Ask The Best Laid Plans

Emryc Thorne

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Emryc was not having a good day.

He was on the planet Keldooine, which still unfortunately had quite a bit of Hutt influence. He had connections to the Syndicates in the past, but he had severed those when he took to being President Thorne. Spicelord as a character faded into obscurity years back, and his former agreements with Preef Callo all but dissolved. As a result, he had no doubts that the ISC would collectively face aggression from the Syndicates.

Convincing the leaders on the planet to evacuate their people was proving to be a pain. Emryc was here to pitch the newly formed refugee program designed by Governor Ordalos. Being over 90% overrun by AMS meant that Keldooine was an immediate target for evacuation. The problem was that the local leaders wanted to squeeze everything they could from the collapse, collecting from the spoils and putting the remaining lower class citizens to work. Any attempts to strong-arm invited aggression from the Hutts in swift retaliation.

No, the move to evacuate needed to be a collected outcry from the people. So far the corrupt leaders had the public convinced that the situation wasn’t so dire, and their perimeters were good enough to permanently keep them safe from the hordes.

The compounds were tall and well fortified, but they wouldn’t hold forever. Emryc was in such a compound now, the visit officially on the docket and well publicized to socialize his campaign against AMS. Unlike usual, he wasn’t dressed formally for this visit. The half Sephi was adorned in a white button down, the sleeves rolled and tucked at the elbows. He wore tasteful jeans with a brown belt and a bantha hide chrono to match on his wrist. In the absence of a jacket, and despite his attempts to tailor it as such, the button down fit snug to his rigidly defined form to give him a perpetually intimidating appearance..

The half Sephi did not get irritated easily, but this visit was certainly pushing it. He came out of a diplomatic building with the Keldooine leaders - all dressed more like small time mercenaries than actual diplomats. The meeting didn’t go as he wanted, and his face was its usual stoic. He knew it would be a bad look for ISC for him to simply abandon the planet. Emryc dodged past reporters, his droid bodyguard working to push back the crowds. The half Sephi made his way down the street towards the food stalls. He kept walking along the rows, desperately looking for a vegetarian option that wasn’t too spicy.

Every now and then a starfighter zoomed above to pepper the areas outside the walls with cannonfire.
 

Jaikus Thorne

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Of all the planets in the galaxy, Keldoonie was probably one of the last places that Jaikus would willingly visit given the choice. Not only was the place a hotbed of AMS infections, but the few places that could be considered safe – to use that word exceptionally lightly - were terribly dirty and overflowing with people. For a man who had spent his life among the glittering upper echelons of society, it was a thoroughly uncomfortable experience.

Despite his personal reluctance for the planet itself, there were a number of reasons for his current presence at the compound. As of recently, Jaikus had made a name for himself as an accomplished diplomat – a skill which so often was in short supply amongst the Sith. It was this penchant for diplomacy that made him a perfect candidate for the disreputable work of negotiating backdoor deals with the criminal elements on the planet. The Sith sought to expand their influence everywhere, and the Hutt empire was no exception.

There was, of course, more to it than that. Business had brought Jaikus to Keldooine, as well as something more. It had been weeks now since the Marauder had departed from the planet Telos IV, leaving behind the horrors that he’d experienced there. Despite his best efforts, there were a great deal of questions that still tugged at his mind since the experience – questions that he craved answers to. How convenient then, that his volunteered job on the planet coincided with the planned visit of a certain half-Sephi.

Exiting the shady location where he’d just finishing meeting with representatives of Keldooine’s criminal elements, the Marauder made a concerted effort to walk around the puddles of mucky water and gods-knew what else, a clear expression of distaste painted across his expression.

For this particular expedition, Jaikus had traded his armor and overly-flamboyant clothes for something simpler yet equally refined. He wore a pair of tight-fitting black dress pants and light
grey button-up, the first few buttons left purposefully undone to expose the upper part of his chest. The entire ensemble was accessorized with a simple chrono on his wrist, as well an aurodium necklace that hung from his throat – a simple-looking ring of unknown origin attached to the chain and resting lazily against his clavicle.

Like a man on a mission, Jaikus methodically dodged between the people and the filth of the compound, citrine eyes carefully scanning for someone amongst the hustle and bustle. Luckily for him, the quarry he sought was consistently trailed by a flock of reporters, making him stick out like a sore thumb in any crowd.

Just as Emryc passed one of the food stalls on his search for something to eat, familiar voice called out to him from the right. Glancing in the direction would reveal Jaikus had beaten him to one of the few stalls that satisfied both a vegetarian and spice-adverse palette. With hands in his pockets and a toothy grin plastered across his expression, Jaikus jutted his chin towards one of the menu options.


“You ought to try the Gamorrean Noodles. I hear they are quite good here.”


@Sreeya
 
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Emryc Thorne

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Emryc looked over the menu options when he arrived at one of the stalls, displeased almost immediately. Either they sounded greasy, or they involved eating without utensils - both options equally horrifying to the health conscious and picky half Sephi. Emryc had to hunch slightly to peer into the stall, his head actually putting him above the menu boards.

It was then that he heard a voice that made him jerk his head around to look. For that split moment, there was no hiding the look of genuine shock on his face. The silvers were wide, eyebrows slanted slightly up. It was a look that was exceedingly rare on the man’s normally inscrutable face. There was also no helping the cursory flick down and then up to take in sight of Jaikus in his irritatingly flattering attire. The shock was replaced as soon as it appeared, though internally he remained jarred.

Memories and thoughts of Telos flooded back into his mind. Truth be told, he hadn’t thought about that day since, completely shutting it down and compartmentalizing it as was his nature. He hadn’t expected to see Jaikus anytime soon. And he certainly did not expect to see him out in a setting where he was President Thorne. A prickle of concern traced up the back of his neck. Was Jaikus here to intimidate him and remind him that he knew about his identity? Was he here to expose him? Should Emryc have eliminated him when he had the chance?

The half Sephi initially opted to ignore him, debating going back the way he came. However, he knew the man was not one to give up easily. Emryc quietly walked towards the stall by Jaikus, still not looking at him as he hunched over to order himself a vegan fruit and veggie smoothie. He stood back up to his full height, angled so Jaikus faced his side profile.

“There must be a truly compelling reason for you to be here of all places,” Emryc stated icily as he handed over currency that had his own face on it in exchange for the smoothie.

The half Sephi still did not look at him, turning to begin walking away from the stall and towards the more crowded districts. He wasn’t entirely sure what his strategy was. Blend in? With his frame that made him appear like a Krayt Dragon among jawa? His flight responses kicked in as he casually began to stride as if he had some important meeting to attend.

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

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Where Emryc was capable of compartmentalizing and shutting down what had happened on Telos, Jaikus had no such ability. The events on the planet had festered and stewed in his mind the moment his starfighter that punched through the atmosphere. They had haunted him as he worked, finally taking the time these past few weeks to decipher what it was he actually looted from the temple. Even whilst he had been in negotiations less than an hour prior, the questions clawed at the back of his psyche and tried to come up with an answer.

He wasn’t about to blurt it out and admit it, but it had been the primary reason he drug himself to this backwater hellhole.

Leaning his slender weight against the stall, citrine’s watched with a spark of amusement as Emryc’s eyes inadvertently darted up and down. He caught the way the half-Sephi admired his unnecessarily tight clothes, as well as the way the man immediately took to staring holes into the stall in front of him afterwards, as if compensating for a momentary slip up. It was enough for a dark brow raising slightly. “It’s certainly better than the armor, I know.” It likely drove the man insane, but Jaikus was clearly never going to miss an opportunity to make his little quips and comments.

Where Emryc averted his eyes as if he’d been caught in the act, Jaikus showed no such diffidence. The Axxilan watched as the half-Sephi hunched over the stall where he was standing, not missing the opportunity to admire the way that the man’s button-down hugged his defined form. When Emryc finished his order, Jaikus jutted his head towards the man behind the stall as well. ordering a cup of fruit and yogurt for himself – conveniently paying for it with the same currency as Emryc. Considering it wasn’t his mug plastered across the front, paying for things didn’t bring him nearly half the satisfaction it likely did for Emryc.

