Flashpoint Dantooine The Costs

[Altair Din]

The storm was tumultuous and the rain drops felt as if they weighed a ton each. Pain coursed through his entire body. He was out in an open field - the site of a brutal battle. He had been sent to Dantooine as part of a patrol, and the rebel activity was still vicious. Altair and Sith had been jumped in an ambush by rebel soldiers. The other two Sith were lying dead a few feet away, their pale faces and vacant eyes staring up hauntingly at the sky.

The tiefling attempted to stand, but he couldn’t. He collapsed down to one knee. He was in his new Champion armor, but he tasted copper in his mouth. Altair reached up with shaky hands to slowly remove the horned helmet. He was breathing heavily, his entire body riddled with pain. He had been shot in the leg and shoulder, and he took several melee hits to his torso along with vibroblade strikes.

Altair spat out a glob of blood on the ground, the rain pelting his burning injuries. The tiefling drew in raspy breaths, his violet gaze slowly looking over the wreckage around him. He saw the dead rebel soldiers strewn around. He saw the ones he personally killed and he saw the others the other Sith died killing. He saw missing limbs, entrails strewn out, one soldier with his head missing.

This was the cost of war.

He barely survived it, and he was out here alone now. Altair gritted his teeth, curling his fingers into the grass as he attempted to get up. He could only go as far as that one knee, spitting out more blood and hunching over. He was the sole survivor of the encounter, and he knew he was far from any Sith forces. The rebels had laid their trap well, and he knew he was in danger if he lingered.

Altair shakily got to his feet at last. He took a few steps before he collapsed down to his knees again. There was a clap of thunder as the storm continued, and he was effectively stuck. He knew it would only be a matter of time before a second wave was sent to finish him off.

He had no fight left in him.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Dantooine, Clove's personal weakness. Something bad happened every time she set foot on Dantooine. First was the invasion when she lost her fight and sent Aadya to Thelian, causing him to also lose and therefore lose Dantooine to the Sith. Then, somehow, the second invasion happened, which she might have been able to prevent if she had handled everything better. But instead of defeating the Sith, she was now seated in a speeder with a hefty medical bag at her side, making her way towards the rebels' trap.

A small group of three armed rebel fighters and two other medics sat next to her in the speeder. Everyone had to sort of listen to her. Because after Kashyyyk, she'd proven herself skilled enough for the Jedi to assign her a group, with the task of hopping between battles and providing medical help to whoever they found while the rebels protected them. Although, in reality, it was less about her leading the others and more about them working together. Because, to be honest, Clove knew very little about actually leading.

The speeder eventually stopped, but the Jedi and Rebels were greeted with an unusual silence as the engine shut down. Usually, there would be some sort of muttering or muttering, as well as some lingering fights. But there was nothing, no fighting, no talking. Just hushed, deafening silence.

Clove climbed out of the speeder nervously, making sure she didn't leave her cane behind. She was too exhausted to be without the cane, despite the fact that she was getting better without it and even managed to run for a bit. Ever since the invasion Clove has done nothing but heal and patch people up, then move on to the next camp, rinse, and repeat. And her rest didn't provide much rest, at least not while she was on this doomed planet. She firmly planted her cane in the ground before taking a look around the open field, her eyes squinting slightly due to the rain that was soaking her coat. But her eyes didn't stay squinted for long.

It was difficult to miss the severed arm that was too close for comfort, or the entrails that decorated a rock not far ahead like a grim Christmas tree. It was a nightmare, something she wished she hadn't seen with her own eyes. These were butchered men and women, Sith and rebels, not people she could patch up. None of the places they'd visited that day compared to the horrors the group was forced to confront in that open field. "... Look for a pulse in the bodies that... resemble a body." Clove muttered, wanting to get away from there as quickly as possible.

As the rebels and Jedi approached the main point of conflict, where most of the bodies were strewn across the blood-soaked grass, a man abruptly spoke up. "Wait! I see somebody sitting! Get your weapons ready!" Clove's head tilted to the right, her gaze following the rebel's direction. With all of the rain and the dark sky above them, it was difficult to see, but he was correct. Someone was seated there, slouched forward on their knees. Curiously, the half-Annfyn moved closer while the rebels took the lead.

As they got closer, a lightning bolt struck the clouds, illuminating the sky and leaving the figure's body as a silhouette against it. It was a man, with four horns. It was Altair. Clove's already pale cheeks turned bone white as the heat in her body drained away. Dantooine was truly cursed.

While she saw her friend in the grass, the rebels saw a man in Sith armor sitting in a field littered with corpses. They didn't waste any time and began to rush closer, their guns raised at the Tiefling, ready to attack. Their yelling, followed by the metallic ringing of their blasters as they prepared for a hail of fire, jolted Clove out of her frozen shock and caused her to bolt forward, screaming "STOP! Don't attack!"

