The Kills Make You Clean

Serie Fond · Jul 2, 2018

Serie had just walked out of the Tatooine bounty office, thinking to herself how funny everyone's expressions were when they heard what she had to say.

I'd like to put a bounty out on Serie Fond.

Who's asking? Asked the rodian behind the desk asked.

Serie Fond.

She giggled to herself as she recalled the encounter. She sometimes did this when she was bored. She always had to keep herself sharp, and one if the best ways to do that was to put out a bit on yourself. This was her fourth time doing it and she was pretty excited to see who she would attract this time. There were so many dangerous and diverse beings in the galaxy and she knew she would only become a truly respected one among them after these experiences.

She made her way up an alleyway and into the somewhat bust marketplace of Anchorhead. She always did enjoy it, ever since cerzka had become a thing they had more trade with inner rim worlds. She walked from booth to booth, keeping her hand on her lightsaber under her cloak as she went. She was going to enjoy herself while she waited for someone to come and try and kill her, but that didn't mean she was going to be stupid and let someone sneak up on her either. She kept herself open to the force and wandered from vendor to vendor, simply window shopping.

@The Captain

Sheranee Saya · Jul 3, 2018

Serie Fond. A name Sheranee had come to know quite well in recent months for her part in the excavation, analysis, and destruction of several old Exile sites across her homeworld of Sahmina. She, and her mechanical apprentice, had carved a swathe of carnage across her homeworld and caused untold damage to Sahmina in the process. The Matukai had been laying low in the face of the rising Sith Empire, but Sheranee couldn't just sit back and do nothing while madwomen ran roughshod across the galaxy, especially on her home planet. For all its flaws, she loved Sahmina, and she would not let its dark past be leveraged by the likes of Serie Fond. She'd been trying to track her across the galaxy for months now, to no avail, and had relegated herself to her usual tour of small towns in the Outer Rim while she waited for any sign or hint of Serie's whereabouts. And then it happened.

She was in anchorhead, scanning through bounty logs while at a rest stop in Anchorhead, hoping that perhaps Serie's name might come up. One could imagine her surprise when Serie's name came up with a rather substantial bounty and an anonymous tip that she was in Anchorhead. The girl damn near leapt out of her seat, realizing that she now had a chance to catch the Sith right here and now for a tidy profit no less. Not that she needed a monetary reward, that was just icing on the proverbial cake. Taking up her arms, Sheranee took off into the market, keeping her senses up and open, especially in the Force, as she scanned for any sign of Serie in the square.

Serie Fond · Jul 3, 2018

Serie continued to window shop, not seeming to attract anyone of any caliber. Thus far only one green Rodian had tried his luck, walking up to her with a blaster in his hand. With a simple wave of her fingers and her telling him the she thought he needed to "go home and rethink his life" he repeated the phrase and turned on heels and walked away. Leaving her standing there giggling slightly.

As she started to grab a fedora from one of the hat racks to try on and see how it looked, she felt another force signature coming her way. Although she couldn't tell who it was yet dye to the small crowd of people but Serie had decided that she would need to get away from them anyway.

All they'll do is get in the way. I'm going to need some space to work. And the less witnesses the better. She thought to herself as she began to exit the market. She made no attempt to hide her own force signature however, and if anything, she bolstered it slightly. A feeling like a cold wet blanket would be thrown over everyone in the area as she did so, before rounding a corner and into a alleyway more or less devoid of any onlookers.

Small bits of trash and junk littered the area, and although the alleyway was quite large, perhaps ten meters from wall to wall, it was a bit more cramped than she usually liked. Pulling her lightsaber off her belt she twirled it between her fingers and waited for the other force signature to draw near, still keeping her aura of unease passively activated.