“What, does this not seem like my native habitat?” Jaikus squinted slightly at the remark, though the smirk on his lips didn’t fade. Sharp eyes had been trained on Emryc as they weaved through the citizens that crammed into the populated district, a subtle twinge of displeasure playing out across the Axxilan’s features as people continuously bumped against him. A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth, now taking on a legitimately serious tone. “I thought I blended in rather well.” As if on que, Jaikus was forced to make a dramatic step around one of the murky puddles that had accumulated on the ground in front of him – just barely dodging the horrific concept of dousing himself in the petri dish of diseases it likely was. “Perhaps I simply enjoy your wonderful conversation.” He mused, wiggling his brows towards the man who was purposefully attempting to look away.

With snack in-hand, Jaikus began to walk beside the half-Sephi as he moved towards the more crowded districts of the compound as if they had somewhere to go. Unfortunately for Emryc, he was a public figure as President of the ISC and his agenda was something which was heavily monitored and released to the media. A diplomat himself, Jaikus quite literally knew that the half-Sephi had nowhere important to go, and yet trailed him all the same.


"I take it meetings didn't go well?"


@Sreeya
 

Emryc Thorne

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Emryc gave absolutely zero indication that he hard anything that Jaikus was saying. The half Sephi stared right ahead, one hand in his pant pocket as the other held his oversized smoothie. He drew from the straw as he walked through the crowds. Most of them parted the path for him, admiring him or hating him from a distance. The intimidating droid next to him also worked wonders for crowd control.

He was on autopilot as he walked until Jaikus had a theatrical reaction to a puddle. He bumped into Emryc as a result, the straw jamming up into his mouth to make him cough and sputter. The half Sephi turned away to cough a few times, punching his chest slightly to calm it down. He glanced back at Jaikus with his eyes narrowed.

The half Sephi resumed sipping from his straw eventually before suddenly glancing up. A fruit came hurtling from the crowds towards Emryc. Jaikus knew the Sith Lord was skilled enough to pull some very clever maneuvers to avoid this with the Force. Instead, Emryc kept walking as normal, a look of almost bored exasperation on his face as he knew what to expect. The fruit collided with his shoulder and splattered in an explosion of purple against his white shirt. Jaikus would notice the purposely delayed reaction that was matched exactly with someone that had no connection to the Force.

“THIS IS OUR HOME! WE’RE NOT GOING TO LEAVE!”

The man that threw the fruit shouted from the back as he was subsequently tackled by others. There was a huge commotion as the crowds began to shout and fight amongst one another. Emryc’s droid physically shoved crowds back and allowed him a window to duck into an empty side alley. The half Sephi had no doubt Jaikus would have slinked in as well.

Emryc glared down briefly at his shirt before he rapidly made his way down the alley to avoid the crowd.

“They are going swimmingly,” The half Sephi grumbled as he looked over his shoulder. When he saw they weren’t immediately being followed, he paused to moodily drink from his smoothie, hiding out in the alley till the commotion settled. He still did not look at Jaikus.

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

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Wonderful conversation indeed.

If Emryc was expecting his silence and stoic nature to act as some kind of deterrent to the man who now followed him, he was heartily mistaken. Jaikus didn’t even look remotely phased when his quips and flirty remarks seemed to go right over the man’s head. When he bumped clumsily against Emryc – practically crawling ontop of him to avoid the puddle – he had expected to be met with that same brooding silence. Instead, the Marauder was caught off-guard by the eruption of sputtering and coughing from the man, needing to pound his chest to calm the sensation. When Emryc narrowed his eyes, Jaikus forced himself to choke down a laugh – the twitching of his lips upwards the only thing that betrayed his amusement at the situation that the half-Sephi had been annoyed by.

Speaking of annoying situations. Jaikus had detected the hurtling fruit just as well as the half-Sephi had, his head snapping up and in the direction from where it had been thrown. Despite his first instinct to use the Force to swat it away or simply dodge past it, the Axxilan knew better than to blow his cover – and Emryc’s – with such a reckless display. Instead, he could do nothing but wince slightly as the purple-fleshed fruit collided against the half-Sephi’s chest, showering him in an explosion of fruit juices that resembled a water-balloon bursting. What’s worse, Jaikus was not entirely spared from the assault either – a splatter of juices spraying across the left sleeve of his tightly-fitting button-up.

Now that enraged him. With eyes like a predator, Jaikus scanned the crowd and searched for the man who had made the exceptionally stupid decision of throwing produce in their direction. The Axxilan momentarily considering throwing one back with the velocity of a proton torpedo, pausing only when he realized he wouldn’t have the chance. One of the last things the disgruntled man would see before being tackled was Jaikus’ citrine eyes narrowed toward him, practically luminescing with anger and launching silent daggers in his direction. It was all the Axxilan could do not to cheer like a passionate huttball fan when the fruit-slinging bastard was bodily slammed against the pavement.

Eat shit.

As a fight began to erupt in the aftermath, Jaikus slinked alongside Emryc into the side alley – his feet carrying him a little faster than they had previously, as if anticipating more fruit to become airborne before long. Once they had stopped within the alley, Jaikus turned his body to face the half-Sephi, staring blankly at his chest for a moment. In a move that was likely to shock them both, the Axxilan brought his left hand up to the man’s torso. A chunk of the overly-ripe fruit had clung to his shirt, prompting Jaikus to pinch It between three fingers and fling it onto the floor beside them.

“I.. Can see that.” Jaikus finally let a sigh escape from his lips, flicking his fingers in the opposite direction to remove whatever remnants clung to him. It was hard to tell whether Jaikus was more annoyed with the situation, or that such a well-tailored fabric had been thoroughly ruined. Likely the former. “What you need, I think, is a proper diplomat. Fortunately you have such a valuable individual right in front of you.” Only then did a frown tug slightly at the corners of the the Axxilan’s lips, his upbeat demeanor tempering slightly upon realizing that the half-Sephi still purposefully averted his eyes even now that they were alone.


“If you can bring yourself to look.”


@Sreeya
 

Emryc Thorne

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Emryc was sure their cover would be blown. He could practically feel the rage from Jaikus through the Force. He half expected the man to start unleashing lightning at the crowds and utterly ruin everything. The half Sephi focused on ducking out of sight to hopefully detach himself from the situation.

To his surprise, Jaikus kept it together as they both disappeared into the alley. Emryc was still staring off towards one end of it and sipping his drink when he felt Jaikus brush a hand against him. The half Sephi glanced down to see the other man picking the fruit off his chest, observing the gesture with quiet curiosity. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, but it was certainly something that caught his attention. It was something that was almost tender in nature, but the half Sephi assumed he had misread and immediately tossed the thought aside as carelessly as the piece of fruit.

Emryc was deeply annoyed by his attire being ruined, but it wasn’t in his nature to linger on emotional reactions. By the time Jaikus removed the fruit, he was largely unconcerned by the stain. The half Sephi looked back at the end of the alley, sipping more from his smoothie as Jaikus spoke.

“Naturally,” He stated dryly, “When I’m in need of a diplomat with an abundance of patience and the ability to cope with disagreeable outcomes, you are the first to come to mind,” The image of Jaikus throwing a massive tantrum and hurling his own mask over the edge of a cliff briefly entered his thoughts. The memory actually softened Emryc’s features from the default stoic, amusement glinting in his eye for just a flash. However, that soon melted away when Jaikus continued speaking. The half Sephi recognized the tone shift and it was jarring enough to make him glance at the other man. For all the ways the Axxilian annoyed Emryc, nothing managed to bother him quite as much as when he was anything but his usual annoying self. It was a bizarre paradox Emryc hadn’t even attempted to understand, but he knew it afflicted his thoughts more than he cared to admit.