---

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Tag @Sreeya
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[Altair Din]

Theme​

Altair knew his time was up when he heard movement behind him. However, he refused to go down without a fight even if he had almost nothing left. The tiefling turned around to face the group, spotting the armed rebels leveling their weapons. There was rage in his face, fire in his eyes. Clove would feel the pulse of agony and fury whirling within him. He channeled his pain into his strength, truly embracing the Dark Side. He clenched his teeth and growled as he shakily got to his feet. The rebels had no mercy in their hearts, not when they just saw a monster - a demon - standing atop the stage of his bloody conquest. Atop the bodies of friends they knew, of their brethren. He stood there mocking everything they fought for.

The first shot escaped the rebel’s blaster before Clove had called out her warning. The bolt froze mid air before hitting Altair, tail streaked out and suspended a comet. The tiefling gave a low growl and released it, sending it back to the rebel that fired. The man toppled back from the shot and Altair looked at the others. There was bloodlust in his eyes, the almost psychotic look of an animal that had been cornered and pushed to its limits. He had nothing to lose, and he had blood dribbling down his chin, his violet eyes steely with streaks of yellow very slowly seeping in.

The soldiers heard Clove, but they were furious.

“DEMON!” One of them cried out, leveling his blaster. There were a few others that were caught in limbo between listening to the Jedi and wanting to immediately kill a Sith.

Altair gritted his teeth, his tail flicking back and forth in agitation as his fingers curled. Electricity began to dance between his fingers, and he prepared to counter whatever the rebels unleashed on him. Two of the rebels had no desire to listen to any orders, too fixated on destroying the beast before them. They aimed for Altair’s torso.

Altair raised his hands, the lightning powerfully churning, enough to throw back both men. However, that was when he saw another figure just to the side. His entire expression changed, the anger and rage on his face immediately giving way to wide eyes. He suddenly didn’t look like a vicious Sith anymore, but the man she had grown to know. He was the Altair that quietly sang her to sleep, the one that flew across the galaxy just to help her do community service, the one that smiled and laughed just like any other goofy teenager. Altair’s lips parted and he began to speak even as more blood spilled down his lips.

“...Clov-”

Bolts rang out in his moment of hesitation. They found purchase somewhere on his torso. The tiefling dropped backwards to the ground with a thud.

“WE GOT THE BASTARD! WE GOT HIM!”

“Great job, Knight Vanhoop!” One of the rebels clapped her on the back, “Excellent diversion technique. We dropped that fucker!” He gave a whoop and began to move towards the fallen Sith.

“Check for a pulse,” He called out to the others, “If the beast’s alive, we take him in as a prisoner.”

“Maybe I’ll carve off his horns as trophies so his little Sith buddies know to stay away,” One of the other soldiers guffawed, all of them cheering and clearly proud of dropping a Sith, “Or the tail.”


@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove was frozen. Everything happened so fast, it was like she was watching a holonet movie. This could not be her reality. Altair didn't get shot, only to raise his hand and let electricity run down his fingers, right? She didn't want this to be the truth. But it was.

Altair's lips parted, a gurgle of letters and blood escaping his mouth. He wanted to say her name, but before he could finish it, a hail of bolts pelted Altair, knocking him backward into the grass. Clove yelped somewhere between it all, but her voice carried no weight in comparison to the sounds of the bolts flying to the Tiefling.

"Altair?" The half-Annfyn whispered, her gaze shifting away from the boy's body and lingering on the rebels. The rebels who were... cheering? One of them patted her on the back and complimented her on a job well done? She couldn't believe her ears. How could they celebrate any of this? Clove's body didn't move until the tail and horns came into play. It sickened her so much and so quickly that she threw her cane to the ground and rushed to the front of the group before anyone else could reach Altair. Her once-pale cheeks were gradually burning red, her fluted ears pressed against the sides of her head. Her stomach churned with rage, forcing her to clench her fists. There was no Jedi code she could repeat in her head to calm herself down; she was furious.

"Excuse me, but I had no idea I was working with poachers?!" She started yelling at them. "Have you all gone insane? Is this war for you? Shooting unarmed enemies, cheering when they bleed, and casually joking about carving off their body parts?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" This was no longer just about Altair, though it did add fuel to the fire in her eyes. "Congratulations, you're now as bad as the people you're shooting at! Maybe do some kriffing research the next time you volunteer to join a Jedi-led group?!" She took a few steps back in the bloody grass until she was directly in front of Altair, all while tossing her arms around animatedly. "Because, news flash! We do not harm unarmed enemies. Especially not kill them! Or celebrate their pain!"

