The sacrifice

[Lyanna Vahlaar]

Uncertainty had no place in Lyannas heart. Following the wishes of the spirit and staying truely faithfull to its teachings was no path for the weak-willed. There was little true despise Lyanna carried in her heart, carefully hidden beneath thick layers of ice and iron, but a certain ammount of digust was undeniablly entrenched in it. She felt said roots whenever she had to surround herself with criminals to fulfill her duty. Some of the desires echoed so loud from the minds of their bearers that Lyanna had a hard time ignoring it. Desire for credits, easy meat and much more of that kind was dominant in most of them.
Three weeks had passed since Lyanna had failed her mission. Her father had not been pleased to learn of her failure, yet he knew of the difficulties of achieving dark side artifcats. Especially intact and powerful ones. He was rather reliefed Lyanna had not suffered any serious injures. What had him concerend the most was of course the news of whom Lyanna was defeated by. And not getting ahold of the articat was a defeat, and nothing else.
The rumours spread quickly and were soon officially confirmed by her father within the close circle of their own blood.
Lyanna did not remember all information she had gained from the heir. His life had passed by her eyes, but as no human-being remembered all parts of their own life span, she could not recall every detail she had witnessed of his.
She knew his name, heritage and potential. There was little more she had to know.

Strolling seemingly relaxed through the black market located within the flagship of the quite sinister figure of someone who went by the name two-tongue, Lyanna had no intention of lingering around too long. This was no place for her. She would have prefered an open battle-field over this masquerade any day. She was not much of an actress.
After careful investigation she was quite certain there was nothing here for her, so she intended to leave, when something had her remaining. Her gaze had caught an uncommonly tall young man. Uncommonly tall...
Her eyes narrowed when she stepped closer, as if she had to make sure. For the moment she could only spot his blonde, short-cut hair, but the height of him...When he finally turned around heat ignited around the area of her stomach, just to burn itself down into the depths of her iintestines. It was him. She could have told this pattern in the force apart from a million other. He had not become aware of her as it seemed. With no hesitation putting her into chains, she disapparead from his possible radius of view. Her fingers openend the little leather bag attached to her belt...

Shortly afterwards Lyanna observed him from afar. He was talking to someone, another male, yet way shorter and older. When after one or two minutes said man left the heir to himself, he was finally about to raise the cup to his mouth...
Someone softly pushed Lyanna aside and quitely apologized. It had been a nice try, yet she carried no purse to steal. Her gaze followed the unfortunate thief for a moment, before her eyes darted back to the heir.
The cup had not touched his lips...instead a young woman had appaereanly approached him. She was tall and slender and moved with the elegancy and playfullness of a vixen. A cascade of endless, red curls fell down her back and framed her - admittingly - stunningly pretty face. And she was holding the cup...when did that happen? Had she not just lost focus on him for less then a few seconds?
She witnessed the youg woman bringing the cup to her painted lips. Lyannas hand shot into the air as to pull the cup from the girl, but it was too late..

 

[FinnSimmons]

This was a bust. The 'Sith artifacts' that were being sold here were hardly anything more than snippets of text and parts of uninteresting tablets. Some was as pointless as diary entries or bookkeeping. Finn had seen the odd piece that would have brought a nice price if it was still intact, but broken they were worthless. Some of the destroyed pieces he had seen had clearly been damaged by unearthing them without the necessary care. To him that was just plain stupid. He didn't really care about the lost cultural value. Some people brought that stupid topic up all the time. He remembered that Professor that had told Sam and Finn that they were conducting sacrilege by prying open ancient walls and destroying priceless cultural treasures in the process. He remembered his mom simply decapitation the man and killing a hand full of his dig team. They had had peace and quiet after that.