Silvers met goldens and Emryc stared directly at him. For a moment he simply looked in silence, taking in sight of his face and the injuries that had healed. Even then he could only see the fractured nose, the blood, the cuts and bruises. Emryc’s jaw tightened slightly and he almost averted his gaze again, but he forced himself to keep looking. He focused solely on the eyes to distract away from the haunting memories of injuries.

Eyes he wished were emeralds instead.

Emryc spoke quietly after a long moment, “Why are you here?”

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

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When Jaikus threw his latest barrage of sarcasm and wit at the half-Sephi, he expected to be met with silence – each remark bouncing off and being completely ignored as they collided with the brick-wall that Emryc often was. When the half-Sephi instead did the opposite and broke his silence, it completely stunned and shocked the Axxilan.

After several seconds of a completely dumbfounded expression, Jaikus' face began to change. Plastered across the Axxilan’s face now was the same genuine smile Emryc would recognize from before – unapologetic and filled with warmth, flashing teeth in such a way that put every little grin and smirk that had come before to shame. The fact that the half-Sephi had chosen to finally regard him now – turning to face him when the man tried so desperately to ignore he was there before pleased the Axxilan more than he wanted to admit.

“As I should be.” Jaikus declared after a pause, lifting his chin pridefully. Clear amusement glinted in the man’s eyes, matching the amusement that played across the half-Sephi’s expression in that moment. “I’m rather well known for my patience. Almost as well known, in fact, as you are for your capacity to crack jokes.”

Jaikus actually looked surprised when the half-Sephi asked his question – the one that had undoubtedly been on his mind since the Axxilan reared his head around the corner like something out of a horror film. He expected Emryc to maintain his stoic and passive demeanor, never asking such a direct and pointed question. Jaikus’ smile faded slightly, citrines meeting the silvers unflinchingly. “…After all of that, you left without a word. Why?”

A pause followed the Axxilan’s words, giving the half-Sephi enough time to respond before being interrupted. Just beyond the alley, they could hear – Emryc especially – that the commotion had grown louder. Where there had once before only been shouts and profanities, screams had begun to weave their way into the chorus. Screams about what? From the seclusion of the alley, it was nigh-impossible to tell, leaving the pair to guess at the sound. As they had done for hours, a starfighter dipped low in the air to pepper the surrounding area with cannonfire – only this time, it was significantly closer.

It was enough to rattle the foundations of the compound, the ground trembling even where the two of them were standing.


@Sreeya
 
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Emryc Thorne

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The Axxilian’s sudden confusion was met with Emryc’s own. Why was the man so shocked at having a response? Emryc didn’t miss the way the man’s face suddenly lit up, the way the smile reached his eyes and projected genuine emotion. It was something that perplexed the half Sephi, who often had a very difficult time navigating emotions, let alone displaying them on his face. He stared blankly back, sipping from his straw as Jaikus fired back with a quip.

“My capacity for jokes spares me the sound of you bleating like a nerf,” Emryc cut back coolly. It was clear the half Sephi was slowly engaging a bit more. Or perhaps he simply liked taking opportunities to point out the Axxilian’s flaws. Flaws he had no intention of admitting that he didn’t mind.

The man’s next question drew out an entirely blank expression from Emryc. How was that the man’s chief concern? The half Sephi had put the entire incident in a sectioned off corner of his psyche. He had no intention of revisiting it. He had no intention of thinking back to when he faced his worst fear - losing control. He had no intention of digging up memories of when he almost killed Jaikus. The entire planet was poison to him, and he wanted nothing to do with it. None of this manifested on his face, though it did mean he was slightly distracted from hearing the noises.

“It doesn’t matter,” Emryc stated flatly as if harshly closing the book Jaikus began to open. The silvers bore into goldens, his gaze one of frost that cut through with a biting chill.

It was then that he heard the screaming from the other directions and the rapidly advancing cannonfire. Emryc glanced to the side, beginning to see crowds starting to pack into the alley.

“Breach,” His eyes widened as he turned and bolted down the alley. He quickly reached for his comms, “Need the evac freighters in Compound B stat. There has been a breach.”

Emryc kept running towards where he knew the evacuation sites were. Always environmentally conscious even in a crisis, he held onto his empty smoothie cup till he passed by a dumpster before tossing it. The half Sephi broke out of the alley and saw a scene of utter chaos before him. There was a flood of infected that managed to come up from a tunnel underground, rendering the tall walls entirely useless.

“Get the D3s on site now!” Emryc yelled into his comms. A freighter swept in from the side, lowering the ramp as rows of droids began to file out and jump down while the ship was still mid air, all armed with blasters to fight the infected. This would give the civilians the chance to rush towards the same freighters for an evac.

Alarms began to blare along the walls, the shrill sounds making Emryc pause and wince as his sensitive ears were assaulted. The half Sephi’s eyes watered slightly but he gritted his teeth and began to make his way towards the freighter.

Without warning, a starfighter zoomed above and strafed along an entire path right by him. This was followed by another launching a torpedo.

At civilians.

The on site authorities were taking a scorched earth approach. The ground rumbled and cracked next to him, thick smoke and fire erupting. The sounds of men, women and children screaming resounded all around them, joined by the guttural noises of the infected feasting on them. Half burnt and melted bodies stumbled and collapsed around them.

“What are they doing?” Emryc hissed as he kept running to avoid the strafing path. He could see a ramp ahead and he rushed towards it. However, he paused short of reaching it, suddenly whirling around to scan his surroundings.

Where was Jaikus?

The ramp closed up behind him as the freighter lifted off the ground with the fleeing civilians packed inside.

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

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When Emryc decided to match the quip with one of his own, the Axxilan’s eyes seemed to light up. Rarely did Emryc actually bring himself to respond when Jaikus made his sly little jokes, let alone return them. For a moment, Emryc could almost see the emeralds pulse beneath yellow.

“I seem to recall you saying you liked the sound. And besides, with ears like that, I find it incredibly hard to believe you are spared the sound of anything.”

Jaikus’ wide smile never faded, but the warmth behind his eyes tempered slightly when the half-Sephi spoke – dismissing the question that had brought him half-way across the galaxy and into a dirty alleyway. There was no anger or resentment behind the Axxilan’s words – just as there hadn’t been when the blows to his face had been fresh. For better or worse Jaikus had bounced back from the incident better than could be expected, his demeanor and attitude towards the half-Sephi as if it never happened. And yet the questions lingered. An answer was needed, and Jaikus began to realize that it wasn’t going to be as simple as asking.

“Of course it matters.”

Before the conversation could go any further, Jaikus began to notice the way the crowds shifted from angry to terrified. The peppering of cannonfire from the starfighter’s above shook the compound with enough intensity to force the Axxilan to brace himself against the wall. When he lifted his eyes towards Emryc, the half-Sephi had already several strides ahead of him, rounding the corner and ducking out of the alleyway.

Moments passed, chaos erupting all around them. When Emryc turned back to see Jaikus, the half-Sephi would quickly realize the cause for his separation from the Axxilan man. Just as they passed out of the alley way, one of the infected rushed Jaikus from behind – lunging forward and grabbing the slender man by his left ankle. Where Emryc had dropped his cup into a dumpster without missing a beat, Jaikus fell flat on his face into one of those puddles he so-desperately tried to avoid, the cup of yogurt in his hand flying away and splattering across the alley floor sadly.

Panic momentarily flashed in citrine eyes as Jaikus looked down at his assailant, immediately slamming the heel of his right foot harshly against infected’s forehead - enough to break free from its grasp. Released from those terrible fingers, Jaikus’ leg pulled inward at the last second, just before the creature managed to sink its teeth into his calf.

With his injuries healed and the Force a subtle enhancer to his movements, Jaikus was able to move as gracefully and fluidly as he usually did. Without missing a beat, the Axxilan rolled backwards and sprang up off of his hand, handing on his feet and automatically assuming a defensive stance. Instinctively, Jaikus reached to his hip for his weapon – the realization hitting him like a freighter when he gripped nothing but the air.