"Leave. Leave, now, that's an order! I don't want any of you here or near the bodies." For a brief moment her gaze shifted to the medics, who were completely innocent in all of this. They were probably feeling the same way she did because they were taught the same way she was. "You can stay if you want. I don't care. But you..." Her eyes snapped back to the rebels. "GO!"

Clove gave them one last look before turning around to face the Tiefling, regardless of what they did. Her once furious gaze vanished almost instantly when she saw him, giving way to a distant look instead. She needed to focus because panicking and crying would not help him. She knelt in the grass, ignoring the warm blood that had seeped into her pants and boots, and began to search for signs of life; breathing, blinking, a pulse, anything that told her she could still fight for him and bring him back around. "Can you hear me?"

---

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Tag @Sreeya
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[Altair Din]

The rebels stared in silence at Clove as she snapped at them. To her surprise, they didn’t move away immediately. The soldiers stood in the rain, the water pelting off their armor. Clove would be able to sense the hatred burning in their hearts. One of them finally spoke.

“A Sith is never unarmed, you foolish little girl,” He spat at her, “Never,” The rebel pointed to the fallen soldier that was barely peeling himself off the ground after the freeze bolt attack, “These are people that wiped out Firrerre and burned Kashyyyk,” The man said, his voice raising, “They’ve taken everything and they do so without mercy,” He pointed towards Altair’s form, “That thing would stop at nothing to tear us apart. That’s why Jedi Vuth ordered everyone to kill all Sith on sight. Without mercy.”

It was no secret that the rebel leader Emilia Vuth was a zealot when it came to Jedi. She sought to exterminate them at all costs, and it was how she had so many rebel followers coming under one banner. These men weren’t used to operating with a Jedi that was more pacifistic in nature, and it was causing tension.

“Come on, let’s go,” Another rebel clapped the man on the shoulder, “We can file a report and lodge a complaint against this Jedi. She’s breaking protocol.”

The first rebel stared in silence at Clove as if silently putting her on a mental list of some sort. In the end, the men turned to leave, leaving Clove and her medics alone.

As Clove arrived at Altair’s side, his gaze was unfocused. He slowly began to tilt his head to look at her and open his mouth as if to say something. His hand twitched the slightest bit, but his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he immediately lost consciousness.

“He will die if we don’t get him to a facility…it may be too late already,” One of the medics said quietly, clearly frightened. However, she knelt down anyway and began to patch up any bleeding. It was obvious the woman was terrified at the sight of a Sith up close and she was confused by the exchange she witnessed. She commed the rest of the team nonetheless and a speeder quickly arrived to help take them away.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove cast a backward glance at the soldier who spat venom at her. A Jedi who gave everyone the order to kill all Sith on sight, without mercy? Well, it wasn't very surprising. Emilia was a zealot, an extremist like herself. But where Clove's extremist ended the war by stopping an eye-for-an-eye and showing compassion, Emilia's extremist ended the war by murdering every Sith on sight. So, if they were going to report her for following the core principle upon which her medical facility, which was approved by the Grandmaster, would be built, so be it. Plus, she had other things to worry about.

She lowered her head in a curtsy nod to the rebel, ignoring his stare and refusing to give him the satisfaction of a proper reply before returning her attention to Altair.

Altair was still alive, albeit barely. "There's a facility nearby, but I don't recall it being in great shape. Still, it's the best we can do, and the equipment inside should be enough to keep him stable. I can do the rest through the Force once the worst wounds are healed and he's stable." Her gaze shifted away from Altair for a moment to focus on the medic who sat next to her in the grass. The woman looked terrified, but instead of screaming murder, she tried to help. "Thank you." Clove spoke to her quietly with a faint smile while bandaging one of the wounds. She would make certain that she was the first to be hired once the facility was completed. If she wanted that job, anyway.

The speeder arrived quickly, accompanied by a team to help them. "Right on time, thank you so much everyone! Lift him carefully into the speeder; we'll head north from here. It should take no more than four minutes."

Clove gathered her cane and leather bag before hopping onto the speeder, while the men and women who dared to carry the demon-looking Sith began to carefully secure him into place. When everything was ready, everyone climbed aboard the Speeder and took off towards the facility in a matter of seconds.

The few minutes felt like her personal hell; all she could do was stare at Altair and occasionally check his pulse to monitor his body. She wasn't powerful enough in the Force to bring back someone on the verge of death, and they didn't have enough equipment in the speeder to do much more than stop his bleedings. So, when the speeder arrived at the facility, Clove jumped out of her seat and dashed towards the door, her cane tapping against the cracked tiles of the entrance floor. "There's a stretcher on the left! I'll go see if I can find a room with electrical equipment!"