Here and now he was annoyed for another reason. He had wasted his time. Time he could have and probably should have spent with Nova. For now though he was going to finish up his little excursion and then return to his ship. Maybe he'd get a meal first. Right now though he felt the effects of the dry station air. The filters weren't set up properly and there was almost no moisture in the air whatsoever. Maybe that was not even an accident. It clearly had worked to get Finn to buy a drink from the stand that was so suspiciously placed in the center of the shopping street. Following the urge to drink something he had purchased a cup of non-alcoholic liquid. The drink was mostly purple with elusive, almost oily looking swirls of blue and red moving across the surface in a strange, chaotic pattern. He was just about to take a sip when someone almost touched him. He could feel the body heat of a hand held so close to his arm that the slightest movement of his own would have had them connect. He felt something almost like static electricity building. The hand was there only for but a second yet that was enough to have his heck hair stand up and his head turn.

A pretty, no a beautiful, red headed woman woman, ageless in her looks, had approached him from the side and was now walking, no dancing around him, eyeing him up from all sides. “Well aren't you handsome!” She said after leaning close to him. Her voice a hushed whisper just loud enough for him to hear. Her words were more promise than statement and yet what she said mattered not for the way she said it was unmistakable. Finn was still wondering if he had time for this when the redhead took his cup and while her eyes pierced his, with a gaze so intense he could feel his blood start to boil, she took a sip from the cool liquid.

No later than she had done so she let go of the cup and her expression changed. Terror appeared on the pretty face. She wanted to tell him someting, she was clearly terrified. Finn reached for her. “What ...” He asked without finishing the question. What was going on? The eyes of the woman were turning backwards and fine foam was appearing on the corners of her plump lips. Finn held her upright when her legs could no longer hold her upright. Already someone next to him had noticed what was going on and had yelled out in panic. Across the noise in the market it didn't carry very far, but it was enough to trigger a reaction in the crowd and within seconds Finn was standing in the center of a circle, being judged by all those who looked at him. The bystander who had screamed out, a Duros woman, had seen what had happened and unlike Finn had put together the pieces in her head. The pretty redhead was dead. She had drunken the purple drink and died instantly. A drink she had taken from a cup seized from the hand of one of her baffled victims.

Quickyl the people started talking. There was a woman. Was she dead or unconscious? A man was holding her. Had he killed her or was he an innocent bystander? The minds of the people around Finn were not very well hidden, on the contrary. They were loud and unrestrained. He could listen to all their deliberations. And with every passing moment he realized he had to speak out. So he did.

“The poison was meant for me.” He said out loud. The now dead woman was still in his arms and he let her to the ground carefully. She was light as a fether and only the fact that she was limp as a overcooked noodle gave him trouble while handling her body. Once she was lying on the floor he closed the woman's eyes. The thoughts of the crowd around him had shifted. Someone had wanted to poison the man and the courtesan had ended up dying was the unanimous conclusion. Served her right some thought. Others felt true sympathy. Most didn't care though. They were just watching the show.

Finn picked up the cup that had fallen to the ground and smelled the traces of purple drink that remained in the cup. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Yet when he reached out into the force and poured his mind into the cup to understand what the liquid was made up out of he quickly realized that he should not even be touching the cup. He dropped it to the floor and left it there.

On the side where the Duros woman had screamed and gotten everybody's attention a handful of enforcers had gathered, listening to the Duros woman's story. They were still assessing the situation. Finn knew he didn't have time for this. At least two had their weapons ready to shoot at him if they felt like it. It was not as if there would be much of a investigation here. If the woman told them that he was to blame they would fire at him. Not that he would let them get that far. He reached out in the force, touched the still warm body of the woman and made certain that there was nothing he could still do for the woman. Her heart had stopped, her muscles were not doing a thing any more. Her nervous system had completely shut down. She was dead. There was not any Jedi or Sith in the Galaxy that could bring back the dead. And Finn didn't even compare to the more powerful ones. So what was he to do? Get out of here alive was the first thing that he thought of. “Better not die as well, hm?” He said quietly to the dead woman. “Would be a same if you died for nothing. This way you saved my life.” He told her, as if that still mattered. “So I better not let you down.” He finished and got up. He turned towards the enforcers and made a step towards them.