He had left all of his identifying belongings on his ship. His lightsaber included.

Freezing for a moment, Jaikus narrowly slipped to the side as the infected lunged at him – spinning around and ducking behind the creature. Taking a few steps backward, the Axxilan curiously began leading the infected back the way he came, moving between two ramshackle buildings until they were tucked back into a secluded space, away from prying eyes – save for the half-Sephi.

As before, Jaikus somersaulted backwards as the infected lunged at him, only this time his hand slipped down his leg, pulling free a small blade which had been tucked into a sheathe on his ankle. It was a plain thing, little more than a cheap dagger. For a Sith, it was a ridiculous and crude weapon. For a regular individual, though? It matched the front Jaikus played perfectly.

Landing back into a defensive posture, Jaikus gripped the knife by the pommel and threw it directly at the infected who charged him, the sharpened durasteel spinning like a buzzsaw until it buried itself into the creature’s skull, only stopping once the cross-guard was flush with it’s forehead. Emryc would notice the blade rotate counterclockwise a full turn with the slightest twist of the Axxilan’s fingers, eliciting a series of sickening crunches as the infected finally went limp and fell forward. Before it hit the ground, the blade pulled free and returned to Jaikus’ hands with lightning speed – little more than a blur of silvery metal.

With his assailant dealt with, Jaikus wasted no time in stepping over the body and rushing to where Emryc was standing. He stared with wide eyes as the shuttle took off without them, realizing that their best route of escape had just been cut off. He paused for a moment, citrine’s searching the half-Sephi’s expression for the answer to some question that was never vocalized. Why didn’t he board it? Why did he stop? He could have left Jaikus to be torn to shreds by the infected or blown to ash by the indiscriminate aerial barrage of the Hutts. He could have silenced any possibility of Jaikus using his identity against him.

Why didn’t he?

There was no time to ponder the questions any further – not when the combined threat of the Hutts and infected threatened to silence them both forever. “They aren’t taking any chances.” The words came out bitterly from Jaikus’ lips, spat like venom. He knew what happened to communities and cities in Hutt space that had been overrun by the infected. He knew that there would be no evac coming for them.

“I have a ship in the docking bay. We need to go there – now.” He barely looked at the half-Sephi when he spoke, citrine eyes once again trained infront of him. Despite his significantly less imposing size, Jaikus actively took a defensive posture around Emryc as they moved – his fists raised close to his chest and knife held in a reversed grip. Even now, the Axxilan knew they could not risk exposing themselves for what they truly were – and the stakes were even higher for Emryc.

For now, that knife was the only weapon Jaikus was willing to utilize.


@Sreeya
 
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Emryc Thorne

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Emryc had little chance to see the fight break out between Jaikus and the infected. Another explosion erupted directly in front of him, and for a moment he could hear absolutely nothing. There was a loud ringing in his ears and everything else was muted. His eyes watered and he could only make out the chaos around him in dreadful, incoherent fury. He saw mouths wide open in pained screams, he saw people shouting things, and he could hear nothing but that monotone ringing that drowned everything else out.

By the time the smoke cleared, Jaikus would see Emryc standing there with the ship taking off behind him. It was just the tall Sephi standing amidst the fire and smoke around him, his hair ruffling slightly from the wind of the freighter that had been so close. That had been within arm’s reach. It was just him standing there with his ridiculous, fruit-stained button down. He shouted rapid commands into his comms, eyeing the trajectories of the ships to guess where they would fire next. Media was getting this on camera and he knew there would be footage of Emryc Thorne risking his life to get refugees to safety.

Unlike Jaikus, the half Sephi spared no thought as to why he hadn’t jumped for the ship. It wasn’t his nature to speculate on things that weren’t clear to him instantly. He turned and began to run when Jaikus caught up and mentioned his ship. Emryc had perfected the art of playing helpless politician, but his athletic build allowed some things to slide. No one would bat an eye if he ran faster than the average civilian or punched the daylights out of infected that came his way.

As they ran, Emryc didn’t miss the almost protective stance Jaikus took around him, standing guard. The half Sephi, though perplexed, said nothing about this. They would have to abruptly stop in their tracks as explosions erupted in their way. Emryc rapidly circled around the debris, the bombings and strafing getting progressively worse. They were hellbent on cleaning out the compound, civilians and infected alike.

Emryc looked around till he noticed a man that was hastily attempting to start a speeder bike. Within moments he was grabbed by an infected and yanked clear off. The half Sephi wasted no time as he rushed over and swung a leg over, paying no heed to the man’s helpless cries as he was eaten alive.

“Get on,” He growled at Jaikus louder than intended from the ringing in his ears, gazing beyond him and the horde of infected that chased after the Axxilian, “Now!” Emryc revved up the engines and began to move, giving the Marauder only a split second to jump on behind him. The half Sephi zoomed ahead in the speeder bike, zig-zagging in and out of the path of obstacles.

“We can’t both play this role!” He called out to Jaikus behind him, “You have to use it. We won’t make it out otherwise,” Emryc abruptly jutted the bike to the side as an infected launched itself at them. He also saw a strafing path beginning to cut towards them and he harshly yanked the bike to the side to carry them past it. He drove them through smoke and hellfire as soot, sweat and ash covered them both.

The docking bay was still a ways up ahead, and he could already see smoke. Emryc felt a sick feeling at the pit of his stomach. Did they intend to bomb the docking bay to cover this entire thing up?

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

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There was no words spoken from Jaikus after he mentioned his ship, his attention instead entirely focused on carving a path ahead. He broke into a full-fledged sprint beside Emryc, moving with almost feline-like reflexes to dodge and weave between the obstacles in their way.

When the explosives erupted in their way, painful memories of the brutal chaos on Axxila flashed across his memory. The chaos, the screams, the peppering of fire from opposing fighters overhead. They were memories that had been ripped up from the deep recesses of his mind on Telos, and the situation now only served to tear off the scab that had begun to form again. Despite the memories that flashed across his mind, the Axxilan did not stop. While Emryc circled around the debris, Jaikus abruptly leapt to the side and rolled on his shoulder, springing back to his feet and resuming his sprint without ever missing a beat. It only took a few seconds to return to the half-Sephi’s side and resume his protective posture, slashing his knife across any infected that got too close or sending them hurtling back with a hard kick.

Just as Emryc mounted the speeder, the knife that Jaikus had been wielding whirled only inches past his Gundark-like ear at lightning speed, little more than a blur of silver metal from his peripheral. A quick glance over his shoulder would reveal the infected that had been bee-lining for the half-Sephi as he mounted the vehicle, its corpse collapsing only feet away.

He had started to lag behind slightly as the speeder begun to move, prompting Jaikus to force his legs to carry him faster. The force subtly coiled around his body, coalescing and building in strength as he ran at break-neck speed. Like a loaded spring, Jaikus leapt forward Emryc – closing the distance between them and mounting onto the back of the vehicle. This time, he’d completely forgotten to retrieve his knife.

Panicked, dangerous moments passed as the half-Sephi did his best to weave between the crowds, just barely avoiding several of the infected who lunged at them – mere inches away from latching onto them. When Emryc called back to Jaikus, the man could do nothing but grit his teeth. Emryc was right, of course, but the implications of what he suggested were not beyond the Axxilan. “And here I thought you didn’t like associating with Force-wielders, Mr. President.” Another quip, but there was no grin plastered across Jaikus’ face this time, his brows furrowed and focused as the speeder carried them between crowds of civilians and infected, the latter growing greater and greater in number. It was becoming clear that there would be no survivors here. Only then did Jaikus finally abandon the role he’d been playing.

Hooking his left arm around the half-Sephi’s stomach, Jaikus twisted his torso on the speeder and immediately began scan the area. The repeated peppering of cannonfire by the starfighters above had blown many of the structures within the compound to smithereens, leaving scrap metal and debris littered across the surface.

It will have to do.