The facility itself was indeed in a rather poor shape. Based on the destroyed top right half, it was most likely hit by an explosion. That rendered the right side useless, but the left side looked to be in a decent shape, with some rooms even having access to the automatically activated backup generator. Clove walked into the first emergency room she came across, which had a blinking lamp indicating it had power. There was only a bed, some chairs, an IV pump, and a heart monitor. There was no bacta tank, but it'd do. "Over here!" Clove called out as she began to prepare the bed. While she was bothered by the lack of a sterile environment, bacta was a fantastic medicine that was more than capable of dealing with infections.

Altair's body was carefully transferred onto the stretcher while Clove was busy with the room. They rushed him into the building, towards the room Clove indicated, once he was secured on the stretcher. His body was resting on the bed in no time, with a clean IV in his arm and the—albeit struggling—heart monitor hooked against his chest. The medics who remained and Clove worked for hours cleaning up all of Altair's wounds, applying bacta, and starting to stitch them up.

The bleeding finally stopped, the ratings stabilized, and for the first time since arriving at Altair's body, everyone felt like they could breathe again. As time passed, most of the medics began to leave; they needed to move on to the next victim, and there was no point in remaining in one room once the person in question was stabilized. Clove could finally let down her guard now that she didn't have to pretend she didn't know the Tiefling. She took one of the chairs and drew it closer to the bed, where she sat next to him. There she'd stay seated until Altair awoke or something changed.

---

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Tag @Sreeya
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[Altair Din]

It was a harrowing experience as Altair was close to coding multiple times. The medical team had to prepare for resuscitative measures, and once he actually flatlined before they were able to bring him back. The team would be left completely stressed by the time he finally stabilized and was no longer on the brink. They would rotate in and out, the bacta finally kicking in and rapidly working on healing him.

At some point, one of the medics approached Clove, exhaustion clear on her face, “He will be transferred into detainment when he’s more stable,” She said with a firmness of her tone, “You know the rules… This will have to get reported up to HQ,” The woman shifted uncomfortably for a moment, looked at Altair, looked back at Clove and finally walked away.

A while passed in silence until Altair’s fingers began to twitch and move a little. His chest rose and fell gently and his eyes slowly blinked open. He saw the fluorescent lighting and he shifted suddenly, his vitals spiking. Altair looked alarmed, glancing around his own body and the IV in his arm. The tiefling looked around till he spotted Clove, his eyes widening at the sight of her.

He slowly shifted and squirmed to sit up. Thoughts of everything that happened flashed vividly in his mind - getting ambushed, the vicious fighting, watching his fellow Sith fall, the rebels arriving and him preparing to fight only to hesitate when he saw…. His jaw tightened, a spike of anger coursing through him. He looked at the IV, he thought of how vulnerable he had been, how weak. And she had seen it all.

Altair purposely gazed ahead, not looking at Clove, “Planning on hand delivering me to your Grandmaster?” He asked brusquely. He knew where he was. He knew how the rebels operated. He wasn’t walking out of here. It bothered him greatly that it was Clove in the end. It had to be her once again meddling in places that were entirely out of her element. Combat and violence was never her passion, and she threw herself into it nonetheless, "You should have let me die. I'm not letting that bitch strip me of the Force."

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove gave a faint nod to the medic who mentioned the detention. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she was too exhausted to respond verbally. Thankfully, she wasn't the only one who looked stressed and exhausted, so her behavior looked fine on the outside. On the inside, however, all she could think about was getting him out of there. Partly because she didn't want to think about the atrocities he, the Sith and the Rebels had committed, and partly because they all fought so hard for him. If the Jedi arrested him, best case he'd be imprisoned for who knows how many years. Worst case he'd lose his Force, leading to scenarios she couldn't bear thinking about. Or the rebels get to him first and execute him on the spot, which was apparently also an option nowadays.

Clove's head was lowered, her eyes closed, by the time the vitals slowly began to rise, indicating Altair's awakening. While she wasn't completely asleep, she couldn't help but nod off every now and then. The increase of beeping sounds catching her ears zapped her awake as if it were the most joyful alarm she had ever heard. Clove's body was filled with energy instantly, her heart fluttering, as her eyes opened with a few blinks and her head raised to look up at Altair. When she saw his violet eyes, her lips curled into a small but genuine smile. All of her hard work had paid off, and the blood on her sleeves and skin had been well worth it! But that smile vanished as soon as she noticed how irritated he looked and avoided her gaze entirely.