In the same moment the station was rocked by a explosion. Finn almost lost his footing but steadied himself on the market stand he had just bought his poisoned drink at. Thunder rolled through the corridors and and the red glow of flame was shone into the market from around a corner. Sirens started howling automatically and the light turned of. The darkness lasted only about a second until the emergency lights flickered on. That was enough to turn the market into bloody chaos. People were running and screaming, yelling for others to get out of the way. There was fear suddenly, so much fear and disregard for the life of others. He could tell that suddenly, all around him there were people who could use help. A hand to get back up, a calming word, a commanding voice to tell them to stop panicking. Yet he remained quiet. For he was sensing what the cause of the explosion was.

Finn assessed the confusion around him and picked the direction that looked most promising. The one that lead not towards the danger but also didn't follow the pile of people that were pushing towards the few quick exits out of the market. If he was lucky he could still get away unscathed.

 

[Lyanna Vahlaar]

Lyanna stayed a silent and distant observer of the scene she had caused. Even though she didn't value the lifes of burglars and the like of them too much, she couldn't steel herself from the far off echo of guilt...As much as the young woman had been one that enjoyed her legs spread as wide-openly as the gates that led to this foul place itself, there had been no darkness attached to her soul. She had not even been blessed with the spirits grace, and therefor she had not been able to hear to calling of the force. Taken into consideration the circles she moved in and the rigorous way in which she had approached her prey, it didn't even seem that unlikely she had been a professional. And the galaxy was flooded with their kind. Not much of a loss really, yet still avoidable and unnecessary.

Lyanna watched the situation unfold, however she was located in too far of a distance to be able to understand a single spoken word. She could feel however what was going on on the inside of the ones that surrounded her target. And she knew he felt it as well.
Before she could even decided how she would handle the second failure on his behalf, a sudden and heavy vibration almost carried her off her feet. She somehow managed to balance it out and a second later the whole market was bathed in darkness.
When the emergency lights enlightend the scene in yellow glow, her target was nowhere to be found anymore. Even though she was surrounded by panic, Lyanna remained calm. And as the well-being of criminals was not much to her, she had not to burden herself with the save keeping of said individuals. And yet something caught her attention. Close to her...
It felt different than the fear of the others. There was longing...longing for...guidance. More pronounced than in everyone the warrior had witnessed around here. Lyanna turned and her eyes found the source of this innocent wish.
A young Twi'Lek girl. A fragile thing, most likely in her early teens. Her skin was as white as bone, however it was hard to judge as the emergency light distorted all shades. Her features had no edges, there was just softness and big, expressive eyes that were filled with both tears and the shimmer of the childhood she had never had. She wore a necklace with a slave-mark attached to it. A mark Lyanna had seen times before.
The girls most private parts were mantled, but her upper body was not. Most likely a potential customer had inspected her just the very moment before...
The poor thing was barely more than a bud. Lyanna could see that she was feeling cold, and also why she wasn't on the run like her master, or like all the others. Her ankle was chained to the stall.
Within seconds Lyanna was near-by the girl. Her sobbing was heart-wrenching. Also now she realized why the girl was the only slave Lyanna could spot. Red eyes, the white skin. An Albino. She was a special one. Rare good....precious beyond the average item men seeked to purchase.
Lyanna doffed the grey, half-long and wide cloak she was wearing and wrapped it around the girl. "ssshh" she said when the girl looked at her with nothing but fear reflecting in her red irides. She smiled at her and within the force she touched her mind, gently streaking it and gifting her with comfort. "Don't be scared". The girl brushed a tear from her cheek and nodded shyly. Lyanna activated her lightsaber and cut the chain close to the girls ankle. An astounded gasp was to be heard and Lyanna blinked her eye at her. "Are...are you a Jedi, mistress?" she spoke so quietly as anyone who had never been allowed to experience freedom and liberty. "I'm neiter a Jedi nor your mistress. You can call me Lyanna" Lyanna replied "And even though I'm not a Jedi, I will take care of you nontheless, hm?" "Wi-will we die here?" "We won't." At least she hoped so. There was another problem though. The girl was bare-footed..and the floor was covered with pieces of broken glass and still glowing cigarette butts. "Do you have shoes?" Lyanna asked "The master keeps them somewhere behind the counter"
Lyanna hurried and found the shoes within half a minute. "Where are your clothes?" she called. "I don't have any!" was the response.
So her owner had given her nothing but shoes and undergarment for her lower body? Disgusting...When the Vahlaar returend to the girl she told her to sit on the stool behind her. She could see the girl was shaking too much and also she wanted to prevent the cloak from revealing anything. Lyanna knelt before her and put the girls shoes on. When both of them stood up Lyannas hand found the girls cheek "What is your name?" she wanted to know "Orianna, mistress" "Orianna, if I'll ever encounter your master, I will make him regret every single one of you he ever forced into slavery" it was promise. The girl smiled.
This whole rescue mission had cost Lyanna quite a few minutes, but finally she laid her hand around Oriannas shoulders as she knew the girl needed the support. Lyanna didn't lead her into the direction most people had fled. She could soon tell the Twi'lek wasn't used to running or great physical exertion. "Keep up" Lyanna urged. They had entered a lonely but wide corridor. Only the howling of the sirenes was still to hear.
It took Lyann a moment to realize bags were covering the ground. But it weren't bags. It were lifeless bodies. Some human, some near-human, some of other species. According to the clothing and the heavy armament, the most logical conclusion was that it were pirates. Or some other kind of scum that had an open invoice with two-tongue. Or they thought him to be in a vulnarble postion as many guards had been focused on the market.
But who had killed the ones here? One had been shot, as a little hole excately between his eyes confirmed. An impressive shot that spoke for the quality of the marksman. But it was the next body that had her worried. Stab-wound, and as there was no blood and the wound was perfeclty round, it must have been a lightsaber. She knew of at least one other person aboard who carried a lightsaber...
"Come!" she told the slave girl. After passing two other corridors screams reached their ears. "Stay behind me" Lyanna demanded. She activated both of her sabers, but when they continued their path, he just finished the last one of them. His saber was still ignited, the crimson radiating its fiery glow, bathing him in it.