Reaching out with his right hand, Jaikus coiled the Force around a metal plate which had been blown off a nearby building, lifting the square hunk of metal into the air so that it remained horizontal and flat. Swiping his arm through the air, the Axxilan sent the plate of metal hurtling at high speed towards the pack of infected that trailed them, spinning like a buzzsaw as it went. One by one, the projectile cleaved through the hordes behind them – its razor edge cutting across torso’s and lopping heads from necks with the ease of a knife gliding through butter.

Rotating his wrist and turning his torso to face the path infront of them once more, Jaikus abruptly yanked his arm and thrust it forward – sending that piece of metal hurtling past the speeder only inches to their left. Emryc would be able to feel the wind whistle past his ear as the plate carved a path ahead, slicing at lightning speed in a crescent-shaped arc before finally being dropped.

It was not a fantastic display of lightning, but Jaikus’ efforts had managed to clear the rest of their path to the docking bay. From there, they could hastily board the Axxilan’s ship and leave the planet without further incident. For a moment, Jaikus began to ponder the stories and news releases that would undoubtedly arise from entire situation – the diplomat in him immediately going to work in finding ways to spin this.

His thought-process was interrupted as the pair of them came within view of the docking bay. The sight there horrified Jaikus to his very core.

Just as Emryc and Jaikus approached on their speeder, a squadron of Hutt-controlled starbomber’s dipped low across the docking bay, unleashing a payload of seismic charges and spray from ion cannons onto the platform below. “No..” The words escaped from Jaikus’ lips, desperation lacing his voice, forced to watch in complete and utter horror.

A half-second passed before the entire platform erupted into a bright, multi-colored explosion. Separate, distinct combustions chained and cascaded off of each other as munitions, fueling stations and stationary starships were enveloped in the blast, their own reservoirs contributing to the inferno. The shockwave from the explosion sent debris hurtling in all directions, forcing the Marauder to work meticulously to yank and push the flying metal away from their path. Emryc, meanwhile, would have to work hard to keep their speeder from toppling over from the shockwave.

By the time the smoke cleared, nothing but smoldering debris remained of the docking bay. What had once been Jaikus’ personal ship was now nothing more than a barely-recognizable pile of scrap-metal, entirely destroyed. Everything that had been stored inside, including his armor and lightsaber, had also been blown to smithereens.

“Shit..” Jaikus finally allowed himself to speak, anger and frustration flashing across his features. After the initial shock passed, he forced himself to glance over his shoulder, realizing the sight behind them had only gotten worse. “..We need to leave the compound. We’ll have better luck maneuvering on our own out there.”

It was madness. Complete and utter madness, but it was the only option in Jaikus’ mind. The commotion and screams were drawing every infected in close proximity into the compound, turning what had once been impeccable defenses into a sealed deathtrap. What’s more, Jaikus could see more and more starfighters approaching the compound from the horizon. He had seen the footage of what happened to places like this that were well-and-truly overrun. It would not be long before the Syndicates brought heavier artillery to bear against those within, well and truly turning everything in proximity to the compound to glass.


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Emryc Thorne

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Emryc was quiet as he drove. Truth be told, anyone that would have been capturing footage was long dead by now. Reporters that were recording live sent off their videos and recorded footage before they were bombed. Disaster reporters knew the risk they took, and they knew when their time was up in a crisis scenario. It wouldn’t stop them from doing their due diligence in shipping off the feeds of the Hutt rulers bombing their own people.

The half Sephi kept his focus trained ahead as Jaikus used the Force. He could feel that accumulation of power as the Marauder channeled the Dark Side, coiling it around sheets of metal to carve through the infected. The two worked in concert - Jaikus clearing a path and Emryc directing the speeder through it. He could see the docking bay within reach, and he could see some of the ships parked there. Emryc planned to drive the damn bike right up the ramp of Jaikus’ ship in his haste.

However, that was when he saw the starfighter zoom above and unleash a volley directly into the bay. Emryc’s eyes went wide as the impact resulted in a massive explosion and the immediate disintegration of everything in the bay. He barely heard Jaikus’ pained words behind him. He could only think back to his own ship and if it had been in that bay. The sightt of his ship blowing up before his eyes would likely be the only thing that could draw out tears from the half Sephi for the first time in his adult life.

Emryc had no chance to speculate as the concussive blast erupting from explosion fanned out and sent the bike careening.

“Hold on!” He shouted as the bike was sent high into the air and spinning backwards in a tumble, launched even higher because of the repulsors. For Emryc, it was as if everything had slowed down. He was vaguely aware of the roaring flames around them. He barely noticed Jaikus hanging on for dear life. His eyes were narrowed as he focused on the controls of the bike, quickly manipulating the aft thrusters before shifting to the forward propulsion to balance out the repulsors in real time while they flipped end over end and flew through the air. Artificially creating the right variables for weight rebalancing, and counting on Jaikus holding onto him, Emryc suddenly leaned his body entirely forward. This would shift both their weights and time it so the bike finished one more loop with the speeder chassis facing right side up and landing with a heavy thud. The speeder skidded and spiraled on the ground but Emryc rapidly shifted the repulsor thrusters, quickly adjusting levers and punching the command terminal to finally stop the spin. He ended the spin by slamming his foot against the ground to act as counter friction.

The speeder came to a brief stop after the spin, groaning in protest. Emryc gave it no reprieve, not even processing the completely harrowing experience they just went through. He shifted gears to punch the thrusters and accelerate back up to speed as he drove away from the bay explosion. He barely heard Jaikus suggest for them to leave the compound.

“It’s nothing but those things out there,” Emryc growled back, but he saw no other option. He ducked and dodged past infected rushing at them, many of them on fire but entirely unaffected. His heart pounded against his chest, his entire body drenched in sweat from the heat and the stress.

Up ahead he could see a massive, fortified durasteel gate.

“Open the gate!”

Jaikus had the option of manipulating the gate itself to raise it or pull the large, heavy chains to the side that operated the gate. Emryc counted on the Marauder to get the gate opened to allow them to finally break out of the compound. By this point, they were one of the only things moving on the ground. Infected rushed towards them on all sides, threatening to swarm them. Emryc was vividly reminded of Telos and the skeletal monsters he wanted so badly to forget.

With his focus entirely on navigating them out safely, he was completely reliant on Jaikus to lift the gate in time before they were overwhelmed.

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Jaikus Thorne

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Jaikus gripped tightly into the half-Sephi as they were sent into the air, his left arm hooked around Emryc’s stomach and keeping their bodies pressed against one another. While the man worked expertly to maneuver their vehicle back to the ground, Jaikus reached out with the Force all around them. Projectiles of shrapnel which had been launched in their direction were brushed away and re-directed from their path, sparing the pair of Sith from a painful and unceremonious demise at the hands of flying scrap metal.

When they landed and the smoke began to clear on the docking bay, Jaikus could do nothing but stare in horror at the remains of what had been his ship. It had been the sole ship that Jaikus operated out of for years now, his sole mode of transportation across the galaxy. It had been the ship he used to bring him to the party on Serenno and countless missions with Order. It had been the ship that had brought him to Telos all those weeks ago. More important to Jaikus than ship itself, was that which had been stored within – his lightsaber most of all. It had been the first and only saber Jaikus had forged since joining the Order, the same weapon following him from his days as an Acolyte to a Marauder. It was the hilt he had designed after hours of meticulous detailing and planning. Within it was the crystal that Jaikus had collected alongside his master from the Bal’demnic Sith temple, forcing the Dark Side into it and bleeding the kyber until it bled crimson.

Despite the sorrow that flashed across his features, Jaikus knew there was no time to dwell on it. He narrowed his eyes as Emryc began to weave a path between the flaming infected. More than once, the Axxilan sent a subtle concussive blast into the torso of one of the creatures when they got too close – knocking the away and ensuring that their path remained clear of obstacles.