"Wait, what?" She asked, a little confused, before lowering her brows and drooping her ears. "... I should've let you die?" Clove froze for a moment, before abruptly rising from her chair and taking a few quick steps towards the door, locking it. While she knew the medics weren't coming in anytime soon because there had been no change for all they knew, the last thing she needed was someone barging into the room and overhearing their conversation. Her gaze returned to Altair, who she approached with a visibly hurt and upset look in her eyes. "We've all fought for your life, you quite literally died, because of that horrendous fight you got yourself into. And that's the first thing you say?"

"Well, for your information, sugar cube, no one here knows your name except me. In fact, no one in the Jedi Order knows who you are. You know what I was going to actually do?! Fake your death with an explosion or something and get you out of here so the records show an unnamed Tiefling Sith died and you can do whatever and be free to hop into another fight. Because, yes, protocols require me to detain you." She took a deep breath in, trying to keep her voice at a low, angry whisper.

She sat back in her chair, her arms crossed in front of her chest, with an annoyed sigh. This time it was her turn to look ahead, her gaze fixed on a small patch of wall. She couldn't believe that after everything she'd gone through today, from the horrors of their fights to seeing Altair flatline and slip through her fingers, images that would stay with her forever, this was how the galaxy rewarded her. With a moody grump.

---

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Tag @Sreeya
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[Altair Din]

Altair’s eyes narrowed and he interjected for a moment as she spoke, “Fight that I got into?” He hissed, “In case you forgot, this is a Sith planet. I was on a routine patrol and we were ambushed by your boyfriends out there,” He glared at her, looking as if he would continue speaking. However, he began to cough and sputter, wheezing a bit before quieting down again. Altair was silent as she continued speaking, the tension in the room thick.

“That ain't true, Clove,” He said after a long moment, finally tilting his head to look at her, “They do know who I am, and if they don’t, they’ll find out soon enough. I was on Agamar. I….killed a Jedi there. They will have profiled me by now,” Altair looked away. He didn’t want to see the look on her face then. He didn’t want to see the pain. This was breaking their agreement - this was sharing more with her than he had agreed to. This was showing her sides of him he wanted to hide. But he was too furious at her naivety to keep it back. She needed to know her plans on brushing him under the rug would have a significant uphill battle. She would have to convince the entire medic team to go along with it and write up a false report.

“I am a soldier, Clove,” He said, “I’m supposed to fight in this war. The bigger question is - what the fuck are you doing? You’re on a planet that you have no business being on anymore. You’re making me hesitate in the middle of a fight because I…because…because..” He looked away, his jaw tightening, fists clenching. He exhaled, not finishing his line of thought in the end. He despised himself at that moment.

“You know I wouldn’t have hesitated if the roles were flipped between me and those rebels,” Altair said very quietly, gazing ahead, “Even if you convince them I'm dead, you know I will show up again. I won't suddenly stop bein' a Sith and playing dead."

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

"Boyfriends?" Clove hissed back at him, her eyes staring daggers at his. She was clearly about to launch a barrage of arguments against him when his wheezing and sputtering stopped her, her gaze returning to the wall after mentally making sure he wasn't about to pass out again.

"I know you murdered Thelian. His body was marked with four horns." She said with a cold and rather distant tone when he finally broke the silence again, her arms tightening around her own chest. She'd long suspected it was him after Kashyyyk, but she couldn't bring herself to think about it. But now that he had taken the cat out of the bag, she had no reason to play pretend. "You know, I'm not stupid. But that's all the report said. Nobody ever associated the Huttball Tiefling with the Sith with four horns. Because you aren't the only one with four horns. Even if they identify you as the Sith who murdered Thelian. It's unrealistic to believe there will only ever be one Sith with four horns."

"What am I doing? I was on Dantooine when the Sith invaded, and I've stayed here ever since, trying to get people out of this hellhole while also healing wounded soldiers. Because, fun fact, Dantooine has fallen into the hands of the Sith not once, but twice, and both times I failed to protect it." While her tone remained cold, her expression began to reveal her hurt. The only reason she hadn't burst out crying was because her annoyance and frustration were far greater. "Funny that, the first time Dantooine fell, I was fighting against Sith for civilians. And when Dantooine fell for the second time, I was right in the governmental district, where the Sith launched their invasion. I saw the defenses crumble but couldn't do anything about it." Her eyes remained glued on that wall. "But I guess my only purpose here is to make you hesitate."

"Don't worry. Those rebels didn't hesitate either. They're probably filing a report against me right now. They were annoyed when I stopped them from poaching your tail and horns." Clove inhaled deeply before turning her head towards him. "You know. I can't help but wonder. Is that all I am to you? A naive little girl who has a crush on a Sith without recognizing his true nature, a girl who doesn't belong on the field and should stay behind the safe walls of the medical bay because she doesn't understand the dangers of this galaxy?"' Her head tilted to the right. "Because, see, I know who you are. And I also know that you are judging me an awful lot."