Their eyes met when he became aware of her. Time slowed down, or at least it felt that way. Goosebumps covered her lower arms, yet her expression was calm, and as if she met a stranger for the first time. She simply nodded towards the dead man to the treasure hunters - she prefered thinking of him as that instead of Finn, Finn felt so..personal. "Pirates I guess?" it sounded disturbingly neutral. Of course she could have set up another duel. But she was not on her own...

 

[FinnSimmons]

Finn lowered his lightsaber. The pirates that had crossed his path had fallen to his blade. They had tried to cut of all the flight paths and in doing so had crossed his. Which in this case meant their doom and that Finn's jacket was now ruined. A blaster shot had grazed his arm and left a nasty burn mark. It stung like hell and he hoped that it wasn't as bad as it felt. Just as he had dropped the last pirate he felt a twinge in the back of his head and turned around. Along the corridor he had just taken to get here a familiar face came running. In tow she had some half naked girl. Finn didn't quite like this coincident and kept his blade at the ready.

“You?!” He spat out and looked at her with a fire in his eyes. He felt himself grow hot and attributed it to the fact that she had tried to kill him the last time they had met. He didn't quite know how he was supposed to feel about her now. Shortly after their joint fall through the hospital floor during their last meeting they had sheared a very intimate meeting of souls. That he realized now had confused him somewhat. He didn't hate her he realized. But why then did he feel this hear rising inside of him? He had felt this before, when he had hated something or someone. He shoved the thoughts aside with some vehemence.

“Why am I not surprised.” He said and moved backwards away from her, anticipating an attack. “Don't tell me you are here by accident Jedi!”

He said and before Lyanna could answer a high pitched scream pierced the silence and was cut short right away. The slave girl Orianna had her hand raised in front of her mouth to shut herself up. Her eyes were fixed upon the dead bodies lying on the floor. She had just noticed them now, after her attention had been fixed on the red blade Finn was wielding. Orianna took her hand away from her mouth again and cried out to Lyanna, to warn her and to express her fear. “Lyanna, … ” She spoke shivering from head to toe, pointing at the dead on the floor. By now it was not the cold that made her shiver though but the threat to her life she felt. The slave girl quickly hid behind Laynna's back. Finn noticed but cared little for what the girl did after she had shut up. His focus was on Lyanna and on getting out of here alive.

