Pest Control

[Sreeya]

Val crouched down next to a dead body. From the looks of it, he had been killed just a day prior. This was a remote part of the planet, a village that was constantly under attack. This had been going on for years before finally reaching Jedi ears. She decided to take up the assignment to find this village, along with Huang. Given their ranks, just the two of them were enough for the job. She rose to her feet, sighing. The wound was made by primitive weapons, though it looked as if he had been axed over a dozen times before finally keeling over. There was also blunt force trauma to the head.

"This is the third body. We're definitely at the right place.."

As she stepped further into the village, a chill went up her spine. This was more like a ghost town. All the windows were barred shut, there was not a single person out on the streets and death loomed all around them. However, her attunement to the Force told her there were others in the area. They were surrounded, though no one was immediately visible. Val grimaced, her hand hear the hilts on her hips.

"I have a bad feeling about this.."

 

[Will]

''I concur.''

Huang stood tall, surveying the scene. It was brutal. These bodies had been rent asunder without restraint. The weapons used were mainly blunt.

The whole place stank of the dark side. It was saturated with negative energy. Something horrible was happening here.

He knelt, touching a discarded weapon. He touched the force, using the art of psychometry, feeling the weapon's 'memories' He saw blood, and death.

People in masks. Crude, nothing more than cloth around their heads.

Ahead.

''Through there.'' Huang pointed down the thoroughfare. Frighteningly cliché.

''So, happy to be back into missions, Knight Cross?''

* * *

Raziel sat, staring at the chosen babysitter. It was not the stare of a happy baby. It was a cold stare, eyes taking on a light beyond their years. Reminiscent of a certain high ranking Jedi.

Padawan Krosh-Tell sat opposite the child, unsure what to do. Knight Val had told her to watch her child. So far, he had been quiet.

Raziel grinned. It was a dark little grin, with too much teeth.

And Krosh-Tell's discomfort became fear.

​

 

[Sreeya]

Val rolled her eyes at his words, grinning. How he could lighten the situation despite the obvious gloom hanging around them was beyond her. She followed his lead, her eyes always wandering around them. Val glanced up at Huang, eyebrow raised.

"Hm, this is the first time we're working together. Try to stay out of my way-"

Val immediately jumped as a knife flew inches away from her face, the blade embedding into the wood panel behind her. The hilt shuddered for a moment, a threatening reminder that it could have been lodged into her face. Val wasn't looking, however, her eyes on the figure before them. It was a tall humanoid figure and he had two vibroswords on his back, along with a large collection of knives around his waist. His face was concealed behind a mask. He approached them, his gruff voice ringing out in basic.

"You're trespassing. Get out of here. No questions, just turn and walk away."

Val sighed, knowing she had to reiterate the usual Jedi bullcrap before every inevitable fight.

"We come in peace. This village has been und-"

"Wrong move, bitch."

Val ducked as yet another knife flew over her head. The man drew both vibroswords, a whistle calling forth the rest of his gang. Soon, they were surrounded by masked figures, all armored. Though they were not Force sensitive, it was apparent they were skilled in combat. Val was actually surprised by how well they had remained hidden. She drew a single saber, the azure blade igniting. She shook her head.

"Well, at least we cut right through the bullshit and got to the action."

 

[Will]

Ah, a masked villain! How unique! So unique he had dressed his goons the same way.

''Always with the lightsabre.'' Huang muttered, his own blade hissing from its sheath. It gleamed in the light, power radiating from it.

He blurred, rushing the circle. In one move, he decapitated a foe, his weapon cutting through the armour like butter. The rest of the gang paused for a second, shock at the act, so simple, yet brutal.

But then they gathered their wits, trying to rely on numbers.

Not realising they were facing a Sword master of the Jedi order, of course.

* * *

Raziel's grin was still on his face as he wriggled and grunted.

Krosh-Tell gasped, holding her hand over her nose, the stench assailing it. She had to change him! And quick.

She put him on the table, taking off his soiled nappy, the smell increasing.

And Raziel giggled, unleashing a stream of liquid punishment.

Krosh-Tell's arms pinwheeled as she fell over, stunned by the act.


​

 

[Sreeya]

Val looked over and had to laugh. The katana was strapped onto her back, but she seldom used it.

"If you must know, the sword is being saved for a certain someone."

She was not looking at what Huang was doing, looking to cut her own path through the mob. They circled her from all angles, brandishing their vibroswords and dashing in for the attack. Val knew she would need both sabers to cut them down efficiently. She was a whirlwind of motions, pivoting and dancing around her enemies. She met a particularly nasty swipe from the side, blocking it with her saber and using the other to lop off the man's head. Val grimaced at having to take so many lives before they could be reasoned with. Through the fray, she couldn't help but notice that the man with the wide assortment of knives was missing.

***​

"Why is this a problem?"

"Two Force users. They're-"

"JUST TWO?"

"...I think one is a lightsider and the other a dark sider."

"What? How? Well....You know what to do. And get it the hell away from me."

"Right away."

***​

Val was running up the sides of buildings with ease, her acrobatic skills aiding her tremendously in crowd control, as she could easily surround and attack from all angles. The men had a hard time following her movements, as she was all over the place. At this point, blaster bolts were flying everywhere, as men hidden within the buildings took shots from above. Her connection to the Force allowed her to sense incoming projectiles, allowing her to deflect them easily.