“I know that.” Jaikus muttered a response to Emryc’s protest, his voice laced with just as much reluctance as the half-Sephi’s was. But what else was there to do? At least out there, they would be beyond the watchful eyes of disaster reporters and camera feeds. At least there they could find a way off the planet with all of their abilities at their disposal.

Citrine eyes widened slightly as they approached the durasteel gate, a quick glance over his shoulder revealing that there was no possible way to open by conventional means before they were overrun. With no other option available to him, Jaikus reached out toward the gate with his left hand, fingers spread wide and palm facing up.

Emryc would be able to feel the energies as they began to coalesce and built around the Axxilan, feelings of panic at the situation and frustration for what had already been lot serving as kindling to the growing blaze within him. Emryc would be able to feel as tendrils of the Dark Side slithered outward and forced themselves beneath the gate, just beginning to pry it up off the ground. Beads of sweat began to roll down Jaikus’ cheeks, the strain beginning to display clearly across his expression – holding the gate within his grasp until the speeder was only feet away.

Just before the speeder collided with the gate, a guttural roar erupted from Jaikus’ lips as he thrust his open palm upwards. Suddenly, the durasteel gate groaned and squealed as it was wretched open forced up until it slammed hard into its own frame – providing the pair the window needed to slip through. Just as they passed across the threshold, Jaikus allowed the durasteel slab to drop freely behind them. With the Force no longer holding it open, the gate dropped at full speed and slammed shut once more, crushing half-dozen infected that attempted to follow them out of the compound.

Free from the deathtrap that the compound had become, Emryc and were finally able to glimpse the horizon around them. Both had both arrived on the planet from the comfort of their respective ships, immediately ushered into the fortified compound. From transperisteel windows, they would have gotten glimpses of the devastation that Keldoonie had faced. Only now did they see the landscape before them in all of its terrible glory.

The area in direct proximity to the compound had been doused and burned all vegetation by the Hutts months ago, giving clear view of anything approaching from the distance. The landscape was pocked with craters and debris fields, clear indicators of where bombardment had been heaviest. It was clear that they had been fighting hard to keep the infected at bay in the days and week prior to now. An inquisitive expression flashed across Jaikus’ face, dark brow angling upward slightly. What had changed now? Had the swarm simply been too much to handle?

As the speeder carved a path ahead, Jaikus was able to finally get a glimpse of the breach that led to the compound being overrun. He could see the endless swarms of infected that had been drawn to a particular point on the wall, conveniently drawing them away from where the speeder had exited. Citrine eyes followed the trail of infected as they continued to pour inside, finally pinpointing where they had found purchase. Instead of bursting a hole through the walls or climbing over as Jaikus had expected, it was one of the massive durasteel gates that allowed them into the compound. Instead of it being torn from its frame or damaged, however, the gates had been lifted by the chain and opened half-way.

It had been opened on purpose.

It was a horrifying prospect, one that caused Jaikus’ mind to race in a thousand different directions. Why? What possible reason could the Hutts have for allowing another one of their compounds to be overrun? Suddenly, details that had once been overlooked flashed across the Axxilan’s memory, puzzle pieces that only now seemed relevant to the bigger picture. Only now did he consider that all the criminal leaders and Hutt officers he’d ‘met’ with at the compound had only been in attendance via holo, never actually showing their faces.

Just like his ship and destroyed saber, Jaikus forced himself not to dwell upon the prospect. There would be plenty of time to ask questions later, but for now only the path ahead of them mattered. And there was a choice to be made.

To the west, the pair of Sith could see what remained of a sprawling city. It had long been overrun and abandoned by the citizens of the planet near the beginning of the outbreak, sparing it from some of the heavier bombardment that was now commonplace on Syndicate-controlled worlds. There they would find nothing but the infected mindlessly wandering the streets, but perhaps more. Abandoned ships, resources, all things that had been left behind in the chaos. Was it possibly worth the risk?

To the east, however, Emryc and Jaikus could just barely make out another compound on the horizon which had been established. It was miles away, nearly double the distance as the city. They would be exposed to attacks from both the indiscriminate cannonfire and the wandering infected choosing that route, but it was a safe haven. It was one of the few places on the planet where the civilians and planetary authorities had hunkered down and fortified against the outbreak, with ships regularly arriving and leaving.



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Emryc Thorne

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b678ec5e1a04e0d4b789c65ce5773cef.jpg
Emryc was too focused on simply leaving to pick up on the details about the infected purposely being let in. They barely just made it beneath the gate, the structure falling with a great thud behind them. The ringing in his ears continued, but it finally began to subdue the further he was away from the blaring klaxons. The half Sephi kept driving along a paved path, just barely beginning to process the terrible situation they found themselves in.

At some point when they had a moment of reprieve, Emryc slowed down to a pause to reach for his comlink. To his horror, there was absolutely no service. Considering that he relied on satellites, it meant the jamming was deliberate and not the result of random infected climbing a tower. Emryc glanced over toward where he could make out another compound. The path there was barren and wide open. Jets resounded above as the starfighters from earlier whizzed by and towards that compound. Some of them broke off and flew up into the atmosphere where a larger capital ship could barely be seen looming.

The half Sephi slapped his comlink a few times before putting it away. Emryc glanced down at the bike terminal, “We will need to refuel if we want to make it to the compound,” He looked towards the compound. He wasn’t sure that it was even such a safe place after what happened here.

Emryc reached for a cigarra and placed it between his lips, using the Force to ignite the end of it. It was then that he sniffed a bit and could make out an awful stench. The half Sephi twisted his torso around slightly to realize that it was coming from Jaikus. Whatever puddle he had faceplanted into had doused him in what smelled like rancid sewage.

“You stink,” The half Sephi grumbled as he exhaled a cloud of smoke and turned to face ahead again. He was profoundly annoyed with the situation and now he had a smelly, dramatic man for company.

With little choice, the Sith Lord kicked up the engines and moved East towards the city. The journey was mercifully uneventful, most of the infected drawn towards the massive explosions at the compound behind them.

The city appeared as if it had been abandoned in a hurry. He slowed the speeder to cruise along the streets, looking for anything they could use. The refueling stations they passed were long since depleted. They passed abandoned speeders and buildings. Anything that looked like a produce or grocery store had been broken into and looted already. They could spot old tanks and abandoned military vehicles that were stripped of anything valuable.

Emryc kept driving till he spotted a ‘welcome center’. The sign at the front was dangling to one side but the building looked mostly intact. The half Sephi parked the speeder bike and moved off it, taking a deep drag from the cigarra as he surveyed the building. He couldn’t hear anything inside it to suggest infected. His goal was to find anything that might give them more information on the city.

The door was jammed and he had to apply the Force to crack it open enough for him to get through. They fortunately still had daylight to work with, the sun shining in to illuminate the interior. Emryc walked around the front desk, pulling out drawers and shuffling through them till he found a brochure with a map.

“We passed two of these refueling stations, but there are others on opposite corners of the city,” Emryc wasn’t too convinced they weren’t also depleted, “Before it gets dark we need to secure fuel,” He checked his chrono, “We have exactly four hours till sundown. If we can’t secure fuel in the next hour, we have to find weapons and stockpile food and find shelter. We can’t stay in any one place too long.”

He looked over at Jaikus, a man he knew to be a theatrical noble that couldn’t even stomach MREs. Emryc blinked at him a few times, wondering just how much tougher this experience was going to be when working with someone like Jaikus. He grabbed a marker from the drawer, crossing off the refueling stations they had checked. He folded up and stashed the map in his back pocket before making his way back out towards the speeder to keep going.

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Jaikus Thorne

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Minutes of driving passed as the pair sped away from the compound, silence filling the space between them. For once in his life, Jaikus actually seemed like he had nothing to say – his brows knotted together in deep contemplation of what happened.

When they finally found a moment of reprieve and Emryc reached for his commlink, Jaikus mimicked the action by reaching for the datapad in his back pocket. By some miracle the device had managed to stay with him through the chaos, though several hair-thin cracks now ran across its surface. A cursory glance revealed that it too had no signal. Citrine eyes suddenly flicked upwards and narrowed at the sight of starfighters slicing through the air above, the squadron moving in tight formation towards the distant fortification.