---

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Tag @Sreeya
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[Altair Din]

“THEN GIVE UP!” He practically shouted at her as she talked about all the times she had failed to keep Dantooine from falling. Altair felt pains throughout his entire body from his explosion, his vitals picking up again. He coughed a few times, wheezing once more. There was a knock on the door asking if everything was okay and the person would leave only if Clove made up some nonsense. The fact that she was in a room with a Sith wasn’t going to be brushed aside easily, but the medics also knew that Jedi had their own ways of operating.

“Stop trying to force a situation on Dantooine and places that are doomed to fall,” Altair glared at her, “We are smack dab in the middle of Sith space. What fucking logic is there to you being here? For any of the rebels to be here?”

He looked away, his jaw tightening, “That’s not all you are to me and you fucking know that,” He growled, “If you were, I wouldn’t have hesitated just like I didn’t on Agamar. I hesitated when it was a matter of my fucking life and death because you were there. MY LIFE. You’re really gonna stand there and fucking tell me anyone can make me do that?” Altair looked at her, the venom still dripping from his voice and his eyes still narrowed. It was clear that her accusations stabbed deep into him and hurt him.

His mind briefly lingered on what she said and the revelation that the soldiers were planning on taking his horns or tail. The realization made him sick to his stomach, but he wasn’t entirely surprised. His parents had warned him about what happened to tieflings around the galaxy, about how their horns were mounted on walls or their tails were even a delicacy in some planets. As if they were beasts, sub-human.

“And stop calling it a crush because that's the only time you sound fucking naive,” He said in agitation, “A crush would be easy. A crush would be so much simpler than whatever the fuck this is, Clove. For both of us. Whatever this is that keeps me doing stupid shit just like it does to you. Whatever it is that makes you be a bad Jedi and me a bad Sith,” Altair’s gaze lingered on hers for a long moment, "You would be taking a step against the Jedi if you let me leave from here. A step you can never take back."

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove's shoulders rose to her chin while her ears sunk when he exploded at her, screaming loud enough for the medics to come knocking on the door. After a brief moment of staring at Altair, she turned her focus to the door, forcing herself to take a deep breath in order to calm down and think quickly. "Don't worry! He's refusing to take his medications, but I've got it under control. I'll shout for help if I need it, but thank you!" It wasn't the best excuse in the world, but considering he was a Sith, it wasn't the most unrealistic scenario. Not many Sith would accept Jedi pills.

Clove returned her attention to the Tiefling when she heard the medics' footsteps fade away. "Great, now they know you're awake." She sighed out. "And, you want an honest answer? It's completely ridiculous that the Jedi keep returning to Dantooine. Absolute donkey nonsense. What this planet needs is peace, whether it is under a Sith or a Jedi flag. But it's clear that many people on Dantooine disagree because many of these rebels were founded here." Clove rolled her eyes in annoyance, not at the Tiefling, but at the drama surrounding the planet. "And that motivates the Jedi to take action. I don't want to be on Dantooine; I despise this hellhole, but you should know better than anyone that when the order is given to go, you go."

His growls and venomous words caught her off guard. Not only because she'd clearly hurt him, but also because, while she knew he had feelings for her, she had no idea how strong they were. She always thought her stupid feelings were fairly one-sided. The annoyance and anger began to fade from her face, leaving only the pain and exhaustion behind. "I'm... sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you like that... I guess that's my own insecurities talking there." She wanted to explain how it bothered her how quickly people judged her and labeled her as weak, and how Altair's snappy assumptions like 'Going to hand deliver me to the Grandmaster?' made her feel just that, weak and small. But this didn't feel like the right place nor time.

Clove's shoulders slumped as he began to emphasize how it was so much more than a crush, something she'd been trying to deny herself until today. She leaned forward, her elbows resting on her thighs with her hands cupped the sides of her face all while her gaze was fixed on the ground. She looked defeated. "Altair, what are we supposed to do?" Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. "I... I really don't know anymore. All I know is that I don't want to lose you... When you flatlined, I..." Her eyebrows lowered while her voice trailed off.

---

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Tag @Sreeya
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[Altair Din]

Altair looked momentarily guilty as Clove had to make up an excuse for him. Whatever plan she had about him playing dead was likely just foiled by his own nonsense. The tiefling was also silent because he reflected on the words he blurted out. He had never before acknowledged that he had mutual feelings for Clove and it was something he had never accepted about himself because of the futility of it. He wanted to believe it was something fleeting and silly, but he was not that naive anymore. The realization sat on him like a huge weight, compressing his chest and leaving him reeling.

