind, and it was a bit of information she kept to herself for later. She followed Tazlen back to his bike, hopping onto the back and wrapping her arms around the Jedi as they began to speed across the mountainous valleys.

“Fucking each other over,” She responded back dryly, “Is beneficial to neither of us.” There didn’t need to be love between them. There didn’t need to be trust. There could be all the amity and hatred in the world - so long as both sides understood they needed each other for the time being. As the cluster of speeders began to travel north, they would be relieved to find that the weather had cleared substantially. While the ground was still swollen with water and roads were ruined with mud, traversing the terrain was significantly easier than the conditions Tazlen and Vahliri had been subjected to some time ago.

As they crested over another ridge, Vahliri raised her hand into the air - signaling for their group to halt in place. Further into the valley, the group would be able to just make out a group of individuals marching north - clearly headed towards the Imperial base in that direction. It wasn’t entirely clear if they were Joined or if they were Imperial survivors, as no Insectoid escorted their group. Vahliri gritted her teeth at the sight, knowing the fifty-fifty chance she was getting it wrong by assuming they were Joined.

But that choice was there?

Without another bit of consideration, Vahliri glanced back to Tazlen and the rest. “We need to dispatch them without alerting the rest of the Hive. No fanfare, no survivors.” The half-Annfyn said, not allowing herself to spiral any further into the what-if's. She threw her leg off the speeder, jutting her chin to Tazlen. “He and I can get the jump on them easy enough, try to catch them off guard.”

Her gaze flicked over to Nails. “Time to see if your aim isn’t shit after all.”

[/size]

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Tazlen watched as they all took their positions, leaving him and Vahliri to jump the group approaching the base. He had to grin at her, “Bold of you to assume I’ll be much help with this arm,” He followed her nonetheless, “How do you know they’re joined?” Tazlen didn’t wait for an answer, moving closer towards the group.

His sensitive ears could pick up on some of the conversation and it was still difficult to tell whether or not they were Joined. As they crept closer, Tazlen instinctively reached a hand over to grasp Vahliri’s wrist to keep her from doing anything, “You’re really gonna give the kill order without making sure they’re Joined first?” He whispered quietly. They were Imperials and more of them dead meant less for the Resistance or Jedi to fight. However, he still felt uneasy about the nature of doing this.

“We got a couple in our crosshairs,” Nails’ voice came in through the comms loud enough for Vahliri to pick up, “We droppin’ em?”

Tazlen stiffened and he looked at Vahliri again. As these were Imperials, this was her call, but she would see the clear conflict on his face. If they were Joined, the safest way was to eliminate them all at once. Otherwise, it risked notifying the Hivemind. On the other hand, if they weren’t Joined, they would be massacring innocent Imperials that had just survived from elsewhere.

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’re just as useless with or without the arm.” Vahliri said back smugly, flashing Tazlen a shit-eating grin in response to his quip. She shook her head a bit and continued right along - glancing back and pausing only long enough to confirm that Tazlen was following as she slinked further down the ridge. Much to her pleasure, they were still shrouded by the heavy brush and vegetation - the likes of which provided ample cover to move into position above the group of troopers.

Even with her sensitive hearing, Vahliri couldn’t decipher whether the group was Joined or not - conversations vague and unhelpful in that regard. The half-Annfyn considered reaching into the mind of one of the troopers - to tear into his thoughts and see for herself.. But she knew that came with a cost. To peer into the Hivemind was a danger in itself, and it was almost certain to alert the individual in question if they were Joined. Just as she could look in, so too could the hive stare back at her. Though she said nothing, Tazlen would almost certainly be able to see the slight changes in Vahliri’s body language. The way her fluted ears flattened against her skull and lingered there. How her muscles tensed and her amber eyes remained harshly - almost desperately fixed onto the objective.

She didn’t want to look back at him - to see the conflict on his face or the hesitation in his eyes, out of fear it would only amplify her own.