Once more, Jaikus couldn’t help but wonder what possible motivation there could have been for allowing the infected to overrun the compound, when the Hutt's had only been interested in drawing out the evacuation efforts until now. Could it be possible that they had finally decided to cut their losses and run from Keldoonie, scorching the earth on their way out? How long before the starfighters withdrew and the capital ships above began their their bombardment? The concept sickened Jaikus to his very core, twisting knots in his stomach to the point of queasiness. He began to wonder if their compound had only been the first of many.

“Assuming it isn’t leveled before we arrive..” Jaikus muttered quietly, loud enough for Emryc to hear.

Speaking of queasiness. When Emryc turned to face Jaikus and point out his shirt, only then did the Axxilan actually stop and sniff what he had tripped and fallen into. His face crunched up and instinctively he recoiled, tilting his head upwards and away from his torso. After a few moments of pure disgust, Jaikus finally leveled his eyes back on Emryc.

“And you look like a cheap abstract painting.” He fired a quip back at the half-Sephi, gesturing to the man’s ruined shirt. The fact that it was white meant every little stain and droplet of juice from the airborne fruit made the purple splatter across his torso even more dramatic. Despite his usually upbeat and playful demeanor, there was actually a hint of annoyance behind Jaikus’ words. In the entire time they’d known each other, Emryc had known the Axxilan to be theatrical and overdramatic. There was rarely a time when his hair was not immaculately brushed into place or he was not doused in designer colognes, even when he donned his armorweave. It was no surprise then that the current state of his attire annoyed him to no end.

Quite frankly, he seemed to be more annoyed by that, then he was about the current situation they found themselves in.

Ironically, just as Emryc felt the need to point out the stench of Jaikus’ clothes, he would begin to feel a distinct wetness against him. With the Axxilan hugging the half-Sephi from the back of the speeder, whatever rancid sewage Jaikus had fell into was now soaking into Emryc’s back. It was hard to tell whether or not Jaikus was doing it on purpose or not.

Another long period of silence passed as the pair made their way into the dilapidated city, citrine eyes flicking across landmarks in front of them until finally arriving at the welcome center. While Emryc riffled through drawers for a brochure, Jaikus began glancing across shelves and the little stores that made up the welcome center. Unsurprisingly, anything that might’ve been valuable had long-since been picked clean from the shelves, leaving only the tourist-y souvenirs and collectable items untouched. Satisfied that he wasn’t likely to find anything else useful, the Axxilan then sauntered over and began to observe the map Emryc had picked up.

“Here,” Jaikus planted a finger onto the map, gesturing to the fueling station on the eastern side of the city. His finger then drug to the left slightly, until it came to rest upon one of the resorts which was over-dramatically advertised on the brochure. “We should check the fueling station nearby, and then search this resort here. Other than perhaps a kitchen knife, I doubt we’ll find weapons there.. But we may be able to find supplies. Food, water, shelter.”

The other option, the fueling station to the west, was located closer to the administrative heart of the city – a district filled with government buildings, a hospital and what appeared to a garrison for the city-wide police force. Weapons were more likely to be found here, as it was no doubt one of the last hold-outs before the entire place was abandoned.

The choice was ultimately Emryc’s, but Jaikus had made it clear what his vote was. Without another word, the Axxilan followed the half-Sephi back to the speeder to continue. Regardless of the path they chose, the pair would be treated to much the same sights. In the months that had passed since being abandoned, nature itself had begun to reclaim was rightfully hers. Weeds had long since begun to sprout from cracks in the road and overtake the pavement, while what had once been immaculate landscapes and parks had regressed into wild, untamed jungles amidst the urban sprawl.


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Emryc Thorne

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“Of course you’d suggest the resort,” Emryc grumbled under his breath as Jaikus walked away, but because of the ringing in his ears, he spoke louder than intended without realizing.

The half Sephi started the bike up again, moving away from the welcome center. Obviously going to the refueling station by the government buildings was the logical choice. That’s where all the stockpiles of weapons would be, and a hospital would have any other essential supplies. Emryc was on a road that would fork off in the opposing directions towards each refueling station. As he drove, he began to reconsider Jaikus’ idea.

Of course the administrative buildings were the logical choices. But wouldn’t everyone else before them had thought the same? In the off chance any weapons were left behind, it had likely served as the last holdout location which meant it was likely overrun.

With a profoundly grumpy look on his face that Jaikus thankfully couldn’t see, Emryc took the fork that took them towards the refueling station near the resort. They didn’t even have to get down from their vehicle to know that the fuel was a lost cause. One of them was even blown up at some point, the attached convenience store completely trashed and stripped.

A check to the chrono said their time was running out. Emryc took them over to the stupid resort, glancing up at the impressive building. He parked the speeder in a discreet side alley to keep it out of sight for looters, checking the fuel gauge.

“We’ll do our scavenging on foot from here on out,” Emryc stated, “Don’t have much fuel to waste.”

The half Sephi walked up the stairs, noting that this building still had functional doors. Emryc walked ahead and opened the door, silently waiting until Jaikus stepped through before he walked in. Chaos and turmoil wouldn’t make the half Sephi forget his manners, after all.

The resort opened to a massive foyer and check in desks. There were papers and luggages strewn about everywhere, but otherwise the place didn’t look too shabby. Resorts were likely not the first thing that came to everyone’s mind during a crisis. Emryc attempted to put some distance between him and Jaikus as they walked to avoid that smell. He quickly realized, to his horror, that it was also coming from him.

The half Sephi looked around till he spotted a gift shop, hoping to find some food. A quick scan inside the shop revealed that all the vending machines had been broken into. However, there were some clothes around. Emryc walked through the store, attempting to find something else to change into. To his great dismay, there were very few things that could fit a man of his size.

After a lot of internal debate, the half Sephi unbuttoned his shirt and cast it aside. He also took off the undershirt he wore, which was also soaked through with sewage and fruits. If Jaikus was looking, he would see the incredibly toned muscles that corded and coiled along the half Sephi’s torso. But more curiously he would see a back that was completely and utterly riddled with ugly old welts. The only space clear of layers of welts was his lower back. Emryc grabbed an obnoxious shirt that was intended for larger men, quickly buttoning it up.

He gave Jaikus a searing look that clearly said ‘don’t test me’ before turning away. Emryc kept walking around, rounding the corner in time to spot an old lady. This old lady wore a nice little yellow dress as she stared at a shelf of greeting cards. This old lady also happened to be missing her lower jaw.

There was a guttural groan as the infected looked towards Emryc. The half Sephi stepped backwards, not having any immediate weapons. Instead he coiled the Force around the woman’s head, applying intense pressure till her head smashed inwards like a crushed watermelon. Thankfully, none of the viscera got on him.

Emryc made his way back over to Jaikus in a thoroughly sour mood. This meant that the resort likely had infected lurking around in random corners. The half Sephi shoved something into Jaikus’ chest for him to grab as he walked past the man. He would next go towards the restaurants to raid for kitchen knives.

When Jaikus looked down, he would have a greeting card in his hand that said I'm sorry.

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

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“You did look like you needed a vacation. You’re welcome.” Jaikus quipped back at the half-Sephi, meeting his louder-than-intended remark with a sly grin. There was, of course, more logical reasons for Jaikus’ decision, but that was beside the point of his quip.

Once more taking his seat on the back of the speeder, Jaikus couldn’t help but frown disappointedly at the sight of the fueling station before them. He knew that their current fuel supply would not last, and it was questionable whether or not they could actually reach the other station across the city. Walking added both time and unnecessary danger to their journey, and Jaikus knew it.

“Worse case, this may be a good place to shelter for the night. Perhaps there is a room we can fortify.”

Jaikus followed Emryc silently as they passed through the grand foyer and into the gift shop, citrine eyes flicking across the room as if constantly expecting something to leap around the corner for them.