 

[Lyanna Vahlaar]

While she listened to him the twitching corner of her mouth was the only motion which took place in her face. The tip of his saber was floating just above the ground. Its hiss was more pronounced than the ones Lanna carried, the threatening sound appaered to fill the whole corridor, just as the red light it casted.
She could feel the young Twi'Lek girl clinging to her, both her hands resting in the crook of Lyannas arm.
When the girl sobbed behind her back Lyanna hushed in lowered voice "Sshhh, don't be scared" she had no desire to lie to the girl, yet confronting her with the truth wouldn't help the situation.

"I'm not" Lyanna simply confirmed his suggestion. Now that she encountered him again, she couldn't really help but to wonder why he had patched her up. Maybe there was just not going on all that much behind his pair of pretty blue eyes, she thought disparagingly.
Before she could say another word, the ground was shaken by another heavy vibration. They needed to get out of here. She would have time to deal with the heir later. Or if she was lucky he would not survive the impacts the station was rocked by. There was always hope in the end?

"We need to hurry. We need to get to the rescue capsules as fast as possible!" she told Orianna. However she would clearly not just pass by the young man and turn her own and Oriannas back on him.
Her eyes met the ones of her counterpart and she growled "Move, or I'll make you"

 

[FinnSimmons]

Finn stepped to the side and turned slightly, to keep his blade in between Lyanna and himself. Lyanna was apparently the name by witch the Jedi had introduced herself to the half naked girl. If it was truly her name he had yet to uncover. For now he would use it.

Shortly after the girl had screamed out in shock and warning the Jedi calmed the girl down and then confirmed Finn's suspicion. It was not an accident that she was here. She was clearly still after him. The first time she had tried to kill him would not stay the last he could foretell. So he had no reason to trust her. She however knew that he was not really out to harm her. For what reason he did not simply kill her remained beyond him still, but when she growled at him and told him to move he could almost grasp the reason why. It did remain just out of his grasp though, just like a word that eluded him just when he tried to remember it.

Finn assessed the situation and figured that he was going this direction anyway and that getting out of here like she was doing was not even a bad idea. One could say that he was doing what she told him or that he had really just already been doing the same thing she was doing and she just happened to have caught up with him while he had sliced and diced the fools that now adorned the floor.

So he shrugged and moved backwards. He had to pay attention not to stumble over the bodies on the floor while he did so. Once he was clear of the dead pirates on the ground he had gotten some distance between her and himself. So her turned around and continued down the corridor. After having checked the station layout on an information board a short while ago he knew where he was headed. The escape pods were in the direction he and Lyanna were both heading in. So in lieu of another option he had to stay ahead of her. He did not want to let her within arms reach of himself and having her in front of him, where she could set up an ambush was too dangerous. So letting her pass him was out of the question too. She was after all a murdering fanatic. So he did well in not underestimating her will to improvise some plan to bring about his demise.

Once he reached the escape pods he had to jell out his frustration. “Kriff!” The pods were all gone. If they had been used or simply started by the pirates to prevent people from getting of the station was irrelevant at this point. There was other locations where he could possibly find one, but this area was picked clean.

It was that moment that another group of pirates chose to attack him. The must have heared him yell out he fugured. Stupid of him. His lightsaber sprung to action and whirled around to deflect the blaster bolts that would have otherwise hit him, but still bolts of plasma flew past him, hit the walls around him and left dully glowing holes in the paneling.

“Great!” He said between deep breaths. This was unfortunate. He grabbed his blaster pistol with his free hand and fired a few shots down the hallway. Lyanna was coming at him from the behind and the pirates were coming at him from the front. It wasn't necessarily a lucky coincidence that Finn now felt boxed in. Cornered animals, after all, were the most dangerous.