He didn’t look at her when she spoke after a moment of silence. He didn’t know he had been that much on the brink of death or that she had to see him literally come back from being gone. He couldn’t imagine going through that with her and it began to sink in just how traumatic things had been. Altair slowly gazed at her, his expression softening as the anger melted away. There was almost a look of fear to him.

“I don’t know…” He said quietly, feeling just as lost, “It’ll always be like this as long as we’re in this war. We’ll keep gettin’ each other’s way. And we’ll despise ourselves for not being the best Jedi or the best Sith because of each other.”

He barely got another word out before there was a sharp knock on the door. It was a male voice that rang out, and it was obvious it was not one of the medics.

“Jedi Vanhoop? We're under orders to transport the prisoner to a detainment facility. Please have him prepared for travel,” The voice said curtly before the man strode away.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove lowered her gaze to the ground as he spoke. He was correct, and she knew it. She had been worried about it since Kashyyyk, and today only confirmed her fears. There was no way around it; they'd gradually become each other's weaknesses. They put each other in danger, yet they couldn't stay apart. If the Will of the Force existed, it was a twisted deity.

There was no time to respond to Altair when the sharp knock on the door made the half-Annfyn flinch. That was it. Her plan could no longer work. Instead of arguing with him, she should have just done it the moment he woke up. She'd find a way to make it work, anything better than this. But it was too late. She couldn't possibly blow up the equipment while also preparing Altair for the long journey to a ship in a matter of minutes or seconds. "Okay, thank you." She replied with a strained tone before sinking her head deeper into her hands. "I'm... so so sorry. I can't... I can't stop them." Her trembling voice was muffled by the palms of her hands.

She finally pulled her face out of her hands after a few more seconds of sitting there. She couldn't bear looking at Altair, but she forced her puffy red eyes to focus on his violets. She slowly began to rise to her feet, her hands trembling as she noticed the slight fear in his eyes. She was sending him to his fear and there was nothing she could do about it. She wasn't strong enough to fight an entire team of armed soldiers, and neither was Altair in his current state. "Unless you have a plan... I—" Her shoulders jerked up slightly, revealing the sobs she'd been desperately trying to stifle. "... I'll grab your undershirt."

Clove took forced steps towards the container containing Altair's equipment and clothing, her head lowered again. She fished the shirt he'd wear underneath his armor out of it, though it wasn't in great shape due to the blaster holes. Still, it beats being dragged to a prison cell while half-naked. She clutched it tightly in her hands before turning around and approaching him hesitantly.

---

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Tag @Sreeya
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[Altair Din]

Altair heard the declaration and his jaw tightened. He felt sick to his stomach, a sense of hopelessness almost crushing him. He didn’t look at Clove as she spoke, even though he heard the tremble in her voice and her feeble apologies. He knew this was how it would end. He knew the day would see him sent to the more powerful Jedi that would dive into his mind or strip him of the Force. Altair shook his head as she offered his shirt, “Forget it,” He said icily as he moved to slowly get out of bed.

Clove’s datapad would beep with instructions - Altair was to be transported to a ship that would take him directly to New Alderaan to be put into maximum security. The tiefling had no idea about his fate as he stepped out of the bed, coughing and wheezing slightly. He was shirtless and bandaged. He grabbed the bits of his armor that had been salvaged, thankful that his helmet at least survived.

There was another sharp knock on the door, “The teams are leaving the facility. We’ll be waiting for you in the ship bay. Bring him there so we can take him.”

Altair looked at the door and scowled. He was being transported offworld? Unmistakable panic began to set in on his face. He stared vacantly at the door, his heart suddenly pounding against his chest. However, he simply swallowed the lump in his throat and exhaled. He still didn’t look at Clove.

“Let’s go.”

He held out his wrists so she could cuff him.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove couldn't hold it against him when he denied wearing his shirt in an icy tone. But it didn't stop her stomach from curling and her skin from crawling in disgust at herself. Normally, she had to fight the urge to stare at his bare chest, but now she could barely keep her gaze on him. "Okay." She said quietly before putting the undershirt back into the container.

For the third time that day, the dreaded beeping of her datapad sent her flinching, her heart sinking deeper and deeper. She reluctantly removed the datapad from her belt and activated it, reading the instructions. That was it. This sealed his fate. They must have ID'd him, resulting in such a tight security.

"Okay." She repeated, this time aiming at the man behind the door. Clove's cheeks were stained with warm tears by the time she turned her gaze to Altair, who had his arms extended and a panicked expression on his face. She had no strength left to fight her emotions while personally sending one of her dearest friends to New Alderaan.