Sheranee Saya · Jul 4, 2018

As she moved through the market, Sheranee was suddenly struck with a powerful chill, an already unnatural sensation given where she was, but this chill had the distinctive, nauseating twinge of the Darkside to it. Fond was here, somewhere, and she was making no effort to hide her presence, something that worried Sheranee more than actually fighting the Darksider. If she wasn't hiding while there was an active bounty on her head, that meant she was either blissfully ignorant or there was some level of intention behind her being here. Still, even if this was a trap Sheranee couldn't pass up this opportunity to stop Serie, so she pressed on through the market in search of the Sith, her hands clenched tightly around her whip-staff. The sensation of piercing, unnatural, almost siphoning cold grew more intense as Sheranee made her way into the nearby alley, finding the woman she was looking for standing at the far end clutching the metallic hilt of a lightsaber.

"Serie Fond."

Serie Fond · Jul 5, 2018

Serie tried to wait as patiently as she could as she waited for the other force sensitive to find her. It didn't take long though, and she was soon greeted by a rather attractive young woman, staff on her back, from the other end of the alleyway.

There was something very familiar about the woman, although she couldn't place her finger on it at the moment. She squinted her eyes slightly and her face twisted for a brief second.

You look oddly familiar. Have I threatened you before? She asked the woman, igniting her lightsaber and beginning to draw in the force to her. Her chest heaved as she took in a deep breath, removing her hat with her off hand and unclipping the two buttons holding her white outer jacket in place. She pulled her skirt a tad, adjusting it more because she didn't want the whole of tatooine getting a panty shot while her and the alleged bounty hunter were fighting.

She returned her gloved hand to her lightsaber and eyed the woman up and down. She had always known never to strike first, but for some reason her brain was screaming it at her this time. Perhaps this woman is more dangerous than I think. She thought to herself, staying where she was, feet shoulder length apart, blade held in her third form starting position. She was as ready as she was going to be.

Sheranee Saya · Jul 5, 2018

"You're still alive, right?" Sheranee wasn't in the mood for pleasantries today, letting her simple, hooded outer cloak slide from her shoulders as she raised her short staff defensively. "You won't be in a minute, though."

Sheranee gathered as much of the Force as she could into herself, feeding on the Light as was the Matukai way in order to prepare for the fight ahead. Fond was stronger in the Darkside than she had anticipated, but Sheranee wasn't going to be daunted, she was still confident she could take the Sith and prevent her from using her knowledge for any more evil. Grabbing the ends of her weapon and twisting them, the staff suddenly snapped into segments, connected by small, crackling energy couplings. Despite the roughly ten feet between them, Sheranee still whipped her arm back and swung forward, extending the whip-staff to its full 4 meter length as she did, intending to catch the Exile off guard with the sudden strike aimed to strike her on the left side of her head. It was time to see what this Sith could do.

Serie Fond · Jul 5, 2018

Serie giggled slightly at the woman's threats. Many a being had tried to kill her, and obviously, she was still here and they werent. Her giggling stopped when the woman pulled her staff off her back. Then pulled it apart somehow and turned it into a light whip of sorts. Her eyes widened to the sight, having never experienced such a thing in her entire life. She had fought people with blasters, lightsabers, swords, clubs, you name it. Still seeing something new surprised her more than anything, when she thought shed seen most of what there was to see.

Her face became much more serious when the woman flicked her wrist and send the energy whip towards her. Due to her unfamiliarity with the weapon she wasn't going to take any chances, she stepped backwards as she flicked her lightsaber into the oncoming path of the energy whip sailing towards her, coming rather precariously close to getting hit on the hand as she did so. She continued her retreat as to better assess the weapons capabilities and limitations. Even as she did so she could already see where her advantage was going to lie. She had to get close. Which meant that she was going to have to get past the whip and fight her with it in staff form. Therein lied the problem, as while she was advancing, she would be open to flanking attacks due to the weapons unique properties. Between a rock a rancor huh? She thought to herself as she took a deep breath, her nostrils flaring in slight irritation. Shed have to come up with a plan quickly, otherwise the woman would merely fall into stride and things would only get more complicated. Hopefully she was far enough out of range from the whip now that she could continue to observe how she moved it before she struck again.

Sheranee Saya · Jul 5, 2018

Being near the end of the whip-staff's range, and keeping her block up and away, allowed Serie to avoid being struck in the head by the weapon. It did, however, allow the end of the saber-resistant staff to coil around Serie's blade, so the Matukai could dig in her heels and snake the staff around her left forearm to prevent Serie from moving back without putting some significant effort into it, or removing the coiled whip-staff.