“I don’t,” She finally said, responding to his initial question. There was no risk-free way to confirm that question. The half-Annfyn couldn’t help but grit her teeth - allowing that possibility to torment her in ways that she wished it wouldn’t. There was a growing part of Vahliri that simply wanted to justify the methods and do what was necessary without a second thought. To convince herself the risk outweighed everything else. Her fingers lingered across the hilt of her saber, twitching ever-so-slightly towards the metallic surface. In the blink of an eye, the half-Annfyn could ignite her weapon and cut through the Joined Soldiers. Tank and Nails could manage two of them at least, and Tazlen likely the rest. It would be swift. Merciless. Effective. They could take the uniforms and go - burying the bodies and whatever uncomfortable questions lingered with them.

And yet she couldn’t.

Vahliri’s jaw set into a firm line at once. The hesitation kept her from drawing her blade or responding to Nails - and it brought forth an immediate surge of anger from the half-Annfyn. Perhaps it meant she wasn’t quite the monster that the Resistance believed her to be. Or perhaps it made her weak.

“Tell her to wait. Cover my ass,” She all but growled back at Tazlen, creeping forth ever-so-slightly down the ridge. Shrouded a bush and cluster of fallen branches, Vahliri reached forth with her right hand - allowing the Force to flow from her fingertips. It snaked forth and sank into the trooper closest to her - attempting to pierce directly into his mind. Untrained and non-Force Sensitive, she had no difficulty completing her task.

If the man wasn’t Joined, he would suffer only the effects of her sudden mental intrusion - just long enough to gleen what she needed. If he was Joined, however? Vahliri risked alerting the group of troopers - and the hive - of her own presence.

@Sreeya

 

[Tazlen Axil]

Tazlen bit back the grin that threatened to creep across his face. He was happy with the choice regardless of how things turned out. The Jedi gave the hand signal for Nails and the crew. Tank heaved a sigh of relief especially as they watched.

As soon as Vahliri entered the trooper’s mind, it became immediately clear that they made the wrong move. Tazlen already knew he wouldn’t hear the end of this as he watched all of the Imperials suddenly move in perfect synchronization. They all whipped around to look at Vahliri at once. However, before anything happened, a series of blaster bolts flew through the air. All of them found their mark, dropping the Imperials right where they stood.

Tazlen didn’t even have to do anything, but he did nod back at Nails. Nails, however, wasn’t looking at him. She was instead giving the most smug grin at Vahliri while munching on some gum. Of course she was. Tazlen rolled his eyes and made his way towards the downed Imperials.

“We only have a small window before the rest of the Killik show up here,” Tazlen said as he began to tug away at his Jedi robes. Nails and the rest of the crew came down to quickly change. The sniper took off her outer jacket, revealing her toned and tatted arms in her tank top. She put on an Imperial jacket, the insignia good enough to pass for the role.

Tazlen managed to get his Jedi robes partially off. He was clearly unfazed by getting undressed, but he had trouble managing with one arm. Under the robes, he had a surprisingly toned physique. There was an insignia tattooed on his chest above his heart that represented Firrerre, something very few would ever recognize.

“Stop stop before you make a fool of yourself,” Nails called out as she came over, a noticeably warmth in her demeanor that wasn’t there before. She picked up an Imperial uniform and moved in close to help Tazlen. The Jedi cracked a few jokes and if Vahliri was watching, she would clearly see the dynamic. While there was fondness in Nails’ eyes as she helped him dress, Tazlen was far more casual and very much at a distance. It took him a few moments longer, but soon he was clad in an Imperial officer uniform. He cut a surprisingly attractive figure in the form fitting uniform than his looser Jedi robes.

“Shit I gotta be prepared to answer questions since I’m apparently a second lieutenant,” He glanced down at his badge. Nails’ gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she cleared her throat and looked away, the rugged demeanor instantly back.

“All right, let’s move out,” She began to walk, glancing over to Vahliri, “Lead the way, Imp princess. Now that you’ve seen how well I aim, hopefully you won’t pull some bullshit.”

@Altaris