Her shivering fingers unhooked the cuffs from her belt. "They'll transport you to New Alderaan under strict security. I'm not sure how long I can stay with you." She spoke softly, the trembling in her voice worsening. She carefully lifted the cuffs to his wrists where they lingered for a moment, her fingers frozen as her mind battled itself. But after a few seconds, her hands resumed their movement, the cuffs closing around his wrist. The click of the lock turned her stomach upside down, and she was convinced for a split second that she was about to lose whatever food she had managed to eat before. But she recovered with a deep breath and turned her eyes to the door.

She had so many things she wanted to tell him. One final confession of her feelings for him, how sorry she was but how she would do it again instead of letting him die, or how she wouldn't blame him if he never forgave her for all of this. Maybe even give him a hug or steal that one kiss she's always wanted now that she still can. But none of those words or actions felt justified, and none could possibly undo his complete panic and fear. Plus, deep down, she figured he already knew.

"... I'm sorry." She said one last time, before reaching for the lock on the door.

---

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Tag @Sreeya
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[Altair Din]

Altair was silent. At first he felt sympathy and despair at the situation. However, slowly that began to twist. It began to turn towards Clove. She was the reason he hesitated. She was the reason he took those shots. He knew he could have used lightning to incapacitate the rebels and limp towards an escape. Instead, he had allowed her presence to distract him. And now she was standing there apologizing while handing him over, while forfeiting his life, while leading him to a fate potentially worse than death. The reality of it all shredded him apart worse than any weapon, worse than any physical pain he felt. The dark side churned within him, reminding him of how foolish it was to ever let his guard down. For anyone.

“Drop the fucking act, Clove,” He finally said, looking at her. The thin streaks of yellow began to blend into the normally calm violet, “Don’t come with me. Stay here so you can fucking feel better about yourself and don’t have to see what they do to me. Stay here so you can put in your report what a good little Jedi you were and leave this behind. How you saved my life but also managed to ruin a Sith's life. A win win all around, ain't it? Stay here so you can celebrate with the people that wanted to take my horns and tail off without me being there to see it.”

As soon as she opened the door, the Force would coil around her to physically skid her out of the way.

“Goodbye, Knight Vanhoop,” He said curtly as he passed.

Altair strode out past her towards where he spotted two separate guards standing in the distance. He would hold his head high and approach them himself and have them escort him instead. If Clove watched she would see them roughly grasp him by the horns and shove him into a shuttle.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove stared at him in shock as he launched one insult after another. The one stinging far more than the other, stabbing her word for word. Didn't he just say she was more than a little Jedi? Hadn't they both realized that she wasn't out to ruin his life, or she'd have done it by now? Hadn't she stopped those poachers, for him? All of that didn't seem to matter anymore; instead, all he cared about were the judgments and accusations she loathed so much.

"No thank you." She responded quietly before unlocking the door. She felt his Force coil around her, forcing her out of the way, and heard his curt yet sly stab. Her eyes widened for a split second, her chest aching as if her heart had shattered all at once, causing her pain she'd never known before. He actually used the Force against her. On her. In less than a second, her face changed from one of complete shock and pain to one of icy distance, the hot tears no longer flowing.

No, she'd understand if he was angry, that he'd never forgive her. After all, she was handing him to the Jedi. She had expected some lash back, which is why she let him insult her like that. But this? This was far more than just anger. It was as if he'd transformed into a completely different person with no regard for anything they'd shared. Blaming her for ruining his life when she only minutes ago offered him a way out, a way out he ruined by arguing against it and shouting so loudly that the entire Dantooine knew he was awake, leaving her with little choice.

He was so afraid that she would never let go of the fact that he was a Sith, but when it came down to it, he was the one who couldn't let go of the fact that she was a Jedi. She had to accept that he had murdered Jedi and soldiers in cold blood, but he couldn't accept her role as a Jedi.

Clove wasn't going to prove him right and stay in the facility, but she also wasn't going to chase him down like a lost Porg, not after this. Instead, she corrected her blood-soaked skirt and sleeves, rose her head and walked after him at a reasonable distance. She didn't stop him when he approached two guards and asked them to accompany him instead, and she didn't slow down either. She would follow him all the way up to the shuttle, where one of the guards would step in front of her, stopping her from entering as well.

She saw some hands grab Altair's horn and drag him up the ramp before looking at the guard. "Tell your men to be gentle with the horns; they're not toys. I didn't patch him up just for your men to destroy him again." The half-Annfyn told the man sharply before turning her gaze to Altair's shuttle. She'd stand there, watching the shuttle take off until it was no longer visible to the naked eye, carrying away her first love and heartbreak.

---

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/Exit thread
Tag @Sreeya
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