"So I'm a rancor then? I like that." Sheranee smirked through her quip, finding this fight was going better than she thought it would. Perhaps she overestimated her opponent after all.

Serie Fond · Jul 5, 2018

Serie would have rolled her eyes at the comment, but she was way too busy keeping her lightsaber in her hand while the woman was tugging on her blade, digging her heels into the ground as she did so.

Serie almost smiled as she remembered an old trick she used to pull on any of the boys she grew up with on Tatooine. With the woman pulling back so hard, all she needed to do was deactivate her lightsaber and hit her with a force blast while she flung herself backwards. The beauty of it was with her momentum carrying her backwards already she would be more likely unable to stop the force blast that she would send her way.

Deactivating her blade with one quick motion, and snapping her left hand up, she summoned a a force blast forth from the palm of her hand. Then she eagerly awaited to see the result of her maneuver before continuing with any sort of attack. Everything she did was careful and measured, afterall.

Sheranee Saya · Jul 5, 2018

Sheranee quickly realized that it was her confidence which had been misplaced, rather than Serie being weaker than she appeared. In a move remarkable for its simplicity, the Sith deactivated her saber and caused Sheranee to lurch backwards in response, having nothing to support her leaning weight. Her stumble turned into a tumble that sent the woman rolling down the alley, as a wave of powerful telekinetic energy slammed into her. Sheranee was able to keep a grip on her staff, however, and once she came to a stop she tried to snap back into a ready position before Serie came down on her.

Serie Fond · Jul 6, 2018

Serie didn't pursue the woman as she tumbled as heap down the alleyway. She really didn't feel the need to, honestly. Instead she began to focus her energies, gathering it up for one final assault on the woman. She smiled thinly and looked at the woman with rather condescending eyes. The woman was tough, perhaps a few months ago she would have been more than a threat for her. But that was then and this was now, and as it stood, the powers that she wielded were one a different scale than the woman standing in front of her.

Seeing as how the woman already knew her name, she decided to ask the most honorable question she could think of in times like these. Can I ask your name? It's just that.. she said, pausing for a moment. I have a tradition. I think we should know the names of the people that might end our lives. Even as she spoke she continued to gather her strength, ready to unleash it in the form of whatever twisted manifestation of the force she so chose to use.

Sheranee Saya · Jul 6, 2018

Regaining her footing, Sheranee could feel the power of the Sith growing exponentially as she stood at the end of the alley, not even preparing to strike. Sheranee was outclassed in power, she knew that now, but even in the face of this overpowering force she would not falter in her duty to stop Serie Fond. She was better trained, she was more determined, and she had something worth fighting for beyond her own power, all of that gave her an advantage over Fond.

"I will tell you nothing, Sith." She spat back, retracting her whip-staff and converting it into its rigid form. "I'm here to end you, not make idle chatter."

Serie Fond · Jul 6, 2018

Serie really wished she hadn't said that. She just wanted to know her name. The biggest reason being was she wanted to know what name she should inscibe on the woman's weapon once she took it from her dead cold hands.

She almost felt bad. In another life, she could have very well been just like her, standing where she was trying to kill someone she didn't stand a chance against. And she had to admit she would probably do the same if she was her. Hell, shed probably make her last moments alive spitting in the face of the one that killed her. But she wasn't going to be the one dying today, or anytime in the future, if she had anything to say about it.

The woman's weapon returning to a staff was her final mistake. Again, she felt almost remorseful for what she did next. She dropped her light saber to the ground and unleashed a hellstorm of lightning upon the girl. Her every intent on killing the woman before she would even have a moment to feel pain. She felt like, if nothing else, that's the way she would want to die. With her weapon not properly engaged, and herself wondering even in its other form if it could stop her lightning, she had a feeling that this was the end for the woman. At least she went out with her boots on. She thought to herself as the lightning stretched from her white gloved fingertips towards the woman in a flash.