Spotting the clothing alternatives laid out in front of them, Jaikus quite literally could not jump at the opportunity fast enough, deciding that he was thoroughly finished with smelling like rotten food and Force only knew what else – even if he had secretly enjoyed torturing Emryc during the course of their drive. For once, the Axxilan seemed more focused on changing out of his current clothes than he was ogling Emryc’s shirtless body, only allowing his citrine eyes to linger for a few long seconds, spotting those welts across his back, before turning back to removing his own shirt and pants.

After a few moments of peeling the wet fabric off his body, Jaikus discarded what had once been a rather expensive button-up, followed by the dress trousers, into a pile on other side of the room. The only piece from his previous ensemble that he kept were his shoes and the necklace hanging from his throat, the Axxilan taking extra care to meticulously readjust the ring that dipped below his clavicle. If Jaikus was in possession of any hint of modesty, he didn’t seem to display it today - allowing Emryc to get a clear look at his leanly muscled figure while he changed.

Jaikus spent significantly more time rifling through the pile of clothes than Emryc did – quite literally tossing aside several baggy or otherwise hideous garments after brief inspection. Much to his display, the only option was an exceptionally large ‘Rancor’s’ tank-top which someone had left behind, alongside a pair of jean-shorts. As if baggy clothes weren’t bad enough, the Axxilan was still wearing his dress-shoes from before.

By this point Jaikus looked absolutely livid.

Buttoning the shorts, only then did Jaikus turn back to face the half-Sephi. If Emryc intended on intimidating Jaikus into silence with the searing look he gave, it seemed to have quite literally the opposite effect. After a quick glance at the attire and the look on the half-Sephi’s face, Jaikus brought a hand up to his lips, attempting – and failing – to stifle a fit of laughter. The devolution of giggling and laughter-turned to coughing was enough to elicit a snort from him before he finally calmed down. Emryc likely already had rounded by corner by the time this happened.

Just as he went to round the corner and follow Emryc, the half-Sephi returned – thrusting a card into his chest before continuing on. When the Axxilan glanced down to read the card, he stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widened with surprise before turning somber.

Before Emryc reached the restaurant, Jaikus caught up to him, having likely broken into something of a sprint to close the distance, before reaching forward to grip the half-Sephi by the wrist. If he turned back to look, Emryc would see those same citrine eyes glinting up at him, though they had softened considerable.

“I forgive you.”

His words were spoken softly, barely above a whisper, but carried with them an unwavering firmness as if to stifle any further argument on the matter. Despite his drive for answers about what had happened all those weeks ago, it was clear that Jaikus harbored no resentment for the half-Sephi. He paused for a moment, giving the half-Sephi the opportunity to respond before he continued into the restaurant.


@Sreeya
 
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Emryc Thorne

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Emryc looked away when Jaikus had his ridiculous laugh again, despising how that stupid noise always invoked a grin that he couldn’t help. Where on Telos Jaikus hadn’t had a choice and had to undress out of necessity, it was obvious he was casually comfortable in his state of attire here. The half Sephi spared a glance towards the other man, taking in sight of the muscled shoulders and back. His gaze lowered down along the curve of his spine, which he remembered all too vividly with the way the tight corset vest laces dragged along the path. He drank in sight of the subtle little dimples on his lower back before he quickly looked away, not venturing to look further.

The outfit Jaikus ultimately chose gave Emryc pause. His eyes drilled into the Rancor logo on his tank top, and the Marauder would notice a very distinct softening of his normally frosty gaze and a sense of awe. However, that quickly changed as he noticed the jean shorts and dress shoes combination. He couldn’t keep the slight disgust out of his face, gaze flicking briefly towards the rack that had sandals and sneakers on it. He knew better than to even bother suggesting a change in shoes to a man so dramatically stubborn.

He was already halfway towards the restaurants when he felt Jaikus grasp his wrist. There was no anger as Emryc glanced back to gaze at him. The half Sephi said nothing in response, staring with that same vacant look. Curiously enough, he also didn’t pull his wrist away until Jaikus released him, and only then he turned and continued to walk.

The journey through the restaurant and into the kitchen was uneventful, though a few infected were wandering about aimlessly. Emryc made short work of them before opening some drawers and finding some knives. Any food ingredients were long since rotten, and Emryc couldn’t find anything outside of some old granola bars.

The half Sephi dropped a few more scattered infected before he kept walking.

“We need to see if we can get some backup generators up and running,” Emryc said, “We might be able to get some local comms to work. And it'll keep us from freezing to death."

The half Sephi opened some maintenance doors that led downstairs, glancing down at several levels below in complete darkness. Emryc grimaced at the realization that he would likely need to use Sight once again or risk shining a bright light amidst hordes. Without a word, the Sith Lord began to climb down the steps, gripping the knife in his hand.

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

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It wouldn’t take Emryc very long to decipher that Jaikus was purposefully taking his time with getting dressed – allowing the half-Sephi to get a full look at him from behind. Even in the midst of a hoard of infected, the Axxilan clearly wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to flaunt in front of the half-Sephi, perhaps hoping for a better response after Emryc’s particularly rude lack of reaction the first time.

Once he turned to stand before the half-Sephi in his new attire, Jaikus did not miss the smitten look painted across the man’s face at the sight of the Rancor’s tank top. It was an expression met with a combination of confusion and amusement from the Axxilan, being entirely likely he hadn’t the slightest clue who the Rancor’s were let alone their team logo. Eventually, citrine eyes follow’s Emryc’s until they fell upon the rack of shoes nearby.

His face soured significantly at the sight of worn flip flops and dirty sports sneakers, Jaikus finally turning back to the half-Sephi with a searing look of his own – though the faintest twitching of his lips betrayed any attempt at being harsh. “It will snow on Mustafar before it happens.” Jaikus said nothing else on the matter, thoroughly dismissing even the merest suggestion before continuing on towards the restaurant.

When Emryc did not pull away from the fingers wrapped around his wrist, Jaikus gave him a look that mimicked the expression that had been on the half-Sephi face when he saw that Rancor’s logo. It had not been the first time Jaikus had boldly grabbed at the man, but each previous occurrence was met with a swift jerk away. It was a subtle gesture, but one that was not at all lost on the Axxilan – citrine eyes melting into a faint look of tenderness. He held onto the man for significantly longer than was necessary, finally letting go and rounding the corner into the restaurant after a minute or two had passed.

Armed with a kitchen knife that Emryc had pillaged for, Jaikus never allowed the wandering infected to get anywhere him – or Emryc, for that matter. The sharpened steel flung from his fingers with startling speed and accuracy, burying itself into the skull of one creature before yanking free and flicking to the next.

“If we can get local comms operational, perhaps there is still Consortium forces in the area that can evacuate us.” There was the slightest bit of hope behind his words, though even Jaikus had begun to doubt the likeliness of that.

The sight of the stairs leading down to the maintenance gave Jaikus momentary pause, worry painted clear across his expression. Attempting to maneuver through the resort with the threat of infected around every corner was bad enough, but to do so in the dark? Despite his clear reservations, Jaikus did not vocalize any protest – following closely behind the half-Sephi as they descended into the darkness.

Reaching the last step into the maintenance room, the pair would soon realize that the basement had been flooded at some point recently – their shoes sinking into several inches of cold water. Through the Sight, Emryc would be able to see glimpses of dozens or more of the infected wandering mindlessly through the flooded room, the sound of feet sloshing through the ankle-deep water the only sound that filled the room. In the far distance, Emryc would be able to glimpse what appeared to be a set of backup generators.

Where the half-Sephi could see through the Force, Jaikus was once more lost within the dark. Horrific memories of the creatures on Telos flashed across the Marauder’s memory, his body tensing with palpable anxiety. Without hesitation, Jaikus reached forward and hooked his right arm around Emryc. “I can’t see as you can.. We need to move together.” His voice was lowered to a whisper, very conscious of the fact that they were not alone within the maintenance room.


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