However, a second later, she felt a crippling wave of weakness wash over her. Val staggered back, suddenly finding it difficult to control her saber with the precision she had moments ago. It took her a while to realize there was an Ysalamiri in the area. Val cursed under her breath, quickly ducking into a small crevice between buildings. She knew she couldn't rely on the Force to sense the blaster bolts anymore, though she would be able to handle using a blade.

"Not so tough now, are you?!"

That familiar voice rang out as the 'leader' came back to fight. He was still in the shadows, slinking through the alleys. His voice was misleading, not an indication of his location. As he came up through an alley, he laterally faced Huang's right. Three knives were thrown in quick succession, all aimed to land near the neck for one instant kill.

 

[Will]

Huang continued to slice through his opponents, scything through their ranks, now disarrayed and haggard. None of them could stand before him as he flitted between them, spinning, twisting, lunging, each movement ending a life.

Huang relied on the force even less than Val, but still, the feeling of it being simply gone. He had only his instincts now. He spun, his blade slashing up, the three knives blocked, just. He continued to fight, taking time to compensate for his loss. Their numbers began to overwhelm him as he tried to pull back, to the shadows. It was like losing a limb, being without the force... an alien feeling. One he wished upon no Jedi.

He realised, then, how it felt to be normal.

* * *

Krosh-Tell got up, tutting, finishing the job. Raziel stretched out his pudgy arms, a childish smile on his face, so unlike the earlier grin. Krosh-Tell, perhaps broody, smiled, picking up Raziel. He giggled, grabbing her hair, and yanking.

She screamed, resisting the urge to drop Raziel, trying to put him on the table. He only held on tighter, laughing at her pain.
​

 

[Sreeya]

Val felt completely blind, shrinking further back into the alley. Being severed from the Force also meant she couldn't sense where Huang was or how he was faring, though she did not worry too much. She knew she couldn't simply rush out and attack, having to rely on stealthier tactics. Val backed away from the dead body in front of her, glancing to the side to find a window. She crawled in immediately, extinguishing her saber to cut the trademark hum that would betray her location. She drew out the Force katana instead. Though the Force did not lace it, it was still a lethal weapon.

She had broken into what looked like a general store, sneaking around the shelves and boxes. Val almost ran into a man that had been hiding out. He raised his sword and came right at her. She met his blade with the convex of hers, the clanging of metal resounding as she pivoted to his side, punching him on the face. While he staggered back, she drove the katana deep into his gut, staining the blade for the first time. She yanked it back, not taking a second look at her handiwork. She ran out the back of the store, spotting a set of stairs leading to the upper levels. Val knew being on the other side would be too dangerous. She could already hear footsteps rushing her way.

Val climbed up the stairs and jumped in through the window, immediately spotting two men with guns mounted on the windows on the opposite end. They were carefully aiming, leading her to believe that Huang was possibly down there. Val slowly crept up behind them and abruptly grabbed their heads, slamming them together. The shots still rang out, but way off target. Before the men could recover, Val had already drawn her blade and made short work of the duo. She picked up the a standard slugthrower and a small blaster, now armed to pick anyone off from above. Before she could do anything, a shot was fired from the building opposite of hers. There were men with blasters in there as well, the bolt lightly grazing her shoulder from the surprise attack. She quickly shifted so her back was against the adjacent wall, cursing her luck. She knew a group was making its way up to her location. In the meantime, she could hear the leader laughing at the top of his lungs, his voice seemingly booming from all angles. He moved fast, knowing this area like the back of his hand.

 

[Will]

Huang continued to fight his way along, cuts building up over his face and hands. He actually felt a bit out of breath. It was totally alien to him. And all he could hear was the laughter, bouncing around him, closer, then further away...

A couple of shots were fired way off target. A quick burst of logic causing him to realise they had been cut off. That meant Val was up there...

He ducked into a doorway as repeater fire stitched the air. He pulled out a grenade, one of the few weapons other than blades he had, throwing it to where the fire had come from. Luckily, it bounced in, eliciting screams and a rain of masonry. He needed to get rid of that Ysalamari. He rushed to the next doorway, leaping from cover to cover, cutting down those in his path, with greater difficulty, but Huang's natural skill made up for the lack of the force rushing within him.

 

[Sreeya]

Val glanced up at the group of thugs right in front of her. She raised her sword, prepared to make the dash, realizing she couldn't deflect bullets now. However, she was mercifully saved when an explosion shook the ground. The men in front of her were completely shocked, toppling back from the impact. Val was still on her guard, immediately jumping out the window. She grabbed a hold of a pipe and slid down, ducking into cover before any shots could be fired. The grenade had taken out quite a few men, but there were plenty more.

Val couldn't spot Huang at all, and her concerns were beginning to cloud her judgment. She couldn't tell if he had been in the explosion or not, though the thugs scampering away told her otherwise. She ducked behind another building, carefully creeping behind to come up on the other side. However, she abruptly felt jolting pain course through her leg. A quick glance told her there was a knife lodged in her leg. Seconds later, her leg buckled, causing her to use the wall as support.

"Let's see those fancy tricks now."

She looked up to see the 'leader'. He twirled another knife in hand, launching it in the air. Val caught it with her sword, sending it off its set path. The pain in her leg was doubled without the Force being there to help alleviate it. She was slow now, which only made things worse. The man, frustrated, drew his vibrosword swooping in to attack. Val engaged him, meeting his blade with her own. She hadn't even had time to yank the knife out yet.