Sheranee Saya · Jul 6, 2018

Sheranee knew something was coming, a charge, a telekinetic burst, a blast of fire, she knew that the ball was in the Sith's court, all she could do was wait for it now. So, when Serie dropped her saber Sheranee knew that some manner of Force-based attack was coming her way, and with the power she had been building she managed to evade the hellstorm of Force lightning by breaking around the side of the alley with Force assisted speed. She could feel the heat and intensity of the bolts crackling past her as she pressed herself to the wall, watching the bolts lash out wildly from the alley. Their fight had already sent most of the locals fleeing, but watching a string of thunderbolts disintegrate a section of the local market got any surviving stragglers moving. Sheranee was definitely out of her depth on this fight, she needed a plan before the Sith hit her with something else.

Serie Fond · Jul 7, 2018

Serie exhaled loudly through her nose. She wasn't expecting the woman to just turn tail and run. She shook her head and reached down and grabbed her lightsaber, activating it once more, and took off after the woman.

She really hadn't expected her to be able to dodge her lightning so she decided she would need to get closer, use her overwhelming strength in the force to crush her once and for all. She did her best to maintain her breathing at a steady pace as she caught up with the woman and began to channel the dark side within herself once more. She would build it up until it was like a dam ready to burst. Then she would unload on the woman in whatever way quickest and most efficient.

Sheranee Saya · Jul 7, 2018

Rather than stay where she was, waiting for Serie to come and bisect or blast her, Sheranee darted back around the corner and made a sprint toward the woman, hoping to land a heavy blow to the left side of the Sith's head. It was a desperate move, a dumb and reckless one, but it was Sheranee best hope of catching the Sith off guard and taking her out before she could gather the Force to herself again. Sheranee still had some time and agility to adjust her charge if Serie was more prepared than she thought.

Serie Fond · Jul 8, 2018

Serie had just about gotten to where to woman was when she came from behind the corner swinging her staff at her face. Without even thinking about it she reacted by using the force to enhance her muscles, ducking out of the at the very last moment. It still wasn't quite good enough as the woman's staff grazed her head enough to cause a very tiny cut to open up on her scalp.

She didn't even feel it though, as she was already moving, stepping straight towards the woman, twirling as she went, her head still ducked down. She kept her lightsaber almost glued to her hip as she stepped in and then thrust it deep towards the woman's midsection, moving with speed almost too fast to see. If she was successful in hitting her, series lightsaber would be buried to the hilt in the woman's midsection.

Sheranee Saya · Jul 8, 2018

Sheranee knew that she at least knicked the Sith, but that was little comfort when the Sith was coming at her with remarkable speed and ferocity, trying to stab through Sheranee's gut. Thankfully, she used the momentum built from her swing to bring her staff around to parry the strike just in time, batting it to the left. Not that it stopped the blade from burning Sheranee's side, earning the Sith a sharp gasp of pain as the Matukai tried to stay focused on the battle at hand, rather than the burnt gash on her left side.

Serie Fond · Jul 9, 2018

Serie was surprised the woman was fast enough to get her staff in position in time, although she still managed a light graze. Serie knew with that she would more than likely wince in pain and that was what she needed. She spun on her heels as her thrust was parried, one hand leaving her lightsaber and beginning to build up a bubble of compressed air. As she completed her quick spin, using the momentum of her thrust to spin around much faster than normal, and stretched out her hand to the woman's midsection, pushing the compressed air bubble straight towards her midsection. The blast would be more than enough to completely shatter the woman, but even if she survived Serie was sending her straight towards one of the building next to them. With a flick of her wrist she released the blast point blank at her belly button.

Sheranee Saya · Jul 10, 2018

Sheranee's survival up to this point had come more from sheer luck and working off her own momentum than anything else, but that soon gave way in the face of the Sith's greater power and speed. Sheranee knew that the strike coming next wasn't from a lightsaber, it was from the Force, so she tried to step back and out of the way to avoid it, but it was too late. The burst of kinetic energy shattered the woman, a concussive burst of such power it killed her instantly and left her crumpled, broken body sprawled in a heap at the end of the alley. There was no pain or fear, because she had no chance to feel it.